Shen Linchuan had been worried that his father might have a health issue, but after Doctor Zhang took his pulse and assured him everything was fine, he finally felt at ease.

Shen Linchuan recalled that his original self had been studying ever since he married into the Zhou family. His father, Zhou Da, had to support two scholars and dared not rest for a moment. After selling the pork, he would rush to buy more pigs that very afternoon to slaughter them, then push his cart back to town the next day to sell the meat.

He’d worked like this without a break for five years, which left him riddled with ailments. When his son-in-law abandoned him, the anger caused all his illnesses to flare up at once, and he passed away not long after.

Shen Linchuan frowned at the thought. His father could no longer handle the work of slaughtering pigs. A single pig weighed three or four hundred catties, and a half-carcass still weighed over a hundred catties. But his father had relied on this trade his whole life; if he were suddenly told he couldn’t do it anymore, he certainly wouldn’t be willing.

“Take some time to rest properly for now. We’ll figure out what to do after the provincial exams.”

Shen Linchuan returned to the room. Zhou Ning was wringing out a washcloth to clean his father’s hands, looking somewhat downcast.

“Father, Doctor Zhang said you need to rest in bed for the next three days. After that, we’ll put the pig-slaughtering work on hold for a while. I’ll still need you to take me to the county seat then.”

Zhou Da had originally been reluctant to rest for so long, but as soon as he heard about going to the county seat, he quickly agreed. After all, slaughtering pigs was nothing compared to his son-in-law taking the Xiucai exam.

Zhou Ning finished wiping his father’s face and hands and stepped out. Shen Linchuan followed him out and gently tugged at Fulang’s hand. “It’s all right. Thankfully, it’s not too serious. He’ll be fine after resting for a while.”

Zhou Ning looked a bit downcast. “Shen Linchuan, you were right back then. Father will keep getting older year by year; he can’t keep doing this pig-slaughtering work forever.”

Fortunately, Shen Linchuan had thought to buy a lead mule for the family, which had saved his father a great deal of effort.

“All right, all right. If you tell Father now that we’re not short on money, he’ll absolutely refuse to rest. Why not wait until after the county exams? Then we can think about renting or buying a shop in town and hiring a couple of apprentices. That way, Father won’t have to work so hard.”

Zhou Ning thought that was a great idea. “Mm-hmm.”

Zhou Ning had always thought his father was capable of anything. When he was little, he used to love sitting on his father’s shoulders to play. As a young boy, he knew how to butcher meat, but he didn’t know how to slaughter a pig. His father said no young ger should slaughter a pig—it would end up a bloody mess and make people look down on him.

Zhou Ning thought that if he had been born a boy, perhaps his father wouldn’t be so exhausted.

Shen Linchuan knew exactly what his Fulang was thinking. After offering a few words of comfort, Zhou Ning finally seemed to lift his spirits a bit, and the two of them worked together to bring the pork from outside the courtyard back inside.

“Ning-ger, did Uncle Zhou strain his back?”

Zhang Xiaoyi came over carrying a basket filled with a few packs of medicated plasters and some salted peanuts—he’d only found out about them when his father had come home to make the plasters.

“Mm, it’s not too serious. He’ll be fine after resting for a while.”

“I’ll go take a look.” Zhang Xiaoyi walked into the room carrying a basket. “Uncle Zhou, are you all right?” 

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Your dad’s already checked me out.”

“You’ll need to take good care of yourself. Uncle Zhou, I brought you some salted peanuts I made myself. Have a few when you’re lying in bed with nothing to do to pass the time.”

“Oh, that’s very kind of you, Yi-ger.”

Zhang Xiaoyi helped apply the medicated plaster, then sat in the courtyard and chatted with Zhou Ning for a while. “My father’s been in town lately, looking after the shop. He’s thinking of opening a clinic there. Why don’t our two families team up? That way, we can even drop by each other’s places.”

