Starting from April 13th, Kang He made it a habit to stroll around the city gate every day, stopping at the gate to look out. When he saw the sky darkening, he would turn back.
He calculated that the first round of the County Examination for the ten top candidates had just ended, and estimated that Fan Jing and Da Fu must be hurrying back. They likely wouldn’t return on the very day the children finished the exams; they would probably rest for at least half a day.
Most likely, they would set off on the 11th and, if the journey went smoothly, be back in the county by the 13th. If slower, then the 14th would be the day.
But even after waiting through the 13th and 14th, no one had come.
Kang He couldn’t help but grow a little anxious. Yet he noticed that none of the students who had gone to the exam in the city had returned either, which comforted him somewhat.
Although he knew communication was inconvenient, his family had rarely been separated for so long before, so he hadn’t deeply felt how bad slow communication could be until now.
These past few days, Kang He had been restless, his thoughts all tied up with Fan Jing and Da Fu. He was silently annoyed that they hadn’t confirmed or agreed on a return date before leaving.
Just when he was about to worry himself sick, on the evening of the 14th, Kang He had dinner with Xiao Fu. After playing a little cuju in the garden with the little one, Sheng Han happily ran over to announce their return.
Kang He and Xiao Fu hurried to the gate, where they saw the dusty and weary figures of Fan Jing and Da Fu—indeed, they had returned.
Da Fu climbed down from the carriage, and Xiao Fu immediately threw himself into his arms, rubbing against him like a clingy little raccoon.
Kang He let them be for a while, then approached Fan Jing to ask if he was tired or if the journey had been smooth—just making small talk.
It had been more than half a month since they last met. Kang He was both happy to see him and couldn’t help but scold a little: “It was already dark when you came back. Why didn’t you rest overnight at the inn? Tomorrow I’m going to drive over to the inn to take a look—maybe that’s where you two were.”
Fan Jing hadn’t seen Kang He for a long time. The quiet had been a relief for half a month. At first, it felt peaceful, but over time, it became hard to get used to.
Seeing Kang He’s concern, Fan Jing relaxed and said, “Since the inn was about to close for the night and we were already within the county borders, we thought it safer to come straight home.”
Kang He understood this and turned to his seventh brother: “Go to the kitchen and tell Hua Mama to prepare some dishes and boil a pot of hot water. Our husband and Da Fu just got back; they’ll need it.”
The family was happy to see Fan Jing and Da Fu return and immediately gave orders.
Kang He took Fan Jing’s hand and, together with the elder and younger Fu, said, “Let’s head inside. There’s plenty to talk about in the courtyard later. After traveling these few days, you must be exhausted.”
The whole family was in good spirits as they entered the house. Kang He stayed with them while Fan Jing and Da Fu ate a simple meal without mentioning the exams at all.
After dinner, Kang He escorted Da Fu back to the courtyard. Aunt Wang helped Da Fu wash up early to rest, deciding that everything else could wait until tomorrow.
Xiao Fu, however, clung to Da Fu’s room and refused to leave, saying he wanted to stay with his brother. Da Fu allowed him to sleep in the courtyard.
“If you’re going to stay in your brother’s courtyard, don’t keep chirping nonstop and disturb his sleep.”
Xiao Fu nodded and pushed Kang He toward the gate. “I know, I know. I’ll only say three… no, five sentences. After that, I won’t say anything more. Let brother rest well.”
Da Fu was pleased, and Kang He thought this little parrot really kept his word.
When Kang He returned to the courtyard, Fan Jing had just finished bathing and stepped out of the clean room, his hair still wet and wearing only a light undershirt.
“You’re washing your hair so late at night, it won’t dry anytime soon.”
Kang He approached and took a dry, soft cloth to help him dry his hair.
Fan Jing didn’t resist and let him rub his hair. Being at home made his heart feel at ease, and he finally relaxed. The tension of the journey melted away, and fatigue from the careful travel settled in.
“Massage my head again, rub my arms a little.”
Kang He chuckled softly. “You’ve been riding for days; no wonder you’re tired.”
He then had Fan Jing lean on him and massaged the acupoints on his head, smoothing the meridians along his arms and body.
Fan Jing, half-drowsy, heard Kang He mumble as if missing him.
He softly hummed in response.
Kang He was puzzled and asked, “What? Does it hurt?”
