Chapter 127

Chapter 127

Lin Taohong was delighted to see Shuxiang, and Shuxiang had a wide grin on his face when he saw Lin Taohong.

"I was thinking you were still running your stall there, but when I got closer, I realized it wasn't you. I always knew your business would thrive and that you'd eventually open a large shop."

After stepping in, Shuxiang glanced around the shop a few times. Noticing that even on a rainy day, a few customers were dining, he realized their business must be thriving.

Lin Taohong was so engrossed in chatting that she forgot to offer him some food. It was Tutor Duan who reminded her, "We should eat while we talk."

Lin Taohong poked her tongue out and, without asking Shuxiang to pay, waved her hand generously, inviting him to choose his meal. "This is on me."

Shuxiang didn’t hesitate and approached Zhao Liu to browse the dishes. He discovered several dishes he hadn't tried before and chose a few.

"What are these? New dishes?"

Lin Taohong briefly introduced them and asked how long Shuxiang planned to stay.

"I might stay for a few more days, so I’ll likely visit your shop often for meals."

Initially, when Shuxiang was tasked by his lady to buy food in town, he was surprised.

He was Young Master Hu’s most trusted servant. There were many people in the estate who could be sent, so why was he chosen for this errand?

But he dared not refuse and quickly packed his belongings, escorting the young lady with the rash back.

The journey was long, and Shuxiang couldn’t understand what was wrong with the young lady. Madam Bai insisted they travel separately, citing propriety.

The journey was uneventful, but at the last stop, Shuxiang saw the maid attending the young lady. It was Jiming, whom he had quarreled with before, and he was startled, understanding why he had to run this errand himself.

Madam Bai had capable stewards for errands, but for important matters, using Young Master Hu’s name made things smoother.

Shuxiang understood Madam Bai’s intentions and hadn’t spoken to Zhou Wanniang since, pretending he was just there to buy supplies. Upon disembarking, he headed straight to the shop.

Zhou Wanniang, on the other boat, returned to the town within half a year, unexpectedly. Jiming, now much calmer, helped Zhou Wanniang off the boat. Both wore veiled hats, and the servant who had been waiting, sent by Shuxiang, was not very respectful as he let them board a carriage that slowly made its way to the old Hu estate.

Jiming, though curious, resisted the urge to peek outside and sat quietly next to Zhou Wanniang. The sound of the rain could be heard inside the carriage. As they passed by the stall previously run by Lin Chunyan, a gust of wind lifted the carriage's curtain, and Zhou Wanniang and Jiming saw that the spot was now occupied by another couple, not Lin Chunyan.

Zhou Wanniang's hand, holding her handkerchief, tightened, and she quickly lifted the curtain again to look outside carefully, worried something had happened, until the carriage slowly reached the establishment.

The servant outside, seeing Shuxiang, went in to greet him. Shuxiang had been concerned about this but didn't show it in front of others, treating her as an unvalued young lady. "It's best to take her back and settle her soon."

Considering her different status, Shuxiang also had the servant pack a lot of food. "There's probably not much prepared food at the old estate, so take this back for the young lady to eat."

As Lin Taohong packed food into the food box, she curiously looked outside at the carriage. She thought Shuxiang had returned alone, but now it seemed otherwise.

Inside the carriage, Jiming and Zhou Wanniang also saw Lin Taohong and knew their stall had moved here, which relieved them.

Jiming, with a pout, whispered, "Who knew their establishment would keep growing? They don't look as shabby as before."

Having shared hardships for so long, Zhou Wanniang already considered her one of her own and knew she was just talk. When they saw someone else at the stall instead of Lin Chunyan, Jiming's worries were no less than hers.

The carriage continued to move, and just as Lin Xiaoniang finished cooking in the kitchen, Shuxiang finished eating.

"Madam Lin," Shuxiang greeted her, "Will you still have that crab roe paste and fish sauce? I need to bring some when I leave in a few days."

