Chapter Summaries

Su Yuhe received three young male slaves from the authorities and feared the gift would threaten her relationship with Xubai. She went to the farmstead to explain before his servant Lanxin could tell him, and Xubai ordered her brought upstairs.

• Two constables delivered three young male slaves and their contracts to Su Yuhe, saying a benefactor had bought them for her.
• Su Yuhe sent away the village gossip and refused to let the three youths call her wife-mistress.
• Su Yuhe recalled how she had come from the twenty-first century and feared Xubai would learn she had slaves in her home.
• Su Yuhe dressed in a gift from Xubai and went to his farmstead to explain the situation.
• After Zhuxin told Xubai that Su Yuhe was waiting, he ordered her to come upstairs despite Lanxin's objection.

Su Yuhe visited Xubai to ask for help dealing with three male slaves sent to her, but Xubai denied buying them and insisted she bring them to him. After she slipped away from his wet nurse, the wet nurse warned Su Yuhe about entering an unmarried man's private quarters.

• Su Yuhe told Xubai that constables had delivered three male slaves and pretended she believed he had sent them.
• Xubai denied buying the slaves, grew jealous, and told Su Yuhe to send them away or bring them to him.
• Xubai's wet nurse arrived to take him home, and Su Yuhe panicked as Xubai refused to let her go.
• Su Yuhe stayed with Xubai until he let her leave, promising to bring the three slaves back.
• Xubai's wet nurse stopped Su Yuhe outside and asked whether she understood the consequences of entering an unmarried man's private quarters.

Su Yuhe learned that Xubai was leaving for the imperial capital and received ten taels of silver from him as breakup money. Lanxin returned the three youths to her, leaving Su Yuhe to figure out how to house and support them.

• Liuxin warned Su Yuhe that entering a man's chambers could bring severe punishment, and Su Yuhe left Xubai's estate with food and vegetables.
• Lanxin took Lu Mingyi, Lu Mingxi, and Meng Zhixian to work at the estate after Su Yuhe reassured them she was not selling them.
• Su Yuhe stored the vegetables, ate the food Xubai had sent, and went to sleep.
• Lanxin returned with the three youths and gave Su Yuhe a pouch of silver, saying Xubai was returning to the imperial capital for good.
• Su Yuhe let the three youths into her home and worried over where they could sleep, since she had only one quilt and no spare rooms.

Su Yuhe taught her three newly acquired husbands to cook, while Li Yun brought help and Li Wenxiu’s young husband joined them for dinner. As the newcomers settled in for the night, Su Yuhe faced the problem of fitting four people under two quilts.

• Su Yuhe showed Lu Mingyi, Meng Zhixian, and Lu Mingxi how to prepare dinner, and Lu Mingyi burned himself with splattering oil.
• Li Yun arrived with a boy from Li Wenxiu’s household, who helped with the kitchen work and ate dinner with them.
• Li Yun told Su Yuhe he had left bamboo shoots outside, and Li Wenxiu’s young husband washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen.
• Su Yuhe put Lu Mingxi to bed under the thin quilt and took her cloak to the others as they bathed.
• Su Yuhe worried over how four people would share the household’s two quilts when the newcomers had no other clothes.

Su Yuhe settled into life with Lu Mingyi, Lu Mingxi, and Meng Zhixian, then took copying work to support her growing household. She left the bookshop with a lucrative assignment for herself and a low-paying one for a literate member of her household.

• Su Yuhe refused Lu Mingyi's offer to serve her and went to sleep with Lu Mingxi while Meng Zhixian and Lu Mingyi settled nearby.
• Lu Mingyi covered Su Yuhe and Lu Mingxi with his cloak and resolved to learn the household chores.
• Su Yuhe found that the three newcomers had cooked a meal, gently corrected Meng Zhixian's overly salty dishes, and offered to take them into town for clothes.
• Su Yuhe gave Lu Mingyi silver to buy clothes with the others and went to the bookshop to collect copying work.
• Shopkeeper Liu offered Su Yuhe three taels for a requested copying job and agreed to give her household member a low-rate assignment.
• Su Yuhe accepted the additional job, which paid half a tael for twelve thousand characters and did not provide the needed writing supplies.

Su Yuhe managed the household’s limited money while buying necessities at the market, then agreed to let Li Wenxiu and her father ride the ox cart. Liu Xiaobo insulted Su Yuhe’s family and demanded space for both of them, so she withdrew her offer to help.

