Not long after his second sister left, Tang Xianling and Tieniu were swamped with work. After the late spring cold snap ended, the weather grew warmer day by day. To avoid disrupting business, the restaurant closed on Friday, and Tang Xianling and Tieniu hurried to Xu Village—leaving the city before the gates closed and traveling through the night to reach their destination.

As for the matters back home, they left those to their mother to handle.

Jiang Yun said, “Go ahead and go. I know exactly what supplies to buy, and we still have Dabao and Sister Tong here at home.”

Everyone can pitch in.

Tang Xianling felt reassured. He’d focus on the immediate tasks for now; once his chili crop started thriving, everything would be fine—

He’d forgotten that this worry wasn’t just for a day or two, but stretched from the moment the chili seeds were planted in the ground all the way through the changing weather—if it rained, he’d worry that too much rain would drown the chili seedlings.

The village chief selected a few households. In the first year, not everyone was willing to grow chili peppers—a crop they’d never even heard of. However, since Mr. Tang collected duck eggs, the villagers had a favorable impression of him and trusted him. Therefore, under the village chief’s arrangement, eight households agreed to set aside one mu or half a mu of their less-fertile land to grow chili peppers.

“They’re all skilled at growing vegetables, hardworking, and keep a close eye on their fields.”

“That’s a total of six mu and five fen of land. Mr. Tang, do you think that’ll work?”

Tang Xianling: “That’ll work!”

Then, with the village chief acting as a go-between, contracts were signed with the eight households. Village Chief Xu, who was literate, explained the terms of the contract to each villager in detail: in the first year, the villagers were only responsible for planting the chili peppers and tending to them carefully; regardless of the yield—whether good or bad—the price per mu was fixed.

Tang Xianling would pay one tael of silver per mu.

In the second year, the same eight households would receive an increase in cash, with two taels of silver paid per mu.

The villagers were responsible for planting, harvesting, and drying the chili peppers.

These eight households were required to fulfill the agreement for two full years; by the third year, both parties would be free to renegotiate the terms, at which point payment would be based on market prices—

As soon as the villagers heard that the third year would be based on market rates, they became afraid and didn’t want to agree.

“Everything’s been going fine—why can’t we keep working together in the third year?” 

“Is Mr. Tang going to find someone else to do the work?”

Tang Xianling: … He tried to reason with the villagers.

“For the first two years, I’ll provide the seeds. But since none of you have ever seen chili seeds before, we’ll figure out how to grow them together. I know some basic methods for growing chili peppers, but the specifics will depend on all of you.”

“So for the first two years, I took the lion’s share, and you all won’t make much cash.”

“By the third year, I figured these chili peppers are bound to turn a profit, so I thought we’d sign a new contract then so everyone could earn more.”

Villagers: Huh?

“Isn’t one tael of silver per mu in the first year already plenty?” 

“That’s not bad at all, Mr. Tang.” 

“To make one tael of silver selling duck eggs, we’d have to save up a thousand of them and take them to the city.” 

“Not to mention that in the second year, you’ll pay us two taels.”

The villagers weren’t new to selling vegetables—how much could a mu of Chinese cabbage possibly fetch? Even making a few hundred wen was considered good luck. Mr. Tang provided the seeds, handled the entire chili sales process, and paid such a large sum—how could anyone say the pay was low?

“Why not stick to the second year’s payment for the third year?” one villager suggested.

Someone else added, “If that really doesn’t work, we could stick with the cash from the first year.” 

That way, just by growing chili peppers for three years—without much hardship—they’d get three taels of silver for free.

Representatives from all eight households—not just the heads of household, but also elders and daughters-in-law—came and chattered away in a jumble of voices. Their main concern was avoiding renegotiating the terms for the third year; they feared they might end up with nothing.

The village chief looked at Mr. Tang; the look in his eyes echoed the villagers’ suggestion, but he was thinking of setting the rate for the third year at two taels of silver per mu—to secure a bit more cash for the villagers. Whoever just suggested sticking to the first year’s rate for the third year must be used to being too honest.

Tang Xianling：……

He couldn’t deceive the villagers.

“Everyone, please be quiet and listen to me. I’m a businessman. I turned a breakfast stand into a small restaurant in less than half a year. When it comes to making money, I have a bit of foresight. You’re the neighbors of Tieniu, Uncle Zhang, and Uncle Wang. I won’t deceive any of you—I’d like to have a long-term partnership with the village in the future.”

