When Song Ning woke up that morning, he was still rubbing his lower back. Qiu-ger was right after all—you can’t trust what men say in bed. If he hadn’t stopped Wei Hu, he really would have gone at it seven times. From now on, he’d never go around bragging about it again.

Snuggled in the warm blankets, Song Ning rubbed his face against the pillow. He’d had a taste of it—it seemed… it seemed pretty good. But too much would be too much. He’d have to tell Brother Wei Hu to cut back a bit in the future.

Wei Hu got up and first filled Song Ning’s hot-water bottle with hot water. When he walked into the room, he saw the young ger was already awake, staring blankly with his big, round eyes.

Wei Hu gently lifted the blanket and slipped the hot-water bottle inside. “You’re awake.”

“Brother Wei Hu, can I stay in bed?”

“Just lie there then. Does anything hurt?”

Song Ning blushed at the question. “No, nothing.”

Wei Hu went back outside to tend to his chores. He made up a quick excuse for his mother, saying Song Ning had been startled yesterday and was resting in bed today.

As soon as Chen Cuihua heard she’d been frightened, she hurried over to check on him, but Wei Hu stopped her. “Ning-ger is asleep.”

“Then make him a bowl of egg custard to help him recover. It’s the middle of winter—if she’s been startled, we don’t want the cold to get into his body.”

“I know.”

Chen Cuihua rarely went into Song Ning’s room; even in the main hall, she only came over when warming herself by the fire or eating. If Song Ning wasn’t there, she’d stay in her own room to tend to her chores.

Song Ning’s eyelids grew heavy, and he hugged his hot water bottle for a nap. Wei Hu brought him his meal—steaming egg custard drizzled with sesame oil.

Song Ning tried to sit up and get dressed, but Wei Hu pushed him back down. “Just lie there and rest. I’ll go get you a book to read.”

There wasn’t much to do in the middle of winter anyway, so lying there was fine. Besides, the ger was always cold, and after taking care of him for so long, he’d finally put on a little weight. When Wei Hu held him, he was careful not to use too much force and hurt the ger.

Song Ning was actually too lazy to get up anyway. Wei Hu brought him a book, and he started reading while lying in bed. It wasn’t until nearly noon that he finally got up.

The sun was shining brightly today. The straw curtain at the entrance to the main hall had been rolled up, letting sunlight stream into the room. Sitting inside, he could soak up the warmth without the wind blowing on him.

Chen Cuihua didn’t come in until after Song Ning had gotten up. As soon as she entered, she asked after his well-being and then scolded Li Guifen a few times, blaming her for scaring her son. Song Ning blushed a little—in truth, he was just being lazy.

“It’s the middle of winter, and there’s nothing to do. It’s cold if you get up early, so there’s no need to get up so early.”

Song Ning replied with a nod.

Song Ning spent some time working on the painting. He’d finally had a few days of rare leisure; he didn’t have to get up so early in the morning. He’d get up around noon to soak up some sun, then help stoke the fire.

When Qiu-ger came over to talk to him, Song Ning was lying in bed flipping through a book. Qiu-ger called out before entering, and upon coming in, he saw that Song Ning hadn’t gotten up yet.

Qiu-ger let out a surprised “Ah! Why aren’t you up yet? What time is it?”

“It’s cold. Brother Wei Hu said it’s cold, so he didn’t let me get up so early.”

Qiu-ger sat down on the edge of the bed and clicked his tongue. “Did Aunt Cuihua not tell you?”

Song Ning blinked. “No, why would she tell me anything?”

“Tsk. Brother Huzi and Aunt Cuihua are really good to you. If I dared to still be in bed at this hour, my own mother would come over and pull the covers off me.”

Song Ning yawned and got up too. “I’ve been home doing nothing for days now. Let’s get up and go out to the courtyard to soak up some sun.”

Song Ning tidied himself up and got up. The two of them sat at the entrance to the main hall, soaking up the sun. Song Ning squinted his eyes in comfort and, hearing the commotion outside, asked, “Why are there so many people out there?”

