By the time Yan Yonghe received word and rushed to the Qian family’s tofu shop, Yan Yongfang had already returned from the clinic.

The wet nurse was tending to the child. Yan Yongfang, her face deathly pale, sat on the bed sipping soup, while Qian Hong sat stern-faced beside her.

At the foot of the bed, a figure was kneeling. The person was bound tight as a bundle, disheveled and filthy, covered in bruises and cuts, with a large wad of cloth stuffed in his mouth. Yan Yonghe looked closely and recognized Yan Xiaobao. He frowned: “Has Xiaobao gotten into trouble again?”

Even if Yan Xiaobao had done something inappropriate, it was up to the Yan family to discipline him. By overstepping his bounds like this, where did Qian Hong leave the two of them?

Qian Hong was well aware of Yan Yonghe’s displeasure. He let out a cold laugh: “Hmph, do you know what your Yan family’s precious little treasure has done, Big Brother?”

Before Yan Yonghe could answer, he pointed at Yan Xiaobao and said in a deep voice, “This little bastard received the Qian family’s kindness—we got him out of jail—yet he repaid our kindness with betrayal! First, he knocked Fang’er to the ground, then he beat her with fists and feet. Fang’er and the child nearly lost their lives, and I suffered injury upon injury!”

Qian Hong angrily recounted the entire incident to Yan Yonghe, concluding, “If you don’t give me a proper explanation, I won’t let this go.” A flash of annoyance crossed Yan Yonghe’s face. “He’s been beaten, he’s knelt—what else can we possibly do to make amends?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Xiaobao, who was tied up like a dumpling, visibly relaxed.

Yan Xiaobao had been in a rage when he shoved Yan Yongfang; he hadn’t expected her to fall, nor had he anticipated such serious consequences. He’d already regretted it when she started bleeding, but when Qian Hong landed a punch, he lost his composure again.

It wasn’t until later, when Qian Hong had his men beat him until his face was black and blue, that he finally felt fear.

This time, he came to the county under the pretext of repaying a debt of gratitude, intending to help Qian Hong and Yan Yongfang. If Qian Hong’s father found out that he had caused the Qian family’s child to be born prematurely, he would certainly not let him off the hook.

With Yan Yonghe’s words, he had let his guard down slightly, but he hadn’t expected that he had let his guard down too soon.

Qian Hong stared intently at Yan Yonghe, then suddenly broke into a sneer: “Are you saying, big brother, that Yan Xiaobao nearly cost Fang’er her life, yet a mere beating is sufficient atonement? Our Qian family has spent both money and effort to save him—do we deserve to end up in this predicament? If that’s the case, then I see no point in us bothering to run this shop anymore. We’re not going to end up any better off in the end.”

His face darkened, his tone thick with menace.

Yan Yonghe’s brow furrowed. After a moment’s thought, he said, “That’s not what I meant. Here’s what we’ll do: if you’re not satisfied, you may do with Xiaobao as you please—just spare his life.”

“Mmm, mmm!” Yan Xiaobao looked up in disbelief, glaring fiercely at Yan Yonghe. With his mouth gagged, he couldn’t speak, but the hatred on his face was obvious.

Qian Hong cast a casual glance at him and said lightly, “That’s more like it.”

Yan Yongfang, who had remained silent the whole time, nodded toward Yan Xiaobao and called out to the person at the door. The man understood and dragged Yan Xiaobao out. Yan Yonghe, who had been too preoccupied to pay her any mind earlier, finally spoke a few words to her.

“Second Sister, you’ve been through a lot today. Are you feeling better now? As your eldest brother, I still don’t know whether you’ve brought a nephew or a niece into the Yan family this time…”

Yan Yongfang couldn’t help but sneer inwardly, though she maintained a polite demeanor. After exchanging a few polite words, she suddenly set down the bowl in her hand and sighed.

“Oh, dear! It’s a good thing Xiaobao ran into me this time. If it had been someone else, I’m afraid things wouldn’t have ended so easily. With his temper, how much trouble has he caused the family? We’re lucky—it’s only been a short while since Eldest Brother finally managed to save face before the county magistrate. If he were to drag him down again, it wouldn’t be good.”

Yan Yonghe’s head drooped as he recalled the time Yan Xiaobao had caused him to lose face before Magistrate Ji.

Qian Hong clicked her tongue in disapproval and agreed, “Fang’er is right. With the provincial exams just around the corner, you absolutely must not let him drag you down!”

Yan Yonghe furrowed his brow and looked at Yan Yongfang: “If you have a plan, Second Sister, why not speak your mind?”

