Shi Xiaoliu arrived early to open the shop. He still lived with Ding Xiaohe and Ding Xiaosui at Lin Fulang’s place. The new clerks they were hiring all came from the county town, so they could simply go home after closing the shop.

Shi Xiaoliu wore a jade-green robe, his hair held up by a willow-leaf silver hairpin. He directed the young assistants to wipe the tables before checking the ingredients delivered to the kitchen that morning.

Lin Fulang mentioned the accountant would arrive within the next couple of days. With business booming, they truly needed an accountant to manage the books. Previously, Lin Fulang had handled everything, but now that Tuan-ger had grown older, he needed to care for him. Having an accountant would be beneficial.

The shop was already tidied up. Steaming buns were brought out from the kitchen and placed by the door. Two assistants were stationed at the front to sell buns. This morning was the busiest time for the shop. By late morning, they would stop selling regular buns and switch to selling soup dumplings and other snacks.

During this busy morning rush, Shi Xiaoliu helped serve soup to customers seated inside. Once the peak period passed, his workload would lighten, and he’d only need to keep an eye on the shop.

“Excuse me, who is the owner, Mr. Lin?”

A clear voice came from the doorway. Standing there was a man in a brown robe, carrying a small bundle on his back.

Shi Xiaoliu immediately recognized him. “You must be the new accountant. Come in first. It’s busy right now, but I’ll talk to you later.”

“Alright.”

Song Zhu stepped inside. Shi Xiaoliu gestured toward the counter. “There’s a stool in the back. You can sit there and wait for a moment.”

Song Zhu thanked him and took a seat. He surveyed the shop—it was quite busy at the moment. Besides the young man who had just spoken to him, four or five other young men and women bustled about, busy at work. Business seemed to be thriving.

Feeling awkward about just sitting idle, Song Zhu took out the writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones he had brought with him. He then stood by the counter to help collect the copper coins.

After bustling about for a while, the shop gradually quieted down. Business would pick up again closer to noon. Seeing how capable Song Zhu was, Shi Xiaoliu’s impression of him improved considerably. “My name is Shi Xiaoliu. I run this shop. You can call me Xiaoliu or Liu-ger.”

“My name is Song Zhu. I’m the new accountant. I live just outside the county town.”

“I know. Lin A-Ma mentioned you a few days ago.”

“Where’s Mr. Lin? I don’t see him.”

“Oh, Lin A-Ma has to go to the school this morning. He might stop by in the afternoon.”

Song Zhu had also heard from Lou Qingfeng that the shop’s owner was a ger. He was quite impressed—a ger managing two such large shops.

Song Zhu got to work in the shop. That afternoon, a ger arrived holding a little boy’s hand. The toddler, just over a year old, was utterly adorable. He didn’t need to be carried, instead clambering over the threshold himself with a huff and a puff.

“Xiaoliu~”

The little one spoke in a babyish voice. Shi Xiaoliu responded and picked up the little ball of fluff. “Ah, it’s our Tuan-ger~”

Tuan-ger couldn’t speak in long sentences yet, only managing to pop out two-word phrases. Lin Yu had taught him several times to call Shi Xiaoliu “Brother Xiaoliu,” and the little one had memorized those two words. Every time he saw Shi Xiaoliu, he would call out “Xiaoliu~”

Sometimes when he called too quickly, it came out as ‘Xiao Yu’, making everyone burst into laughter.

Shi Xiaoliu cradled the little white ball. “Lin A-ma, our shop’s accountant has arrived. His name is Song Zhu.”

Lin Yu smiled at him. “Hello, Mr. Song. We’ll be relying on you from now on.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Lin Yu wasn’t one for many words to begin with. After exchanging a few sentences with Song Zhu, he fell silent. With few customers in the shop at the moment, Lin Yu played with Tuan-ger for a while before leaving.

The little one was full of energy now, drawn to lively spots. After playing a bit, he wanted to head out to the street. Lin Yu took Tuan-ger by the hand and stepped outside.

Song Zhu remained in the shop. For two taels of silver a month, he worked alongside gers and girls who were shop assistants. The kitchen staff included some men, and everyone got along well. Song Zhu quite liked this shop.

In his free moments, Song Zhu enjoyed watching Shi Xiaoliu. The young ger wasn’t old, but he worked with remarkable efficiency. His speech came in rapid bursts, like beans spilling from a sack, and he kept the two-story shop running like clockwork.

Later, he heard that Boss Lin was expecting. The boss only came to the shop a few times a month to check the accounts, leaving the entire place under the ger’s capable management.

Song Zhu found the ger quite interesting—he’d never met such a sharp ger.

Shi Xiaoliu never noticed Song Zhu watching him. His daily tasks were plentiful. Though he could have just overseen the shop, he couldn’t sit still. Every day, he bustled about like a spinning top.

