By the time they got up, took another shower, and got themselves completely ready, it was nearly noon, and both of them felt a little guilty.

Fortunately, Yan Xingmao and He Qiuhua were as easygoing as could be, and they treated them like their own children. Seeing that the two were uncomfortable, they didn’t ask a single question but simply asked with concern, “Breakfast was shrimp and eel soup, longan and red date congee, along with golden rolls and meat patties—it’s still warm in the pot. If you don’t feel like eating that, just wait a bit—Xiao Jiu and the others have already prepared lunch, so you can just choose whatever you’d like.”

Yan Xiaoyu was both exhausted and hungry that morning. With Yan Shaoxuan’s help, he peeled and ate all the longans that had been pushed into the corner of his bed the night before—even the red dates and flowers, which he usually disliked, were not spared. He hadn’t originally planned to eat breakfast, but as soon as he heard that the family had prepared shrimp and eel soup, his appetite was whetted.

“Among summer tonics, eel ranks first.” July’s river delicacies are nourishing, with tender, delicate meat that’s fresh and delicious. Yan Xiaoyu ate a bowl but still felt he could have had more. Breakfast was followed immediately by lunch; Yan Xiaoyu ate until he was full, then spent the afternoon resting at Yan Shaoxuan’s home.

Feeling sorry for the newlyweds, the two elders left all the household chores and the minutiae of preparing for their trip to Yan Shaocheng and Yan Xiaoyue, while Yan Xiaoyu and Yan Shaoxuan hadn’t had much to do for several days; the only tasks left were to personally sort out Yan Xiaoyu’s dowry and the betrothal gifts.

After Yan Shaoxuan returned from the capital, he added a few more items to the betrothal gifts. Yan Xingmao and his wife said that regardless of whether their children married or not, they would not touch the betrothal gifts given by Yan Shaoxuan; instead, they would add them all to Yan Xiaoyu’s dowry and hand them over to his.

After the marriage was arranged last year, Yan Xingmao wanted to follow custom and have some furniture made for Yan Xiaoyu, but he talked him out of it. The family had just built a new house and acquired new furniture, so there was really no need for more. Yan Xiaoyu only asked for a few camphor wood chests to be made; he had his parents convert the rest of the dowry into cash for him.

For the sake of appearances and good fortune, Yan Xingmao and He Qiuhua specifically exchanged the silver for gold, casting two solid-gold carp figurines for his—a task that required little effort. The betrothal gifts, however, included various gold and silver ornaments, silks, and land lease deeds that needed to be organized.

When Yan Xiaoyu saw the thick stack of land deeds, he smiled from ear to ear, humming a little tune as he carefully placed them in a small wooden box, treasuring them like precious gems, and set them down alongside his gold carp.

Who would have thought that after traveling through time, he’d end up living the life of a landlord? With rent from 1,700 mu of land, even if he and Yan Shaoxuan didn’t lift a finger and just lazed around at home every day, they’d never have to worry about food or clothing for the rest of their lives.

Seeing how delighted the little money-grubber was, Yan Shaoxuan led him back to the room where he had originally lived and handed him a wooden box.

“When I passed the imperial examination, the Emperor rewarded me with one hundred taels of gold—which is equivalent to one thousand taels of silver. I spent five hundred taels hiring a security escort, leaving five hundred taels remaining. Add to that the seventy taels awarded by the prefectural and county authorities, and the total comes to five hundred seventy taels. I spent some of that on wedding preparations, the betrothal gifts, and buying horses, so now I have four hundred eighty taels left—a tidy sum.”

“My older brother wanted to split the silver earned from the Yuye Pavilion equally with me, but I didn’t agree. Over the years, the two of us have supported each other, and he’s never asked for a share. Considering our high living expenses, when I calculated it carefully, I realized he was actually at a disadvantage. He’s sacrificed so much for me, and since I didn’t contribute to the Yuye Pavilion, I shouldn’t take any of his share. Even between brothers, we must keep clear accounts. From now on, when we do business together, we’ll keep things separate: what he earns is his, and my salary belongs to us. We’ll discuss household expenses with our elder sister—does that sound fair?”

“That’s exactly how it should be,” Yan Xiaoyu said earnestly. “If you ask me, since the previous imperial examinations cost Elder Brother so much silver, it’s only the right thing to do.”

Yan Shaoxuan pulled him close and hugged him: “I meant to give him a share of the reward money, but Eldest Brother objected to my offer and nearly took offense at me, so the matter was put to rest.”