We do have fish sauce, but the academy’s cafeteria orders some each month. However, we haven’t made crab roe paste in a long time.

At this time, the crabs have only molted a few times, and only male crabs can be consumed. Zhang Niuli had delivered some previously, but the shells were soft, and even though there was crab roe inside after steaming, Lin Chunyan thought it tasted bitter.

"We'll have to wait until after Mid-Autumn Festival. The female crabs will be fatter by then, perfect for making crab roe paste."

Shuxiang nodded, though it was disappointing not to have the crab roe paste, he knew the main purpose of this trip wasn’t about that, so he didn’t linger on it.

Lin Chunyan pointed to the ham Shuxiang had just eaten, "If you want to take something, this ham can be stored for a long time."

Shuxiang's eyes lit up, "Is this ham also for sale?"

Lin Chunyan nodded, "I won’t sell it to others, but I’ll sell it to you."

At that moment, Young Master Shen entered and overheard the conversation. He quickly greeted Lin Chunyan, "I want some of that ham too!"

He had been coming with Mr. Zhao lately and had become familiar with the people at the establishment. His eagerness to not miss out made everyone laugh.

Lin Chunyan smiled and nodded, "Of course, I'll set some aside for you."

The hams had just been cured, and Zhang Xiaojiu and Li Youfu hadn’t returned from the other town yet, so they weren’t sure how well it would sell there.

Just as they were speaking, Zhang Xiaojiu and Li Youfu arrived, dusty from their boat journey. Zhang Xiaojiu no longer suffered from seasickness as he did before, though his face was still somewhat pale from the long journey.

They first went to the shop to report on their trip to the other towns, mentioning how much merchandise had been ordered. Though illiterate, Zhang Xiaojiu was clever and good at math.

Li Youfu was a bit slower in understanding, and Lin Chunyan thought they couldn’t remain ignorant forever. If necessary, they would need to learn math from Tutor Duan.

After shaking off the raindrops, the boatmen came in, bought their tickets, and asked for food.

"Uncle, when you return for a rest and come back, we’ll start promoting this ham."

The boatman had just put a slice of ham in his mouth, chewing and nodding, "I think I need some too. This can be stored for a long time, correct?"

Though the boatman only transported small quantities, his frequent trips allowed him to sell even more than some restaurants in Gourd Town.

Zhang Xiaojiu and Li Youfu also tried the ham, and they thought further ahead, asking about the pricing and how long it could be stored.

They had recently taken a lot of pig pancreas soap to other towns. Many people in their village knew how to make it, and the laundresses in town used it sparingly. Since Sanlang couldn’t take so much pig pancreas soap, he gave it all to Zhang Xiaojiu.

At first, like tofu skin and dried tofu, many didn’t know what pig pancreas soap was used for, so it didn’t sell well. But Zhang Xiaojiu had been through this once before. He sliced the pig pancreas soap into small pieces and gave them to peddlers or general stores.

When they returned next time, those who had used it knew how good it was, and the rest was easy. Once people used the pig pancreas soap, they wanted to buy more.

Zhang Xiaojiu and Li Youfu discussed it and thought the pig pancreas soap had a broader market, deciding to go to farther places. They were worried about encountering danger on the road, so they specifically sought out Hu Zi’s brother, Da Niu.

Da Niu was a brute with a one-track mind. After listening to Sun Anyuan, he didn’t dare to scheme against Zhang Xiaojiu anymore, but since he didn’t have enough money to always buy food from Lin Chunyan, he occasionally asked Hu Zi for some.

When Zhang Xiaojiu approached him, Da Niu didn’t ask for money, only some food in return.

The group went to a neighboring county and tried selling the pig pancreas soap.

When they returned, Zhang Xiaojiu and Li Youfu were bolder.

Hearing that the ham was for sale, could be stored for a long time, and tasted so good, they were eager to go to other towns again.

"No need to rush. This batch is experimental and there's not much," Lin Chunyan said. After finding out that the ham turned out well, she was thinking of mass-producing it.

