The next day, as usual, Fan Changyu rose early to slaughter pigs.

In the days following the New Year, most people in town were visiting relatives, and nearly every meal included meat. With so much oil and fat in their bellies, they no longer craved fresh pork. Thus, sales of fresh meat at her shop had been poor, while the braised meat business was flourishing. Every household preferred to buy ready-made braised pork to serve guests—placing such a dish on the table was both convenient and respectable.

In the past, Fan Changyu’s shop could sell the meat of two pigs in a day, but these past few days, she only slaughtered one pig for fresh meat.

As for the braised meat supplied to Yixiang Tower, she bought that meat from elsewhere. On that street where pork was sold, nearly all the pig heads and trotters were taken by Fan Changyu.

She and those butchers were no longer merely competitors—they had become each other’s major business partners. To secure this long-term trade, every butcher on the street greeted her with broad smiles whenever they saw her, more warmly than before.

If she ever ran into difficulties at her shop, the moment she spoke up, a crowd would rush over to help her.

Fan Changyu suddenly began to understand why, after Song Yan passed the provincial exam and became a juren, some townsfolk had spared no effort to flatter the Song family by stepping on her instead.

It was indeed as Yan Zheng had said—when she had nothing, no matter how good her temper was, others could still find faults in her.

But once she became even slightly connected to wealth and power, the goodwill she received multiplied several times over.

Everything was moving in a good direction. Yet now Fan Changyu had to deliver meat to both Yixiang Tower and Manager Pang, while also tending her own pork shop. She truly could not be in two places at once.

Finding a reliable helper in such a short time was not easy either.

During breakfast, she kept glancing at Xie Zheng, hesitating to speak.

Xie Zheng hadn’t slept well the previous night; the shadows under his eyes had darkened. Noticing Fan Changyu’s frequent looks, he set down his bowl of porridge and asked, “What is it?”

Only then did Fan Changyu clearly see the deepened darkness around his eyes. She was momentarily dumbfounded and asked, “You didn’t sleep all night?”

Xie Zheng lowered his gaze and said, “No. There was a sound of a rat in the room last night—I spent some time looking for it.”

There really had been a rat, but he had skewered it dead with a single bamboo stick and tossed it to the gyrfalcon.

When Fan Changyu heard about the rat, she immediately thought of the cured meat hanging above the hearth. Worried, she hurried over to check, but found no sign of nibbling. Only then did she relax.

She said, “We never used to keep so much braised and cured meat at home—always sold fresh, so there were no rats. That was my oversight. I’ll catch a cat soon and raise it here.”

Changning had already finished her meal and gone to the chicken coop to see the gyrfalcon, only to burst into tears: “Sun-sun is gone again!”

Fan Changyu was puzzled. “Flew away again?”

The sisters turned to look at Xie Zheng in unison.

He had sent the gyrfalcon to deliver a message in the middle of the night. After a brief silence, he said, “That creature’s wild nature is hard to tame, perhaps it still isn’t well trained.”

The golden tears in Changning’s eyes began to fall one after another.

Fan Changyu sighed helplessly. “Be good, don’t cry. When spring comes, I’ll raise a brood of chicks for you, all right?”

Changning still sobbed. “I don’t want chicks, I want Sun-sun!”

She wiped her tears with her sleeve and said, “Sun-sun will come back again!”

Then she looked at Xie Zheng with eyes full of hope.

This time, Xie Zheng did not give her a definite answer. He only said, “Maybe it will come back.”

Changning’s lips instantly puckered, and she cried even harder.

Fan Changyu tried to soothe her. “Shall we go catch another one out in the wild?”

Changning shook her head. “I don’t want another, I only want Sun-sun.”

Fan Changyu knew how stubborn a child could be and how much it tested one’s patience. She said, “The falcon has already flown away—it belongs in the wild, and even I can’t find it. What I can do is, if you still want one, I’ll go out and catch another for you. But if you won’t have that and just keep crying, Ning-niang, tell your sister—what can I do?”

Sniffling, Changning wrapped her chubby arms around Fan Changyu’s waist. “I’m sorry, Sister. Ning-niang isn’t being willful… Ning-niang just can’t bear to part with Sun-sun.”

