There’s an extra pair of hands at home. This person works efficiently, tackling tasks with a calm and reliable demeanor, making the whole Chen family noticeably more relaxed.

Even Chen Yuanqiu remarked, “Brother Jiu seems quiet and reserved, but when it comes to business, he looks even more skilled than I am.”

“Yuanjiu has been traveling with the escort agency for years, while you haven’t even left the county seat, so of course, there’s no comparison,” Father Chen retorted, puffing on his dry tobacco pipe. “Learn a bit more, if you have questions, just ask. I see that Yuanjiu has a good temperament. If you could be half as steady as he is, your life would surely improve.”

“Father, I also think Brother Jiu is impressive. I want to learn some martial arts from him, but unfortunately, I’m too old and don’t have the spare time. However, when I have kids in the future, I can leave them with Brother Jiu from a young age to learn, so they grow strong and healthy.”

Father Chen glanced at his happily scheming youngest son. “You really know how to plan.” This idea wasn’t bad, he’d remember it.

“The braised pig intestines are selling well at home. If we sell them at the shop in town, business will surely thrive.” After spending two days in the shop, Cui Yuanjiu felt it was a shame that the intestines were only sold at home: “Once you know the trick to cleaning them, it’s not too troublesome. If worse comes to worst, we can hire someone from the village to help with the cleaning, teaching them hands-on. Just a few wen a month would be better than doing needlework or making shoe soles. It won’t strain your eyes and only takes an hour or two each day.”

Chen Yuping told him, “I’ve thought about selling braised intestines in town too, but the intestines are too few.”

Too few intestines. Cui Yuanjiu hadn’t considered that reason. He pondered, “That’s easy to fix, we can find Er Shanzi and Shu Wa in the village. Those two are always idle and know everyone around. Let them help collect the intestines for two wen per ten sets. If they’re willing to help with the cleaning too, then even better. Collecting ten sets and cleaning them for five wen. Occasionally reward them with some food or invite them for dinner.”

“Is that reliable?”

“Leave it to me, it’s definitely reliable.”

That evening, after dinner, Cui Yuanjiu left the house.

Dad Chen casually asked, “What’s he going to do?” After staying at the Chen household for three days, it was rare to see him leave, he always found something to do both inside and outside the house. His youngest son also said he was quick and efficient.

“Maybe he’s looking for Er Shanzi and Shu Wa.”

“What does he want with those two rascals?” Father Chen was a bit curious.

Chen Yuping explained what Cui Yuanjiu had mentioned earlier in detail: “I think it’s a bit risky, but he’s confident it’ll work. If it does, it’s indeed a good idea.”

“He’s clever and adaptable!” Father Chen praised, rare for him to speak so highly of someone.

Dad Chen chuckled: “Ping ger, I see Yuanjiu as a fine young man. If you like him, don’t wait too long. Some things are better said early.”

“Right, such a good guy as Third Brother, don’t let him get away!”

Chen Yuping felt a mix of embarrassment and amusement from their teasing, looking down to play with Cao ger instead of responding.

Before long, Cui Yuanjiu returned.

The night had fully set in, and a chill wind had risen.

The Chen family hadn’t gone to bed. They were sitting in the main room, with a charcoal stove burning, chatting idly.

“How did it go?” Chen Yuping asked.

Cui Yuanjiu smiled, “I told you it would work, and naturally, it did.”

“Awesome!” Chen Yuping gave him a thumbs-up.

“Can I get some reward?” Cui Yuanjiu seemed unaware that there were others in the room, his words carrying a hint of familiarity.

“What do you want as a reward?”

Cui Yuanjiu looked at him, his eyes sparkling like starlight, but Chen Yuping felt there was something magnetic about his gaze, making him a little dizzy.

“I heard from Yuanqiu that Ping ger makes delicious soup dumplings. How about we have some tomorrow night?”

“Sure.”

Dad Chen teased, “I haven’t had soup dumplings in a while either. Thanks to Yuanjiu, I can enjoy them again.”

“I’ve asked several times, but Third Brother says it’s too troublesome to make,” Chen Yuanqiu muttered, grinning mischievously.

Chen Yuping shot a glance at his playful younger brother: “If you can manage to get something done, I might reward you by letting you make whatever you want to eat.”

“That won’t do, my brain isn’t as sharp as Brother Jiu’s.”

“Learn!” Father Chen rolled his eyes.

