After discussing their business, the group went their separate ways. It was almost September now; a rain had fallen a few days earlier, and while the days were still somewhat hot, a hint of coolness could be felt at night.

Shen Linchuan walked beside Zhou Ning, holding a paper lantern that cast a round patch of light on the ground. He took Zhou Ning’s hand. “You’ve been working hard lately. When we get home, tell Father not to rush to collect the pigs just yet—take a few days off.”

“Okay, I’ll go home and tell Father.”

In previous years, his father would start buying up pigs around the end of August. He took less than two months off the entire year—after all, businesspeople are always busy.

Back home, the two washed up and lay down on the bed. Shen Linchuan reached out and pulled him close. The cooler weather had its advantages—his Fulang finally didn’t push him aside because of the heat.

Shen Linchuan let out a contented sigh. “It’s finally over. I can feel your waist has gotten a bit slimmer.”

Zhou Ning didn’t think it was a big deal. He was naturally strong and not as delicate as most young men. Although he’d been incredibly busy lately, it was still much easier than working in the fields.

Shen Linchuan was just running his fingers along Fulang’s slender waist when—tsk—he realized just how built Fulang was; his fingers kept slipping over those thin, defined abs.

Zhou Ning pressed down on the fingers resting on his stomach, which carried a hint of coolness. “I’m not tired.” 

“How can you not be? I can see your waist has slimmed down a bit, and you’ve gotten a bit tanned too.” 

“Huh? Do you prefer fair skin?”

Zhou Ning furrowed his brow slightly. When men and women were being matched, fair-skinned ones were always more appealing. Yi-ger was much fairer than him. Over the past two years, many matchmakers had come calling, but since Yi-ger didn’t want to marry off so early, they’d all been turned down.

Alarm bells went off in Shen Linchuan’s head. Although his Fulang didn’t care much about his appearance, Hu Caiyun had often told him over the years that he wasn’t good-looking, leading him to believe that he really wasn’t.

Shen Linchuan hurriedly nuzzled Fulang’s neck. “No, you’re perfect just the way you are. Every inch of you is exactly to my liking.”

Seeing that his Fulang didn’t respond, Shen Linchuan hugged him tighter and rubbed against him incessantly, his hands wandering restlessly over Zhou Ning’s waist. “Zhou Xiao Ning, you said you weren’t tired.”

Zhou Ning turned the tables and tugged at Shen Linchuan’s clothes. “Stop biting my neck. We have to go to town tomorrow.”

Shen Linchuan knew exactly how to handle Zhou Ning; changing the subject was a breeze. After all, his Fulang hadn’t even conceived the child he’d been longing for yet.

The next day, Shen Linchuan, unusually, lingered in bed for a while, not getting up until the sun had risen. Usually, the sounds of neighbors moving about could be heard at the doorstep before dawn, but today, even at this hour, there was still no sign of activity.

He got dressed and stepped outside. Even at this hour, smoke was rising from only a few chimneys.

For over a month, everyone in the village—young and old alike—had been working on making mosquito coils. Now that the work was done, they were finally able to get a good night’s sleep. Zhou Da returned from outside, leading his mule, whose belly was round and full from a hearty meal. “Linchuan, you’re up.”

“Hey, Dad, now that the work’s done, you should get some rest too.”

“Oh, I’ve gotten used to it over the years. I just get up at the usual time.”

Zhou Ning came out with his hair tied back, his eyes still heavy with sleep and a hint of laziness. “Dad.” 

“Ah, you’re up.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Zhou Ning used that ebony hairpin with a water-vein pattern to pin his hair up. They’d stayed up too late last night, and he was still a bit sleepy. He realized that, at some point, he’d started feeling a bit tired just lying in bed—more tired than if he’d been plowing two acres of land.

Zhou Ning was absolutely fond of that ebony hairpin; he wore it on his head eight days out of ten, using a hairband on the remaining two.

