When Lin Yu woke up, the sun had already moved west. He hurriedly got up, went to the yard, and saw that his dirty clothes had all been washed. Wei Qingshan was mending a fishing net.

“Qingshan, what do you want to eat tonight?”

“Braised fish. I soaked some bamboo shoots and also bought two blocks of tofu.”

“Alright.”

“Go easy on the chili.”

“Got it.”

That night, Lin Yu made braised fish with bamboo shoots and tofu, and stuck a circle of flatbreads around the pot. The fragrance and spiciness made both of them eat to their heart’s content.

At night, Wei Qingshan held Lin Yu while they rested. Seeing that Wei Qingshan didn’t make any moves, Lin Yu let out a sigh of relief. He was a bit scared of that kind of thing—it hurt a little.

For the next few days, Lin Yu followed Wei Qingshan into the mountains before dawn every day. The water celery in that area was lush, and the water from upstream would also bring down some big fish. Seeing the clinking coins falling into the bamboo basket each day, Lin Yu didn’t feel tired at all. He was filled with energy every day.

Wei Qingshan felt it was too exhausting and worried Lin Yu wouldn’t be able to take it, so he wanted him to rest at home for a couple of days before going up the mountain again. But Lin Yu didn’t want to miss the window to sell wild vegetables. Since the vegetables in the fields hadn’t grown yet, he wanted to sell as many wild greens as possible while he could. Besides, wild vegetables couldn’t be sold for long—the water celery in that area would grow old soon and wouldn’t taste good anymore.

Wei Qingshan carried two baskets on his back. In the darkness, the path was rugged and hard to walk. Afraid Lin Yu would stumble, Wei Qingshan held a torch in one hand to light the way and reached the other hand behind him toward Lin Yu. “Be careful.”

Lin Yu made a sound of acknowledgment and placed his hand in Wei Qingshan’s as he climbed the steep slope.

These days, he followed Wei Qingshan into the mountains every day. The first day he came, he was afraid. The deeper they went, the denser the forest became, and the darker it was inside. The sudden flutter of startled birds, the eerie cries of night owls, and the glowing eyes of small wild animals flashing through the forest at night—who knew if they were foxes or weasels—rustled through fallen leaves and ran off into the distance.

After getting used to it, Lin Yu wasn’t scared anymore. In the darkness, Wei Qingshan would always hold his hand tightly. The two of them didn’t go too deep into the mountains, and thankfully hadn’t encountered any dangerous beasts. Once the sky brightened, there was even less to worry about.

The two of them were walking when Dahei, who was in front, suddenly stopped and refused to move forward. It began barking toward the forest ahead, and even Baixue behind them let out a low growl.

Wei Qingshan stopped and shielded Lin Yu behind him. “Hold the torch.”

“What’s wrong?”

“No big deal, it’s probably just some clueless thing up ahead.” Wei Qingshan drew a machete from the basket. Judging by Dahei’s barking, it was likely a small wild animal.

Rustling sounds came from the darkness, and a pair of green eyes gradually appeared, baring sharp teeth at them. In the faint torchlight, Lin Yu could see the wild beast on the other side. He clutched the fabric on Wei Qingshan’s back tightly. “Is it a wolf?”

“No, it’s a mangy wild dog.”

Wei Qingshan hadn’t expected to encounter a wolf on the mountain path. Logically, ferocious wild beasts should have been deeper in the woods. The place they were heading only required about half an hour’s journey and was just on the edge of the dense forest—not somewhere one would encounter large beasts.

During his summer and autumn hunting trips, he would usually venture deep into the forest for half a day to a full day. That time when he and his master hunted the tiger, they had gone two days deep.

This old wild wolf had probably been starving and desperate, which was why it wandered to the forest’s edge. Wei Qingshan didn’t tell Lin Yu it was a wolf, fearing he’d be frightened.

Wei Qingshan simply held the machete and protected Lin Yu behind him. “Dahei, go.”