“I miss you…”
Kang He was momentarily stunned, then a smile spread across his lips. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder—he was willing to believe that.
That night, Kang He held Fan Jing to sleep, stealing several kisses, feeling that no amount was enough to match the fondness in his heart.
The next day, aside from Qiao’er who got up early to check the shop, everyone else rose a little late.
Kang He woke early but lay in bed, unwilling to get up, clinging to Fan Jing. It was Xiao Fu who came running into the courtyard, shouting for the lazybones, waking them all.
That day, they happened to come across several people having breakfast.
Seeing the whole family together, Fan Jing stepped out and helped Qiao’er select some items she liked.
The goods brought back this time from the prefectural city were plentiful—silks and fabrics, jeweled hairpins, rouge and powders, dried goods, and snacks. Opening the chests, Kang He and Qiao’er were surprised.
“Could big brother have changed? He actually took the trouble to carefully select so many fine things.”
The colors were beautiful and fresh, far better than those in the county’s fabric shops. The rouge and perfumes were also delicate and fragrant.
Fan Jing saw how pleased his family was.
Kang He raised an eyebrow. The few deer sinews used for bowstrings looked like Fan Jing’s handiwork. The rest of the items were things he normally didn’t pay much attention to—not to mention the rouge and powders, even the fabrics he mostly just wore whatever was bought for him. If he took the time to choose something with good taste, it was rare indeed.
“Well, our scholar surely has good taste and insight.”
Qiao’er patted Da Fu’s head: “Whoever marries our Da Fu will surely live a good life.”
Da Fu’s face flushed slightly. “Don’t tease me, little aunt. The prefectural city has many fine goods. Once the shop opened, the eloquent clerks recommended them. We just bought what they said was good.”
“It’s only been half a month, but little aunt looks even more beautiful now. If you make clothes with these fabrics, you’ll look even more radiant.”
Xiao Fu, clutching a delicate little bow, pulled the string a few times and ran over, saying, “Little aunt wears beautiful clothes every day lately. Daddy even says the eldest girl is going to be hard to keep!”
“You little tattler!” Kang He grabbed for his mouth, but the little fellow slipped away like an eel and ran to Fan Jing’s side.
Qiao’er and the others blushed at the teasing but said, “Who doesn’t love to look beautiful?”
Everyone laughed.
They now waited for the exam results. Once the prefectural exam was over, those who passed wouldn’t need to take the academy test; this year was a rest year for the three-year cycle.
Whether passing or not, there would be no more exams this year.
Due to the fatigue from the exam journey, the Xu family school had given students some time off to rest and adjust their bodies and minds before returning to class once the prefectural exam results were announced.
The elders of the Fan family all worried about Da Fu. Chen Sanfang could still occasionally come to the city, but Fan Senior had to tend to the farm and rarely left.
Since there was still some holiday time, Kang He decided to have Da Fu and Xiao Fu go back to the countryside for a few days to accompany Fan Senior and Chen Sanfang.
Once the two children returned to the countryside, the house became much quieter. Kang He and Fan Jing occasionally went back to stay in the village so the whole family could reunite.
One day, Kang He and Fan Jing were staying in the countryside when they drove into the city and brought some vegetables along.
Passing through the main street, they saw the clerks of the Zhen family vegetable stall arranging goods. But from inside the shop came the sounds of a quarrel.
Since there were few people around in the morning, the noise was quite conspicuous.
“Learned your lesson from other people’s goods, huh? Look at the accounts this month—the profits from the first half have been wiped out in just over half a month. If you keep this up, you’ll just be doing business at a loss!”
“What’s the rush? Our vegetable stall has been on this street for years. We’re just giving a bit of profit to lure back customers stolen by that other shop. Without their customers, how long can they last?”
“Let’s see who goes under first. You might not go bankrupt, but you’ll lose all your money!”
Kang He and Fan Jing overheard this but kept walking. They knew it was just a couple quarrelling over business.
Once out of earshot, Kang He said, “You sent Da Fu off for exams just a few days ago, and already the Zhen family vegetable stall has learned our tricks—selling vegetables at a discount after three days.”
“Their business was good to begin with, but now our shop’s impact has been felt.”
Fortunately, they had built some reputation when they opened and still had regular customers. Plus, they sold some seafood, which helped maintain their business.
