Jun 5, 2026
Chapter 99 — Yuehua Manor
Old Wang was a straightforward, dependable man—once he gave his word, he followed through without cutting corners. By the time Ling Jingxuan and the others were sitting down to dinner, several ox carts had already arrived, hauling in seven hundred earthenware jars. Their home was spacious now, with plenty of room to spare, so the carts drove straight into the large workshop at the far left. By the time the workers had finished unloading—drenched in sweat—Ling Jingxuan had Shuisheng bring over a string of copper coins and pressed it into one of the men’s hands, telling them to go have a drink. The workers left in high spirits, money in hand.
“Seven hundred… isn’t that a bit too few?”
With nothing to do after dinner, Yan Shengrui and Ling Jingxuan set up a game of xiangqi in the courtyard. Ling Jinghan and the others gathered around to watch, while the children ran about, chasing each other in noisy delight.
“At the pace we’re going, we’ll use them up in a day. Freshly fired jars take at least two or three days before delivery. I’m afraid we might not make it in time.”
“It’s fine,” Ling Jingxuan replied easily, moving his elephant across the board and capturing one of Yan Shengrui’s pieces. “Don’t we still have plenty of large vats? If the small jars don’t arrive in time, we’ll just store everything in the big ones for now. Either way, it’s all getting sold—doesn’t really matter.”
Their output was simply too high; it was only natural that Old Wang’s family kiln couldn’t keep up. If Old Wang didn’t expand his kiln next year, Ling Jingxuan would probably have to find a second or even a third supplier to work with. After all, next year’s demand would be a hundred times what it was now—perhaps even more.
“Mm. You can’t swallow a whole fat doll in one bite,” Yan Shengrui said, glancing at Ling Jingpeng beside them as he casually echoed Ling Jingxuan’s words. “No need to put so much pressure on yourself. If it doesn’t work out this year, there’s always next year.”
For some reason, every time Ling Jingxuan made money, the entire household would be thrilled—especially the two little buns. Only he remained unmoved. No matter how much was earned, he felt no surge of excitement. Somewhere deep down, it was as if he’d seen far greater sums before.
“That’s true,” Ling Jingpeng chimed in, though there was a trace of regret in his eyes. “We’ve already picked most of the fruit around the outer edges of the mountain. From here on, we’d have to risk going deeper in to find more. Even if there’s still fruit after October, we won’t be able to keep making jam.”
Money was important, but not more important than their lives. It was obvious he’d already tasted the sweetness of profit from the jam business.
Ling Jingxuan shook his head and shot him a glance. “If we stop making jam, we’ll just make something else. Either way, I won’t let you sit idle.”
As long as one was willing to use their head, there were countless ways to make money. Besides, he’d never intended to build his fortune solely on fruit preserves.
“Heh… Big Brother, does that mean you’ve already planned the next step?”
Ling Jinghan, seated off to the side, raised a brow and looked at him with open anticipation. Though his role in the family was to study and nothing else, matters concerning the household’s livelihood were still worth paying attention to. More importantly, his elder brother’s ideas were always refreshing—whether in business or in dealing with people, he had his own unique way of thinking. It even helped with his writing. Naturally, he was curious.
With that, everyone’s attention turned toward Ling Jingxuan. Even Yan Shengrui, who was still playing against him, cast him a brief glance—those peach blossom eyes of his brimming with quiet indulgence.
“You could say that,” Ling Jingxuan admitted, sweeping his gaze across them before shaking his head helplessly. “But it’s also seasonal. It only works when the weather turns cool, before the snow falls. Too early or too late won’t do. Don’t get too curious yet—I’m still experimenting. For now, we just need to focus on making the jam properly.”
Honestly, what was with these people? The moment they heard about a way to make money, they turned into starving wolves.
“Big Brother… you’re talking about that room you locked up as soon as the workshop was finished, aren’t you?”
Ling Jinghan was sharp as ever. With a slight turn of his eyes, he immediately recalled the oddity. About twenty days ago, after the workshop was completed, Ling Jingxuan had locked up the very first room. Later, during breaks from delivering jam, he would take their father, Jingpeng, Song Gengniu, and the others up to Dagong Mountain to collect rotting leaves. Even the sawdust discarded by the carpenters had all been gathered and stored in that very room. No one knew what he was doing—they only knew he was probably tinkering with something new again.
