In early May, the sun hung higher and hotter than before, carrying the first hint of early summer’s warmth.
That morning, Su Chi wore only a thin spring shirt—newly tailored by Tailor Tao from spring fabric. It was comfortable and breathable, and he loved it.
But since he was making green dumplings today and didn’t want to get his new clothes dirty, he went back inside and changed into an old one.
He’d had a bowl of sweet red date and goji berry congee with a spoonful of honey, plus a small meat patty and two five-spice eggs. Xie Yushu, seeing his good appetite, visibly relaxed.
She’d been worried he might suffer from morning sickness or loss of appetite—she’d have been frantic.
She’d helped him prepare all the ingredients for the green dumplings the day before. That morning, she’d left early—but not before filling the water vat.
Heavens knows how nervous Xie Yushu was about Su Chi bending over or doing heavy work.
Wang Wen was out running errands, so for now, Su Chi was alone at home.
The two of them had repeatedly told him not to do anything while alone—to wait until they returned.
Su Chi had nodded obediently, but glancing at the sun, he thought: better get started now, or it’ll be lunchtime.
He rolled up his sleeves, took some wheat starch from the cupboard, poured hot water over it, stirred until it was cool enough to handle, and kneaded it into a smooth dough.
This was the starter for the green dumpling skin—it would make the dough softer and chewier, keeping it from hardening or cracking when cold.
In a wooden basin, he mixed seven parts glutinous rice flour with three parts rice flour. He added the starter, then the mugwort juice his father had boiled and pounded before leaving. He added some water, sugar, and melted lard, and began kneading.
The dough gradually came together in his hands, taking shape and turning a vivid green—just the right consistency. Satisfied, he patted the dough and moved on to the filling.
From a basket under the rice jar, he took out over a dozen salted duck eggs—left over from the New Year benefits he’d given his base workers. They’d kept some for themselves, and this was all that was left—just enough.
He carefully peeled each one, scooping out the orange-red salted egg yolks. The leftover egg whites would be used for other dishes.
He brushed the yolks with a layer of white wine to remove the fishy taste, then roasted them over the stove until the surface glistened with oil. Then he mashed them into a fine, sandy paste with a spoon.
First, he made the salty-sweet filling with salted egg yolk and pork floss.
Xie Yushu loved the sweet-savory combination.
A few days earlier, under her guidance, he’d roasted some fluffy pork floss. It wasn’t easy to make—it had taken a lot of work just to get this small bag. She’d been snacking on it with congee or as a treat, and more than half was already gone—less than two jin left.
He mixed the pork floss into the egg yolk paste with some sugar, dividing it into portions the same number as the dough balls.
After finishing a batch, he started on the black sesame and peanut filling.
He roasted the black sesame and peanuts separately, then pounded them in a mortar until granular. The whole kitchen filled with the nutty aroma. He added plenty of sugar and lard, kneading them into smooth little balls.
He’d barely made a few when Wang Wen returned.
He’d just gone out to buy some meat. Walking in, he saw Su Chi standing at the counter with an apron on, hands covered in sesame powder. Startled, he hurried over: “Oh no, no—you don’t need to do this! Just sit still—Father will do the kneading!”
Before Su Chi could react, the dough was taken from his hands.
Wang Wen even wiped his hands clean with a cloth, as if he were a child.
Su Chi was caught between laughter and tears, watching himself be treated like precious cargo: “Father, how come you won’t let me do anything either?”
“Your condition isn’t stable yet—you can’t be moving around.” Wang Wen took over the dough and began wrapping dumplings one by one with impressive speed.
Su Chi pouted and mumbled: “Father…”
He couldn’t help thinking—back in the village, pregnant ge’er weren’t treated so delicately. They still worked in the fields, carried water, chopped wood. Why was he being forbidden from everything?
Wang Wen had arrived two days earlier. Xie Yushu had sent Ye Youchun to tell him the news.
When he heard it, he was so overjoyed he nearly dropped his teacup, muttering “That’s wonderful, that’s wonderful” over and over.
The two day laborers had taken care of all the small tasks at home, and the fields were also well tended—the crops and vegetables were thriving, without a single flaw. Reassured, he’d packed a few clothes and hurried over to the Xie household.
Yushu was right. Neither of them trusted anyone else to care for Xiao Chi. It was best that he look after him himself.
Su Chi had always been the apple of his eye. Now that apple had a little grandchild in his belly—Wang Wen didn’t know how to contain his joy. This time, he was strict with Su Chi, forbidding him from doing anything. They’d wait until his condition was more stable.