“Li Xiaolian’s getting engaged today. I just went to take a look—that guy’s actually quite handsome. Li Xiaolian’s not happy about it and’s hiding in her room crying.”

Song Ning went, “Oh.” He’d stopped paying attention to Li Xiaolian long ago.

Before long, a few people passed by his front door, but Song Ning merely glanced at them.

Qiu-ger said, “I guess the engagement’s already set. The guy’s gone. By the way, the Wang family is having a wedding in a few days. Your family and theirs seem to be distantly related. Dazhuang’s going to help with the wedding procession, too. We should go eat at the banquet together then.”

Qiu-ger’s eyes lit up at the mention of a banquet. At a wedding celebration, there were bound to be at least two meat dishes on the table; if the host family was well-off, the spread would be even more lavish.

Qiu-ger’s family was poor and had little land; they relied entirely on his embroidery and Sun Dazhuang’s odd jobs to earn a few copper coins. Even in the dead of winter, Sun Dazhuang would often go into the mountains to chop firewood to sell, so meat was a rare treat at home. This time, though, they’d get to eat plenty of it.

Just as the two were chatting, a middle-aged woman arrived with a young boy in tow. “Is Ning-ger home?”

Song Ning didn’t go out often, so many villagers were unfamiliar to him, but Qiu-ger certainly did. “Auntie Ma is here.”

“Ah.” The woman approached with a beaming smile. “I’m Carpenter Ma’s wife. You don’t go out much, Ning-ger, so you don’t recognize me.”

Song Ning remembered and hurriedly offered her a stool to sit on. “I know you. Uncle Ma even gave me a pair of paperweights.”

Mrs. Ma smiled. “I’ve never been to your house before—this is my first time. Oh, this painting is truly beautiful. How much silver did you pay for it?”

Song Ning smiled sheepishly. “I painted it myself. Just to hang in my own home.”

Song Ning poured hot water for the two of them to drink. Mrs. Ma wasn’t very familiar with the Wei family either; the two households lived far apart and had little interaction on a daily basis. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she said, “I’d like to ask you a favor, Ning-ger. Do you happen to have that book—whatever it’s called—that my son Xiangyuan wants to read?”

The young lad said, “Mother, it’s *The Mencius*.”

“Right, right, right—it’s called *The Mencius*. Do you have that here?”

“Yes, I do. I’ll go get it for you.”

Mrs. Ma had heard from her husband that this Ning-ger had quite a collection of books, so she’d brought her son over to see if he had any. If he did, borrowing them to copy would save them some money.

That was a book Song Ning had read when he was a child. He fetched it from the east room. Ma Dasao hadn’t expected Song Ning to actually have it. “My son Xiangyuan would like to borrow it for a few days to copy it down. Ning-ger, do you think that’s okay?”

“Sure, I’m not reading it right now. Just let my younger brother take it home to copy.”

Song Ning recalled his mother mentioning that the Ma family’s boy had been attending the town school for two years. He knew how difficult it was for rural families to support a scholar; even if they weren’t aiming for the imperial examinations, sending a child to learn to read and write still cost a considerable amount of silver.

Song Ning handed the book to the Ma family’s boy. Mrs. Ma thanked him cheerfully and left with her child.

“I heard from my mother that the Ma family plans to have their son take the Tongsheng exam again next year. The boy has failed twice already—he probably isn’t cut out for studying. Carpenter Ma wants him to try again next year; if he passes the Tongsheng exam, he’ll at least be able to find work in town.”

“Carpenter Ma is a skilled craftsman. Why didn’t he have his son learn carpentry?”

“That’s his eldest son. The eldest doesn’t want to learn it. There’s a younger son in the family; I suppose he’ll be the one to carry on Carpenter Ma’s legacy in the future.”

Hearing this, Song Ning couldn’t help but feel moved; the Ma couple really were thinking long-term when it came to their children.

