Chapter Bonanza (10/10)

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Yan Shaocheng eyed the handsome young man sitting beside him with suspicion, scrutinizing him from head to toe.

“Add this hand warmer to the mix, and those three items must have cost at least ten taels of silver, right? You’ve refused to come back these past few days—did you go off to make money again?”

“It didn’t cost that much; the cookbook didn’t cost any silver.” Yan Shaoxuan looked a bit uncomfortable. “Big Brother, don’t overthink it. I copied them mainly to familiarize myself with the text.”

“With a brain like yours, you still need to copy down articles?” Yan Shaocheng clearly didn’t believe him. “Besides, if the cookbook didn’t cost any silver, then it must have cost something else—and that’s probably more effort than silver.”

Yan Shaoxuan rubbed his nose: “Brother Yu gave me a gift last time; it’s only right that I return the favor.”

“Oh?” Yan Shaocheng’s gaze grew mischievous. “Wasn’t that set of writing brushes a gift from their whole family? Why did you only return the favor to Brother Yu?”

Yan Shaoxuan’s eyes darted away, but his tone was defiant: “Haven’t you already returned gifts to the others? Yu-ger put a lot of thought into picking out the writing set, and he even offered to pay for the notebook. What’s wrong with giving him a separate return gift?”

Yan Shaocheng commuted daily between the county seat and Xiling Village, bringing little gifts to Yan Xiaoyu’s family every few days—and Yan Shaoxuan was often behind those gestures.

After receiving the gift from Yan Xiaoyu and his family last time, the Yan brothers had discussed giving return gifts to all four members of their household—food and daily necessities, nothing too expensive, but the gesture was the main point.

“You’ve always had your own way; I can’t argue with you.” Yan Shaocheng sighed, then suddenly grew serious. “But since we’ve grown so close to Brother Yu and his sister, there’s already some gossip in the village. You really should be more careful.”

“Who’s been badmouthing him behind his back again?” Yan Shaoxuan frowned, his voice tinged with both annoyance and indignation. “If that’s the case, then I can’t put off my engagement to Brother Yu any longer.”

“Engagement?!” Yan Shaocheng froze, a look of bewilderment spreading across his face. “Wait, when did you and Yu-ger go to the point of discussing marriage? Did you tell any of us? Does Yu-ger know?”

Yan Shaoxuan shot his older brother a glance: “Yu-ger is utterly devoted to me. Even if I were a stone, he would warm me up. Today I’ve already made my feelings clear to him. After next year’s provincial exams, you’ll help me find a matchmaker and go to his family to propose.”

“I’m not often in the village. If anyone has the nerve to gossip about Brother Yu, please step in on my behalf, older brother. Don’t let them bully your future ‘brother-in-law.’”

“……” Yan Shaocheng’s temples throbbed, and he felt as if his head were about to explode. “A stone? You’re not a stone—how could you possibly be a stone…”

I’m afraid that Yu’er is a block of stone, completely clueless, and yet you’ve thrown yourself headfirst into it!

And “future brother-in-law”? Is Yu’er even the same person?!

Besides, if Yu’er gets married, what about his older sister? If Yu’er gets proposed to before his older sister, Yue’er will likely be the subject of gossip again.

Shaoxuan is still too young and doesn’t have enough sense.

Yan Shaocheng’s mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, a complete mess. He looked at Yan Shao Xuan anxiously: “What did you say to Brother Yu? And how did he respond? Tell me everything in detail.”

Yan Shaoxuan, brimming with joy and needing an outlet, immediately recounted his conversation with Yan Xiaoyu.

“Yu-ger says he’s not in a hurry, but deep down, he must be eager to marry me. He’s sacrificed so much for me; I don’t want to make him wait any longer.”

Yan Shaoxuan wore a blissful expression, while Yan Shaocheng frowned deeply, looking quite troubled.

Yu-ger is a rare gem of a young man. Yan Shaocheng doesn’t object to Yan Shaoxuan marrying him, but the key is—the other party might not feel the same way!

