In the four prefectures of Xidu Province, whether it’s paddy fields or dry fields, they generally plant only one crop per year. The common folk cherish the fertility of their land and fear that plowing too deeply or too frequently will deplete the soil, leaving it barren and unable to yield a harvest.

According to the elders, times were hard in the past. After the new emperor ascended the throne, he occasionally reduced or waived grain taxes. Additionally, merchants brought back peanut and potato seeds from abroad, which suddenly allowed many people to fill their bellies.

Here, they grow winter wheat, plowing and sowing in the fall and winter, with the harvest coming in early summer the following year. After the harvest, they let the fields rest for a while and apply some fertilizer. Not wanting the land to lie fallow but also not wanting to overwork it, they plant rapeseed, fruit trees, peanuts, potatoes, beans—all sorts of things. Even when those vegetables and fruits rot in the ground, they serve to fertilize the soil.

Not far from Fengyuan City, the fields in the surrounding villages are all planted with these crops. Whether farmers push carts or carry loads on shoulder poles into town to sell, or whether peddlers come to buy, it’s always a source of income.

Linma Village is more than twenty li from Fengyuan City.

“This year’s harvest is good. We’ll stick to the old way: keep fifteen sacks of wheat at home and sell the rest. We’ll mix the various beans, millet, and potatoes from the fields to eat—we won’t go hungry,” Father Lin told his three sons.

Lin Dalang said, “Father, isn’t fifteen sacks too few? With so many of us at home, we kept twenty sacks last year.”

It was precisely because they had kept twenty sacks last year that the Lin family had to make do with potatoes, eggs, and millet for the first part of the year. By this past April, they had only three sacks of grain left, so Father Lin sent his youngest son, Lin Hu, into town to sell those three sacks of old grain.

In truth, the elderly couple knew that trouble had struck their third son’s wife’s family. By asking their youngest son to sell grain, they actually intended to send a sack or two to see if there was anything they could do to help.

They certainly couldn’t give money, but letting their third son’s wife visit her family was still possible.

This year, Father Lin had made up his mind: he would simply set aside fifteen sacks of grain.

“What are you lacking? I think you’re just craving something. Is the family starving you, or is there not enough to eat?”

“Father, that’s not what I meant,” Lin Dalang hurriedly said.

Erlang also said, “Father, Big Brother isn’t saying that. There are sixteen of us in this family—fifteen sacks of grain really isn’t enough. We mostly eat potatoes, eggs, and millet every day; the kids aren’t even growing. Big Brother is worried about the children, too.”

It’s not just the kids in Eldest Brother’s household—it’s the same in his own home and Third Brother’s.

Lin Hu chimed in alongside his two older brothers. He couldn’t just stand by and say nothing while they took the heat from their father; he didn’t want to end up in the clear while Eldest Brother took all the blame.

“Are the three of you trying to defy your own father?” Father Lin asked, his face stern.

Lin Hu: “Father, how could we dare? We just don’t have enough to eat.”

Mother Lin stepped in to smooth things over, telling her husband not to get so worked up. She looked at her three sons and said, “I didn’t want to bring this up, but your father wants to tighten our belts for a year or two to save up some silver so we can divide the family estate.”

“Divide the family estate?!”

All three sons froze in shock.

Their parents were doing just fine—why would they split up now?

Lin Dalang dropped to his knees before his father with a thud. “Father, I didn’t mean to yell at you just now. I didn’t mean anything by it. Fifteen bags are fifteen bags—it’s enough to eat. I wasn’t trying to force you and Mother to split up.”

Faced with such a dutiful eldest son, Father Lin’s earlier anger melted away.

“What does this have to do with you?” Father Lin said, helping him up, then added, “There’s no more room in the house. Just as a tree grows large and branches out, so do people. You said it yourself—there are sixteen of us in this courtyard, and Mao’er is old enough to start thinking about marriage…”

Mao’er was Lin Dalang’s eldest son. With the grandchildren now ready to marry, and once married, children would surely follow within two years—how could this courtyard possibly accommodate everyone? It would be too cramped. It would be better to divide the household cleanly and decisively sooner rather than later.

