As the sun was about to set, Lin Yu got ready to go to the kitchen to cook. Although he had married Wei Qingshan, he still felt a little awkward calling him by his name. He hesitated, twisting his clothes for a moment before calling out, “Qingshan, what do you want to eat tonight?”

“Anything is fine.”

“How about scallion pancakes?”

“Sure.”

After receiving Wei Qingshan’s affirmative response, Lin Yu went to the kitchen, and Wei Qingshan followed him to help. He really liked it when his little husband called his name. Every time he did, it felt as though something soft had bumped into his heart. Unfortunately, his husband was a man of few words. If only he could talk a little more.
Lin Yu was a good cook. The scallion pancakes sizzled in the pan, turning golden on both sides. He was now willing to use oil, as Wei Qingshan had said that he needed to be well-fed to have the energy to work. Lin Yu wanted to take good care of Wei Qingshan, so he made sure the food was satisfying.

Wei Qingshan sat by the stove, helping to tend the fire. He was tall and broad-shouldered, and sitting in front of the stove was a bit cramped for him, with nowhere to put his legs. Just watching him made Lin Yu feel uncomfortable.

While stoking the fire, Wei Qingshan spoke to Lin Yu, “If we need anything for the house in the future, just let me know.”

“Mm.”

“In the future, I’ll be hunting on the mountain. You take care of yourself at home.”

“Mm.”

No matter what Wei Qingshan said, Lin Yu obediently nodded. Wei Qingshan actually wished his little husband would talk to him more.

“I’ll turn over the plot of land in the yard in the next few days. From now on, you can plant whatever you like.”

Lin Yu looked up when he heard this. “Really?”

“Of course. It’s our land. You can plant anything you want. I used to go hunting a lot, and the vegetables would be left uncared for. Do you want to plant something? I’ll go buy some seeds in a couple of days.”

“I want to plant pumpkins, winter melons, and radishes.” These could be stored through the winter when there were fewer vegetables to eat.

“How about cucumbers too? They’re good for a refreshing salad in summer.”

“Mmhm!”

Wei Qingshan enjoyed talking to his little husband, though he wished his husband would talk more. His husband was so quiet, shy, like a little snail who would retreat into its shell the moment it was touched.

The aroma from the pan wafted through the air, and Wei Qingshan could see the golden pancakes just by lifting his eyes. They were garnished with green scallions and looked far more appetizing than the ones they could buy for three wen each.

Lin Yu carefully handed over the first hot pancake. “Do you want to eat?”

Wei Qingshan immediately grabbed it, rolling the large scallion pancake into a wrap. He took a big bite, and the crispy outer layer crumbled off. It was delicious! Far better than the dry pancakes he used to eat!

Lin Yu made pancakes, warmed up some meat dishes, and prepared a cold wild vegetable salad for dinner. He didn’t cook porridge tonight because their only big iron pot would be too slow, and it would be dark before it was ready.

Next door, Qian Laotai stretched her head out to see what Wei Qingshan’s family was eating today. It smelled so good! She couldn’t help but feel that ever since Wei Qingshan married his new husband, the house always smelled of meat.

The two of them moved the dinner table to the yard, eating with the setting sun. Wei Qingshan wrapped the large pieces of meat in the scallion pancakes, and whenever he felt a bit full, he would take a bite of the refreshing, tangy wild vegetables.

He ate three pancakes by himself, and Lin Yu ate one and a half.

At night, Wei Qingshan took out the small wooden box hidden in the cupboard. He poured everything out onto the table with a clatter. Lin Yu was momentarily stunned by the clinking sound of the copper coins.

Wei Qingshan called to the dazed Lin Yu, “From now on, it will just be the two of us living here. After the wedding feast, all the money we have left is on the table. It’s all yours to keep. If we need anything, you can buy it. We’ll see how much we have left.”

On the table were two small silver taels, and the rest were copper coins. Lin Yu had never seen silver before and carefully touched one of the small taels. It was cold to the touch.

Wei Qingshan smiled. His little husband looked so cute at that moment.

Wei Qingshan decided to let him enjoy it. “You count them.”

“I… I…”

“Come on, you can count them.”

Lin Yu carefully counted the coins one by one, his lips curving up and his eyes sparkling. He seemed to really enjoy counting the coins. “There are three hundred and eighty wen left.”

“Mm, keep this money for household expenses.”

Lin Yu quickly shook his head. “It’s… It’s too much.”

Wei Qingshan’s face became serious. “This is our money. It’s now in your hands. We will live off of it. You need to manage our lives well. After saving for two years, maybe we can build a small house with blue tiles.”

“A blue-tiled house…” Lin Yu thought about what the blue-tiled house looked like in his mind. He had never lived in one, and there were only a few families in Dali Village who could afford such a house.

“Then I’ll hide the silver and use it for building the house.”

Wei Qingshan gave a soft “Mm” in reply, and Lin Yu, like a little mouse hiding food, carefully hid the two silver taels in the cupboard, then pressed them down with clothes. The copper coins were placed in a small cloth bag for everyday household expenses.

“I’ll put the copper coins here. If you need them, just take them.”

Wei Qingshan nodded. “Mm, got it.”

