Chapter 16.1: Sharing a Room? Absolutely Not…

Two people had been living in this room for some time. Su Yi’an hadn’t spoken to He Yunhuai since their brief exchange that day.

Now, she needed someone to accompany her to the market in town to set up a stall. She wondered if He Yunhuai would be willing.

Although he was still bedridden, she could start preparing him mentally.

After all, not every scholar could bring themselves to hawk goods in a marketplace.

While he had worked in town before to earn money, manual labor was different from running a stall. In the traditional hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, even small-time vendors who expanded their businesses became merchants. If his former classmates from the Academy saw him, they would surely mock him.

Meanwhile, He Yunhuai lowered his gaze, avoiding her eyes.

What she had described sounded genuinely intriguing—something he had never encountered at the Academy. He sensed that her intention wasn’t merely to create a household novelty, but something with practical applications.

Yet he didn’t know how to ask, or whether she would answer if he did.

After a moment of contemplation, neither of them chose to speak.

However, He Songyuan, standing nearby, observed their reactions clearly. Both seemed on the verge of saying something, yet restrained themselves out of consideration for the others present.

As the eldest brother, He Songyuan felt compelled to take action for the family’s sake, such as offering up his spot on the kang.

“Mother,” he suggested, “Wanxu is now heavily pregnant. I worry about her at night here. Perhaps I should move back to my old room.”

The He family’s home consisted of only three rooms. If He Songyuan moved out, Mother He would have to return to her original room, allowing Su Yi’an to take over this one.

He Songyuan saw no issue with this arrangement. In his eyes, Su Yi’an’s decision to stay with the He family after marrying into it implied her acceptance of the marriage. Now that his second brother had regained consciousness, it was the perfect time for them to get to know each other better.

Mother He glared at him. She had never been willing to broach this subject, not even from the beginning.

Though they were technically married, there had been no wedding procession or formal ceremony. To put it bluntly, their relationship was based solely on a marriage certificate.

Over the past few days, Mother He had observed that Su Yi’an was kind-hearted and willing to stay with the He family. However, willingness to stay didn’t necessarily mean she accepted Second Son.

Now that Second Son had just regained consciousness, locking the two of them together was out of the question.

“You know Wanxu is heavily pregnant,” Mother He said bluntly. “That’s precisely why you should stay here. What if she goes into labor in the middle of the night? With your leg, you wouldn’t be able to get out of bed.”

In the past, she would never have mentioned his leg, fearing it would hurt his feelings. But after Physician Wang’s recent examination, whether due to psychological effect or genuine improvement, He Songyuan’s leg had regained a little strength. He could now support himself and shuffle around a bit.

This promising sign filled the entire family with joy.

He Songyuan wasn’t offended by Mother He’s words. On the contrary, he found them perfectly reasonable. If Wanxu were to go into labor at night, he truly wouldn’t be able to help.

“Let’s wait until the baby is born,” Mother He said. “The most important thing for you two brothers now is to take good care of yourselves. Once you’re both healthy, our family will thrive.”

Her words deeply moved everyone, and He Songyuan abandoned his plan to move out.

Su Yi’an breathed a sigh of relief. If Mother He hadn’t spoken, she wouldn’t have known how to refuse the arrangement.

Sharing a room with He Yunhuai, even with his frail health, felt deeply awkward to her. She feared she wouldn’t be able to sleep soundly under such circumstances.

Now that Mother He had spoken, even though the decision was postponed until after Wanxu’s child was born, the baby would still need nighttime care. This meant another three to five months of delay.

By then, if her business prospered and she earned enough money, the family might even be able to build another room. If He Songyuan still wanted to move back then, Su Yi’an wouldn’t have to share a room with He Yunhuai.

“Just focus on recovering with your second brother,” Wanxu said, patting her belly through her clothes. Now six months pregnant, she expected the baby to arrive in three months, likely after the new year.