As the wild wolf drew closer, Dahei’s barking grew louder. He lowered his body, baring his sharp canine teeth, then leapt forward, sinking his teeth into the wolf’s neck, and the two began to wrestle.

Baixue looked ready to pounce, but Wei Qingshan didn’t let it join in. He only had it guard the rear to prevent any sneak attacks from other beasts. Better safe than sorry—he couldn’t allow Lin Yu to be in even the slightest danger.

Dahei tangled with the aging wild wolf and clearly had the upper hand. With a forceful bite, he snapped the wolf’s neck.

Lin Yu watched nervously from not far away, his palms sweating.

Once the wild wolf had completely stopped breathing, Dahei finally let go and ran back. Wei Qingshan rubbed its head. “Well done.”

Wei Qingshan, machete in hand, went forward and struck the wolf’s head a few more times. He used his body to shield Lin Yu, afraid he’d be frightened. After making sure the wolf was completely dead, he dragged it into the nearby grass and cut a few strong-smelling vines and leaves to mask the scent of blood.

Then he returned and used the machete to dig up some soil and covered the bloodstains where Dahei and the wolf had fought. Lin Yu quickly held the torch and came closer to help illuminate the area, while Dahei and Baixue guarded Lin Yu at the front and back.

The wild beasts in the forest had been starving all winter. If the smell of blood attracted other predators, it would be dangerous.

After finishing, Wei Qingshan took Lin Yu’s hand and continued walking forward. His hand was covered in warm sweat. “Scared?”

“No, I was just worried you might get hurt. When you used to hunt, did you run into danger a lot?”

Wei Qingshan hadn’t expected his little husband to be worrying about him. How could hunting not involve danger? But the first lesson his master had taught him was how to judge what kind of prey he was facing—and how to stay alive.

“No, those ferocious beasts are all deep inside the forest. I don’t go there. When summer and autumn come, I mostly hunt deer, goats, foxes, pheasants, rabbits—those kinds of things.”

Wei Qingshan was telling the truth. It wasn’t like he had silver to count on to save his life, so there was no need to risk it by hunting jackals, wolves, tigers, or leopards. At most, when he hunted wild boars, he’d pick the smaller ones. Now that he had a little husband, he had even less reason to run deep into the forest.

Lin Yu gripped Wei Qingshan’s hand. “Don’t go too deep in anymore. Even if we’re a bit poor, it’s okay. As long as we have enough to eat, even plain food is fine.”

Wei Qingshan felt soft inside. He made a sound of agreement. His little husband really had low expectations— he just wanted to be full. That wouldn’t do. He was going to fatten up his little husband.

By the time the two of them arrived at the patch of water celery, the sky was already brighter than the previous days. Lin Yu quickly bent down to cut the water celery, and Wei Qingshan waded into the water to catch fish.

There weren’t as many fish today as in the past two days. The branches he had set up to block the fish had caught a few, but the number was still lower. He figured there’d be no more big fish in another couple of days.

After they were done, the two of them carried the baskets down the mountain. Wei Qingshan had wrapped the wild wolf in a rag and placed it on top of the basket. Today, they planned to go to a different marketplace. They had been selling on that same street for three or four days, and the nearby folks were probably tired of eating the same things. Changing locations would make for quicker sales.

As usual, Wei Qingshan went to pay the market fee, while Lin Yu set up the stall on his own. Their fish and water celery sold just as well today, and they packed up early. Lin Yu followed Wei Qingshan to take care of that “wild dog” too.

Wei Qingshan took Lin Yu to an herbal medicine shop. He told Lin Yu to wait out front while he went to negotiate. After all, the wild wolf didn’t look very pleasant, and his husband was timid.

Lin Yu had thought Wei Qingshan would take it to a butcher. He hadn’t expected to end up at an herb shop.

While Lin Yu waited out front for a bit, Wei Qingshan came out with someone who looked like the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper wore a smile as he saw them out. “This must be your husband? His complexion doesn’t look too good.”

Wei Qingshan was slightly moved and led Lin Yu over. “Shopkeeper, please take a look.”

