Early the next morning, the whole family got up early; today was wheat harvest day. Although the Zhou family didn’t have much land, the harvest was bountiful, and everyone in the village had been in high spirits these past few days.

After breakfast, they grabbed their sickles and harnessed the mule to the cart. Zhou Da sat happily on the cart’s shaft. “Ning-ger, come on up to the cart. Let’s go.”

“Coming, Dad.”

Shen Linchuan and Zhou Ning climbed aboard as well. The sun hadn’t risen yet; the eastern sky was just beginning to glow with the first light of dawn. They wanted to take advantage of the cool morning to harvest the wheat in the fields quickly; they’d be standing out in the sun at midday, sweating buckets.

They’d arrived fairly early, yet the fields were already bustling with people. Every household—young and old alike—had turned out in full force, determined not to let a single grain of wheat go to waste.

Watching this bustling scene of the harvest, Shen Linchuan felt a surge of excitement. His family’s three mu of wheat wasn’t much—they could finish harvesting it in just the morning.

“Shen Linchuan, why don’t you go home and rest? Dad and I can handle this on our own.”

“Don’t be silly. It’s just harvesting wheat. Look, even the teenager next door is pitching in—I can’t be outdone by him, can I?”

Zhou Ning was worried that Shen Linchuan hadn’t done any farm work before. His brother and sister-in-law had mentioned that Shen Linchuan never set foot in the fields. Zhou Ning didn’t expect Shen Linchuan to do much work anyway. Even if his husband wasn’t good at farm work, he could still earn silver elsewhere. Besides, he was handsome—their future children would surely be beautiful too!

“Well, if you get tired, just take a break. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

Shen Linchuan’s lips twitched. He was a grown man, six feet tall—of course, he could still grow! What’s so hard about cutting some wheat, anyway!

“Get to work. Father’s already started with his sickle.”

The three of them began cutting wheat side by side. Shen Linchuan had never used a sickle before and wasn’t very skilled at it, but after a while, he gradually got the hang of it.

Reaping wheat looked easy, but staying bent over the whole time was exhausting. Shen Linchuan straightened up and wiped the sweat from his forehead. The moment he stood up, he looked up to find several people staring right at him!

Shen Linchuan’s temple twitched slightly. Just how bad had his reputation been?

He wasn’t the original host who couldn’t lift a finger or carry a load—he was full of energy now, and his six-pack was looking pretty impressive!

Seeing Shen Linchuan looking their way, the others quickly lowered their heads and got back to work. One of the Fulangs muttered quietly to his family, “Didn’t they say Shen Linchuan had never worked the fields before? He’s a bit slow, but I think he’s doing pretty well.”

“Don’t worry about him. Let’s just focus on our own work. His family isn’t counting on their son-in-law to do much anyway. Zhou Da and Ning-ger are both hard workers—one of them is worth two of us.”

“You’re right. I think Shen Linchuan’s a good guy. He even bought Zhou Da a mule—that’ll really make working the fields a lot easier.”

By a little past ten, when the sun was high in the sky, the three of them had finished harvesting the wheat on their own land.

Shen Linchuan’s face was flushed red from the sun. He was naturally fair-skinned, and the sun made his lips and teeth look even more striking. Zhou Ning felt a pang of concern for her young husband. “Shen Linchuan, go rest for a bit. The wheat is all cut; Dad and I can handle bundling it.”

“That won’t do. You’re still just a young ger. If anyone needs to rest, it should be you.”

Shen Linchuan wouldn’t have it. No matter how strong his fulang was, he was still just a young ger. As a grown man, why should he be the one to shirk the work?

But farm work really was exhausting. It looked effortless when he swung the sickle, but after working for a while, his back and waist ached—it wasn’t necessarily any easier than carrying water every day.

He was covered in sweat and dust, and his clothes felt itchy against his skin. He’d have to hurry home for a bath as soon as he could.

