Zhou Da was practically floating on air as he walked—that was a hundred and fifty taels! In the countryside, a family with even a hundred taels was considered well-off!

He’d worked so hard all these years. Now in middle age, he’d spent half his life toiling without ever saving up this much silver.

Not only had he failed to save any money, but he hadn’t even managed to buy a single mule.

To outsiders, it might seem like he eats meat at every meal, but that’s just a facade. From firewood to rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea—every single item requires spending money, not to mention the expenses for his second son’s education. 

Over the years, he hasn’t managed to save a single coin.

Zhou Da, clutching that bundle of silver in his arms and fearing it might be snatched along the way, hurried home pulling his cart. Shen Linchuan, however, was no longer as frail as he had been when they set out; he kept up with Zhou Da at a brisk pace, his expression calm and composed.

As soon as Zhou Da got home, he didn’t even have time to unload his goods; he motioned for Shen Linchuan and the others to hurry inside.

With so many people around at the market today, when his son-in-law handed it to him, it just felt heavy. He knew there was a fair amount of silver inside, but he certainly hadn’t expected this much!

He wasn’t foolish enough to count the silver in broad daylight; as soon as he received it, he hid it in a drawer under the desk.

While doing business, he kept one eye on it the whole time, afraid someone might steal it.

“Linchuan, here, here, here—take this silver and keep it safe.”

Zhou Da pushed the bulging money bag toward Shen Linchuan. “You earned this silver yourself. With this, you can continue your studies. Zhou Youcheng is studying with that Juren in town—we’ll go there too. He teaches well; next year, we’re sure to pass the Xiucai exam!”

Shen Linchuan hadn’t expected that upon receiving this silver, his father’s first thought would be that he could continue his studies.

Shen Linchuan felt a warm glow in his heart. In truth, his first thought upon receiving such a sum was to build two rooms with blue-tiled roofs for his family—it would be so much more comfortable. But then he remembered that Zhou Er had been keeping a close eye on his family. If they started building now, it would inevitably attract unwanted attention. 

It would be better to wait until after next year’s county-level exams; the weather would be much better then.

“Father, let’s wait until next year. I want to try on my own first.”

“All right, all right. One hundred and fifty taels—that’s more than enough for you to continue your studies for a few more years. And it’ll even cover a comfortable trip to the county seat next year.”

The family had just bought a mule and had a cart made, and the young couple had spent every last coin on their business. He didn’t have much left besides his initial capital, and their food business had also come to a halt.

In February or March, after the New Year, Linchuan would have to go to the county seat to take the imperial exams. 

Zhou Da said, “I’d originally planned to save up a dozen or so taels of silver for you, so that next year you two could travel comfortably to the county seat for the exams. I never expected to come into so much silver all at once!”

He never imagined his son-in-law was such a capable fellow—to have earned so much silver all at once!

Shen Linchuan opened the money bag; it was filled with five-tael silver ingots. Shen Linchuan said he’d given five taels to Manager Li, and Zhou Da kept nodding,

“It’s only right. He helped smooth things over for us.”

Shen Linchuan handed twenty taels to his father and gave the remaining twenty to his Fulang. He took five taels himself. “Ning-ger, Father, the remaining one hundred taels are our family’s private savings. Let’s put the rest to use.”

Zhou Da let out a sigh and refused to take it. “This is yours. I won’t take it. Besides, I’ve been making a living by slaughtering pigs. Now that you’ve lost the recipe for the pork belly, even though we were paid well, we’ve sold the very means of our livelihood to someone else.”

“Father, just take it. It’s a token of Linchuan’s goodwill. Besides, who says we can’t do business? Tomorrow, we can go into business with you again,” Zhou Ning said.

“Didn’t we sell the recipe for our braised pork to the Wangye Pavilion?”

Zhou Da was quite surprised. Since they’d sold the recipe to someone else, the Wangye Pavilion would surely forbid his family from continuing to run this business.

“Father, I forgot to tell you—Lin Chuan didn’t sell the recipe for ‘Ba Zi’ meat; he sold the recipe for ‘Baota’ meat.” 

“Baota meat?”

Shen Linchuan explained everything in detail. Zhou Da was so delighted he kept slapping his thigh. “Great! Just great!”

