Song Ning accompanied Chen Cuihua to the market to buy some vegetables, while Wei Hu went home to feed the cows.

By the time they left, they had filled a whole basket with vegetables—yardlong beans, cucumbers, Chinese spinach, and eggplants, all of which they’d brought from home.

Chen Cuihua bought a piece of meat and some fish and shrimp. When Song Ning mentioned he wanted to buy some fabric, the three of them went to the fabric shop for a look.

Song Ning was well-dressed; although he had always lived in the countryside, Wei Hu wouldn’t let him do any heavy labor, and his ten fingers were soft and delicate—truly beautiful.

The clerk at the fabric shop assumed Song Ning was the ger of a wealthy family. He greeted him warmly and immediately held up a piece of silk for Song Ning to see. “Take a look at this fabric—it just arrived from Jiangnan. This entwined-branch pattern is all the rage right now.”

Song Ning shook his head. He’d worn silk before, and although he had some silver now, he couldn’t just spend it recklessly—cotton was just as comfortable.

He picked up a piece of fabric in a shade of stream-stone blue and held it up against Lan’er’s body. “Mother, what do you think of this fabric?”

“It’s quite nice. Ning-ger has excellent taste.”

Song Ning thought it looked quite nice, too—it really suited Lan’er. He had the shop assistant cut out a full outfit based on Lan’er’s measurements, then picked out a piece of tobacco-brown fabric for his mother. Chen Cuihua, reluctant to spend the silver, refused, saying she didn’t need it.

“Mom, today’s a festive occasion—let’s have a whole outfit made for each of us.”

Only then did Chen Cuihua smile and say, “All right, all right.”

Fabric was purchased for all four members of the family. Although it was cotton, Song Ning had chosen high-quality material, spending over three taels of silver. The shop assistant was overjoyed, beaming from ear to ear as he eagerly saw the three of them out, saying, “Please come back again, sir.”

When the three of them first walked in, the clerk had assumed they were a young ger from a wealthy family accompanied by a housekeeper come to buy fabric. But when he saw Song Ning choose cotton cloth, he thought he must have misjudged them—little did he know that the ger would end up buying enough fabric for four complete outfits in one go.

Even if this ger wasn’t from a wealthy family, his household was certainly well-off.

The three of them wandered around a bit and bought some candied fruits and roasted nuts—to serve to their guests at home later. By now, everyone’s hands were full; even Lan-ger was carrying a bag of roasted nuts.

Seeing that they’d bought enough, the group headed home. Just as they turned into the alley, Song Ning spotted someone sitting in front of his own house. At first, he thought it was someone else’s house, but as he got closer, he realized it was Bai Xiaoyun. “Brother Yun!”

Bai Xiaoyun was so bored that he’d been crouching on the ground plucking blades of grass. When he looked up and saw Song Ning returning, he hurriedly stood up, flashing a toothy grin at him. “Ning-ger, what took you so long? I’ve been waiting for ages. If you hadn’t come back, I would’ve thought I’d come to the wrong place.”

Chen Cuihua quickly fished the key out from her waistband. “Come on in, come on in and sit down.”

It would be rather rude to keep a guest waiting at the door for so long, so Chen Cuihua quickly pushed the door open and let Bai Xiaoyun in.

Bai Xiaoyun didn’t stand on ceremony; with a smile, he took the basket from Chen Cuihua’s hands. “Auntie, let me carry that for you.”

“No, no, it’s not that heavy. Come on in. Have a chat with Ning-ger, and try Auntie’s cooking today.”

“Okay!”

As soon as Bai Xiaoyun heard about the food, he perked up—Ning-ger had told him that his mother was an excellent cook.

Song Ning brought a table and some chairs out and set them up under the shade of a tree—it was a bit cooler out here than inside. Lan-ger also came around the table to pour Bai Xiaoyun some tea, prompting Bai Xiaoyun to ruffle his hair. “You’re quite a sensible little guy.”

Lan-ger blushed at the compliment and hid behind Song Ning.

Song Ning bought some candied fruits and roasted nuts, found a bamboo basket, and poured them into it. “Here’s something to eat. Where’s Manager Bai? Why didn’t he come with you?”

