Yang Xi chatted with her mother-in-law for a while, then went back to the courtyard to rest. She dozed off and didn’t wake up until lunch was ready, finally waking up hungry.

Opening her eyes, she saw Zhou Yu sitting at the kang table writing invitations. Rubbing her forehead, she sat up. “What time is it?”

“Shen Shi (3-5 PM).”

Yang Xi asked, “I slept for more than two hours?”

“Hmm, I didn’t wake you because you were tired. The food is keeping warm in the pot; I’ll bring it to you right away.”

Yang Xi picked up a cup of water from the kang table and drank it. Then she picked up the invitations she had written, counted them—there were more than twenty—and asked when Zhou Yu returned, “You wrote so many?”

Zhou Yu put the food down. “Yes, families in the village with children who have passed the imperial examinations need to send invitations, and families with prominent surnames in the village also need to send them. According to Liu Lizheng, we need to write thirty.”

Yang Xi took a few sips of porridge, feeling less hungry, and rubbed her stomach. “Nanxia is such a good child; he can’t stand even the slightest hardship now.” Zhou Yu’s eyes softened, and he gently touched his wife’s belly, feeling the baby move inside. “This child knows that the family is stable now; he’s a smart child.”

Yang Xi finished her bowl of porridge, and the baby in her belly stopped moving. She ate some steamed buns and vegetables, but then she stopped eating.

Zhou Yu, seeing that she was also hungry, ate the last bit his wife had left without complaint.

Seeing that the ink was a bit dry, Yang Xi helped grind it. “Where’s Ziheng?”

Zhou Yu replied, “He’s playing outside.”

Yang Xi smiled. “Since we have a home, Ziheng has become much more lively.”

Zhou Yu finished his meal. “Yes.”

It was the first time he had seen his son running around the yard like a madman.

Zhou Yu took the dishes away, washed them, and then sent them to the main kitchen before returning to continue writing the invitations.

Yang Xi looked at the names on the invitations one by one. “Liu Lizheng only mentioned it once. Your memory is really good.”

She couldn’t compare; it was innate.

Zhou Yu flexed his wrists. “Actually, it’s quite easy.”

Yang Xi snorted. “I think you’re being fan’ersai.¹”

Zhou Yu chuckled softly. “Then I’ll be waiting for your turn to fan’ersai too.”

Yang Xi put down the invitations. “Hurry up and write.”

Zhou Yu wrote the remaining invitations quickly and finished them in no time. Yang Xi picked up the books that Third Yang had bought for her. Third Yang had bought a lot of books, with a complete collection of agricultural and mechanical books.

Yang Xi stared at the illustrations in the book. One picture showed a simple loom, only the general outline. Her fingertips touched the diagram, and she recalled the loom her grandfather had made for her grandmother.

Hearing the sound of rain hitting the roof tiles, the rain intensifying, Yang Xi snapped out of her thoughts. “Quick, grab an umbrella and go find our son. Don’t let him get wet and catch a cold.”

Zhou Yu hurriedly got up and went to meet their son. Because of the recent rain, they had bought many umbrellas.

Yang Xi listened to the sound of rainwater sliding down the tiles, the rushing water. She then looked at the illustrations in the book: a water-powered loom, using water to weave cloth. Modern looms, while improved versions, still required manual labor. Thinking of this, Yang Xi smiled.

But the smile faded when she saw her soaking-wet son was gone. She quickly rummaged through the cabinet for his clothes.

Zhou Yu undressed his son and put him in bed to warm him up.

Little Ziheng’s face was flushed; his bald head was tucked under the covers.

Yang Xi chuckled, “No hair is good; it’ll dry quickly.”  

Zhou Yu’s outer clothes were wet; he didn’t receive the same treatment as his son. He found clothes to change into and then took their wet clothes to the outer room to dry.

There was no underfloor heating in the house, but the warmth from the heated kang bed kept the room from getting damp, and his clothes would be dry by tomorrow morning.

The rain had darkened the house, so they lit an oil lamp to brighten it.

Zhou Yu put away his writing implements and placed his wife’s books on the custom-made bookshelf.