Zhou Da no longer refused. He accepted the twenty taels of silver—it was a token of his son-in-law’s filial devotion, and he wouldn’t squander it; he’d save it for the young couple to use in the future.

Shen Linchuan and Zhou Ning returned to the inner room to sleep. Shen Linchuan paced back and forth in the room, clutching the bundle of silver. “Where should I put this? Surely there aren’t any thieves in Dayangshu Village?”

Zhou Ning shook his head. “I haven’t heard of anyone losing silver here in years.” 

“Come on, Ning-ger, you hide it.”

Zhou Ning tried to put the four silver coins he was holding into the bundle to hide them as well, but Shen Linchuan wouldn’t allow it. “That’s your pocket money; don’t put it in there.” 

“Twenty taels is a bit too much.”

No matter how wealthy a family was, they wouldn’t carry twenty taels of silver as pocket money, and his family had never been able to save up twenty taels all at once before.

“It’s not too much. We have plenty of places where we need to spend silver.”

Zhou Ning looked at Shen Linchuan in confusion. Where exactly did they need to spend the silver?

Shen Linchuan squeezed his way over and clung to his Fulang. “Like making new clothes for my Fulang, or hair ribbons, face cream, and things like that. Whatever you like, we’ll buy it.”

Zhou Ning shook his head. “I don’t care for those things.”

“Then let’s buy fabric to make clothes. It’s getting hotter; why not buy a couple of gauze robes? They’ll keep you cool at night.”

Zhou Ning finally nodded. Although Shen Linchuan didn’t say so, he’d noticed that Shen Linchuan was quite particular.

He insisted on changing and washing his clothes every two days; if they got dirty, he’d change them daily. He took a full bath every three days, and every night he would wash himself thoroughly before going to bed.

He hated rainy days because Shen Linchuan felt the mud sticking to his shoes.

He was a bit of a dandy, but now that they had some silver, he’d buy his little husband some nice things.

In the end, Zhou Ning hid the last hundred taels of silver in the ceiling beam, and the remaining money served as their shared spending money.

“Actually, when I got this silver, my first thought was to build two rooms for our family, but then I felt it might be a bit too ostentatious.”

“Build a house?” Zhou Ning hadn’t actually considered using the money for that. “Father said we should save it for your education; we can’t just spend it recklessly.”

Shen Linchuan smiled. “Alright, I’ll save it for now.”

After a few days of hustle and bustle, Shen Linchuan’s little food stall was up and running again. When Shen Linchuan set up his stall once more, Old Wang, the man selling scallion pancakes next door, nearly popped his eyes out of his head. “Mr. Shen, you’re open for business again?”

“Yes, yes,” Zhou Da replied with a hearty laugh.

Old Man Wang had been feeling down lately because business had been slow, but as soon as he heard Shen Linchuan’s food stall was up and running again, he jumped to his feet, ready to get to work. “Oh no, I didn’t make enough dough today!”

Old Man Wang hurriedly began kneading more dough; with the crowd about to arrive, he wouldn’t be able to keep up.

Mr. Lu was listlessly dusting the counter with a feather duster, groaning after every two strokes. His wife, who was sorting fabric nearby, grew irritated by his constant moaning. “It’s early morning, and we’re opening for business—what’s with all the groaning? If you keep it up, I won’t hold back.”

“I’m craving some pork belly. I haven’t had any in days, and I feel weak, oh.”

His Fulang rolled his eyes in exasperation. “I never heard you complain about feeling weak back when we didn’t have this ‘Bazi’ meat. I think you’re just craving it. All right, all right—why don’t we go to Zhang’s Restaurant and buy you a pound of lamb to eat?”

“No, I just want to eat barbecued pork.”

“I think you’re just looking for trouble. Get back to work.”

Mr. Lu, the shopkeeper, was listlessly arranging the fabrics on the counter when he suddenly caught a whiff of a familiar scent.

He sniffed the air. “I must be hallucinating,” he thought. “There’s no pork belly to be found anywhere. It’s all that Wangye Pavilion’s fault—they don’t share a single morsel of food with us common folk.”

No, the scent hadn’t faded—it wasn’t his imagination!

