Zhao Qingshu took the wen and went outside to buy a string of meat; he then secretly tucked the remaining wen into his own bosom.

When he returned, Song Baozhu was already waiting for him, leaning against the doorframe and adjusting the silk flower at her temple. Zhao Qingshu walked over carrying the meat. “Baozhu, let’s go.”

Song Baozhu held out her hand toward him. The smile on Zhao Qingshu’s face froze for a moment as he fished the wen out of his bosom; only then was Song Baozhu satisfied—after all, her money didn’t just blow in on the wind.

Zhao Qingshu still had some left in his coat—after all, he was a grown man; he couldn’t very well go around without a single coin on him.

He’d been nudging Song Baozhu—both openly and subtly—several times over the past few days, but she’d been putting up a front and refusing to go. It wasn’t until both he and his mother had been groveling for days that she finally, at her own leisurely pace, relented.

The Song Baozhu couple headed home. As soon as they stepped through the door, Song Youcheng bumped into them so hard they nearly fell flat on their faces. “Ouch! What are you doing?”

Behind him, Wu Cai’e was chasing him with a feather duster, while Song Youcheng circled around Song Baozhu and her husband. “You can’t hit me! You can’t hit me!”

Song Baozhu was knocked hard enough to feel a sharp pain; her younger brother was so burly that the flesh on his face was squished together.

“All right, all right, Mom, what’s all this commotion about?”

Wu Cai’e leaned against a pillar, panting heavily. “That little rascal actually went gambling! If I hadn’t found him at the gambling den, I wouldn’t even have known!”

“I just went to try my luck a couple of times out of curiosity,” Song Youcheng retorted.

Enraged, Wu Cai’e brandished her feather duster, ready to hit him again. “Just a couple of hands? That cost nearly ten liang of silver!”

“All right, Mother, I’m here to talk to you about something important.” Song Baozhu had come over today to borrow some silver; she was still hoping that Zhao Qingshu would pass the provincial examination this year.

“What’s the matter?”

Zhao Qingshu smiled ingratiatingly. “Mother, I’ve cut some meat for you.”

Wu Cai’e rolled her eyes in disdain. She knew full well that her son-in-law’s family was poor; she’d only married her daughter off to him because of his status as a Xiucai—hoping that if he ever became an official, he could provide some support for her family.

But she didn’t want Zhao Qingshu to think he was a cut above her family, so she treated him with alternating warmth and coldness, constantly reminding him that it was the Song family who had supported him all along.

“Qingshu, you’re here. It’s been a while since you last stopped by.”

“Oh, Mother, I’ve been studying at home.”

The group sat down in the front hall. Wu Cai’e had been chasing Song Youcheng around until she was parched; she picked up her teacup and drained it. “I heard the young master from the Lu family in town left for the prefectural seat a few days ago. Qing Shu, when are you planning to go?”

“Oh, Mother, don’t even bring it up. That’s exactly why we’re here. The fall examinations are coming up, and I don’t even have the travel expenses—how am I supposed to take the exams?”

As soon as Wu Cai’e heard this, she knew exactly why the two had come. “What about your twenty taels of dowry?”

“It’s all gone. The whole family has been relying on those twenty taels for everything—food, drink, and daily necessities. I don’t have much left now.”

Wu Cai’e’s expression darkened. Twenty taels of silver—spent down to the last coin before the wedding hadn’t even been a year ago? The Zhao family hadn’t contributed a single coin!

Wu Cai’e set down the teacup she was holding, and it clinked against the table. “Don’t you know what our family’s situation is like now? Ever since your father passed away, I, a woman, have been running the Song household inside and out all by myself. Our lives are even harder than they were before. Your younger brother needs to go to school—where would we find any extra silver?”

Song Baozhu hadn’t expected her mother to refuse. “Mother, Zhao Qingshu is the only scholar in our family now. He’s passed the Juren examination—doesn’t that bring honor to our family too?”

Wu Cai’e wasn’t stupid; she could clearly tell which son—her son-in-law’s or her own—was closer to her. The twenty taels of silver she’d brought as her dowry had been intended for Zhao Qingshu’s use during the fall examinations, yet she’d already spent every last bit of it before the exams had even begun.

Zhao Qingshu also bowed his head humbly and said, “Mother, please consider this silver a loan between the two of us. Once I pass the imperial examinations in the future, I will definitely repay you double.”

