“Mother, don’t move.” Tang Xianling closed the door, helped Jiang Yun sit down, and frowned upon seeing scratch marks covering her hands and wrists, along with a nail-sized piece of skin torn from her cheek. “I’ll fetch some water to clean the wounds.”

It had to be cooled boiled water.

Fortunately, the recent heat meant Tang Xianling was always thirsty after a morning’s work. After cooking red beans, he’d boiled a pot of water that had long since cooled.

Jiang Yun pulled her sleeve over the scratches. “It’s fine.”

“You need to rinse it,” Tang Xianling insisted, pressing Jiang Yun’s shoulders to keep her seated still. He muttered under his breath, “Those two women are poisonous—their nails must be laced with venom too. I’ll be right back.”

Jiang Yun chuckled slightly at the remark. She smiled, but when she saw her Wu-ger disappear into the back kitchen, her eyes instantly welled up with tears. Her expression grew complex, a tangled mix of emotions difficult to decipher.

Until today, Jiang Yun had never considered fighting with anyone. Yet here she was, tearing and arguing in front of someone’s shop on the street. Now she’d done it, suffered scratches. The wounds didn’t hurt, but her heart ached deeply.

For such a trivial matter, to endure these blows—what had she been doing all this time?

She’d always been so cautious, afraid of this and that. Not only was she a quiet, submissive soul who endured and yielded, but she’d raised her children the same way—teaching her Wu-ger to be unassuming, quiet, obedient, and never to argue.

Tang Xianling approached carrying a teapot. Seeing Jiang Yun sitting on the shop stool, likely having heard his footsteps, she was roughly wiping away her tears. Tang Xianling paused, then hurried over.

He wasn’t one to tell people not to cry, but today, he could cry alongside Jiang Yun.

Jiang Yun had been quite the warrior today—battle damage, wounds, a ‘medal of honor’.

“Mother, first clean the wounds thoroughly. Don’t bandage them either; it’s hot out, and we don’t want them to get infected.” Tang Xianling turned on the water and washed Jiang Yun’s wounds.

Jiang Yun let her Wu-ger take care of her.

After finishing, Tang Xianling saw that Jiang Yun had stopped crying. He didn’t understand what she’d been crying about earlier, but now that she’d stopped, he didn’t have to make amends. That was good.

“I’ll go buy lunch—”

“I’ll go,” Jiang Yun said.

Tang Xianling was slightly surprised. After today’s commotion on the street, both his family and the Zhao family would surely be the subject of gossip. He’d thought Jiang Yun would feel embarrassed, but unexpectedly, she was ready to go out already.

“How are you feeling? That Zhao Dalang is a man after all, doing physical labor all day long.”

Tang Xianling didn’t argue that he was no slouch himself. He chuckled, “I’ve got my fire poker. Didn’t you hear the thuds when I hit Zhao Dalang?”

“I didn’t hear it. It was noisy. He’ll learn his lesson from the pain. He won’t dare mess with us again.” Jiang Yun nodded.

Tang Xianling flexed his wrists and began tidying up, waving Jiang Yun away. “Mother, go buy lunch. This isn’t heavy work—I’ll finish cleaning up soon.”

“Alright.” Jiang Yun didn’t argue with her Wu-ger. She fetched the food basket and large bowls from the back kitchen and headed out. As she stepped beyond the shop, passersby stared at her. Decades of keeping a low profile had become second nature. Even if she wanted to change, she couldn’t shake the habit overnight. She steeled herself, refusing to turn back and hide.

Push yourself.

Jiang Yun thought to herself.

She glanced around and headed toward the steamed dumpling shop.

The incident—Tang Wu-ger, a widower, storming into the sugar-oil pancake shop, wielding a fire poker and beating Zhao Dalang right in the street—was now the hottest topic of conversation in the shops along the main street.

“That young fellow, carrying a stick this thick, just walked right up to Zhao’s shop.”

Someone gestured at the stick’s size.

“Brother Tang Wu sure has guts.”

“Zhao Dalang took a few hits without fighting back.”

“Probably letting Brother Tang off easy?”