Yan Yongfang didn’t beat around the bush: “Didn’t you two mention earlier that the magistrate plans to conscript villagers to mine coal in the mountains? I think this time, our Yan family shouldn’t pay the silver to buy him out of service. Let Xiaobao do the labor. He has a hot temper; if we let him run wild any longer, he’ll cause a major disaster sooner or later. Mining may be hard work, but it could serve as a form of discipline. Once he’s there, he won’t be back for a while, so you won’t have to worry about him while you’re preparing for the provincial exams.”

Qian Hong immediately smiled: “You’re right, Fang’er. Since that’s the case, I won’t hold this incident against him either.”

Yan Yonghe hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded. “I’ll go back today and tell Father and Mother.”

Qian Hong hurriedly reminded him, “Eldest Brother, Xiaobao isn’t even fifteen yet. You’ll need to speak with Secretary Fu about this; otherwise, he won’t be able to perform his labor duties!”

At the mention of Secretary Fu, Yan Yonghe’s face darkened. “I’ve developed a bit of a rift with Secretary Fu lately. I’m afraid he won’t be too pleased this time.”

Yan Yongfang glanced at him. “Since Secretary Fu still wants to marry Miss Fu to my eldest brother, he must have my brother’s best interests at heart. Besides, he wouldn’t make things difficult for himself.”

“We’ll have to give Mr. Fu’s situation some more thought to smooth things over,” Qian Hong chimed in with a suggestion. “Why don’t we have Grandfather step in? He could have Yan Xiaoyu listen to him, so he could present him to the county magistrate? That would also help him save face in front of the magistrate.”

“No!” Yan Yongfang cried out.

Qian Hong and Yan Yonghe both turned to look at her. Clutching the pillowcase, she suppressed her emotions: “Yan Xiaoyu has a close relationship with Yan Shaoxuan. If we do this, we’ll likely offend him.”

“So what?” Yan Yonghe gritted his teeth under his breath. “Do I really fear Yan Shaoxuan?”

“Eldest Brother,” Yan Yongfang met Yan Yonghe’s gaze. “Tell me honestly—in this provincial examination, who has a better chance of passing: you or Yan Shaoxuan?”

Yan Yonghe’s throat tightened. He flung his sleeve aside and said bitterly, “I know you look down on me, Second Sister. You’re just sorry that Yan Shaoxuan isn’t your elder brother, and that he doesn’t want to marry you.”

Qian Hong was also aware of the Yan family’s past attempts to form an alliance with Yan Shaoxuan. Upon hearing this, his face immediately darkened.

Yan Yongfang remained relatively composed: “I’ve never looked down on you, Brother. You’re a true standout among men—there’s no doubt about that. It’s just that Yan Shaoxuan came in first place on the provincial exams; we shouldn’t underestimate him. It never hurts for us to be a little cautious.”

She spoke with a tone of grave seriousness: “I simply feel that we have no deep-seated grudge against the Yan family. There’s no need for you to make an enemy of him, at least not before the provincial examinations. Right now, Yan Shaoxuan is at the height of his influence. If you cross him, you might not come out on top. If he fails the provincial exams, that’s one thing, but suppose he passes and you, Brother, unfortunately fail? If he comes after you, then I’m afraid even the county magistrate wouldn’t want to offend him on your behalf.”

Yan Yonghe looked grim, but he did not speak up to refute it.

Yan Yongfang continued, “Besides, we’ve all seen just how fiery and troublesome Yan Xiaoyu can be. If you force him to become the magistrate’s concubine, I’m afraid he’ll risk his life to make sure none of us can live in peace.”

Yan Yongfang looked at Yan Yonghe. “Big Brother, if you can’t stand Yan Shaoxuan, it won’t be too late to pay him after the provincial exams. But as for Yan Xiaoyu, I think we should just let it go. If Master Fu finds out he’s your own cousin, and you’re treating him this way, I’m afraid he won’t dare to marry his daughter to you.”

Yan Yonghe looked pensive. “Now that you mention it, I suppose I can’t.”

Yan Yonghe had a plot of his own; after exchanging a few perfunctory words with his sister, he took his leave.

After he left, Yan Yongfang turned to Qian Hong: “Yan Xiaoyue did save us—my daughter and me—this time. Let’s just wipe the slate clean regarding our past grievances.”

Qian Hong looked a little displeased, but Yan Yongfang remained calm: “I wasn’t just trying to scare you and big brother. Pick on the weak, as they say. He’s a scholar, after all. If we offend Yan Shaoxuan now, once he makes a name for himself, he’ll surely seek revenge—and the Qian family will be his first target.”