Yet Yan Xingmao and his wife were indeed unusually attentive toward Yan Shaoxuan.

Every time Yan Shaoxuan returned, the meals He Qiuhua prepared were exceptionally lavish. When Yan Shaoxuan went back to the county, they would even specially prepare food for him to take along to eat at the county seat.

It certainly showed some thoughtfulness toward their future son-in-law. 

Yan Shaocheng wavered back and forth, somewhat undecided, but seeing the joy on Yan Shaoxuan’s face, he ultimately couldn’t bring himself to pour cold water on his enthusiasm.

Even if he did, it might not have worked.

Meanwhile, He Qiuhua and Yan Xingmao called their son into the room with worried expressions.

After exchanging a glance, Yan Xingmao chose his words carefully before speaking: “Our family has been too close with the Yan brothers. You’re all around the same age and still unmarried. Aunt He came by yesterday and said people in the village are already gossiping about you two. What are we to do?”

Yan Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow and clicked his tongue. “Who is it? What are they saying?”

Seeing the look on his face as if he were about to go confront them, Yan Xingmao hurried to explain, “It’s just the two families who are close to your eldest uncle and grandfather. Only they’ve said a few words; no one else has gotten involved. Don’t get angry.”

He recounted the whole story from start to finish.

The men from those two households were chatting while working in the fields. They mentioned the Yan brothers, saying that since the two brothers had been through their mourning periods so long ago, matchmakers had been coming to propose marriage nonstop, yet they’d never agreed—they must have someone in mind.

One said that Yan Shaoxuan avoided the village lads and lasses like the plague, yet treated Yan Xiaoyu differently—he must have taken a fancy to him.

Another countered that Yan Erlang was a scholar, with a lofty disposition—how could he possibly fancy a rough-and-tumble country lad like Yan Xiaoyu? It must be that the expenses of preparing for the imperial examinations were too great, and seeing that Yan Xiaoyu’s business was thriving, he was merely paying lip service to her, hoping to coax him into helping Yan Shaocheng make money.

There were quite a few people in the fields at the time, but hardly anyone joined in their conversation. The affairs of the Liu, Yu, and Zhao families were clear enough to everyone; the affairs of the Liu, Yu, and Zhao families had made it clear to everyone: Yan Xiaoyu was a capable fellow, and befriending him brought only benefits, no drawbacks.

But if you offended him, you were bound to come to no good.

Yan Xiaobao and Wang Ergou were living examples of that.

Now, whenever villagers heard talk of Yan Xiaoyu’s family, they wore expressions of caution and restraint, rarely chiming in.

Everyone is buzzing with excitement, counting on Yan Xiaoyu to help them make money—who would dare to cross the Yan family at a time like this?

Those two men, having been close to Yan Xingsheng and having previously slandered Yan Xiaoyue, had long since offended Yan Xiaoyu. Naturally, they wouldn’t be included in the Yan family’s good fortune.

Having nothing left to lose, the two men tried to drag others into badmouthing Yan Xiaoyu, but no one joined in. In the end, they could only sulkily shut up.

Fearing Yan Xiaoyu’s wrath, no one dared mention this to He Qiuhua and her husband. If it weren’t for Aunt He bringing it up, they wouldn’t even have known about it.

Yan Xiaoyu had assumed some gossipmonger was making up stories about Yan Xiaoyue again, but upon hearing the truth, he didn’t get angry.

His relationship with Yan Shaoxuan was above board; he wasn’t afraid of what others might say. As for his older sister and Yan Shaocheng, there were indeed some hints of a connection, but the villagers were as blind as bats—not a single one had noticed.

“You can’t stop people in the village from talking. Let them say what they want, as long as they don’t go too far. I don’t bother with them. But if anyone dares to slander me and my sister, I’ll go to their house and settle the score.”

Who isn’t gossiped about behind their back? Who doesn’t gossip about others behind their backs? It’s just that where there are people, such things are inevitable.

Yan Xiaoyu actually enjoyed listening to a bit of gossip about the Zhangs and the Lis himself; he didn’t really mind that sort of thing.