When disaster struck the family, she had thought the child’s timing was unfortunate. Now, she believed the baby had arrived at the perfect moment—a blessing in disguise.

---

Another seven or eight days passed.

A villager passing by the He Family’s house noticed the sausages hanging under the eaves. Out of curiosity, they asked about them.

He Xingchen was the only one outside, practicing calligraphy. Hearing the question, he replied without looking closely at the person.

That very night, thieves broke into the house.

Fortunately, Su Yi’an had tied an exceptionally tight knot. The thief struggled for ages to untie it, growing increasingly frustrated and agitated until he made a noise.

He Yunhuai, who was lying near the window, immediately caught the sound.

With great effort, he propped himself up on his elbows and pushed the window open from the inside.

The thief, completely focused on the knot, was startled when the window suddenly moved and a face appeared before him.

His scream woke the entire He family.

“Sister Su!” He Ningwen trembled as she burrowed into Su Yi’an’s arms.

Though she sometimes acted like a little adult at home, capable of handling any chore, she was still just a twelve-year-old girl, and fear overwhelmed her in this crisis.

Moreover, who wouldn’t be frightened by a scream in the dead of night?

Su Yi’an patted her reassuringly before quietly putting on her outer robe, shoes, and socks. She then silently opened the door.

The darkness outside was impenetrable, so thick you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.

No wonder the thieves had chosen such a night. Su Yi’an crept forward with a wooden stick, inching closer until she spotted the faint light emanating from He Yunhuai’s room. Without hesitation, she swung the stick sideways.

The thief, seeing the light, fled into the darkness.

Su Yi’an’s swing missed its mark.

“Goodness, is everyone alright?” Madam He rushed in barefoot, holding an oil lamp high.

Seeing Su Yi’an unharmed, she breathed a sigh of relief.

“That thief is incredibly bold! Thank goodness all the doors were bolted, or we wouldn’t have even known someone had broken in.” Madam He quickly checked the other rooms, but found no one.

“Mother, the thief came for the meat,” Su Yi’an said, examining the cut rope. Her suspicion grew stronger.

With only three rooms in the house, why would they target this one if not for the meat?

Madam He cursed, “Heartless wretch! Stealing our family’s meat too!”

He Yunhuai gripped the windowsill, his knuckles white.

He was stronger than he had been the previous two days, but he knew that if he could get out of bed and walk, the thief wouldn’t have escaped.

Though his health was improving, he had no idea when he would fully recover.

“The thief probably won’t dare to return tonight. Let’s all get some sleep and deal with this in the morning.” Su Yi’an took down the dried sausages and passed them through the window. “Put them on your small table for now.”

The heated bed He Yunhuai slept on had a special table made for the brothers. Since they couldn’t get out of bed, they ate their meals there.

Seeing his younger brother staring blankly without taking the sausages, He Songyuan reached over and took them himself.

“Mother, you should go and rest. The children might be frightened,” He Songyuan said, his concern for Wanxu evident.

“Alright, alright, you little rascal,” Madam He replied, closing the window. She then picked up the oil lamp and walked back with Su Yi’an.

Though nothing serious had happened tonight, it had taught them a valuable lesson.

Things they had never considered before now demanded serious thought.

---

When Su Yi’an returned to the room, she found He Ningwen huddled in a corner, wrapped in a quilt. Her almond-shaped eyes were red-rimmed, making her look utterly pitiful.

“Sister Su, I’m scared,” He Ningwen whispered.

Su Yi’an bolted the door, climbed onto the kang, tucked the quilt around her, and asked tenderly, “The thief is gone. Why are you still afraid?”

“What if they come back?” He Ningwen said anxiously. “Mother mentioned building a chicken coop in the yard. What if someone comes to steal chickens again?”

Su Yi’an had considered these concerns herself. The lack of a proper courtyard was now glaringly apparent, especially after being targeted by a thief.

