Lin Yu couldn’t believe it as he counted. “Is there really this much?”

“Gone dumb? It’s exactly this much.”

Lin Yu’s eyes sparkled especially bright. “If we keep saving like this, we’ll be able to buy land next year!”

“Mm.”

Lin Yu decided that after finishing this wedding robe, he wouldn’t take on any big embroidery jobs. A wedding robe took him a whole month to finish and only earned him one tael of silver. But now, by selling pig offal, he could earn one tael of silver in just two days. If they set up shop two days every four days, he could earn seven to eight taels of silver a month!

Add to that the money from Wei Qingshan selling pork, the two of them could make up to fifteen taels of silver a month!

The more Lin Yu calculated, the happier he got. He felt he had never been this happy before. He had Wei Qingshan, who had brought Yueniang out from that house, and now they had a mule, pigs, chickens, and the eastern room was piled with a whole roomful of grain.

This kind of life, so full and prosperous, was something Lin Yu never dared to imagine before. Lin Yu threw himself into work even more. When Wei Qingshan slaughtered pigs, he and Zhao Yueniang washed the offal in the courtyard. The three of them worked together to live a good life.

That day, Wei Qingshan had a day off, so he brought Lin Yu and Zhao Yueniang into the mountains for fun. Lin Yu hadn’t gone into the mountains for a while. Now that the weather had turned cold, the forest leaves had yellowed, and with a gust of wind, leaves drifted down. The three of them wore thicker clothing.

Wei Qingshan brought Dahei to chase rabbits and had Baixue accompany Lin Yu and Zhao Yueniang. Zhao Yueniang had never gone this deep into the mountains before, and everything looked fresh to her. “Brother, this forest is so big. I wouldn’t dare come in alone.”

“I wouldn’t dare either. It was always your Qingshan-ge bringing me in.”

The two of them held sticks in their hands, chatting as they looked for wild mountain treasures on the ground. Zhao Yueniang had been staying with Lin Yu for a few days now and had gradually lost the stiffness she had at first. Being able to help her brother and brother-in-law with chores eased the guilt in her heart.

“Brother, wasn’t Qingshan-ge a hunter before? Why did he become a butcher?”

“There are lots of wolves and wild beasts in the mountains. I was afraid something dangerous would happen to Qingshan,” Lin Yu told her about the wild boars coming down to the village.

Zhao Yueniang’s mouth hung open in shock. “It even caused deaths? Then it’s better to be a butcher.”

Lin Yu smiled a little. “Yes, though it doesn’t earn as much as being a hunter, I’m content as long as I can live peacefully and safely with Qingshan.”

“Mm! Brother, the way you’re living now is really good. Seeing you doing well makes me happy, too.”

“You don’t know, when I first married Qingshan, the household was so poor we didn’t even have a few taels of silver. Qingshan and I would go into the mountains before dawn to pick wild vegetables and catch fish, just to earn some extra silver during the hungry early spring. The water was freezing cold then, and your Qingshan-ge jumped right in to catch fish.”

Lin Yu continued, “That day, the two of us went into the mountains together and ran into an old wolf. Your Qingshan-ge lied and said it was a wild dog. I believed him at first, but later I realized—what wild dog sells for five taels of silver? He really fooled me. He didn’t even want me to come into the mountains with him for the next few days.”

Zhao Yueniang went quiet. So her brother and Qingshan-ge didn’t have it easy either. The household was doing well now, but it was all earned through hardship.

Lin Yu spoke while sweeping the fallen leaves on the ground with a stick. Just as Zhao Yueniang was feeling a little down, Lin Yu called out to her in surprise, “Yueniang, come quickly, there are chestnuts here!”

When Zhao Yueniang heard there were chestnuts, she immediately ran over. “Where?”

Lin Yu used the stick to stir the spiky balls on the ground. Some had already burst open, revealing the brown chestnuts inside. “We’re really lucky today to have found a chestnut tree!”

Zhao Yueniang was also very happy. One had to go deep into the mountains to find chestnuts. When she and Lin Yu had nothing to eat, they would go look for some, but they were small then and didn’t dare go deep into the mountains, so they could only pick a few that others hadn’t found to snack on.

Now the ground was covered in blue-grey spiky shells. Zhao Yueniang reached down to pick them up, but Lin Yu spoke, “Be careful, don’t prick your hands. Step on them with your shoes first to break them, then pick them up.”