Shen Linchuan didn’t mind the dirt and hard work of farm labor; he wasn’t some rich kid. With a deft hand, he bundled the wheat and loaded it onto the mule cart. In just a morning, he had three mu of land completely cleared.

The bundles were neatly stacked in the courtyard; after two days of drying, the wheat grains would be ready to thresh. Shen Linchuan scratched his neck—it was so itchy.

Zhou Ning gasped. “Shen Linchuan, stop scratching! You’ve scratched your neck all red. I’ll go boil some water so you can wash it right away.” Zhou Ning hurried off to boil water. His husband had such fair skin that the scratches left distinct red marks all over his neck.

There was no bronze mirror in the house, so Shen Linchuan leaned over the water jar to take a look. Tsk, he really was a delicate one. He guessed he’d been pricked by a wheat awn. Shen Linchuan scooped up some hot water and pulled Zhou Ning over to wash up with him; they’d been working all morning and were both sweaty.

Zhou Da, on the other hand, simply scooped up some cool water and went to the back yard to rinse off; he found the hot water too scalding. At noon, each of them had a big bowl of cold noodles with minced meat. Sitting in the courtyard with a gentle breeze blowing, it felt quite refreshing.

With the harvest brought in from the fields, Zhou Da was quite pleased. “In a couple of days, we’ll be able to thresh the wheat. It’s good, but we still have to pay taxes. Our three mu of land definitely won’t be enough to feed us—luckily, we have other sources of income.”

“Father, if I pass the Xiucai exam next year, our family won’t have to pay taxes anymore.” 

“Oh, is there such a benefit?”

“It’s true. A Xiucai is exempt from taxes on fifty mu of land.”

Zhou Da was delighted to hear this. “That’s wonderful! If we don’t have to pay taxes, whatever we harvest from the fields will be all ours. No wonder studying is so worthwhile. I’ve seen that Xiucai in town fanning himself—he certainly has it easier than us farmers.”

The wheat at home still needed to be sun-dried for another couple of days. Once the afternoon air cooled down, Shen Linchuan and Zhou Ning set off for Xinghua Village, driving their mule.

With nothing pressing at home, Shen Linchuan decided to take a break. Since he didn’t feel like walking all the way back, he simply discussed it with Zhou Ning and planned to stay at his older brother’s place for a couple of days before returning.

Zhou Ning had no objection—he’d always been fond of Shen Hu-zi and Shen Xiaoyu. After buying some peaches and plums in the village and packing up two bolts of cloth, the two of them set off at a leisurely pace toward Xinghua Village on their mules.

Not long after they left, Zhou Er showed up. “Big Brother, you’re busy.”

“Oh, Lao’er, what’s up?”

“Big Brother, you’ve already harvested your wheat. Why didn’t you let me know? I could have come over to help.” 

“The field’s small; we don’t need that many people. Three of us are enough.”

Zhou Er cleared his throat and said, “Big Brother, we’re going to harvest our wheat tomorrow. Is your mule free? Could we borrow it for a day or two? It won’t interfere with your threshing.”

“The mule? Linchuan and Ning-ger are driving them over to Linchuan’s older brother’s place. The two younger ones said there’s nothing to do at home, so they figured they’d go check on Linchuan’s older brother while they’re at it.” 

“When will they be back?”

“It should take a few days.”

“Alright then. I don’t have anything else to do, so I’ll head back now.” 

“Alright.”

Zhou Er failed to borrow the mule. He turned and walked back with his hands behind his back, his face flushed with anger. That Shen Linchuan was doing it on purpose!

He’d told the two of them two days ago to let their father know that he’d come over to help with the wheat harvest. Now that the two families had just had a falling out, he felt too embarrassed to ask his older brother for help. Who would’ve thought they wouldn’t even leave him a mule!

Just you wait. Once someone from his family passes the Xiucai exam and becomes a Xiucai, they’ll be the ones regretting it! When he got home, Hu Caiyun craned her neck and asked, “Where’s the mule? Isn’t Big Brother lending it out?”