Yan Xingmao and He Qiuhua still seemed a bit worried, both wearing expressions as if they wanted to say something but held back.

After a long while, Yan Xingmao hesitated and said, “But if they keep talking like this, won’t it affect your reputation? You’re still looking for a match!” ”

He Qiuhua nodded repeatedly.

Everything at home was fine now, except that the marriages of their two children remained unresolved. Earlier, Yan Xiaoyu had told them not to worry, saying he already had someone in mind, but several months had passed, and they still couldn’t tell who that person was.

On the other hand, her son’s pursuit of Yan Erlang seemed to be making some progress; Yan Erlang had returned today, and the two of them had even slipped off to the side to exchange a few whispered words.

But since no one had actually come to propose yet, both she and Yan Xingmao felt a bit uncertain.

Before long, Yan Xiaoyu quickly put his mind at ease.

“Father, Mother, don’t worry. By this time next year, no one will dare to gossip about Second Brother Yan and me.”

Yan Shaoxuan wasn’t the arrogant type; the fact that he’d made his intentions clear to him both openly and subtly today meant he must be quite confident about next year’s provincial exams.

Yan Shaocheng had also said that, from childhood onward, there was nothing his younger brother set out to do that he couldn’t accomplish.

With these words from them, Yan Xiaoyu now had complete faith in Yan Shaoxuan.

Once Yan Shaoxuan passed the imperial examinations, the villagers naturally wouldn’t dare to gossip about him.

His tone was confident; he didn’t realize his words carried a double meaning.

Yan Xingmao and his wife froze for a moment upon hearing this, but once they realized what was being implied, their faces lit up with joy.

Could it be that Yan Erlang plans to come ask for our son’s hand in marriage next year?

Otherwise, why wouldn’t the villagers dare to gossip about them? It must be that Yan Erlang revealed his plans to our son today—that’s why he’s so confident.

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After the Laba festival, the days flew by, and before they knew it, the New Year was upon them.

After a few snowfalls set in following the onset of winter, the weather turned cold, and both the town and village tofu shops were affected. People were reluctant to go out, so business naturally slowed down.

Fortunately, before the snow fell, the Yu, Liu, and Zhao families had all made a tidy profit.

The Yu family made the most. Nian-ger was increasingly showing his knack for business; he was full of clever ideas. Lately, he’d been outwitting Yan Yongfang in a back-and-forth battle of wits, and Yu Sanlang had even secured a couple of deals at the town’s eateries. In just two months, the Yu family had saved up fifteen taels of silver.

If Nian’er weren’t always dragging his regular customers and stall owners around to arrange matchmaking for them, things would be even better.

The Liu family secured only one deal in town, but Liu Pingshan was lucky—the restaurant that bought ingredients from him placed a substantial order. Combined with the village stall, which earned nearly a hundred wen daily, they managed to save eight taels of silver over the two months.

Zhao Dayong joined the business last, so he earned far less than the Yu and Liu families, but it was still much better than his previous life as a hired laborer. He was certain he’d have a good New Year this year.

With these three families and Yan Shaocheng all helping to sell goods, Yan Xiaoyu’s family had a massive volume of shipments and was extremely busy for a while.

Since the weather had turned cold, fresh food at the market wasn’t as easy to prepare, so Yan Xiaoyu decided to stop selling chicken soup, tofu skewers, and spicy dried tofu and instead focused on helping prepare bean-based ingredients at home.

Whenever he had a spare moment, he would pore over the cookbook Yan Shaoxuan had given him in the kitchen, trying to recreate the dishes inside.

Days slipped by quietly amid the hustle and bustle. After the Laba festival, Yan Xiaoyu’s family put their work aside and began preparing for the New Year.

This was Yan Xiaoyu’s first Spring Festival since arriving here. Although it had only been half a year, he seemed to have unconsciously integrated into this life, and it had been a long time since he’d thought about returning to his original world.

Celebrating the New Year with his family for the first time, Yan Xiaoyu felt both curious and delighted.