Lin Yu still followed along the next day. This time, even before the two of them had set up the stall, there were already people lining up.

Cheap, tasty, and meaty—who wouldn’t be happy to buy something like that?

Lin Yu hurried to set up the stall. Some people who had bought from them yesterday had come early again to line up, holding two bowls in their hands. Yesterday, they only bought one bowl, and it wasn’t enough for the family to eat, so they especially came earlier today to buy more to take home.

Lin Yu scooped ladle after ladle into bowls for people. The ones in the back kept craning their necks, “I should be able to get some today, right? Yesterday it smelled so good, and by the time it got to me, it was gone. Tell me that’s not maddening.”

“The young boss’s skills are really something, making pig offal this delicious.”

“That’s right. My old mother can’t really eat pig offal, but yesterday she picked out all the soybeans to eat. This morning she told me to come early and buy more.”

“What are you selling here? So many people. Oh, it smells so good—let me try some too!”

In front of the stall were both old customers and new ones drawn in by the smell. A noisy, long line quickly formed. Lin Yu was so busy he couldn’t keep up. Wei Qingshan, once he had a free hand, helped him collect the copper coins. Because there were so many people, quite a few also came to the stall to buy meat, and the two didn’t have a moment of rest.

Lin Yu smiled as he ladled a scoop into the empty bowl in front of him. When he looked up, wasn’t that the owner of the other pig intestine stall down the street? Why had he come to buy, too? But, treating every customer the same, Lin Yu still gave him a ladleful, with his specially made soybean paste mixed in—something others couldn’t replicate even if they tried.

That stall owner was a chubby middle-aged man. A few days ago, he could still sell some of his pig offal. Although his business was never as good as the Wei family’s, he could still earn a few copper coins a day. Yesterday, it seemed this family stopped selling the old-style stewed offal and came up with something new, so he came to buy a bowl to try it.

The chubby man carried the bowl back to his stall. He had actually come early to line up and just barely managed to snag a bowl.

This bowl of pig offal smelled especially fragrant, the oil in the bowl was bright red and shiny, and it looked particularly appetizing. He took a bite and couldn’t help but widen his eyes. The pig offal was incredibly fragrant. In the past, when the Wei family made it, he could still taste what spices were used and could more or less replicate about seventy or eighty percent of it. But now, he couldn’t tell at all what seasonings had been used in this bowl.

The chubby man sighed. He really couldn’t compete with their business. Forget it—he was snatching someone else’s customers to begin with. At worst, he’d just stop selling. But this bowl of pig offal was truly delicious!

The two had cleaned a lot of offal today. By the end of the day, they had made five to six hundred wen just from selling pig offal. It was nearly equal to what they made from selling pork. One had to know, even after deducting the costs, that selling one pig only earned them a tael of silver.

When they got home and counted the copper coins, even Wei Qingshan hadn’t expected the pig offal business to be this profitable.

Lin Yu’s little face was flushed with joy. “We actually made so much today!”

Lin Yu brought out the hidden money box. He counted it, and after subtracting expenses and the cost of buying pigs, the two of them had already saved up a full seventy taels of silver!

Lin Yu happily threw himself into Wei Qingshan’s arms. “Qingshan, we have seventy taels of silver now! We can buy land next year!”

Lin Yu hugged Wei Qingshan and felt like crying a little. Only he knew how difficult it had been to save up these seventy taels of silver. Every day before dawn, Wei Qingshan pushed the heavy cart to town to sell meat, walking for a full hour. At home, he didn’t dare slack off for even a moment—either embroidering wedding clothes for people or working on embroidered handkerchiefs.

Wei Qingshan held his little husband tightly. “My poor little husband, I said I’d give you a good life, yet you’ve been working so hard every day.”

Lin Yu’s voice was a little hoarse. “Qingshan has worked hard, too.”

The two of them went to bed early. Tomorrow, they could take a day off. Both were happy in their hearts after earning money. Wei Qingshan affectionately snuggled with his little husband. Under the lowered bed curtain, a slender hand reached out, accompanied by a soft moan, and a large hand took hold of that hand and pulled it back in.

The two of them were rather wild that night. Lin Yu didn’t even get up in the morning. Since the bed curtain had fallen, when he lifted it, the sunlight had already filled the room.

Lin Yu remembered that today he was supposed to go with Dong-ger to visit Chun-ger. He quickly got dressed and got up.

A well-fed Wei Qingshan was in an especially good mood. Seeing his little husband get up, he brought over hot water and food. “Eat something first and rest a bit. Take the day off today. Don’t worry—I already fed the pigs and chickens, and even brought back a bundle of pigweed.”