Zhou Ning nodded. “Shen Linchuan said the same thing—that we’d see how things go after the county-level exams.”

It was only about ten days until March, and by then his father would have fully recovered, so the whole family could travel to the county seat together for the exams.

Zhang Xiaoyi took a bite of a dried persimmon. “That’s true. What if Shen Linchuan passes the preliminary exams and becomes a Xiucai? He’ll have to study at the county seat, and then who knows—maybe you and Zhou Da will have to go with him. Or maybe you and Zhou Da could just run a business in town and let Shen Linchuan go study on his own?”

Shen Linchuan stood behind them and chuckled. “Zhang Xiaoyi, who gave you the right to lure my Fulang away? My Ning-ger is definitely coming with me—surely he wouldn’t go with you instead?”

Zhang Xiaoyi rolled his eyes in exasperation. “It’s not even certain you’ll pass the exam.”

“Yi-ger, don’t talk like that.” Zhou Ning tugged at Zhang Xiaoyi’s sleeve, and Zhang Xiaoyi immediately raised his hands in surrender. “All right, all right, I spoke out of turn. I wish Scholar Shen the best of luck in passing the Tongsheng exam. It’s just the Xiucai level—not the Juren level. He’s bound to pass.”

Zhou Ning nodded in satisfaction. Zhang Xiaoyi then turned his head and whispered into Zhou Ning’s ear, “How’s Shen Linchuan doing in his studies?” 

“He’s doing okay.”

Zhou Ning didn’t know much about school matters either. After dining with Shopkeeper Xu’s family last year, Shopkeeper Xu had mentioned that Shen Linchuan was doing quite well in his studies.

The two sat in the courtyard chatting for a while. When they saw smoke rising from some of the households’ chimneys, Zhang Xiaoyi brushed the crumbs off his hands and stood up. “I’m going home to cook.”

During his short visit, Zhang Xiaoyi had eaten several pieces of red date pastry and two more dried persimmons, and now he felt as though he was completely coated in sweetness.

He walked over to the kitchen and saw that smoke was rising from Ning-ger’s kitchen as well; Shen Linchuan was rolling up his sleeves and chopping vegetables.

Hmm, although Shen Linchuan hadn’t inherited Uncle Zhou Da’s skill at butchering pigs, he was exceptionally kind to Ning-ger. How many countrymen are willing to spend their time in the kitchen?

After seeing Zhang Xiaoyi off, Zhou Ning went into the kitchen to help. He saw that the vegetables on the cutting board had already been neatly sliced. Shen Linchuan didn’t like a messy kitchen; he always chopped and arranged the ingredients first, even going so far as to arrange the shredded radish so that every strand pointed in the same direction.

Zhou Ning came over and added firewood beneath the stove. One tended the fire while the other cooked; neither spoke. The only sounds were the crackling of the wood burning at the bottom of the stove and the sizzling of vegetables hitting the hot oil…

Zhou Ning looked up. Through the white mist, Shen Linchuan’s face was faintly visible. Zhou Ning rested his chin in his hand and studied him. Shen Linchuan was pale, like the finest white jade in a shop. His nose was high and straight, his eyes full of tenderness when he smiled, and his lips were somewhat thin.

Zhou Ning recalled what the village elders had said: when looking for a husband, one should avoid men with thin lips, for they are fickle. Zhou Ning didn’t agree; Shen Linchuan was certainly not like that. Thank goodness Shen Linchuan was here.

Seeing his Fulang spacing out again, Shen Linchuan chuckled. “It’s time to serve dinner. Come on, let’s eat.”   

“Okay.”

Zhou Ning helped carry the meal out. There was stir-fried garlic chives with pork liver, chickweed with eggs, and a clay pot of pork knuckle and radish soup—clearly prepared specifically to nourish his father.

“Father, dinner’s ready.”

