“These bolts of fabric are light and thin, with lovely patterns—perfect for making spring clothes. When the weather warms up or early spring arrives, we’ll have Tailor Tao make you a few new outfits.”
“This jar of osmanthus oil balm—use it morning and night on your face or hands. The shop assistant told me it makes the skin smooth and tender. All the young men and fulang in the county use it.”
“And this badger oil—you knead dough every day, so your wrists must get sore. Rub this on every few days, and your wrists will feel much better.”
The charcoal fire in the room was burning bright red, keeping the main room warm. Xie Yushu hadn’t felt like sleeping after waking up, and thinking of all the good things she’d brought back from the county for Su Chi, she couldn’t hold back any longer. She pulled them out one by one, presenting them to Su Chi like treasures.
The osmanthus oil balm and badger oil were things Xie Yushu had specifically sought out in the county, asking the shop assistants for the best quality—all to make Su Chi happy.
Su Chi’s hands were not pale and delicate like those of a young master from a wealthy household. Years of hard work had left them with several thin calluses, and they felt somewhat rough to the touch.
Xie Yushu had noticed this before. Sometimes when she tried to hold his hand, Su Chi would even pull away, unwilling to let her touch him.
At first, she hadn’t understood why. But gradually, she’d figured it out—Su Chi probably felt his hands weren’t good enough, especially compared to hers.
Xie Yushu’s hands were much fairer than Su Chi’s. Since she didn’t do heavy labor—only some clerical work at the ferry before—her hands were naturally much softer than most people’s.
But how could he know that in her eyes, the hands that had single-handedly run a shop, cooked for her every day, cared for her, and managed every detail of their little home—those hands were more beautiful than any others.
How could she bear to find fault with them?
She had a feeling Su Chi would like these two things.
Then Xie Yushu brought out another bundle, which held things she’d bought for Wang Wen: “These are for Father.”
“And there’s more…”
Xie Yushu lovingly listed everything she’d bought for him and his father from Tang’an County—all practical items. Su Chi leaned against the headboard, dazzled by the sight, his arms piled high with gifts.
The bundle was nearly empty, all its contents laid out by Xie Yushu—leaving only one last item.
From the very bottom of the bundle, she pulled out a light-colored rabbit fur neck warmer. Her expression serious, she gently wrapped it around Su Chi’s neck, her warm fingertips softly brushing past his earlobes with a tenderness reserved for something precious.
The rabbit fur was silver-grey—soft, smooth, and of excellent quality, with fine workmanship. Clearly not cheap.
Once Su Chi put it on, his face was instantly framed by the soft, fluffy fur, making his face look even smaller and fairer, his features more delicate than ever.
He stroked it lovingly with both hands, as if afraid to use too much force. His eyes blinked softly, then dropped, and when he caught sight of the silver bracelet on his wrist, his gaze when he looked at Xie Yushu was filled with pure joy.
Xie Yushu planted a kiss on his innocent, radiant face: “Beautiful.”
Su Chi carefully removed the rabbit fur neck warmer and set it aside. He wrapped his arms around her waist, nestling into Xie Yushu’s embrace, his eyes half-closed.
“Be good—sleep a little longer.” Xie Yushu knew he was still tired and coaxed him to sleep in.
They’d already had breakfast—Wang Wen had gotten up early to make it. Xie Yushu, worried that Su Chi might feel embarrassed, had brought his father’s cooking into their room to feed him.
Wang Wen had gone to bed early the night before and risen early as well. When he woke, he noticed that his son—who had been sharing a room with him these past two days—wasn’t beside him. He immediately understood that Xie Yushu must have returned last night, and Su Chi had gone back to their room.
Su Chi wasn’t one to sleep in, but when he didn’t get up that morning, Wang Wen knew exactly why.
The young couple had been apart and were now making up for lost time—they were in their honeymoon phase. Wang Wen said nothing, didn’t disturb them, and simply went to the kitchen to make breakfast.
That morning, Su Chi didn’t go to the shop. Having been kept up all night, his waist was achingly sore, and he was reluctant to leave Xie Yushu so soon—he wanted to spend more time with her.
