Chapter Bonanza (8/10)

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

That night.

The family boiled some water and took turns showering in the bathroom.

Not only had Tang Xianling bought them some fragrant bean toothpowder earlier that day, but he’d also picked up a box of “prickly heat powder” for them. It contained mint, so it felt cool when applied and helped keep mosquitoes from biting him.

“Third Sister, you and Xiangxiang should put some on, too. ” Tang Xianling handed her the powder box.

Tang Nuan took it and looked at her younger brother. He was much more handsome than she remembered—his face was still small, his chin pointed, but his cheeks had filled out. Unlike his former timid self, his eyes and brows were now lively, his gaze bright, and he had a mischievous, playful air about him, making him look almost like a child.

“Why did you buy this? Only little kids use this.”

“Then I’m a little kid.” Tang Xianling knew his third sister was teasing him, so he teased her back on purpose.

Tang Nuan laughed, “Your brother Tieniu treats you like a little kid.”

“That’s not true—I’m his eldest brother!” Tang Xianling was practically ready to stick his hands on his hips and strut around.

As Huangfu Tieniu walked by carrying a bucket of hot water, he remarked, “Xianling is the eldest in the family.”

“Hehe.” Tang Xianling was in stitches. He told his third sister he was going to take a bath, “Sis, get some rest early.”

Tang Nuan and Xiangxiang had bathed first. Now, holding a powder compact, she said, “You should go wash up. I’ll bring it over when I’m done.”

“Just leave it on the table in my room,” Tang Xianling called out.

In the bathroom, Huangfu Tieniu used a stiff, short-handled brush to sweep the water from the bathroom floor toward the drain. There was no bathtub in the bathroom, only a tall wooden tub too small for anyone to sit in; they could only mix cold and hot water and use a dipper to pour it over themselves for a shower.

It was already dark.

A candle was lit in the bathroom and placed near the doorway to prevent it from being extinguished by splashing water.

Tang Xianling stripped off his clothes in a few quick motions. “You should take yours off, too. Let’s wash together. It’s so late already. Once we’re done, there’s no one in the courtyard—we’ll go to bed early. We have to go to Sunjia Village tomorrow.”

The moment the topic turned to going to Sunjia Village to burn incense and paper offerings for Old Master Tang Xianling, Tang Xianling’s tone turned sour.

Huangfu Tieniu just grunted in response, took off his clothes, and hung them on the rack by the door. He first scooped up some water with the dipper to test it; the temperature was just right. Then he went over to pour water over Tang Xianling’s body. “Is it too hot? “It feels just right to me, but I’m worried your skin might be too delicate—”

“A little.” Tang Xianling felt the water was too hot, but seeing Tieniu about to get dressed and fetch cold water, he quickly stopped him. “Just a quick rinse will do.”

He’d forgotten what their current situation was.

In his haste, their skin touched—not just arm against arm, but waist, abdomen, and lower belly. He nearly fell into Tieniu’s embrace. The faint glow of a single candle flickered brightly, casting their intertwined shadows onto the floor.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

The bath didn’t go quickly; by the time they finished, the water had gone cold—though thankfully, it was summer. Tang Xianling, wearing loose pajamas, waited at the door holding the candlestick. Huangfu Tieniu told Xianling to go back to bed first.

“I won’t,” Tang Xianling said, yawning without moving a muscle.

Huangfu Tieniu quickly swept the dirty water into the drain with a few swift strokes, then washed his hands, took the candlestick, and said, “Let’s go.”

Tang Xianling, with empty hands, glanced at her own hands, then reached out to take Tieniu’s hand.

Hand in hand, the two returned to the house.

Soon, the candle was blown out.

Tang Xianling hadn’t applied talcum powder—he’d simply forgotten. He climbed into bed, rolled into Huangfu Tieniu’s arms, mumbled something about sleeping, and fell asleep almost immediately. Huangfu Tieniu held the person in his arms. Tang Xianling was a bit thin, but the flesh on his body was soft and pleasant to the touch. He couldn’t help but stroke his back and waist, then leaned down to kiss his forehead.

They fell asleep.

They have to go out again tomorrow.