Father Lin had been thinking about this for years, but it had been put off until now. With so many people and so many issues at home, it would be better to split things up cleanly while the children hadn’t yet started quarreling openly—that way, the three brothers might still maintain a better relationship.

“Your mother has already spoken her mind. So, once we’ve sold the grain this year, we’ll divide the property.”

“Once the grain harvest is in, the three of you brothers should go to town to sell it…”

The three brothers nodded in agreement.

That very day, the three of them had a long talk with their wives.

“Is this because of that silver business from last time?” Tang Qiao asked her husband. Last month, his father had passed away, and the two of them had gone back for the funeral. Upon their return, their mother and Wu-ger had given her twelve taels of silver.

Since the family hadn’t yet divided their estates, the Lin family rule was that any private income earned by the three branches had to be handed over half. For instance, when the eldest sister-in-law took her children to weave crafts and sell them, she had to hand over half of the proceeds. The second sister-in-law, who raised ducks and saved eggs with her children, also had to hand over her earnings.

On the way back, Tang Qiao and Lin Hu kept glancing at each other, unsure whether they should tell their parents about this money.

They wrestled with the decision the whole way, until finally Tang Qiao said, “Why don’t we just tell them?”

She feared that if their family spent the money and the first and second branches saw it, they might start wondering where the money came from—and later accuse their parents of favoritism, which would be bad.

To be honest, as the youngest son, their parents did show some favoritism toward the third branch.

Back when her father was still alive, her maternal family ran a business in Fengyuan City. For ordinary people, social status didn’t matter—what counted was how much silver they had to eat and drink. With her maternal family’s backing, her in-laws and two sisters-in-law treated her decently enough, though they’d occasionally throw in a snide remark or two.

But ever since her father fell ill, life had grown harder. Her two sisters-in-law would occasionally pick a fight with her, trading sharp words and bringing up the fact that her parents favored the third branch of the family. Tang Qiao’s face would turn alternately pale and red with frustration, but she dared not retort.

It was true that in the past, her children had received a little extra sugar water or an extra bite of egg.

Hearing his wife speak this way, Lin Hu felt a pang of sympathy. After all, this was private money given by her birth family—how could he possibly confiscate it? Yet he also feared that if his two older brothers found out about this later, it might cause a commotion.

So this was the only course of action.

After returning home, Tang Qiao told her mother-in-law and father-in-law about the twelve taels of silver, thinking she could hand over six taels and keep the other six for her own household. But to her surprise, her parents-in-law refused to accept a single coin.

“We Lin family are honest folk in this village; we wouldn’t dream of taking our daughter-in-law’s private allowance from her birth family. Your father has passed away, and Sanlang went with you to the funeral—that was his duty. This is money your mother and younger brother set aside for you out of concern; keep it,” said her mother-in-law.

Her father-in-law nodded in agreement from the side.

Now that the matter was out in the open, Tang Qiao felt somewhat reassured after hearing her parents’ words. From then on, she wouldn’t have to worry about her older and younger sisters-in-law finding out if she ever used the money.

But then—

That very night, chaos erupted in the Lin household over the twelve taels of silver from the third branch. The commotion dragged on for several days—not loud shouting, but snide remarks and sulking. Even the children started banding together and bickering, refusing to play with those from the third branch.

“That’s the money my maternal grandmother gave my mother.”

“What about the money my mother earned weaving and selling straw mats? Did you eat the malt candy she bought with it?”

“Did you eat the duck eggs?”

“Why doesn’t your family have to contribute?”

“Grandpa and Grandma are just biased toward you lot, hmph.”