Xie Yushu was even less willing to let him go off to work at the shop now. Thankfully, she’d hired Tailor Chen earlier, so the shop could open and operate as usual.
Even more fortunate was that the house she’d bought had decent soundproofing. Otherwise, if Wang Wen had overheard anything untoward, she wouldn’t have minded—but Su Chi was thin-skinned and would have been mortified, surely blaming her in embarrassment.
Su Chi had handed over the shop keys to Chen Yun the day before, and the fillings had been prepared last night. Chen Yun’s baozi-making skills had been improving steadily, so he felt confident leaving the shop in his hands for the day. He’d treat today as a rest day and linger a little longer by Xie Yushu’s side.
Xie Yushu didn’t get up either—she stayed in bed with Su Chi all morning. By the time they woke, it was already noon. Wang Wen had also prepared lunch, and the three of them gathered around the kitchen table for a steaming hot meal.
When Wang Wen had eaten his fill, he set down his chopsticks and said to them, “I’ll be heading back early tomorrow morning. You two take care.”
Su Chi’s heart ached at the mention of parting: “Leaving first thing tomorrow?”
“Yes. I’ve already troubled Liu Fulang to look after the chickens and ducklings, and the village chief to keep an eye on our land. If I stay any longer, I’ll be too embarrassed—I can’t keep owing people favors.”
Xie Yushu chimed in: “That’s easy. We’ll send some gifts to the village chief and Liu Fulang as thanks.”
Su Chi nodded in agreement: “I’ll prepare them.”
Wang Wen said, “In the countryside, neighbors help each other out—it’s nothing. No need to be so formal.”
Xie Yushu believed in reciprocity—not taking advantage of others’ kindness. Besides, they were good people, and giving gifts to maintain social ties was only natural.
On the day Wang Wen was to leave, Xie Yushu arranged for an ox cart and paid the fare. Su Chi loaded the cart with many things—mostly for his father to take home, plus some gifts of food for the village chief and Liu Fulang as thanks.
Su Chi and Wang Wen had spent the past few days making quite a few jars and pots in the courtyard—chili oil, chili paste, fermented bean paste for stir-frying, salted fish chunks, and an assortment of pickled cold dishes. Every jar was packed full. Su Chi took some of each and loaded them onto the cart.
With Su Chi reluctantly seeing him off, the ox cart carrying Wang Wen swayed and slowly disappeared down Qingshui Lane.
Xie Yushu wrapped her arm around Su Chi, closed the courtyard gate, and led him back inside. The Xie household had returned to its quiet rhythm of just the two of them.
·
These past few days, the steamed buns at the shop had been selling especially well—even the vinegar pitchers were emptying much faster than usual. Chen Yun had to refill them every couple of days.
At noon, Chen Yun made a special trip to the Xie household to tell Su Chi that the two jars of vinegar in the shop were nearly empty and needed to be replenished soon.
Su Chi understood. He rinsed the mixed mushrooms he’d been preparing and tossed them into the steamer, wiped his hands on his apron, grabbed his money pouch, and headed over to the Hu family.
Hu Yuan lifted the lid of the vinegar vat and filled a whole jar for Su Chi.
Su Chi took the heavy jar, paid, and was about to leave when Hu Yuan caught him by the wrist: “Su Fulang, I have something I’d like to discuss with you.” He pulled Su Chi into the main hall.
Su Chi wasn’t in a rush to get back—the rice in the steamer would take a while yet.
Hu Yuan spoke: “Just now, a merchant somehow found our address and came to the house wanting to buy a whole jar of vinegar. Su Fulang, you know my mother only sells to neighbors and folks nearby—everyone buys in small pitchers. This person wanted a whole jar at once, and Mother was afraid she was buying for a shop, so she refused.”
He paused to catch his breath and continued: “Mother didn’t want to sell to her at first, but the woman promised it was only for household use and not for resale, so Mother finally relented and agreed.”
A merchant? An address?
It suddenly dawned on Su Chi—it must have been that merchant who had asked him where to buy the vinegar the other day. He was the one who’d given her the Hu family’s address.
“And then what happened?” Su Chi was a bit confused. If Aunt Hu had agreed, that was a good thing—it meant she was slowly emerging from the shadow of that past incident.