The shop was their own, and the vegetables came from their own fields. Even if business slumped and some vegetables didn’t sell, they wouldn’t go to waste, so things were manageable.
Kang He was mentally prepared. Business rarely booms in every trade. Even if the profits were less, it was better than before.
So he wasn’t worried. After all, owning a vegetable stall was a long-term business. Getting rattled by a bad month couldn’t last.
He was thinking of adding a service like the butcher’s—cutting and preparing vegetables for customers—but hadn’t had time to start when he overheard that the Zhen family was struggling to keep up with their discount tactics.
Kang He knew they weren’t really struggling; they just hated losing money.
He had quietly investigated the Zhen stall. They were a city family buying vegetables cheaply from rural tenants. Their business style wasn’t consistent; they valued freshness so much that it increased vegetable wastage. Selling discounted vegetables leftover from the previous day worked short-term but wasn’t sustainable.
Fan Jing listened and said, “It’s one thing to copy. When we did a few new things at the Douhui Market, other shops imitated us. But failing to do it right just causes trouble and hurts everyone’s feelings.”
Kang He understood Fan Jing’s meaning. Though they ran their shop straightforwardly, more competitors inevitably meant more rivalry.
If the rival was honest, they would focus on business. If cunning, they might try other schemes.
Their neighboring oil mill’s manager had gotten into heavy gambling debts and had to sell their house, ending up cramped in their shop. It started with a small dispute over quail in the alley but turned out to be sabotage by rivals.
Kang He and Fan Jing sighed, realizing how tricky city merchants’ minds were. They had to be increasingly cautious.
Luckily, their pork business at Douhui Market was still strong, partly because the butcher Zhang Shili was formidable. People didn’t dare mess with the butchers, so their business was generally smooth despite occasional friction.
Now at Guixiang Market, their land wasn’t established yet, so they needed to be extra careful.
Just as Kang He was pondering, things soon took a turn.
That day, Bao Sange came to speak with Kang He. “Do you know you’ve offended someone?”
Kang He was puzzled. “What do you mean?”
“Yesterday, I went around the black market looking for familiar faces to get some information. Unexpectedly, I heard someone paid to have trouble made for you. My little brother knows I’m close with you and told me.”
Kang He’s brow twitched. “Thinking it over, it can only be from business. I haven’t done anything else these months—no building repairs, no land purchases—just this new business.”
His eyes flicked. “Could it be someone from the main street causing trouble?”
Bao Sange saw Kang He wasn’t completely in the dark and said, “You know well enough. This kind of thing isn’t uncommon. If the news got out, it wasn’t just from me—it would reach you one way or another.”
“When your business blocks someone’s path and they hire people in the black market to stir trouble, it’s not just loose lips. Maybe they want to show power, or to scare you into closing your shop or apologizing with gifts.”
Bao Sange was an experienced city hand who knew all the tricks.
Kang He said, “I run my business fairly and never used underhanded methods to poach customers. But if people want to bully me despite that, I won’t tolerate it.”
“This shop won’t close, and I won’t go begging for peace with gifts. If they want to stir trouble, I’ll take it head-on.”
Bao Sange approved: “Apologizing might seem wise but makes you look weak. Others will think the Fan family is easy to bully and follow suit.”
“One step back is a slippery slope. We’re born and raised here, not some outsiders. We shouldn’t be pushed around—we need to stand firm.”
Bao Sange added, “I’ll check if the people behind this are important. If it’s serious, maybe backing down a bit is okay.”
“Meanwhile, don’t let Qiao’er work at the shop. She’s young and unmarried; if troublemakers come, she could be in danger.”
Kang He thanked Bao Sange. Even if he hadn’t said it, Kang He knew Qiao’er should stay away.
After that day, Kang He gathered all the shop’s long-time workers and warned them to be alert and cautious.
Their children stayed quietly in the countryside, so that was a relief.
Kang He and Fan Jing came to the shop daily to keep watch, curious what the Zhen family would do.
People at the gate didn’t know about the changes inside the vegetable stalls but noticed that the clever young woman wasn’t around to manage the shop anymore, which sparked gossip.
One day, Yao Yuan returned from an escort mission to a neighboring county.
He brought a delicate hairpin as a gift. He hadn’t seen Qiao’er for several days and was eager to visit her, entering the Fan family’s shop without catching his breath.
Around noon, Kang He was in the kitchen preparing sweet and sour pork tenderloin for Fan Jing.