“It’s still early. My dad’s minding the shop. He’ll come over when it’s time to eat.”

This was Bai Xiaoyun’s first time visiting Song Ning’s place. He craned his neck to take in his surroundings. “Not bad, Song Ning. Your courtyard’s actually quite nice.”

Song Ning gave a noncommittal “Mm-hmm. It’s close to both my mom’s shop and the study.”

Chen Cuihua sat nearby sorting through winged beans. Bai Xiaoyun reached out to take the bowl from her. “Auntie, let me help you with that.”

“No, no, just go talk to Ning-ger.”

“I’m just sitting around anyway. I don’t mind at all, so please don’t be so formal with me, Auntie.”

Chen Cuihua finally stopped trying to dissuade him and went inside to slice some meat. Song Ning and the others sat in the courtyard sorting through the vegetables, exchanging a few casual remarks from time to time.

Wei Hu returned shortly afterward, his belly round and full from eating beef tripe, and his backpack stuffed to the brim. Song Ning smiled at him. “Brother Wei Hu, you’re back. Was that place far from here?”

“Not far at all—it’s actually quite convenient.”

“Still, it’s not as convenient as back in the countryside, where we could just lead the cow out and let it graze.”

Wei Hu nodded at Bai Xiaoyun to say hello, then went into the kitchen to help stoke the fire and cook.

Bai Xiaoyun let out a little “Ooh” and gave Song Ning a gentle nudge with his elbow. “Your husband’s cooking for you?”

“I—I can cook, too.”

Bai Xiaoyun clicked his tongue. “Come on, your hands don’t look like they’ve ever done any hard labor.”

Bai Xiaoyun knew that Song Ning’s family used to run a rice shop. Fengnian Town was so small that you could count the number of rice shops on one hand. Although the Song family’s rice shop wasn’t large, they were still wealthier than he was with his private academy.

It was a shame that Song Ning’s stepmother had such a mean heart, but at least Song Ning wasn’t living a bad life now.

Chen Cuihua was a skilled cook, and the aroma wafting from the kitchen made Bai Xiaoyun sniff the air repeatedly—it smelled so good!

Just as it was nearly time to eat, Shopkeeper Bai closed up shop and came over, carrying a jar of wine and two packages of pastries. Chen Cuihua warmly invited him to sit down and rest, repeatedly telling him he was being too kind.

After exchanging a few polite words with Shopkeeper Bai, Chen Cuihua hurried back into the kitchen to get to work. “Ning-ger, set the table—it’s time to eat.”

“Okay, Mom.”

Song Ning cleared the table of the roasted nuts and candied fruits. Upon hearing that it was time to eat, Bai Xiaoyun was even more eager than he was and helped set out the bowls and chopsticks.

Since it was their housewarming today, Chen Cuihua had prepared an especially lavish dinner: braised bluefish in soy sauce, dry-fried shrimp, braised spare ribs, poached chicken, and eggplant stewed with long beans…

“Mr. Bai, please sit down, please sit down.” Chen Cuihua smiled as she urged Mr. Bai to take the seat of honor. Since Ning-ger’s school had waived the rent, Chen Cuihua was grateful to the Bai family and had prepared an especially lavish meal.

Mr. Bai refused to sit, and the two continued to exchange polite refusals. Bai Xiaoyun suddenly pulled her father over. “Auntie, you sit. My dad can just sit next to me. Let’s eat already—I’m starving!”

Bai Xiaoyun’s words made everyone laugh. The whole table ate in a lively atmosphere. Song Ning sat next to Bai Xiaoyun, the two of them huddled close together, while Wei Hu kept Mr. Bai company as they drank. Song Ning also got a little of the liquor; it smelled quite fragrant, but after taking a sip, he stuck out his tongue—it was way too spicy.

Bai Xiaoyun laughed at him. Song Ning held out his bowl, insisting that Bai Xiaoyun take a sip too. “Fine, I’ll have a taste.”