Zhou Ning went to the east room to call out, only to find his father sitting there munching on salted peanuts. “Father, didn’t Doctor Zhang tell you to stay in bed for three days? Why are you sitting up again?”

“I—I just wanted to eat a couple of peanuts.” 

“You could have eaten them while lying down.”

Zhou Ning reached out to help his father up, and Shen Linchuan came over to support him from the other side. Zhou Da groaned, “It’s just a twisted back—I don’t need anyone’s help.”

“Father, you’d better listen to Ning-ger. If Ning-ger gets angry, I won’t be able to calm him down.”

“All right, all right. I’ll go lie down after I eat.”

Zhou Da was genuinely afraid his son would get angry. He remembered how, when the boy was little, no amount of coaxing could calm him down when he was upset. He was impossible to catch—slippery as an eel in a rice paddy—clenching his little fists until his face was all scrunched up with anger.

Zhou Da couldn’t help but smile at the memory. Then he thought of how, after his little father passed away, his ger seemed to rarely act spoiled or throw tantrums anymore. Sigh, he hadn’t been a very good father. By the time he realized it, his ger was already able to hold a knife and cut his own meat at the butcher’s stall.

Thank goodness, thank goodness—he’d found a good husband. His son still occasionally showed flashes of that stubborn temperament from his childhood; the moment he saw Zhou Da sitting there, his cheeks puffed out with anger all on their own, just like when he was a kid.

Zhou Da obediently stayed home to rest. The next day, Shen Linchuan hitched up the mule cart, and the two of them loaded all the merchandise onto it together.

Just before leaving, Zhou Ning, still worried, dashed back into his father’s room. “Father, Shen Linchuan, and I are leaving now. You’re fine, so just lie there and don’t move.” 

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

Shen Linchuan chuckled. His father wouldn’t dare disobey Ning-ger’s orders. His husband had been up and about since early morning, placing some tea and snacks by his father’s bedside and heating up some tea, all to prevent his father from getting restless and moving about.

Zhou Ning came out and sat on the mule cart, and Shen Linchuan drove the mules away. The sun hadn’t even risen yet; the two had set out early, hoping to be back by noon.

As they left the village, they ran into Zhou Xiaonan, who was returning from the back mountain. His basket was filled with a few tender bamboo shoots. With a smile on his face, he greeted them,

“Ning-ger, heading to town? Isn’t Zhou Da going today?”

“My dad twisted his back. He’s resting at home for a few days.” 

“Oh, is it serious?”

“It’s not serious. Doctor Zhang came by yesterday to check on him.” 

“That’s good to hear.”

The mule cart didn’t stop; the two exchanged a few casual words before going their separate ways.

Zhou Xiaonan also headed home carrying his basket. He wore a light lotus-pink jacket and a pair of blue cloth shoes. His eyes were much brighter than before, and his cheeks had filled out, making him look like a peach blossom bud emerging in early spring.

Zhou Xiaonan returned home in high spirits. He’d heard his mother was working for someone in Kaiping County, so he planned to ask Zhou Da to help him find her and bring her back to live with him.

Smoke was already rising from the kitchen at home. Zhou Xiaonan walked over carrying a basket. “Is dinner ready?”

Zhou Gouwa wiped the dust from his face. “Almost done, big brother. I even steamed some eggs for you.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Breakfast consisted of a bowl of steamed egg custard for each of them, with a couple of drops of sesame oil drizzled on top and a spicy pickled cucumber on the side. The family had long since switched from mixed-grain flour to white flour. Zhou Xiaonan wasn’t short on money now, so he didn’t hesitate to buy eggs and meat. Though he harbored some resentment, he never skimped on Zhou Gouwa’s food.

After breakfast, Zhou Gouwa cleared away the bowls and chopsticks. Zhou Xiaonan, having eaten his fill, took out his embroidery thread to make clothes for himself—and he needed to finish his mother’s clothes as well.

