Wei Qingshan followed the broker around the county looking at courtyards. This time, since they had come to settle down rather than just handle business, he planned to buy a house directly so the family could live here long term. When Tuan-ger grew older, it would also be convenient for him to study—there surely would be academies in the county that accepted young gers and girls.

Wei Qingshan looked at several courtyards with the broker. He wanted to find one in a good location, preferably with an empty shop space nearby that he could open later, but not too far away—otherwise, running back and forth would be troublesome.

Empty courtyards were easy enough to find, but ones not too far from the main street were much rarer.

He spent the whole morning searching with the broker. The courtyards farther from the bustling marketplace were cheaper—a two-entry courtyard cost only about three hundred taels—but the ones closer in were more expensive. By noon, Wei Qingshan had his eye on a particular two-entry courtyard.

It wasn’t far from the main street, convenient for doing business later. Though a bit old and somewhat run-down, it was spacious and well-located. Once the tiles were replaced and it was cleaned up, it would be quite decent. The price, however, was five hundred taels—more than half of their savings.

Wei Qingshan thought it was a good find, so he brought Lin Yu in the afternoon to take a look. Lin Yu also found it satisfactory—aside from being expensive, there wasn’t really anything to criticize. He had thought the silver they brought would be enough to last them a few years, but this one courtyard alone cost them so much.

With the inn stay and meals, they had already spent about one tael in a single day. Lin Yu thought the county was indeed prosperous and lively, but silver here felt almost worthless—everything was expensive.

After Lin Yu nodded his agreement, Wei Qingshan and the broker met with the house owner to finalize the contract. Meanwhile, Lin Yu waited in the courtyard with Tuan, Zhao Yueniang, and the others.

Standing in the yard, Zhao Yueniang asked in surprise, “Brother, we’re not renting this courtyard—we’re buying it?”

“Yes. From now on, our family will live in the county seat.”

Shi Xiaoliu cheered and jumped up happily. “Great! We’ll get to live in the county from now on!”

Shi Xiaoliu ran around the courtyard to take a look. This was a two-entry courtyard. The row of rooms in front was probably for servants to live in, while the back courtyard had one main room and two east and west side rooms. There were also rows of wing rooms on both the east and west sides. The courtyard itself was quite large, though since no one had taken care of it, weeds had already grown. Behind the residence, there was even a separate backyard specifically for raising livestock—it was very convenient.

Shi Xiaoliu ran about until he had seen enough, then ran over and said, “Lin Ama, I’ll start tidying up first, so that Tuan-ger can sleep comfortably later.”

“Alright.”

Shi Xiaoliu found a broken broom from somewhere and started sweeping inside the house. Zhao Yueniang rolled up her sleeves and began pulling weeds in the yard. After Wei Qingshan finished with the deed papers, he also went back to the inn to bring the mule cart over.

The few of them worked together to clean up both the house and the yard. The tables, chairs, and benches were all already there, ready to use. Although they were a bit old and worn, they could be replaced slowly later on as their household improved.

They tidied up until nightfall before everything was in order. Their first meal in the new house was just a simple bowl of hand-pulled noodles, but everyone was in high spirits.

Lying in the new house, Lin Yu found it hard to fall asleep. He was a bit dazed—they actually had their own courtyard now, and it was even a two-entry courtyard!

“Qingshan, we have our own courtyard now?”

“Mm. From now on, we won’t have to move around anymore.”

Lin Yu laughed twice under the blanket in joy. “It feels like I’m dreaming.”

Wei Qingshan pulled him into his arms. “From now on, this will be our home.”

Wei Qingshan was a little moved, and his hand unconsciously began to wander over Lin Yu’s body. Ever since he had learned Lin Yu was pregnant, the two of them hadn’t been intimate. Now that Tuan-ger was already a bit older, and with his youthful vigor, it had been hard for Wei Qingshan to hold himself back all this time. Now that their life had finally settled down, Wei Qingshan wanted to get close to his little husband again.

Lin Yu also felt a little tempted, so he let Wei Qingshan have his way. The bed in the main room wasn’t very sturdy—it shook slightly with movement. Lin Yu was so startled that he clung tightly to Wei Qingshan’s neck. “Slower, slower, you’ll wake Tuan-ger up.”

“It’s fine.”