“These chili peppers will really make money in the future. We’ll discuss raising the price in the third year—that’s to your advantage.”

“If you want to stick to the prices for the first and second years, I’m fine with that. Why? Because I’ll still make a profit—I won’t lose money. But I also want everyone to get a little richer, for every household to earn a bit more, so that life can get better for all of us.”

Upon hearing this, the village chief looked at Mr. Tang. Tieniu, though young, had a presence unlike any other—especially when it came to serious matters. He showed great decisiveness and resolve. The village chief, accustomed to playing it safe, thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and told everyone, “It’s settled. Let’s do as Mr. Tang says—we’ll renegotiate in the third year.”

Tieniu’s father, mother, and maternal grandfather were all buried on the hill behind their village.

Just as Mr. Tang had said, they were all fellow villagers—he wouldn’t deceive them.

That’s how the matter was settled.

Tang Xianling took the initiative to extend an olive branch, hoping to maintain a long-term chili agreement with Xu Village; otherwise, if they kept switching partners on a whim, the later stages of chili supply—which require a growth cycle—would become very troublesome.

Starting from April when the chili peppers were planted, through May and June, Tang Xianling and Tieniu would make a trip to Xu Village every ten days or so. In the past, Boss Tang would have surely grumbled: “No weekends off,” “I’m so tired,” or “Working overtime nonstop is driving me crazy.”

But with the chili peppers hanging right there, Mr. Tang’s spirits just kept getting higher and higher.

Even the restaurant’s regulars were surprised to see this.

“Mr. Tang has been in great spirits lately.”

“Is there some happy occasion?”

“They say joy lifts the spirits. With this heat, I’ve lost my appetite and am really struggling through the summer, but every time I see Boss Tang, he’s beaming with joy.”

Tang Xianling, dressed in a short-sleeved outfit and with a smile he couldn’t contain, said, “I’ve been working on some new dishes lately, and they’ll be ready soon. When they’re ready, everyone’s welcome to come try them—especially those of you with a heavy hand on the seasoning who love spicy food.”

“Evodia seasoning?” A diner’s eyes lit up. “Come to think of it, Mr. Tang, you haven’t restocked the front counter in ages. You used to put out seasoning powders, sesame oil, and pastries from time to time, but it’s been completely empty for the past two months.”

They were nudging Mr. Tang to stock up on barbecue seasonings.

Tang Xianling had no time to think about that—for the past two months, he’d been heading to Xu Village every Friday. Just thinking about the bright red and vibrant green chili peppers growing in his fields made him smile.

“It’ll be ready soon, I promise. As soon as it’s ready, it’ll be the first thing on the counter,” Boss Tang said with a cheerful smile.

Because Boss Tang spoke so mysteriously yet couldn’t contain his excitement, the regulars in the shop grew curious: What kind of treasure had Boss Tang found? The new dish was bound to be delicious—they’d definitely come to try it when the time came.

Chili peppers have a growth cycle of sixty to one hundred days, depending on the variety. To Tang Xianling’s delight, he’d struck gold. When he bought the chili seeds, thanks to connections the Zhao family had secured, the manager of that major trading house had been very accommodating and given them plenty of seeds.

They were all described as “chili pepper seeds.”

At the time, when Tang Xianling heard “they’re all chili pepper seeds,” he didn’t pay close attention to the differences between them. Now that they’ve been planted in the field, he recently visited Xu Village and found all sorts of different varieties growing there.

As soon as the villagers saw him, they called out, “Mr. Tang, come take a look! The chili peppers growing in my field are all different.”

“Why are some red, some green, some big, and some long and slender?”

Tang Xianling:

At the end of May, the first batch of chili peppers was harvested. On their way to Xu Village, Tang Xianling and Tieniu hummed songs as they taught the eight households of villagers how to sort the chili peppers: the slender red ones could be picked, dried in the hot sun, and ground into chili powder.

The slender green ones could also be sun-dried; once dried, they could be used to make pickled chili sauce.

When they left on Sunday morning, Tang Xianling took two large baskets of chili peppers with him—since the two of them had been making frequent trips to Xu Village over the past two months. Earlier, they’d been hauling duck eggs every day, but now they had enough at home and weren’t short on them anymore, so hauling just chili peppers was enough.

