Yan Xingmao and He Qiuhua were startled to hear that there had been a disturbance at the stall, but they were relieved to learn that the troublemakers had been taken to the county office.

The following day at noon, Yan Xiaoyu and his sister hosted a banquet at a local inn to thank those who had helped them the previous day.

During the meal, someone asked about what happened after they went to the county office yesterday. Yu Sanlang sighed.

“Those three men each received forty lashes. They were beaten until their skin was torn open, yet they remained tight-lipped. They insisted they’d come to extort money from Boss Yu because his business was booming—that no one had instigated them. The official in charge said these men would be detained for further interrogation, but whether they’ll be able to uncover the people behind them is anyone’s guess.” 

Madam Yin sighed, “Then we stall owners will have to be extra careful from now on. Any envious person—as long as they’re willing to spend some silver—can find a scapegoat to bring trouble upon us. It’s truly impossible to guard against everything!”

Yu Sanlang smiled: “Don’t worry too much. The county magistrate has taken note of this issue. From now on, more officials will be stationed to patrol the market. If anyone causes trouble again, we’ll first arrest both parties and bring them to the yamen for thorough questioning. We won’t let the troublemakers get away with it so easily.”

Hearing this, the stall owners finally felt at ease.

Yan Xiaoyu had known about this incident since early this morning, but his expression remained completely unruffled.

He already had his suspicions about who was scheming against him. If the county magistrate’s office could uncover the truth and help him get justice, that would be best.

If not, once he confirmed it himself, he would find a way to get his due.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

In the days that followed, Yan Xiaoyu continued to go to town in the mornings to sell food and returned home in the afternoons to help his parents with their work.

Before long, construction on their new house would begin, and all four members of the family were eagerly anticipating it. In the evenings these past few days, the family would gather together to discuss the layout of the new house.

They had already found a craftsman in town before the New Year. Yan Xiaoyu visited the foreman’s house every few days, drawing up blueprints based on his experience and making specific requests.

In their spare time, Yan Xingmao and He Qiuhua would also take walks around the foundation site—this spot for the kitchen, that spot for the main house… Holding the blueprints their son had drawn, the couple would happily discuss the layout of the house, their faces both reflecting their anticipation for the new home.

Building a new house inevitably meant making new furniture. Before the New Year, Yan Xingmao took his son to Dongling Village and commissioned an old carpenter there to make beds, cabinets, and other furniture. They paid two taels of silver as a deposit. To save money, the father and son also cut down a camphor tree from their family’s mountain and had it hauled away.

The felled tree couldn’t be used to make furniture, but it could offset part of the cost of the lumber.

In addition to the builders and carpenters specializing in house construction, building a new home also required hiring laborers for the heavy work.

With only a few days left in the first lunar month, Yu Chunying came to ask about this matter.

Building a house is a major undertaking. For ordinary families constructing a mud-and-thatch hut, they simply find familiar laborers in the village to do the work; they don’t even have to pay wages—providing two meals a day is enough. Today you help me, tomorrow I help you—no one loses out.

But Yan Xiaoyu’s family was building a two-courtyard brick-and-tile house—a first for Xiling Village. Even the Yu family only had a three-courtyard mud-and-tile house; while it was large, its construction costs couldn’t compare to those of a brick-and-tile house.

Brick-and-tile houses are expensive to build, require complex craftsmanship, and involve heavy labor—you can’t just brush people off with two meals.

Men from the village who go to town or neighboring villages to help build houses earn fifty copper coins a day. Yan Xiaoyu had already made it clear to Yu Chunying that workers coming to his house would be paid according to market rates, with one meal included.

The laborers would be paid fifty copper coins a day, and six of them were needed. The cooks would be paid thirty copper coins a day, one woman and one man. Everyone had to work efficiently and not cut corners.

As soon as Yu Chunying spread the word, willing villagers came to Yan Xingmao and He Qiuhua to agree to take on the work.

