Wei Qingshan drove the mule cart to collect pigs near Lujia Village. After dealing with the pigs at home, he went to Shunzi’s house. When he arrived, Shunzi and Lian-ger were picking wild vegetables. When they saw Wei Qingshan coming, they quickly moved the stools and poured tea. “Madam Wu, you’re back.”

Shunzi and Lian-ger were very grateful to Wei Qingshan. If it weren’t for him buying their wild vegetables, their days would not have been this much easier. His family already had little land, and the grain they harvested was never enough to eat. Last year, disaster struck, and their two mu of dry fields yielded not a single grain. It was only with great difficulty that they endured until now.

All the silver they had saved over the past few years had been used to buy grain, leaving the household completely impoverished. If they hadn’t sold some wild vegetables, they probably wouldn’t even have food to eat now.

Shunzi thanked him aloud, “Brother Qingshan, thanks to you buying vegetables, now the crops in the field will be ready to harvest in a few days. We’ve finally endured until now.”

Wei Qingshan then said that he wanted to hire Shunzi for some work. Shunzi was shocked. “Really? Why pay so much!”

“It’s hard labor. You’ll have to get up early in the morning.”

“I’m willing, I’m willing!” Shunzi agreed repeatedly. Wasn’t it just kneading dough? Forty copper coins a day—of course, he was willing!

Shunzi’s mother and Lian-ger were also very happy when they heard this. This was a great blessing for their family. They kept thanking him over and over. Shunzi was very happy. His family was poor, his wife’s family was also poor, they had little land, and life had always been hard. Now that he had work, their family finally had something to look forward to.

“Don’t worry, it won’t interfere with fieldwork. When it’s time to harvest the crops, Yu-ger and I will also be back.”

Wei Qingshan took out two strings of one hundred copper coins each. “This is five days’ wages. Take it first.”

Shunzi’s face turned red with joy. He immediately packed a few sets of clothes, carried a quilt, and left with Wei Qingshan.

Lian-ger wiped his eyes as he watched Shunzi’s departing figure. Life finally had hope again.

Shunzi followed Wei Qingshan to the town. On the way back, Wei Qingshan also bought an iron pot. The bamboo steamers were no longer enough, so he bought seven or eight more to rotate in use.

That night, Shunzi slept in the back of the butcher shop. The butcher shop was spacious, and sleeping there was comfortable. At dawn, they just had to move the bed out to do business. Though it wasn’t as nice as sleeping at home, it wasn’t bad either. Shunzi was already very satisfied, feeling deeply moved that they thought of him.

With Shunzi helping, they no longer needed to get up so early. Lin Yu only got up at dawn, mixed the filling, and made buns with Madam Wu. Madam Wu came early and had already been making buns for a while. Lin Yu had taught her how to make vegetable filling, and there were already buns steaming on one of the pots.

Lin Yu simply told Madam Wu to just work until the morning; she didn’t need to come in the afternoon—come early, leave early.

With Shunzi there, Lin Yu, Zhao Yueniang, and the others no longer had to wake up early. The two of them could make some in advance first. With this arrangement, no one would get too tired. The afternoon work could just be handled by the three of them—it was just enough manpower.

Shunzi worked very hard at this job. He was perfectly capable of handling dough mixing and kneading. This job was far easier than digging the river that year.

When the two shops opened today, they were also surrounded by crowds of people. Lin Yu’s locust-flower-filled buns were very popular. Those who came yesterday came again today. Among the crowd were quite a few servants carrying food boxes to buy some—ladies and young misses at home all loved to eat them.

There were still many people today. The two large iron pots were steaming in the courtyard, and they barely managed to meet the demand. Shunzi kneaded the dough, Madam Wu rolled out the wrappers, and Lin Yu wrapped the buns. Today, they mixed the dough twice, and although they sold out before noon, they closed the shop early and stopped selling.

Shunzi was a little dumbfounded. He thought they had to mix and knead dough the whole day. He hadn’t expected the shop to close before noon, leaving him with no more work.

“Brother Qingshan, we’re not selling anymore?”

“No, we’re not. In the afternoon, bun sales aren’t good, so we only sell until noon.”