Bai Xiaoyun took a sip of the liquor his father had brought—it was so spicy he spat it out twice. “Dad, what’s so good about this stuff? You go out drinking with people every other day, but it tastes awful.”

“What does a kid like you know?”

Fearing his ger might forbid him from going out drinking in the future, the shopkeeper simply said Bai Xiaoyun didn’t understand. Bai Xiaoyun couldn’t be bothered to respond; he picked up a large shrimp with his chopsticks and began eating it with relish.

“Song Xiaoning, your mom’s a really great cook—her food is way better than mine.”

“I think my mom’s cooking is great, too.”

Chen Cuihua beamed from ear to ear at the compliments from the two gers. “If you like it here, Yun, come by often. Just tell Auntie what you want to eat, and I’ll make it for you.”

“Thank you so much, Auntie.”

Song Ning picked up a piece of spare rib for Lan-ger, who was sitting next to him. “Want any more? If you can’t reach it, just tell me.”

Lan’er shook his head. “I can reach it.”

After Song Ning and Bai Xiaoyun had finished eating, they got up from the table and took Lan-ger with them to play inside. It was getting dark in the courtyard by then, and Manager Bai, who had had quite a bit to drink, was dragging Wei Hu along, urging him to keep drinking.

Manager Bai, a frail scholar, had quite a high tolerance for alcohol; Wei Hu was already feeling a bit dizzy. The two sat in the courtyard drinking until the moon rose above the willow tips. By then, Bai Xiaoyun was getting sleepy, so he tugged at his father’s sleeve to stop him from drinking, and Manager Bai finally called it a night.

Wei Hu and Song Ning saw the two off. Manager Bai was staggering as he walked. “Brother Wei Hu, come to my place for a drink some other day—someday.”

Bai Xiaoyun let out a little “Eh. What do you mean, ‘brother’? That’s a generation too far!”

“Brother Yun, take it easy. Why don’t we let Brother Wei Hu walk Mr. Bai home?”

Bai Xiaoyun waved his hand. “It’s fine. My dad can still walk on his own.”

After a round of drinks, Shopkeeper Bai and Wei Hu were on such friendly terms that they were calling each other “brother.” Upon learning that Wei Hu was a hunter, Shopkeeper Bai even told him about his own hunting trips in the mountains when he was young—though in his case, it had been when he’d just passed the Xiucai examination and accompanied the county magistrate on a hunting expedition. As he spoke, he grew increasingly sentimental, raising his cup more and more frequently.

Wei Hu, feeling a bit better, went into the courtyard to tidy up the table. Only after clearing away the bowls and chopsticks did he go inside to rest.

Song Ning brought him a bowl of honey water to help sober him up. “Brother Wei Hu, do you have a headache?”

“I’m fine. I didn’t expect Manager Bai to be such a heavy drinker.”

“Yun-ger said his dad can really hold his liquor. If Yun-ger hadn’t gotten sleepy, I think his dad could’ve kept drinking for a while longer.”

Song Ning brought Wei Hu his water and then went out. Lan Ge was going to sleep alone tonight—he wondered if he’d be scared, so he went to check on him in his room.

When he walked in, Lan’er was making his bed. Song Ning helped him tuck in the blankets. “Are you scared to sleep alone? If you are, you can go sleep in your aunt’s room.”

“I’m not scared.”

Song Ning watched as Lan-ger took off his clothes and crawled into bed. He didn’t leave either, but sat on the edge of the bed telling Lan-ger a story. Only when Lan-ger’s eyelids began to droop did he blow out the oil lamp and head out.

It was getting late. The moon was exceptionally bright tonight. These past few days had been particularly hectic—first finishing up the farm work, then packing up and moving—and Song Ning was feeling quite tired. He yawned, went to the kitchen to scoop some water, and washed up.

Chen Cuihua wasn’t asleep yet either. Peeking through the bamboo blind, she asked softly, “Is Lan’er asleep?”

“He’s asleep.”

“Then you and Huzi should get some sleep too. It’s getting late.”

“Okay, I know, Mom.”

Although it was still quite hot during the day, the nights had started to cool down. He needed to cover himself with a thin quilt to sleep, and the breeze carried a hint of chill. After washing his face, Song Ning hurried back to his room to sleep.