“I see,” Yan Xiaoyu rested his head on Yan Shaoxuan’s shoulder and said in a clear voice, “Then let’s leave it at that. From now on, we’ll cover a larger share of the household expenses so that our eldest brother and my older sister don’t have to bear the burden.”

As he spoke, he lazily twirled a strand of Yan Shaoxuan’s hair between his fingers. After a moment, he suddenly smiled: “Come to think of it, Yuye Pavilion is the most popular restaurant in the county. My older brother and I ran the business for over a year—we backed it up and even saved on the silver we’d have to pay to grease the wheels with the officials—yet in the end, each of us only got a little over a thousand taels.”

“Just His Majesty’s reward alone was a hundred taels of gold—that’s quite an achievement. You truly live up to being my man!”

A hundred taels of gold—who knows how many golden carp that could buy!

Yan Xiaoyu winked mischievously, a playful look on his face. Yan Shaoxuan’s cheeks flushed slightly, and he cleared his throat. “In that case, you’d better cherish me.”    

“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely cherish you!” Yan Xiaoyu rested his head on Yan Shaoxuan’s shoulder and patted his chest in assurance.

His soft, plump cheek brushed against Yan Shaoxuan’s neck, and his expression softened; he couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch his cheek.

Yan Xiaoyu took hold of his thumb: “Come to think of it, His Majesty’s actually quite generous—a reward of one hundred taels of gold. That’s enough for us to hire an escort team for two trips.” 

Yan Shaoxuan’s heart skipped a beat.

This wasn’t the first time Emperor Shunhe had rewarded the top three warriors with money and goods; the rewards varied each time. Since the imperial court had no specific regulations on the matter, whether or not to grant a reward—and what form it would take—depended entirely on Emperor Shunhe’s whim.

Since it happened to be on their way back, hiring a convoy to Lingbei cost only five hundred taels. If it hadn’t been for those special circumstances on that trip, Yan Shaoxuan had already thought it was too much of a coincidence, and he didn’t expect Yan Xiaoyu to have noticed it as well. “Since he is so kind-hearted, I should do my utmost to shoulder the responsibilities of Lingbei.”

Yan Xiaoyu’s back and legs ached. After noon, he packed up his and Yan Shaoxuan’s belongings and took a nap. He didn’t go out that afternoon, spending his time reading storybooks and playing Go.

Yan Xiaoyu didn’t know how to play Go, but Five-in-a-Row was popular in Great Chu, and men of all ages in the county knew how to play. They played for half a chen, splitting the wins and losses evenly—which actually made Yan Shaoxuan look at him with newfound respect.

Yan Xiaoyu held his head high, a smug look on his face: “I’ve been good at this since I was little—the courtyard, the courtyard—” He almost let it slip, which startled him, so he quickly covered it up,

“Back then, hardly anyone could beat me.”

Yan Shaoxuan’s eyes flickered as he gently stroked his cheek: “I know how good you are.”

After a leisurely half-day, Yan Xiaoyu repeatedly warned him that they must not fool around that night the way they had the night before, and Yan Shaoxuan had no objections.

That morning, Yan Xiaoyu was munching on a golden roll, his eyelids drooping as his head bobbed up and down—he nearly fell asleep right there. Yan Shaoxuan immediately regretted having gone too far the night before, tiring out his Fulang.

Without Yan Xiaoyu even having to say so, he was already planning to let him rest properly tonight.

While the joys of physical intimacy were certainly wonderful, they had already been fully satisfied the previous night; today, simply holding each other and chatting was enough to fill him with sweet contentment. So that evening, the couple snuggled together on the small couch, exchanging lighthearted conversation.

With a smile in his eyes, Yan Shaoxuan let Yan Xiaoyu chatter away, responding to everything he said.

Over the next two days, Yan Shaoxuan accompanied Yan Xiaoyu up the mountain to catch fish and down to the river to catch shrimp, and they had a wonderful time.

On the third day, Yan Shaocheng returned from the county seat and reported that the escort team from the Zhenwu Escort Agency had completed their mission and could return early; they were just waiting for Yan Shaoxuan’s approval, then they could set off.

Fearing they might delay Yan Shaoxuan’s departure for his new post, Yan Xingmao and his wife, along with Yan Shaocheng and his wife, had been making intensive preparations for several days, and now everything was nearly ready. 