Shunzi now felt that this job was practically like a pie falling from the sky. Although he had to get up early, he stopped working by noon, and he also ate well and to his fill. He was even more grateful that the two of them had found this job for him. He knew very well that Wei Qingshan had come to him entirely because Lin Yu was helping him. His husband had spoken a few good words for Lin Yu in the village, and Lin Yu still remembered that.

After the shop was closed, Madam Wu also left. There wasn’t much work in the afternoon. When Shunzi wanted to help chop dried vegetables, Lin Yu stopped him. “Brother Shunzi, take a rest. We hired you just to knead dough, you don’t need to do other work.”

Shunzi was a little embarrassed. Shi Xiaoliu even drove Lin Yu away. “Lin Ama, you go rest, I’ll do it. It’ll be done soon.”

Wei Qingshan went to collect pigs again. Lin Yu felt a little tired and went to sleep. Shunzi felt embarrassed to be idle and helped chop vegetables, which made Shi Xiaoliu feel embarrassed instead. There wasn’t much work anyway, so the three of them quickly finished and went back to rest.

These past few days, Lin Yu had felt a little tired. The buns at the shop were in short supply, and boxes of copper coins were carried into the house every day. Lin Yu didn’t even count them, but estimated that now, after deducting costs and wages, they could earn four or five taels of silver a day. Even Lin Yu himself felt that it was more than he had expected.

A few days ago, there had been so many customers that the buns couldn’t meet demand. Wei Qingshan’s pigs could be sold one a day. Taking advantage of this time, all the rabbits in the courtyard were sold as well—one restaurant even directly bought fifty of them.

The afternoon work became even lighter. They no longer needed to cut grass or take care of the rabbits, nor clean the rabbit cages. The courtyard was much cleaner now. Seeing that the open space was empty, Lin Yu turned it into a small vegetable garden and sowed some vegetable seeds in it.

After everyone had been busy for seven or eight days, there were finally fewer customers at the shop, but Lin Yu’s newly released locust-flower-filled buns were the most popular. Those wealthy ladies loved to eat them, and there were often little servants carrying food boxes coming to buy some at the shop entrance. Calculated together, the two shops could earn nearly five taels of silver a day.

Lin Yu used to like counting copper coins, but now there were too many at home. He couldn’t finish counting even a whole basket of copper coins, so every few days Wei Qingshan would take them to the money house to exchange for silver.

As the weather grew hotter, after Lin Yu ate his noon meal and worked with Shi Xiaoliu for a while, he went to take a nap.

In the courtyard, Shi Xiaoliu was talking with Zhao Yueniang. Shi Xiaoliu’s tone carried a trace of happiness. “Did you hear? Wang Jinbao and Duan Dahu lost their yamen jobs because of Qiu Laoliu, and the two families go over every day to make a fuss, demanding that Qiu Laoliu pay silver. They make such a fuss that Qiu Laoliu’s injuries can’t even heal.”

Zhao Yueniang gave a cold hum. “Serves him right for getting my brother-in-law thrown into prison.”

Shunzi was beside them, helping out with some work. He didn’t talk much, just listened to the two of them chatting. He had been here for a few days now, eating well, living well, and had learned a bit about Wei Qingshan’s affairs.

“Now none of those families dare to go out. If they go out, the townspeople’s spit could drown them.”

“And that Xiucai Zhou’s business isn’t good either. A scholar with such a petty heart—at his age, even if he goes to do bookkeeping for others, no one wants him.”

Shi Xiaoliu’s voice was crisp, and when he spoke, it was like crackling firecrackers. Listening to his voice, Lin Yu fell asleep. When he woke up, his stomach felt a little uncomfortable. There were no dried fruits left at home, so he took some copper coins to Boss Jin’s shop to buy some dried fruits.

Madam Jin naturally recognized Lin Yu and greeted him warmly. “Lin Fulang has come. What would you like to buy?”

“I want to buy some sour dried fruits. The weather is hot, and I always feel like I have no appetite.”

Madam Jin brought him several kinds. “Try them and see which one you like.”

Lin Yu especially liked dried apricots and sour hawthorn cake, so he bought some to take back.