“Shen Linchuan made it go back to his brother’s place. That little brat did it on purpose!”

“Oh no! I’d already agreed with my brothers back home that we’d let them use our family’s mule this year. What are we going to do now?” 

“Forget about your family needing it—we won’t be using it ourselves this year either!”

Hu Caiyun cursed under her breath. “It’s all Ning-ger’s fault for not wanting to get married to whom I chose. I worked so hard to find him all those suitors, but he looked down on them all. If he didn’t want to marry, he didn’t have to—but then he went and took a husband! If it weren’t for Shen Linchuan, that mule would be ours right now!”

Shen Linchuan had no interest in Zhou Er’s family—they were always trying to take advantage of him. Right now, he was riding the mule, enjoying the breeze as they made their way to Xinghua Village. Of course, he wasn’t the one driving the mule; his Fulang was. Shen Linchuan had begged Zhou Ning to teach him, and they’d spent the whole journey playing and having fun.

When the two arrived, the Shen family’s gate was shut tight. Not even Shen Hu-zi or Shen Xiaoyu were around. “Big Brother and the others are probably out in the fields harvesting wheat. It’s already come down to the last day.”

The two of them drove the mule out into the fields, and sure enough, they saw the Shen family hard at work. Not only were his older brother and sister-in-law there, but the four young apprentices they’d brought along were busy working too. His sister-in-law was sitting at the edge of the field with the two youngest children, and a clay jug for water was placed nearby.

Shen Hu-zi, with his sharp eyes, spotted a mule heading their way first. Then he saw that riding on it were none other than his second uncle and his husband! Shen Hu-zi called out, “Mother, my second uncle is here!”

Shen Dasao looked up. “Oh, it really is them!”

Shen Linchuan pulled on the reins and stopped. “Sister-in-law, you’re harvesting wheat at home today, too.” 

“Oh, why have you two come at this hour? Have you finished harvesting the wheat at home?”

“It’s all done. We don’t have much land, so we finished this morning. Ning-ger and I came over to bring this mule to help Big Brother and Big Sister.”

Shen Dasao was overjoyed; with this mule, the work would be so much easier. Seeing his younger brother and his fulang arrive, Shen Da also came over from the field. “Linchuan and Ning-ger are here.”

Shen Linchuan patted the mule. “Big Brother, here you go. My dad sent it over.”

The fact that they’d remembered his family made Shen Da very happy. “Alright, then I won’t stand on ceremony.”

There were plenty of people in the field, so there was no need for Shen Linchuan and his fulang. The two of them sat at the edge of the field to cool off, while Shen Da led the mule into the field to haul the wheat.

Shen Hu-zi and Shen Xiaoyu sat excitedly on the mule, refusing to get off.

“Sister-in-law, with so many people this year, the work will go fast.”

“That’s right. It’s only five mu of land. With your older brother leading the others, we’ll have it all harvested today.”

Shen Dasao was quite pleased. Having taken on a few apprentices meant extra help for the farmwork. In previous years, it had been just the two of them doing the work, but now with more hands, even she didn’t have to go out into the fields.

The three of them sat at the edge of the field for a while. Seeing that it was getting late, Shen Dasao called the two younger ones home to cook dinner.

Shen Hu-zi didn’t want to leave yet; he was still hoping to ride the mule cart for a bit, but after Shen Dasao scolded him a couple of times, he obediently followed her home.

Knowing the two would be staying for two or three days, Shen Dasao was delighted. While there was still daylight, she tidied up a room for them. “This is Ning-ger’s first time staying at home. If you need anything, just tell me or Linchuan—don’t be shy.”

“Yes, I know, Sister Shen.”

Shen Dasao brought out a few stir-fried dishes. Since the apprentices were helping out at home today, she’d made sure the meal included meat—the boys all loved meat.

After dinner, the apprentices went home, and the family sat outside to enjoy the cool evening breeze.

