Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter Thirty-Eight

The donkey cart swayed for an hour before reaching the town. The two of them first went to deliver tofu. The restaurant was located in the center of town, surrounded by shops. Only the wealthy and influential could afford to dine there.

While Zhao Beichuan was moving the tofu, Lu Yao sat on the cart watching the customers come and go. A man in a satin-lined cotton robe walked out, accompanied by servants, and immediately got into a small sedan chair.

Lu Yao couldn't help but sigh. No matter what era it was, the rich always lived comfortably.

After delivering the tofu, they continued to the station. As soon as they arrived, a clerk greeted them, "Sir, the merchants you inquired about have arrived and are staying in the back courtyard. They will be here for three days. If you have anything to sell or buy, do it quickly."

"Thank you!"

They had left in a hurry today and didn't bring the skins with them, but since they delivered tofu every day, they could bring them tomorrow.

After finishing their delivery, they hurried back, noticing that the sky looked ominous and rain might fall in the afternoon.

"Are we still going to Lujia Village?"

"Yes, let's tell them early so Second Brother can prepare. Once he learns, he can start selling within a couple of days."

"Alright." Zhao Beichuan flicked the whip, and the donkey cart sped up.

When they arrived at Lujia Village, it was just past noon, and Lu's mother and Hu Chunrong were cooking.

Hearing the commotion outside, Hu Chunrong glanced out and said, "Mother, Third Younger Brother and his husband are here."

Lu's mother quickly stood up to greet them, "How did you find the time? Are you cold? Come inside."

Lu Yao shivered as he ran into the kitchen to warm himself by the fire. Seeing Hu Chunrong, he called out, "Sister-in-law."

"Yes, must be cold, come over here and warm up." Hu Chunrong handed him a small stool and made him sit by the stove.

Lu's mother picked a few eggs from the chicken coop, washed them, and threw them into the pot. "Anything happening at home these days? Everyone has been asking me why you haven't been selling tofu."

"I came here for this reason. I plan to teach Second Brother how to make tofu. After that, we won't come to Lujia Village anymore."

Upon hearing this, Hu Chunrong's heart pounded with excitement, and she looked at Lu Yao in disbelief. "Why... why did you decide to teach Lu Lin..."

She had seen how profitable selling tofu was. In just half a year, Zhao's family built a new house, bought a donkey cart, and wore fine clothes. She never expected Lu Yao to share such a lucrative business with them.

Lu Yao explained, "It's inconvenient to travel in winter, and we've also taken on another job in town, which might keep us busy."

In truth, they could manage to sell tofu even if it meant more hardship. They could even hire someone to grind the soybeans. However, Lu Yao didn't want to do that. He believed that since he had improved his own life, he should help his family. He couldn't bear the thought of eating meat while his parents couldn't even have the broth.

Lu's mother held his hand with gratitude, "Yao'er, you didn't disappoint me."

Hu Chunrong felt ashamed, realizing how petty she had been, arguing with Lu Yao over a few eggs for years.

Outside, Zhao Beichuan tied the donkey cart, and Lu's father and Lu Lin returned from helping build a house in the village.

"Father, Second Brother."

"Da Chuan is here!" Lu Guangsheng smiled and patted his son-in-law's arm.

Lu Lin wanted to go out to buy wine, but Zhao Beichuan stopped him, "No drinking today. We need to grind tofu later, don't delay work."

"Alright."

After washing their hands, they entered the room where the dining table was already set. Lu Yun and Lu Miao were bringing dishes to the table.

Originally, they only planned to serve vegetable porridge, but with guests, Lu's mother added two more dishes: salted pork that Lu Yao had brought, which she stewed with radishes, and a few boiled eggs.

Today, everyone was family, so they all sat together regardless of gender.

During the meal, Lu Yao told Lu Lin how to make tofu. "Second Brother, try following my instructions and see if you can make it. If not, I'll come back to teach you."

Lu Lin's face flushed with excitement, and he nodded vigorously. "Yes!" He was a simple man who couldn't express himself well, but he felt deeply grateful to his brother for thinking of them even after marriage.

After the meal, the sky had turned dark outside. Lu's mother wanted them to stay overnight.

Lu Yao declined, "We can't leave the children alone at home. We need to deliver tofu to the restaurant tomorrow. You should go inside now; I'll come back in a few days."

Seeing the impending rain, Zhao Beichuan drove the donkey cart quickly, making Lu Yao feel a bit uncomfortable from the jolts.

Just as they reached home, heavy raindrops started falling. Lu Yao chuckled, "We're quite good at timing."

"Quickly get inside before you get wet. I'll take care of the things on the cart." Zhao Beichuan unhitched the donkey and tied it in the stable, shut the chickens in the coop, and brought in several bundles of dry wood.

In no time, heavy rain poured down, making the autumn air chilly even inside the house.

Xiaonian and Xiaodou had changed into their new cotton jackets and were playing with the piglets in the west room. The piglets had grown a bit and could eat soybean residue now. Surprisingly, the wild piglets had survived.