Now, with one pig being slaughtered every two days, Wei Qingshan wasn’t as busy anymore. At night, Lin Yu still lay on top of Wei Qingshan as they talked. Lin Yu yawned. “I guess in about another month we can go back to harvest the rice. The wheat from the two mu of dry fields will be enough for the shop to use for a while.”

Wei Qingshan responded with a soft “mm,” gently stroking Lin Yu’s long hair. “Why have you been so low on energy lately? Are you exhausted?”

“It’s fine. With Shunzi here, I have much less work to do.” As Lin Yu spoke, his voice grew softer. “This disaster is finally about to be endured through.”

These past two days, Lin Yu especially liked to eat dried apricots, tossing one into his mouth from time to time, eating while working. Even Madam Wu felt that something seemed off. “Lin Fulang, have you been feeling uncomfortable lately, wanting to vomit?”

“How did you know?” Lin Yu looked at Madam Wu with surprise all over his face.

“Could it be that you are… You know.”

“What do you mean, you know?”

“Pregnant, of course.”

The dried apricot in Lin Yu’s hand fell to the ground. He was flustered, and his speech became a bit stammered. “I—I don’t know.”

He and Wei Qingshan had been married for almost three years. Dong-ger’s child could already run around shouting for his father, while he and Wei Qingshan still had no news. Although Wei Qingshan had never said anything, Lin Yu also wanted children. The two of them had long since talked about it—if they had one, they had one, if not, then not.

Madam Wu also knew that Lin Yu had been married for almost three years. She was afraid Lin Yu might be happy for nothing. “It’s better to go and see a doctor just to be sure.”

Lin Yu nodded but was a little absent-minded while wrapping buns.

After eating, Wei Qingshan didn’t have to go out to collect pigs that afternoon. Lin Yu tugged on Wei Qingshan’s sleeve and softly said he felt a bit unwell and wanted to see a doctor.

Wei Qingshan immediately became nervous. “Could it be that you’ve been worn out these past few days?”

Lin Yu shook his head. “I don’t know.”

He didn’t tell Wei Qingshan, afraid that he would be happy for nothing, and only said that he wasn’t feeling well.

Wei Qingshan, afraid that something might be wrong with Lin Yu, quickly took out silver. “Let’s go right away.”

The two of them walked toward the medical hall together. Hearing that Lin Yu wasn’t feeling well, Wei Qingshan was filled with unease all along the way, worried that something might be wrong.

When they arrived at the medical hall, the doctor took his pulse. “Congratulations to you both. It is a pregnancy pulse, already over a month.”

Lin Yu didn’t quite believe it and asked again, “Really?”

“Yes, I have been practicing medicine for many years. How could I misdiagnose a pregnancy pulse?”

Wei Qingshan didn’t react right away. The overwhelming joy nearly made him lose his footing. He had to steady himself against the table. “Xiao Yu, we have a child.”

Lin Yu wiped his tears. “We have a child.”

Although Lin Yu said nothing more, this had been a sore spot in his heart. He hadn’t expected the child to come so suddenly, truly fulfilling Wei Qingshan’s words—once their days got better, they would have a child.

“The body is a little weak. I will prescribe some tonic medicine. Also, no intimacy for the first three months.”

The old doctor’s words made Wei Qingshan’s ears turn red. He remembered that his little fulang had said his stomach hurt. Fortunately, the child was fine. Wei Qingshan grabbed the medicine and headed back. On the way, he was so afraid Lin Yu would get tired that he asked several times, “Should I carry you back?”

Lin Yu’s face was red as he refused to let him carry him. “We’re on the street, everyone’s watching.”

Wei Qingshan, who was usually steady and composed, was rarely acting like a silly young man. He kept asking Lin Yu now and then if he was tired, if he was hungry, if there was anything he wanted to eat.

Lin Yu shook his head. “No.”

Wei Qingshan couldn’t hold back a laugh. “This little thing came as quite a surprise. From now on, cooking and making buns will all be left to Yueniang and Xiaoliu. You just rest.”

“How can I be so delicate?” Lin Yu retorted softly.