When Shen Linchuan turned around, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. His Fulang was holding his hair up with both hands to tie it back. The collar of his short brown tunic was loosely open, revealing red marks all over his chest. Yesterday, when his Fulang had told him not to bite his neck, he’d simply bitten a little lower instead.

Shen Linchuan calmly helped his Fulang adjust his clothes. “Just make something simple for breakfast. Save some room for dinner at the Wangye Pavilion.” 

“Got it.”

Zhou Ning went to the kitchen to cook, while Shen Linchuan carried two wooden buckets outside to fetch water.

The sun had already risen, but there weren’t many people out drawing water yet. After working hard for over a month, everyone was finally able to get some proper rest.

Shen Linchuan carried the water back steadily.

After breakfast—some scallion pancakes wrapped around eggs and a bowl of red bean and barley porridge—the family of three set out in their mule cart.

Everyone would take a good rest for the next few days; the family’s pork stall would be closed for now, reopening in a couple of days. Shen Linchuan’s leave was just about up, so the whole family had a rare chance to rest together.

Zhou Da drove the mule cart to pick up Doctor Zhang and Yi-ger first. It was Yi-ger’s first time dining at the Wangye Pavilion; he was dressed in his finest, wearing the silver hairpin his little father had left him, and sat in the cart with a face full of excitement.

Everyone was dressed up today. Shen Linchuan wore a stone-blue, round-collared scholar’s robe, with a light-blue silk sash tied around his waist—one Zhou Ning had made for him. His hair was pulled back into a high ponytail with a silk ribbon embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns. He’d taken great care to spruce himself up at home; though he wore a plain cotton robe, he looked every bit the dashing young gentleman.

Seated beside him, Zhou Ning wore a short brown robe, also newly made this year. Unaccustomed to robes, he found them cumbersome, yet the two looked quite harmonious sitting together.

After picking up the Zhangs, Zhou Da drove the mule cart to fetch Zhou Xiaonan. As he pulled up at the entrance to his courtyard, he could already hear the sound of an argument coming from inside.

He saw Old Zhou and Zhou Xiaonan tugging at something, with Old Zhou cursing loudly, “You little bastard, let go! If you don’t let go, I’ll beat you to death!”

“Don’t let go—that’s my silver!”

As soon as Zhou Ning saw this, he jumped down from the mule cart. “Old Zhou! Let go!”

Zhou Xiaonan let go first, while Old Zhou, clutching the money pouch, took a tumble, landing with half his face buried in the dirt. He scrambled to his feet, spitting out the mud from his mouth. “Who are you calling by name? You have no respect for your elders!”

Zhou Da cracked his whip with a sharp crack, startling Old Zhou so much he flinched. “Old Zhou, what are you saying?”

The moment Old Zhou heard Zhou Da’s voice, he trembled with fear. Clutching the money pouch, he hurried out of the courtyard. Zhou Ning tried to chase after him but was held back by Zhou Xiaonan. “Ning-ger, just let it go.”

“Your money pouch.”

Zhou Xiaonan shook his head and whispered, “It’s fine. There’s only a tael of silver in there. If I don’t give it, he’ll just come back and cause trouble. Better to buy some peace.”

Zhou Ning finally gave up the chase, but Zhang Xiaoyi wasn’t so easygoing. Standing on the mule cart with his hands on his hips, he shouted, “You ungrateful Zhou Laogua! Even a mud-dwelling turtle is better than you!”

Many people craned their necks to look this way. Doctor Zhang cleared his throat and pulled his son down to sit, saying, “No swearing.”

Zhang Xiaoyi’s face flushed crimson with anger. “Oh, Dad, why are you pulling me? I’m only giving him a mild scolding.”

Doctor Zhang shook his head in exasperation. What kind of young ger meant for marriage curses people in the street? What kind of impression would that make on others?

Zhou Ning helped Zhou Xiaonan onto the mule cart, and only then did Zhou Gouwa run out of the house. “Brother, I want to go to town to play too.”