Twelve taels were a hefty sum of money. Even though they knew full well this was money the Tang family gave to their married-out daughters, the other two wives were still envious and wanted a share. They knew they had no grounds for it, but getting a bit of silver—a tangible benefit—made it worth it.

If it came down to a dispute, the first and second wives would have their own arguments to make.

The third wife went to attend the funeral during the busy harvest season. While she and her three children were away, the other two wives toiled in the fields day in and day out. Their children were sunburned to a crisp—and yet, when the third wife returned, was she just going to sit back and eat the fruits of their labor?

Doesn’t that count?

After more than ten days of this, not to mention the three children being squeezed out and wronged, Tang Qiao could no longer bear it—she’d been wiping away tears in secret. She told her parents, “Let’s just turn over the six taels of silver.”

Finally, Father Lin, his face stern, summoned the eldest and second sons before him and gave them a severe scolding.

“That money was given by the third son’s wife’s family. Her father died and left her that silver to support herself. How dare you take it? If word gets out, it’ll be a stain on the Lin family’s reputation. Have you no shame?”

In the end, the money wasn’t confiscated.

Today, when the topic of dividing the household came up, Tang Qiao asked if that was the reason.

Lin Hu: “Father didn’t say so. He just said that when the tree grows tall, it must be divided. But I’d guess that’s probably it.” He couldn’t very well accuse his two older brothers of wrongdoing. Even though it was his sisters-in-law who were clamoring to confiscate the money, he knew full well that if his brothers hadn’t had their own motives, why would they have let their wives make such a fuss?

Twelve taels—the moment he heard that, he felt a twinge of temptation.

Besides the silver, there was also the fact that he hadn’t helped with this year’s busy farming season. Sigh.

Tang Qiao felt both a bit afraid and a bit excited about the division of the family estate.

Two days later, the three Lin brothers set aside the grain taxes they owed and fifteen sacks of grain for their own consumption, then borrowed a flatbed cart and hitched an ox cart to head into town to sell the grain. One ox cart wasn’t enough to haul it all, so they borrowed two flatbed carts.

Lin Dalang said, “The three of us will take turns driving the ox cart.”

“No need, big brother. You and Second Brother take turns. I’m fine pushing the flatbed cart,” Lin Hu said.

He hadn’t put in much effort during the busy farming season, so now he wanted to work hard.

Lin Dalang and Lin Erlang agreed. Lin Hu looked on and thought to himself that he hadn’t been wrong—his two older brothers really had grown a bit distant from him…

The three brothers walked and stopped intermittently; the load was heavy, so they moved slowly, not reaching the city until noon.

In the East Market.

Tang Xianling and Tieniu had left late, but they weren’t in a hurry. Buying these items was second nature to them—they were all dealing with familiar shopkeepers—so they headed straight to the shops and settled everything in no time.

They delivered what needed to be delivered; for items that couldn’t be delivered, they paid for porters to push the carts.

This week, Tang Xianling bought extra Sichuan pepper leaves.

“Ever since you ordered this, sir, more people have been buying the leaves,” the shop assistant said as he scooped the spices onto the scale.

Tang Xianling made small talk: “Is it from Baxing District?”

“Indeed,” the shop assistant replied with a beaming smile, then realized, “It’s all thanks to you.”

“No problem at all. Your spices are excellent, too.”

With their shopping at the East Market finished, Tang Xianling wanted to take a stroll through the West Market. “I’m in the mood for some ice cream. Come on, Big Brother’s treating you—I’ve got the money!”

Huangfu Tieniu reached out an arm and helped Big Brother climb onto the mule cart.

Tang Xianling: Hahahahahaha.

Tieniu sure knows how to play along.

With their errands done, the two were looking for some rare leisure time. They headed to the largest refreshment shop in the West Market, which sold ice even in summer. The shop had two stories, decorated with elegant and refreshing decor, and the waitstaff were all young men and women.

Tang Xianling led Tieniu to find a seat. A cool breeze blew in, and they realized there were people specifically tasked with operating fans here. Large cloth fans hung from the ceiling beams, with a strong-looking young man pulling on a hemp rope beside them.

