With this in mind, he couldn’t help but think about what would happen if he really married into the Liu Family. That little brother-in-law would be a problem—crying at the drop of a hat. He was so spineless and would need proper discipline. Liu Fugui and his wife weren’t as sensible as their daughter either, but thankfully, they listened to her, so that wouldn’t be a problem. All that mattered was that Liu Yunlan herself was a good person. After all, she was the one he would spend the rest of his life with, not her parents and her brother.

’Sigh! Nothing was even close to being settled yet, and here I am, already thinking about all this!’

A blush couldn’t help but creep onto his face again.

Juhua saw her usually quiet brother’s red cheeks and bright eyes. He suddenly seemed to radiate a different kind of vitality. ’Love can make a woman beautiful,’ she thought, ’and it can also make a man full of life.’

With this important matter now on her mind, she suddenly felt a great sense of responsibility. She muttered to herself, "Oh! I still need to make you a pair of pants to go with this cotton vest. And I need to make another one of these jackets."

Qingmu quickly said, "That’s enough. You’re making so much, and your neck must get sore from keeping your head down all day. You’ve already made several things. Isn’t that enough to wear? We got by just fine with mending and patching in the past."

Juhua laughed. "The past is the past. That was because we were poor. Now that we’re earning money, what’s the point if we’re not even willing to wear new cotton clothes? Besides, you’re pretty much at your full height now. You won’t grow anymore, will you? Even if you do, it won’t be by much, so these clothes won’t go to waste. You’ll wear them eventually. Winter is the only time I’m free. Once spring arrives, I won’t have time for needlework. And anyway, I get bored just sitting here by the fire if I don’t have something to do with my hands."

Hearing this, Qingmu reassured her, "I told Huai Zi to buy some books for you. That way, when you’re tired, you can relax and read."

Juhua thought about the pile of important tasks she and Qingmu had entrusted to Zhang Huai and couldn’t help but laugh. "I wonder if Huai Zi managed to sell those sausages," she said.

This batch of sausages wasn’t the one Manager Mao had ordered. They had brought it to Qinghui County themselves to test the market.

But Qingmu said with full confidence, "Don’t worry. I’m sure he sold them."

He watched his sister lazily lounging and cracking melon seeds, and he felt his mood lift. With someone like Zhang Huai looking out for his sister, he was no longer worried about her future, unlike before.

’I wonder what Huai Zi is up to,’ he thought. ’Is he wandering the streets, trying to pick out a gift for Juhua?’

’It wouldn’t be easy. He doesn’t have much money, so finding a suitable gift for Juhua would be difficult.’

Qingmu smiled as he thought about this.

Juhua, watching him from the side, thought he was thinking about Liu Yunlan again.

********

At that moment, Zhang Huai was sitting in the Qinghui Restaurant in Qinghui County.

When Manager Mao learned that he had brought a batch of sausages to Qinghui, he bought the entire lot without giving Zhang Huai a chance to sell it himself. He even complained, "Didn’t we agree you’d sell them all to us? I didn’t come for the delivery before the New Year because I was worried you wouldn’t be finished, so I delayed it until after."

Zhang Huai smiled. "Manager Mao, if you had already sold out of the last batch of sausages, then of course this batch would be for you. I came this time mainly to see if there were other sales channels—we can’t always rely on you, right? After all, you run a restaurant, and the amount you need each day is limited. If we start making more sausages in the future, it’ll be difficult to sell them all, so we need to prepare ahead of time."

Manager Mao chuckled. "You have a point, but we’re not at that stage yet. I’ll mention it to the owner. He might want to see you."

Li Changyu smiled and said, "We have other things to do, so we’ll be going now. If anything comes up, you can have your young master speak with my brother."

With that, the two of them took their leave.

Li Changyu first took Zhang Huai to the Fuyun Inn to get a room. Zhang Huai had insisted on not staying at Li Changyu’s aunt’s house, saying that in the future, people from their village would often be coming to Qinghui, and they couldn’t always be bothering his aunt. So, Changyu didn’t press the matter.

After they were settled in, Li Changyu took him for a walk through the main streets, pointing out that one street was mainly for high-end shops and restaurants, while another was for general stores selling daily necessities. There were also cart and horse rental shops, a livestock market, and more.

Zhang Huai followed him, slowly taking in this unfamiliar environment.

Looking at this bustling world, so much more prosperous than Xiatang Market, he thought to himself, ’When will Xiatang Market ever be like this?’

That evening, Li Changyu and Li Changfeng wanted to treat Zhang Huai to dinner at the Qinghui Restaurant. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Zhang Huai said to them earnestly, "We’re all from the same village, so there’s no need for such formalities. Eating at a restaurant like this must be expensive. Let’s just find a small eatery on the street. Besides, Changyu, wouldn’t this be a good chance to look for a suitable spot to sell hot and sour noodles?"