By the time they got home that day, it was already evening. Tieniu returned to unload the cart. Tang Xianling splashed cold water on his face—without even taking a sip—and said, “I’ll cook dinner!”

Jiang Yun, holding a cup of cool boiled water nearby, couldn’t help but laugh. She handed the cup to Wu-ger and said, “You’ve been going on and on about chili peppers every day—now you finally get to eat some.”

“That’s for sure,” Tang Xianling said, gulping down two mouthfuls before handing the cup to Tieniu, urging him to have a drink too.

Tieniu took the cup and drained it in one gulp, then went back to work, telling his mother, “He’s testing the dish—he put in a lot of chili peppers. We’ll be serving it tomorrow.”

Jiang Yun heard Tieniu making an excuse for Wu-ger.

Tang Xianling grinned, “Right, right, right—I’m just tasting the dish. It’s not like I’m the only one with a craving.”

“If you’re just being greedy, then so be it,” Jiang Yun said with a chuckle. “What’s the big deal? You’re just greedy and love to eat a little extra.”

“Then you two stay home. I’ll go to Xiangping’s to buy some meat.”

“Wu-ger, you want pork belly, right?”

Tang Xianling: “Right, thanks, Mom.”

Jiang Yun headed out the door with her shopping basket, telling the two kids to rest at home—they’d been out in the sun all day. On her way to the market, she ran into quite a few neighbors who greeted her. One of them said, “Auntie, off to the market? At this hour, the produce might not be fresh anymore.”

“I’m going to buy some meat,” Jiang Yun replied.

The person then said, “I just saw your Wu-ger and Tieniu coming back with a cart—it was loaded down with something heavy.”

The top of the wicker basket filled with chili peppers was covered, so others couldn’t see what was inside.

Jiang Yun said, “They just got back from Tieniu’s place.”

She didn’t say what was in the cart.

The curious onlooker could only nod, muttering to herself: Aunt Jiang sure keeps her mouth shut. Out loud, she said, “I’ve noticed your Wu-ger has been all smiles lately, no matter who he sees. Could it be something good has happened?”

“That’s right. He just got back with the young boss and even went out of his way to greet the rest of us. He was so sweet—when he saw me, he said, ‘Auntie, you look younger.’ What a thing to say! It made me laugh out loud.”

Jiang Yun: …That’s exactly the kind of thing Wu-ger would do.

When that kid’s in a good mood, he’s all smiles with everyone—sweet-talking and speaking in the sweetest tones.

Someone laughed heartily, chatting casually with Jiang Yun, then nodded toward the first shop up ahead. “Your Wu-ger ran into the kid from the Old Zhao family and was smiling at him—it scared the kid from the Old Zhao family so much he bolted back home.”

The Zhaos and the Tangs had fallen out completely and no longer had any dealings with each other, especially after the Tangs ruined the Zhaos’ business—the sugar-oil pancake shop still couldn’t stay open, so the Zhaos had leased it out. Zhao Dalang now pushed his cart to other neighborhoods to sell sugar-oil pancakes, trying to make a living some other way.

Ever since then, the child from that family has been hiding whenever he sees anyone from the Tang family—especially Mr. Tang.

As soon as Jiang Yun heard this, she blurted out without a moment’s thought, “He must not have recognized him; he probably thought he was just some other kid from our neighborhood.” Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so friendly—even if he didn’t lay a hand on the child, he certainly wouldn’t have been smiling and teasing him.

The others laughed at this. How come Aunt Jiang was now so protective of her own, speaking so bluntly and not sparing the old Zhao family any face?

“Enough said. I’m off to buy some meat—the two kids are waiting for their evening meal,” Jiang Yun said with a smile as she took her leave.

The neighbors who remained behind continued to chat.

“Aunt Jiang isn’t the same as she used to be.” “That’s for sure.”

Someone else steered the conversation back to the topic at hand: “Hasn’t it been four years since her Wu-ger, Tieniu, married?”

“That’s right—it’s the fourth year now. Old Tang’s third anniversary has already passed.”

“Those two are really dutiful—they haven’t had a child in three years. Could it be that Wu-ger can’t father a child?”

“Huh? They seem so in love usually.”

