Shopkeeper Li was stunned by the large pile of goods they had purchased. Were they planning to move the entire town back home? However, he had no objections; in fact, he was quite pleased and cheerfully chatted with Gu Linchen. He even called a young attendant to drive a horse-drawn carriage to take Gu Linchen and his family back home since there was so much stuff that it filled an entire carriage! If he hadn’t seen their simple appearance earlier that morning, he might have mistaken them for a wealthy family. Still, he was happy to build a good relationship with such generous customers.

Since it wasn’t the busy farming season, the village elders were sitting under the locust tree at the entrance, chatting away. When they saw a horse-drawn carriage approaching from a distance, they all turned to look. Carriages were rare in their village, and judging by the way it was headed straight toward them, it seemed like an important guest was arriving. After all, only wealthy families could afford carriages. As the carriage entered the village, the curious villagers followed behind, eager to see who the prestigious visitor was.

Gu Linchen’s mother was in the courtyard sewing shoe soles when she noticed the carriage stopping in front of their gate. She was equally surprised—her family had no rich relatives. Moments later, she saw Gu Linchen stepping down from the carriage, and she quickly set down her sewing to approach.

“Chen’er, this is…?” she asked, staring in disbelief at her son, who was dressed in brand-new, fine clothes. She knew he had sold the ginseng and that they now had some silver, which made her happy, but the fabric and embroidery of his clothes—how much must that have cost? Still, her son looked very handsome in the new outfit. She was so focused on him that she didn’t even notice Feng Ge’er and Xige’er, who had also stepped down from the carriage in new clothes.

“Mother, I bought some things for the house,” Gu Linchen explained as he approached her.

Feng Ge’er helped Xige’er down from the carriage and greeted her as well. “Mother.”
“Grandmother,” Xige’er added sweetly.

Only then did Gu Linchen’s mother notice them, both dressed in fresh, beautiful outfits, and she was left completely stunned.

Meanwhile, Gu Linchen noticed the curious villagers gathering near their gate. “Mother, let’s go inside first,” he said, then turned to the carriage driver, asking him to drive into the courtyard so they could close the gate and block the nosy stares.

Once inside, Gu Linchen, the young attendant, and Feng Ge’er began unloading the goods from the carriage. The pile of goods was so massive that it formed a small hill in the courtyard. His mother, unable to hold back any longer, grabbed her son’s arm anxiously.

“Chen’er, did you buy all of this? You didn’t spend all the silver, did you?” she exclaimed, clearly worried.

Gu Linchen reassured her gently, “Mother, let’s move everything inside first. I’ll explain afterward.”

“Oh… oh, alright,” she replied, though her hands were trembling as she took a package from him and carried it inside.

After sending the young attendant away, Gu Linchen took out the clothes he had bought for his parents and handed them to his mother. “Mother, I exchanged the ginseng today for two hundred taels of silver,” he said, pulling a hundred-tael silver note from his robe and presenting it to her.

His mother was so shocked that she fainted on the spot. Luckily, Feng Ge’er caught her just in time, preventing her from hitting the ground.

After a moment, she regained consciousness, blinking up at the note in her trembling hands. “Is this real? How… how could it be so much?”

Gu Linchen gently held her hands and said, “Yes, Mother, it’s real. This is a hundred taels. Please keep it safe. I spent a little over ten taels today on clothes and these household supplies. I’m keeping the rest to invest in a business so I can earn even more in the future. I promise, I’ll make sure you and Father live a prosperous life.”

“Alright, alright! My son has really made something of himself! I’m so happy!” His mother looked at him lovingly, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Mother, why don’t you try on the clothes and see if they fit?” Gu Linchen changed the subject.

“Ah, yes!” His mother nodded happily but then paused, deciding to wait until her husband returned so they could try on the clothes together. She carried the garments into the house.

Everyone was exhausted from the trip, so His mother urged them all to rest. Gu Linchen, genuinely tired, returned to his room and lay on the bed, thinking about how they finally had money now. Suddenly, he remembered the silver. He sat up, took out the silver to count it, and realized that after today’s expenses and giving his mother the hundred taels, he still had over 130 taels left.

Locking the door, he retrieved a gold bar, a fifty-tael silver note, and five silver ingots, then entered his personal storage space. Inside, he carefully stored the gold bar, as it wasn’t practical to use yet. He also stored the hundred taels securely. Looking around the luxurious space, he sighed, knowing he couldn’t use any of the extravagant items just yet.

Stepping out of the room, he went under a lychee tree and casually picked a few fruits to eat. As he ate, he stared at the abundant lychees on the tree, troubled. These lychees weren’t ordinary, and he couldn’t take them out—at least not yet. Lychees were rare and definitely out of season. Lost in thought, he ate until he was full, realizing he had only eaten a few pieces of fish earlier and skipped rice entirely.

Finally, he gathered some apples and peaches in his clothes and exited the space.

Just as he reappeared, he heard a knock at the door. Setting the fruits on his desk, he opened the door to find Feng Ge’er holding a bowl of noodles with shredded meat.

“Lao Gong, you didn’t eat lunch earlier, so I made you something,” Feng Ge’er said softly.

Gu Linchen touched his stomach, already full from the lychees. “Thank you, just leave it here. I’ll eat it later.”

Feng Ge’er set the bowl down and noticed the pile of fresh fruits on the desk. Wondering if his husband had just gone to the mountains again, he stayed quiet.

Gu Linchen noticed and explained, “I just picked these. Share them with Mother and Xige’er.”