“Fulang, you know how fragrant our vinegar is. It’s a shame to sell it only to the neighbors in the lane. So I was thinking…”
Hu Yuan gave him a sly smile: “I want to start selling jarred vinegar again.”
Not the small pitcher portions, and not the large jars like the one Su Chi bought—but smaller jars, enough for a family of a few to use for a while.
“Does Aunt Hu know about this?” Su Chi asked with some concern.
“Mother is stubborn—getting her to agree will take a lot of talking. Besides, she always treats me like a child and won’t listen to me.”
“So I was thinking, I could sell our vinegar through your shop.” Hu Yuan naturally wouldn’t expect Su Chi to help them for nothing, so he offered terms: “In return, you can buy our vinegar at half price from now on.”
Su Chi’s heart stirred—so this was what Yuan Ge’er had in mind.
He lowered his head and carefully weighed the idea. Half-price vinegar was certainly good. There happened to be an empty shelf in the back kitchen of the shop—just right for displaying a few jars. All he’d have to do was put them out; if customers liked them, they’d buy them. He wouldn’t need to hawk them, since the customers who regularly dined in at the shop would already know how delicious the vinegar was.
He figured quite a few customers would be willing to buy it.
But he didn’t say yes or no—just said he’d think it over and get back to him.
After returning home, the mixed mushroom rice was ready. He stirred it a few times with the rice paddle to evenly distribute the mushrooms and let the flavors meld.
Su Chi quickly stir-fried two more dishes—one of fermented bean paste-braised eggplant, and another of spicy stir-fried dried tofu.
The bean paste was homemade, rich and flavorful—perfect for braising all sorts of dishes. It was the kind of sauce that made you wolf down two big bowls of rice, and even the juices mixed with rice were delicious.
The dried tofu was soft and moist, sliced thin and stir-fried over high heat until tender. Tossed with a handful of chilies, it was both appetizing and satisfying.
There was also a small pot of braised pork with taro, which had been simmering before Su Chi left—cooked over medium-low heat for half an hour. When he lifted the lid, the savory aroma of pork wafted out, mingled with the delicate fragrance of taro.
Su Chi couldn’t resist taking a taste. Every piece of pork was coated in thick, glossy braising sauce, sticky and rich. The meat was fall-apart tender—the fatty parts rich but not greasy, melting on the tongue and leaving behind a full, savory meaty flavor with a hint of sweetness.
The taro was even better—soft and sticky, with a pleasant chewiness. Simmered with the pork, it absorbed all the meaty richness, making it absolutely irresistible.
Su Chi also made a spicy and sour meatball soup. The meatballs had been formed earlier—each one plump and round, firm and springy. Once the soup came to a boil, they floated to the surface one by one. Just before serving, he sprinkled in a handful of crisp, fresh celery, and the fragrance instantly bloomed.
Once everything was done, Su Chi packed the dishes into covered bowls, and the soup into a jar.
He prepared two portions—one for Xie Yushu and one for Ye Youchun. Ye Youchun would come by shortly to pick them up and deliver them to Xie Yushu, who was busy at work.
From now on, Su Chi would prepare Xie Yushu’s lunch every day, have it ready by noon, and wait for Ye Youchun to come from the village to pick it up.
Ye Youchun worked in the village in the mornings, and after finishing, she’d head over to join Xie Yushu—it was right on her way. Delivering the food worked perfectly.
Su Chi’s original intention was to save Xie Yushu from having to rush back and forth between Qianwan Village and Songwan Town in the middle of the day, so he’d discussed it with her—he would have someone bring her lunch instead.
He’d heard Xie Yushu mention that she’d arranged for someone at the base to cook, and she didn’t want him to go through the trouble. She’d planned to just make do with whatever the base served.
But Su Chi hadn’t agreed. How could cooking for her ever be tiring for him? What if the base’s food didn’t suit her taste—what then?
He wrapped the bowls, chopsticks, and the food containers securely in thick cloth and tied it tight. Before long, Ye Youchun arrived right on time.
Su Chi handed the bundle over to her. Ye Youchun took it without a word and strode off toward Qianwan Village.
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