Wu Cai’e hesitated inwardly; this would inevitably cost her ten or so taels of silver. Business at her family’s rice shop was slow these days, and they only made a little over twenty taels a month.

Song Baozhu tugged at her mother’s sleeve. “Oh, Mother!”

“How much? How much?”

“Twenty taels, then.”

“Twenty taels! That’s a fortune in the prefectural capital!”

“Then fifteen taels. I’ll tell Zhao Qingshu to be frugal.”

Wu Cai’e sent the young maid to open the chest and fetch the silver, but not before taking a dig at Zhao Qingshu: “Qingshu, times are tough for our family right now. Just do your best on the exam—I’m not asking for anything else. Just remember how you made it this far when the time comes.”

These words stung Zhao Qingshu deeply—she was essentially calling him a freeloader—but he had no choice but to put on a smile. “I know, Mother.”

Wu Cai’e handed Zhao Qingshu the wrapped silver, secretly hoping he would pass the imperial exams this year—that would bring her prestige as well.

Seeing her mother hand over the silver, Song Baozhu finally brightened up. “Mother, you won’t believe it—I ran into Song Ning the other day. Turns out his family has opened a shop right here in town.”

Zhao Qingshu hadn’t known about this; he’d only seen Song Ning in the study earlier that day and hadn’t realized that Ning-ger had returned to town.

“Where did they open it?” Zhao Qingshu asked eagerly.

Song Baozhu shot him a glare. “Zhao Qingshu, you aren’t still thinking about that little slut Song Ning, are you?”

“No, no, I just—I just…”

Zhao Qingshu couldn’t quite put it into words and began to stammer and hem and haw.

Wu Cai’e, on the other hand, hadn’t expected Song Ning to return to town. “His family must be quite well-connected—that poor hunter actually managed to open a shop in town.”

“He’s dressed so nicely now—he doesn’t look like he’s ever suffered a bit. We should’ve married him off to that consumptive back then!”

“It’s just a shop—and it’s probably rented, anyway.”

Wu Cai’e refused to believe that Song Ning’s life could be any better than hers. She simply couldn’t stand him; sending that little brat away had made her feel so much better, but now, to her dismay, the little pest had come back to annoy her.

Song Ning was busy these days, too. The few kids in his study didn’t require much of his attention—they were all well-behaved and sensible. His mother’s shop, on the other hand, was quite hectic. He’d go over in the morning to help out for half a shichen, and business was booming.

While Song Ning’s study at least offered some downtime, his mother’s little shop never had a moment’s rest. Although it was only open in the mornings, his mother was up and busy from the crack of dawn.

When Song Ning has free time, he goes to his mother’s shop to help out. Now that he has some free time this afternoon, he’s in the courtyard helping his mother pick vegetables, with Lan-ger pitching in alongside him.

Chen Cuihua had been planning to find an assistant but hadn’t found the right person yet. She didn’t want to bring anyone from the village to avoid the trouble of people gossiping later.

“Aunt Chen, I’m here to bring some hay for the cows.”

“Oh, just put it in the cow shed.”

Zhou Xiaoshu came by twice a day to deliver hay. He’d already prepared and brought the afternoon’s supply, with Yan-ger following close behind.

“Yan-ger is here too. Lan-ger, go inside and get some snacks. You and Yan-ger go out and play—Auntie and I will handle washing these vegetables.”

Chen Cuihua also told Lan-ger to go out and play; he wasn’t very outgoing, so he usually played with the other kids in the alley.

Only then did Lan-ger go off to play with Yan-ger and the others.

Sitting in the courtyard, Song Ning could hear the children making a racket outside. Kids aren’t meant to be stuck at home working every day. Song Ning remembered that when he was little, he also loved going out to play—though when he went with his father to the rice shop, he’d help measure out the rice for customers!

Song Ning was starting to miss Wei Hu. He figured Wei Hu should be back by now. Today was his day off—Wei Hu always came back whenever he had a day off. If he didn’t return this afternoon, he’d definitely be back tomorrow. Just thinking about Wei Hu’s return made Song Ning’s lips curl into a smile.

That evening, Chen Cuihua steamed a fish and simmered a pot of pumpkin and meatball stew. Song Ning went out to call Lan-ger home for dinner, but the little guy wasn’t back yet. Song Ning peeked over and saw a few young boys and girls huddled in the corner of the wall, busy with who knows what.

Song Ning called out, “Lan-ger, come home for dinner.”