It was estimated that it would take a month to build the two-courtyard blue-brick and tile house. Over the course of a month, the builders would earn 1,500 wen, and the cooks 900 wen. Not only was the pay high, but the work was close to home and included a meal—it was a pretty good job.

With so many people asking, Yan Xingmao and his wife couldn’t make up their minds.

Yu Chunying, entrusted by the villagers, came to inquire. She also wanted to speak up for a few families in the village who were facing hardships.

“Mrs. Sun at the east end of the village lost her husband years ago, and her son passed away the year before last. Now she lives with her son-in-law and grandson, and they’re barely getting by. They’ve even sold their fields. She’s experienced and works quickly—why not hire her to cook?”

“Hong Dali, down south in the village, has five sons. The whole family is hardworking, but unfortunately, they don’t have much farmland. His wife has been sick, and they’ve never had the money for treatment…”

Yan Xiaoyu knew his parents weren’t decisive enough, so he had already instructed them that if they couldn’t choose the right person, they should ask Yu Chunying or Aunt He for their opinion. Once Yu Chunying spoke up, Yan Xingmao and He Qiuhua didn’t hesitate either; they followed her advice and hired the workers.

On the first day of the second lunar month, construction finally began on Yan Xiaoyu’s family’s new house.

In the morning, the foreman arrived with four craftsmen, and many villagers came to watch the commotion.

The plot of land Yan Xiaoyu had purchased had already been cleared; a temporary thatched shed had been erected nearby, filled with stacks of blue bricks, red tiles, and lumber—all delivered just a few days prior.

The villagers gazed at the piles of bricks and tiles, murmuring their admiration.

“These bricks look solid just by looking at them!”

“With materials this good, how many years will the house last?”

“Who knows? It’ll certainly last longer than our thatched huts.”

“It’s really something—Yan Er’s family is building a blue-brick and tile house now, while Yan Da and his family still live in mud-brick houses!

As soon as the last person finished speaking, the conversation turned to Yan Xingsheng’s family.

“Hasn’t Yan Xingsheng been out and about lately? I heard work in town has picked up?”

“It’s barely past the first month of the lunar year; there aren’t even many ships at the dock. What could he possibly be busy with?” The speaker winked at the person next to him. “I heard he went to ask Yan Er for money. Everyone’s been talking about it—haven’t you heard?”

Upon hearing this, the villagers who knew the story lowered their voices and began recounting the events on the mountain that day with great excitement.

In the end, the villagers split into two camps.

One group shook their heads and sighed, “How the tables have turned! Now Yan Er has actually outshone his older brother!”

The other group disagreed: “Yu’er’s family may be wealthy, but Yan Yonghe is a scholar. With that status alone, no one in our village can outdo him…”

Because of the construction work on the new house, the family was too busy to manage, so Yan Xiaoyu and his older sister didn’t go to town to sell food; both stayed home to help out.

In the morning, Aunt Sun and another woman prepared tea for the workers. After the craftsmen drank a bowl of tea, they got to work, and the five men from the village also began bustling about under the foreman’s direction.

Though there were many people, everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.

A temporary kitchen had been set up at the new house, so they didn’t need to use the stove at Yan Xiaoyu’s home. Yan Xiaoyu went to check on things for a while that morning. Seeing that everything was proceeding smoothly, he went back to his own work.

The rice seedlings had already been started these past few days, and in a few more days, it would be time to transplant them. With spring planting and house construction happening simultaneously, and finding time to make tofu as well, everyone in the household was extremely busy.

Yan Xiaoyu had almost forgotten about Yan Shaoxuan’s trip to the provincial capital to take the imperial exams.

On the second day of construction at his new home, Yan Shaoxuan came by and handed him a bow and arrow.

Yan Xiaoyu was both surprised and delighted: “For me? Why are you suddenly giving me a bow and arrow?”