Early the next morning.

Jiang Yun took Xiangxiang out to buy breakfast, while Tang Nuan was in the courtyard packing the items they’d need for visiting the graves today. She’d brought everything—some joss paper and paper ingots. She’d originally planned to buy them, but her mother-in-law said it was a waste of money, so on the way here, she’d folded the ingots in the car while she had some free time.

“Is Wu-ger still asleep?” Jiang Yun asked when she returned.

Huangfu Tieniu replied, “He’s been too exhausted these past few days.” In truth, the two of them had been fooling around in the bathroom last night—he shouldn’t have let the spirit manifest, especially since they had a long journey ahead today.

Fortunately, nothing serious happened; otherwise, it would have been uncomfortable for the spirit to ride in the car.

Jiang Yun had been thinking about this since last night, and now she said nervously, “Why don’t we just leave Wu-ger at home today? He can stay with Xiangxiang, and Xiangxiang won’t go either. Just the two of us will go.”

Tang Nuan was quite surprised. Mother was always so obedient to Father; she had never once disobeyed him.

Now, for something as important as visiting Father’s grave to burn paper offerings, Mother was actually saying that Wu-ger and Xiangxiang didn’t need to go?

Seeing Third Sister looking at her, Jiang Yun became even more determined and said, “Xiangxiang is still young. Going to a place with such heavy Yin energy isn’t good for a child. We’ll go on our own. Let Xiangxiang and her uncle stay home. We’ll leave early and return early.”

“Alright, Mother. I’ll go with you and Master Wang.” Huangfu Tieniu was worried and decided to accompany them.

She didn’t know Master Wang—after all, he was a stranger—and Mother wasn’t very brave.

Jiang Yun breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. “Alright, Third Sister, you go get ready. We’ll leave after you’ve had breakfast.”

Tang Xianling was still half-asleep when he heard the commotion outside. Remembering that he had to visit Old Tang’s grave today, he forced himself to struggle out of bed. He had barely climbed out of bed and hadn’t even put on his shirt yet when he saw Tieniu walk in.

“Mom said you don’t have to go today. Stay home and look after Xiangxiang. Master Wang and I will make the trip.” Huangfu Tieniu explained in a few words.

Tang Xianling: !!!

Holy cow!

What a huge stroke of luck to wake up to this!

His eyes lit up, and his excitement was written all over his face. Huangfu Tieniu couldn’t help but curve the corners of his mouth. Tang Xianling crawled over, overjoyed, and kissed Tieniu on the cheek, saying, “Tieniu, this mission is all yours! I’ll cook you something delicious when you get back.”

“Alright.” Huangfu Tieniu wrapped his arms around his husband’s waist. “I’ll be back early this afternoon.”

“Don’t overexert yourself.”

“I know, I know. You need to protect yourself from the sun too—you don’t want to get sunburned.” A delighted Tang Xianling ran his fingers over Tieniu’s handsome face.

Huangfu Tieniu hummed in agreement. “Then I’ll bring my straw hat.”

“Perfect!”

Tang Xianling finished dressing, left the room to brush his teeth and wash his face, then saw his mother and third sister off. As he rubbed little Zhao Xiangxiang’s head, he said, “We’re home alone today. What do you want to eat? Uncle will make it for you.”

The little girl adored her uncle; she nodded vigorously, not showing the slightest bit of reluctance to leave her mother.

Tang Nuan in the cart: …

Master Wang drove a covered cart. It was hot, so Jiang Yun and Tang Nuan sat inside while Huangfu Tieniu rode his mule ahead to lead the way. The cart was lightweight, so once they left the city, it moved quickly.

After seeing them off, Tang Xianling found himself with nothing to do while waiting for Xiangxiang. Since it was still early to start cooking, he simply took some qian, locked the door, and took the little girl out to play in the streets.

“Uncle, are we going to the street to buy food?” Zhao Xiangxiang was quick-witted. “Food on the street is too expensive. If Uncle cooks it, I can help—I know how to pick vegetables, peel garlic, and wash rice.”

Tang Xianling was amused. “We’re not going to the main street. Uncle’s taking you to the West Market to play. I promised yesterday I’d buy you a bamboo dragonfly.”