Business at the shop was slow lately, so Fan Jing was at the gate preparing to butcher some softshell turtles for a dinner party—five ordered, all to be ready early and sent by Xie Xiaoliu.
He was carefully working on the turtles when he heard fast footsteps. Turning, he saw a tall, unfamiliar man peering around the shop’s entrance.
Fan Jing narrowed his eyes. The man was well-built and imposing, no less than Kang He in stature—clearly a tough martial artist, not the kind of person who would just come to buy vegetables.
He gently dropped the knife into the basin, thinking, “At last, he’s come!”
“Buying something?”
Yao Yuan had not seen Qiao’er or Xie Xiaoliu and was about to comment on the coincidence of their absence. His mind was on the eldest lady, so he didn’t notice someone standing quietly by the wall.
Suddenly, a cold voice came from behind, making Yao Yuan startle.
He turned and saw a tall, well-built man holding a bloodied pufferfish, staring at him coldly.
“I…” Yao Yuan swallowed and said, “I’m here to buy some vegetables.”
Fan Jing dropped the turtle into the basin, washed his hands, and said, “Suit yourself.”
Yao Yuan nodded and wandered around the shop, picking through the goods, lingering, hoping to wait for Qiao’er.
But she never came back. Instead, he felt cold eyes constantly watching him from behind.
Yao Yuan was not a timid man. If he were, he wouldn’t have started his own escort agency in his early twenties.
Still, being at someone’s home with thoughts of their daughter made him somewhat uneasy.
He guessed this man was Qiao’er’s eldest brother. He had heard her say once that her brother was not an easy man to deal with. Yao Yuan had only glanced at her husband once before, who was kind. This was the first time he truly met her brother—and the reputation was accurate.
Whether it was a false impression or something else, Yao Yuan felt as if Qiao’er’s eldest brother wanted to mess with him.
He wondered if the brother had guessed his feelings for Qiao’er. But that shouldn’t be the case. He hadn’t done anything wrong to warrant such dislike.
Thinking he couldn’t see Qiao’er today, Yao Yuan quickly grabbed some scallions and a few gourds and paid his bill.
Just then, Xie Xiaoliu returned from delivering dishes and saw Yao Yuan standing in the shop.
“Brother Yao, haven’t seen you buying vegetables for a while.”
Fan Jing noticed Xie Xiaoliu’s familiar tone and asked, “A regular customer?”
“Yeah, my husband sent Da Fu out and I don’t know, but Brother Yao often comes here to buy vegetables. He’s quite familiar.”
Fan Jing frowned slightly and glanced at Yao Yuan again. Yao Yuan scratched his head sheepishly.
Fan Jing didn’t want to mistake him for a troublemaker but figured this man wasn’t here just to buy vegetables.
He said nothing, picked up some garlic sprouts, and handed them to Yao Yuan. “Come again.”
Yao Yuan’s eyes brightened and he said gratefully, “Certainly, certainly.”
“Settle the bill with him,” Fan Jing told Xie Xiaoliu, then returned to butchering turtles.
Xie Xiaoliu glanced toward the gate, saw Fan Jing still busy with the turtles, and lowered her voice to Yao Yuan.
“Qiao’er hasn’t been to the shop for several days. You probably haven’t seen her lately.”
Yao Yuan frowned. “Is she sick?”
Xie Xiaoliu shook her head. “It’s not safe for a young lady like Qiao’er to be around the shop these days. Our shopkeeper told her to stay away.”
Yao Yuan’s face tightened. “Who dares to cause trouble here?”
Xie Xiaoliu felt grateful for his loyalty to Qiao’er. “I can’t say much. But you should know that Qiao’er hasn’t been here lately. If you want to see her, don’t come here—you’ll run into Fan husband every day.”
“Twelve coins, Brother Yao.”
Yao Yuan handed Xie Xiaoliu twenty coins. “Keep the change for tea.”
That noon, Fan Jing and Kang He ate at the shop. Fan Jing mentioned the young man who came earlier to buy vegetables.
Kang He said, “He’s a regular. With that build, I remember seeing him buy vegetables before. Word is he’s an escort from the Qingyufang Escort Agency. I never asked much.”
Fan Jing bit into a piece of sweet-and-sour pork and said, “That spirit doesn’t look like someone doing an ordinary job.”