Shopkeeper Lu dropped his feather duster and ran to the doorway. Peering out, he saw that the young couple from the Zhou family had indeed set up their stall again!

“Oh my, it really is them!”

Mr. Lu dashed like the wind to the back to grab a bowl—if he was too late, he wouldn’t get any!

“Old Lu, where are you going?” His fulang called out.

“I’m going to buy some braised pork!”

“Where’s the pork belly?”

He was already out the door. His fulang took a look and saw that the Zhou family’s snack stall had indeed set up shop. He chuckled and grumbled, “You’ve got a nose like a dog—you can smell it from this far away.”

By the time Mr. Lu arrived, the front was already packed with people. Though they were lined up in a queue, everyone was craning their necks, afraid they might miss out. Mr. Lu called out, “Mr. Shen, Shen Fulang, congratulations on your grand opening today!”

“Thanks to everyone for your support. I made extra today, so everyone who comes now can get some. Please don’t push.”

Today, the pot contained green peppers. The first crop of green peppers had already been harvested, and when cooked with the pork belly, they were exceptionally fragrant. To keep the green peppers bright and fresh, they were pan-fried in oil this morning before being added to the meat pot, making the dish even more appealing.

“Oh, there’s something new in the pot—it looks pretty good too.”

“Mr. Shen, didn’t the Wangye Pavilion want to buy your recipe? Would they let you set up here again?” someone asked.

“No, I didn’t sell the recipe for the braised pork to Wangyu Pavilion. Everyone will still be able to enjoy it in the future,” Shen Linchuan explained briefly. He didn’t elaborate—he hadn’t sold the recipe for the braised pork, but he had sold the recipe for the baota pork.

Zhou Ning stood nearby, serving food to customers, a look of joy on his face—his family’s little stall was open again.

Now there were even more customers coming to buy. Even those who hadn’t tried it before weren’t stingy with their coins, spending over ten wen to buy a bowl. After all, this was a recipe that even the Wangye Pavilion had wanted to buy—and what a high price they’d sold it! Now they could finally taste it too.

Even though it was their first day open, people gathered around without needing any shouting. The prepared pork rolls sold out quickly—they’d even made extra, but it still wasn’t enough.

Old Wang, standing nearby, was sweating buckets. His stall was right next to the one selling pork rolls—customers buying pork could easily reach over and grab a scallion pancake from him. 

But since he hadn’t known the braised pork would sell so well today, he hadn’t prepared any in advance. Now he couldn’t keep up with demand, feeling both flustered and delighted.

Once the pork at the neighboring stall had sold out, the crowd at his stall thinned out a bit, and he finally found a moment to take a sip of water. “I’m completely exhausted. With my old arms and legs, I can’t keep up with demand. Tomorrow I’ll have my son and daughter-in-law come help out.”

His son worked as a servant for a family in town, and his daughter-in-law served as a maid for another household. If the Zhou family’s stall kept open, they’d earn just as much as those two combined. Being slaves and maids for others—how could that compare to the freedom of earning one’s own money?

The family would even be able to stay together—he’d barely be home for two days a month. His wife was left to raise the children on her own. If they joined him in making flatbreads and eventually took over his stall, wouldn’t that be better than serving as servants for others?

Old Man Wang had long wanted to call his son and daughter-in-law over to help, but when Shen Linchuan’s little stall suddenly fell through, he put the idea on hold for the time being.

Now the thought had resurfaced: once they’d packed up the stall, he’d go to the Chen residence to ask his son. If that didn’t work out, he’d join his son’s business—after all, his son was making quite a bit of money these days.

It was still early when Shen Linchuan and his partner packed up their stall. Zhou Ning had left the house today with some silver in his pocket; he wanted to buy Shen Linchuan some fine fabric for clothes.

Shen Linchuan was already getting ready to

head home. “Let’s go.” 

“Aren’t we going to pick out some fabric?”

“Sure, let’s go take a look.”

Now that he had some silver, he figured he might as well treat himself. Shen Linchuan had also brought some silver with him today, hoping to buy a few more boxes of ointment while his fulang was away.