Wei Qingshan held his little husband and thoroughly enjoyed himself. Not until the latter half of the night did he finally feel satisfied and fall asleep with Lin Yu in his arms.

The next morning, after breakfast, Wei Qingshan went out to find a roofer and a carpenter. He had originally planned to fix things up slowly himself, but since summer was the rainy season, if the roof leaked, it would be troublesome.

The roofer and the carpenter worked for three days before finishing their jobs. The materials and labor cost over ten taels of silver, but the courtyard truly looked much better than before. Lin Yu couldn’t help but sigh that silver really didn’t go far in the county seat.

Although the furniture inside was a little old, it was still usable. Once their life became more comfortable in the future, they could gradually replace everything.

Once the house was all put in order, Wei Qingshan took his documents and went to report at the yamen. Since Tuan-ger was still small, Wei Qingshan told Lin Yu not to rush about looking for a shop yet. Once he got familiar with the county, they could then look for a suitable place.

In Xinglong County’s prefectural city, there were three thousand militia soldiers who usually handled city patrols, and sometimes also assisted the yamen with arresting criminals. Wei Qingshan was a minor banner officer—a zongqi. Every twenty soldiers had one zongqi, every hundred had one baihu, and every thousand had one qianhu. Over the three thousand men, there was one commanding xiaowei.

Early that morning, Wei Qingshan reported for duty and received his uniform. A baihu led him to the squad he would be in charge of. “Zongqi Wei, this is the team you’ll be leading. It’s currently under Zhou Bao. Get familiar with things first.”

After delivering Wei Qingshan there, the baihu left. The neatly lined-up squad scattered one after another, clearly not taking Wei Qingshan seriously.

“Stop right there.”

A burly black-faced man who was clearly the leader stopped, looking impatient. “What does Zongqi Wei want from us?”

The mockery in his tone made the others burst into laughter—it was obvious they didn’t respect Wei Qingshan.

“Did I say you could leave?”

“Yo, Zongqi Wei, everyone knows you got this post through connections. We brothers have all fought on the battlefield—have you? Don’t just act like a fancy ornament, hahaha.”

Zhou Bao looked lazily at Wei Qingshan, clearly not putting him in his eyes at all.

Wei Qingshan could tell that this man must be the head of this squad. When there was no zongqi, he was the one in charge. Now that Wei Qingshan had arrived, of course, he would be unwilling to submit.

“You’re Zhou Bao?”

“Yeah, I’m indeed that man. What of it?”

Wei Qingshan sneered. “If you want to find out whether I’m just a fancy ornament, why don’t you come try me? Just don’t start crying for your father and mother afterward.”

“You—!” Zhou Bao’s temper flared at once. Provoked by Wei Qingshan’s words, he immediately threw off his outer garment, ready to spar. A guy who had gotten his post through connections—why should he be his superior?

The others quickly surrounded them, shouting, “Brother Bao, show him what you’ve got!”

Wei Qingshan stretched his limbs a bit. “Come on then.”

Zhou Bao swung a punch straight toward him, but Wei Qingshan deftly dodged it. From that one strike, Zhou Bao could tell roughly what kind of opponent he was facing—this Wei Qingshan had real martial skill. He didn’t dare underestimate him anymore and used his full strength as he attacked again.

The soldiers of the Fifth Banner surrounded them, shouting, “Brother Bao! Brother Bao!”

Wei Qingshan caught Zhou Bao’s fist, then executed an over-the-shoulder throw, slamming him straight into the ground. For a moment, the surroundings went silent, then shouts of encouragement rang out again. “Brother Bao, get up!”

Zhou Bao was thrown so hard that his teeth gritted in pain. Unwilling to concede, he got up and grappled with Wei Qingshan again, but was thrown to the ground three times in a row. The looks in the eyes of those watching had completely changed—they were no longer the same as before.

Covered in dust, Zhou Bao lay on the ground panting heavily, while Wei Qingshan stood there calm and composed. “Still want to fight?”

“No more, no more. I admit, you’ve got some skill.”

Originally, Wei Qingshan could have gone home right after receiving his uniform and badge, but he chose to stay at the city defense post for the whole day to observe what everyone was doing. Though the others still weren’t entirely convinced of him, at least they gave him face on the surface.