The dumpling shop owner’s wife snorted inwardly. What nonsense! Zhao Dalang taking a beating and letting Brother Tang off? Who’d believe that? Both families had already torn ties. And what kind of man was Zhao Dalang to hold back? Clearly, he couldn’t stand up to Brother Tang.

“You’re missing the point. As the saying goes, even a cornered rabbit will bite. The Zhao family provoked Brother Tang. Brother Tang was furious and had a stick in his hand—how could you say Zhao Dalang was holding back?”

Someone who hadn’t witnessed the fight overheard the customers talking and asked, “What happened? Let a widower start a fight in the street?”

The dumpling shop owner immediately recounted the whole incident. She feared someone might exaggerate the story to favor Zhao Dalang’s family. Upon hearing this, the diners shouted in anger, cursing the Zhao family.

Just then, Jiang Yun arrived, carrying a basket at the shop entrance: ”Anyone here? I’m here to buy steamed dumplings.”

“Yes.” The owner turned to see Auntie Jiang and felt embarrassed—after all, she’d just gossiped about someone behind their back. She then called out loudly, “Auntie Jiang, you’re here?”

The customers seated inside had been discussing the incident heatedly. Some now realized the situation and lowered their voices, while others, still unaware, continued chatting.

The shopkeeper hurried over to serve her.

“What would you like, Auntie?”

Jiang Yun ordered her food: one vegetarian and one meat dumpling serving, plus two bowls of multigrain bean porridge.

“…Same as always, two bowls together.” Jiang Yun handed over the large bowl.

The dumpling shop owner took them, noticing the scratches covering Jiang Yun’s hand. “That Zhao family, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, are such wicked people, turning the tables on us! Look at your hand, Auntie.”

“Just now, Wu-ger washed it for me. It’s hard to bandage in this heat, and we don’t have any ointment at home. It’ll be fine in a few days, “ Jiang Yun replied.

The owner sighed, ”Auntie, you’re just too kind-hearted.“

”I used to think that since we all lived in the same neighborhood, making a living on the streets together, they wouldn’t look down on us. But they called us lowly. I’ve seen through the Zhao family now. No more dealings with them.” Jiang Yun said.

The landlady’s eyebrows shot up. “We’re all merchants here. Just because they run a sugar-oil pancake shop, do they think they’re better than everyone else? Looking down on this person, looking down on that person—you’d think they were officials or something!”

Her family was also in business. So what? Who did the Zhao family think they were to call anyone lowly?!

If they dared say it to her face, she’d give them a piece of her mind. Wu-ger was right to fight back.

That day, Jiang Yun brought back more mixed bean porridge than usual, and the steamed dumplings came with a few extras.

As soon as Jiang Yun left, the shop buzzed with talk again.

“Was that woman just now Tang Wu-ger’s mother?” “Why is she so old? She looks gaunt and thin. Are her hands and face even chapped?”

Someone said, “That Auntie Jiang is over fifty. It’s been a tough life for her.”

“The Zhao family has sons, yet they only pick on the Tang family. It’s outrageous!”

“Thank goodness Brother Tang Wu is tough and stood his ground. If he hadn’t fought back, things would’ve turned out badly.”

At the Lu family steamed bun shop.

Only after seeing Aunt Jiang and Wu-ger return did Lu Sanniang dare to question her parents and eldest brother in the backyard. “How did it go? Did Wu-ger hold his own?”

“Sanniang, you little girl, why are you so excited about fighting?” Chen Qiaolian feared her daughter would learn a domineering nature, which her future in-laws might dislike.

Lu Sanniang replied, “It’s not that I’m eager to fight. It’s the Zhao family that bullies people. Mother, if someone bullied me, should I just endure it?”

“But what about your eldest and second brothers? They’ll always have your back,” Chen Qiaolian replied.

A girl shouldn’t be too assertive, but she also shouldn’t be weak and let others walk all over her.

Chen Qiaolian was momentarily at a loss for words. She thought to herself that when the time came to find a husband for Sanniang, she must search carefully—preferably for a family where the groom and his relatives all had gentle dispositions.

Father Lu ruffled his daughter’s hair. “It’s fine. I see Brother Tang Wu isn’t hurt.”