Fan Changyu patted the child’s back.

Changning buried her head against her shoulder and mumbled thickly, “When spring comes, we’ll raise little chicks.”

Fan Changyu agreed.

Changning straightened up, eyes red, and said, “When the chicks grow up, Sun-sun will see them and fly down to eat.”

Fan Changyu, who had thought she’d finally calmed the child, was speechless. “…All right.”

At least, the girl had stopped crying.

Fan Changyu sat back down at the table, feeling a mix of emotions, and finished her half-bowl of porridge. Remembering that she was short-handed at the butcher shop, she scratched her head and asked Xie Zheng, “Will you be taking a nap later?”

He had already noticed, when she hesitated earlier, that she might have something to ask of him. He said, “If there’s something you need, just say it.”

Summoning her courage, Fan Changyu said, “My butcher shop opens for business today, but I still have to deliver braised meat to Manager Yu’s restaurant. If you’re free, could you watch the shop for half a day? I’ll come back as soon as I’m done.”

Though he had only just said last night that he was leaving, it felt a bit improper to ask for help now. But Fan Changyu truly couldn’t manage alone—so she had no choice but to squeeze a little more out of him.

Xie Zheng nodded, and Fan Changyu immediately let out a sigh of relief.

Had he refused, no matter how thick-skinned she was, it would still have been awkward.

She had grown a bit wiser in dealing with people—this time, she didn’t mention paying him. After all, his willingness to help was a kindness; offering wages would only cheapen that gesture.

If she really wanted to thank him, she could do so later by quietly preparing some supplies for him before he left. That sort of unspoken gratitude repaid a favor far better than promising benefits upfront like a trade.

Since both she and Xie Zheng had to go out, Fan Changyu didn’t feel comfortable leaving Changning alone at home. As before, she took her to Auntie Zhao’s next door.

Only then did she go to the end of the alley to hail an ox cart and send the fresh pork to the Fan family’s butcher shop.

The meat alone was heavy enough; so Fan Changyu and Xie Zheng didn’t ride but walked alongside the ox cart all the way to the shop.

Though Xie Zheng had been in this town for quite a while, this was his first time seeing the morning market. It couldn’t compare to the bustle of the capital, but it was livelier than he had expected.

Before every breakfast stall, steam billowed from great cauldrons. Vendors’ cries mingled with the clatter of carts and the hum of passing crowds. It was the smoke and breath of ordinary life—the heartbeat of this small town.

When they reached the shop, Fan Changyu had just carried down a basin of braised meat, and Xie Zheng followed by lifting down all the fresh pork.

Fan Changyu glanced over and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—having someone to lend a hand truly made things much easier.

After setting down the basin of braised meat, she began arranging the fresh pork cuts on the chopping board, explaining to Xie Zheng which part each was and how much it sold for.

Across from her, the butcher’s wife in the opposite shop caught sight of Xie Zheng’s striking looks and teased, “Changyu, you’ve finally brought your husband out for us to see! Such a handsome young man, no wonder you kept him hidden at home all this time!”

Having long been used to such teasing from Yu Qianqian, Fan Changyu no longer blushed easily when others joked about her and Xie Zheng. She replied evenly, “Auntie jests. He’s been at home recovering from an injury. Now that he’s better, and I’m too busy to manage alone, he came to help me for a while.”

The butcher’s wife, knowing that Xie Zheng was a zhuixu, dared to make such a joke only because of that. Being more than ten years older than Fan Changyu, she knew that many men in that position were sensitive about their status—one careless jest could send the young couple home quarreling.

Seeing Fan Changyu explain it so straightforwardly, she immediately changed her tone and said, “Auntie was only teasing—don’t take offense, young man.”

Xie Zheng replied calmly, “I won’t.”

The woman laughed again. “Back then, this shop—inside and out—was all run by Changyu alone. Now that she’s married, at least she’s got someone to share the load.”

Xie Zheng helped arrange the pork on the counter, then glanced toward Fan Changyu, who was lifting a piece of pork rump to scrape it clean on the iron hook. He said nothing.

Though it was midwinter, she was dressed in thick winter clothes, yet beads of sweat had already gathered at her brow after a short while.