However, the help in their family is far from enough, and Lin Chunyan hasn't figured out who to entrust these tasks to.

It seems that everyone around has their hands full.

After having a meal, Zhang Xiaojiu and Li Youfu headed home without minding the rain. Li Youfu followed Zhang Xiaojiu, saying that he wanted to help out at their home by harvesting the vegetables in the field.

There was only Mashi at home, and she certainly couldn't finish all the work by herself. Most of the tasks were left to the two young girls in the family.

Mrs. Zhang and Jin Niangzi walked out from the backyard, exchanging looks as they watched the backs of Zhang Xiaojiu and Li Youfu.

In recent trips back, Li Youfu had been returning with Zhang Xiaojiu each time, working for a whole day before coming back.

"Something feels off," Jin Niangzi whispered to Mrs. Zhang, "Who runs back home so often?"

Mrs. Zhang wasn't so sure, "That can't be, can it? I tried to match them before, but Youfu wasn't interested. He's probably just going to help."

On the way, Zhang Xiaojiu kept an eye on Li Youfu. It was fine the first couple of times, but now it was just some vegetables in the field, and he could finish harvesting them in a few hours.

But Li Youfu seemed oblivious to his hints and continued to trudge ahead.

Zhang Xiaojiu withdrew his gaze. Since the two of them were running errands together, even if they came to his house often, others couldn't say anything. It was good to have someone to help, regardless of what Li Youfu's intentions were.

When they returned home, as expected, Dabao was sitting on a chair eating egg custard, with Mashi fanning him with a fan and occasionally wiping the sweat from his forehead with a pained expression.

Seeing this, Zhang Xiaojiu furrowed his brow. Looking around, he saw Lan Jier and Hui Jier washing the freshly picked beans, preparing to dry the beans.

This was a method taught by Lin Chunyan. After turning them into dried beans, they could earn some money by selling them at Lin Chunyan's establishment.

The two girls were calm and composed. Upon seeing Zhang Xiaojiu and Li Youfu, they greeted them briefly and continued with their work.

Without a word, Li Youfu went to the backyard to help them harvest the beans.

Zhang Xiaojiu didn't rush to start working. Looking at Dabao, he said, "After you finish your meal, go help your sisters with their tasks."

As soon as he said it, he realized something was off and corrected himself, "Not to help your sisters, but to do the work yourself."

Mashi didn't catch the difference between the two statements and frowned at Zhang Xiaojiu, "You come back and immediately look for trouble?"

The two had a falling out some time ago, and Mashi returned to her birth family for a long time. Her siblings and in-laws were certainly unhappy about it, not wanting her to eat and drink too much at their expense.

Mashi had money in hand and, not wanting them to talk behind her back, handed over dozens of coins to her mother in front of them.

This allowed her to stay comfortably, but Dabao, despite having those coins, still caused friction.

Old Mrs. Ma, biased towards her grandson, reprimanded both Mashi and Dabao, telling them to return to their own home.

Mashi knew that after marrying, her birth family had little to do with her. She felt sorry for Dabao and resented Zhang Xiaojiu for not coming to fetch her sooner.

Zhang Xiaojiu had intended to give Mashi the cold shoulder, but when people from Mashi's birth family came, he took the opportunity to bring Mashi back.

Their relationship wasn't as good as before, and Zhang Xiaojiu had some feelings of avoidance. When running errands outside, he wouldn't think about Dabao's issues, so he went on these trips more frequently.

This time when they returned, after just a few words, they started bickering again. Dabao, after finishing his egg custard, wiped his mouth and was about to run out to play, completely ignoring what Zhang Xiaojiu had told him.

He knew Mashi wouldn't make him do any work.

After all, he was the male heir in the family, and the household would belong to him in the future. His two sisters lived off them, so shouldn't they work harder?

Zhang Xiaojiu, distracted, watched Dabao run off, no longer arguing with Mashi. He went straight out to bring him back.