“Okay, got it, Brother.”

The two of them put down their baskets and stepped on the chestnuts, breaking open the spiky outer shells. The chestnuts inside were then picked up and tossed into the baskets. This chestnut tree wasn’t small, and there were quite a lot of spiky shells on the ground.

Lin Yu hadn’t expected to come across chestnuts today. He bent down to pick them up with particular joy. Zhao Yueniang also moved quickly, as if afraid someone would snatch the chestnuts from her if she were slow.

Lin Yu laughed, “Yueniang, pick slower, there’s still time. No one’s going to fight us for them.”

“Brother, if I don’t pick them all, I won’t feel at ease. Besides, I’m used to it. When we were little and picked chestnuts, we were always slower than others and couldn’t get much.”

The two of them happily picked up chestnuts under the tree, the sound of them plopping into the baskets making the corners of Lin Yu’s mouth lift.

When Wei Qingshan came looking for them, the two were still picking. Each of their baskets was already half full. When Lin Yu saw Wei Qingshan coming, his eyes lit up. “Qingshan, hurry over, there are lots of chestnuts here!”

Wei Qingshan was carrying two wild chickens and one wild rabbit, tied up by the legs and placed down properly, before he joined in picking.

The three of them picked for a while longer, and sweat had appeared on Lin Yu’s forehead. Wei Qingshan patted the dirt off his hands and straightened his back. “It’s getting late, time to head down the mountain.”

“There’s still some on the ground. Let’s pick a bit more before going back.”

As Lin Yu spoke, he was about to bend down again, but Wei Qingshan grabbed his arm. “Alright, if we pick too much, it’ll be hard to carry down. Besides, if we take everything, what will the squirrels and rabbits in the forest eat?”

Lin Yu thought about it and agreed. If they picked everything, the wild rabbits and such in the forest would have nothing to eat in winter. “Yueniang, let’s stop picking. We’re heading down the mountain.”

“Okay, coming, Ge!”

The three of them each carried half a basket of chestnuts and went down the mountain. Lin Yu and Zhao Yueniang were thrilled today—they hadn’t expected to find so many chestnuts.

There were many good things in the deep mountains, but Lin Yu was afraid that Zhao Yueniang might go into the deep mountains alone to forage, so he specifically told her not to go in alone because of the many wild beasts.

Zhao Yueniang nodded vigorously. “Brother, I know, I won’t run around.”

In the afternoon, Wei Qingshan slaughtered one of the wild chickens. Lin Yu boiled a pot of water to cook the chestnuts, then sat in the courtyard with Zhao Yueniang to peel them.

In the evening, Lin Yu made stir-fried chicken with chestnuts and added two more dishes. All three of them really liked the soft, glutinous chestnuts they had picked.

When Wei Qingshan was about to go to town, Lin Yu told him to take a basketful to sell in town and to leave half a basket at home. He also packed a cloth bag full of stir-fried chestnuts for Wei Qingshan’s waist pouch. “Eat them on the way when you have time.”

Lin Yu had fried a whole pot of chestnuts early in the morning. They were still hot when he packed them for Wei Qingshan.

“Mm, I’m heading back now.”

After sending Wei Qingshan off, Lin Yu called out to Yueniang and went out to first bring a bowl to Sang Niang. “Give it to Qing-ger to eat.”

Sang Niang thanked him and grabbed a handful of snacks for Lin Yu. “I bought them in town a few days ago. Try them.”

Lin Yu chatted with Sang Niang briefly and was about to leave to give some to Dong-ger and the others when he heard an old, raspy voice yelling from inside the house. “Sang Niang! Sang Niang! You little bitch, where did you run off to? Bring me water! Bring me water!”

Sang Niang smiled apologetically at Lin Yu. “She’s gone senile. She’s like this every day.”

Lin Yu didn’t say much. “Go ahead and take care of her. I’ll go bring some to Dong-ger.”

Ever since Qian Laotai broke her leg, Lin Yu hadn’t seen her again. The outcome she had now was well-deserved. Such a vicious heart—Qing-ger was still so small, and she had actually wanted to throw him into the mountains to feed the wolves.

After Lin Yu left, Sang Niang pushed open the door to the main room. “Why do you only cause a scene when people are around?”