“Heh… instead of focusing on your studies, why are you always poking into what I’m up to?”
Ling Jingxuan didn’t deny it. He simply looked at him with amused exasperation. He had always thought Jinghan was the least concerned with household matters, yet somehow he had quietly taken note of everything, committing it all to memory.
“Looks like I guessed right.”
With a faint, knowing smile, Ling Jinghan’s eyes shone with undisguised confidence. Faced with such strong-willed family members, Ling Jingxuan could only shake his head helplessly before suddenly saying, “Right—since everyone’s here, why don’t we come up with a nice name for our home? Another day, we can have a plaque made and hang it up.”
As dusk deepened, he gave up on the game altogether. Leaning back onto the reclining chair, he stretched out lazily, at ease in a way that was hard to describe. Having a big courtyard really was a blessing—lying there to enjoy the evening breeze while watching the star-speckled sky above.
“Let’s just call it the Ling Manor,” Ling Wang-shi said as she continued stitching the sole of a shoe. Ever since the family split off on their own, the brothers hardly let her do any heavy work. At most, during the jam-making rush, she helped wash fruit. Otherwise, she spent her free time with Song Yang-shi and her daughter sewing shoe soles, preparing winter cotton shoes for the entire household. “Back when your father and I went to the market and passed by that wealthy Master Wang’s house in town, his gate had ‘Wang Manor’ hanging on it.”
“Your mother’s right—Ling Manor sounds good. Simple and easy to remember, and not too ostentatious,” Ling Chenglong added quickly, ever the honest man, eager to agree with his wife.
Ling Jingpeng didn’t miss the chance to tease. “Father, even if Mother said we didn’t need a name at all, you’d still say that’s fine, wouldn’t you?”
“Hahaha—”
Laughter broke out all around. With that jab, the old couple flushed red, glaring at their mischievous youngest son—though there wasn’t any real anger behind it. This was what life was supposed to feel like.
“Daddy, what are you all laughing about?”
The commotion drew the children over. Xiao Baozi came running and threw himself onto Ling Jingxuan, followed by Ling Wen and Xiao Huzi, both drenched in sweat. After more than a month together, the three of them—plus Tiewazi—had already become inseparable.
“Heh… nothing much. We were just talking about giving our home a name.”
Ling Jingxuan gathered the child into his arms, sitting up and settling him on his lap while wiping the sweat from his face. Opposite him, Yan Shengrui also rose and took a seat on the reclining chair beside them, pulling their eldest son over to clean him up as well.
“Our home needs a name too?”
Xiao Baozi tilted his head, confusion written all over his face. Weren’t names only for people?
Ling Jingxuan tapped his nose affectionately. “Of course. Didn’t you give names to Xiao Hei and the others? Speaking of which, where are Da Hei and Xiao Hei? I haven’t seen them.”
Only then did he notice that the wolf cubs, who usually stuck close to them after school, were nowhere to be found. He glanced around the courtyard but still couldn’t spot them.
“No idea. They disappeared around dinner time. Maybe they went to the chicken coop to bother the chicks again? Xiao Hei is so bad—he always chases and bullies the little chicks and piglets on purpose.”
Seizing the chance, Xiao Baozi poured out his complaints like beans spilling from a jar. Ling Jingxuan shook his head. They were wolves, after all. Even if they were being raised like dogs, their nature wouldn’t simply vanish. The fact that they hadn’t outright eaten the livestock was already a small mercy.
“Daddy, how about we call our home ‘Orchard’?”
Sitting on Yan Shengrui’s lap, Ling Wen suddenly cut into the conversation, neatly steering it back to the original topic. “Didn’t you say all the empty land will be planted with fruit trees? Once they grow and are full of fruit, won’t it be an orchard?”
Ling Jingxuan’s expression darkened instantly. “So just because we plant fruit, we call it ‘Orchard’? Then my original goal was raising you little buns—by your logic, shouldn’t we call it ‘Bun Shop’?”
“Hahaha—”
“Daddy!?”
Everyone present had heard Ling Jingxuan call the two boys “little buns” more than once. The moment he said it, they all got the joke, laughing so hard they nearly toppled over. Ling Wen puffed up in indignation, glaring at his father.
