The child was small, and the outside wind was chilly, so Shen Xuanqing stayed indoors, playing with his son while keeping an ear out for any signs of crying. Remembering the earlier lesson, he didn’t dare kiss the baby again, lest he provoke another outburst.
Before his return, little Lingjun had been fed milk fruit and had already relieved himself, so he was relatively well-behaved now, not crying at all.
It was neither early nor late - mid-afternoon. Lu Gu and the others had already eaten lunch, and it wasn’t yet dinnertime, so he only prepared two dishes for Shen Xuanqing to eat first.
When Wei Lanxiang and Shen Yan returned from the new house and saw that Shen Xuanqing had come home with over a dozen fox furs, they were overjoyed. Even the dogs received unusual affection, whereas Guaizi was often scolded for being mischievous, today each of them got a pat on the head without complaint about their dirtiness. When Lu Gu gave the dogs a small handful of peanuts, Wei Lanxiang didn’t say a word, simply beaming.
Shen Xuanqing, who had missed his little shuang'er dearly in the mountains, was also delighted to see Zhao’er. When Ji Qiuyue returned with the child, he eagerly took him into his arms. After all, Zhao’er was his own nephew, and the plump, cheerful baby didn’t cry or fuss in his embrace.
Lu Gu, walking around the room while patting little Lingjun to sleep, asked, "Zhao’er, what does the lamb say?"
Zhao’er, still young, didn’t understand at first and kept giggling. So Lu Gu bleated, "Baa." Sure enough, Zhao’er turned to look and mimicked, "Baa," drawing a laugh from Shen Xuanqing, who lifted the child high into the air. Zhao’er’s laughter grew louder, filling the room with lively noise.
Selling fox furs in Yuqing Prefecture was a familiar task for Shen Xuanqing. Unlike before, he now had a mule cart and didn’t need to walk. On the flat official road, the mule ran much faster. In previous years, the trip took two days, but this time, after selling the furs in the city and delivering a basket of peanuts and autumn firewood beans to his master, he returned home by dusk the same day.
Shen Yaoqing and his wife and son stayed overnight at the new house. When Shen Xuanqing returned, Zhao’er was still awake, playing on the bed by the light of an oil lamp. This was a luxury, most villagers went to bed as soon as it got dark, unwilling to waste lamp oil. But Zhao’er refused to sleep and would cry if the room was too dark. Ji Qiuyue had no choice but to light the lamp, and with the room illuminated, the child stopped crying.
"I don't think it’ll snow much." Shen Yaoqing came out to unhitch the mule cart, glancing at the sparse snowflakes drifting down. The past two days had been cold, and he had already added more dry grass and rice straw to the livestock pens during the day. Even if the snow worsened at night, they’d be fine.
"Mm." Shen Xuanqing nodded in agreement. Snow had begun falling when he passed Fenggu Town earlier. The first snow of early winter wasn’t too harsh yet. After unhitching the cart, he led the mule through the side path to the backyard pen, where he refilled its water and feed.
"Elder Brother, Sister-in-law, I’m heading over now," he called toward the house.
"Ah, alright, go on," Ji Qiuyue replied from inside.
Xiao Huang followed him, wagging his tail, but Shen Yaoqing called him back at the gate. With many livestock in the backyard and Guaizi guarding the old house where more people lived, there was no need for concern. But with nights growing longer, an extra dog here provided more security.
Dark clouds obscured the moon and stars, plunging everything into darkness, with only the faint outlines of village houses visible. The village was quiet, save for the occasional cough. As he passed houses with dogs, barks shattered the silence.
Familiar with the village paths, Shen Xuanqing walked steadily with his bamboo basket on his back. The night wind grew colder, and his breath fogged white. When he reached his own gate, dogs barked inside. He whistled, and Guaizi immediately whined in recognition.
The gate was closed but unlocked. Pushing it open, he saw candlelight glowing from the west room, Lu Gu was still awake.
"Erqing?" Wei Lanxiang, hearing movement, propped herself up and called out.
"Mother, it’s me," Shen Xuanqing replied, shutting the gate behind him.
"Good you’re back. It’s cold outside, go rest." Having heard his response, Wei Lanxiang lay back down and drifted off.
Lu Gu had just settled the child to sleep. When Shen Xuanqing entered, he asked softly, "Have you eaten?"
Shen Xuanqing kept his voice equally low. "Yes, Shimu made me a meal before I left."
"Good. There’s steamed buns and dishes kept warm in the pot for you, with hot water underneath. Put the food in the steamer and scoop water to wash up." Lu Gu handed him the candleholder from the table. The fire in the stove was likely nearly out, and with the darkness outside, a little light would help.
With the child asleep and the candle taken away, the room darkened. Lu Gu took off his shoes and climbed into bed but didn’t lie down. Instead, he sat against the headboard, covering his legs with Shen Xuanqing’s quilt. Back when he first arrived at the Shen family, he and Shen Xuanqing had always counted their earnings together - a habit that had stuck. Hearing the child’s restless murmurs, he reached out and patted the quilt soothingly.
As usual, after washing up, Shen Xuanqing retrieved a large money pouch from his bamboo basket. Normally, he would dump it onto the table, but tonight, to avoid disturbing little Lingjun, he sat by the bed and took out the silver ingots one by one, placing them on the quilt for Lu Gu to see.
"Sold for a hundred and ten taels," he said with a smile. "We’ll keep ten out and save the hundred."
With that, their savings now totaled seven hundred taels.
Lu Gu’s eyes curved with joy as Shen Xuanqing placed several ingots into his hands. The weight was substantial, and his grin nearly hid his eyes.
Shen Xuanqing was equally pleased. Tossing one ingot into the air and catching it, he felt deeply reassured by their seven hundred taels. This was their nest egg, to be left untouched for now. Including today’s ten taels and the smaller silver pieces and copper coins, he now had over thirty taels on hand, more than enough to support Lu Gu and their child.
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