• Su Yuhe bought cheap ink and left as Shopkeeper Liu and Li Wenxiu argued over the pay and quality of Li Wenxiu’s copying work.
• Su Yuhe gave Lu Mingyi money to manage while she bought food, bowls, chopsticks, toothbrushes, and basins, then refused to spend silver on quilts.
• Su Yuhe bought Lu Mingxi a skewer of candied hawthorns despite Lu Mingyi’s objections, and the group left the market by ox cart.
• Liu Xiaobo asked Li Sanjie for a ride for himself and Li Wenxiu, and Su Yuhe agreed to take one passenger.
• Liu Xiaobo criticized Su Yuhe’s family and accused her of lying when she said there was only room for one more person, so Su Yuhe regretted offering them a ride.

Su Yuhe refused Liu Xiaobo’s demands and returned home with Li Sanjie and the Lu brothers, where she taught the brothers to make egg custard and manage the kitchen. The household settled in for the night as Su Yuhe prepared to continue her book-copying work and Lu Mingyi planned their expenses.

• Su Yuhe rejected Liu Xiaobo’s complaints, and Li Sanjie drove the ox cart home while Liu Xiaobo chased after it and shouted insults.
• Su Yuhe shared a candied hawthorn skewer with Lu Mingxi as the brothers rode home with her.
• At home, Su Yuhe taught Lu Mingyi, Meng Zhixian, and Lu Mingxi to prepare and steam egg custard, then explained how to conserve firewood.
• After dinner, Su Yuhe reviewed the book she was copying while Meng Zhixian ground ink and Lu Mingyi calculated the household expenses.
• When the candle went out, Su Yuhe secured her copying materials and went to bed with the others.

Su Yuhe and the household adjusted to their daily work as Meng Zhixian grew resentful of Lu Mingxi and his own place in the family. After preparing food for the coming days, Su Yuhe welcomed Li Yun, who brought sweet potatoes and was pressed to stay for dinner.

• Meng Zhixian scolded Lu Mingxi for gathering grass alone, warning that a tigress might abduct him, while Su Yuhe listened.
• Lu Mingyi served breakfast and asked Su Yuhe what to do with the bamboo shoots; she instructed him to boil and dry them.
• Meng Zhixian joined Su Yuhe in copying books and resolved to write faster to earn money for the household.
• Su Yuhe salted most of the pork for curing and taught Lu Mingyi and Lu Mingxi how to prepare the food.
• Li Yun brought sweet potatoes, and Su Yuhe told Lu Mingyi to steam some and insisted that Li Yun stay for dinner.

Su Yuhe worked alongside Meng Zhixian copying books to cover the household’s growing expenses while Li Yun took charge of dinner. As they ate, Su Yuhe considered marrying Li Yun, and Li Yun asked about the price of rice.

• Li Yun corrected the bamboo shoots and told Su Yuhe he would handle dinner, while Lu Mingyi defended her.
• Su Yuhe reflected on her agreement to marry Li Yun by the time she turned twenty and on the costs of supporting her household.
• Su Yuhe and Meng Zhixian copied books until Li Yun called them to dinner.
• Lu Mingxi served rice, and Li Yun prepared a lavish meal that moved Lu Mingxi to tears.
• Li Yun served Su Yuhe meat and another bowl of rice, then asked her the current price of rice.

Su Yuhe spent the evening with her household and walked Li Yun home, reassuring him about his looks and the village gossip. She left with food Li Yun gave her, while he prepared to make dumplings before going into the mountains.

• Li Yun cleared the kitchen and roasted sweet potatoes with Lu Mingyi and Meng Zhixian while Su Yuhe made replacement candles with Lu Mingxi.
• Li Yun complimented Lu Mingyi’s hands, and Meng Zhixian silently envied the attention.
• Su Yuhe walked Li Yun home and comforted him when he worried that the other men in her household were more delicate and attractive.
• Ruan Puchuan arrived at Li Yun’s home and waited nervously in the courtyard.
• Li Yun loaded Su Yuhe with sweet potatoes, wild greens, and napa cabbage, and offered to make dumplings for her before leaving for the mountains.

Li Yun refused Ruan Puchuan’s request for grain, leaving him to endure another beating and abuse in Li Wenxiu and Liu Xiaobo’s household. After Ruan Puchuan retreated to the woodshed, Su Yuhe returned home to find Meng Zhixian waiting for her.