Shi Xiaoliu wanted to save enough silver to buy a courtyard in the county town. That way, he could bring his mother and younger siblings Xiaoshu and Xiaohua to live with him. Though his mother currently managed the town’s steamed bun shop, Shunzi was there to help. If his mother passed away, Shunzi and his wife could certainly take over the shop.

Shi Xiaoliu worked with boundless energy. He’d already saved two or three hundred taels of silver. By year’s end, he’d be able to buy a small courtyard and bring his mother and siblings to live with him.

Xiaoshu was now apprenticed to a bricklayer, learning the trade. Though it was hard work, it was a skill nonetheless. His younger sister, Xiaohua, helped their mother at the dumpling shop.

Shi Xiaoliu had it all planned out: once everyone was reunited, Xiaoshu could apprentice with other masons, while his mother and sister would work alongside him at the shop. Their family of four would finally be together.

Shi Xiaoliu hadn’t mentioned this to Lin Yu. He feared that if he told him, he’d insist on helping him out financially without a second thought. He didn’t want that—he could earn it himself. Buying the courtyard later was perfectly fine.

Autumn arrived in the blink of an eye. These days, the sky often drizzled with light rain. When it rained, the shop would close a little early to spare everyone the trouble of walking home in the dark.

Ding Xiaohe rummaged through the room and pulled out an oiled paper umbrella. “Brother Xiaoliu, I found an umbrella. Let’s share it and head back together.”

“Alright.”

“I brought my own umbrella today. Since it’s on my way, I’ll walk you both back.”

Shi Xiaoliu nodded. “Perfect. That way we won’t get our clothes soaked.”

The weather was poor today, and the sky had already grown dim. Ding Xiaohe and Ding Xiaosui shared one umbrella, while Song Zhu and Shi Xiaoliu shared another. Shi Xiaoliu walked briskly with his hands behind his back. Worried he might get wet, Song Zhu tilted the umbrella slightly toward him.

Standing so close to Shi Xiaoliu made Song Zhu a bit nervous. The ger seemed completely uninterested in him, leaving Song Zhu feeling a little hollow inside.

With the two of them so close, Song Zhu towered a head above Shi Xiaoliu. He could even catch the faint scent of soapberry on Shi Xiaoliu’s skin.

Song Zhu escorted him home under the umbrella. Shi Xiaoliu smiled and waved, “Thanks, Mr. Song. You should hurry home before it gets too dark to see the road.”

Song Zhu hummed in acknowledgment, watching the ger enter the house before turning to leave.

Back home, Song Zhu still found himself thinking about Shi Xiaoliu. He’d just put away the umbrella when he bumped into his elder sister-in-law. Song Zhu nodded a greeting, only to receive an impatient glare in return.

Song Zhu didn’t take it to heart. His sister-in-law despised him, her younger brother-in-law, for being a freeloader. Though he was entitled to his share of the household’s possessions, she refused to give him any. The family had once been relatively harmonious, but since their parents passed away, his sister-in-law had been trying to drive him out of the house.

Song Zhu shook his head helplessly. He wasn’t cut out for books anyway. His current job as an accountant suited him well. Once he saved enough silver, he could marry a husband.

Shi Xiaoliu had no idea about Song Zhu’s thoughts. He was completely focused on saving up silver to buy a courtyard. By the time the New Year arrived, Shi Xiaoliu had saved up nearly enough. He planned to talk to his mother about it when he went home for the holidays.

Song Zhu also bought a piece of fabric to give to Shi Xiaoliu. Shi Xiaoliu was quite surprised. “For me?”

“Yes. Thank you for looking out for me this year, Shopkeeper Shi.”

Shi Xiaoliu really liked the fabric. Song Zhu had quite good taste. “Well then, I won’t be polite. Thank you!”

Shi Xiaoliu didn’t think much of it, grinning as he accepted the gift. He could use this fabric to make a new outfit come spring.

Shi Xiaoliu returned home for the New Year. When he mentioned it, Madam Wu readily agreed. This was a good thing—after all, her son Xiaoliu was getting on in years. She could bring the two children along to help Shi Xiaoliu find a suitable match.

Madam Wu had mentioned it during the New Year, but Shi Xiaoliu had no mind for matchmaking. His sole focus was earning silver, so Madam Wu let it go for now. After all, he was still young.

After returning from the New Year, Shi Xiaoliu began looking at courtyards. Lin Yu knew he wanted to help supplement some silver for him. Shi Xiaoliu smiled, his eyes crinkling. “Lin A-ma, I have enough silver.”

Lin Yu smiled too. “Alright, then I’ll help you furnish the place when the time comes.”

Shi Xiaoliu didn’t refuse. “Thank you, Lin A-ma.”