Lin Yu kept his head down and nodded, afraid that Wei Qingshan would see his flushed face.

“I’m going to visit Chun-ger later.”

“Then take your time. I’m going into the mountains today to hunt some wild rabbits, gather some furs, and make you a set of clothes—warmer than cotton.”

“Then don’t go too deep into the mountains.”

“Don’t worry, I know my limits.”

Lin Yu silently grumbled in his heart, What limits? Last night, he had clearly told him not to mess around, but he still insisted on holding him and fooling around. When he got up this morning, he found the bed curtains—only hung a few days ago—had already been wrinkled up by him. It was all Wei Qingshan’s fault. After breakfast, Lin Yu took ten eggs from home, placed them in a basket, and went off to find He Dongdong.

He Dongdong had been waiting at home for Lin Yu early on. When he saw Lin Yu approaching, he came out carrying the things he had prepared. “Why did you only just get here? I’ve been waiting for half the day already.”

Lin Yu’s face reddened a little. He made up an excuse and brushed it off. “I was feeding the pigs at home.”

“Right, I forgot your house still has pigs.”

The two of them carried their things and went to see Chun-ger. When Wang Er saw them coming, he hurried to welcome them into the house. These days, since Chun-ger was resting, the family’s tofu business had been put on hold. Because the tofu he made always had a bit of bitterness, they simply closed the shop to take a few days off.

Chun-ger had just given birth and was lying in bed resting. When he saw the two of them coming, he called them to sit at the bedside. Chun-ger lifted the quilt to reveal the baby inside. “Look, this stinky boy hasn’t even woken up yet.”

Lin Yu had never seen a newborn before. He leaned forward to take a look. The baby wrapped in swaddling clothes was red all over, eyes closed, and sleeping soundly. His tiny clenched fists weren’t even as big as an egg.

He Dongdong chuckled beside him. “So small.”

Chun-ger’s face was full of smiles. “Exactly. I thought it’d be a little ger, but turns out it’s a stinky little boy.”

The two stayed for a short while before leaving, afraid of disturbing Chun-ger’s rest.

The things they brought were placed beside the bed—Lin Yu brought eggs, and He Dongdong brought some sugar.

“Chun-ger, I’ll go cook you some sweet egg soup. It’s good for recovery.”

“Go on then.”

Chun-ger sniffled, feeling a bit like crying. After he gave birth, his maternal family had only sent ten eggs. Neither his mother nor his sister-in-law came to take care of him.

But Yu-ger brought ten eggs, and even Dong-ger brought sugar.

There was no mother-in-law to take care of him during his confinement period. Wang Fulang used to take tofu from them for free, and now that something had happened, he hadn’t even shown his face. Fortunately, Wang Er had been running around caring for him.

Although their family had the craft of making tofu, selling tofu was still hard labor. While it looked better than not being able to eat, they hadn’t managed to save much money.

Chun-ger let out a soft sigh and stopped thinking about it. With these twenty eggs and the sugar, it was enough to get through the postpartum month. Chun-ger held the little baby’s hand. “When you’re a bit older, you can wear a tiger-head hat. It’ll look so cute.”

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━_

Wei Qingshan only came back near dusk, carrying a few rabbits in his hand. “I’ll butcher them tomorrow when we slaughter the pig. We’ll keep the fur for ourselves.”

“Alright, I’ll make you a rabbit-fur hat. Then you won’t be cold in winter.”

When Wei Qingshan went to town to sell meat, he didn’t bring Lin Yu along anymore. Instead, he simply found a half-grown child to help him make the braised offal. After all, it sold out in less than half an hour and earned ten copper coins. That child was happy to help.

Wei Qingshan focused on the meat stall while keeping an eye on the braised offal. Having someone help was much better than having his little husband run around all day.

Today, he even hung rabbit meat at the stall. Since the fur had been removed, it was cheaper—thirty wen each—and they sold out in a short while.

Wei Qingshan packed up the stall early today. When he looked at the sky, it was already a bit dark, it seemed like it was about to rain. He packed up quickly and rushed home.

Lin Yu was making winter clothes. In the afternoon, the sky had already turned cloudy. Lin Yu looked out the door and prayed it wouldn’t rain—or at least wait until Wei Qingshan was home before it started.

By this hour, Wei Qingshan should have already been on his way back. Lin Yu grew a bit anxious. Dark clouds rolled in, and soon it started pouring down. Lin Yu hurriedly put on a raincoat, grabbed a bamboo hat, and carried some things as he dashed out into the rain.