The old man stroked his beard and took Lin Yu’s pulse. As someone who sold medicinal herbs, he understood a bit of traditional medicine. “Heart blood deficiency, lacking vital energy and blood. Does your husband fear the cold? Are his hands and feet always chilly?”

The shopkeeper had taken one look at Lin Yu’s face and could tell he had long been underfed and had a weak body. As a businessman, having just spent silver, he naturally wanted to make it back. If done through dietary supplements, it would work—but not as effectively or quickly as with medicine.

Lin Yu blinked and nodded. Weren’t they just here to sell something? How did it turn into a pulse reading for him?

“Then I’ll please trouble the shopkeeper to prescribe some medicine.”

Lin Yu tugged on Wei Qingshan’s clothes. “I’m fine.”

“Ai, young man, don’t say that. Once your energy and blood are strong, your vitality will improve too. Won’t that be good for having children in the future?”

As soon as Lin Yu heard “having children,” he nodded. The pregnancy mole at the corner of his eye was faint—he was just afraid he wouldn’t be able to give Wei Qingshan children.

The old man beamed as he gathered a few sets of nourishing medicine. “Once you drink these, your complexion will improve, and your body will feel warmer. Later on, eat more eggs and red dates to replenish yourself.”

Lin Yu watched as Wei Qingshan pulled out a tael of silver. When they came out, Wei Qingshan was holding a few packets of medicine in his hand, along with a medicine pot. Lin Yu was still feeling distressed over that one tael of silver. They went up the mountain every day and probably only earned four or five hundred wen in a day. In just a short while, a whole tael of silver was gone—it was equal to what they made in two days. “Why is it so expensive?”

“It’s not that expensive. That wild dog sold for three taels of silver.”

Wei Qingshan had still been feeling a bit regretful in the morning about encountering the wild wolf on the mountain. Lin Yu had followed him and ended up in danger. Now that he was using the wolf to get medicine for Lin Yu, he felt a little better.

As for what the shopkeeper was thinking—how could he not know? He had bargained with him for quite a while before the man agreed to three taels of silver. It was just to make a profit off him.

His little husband’s body was weak and needed proper nourishment. Though Lin Yu’s complexion had become a bit fairer over the past few days, it still lacked color. It was already almost March, yet his feet were still cold at night. This silver couldn’t be saved in terms of health.

After they returned, Wei Qingshan worked with mud to build a small stove, set the medicine pot on top, and began brewing the tonic for Lin Yu.

Lin Yu held the bowl and drank it clean. Such expensive medicine couldn’t be wasted. He planned to boil this dose three times. That night, Lin Yu curled up beside Wei Qingshan for warmth. He liked being close to Wei Qingshan—his body was warm. Back when he used to sleep alone in the woodshed, it had always been damp and cold.

Staying close to Wei Qingshan—it was so comfortable, so warm. He liked it.

“Tomorrow, you rest at home. I’ll go into the mountain alone.”

Lin Yu immediately lifted his head and softly replied, “No.”

“Be good. We’ve been running around for days—you must be tired.”

“Not tired.”

Lin Yu shook his head. The long hair that had slipped from his shoulder fell onto Wei Qingshan’s chest, making it feel ticklish.

“In a few more days, that patch of water celery will be old. And besides, it’s dangerous for you to go up the mountain alone at night.”

Wei Qingshan only realized today that his little husband, despite appearing gentle and soft-tempered, was actually quite stubborn. Faced with his little husband’s pitiful gaze, he couldn’t hold out and had no choice but to agree. “Then for the next few days, we won’t get up so early. We’ll wait until it’s nearly dawn before going.”

“Mm.”

Seeing that Wei Qingshan had agreed, Lin Yu finally lay back down again. Perhaps it was because he had drunk the tonic—he slept soundly through the entire night.

After a few days, the fish in that area gradually became fewer, and even the patch of water celery was nearly gone.