Shen Linchuan fanned Zhou Ning with a fan, while Shen Hu-zi, who couldn’t sit still, chased the family dog around, chattering away and making a racket. Shen Dasao washed some peaches and plums and set out some pastries; after being so busy for so many days, it was a rare chance to relax.

Shen Dasao picked up a peach and offered it to Zhou Ning. “Ning-ger, try this peach—it’s quite sweet.”

Zhou Ning took it from her. The peach had been bought from an elderly woman in the village; her peach tree was over ten years old, and the fruit was both large and sweet. Shen Xiaoyu, sitting next to him, also began munching on a peach nearly as big as his face. “Uncle, the peaches you brought are really sweet.”

“Then we’ll wait until next year, and Uncle will buy you some more. The peaches at Auntie’s house are especially beautiful—in the spring, the trees are covered in blossoms.” 

“Okay, then next year Uncle has to buy Xiaoyu some big peaches!”

The adults all laughed. Shen Da exchanged a few words with Shen Linchuan from time to time, chatting about family matters.

Hearing that he was doing well over at the Zhou family’s, it put his mind at ease as the eldest brother.

Shen Dasao kept offering Zhou Ning snacks to eat; life at home was now even better than when Shen’s parents were still alive.

During Shen Linchuan’s stay at the Shen household, Shen Hu-zi was overjoyed, pestering Shen Linchuan to climb trees or catch fish. Little Shen Xiaoyu, on the other hand, loved to stick close to Zhou Ning, circling him like a little kitten. When Zhou Ning lifted him high into the air, he beamed so widely his little white teeth sparkled.

The Shen family had been busy building carts for the past few days, but now they had a rare few days off thanks to the wheat harvest. Shen Dasao cooked up a variety of dishes every day. Having been well-fed for these past few days, the two little ones now had rosy cheeks. Shen Hu-zi no longer envied others for eating meat.

Shen Dasao carried a basket into the village to buy some cold pea jelly. With the weather so hot, both adults and children at home loved to eat something cool. After buying the jelly, she carried her basket back toward home.

“Hu-zi’s mom she’s gone to buy the jelly.”

“Oh, have you finished harvesting the wheat at home?”

“Yes, it’s all harvested. Our family used a mule this year—it saved us a lot of effort.”

“Linchuan brought their mule over for us to use. You know, that boy has really grown up and become more sensible since he got married.” 

“That’s true, that’s true. Kids grow up and become more sensible as they get older.”

After exchanging a few words, Shen Dasao picked up her basket and headed home.

Once Shen Dasao had walked a good distance away, the others started chatting again. “Carpenter Shen’s family is doing much better these days. He’s making quite a bit of money lately, and the apprentices are helping out with all the work at home.”

“I’m so envious. It’s a shame my family doesn’t have a handsome son to marry into another family. Even though being a butcher isn’t exactly a prestigious profession, at least they get to eat meat every meal.”

“Come on, stop whining. You don’t have a son, let alone a ger. Would you really be willing to send your son to live with another family as a son-in-law?”

The women and men exchanged a few envious remarks before heading home. The Shen family had enjoyed a period of prosperity a couple of years back, back when Shen Linchuan had just passed the preliminary imperial exams. 

Many had called him a child prodigy, but who would have thought that all these years later, he’d still be stuck at the level of a Tongsheng?

In fact, all that studying had only made Carpenter Shen’s family poorer and poorer. Now, Carpenter Shen’s business making carts for others was finally picking up, and even Shen Linchuan wasn’t doing too badly—he even rode a mule when he came home.

Never mind finding such a good family to marry into as a son-in-law—even for a daughter or son to marry into, it’s rare to find a household this decent. The father-in-law is an honest, hardworking man, and there are no sisters-in-law to navigate relationships with, nor younger brothers or sisters-in-law to look after.

Apart from the Zhou family’s ger being a bit taller and stronger, when you think about it, it really is rare to find such a good family.

Hmm, if I’d known the Zhou family was this good, I should’ve sent my own son to marry into their family back then. Then it would be our family that gets to eat meat and ride mules.