Lan-ger dropped the little stick he was holding and ran over. Seeing him covered in sweat, Song Ning asked, “What are you guys playing?”

“Digging in an anthill.”

“Wash your hands and come eat. Your aunt steamed a perch today.”

Lan-ger ran off to wash his hands, and Song Ning went into the kitchen to fetch the food. As soon as Lan-ger came out, he heard a dog barking at the gate—it sounded just like his own Hei Dou. Lan-ger poked his little head out to look, and sure enough, his dogs Hei Dou and Hua Dou had returned. Lan-ger broke into a wide grin. “Auntie Ning, Uncle Huzi is back!”

By then, Hei Dou had already run into the courtyard. Seeing Hei Dou return, Song Ning’s heart leapt with joy—that meant Wei Hu would be back soon too. Hei Dou and Hua Dou were quick to recognize their way home.

“Mom, Wei Hu’s back!”

“Yeah, I heard you, I heard you.”

Chen Cuihua smiled. With her two gers—one big, one small—calling out like that, how could she not hear them?

Song Ning went to wait for Wei Hu at the doorway. When she spotted a figure at the end of the alley, she hurried over and saw Wei Hu carrying a deer on his shoulder. “Brother Wei Hu, you’re back!”

Song Ning hurried to help Wei Hu take the backpack off his back; carrying it on his back and shoulders all that way must have been so heavy.

Chen Cuihua also came out to greet them. “That’s quite a big deer.”

“They’re putting on their autumn fat—the deer have all gotten quite plump.”

Wei Hu loved hunting in the fall the most—the weather was neither too cold nor too hot, and the game was plump and robust from feeding well. This was the best time of year for hunting.

The backpack behind him was filled with small game like wild chickens and rabbits, as well as pumpkins and winter melons picked from home—enough to fill the entire backpack.

Song Ning bustled around Wei Hu, pouring him tea, fetching water, and handing him a towel to wipe his sweat.

“As it happens, my mother steamed a perch today.”

Seeing the smile on Song Ning’s face, Wei Hu couldn’t help but laugh along.

He’d been out in the mountains for several days and was filthy. “All right, I’m dirty—I don’t want to get your clothes dirty.”

“Brother Wei Hu, what are you talking about?”

Song Ning brought over a basin of water for him to wash his face. “Wash your hands first so we can eat. I’ll heat up some water for you to bathe in a little while.”

Everyone was happy to have Wei Hu back home. Chen Cuihua, worried that the stir-fried dishes wouldn’t be enough, had also prepared some chives stir-fried with eggs. Song Ning sat next to Wei Hu and told him about what was happening in town. With Wei Hu away, not much had happened in town. “It’s just that our mom’s shop is so busy right now—she wants to hire someone, but she can’t seem to find the right person.”

“Then I’ll go over to help out for the next few days. We can take our time finding someone. We don’t know many people in town, so we’ll ask a trusted contact when the time comes.”

Song Ning nodded. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. It’s too much work for our mother to handle all by herself.”

Song Ning’s eyes lit up as an idea struck him. “Maybe we should ask Zhang Sanniang. She does laundry for people every winter—why not ask her to come help out at the shop?”

“Mother, she’s the daughter-in-law of Granny Zhang’s family. Brother Wei Hu has met her before.”

The two families had always stayed in touch. Back when they lived in the countryside, Song Ning would ask Wei Hu to bring some vegetables from their garden to town whenever he went there—though Granny Zhang’s house was a bit farther away.

Wei Hu nodded as well. “Zhang Sanniang is quite efficient at her work.”

“All right, then. Have her come by in the next couple of days so I can take a look. An extra pair of hands here will really help keep things running smoothly.”

Chen Cuihua now sold a wide variety of items at her breakfast shop. Just making the buns by herself took quite a bit of time, not to mention all the other chores like washing dishes.

Wei Hu seemed to think of something; he reached into the pouch at his waist, pulled out two eggs, and placed them in Song Ning’s hands. They were two bright red eggs. Song Ning held them, looking at them with curiosity. “Brother Wei Hu, where did you get these red eggs? They’re quite a rarity.”

Chen Cuihua laughed. “Oh, these are just the red eggs people give as gifts when someone has a baby.”

Only then did Song Ning realize, “Oh! Could it be that Qiu-ger has had a baby?”

“Mm-hmm. It was quite a coincidence that I came back today. I ran into Granny Sun while passing through the village, so I stopped by her place and picked up two red eggs. I kept one wild chicken for myself.”