Qian Laotai, lying in bed with disheveled hair and a filthy face, glared at Sang Niang viciously as soon as she saw her. “Was it that little hussy from next door who came over? Always meddling! If it weren’t for Wei Qingshan hunting that wild boar, Qian Gui’er wouldn’t have died! If not for him, that little bastard of yours would’ve died long ago!”

Sang Niang lifted a bowl of cold water and splashed it onto the old woman on the bed. “Qian Gui’er died because he deserved it. Even the heavens couldn’t stand him. He got what he deserved. If you keep yelling, there won’t be any food for you today.”

Sang Niang closed the door to the main room and didn’t bother with her. Qing-ger stood at the door, not daring to go in. “Mama.”

Sang Niang patted Qing-ger’s head. “It’s okay, Mother’s just going to take some water in for your grandmother.”

After delivering the chestnuts to Sang Niang, Lin Yu went to bring some to He Dongdong. He Dongdong wasn’t very mobile now, but with Shi Tou and Shi Niang taking good care of him, his little face had grown rounder. “Yu-ger, you’re here! Come, have some malt candy.”

Lin Yu scooped a bowl from the basket for He Dongdong. “Look what I brought you.”

“Ah! Chestnuts!”

“They’re still hot, eat them while they’re warm.”

He Dongdong also liked roasted chestnuts. He peeled one and tossed it into his mouth—it was sweet, soft, and glutinous. “Mother, Yu-ger brought chestnuts! You and Shi Tou come eat too.”

Shi Tou came over as well, but all the peeled chestnuts were given to He Dongdong to eat. Shi Niang looked at the affectionate couple and lowered her head with a smile.

Lin Yu chatted with He Dongdong for a bit, then said he wanted to go check on Chun-ger. He Dongdong stood up. “I’ll go too. It just so happens I need to buy two blocks of tofu.”

“Dong-ger, I’ll go buy it,” Shi Tou hurried to say.

He Dongdong pouted unhappily. “Mother, look at him!”

“You go, you go, don’t let Shi Tou go,” Shi Niang handed the bowl to He Dongdong. Only then did He Dongdong smile again. Yu-ger had finally come to see him, and he wanted to go out for a walk with him.

Lin Yu supported He Dongdong. “Auntie, don’t worry, I’ll bring Dong-ger back soon.”

“Ai, sorry to trouble Yu-ger,” Shi Niang said with a smile, stuffing two persimmons into Lin Yu’s basket.

The two went together to Chun-ger’s house to buy tofu. Since Chun-ger was doing postpartum confinement, no one in the village had tofu to eat this past month. Now that Chun-ger had started making tofu again, they went to check on her and to buy some tofu.

When they arrived, Wang Er was selling tofu outside. Chun-ger was sitting in the main room soothing the baby. When he saw the two come in, he quickly called them into the room. “Yu-ger, you are not too busy anymore?”

“We’re not really busy anymore, there’s Yueniang at home helping out.”

Chun-ger had also heard about what happened at Wei Qingshan’s house. He thought Lin Yu and his little sister were also pitiful. Lin Yu scooped some chestnuts from the basket and handed them over. “Went into the mountains yesterday and picked some chestnuts. Try some.”

“Thank you, Yu-ger. You’re always thinking of me.”

Lin Yu had never seen such a tiny baby before. He looked at the baby in Chun-ger’s arms with full curiosity. Chun-ger laughed. “Come, let our Lin Fulang carry him.”

Chun-ger placed the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes into Lin Yu’s arms. “You hold him.”

Holding such a small baby, Lin Yu looked nervous and at a loss, afraid he would make the baby cry. But the baby in the swaddling clothes not only didn’t cry, he even grinned, showing his gums.

“Aiya, so happy being held by our Yu-ger.”

He Dongdong also let the little one grasp his finger to play. “He’s so fun.”

He Dongdong’s little niece was about the same age as Chun-ger’s baby. In his family, only his eldest sister-in-law had given birth to a girl. There was no need to even mention how much of a treasure she was considered.

Chun-ger joked with a smile, “Sure enough, he’s closest to Yu-ger. He won’t even let his own father hold him.”

Chun-ger had been married for two years before having a child. He firmly believed that his child had been brought by Lin Yu. It was because Yu-ger embroidered a quilt cover for Dong-ger at that time. He had touched the baby pattern on the embroidery and then got pregnant.