Feng Ge’er nodded, picked up three peaches, and was about to leave when Gu Linchen suddenly grabbed his arm, stopping him.

“Feng Ge’er, I’ve treated you terribly in the past. I was foolish. Believe me, I’ll never hurt you again. I’ll treat you well from now on.”

Unsure of his own emotions, perhaps out of guilt, Gu Linchen took out ten taels of silver and placed them in Feng Ge’er’s hand. “Take this. Buy something you like.”

Feng Ge’er stared at the silver, shocked. He had never held so much money before and instinctively tried to return it. “I… I don’t need it. You’ve already spent a lot today.”

“Just keep it! You’re my husband, and you need to get used to this. If we become wealthier in the future, you might even have to manage the household.”

Seeing Feng Ge’er’s timid reaction, Gu Linchen added, “You’re part of this family, equal to me. This is your home too, so you don’t need to feel restrained. Stand tall and be confident. Don’t be afraid of me. You should have your own thoughts and live your own life. Women and Ger’s aren’t inferior to men. If you have ideas, share them with me. I’ll listen. You’re my partner, not my servant. We’re equals, understand? And this silver is yours—don’t give it to Mother. Keep it for yourself.”

He firmly placed the silver back into Feng Ge’er’s hand.

Feng Ge’er, eyes glistening with tears, gazed at Gu Linchen. No one had ever spoken to him this way before. Before marriage, the village elders and his mother had always taught him to be obedient, saying a husband was like the sky—he had to submit to earn love and happiness. But what his husband just said was completely shocking.

Could he really have his own thoughts? Were they truly equals?

Still, he wanted to become the person his husband described.

Feng Ge’er didn’t quite know how he walked out of the room. His heart was filled with happiness as he carefully stored the silver away in their room.

Gu Linchen slept soundly until evening. When he came out of his room, he saw Feng Ge’er had already cleaned all the pig offal and was now standing in front of a pile of large pork bones, staring blankly. Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned his head and asked, “Lao Gong, there’s no meat on these bones. What are we going to do with them?”

Remembering the heartfelt words his husband had spoken earlier, he had thought about them for a long time. Now that Gu Linchen seemed to have truly changed for the better, he also wanted to improve himself.

It was already late October, and the weather was getting chilly. Seeing the beads of sweat on Feng Ge’er’s forehead, Gu Linchen instinctively took out a handkerchief and gently wiped them away. Realizing what he was doing, he felt a bit embarrassed. Feng Ge’er blushed as well, his cheeks turning red.

“Uh, let me do it. You’ve been busy without even resting. Sit down and take a break,” Gu Linchen said, scratching his head awkwardly, feeling he had overstepped. But then he thought, ‘Why should I feel embarrassed? He’s my husband, and wiping his sweat isn’t against the law.’

There were too many bones for one meal, so Gu Linchen set aside two marrow bones and two large bones to make soup for dinner. The rest, he salted for preservation since the weather was cool enough. He then turned his attention to the pig’s head, which hadn’t been cleaned properly, likely because it was hard to sell. The head was still covered with a lot of hair.

Gu Linchen fetched some straw, lit it, and used the flame to burn off the remaining hair before carefully scraping the skin clean with a knife. The thought of how delicious the pig’s head meat would be later already had his mouth watering.

Just then, His mother entered the yard, holding Xige’er’s hand. She saw her son and son-in-law busily working—one handling the pig’s head and the other cutting the intestines into small sections.

“Chen’er, you’re awake? What are you making with all this?” she asked curiously.

She had just returned from the village chief’s house after dropping off the shoe soles she had made, asking the chief’s wife to help sell them at the market. Since Feng Ge’er had been busy earlier, she had taken Xige’er with her.

“Mother, please help keep an eye on the fire inside. I’m making some braised pork dishes for dinner.”

“I’ll get right to it!” His mother said eagerly, hurrying toward the kitchen.

Xige’er’s eyes sparkled with excitement when he heard there would be delicious food. He ran over to Gu Linchen, looking up at him with big, curious eyes.

“Dad, what yummy food are you making?”

“Xige’er, be good. Don’t get in your father’s way,” Feng Ge’er gently reminded.

“It’s alright. He’s not bothering me. Xige’er is being a good boy. I’ll make sure you get to eat something delicious soon, okay? Are you happy?”

“Yes!” Xige’er nodded enthusiastically, making Gu Linchen smile as he continued working faster.

When the water in the pot started boiling, Gu Linchen added the pork pieces to blanch them briefly. Then he drained the water and refilled the pot with fresh water, adding spices for a slow braise. The pot was now full, with plenty left over for the next day.

As his father returned from work, he caught a whiff of the rich, savory aroma before even reaching the house. ‘Who could be cooking something this delicious?’

The scent grew stronger as he neared home. Without even pausing, he quickly stepped into the house, following the smell straight to the kitchen.

“What are you all cooking in here?” he asked, eyes wide with curiosity.

The whole family was gathered around the kitchen. Feng Ge’er and His Wife were tending the fire while Gu Linchen occasionally stirred the contents of a large pot, with Xige’er standing beside him, watching eagerly.

Gu Linchen’s Father blinked in surprise when he saw the golden, fragrant broth in the pot. ‘So that’s where the smell is coming from!’

Seeing her husband return, Gu Linchen’s mother spoke up, “Chen’er brought back some pork offal from town today. He’s making braised pork for dinner. Go find some clothes—I’ll heat some water for you to wash up.”

Gu Linchen’s father nodded enthusiastically, urging her, “Yes, yes, hurry!”