“It’s got nothing to do with Tieniu. Just look at Tieniu’s build—it’s Wu-ger who’s so skinny and frail. He didn’t have any luck with his previous husband either.”

When she said that, everyone paused for a moment, thinking about “the one before,” before suddenly realizing who she meant—

“Oh my, if you hadn’t mentioned it, I’d have completely forgotten about that whole business.” “Now I remember—that Xiucai.”

“My memory’s gone—it’s only been three or four years, but how could I have forgotten?”

In reality, there was a clear disconnect. The Wu-ger of today was very different from the Wu-ger of the past. Everyone racked their brains trying to recall the old Wu-ger, but their memories were quite hazy. As far as they could tell, he was a man of few words who didn’t interact much with others—just like his mother used to be—and had a very low profile.

Things are different now—both mother and son have changed.

“That’s true. It’s been four years, and there’s still no sign of anything.”

“Could it be that the kid is being dutiful to Old Tang, and they haven’t really consummated their marriage yet?”

“Huh? I don’t think so. You just saw—when Tieniu and Wu-ger came back, they were laughing and joking together. Their relationship seemed so good.” It doesn’t look like they haven’t consummated their marriage.

Then he just can’t get him pregnant.

Some people couldn’t help but look sad, though in reality they were secretly gloating.

“I’m telling you, once you’re married, your husband shouldn’t push himself too hard—if he ruins his health, you won’t even be able to have a baby.”

The remark was laced with sarcasm—clearly aimed at the Tang family’s thriving business and profits.

Some people just smiled without agreeing, while others chimed in with a few snide remarks of their own: The Tang family might make a lot of cash, but Tang Xianling can’t have children.

Jiang Yun went to Zhou Xiangping’s to buy meat. After dinner, Zhou Xiangping even gave her some bone chunks. Jiang Yun didn’t refuse; she accepted them readily and said, “My Wu-ger has some new vegetables. They’ll be ready tomorrow. I’ll bring you some later so you can stir-fry them yourself.”

“Sure thing, Auntie. I won’t say no to that.” Zhou Xiangping didn’t refuse either.

Though they’d only known each other for a few short years, their relationship had grown increasingly close—not the kind where they saw each other every day and chatted for an hour or so; both were busy—Jiang Yun had to run her shop, and Zhou Xiangping had to manage her husband’s business—but whenever they met, they always found something to talk about, and they’d stopped treating each other as strangers.

Jiang Yun bought some meat and headed home.

Tang Xianling changed into a comfortable outfit—a vest and shorts—and took the meat to start preparing it. He’d already chopped the chili peppers, put the white rice on to steam, and tossed together a salad of preserved eggs and cucumbers.

Now it was time to stir-fry the chili peppers and pork.

He sliced the pork belly into strips, adding the slightly fattier pieces to the wok first to render the fat. He scooped out some of the rendered fat with a large ladle, then added the pork slices, fermented black beans, Sichuan peppercorns, and garlic. The aroma was already filling the air, but the most crucial ingredient was the chili peppers.

Jiang Yun was standing outside the kitchen. As she caught the scent, she coughed twice from the pungent smell, then asked, “Wu-ger, what’s that strong smell?”

“Mom, it’s the chili peppers,” Tieniu said. Since his mother couldn’t handle anything too spicy, he added, “The smell is really strong. Mom, you go back to the main room first; I’ll handle it in the kitchen.”

Jiang Yun nodded. “All right.”

Once the initial spiciness subsided, it gave way to a particularly bold and alluring aroma—so, so fragrant. The scent wafted over to the Lu family’s courtyard next door—

“What delicious dish are they making next door again?” Chen Qiaolian asked.

Lu Dalang sniffed the air and said, “I’ve never smelled anything this fragrant before.”

Lu Sanniang: “I’ll go take a look.”

“It’s almost time for dinner; don’t go,” Chen Qiaolian tried to stop Sanniang, afraid people might think they were beggars.

Upon hearing this, Lu Sanniang thought about it and agreed, nodding repeatedly. But as she continued to inhale the aroma, she said with certainty, “I’ve got it—the boss went back to the village to pick up vegetables. He said they were chili peppers. With a scent this strong, they’ll definitely serve it at the restaurant tomorrow. I’ll know for sure then.”