Not only did he believe this, but even his husband Wang Er believed it, and he was especially grateful to Lin Yu. When he heard Lin Yu’s family was going to build a thatched house, Wang Er grabbed his hoe and rushed over to help.

After playing with the baby for a while, Lin Yu got up to leave. Chun-ger quickly shouted toward the courtyard, “Wang Er, Wang Er, get some tofu for Chun-ger and Dong-ger to take back.”

“Alright!”

Wang Er packed several blocks into bowls for them. Lin Yu quickly tried to refuse. “Two blocks are enough, two blocks are enough.”

“Take them back, take them back.”

While Wang Er wasn’t paying attention, Lin Yu and He Dongdong placed the copper coins on the table. “Chun-ger, we’re heading off now.”

“Ai, I won’t see you off. You two walk slowly.”

“Got it.”

Lin Yu supported He Dongdong and sent him back. While no one was looking, Wang Er slipped into the house to look at his baby. “Say ‘daddy’, say ‘daddy’.”

Chun-ger slapped him. “He’s barely old enough!”

“Wang Er, two blocks of tofu.”

“Coming!”

Hearing someone come to buy tofu, Wang Er hurried out, the smile still lingering on his face. The person buying tofu saw the coins on the chopping board. “Wang Er, you’ve got so many copper coins, your house is full of them.”

Wang Er saw the copper coins on the chopping board and immediately knew it was Lin Yu and the other who had left them. Chun-ger inside the house also heard it. “Wang Er, you might as well be dead for being so stupid. I told you to give Yu-ger and them some tofu, and you couldn’t even do that properly!”

“Chun-ger, I’ll go deliver it back to Yu-ger!”

“Come back! Forget it. Yu-ger isn’t the kind to take advantage of others. If you send it back to him, he won’t come buy tofu again next time.”

Chun-ger was sitting inside peeling chestnuts as a little snack. There was only one chestnut tree on the back hill, and it had already been picked clean before the nuts even ripened. These chestnuts must have been carried back by Yu-ger from deep in the mountains. They were very sweet, very glutinous. In the countryside, anything with even a bit of sweetness was a rarity.

Wei Qingshan’s business today was still very good. There was a line at the small stall selling stewed offal. Shi Xiaoliu could handle it all by himself; he was very clever and quick with his hands and feet.

Even though there was now Yueniang helping to wash, every day, there were still people who couldn’t buy any. Those who wanted to eat would come early and line up. The people who came to eat pig offal were all ordinary folks from the town. Those wealthy families looked down on this kind of thing.

But everyone was happy to buy it—cheap, tasty, and meaty. Some even brought it home to pair with wine. The flavor was amazing.

Wei Qingshan didn’t plan to make more, otherwise, it would become too much work.

After everything sold out, Shi Xiaoliu sat on a small stool wiping his sweat. Wei Qingshan took a small cloth pouch down from the mule cart. It was full of chestnuts Lin Yu had specifically told him to give to Shi Xiaoliu. “My husband told me to bring these for you.”

Shi Xiaoliu opened it and saw that it was packed with chestnuts. “Thank you, Uncle!!”

“There’s also a whole basket of chestnuts. Help sell them, too. I’ll add more copper coins for you when they’re all sold.”

“Okay!” Shi Xiaoliu was very happy to hear that. Chestnuts were easy to sell. He grabbed a bowl and started shouting, “Selling chestnuts, selling chestnuts! Sweet and soft, five copper coins per bowl!”

Wei Qingshan gave him specific instructions, “Xiaoliu, put the copper coins from the chestnut sales into this empty cloth pouch. It also has other people’s money inside.”

“Okay, I got it, Uncle.”

The chestnuts sold very well. There wasn’t another vendor on this street selling them. Within an hour, they were completely sold out. By the time they were done, it had just passed noon.

Shi Xiaoliu helped clean up the stall. Wei Qingshan counted twenty copper coins for him—fifteen from selling the stewed intestines, and five from the chestnuts.

Shi Xiaoliu held the twenty coins happily. “Thank you, Uncle. I’ll head home for lunch now.”

Wei Qingshan nodded.

Shi Xiaoliu bounced home carrying the pouch of roasted chestnuts. “Mother, Xiaoshu, Xiaohua, I’m back! Lin Ama brought me chestnuts! Come eat!”