She also planned to start a small business. If she dried too many sausages at home, attracting daily attention, it simply wouldn’t work.

“Do you remember the bamboo fence around Sister Yun’s courtyard in the mountains?” Su Yi’an asked.

“Should we also surround our house with bamboo?” He Ningwen tilted her head in confusion.

Su Yi’an had already been considering this. “Building a brick wall isn’t practical, but bamboo should still be available in the mountains, even in autumn.”

He Ningwen rubbed her eyes, yawned, and said, “I’ll do whatever Sister Su says.”

Having been woken up in the middle of the night, both were still drowsy. Su Yi’an held He Ningwen close, gently patting her back like a child. Before long, they were fast asleep again.

---

That night, the He Family became more vigilant, while the thieves harbored a grudge.

The next morning, after breakfast, Su Yi’an explained her plan to build a bamboo fence to the family.

The bamboo at the foot of the mountain had long been harvested. To find more, they would need to venture deep into the mountains. Moreover, they needed a large quantity, which meant countless trips up and down the mountain.

“This can’t wait,” Su Yi’an urged, noticing Madam He’s hesitation. “Today they stole meat; tomorrow they might steal our money.”

“Mother, let’s do it,” He Ningwen chimed in. “I’ll go with Sister Su to the mountain. I can carry the bamboo down.”

Madam He’s heart softened. She had no objections, but she worried about Su Yi’an going alone. “I’ll go with Yi’an to gather bamboo. You all stay here.”

“Huh? Grandma!” He Xingchen protested, his disappointment evident. He had been wanting to go to the mountains for ages, and now he was being left behind again.

He wasn’t a little boy anymore; he was six years old and could carry a bamboo basket to gather firewood and bamboo.

“We need to build a fence, but we need to decide exactly how and how big it should be. Why don’t you all think about it at home? If you have any ideas, you can draw the outline on the ground with sticks,” Su Yi’an suggested.

As for where to find bamboo, Su Yi’an planned to ask Yun Niang and the others. She hadn’t wanted to owe anyone favors, but sometimes reality left her no choice.

The sausage had been drying for seven or eight days and was starting to look like proper cured sausage. Rather than let it sit and tempt others, she decided to finish it today.

Su Yi’an rinsed the sausage thoroughly, removed two sections, and placed them in a pot. Since she hadn’t added red yeast rice powder, the cooked sausage had a paler color. After letting it cool, she sliced both sections into bite-sized pieces, arranging them neatly on two plates—one section per plate.

“So much!” He Xingchen exclaimed, his small eyes gleaming at the sight of the two plates of meat.

“We’ll eat one plate ourselves, and I’ll take the other and the rest to Yun Niang later,” Su Yi’an said, wiping her hands. She instructed He Xingchen to carry the sausage plates into the house.

You couldn’t ask for a favor empty-handed, and besides, she wanted more people to taste the sausage and give their opinions. Since she had used minimal seasonings, she wasn’t sure if the flavor would be too bland.

“Mom, try some,” Su Yi’an said, pushing the plate toward the center of the table and gesturing for everyone to take a piece.

This was meat, and who doesn’t love meat? Madam He picked a small, lean piece and bit into it, only to find it surprisingly juicy.

“Delicious,” she said, her eyes crinkling with genuine pleasure.

Seeing everyone’s positive reactions, Su Yi’an finally took a piece herself. The flavor was decent, nothing extraordinary, but certainly better than plain pork stir-fries.

“Mother, do we have a food container?” Su Yi’an asked.

“No food container, but how about a bamboo basket?” Wanxu, knowing Su Yi’an wanted to take the sausages up the mountain, had already prepared a clean bamboo basket.

Su Yi’an placed the two uncooked sausage links at the bottom of the basket, then set the plate of sliced sausages on top. Finally, she covered everything with a clean cloth.

This way, even if someone encountered her on the mountain, they wouldn’t know what was inside.