Seeing how pleased he was, Yan Shaoxuan felt happy too: “Your birthday is in a few days. This is an early birthday present for you. Last time we went fishing in the mountains, you kept looking at my bow—I guess you really liked it.”

“Hehe,” Yan Xiaoyu said, his eyes crinkling with a smile. “I am interested, but I don’t know how to use it.”

Yan Shaoxuan couldn’t help but laugh along with him: “I’ll teach you when I get back.”

Yan Xiaoyu nodded vigorously: “That’s a deal!”

After speaking, he glanced at the man in front of him, his eyes darting about: “You also said you’d take me up the mountain to fish and pick berries—don’t forget that!”

“I won’t forget.” Yan Shaoxuan ran his finger along the bowstring in Yan Xiaoyu’s hand and whispered, “Xiao Yu, wait for me to come back.”

“Okay!” Yan Xiaoyu nodded rapidly, like a chick pecking at grain. “Go with peace of mind. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself—you’re only eighteen, still very young. Whether you pass this time or not is fine; don’t push yourself too hard.”

Yan Shaoxuan nodded and gave Yan Xiaoyu a deep look.

After he left, Yan Xiaoyu pulled an arrow from his quiver and, eager to try his hand, nocked it onto the bowstring. But before he could release the shot, the man who had just departed returned.

“Feet shoulder-width apart, keep your body straight, and don’t hunch your shoulders.” Yan Shaoxuan spoke as he walked to Yan Xiaoyu’s side, gently adjusting his arms. “Push forward with your forearms, use your back muscles, and don’t pull the bowstring so tight…”

Standing behind Yan Xiaoyu, he helped him adjust his posture, his deep voice sounding as if he were speaking right into Yan Xiaoyu’s ear.

They were standing extremely close together; from a distance, it looked as though the tall man had gently drawn the young boy before him into his embrace.

Yan Xiaoyu was completely oblivious, still listening excitedly to Yan Shaoxuan’s posture corrections: “Is that okay now, Second Brother Yan—”

As he spoke, he turned his head, and his forehead brushed against Yan Shaoxuan’s mouth. Both of them froze.

Yan Shaoxuan’s face flushed crimson; his body stiffened, and he dared not meet Yan Xiaoyu’s gaze.

Yan Xiaoyu stared at him for a moment. A thought flashed through his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

It was all in his head. Yan Erlang was devoted to his studies; he had even specifically warned his parents before. How could he possibly harbor such feelings toward him?

Scholars are easily embarrassed; it’s only natural for him to be shy.

Yan Xiaoyu suppressed his emotions and offered Yan Shaoxuan a way out: “Second Brother Yan, you’re leaving tomorrow. You should go back early to prepare. It won’t be too late to teach me when you return.” 

“Alright.”

Yan Shaoxuan lowered his eyes and turned to leave.

Once outside, he raised his hand to touch his lips; it seemed he could still feel the warmth from the young man’s temple there.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Early the next morning, the Yan brothers set off for the provincial capital, and Yan Xiaoyu’s parents urged him to see them off.

Seeing him arrive, Yan Shaoxuan’s eyes lit up, and he immediately gave his older brother a meaningful look.

But the man who was usually as smooth as silk was as dull as a rusty piece of iron today. Not only did he not leave, but he even started chatting enthusiastically with Yan Xiaoyu.

Leaving Yan Shaoxuan standing there all alone.

Yan Shaoxuan was furious. As soon as Yan Xiaoyu left, he looked at Yan Shaocheng with a dark expression: “Big Brother, why didn’t you look at me just now?”

“Ahem, what happened just now? Brother Yu came to say goodbye to us; didn’t I have to exchange a few words with him?”

Yan Shaocheng looked completely justified, but inwardly, he silently breathed a sigh of relief.

He had been deeply afraid that Shaoxuan might reveal his true feelings, and that Brother Yu might say something to hurt the young man’s heart. Thankfully, nothing had happened.