The two of them decided that after selling today’s goods, they wouldn’t sell anymore. A few days ago, Lin Yu’s wild vegetable business had been doing well, but as the weather grew warmer, all kinds of wild vegetables started appearing in large quantities. His water celery was also getting a bit old, so business wasn’t as good. What used to sell out by noon was now only selling out by afternoon.

When they counted the days, they realized they had been going into the mountains for seven or eight days already—it was time for a break.

The two of them had earned quite a few copper coins during this time. Lin Yu had been a little tired at night and hadn’t counted them every day, but since today was the last day, he felt both happy and reluctant.

He was happy because it was the last day, but reluctant because the wild vegetable business was over.

When they packed up their stall today, Lin Yu went to the old woman who sold sewing supplies and bought some embroidery threads. Since he could no longer sell wild vegetables, he planned to do embroidery—he couldn’t just sit at home doing nothing.

“Qingshan, I want to buy some silk cloth too.”

“Alright. Are you thinking of making clothes?”

“I want to embroider and sell silk handkerchiefs.”

Wei Qingshan felt a little sour inside. “Let’s take a break for a while first.”

“Embroidery isn’t tiring.”

“Be good. Even if we buy it, you’re not allowed to start embroidering right away. Wait a few days.”

“Mm, I got it.”

Seeing that Wei Qingshan agreed, Lin Yu brightened up. The two of them went together to the fabric shop and bought some silk cloth. Lin Yu, worried that his embroidery might not turn out well and wouldn’t sell, only bought a small amount.

Wei Qingshan also carried back some grain, bought a chicken, and got some meat.

On the way back, they still took the ox cart. Lin Yu tugged on Wei Qingshan’s sleeve and refused to let go, looking at him pitifully. “You sit too.”

After spending this time with Wei Qingshan, Lin Yu had become a bit braver. He now knew that although Wei Qingshan had a cold face, he treated him very well.

Wei Qingshan couldn’t resist Lin Yu’s act of being cutesy and coaxing, so he chuckled and sat down as well. “Alright.”

On their way back to the village, they greeted the villagers they passed. When Wang Fulang saw them, he let out a surprised “Aiyo. Qingshan, you bought a chicken?”

“Mm.”

“Have there been a lot of wild animals in the mountains lately?”

“It’s alright.”

As he spoke, Wang Fulang walked up and craned his neck to peek into Wei Qingshan’s basket. “Aiya, you bought so much rice and flour too.”

Wei Qingshan was a bit displeased, but he didn’t lose his temper. He responded coolly, “Unlike Wang Fulang’s family, we don’t have land. We can only buy to eat.”

Hearing the subtle praise, Wang Fulang covered his mouth and laughed, then warmly grabbed Lin Yu’s hand. “This is Yu-ger, right? Do you recognize me? I saw you before I got married.”

Lin Yu was a little confused and could only shake his head. He didn’t recognize the person in front of him.

Wang Fulang laughed. “My maiden family is also from Dali Village. I’m the sister-in-law of Chun-ger, the one who sells tofu. I moved here not long after you came to the village, so it’s normal that you don’t remember. In the blink of an eye, you’ve grown so big.”

Seeing Lin Yu’s embarrassment, Wei Qingshan stepped in to help. “Wang Fulang, we’ll head back first.”

“Alright, alright, you two, hurry home. That stuff you’re carrying looks heavy.”

On the way back, Wei Qingshan spoke softly to Lin Yu. “Don’t mind him. He’s Chun-ger’s sister-in-law— he usually likes to take a little advantage of people.”

Lin Yu didn’t much like this Wang Fulang either, and he nodded. “Got it.”

After returning home, Wei Qingshan boiled water and told Lin Yu to take a bath and rest, then started preparing the chicken. They hadn’t kept any of the fish—after days of boiling and stewing fish, they were both tired of the taste.

Lin Yu came out after cleaning up. “Qingshan, you go wash up now.”

“Mm, I’ll clean up this chicken first, then go wash. Stay a bit farther away so it doesn’t splash on you.”

Lin Yu didn’t go far, just squatted nearby and watched. Wei Qingshan was quick and practiced in slaughtering the chicken and plucking the feathers. In the end, he chopped it into small pieces and washed them clean.