When they returned, Lin Daman had already started grinding soybeans, having processed two out of four buckets.

"Daman, go rest. Da Chuan and I can finish the rest."

"I'm just sitting around anyway. Let me help you."

Lu Yao mentioned seeing Song Changshun and Song's widow earlier that morning. "It's strange that a brother-in-law lives with his sister-in-law. Don't they worry about being ridiculed?"

Lin Daman sneered, "Speaking of which, when I sold tofu in the village today, I heard something. Song's widow once gave her child a cold bath to extort money from her mother-in-law. I wonder what she was thinking."

Lu Yao was shocked, "He could do something like that? How cruel!"

"I said it before, those two will never have a good ending!"

*

After last night's rain, the weather turned much colder this morning.

Song's widow dragged herself out of bed to cook breakfast. Her thin clothes made her shiver, but once the fire was lit, she quickly put millet and vegetables into the pot.

Looking at the flames, she recalled seeing Zhao Beichuan driving the donkey cart past her without even glancing at her.

If she had proposed marriage earlier, would she have been the one riding in the cart...

Song's widow clutched her robe, feeling a sharp pain in her chest. She coughed, and suddenly a warm sensation rose in her throat, and she spat out a clot of blood. Terrified, she quickly wiped it away with straw.

A bad feeling crept into her mind. During her stay at the temple, she shared a large dormitory with many people, one of whom frequently coughed and was very thin. She had heard that person had tuberculosis and was sent there to avoid spreading the disease.

No, no, she hadn't spoken to that person and avoided contact. She couldn't have been infected... Yet her weakening body reminded her that she likely had tuberculosis too.

This disease was incurable in this era, and she wouldn't live long.

Song's widow covered her face, wanting to cry but unable to shed tears. She wondered why her fate was so bitter.

Before her marriage, her parents treated her poorly. She did the most work but often faced beatings and scolding.

After marrying Song Changfu, she enjoyed a few peaceful days. Although Song Changfu had a bad temper, he never hit her and secretly gave her money.

Later, when her husband died, she dared not return to her natal home. With no parents left, her younger brother and his wife would certainly not tolerate her presence, and they would surely sell her to the old widower in the village.

Staying with the Song family was equally unbearable. In front, there was the harsh mother-in-law, and behind, there was the predatory younger brother-in-law.

That day in the woods, he hadn't lied. The first time with Song Changshun, he had indeed been forced. Later, unable to resist, he reluctantly went along with it.

During their secret trysts, Song Changshun treated him decently. Now that they lived together, he began to see Song Changshun's true nature.

This man had been suppressed by Lin Daman for too long, and now he indulged without restraint. Sometimes, he wouldn't let him sleep half the night and used those low-class things on him, causing the widow Song to beg in agony.

Yet, instead of stopping, he only intensified his actions. Several times, he thought he might die, but he always woke up the next day.

In fact, it would be better to die... At least then he wouldn't suffer anymore.

"Is the meal ready yet?" the old lady in the house called out.

"It's ready, it's ready." The widow Song hurriedly lifted the pot lid, scooped out the vegetable porridge into a clay bowl, and brought it into the house.

Song Ping had just woken up and was dozing in his grandmother's arms. Ever since the widow Song returned, Song Ping had become distant from him, refusing to sleep with him at night and sometimes barely acknowledging him when he spoke.

"Mother, come eat."

The old lady tapped the clay bowl with her chopsticks. "Is this thin gruel supposed to fill our bellies? Did you turn stupid in the brothel? Can't even cook properly?"

The widow Song bit her lip and remained silent. She had grown accustomed to drinking such thin gruel and forgot that she didn't need to anymore now that she was back home.

"What are you standing there for? Get bowls and serve the gruel! You're becoming more and more useless. We shouldn't have brought you back..." The old lady muttered complaints for a while.

The widow Song lowered her head and walked slowly to the kitchen. Just as she picked up a bowl, Song Changshun hugged her from behind.

"Sister-in-law, why did you get up so early?"

The widow Song trembled all over, feeling physically nauseous. "Let go, let go. It's time to eat."

Song Changshun nibbled on her neck, his hand slipping into her pants. "Let me eat you first."

"Ugh—" The widow Song couldn't help but vomit, spitting out acidic bile since she hadn't eaten anything that morning.

The person behind her recoiled a few steps in disgust. "Clean up quickly, how disgusting."

The widow Song's tears and snot streamed down her face. You're the one who's disgusting! Your whole family is disgusting! You all deserve to die!

*

In the Zhao household, Lu Yao had just woken up, sitting wrapped in blankets for a while before slowly putting on her cotton robe.

Xiaonian and Xiaodou were still asleep. Lu Yao reached into the bed, feeling the warmth; they should be warm enough.

She got up to start a fire and cook breakfast. A pot of hot noodle soup would be perfect to warm them up. She kneaded some dough and let it rest, then fetched a pickled radish, washed it, and chopped it into small pieces to mix with lard for the sauce.