Shi Xiaoshu and Shi Xiaohua immediately ran over and hugged Shi Xiaoliu’s legs. “Brother, you’re back!”

Madam Wu also lifted her head. “Why are you back a bit late today? Did Lin Ama bring something over?”

“Yeah, today he brought a whole basket of chestnuts.”

“There’s food saved for you in the pot, go eat quickly.”

“Okay, I know.” Shi Xiaoliu handed the twenty copper coins to Madam Wu. “Mother, take them.”

“Why is there more than usual today?”

“Uncle Wei said it’s because we sold chestnuts today, so he added five more.”

“Master Wei and Lin Fulang really are good people.” Madam Wu went inside and put away the coins. Ever since Xiaoliu found this job, life at home had become much more comfortable. At least they weren’t so tight on food anymore.

Even though the job at Boss Wei’s place only required working two out of every four days, each time Xiaoliu went, he earned more copper coins than Madam Wu did in a whole day of washing laundry.

Shi Xiaoliu washed his hands, then took out a steamed cornbread mixed with wheat flour from the pot. That was already very good—after he started earning coins, the family could finally afford some white flour.

Shi Xiaoliu munched on the cornbread with pickled vegetables and ate with great relish. He sat in the courtyard while his younger siblings gathered around the table peeling chestnuts.

“Mother, they’re so sweet!” Shi Xiaohua shouted.

The four of them couldn’t even bear to buy a piece of candy, so getting to eat something sweet like this made Shi Xiaoshu and Shi Xiaohua ecstatic.

“Mother, you eat too! Lin Ama brought me a lot!”

“Alright.” Madam Wu wiped her hands and also ate some. But she was reluctant to eat too many of such a good thing—she just had a few as a gesture and left the rest for the three children.

After closing up his stall, Wei Qingshan brought the chestnut earnings back and gave them separately to Lin Yu, telling him to count out half for Zhao Yueniang. Lin Yu also agreed this was the right thing to do. A whole basket of chestnuts sold for more than eight hundred copper coins—nearly a string of coins. It really was a lot.

Lin Yu counted out half and gave them to Zhao Yueniang. After dinner, he walked into Zhao Yueniang’s room holding the coins. “Yueniang, this is from selling the chestnuts. This portion is yours.”

“Brother! I don’t want it!” Zhao Yueniang was a little angry.

Lin Yu took her hand and placed the coins in it. “It’s different. These were carried down the mountain with your hard work. I’m taking my share too. Girls can buy hairpins and ribbons or whatever.”

Zhao Yueniang was unwilling to take it, and Lin Yu had to persuade her again and again before she finally accepted it. Zhao Yueniang had never seen so many copper coins before. She placed them under her pillow and was so happy that she couldn’t sleep the entire night.

Wei Qingshan hadn’t come to town these past two days and didn’t know that Zhao Dazhi had already been hooked by Qingyi. Qingyi had given some copper coins to the beggars on the street, and as soon as Zhao Dazhi appeared, they told her. She carried a basket and deliberately bumped into Zhao Dazhi.

A little “aiyo” and a lean into him, and she had already led Zhao Dazhi into Yanghua Alley. Zhao Dazhi, knowing there was silver at home, thought day and night about ways to get silver from Cai Chunhua. Once he got it, he ran straight to Changchun Tower, claiming it was for the Juren, but he gave it all to the courtesan there.

After a bout of pleasure, Zhao Dazhi felt thoroughly relaxed. “Good treasure, what’s your name?”

“This humble woman is Qingyi.”

“So you’re Qingyi, huh? That head courtesan at Changchun Tower, Hongfu—bah, what kind of thing is she? I spent one tael of silver to get in and only saw her once. All of them are dogs who look down on people.”

Qingyi gently soothed Zhao Dazhi, “Scholar Zhao, don’t be angry. From now on, Qingyi will serve you.”

Zhao Dazhi felt so comfortable under her soft little hands. “How come I never realized there was such a good place in town before? How did you know I’m a scholar?”

“Oh my, Scholar Zhao, you’re wearing a scholar’s robe and look so distinguished. One glance and I knew you must be a scholar. Today, you’re escorting me home. Qingyi is deeply grateful.”

Zhao Dazhi was coaxed into a daze by Qingyi, floating and dizzy. When he left, he gave her all the silver he had on him, a whole tael.