Zhou Gouwa went back to the stove to retrieve the hard steamed buns from the embers, then carried a bowl of hot water to Zhou Laogua’s room.

Zhou Xiaonan watched with satisfaction. He wouldn’t go into Zhou Laogua’s room himself—he found it too filthy—so Zhou Gouwa handled all the caregiving. In a way, this fulfilled the dying wish of his dead father, who had hoped his son would look after him in his old age. And now, here he was, doing just that.

Zhou Xiaonan had already made up his mind: once he found his mother, the two of them would buy a small courtyard and live out their days in peace.

As for the family affairs here, if Gouwa wanted to farm, he could farm—he’d be able to support himself. If he didn’t know how to farm, they’d just lease the fields out; Zhou Xiaonan would give him some money now and then, just enough to keep him from starving.

As for Old Zhou, how long he lives depends on whether his dutiful son puts his heart into it or not.

The sound of a bowl shattering came from inside the house. Zhou Xiaonan frowned as he heard it. “If he doesn’t want to drink it, then don’t. Gouwa has brought out the food. Skipping a meal or two won’t kill him.”

Zhou Gouwa obediently came out carrying a bowl. He didn’t dare disobey his older brother now; if he did, his brother would beat him with the door bolt. After enduring a beating and going hungry for two days, he’d never dare disobey again.

As Zhou Gouwa passed by, Zhou Xiaonan covered his nose in disgust. He’d only been in that room for a moment, and already the stench had clung to him.

“Close the door! Why do you always forget? Now the whole yard stinks.”

Zhou Gouwa hurried to shut the door. He was terrified of his older brother now. His brother hadn’t always been like this—timid and avoidant, always just hiding whenever their father beat him.

Starting in the second half of last year, whenever their father beat his older brother, his older brother not only hid but also fought back. After their father caught a cold, he had effectively become the head of the household.

Zhou Xiaonan sewed for a while before putting his work away. Zhou Da had strained his back. Zhou Da had always been kind to him, and he owed his safety these past few years largely to Zhou Da’s protection. He decided to make some oil-fried pastries and visit Zhou Da this afternoon.

Shen Linchuan and his partner also set off for town in their mule cart. They set up their stall—Zhou Ning sold pork, and Shen Linchuan sold sliced meat—and customers had been waiting for them since early morning.

The son of Old Wang, who sold flatbreads next door, called out, “Ning-ger, your husband’s here today. Where’s Zhou Da? Why didn’t he come today?” Uncle Zhou was usually hardworking; he only missed the day they collected the pigs, but otherwise, he always came by.

“My father strained his back and needs to rest at home for a few days.” 

“I see. He’ll need to take good care of himself.”

Shen Linchuan fished a few copper coins out of his money box. “Brother Wang, give me two scallion pancakes.” 

“Mr. Shen, you’re too polite. They’re just two scallion pancakes—take them.”

“That won’t do. We’re both in business.”

Shen Linchuan took the flatbreads and filled them with some diced pork and egg. Worried the old scholar might find it too rich, he went to the rice noodle stall across the way and asked for some blanched baby bok choy to put inside, then finished it off with a spoonful of meat broth.

Noticing the young grandson of the old woman selling sewing supplies across the street playing there, Shen Linchuan called him over, slipped a few copper coins into his hand, and said, “Go buy yourself some candy and go tell Mr. Wang at the school that I’m taking the day off.”

The boy was delighted to receive the coins and, clutching the pancake prepared by Shen Linchuan, trotted off.

The two of them each got busy tending to their little stalls. The pork cutlets sold out in no time, and once they were gone, they went over to help at the meat stall. There were plenty of people out buying meat that morning—some wanted it sliced, others wanted it minced.

Zhou Ning was handling both the cutting and weighing by himself, so Shen Linchuan stepped over and took the knife. “Let me do the chopping.”

The young couple worked side by side, and a woman waiting nearby teased, “I’d say, even without your father here, the two of you can manage just fine.”