Shen Linchuan shot a glance at the half-grown lad, who bore a striking resemblance to Old Zhou. It seemed this one hadn’t even thought to protect his older brother. Shen Linchuan spoke slowly and deliberately, “There’s no more room on the mule cart.”

Zhou Gouwa had been a bit afraid of Shen Linchuan ever since he’d slapped him—though the blow hadn’t been as hard as his brother’s, it still left him feeling uneasy.

“Gouwa, go back. I’ll be back after I buy some things in town.”

“Brother, where’d you get the silver? Dad just took it all from you.” 

“I’ll borrow some from Zhou Da’s place first. I’ll pay it back next year when I start working.”

Zhou Da drove the mule cart away. Zhang Xiaoyi and Zhou Xiaonan sat together, still grumbling. “You’re way too soft. You’re not usually afraid when dealing with those old women and Fulangs, so why did you let Old Zhou snatch it away again? Uncle Zhou and Ning-ger are right here—you should’ve given him a good beating and broken his legs!”

Zhou Xiaonan shook his head. “I figured he’d be back any day now. He must have heard the wages were settled—a fight was bound to happen sooner or later. It’s better to just let him have it so we can have some peace.”

Zhou Xiaonan grabbed Zhou Ning’s sleeve. “Ning-ger, hold onto the silver we were given for me. When I run out, I’ll come to you for more. Just say your family lent it to me.”

“Alright.”

Sitting up front, Shen Linchuan leaned his head back and rested it on Fulang’s shoulder. Zhou Xiaonan was quite clever—by putting on a show with Old Zhou, he’d made sure Old Zhou wouldn’t have his eye on him anymore, and life would be a bit more peaceful from now on.

They’d just been paid yesterday. In the past month or so, each person had earned over a tael of silver. After they stopped to rest, a crowd of gossipers gathered at the village entrance again.

“Zhou Da, you’ve got a whole cartload of people heading to town.” 

“Ah, just a few young gers going to town to have some fun.”

“Oh my, when I came to the clearing today and saw no one around, I completely forgot we weren’t making mosquito coils anymore—hahaha.”

Zhou Da said cheerfully, “There’ll be more next year.”

Having just been paid, the villagers were all in high spirits, smiles lighting up their faces. “In a couple of days, our whole family will take a nice trip to town too, to pick out some fabric for the little ones at home.”

“There sure are a lot of people heading to town today. All those young ger and ladies have gone to buy flowers with their silver.”

Zhou Da, beaming, drove his mule cart away; his family was also heading to town for a feast.

It was almost September now, and the sun wasn’t as scorching as it had been in July and August. The mule cart swayed slowly along the road. Shen Linchuan, leaning against Zhou Ning, was starting to feel drowsy; his head was about to drop into Zhou Ning’s lap.

Zhou Ning nudged the head in his lap, feeling slightly uncomfortable. “Shen Linchuan, sit up straight.” 

“What’s wrong?”

Shen Linchuan sniffed the air. His fulang’s body was wafting a faint scent of roses. A smile tugged at the corners of Shen Linchuan’s mouth—he’d certainly slathered plenty of that rose balm on Fulang yesterday.

Zhou Ning whispered, “It hurts,” into Shen Linchuan’s ear. Shen Linchuan sat up straight. “Where does it hurt?”

Even if Zhou Ning was a bit slow on the uptake, he still had some pride. With so many people sitting on the mule cart, he shifted his gaze and whispered, “My chest hurts. You bit me too hard yesterday.”

Zhou Ning tugged at his hem uneasily. Shen Linchuan had been acting strange lately—like the cat at Granny Wang’s house, he’d taken a liking to biting things. His chest was swollen from the bites, and the fabric rubbing against it made it ache.

Shen Linchuan gave a soft chuckle. “I’m sorry. When I have the chance, I’ll buy you some silk for an undershirt. It’s so soft.”