The family chatted happily, and as the night deepened, they extinguished the charcoal fire and returned to their rooms to sleep.

Cui Yuanjiu carried an oil lamp while Chen Yuping held the sleeping Cao ger in his arms.

The two bedrooms were next to each other.

Chen Yuping carefully undressed Cao ger, bending down at the bedside to place him gently in bed.

Cui Yuanjiu leaned in closer, also bending down to look: “Cao ger sleeps very soundly.” He spoke in a low voice, careful not to wake the baby, his tone adding an inexplicable warmth to the moment.

“He sleeps very well.” Chen Yuping felt a slight tremor in his heart. That voice was a gift from heaven, almost enchanting: “You should go to bed.”

Cui Yuanjiu didn’t leave, pulling back a bit, sitting at the foot of the bed: “Are you tired?”

“Why? Want to chat all night?” His voice carried a teasing tone.

“Just wanted to sit a while, it’s rare to be here so quietly with you.” Cui Yuanjiu spoke with a calm demeanor, his gaze bright.

Chen Yuping felt that his gaze was anything but innocent, it was like a hook, fixed on him without blinking: “I’m several years older than you.”

“Not by much, it’s nothing,” Cui Yuanjiu replied casually. “I like you as a person, and age doesn’t matter.”

“I don’t think your feelings for me are genuine, it’s more for…” Chen Yuping glanced at his sleeping son, his eyes softening, his tone warmening: “It’s for Cao ger, isn’t it?”

“I won’t deny that it’s an important reason. You know my family situation, since I understood things, I’ve been determined to find someone I truly like to marry. Whether it’s hardship or fatigue, it must be someone I care about, not just marrying for the sake of it.”

“My father and dad had no feelings. They simply found someone they thought was suitable, married, and had me.”

“Ping ger, you’re wonderful. Without Cao ger, I might never have met you. It could be a long time before I get married, or I might never marry at all. It’s a blessing for Cao ger to be found and raised by you, and meeting you is my blessing too.”

Cui Yuanjiu left and returned to his own room.

Without the dim orange glow of the oil lamp, the room was dark. Chen Yuping felt very tired but couldn’t sleep, his mind replaying Cui Yuanjiu’s words.

He was rational and clear-headed. Cui Yuanjiu had said so much, and he was right. At present, there was affection, and love might be budding.

This person, with a troubled family background, was greatly affected by it. The Chen family had a good atmosphere, with harmonious relationships filled with warmth and happiness. Cui Yuanjiu, having been hurt deeply by his family, encountering the Chen family was like a mouse falling into a honey pot. How could he bear to leave?

In the quiet bed, a sudden cold snort broke the silence.

Chen Yuping chuckled after snorting. If he didn’t want to leave, then he shouldn’t. Leaving aside other considerations, this person was indeed good, honest, straightforward, capable, smart, good-looking, and easy to talk to. He had cut ties with his original family, and he was a decent young man.

He would have to marry eventually, and finding someone like Cui Yuanjiu was better than looking elsewhere.

As for love, with some affection, how far could it be from blossoming?

Understanding this, Chen Yuping felt a wave of drowsiness. He yawned, on the verge of falling asleep.

A loud bang shattered the quiet night.

Then came a chilling scream.

What happened? Chen Yuping hurriedly threw off the blanket, intending to go outside. Just as he got out of bed, he remembered Cao ger was sleeping in the room. He couldn’t leave, it was clear their home was being robbed.

“Yuanqiu! Father! Dad! Our home is being robbed!” Unable to leave, he shouted. Remembering the oil lamp was still inside, he found a fire stick to light it: “What about Yuanjiu? Did they catch the thief?”

“Where are you? Are you okay, Ping ger? Don’t come out, keep an eye on Cao ger!” Dad Chen called from outside, holding an oil lamp, shouting towards his third son’s room: “Yuanjiu, are you alright?

 What’s happening?”

Father Chen followed closely behind his wife, wielding a hefty old tree stick: “Where are they?”

“Damn! How dare they steal from us!” Chen Yuanqiu rushed over angrily.

The room was in chaos, with two small jars broken. Thankfully, they were just small jars, while chairs and cabinets were overturned.

This was Chen Yuchun’s room. He rarely stayed at the Chen house now, and it was just used to store these jars, as the kitchen was too small to hold so many.