“Did my eldest brother help?” Lu Sanniang exhaled in relief, then blurted out, “Was it the stick I gave that did the trick?”

Father Lu: “What stick?”

“I was wondering how your brother got a stick!” Chen Qiaolian glared at her daughter. “Don’t be so reckless. That stick could have hurt someone. If the ward officials patrolled our main street today and saw a fight, the punishment would be severe.”

Lu Dalang quickly defended his sister. “It wasn’t her. I was afraid that if you two went to help, you might get hurt. I took it to scare the Zhao family—I never intended to use it.”

“Very well then.” Father Lu nodded, knowing his son was level-headed and never lost his temper. After all, in the neighborhood, especially for a merchant family, harmony brought prosperity—one couldn’t be picking fights daily.

Seeing this, Chen Qiaolian could only say, “Don’t do it again.” Having just finished worrying about Dalang’s marriage, she now had to fret over Sanniang’s in-laws. It seemed she needed to find a match soon and choose carefully.

At the pork shop.

Zhou Xiangping and Zhu Si were chatting. Since today’s meal delivery was late, Zhu Si muttered, “Could something have delayed her? She hasn’t come yet.”

Today, his wife delivered the food half an hour later than usual.

When Zhou Xiangping arrived at the shop carrying the food box, she thrust it into her husband’s hands. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes wrinkled. Zhu Si was startled, even reaching for his slaughter knife.

“Did someone bully you?” Zhu Si asked.

Zhou Xiangping rolled her eyes. “Put that knife down! Scaring customers like that—how are we supposed to do business?” She added, “The Tang family and the Zhao family got into a fight.”

Only upon hearing it wasn’t his wife who’d been wronged did Zhu Si lower the knife. He opened the food box and scooped out the rice, which had already grown cold. He didn’t mind, shoveling down a few mouthfuls as he mumbled, “The Zhao family? The sugar-oil pancake place? They’re picking on the Tang family?”

Zhou Xiangping stood with one hand on her hip, the other smoothing her hair at her temple. “You bet. I was just carrying the food box down the main street when I heard Wu-ger cursing. I caught the whole thing—no need to listen to their arguments, the Zhao family was clearly in the wrong.”

Zhu Si nodded, his mouth still full of rice. “Who could the Tang family bully?” Of all the merchants on the street, Old Tang’s family was the most upright. Having no relatives, Old Tang had been a displaced person who’d settled in Fengyuan City. Without family connections or influence, he’d become the most honest merchant around.

He added, “You went up to help fight? No wonder you’re such a mess.”

His wife was a straightforward, feisty sort.

“Of course. You didn’t see the whole crowd gathered in a noisy mess. I finally saw what the Lu family is really like—a bunch of cowards. Lu Dalang held a stick but wouldn’t even swing it once. He just stood there watching his mother get shoved by the Zhao family’s mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, while his father yelled, ‘Don’t hit! Don’t fight!’—what good did that do?”

“I couldn’t stand it. I went right up and grabbed Zhao Dalang’s mother by the hair, yanking it several times—”

Zhu Si: “Did you get hurt?”

Zhou Xiangping beamed with pride. “Ha! Like they could hurt me? Aunt Jiang got scratched a few times—I wish I’d gotten there sooner.”

“You weren’t late. If you hadn’t intervened, she’d have been worse off.”

Zhou Xiangping nodded, nudging the man with her elbow. “Guess what happened?”

Zhu Si lifted his head from his rice bowl, asking what it was. If he didn’t ask, he wouldn’t get to eat in peace. He listened while continuing to shovel rice into his mouth. As he ate and listened, he gradually raised his head.

“The Zhao family has truly lost all sense of shame,” Zhu Si said.

Zhou Xiangping: “Exactly! They’re trying to marry off a simpleton, over thirty years old, and supposedly capable of fathering Wu-ger.”

“That’s not right,” Zhu Si stopped eating. “How could someone in their thirties be a father to Wu-ger? He wouldn’t even be able to have children.” “Take the previous match—at least he was a Juren. Sure, the Tang family didn’t gain anything; they actually lost out. But at least it gave them some face. This simpleton? He gives them no face whatsoever.”