“The West Market?” Zhao Xiangxiang had heard her mother say that the East and West Markets in Fengyuan City were bustling places.

She had never been there.

Tang Xianling took the child to the main street, flagged down a cart, and headed toward the West Market. There was no rush to go home today; it was a rare chance to relax and wander around. The little girl had short legs, so after walking for a while, Tang Xianling took her to a sweet drink shop to sit down and rest.

Summer had arrived, and this drink shop was serving sour plum soup and cooling herbal tea.

After more than half a month, Tang Xianling finally got to enjoy his treat. He and Xiangxiang sat in a corner drinking plum soup. The shop’s plum soup was chilled with well water, tasting tart, sweet, and refreshingly cool—perfect for beating the heat—paired with a plate of cloud-flake cakes or hawthorn cakes.

The two spent fifteen wen.

The shop was mostly filled with women and men, chatting away animatedly.

“I still love the ‘Brother Tang’ excerpts performed by Xiao Sixi the most. He doesn’t go into unnecessary details, but it’s truly satisfying. The other day at the East Market, there was a storyteller who was just spouting nonsense. In his version, he turned the Hu family into a story of a prodigal son returning home, and even had them make up with Brother Tang.”

A young man sitting nearby was so furious his eyebrows shot up. “That’s pure nonsense! Brother Tang has already filed a complaint with the authorities—he’s made it crystal clear he wants nothing more to do with the Hu family. Who’s that storyteller? To go out of his way to defend that lowly Hu fellow and claim he’s been wronged? He’s turning black into white! I’m going over there to give him a piece of my mind!”

“Let’s go together.”

“That lowly Hu is ungrateful and heartless. He’s barely made it big and hasn’t even become an official yet, and already he’s divorced the wife of his early days. Brother Tang suffered such injustice, yet he kept forgiving them time and again. The Hu family wouldn’t let it rest and even drove Brother Tang’s own father to his death. With such a blood feud, how could anyone possibly forgive that lowly Hu?”

As Tang Xianling listened, he realized that the Xiao Sisi troupe was the small theater company he had hired with his own money, and that “Brother Tang” was undoubtedly him. The “common Hu man” they were referring to was Hu Kang—because Lord Li had revoked his official title, the women in the shop spoke of him with a mocking tone, calling him a “common Hu man.”

What’s the point of a Juren title? He’s just a commoner.

Hahaha.

Zhao Xiangxiang caught on, too. She didn’t know the details, but she realized they were talking about her Uncle. She blinked, stopped munching on her cloud-flake cake, and whispered, “Uncle, are they talking about you?”

“Yes.” Tang Xianling gave Xiangxiang a “shh” gesture.

Zhao Xiangxiang fell silent, eating her cloud-flake cake while pricking up her ears to listen.

What do they mean by “foreigners”? Are they from foreign lands? Has Uncle actually dealt with foreigners before? Uncle is truly formidable and capable.

“We’ve got to speak up together, or else they’ll really think we women and gers are easy to bully. The case has already been nailed down by the magistrate, yet those storytellers still dare to make up nonsense for their tales.”

“That’s why Xiao Sisi’s plays are the best. He’s even released a new one recently—”

“You mean Brother Tang’s new husband? That act where the couple lives in perfect harmony? That’s not made up—Brother Tang really did get married. His new husband is over three years younger than him, and he’s quite a handsome young man.”

Everyone burst into laughter—this time, it was good-natured.

The villains met a miserable end, which was deeply satisfying. Not only were the good people cleared of their wrongful accusations, but they also found a happy marriage—one even better than the last. This was the kind of story the common folk loved to see.

“I wonder when Brother Tang Wu will open his shop.”

“I heard from the folks in Baxing District that Brother Tang’s breakfast business is booming—people are lining up before dawn.”

“Is it really that good?”

“It’s genuinely delicious—no way to fake it. I have a relative who lives in Dingyi District, near Baxing District. She says that on the main street, Brother Tang’s cooking is exceptional. While other shops sell all day, his sells out in just the morning, which has made quite a few people envious.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

“I heard it too. Apparently, Brother Tang even got into a fight with a young man earlier.”