Qian Hong’s face fell, and he dared say no more.

Meanwhile, Yan Xiaoyu and his sister, along with Yan Shaocheng, had been delayed by Yan Yongfang for an hour and a half. Since the preparations for lunch weren’t finished, they were exceptionally busy that day, though fortunately, nothing went wrong.

Yan Xiaoyu instructed the staff to keep an eye on the Qian family’s tofu shop, fearing that Yan Xiaobao, that good-for-nothing, might seize the opportunity to come to the Yuye Pavilion and cause trouble again. Upon hearing that Yan Xiaobao had been sent away with a black eye and a swollen face, he immediately broke into a broad smile.

The following days passed peacefully, and things remained quiet at the Qian family’s tofu shop.

A few days later, to his surprise, Nian-ger showed up again, accompanied by his father and Liu Pingshan. This time, Niu Fugui brought some news for Yan Xiaoyu and the others.

“The authorities are conscripting able-bodied men for labor again—this time to mine coal in the mountains. Your father paid a silver ransom to exempt your family, but your uncle’s household did something strange: they actually sent Yan Xiaobao.”

Yan Xiaoyu was taken aback for a moment, then quickly realized that Yan Xiaobao was paying the price for his recent mistake.

He hadn’t expected the Yan family to be so willing to part with the money this time, but he didn’t dwell on it. He simply asked, “The silver for the substitute labor must be quite a sum. How are the other villagers faring?”

“Well, it’s quite a lot. The authorities are asking for an exorbitant sum these days. If an able-bodied man refuses to serve, his family has to pay three taels of silver. Working in the coal mines is a life-threatening job, but as long as a family can afford it, no one dares to let their man go. If this had happened two years ago, I’m afraid many of the men in our village would have left in tears. Fortunately, this year, the village’s poor families have earned some silver thanks to you. Now, if we pool our resources, we can pay the silver to buy them out of service. So, our village has only Yan Xiaobao left.”

Hearing this, Yan Xiaoyu, He Qiuhua, and the others all breathed a sigh of relief.

Niu Fugui looked at Yan Xiaoyu and Yan Shaocheng: “Even though we don’t need the coal mine anymore, those few families had just started to get back on their feet, and now they’ve emptied their savings again. Uncle Liu and I have hired people from the village to help with the work. We came over this time to ask you and Shaocheng: Is your restaurant still short-handed? You don’t need to pay them silver—just provide them with a meal and a little grain.”

Fearing Yan Xiaoyu might misunderstand, Niu Fugui quickly added, “It’s no big deal if you don’t need them. Our village is nestled against the mountains—we won’t starve to death. It wouldn’t be right to keep asking you for help like this.”

Yan Xiaoyu and Yan Shaocheng exchanged a glance before shaking their heads. “Yuye Pavilion really doesn’t need any more help right now.”

After a month of working together, the staff at the shop had gelled quite well and were working efficiently; there was no immediate need to hire anyone else.

Niu Fugui smiled. “Aunt Yu insisted I ask. I told her you probably don’t need any more help here.”

Yan Xiaoyu thought for a moment. “The summer harvest is coming up soon. Uncle Niu, why don’t you ask my father? We’ll probably need to hire some help for the work in our fields.”

“Oh my, I completely forgot about that!” Niu Fugui pressed his hand to his forehead, looking thoroughly exasperated. “I’ll go ask him then.”

Liu Pingshan chuckled as well. “It’s a shame that the labor conscription has gotten so out of hand—I’d completely forgotten about the summer harvest!”

He glanced cautiously toward the door and lowered his voice. “To be honest, the former Magistrate Ji was much better. When he was in office, substitute labor didn’t cost three taels of silver. But ever since this new guy took over, prices in town have gone up, and so has the cost of substitute labor…”

They chatted a bit more about the labor conscription, but Nian-ger, sitting nearby, couldn’t sit still any longer. He nudged Niu Fugui: “Father!”

Niu Fugui shot him a sullen glance, then turned to Yan Xiaoyu and forced a dry smile.

“Xiaoyu, take a look when you’re counting the meat and vegetables later. Your Aunt Yu and I brought you three old hens and thirty eggs. We give them to you to help you regain your strength.”

Yan Xiaoyu was completely baffled.

Nian-ger looked at him with a fawning expression, then nudged his father with his elbow.

Niu Fugui glared at Nian-ger with gritted teeth, then rubbed his hands together sheepishly and looked at Yan Xiaoyu.

“My good-for-nothing son insists on staying in the county seat. He wants to live out there all by himself, but Aunt Yu and I won’t let him. Brother Yu, do you think he could stay with you?”