He studied the “fan” for a moment.

“What would you like to order, sir?” the young waiter asked.

Tang Xianling looked at the “menu” posted on one wall of the main hall. The characters were large, making it easy for customers to read—just like a modern bubble tea shop, offering pure tea, sweet beverages, and blends of cow’s and goat’s milk.

The most expensive items were the iced ones; after all, ice was a luxury in midsummer, and this was the shop’s most profitable time of year.

“I’ll have a Yangmei ice dessert and a sour plum and red bean ice.” These two bowls of ice set him back 120 wen.

Ice was expensive in the summer, out of season.

“Right away, please wait a moment.”

The shop also had storybooks to read and musicians playing the zither, offering some entertainment. After all, cold drinks were pricey, so one couldn’t just sit there, finish eating, and leave; it was better to eat while chatting with companions.

“This place is actually quite interesting.” It’s a bit like a modern bubble tea shop.

Having traveled back to the Rong Dynasty, he hadn’t yet been to Luijing, but Fengyuan City alone was truly eye-opening. The ancients were wise; as the saying goes, as long as you have qian, a city will provide entertainment and services in every aspect.

Seeing Xianling’s eyes light up, Huangfu Tieniu felt a surge of joy even before he’d taken a single sip of the iced drink.

“I recall there’s a shop like this in Luijing as well. In winter, they even have ice sculptures and an ice chamber—though Luijing is warm in winter, with almost no snow or ice.”

Tang Xianling: ?!

“And the ice?”

“It’s transported via the Lu River, shipped from Beidu Prefecture and Xidu Province.” Huangfu Tieniu didn’t like talking about his time in Luijing—the person he used to be was long gone—but now that he’d brought it up, there was no harm in sharing.

Since his husband was curious and enjoyed listening, he decided to tell him.

“Were you able to go out and play when you were a child? I assumed you came from a wealthy family and stayed all day indoors.” Just as Tang Xianling was speaking, their ice cream arrived, so he paused and focused on admiring it.

True to its reputation as a high-end establishment, the shop’s ice cream cups were custom-made, with a glaze resembling white porcelain—though he couldn’t tell for sure, he simply found the porcelain exquisitely delicate and pristine. The cups were round-bellied with a slight stem, resembling a stout, short-stemmed wine glass.

One bowl contained crushed ice, first drizzled with a ring of milk, then topped with crushed bayberries poured from above. Layers of white milk and purplish-red bayberry juice alternated, creating a beautiful color palette. The final layer was a crystal-clear syrup, adorned with a few bayberries that gave off a faint chill.

The other bowl has a wide rim, resembling a bowl itself. It’s filled with a base of crushed ice and red beans, topped with a dark, sour plum broth, and adorned with a few flower petals.

“Sir, these petals have been fermented and are edible,” the young waiter said with a smile before stepping back to attend to new customers.

Huangfu Tieniu pushed both bowls of shaved ice toward his husband, picked up a spoon, and handed it to Xianling. “Which one should we try first?”

“I’ll take a taste of both—let’s share them,” Tang Xianling said, eager to dig in.

Huangfu Tieniu agreed, then added, “You eat first, and I’ll eat what’s left. No need to keep passing it back and forth—it’s a hassle.”

“My mouth gets all messy after I eat.”

“So what? Your saliva is sweet, too.”

Tang Xianling: …

He glared at Tieniu, his face flushed red. Out in broad daylight, you’re not even pretending to be innocent anymore, are you?!

Huangfu Tieniu took the glare, finding it even more satisfying than eating ice cream. He couldn’t hold back a smile and continued, “The Huangfu family in Luijing isn’t exactly a prominent clan—there are so many high-ranking officials and nobles here. Before I fell into the river, my grandfather was a fourth-rank military officer.”

“I could go out and play on the streets; my father’s second wife never restricted or controlled me.”

