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"Meat can be eaten any time, but my vegetarian jerky is only available this season. And with the Mid-Autumn Festival coming, it's a novel delicacy to serve your guests." After speaking, Xie Ning took a bite of the dried eggplant in his hand, deliberately chewing with relish to tempt them.

"Then give me a packet. I'll try something new." The man lowered his head to count out his copper coins.

Xie Ning smiled with his lips pressed together. "Wouldn't you like another packet? When you visit relatives for the Mid-Autumn Festival, taking some along would be a thoughtful gesture."

"You certainly have a clever tongue. Two packets, then."

"I'll take two packets too. Here." That man already had his money ready and handed it over.

Xie Ning collected the money, and Zhou Jinian immediately passed over the goods from behind him. Just like that, by the time they reached the center of the market, both the large and small back baskets had sold out, yet people were still counting out copper coins and offering them money to buy more.

Xie Ning counted the people who wanted to buy and said clearly, "Honored customers, if you'd like vegetarian jerky, you can follow me to the end of the street, or wait here a little while as my husband and I go fetch more."

"Then I'll come with you and browse the end of the street while I'm at it." One of them immediately spoke up.

"Lead the way, young sir. I'll come along and have a look too."

"Then I'll come along too..."

Xie Ning led the group behind him toward their stall at the end of the street, bringing quite a bit of business to the other stalls there along the way.

Lin Jin stared in surprise at the crowd behind the two of them, brimming with curiosity. He came over to help hand out the goods. In the end, only a small basket of dried eggplant remained, and Xie Ning carried it on his back to continue hawking through the streets around the center of the market.

In the early afternoon, during the hour of the Goat, the steamed dried eggplant sold out completely. Hugging a large bundle of copper coins, Xie Ning followed Zhou Jinian to the money house to exchange them for silver ingots.

Zhou Sanfeng and Lin Jin took the empty carrying baskets and back baskets to the ox cart at the relay station. The four agreed to meet at the entrance to the money house and go eat lunch together.

The money house staff checked the sum three times in front of Xie Ning, exchanging it for four taels of silver and stringing the remaining copper coins into one string of cash.

Xie Ning's eyes shone as he gazed at the gleaming silver, and once again, the thought of opening a restaurant to earn silver sprang up-no, to earn gold!

Zhou Jinian was filled with admiration for his young husband. He brushed his forefinger over Ninglang's cheek and praised him. "In previous years, all the eggplants at home only brought in half of what we earned today. You're amazing, Ninglang."

Xie Ning could not help grinning again. Embarrassed, he even covered his mouth with his hand, afraid the townspeople would see and laugh at him.

Once Father and Dad arrived, the family went to the Drifting Fragrance Restaurant. Xie Ning took the opportunity to ask detailed questions about the dishes and their prices. His family merely thought he was curious and let him ask.

After the meal, the family went to look at courtyard houses in the alleys. Both Upper North Alley and Lower West Alley had residential courtyards with roughly similar layouts.

Following the property broker into the alley, they found the houses stood close together, unlike Great Well Village, with its broad roads and wide spaces between courtyards.

The courtyard walls were built high, with the main gate at the far right. Once the gate opened, a spacious courtyard lay within. The kitchen was on the left, while some miscellaneous items were piled on the right, which was presumably a woodshed used for storage.

The main hall was well lit and bright, with a side room at each of the four corners. Through the main hall lay a small inner courtyard, with two additional rooms at its two far corners.

Qingshui Town was, after all, a town with a small population. The brick and timber of this courtyard house were quite new, and its walls stood nearly twice the height of an adult, protecting the occupants' privacy and ensuring their safety.

Once the money was paid and the contract signed, the broker beamed. "We'll have it all cleaned up for you by the end of the month. You can move in whenever you like next month. Are there any other instructions? Just say the word."

"Please be absolutely sure the well is properly cleaned. Sorry for the trouble." Lin Jin was more attentive to such details.

Decades earlier, there had been a major case in which mountain bandits came down, poisoned a well, and plundered a village, leaving not a single survivor. It was terrifying, and the safety of well water was a serious concern.

The sole source of drinking water in Great Well Village was its large well. To ensure its safety, in earlier years, every household had taken turns sending someone to guard it. Only after the method of "turtles guarding the water" spread there from elsewhere were they spared that hardship.

Even now, there were still two little turtles in the village well. Each day, when people came to draw water, seeing the turtles alive assured them that the well water was safe to drink.

Never mind little turtles-wealthy households kept carp directly in their wells. In the current dynasty, carp were a symbol of good fortune. Drinking water that brocade carp had swum in meant having a surplus year after year.

The broker gave his assurance. "Of course. We'll make certain your well is tested before opening it for use."

Lin Jin nodded, and the family prepared to head home.

"Take care. Allow me to congratulate you in advance on your new home." After seeing them off, the broker went to arrange for people to sweep the courtyard and open the well.

After collecting the payment for copying books and picking up volume three and some paper, the family headed back to the village.

Lin Jin also leaned against his husband to spare his back, his voice full of happiness as he spoke. "It's quite close to the market. If we set up our stall at cockcrow, we're sure to get a good spot. I'll practice frying dough sticks when we get back. What fillings should we sell in our steamed buns?"

The moment Xie Ning heard them discussing their little business, he twisted his neck and stared straight at Dad, who sat at the back of the ox cart.

Before getting married, he had been only a sixteen-year-old boy. His stepmother had scorned him because of his illness, which had given him the idea of escaping home and opening a large restaurant in town. But although he had ideas, he was young and had grown up in the countryside, with little knowledge of the world. Now, all sorts of strange and fanciful ideas were bubbling up in his mind again.

"Fish filling!" The young Xie Ning eagerly offered his suggestion.

Zhou Jinian continued along the road, his expression unchanged, though inwardly he was somewhat amused. Children were just like that: whatever they liked eating, they wanted others to try too.

Lin Jin opened his eyes. "Who sells steamed buns with fish filling? Dumplings would make more sense."

"Then fish-filled pan-fried dumplings. Other people have been selling fried dough sticks for years. How could we compete with them?" Looking for a supporter, Xie Ning turned his eyes toward Zhou Jinian, caught his hand, and shook it. "Jinian, I'll make fish dumplings for you."

He certainly knew whom to turn to. Zhou Jinian had his own ways of making money; the time simply had not come yet. He was therefore unafraid of Ninglang experimenting however he liked. He merely nodded, letting his body sway with his husband's tugging, and answered in a low voice, "All right."

During the days when Lin Jin's back was injured, he had seen Ninglang's filial care for him. Then, after the wild boar incident, he had long since become convinced: Ninglang brought prosperity to the family!