Wan Xiubai was delighted that Xie Qiaoyu liked the juice. “If you like it, you can drink more. We have plenty at home.” In their yard, they had some fruit trees, and it was the season for fruit. Occasionally, they would sell some in town, but most of it ended up in their own bellies because they didn’t grow much.

“It’s really delicious,” Xie Qiaoyu praised. He was mindful and didn’t drink too much. Wan Xiubai smiled, thinking he would bring an extra water bottle tomorrow to give Xie Qiaoyu some juice. He was always shy and didn’t share this thought with Xie Qiaoyu.

Xie Qiaoyu was very happy and even picked some soapberries to show Old Madam Xie. “Can I call you Xiubai?” he asked.

Wan Xiubai nodded shyly, “Then I’ll call you Qiaoyu.”

Xie Qiaoyu understood clearly. Wan Mingji’s younger brother was so shy, really cute. In the county town, he had another friend, Xue Xuan. Although he had the shyness of a young man, once familiar, he became quite bold.

The two chatted for a while and found they had a lot in common. Wan Xiubai was pleasantly surprised and grew more fond of Xie Qiaoyu, who also enjoyed talking with beautiful people.

“I have to go back now, it’s getting late,” Wan Xiubai said reluctantly. Li Yun was still outside picking wild pepper, and he needed to help. They had almost finished picking the soapberries.

“Alright, I need to continue digging,” Xie Qiaoyu said goodbye to Wan Xiubai.

Today was a lucky day. Xie Qiaoyu put the soapberries in his basket, dug a few holes with his small hoe, and then happily bounced back. He returned to the village in a good mood. Xiao Yun saw Xie Qiaoyu’s expression and was puzzled. The third young master usually hated farming, but today he came back with a smile.

Back in the courtyard, Xie Qiaoyu thought about what gift to bring for his new acquaintance, his little brother-in-law. The gift had to be just right, not too eager. He remembered there was a chrysanthemum blooming beautifully in his grandmother’s courtyard. From chatting with Wan Xiubai, Xie Qiaoyu knew he was shy and probably liked flowers and plants.

Xie Qiaoyu went to Old Madam Xie’s courtyard and showed her the soapberries in his hand. “Grandmother, look at this.”

Old Madam Xie took it from him. “This is a soapberry. I saw it when I accompanied your grandfather to the countryside.”

“How about this soapberry?” Xie Qiaoyu asked expectantly.

“The quality is very good.”

Xie Qiaoyu pointed to the chrysanthemum in front of Old Madam Xie’s door. “Grandson wants to exchange it for the chrysanthemum at the door.”

Old Madam Xie didn’t know who this young man took after, using soapberries to exchange for her chrysanthemum. She thought of Xie Yuan’s temperament and then Feng Su’s, and they were completely different. But she was willing to part with a chrysanthemum.

“Take it, and take good care of it,” Old Madam Xie said lovingly.

“I don’t know how to take care of it, but I’ll give it to someone who does,” Xie Qiaoyu admitted. Otherwise, if Old Madam Xie wanted to see the chrysanthemum later, he wouldn’t be able to find it.

“Who are you giving it to?” Old Madam Xie asked curiously.

“He’s a timid person. I just met him today. Once we’re more familiar, I’ll bring him to meet you, grandmother.”

Carrying the flower pot back, Xie Qiaoyu was all smiles.

*

After finishing weeding, Wan Mingji and Wan Xiuyue headed back to the village. They sat on a bench to eat. Lunch was prepared by Wan Xiubai and Li Yun, consisting of a few simple pancakes and a bowl of porridge, nothing fancy.

“The grass in the field still needs to be weeded. Once that’s done, I’ll fertilize the land,” Wan Mingji said.

Li Yun was worried about delaying Wan Mingji’s studies, and besides, he used to be a young master who knew nothing about farming. But she couldn’t argue with Wan Mingji.

“Mingji, are you sure this method will work?” Li Yun asked.

Wan Mingji reassured her, “Mother, don’t worry. I read about this method in a book.”

Wan Xiuyue ate a pancake and drank a bowl of porridge, feeling full. He went to the kitchen to fill a water bottle with juice and saw Wan Xiubai also finishing his meal and filling a new water bottle with juice.

Wan Mingji liked to stock up on things, usually buying a few extra based on the number of people.

“Xiubai, did your water bottle break?” Wan Xiuyue’s appearance was different from Wan Mingji’s handsome and elegant look. His features were softer and more delicate, with lips more like Li Yun’s, and his smile was bright.

“No, I want to give it to someone,” Wan Xiubai was caught by Wan Xiuyue and felt a bit uneasy.

“Oh,” Wan Xiuyue didn’t say much. After Wan Laoye passed away, he had once blamed Wan Xiubai, but now that they were all down on their luck, with a blood connection, Wan Xiuyue’s attitude towards Wan Xiubai had softened, and he was willing to be close to him.

In the village, their family still didn’t quite fit in with Linshui Village. The young men didn’t like to associate with them, and the village women and fulang didn’t like to talk to them either, but they gossiped about them a lot behind their backs.

Only Wan Mingji had a good relationship with the men and children in the village.

In rural areas, meals were usually informal. Some people liked to grab some food and walk around with their bowls, inevitably chatting when they encountered others. During the farming off-season or when it rained, villagers loved to talk about recent big events.

In Linshui Village, there weren’t many big events, except for the Wan family moving in. If it were anyone else, it wouldn’t be such a big deal, but the Wan family moving from a wealthy household in the county town to the village was a hot topic.

“The Wan family was just about to leave for Linshui Village when they were blocked by creditors at the door. They lost a lot of money before they could move to Linshui Village,” Li Ershen said.

Someone asked, “How much do they owe?”