Tang Xianling scooped some bayberry sorbet into his mouth. It had a tangy-sweet taste with a hint of cane sugar. Because it was so cold, by the time he got used to it, he found it overwhelmingly sweet, so he immediately pushed the spoon toward Tieniu.

“It’s too sweet. Stir it up a bit—let the ice melt the syrup.”

Huangfu Tieniu took a spoon and stirred it, then scooped a spoonful and held it to Xianling’s lips. “Try it. Is it still too sweet now?”

“I’ll give it a try.” Tang Xianling took a bite. “Much better. It must have been that spoonful of syrup I had earlier.” The sweetness had been overwhelming.

He took another sip of the sour plum soup to cut the cloying sweetness, then mumbled, “Doesn’t she beat or scold you?”

“No, she’s a virtuous woman with a good reputation.” Knowing that Xianling was quick-witted, Huangfu Tieniu changed the subject, talking about the fun things in Luijing and avoiding mention of the beatings and forced kneeling he’d endured at the Huangfu household. “Luijing is different from Fengyuan City. You love water and want to swim. During the Dragon Boat Festival, Luijing is the liveliest place.”

Tang Xianling scooped up a spoonful of plum soup with red beans and fed it to Tieniu, saying, “Actually, I don’t really like water that much either. If I just want to play in the water, the river back in our village is plenty for me.”

He just wanted to cool off in the river because of the heat.

If he were actually asked to row a dragon boat, he’d be done for.

“I like eating, drinking, and sleeping—and I like Huangfu Tieniu.”

Huangfu Tieniu’s lips curled up again.

The bustle of Luijing and the Huangfu family’s official status and lineage had nothing to do with them.

Of the two bowls of iced drinks, Tang Xianling downed more than half, while Huangfu Tieniu finished the rest. On the way back, Tang Xianling’s stomach started to ache, and Huangfu Tieniu fretted, “You shouldn’t have eaten it all. Let me rub your stomach.”

In a panic, he reached out to cup Tang Xianling’s stomach.

“Is it here?”

Tang Xianling: “A little higher up—that’s the stomach. Yes, yes, right there.”

Huangfu Tieniu’s hands were big and warm; after a moment, Tang Xianling felt much better.

“We should still go to the pharmacy and see a doctor.”

Tang Xianling: “No.”

Huangfu Tieniu furrowed his brow, looked at his husband, and whispered, “What if it’s the baby—”

“You big oaf, I have a stomachache. I can tell the difference between my stomach and my belly.” Though Tang Xianling said this, he wasn’t entirely sure himself. Thinking of the “what if,” he still went to the clinic and spent thirty wen on a pulse diagnosis.

Huangfu Tieniu asked anxiously, “How is my husband doing? Is he all right?”

“He’s a bit weak. Make sure he doesn’t catch a chill,” the doctor said after taking his pulse.

Tang Xianling: …In the middle of summer, he’s weak and afraid of catching a chill?

Huangfu Tieniu nodded repeatedly and asked if he needed medicine. The doctor said no, just avoid the cold and drink some red bean and red date tea to replenish his qi and blood.

The two left the pharmacy.

Tang Xianling: “Are you disappointed?” About not having a child—

“Let’s pop over to the general store and buy some red red dates. We’ve got beans at home, so it’s no big deal. These days, red dates are all dried. Next time I’m back in the village, I’ll tell Uncle Zhang to set some aside for us if the village has a good harvest this fall—we can dry them ourselves.” Huangfu Tieniu rattled off a string of words, but when he saw his husband staring at him, he asked earnestly, “What’s wrong? What did you just say?”

Tang Xianling: ……

Forget about having a child—his Tieniu was completely preoccupied with him.

“You’re right. Mine still tastes better when I dry them myself.”

“Right.”