Not far away was Mr. Lu’s fabric shop. The two walked over, and as soon as Mr. Lu saw them, he warmly ushered them inside.

“Congratulations, congratulations! Now that Mr. Shen and his fulang’s stall can continue operating, I’ll get to enjoy some good food too.”

Lu Fulang gave his husband a kick and started thinking about food. Smiling, he asked, “What kind of fabric would you like to see?”

Shen Linchuan described the fabric he wanted—lightweight gauze, perfect for hot weather, breathable and cool.

Lu Fulang smiled as he pulled out the fabric. “Take a look—this is the best-selling gauze in the shop. It’s perfect for making undergarments.”

Shen Linchuan turned to his fulang and asked, “Feel it. Do you like it?”

Zhou Ning gently ran his hand over it. The fabric was woven so thinly that he could see through it when he held his hand beneath it. “It’s quite nice. I’ll buy two sets for you.” 

“Let’s buy some for both of us. Lu Fulang, do you happen to have any ready-made garments in this fabric?”

“Yes, yes, I’ll show you.”

Zhou Ning tugged at Shen Linchuan. “Maybe we should just buy the fabric instead. Ready-made clothes are expensive.” 

“The sooner we buy it, the sooner we can enjoy it.”

Shen Linchuan gave his Fulang a wink. He wasn’t good at sewing, and neither was his Fulang. If they bought the fabric, they’d still have to find someone to make the clothes for them, so it might as well be ready-to-wear.

Lu Fulang beamed as he brought out a few ready-made garments. His shop wasn’t a clothing store, but they did carry some.

The styles certainly couldn’t compare to those sold in specialty shops, but these gauze fabrics were either meant to be worn over robes or as summer undergarments—and since undergarments didn’t require much in the way of style, they had them in stock.

Shen Linchuan picked out four gauze garments. The fabric was light and soft—perfect for wearing as undergarments in the summer.

The four gauze garments cost nearly two taels of silver. Zhou Ning handed over a silver ingot, and the change he received—a few small silver coins—saved him the trouble of exchanging it. 

After purchasing the gauze garments, the two left the shop. Lu Fulang smiled as he saw them off; it seemed the young couple’s food stall was doing quite well.

The two then went to a tailor’s shop to buy soft-fabric robes. Shen Linchuan urged his Fulang to wear a robe too, saying it looked nice, but Zhou Ning had never worn a long robe and found it inconvenient for working. “I’ll stick to my short tunic; I’m not used to this.”

“Wear this—we won’t be wearing it while we’re working anyway,” Shen Linchuan coaxed him in a low voice. “We’re going to the county seat together next year; we’ll have to dress a bit better then.”

Zhou Ning thought about it and realized he was right. With so many people taking the Xiucai exam, he couldn’t let Shen Linchuan down, so he finally nodded. The two also bought a set of summer undershirts for his father, Zhou Da, and by the time they left, they were carrying quite a few things.

Zhou Ning felt they’d bought enough. “Let’s go home. There’s nothing else we need to buy.”

Shen Linchuan grabbed his arm. “We’re almost out of lotion at home. Let’s go buy a few more boxes. You don’t like that peach-scented one anyway—let’s get the rose-scented one instead.”

Zhou Ning blushed slightly at the thought of discussing this in public. “Come on, let’s go.”

Ever since he’d started using the ointment, Zhou Ning had found pleasure in their intimate moments—it didn’t hurt anymore.

Recalling how reckless he’d been during their first three days of marriage, his face flushed even deeper.

Shen Linchuan couldn’t help but curve his lips into a smile. It was just a trip to buy some ointment—why was his face turning so red? If he saw all those strange items in the shop, his fulang would surely fly into a rage and beat him out of embarrassment.

Once inside the shop, Zhou Ning lowered his head and hid behind Shen Linchuan. Shen Linchuan chuckled softly. His clumsy fulang—the moment he stepped off the bed, his skin grew thin. He was far more honest in bed, clinging to him relentlessly whenever he felt comfortable.

“Give us five boxes of rose-scented ointment.”

Zhou Ning tugged at Shen Linchuan’s sleeve and whispered,

“That’s too much.” 

“We’ll use it little by little; it’s not going to go bad.”