Shen Dasao knew full well that some villagers envied her family—it was a case of sour grapes. But for her family, it truly felt like their hardships had finally given way to good fortune.

Shen Dasao pondered for a moment. It seemed that their family’s fortunes had only begun to improve after Shen Linchuan married into the Zhou family. And it wasn’t just her family that was doing better—according to Ning-ger, the Zhou household had also prospered. Could it be that her younger brother-in-law was simply destined to be a member of the Zhou family?

When Shen Dasao returned carrying her basket, she saw her two youngest children crouched by the large wooden basin, peering inside. “Mother, Brother Tiezi brought us two fish!”

Tiezi was one of the family’s young apprentices. Shen Dasao took one look at the fish and saw they weren’t small. “Oh, they’re so big! I’ll cook them for lunch. Ning-ger, what kind of flavor?”

“Anything’s fine, Sister-in-law.”

Shen Linchuan, lying in his rocking chair, chimed in, “Sister-in-law, my fulang likes things a bit on the sweet side. I’ll cook. I’ll make some braised fish in soy sauce. We still have some meat at home, so I’ll also make some braised pork with dried plums.”

Shen Xiaoyu had never tried braised pork with dried plums before. Hearing his second uncle say that, he swallowed hard.

“Second Uncle, is that braised pork with dried plums good? I’ve never had it before.”

“It’s delicious. I’ll cook some for Xiaoyu in a bit.”

Shen Linchuan had also taken a rare break from his studies these past few days, spending every day playing with his fulang and the two little ones. Now that he had some free time, he often cooked dishes the two little ones had never tasted before while at the Shen household, which led Shen Hu-zi to pester his second uncle to make him something delicious.

Shen Linchuan and Zhou Ning stayed in Xinghua Village for three days before returning home. The Shen family’s wheat had already been milled using the mule, but the Zhou family’s wheat hadn’t been milled yet. After a few days of leisure, they still had to go home to work.

As they were leaving, Shen Dasao loaded the mule cart with plenty of food. Knowing Zhou Ning liked the pickles she made, she filled a large jar to the brim. She also packed plenty of eggs and eggplants; if Shen Linchuan hadn’t talked her out of it, she would have picked the family vegetable garden bare.

Shen Hu-zi had been eating and having a great time with his second uncle these past few days. Seeing his uncle was about to leave, he swallowed hard, reluctant to let him go. “Second Uncle, when are you coming back to cook for me?”

Shen Da gave the little rascal a light smack on the head. “You just want to eat. From now on, you’ll be learning carpentry from your father. You’ve had your fun—no slacking off.” 

As soon as Shen Hu-zi heard he was supposed to learn carpentry, he puckered his lips. “Why doesn’t Xiaoyu have to learn? Why am I the only one?”

“Stop talking nonsense. How can you compare yourself to your little brother? He’s a ger.”

Shen Linchuan ruffled Shen Hu-zi’s hair. “Listen to your dad. If you keep acting up, Uncle Shen won’t bring you any treats next time.” Over there, Shen Xiaoyu was tugging at Zhou Ning’s sleeve, looking pitiful and refusing to let go.

“Uncle, please stay a couple more days.”

“Uncle still has farm work to finish. I’ll come visit Xiaoyu another time.”

Seeing the two little ones acting this way, Shen Dasao tried to persuade them: “All right, all right. Dayangshu Village isn’t far from here. If you want to go, ask your father to take you both there.”

Shen Da added, “Once we’re done with the work these next few days, Dad will buy a beast of burden. Then he’ll take you two along in a cart.” As soon as he heard the family was going to buy a beast of burden, Shen Hu-zi immediately stopped pestering Shen Linchuan. “Dad, I want a big horse!”

“You’re dreaming! Are you trying to kill your old man?”

Everyone burst into laughter. Shen Linchuan and Zhou Ning climbed onto the mule cart. “Big Brother and Sister-in-law, you should head back. It’s not far from here.”