Wei Qingshan was definitely caught in the rain. Once the mountain road got wet, it became muddy and difficult to walk on. With him pulling such a heavy cart, it must have been really hard. Lin Yu had to hurry to meet him.

The rain outside was heavy, and the wind lashed his face, making it hard to keep his eyes open. Lin Yu only wanted to find Wei Qingshan as fast as possible and hurried forward in the rain.

Wei Qingshan was indeed struggling with the cart. He was soaked through. The mountain path turned to mud once it rained, and he moved much more slowly. The heavy cart left two deep ruts in the ground.

Wei Qingshan was bowing his head, pulling the cart in the rain, when he suddenly heard a familiar voice. “Qingshan, Qingshan!”

Wei Qingshan looked up and saw a figure running toward him through the curtain of rain. He wiped the water from his face. “Xiao Yu, why are you here?”

“Hurry and put on the raincoat.” Lin Yu quickly placed the bamboo hat on Wei Qingshan’s head. “I came out to meet you. Let’s hurry home.”

Wei Qingshan didn’t say anything else. His heart turned soft. One of them pulled from the front, the other pushed from behind. The cart suddenly felt much lighter. The two of them returned home through the rain.

As soon as they got home, Lin Yu hurried to light a fire and heat water. He also brewed some ginger soup on the small stove to drive out the chill. Wei Qingshan came into the kitchen and took off his raincoat. His clothes were soaked through. Lin Yu was slightly better off, but his lower half was still dripping water.

Lin Yu made space for him. “Come, warm up quickly. The rain came down so fast today.”

Wei Qingshan grabbed Lin Yu’s hand. “Thank you.”

“What are you thanking me for? We’re family.”

Wei Qingshan had gotten used to bearing everything himself. Even if it rained and the road was hard to walk, he had never thought anyone would come to meet him and bring him back. Wei Qingshan only felt that in this life, meeting Lin Yu was worth it.

The rain outside was still falling. Wei Qingshan held an umbrella and went into the house to get clean clothes. In the kitchen, both stoves had been lit, and the room had warmed up quite a bit—it wasn’t cold at all.

“Just wash up here in the kitchen. If you go to the main room, your clothes will just get wet again.”

“Alright.”

Lin Yu scooped hot water and poured it into the wooden basin. “Hurry and wash up. If you catch a cold, it won’t be good.”

“Let’s wash together.”

Lin Yu nodded with a red face. Both their clothes were wet, so washing up and changing quickly would be better.

After the two finished washing, they sat by the small stove to dry the water droplets from their hair. Lin Yu’s face was flushed—it wasn’t clear whether it was from the steam or from shyness. He held a hot bowl of ginger tea in his hands, lowering his head and drinking quietly. The rain outside was still falling steadily. Lin Yu glanced out with some worry. “Do you still have to go to town tomorrow?”

“The meat won’t keep that long. If we leave it another day, it won’t look good. Let’s see—if it rains less tomorrow, we’ll just sell in a few nearby villages.”

“Alright.”

After dinner, the two of them went to bed early. After that rain, the weather had turned a bit chilly. Lin Yu curled up next to Wei Qingshan. Wei Qingshan’s body ran hot, and being next to him felt warm and cozy.

The rain stopped after midnight. Because the weather wasn’t good, neither of them got up early. The sky was still a bit overcast, but it looked like it wouldn’t rain again.

Wei Qingshan was already moving things onto the handcart. Lin Yu was also helping at the side, loading up small pots and other scattered items.

“Let’s still go to town today. The official road is easier to walk, after all.”

Lin Yu nodded. “Then I’ll help you push the cart.”

It had just rained, so even the official road was inevitably muddy and slippery. Wei Qingshan’s heart softened. “Alright, we’ll just walk slowly on the way.”

One pushed and one pulled. The mountain path, freshly soaked with rain, was indeed hard to walk on. But with Lin Yu’s help, it had become much easier. A thin layer of sweat appeared on Lin Yu’s forehead. They arrived in town a bit later than usual. The two looked down at their feet—the soles of their shoes were caked with thick mud. They looked at each other and laughed.

The two got busy unloading and setting up the stall. The old lady selling pancakes next to them was very happy to see them. “You came! I thought you wouldn’t come because the roads were so slippery from the rain.”

Lin Yu smiled. “We came.”

Because of the recent rain, there were fewer people at the market today. But once Lin Yu’s braised offal stall was set up, there were still quite a few customers coming to buy.

A little kid saw that Wei Qingshan had arrived and quickly ran over. “Uncle, do you still need help today?”