Li Ershen, who had gone to the county town to sell things and specifically inquired about the Wan family’s situation, saw the curious eyes and felt a sense of vanity. She said mysteriously, “A lot of silver notes, a total of thirty thousand taels of silver.”

Everyone was astonished.

“Oh my, I could never earn that much in a lifetime.”

“No wonder the Wan family couldn’t pay it back and had to sell their house to move to the village.”

“That’s a lot of money. From a wealthy young master to a country person, if it were me, I wouldn’t be able to handle it. They’re really unlucky,” a woman said regretfully, but there wasn’t much sympathy in her eyes. These things were just entertainment for them.

“What kind of life did they live before they were in debt?” someone wondered.

Li Ershen cleared her throat. “I heard Wan Laoye used to have connections with the county magistrate and the county magistrate’s assistant. They even dined together.”

The crowd became even more lively. In the eyes of commoners, the county magistrate and the county magistrate’s assistant were like gods. They couldn’t believe Wan Laoye used to dine with them. That was impressive, and they felt a bit more respect for the Wan family.

In reality, Wan Laoye did dine with the county magistrate and the county magistrate’s assistant, but he didn’t sit at the main table. Their relationship wasn’t that close, but from Li Ershen’s mouth, Wan Laoye’s status was elevated.

“The Wan family’s two young men are good-looking. Who knows which lucky guy will end up with them,” someone suddenly said.

This comment made many fulang and women interested. The Wan family still had twenty acres of land in Linshui Village, and it was good land. Who knew if the Wan family had other savings?

The two young men were indeed good-looking, and they were said to be literate. If they married into a family, they could teach others to read, and their future grandchildren would be good-looking too. Such a fulang would be a source of pride.

“Speaking of the Wan family’s two young men, the county magistrate’s young man is in the village.”

The crowd’s attention shifted to Xie Qiaoyu. They had great respect for Xie Yuan and didn’t think about marrying Xie Qiaoyu, as he was out of their league.

“As expected of the county magistrate’s young man, he looks different from us.”

The noon hour passed quickly, and Li Ershen and the others soon dispersed. Accompanying Li Ershen was a Tang Fulang. Tang Fulang had two sons who were not yet married, and he kept in mind the gossip he had just heard.

“Ershen, what do you think of my eldest son?” Tang Fulang wanted to hear Li Ershen’s opinion of his eldest son.

Li Ershen pursed her lips. Didn’t Tang Fulang know his own son? He was strong and hardworking, but not a good person, very selfish, and liked to hang out in the town’s brothels. Everyone knew he was involved with the village’s widower.

“I’m home. What did you say? I didn’t hear you,” Li Ershen said, looking puzzled at Tang Fulang as she reached her door.

Tang Fulang didn’t want to repeat himself, so he said, “Nothing, I was just mumbling to myself. Ershen, you should go inside.”

Tang Fulang walked home, thinking his eldest son was strong and hardworking, a good man. He just had some issues with women, but the Wan family’s two young men were more attractive than the village’s widower and probably better looking than the brothel girls. Surely, they could win his eldest son’s heart?

He decided to discuss this with his husband that night. His eldest son was getting older and needed to settle down.

He would have to deal with Li Yun, though. Tang Fulang didn’t want to talk to Li Yun. Her aura was different from theirs, and he felt inferior in her presence. A fallen phoenix is not as good as a chicken. Since they lived in Linshui Village, they were the same as them, so why act so high and mighty?

*

After lunch, Wan Mingji saw that his clothes were dry. He packed them in a basket, planning to return them to Xie Qiaoyu after weeding the field. He was quick on his feet and could return immediately after.

Meanwhile, in the afternoon, Xie Qiaoyu was squatting by the pond fishing. Old Madam Xie said it was a good way to calm the mind. Xie Qiaoyu fell asleep holding the fishing rod.

“Laofuren caught another one!” Liu Mama said with a smile.

Old Madam Xie’s smile deepened as she put the fish in the basket and looked at Xie Qiaoyu beside her. He was breathing steadily, already asleep.

Old Madam Xie: “…” This child is too much!

Xie Qiaoyu seemed to sense something and rubbed his eyes, still a bit groggy. He felt the fishing rod move, pulled it, and caught nothing.

He looked at his fish basket and then at Old Madam Xie’s, feeling a bit down.

“Didn’t you sleep well last night?”

Xie Qiaoyu looked innocent. “Sleepy.”

Old Madam Xie handed the fish basket to Liu Mama and told Xie Qiaoyu to follow her.

“You can go anywhere in the village, but take Xiao Yun with you. I plan to give you five acres of land first. Think about how to handle it, and let me know when you’re ready.”

“Grandmother, I don’t know how to farm,” Xie Qiaoyu was shocked. Five acres of land was like a death sentence.

Old Madam Xie shook her head and left. In the family, Xie Weixia had Xie Furen to teach her, but Xie Qiaoyu had no one to teach him these things. Now that he was in her care, she had to teach him some skills to rely on.

Liu Mama saw Xie Qiaoyu’s eager expression and wanted to remind him, but she held back, thinking that Laofuren didn’t have this intention before. Perhaps the third young master had pleased her.

Xiao Yun hurried over and whispered, “Third young master, someone is here to return the clothes.”

Xie Qiaoyu’s eyes lit up.

“Wan Mingji is here,” he said, visibly happy.

Wan Mingji stood at the door, his back straight. The evening glow painted half the sky red, and he was facing away from the door, looking at the field.

“Wan Mingji,” Xie Qiaoyu called, his voice filled with joy.

Wan Mingji turned around, a handsome and elegant young man with a tall figure. The evening glow behind him made Xie Qiaoyu’s heart race.

Seeing Xie Qiaoyu, Wan Mingji smiled gently. “You’re here.”