He recalled the man’s furtive glance at the shop and felt something was off but couldn’t say what.
Meanwhile, Yao Yuan, upset that he couldn’t see Qiao’er because of trouble at the Fan family shop, dropped his vegetables and went to use his connections to find out who the Fan family had offended.
Being well-connected in both lawful and underground circles, he quickly gathered information.
“Master Zhen, business is booming, huh?”
The manager of the Zhen family vegetable stall was surprised to see Yao Yuan.
They had little dealings with the Yao family, just casual acquaintances along the street.
Everyone knew the Yao family was powerful, and nearby merchants dared not offend them.
Seeing Yao Yuan, the Zhen manager put on a friendly face. “Marshal Yao, what brings you to my humble shop? If you want fresh vegetables, just say the word. I’ll have them sent to your home.”
Yao Yuan sat down without pretense. “I heard you paid to stir up trouble for the Fan family shop on the black market.”
The Zhen manager’s face darkened. He didn’t understand Yao Yuan’s meaning.
When he looked into the Fan family before, he hadn’t heard of any powerful backers—just a scholar, not someone who used tricks.
“Those in the black market love to spread nonsense. Marshal Yao, are you accusing me?”
Yao Yuan snorted coldly. “I don’t need to accuse. You’ve been in business here for years. Surely you understand fair competition.”
“If the Fan family is using improper methods to steal your customers, and you hire the black market to stir trouble, I wouldn’t say a word.”
“But if you’re trying to mess with an honest business, I won’t be quiet. I’m making it clear: I back the Fan family. If you hire people from the black market, they’ll have to deal with me directly.”
The Zhen manager paled. He never expected things to escalate. His rumors on the black market were just meant to pressure the Fan family. If they kept a low profile, all would be well.
Instead of the Fan family coming to confront him, Yao Yuan arrived first. The Zhen manager dared not provoke him.
“It’s a misunderstanding. The black market folks spread nonsense. I’ve treated the Fan family shop politely. We do our own business without disturbing each other.”
“I’m just a blind businessman who didn’t realize the Fan family backs Marshal Yao. Had I known, I would have prepared a gift for your opening.”
Yao Yuan said, “Remember your words today. That’s enough flattery.”
Then he left. The Zhen manager broke out in a cold sweat. He’d never encountered such a hard opponent before. Though he had squeezed out several nearby competitors, this was a different challenge.
“Whoever walks near the river gets wet feet. I told you to avoid this trouble, but you wouldn’t listen.”
The Zhen manager’s wife overheard Yao Yuan’s warning and, trembling with sweat, burst into tears after he left.
“The Fan family still has the slaughterhouse business. Those in that trade are tough. Even if it’s the county official or his lawyer nephew, money talks. Best to settle and stay quiet.”
The Zhen manager was furious. “Don’t give me that nonsense. Why didn’t you stop me when I went to look for those people?”
The couple argued again.
Meanwhile, Kang He and Fan Jing had no idea about all this. They kept a strict watch for over ten days. It was calm, with no troublemakers appearing.
They began to wonder if the Zhen family could really keep their composure.
They secretly observed the Zhen stall and saw it had reverted to their old business ways, dropping the discounted sales.
Just as they were puzzled, the Zhen family actually sent a gift to make peace, saying that they were fellow merchants and should help each other for the long haul.
Kang He and Fan Jing found this strange and wondered if Bao Sange had been misled.
No one could figure out the truth, but they had more pressing matters to attend to.
On April 27th, the prefectural exam results were posted.
Not just the Fan family, but also the Xu family school and the Luo family awaited the results eagerly.
The prefectural exam produced many new successful candidates for the county. Scholars paid great attention to this, as their own futures depended on the results.
On the 25th, Kang He and Fan Jing went to bring the elder and younger Fu back to the city.
The city had posted the results that day, but the official red notice was always delivered a day later—on the 27th.
At dawn, the whole family gathered at the examination hall, having found the best spots to view the list, nervously waiting.
Though not their first time waiting for results, the anticipation was always intense.
They stood beneath the bulletin board as the red notice was posted. The black ink recorded the names of those who passed the exam.
When the Fan family saw the name Fan Zhongyang boldly listed on the red notice, their heads spun a little.
Even Da Fu couldn’t believe it and murmured, “I passed the child scholar exam at nine years old?”
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