The mule cart made its way slowly toward town. Before they even reached the entrance, they heard someone waving at them. “Shen Linchuan! Shen Linchuan! Over here!” Xu Zhifan had arrived long ago and was sitting on a stool in front of the hall, waiting for Shen Linchuan and his party.

The group jumped down from the mule cart one after another. Shen Linchuan reached out to help his Fulang down, but Zhou Ning pushed his hand away. “No need. I can manage.”

Shen Linchuan took Zhou Ning’s hand and helped him down. “Take it slow. Don’t jump.”

They’d been through quite a rough time yesterday, and Shen Linchuan was worried his Fulang might have a sore back—but his clueless Fulang was completely oblivious to his concerns. Xu Zhifan led them into the building. “My father and the others got here a bit ahead of you; they’re waiting in the private room.”

It was Zhang Xiaoyi’s first time at such a fine restaurant; he turned his head, looking left and right. Zhou Xiaonan, however, followed the group somewhat stiffly. Everyone inside was dressed in silk and brocade; the ladies and gentlemen wore elaborate pearl hairpins, and even at the entrance, a pleasant floral fragrance wafted through the air.

Shen Linchuan and Zhou Ning had been to the Wangye Pavilion once before, so neither of them was particularly surprised by the interior.

As soon as they stepped inside, a man dressed in a brown silk robe hurried over and bowed respectfully. “Mr. Shen, welcome to our Wangye Pavilion today. Have you reserved a table? If not, I’ll be happy to show you to a private room—we’ve actually kept one reserved just for you.”

The Wangye Pavilion always kept one or two private rooms reserved for distinguished guests, just in case. Ever since the restaurant had added “Baota Pork” to its menu, business had been exceptionally brisk; if you didn’t reserve a private room ten or fifteen days in advance, you simply wouldn’t be able to get one.

Shen Linchuan returned the gesture with a bow. “The Xu family is hosting today; we’ve already reserved a private room.” 

“So, Manager Xu, you were waiting for Mr. Shen and your party. Please, come in.”

Li Zhong led the group to a private room on the second floor and personally poured tea for everyone. Manager Xu exclaimed, “Manager Li, why trouble you so? You could have just sent a waiter.”

“It’s no trouble at all. I know everyone in this establishment well. In fact, Master Shen, Mr. Fulang, and I share a bit of history.”

Once everyone was settled, Li Zhong withdrew. As the head manager of the Wangye Pavilion, he certainly didn’t need to personally serve tea to guests anymore.

He had never forgotten the kindness shown to him by Shen Linchuan and his husband. If it weren’t for them selling him the recipe for Baota Meat, he would never have risen to the position of head manager.

Ever since the Baota Meat was introduced, business at the restaurant had been booming. Even his wages had risen from ten taels to fifteen taels. Life at home was going well; he’d even hired an extra housekeeper.

“Erxi, go attend to the guests in the Fanglan Hall. Be careful.” 

“Yes, Head Steward.”

A young waiter in a blue uniform went upstairs. Another, older waiter saw him and asked, “Uncle, why send Erxi to serve those people? They look like country folk—what good can come of it?”

Li Zhong shot the man in front of him a glare. “Don’t call me ‘Uncle.’ This is an inn, not our home. Go do your job.” 

“Yeah, got it.”

The taller clerk finally left. Li Zhong shook his head and sighed. There wasn’t much to fault in his eldest nephew’s work ethic, though he was a bit snobbish. His second nephew, though a bit slow, had a good heart.

He’d had his eldest nephew by his side for two years. At first, he’d thought the boy was quite sharp, but it was only after that incident—when he’d called Maateei Shen and his husband “a pair of mud-legged peasants”—that he realized his eldest nephew, having spent just two years at the Wangye Pavilion, had grown accustomed to the wealthy and now looked down on country folk.