“Alright, take it easy on the road.”

Shen Linchuan drove the mule cart away. Shen Xiaoyu watched his favorite uncle leave, sniffling. Uncle was so kind—he’d lift him up, hug him, and even catch grasshoppers for him.

As they passed through the village, an acquaintance called out, “Linchuan,

You’re heading home?” 

“Yeah, we’re heading home.”

The mule trotted away down the road.

One of the fulangs grumbled, “No matter how well he’s doing, he’s still just a son-in-law.”

But he only dared to say this behind Shen’s back. Carpenter Shen was a capable man now, with four apprentices in tow—who would be so bored as to gossip about his family?

After the harvest was over, the Zhou family returned to their old routine: they’d go to town together to do business, and after the morning market, Shen Linchuan and Zhou Ning would head back first.

When they returned later, there was an extra pair of hands at Old Wang’s flatbread stall—Old Wang’s son had joined the business.

Old Wang finally had some free time; all he had to do was watch his son and daughter-in-law work, while he sat in the back teaching them how to make flatbreads.

The young couple was both hardworking; wearing blue floral aprons tied around their waists, they worked with efficiency and precision.

Zhou Er came to town to take his son to school. As he passed through the market, he saw from a distance that both of his older brother’s stalls were surrounded by crowds. Zhou Er pulled a passerby aside and asked, “Young man, what are they selling at those stalls? Why are there so many people?”

“You must be from the countryside. How come you’ve never even heard of the Zhou family’s braised pork? Their business is booming—they sell out two pots a day. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. If you don’t get here early to line up, you won’t get any.”

Zhou Er didn’t get too close, but he could see that his older brother’s stall was packed with people. He hadn’t expected his older brother’s business to be this booming. Now he believed what his older brother had said—that mule might really have been bought by Shen Linchuan.

Zhou Youcheng’s facial wounds hadn’t healed yet. Not only was his face still raw, but his body was covered in bruises—he didn’t even dare to roll over in his sleep at night.

“Father, do you think Uncle will give us some silver?”

“I’ll go talk to your Uncle. You’re the only scholar in the Zhou family. What does Shen Linchuan amount to? He’s just an outsider.”

Zhou Er knew full well that he alone couldn’t afford to support a scholar. His family owned only four mu of land to feed four people. His son’s studies in town required not only the annual tuition of over ten taels but also food expenses there, not to mention the cost of writing materials—every single item required silver.

Although both families had been supporting the studies these past few years, the lion’s share of the expenses had come from his older brother. His son, Youcheng, was a promising child who had passed the preliminary examination to become a “Tongsheng.”

Once he became a “Xiucai” and then a “Juren,” his father would be the envy of the town.

Right now, he still had to rely on his eldest brother’s family. It was all Shen Linchuan’s fault. If he hadn’t brought Shen Linchuan into the Zhou family, he wouldn’t have to beg his eldest brother for help; his brother would have sent the silver over on his own.

But now that things had turned upside down, he’d just have to grit his teeth and endure it for a while longer.

“Go say hello to your uncle,” Zhou Er nudged Zhou Youcheng.

“Father! I won’t go. If my classmates find out I have an uncle who slaughters pigs, where would I hide my face?”

“You silly boy, which is more important—your pride or that silver? Besides, Shen Linchuan is the pig-slaughterer’s ger-in-law. You’re just a nephew—what’s there to be afraid of?”

No matter what Zhou Er said, he refused to budge and went off to school on his own. Zhou Er had no choice but to go up and say hello. “Big Brother, are you busy?”

Zhou Da was busy cutting meat for a customer. When he saw Er coming over, he instinctively started to say, “Take a piece of meat home with you”—the words almost slipped out before he could stop them; it was a habit he’d developed over the years.

“Lao’er, you’re here? Why did you come to town so early?” 

“I brought Youcheng to school.”

Shen Linchuan greeted him, “Uncle, you’re here. Why didn’t Brother Youcheng come along?” “He’s busy. He went to school first.”