How could a “bun shop” possibly sound as nice as an “orchard”? His father was the worst—always teasing him.
“Heh… then let’s call it Ling Garden. It sounds pleasant enough, and it’s different from everyone else.”
Chuckling, Yan Shengrui reached out and poked his son’s puffed-up cheeks, smiling as he spoke. If they let everyone keep going, they’d probably end up with names like “Bun Shop,” “Fish Pond,” or even “Livestock Yard.”
“Your family can go call it a mausoleum if you like. No—absolutely not. That name is out of the question.”
The moment Ling Jingxuan heard the word Lingyuan, goosebumps rose all over his skin. He wasn’t superstitious—if anything, he was a firm atheist—but this was a brand-new home. It was only natural to want something auspicious. Ling Garden… Lingyuan… it sounded exactly like those cemeteries back in the twenty-first century—martyrs’ cemeteries, imperial mausoleums… just thinking about it was unsettling as hell.
“Fine, then my home will be called Ling Garden. Jingpeng, have someone make a plaque in a few days and hang it up.”
When it came to sheer shamelessness, Yan Shengrui would never admit defeat. At times like this, he acted as though he already belonged to the household, without the slightest trace of restraint.
“Uh…”
Ling Jingpeng, suddenly singled out, hesitated as he glanced at his elder brother. He personally thought Ling Garden sounded quite nice, but judging from his brother’s reaction, it clearly wasn’t acceptable. There was no way he’d dare make that decision on his own.
“No. Ling Garden is absolutely out of the question.”
Meeting his younger brother’s questioning gaze, Ling Jingxuan shook his head firmly. The others couldn’t help but feel puzzled—Ling Garden sounded perfectly fine, so why was he so adamantly against it?
“Our home backs onto the Yuehua Mountain range, and it’s built more like an estate. Why not call it Yuehua Manor?”
After stroking his chin in thought for a moment, Ling Jinghan finally proposed a proper name. Ling Jingxuan considered it briefly, then nodded. “Yuehua Manor it is.”
Seeing how decisively he settled on it, everyone burst into laughter again, but they tacitly agreed with the choice. Yuehua Manor sounded grand and elegant without being vulgar—perfect in every way.
“It’s getting late. We have to rise early tomorrow—everyone should turn in.”
After chatting a while longer, night had fully fallen. Ling Jingxuan stood, still holding the little bun in his arms. The others followed suit. Tomorrow would be another busy day—it was time to rest.
Carrying the children back to their room, one after the other, Yan Shengrui suddenly quickened his pace to walk alongside him.
“Why are you so opposed to the name ‘Ling Garden’?”
Yuehua Manor was fine, but it lacked a certain warmth—something that felt like home. And Jingxuan’s earlier reaction had been… a little strange.
Rolling his eyes, Ling Jingxuan muttered, “As far as I know, in some places, collective graveyards are called lingyuan. Sure, it’s not the same ‘Ling’ as our surname, but it still doesn’t feel very auspicious.”
“Is that so?”
Yan Shengrui raised a brow, his tone clearly skeptical. But with his memories gone, there was no way for him to verify such a thing.
“Yes, yes, that’s how it is,” Ling Jingxuan said impatiently. “Now hurry up and bathe the two little buns so they can get some rest. And you—get a proper night’s sleep. You should be more or less fine by tomorrow.”
“As you command.”
Grinning, Yan Shengrui caught hold of his son’s hand and gave it a playful shake. The family of four filed into their room one after another, bringing the long day to a quiet close.
Pinyin & Notes
- Xiangqi (pronounced “shyang-chee”) is a traditional two-player Chinese strategy board game, commonly known as Chinese Chess or elephant chess. It is an ancient, popular game similar to Western chess, but it is played on a larger board, with different pieces, and has a unique “river” dividing the territory.
- “You can’t swallow a whole fat doll in one bite” means that large, complex tasks or problems cannot be accomplished all at once and must be broken down into smaller, manageable pieces to be successful. It emphasizes patience and a step-by-step approach over rushing, similar to “how do you eat an elephant?”
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Translator: LazyHermitGal
Author: LazyHermitGal
A Lazy Hermit Gal wondering in the void and falling into the translation abyss.