After washing up, the two of them lay in bed. Lin Yu was still a bit confused by the silver and how Wei Qingshan had entrusted him with it.

That night, Wei Qingshan added an extra layer of spring quilt to their bed. Lin Yu felt warm and comfortable, while Wei Qingshan, lying on the outside, had a strong presence. Lin Yu felt a deep sense of gratitude toward him. They had only been married for two days, and yet he had entrusted everything, including the silver, to Lin Yu.

Lin Yu also recalled what hadn’t been finished yesterday, and he felt it was all his fault for losing Wei Qingshan’s mood. Would he be upset with him?

Just as Wei Qingshan was about to fall asleep, Lin Yu softly called out, “Qingshan, are you asleep?”

“Mm.”

Wei Qingshan answered, and then Lin Yu slowly moved closer, gently tugging at his inner robe’s ties, and slightly turned to rest his head on his chest. His shy and eager gesture made Wei Qingshan instantly respond.

Considering Lin Yu’s injuries weren’t fully healed yet, Wei Qingshan lightly patted his back. “We’ll talk about this when you’re fully healed.”

Lin Yu, summoning all his courage, quickly shrank back, feeling his face turning red. Luckily, with the lights off, Wei Qingshan couldn’t see his flushed cheeks.

Lin Yu lay under the blanket and quickly fell asleep. After walking such a long distance on the mountain road today, he was tired. However, Wei Qingshan, who was next to him, couldn’t sleep. The heat from the two quilts made it even warmer, and he had to stick his hand outside the blanket to cool down.

Throughout the night, Lin Yu didn’t roll into his arms again, and Wei Qingshan felt the emptiness in his arms.

Seeing that Lin Yu was fast asleep, Wei Qingshan moved closer, pressing himself against his little husband. The warmth between them only made things hotter, and he regretted adding the extra quilt. Otherwise, Lin Yu might have rolled into his arms again.

Lin Yu woke up early, the moment the sky brightened. He felt a bit hot and, when he opened his eyes, realized he had half his face resting on Wei Qingshan’s arm. His eyes widened in shock, but he dared not wake Wei Qingshan. Feeling like a thief, he quietly got out of bed.

Lin Yu’s face was still flushed as he got up, boiled some hot water to wash his face, cooked some rice porridge, steamed the leftover scallion pancakes from yesterday, and boiled two eggs.

When he was at the Zhao family’s house, they only had two meals a day, and breakfast was skipped. But now, he realized Wei Qingshan had three meals a day. Lin Yu made up his mind to take good care of him and wouldn’t skip breakfast just to save food.

Wei Qingshan had woken up early too, feeling hot under the two quilts. He was hugging Lin Yu, and just when Lin Yu was still waking up, he saw his little husband sneak around, making him smile. After watching him for a while, he finally got up.

After breakfast, Wei Qingshan went out to work in the yard, digging up the land, while Lin Yu sat outside, cutting new clothes. He Dongdong also came over to help, feeling the new fabric, and said, “Yu-ger, which one will you wear when you return to your parents’ house? I think this lot of ‘lotus red’ looks the best, and the fabric is the finest.”

Lin Yu had originally planned to use a blue-colored fabric, but after much persuasion from He Dongdong, he finally chose the “lotus red” fabric for his spring clothes.

Meanwhile, Wei Qingshan was in the yard, turning the land over, thinking that he would buy some seeds once his husband returned to his parents’ house.

With He Dongdong’s help, Lin Yu’s new spring clothes were quickly finished, and the other fabric was used to make a short brown coat for Wei Qingshan.

On the day of Lin Yu’s return to his parents’ house, they woke up early. Lin Yu wasn’t feeling very excited about going back; he didn’t really want to, but he still wanted to see his sister, Yueniang, since she had cried so much on his wedding day.

Wei Qingshan carried meat and a bundle of fruits as gifts. He wasn’t carrying too much, but not too little either.

He was wearing the short brown coat that Lin Yu made for him, and his little husband was dressed in his new, slightly pink clothes, which made his face look even better.

As they walked toward the village entrance, they met some familiar people and greeted them. Many praised their new clothes.

“He even brought meat! Qingshan really values this visit.”

“Indeed, just look at the fabric of his new husband’s clothes. The fabric alone must have cost quite a bit.”

“They said there was no bridal dowry, but the new clothes are just as good.”

Qian Laotai also chimed in, “I saw so much fabric being cut yesterday. I thought they might send some over to the bride’s family when they returned.”

“What are you thinking? It’s not even a proper bride’s family. They’ve brought meat; that’s plenty. Besides, when your Qian Gui’er went back to his wife’s family a few years ago, they only brought a bag of sweet potatoes.”

Qian Laotai was embarrassed and could only retort, “Mind your own business.” Then she walked away.

An aunt, glancing at Qian Laotai, said, “What’s with her? Why is she always gossiping about others lately? Did Qingshan offend her?”

“Isn’t it because she wanted to marry her silly nephew to Qingshan, but Qingshan didn’t agree?”

“Qian Laotai is too petty, still holding a grudge.”

“Of course, her family is so close to Wei Qingshan’s, and seeing them do well makes her uncomfortable.”