After walking just a few meters, he saw Hu Shi and Zhang Xiaomei coming over, with Zhang Manliang tugging at Dabao.

Seeing Zhang Xiaojiu, Hu Shi quickened her pace. "Second Brother, you're finally back. You really need to discipline your Dabao. I've told your sister-in-law countless times, but she won't listen. Dabao comes to our shop every day to take things. If we refuse, he steals."

Zhang Xiaomei chimed in, "We only said a couple of words, but Dabao threw a tantrum and rolled on the ground in front of our shop. Anyone seeing this would think we have a deep-seated grudge. Can't he show us a little kindness?"

Hu Shi and Zhang Xiaomei had held in their anger for a long time. They immediately vented their frustration on Zhang Xiaojiu.

Zhang Xiaojiu's face flushed with embarrassment, and he apologized to Hu Shi. "Please don't be angry, Sister-in-law. I'll bring him back and teach him a lesson."

Hearing this, Dabao screamed at the top of his lungs and twisted his body, struggling to break free from Zhang Manliang's hold.

Despite his size, Dabao was sturdy due to the meat and eggs Mashi always prepared for him. Zhang Manliang nearly lost his balance due to Dabao's strength.

Zhang Xiaojiu's anger flared. Swiftly raising his arm, he slapped Dabao across the face.

Stunned by the slap, Dabao yelled even louder and ran back home.

Hearing the noise, Mashi came out and saw the slap mark on Dabao's face. Furious, she threatened suicide.

"Heavens! They're not leaving us any way to live. Do we have to jump into the river to end this?"

The veins on Zhang Xiaojiu's forehead throbbed with anger. Seeing Mashi throwing a tantrum without any regard, he grabbed her arm and tried to drag her to the small riverbank.

"If you want to jump into the river so badly, go ahead!"

Mashi didn't realize how far they had gone until she reacted and saw that Zhang Xiaojiu was serious this time. Frightened, she dared not move forward anymore.

Zhang Xiaojiu sneered coldly, "Since you two can't survive, there are places where you can end your life. Worst case, I’ll give my life for yours!"

Mashi mumbled but couldn’t speak. Zhang Xiaojiu, ignoring that they were on the street and many people had come out to watch, said directly, "Our Zhang family is too small to hold you, great Buddha. I think it’s best if we get a divorce, and you take your precious son to live elsewhere."

Mashi was stunned, and Hu Shi, standing nearby, was also frightened by Zhang Xiaojiu's reaction. She stepped forward to persuade him and told Zhang Manliang to quickly fetch Uncle Zhang.

But Zhang Xiaojiu was determined to divorce. "I'll go home, pack my things, and personally tell your family."

When Mashi realized what was happening, she rushed forward and clung to Zhang Xiaojiu's leg, only to be coldly kicked away by him.

"Why are you so heartless? I gave birth to a son for your Zhang family!"

Zhang Xiaojiu replied, "That's why I'm letting you take Dabao with you. I don’t want a son like that!"

Dabao understood what was happening. He knew that if he went with Mashi to his grandmother's house, life would be miserable—he couldn't even eat eggs there, and his grandmother and aunts never favored him.

He immediately stopped crying and, without even looking at Mashi, said to Zhang Xiaojiu, "Dad, I don’t want to go with her! Let her go back to her mother’s house. I don’t want her to be my mother anymore."

Mashi felt as if struck by lightning. She stared at Dabao, shocked, but Dabao avoided her gaze.

Refusing to give up, Mashi grabbed Dabao and said, "Dabao, how can you say such things? Wasn’t I good to you?"

She did everything for him!

But Dabao shoved her away and clung to Zhang Xiaojiu, pleading for mercy.

Zhang Xiaojiu gave Dabao a cold look. "Follow me to work in the fields now. If you ever act so unruly and spoiled again, you’ll be kicked out of this family."

Dabao hesitated. He didn’t want to go with Mashi because life at his grandmother’s was difficult, but he didn’t want to stay and work either.