Stir-fried pork with chili peppers, cucumber salad with preserved eggs, seafood soup, and stir-fried greens with pork cracklings.

The rice was pure white; today, Tang Xianling hadn’t cooked mixed-grain rice.

After he finished cooking, he went to wash his hands and face, while Tieniu cleaned up the pots and stove. Tang Xianling couldn’t wait any longer and said, “Never mind that—let’s eat first.”

“Alright,” Tieniu replied with a chuckle.

The family of three ate their evening meal at the table under the tree in the courtyard. It was late afternoon; the heat of the day had dissipated, and the sky had turned a dusky gray—not quite dark yet. On the table were three dishes and a soup, with the large plate of chili stir-fried pork placed right in the center. Green chili peppers, black wood ear mushrooms, and greasy slices of pork glistened with a golden-brown sheen—

It had been a hot day, and Tang Xianling was suffering a bit from summer fatigue; he usually ate very little.

But now, Big Boss Tang swallowed hard.

Jiang Yun noticed this and said with a chuckle, “Go ahead, go ahead. Eat while it’s hot. I’ll try this chili dish you’ve been thinking about so much, too.”

“Mom, eat the meat first—don’t eat the chili peppers. They’re way too spicy,” Tang Xianling cautioned. The meat was infused with the flavor of the chili peppers; it had a bit of heat but wasn’t as intense as the peppers themselves.

Jiang Yun nodded, picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks, and first placed it on her rice bowl. She scooped up some rice along with the meat and popped it into her mouth—and was immediately speechless.

A wave of stinging heat flooded her mouth—

Tieniu poured some cooled mung bean soup for his mother and set it within reach, so she could take a sip to soothe her mouth if the food was too spicy.

“How are you feeling, Mom?”

Jiang Yun finished the mouthful of rice she was eating with a furrowed brow. It was clearly spicy—so spicy that it made her frown—but how could she put it? “Delicious—deliciously spicy. It’s different from the flavor of Evodia; it’s both fragrant and spicy. I’ve got to take another big bite of rice.”

“This dish really does go well with rice.” Tang Xianling picked up his chopsticks, scooped up some meat and chili peppers, and placed them in his rice bowl. He shoveled a big mouthful into his mouth, his cheeks puffing out, eating with such satisfaction that the corners of his eyes crinkled.

The aroma of the rice was refreshing, pairing perfectly with the bold, sizzling richness of the chili-stir-fried pork. While such a greasy meal might usually be too heavy for a summer day, the chili’s heat stimulated his appetite, creating a tantalizing blend of numbing, spicy, and fragrant flavors.

It was so delicious.

During this evening meal, Tang Xianling ate two bowls of rice. Tieniu watched but didn’t stop him. Only after they’d finished eating and cleaned up did Tieniu say, “Shall we go see Cui Xiaoyuan?”

Tang Xianling:???

Visiting Cui Xiaoyuan at this hour? You really like him that much, don’t you?

“All right.”

The two stepped out of the house as dusk fell. There were still people out in the alley enjoying the cool evening air; they exchanged greetings with the pair. Tang Xianling and Tieniu weren’t holding hands, but after walking for a while, Tang Xianling rubbed his stomach and said, “I’m so full.”

“Then let’s walk a little slower.” Tieniu slowed his pace.

Tang Xianling suddenly realized why Tieniu had, out of the blue, suggested dropping by Cui Xiaoyuan’s house, and immediately burst out laughing. “To help digest the food.”

The two strolled over to the Cui household. The Cui family had just finished eating and freshened up. Since it was hot, they’d set up a folding bed in the courtyard, where Cui Xiaoyuan was crawling around and playing, wearing only a belly band.

Sun Douzi was pleasantly surprised. “How did you two end up here?”

“We ate too much and are feeling stuffed, so we came to help our digestion.” Tang Xianling, his head still foggy from the charcoal smoke, spoke bluntly.

Sun Douzi didn’t mind; he just laughed and said, “It’s rare for you to have eaten too much at dinner.” He clearly knew that Big Boss Tang struggled with the summer heat and didn’t eat much during the hot months.

The group played with the child in the Cui family’s courtyard.

Cui Xiaoyuan had a bossy personality; he was chubby but very cute—his eyes bore a strong resemblance to Douzi’s. The child was plump, and his eyes were round; even when he was “showing off,” he still looked adorable.