• Li Yun turned down Ruan Puchuan’s plea for grain and went inside, while Liu Xiaobo beat Ruan Puchuan for returning empty-handed.
• Li Wenxiu berated Ruan Puchuan, struck him, and ordered him out of her room.
• Liu Xiaobo threatened to sell Ruan Puchuan to a male brothel if he failed to get Li Wenxiu pregnant, then pushed him back inside.
• Li Wenxiu argued with Liu Xiaobo about being pressured to become pregnant, and Liu Xiaobo eventually gave in.
• Ruan Puchuan went to the woodshed and curled up under thatch, feeling that life and death made little difference.
• Su Yuhe returned to find Meng Zhixian waiting with a lantern and hand warmer, and he called her “Wife.”

Su Yuhe shared her quilt with Meng Zhixian, while Lu Mingxi repeatedly intruded and Lu Mingyi restrained him. The chapter then shifted to Luoshui City, where a woman gave Xubai a rabbit lantern and defended her treatment of a countryside orphan girl.

• Meng Zhixian moved Lu Mingxi aside so he could share Su Yuhe’s quilt, while Lu Mingyi helped settle his youngest brother.
• Su Yuhe worried over the household’s dwindling money and remembered that Li Yun could not marry until the following November because he was observing mourning.
• Su Yuhe drew Meng Zhixian close to keep him warm, and he relaxed against her before Lu Mingxi joined them and disturbed their attempt to sleep.
• Lu Mingyi pulled Lu Mingxi away from Su Yuhe and warned him to be quiet.
• In Luoshui City, a woman handed Xubai a rabbit lantern, and Xubai said it was not enough to make up for her actions.
• The woman defended choosing three little slaves for Xubai, saying the orphan girl from the countryside was unworthy of him.

Xubai shopped for jewelry with Yongqin while thinking of Su Yuhe, who had already turned her attention to building a life with Lu Mingyi. When Lu Mingyi cut his hand, Su Yuhe took him to a clinic, where the physician offered to treat the wound for ten wen and let her choose which ointments to buy.

• Xubai chose jewelry for Su Yuhe, but Yongqin persuaded him to give up a set she liked by claiming it was too plain for her.
• Xubai longed to see Su Yuhe again, unaware that she was making plans to spend her life with someone else.
• Li Yun cooked dumplings for Su Yuhe, accepted the malt sugar she gave him, and left with his carrying basket.
• Lu Mingyi cut his hand while practicing his knife skills, and Su Yuhe examined the deep wound.
• Su Yuhe noticed that Lu Mingyi's chilblains had worsened and insisted on taking him to the clinic.
• The physician offered to treat Lu Mingyi's wound for ten wen and asked Su Yuhe which ointments she wanted to buy.

Su Yuhe secured more paid copying work and learned that writing letters for people could bring in more money if she had connections at the courier station. After shopping with Lu Mingyi, she discovered he had returned the ointments she bought for him and hurried back to the clinic.

• Su Yuhe bought healing and scar-removing ointments for Lu Mingyi, then visited the bookshop to look for work.
• Shopkeeper Liu gave Su Yuhe copying work from a regular customer, offered a bonus for finishing four books in a month, and suggested she write family letters if she could make connections at the courier station.
• Su Yuhe collected two stationery boxes and a two-tael deposit, then met Lu Mingyi outside the clinic.
• Su Yuhe bought a live chicken, cabbage, and sweet potatoes at the market and waited with Lu Mingyi for the ox cart.
• Su Yuhe learned that Lu Mingyi had returned the ointments and rushed back to the clinic to retrieve them.

Su Yuhe went to the town clinic for ointment and found Liu Xiaobo blocking the doctor while demanding free treatment. She left with the medicine after refusing his pleas for money, but his frail son-in-law collapsed beside her as she went.

• Su Yuhe left Lu Mingyi by the ox cart and hurried to the crowded clinic for ointment.
• A woman told Su Yuhe that a man knelt outside demanding a house call while refusing to pay, and that another scoundrel was inside.
• Su Yuhe entered and recognized Liu Xiaobo, who grabbed her and demanded a loan after she bought three boxes of ointment.
• The medicine attendant stopped Liu Xiaobo from taking Su Yuhe's medicine, and the doctor discounted her purchase by one mace.
• As Su Yuhe tried to leave, Liu Xiaobo's frail son-in-law collapsed against her and urged her to go, while onlookers condemned Liu Xiaobo for starving him.