“I’ll go stew the chicken now.”

“It’s not too late to do it after you’ve had a nap.”

Wei Qingshan wanted Lin Yu to rest—he had worked hard following him around these past few days. He could stew the chicken himself, but it wouldn’t taste great. He thought it best to leave it to his little husband, so the chicken wouldn’t be wasted.

Lin Yu carried the cleaned chicken toward the kitchen. “It’s alright, we can put firewood under the pot and let it stew—by the time we wake up, the chicken will be done.”

He first scooped out half a bucket of the hot water in the pot for Wei Qingshan to bathe with, then added more firewood underneath to stew the chicken, and steamed dry rice above it. Once the two of them were rested, they could eat right away.

Lin Yu lay down on the bed to rest, and Wei Qingshan pulled him into his arms. He had already gotten used to sleeping while holding his little husband.

Lin Yu had been exhausted these past few days. Nestled against Wei Qingshan, he fell asleep in no time. He liked sleeping close to Wei Qingshan—his body was warm and very comfortable.

Lin Yu no longer thought about having to wake up early the next day to head into the mountains. When he opened his eyes, the sun was nearly setting. Hugging the quilt, he stretched lazily and got up, feeling utterly relaxed. Even though the past few days had been tiring, seeing the copper coins drop into the bamboo basket every day filled him with motivation.

He tied his hair up with a ribbon, not bothering too much with it, letting it hang loosely down his back.

“You’re awake.”

“Mm.”

Still half-drowsy, Lin Yu yawned lazily. At the corner of his eye hung a teardrop, dangling on the verge of falling. Wei Qingshan stared at him for a moment, slightly dazed.

“Wash your hands and eat. The chicken’s already stewed to mush.”

On the table sat a full bowl of stewed chicken. The meat was cooked so tender that it exposed the bones. The chicken soup was milky white with a layer of golden oil floating on top. Even Dahei and Baixue had come over, drawn by the smell.

The two each served themselves a bowl of white rice. Wei Qingshan picked up a drumstick and gave it to Lin Yu. “Eat up.”

“You eat too.” Lin Yu handed the other drumstick to Wei Qingshan.

The two of them shared a smile, both feeling that life at that moment was peaceful and beautiful.

Lin Yu took a big bite of the drumstick and squinted his eyes in satisfaction. Baixue whined anxiously and rubbed its head against Lin Yu’s pant leg.

Lin Yu picked up a piece of chicken neck and tossed it to Baixue, and gave another piece to Dahei as well. Though Lin Yu was frugal, the two hunting dogs had been following them into the mountains every day, protecting them. They were part of the family, too.

After Baixue finished eating, it still wanted more. Knowing how to read the room, it understood that Wei Qingshan wouldn’t indulge it, so it went over to Lin Yu instead, placing a paw on his leg to signal that it wanted more.

Wei Qingshan glanced at it. “You eat first. No need to spoil it.”

“Baixue and Dahei must be hungry too.”

Wei Qingshan found Baixue, the clingy dog, too bothersome while Lin Yu was eating, so he simply brought in the dog bowl, picked out some chicken necks and feet, ladled in some chicken soup, and mixed it with rice. Only then did Baixue stop pestering Lin Yu.

Watching the two dogs wagging their tails while eating, Lin Yu’s eyes curved into a smile.

Lin Yu ate a bowl of rice and drank a bowl of chicken soup. He really liked the fresh sweetness of the soup. After he put down his bowl, saying he was done, Wei Qingshan served him some more soup and meat. “Eat a little more.”

“I’m full.”

“Eat a bit more. You’ve got the appetite of a cat.”

Lin Yu drank another bowl of chicken soup. In the end, he was stuffed and went out into the courtyard to walk it off.

After it got dark, the two of them took out all the copper coins they had earned these past days. Looking at a whole basketful of coins, Lin Yu found it hard to believe. “How come there’s so much?”

“My fulang has worked hard these days.”