Zhou Xiangping never understood why men bragged about being a Juren. What was so enviable about an old man like Hu Kang? She knew that when men spoke of Juren, if they’d gone on to hold office, their family status would be entirely different. No matter how grandly they boasted, men weren’t their wives or husbands. They didn’t understand the hardships of being a wife or husband, only thinking of bringing honor to their family. The suffering and humiliation Wu-ger endured seemed insignificant to them.

Right. It was all Hu Kang and the Hu family’s ancestral graves, smoking green incense. What did the Tang family’s grievances matter?

“Thank goodness that Juren died,” Zhou Xiangping said. “Otherwise, seeing you fawn over him would’ve annoyed me so much I wouldn’t have wanted to cook for you anymore.”

Zhu Si retorted, “You woman, you have no sense of proportion! Just imagine if I had a son-in-law who was an official—”

“You’d end up just like your old brother Tang, bedridden. Your daughter would be looked down upon as the pig-butcher’s daughter. He’d likely divorce her and take another wife, then add several concubines to his harem.” “Zhou Xiangping retorted coldly, ”You accuse me of having poor judgment, but I’d say you’re wasting your good life dwelling on things we shouldn’t even consider.“

Zhu Si, unable to save face, protested, ”What nonsense!”

Zhou Xiangping couldn’t be bothered to argue.

That day, the Zhao family’s sugar-oil pancake shop closed early, as did the Tang family’s. Though Tang Wu-ger only sold breakfast, he usually shut up shop this early anyway.

Passersby spat in disgust at the Zhao family’s place.

Cui Dabao only heard about it that afternoon. He bought breakfast early and headed home, missing the midday brawl with Mr. Tang. Now, hearing the neighbors talk, he froze in shock, while Sun Douzi beside him was utterly horrified.

“Mr. Tang went after Zhao Dalang with a stick? How could he be so brutal?”

Sun Douzi exclaimed, then added, “Our village has strong men too, but they’re only strong at home. They yell at their wives but wouldn’t dare lay a hand on them.”

After hearing about Master Tang and listening to his own husband’s words, Cui Dabao immediately said, “Douzi, you mustn’t yell at me at home.”

“…I won’t yell at you.” Sun Douzi hurriedly assured him.

Cui Dabao chuckled. ”True. You have the best temper and love me most.“ He declared this with righteous conviction.

Sun Douzi felt embarrassed. What was Dabao saying in broad daylight?

”See if we have any healing ointment? Find it, and I’ll bring it over this afternoon when I go to fetch milk,” Cui Dabao said.

Sun Douzi nodded repeatedly. “Right, right. Mr. Tang is such a good man. I wonder if he got hurt.”

“If he’s injured, I wonder if he’ll be able to sell breakfast tomorrow,” Cui Dabao muttered absentmindedly.

Sun Douzi said, “Dabao, you can’t think like that. People come first. If he’s hurt, he needs to rest.”

“Right, right, you’re right. I didn’t mean it that way,” Cui Dabao hurriedly clarified.

Sun Douzi knew his husband’s straightforward nature—he spoke without pretense, his mind always on food. If he were truly so cold-hearted, only caring about breakfast, he wouldn’t have asked his to find the medicine first to bring to Mr. Tang.

“If it’s for a fight or something, you’ll need external medicine. I’ll go look—I remember we have some.” Earlier, he’d accidentally cut his hand while chopping meat, slicing off a piece of skin. It had bled quite a bit, but he’d just wrapped it up roughly and kept cooking.

That day, Dabao came home early, saw the bloody bandage, figured out what happened, and scolded him. He wouldn’t let him keep cooking and bought some hemostatic medicine instead.

Back when Sun Douzi lived with his brother and sister-in-law, scrapes and bumps were treated with a quick smear of pot ash to stop the bleeding. He’d never used proper medicine before and thought it was no big deal. But Dabao was fierce, insisting, “How could it be no big deal? You lost so much blood!”

For the next few days, he didn’t cook at all. They ate takeout or meals prepared by his father-in-law.

Sun Douzi, newly married into the family, was nearly scared out of his wits. Where had he ever seen a husband who didn’t cook, ate takeout, and had his father-in-law wait on him hand and foot? All that money spent, and he couldn’t even sit still or enjoy his food.