But Tieniu wanted to buy some red dates, so they couldn’t resist stopping by the grain shop on the way. While Huangfu Tieniu was picking out red red dates there, Tang Xianling, bored, looked around. He noticed the shop next door looked familiar. He stared a bit longer and couldn’t help but call out, “Brother-in-law?”

For the past three years, the heavens had been kind, times were good, and the harvests were bountiful. This year, the three Lin brothers arrived in Fengyuan City at noon and headed straight to the grain shop to sell their crops. However, upon inquiry, they found that this year’s grain prices were very low—even a few wen lower than last year’s.

Naturally, the three brothers were unwilling to sell at such a low price.

They didn’t just check the West Market; they went around the East Market as well. One stayed to watch the grain while the other two ran off to ask about prices and see what offers were available. In the end, the grain merchants in the East Market offered the exact same price. Since leaving home that morning after eating a few fist-sized mixed-grain steamed buns, Lin Hu and his two brothers hadn’t even had a single sip of water.

Never mind their rumbling stomachs; faced with the prices offered by the grain shops, the three were at their wits’ end, unsure whether to sell or not.

It was a bumper harvest, yet grain prices had plummeted.

Lin Dalang couldn’t make such a big decision on his own—they still had some grain at home—so he asked his two younger brothers if they should sell. As soon as Lin Erlang heard this, fearing their father would scold him later, he said he’d follow their older brother’s lead.

The three of them dithered back and forth. Finally, Lin Hu said, “Let’s just sell it. If we delay any longer, the city gates will close. Even if we don’t sell, we’ll have to push the grain back home first—otherwise, once the gates close, we’ll be stuck in Fengyuan City.”

With the curfew on the main street, they’d have to sneak off to some alleyway to sleep—they couldn’t afford an inn, and besides, it was hot; sleeping on the ground wouldn’t be a problem. But sleeping on the street in an alley wasn’t exactly comfortable either. What if some households spotted them, took a dislike to them, and chased them away?

All in all, a hassle.

Lin Erlang suggested, “Isn’t your in-laws’ place in Fengyuan City? If all else fails, we could go stay with them.”

Lin Hu didn’t respond, only saying they should sell the grain first; judging by the time, they should be able to make it out before the city gates closed.

His father-in-law had passed away, leaving his mother-in-law to live alone with her Wu-ger’s new husband.

“Sanlang, do you think your second brother and I are after your father-in-law’s estate? We have no such intentions. But rushing out now won’t get us there in time. We don’t have an ox cart, and pushing a handcart is slow. If we have to spend the night in Fengyuan City, we can always sleep on the floor or in the courtyard if it comes to that,” said Lin Dalang.

Lin Hu: “Eldest Brother, Second Brother, it’s not that I have any hard feelings toward you, my mother-in-law’s place is tiny—not only is it smaller than our own home, but half the yard is rented out to outsiders. The only way in and out is through the shop at the front. They run a business there, so it’s always bustling with people. If we go over there with three cartloads of grain, there’s nowhere to put it. Even when my wife and I took the kids to attend a funeral before, we slept on the floor in front of the shop at night.”

After all that talk—having been out in the sun all day and now hungry—the three brothers were running out of patience. Lin Dalang finally said, “Forget it, let’s not argue about this. Let’s sell the grain first; if Father asks later, I’ll take the blame.”

So they went to the grain shop in the West Market to sell the grain.

Amid all this commotion, they ran into Tang Xianling and Tieniu, who were buying red red dates next door.

Tieniu had just paid for his red red dates and was holding his basket when he greeted his older sister’s husband. After calling out to his men, Tang Xianling listened as the two brothers voiced their complaints: the low grain prices, the fact they hadn’t eaten all day, and the uncertainty of whether they’d even make it out of the city in time.

“What price are you selling your grain for?” Tang Xianling asked.

He buys higher-quality flour—700 wen per 100 jin—and they throw in a free jin of red beans or something similar as a bonus.