When he came in, Wei Hu was already lying down. Hearing the sound, he opened his eyes and patted the bed. “Come here.”

Song Ning crawled under the covers. The smell of alcohol on Wei Hu had faded considerably by now. Song Ning nuzzled against his chest. “Did you take a bath?”

“Mm, I didn’t want my Fulang to look down on me.”

Song Ning chuckled. “Who’s going to look down on you?”

Wei Hu patted Song Ning on the back. “It’s not as nice as where you used to live, but someday I’ll get you a big mansion.”

“Why change things? We’re living quite well now—our whole family’s together, and we’ve got plenty to eat and drink. We may not be rich and powerful, but at least we’re secure, aren’t we?”

Song Ning really liked his life now. He’d lived well when his father was alive, but having a stepmother meant he’d always had to put up with some unfair treatment. Although they weren’t as wealthy as they’d been with the Song family, he felt much more at ease now.

After a busy day of moving, Song Ning was feeling a bit sleepy. Now that the weather had turned cooler, he liked to snuggle up next to Wei Hu to sleep, so he yawned and drifted off.

The whole family had been in high spirits these past few days. They’d set the dates: Song Ning’s school would open first, followed by the family shop a couple of days later. Chen Cuihua, who’d had a rare chance to rest these days, was busy tailoring new clothes for the four of them.

Now that the weather had cooled off a bit, Chen Cuihua moved the square table to the shade of a tree in the courtyard. She spread a bedsheet over it before laying out the newly purchased fabric, afraid it might get dirty.

Song Ning and Lan-ger sat nearby to help. Although neither of them knew how to sew, they assisted by threading needles and holding the fabric. Chen Cuihua’s face was beaming with joy. “On the day the school opens, our whole family will be wearing new clothes.”

Wei Hu was busy harnessing the ox to the cart nearby. Looking up at the family’s joyful scene, he felt happy inside.

He led the ox out the door, planning to head to the countryside to haul back some firewood. They had quite a stockpile of it at home, and since it cost silver to buy in town, he figured it would save money to bring it from home instead.

Song Ning waved at Wei Hu. “Brother Wei Hu, come back early.”

Wei Hu replied, and Chen Cuihua added, “The gourds and pumpkins in our vegetable garden should be ready to eat by now. If we don’t eat them, they’ll just get old.”

“Sure.”

Lan-ger wrung his little hands and said, “Uncle Huzi, there are vegetables in my family’s garden, too.”

Wei Hu chuckled softly. “I know. I’ve already brought them all over.”

Ever since Lan-ger had gone to live with Song Ning, the courtyard had fallen into disrepair. It had originally been a dilapidated, abandoned courtyard in the village; Zhang Banxia had lived there with Lan-ger for a few years, but now that Zhang Banxia was gone, the place had fallen into disrepair once more.

But Lan’er still cared about the vegetables he’d planted; he couldn’t bear to let anyone pick them.

Life in town was nice, but everything cost wen—even firewood required them, not to mention vegetables. The baby greens he’d grown in his little vegetable patch were worth about ten wen.

Wei Hu was pulling his oxcart, getting ready to head back to the countryside. As he passed through the alley, Old Woman Wang called out, “Heading out to work, are you?”

Wei Hu gave a casual reply and drove off.

Old Woman Wang craned her neck to take a look. “That fellow looks like he’s got some strength. I bet he’s working as a porter in town.”

Song Ning was in the courtyard helping his mother sew a new outfit. Life in town was much livelier than in the countryside. In the morning, he wasn’t woken by the crowing of roosters, but by the sound of the water cart’s metal clanging at the gate. On ordinary days, there were plenty of street vendors strolling through the streets—selling sewing supplies, snacks, and fresh flowers—making it far more bustling than the countryside.

Lan’er’s little pouch was never short of wen. Song Ning put some wen in his pouch and told him that if he heard a peddler’s call and saw something he wanted to buy—whatever Lan’er liked—he should go ahead and buy it.