“Not at all,” Shen Linchuan replied with a smile. “My father is the backbone of our family. When there are this many customers, the two of us get completely overwhelmed.” 

“Oh, Shen Linchuan, it’s been ages since I’ve seen you. Why aren’t you studying anymore? Have you taken over your butcher father’s trade?”

Zhao Si’er was walking by carrying a bookbox. He’d heard that Shen Linchuan was currently studying under Old Master Wang, and since today wasn’t a day off, Shen Linchuan was standing there chopping meat for dumpling filling with a knife in hand. Zhao Si’er looked at him with utter disdain.

“Are you looking for a beating again?”

Shen Linchuan twirled the butcher’s knife in his hand, smiling as he eyed Zhao Si’er from head to toe, as if considering where best to strike.

Zhao Si took a step back in fright. “How embarrassing!”

Shen Linchuan pretended to throw the knife, sending Zhao Si running for his life. He’d originally come to the market to buy some buns, but now he abandoned the idea and hurried away.

Zhou Ning frowned. “Should I go teach him a lesson?”

“Oh, come on. What kind of example is all that fighting and killing? If Dad finds out, he’ll scold you. It’s no big deal—he’ll just give you a little lecture. It won’t hurt a bit.”

The two packed up their stall around noon, then bought a roasted duck and some non-alcoholic green plum wine. His father had been lying in bed all morning and surely couldn’t stand it anymore; they’d take some of his favorite foods home to cheer him up.

After selling the pig, Shen Linchuan headed to the academy. Xu Zhifan was the first to approach him. “I heard you were selling pork at the market. With your elegant demeanor, Linchuan, I can’t picture you selling pork—it must have been quite a sight.”

“Get lost. I’m going to tell your father you copied my homework.”

Xu Zhifan quickly begged for mercy. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Please don’t tell my father.” Shen Linchuan chuckled and ignored him, then went back to studying.

Wang Cai whispered to Zhou Youcheng, “It’s a disgrace to the scholarly class. I’ve never seen a scholar selling meat in the street.” 

“It’s his choice.”

Xu Zhifan was sitting right behind him and had heard every word. He kicked Wang Cai’s stool hard, sending it flying. Wang Cai let out a cry of “Ouch!” and landed on his butt, knocking over the inkstone on the table and splattering ink all over himself and Zhou Youcheng, who was sitting next to him.

Wang Cai spat out the ink from the corner of his mouth. “Xu Zhifan, what are you doing!” 

“Shen Linchuan! He said a scholar like you shouldn’t be selling meat on the street—he looks down on you!”

Xu Zhifan shouted loudly, drawing the attention of the crowd. Wang Cai, flushed with embarrassment, waved his hands frantically. “Nonsense! You’re slandering me—I never said that!”

“Is that so? Did I hear wrong, then?”

Xu Zhifan looked on with glee. “The sages have said, ‘Investigate things to gain knowledge; cultivate virtue to bear all things.’ Yet here you are, spending your days watching to see if people are selling pork on the street.”

“I—I didn’t.” Wang Cai wished the ground would swallow him whole. He’d merely let a word or two slip—why was Xu Zhifan dragging the words of the sages into this?

Shen Linchuan pulled Xu Zhifan back down as he stood up. “Go study.”

Only then did Xu Zhifan rest his chin in his hand and open his book. He had to pass the Xiucai exam this year—otherwise, his father would eat him alive. His father was even more anxious than he was; the stress had even caused sores to form in the corners of his mouth.

Zhou Youcheng frowned at the ink splashed all over him. These two were playing good cop and bad cop—they might as well set up a stage in South Market and put on a show!

This thin jacket of his had only just been made this year—he was supposed to wear it to the county seat for the exams. Now it was covered in ink, and he’d have to take it home to be washed and re-sewn.