When Wei Qingshan came home from duty, Lin Yu had cooked the meal himself. During the day, he had taken Zhao Yueniang out with him to look around nearby and had bought some meat, eggs, and other ingredients.

Everything in the county seat was far more expensive than in town. When they used to live in the town, Wei Qingshan would often bring vegetables, rice, and firewood from the countryside whenever he came back from collecting pigs.

But now that they were in the county city, even firewood had to be bought. Lin Yu thought the county city was good, but everything required spending money. They now had just over four hundred taels of silver left, and since they would still need to open a shop in the future, they had to spend carefully.

When the three of them went to the marketplace that day, they bought about ten chicks to raise in the backyard. The eggs sold in the county city were simply too expensive.

Since they would be living here for the long term, Lin Yu decided it would be better to raise chickens himself. After all, Tuan-ger needed eggs to eat, and such things were essential at home—raising them himself could save a fair bit of money in the future.

That evening, Lin Yu stir-fried a plate of meat, some eggs, pan-fried tofu, and a dish of greens—enough for the four of them to eat together. When Wei Qingshan returned and changed his clothes, Lin Yu served him a bowl of rice and placed it on the table. “How was it at the yamen today?”

“It was fine. It’s peaceful times now, so the job’s rather easy.”

“That’s good.”

As the four of them ate, they chatted idly. Lin Yu mentioned wanting to open the shop soon, and Wei Qingshan nodded. “Alright, let me look around the county for a few days first.”

His work mainly involved patrolling the streets, so he would be walking through every alley and market. He would soon know which areas had the best locations and the most foot traffic.

Right now, as a small zongqi, his monthly salary was just over one tael of silver, along with two dou of rice. That silver was nowhere near as fast as the income from the shop he and his little husband ran together. The shop had to open soon—since he could no longer sell meat, the family’s livelihood would have to depend entirely on his little husband’s bun shop.

That night, as the two of them rested, Lin Yu softly mentioned how expensive everything was in the county city and how much money they had spent. He whispered to Wei Qingshan how much the eggs had cost per coin, how much the tofu had cost per block, and even how the two bundles of firewood they bought had cost twenty coins.

His voice was soft and gentle as he spoke, and Wei Qingshan responded to him now and then with quiet “Mm”s. Lin Yu grumbled softly, “Why are things in the county city so expensive? When we lived in the town before, it never felt like this.”

Wei Qingshan chuckled. “Now your husband’s monthly pay is only a little over one tael of silver. Seems your husband will have to rely on his little husband to support him, hmm?”

Lin Yu blushed at his teasing. When he heard Wei Qingshan say he would have to depend on him, his heart swelled with joy. “Mm, I’ll support you from now on.”

Wei Qingshan nuzzled his little husband twice. How could he be so obedient and sweet?

Having just settled in the county city, during the day Wei Qingshan went to the city defense post to check in, while Lin Yu and the others stayed home. When the weather wasn’t too hot, they took Tuan-ger out for walks. The county city was truly livelier than their old town—there were all sorts of things being sold on the streets, and everything looked fresh and new to them. Even Tuan-ger kicked his legs happily, babbling with excitement.

Wei Qingshan soon grew familiar with his patrol duties. Although his subordinates still weren’t completely convinced by him, they behaved politely enough on the surface, and no one said anything further.

After patrolling in the county city for a while, Wei Qingshan picked out a few shops near their home. Once off duty, he found a real estate broker to look at them.

He had his eye on two shops—one larger and one smaller, both in good locations. After returning home, he discussed it with Lin Yu. “Do you want to open a shop like before, or should we rent a larger one and put a few tables inside?”

Lin Yu thought for a moment. He had been walking around the streets lately and had noticed that the county city was different from the town. Many vendors sold buns from shoulder poles instead of shops. He wasn’t sure how well a shop might do, but if they rented a larger one, they could add some other snacks or soups to sell as well.

After Lin Yu shared his thoughts, Wei Qingshan agreed that his little husband’s reasoning made sense. “Alright, once I’m off duty tomorrow, let’s go look at the shops together.”

The next day, the two of them took Tuan-ger and went to see the shops. The one that Wei Qingshan had favored was spacious and well-located—there was enough room in front to place seven or eight tables, and a small courtyard at the back for cooking and storing goods.