Wang Wen took over making the winter bamboo shoot and pork filling dumplings.
Chopping meat, dicing bamboo shoots—he worked quickly, and soon a whole basin of filling was ready.
While he was focused, a hand crept over from beside him.
Su Chi quietly reached for a piece of dough, hoping to wrap a few dumplings himself—but before he could touch it, Wang Wen lightly tapped his hand: “Just sit. Or go back to the room and sleep.”
These past two days, Su Chi had been so pampered by his father and wife that his bones felt like jelly. He just wanted to move around a little—and his father had ruthlessly shut him down.
Soon, all three types of dumplings were wrapped. Each had a piece of banana leaf underneath. The dual fragrance of mugwort juice and banana leaf steamed through the kitchen, filling the whole Xie courtyard with a lovely aroma.
Wang Wen and Su Chi were both generous at heart. Now that the household was well-off, they didn’t begrudge a bit of food—they shared with their neighbors whenever they made anything. All the nearby households received green dumplings, and everyone said they were delicious.
Su Chi suggested: “Father, let’s sell the rest at the shop this afternoon.”
“I was thinking the same thing. We gave out so many and still have plenty left—we can’t finish them all ourselves. Might as well sell them.” Wang Wen agreed enthusiastically.
To their surprise, they sold out in one afternoon, and many customers asked if they’d have more tomorrow.
Wang Wen got into the spirit. For the next half-month, he made green dumplings at the shop—just bamboo shoot and pork, and black sesame and peanut fillings, since the pork floss was too labor-intensive. They sold just as well, bringing in good money.
Su Chi told Wang Wen to keep the earnings—it was his father’s own work; he’d just been lazing around at home.
Wang Wen happily kept the money, then used it to buy meat and fish to nourish Su Chi. He managed everything inside and outside the Xie household with ease. All the neighbors envied Su Chi for having such a wonderful father.
Wang Wen didn’t care what others thought. All he knew was that he’d soon have a grandchild.
Looking after his son, cooking for the young couple, tidying the house—he had endless energy.
·
A few days later, on Hu Yuan’s wedding day, Xie Yushu deliberately took the day off from the base and brought Su Chi and his father along.
Outside the Hu family courtyard, decorations were everywhere—red couplets, red lanterns, festive red paper pasted all over. It was lively and full of joy.
The Hu family was fairly well-off, with only this one ge’er child. Now that their daughter had married into the family, Aunt Hu felt especially proud. She’d planned a generous celebration and invited everyone in the lane who could come.
Xie Yushu was rarely home during the day. Now that she’d finally accompanied her fulang to the Hu family’s wedding banquet, many families took the chance to chat with her—some hoping to get on her good side, others just wanting to build rapport. She exchanged pleasantries with each.
Wang Wen, unable to sit still, knowing the Hu family was close to his son, rolled up his sleeves and offered to help in the back kitchen.
Su Chi, meanwhile, went to Hu Yuan’s room to help him dress and share some private words among ge’er.
Hu Yuan had only casual acquaintance with the other ge’er in town; Su Chi was the only one he felt truly close to. As soon as Su Chi arrived, he was pulled into the room.
The room was lit with several red candles and carried a faint scent of powder. Su Chi bent his head and carefully styled Hu Yuan’s hair into an elaborate bun—a departure from his usual understated style.
When he was done, Hu Yuan examined himself in the bronze mirror, his eyes bright: “Su Fulang, your hands are so clever—you’ve made such an intricate hairstyle.”
He added: “You’re good at everything—cooking, styling hair. I’d thought that when I got married, I’d pay you to cater the banquet—everyone would love your cooking.” He sighed, his gaze falling unconsciously on Su Chi’s still-flat belly. “Who knew you’d be pregnant? If I asked you to work, your wife would probably come after me.”
Su Chi couldn’t help laughing, his eyes curving: “If you’d gotten married a month earlier, I’d definitely have said yes.”
They fussed a bit more over Hu Yuan’s wedding clothes and hair, and finally Su Chi handed him the mirror: “Take a look.”
“Beautiful.” Hu Yuan braved his shyness and praised himself.
The mirror reflected a face lightly powdered and rouged, lips bright red from red paper. He had more color than usual. After a second glance, he felt it didn’t quite look like himself and bashfully turned away.
Then, blushing, the two talked about what to expect on the wedding night—leaving Hu Yuan red to the ears.