As the water in the pot boiled, the two children woke up, rubbing their messy hair and coming into the kitchen.

Lu Yao ladled two scoops of hot water for them to wash their faces.

"Sister-in-law, my tooth hurts," Xiaodou said, pouting and clinging to Lu Yao's leg after washing his face.

"Open your mouth, which tooth hurts?"

Xiaodou pointed to a lower tooth. "Just this one."

Lu Yao touched it gently. "It's fine, it's time for it to fall out."

Zhao Xiaonian, after washing her face, said, "I told you it was nothing, but you didn't believe me."

Xiaodou wiped away his tears, leaning into Lu Yao's embrace, feeling wronged. He knew it was nothing, but he just wanted to seek comfort from his sister-in-law.

Lu Yao patted his little head. "Alright, go wash your face quickly. Xiaonian, go call your elder brother to come in for breakfast."

In the courtyard, Zhao Beichuan had just fed the mule and sprinkled some millet for the chickens. After washing his hands, he entered the house to prepare for breakfast.

The noodles were cooked, and each of them scooped a large bowl, slurping the noodles and broth down quickly.

After breakfast, Zhao Beichuan hitched the mule cart, planning to deliver tofu to town and sell the few sable pelts.

"Why don't you stay home? It's so cold outside, you might catch a chill."

Lu Yao climbed onto the mule cart, wrapping herself in a blanket like a ball. "It's fine, I'll stay warm under the blanket."

The temperature was low, but the weather was clear. Yesterday's rain had washed away the dust, and the sun shone brightly, making it hard to keep one's eyes open.

Upon arriving in town, they first delivered tofu to the restaurant. Coincidentally, Manager Xu was there, and they chatted briefly.

Lu Yao: "How's the tofu selling? Is it to the customers' liking?"

Xu Bin replied, "Very well. We sold out of the new dish yesterday, and many people have made reservations to try it today."

"That's great. If you make money, we can keep doing business."

Xu Bin had a good impression of the couple and invited them to lunch.

Zhao Beichuan declined, "We won't have lunch. We have other things to do today. Next time, we'll definitely have a drink with Manager Xu."

Leaving the restaurant, they headed straight for the inn. At this hour, there weren't many people in the inn, only two merchants chatting in a corner and a young attendant sweeping the floor.

Zhao Beichuan first moved the tofu into the kitchen, then asked the attendant about the merchants.

The young attendant pointed to the two men in the corner. "Those are the traveling merchants staying here. If you want to sell something, you might ask them."

"Thanks." Zhao Beichuan walked directly toward the two men.

One of them looked up, and they instantly recognized each other. This was the same merchant who had bought the fox pelts last year.

"Young man, here to sell pelts again?"

Zhao Beichuan smiled and nodded. "Didn't get any good fox pelts this year, but I have a few sable pelts of similar color and size that could make a coat."

"Oh? Let me see them."

Zhao Beichuan quickly fetched the pelts from the cart, and Lu Yao followed him into the inn.

The merchant took the pelts and was surprised to find that they were already tanned and soft! The price difference between raw and tanned pelts was significant.

Last year, if the fox pelt Zhao Beichuan brought hadn't been of such high quality, he wouldn't have bought it. Raw pelts often spoiled during tanning, and the fur lost its luster, fetching a poor price.

These grayish-white sable pelts were not only soft and smooth to the touch but also harmonious in color. If made into a coat, they would fetch a good price.

The merchant wasn't entirely greedy. After examining the pelts, he said, "These sable pelts are excellent. Since you know how to tan pelts, why didn't you tan the fox pelt last year?"

"I don't know how to do it. My husband did it."

The merchant glanced at Lu Yao beside him. He hadn't noticed before, but now that he took a closer look, he was surprised by Lu Yao's handsome appearance. This young man was truly well-featured!

"Five large and one small, a total of ten guan. If you find it acceptable, I'll take them."

Beichuan turned to ask Lu Yao, seeing him nod in agreement, "Can you give us the ten guan in silver instead?"

The merchant directly handed them two silver ingots, each weighing four liang and five fen, roughly equivalent to deducting one guan for handling fees, which was fair enough.

"If you have such pelts next year, save them for me. I'll take as many as you have."

"Alright." Zhao Beichuan agreed.

Leaving the station, Lu Yao, holding the two silver ingots, was overjoyed, "I thought we could only sell them for five guan!"

"I also thought we wouldn't get a high price. It seems these sable pelts are quite valuable. I'll go back up the mountain and see if I can hunt some more, and sell them all together in the coming days."

"Be careful then."

"Don't worry, don't you believe in your husband's skills?"

It was rare to see him acting so smug; Lu Yao couldn't help but reach out and pinch his cheek. The two laughed and joked as they drove back.

As they were about to leave town, Lu Yao suddenly saw the two people from yesterday heading towards the bookshop nearby.