“Found it.” Sun Douzi held the wound medicine, and recalling the earlier scene, a strange sweetness stirred in his heart. He told Dabao, “I wouldn’t dare scold you. I’m too busy cherishing you.”

Cui Dabao froze for a moment. He looked down at Douzi, his face flushing crimson as he spoke. An indescribable joy welled up inside him, mingled with pride. He repeated loudly, “You cherish me, I cherish you!”

A knock sounded at the Tang family shop.

Zhou Xiangping came to deliver meat after lunch. Jiang Yun opened the door and, recognizing Zhou Xiangping, quickly invited her in. “I was the one who ordered it. Why did you bring it yourself?”

“I didn’t want to talk to Old Zhu. I came here to chat with you, Auntie.” Zhou Xiangping handed over the meat.

Jiang Yun accepted it and called out to her Wu-ger.

Tang Xianling took the meat and said, “Mother, you chat with Auntie Zhou. There’s not much to do in the kitchen; I’ll handle it.”

Soon after, he brought sweet red bean and jujube soup to the front room, along with a plate of dried venison and peach cookies.

Zhou Xiangping didn’t touch the peach cookies, thinking they were too expensive. She picked a strip of dried meat to eat, assuming it was pork. But when she tasted it, it was incredibly fragrant, and the texture wasn’t like pork. She asked, “What is this?”

“It’s venison that Tieniu delivered earlier. Wu-ger made it into jerky for easier storage,” Jiang Yun explained.

Hearing “venison,” Zhou Xiangping immediately stopped. “I dare not eat anymore. Deer meat is too precious.”

“Sister-in-law, please eat. Deer meat, no matter how costly, can’t compare to your heroic deed today. Without your help, my mother would’ve suffered a great loss.” While beating the man with his stick, Tang Xianling kept an eye on Jiang Yun’s condition.

He’d seen this heroine shouting “Stop hitting him!” while secretly rooting for his side more fiercely than anyone. Realizing Jiang Yun was fine, he could focus entirely on beating Zhao Dalang.

Zhou Xiangping: “No need for jerky. I’ll help as much as I can—no one deserves to be bullied like this.”

“I know, Sister-in-law. You’re not doing this for the food. You’re just a kind and righteous person.” Tang Xianling said earnestly, then smiled. “Let’s not be so formal. If we really split it down to the last detail, we’d still be benefiting from your family.”

The pork was actually cheaper for them.

Hearing this, Zhou Xiangping said readily, “Then I won’t be polite. No need for all this back-and-forth.”

“Perfect,” Jiang Yun quickly agreed.

Tang Xianling really liked Zhou Xiangping’s straightforward nature. When he first went to buy meat, he’d honestly had a poor first impression of the pork vendor, Zhu Si—the man was too slick. Zhou Xiangping, on the other hand, was just an ordinary market woman who loved gossip and had a loud voice.

But over time, he found the couple genuinely kind-hearted and honest—never trying to take advantage. Their business thrived, and Tang Xianling bought pork floss daily. Yet the price remained unchanged. He’d braced himself for Zhu Si to charge him full price, but the vendor never mentioned it.

Naturally, if they still charged four wen, that would be perfectly fine.

Tang Xianling took the meat to the kitchen to prepare the goods, leaving Jiang Yun and Zhou Xiangping to chat.

In front of the shop.

Zhou Xiangping first gave the Zhao family a thorough scolding, and Jiang Yun listened, nodding repeatedly.

“Don’t worry, Auntie. After this fight, your family will have peace for years. No one will dare trouble you. The Wu-ger is just right the way he is now.”

Jiang Yun: “I know. I was too weak before, ruining Wu-ger’s marriage…”

“Let bygones be bygones. We must look forward. Besides, the Hu family is finished.”

“Yes, yes, yes.”

“Wu-ger is formidable now. Even if you want to find a match for him, you must choose carefully. Don’t blame him for being fiery and causing trouble.”

Jiang Yun hurriedly said, “I wouldn’t blame him. I would blame anyone but Wu-ger. I know you mean well, Xiangping.”