Lin Yu blushed at the way Wei Qingshan called him “fulang.”

They sat together and counted the coins. One hundred coins were strung into a bunch, and one thousand coins equaled one tael of silver. The more Lin Yu counted, the brighter his eyes became—this was something he never dared to imagine before.

It took the two of them a long time to count all the coins. Their business had been good in the earlier days, with big fish and tender wild vegetables. In the later days, the fish gradually became scarce, and after selling water celery for several days straight, Lin Yu’s vegetable sales also dropped. It only got better after they changed locations.

Lin Yu held up the strung coins and began to count, “One, two, three, four…”

One string equaled one qian, ten strings made up one tael of silver. Lin Yu’s smile grew wider. “We have three taels and two qian in total! And there’s still some loose coins!”

He then brought out the copper coins from earlier. “There’s exactly eight qian in there, so it adds up to four taels! Plus the two silver taels from selling the wild dog, we’ve made six taels in total!”

“Mm. In a couple of days, I’ll go to town to exchange it all for silver taels.”

Wei Qingshan also wore a smile. These silver taels had been saved coin by coin by him and his little husband. The two of them had gone into the mountains at the crack of dawn, and Lin Yu had followed him without a word of complaint.

That night, they went to bed early. 

The next morning, at the first crow of the rooster, Lin Yu opened his eyes. Wei Qingshan woke up as well. Over these days, the two of them had gotten used to it. Wei Qingshan pulled the quilt up over Lin Yu. “It’s still early. Sleep a bit more.”

But once they were awake, neither of them felt sleepy anymore. Lin Yu shifted closer to Wei Qingshan and suddenly felt something pressing against him. His face flushed red, and he scooted further inside.

Wei Qingshan gave a slightly awkward cough. Holding his little husband every day and saying he didn’t want him was a lie. Lin Yu had been too exhausted these past few days, so he hadn’t touched him.

After Lin Yu scooted to the side, he felt bad again. He reached out and tugged on Wei Qingshan’s inner robe. Wei Qingshan’s voice turned a little hoarse. “Sleep a bit more. There’s still time before dawn.”

“Aren’t you uncomfortable?”

“Mm, it’s alright.”

“Do you want it?”

Just two sentences from Lin Yu were enough to make Wei Qingshan’s eyes turn red with desire. He rolled over and pinned Lin Yu beneath him. Lin Yu bit his lip and didn’t dare make a sound. It still hurts. When Wei Qingshan kissed him, he kissed his tears. He quickly stopped. “Did I hurt you?”

“N-No.”

Wei Qingshan no longer had the same impulsiveness as the first time. He could feel that the legs around his waist were trembling, and Lin Yu did not react at all.

Feeling frustrated, Wei Qingshan held Lin Yu in his arms to comfort him. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”

“N-No, it didn’t hurt.”

Wei Qingshan didn’t dare continue. He just held Lin Yu and kept soothing him. Not long after, the little husband who had just been unable to fall asleep dozed off again.

Wei Qingshan even felt like punching himself—how could he end up hurting his little husband!

Lin Yu didn’t get up until the sun was already high. Wei Qingshan was already tending the fire. When he saw Lin Yu approaching, he helped him carry over some hot water. “Wipe yourself off.”

He knew his little husband liked cleanliness. No matter how tired he was when he came back each day, he would always wipe himself clean. Lin Yu blushed and didn’t dare meet Wei Qingshan’s eyes. It was his fault for being so delicate—he couldn’t even handle a little pain.

The two of them didn’t speak the entire morning. Both were feeling a bit frustrated. Wei Qingshan was upset at himself for hurting Lin Yu. Lin Yu was upset at himself for being too delicate.

Wei Qingshan gave a light cough to break the silence. “D-Does it still hurt?”

Lin Yu immediately shook his head. “N-No, it doesn’t hurt. I’m sorry, I was too delicate.”

“No, I was too rough.”

Wei Qingshan’s face remained cold, but the tips of his ears turned red. Lin Yu thought he was angry, which made him feel even more remorseful.