Back then, he brought him to the Wangye Pavilion precisely because he thought he was sharp. He never imagined that, before he knew it, a mere errand boy had managed to raise his own standing just by working here. It makes him all the more glad he brought the second one up from the countryside as well.

If he could raise just one of his two nephews to be successful, his older brother’s family would be able to turn their fortunes around as well.

The private room was bustling with activity. The entire Xu family—all four of them—had come, and Xu Zhifan’s younger sister was there as well, dressed in a lotus-pink dress with two perfectly round buns on her head, looking absolutely adorable.

“Mama, there are so many big brothers here today.”

Mrs. Xu smiled as she introduced them, “That’s Brother Ning, that’s Brother Yi, and the other one is your Brother Nan.”

The little girl sweetly called each of them “Brother,” making everyone laugh. Even Zhou Xiaonan felt a bit more at ease. The Wangye Pavilion was truly vast—beautiful gauze curtains hung everywhere, and blooming flowers and plants were arranged throughout. Even the screens in this private room were embroidered with the motif of “Flowers of Prosperity.”

“How much silver must that huge piece of embroidery have cost?”

“Ning-ger, you lot, come sit over here. Come sit with me. In a bit, when they start drinking, the fumes will be overwhelming. Let’s sit together. Come on.”

Zhou Ning and the other two gers sat down next to Mrs. Xu, while Shen Linchuan and Xu Zhifan sat together chatting.

Mr. Xu, the shopkeeper, was in high spirits after making a fortune this summer from his mosquito-repellent ointment. Upon seeing Shen Linchuan, he couldn’t help but praise him again. “Brother Zhou, you’re truly blessed. Your Linchuan is far better than my own son. I hear your son-in-law is always in the top three at school.”

Zhou Da, however, was unaware of this. “Oh? Linchuan hasn’t mentioned that to me.”

“Father, it’s no big deal. Doing well in school is nothing compared to doing well on next year’s provincial exams.”

Zhou Da hadn’t expected his son-in-law to be such a top student; he was overjoyed and burst out laughing. “Linchuan is absolutely right.”

Before long, the dishes began arriving one after another. First came several exquisite vegetarian dishes, and the waiter, holding the plates, recited their names one by one: “Pine Nuts and Lily Bulbs, Jade Dew and Pearl Eggplant, White Jade and Emerald Greens, Gold Coin Tofu…”

Zhou Xiaonan whispered to Zhang Xiaoyi, “That’s just a plate of stir-fried greens. They sure know how to come up with fancy names—‘White Jade and Emerald Green.’ They’re better at naming things than the young men and women back in our village.”

“Give it a try. This is my first time eating at such a grand restaurant.”

“Jade Crab Meat, Imperial Roast Duck, Osmanthus Pearl Chicken… Silver Thread Abalone…”

Master Xu urged everyone to dig in, “Don’t be shy, everyone. Eat, eat.”

Back when Shen Linchuan was a deputy general manager, he’d entertained plenty of guests and eaten his way all over the country. The dishes at the Wangye Pavilion were quite exquisite. Shen Linchuan picked up a piece of abalone and offered it to his fulang. “Try this.”

Their town of Qinghe was in Nanling Prefecture. To the north lay plains, and to the south were low mountains—though not very high. Just as their town of Qinghe had mountains but wasn’t near the sea, they rarely got to eat seafood.

The grand finale of the meat dishes was a translucent dish of Baota Pork. Master Xu invited everyone to try it. “Everyone, try this Baota Pork from the Wangye Pavilion—it’s a real treat. Many magistrates from neighboring counties come all the way here just to eat it.”

Zhang Xiaoyi let out a gasp, his eyes sparkling. “So this is Baota Pork? It really does look just like a pagoda!”

The large table buzzed with lively conversation as everyone dug in. Shen Linchuan kept serving food to those seated next to him; Zhou Ning’s bowl was never empty. Before he knew it, Zhou Ning had eaten his fill and whispered to Shen Linchuan, “Shen Linchuan, please stop serving me—I’m full.”