How nice it would be if life could still be like the old days!

After Uncle Zhang arrived, he persuaded Zhang Xiaojiu to return home. It wouldn’t do to make a spectacle and let others laugh at us. Even if things were bad, they should be discussed behind closed doors.

The two women at home were still drying green beans. After Zhang Xiaojiu brought Dabao back home, he handed him a hoe and ordered him to work in the fields.

Dabao took the hoe reluctantly. He had never done such work before. After just two swings, sweat broke out on his forehead. Seeing that Zhang Xiaojiu and the others were discussing matters inside the house, he handed the hoe to Lan Jier standing nearby.

“You work for me! If you tell on me, I’ll beat you!”

Dabao had no respect for his two elder sisters. He followed the example of how Ma Shi treated them.

Li Youfu, who was standing nearby, couldn’t stand it anymore. Seeing Lan Jier’s timid and fearful appearance, he could imagine how much hardship she had endured in this household over the years.

He threw his hoe to the ground and glared at Dabao. “Do your own work. Don’t order others around.”

Dabao glared back. “Who are you? This is my house. If they don’t work, do you expect them to eat for free?”

Smack! A slap landed on the back of Dabao’s head. Zhang Xiaojiu had appeared without anyone noticing, his face dark and stern. “I see you haven’t learned anything!”

He was somewhat troubled. If he went away on business, even without Ma Shi at home, Dabao would still boss Lan Jier and Hui Jier around.

Dabao was stunned by the slap and didn’t dare to speak. Under Zhang Xiaojiu’s stern gaze, Dabao picked up the hoe again.

Lin Chunyan planned to head back early. First, she wanted to check on the feast prepared by Lin Cuixiang, and second, she needed to harvest the pumpkins in the field.

Pumpkins were a high-yield crop. Once the hot summer arrived, they grew rapidly, changing daily.

Lin Chunyan went to the field to pick vegetables every day, and each time, the vegetables were larger than the last.

Seeing that the pumpkins had grown quite large, Lin Chunyan decided not to wait any longer.

Zhang Daniang was there, boasting to Jin Niangzi about how big the pumpkins had grown. “They’re even bigger than the loofahs.”

The two women chatted for the entire morning and still hadn’t had their fill. Jin Niangzi asked Zhang Daniang to save some seeds for her so she could plant some next year.

Zhang Daniang nodded in agreement and, after seeing Jin Niangzi off, felt a little guilty. She looked at Lin Taohong, who seemed to be in a much better mood, chatting and laughing with Zhao Liu. She mustered the courage to approach her.

“Shouldn’t we start getting ready to go home?”

Lin Taohong rolled her eyes and ignored her.

Zhang Daniang then went to find Lin Chunyan, seeing that she had already packed up and was ready to go. She hurriedly put on a smile and approached.

“I’m so eager to try those pumpkins.”

“You’ll get to eat them soon. I guarantee you’ll find them delicious.”

When they returned, they harvested two pumpkins. After cutting them open, a light, fragrant aroma wafted out. Lin Chunyan, who hadn’t smelled such a scent in ages, took a deep breath.

Wang Yingniang saw the yellowish pulp inside and many white seeds attached. She asked if these could be eaten.

“Of course, they can. After drying and stir-frying, they’re just as delicious as sunflower seeds.”

In fact, because pumpkin seeds are more fragrant, they taste even better.

Lin Chunyan planned to steam one pumpkin to taste first, and then make the rest into pumpkin cakes.

The maid beside Qiwen Jie was still angry when they returned home late at night. Seeing Qiwen Jie’s good nature, she felt pity for her. “Why should we endure this? That Manager Zhu is too overbearing.”

What made them go to Clear Breeze Building to perform music? Clearly, they didn’t have good intentions, but were rather showing off.

Especially since their own lady was already in such a difficult situation, able only to play music at the perfume shop, and she still came to taunt her.