Cui Yuanjiu stood at the door, his face cold and his eyes chilling: “I broke one of his arms and kicked his leg hard. If he dares to show up, it won’t be hard to find him.” After a pause, he added, “It’s not just one person, there are accomplices—at least three. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have gotten away.”

“By the end of the year, all sorts of scum are popping up,” Dad Chen cursed as he began to clean up the broken jars: “Are you hurt at all?”

“I’m fine, they couldn’t hurt me.” Cui Yuanjiu helped to set the overturned chairs and cabinets back up.

Chen Yuanqiu saw everything was fine and dropped the stick he was holding, helping his dad clean up.

Father Chen furrowed his brows, remaining silent as he pondered something.

Chen Yuping couldn’t help but carry Cao ger and entered the room: “Did they escape?”

“Yeah.” Cui Yuanjiu clenched his fists, feeling a bit ashamed. He was an escort after all, yet he had let the thieves run right under his nose.

“Good that you’re okay.” Chen Yuping reassured him, “Thank goodness you were at home, otherwise, we might have lost more today.”

Father Chen added solemnly: “Indeed, we owe it all to Yuanjiu being here.”

Late at night, and with it being cold, there wasn’t much more to say. They tidied up the room roughly before heading back to their own rooms.

The next morning, Chen Yuandong came over early. He had heard the noise the previous night and had been thinking of going to the old house, but worried about leaving his wife and children alone. He decided it was safer with Cui Yuanjiu around.

“Did you get robbed?”

“Yeah, we’re still trying to figure out who the culprits are. Yuanjiu broke one of their arms and hurt a leg. If he hides, it won’t be easy to find him.”

“Keep an eye out in the coming days.”

In the afternoon, Er Shanzi and Shu Wa came over, bringing the pig intestines they had collected from ten miles around.

At this time, Chen Yuping and the others had just returned from town.

After spending a few days working, Er Shanzi and Shu Wa greeted them cheerfully, laughing and joking.

“We gathered a couple more sets of intestines today. Ping ger, you’ve got to keep track of this extra. Once we gather ten sets again, that’s another five wen.” They were now responsible for both collecting and cleaning the intestines—ten sets for five wen. It was a bit smelly and tiring, but now that they knew the trick, it wasn’t too hard. It was better than doing hard labor in town.

“I’ll count it carefully, don’t worry,” Chen Yuping flipped through his notebook. “If you gather one more set tomorrow, we’ll have enough for ten.”

“That’ll mean another five wen! We can finally taste some braised meat buns.”

Cui Yuanjiu came out of the house, overhearing this: “If you want to try the braised roujiamo, you don’t need to spend any money. I need a favor, are you in?”

“Brother Jiu, just say!” Er Shanzi and Shu Wa stood in front of him, looking completely earnest and well-behaved, unlike their usual lazy demeanor.

“Last night, our house was robbed. There should be three people involved. One of them has a broken arm and a hurt leg because of me. You two, go around the nearby villages and keep an eye out for anything suspicious. If you find any useful information, let me know. I’ll treat you to braised roujiamo. If you can directly identify the thief, I’ll give you two buns every day for five days. Deal?”

“Which blind fool dares to steal from us? Of course, we’ll do it! Brother Jiu, you can count on us, we’ll keep an eye out.”

After chatting for a while, Er Shanzi and Shu Wa headed to the back of the house to wash the intestines by the well.

Chen Yuping looked at Cui Yuanjiu with a smile and gently tapped his forehead: “You really are quick-witted.” There was a hint of affection in his words.

“Are you not upset that I took the lead?”

“What’s there to be upset about?” Chen Yuping raised an eyebrow. “It’s actually a good idea.”

Cui Yuanjiu still felt the need to explain: “When I saw Er Shanzi and Shu Wa, I thought of this idea. I figured you’d agree, so I just said it directly.”

“Do I still need to praise you? Are you looking for another reward?”

“Yeah.” Cui Yuanjiu looked around to see no one was nearby, then bravely leaned in closer and whispered, “I also want Ping Ge to kiss my forehead. I’ve envied Cao ger for a long time.” He blinked, showing a bright smile.

Chen Yuping felt dazzled by his smile, his heart racing. He didn’t grant a kiss, but reached out to gently poke his forehead with his finger: “You can eat dumplings as a reward.”

Cui Yuanjiu seemed a bit disappointed. After a moment, he asked, “Will there be a next time?”

“We’ll talk about it when there’s a next time.” Chen Yuping replied, casually strolling away with his hands behind his back.