Lin Hu: “Last year it was still 400 wen per 100 jin. This year, they initially offered 200 wen. After spending the whole day haggling and begging high and low, we finally managed to get it up to 270 wen per 100 jin.”

Tang Xianling: “What?!”

Wow, that’s so cheap!

No wonder Lu’s Steamed Bun Shop is such a long-standing business—they offer large quantities at low prices.

However, what his sister’s husband’s family delivered was shelled dry wheat kernels, not finely ground flour, so it can be stored. If a grain shop were to buy such grain, they’d still have to grind it into flour—a second step in processing—but there’s still a profit to be made, just like Lu’s shop with its low-margin, high-volume sales.

Labor is cheap.

Every household in Fengyuan City needs grain even if they don’t farm, so grain merchants make a living through long-term trade.

During droughts and times of turmoil, grain prices rise, but the government keeps them in check. Normally, prices stay like this. Grain merchants try to drive prices down, but farming is hard work—farmers just want to make ends meet, saving every copper coin to build up their savings.

Government policy prioritizes agriculture over commerce; commercial taxes are heavy, and merchants hold low social status. Those with farming status have a clean record, allowing their descendants to take the imperial examinations, but life is far too hard.

“The shop won’t open tomorrow; we’re taking the day off. Why don’t you come stay at our place tonight, brother-in-law?” Tang Xianling spoke up, giving his brother-in-law face—and also because his eldest sister was living with the Lin family.

Lin Dalang looked at his third younger brother. “After selling the grain and dragging things out until now, there’s no way I can leave. With money on me, how could I dare sleep out on the street for a night?”

“Third brother, we’ll just impose on your in-laws’ home for one night,” Lin Erlang added.

Lin Hu looked at his brother-in-law. Though he was just a young husband, during the funeral for his father-in-law last time, Lin Hu had inexplicably felt a bit “afraid” of him—because the man was decisive, willing to hand over twelve taels of silver without hesitation, and even his own wife had, without realizing it, come to listen to Wu-ger’s words.

“Then the three of us will be imposing on you.”

Tang Xianling nodded, telling the three brothers to sell their grain and settle their accounts first. He and Tieniu waited a short while; once the three had sold their grain, they were ready to leave. Sure enough, it had grown pitch black.

“You and Tieniu go ahead; I know the way,” Lin Hu called out.

Tang Xianling: “Alright, then. Brother-in-law, Big Brother Lin, and Second Brother, we’ll wait for you at home.” He climbed onto his own mule cart.

His brother-in-law was pushing a handcart; he didn’t want to walk slowly—it was exhausting.

Huangfu Tieniu drove the mule cart. After they’d gone a bit faster and pulled away from the others, Tang Xianling moved closer to sit next to Tieniu. Huangfu Tieniu pricked up his ears, looking as if to say, “Let’s hear what my husband has to say.”

Tang Xianling: …

“Am I really that gossipy?”

“I want to hear it,” Huangfu Tieniu volunteered, taking the blame.

Tang Xianling: Hehe. Then he cheerfully continued, “Are my eldest sister’s husband and his two brothers not getting along? It feels like there’s a hidden meaning in their words—those two older brothers seem to be keeping him in check. I hope my eldest sister isn’t suffering any injustices at the Lin household.”

That last sentence was the real point.

Huangfu Tieniu thought about it for a moment but couldn’t figure it out. “Why don’t I ask my brother-in-law privately when he gets here?”

“No, that’s not a good idea. We don’t know anything about this. I’m afraid that if we ask too many questions when there’s nothing wrong, the Lin family might hear about it and think my older sister told me something, trying to drive a wedge between the brothers. Let’s just keep quiet for now. I’ll bring it up later. We’ll take turns. Next time my brother-in-law comes into town, have him bring my older sister and her kids over to our place to play, and I’ll ask my older sister then…”

Huangfu Tieniu nodded. “My husband is truly sharp as a tack.”

“That’s a great compliment!” Tang Xianling was delighted.