“Ah!” The couple was startled and gathered around, urging the passerby to tell the full story.

Passerby: “I don’t know the details, but I heard that because the Tang family’s business was booming, the other party grew envious. So they set up Brother Tang Wu with a simple-minded fool—”

“Such a malicious scheme.”

“They really don’t treat Brother Tang Wu like a human being.”

“Exactly. Who would ever introduce a simple-minded boy to a respectable man?”

“So Brother Tang went right to their doorstep and beat him up.”

“He deserved it, he deserved it.” 

“Well done.” 

“We women and gers have suffered so many injustices since we got married. Someone as upright and courageous as Brother Tang Wu is truly rare—we admire him.”

That’s why the story of Brother Tang Wu is so popular among women and men, whether in one-act operas or storytelling performances. Scholars are the next in line; they’ll also cheer for Brother Tang Wu to draw a clear line between themselves and Hu Kang—they certainly aren’t the kind of scholars Hu Kang represents.

In a nutshell: stepping on Hu Kang’s head to elevate their own image.

No scholar wants to be told, “You resemble Hu Kang.” After all, Hu Kang took bribes as soon as he passed the Juren examination, plotted against his wife’s family, and divorced his wife of many years, committing all sorts of immoral deeds. Scholars, unwilling to be tainted by such a reputation, naturally praised Brother Tang’s story to the skies, and some even wrote essays expressing their admiration for his courage.

This earned him a round of applause from the common folk.

As the story gained traction, there were inevitably some unsavory elements who, claiming to be “niche” or “rational,” tried to defend Hu Kan, —the storyteller at the East Market, for instance, empathizes deeply with Hu Kang and insists on giving him a happy ending, though he dares not provoke public outrage by speaking ill of Brother Tang.

But as things stand, the common folk aren’t buying it—they aren’t cheering him on, and they’re even heaping scorn upon him.

After all that talk, the conversation eventually circled back to the original topic.

“Hearing you all speak like this, I’m really eager to try Brother Tang Wu’s cooking.”

“Me too.”

“It sounds delicious. I wonder how much longer Brother Tang will be in mourning?”

“We common folk have to make a living. We certainly wouldn’t stick to the three-year mourning period. There’s a family in my alley—as soon as his mother passed away, the seven-day funeral rites were over, and by the eighth day, everyone was back to work.”

“That’s how it is.”

Tang Xianling, who had been listening in and was suddenly asked when he’d be opening for business: …

It seems that for the next opening, he’ll need to stock up on breakfast supplies and hang up signs like “Opening in Two Days” or “Opening on XX Date” two days in advance. Since they’re all customers who support him, Tang Xianling doesn’t mind riding the wave of “Brother Tang’s Story” for a bit.

His little restaurant was located in the Baxing District, but it would be best if it could “break out” of the neighborhood.

Prices at the West Market restaurants were higher, while those on Baxing District’s main street were a bit lower. But his food wasn’t any worse than the West Market restaurants’—it was even better. Why shouldn’t he raise his prices a bit?

Even if he lowered them by a coin or two compared to the West Market, that would be fine.

He was still adjusting his pricing.

Tang Xianling finished his plum soup and, seeing the little girl across from him listening intently with her ears perked up, was amused. “Let’s go, Xiangxiang. Want some fish for lunch? I’ll buy a fish to cook for you.”

“Sure, sure, Uncle.” Zhao Xiangxiang was now quite obedient to her uncle’s words.

At the fish and shrimp stalls on Main Street, it was a matter of luck—sometimes they had stock, sometimes they didn’t—but at the West Market, you could always find fish and shrimp if you wanted them. Tang Xianling picked out a black fish weighing three or four jin, paid fifteen wen, and also bought a bunch of Chinese broccoli and a block of tofu.

Zhao Xiangxiang held the bamboo dragonfly Uncle had bought for her in one hand, and on her head was pinned a small, fluffy, pink peach-shaped velvet flower hairpin—also a gift from Uncle!

It looked absolutely delicious.