Once everything was settled, Su Chi got up and went out, finding Xie Yushu and sitting obediently beside her.
The wedding banquet carried on merrily until sunset, when everyone finally dispersed.
Xie Yushu had given a very generous gift to the Hu family. Hu Yuan’s wedding was one thing—but more than that, she was grateful to him for having rescued Su Chi in time. For that, she spared no expense.
·
From the moment she learned Su Chi was pregnant, Xie Yushu’s desire to move the whole family to Tang’an County grew stronger by the day.
The county had every convenience: shops lined the streets, the lanes were wide, and there were countless new and interesting things Su Chi had never seen. There were even private schools and academies for their little one to attend in the future.
Moreover, her workshop in the county was expanding steadily. She kept hiring more people, and the seaweed snacks sold far better than she and Tang Zhiyi had imagined. She’d heard the product had already made a name in Jiangzhou Prefecture—wealthy families there were also asking about this delicious treat. It had become the flagship product of Xie’s Seafood.
Xie Yushu had thought it through carefully. On the base management side, she had Hong San—along with Ye Youchun, He Chao, and Xiu He—all people she’d personally trained, so she wasn’t worried. She felt confident she could shift the business’s focus to the county.
In the county, there was more space and better talent for developing new products. With the seaweed snacks selling so well, she’d already started thinking about other snacks: crispy fried fish, spicy ready-to-eat kelp, sweet dried shrimp, and more.
All her business matters were easy enough to handle. The only thing that worried her was Su Chi’s opinion.
She was afraid he wouldn’t want to move to Tang’an County. He wasn’t someone who liked to uproot himself—once he’d settled somewhere, he’d pour all his care into it, turning it into their cozy, lived-in little home.
That evening, Xie Yushu brought up the move with Su Chi and his father.
She laid it all out clearly—every benefit. From the children’s future education, to the convenience of the county’s shops, to the necessary expansion of her business. She even mentioned all the fun places to visit in the county.
Wang Wen listened and was very much in favor. He thought it would be convenient for his grandchild’s education—and besides, he’d always known Xie Yushu was someone extraordinary who wouldn’t be content to stay in a small town.
“The county’s great—the child can go to school there. Yushu, your idea is wonderful,” Wang Wen said, the first to agree.
Anyone from the village who’d been to the county always came back saying how grand it was—so many shops, so much better than the town. Everyone envied them. Now, hearing Xie Yushu describe it, it sounded even more appealing than what the villagers had said.
But Su Chi remained silent. He listened carefully—his wife never kept anything from him. She’d mentioned this before, but he’d thought only Xie’s Seafood would move. He hadn’t realized they’d all move together.
He didn’t want to leave his father behind. His eyes welled up, tears brimming.
The town was close to the village—his father could come by ox cart anytime. But the county was far—half a day’s carriage ride. How could he bear to make his father travel back and forth?
He also didn’t want to leave the house they’d only lived in for half a year. He’d worked so hard to make it so nice—how could they just pack up and leave? This place held all his happy memories with Xie Yushu.
Xie Yushu knew exactly what was worrying him and patiently reassured him: “Once we’re settled over there, we’ll bring Father to live with us.”
“That’s right—once you’re stable in the county, I’ll come join you.” Wang Wen truly didn’t want to intrude on the young couple’s life, but for now, he just wanted to soothe Su Chi. “You don’t have to sell this house either. I’ll come tidy it up every so often. That way I’ll have a place to stay when I come to town—I’ll take the guest room, and the main room will stay yours. You can come back and visit whenever you like.”
Xie Yushu nodded—that was exactly what she’d been thinking.
Hearing that, Su Chi’s heart stirred.
He thought about it—yes, their little one would need to go to school someday. The town really wasn’t convenient. The county was much better. And his father said he’d come live with them later.
Xie Yushu added a promise: “In a few days, I’ll go look at shops in the county and find you a bigger one than the one here, alright?”
There were plenty of shops in the county, and a new street had just opened—plenty of vacancies. Finding a bigger shop for Su Chi to continue his business wouldn’t be hard.
Su Chi looked up at his wife with clear, watery eyes—she’d already thought of everything.
What reason did he have to say no?
He finally took her hand and nodded in agreement.
With her fulang on board, Xie Yushu prepared to leave immediately—in two days, she’d head to Tang’an County to buy both a house and a shop. She’d made plenty from selling seaweed snacks, so it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch.
Two days later, she set off.
Leave a Reply