Song Ning was overjoyed to hear that Qiu-ger had given birth. “Then the day after tomorrow, let’s head back to the countryside to see Qiu-ger—is it a baby girl or a ger?”

“It’s a ger.”

“A ger is great—gers are so well-behaved.” Song Ning was quite fond of gers; back when Qiu-ger was born, he’d also hoped for a ger. “When he grows up, he can come study at our village school.”

Song Ning handed both red eggs to Lan-ger. “Here, take these.”

After eating, Wei Hu went to pack up the game first. The deer was a bit too conspicuous, so he took advantage of the fact that the alley was nearly empty to deliver it to the restaurant—deer meat is especially nourishing in the fall.

Song Ning tagged along, “Brother Wei Hu, I’ll carry the lantern for you.”

The two of them set out together, carrying the game on their backs. Song Ning walked alongside, holding a small round lantern. It was now pitch dark, and the children who had been playing in the alley had all disappeared.

When they reached the entrance of the alley, Old Lady Wang heard the commotion and stepped outside to take a look. Wei Hu had bagged another big game—just think how much silver that would bring in! Tsk. All three members of his family earned a living: they ran a shop and a school, not to mention Wei Hu himself, who was a hunter.

Mrs. Wang took a quick look and went back inside. “That Wei Hu has bagged another fine catch this time.”

Granny Wang’s son worked as a servant for a wealthy family, while his wife stayed home doing needlework for others. Hearing his mother say this, he replied, “Mom, our Damao isn’t a little boy anymore. It’s about time we sent him to school for a couple of years. Even Lan-ger  is still in school.”

“Study, study, study. He’ll go as soon as spring comes next year. Once Damao learns to read and write, it’ll be easier for him to find a wife, won’t it?” Granny Wang doted on her eldest grandson; two years of schooling would certainly do him good.

“I heard that Lan-ger called Wei Hu ‘Uncle.’ I was wondering how that young couple could have such a big child—turns out he’s not their biological son.”

Zhou Damao overheard this and blurted out, “Then he must have been found and taken in!”

His own mother often threatened to throw him out if he didn’t listen—Lan-ger must have been abandoned by someone and picked up off the street!

Zhou Damao’s mother gave him a light kick. “Don’t talk nonsense in front of them. He’s calling him ‘Uncle’—he might be a child left behind by an uncle or aunt.”

Song Ning and his companion went to the back door of the restaurant, where they knew their way around, and sold the deer, along with all the wild chickens and rabbits, for eighteen taels of silver.

“Shopkeeper, are you planning to butcher this deer tomorrow?”

“Of course. This deer doesn’t look too lively. Once I put it out tomorrow, there’ll be plenty of gentlemen and young masters lining up—I won’t have any trouble selling it.”

“Set aside two jin of venison for me.”

“Sure thing. We’re old friends here—I’ll sell it to you at cost.”

“I’ll come by tomorrow to pick it up.”

After Wei Hu made the arrangement with the shopkeeper, the two of them set off carrying their lanterns. “We’ll have grilled venison tomorrow night.”

Hearing Wei Hu say that, Song Ning started to get a craving. He’d eaten venison before during the winter, and it tasted especially fresh when grilled. “Brother Wei Hu, I’m already starting to crave some.”

Wei Hu chuckled. “We’ll be eating it tomorrow.”

When Wei Hu returned, he headed straight to the shop early in the morning to help Chen Cuihua with the work. Song Ning had been resting these past two days and didn’t have much to do, so after getting up, he took Lan-ger along to lend a hand.

With three extra hands in the shop, they were finally able to get things moving smoothly.

Chen Cuihua’s shop was fairly well-known in the neighborhood. Her butter pastries were a favorite among both the young and old, and her meatball soup—sold for eight wen a bowl—was particularly outstanding. Chen Cuihua added ingredients like pork blood and pork liver to it, making it a meat-based dish that was both affordable and flavorful.

Right now, the meatball soup was the shop’s best-selling item. After the morning market, they’d still be busy until noon, and Chen Cuihua was really struggling to keep up on her own.

Wei Hu was in the back helping to wrap dumplings and cook the meatball soup, while Song Ning served customers up front. Lan-ger stood on a stool behind the counter, helping to count the wens. The little guy was quite smart these days, with a great memory—whenever someone ordered something, he could quote the price right away.