Once Tang Xianling finished preparing the pork floss and smoking the meat, he shouldered his carrying pole to fetch water. Passing by the shopfront, Zhou Xiangping glanced over and asked, “Would you like me to accompany you?”

“Sister-in-law, are you worried the Zhao family might block my path and stop me from drawing water?” Tang Xianling grinned, his expression saying, ‘Come try it at their place if they dare.’

Zhou Xiangping chuckled, “I was overthinking it.”

Wu-ger really has changed.

“If only Tieniu were still here,” Jiang Yun sighed.

Zhou Xiangping asked, “Auntie, you mean your farmhand? He truly was exceptional—I’ve never seen a man work so efficiently or possess such strength. Why did he go home? Will he return?”

“He will. He’ll be back no later than the day after tomorrow,” Tang Xianling replied before hoisting the bucket and heading out.

Two days later, on the twenty-ninth, Huangfu Tieniu arrived bearing all his possessions as betrothal gifts.

The Zhao family’s front and back gates were locked tight. Tang Xianling went to fetch water, mentally rehearsing all sorts of scenarios—how to handle it if the Zhao family came to cause trouble again. In the end, nothing happened.

Sure enough, they bullied the weak and feared the strong.

After fetching water a second time, Tang Xianling found himself thinking of Tieniu.

 ━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Huangfu Tieniu rode his mule into the mountains overnight yesterday. A swift traveler, he crossed the mountains under cover of darkness with ease. Soon he reached his mountain hut, gathered all his savings from years of toil, and packed tiger and fox pelts, medicinal herbs, and other valuables into a large backpack.

At first light.

Huangfu Tieniu began tanning the deer hide—the very one he’d given Tang Xianling. Having lingered in Fengyuan City for days, he hadn’t processed it, and now the hide reeked.

But if it got wet and washed, it would stiffen and spoil.

The smell didn’t matter now; proper tanning would fix it later.

With a small knife, he scraped away the connective tissue and flesh fragments. He began boiling a mixture of lime powder and soapberry water, then submerged the hide in it. The pelt was remarkably intact, and he hoped to finish tanning it in time to make a fur coat for Tang Xianling before their wedding.

But then he thought: soaking the hide and repeating the tanning process would take a full month.

Such a long time…

He had lived in these mountains for years, cherishing their quiet solitude, loving to roam the forests without human contact.

Yet now, merely soaking the hide had already made him restless.

Huangfu Tieniu pondered, gazing toward Fengyuan City, and finally declared, “Tang Xianling, I cannot send you this hide. I cannot wait to see you myself.”

Finally, Huangfu Tieniu loaded his packed bundles and back baskets onto the mule. Carrying the bucket of soaked hide in one hand, he descended the mountain and headed first to the village.

“Uncle Zhang, I’ve mostly prepared the hides. Only the soaking and tanning remain. They’re all yours.” Huangfu Tieniu gave the hides to his foster father’s dearest friend from before his passing.

Uncle Zhang had once been a hunter, too. Later, he married, saying the mountains were too lonely and tedious. Unwilling to see his husband endure hardship in the wilderness, he returned to the village to farm the land, becoming a simple farmer.

Huangfu Tieniu had once thought the mountains offered boundless freedom—living among beasts and birds was pure bliss. How could anyone feel lonely? But now he understood.

He wanted to guard Tang Xianling every moment.

Zhang Huai: “Huh? What’s the rush? Why pack all this stuff? Heading back to your biological father’s place?”

“No, I’m going to Fengyuan City to marry my husband. Once it’s settled, I’ll invite Uncle Zhang and Uncle Wang to the city for the wedding feast.”

Zhang Huai: ???

“Last time the matchmaker came, saying he was looking for a match for you, I thought I must have misheard. With your temperament, ignoring everyone, how could you ever consider marrying a husband? But now it’s true. Quick, tell me—is the family any good? Don’t let yourself be deceived.”

“No way. His name is Tang Xianling—the best husband ever. Uncle Zhang, I gotta go to town now. See you next time.” Huangfu Tieniu hurried off, leading his mule.

Zhang Huai: …

What “best husband ever”? The best husband is his own husband.

That little brat!

This was the first time Tieniu had ever acted so flustered.