Zhou Ning couldn’t help but feel that Shen Linchuan’s words were a bit odd. It didn’t sound like he was saying the ointment wouldn’t go bad, but rather that he himself wouldn’t go bad. Zhou Ning quickly snapped out of it. It was broad daylight—what on earth was he thinking?

Seeing Shen Linchuan reach for five boxes of ointment at once, the shop assistant shot him a surprised look. Not only was each box quite pricey, but taking five at once required some seriously impressive stamina.

The shop also carried a variety of face creams and lip balms. Shen Linchuan picked out a jar of face cream for his Fulang to use on his hands, and grabbed a few silk hair ribbons—enough for both of them to wear.

As soon as Shen Linchuan paid the silver, Zhou Ning quickly grabbed him and made a hasty retreat. Staying in that shop felt unbearably hot, and the place smelled so sweet—could it be that they’d put some kind of aphrodisiac in there?!

After finishing their shopping, the two finally returned home. As soon as they arrived, Shen Linchuan washed all the clothes they’d bought in clear water and hung quite a few new garments out to dry in the courtyard.

The ointments had to be put away, too. Shen Linchuan went inside and stuffed them all into the pillowcases, first pulling out the erotic illustrations hidden inside. After putting everything in its place, Shen Linchuan smoothed out the pillows.

All done.

Satisfied, Shen Linchuan clapped his hands. Turning around, he saw his Fulang standing by the wardrobe—he didn’t know how long he’d been there. Feeling the awkwardness of being caught red-handed, Shen Linchuan chuckled twice. “Ning-ger, you’ve finished looking at your little chick, haven’t you? You haven’t come out yet.”

“So that’s where you’d been hiding them, Shen Linchuan.”

The first time they used it, Zhou Ning had wondered where Shen Linchuan had gotten it from. After using it, the pain really did go away—so there was such a thing after all.

Later, he’d even gone looking for it secretly. He’d searched the bed thoroughly but couldn’t find it. He’d even taken the bedding out to air it out, but still nothing. It turned out Shen Linchuan had hidden it inside the pillow. No wonder Shen Linchuan was always able to pull it out just in time whenever they used it.

Shen Linchuan cleared his throat. “Come on, let’s go write calligraphy.”

Zhou Ning didn’t ask any further and followed Shen Linchuan to practice calligraphy.

That night, Zhou Ning lay in bed unable to sleep. Shen Linchuan was still reading in the next room. The chirping of crickets drifted in from outside the window. Zhou Ning secretly reached into Shen Linchuan’s pillow. 

Besides the ointment in the porcelain box, he also felt a book. Zhou Ning was slightly surprised—what kind of book would someone hide under a pillow?

Zhou Ning pulled it out, but as soon as he opened it, he was so startled that the book fell onto the bed.

“Ning-ger, why aren’t you asleep yet? It’s late.”

“I—I’ll go to sleep right away.”

Zhou Ning replied flusteredly. The inner room was dim and unlit; though he could now read, he couldn’t make out the words clearly. By the faint light from the main hall, Zhou Ning couldn’t suppress his curiosity and began flipping through the pages in a whisper.

His face flushed crimson, and his heart pounded in his chest. Shen Linchuan—how could he read such books? No wonder he knew so much!

“Shen Linchuan,” Zhou Ning called out

softly. “Hmm? What is it?”

“I—I’m thirsty. I want… I want some water.”

Hearing his Fulang ask for water, Shen Linchuan—who had a pot of tea warming on the stove—poured a bowl of hot water and handed it to him. “Go to bed early. Don’t wait up for me.”

Zhou Ning’s heart was still pounding. Shen Linchuan’s hands were so fair; they looked even more beautiful in the nightlight.

After finishing the tea, Zhou Ning set the bowl aside.

He shifted his legs slightly to hide his awkwardness. Seeing Shen Linchuan about to leave, Zhou Ning hurriedly reached out and grabbed Shen Linchuan’s sleeve. “Shen… Shen Linchuan, it’s late. Go to sleep.”

In the dim light, Fulang’s inner robe was slightly undone, his long hair falling loosely over his shoulders. His eyes darted away, afraid to meet his. 

How could Shen Linchuan not understand? “Alright, I’ll go next door and blow out the oil lamp.”