When Song Ning was a child, he also loved buying these little things. Whenever he heard vendors hawking candied hawthorn on a stick, taffy, or whistles, he’d go take a look. Kids always love to join in the fun—even if they didn’t buy anything, they’d still squeeze in to have a peek.

“Sugar candy for sale! Sugar candy.~”

The peddler’s call came from the doorway. As soon as Song Ning heard it, he snapped his head up. He used to buy swirled candy all the time when he was a kid—the vendor would swirl the sugar onto a stick with a bamboo skewer, and it cost two wen per piece.

“Lan-ger, want some swirled candy?”

Lan-ger was just about to shake his head when he saw the sparkle in Song Ning’s eyes—he looked like he really wanted some. Lan-ger nodded. “Sure.”

Song Ning smiled, revealing his two little fangs. “Come on, let’s go buy some.”

Song Ning hurried out the door with Lan-ger, afraid the candy vendor might have wandered off. “Hey, over here!”

The candy vendor was a young ger himself, carrying a basket over his shoulder. Hearing Song Ning call out to him, he hurried over. “How many do you want?”

“Three.”

The ger set down his basket, skillfully rolled one up, and handed it to Lan-ger.

The boy from Granny Wang’s house heard the commotion and ran out too. He peeked out and saw it was the candy seller, then pestered Granny Wang to buy some too. “Granny, I want some too!”

“Didn’t you just have some yesterday? You’re such a child—you have to have whatever everyone else wants!”

“Grandma, I want some too! That ger bought some! I want some too!”

Granny Wang was so pestered she couldn’t take it anymore. The candy ger could leave whenever he wanted, but now that he’d stopped, she’d have to buy some whether she wanted to or not. She got up irritably and walked over, saying, “Give my grandson one, too.”

Seeing another customer, the ger rolled up three pieces for Song Ning, and Grandma Wang hurried over to pick them up. As she watched him stir the candy, she said, “Stir it up a bit more—we’re regular customers here.”

The young ger wasn’t very old. Seeing that Granny Wang looked a bit fierce, he didn’t dare say anything, so he just stirred it two extra times.

Only then was Granny Wang’s grandson pleased; he held it up and began licking it. But then he saw that Lan-ger was holding two in his hand, and he grew unhappy again—how could a ger have one more than he did? “Grandma, I want two! Why does he get to buy two?”

Lan-ger, quick on his feet, immediately handed the candy in his hand to Song Ning. “Auntie Ning, here you go.”

Song Ning led Lan-ger into the courtyard. “Go give one to mother.”

Granny Wang didn’t want to spend two more wen on another serving either, so she tugged her grandson away. “All right, let’s go home. We’ve had more than enough to eat.”

Wang Damao wasn’t happy about it, but Old Lady Wang couldn’t bear to spend the wen, so she dragged him home.

Before long, Song Ning heard a child crying and demanding two. Chen Cuihua shook her head as she listened. “Lan-ger, don’t play with that boy. He looks like he’s been spoiled rotten.”

Lan-ger nodded. “I know. I won’t play with him.”

Chen Cuihua hadn’t been idle these past few days either; after working day and night, she’d finally finished cutting out the new clothes. The two gers—one big, one small—looked especially smart in them.

Chen Cuihua circled the two boys, adjusting their clothes. “Perfect—you’ll wear these to school tomorrow.”

Early the next morning, the family of four ate breakfast, changed into their new clothes, and headed to school—even Shopkeeper Bai and Bai Xiaoyun were dressed in bright, new outfits.

Bai Xiaoyun was particularly serious today; his round-collared long robe made him look especially sharp. With a stern expression and a serious demeanor, he cleared his throat and said, “Ning-ger, what do you think of me? Can I impress those gers?”

Song Ning couldn’t help but laugh at his remark. “You certainly can, Master Bai.”

Bai Xiaoyun had just managed to look serious, but when he was called “Master Bai,” he couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

The group sat waiting by the door. Before long, parents began arriving with their children. Song Ning’s school was run discreetly; once everyone had gathered, they bowed together before a portrait of Confucius.