Lady Qiwen carefully placed the pipa down. This was now her most valuable possession and could not be damaged. She shook her head to signal the maid to stop talking.

The maid obediently closed her mouth and brought water over for Lady Qiwen to wash up. Lady Qiwen took out the coins she had earned and counted them. The jar was hardly half full, and after giving it a shake, it was clear there were only a few dozen coins in total.

After all, the pay at the perfume shop was meager. Even though it was only about twenty coins a day, many people still fought for the opportunity to go.

The maid, concerned, offered her advice to Lady Qiwen, "I heard that the previous singer at Clear Breeze Building followed a wealthy merchant. Though she was also a concubine, she had two maids and two old women serving her, and he gave her a lot of money every month. I saw her shopping at establishments last time."

Both were concubines, but the trading goods man who bought Lady Qiwen was clearly not as wealthy as that merchant. The small courtyard they rented was not very large either.

Lady Qiwen had always been somewhat proud and ambitious. Reflecting on her time in the brothel, many people lingered there just to talk to her, and most of her audience came from prominent families.

She should have accepted Mr. Li’s proposal earlier. Now that Mr. Li had passed away, Mr. Li was in charge of the household. Even if she became a secondary wife in his family, she should still be able to live a comfortable life.

She threw away the large red flower on her head. Although it looked good on her, it always shed pollen onto her head, and the smell was unpleasant.

The more Lady Qiwen thought, the sadder she became, and she went to bed early. To save lamp oil, they didn’t light lamps when they got up at night.

She couldn’t sleep. Closing her eyes, she saw Lady Zhu’s smug face. It had happened countless times. Lady Zhu always came over to show off, just as the maid said. She really was being too harsh.

The next morning, dark circles appeared under her eyes when she got up. Looking at the fine lines in the mirror, Lady Qiwen felt a surge of anger in her heart.

Why did she have to grow old? Why did her mother sell her? She could have stayed to play music, even if not as the top courtesan.

The loud banging on the door startled the maid, who was cooking porridge. She hurried to open the door and saw that it was the old master and mistress.

The maid knew they were here for money again.

Lady Qiwen peeked out from the room and realized it was almost the end of the month when she saw them.

It was rare to see them at other times, and Lady Qiwen couldn’t remember when it started, but every end of the month, they would show up.

"Qiwen Jie, how much did you earn this month? Sanlang from your elder brother’s family is getting married. We need to take more money this time."

Lady Qiwen took out the money she counted the day before. When her parents saw there was only this much, their faces immediately darkened.

"Qiwen Jie, why have you become so cunning? You’re not telling the truth even to your own parents. Why is there so little money? Doesn’t the trading goods man give you money to live on?"

Lady Qiwen felt a bit distressed for some reason, maybe because she hadn’t slept well. Her head throbbed.

"This is really all there is. We still need to use the rest for food and drink."

Hearing that there might be more, Lady Qiwen’s parents started searching. As they looked, they said, "Since you went to the brothels, your reputation has been ruined. The girls in your brother’s family can’t even find a match. They say a niece resembles her aunt, and you’ve really harmed them! If you don’t bring back more money to make up for it, what else can you do?"

After searching and only finding a few dozen coins, Lady Qiwen’s parents were dissatisfied. As they left, they grumbled and even took away the copper mirror from Lady Qiwen’s vanity.

From the moment they entered, the maid didn’t dare to make a sound. Only after they left did she come out. Seeing the mess they left behind, she wanted to cry. The way they looked at her was terrifying. If things continued like this, they might sell her next.

Lady Qiwen sat still and didn’t move. After a long while, she came to her senses and wanted to pick another large red flower from the courtyard to wear on her head. But without a mirror, she couldn’t be sure if the flower was properly placed.

Lady Qiwen decided not to wear it. She got up and went into the room, intending to take her pipa to the perfume shop.

But when she saw that a corner of the pipa had been chipped during the search for coins, Lady Qiwen’s tears, which she had held back, finally fell.