Only then did Shen Linchuan reluctantly put down his chopsticks. Tsk. There were so many dishes today—he was finally getting to enjoy the rare pleasure of feeding someone, and he was already full?

After the meal, tea and snacks were served, and it was Zhou Ning’s turn to work. He took out the ledger and reconciled the accounts with Manager Xu; the total came to three thousand two hundred and fifty taels of silver.

Manager Xu was in high spirits. “There’s too much silver to bring here all at once. We’ll go to the money house together in a bit to get it.”

Zhou Ning then went over the profit shares for the three partners one by one: he and Yi-ger would each receive seven hundred taels, while Nan-ger would get only a 20% cut from the mosquito coil sales—two hundred twenty-five taels. They would each collect their share at the money house shortly.

It was the first time Zhou Xiaonan had ever held over two hundred taels of silver in his hands; he was so excited his hands trembled slightly. Two hundred twenty-five taels—a family in the countryside could never earn that much in a lifetime.

With this silver, he could buy a house in town; if he received this much every year from now on, he would be set for life, never wanting for food or clothing.

After having some tea and snacks at the Wangye Pavilion, the group headed to the money exchange to collect their silver. Shen Linchuan and Zhou Ning discussed it and decided to leave all their silver at the exchange. Their family currently kept two or three hundred taels for daily expenses, so they would leave this share untouched at the exchange.

Yi-ger also took only twenty taels; he planned to use the rest to open a clinic in town with his father next year.

Zhou Xiaonan took only ten taels and gave the rest to Zhou Ning to hold for him; if he ran out of money, he could come back to collect it later. It wasn’t until late afternoon that the group returned from town, each of them beaming with joy.

“Shen Linchuan, with this silver, you can study for as many years as you like from now on.”

Shen Linchuan chuckled softly and clasped Zhou Ning’s fingers. “Don’t be so silly—haven’t you thought about yourself and our father?”

“Father and I don’t have any use for the silver.”

Shen Linchuan turned to ask Zhou Da, “Father, is there anything you’d like to do?”

Zhou Da chuckled heartily. “I’m just a rough-and-tumble butcher—what could I possibly use silver for? You two should keep it for yourselves.” 

“Father, let’s see how things go next year. Why don’t you open a shop? Working out in the sun and wind is exhausting.”

“I haven’t really thought about it. I’ve gotten used to it over the past twenty years.”

Zhang Xiaoyi chimed in excitedly, “Uncle Zhou, opening a butcher shop would be great! Who knows, maybe my dad will open a clinic next year, too. Then our two families could even drop by each other’s places in town!”

Shen Linchuan didn’t respond. He did want to open a shop for his father, but not in town. He planned to hire a couple of helpers, so his father could work when he felt like it and rest when he didn’t.

The mule swished its tail as it entered the village, and the group went their separate ways home.

Zhou Xiaonan was in high spirits after eating at the Wangye Pavilion; he’d tasted dishes he’d never had in his entire life.

“Brother!”

The shrill scream made him jump. Zhou Xiaonan forced a smile. “What’s wrong?” 

“Brother! Why did you go to the Wangye Pavilion to eat all that good food without taking me with you!”

Zhou Gouwa clenched his fists, his face flushed with anger. Zhou Xiaonan’s expression turned cold. “How did you find out?” 

“Granny Diao told me. Why didn’t you take me with you!”

“The Xu family invited Doctor Zhang and the others to dinner. They just happened to invite me along—I couldn’t make the decision myself.”

Zhou Xiaonan ignored him and went into the house on his own. He dared to carry only a few copper coins on him now; carrying more would be impossible to hide. As for his younger brother, he had once thought they were the only ones left to rely on each other, but ever since that time when his brother had pointed out to their father where he hid his money, he had given up all hope.

He’s just like his good-for-nothing, deadbeat dad.