In the past, when she came to the shop alone, she must have handled everything herself.

“The pork rump sells for thirty-five wen a jin. If anyone tries to bargain, the lowest you can go is thirty wen,” Fan Changyu instructed as she hung up the meat. When she turned back and saw Xie Zheng watching her, she frowned. “Didn’t remember?”

Xie Zheng drew back his gaze and said, “I remembered.”

Fan Changyu, still uncertain, asked, “What did I just say?”

With a faint smile, he recited, “Pork rump, thirty-five wen a jin, and even with bargaining, not below thirty.”

Fan Changyu nodded. “That’s right.”

Just then, an old woman carrying vegetables passed by the stall. Seeing Xie Zheng standing inside the butcher shop—and so striking in appearance—she asked, “Young man, how much for the hind leg meat?”

Fan Changyu said nothing, wanting to see how Xie Zheng would handle the sale.

Looking toward the old woman, Xie Zheng answered steadily, “Thirty-three wen a jin.”

The old woman muttered, “So expensive…”

Xie Zheng merely lifted his eyes slightly, saying nothing more—his attitude clearly that of ‘buy it if you want; if not, I won’t persuade you.’

Fan Changyu’s eyelids twitched, and she quickly spoke up, “You can take a look around other stalls first, Auntie. If you still think our meat looks best, you can come back.”

The old woman’s complaint had only been an attempt to haggle. Seeing she couldn’t lower the price, and that the meat indeed looked fine, she said, “You two young people seem honest enough, not the type to cheat an old woman. Give me two jin, then.”

When Fan Changyu was about to reach for the knife, she saw that Xie Zheng had already picked it up, sliced off a piece, and it weighed exactly two jin—not a bit more or less.

Fan Changyu wrapped the meat and handed it to the old woman, who counted her copper coins while stealing glances at Xie Zheng. Then she asked, “Young man, are you married? If not, I’ve got a granddaughter—just seventeen this year, good-tempered and good-looking…”

Xie Zheng’s expression remained indifferent. “This butcher shop belongs to my wife. I’m just here to lend her a hand.”

The old woman instantly looked embarrassed. “Ah… I see.”

She turned to Fan Changyu. Having lived several decades, she was quick enough to smooth things over. With a laugh, she said, “You two really make a fine pair, so handsome and pretty! At first glance, I even thought you were siblings. But I suppose that’s what they call a couple’s resemblance, isn’t it? Truly blessed!”

Fan Changyu could only curve her lips slightly in polite response.

Once the old woman left, she couldn’t help scolding Xie Zheng. “When you’re doing business, you’ve got to greet customers with a smile. You standing there all stiff-faced like someone owes you money, who’d dare buy meat from you?”

Just as she said that, another customer approached—a young girl out to buy vegetables. She blushed the moment she saw Xie Zheng and asked softly, “How much is the pork ribs?”

Xie Zheng’s face remained impassive. “Thirty-nine wen a jin.”

Pork ribs were the most expensive cut of fresh meat.

The young girl, not daring to meet his gaze, lowered her head, her face bright red. “I’ll take three jin. Please chop them into small pieces.”

Xie Zheng picked up the bone cleaver, brought it down a few times, wrapped the ribs neatly, and handed them over.

Fan Changyu stood by, dumbfounded.

Among common folk, coins were often strung together in loops of a hundred for convenience, making transactions easier.

Xie Zheng accepted one hundred and seventeen wen, handed them to Fan Changyu, who still looked slightly dazed.

Then, slowly, she came to terms with it—other people sold pork with their tongues, but this man sold pork with his face.

She lifted a hand to her forehead, half joking, “I should’ve had you helping here earlier. Maybe my business before New Year would’ve been twice as good.”

Xie Zheng glanced at her but said nothing.

It was still early; there weren’t many people shopping for groceries yet. The other butcher stalls were empty, while the Fan family’s pork stall had already done two sales.

The other butchers, though inwardly envious, kept silent—Fan Changyu regularly bought pig heads, trotters, and offal from their shops for her braised meat business. Since she gave them business, they couldn’t complain.

Only Butcher Guo bore a long-standing grudge against the Fan family. Fan Changyu never bought from him, and the two families had been at odds for years.