“My wife came with me. Come help again in two days, alright?”

The child looked a bit disappointed upon hearing that he wasn’t needed. Lin Yu looked at Wei Qingshan. “What’s wrong?”

“I had this little kid help ladle the braised offal yesterday.”

The child looked to be about eleven or twelve, quite small in stature. His clothes were clean but patched. When Lin Yu saw him walking away, he called him back. “Come help ladle then. I’ll handle collecting the copper coins.”

The child immediately turned and ran over, quickly and deftly helping to ladle the offal for the customers. Lin Yu stayed at the side collecting the copper coins. Having someone to help really made things easier.

Even though it had rained yesterday, there was still a line at the small stall. Regulars who had eaten before came again, and new customers, seeing there weren’t as many people today, took the opportunity to try the flavor. Business was still very good, and the two buckets of braised offal were soon sold out.

Lin Yu asked Wei Qingshan about the pay, then counted out ten copper coins for the child. The child happily accepted them and, worried that they might not use him next time, eagerly helped Lin Yu clean up the stall.

Lin Yu smiled. This little fellow was quite clever. “What’s your name?”

“My name is Shi Xiaoliu, Ama. If you need me again tomorrow, I’ll wait here.”

“You also have the surname Shi?”

Shi Xiaoliu wiped the sweat from his forehead. Only then did Lin Yu notice a birthmark on his forehead, though the placement was a bit off. He finally realized. “You’re a little ger?”

Shi Xiaoliu quickly pulled his bangs down to cover his forehead. “Ama, please don’t reject me. I can work really well—I’m not worse than those boys.”

Seeing that Shi Xiaoliu was anxious, Lin Yu didn’t say anything more. “That’s not what I meant. Then come again in two days. My husband goes out to sell every other day.”

Shi Xiaoliu saw that Lin Yu did not dislike him for being a ger and finally revealed a smile. “Got it. I’ll definitely come early.”

Shi Xiaoliu took the copper coins he had earned and ran off. Wei Qingshan also muttered, “Turns out he’s a little ger.”

He had just casually picked someone near the market yesterday. Seeing that this little kid looked clever, he had called him over, thinking he was a boy.

“It’s fine, Xiaoliu is very capable. Let’s keep using him in the future.”

“Alright.”

After Lin Yu sold out the braised offal, he didn’t have much else to do. He slightly regretted not bringing his embroidery basket in his rush to leave this morning—he could’ve done some embroidery.

There weren’t many people at the market today. Lin Yu helped Wei Qingshan collect money at the side. By the afternoon, they had just sold the remaining half side of pork. The two pushed their handcart back home through the muddy ground.

“Qingshan, why don’t we buy a mule? It would be easier for you to go to town.”

Pulling that handcart with heavy goods really was hard. When collecting pigs, one pig could weigh two or three hundred jin. With just Wei Qingshan pulling it alone, it was easy to imagine how exhausting it was.

“We’re going to buy land next year. If we buy a mule, we won’t be able to buy much land.”

“Then we’ll just buy less,” Lin Yu’s eyes curved into a smile. As long as Wei Qingshan didn’t tire himself out too much, that was fine. They could save money slowly. Next year, they could just buy two or three mu—it would be enough to grow food for the two of them.

“Then tomorrow I’ll go find Shi Tou and ask him to help make a mule cart.”

“Okay, I’ll go with you.”

The two decided to buy a mule. Bringing in such a big thing into the household was a major event. A usable mule would probably cost twenty to thirty taels of silver. A mule cart might also cost a few taels. But Wei Qingshan really had been working too hard. If he wore himself out like this while young, it would be bad if he developed lingering illnesses when he was older.

Wei Qingshan knew his little husband felt sorry for him. Right now, the money they had on hand was only enough to buy two or three mu of paddy fields. If they bought the mule and cart, they’d only be able to buy dry fields next year.

Wei Qingshan thought it wasn’t even winter yet. It was still a while before the New Year—they could still save up more silver.

After returning home, Lin Yu scooped out some pickled vegetables from the jar, stir-fried them with shredded meat, and made hand-pulled noodles. The sour and spicy flavor warmed them up completely after eating. Both of them really liked it.

Lin Yu thought that Dong-ger would surely like it too. He would bring some for Dong-ger to taste tomorrow.

The next day, neither of them got up early. It was rare to have a day off, where they did not need to go to town to sell meat, nor need to go into the mountains to chop firewood. Wei Qingshan held onto his little husband and was reluctant to get up. The two of them rarely got to enjoy such a peaceful moment.