They rode home, the vegetable basket brimming with goods. Tang Xianling opened the courtyard gate. “Xiang, I’m going to cook. You stay and play in the courtyard. If you get bored, go next door and call Sanniang over to play. Don’t go out onto the street.”

“If you get lost, your mother and your grandmother will beat me up,” Tang Xianling teased the little girl.

Zhao Xiangxiang covered her mouth and giggled, saying, “Uncle, Uncle, I won’t let you get beaten.”

“That’s more like it, good girl.” Tang Xianling carried the basket of vegetables into the kitchen and leaned out to say, “Wash your face first, then go play.”

“Okay, Uncle.”

Zhao Xiangxiang really loved her uncle. She felt he was close to her and kind to her—not just polite, but genuinely doting on her.

The fish was already dead, but just to be safe, Tang Xianling tapped the fish’s head with a wooden mallet. The fish’s tail jerked and twitched a few times. Tang Xianling: …Good thing he’d been cautious.

Thud, thud—the fish was stunned. Now it was time to get the knife out.

Tang Xianling followed the instructions from online videos to debone the fish. Although he wasn’t a professional chef, with his “golden finger” ability, he truly had a natural talent for cooking, including knife skills. At first, he didn’t quite get the hang of it and fumbled a bit with the bones, but after a couple of tries, he figured it out on his own.

He separated the fish meat from the bones, discarding the latter, and set aside the fish head and tofu to make soup.

He began mincing the fish meat to make fish cakes. He mixed in some daikon radish and crumbled cold steamed buns into crumbs, then stirred them into the fish mixture. After shaping the mixture into patties and flattening them, he fried them twice—once to achieve a crispy exterior and a tender interior, with the fish meat remaining fresh and slightly chewy.

He sliced the broccoli and stir-fried it with a bit of pork lard.

The fish head and tofu soup were ready.

Outside, Lu Sanniang caught the scent and headed home, saying she had to go. Zhao Xiangxiang didn’t want to part with Sister Sanniang, so she rushed into the kitchen to find Uncle.

Tang Xianling: “Sanniang, come here.”

A fish cake, plus a small bowl of stir-fried Chinese broccoli with pork cracklings.

“Here, take this.”

Lu Sanniang tried to refuse, saying she hadn’t meant to stay until noon—it looked like she was begging for food.

“I’ll bring it over to you.” Tang Xianling could tell from the girl’s expression that Sanniang had likely been scolded at home for coming over every day and taking food—it wasn’t proper.

But Lu Sanniang had a kind heart; when Xiangxiang came yesterday, it was Sanniang who helped look after her and played with her.

At the Lu household, Sanniang usually did the cooking. If she were scolded by her family for missing a meal because she was playing with Xiangxiang, that wouldn’t be good.

“No, no,” Lu Sanniang waved her hands.

Seeing this, Tang Xianling took the bowl and said, “I was actually going to your house to buy some steamed buns anyway—I didn’t steam any rice for lunch.” That was true; he couldn’t spare the time to cook, and besides, he found it easier to just eat steamed buns as his main meal.

“I’ll go get them for you,” Lu Sanniang said.

Tang Xianling smiled. “How about this? It’s just me and Xiangxiang eating at my place today. I’ll tell your mother to invite you to stay for lunch—you don’t need to go back.”

“You two wait here.”

Tang Xianling went to buy the steamed buns first. After paying, he invited San Niang to stay for lunch. “I cooked too much. It’s hot out, and my mother and my older sister, along with Tieniu haven’t come back yet. If I leave it until this afternoon, it’ll go bad…”

He had now learned how to put her at ease and get her to accept his suggestion without hesitation.

“It’s just simple home-cooked vegetarian dishes—nothing special. Auntie, please don’t give me any steamed buns; otherwise, I won’t dare come buy them from you in the future.”

“Xiangxiang likes Third Sister, so I actually feel a bit embarrassed about taking up your time.”

Chen Qiaolian replied, “There’s no need to worry about wasting my time. She’s just a young girl; there isn’t much for her to do at home anyway. Since Xiangxiang rarely comes by, let her just enjoy herself.”

“That’s great, thank you, Auntie. I’ll head back now,” Tang Xianling said with a smile.