Inside the room, the seven little ones sat properly on their stools, though they couldn’t help glancing over at their classmates from time to time.

Chen Cuihua greeted the adults outside and, once class began, helped see everyone off. After everyone had left, she quietly slipped into the backyard to take a look and saw her ger leading the group of little ones in their studies.

Chen Cuihua didn’t disturb them and went home with Wei Hu. On the way, she couldn’t help but say, “When you have children of your own in the future, they’ll learn to read and write under Ning-ger’s guidance. If they’re talented, they can pass the imperial exams; if not, they can still work as bookkeepers for others. Either way, it’ll be wonderful.”

Wei Hu couldn’t help but smile as he pictured the little ones studying with their little father. Once they learned to read and write, they’d be better off than their father, who was just a hunter.

It was Song Ning’s first time serving as a tutor. Although he was a bit nervous at first, he found it went quite well once he got into the swing of things. He taught reading and writing, while Bai Xiaoyun taught abacus calculations; the two of them had no trouble handling the seven little ones.

Shopkeeper Bai watched his ger teach the children with such earnestness and felt deeply gratified. At last, his ger was on the right track. If Bai Xiaoyun were to find out what his father was thinking, he’d surely come over to argue—after all, why wasn’t writing storybooks considered a proper occupation?

At noon, after seeing the little ones off, Song Ning took Lan-ger home for lunch.

On the way home, Lan-ger insisted on carrying his little satchel, which held a copy of the *Thousand Character Classic*. Song Ning told him to just leave it at the school—no one would steal it—but Lan-ger shook his little head. “I want to carry it,” he said.

Lan-ger was overjoyed right now. He knew that in the village, only the village chief’s son and the carpenter’s son went to school in town; gers and girls certainly weren’t sent there to learn to read and write. Lan-ger never imagined that one day he, too, would be able to go to school like those boys, so he was so happy he insisted on carrying his little satchel, afraid his book might disappear.

Song Ning chuckled softly and took him by the hand to head home. “Come on, let’s see what delicious treats your aunt has made today.”

“Mm-hmm!”

It was dinnertime, and people were out in front of every house. As Song Ning led Lan-ger down the alley, several children were playing at the entrance. Madame Zhou, the cold jelly vendor, was returning with her shoulder pole. Spotting Song Ning leading Lan-ger, she called out, “Taking the kid home for dinner, are you?”

“Madame Zhou, you’re back. Could you prepare a large portion of cold jelly for me? I’ll take it home to serve as a side dish.”

“Sure, no problem.”

Madame Zhou set down her carrying pole. Song Ning asked Lan-ger to run home and fetch a large bowl. Although it wasn’t quite as hot anymore, the midday sun was still scorching, and a serving of tangy, spicy cold jelly would be just the thing to beat the heat.

Lan-ger scampered home to fetch the bowl. A ger from Madame Zhou’s family poked his head through the door crack. “Mom, you’re back. Lunch is ready.”

“Oh, I’m heading back right now.”

“Madame Zhou, how old is your ger? He looks about the same age as my Lan’er.”

“He’s seven.”

“That’s the same age as my Lan-ger. Let him come over to my place to play sometime—my Lan-ger doesn’t have anyone to play with.”

Madame Zhou smiled. “As long as he doesn’t find it a bother, that’s fine. My little ger is timid; he usually stays at home with his older brother.”

Before long, Lan’er came over holding a large bowl. Madame Zhou scooped out a bowlful—enough for two servings—and Song Ning took a wen from his pouch to pay her.

“Xiao Ning, your Lan-ger goes to school—which one does he attend?”

“We run a small private school ourselves, right at the Nanshan Study Hall. Since we have a young child at home, we just brought him along.”

Madame Zhou immediately felt a sense of respect. “Xiao Ning, you can actually read and write.”

“I went to school for a few years.”

Madame Zhou’s young ger called out to his mother to come eat, and the two finally went their separate ways. Madame Zhou pushed open the gate to her courtyard. Although her family lived in town, they were not well-off. As a widow raising two young children, she barely scraped by selling cold bean jelly—she certainly had no spare money to send her children to school to learn to read and write.