Yang Xi frowned at the sound of the rain. “The dam repairs were almost finished, and this rain has delayed the project.”  

Zhou Yu was also worried about the dam; they would only be safe once it was completed. “Hopefully, it’s just a sudden downpour.”

Fortunately, the rain was a sudden downpour and stopped after a short while.

The house was paved with stone slabs, and Yang Xi had designed a drainage system, so there was no standing water in the yard; the rain had actually cleaned it up.

Dinner was plentiful that evening, a celebration of moving into their new home, full of ritual.

The Zhou family had been busy furnishing their new home, and Yang Xi and her husband hadn’t interacted with the villagers. Third Yang hadn’t been going out much lately either, staying home to help out.

The day before the housewarming party, Zhong Jin and Uncle Zhong arrived in the village, a pleasant surprise for the Zhou family.

As soon as Zhong Yan entered, tears streamed down his face. “Sister-in-law, why didn’t you go to Quanzhou? If it weren’t for fate, how could I have peace of mind?”

Ye Shi’s eyes also reddened. “My husband told us to return to our ancestral home. He didn’t mention Quanzhou because he didn’t want to implicate my elder brother.”

Zhong Yan felt even more distressed. “What implication? Quanzhou is far from the capital. What can Xu Chen do to me?”

Ye Shi’s voice choked. “The Xu family is powerful.”

Zhou Yu chimed in, “The Xu family is currying favor with Jiang Wang. I suspect he has already pledged allegiance to Jiang Wang.”

Zhong Yan wiped away his tears. With his political acumen, he looked serious. “Why did you mention Jiang Wang?”

Zhou Yu had only mentioned the Bozhou Rebellion to Zhong Jin, without going into detail about Jiang Wang. The south was far from the capital, and news was delayed. He helped Uncle Zhong sit down. “Please sit down and warm up. I’ll tell you slowly.”

Zhong Yan was older than Zhou Huai. He was fifty-five this year. He had married late because of the imperial examinations and had worked hard to protect himself in the power circles. He looked like he was sixty.

Zhong Yan drank some hot tea to calm himself but couldn’t help coughing softly. He was in a hurry to travel before he was fully recovered and needed to rest properly.

Zhou Yu asked with concern, “Uncle Zhong, are you still not fully recovered?”

Zhong Yan waved his hand. “I’m almost better. Tell me about Jiang Wang first.”

Zhou Yu shared some of his findings. He wasn’t arrogant enough to believe his guesses were all correct, and he wanted Uncle Zhong to analyze them as well. He didn’t mention Zhou Bing’s background.

After listening, Zhong Yan was completely distraught. “Jiang Wang has already subdued Jing Wang. These two have deceived everyone. They’re willing to sacrifice even their legitimate son; what else wouldn’t they be willing to sacrifice?”  

Zhou Yu thought so too. For the throne, he felt Jiang Wang would do anything.

Zhong Yan’s hands trembled. “Better to be a dog in a prosperous era than a human in a chaotic one,” he said, his voice filled with sorrow. “The rebels in the north have become a force to be reckoned with. Jiang Wang is hiding now, waiting for the rebels to march south!”

Only when the rebels enter the capital can he use the pretext of protecting the Emperor to send troops into the capital.

Zhou Yu said, “Are you afraid that someone in the capital is colluding with Jiang Wang and at the right moment will open the capital’s gates to the rebels?”

Zhong Yan praised Zhou Yu’s keen insight, his voice heavy with sorrow. “Chaos, chaos, utter chaos.”

Zhong Jin comforted his father, “Father, no matter how much you think, it’s useless. The capital is too far away from us.”

Zhong Yan fell silent. His son was right. What good was their understanding? Who could they tell? In the current situation, Jiang Wang was unstoppable. Who in the capital could stop him?

Zhong Yan took a deep breath. “Forget it. The chaos in the north is still far off. Let’s prepare for the next few years.”

The South was still stable for now; they would see what happens later.

(End of Chapter)

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Footnote

1. The internet slang 凡尔赛 (fán’ěrsài) literally refers to “Versailles,” but in modern Chinese it means pretending to be modest while subtly showing off.