Both of them were quite satisfied with it, but the rent was one hundred and twenty taels of silver per year. Lin Yu hesitated—back when they rented the shop in town, though it was small, it had come with a large courtyard, and the yearly rent had only been fifty taels. This one cost more than double that.

The broker kept praising the place. “Sir, young master, just look at how wide and open this shop is! With all this foot traffic, you’ll have nothing to worry about for business.”

He knew the two of them planned to sell buns, and in truth, a shop this large wasn’t necessary for that. Anyone selling buns could easily make do with a smaller space.

Who would rent such a big shop just to sell buns? The profit from the buns might not even cover the rent. But wanting to earn a bigger commission, the broker kept insisting that the shop was a great deal.

Taking them for a pair of country bumpkins, he exaggerated the shop’s merits again and again. When he noticed Lin Yu’s hesitation, he gritted his teeth and said, “Alright, how about this—one hundred and ten taels a year. If you agree, I’ll go speak to the landlord right away.”

Lin Yu looked toward Wei Qingshan, and seeing him nod, the broker happily led them off to find the landlord and sign the contract.

Wei Qingshan was the one who paid for two years’ rent, altogether two hundred and twenty taels of silver. Lin Yu silently calculated in his heart — another big sum of silver was gone. Now, they only had a little over one hundred taels of silver left.

Before, he had thought that those eight hundred taels of silver were a huge fortune. If they had stayed in the countryside to farm, it would have been enough for them to live out their whole lives without worrying about food and clothing. But now that they had come to the county seat, he realized that this amount of silver was simply not enough to spend.

After signing the contract for the shop, the three of them went back home. The shop was not far from their courtyard — walking there took less than the time for one stick of incense to burn. Wei Qingshan held Tuan-ger in his arms, while Lin Yu followed by his side.

Lin Yu counted with his fingers as he calculated how the remaining silver should be spent. “The shop is rented, but we still need to buy iron pots, steamers, flour, tables, and stools. That’s going to cost another large sum of silver.”

“It’s fine. Even if the silver runs out, we’ll take things slowly. I’ll have a carpenter make some tables and benches in the next few days and send them over. As for the other things, I’ll buy them when I get a rest day.”

“Alright.”

Lin Yu still felt happy in his heart. Now, their family had a two-entry courtyard, a shop, and Wei Qingshan also had a stable post. As long as they managed their days carefully, life would slowly get better.

After the shop was rented, both of them got busy. Lin Yu had to embroider a new shop banner. He had brought the old banner along, but since this was a new shop, he thought it would be better to use a new one. Wei Qingshan also hired a carpenter to make eight tables and several long benches.

When Zhao Yueniang and Shi Xiaoliu learned that the shop had been rented, they were both delighted. They took Tuan-ger to play so that Lin Yu could focus on embroidering the banner.

A few days later, the tables and benches that had been made were delivered, and Lin Yu’s new banner was finished as well. Wei Qingshan, who had one day off every five days, drove the mule cart to buy flour, steamers, and dried goods needed for making buns.

After spending the whole morning running errands, he finally bought everything they needed. Lin Yu, together with Zhao Yueniang, cleaned and organized the shop while Tuan-ger lay quietly in the bamboo basket, playing by himself.

When Wei Qingshan came back, the few of them moved everything inside. They organized what needed to be organized and soaked what needed to be soaked. Tomorrow would be their first day opening the shop, and no one knew how the business would go, so Lin Yu didn’t dare to soak too much dried bamboo shoots or wood ear fungus.

Looking at the neat and freshly arranged shop, everyone felt very happy. They only had to wait for the next day to try selling. The buns were the same kinds as before — pure meat buns, bamboo shoot and meat buns, locust flower and meat buns, vegetable and wood ear buns, locust flower and vermicelli buns, and tofu buns. The prices were five, four, and three wen each, depending on the filling.

Over the past few days, Lin Yu had also bought buns from the stalls on the street. Most sellers only sold two kinds — meat buns and vegetable buns — without much variety. Since the buns they made were different from others, he thought their business should be a bit better.

All the supplies in the shop were ready, but those had cost them another fifty taels of silver. Now, Lin Yu only had around sixty or seventy taels left.

After tidying up the shop, the few of them went home, waiting to rise early the next morning for the grand opening.