Wei Qingshan’s face darkened. “Didn’t you hear the doctor say the first three months are dangerous? This month, you were even frightened. Good thing the child is fine.”

Lin Yu was a little scared and hurriedly nodded over and over. “I know, I know.”

Only then was Wei Qingshan satisfied. When he thought about it now, he still felt lingering fear. He had gotten into trouble, and his little fulang had been worried sick, even standing with him in court all morning. And in the past few days, the shop had been so busy it was spinning in circles. Luckily, the child was fine.

Zhao Yueniang and Shi Xiaoliu already knew that Lin Yu had gone to see the doctor, and both were very worried. When they saw Wei Qingshan coming back with medicine in his hand, they hurriedly gathered around.

“Brother, what’s wrong with you?”

“Lin Ama, are you alright?”

Lin Yu smiled and shook his head. “It’s nothing, I’m pregnant.”

“Ah!” Zhao Yueniang was startled, then showed a silly grin. “Then I have a little nephew now!”

Shi Xiaoliu was even happier, jumping up. “Lin Ama, hurry and drink some water. I’ll decoct the medicine for you!”

Shi Xiaoliu quickly took the tonic and went to cook it, and Shunzi also heard about it. “Brother Qingshan, congratulations!”

Wei Qingshan smiled. “Thank you.”

Because Lin Yu was pregnant, Zhao Yueniang and Shi Xiaoliu didn’t let him touch any of the household chores. The next day, Lin Yu taught the two of them how to mix the bun fillings. He thought that one day, when Zhao Yueniang and Shi Xiaoliu got married, they could also have a skill to make a living.

Lin Yu completely became an idle person. He was so idle that he felt restless. Sometimes he would go and make a few buns. Madam Wu kept an eye on him and wouldn’t let him make too many. Making just a few was enough to pass the time.

Knowing that Lin Yu had a poor appetite, Wei Qingshan bought a lot of sour hawthorn cakes and dried loquats. At night, when they slept, Wei Qingshan no longer dared to let Lin Yu lie on top of him, afraid he would press against the child.

Lin Yu lay there and touched his lower abdomen. “Why is it so flat? You can’t tell at all.”

“In a few more days, you’ll be able to see it.”

Lin Yu pulled Wei Qingshan’s hand over. “Feel it.”

Wei Qingshan’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he gently placed his hand on it. Lin Yu’s small belly was soft and warm, but Wei Qingshan didn’t feel anything. He didn’t dare to use any strength at all. Lin Yu felt ticklish from being touched and giggled twice. “So ticklish.”

“Alright, time to sleep.”

Since Lin Yu had nothing to do lately, he went with Wei Qingshan to the cloth shop and bought some cloth. With nothing better to do, he thought he might as well make some little bellybands and jackets.

Wei Qingshan simply bought quite a lot more. Now that there was silver in the house, and no one in the family had new clothes this year, he simply bought enough fabric for everyone to have a set of clothes, even Shi Xiaoliu got a set. Lin Yu didn’t tell him for now. He planned to wait until they were finished before telling him—it wouldn’t be too late then.

Wei Qingshan repeatedly told him over and over that he only needed to make the clothes for the child and the two of them. Lin Yu nodded. “I know. For Yueniang and Xiaoliu, just make Yueniang’s.”

On the way back, they passed by someone selling sweet melons, so Wei Qingshan bought a few. Fresh fruit was expensive, and just those few sweet melons cost one tael of silver. But since it was hot and Lin Yu had a poor appetite, as long as Lin Yu could eat more, no matter how expensive it was, he didn’t mind. There were now more than four hundred taels of silver in the house, and he still had some pelts he hadn’t sold yet. Counting those, it was over five hundred taels.

Wasn’t earning so much silver just to let his little fulang live well? Wei Qingshan didn’t feel distressed about the silver at all. After they got back, he cut two melons for Lin Yu to eat.

The emerald-green melons were very refreshing, and Lin Yu really liked them. The others had never eaten them either. Lin Yu called them over, but no one dared to take any. Finally, Lin Yu put on a stern face and made everyone take a piece.

Shi Xiaoliu smacked his lips. “So sweet.”