They stayed in bed until the sun was high in the sky. Lin Yu pushed away the arm wrapped around his waist. “Time to get up. If we don’t get up now, the pigs in the pen will go hungry.” Whose Fulang still hadn’t gotten up with the sun so high? If there were in-laws around, wouldn’t it be laughable?

Wei Qingshan also lazily got up. One of them cooked breakfast, the other fed the pigs and chickens. They worked slowly and unhurriedly.

They had agreed to go to Shi Tou’s home today to ask him to help make a cart frame. Lin Yu ate some of the pickled vegetables from yesterday—they were very appetizing. In the morning, he also chopped some more and made pickled vegetable pancakes, and cooked some plain porridge. The two of them sat in the sunlight and ate breakfast.

Lin Yu carried a basket in his hand, which contained a bowl of pickled vegetables and a few pickled vegetable pancakes. It had been a few days since he’d seen Dong-ger. He wondered how he was doing.

“Dong-ger.” Lin Yu walked to the door and saw He Dongdong sitting in the courtyard mending clothes. His belly had already grown large—it was a bit hard for him to get up.

Seeing Lin Yu arrive, He Dongdong was very happy. “It’s been raining these days, hard to go out. I was just thinking about finding you to talk, and here you are.”

Shi Tou also smiled at the two of them. Shi Niang liked Lin Yu very much, feeling that the child in their family had been given by Lin Yu. Lin Yu treated Dong-ger well and often brought food over, which had improved Dong-ger’s poor appetite quite a bit.

Shi Niang quickly brought out stools and went into the house to bring out snacks. “Come sit, come sit.”

Lin Yu gave his thanks and placed the basket on the table. “I made some pickled vegetable pancakes. Try them.”

He Dongdong’s eyes lit up when he heard there was food. “I’ll try some.”

Lately, he hadn’t had much appetite. He couldn’t eat greasy or meaty things. His mother-in-law, afraid he would go hungry, had been making all kinds of dishes, but he still couldn’t eat much. Seeing that Lin Yu had brought food, he quickly reached out and picked one up to eat.

The pancake was crispy on the outside, and the sour and spicy filling was very appetizing. He Dongdong ate two in a row. “Yu-ger, what did you make this with? It’s so good.”

“Pickled wild mustard greens I dug up from the back hill. I figured you might like it, so I brought you a bowl.”

“You can eat that stuff, too?”

Shi Niang sat beside them, listening to the two talk. Seeing He Dongdong eat two pancakes in a row, she was also happy. “Yu-ger, how do you make this? I’ll go make some for Dong-ger too.”

“Wash the wild mustard greens and sun-dry them for a day. Then boil some water, blanch them quickly, and put them into a jar. The jar must be clean and free of debris, or else it’ll spoil.”

“Aiya, this method is great, it doesn’t even need salt. I’ll go cut some today and give it a try. Yu-ger really is skillful,” Shi Niang said, seeing that He Dongdong liked it, so she also wanted to make some. If Dong-ger’s appetite was good, he could eat more rice too.

Lin Yu also told the two how to eat this pickled vegetable. It could be used to make soup, noodles, or pancakes—this one bowl could be eaten for several days.

Over on Wei Qingshan’s side, he was also talking with Shi Tou, hoping to ask him to make a cart frame.

He Dongdong heard and asked, “Yu-ger, your family is going to buy a mule cart?”

“Mm, Qingshan goes to the town to sell pork. It’s hard to carry everything, and with a mule cart, he can also come home earlier.”

He Dongdong was genuinely happy for him. “That’s great. It’ll be much more convenient to go to the town.”

There weren’t many families in the village that could afford to buy a mule cart. His own family’s mule cart was used by Shi Tou to deliver furniture to people. Usually, it hauled things, and during the busy farming season, it could also be used to roll grain. Buying a mule was a good idea—just expensive.

He Dongdong grabbed Lin Yu’s hand, looking even happier than Lin Yu himself. “You’re living a good life now. I’m really happy.”

Lin Yu also smiled. Although he felt pain over the silver, it was a mule cart—they could actually own one now. Before, it wasn’t something they even dared to think about.

Shi Tou said three taels of silver would be enough. Wei Qingshan didn’t refuse, thinking he could just give more when he came to pick up the cart frame. Three taels of silver were just to cover the cost of the wood—they couldn’t let him work for free.

When they went to town, Lin Yu went too. The two of them were going to look at mules together. If they found a suitable one, they would place an order.

Shi Xiaoliu saw the two of them from a distance and ran over to help push the cart. Then he skillfully helped unload the goods and light the stove.