“No, don’t bother.”

Shen Linchuan couldn’t resist such teasing; he immediately leaned in to kiss him, reaching into the pillowcase for the ointment as he did so. He paused for a moment, then chuckled softly. “Did you touch my books?”

Zhou Ning turned his head away, feeling a bit embarrassed, refusing to answer.

“You’re slacking off—did you just glance at the pictures?” There was no light in the inner room. “A good student should look closely. As punishment, you’ll spend your free time studying this thoroughly. If you come across any characters you don’t recognize, come ask your husband here.”

Zhou Ning hadn’t expected Shen Linchuan to not only be completely unashamed but also to accuse him of not studying hard enough. Zhou Ning grew annoyed, flipped him over, and forced him to kneel beneath him.

“You…you talk too much.”

Shen Linchuan shoved the ointment into Fulang’s hand. “Oh, you dare talk back.” Zhou Ning was always honest; after a bit of playful banter with Shen Linchuan, the two fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Shen Linchuan had developed a habit of rising at first light. He would boil water, wash up inside, and change his clothes before stepping out. He’d originally intended to help his Fulang wash as well, but since they’d stayed up too late the night before, he’d gone to sleep first. Worried that a cold wash might be too jarring first thing in the morning, Shen Linchuan boiled some hot water and waited to bring it to his Fulang once he woke up.

Shen Linchuan went to fetch water as usual. He could now stretch out his arms and carry two buckets of water steadily. After filling the tub, he would practice a set of martial arts forms. Now he’d added sword practice to his routine; there was an old sword in his father’s room that weighed several pounds and felt substantial in his hands.

After finishing his practice, he would read, eat, and head into town.

Shen Linchuan and Zhou Ning’s small business was thriving; people were already lining up before they even set up their stall each day. “Have you heard? The Wangye Pavilion has a new dish called Baota Pork—a single plate costs five taels of silver.” 

“That’s so expensive!”

“You bet. I heard the county magistrate tried it and loved it—he even wrote a commendation for it.”

“The wealthy, like Mr. Zhang and Mr. Zhao, have all gone to try it, and everyone who’s had it says it’s great!” 

“It’s so expensive—ordinary folks like us can’t afford it.”

The people in line were chatting idly, and Shen Linchuan heard every word. The Wangye Pavilion really knew how to run a business.

Since his family had some connections with the magistrate’s household, they’d even managed to get the magistrate to inscribe a calligraphy piece for them.

At the Feng Family Schoolhouse, Zhao Si’er stood with one foot on the desk and chattered away, “You haven’t tried the Baota Pork at the Wangye Pavilion, have you? I actually went there with my dad.”

A few people gathered around him. “You’ve eaten the Pagoda Pork at the Wangye Pavilion! We heard the county magistrate even wrote a dedication for it.”

“Of course. You haven’t had it, but I’ve never tasted meat that good. It’s glossy and lustrous, shaped like a pagoda, with a fragrance that wafts for miles. It melts in your mouth, and the layers keep coming—one bite reveals a whole world inside. Scallops, fish maw, and abalone wrapped around tribute rice shipped all the way from the south. Mmm, have any of you tried it?”

Zhao Si’er had gone along with his father, who’d only managed to taste this “Baota Meat” by riding on someone else’s coattails.

Even among the students at the academy, those from wealthy families merely ran shops in town—none were truly wealthy or noble. Listening to Zhao Si’er’s vivid description, they couldn’t help but swallow hard. They’d heard a single serving cost five taels.

Their annual tuition fees barely amounted to ten taels—how could they possibly afford it?

“I’ve heard people say this Baota Pork is a bit like the sliced pork at the market,” someone remarked.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Si’er spat out in disgust. “Have you even tried it? How could they possibly be the same? That ‘Bazi’ meat costs ten wen a slice—how could they compare? That Shen Linchuan’s stall is going out of business, and he deserves it. How dare he lose face in front of this young master?”

When the topic turned to Shen Linchuan, Zhao Si’er launched into another tirade against him. After a few words, he began raving about how delicious the “baota pork” at Wangyu Lou was, making everyone in the room keep swallowing their saliva.