Tang Xianling picked up Xiaoyuan’s teething toy and said, “Go ahead and try that again!”

Cui Xiaoyuan drooled and whined, “Ah-woo, ah-woo,” while Tang Xianling grinned mischievously.

Cui Dabao and Sun Douzi didn’t intervene, letting Boss Tang and his child “argue” it out. After Cui Xiaoyuan finished whining and realized it was no use—this uncle wasn’t like his dad, who always praised whatever he did and spoiled him—he puckered his lips. He didn’t cry, though; instead, he sat there, wiggling his bottom, puffing out his cheeks, and sucking his thumb in a huff.

Tang Xianling:……

It made him look like some kind of bully, showing up at someone else’s house to pick on their kid.

“Xiaoyuan, Xiaoyuan, come over here to Uncle. Uncle will give you a teething stick.”

Cui Xiaoyuan was too proud to go.

Tang Xianling poked Cui Xiaoyuan’s chubby arm with his finger—it really did look like a lotus root, segmented into sections. Xiaoyuan wriggled his body, glanced at Uncle, and held out his hand for the teething stick. Tang Xianling grinned and slipped it into the child’s hand.

Once Cui Xiaoyuan had the teething stick, he stopped chewing on it and crawled over to ask Uncle to pick him up.

Tang Xianling cradled the little ball of flesh and said, looking down, “You’re so warm—Cui Xiaoyuan, you really are a little heater.”

Sun Douzi stood nearby, fanning himself.

Cui Dabao, observing the scene with a look of “daring to be angry but not daring to speak up,” turned to the young boss and said, “When are the two of you going to have a child? It’s bound to be a lot of fun.”

“Back when you and Mr. Sun didn’t have kids, did you go around asking everyone when they were going to have one?” Tieniu asked.

Cui Dabao: …

Never mind, I won’t ask.

But then again, Cui Dabao looked at Tieniu, “Don’t worry about it. It took Douzi and me four years to have Xiaoyuan. Let’s see—you and the boss have been married for four years now, right?”

Tieniu was pretty laid-back about having kids—he wasn’t that desperate for one. Having Xianling was enough for him.

Xianling wasn’t in good health—he was deficient in qi and blood and had been taking tonics for four years. Plus, he struggled with summer heat. If he got pregnant, Tieniu would be a bit worried, so he lowered his head and asked Cui Dabao, “When Sun Fulang was expecting Xiaoyuan, was his appetite still good?”

“It was terrible. At first, he’d throw up everything he ate—it was a real ordeal.”

Upon hearing this, Tieniu said, “Then let’s just skip it.”

Kids are fun, but playing with Cui Xiaoyuan is enough.

The two of them played with Cui Xiaoyuan for a while at the Cui household, teasing him until he was flapping his arms with excitement. Cui Dabao watched anxiously from the side: “These two rascals—my little Xiaoyuan has lost all sense of sleep. He’s going to start causing trouble any minute now.”

“Hahaha, we’re tired. We’re going back to sleep. You guys should get some rest too.” Big Boss Tang couldn’t stay awake any longer; sleepiness had overtaken him, so he spoke honestly.

Tieniu took his husband’s hand and led him out the door of the Cui household.

“Uncle Cui, we’re off.”

“Alright, go ahead. Be careful on your way,” said Father Cui.

Cui Dabao closed the door and watched his son, Cui Xiaoyuan, giggling away as he bounced and crawled all over the daybed. He wasn’t the least bit sleepy—at this time of night, he’d usually be asleep, but tonight he was full of energy.

Darn it.

Sun Douzi just chuckled happily, hugging the child and saying, “You and Dad should go to sleep soon—we have to go to the store tomorrow. I’ll keep him entertained; he’ll play for a bit, and once he wears himself out, he’ll get sleepy.”

“I wonder what kind of magic potion the boss gives him—he’s always full of energy whenever he comes here,” Cui Dabao muttered.

The boss really knows how to win kids over.

Tang Xianling went back, washed up, and fell asleep right away—he slept soundly, as usual.

Tieniu fanned his husband as he slept, and he slept soundly too.

At the Cui household.

Cui Xiaoyuan was still “dancing” in his dad’s arms, not a trace of sleep in sight.