He couldn’t very well pick a fight with Shen Linchuan either. Whenever he crossed paths with Shen Linchuan, the other would smugly bring up how his father had once sponsored his education! Not only had that left him utterly humiliated at school, but it had also led to him being ostracized. It seemed the silver he’d earned from slaughtering that pig really wasn’t worth keeping after all!

Taking those copper coins from slaughtering the pig had left his hands greasy and his clothes reeking of the stench!

Before he knew it, it was the end of February. Shen Linchuan had stopped going to school and was preparing at home to take the county-level exams in a few days. Xu Zhifan had originally invited Shen Linchuan to accompany him to the county seat, but Shen Linchuan declined his offer, explaining that his father and Fulang would be accompanying him, and traveling with the Xu family would be rather awkward—his Fulang would feel too self-conscious.

Zhou Da was able to get out of bed after three days of lying there. Those three days had really worn him out—he had nothing to do, and his ger wouldn’t let him get up and walk around. He just ate and slept, slept and ate, which left him unable to sleep at night.

Once the three days were up and he no longer had to stay in bed, Zhou Da breathed a huge sigh of relief. He immediately led his mule out to graze; the gentle breeze and the warm sun made his whole body feel refreshed.

Slaughtering a pig was out of the question. Doctor Zhang had ordered him to rest for half a month. Just as his back was healing, his son-in-law was leaving for the county seat, so by the time he could reopen his business, it would be late March.

Shen Linchuan hadn’t been studying these past few days either. He’d been staying home with Zhou Ning, making dried meat to take to the examination hall. The thought of spending three days in there made Shen Linchuan feel a bit queasy. Three days without a bath or a wash, crammed into a cubicle barely a meter wide—just thinking about it made him frown.

The mere thought of eating cold food and sitting on a cold bench gave Shen Linchuan a stomachache. If only he could go inside and cook—he could even bring a spirit lamp to heat up his food!

Too bad—the exam hall only provided hot water, and the students were all just munching on flatbreads and dried meat. Hot water! That’s it! He could make a self-heating hot pot!

He could also grind some soybeans into powder and mix them with hot water to make soy milk. After all, you need to eat well and drink well to replenish your energy so you can do well on the exam, right?

“Ning-ger, I want to make a self-heating hot pot.”

“A self-heating pot? What’s that?”

“Do you remember lime? It generates heat when it comes into contact with water. You can put it in a cloth bag and then use it to heat up your rice. That way, you can have a hot meal even in the exam room!”

“Right.” Zhou Ning thought about it and agreed. Shen Linchuan was a bit of a delicate eater and didn’t like cold food; it would be great if he could have a hot meal in the exam hall.

Shen Linchuan was a man of action. He recalled that the self-heating packets contained ingredients like quicklime powder, iron powder, aluminum powder, and charcoal powder. The two of them hurried to town on a mule to buy the supplies, and upon returning, they sat in the courtyard and set to work.

Everything else was cheap, but the aluminum powder was a bit pricey; it cost them quite a bit of silver to buy.

Shen Linchuan experimented with the proportions bit by bit until he achieved the best results, then packed the powder into fine gauze pouches. These semi-transparent pouches would be easy to inspect when brought into the examination hall.

When it came time to use them, all he needed was a clay basin; he could simply place a copper bowl on top to heat it.

After preparing the heat packs, Shen Linchuan dried some vegetables—diced radishes and the like were best for this, as they dried easily and rehydrated well. Later, they could be used to heat rice, soup, or noodles—all without wasting time; he simply added water and set them aside to soak.

Just as Shen Linchuan and his companion were busy preparing these items, the sound of a bell rang out at the door. They looked up to see Shen’s eldest brother approaching in an oxcart, with his wife and two young children sitting on board.

“Brother, why did you come all the way out here?”

Shen Dage drove the ox cart into the courtyard. “You’re about to head to the county seat for the imperial exams, so your sister-in-law and I came to bring you some things.”