When he reached the courtyard, he was greeted by two figures—one tall, one short—both with faces full of anticipation, asking, “How did it go?” and “Is it okay?” Tang Xianling replied, “Let’s eat!”

Zhao Xiangxiang and Lu Sanniang were overjoyed.

Her uncle is truly amazing!

Wu-ger is the best!

The deep-fried fish cakes were piping hot—crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, with fresh, boneless fish. As for the pork lard-braised Chinese broccoli served with steamed buns, she piled a spoonful of the broccoli onto a bun, took a big bite, and thought, “This is so delicious!”

Watching Lu Sanniang eat like that, Zhao Xiangxiang followed suit, her eyes crinkling with delight.

After filling up, they drank a bowl of clear, white fish soup. The soup was rich and flavorful, and the silky tofu had soaked up all the fishy goodness—it was absolutely delicious!

Once they were full and satisfied, they cleaned up and took an afternoon nap.

Before evening, everyone returned, and Tang Xianling had already prepared the evening meal: cold noodles, fried peanuts, shredded radish, and blanched green leafy vegetables. The flour had been mixed with mung beans and ground twice, giving it a faint green tint.

The noodles were cut into thin strands and rinsed in cold water.

Paired with the “fried sauce” Tang Xianling had made, it was truly refreshing and appetizing—so fragrant.

Tieniu ate two bowls; each bowl was bigger than Tang Xianling’s head. Tang Xianling: !!!

“Don’t overeat,” he said, reaching out to pat Tieniu’s stomach to see just how full he was.

Huangfu Tieniu grabbed Xianling’s hand, which was wandering over his waist and abdomen, and gave his husband a deep, penetrating look.

Rarely, this time, Tang Xianling realized what was happening and blushed first, burying his face in his rice bowl. In his heart, he protested: Huangfu Tieniu, what on earth are you doing! I was just checking where you’d eaten—what were you thinking?

Really.

At the table, Jiang Yun and Tang Nuan pretended not to notice; Master Wang was eating in his own room, and the young girl Zhao Xiangxiang didn’t understand a thing.

Another three days passed.

Nothing major happened in the courtyard; they ate and drank every day, but Second Sister Tang, Tang Zhen, was still nowhere to be seen. On the fourth day, Tang Nuan said, “Mother, I’m going back with Xiangxiang today. Erlang is still young at home, and I’m worried about him.”

Jiang Yun was reluctant to see her go, but she knew she couldn’t keep her daughter at her parents’ home for too long, lest her in-laws grow resentful. After all, Third Sister had married far away and relied on her husband’s family for everything; she couldn’t just do as she pleased.

“Be careful on your way back with Xiangxiang. It’s hot out—rest whenever you can at noon,” Jiang Yun urged, offering various reminders.

Tang Xianling said, “Why is Third Sister leaving so soon? Why not wait until tomorrow? I’ll make you some food to take along for the journey.”

Zhao Xiangxiang’s eyes lit up.

Tang Nuan: “No need. It’s so hot; anything we bring will spoil on the way.”

“I’ll fry some chess-piece beans.” This was a snack from Fengyuan City—made from dough, square and about the size of a fingertip, dry-fried. Some were mixed with egg, others with mung bean flour.

Dry-fried chess-piece beans wouldn’t spoil in the heat.

Upon hearing this, Tang Nuan was reminded of her childhood, but she firmly replied, “No, the longer I stay, the harder it will be to leave. I’d rather head back early.” Her lips trembled as she considered telling her mother and Wu-ger that she would return for the New Year at the end of the year, but in the end, she didn’t say it.

It took seven or eight days by horse-drawn carriage to travel from Shijing Prefecture to Fengyuan City. The Lunar New Year was a major occasion, and the Zhao family had many relatives visiting. She needed to manage the household affairs. Her husband had used the excuse that he hadn’t visited his parents’ home in four years to completely cut off contact; if they started visiting again, she feared she wouldn’t be able to persuade him otherwise.

Tang Xianling ruffled Xiangxiang’s hair. “Then wait for me for an hour. You two start packing up; I’ll be done quickly.”