It wasn’t until the rush had died down a bit that the group finally ladled out some soup and sat down to eat in the front. Wei Hu hadn’t been back to town for a few days and hadn’t expected his mother’s business to be doing so well.

With things this busy, they’d need to find someone to help out.

Taking advantage of this lull, Wei Hu went to the inn to pick up some venison, and Song Ning, carrying a basket, tagged along—she was planning to return to the countryside tomorrow to visit Qiu-ger.

“Mom, what should we buy when we go see Qiu-ger?”

“Buy a basket of eggs and wrap up two packets of brown sugar. Since you get along so well with Qiu-ger, it wouldn’t hurt to pick out a nice piece of fabric for the little guy, either.”

Song Ning nodded. “Got it, Mom.”

He waved at Lan-ger. “Lan-ger, want to come along? Let’s go stroll around town together.”

“Little Ning, I won’t be going. I’ll stay here with Auntie to look after the guests.”

Chen Cuihua beamed with delight, “What a good ger—so thoughtful.”

Song Ning and Wei Hu headed out. Together, they went to the restaurant to pick up the two jin of venison first, then bought some gifts for Qiu-ger. Wei Hu’s hands were full of bags.

Song Ning went to the fabric shop and bought a piece of fine red cotton cloth—something festive for the ger to wear. Song Ning thought the fabric was lovely; the ger would surely look adorable in it.

Song Ning then remembered that she still hadn’t shown any signs of pregnancy yet. She furrowed her brow—could it be that she just couldn’t conceive?

After they finished shopping, the two headed home. Spotting a clinic up ahead, Song Ning kept glancing up at it. Even after they’d walked past it, she tugged at Wei Hu’s sleeve. “Brother Wei Hu, let’s stop by the clinic.”

When Wei Hu heard Song Ning wanted to go to the clinic, he assumed he wasn’t feeling well and hurriedly asked, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?”

“Nothing’s wrong—I just… I just want to check it out.” Song Ning blushed slightly; he couldn’t very well say he suspected there might be something wrong with either of them.

Wei Hu listened to Song Ning again. Seeing that she wanted to go to the clinic, he followed her without a word. An elderly doctor was on duty. Song Ning sat down on a stool, her face flushed. “I’d like to get checked out… just to be sure…”

The old doctor knew exactly what was going on. His hand was already on Song Ning’s wrist to take his pulse. The young couple didn’t look sick at all when they walked in, and since they’d come together, what else could it be?

The old doctor stroked his beard as he took her pulse. “You’re perfectly fine. Nothing’s wrong.”

“Then why… why haven’t I gotten pregnant after all this time?”

“Have your husband come in for a checkup.”

Song Ning gave her seat to Wei Hu. If she was fine, then Brother Wei Hu certainly was too—he was full of energy at night and didn’t look like he had any problems at all.

In the end, the two of them sheepishly left the clinic, having spent twenty wen on the consultation fee. When the old doctor told them not to worry so much, Song Ning blushed so fiercely her face seemed ready to bleed, and Wei Hu, standing beside her, cleared his throat lightly. “Let’s go back to the shop.”

The group bustled about for a while at noon, then closed the shop in the late afternoon. That afternoon, Wei Hu drove the oxcart over to the Zhang family’s house. As soon as Zhang Sanniang heard she was to come work at the shop, she was more than happy to agree, promising to arrive first thing the next morning.

Granny Zhang also scolded Song Ning for coming to town without letting her know; if she’d known while the shop was open, she could have gone over to celebrate.

At the time, Song Ning simply didn’t want to trouble Granny Zhang by having her send him gifts. Her family was living on a tight budget—they had two young children at home. Brother Zhang was out doing odd jobs for others, and Zhang Sanniang stayed home to starch and wash clothes. Song Ning certainly wouldn’t accept anything from her; he just planned to let her know once everything had settled down.

When Wei Hu returned, he brought some red dates with him—Granny Zhang had insisted on giving them to him—and said he’d come by the shop tomorrow to see Song Ning.

That evening, the four of them gathered around a stone slab to grill venison. They brushed the slab with a layer of rapeseed oil and sliced the venison thinly. Chen Cuihua also baked some small, thin flatbreads; wrapped around vegetables and venison, they tasted exceptionally fresh.

It was Lan-ger’s first time eating venison, and he ate until his little face was all puffed out. “Auntie Ning, this meat is delicious!”

“Eat up—you’ll grow taller, Lan-ger.”