Chapter 78: Practicing Calligraphy

“Eat more, fill up. Later, you guys can go back and catch up on sleep. Once you’re awake, we’ll get busy again. While we have the time and are near water, we should burn a few more piles.

You trust me and are willing to work with me, so I’ll be honest with you. There’s definitely no shortage of buyers for charcoal up north. Just think about how cold it is there. No matter how much we sell, I figure we can at least make some hard-earned money. But that’s not all—we also have scented soap.

With these two things combined, we should be able to make enough to settle down. For now, it’s just us brothers working together. If the business does well and we get overwhelmed, we can hire more people…”

Yan Lao’er trailed off.

Their family was already planning for the future, hoping to expand their trade and hire fellow villagers to help.

Now, he somewhat understood why Old Yan insisted on bringing the whole village when they fled.

The truth was, the people from their village were all good folks—honest and hardworking. Give them land where they could sow in spring and harvest in autumn, and they could build a life anywhere.

The more he interacted with them, the more he realized how full of life these people were.

He didn’t want to leave this growing community behind.

So why not work together?

They would first see if they could make money. If they could, they would scale up, bringing the villagers along. They might not become rich, but at the very least, everyone could earn a bit of extra money.

The Qi brothers found Yan Lao’er’s words very appetizing—literally.

Before they knew it, they had already devoured two large steamed buns each.

Da Ya widened her eyes and looked at her father. Seeing him nod slightly, she turned and fetched a few more buns, placing them in front of Second Uncle.

Yan Lao’er glanced at them and, without hesitation, stuffed two buns into each of the three brothers’ hands.

“We can’t carry too much, so we’ll just burn a few sacks first. We can resupply as we travel. Once we arrive and check the prices, we’ll decide whether to go all in or not.”

The Qi brothers nodded enthusiastically.

They felt that Yan Lao’er was reliable—following him couldn’t be wrong.

With that thought, they each stuffed another two buns down their throats.

Their stomachs protested: We’re full!

Feeling a little guilty about overstaying, the Qi brothers quickly excused themselves and ran off.

When they returned home and told their mother, she nearly threw her shoe at them.

Unfortunately, her eyesight was poor, and she couldn’t aim properly. The three brothers had to position themselves to let her hit them comfortably.

“How could you be so greedy? Eating like that at a time like this! That little bit of work you did, does it even count? Is that even real labor? You just lent a hand—how could you shamelessly eat their food?”

Qi Si grimaced. “Then, Mom, I’ll bring some flour over to the Yan family to make up for our breakfast.”

“But what about the eggs and rice?”

They had only received wheat, not rice.

Hearing that, Qi Laoniang swung her shoe sole at them again.

“Who told you to give them anything? Would the Yan family even accept it? The scholar has a reputation to uphold. Sharing a meal with him is already a great honor! Instead of feeling grateful after eating, you want to send food back? … How did I raise such foolish sons?”

“We are grateful, Mom! We’ll work hard!” Qi Wu quickly explained. “Second Brother Yan trusts us enough to take us along to burn charcoal and make scented soap. We might be slow-witted, but Second Brother Yan is smart. We’ll follow his lead and work hard. Once he pays us, you can save up for Fourth Brother’s bride price.”

Qi Si blushed bright red. “Mom, I’m not thinking about getting married yet…”

Qi Da nodded seriously. “Mom, Xiao Wu is right.”

Qi Laoniang closed her eyes for a moment, then put her shoe back on.

“Do the work if you must, but don’t eat at their house again. The Yan family hasn’t made a single copper yet. You’re not to ask for wages either. Pay attention, help where you can, and do your part.

If they do pay you in the future, no matter how much or little, don’t tell anyone. Bring it straight home, and I’ll save it for you… for your marriages.”

She sent her sons off to sleep and sighed. Who could she blame? She had married an honest man, and now she had given birth to three simple-minded sons.

“Da Jia’s wife,” she called softly.

Qi Da’s wife responded quickly, hurrying over. “Mother?”

“Yan Lao’er’s wife is pregnant. If you have time, go check in on her and help out when you can. Tell her to do less needlework. If there’s any sewing to be done, lend a hand.”

Qi Da’s wife agreed without hesitation. She had heard everything earlier.

“Don’t worry, Mother. The Yan family doesn’t have much work—I can handle it all.”

Qi Laoniang sighed. Another honest one.

“Yan Lao’er bringing your brothers along is out of friendship. Don’t make it look like we’re trying to curry favor with them. People respond to kindness. If you treat them warmly, they’ll feel it.”

Qi Da’s wife carefully considered her mother-in-law’s words.

What was true warmth?

Family was the warmest.

Alright! That’s what she would do!

Soon enough, Li Xuemei noticed something different about Qi Da’s wife.

Her gaze had become oddly affectionate.

She advised her not to do needlework during pregnancy and even offered to help with anything she needed.

She wasn’t overly intrusive, but whenever their eyes met, Qi Da’s wife always greeted her with a warm smile.

It was a pleasant feeling.

Li Xuemei understood—it was because of the charcoal-burning venture that the Qi family felt closer to them.

This was good. They were grateful but not overly eager, keeping a comfortable distance.

…

Yan Lao’er exchanged water and flour for more steamed buns.

Goodness, those Qi brothers sure had an appetite. They had eaten through half of his family’s food reserves!

When he returned, he saw his elder brother pulling out a freshly written calligraphy practice sheet.

“Here’s the calligraphy guide you wanted.”

Yan Lao’er quickly set down the buns. After a moment of thought, he went to wash his hands before taking the sheet carefully.

Tsk tsk!

Just look at that handwriting!

The horizontal strokes were perfectly horizontal, the vertical strokes perfectly vertical.

Every character was the same size, and the brushstrokes were uniform. It was so neat!

How could anyone write so precisely?!

“As expected of Big Brother! This handwriting is incredible!” he praised sincerely.

Yan Huaiwen was pleased, his eyes narrowing with satisfaction and a slight smile forming on his lips.

“Practicing calligraphy takes time. Be patient and don’t rush,” he advised.

Yan Lao’er nodded repeatedly.

“Big Brother, my writing will be terrible at first. Don’t look at it yet. Once I think it’s at least passable, I’ll show you, and you can guide me.”

Yan Huaiwen was overjoyed.

To recognize one’s flaws and strive for improvement—this was good! Very good!

When Tianyou actually started practicing immediately, Yan Huaiwen’s eyes grew misty.

He looked up at the sky, feeling as if the mountain sun was shining even brighter, and the clear sky stretched endlessly.

His heart soared, straight to the Nine Heavens!

…

Yan Yu struggled to carry her cat over and set it down, curiously peeking at her father’s handwriting.

Then, her tiny hands quickly covered her mouth as she trembled with laughter, shoulders shaking.

After finally stifling her giggles, her eyes were still wet from mirth.

“Father, your writing is… pretty good! Straight lines and all!”

(End of Chapter)