He and Tieniu went into the kitchen to make bean snacks. Tieniu ground the mung beans into flour and mixed them with wheat flour. Tang Xianling first made some with egg and wheat flour, flavored with five-spice powder, and some with mung bean flour, seasoned with salt and pepper. He roasted them until they were crisp and dry, then packed them into paper bags for Third Sister and the children.

“Eat these on the road.”

Zhao Xiangxiang held the steaming paper bag, her eyes reddening. She didn’t want to part with Uncle. These past few days, he’d taken her out to play, made her delicious treats, and even bought her little toys.

“If you have the time and opportunity, you’ll definitely come back.” Tang Xianling ruffled the child’s hair and looked at Third Sister. “This is your home too, just as much as your mother’s.”

After the farewell, Tang Nuan led her daughter to the carriage. The wheels turned, and the carriage rolled out of the alley until it was out of sight…

Jiang Yun’s eyes welled up, and she wiped away her tears. If only she’d known, she shouldn’t have let Third Sister marry so far away. But then she thought, even if she had known, she wouldn’t have dared to speak up back then. Old Tang had already agreed to it—how could she have dared to object?

It was her own fault for being so weak.

“Mother, don’t worry too much. I see Third Sister and Xiangxiang are both doing well. There’s plenty of time ahead; we’ll surely meet again.” Tang Xianling could tell at a glance that Jiang Yun was getting stuck in a rut, so he hurried to comfort her.

Jiang Yun nodded repeatedly and said, “Yes.”

“By the way, did you give Third Sister her money?” Tang Xianling remembered; he was afraid Mother might have forgotten.

To his surprise, Jiang Yun smiled and said, “I did. I was afraid she wouldn’t take it, so I slipped it into her bundle secretly. Now that she has some silver on her, I feel a bit more at ease.” She had previously thought it was against convention for Wu-ger to give the remaining silver to his three sisters, but now she felt it was the right thing to do.

With three daughters married off and living far from home, it’s always good for them to have some silver on hand.

But what about Erniang? Why hasn’t she returned yet? Could something have happened?

Jiang Yun was a bit worried. When Huangfu Tieniu learned of her mother’s concern, he made a special trip to the family that had sent the letter. Upon inquiry, he discovered that Erniang was pregnant and, being in her third trimester, couldn’t travel. Only then did Jiang Yun breathe a sigh of relief.

“As long as she’s all right.”

Two days later, Tang Xianling and Huangfu Tieniu set off for Xu Village, carrying food boxes and gifts.

“Mother, we’ll be back this afternoon,” Tang Xianling said. He and Tieniu had risen before dawn to head into the kitchen to prepare pastries; now that daybreak had just arrived, they finished packing, changed into fresh clothes, and hitched the cart to leave the city.

The two of them were going to visit Uncle Zhang and Uncle Wang.

Jiang Yun: “Go ahead, then. Go early and come back early—” She paused here, “Just make sure you’re back before the city gates close. Spend some time chatting with Tieniu’s Uncle and have lunch with him.”

“Got it.”

After passing through the city gate and traveling for a while, the sun grew intense. Tang Xianling held up an umbrella to shield them both. Huangfu Tieniu asked if his arm was tired. Tang Xianling replied, “Not at all.”

After a while, Huangfu Tieniu asked, “Are you thirsty? I brought a jug of water.”

“No, I’m not thirsty.”

“Then take a nap. I brought a straw mat. We got up too early this morning.”

Tang Xianling watched the scenery recede as they left the city. Outside, everything was lush and green, the natural scenery beautiful. He turned to see Tieniu looking concerned for him. In just this short while, how could he be so delicate—tired, thirsty, and sleepy?

With no one around, “autopilot” kicked in—driving his beat-up car.

“Huangfu Tieniu, ask me one more question, and I’ll kiss you!”

He wanted to “scare off” his classmate Tieniu.

This was broad daylight, after all.

Unexpectedly, Huangfu Tieniu’s gaze drifted downward, landing on his husband’s lips, and he leaned in.

Tang Xianling: !!!!

Wait, are you serious?

Mmm, I was just—mm, mm, mm.