After discussing it as a family, they decided to set out on the twenty-fifth of July.

Lingbei and Weishi County are on opposite ends of the country, separated by a great distance. Although the county magistrate’s term is only three years, there are quite a few who cannot be transferred once their term ends. Once they leave, they have no idea when—or even if—they would ever return.

It was hard to leave their homeland behind; Yan Xingmao and He Qiuhua were reluctant to part, and the villagers of Xiling Village were equally reluctant to see them go. 

Over the next two days, familiar villagers came one after another to the foot of the mountain to chat with He Qiuhua and the others.

Aunt He and He Qiuhua hugged each other and wept, while Yan Xingmao and Liu Pingshan, as the drinking grew merry, also showed signs of sadness. Liu Xu brought a large bundle of clothes for Yan Xiaoyue and her younger brother, and sincerely thanked them for what they had done back then.

“Back then, I was so fixated on my own problems that I was on the verge of ending it all. If it hadn’t been for you coming up with a plan for my mother and asking Brother Yan to intercede on my behalf—allowing me to find a place to call home—I probably wouldn’t be here today. But even after I managed to pull myself together, I was too ashamed to bring up the matter of our divorce, and I never properly thanked you. Xiaoyu, I’m not good with words and don’t know how to express myself, so I’ll just say thank you. I hope everything goes smoothly for you in the future, and that you live a happy, carefree life.”

She wasn’t one to talk much—she usually just worked hard—so this was the first time she’d ever spoken so much.

Yan Xiaoyu felt a bit moved as well. After a moment’s thought, he said earnestly, “Sister Xu, everyone faces difficult times in life, but what matters is that you’ve come through them now. You’re still young, and the days ahead will be good. Just keep moving forward with confidence, and don’t let the past hold you back. As for me, helping you was just a small favor. Besides, the clothes and accessories you’ve made for me over the past two years are more than enough repayment—there’s no need to thank me any further.”

With Liu Xu drifting here and there, a touch of melancholy still lingered on his face.

It wasn’t just Liu Xu; Liu Tiao and Nian-ger had also brought gifts to bid Yan Xiaoyu farewell.

Liu Tiao and Yu Sanlang were engaged and would be married by the end of the year; Yan Xiaoyu had even sent a gift ahead of time. At first, Yan Xiaoyu had thought Liu Tiao was shy, but as they got to know each other better, he discovered that he had a sincere and endearing nature—and was actually quite lively.

Liu Tiao gave him two small wooden figurines, vaguely resembling Yan Xiaoyu and Yan Shaoxuan. Nian-ger gave him a good-luck charm he’d obtained from a Taoist temple, along with a tortoiseshell comb.

As he presented the gifts, the young man solemnly instructed Yan Xiaoyu: “I’m giving you this comb because I hope you and Second Brother Yan will remain united forever. But as all those storybooks say, once a man becomes an official, he’s prone to changing his heart. If one day Second Brother Yan changes his heart, don’t fight him to the death—just come back to me, and I’ll definitely find you someone even better.” 

“Hahahaha! Second Brother Yan changing his heart? Me fighting him to the death?” Yan Xiaoyu was in stitches, laughing so hard tears were welling up in her eyes. “I’ve only been married to Second Brother Yan for a few days, and I’m already on my guard against him—it really does live up to our friendship from back when we used to share a room!”

Nian-ger had leaned close to Yan Xiaoyu’s ear to whisper, but Yan Xiaoyu’s voice was so loud that Yan Xingmao and Niu Fugui, who were chatting in the courtyard, both turned to look at him instantly.

Yan Shaocheng, who had just walked in, heard every word. Knowing Nian-ger’s usual antics, what else was there to figure out? Yan Shaocheng couldn’t help but chuckle: “Good thing Second Brother Yan won’t be here later, or he’d remember this for the rest of his life.”

“Heh, I was just joking with Brother Xiaoyu, hehe…” Nian-ger inwardly groaned in despair, his smile stiff as a board, and finally pleaded pitifully, “Please don’t tell Second Brother Yan, okay?”

“Why don’t you tell him? You’ll get what you deserve!” Niu Fugui was so furious his nostrils flared as he pointed at Nian-ger and shouted, “That insolent brat who doesn’t know his place—he deserves a good beating from Yan Erge!”

“You can’t even get your own marriage sorted out, yet you spend all day meddling in other people’s family affairs! Don’t you have any idea what kind of person Erlang is? Do you really think his character is something to be doubted?”