A wooden bucket sat on the ground, half-filled with water, two fish crowded inside. Spotting them, Lu Gu hoisted the bucket with one hand while holding Lingjun, carrying it to the well. He cranked the windlass to draw half a bucket of well water, refreshing the fish’s supply.
Once Shen Yaoqing finished untying the ropes, he downed the poured tea in one go. He whistled, grinning at little Lingjun, who looked his way, then headed to the woodshed to stack the firewood.
"Has Eldest Brother eaten at home?" Lu Gu walked over and asked.
"Yes, I ate before setting out," Shen Yaoqing replied while working.
"Is everything well at home?" Lu Gu asked again.
Coming out of the firewood shed, Shen Yaoqing smiled and said, "All’s well. It’s just that rascal Zhao’er, a couple of days ago, he scared the chickens, chasing them around with a bamboo stick. The chickens were flapping everywhere, and the little brat got even more excited, running after them until he tripped and scraped his nose."
"His nose got hurt?" Lu Gu quickly pressed.
"It’s nothing serious, just a scratch. It bled a little but stopped. In a couple of days, it’ll scab over," Shen Yaoqing said, picking up a bundle of firewood.
Only then did Lu Gu relax. He said, "A couple of days ago, I made a bellyband for Ling ger, and I made one for Zhao’er too. I’ll have you bring it back today so he can wear it at night. That way, he won’t kick off the covers and catch a chill."
Shen Yaoqing, now inside the firewood shed, responded, "Good."
Lu Gu then asked if he was hungry, mentioning that there was old hen soup stewed at noon and some pastries too.
Shen Yaoqing had eaten before coming and wasn’t hungry. After unloading the firewood, since Shen Xuanqing was at the shop, the two of them locked the door and headed over with the child, leaving Guaizi to watch the house.
When they arrived, Shen Xuanqing was weighing eggs for a customer. The weather was cooler now, so more people were out compared to noon. A few customers came one after another—some, after hearing the price, thought it too expensive and left without buying. Overall, business was slower than in the morning.
After sitting down and exchanging a few casual words, Shen Yaoqing spoke up, "The day before yesterday, I went to deliver rabbits to the brothel, but who’d have thought Huang Zhenchuan would see me turning into the alley? Him seeing it isn’t a big deal, but his wife found out, and now it’s spread all over the village these past two days."
He was usually polite, calling Huang Zhenchuan "Uncle" when they met, but with all the gossip lately, he was genuinely upset.
Brothels weren’t respectable places. Even though they only dealt with the kitchen staff, the reputation wasn’t good. Aside from relatives and clansmen, they’d just laugh it off with villagers, saying the kitchen needed the rabbits, keeping the money-making method to themselves. Since they didn’t want to share, others couldn’t pry.
Country folk mostly toiled in the fields, and few went to town often. But there’s no such thing as a completely hidden secret. They’d long expected that delivering rabbits to the brothel would eventually get out.
Shen Xuanqing wasn’t panicked, though he did frown slightly.
The brothers had clear consciences and weren’t afraid of gossip, but sometimes, rumors still needed to be addressed.
Shen Yaoqing continued, "Mother, along with Quanzi’s mother and Aunt Miao, have already put in a word. They explained that we only deliver to the kitchen. We even went to Xia Fulang’s house and chatted with Aunt Shouyi. We’re honest folk, why would we fool around? When I ran into Huang Zhenchuan in the fields, his wife was there too. I asked him right to his face if his wife was spreading nonsense. Huang Zhenchuan lost face and cursed a bit. After that, the old woman’s gossip died down."
Huang Zhenchuan had a habit of bullying the weak but fearing the strong. The Shen family’s second branch was doing well now, with two strong young men. Plus, the Shen family was related to Lin Zhongcai’s family, so he didn’t dare offend them too much. He loved gossiping behind others’ backs, but when his wife blabbed, he naturally felt ashamed.
"Yan Yan’s grown up, and Mother’s been looking to find her a good match. The brothel’s reputation is bad no matter what. Maybe we should just drop it," Shen Yaoqing said. As the eldest son, he was the family’s pillar and had to think carefully about such matters.
Now that they had a meat shop, a few restaurants and taverns in Jixing Town sometimes bought rabbits from them. If they sought out the owners, selling the rabbits wouldn’t be a problem. After a moment’s thought, Shen Xuanqing said, "Fine, we’ll stop. I’ll talk to Luo Biao later and treat him to a drink. He went out of his way to help us before."
"That’s only fair," Shen Yaoqing nodded. That was precisely why he’d come today. After taking a sip of tea, he added, "When I sell firewood, I’ll bring the rabbits along and hawk them in Fenggu Town."
They’d bred more rabbits this year, and as the numbers grew, they’d considered approaching proper restaurants. But back then, they worried they wouldn’t have enough for both the brothel and the shop, so they held off. Now that the younger rabbits had grown, they could ask if taverns wanted them.
With chores waiting at home, Shen Yaoqing didn’t stay long and soon left with the mule cart.
The last time they’d eaten fish was when Old Man Yang brought some over. He and a few other old-timers had fished a couple from the river. That evening, after returning home, Lu Gu had Shen Xuanqing clean the fish while he held Ling ger and didn’t lift a finger.
While gutting the fish, Guaizi stood close, watching and even sniffing at the scraped-off scales.
Since they weren’t delivering rabbits to the brothel anymore, they naturally had to inform Luo Biao. Two days later, the shop’s rabbits were sold out, leaving only a few chickens, ducks, and some eggs.
After the morning rush, they sold three chickens and ducks and a few pounds of eggs. Leaving Lu Gu to mind the shop, Shen Xuanqing finished up and took the mule cart back to Fenggu Town to find Luo Biao. Since he was already returning, he figured he might as well stop by Wangli Village to pick up a fattened pig from Li Zhuzi’s family to slaughter and sell pork the next day.
Once Shen Xuanqing left, Lu Gu stayed in the shop with Lingjun, playing. At noon, it was just him and the child eating, so there was no need to go home to cook, a bowl of noodles from next door would do. He’d brought the child’s milk fruit, and at most, he’d ask for a poached egg in the noodles, splitting one with Lingjun.
While Lu Gu stayed in Jixing Town to tend the shop, Shen Xuanqing hurried back to Fenggu Town, left the mule cart in the small courtyard Luo Biao rented, and the two went to a tavern for drinks.
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