When Chen Cuihua returned from her walk, Song Ning told her about it. Chen Cuihua replied, “Carpenter Ma and his wife are really good people, honest folk. Our house is a bit far from theirs, and we don’t have any relatives, so we don’t really keep in touch.”

Just before noon, Wei Hu returned as well. He’d gone to town to sell firewood that day. Song Ning hurried to meet him. “Brother Wei Hu, how did it go?”

Wei Hu smiled and set the carrying pole he was holding down on the ground. Song Ning was beside himself with anxiety. “Brother Wei Hu, did the shopkeeper want my embroidery pattern?”

The ger was so anxious that he was darting around Wei Hu’s legs like a rabbit. Wei Hu stopped teasing him and pulled two small silver ingots from his chest. “Take a look.”

Song Ning gasped. “He really bought it!”

Chen Cuihua was overjoyed when she saw them. “Our Ning-ger is something else—he’s actually earned two taels of silver in one go!”

That’s two taels of silver! For an ordinary family, saving up two taels in a year—after covering food and drink—is no small feat. To earn two taels all at once? If they spent it sparingly, it would be enough to support a family of three for nearly half a year.

Song Ning clutched the two small silver ingots, beaming with joy. Each of his embroidered patterns sold for five wen, and he usually made a little over a hundred wen per sale—but this time, he’d earned two taels of silver in one go!

Song Ning was so overjoyed he didn’t know what to do with himself. He wanted to throw himself into Wei Hu’s arms, but his mother was right there, and he felt too shy to do so.

Wei Hu then pulled a hairband from his chest. He’d seen it at the market today after returning from selling firewood; the blue silk hairband had caught his eye immediately, and it suited Song Ning perfectly.

Song Ning’s eyes lit up even more. “Is this for me?”

“Mm, I’d been neglectful—I only just remembered to buy this for you.”

Ever since Song Ning had arrived here, he’d been wearing nothing but a plain wooden hairpin and two cotton hairbands his mother had made for him. They certainly couldn’t compare to the pretty ones sold in the market. It wasn’t until Wei Hu bought the ribbon today that he realized the ger had nothing on his head—it had been his oversight.

He also thought about how fair-skinned his Fulang was; a silver hairpin would surely look lovely on him. Wei Hu resolved to buy a silver hairpin for his Fulang once he’d earned some silver.

Song Ning couldn’t contain himself and threw himself at Wei Hu. “Brother Wei Hu, I love it!”

Unexpectedly seeing the ger so delighted, Wei Hu felt even more guilty. Song Ning certainly hadn’t been lacking such things before; since coming to his home, he’d been wearing a simple wooden hairpin for so long. It was his oversight—he should have bought one for him sooner.

Song Ning put it on his head immediately, half-tying his hair and wrapping the hairband around it. The hairband was exquisitely crafted—not only was it made of silk with a subtle pattern, but each end was adorned with tassels in a slightly darker shade.

Once Song Ning had put it on, the two tassels fell beautifully among his hair. Wei Hu’s lips curled into a smile; it truly suited her. Song Ning happily shook his head—he loved it!

Song Ning was overjoyed today. Not only had he sold his “The Fairy Ma Gu Presenting Longevity” embroidery pattern for two taels of silver, but Brother Wei Hu had also given him a beautiful hairband!

“Brother Wei Hu, this hairband must have been really expensive.”

“Thirty-five wen.”

“I knew it would be expensive. Just buying this one is enough—it’s a bit too pricey.”

Song Ning felt bad for Wei Hu, who worked so hard every day—either chopping firewood on the back mountain or selling it in town. This hairband alone costs as much as two loads of firewood. How expensive!

That evening, Song Ning took concrete action. “Brother Wei Hu, come on. Do it as many times as you want. I won’t cry anymore.”

Wei Hu’s heart melted at the little ger’s words. “Really?”

“Really!”

Wei Hu didn’t hold back, and in the end, Song Ning still ended up crying. Wei Hu tried to comfort him for ages, but couldn’t get him to stop, which led to Song Ning scratching him when he woke up the next morning. “What was the point of comforting me yesterday? You didn’t even stop!”