Zhao Dazhi felt this was truly a good place—he spent less silver, and here, he was the master. In Changchun Tower, even a turtle servant dared to show him an attitude.

Zhao Dazhi was completely infatuated with the warm nest that was Qingyi, coming up with all sorts of ways to ask Cai Chunhua for more silver.

Cai Chunhua saw that Zhao Dazhi had been going to town more frequently lately and began to worry about the money. “Dazhi, why are you running to town every day lately? You’ve already spent five or six taels out of those twenty.”

“Mother, just give me a little more this time. The Juren is giving us private lessons and says he’ll reveal the exam questions for next year!”

Cai Chunhua widened her eyes, “Really?!”

“Absolutely true! Next year, your son will definitely pass the scholar exam, and by then you’ll be the mother of a scholar!”

Yao Jinling also widened her eyes, “Then I’ll be the wife of a scholar next year! Mother, hurry and give Dazhi the silver. Such a great opportunity—there can’t be many who know about it.”

“Jinling is right. If everyone knew, then wouldn’t everyone become scholars next year?”

Seeing how earnestly Zhao Dazhi spoke, Cai Chunhua was moved. These years, they had already spent so much silver on his studies. Now with the Juren helping, next year he was sure to pass!

“How much this time?”

“Ten taels.”

“That much?!”

“It’s fine if you won’t give. Others will know the test content, but I won’t.”

Cai Chunhua gritted her teeth and gave it. “Son, next year you must really pass!”

“Don’t worry, Mother. This time I’m going to stay at the Juren’s house for a few days. You absolutely mustn’t tell anyone. Otherwise, everyone will go.”

“Don’t worry, I know what to do.”

Zhao Dazhi took the silver and packed some things that same day, pretending he was going to study. “Mother, I’m off to town.”

“So late and you’re still going?”

“Mother, if I go early, I can hear more.”

“That’s true, go on then, go.”

As soon as Zhao Dazhi left the house, he hired an ox cart and went straight to Yanghua Alley. As soon as he dropped off his stuff, he couldn’t wait to walk into the room. “Qingyi, Qingyi, I’m back! Come out and greet your master!”

Qingyi was entertaining another guest inside. As Zhao Dazhi walked in, he saw her clothes in disarray and flew into a rage, pushing the man out. “Get out! Qingyi is mine!”

“Poor ghost, do you even have silver?!”

Zhao Dazhi slapped two silver taels onto the table. “What do you think?!”

Qingyi saw the silver and welcomed Zhao Dazhi with a smile. “Master, you’ve finally come. You don’t know, while you were gone, I’ve been bullied so much.”

“Alright, alright, Master’s got you covered.”

Qingyi had seen it—Zhao Dazhi’s bundle had quite a bit of silver inside. That man who called himself ‘Boss’ was right, this was a fat pig indeed!

Zhao Dazhi acted like a little tyrant here in Qingyi’s place. Qingyi served him with good food and drink, even invited her sisters to come entertain him, and completely bewitched him. The ten taels of silver were gone in just a few days. Zhao Dazhi packed his things and went back home to ask for more.

Wei Qingshan had come by once in the middle, and when he saw that Qingyi had the man completely hooked, he never came again. That woman had skills—Zhao Dazhi was no match for her.

After half a month, Lin Yu’s coin pouch had bulged as well. This time, when Wei Qingshan went to town, both he and Zhao Yueniang came along. Yueniang didn’t have any winter clothes, so Lin Yu brought her to town to buy some.

Zhao Yueniang had rarely been to town and was very happy. She brought all her wages with her. They were buying cotton for her—how could she let her brother pay?

On the way there, they had a lot of stuff, so all three of them walked beside the mule cart. When they got tired, Lin Yu and Zhao Yueniang took turns sitting on the cart to rest.

Zhao Yueniang sat on the cart swinging her legs. “Brother, it’s my first time riding a mule cart!”

“When we come back with less stuff, all three of us can ride.”

“Mm!”

Zhao Yueniang was still just a half-grown child, with a child’s temperament. Sitting up there, she was very happy.

Lin Yu hadn’t seen Shi Xiaoliu for half a month. Every time he came, he would see Shi Xiaoliu rushing over early. But today, even when the cart had already stopped by the stall, Shi Xiaoliu was nowhere to be seen.