Su Yuhe waited with Lu Mingyi for a passenger who never arrived, buying buns and comforting him as he struggled with the outside world. Second Sister Li eventually returned alone after dark, and Su Yuhe angrily confronted her for wasting their time.

• Su Yuhe left the clinic after seeing a boy kneeling outside and returned to the ox cart with Lu Mingyi.
• Su Yuhe bought pickled cabbage and pork buns, encouraged Lu Mingyi to eat, and reassured him that he did not need to find work.
• Second Sister Li bought buns too, then left to look for the missing passenger after growing tired of waiting.
• Su Yuhe waited with Lu Mingyi as the sky darkened, and Second Sister Li returned without the passenger.
• Su Yuhe angrily told Second Sister Li that she had wasted their time waiting.

Su Yuhe and Lu Mingyi rode home with Second Sister Li while Lu Mingyi slept with a fever. When Liu Xiaobo’s frail son-in-law fell from the cart, Liu left him behind, and Second Sister Li stopped to confront him.

• Second Sister Li returned and apologized to Su Yuhe for the delay, then went to buy food for the ride.
• Liu Xiaobo arrived with his frail son-in-law, and Liu Xiaobo checked Lu Mingyi’s forehead and found he had a fever.
• Second Sister Li set off with Su Yuhe and Lu Mingyi, while Liu Xiaobo and his son-in-law clung to the back of the cart.
• The son-in-law fell from the moving cart, and Liu Xiaobo left him lying on the road rather than helping him.
• Second Sister Li stopped the cart and rebuked Liu Xiaobo, who responded with a shameless remark about letting her touch his son-in-law.

Su Yuhe and Second Sister Li argued with Liu Xiaobo before giving him and Ruan Puchuan a ride home, where Ruan Puchuan reflected on how far his fortunes had fallen. Su Yuhe returned to her household, and Meng Zhixian grew resentful of Lu Mingxi while Lu Mingyi gave him the steamed buns Su Yuhe had bought.

• Liu Xiaobo pleaded with Second Sister Li for a ride, while Su Yuhe traded insults with him over his suspicion that she might extort him.
• Ruan Puchuan got to his feet, and Liu Xiaobo agreed to pay fifteen copper coins to bring him along in the ox cart.
• Liu Xiaobo sprawled across the cart, leaving Ruan Puchuan cramped beside Lu Mingyi as the group traveled home.
• Second Sister Li dropped Su Yuhe off, where Lu Mingxi and Meng Zhixian helped unload the vegetables and chickens.
• Meng Zhixian resented Lu Mingxi for claiming credit for dinner, and Lu Mingyi handed him the steamed buns Su Yuhe had bought.

Su Yuhe and the Lu brothers shared a frugal meal, while Meng Zhixian and Lu Mingyi navigated the household’s chores and cramped sleeping arrangements. The chapter ended with Meng Zhixian and Lu Mingxi settling close beside Su Yuhe as Lu Mingyi prepared to sleep nearby.

• Su Yuhe made ginger soup and served dinner, giving Lu Mingxi a steamed bun while the brothers and Meng Zhixian ate.
• Lu Mingxi left the bun filling and passed the remainder to Lu Mingyi, who ate it despite his displeasure.
• Meng Zhixian and Lu Mingyi washed the dishes and used basins of water to wash themselves because bathing was too costly.
• Su Yuhe told Lu Mingyi to sleep in the warmer inner spot and reminded him to apply medicine to his injured hand.
• Meng Zhixian and Lu Mingxi each told Su Yuhe about their work, then nestled against her on either side.

Su Yuhe was awakened by nighttime trips to the privy and found Lu Mingyi at the gate, while Ruan Puchuan lay awake longing for a better life. At dawn, Lu Mingxi met Ruan Puchuan while cutting grass and asked him to identify edible wild vegetables.

• Ruan Puchuan remembered wishing he could give Su Yuhe a child, then despaired over his appearance and hunger.
• Su Yuhe went out to use the privy and heard someone knock repeatedly at the gate.
• Lu Mingyi returned from the privy, embraced Su Yuhe, and offered to attend to her, but she sent him to bed.
• Lu Mingyi struggled to keep the quilt while sleeping beside his brothers, and Lu Mingxi left at dawn to gather grass for the chicken.
• Ruan Puchuan showed Lu Mingxi an edible wild vegetable, and Lu Mingxi asked him to point out more.