Song Zhu also learned that Shi Xiaoliu intended to buy a house. This only heightened his fear that Shi Xiaoliu might look down on him. Lin Yu was busy preparing dowry items for Yueniang at the time, so Song Zhu came over and chattered away about the matter.

Lin Yu was startled. When had this happened? How come he hadn’t known?

“I’ll ask around, but I can’t decide for Xiaoliu. It’s up to him.”

Lin Yu didn’t rush to tell Shi Xiaoliu about this. He first spoke with Wei Qingshan, asking him to find out more about the Song family. Since coming to the shop, Song Zhu had been diligent and hardworking, and he was quite handsome too. The only thing unknown was the family’s background.

Madam Wu hadn’t arrived from town yet, so Lin Yu couldn’t help but worry a bit more.

Wei Qingshan moved quickly and had the details sorted out within a couple of days. The family was quite well-off, but everything was managed by Song Zhu’s eldest sister-in-law. Song Zhu himself probably didn’t have much silver, and if he married into the family, the sister-in-law relationship would likely be difficult.

Lin Yu frowned at this. What was wrong with the Song family? Being well-off meant nothing if the eldest sister-in-law wouldn’t share any of the money with Song Zhu.

Wei Qingshan calmly sipped his tea. “What’s so difficult about that? Xiaoliu wants to buy a courtyard. If Song Zhu is willing, he can just marry into the family.”

Lin Yu gasped. “Would Song Zhu agree to that?”

“If he doesn’t want to, it’s no big deal. Xiaoliu can find someone better. There are plenty of good families at the City Defense Office. I’ll keep an eye out for him.”

Lin Yu was busy holding Wei Yang and playing with him. The child was burping on Lin Qing’s shoulder, and Lin Yu patted his back gently.

“I still think becoming a son-in-law is better. If he marries into someone else’s family, there’ll be in-laws above, sisters-in-law in the middle, and younger brothers and sisters-in-law below. More people means more complications. This way is much simpler. I think it’s feasible. I’ll ask Xiaoliu about it another day.”

Wei Qingshan hummed in agreement. Seeing both his dads talking, Lin Chao lying nearby grew restless. He let out a loud cry to express his discontent. Wei Qingshan picked him up. These two little rascals were such handfuls—Tuan-ger had been so much easier to handle back then.

When their family first arrived in the county town, Lin Yu was busy setting up the shop, and Tuan-ger would lie quietly in his basket without fuss. How different from these two now—especially Wei Yang, whose cries were deafening.

The more Lin Yu thought about it, the more he felt becoming a son-in-law was the right choice. Once Shi Xiaoliu returned, he called him over. “Mr. Song mentioned this to me a few days ago. What do you think of him?”

Shi Xiaoliu gasped. “Song Zhu has feelings for me? He’s a scholar, from a family in the county seat. Could he possibly fancy a country ger like me?”

“What are you talking about? What’s wrong with our Xiaoliu? He’s handsome and can earn silver. He’s better than most men out there.“

Shi Xiaoliu felt a bit embarrassed by Lin Yu’s words. ”Forget it. If he really lived with me for a long time, he might not like me anymore.“

”The Song family isn’t all that great either. Song Zhu’s older brother and sister-in-law are domineering. Even though the family is well-off, they won’t share anything with Song Zhu.”

Shi Xiaoliu shook her head firmly. “That’s even worse. I can’t be bothered with all that mess. I’m content with my life now—no need to invite trouble.”

Lin Yu smiled. “That’s exactly how I feel. But if Mr. Song were willing to marry into your family, it would be a good match. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have brought it up.”

“Marry… into the family? Song Zhu marrying into the family?” Shi Xiaoliu stammered in shock. “How could that be? Scholars value their reputation above all. How could Song Zhu marry into someone else’s family?”

“So what? If he’s willing, he’s willing. If not, we’ll just find someone else.”

Shi Xiaoliu stumbled out of the main hall, dazed. He couldn’t decide which piece of news had shocked him more.

Shi Xiaoliu was impatient and couldn’t keep secrets. The next day, as soon as he arrived at the shop, he saw Song Zhu smiling at him. Staring blankly, he blurted out, “You want to marry me?”

Song Zhu flushed bright red. “Yes.”

“But your family doesn’t seem like a good one. If you’re willing to marry into mine, then I’ll agree.”

Shi Xiaoliu had thought about it all night. At first, he felt he wasn’t worthy of a scholar, but then he reminded himself that he wasn’t so bad either. If Song Zhu was willing to marry into his family, it would be a good match. Having spent two years living among beggars, he knew well that if he didn’t act now, the opportunity might slip away.

Translators Notes: This story was completed on 2024, with Extra No. 12 uploaded last July 21, 2024. This side story about Shi Xiaoliu was uploaded on 2025, April 7. There are no updates if the author has plans to continue it.