Chapter 37: The Thoughts of Youth

Chapter 37: The Thoughts of Youth

After the clan leader and Bao Ren left, only the four family members remained in the small courtyard. Jiu Jiu and Chun Sheng finally had the chance to talk properly with their brothers.

Jiu Jiu darted into the left side room and rummaged through the cabinet, pulling out a money box and two stacks of bamboo paper bound with thread, showing them to her brothers.

Qiu Huanian asked in surprise, "What is this?"

"It's the kind of diary Brother Hua mentioned! Sister makes me write it every day!" Chun Sheng mumbled, clearly not thrilled about the task.

Jiu Jiu stepped on his foot, "I told you to record what homework you did each day and what tasks you completed, not to scribble randomly."

Chun Sheng retorted, "I don't even know all the characters yet, so I can only draw pictures to remember."

"That's because you don't study seriously or think carefully in your daily life."

Seeing the two children on the verge of arguing, Qiu Huanian chuckled and said, "Alright, alright, both of you have a point. Let me see what you've recorded first."

Over the past month, Jiu Jiu's personality had grown stronger, and she had taken on a more authoritative role in managing her younger brother, Chun Sheng.

Qiu Huanian had always encouraged Jiu Jiu and dared to give her opportunities to grow and gain experience. Jiu Jiu had gradually transformed from a shy child who didn't dare to speak loudly in front of others into a confident and independent young girl.

Chun Sheng picked up his stack of "diaries" and shook them up and down. Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse had no choice but to look at his first.

Chun Sheng had already learned how to write numbers and the names of the months. Each page of the bamboo paper, cut to the size of two palms, was marked with a date. Although the characters were large and somewhat distorted, they were at least straight and orderly.

Du Yunse frowned as he looked at them, but Qiu Huanian subtly nudged him with his elbow and praised Chun Sheng a few words.

Chun Sheng's records were simple. Apart from daily homework, they mostly consisted of things like going to the river to catch shrimp, catching butterflies in the hills, or helping his sister make Sorghum Candy. Most of the content was depicted with crude drawings, with very little text. Qiu Huanian had to rely on Chun Sheng's explanations to understand the specifics.

Compared to Chun Sheng, Jiu Jiu's diary was much more formal.

Although she had started learning alongside Chun Sheng, she was three years older and more diligent in her studies. She knew many more characters than Chun Sheng. For characters she didn't know, she would either find another way to express the idea or use a homophone, marking it with a small circle to ask her brothers about later.

In addition to carefully recording daily meals, homework, and interpersonal relationships, Jiu Jiu's diary also included an account of Sorghum Candy income and expenses.

Thanks to the promotion during the Peach Blossom Banquet, the resourceful Meng Wudong had managed to sell Sorghum Candy throughout Zhang County. He even invented a subcontracting model, buying Sorghum Candy from Jiu Jiu at one coin for two pieces and then selling it to shops in Zhang County at two coins for three pieces, further expanding the candy's market.

In just one month, Jiu Jiu had already bought two cartloads of beetroots with Wei Liuhua. Worried that Jiu Jiu might not be able to handle it all, Wei Liuhua would occasionally come over to help peel and mash the beetroots. She would leave immediately after finishing, never staying longer to try to learn the recipe.

Now, the daily income from Sorghum Candy, after deducting costs, was close to two hundred coins. Jiu Jiu, concerned about the difficulty of storing too many copper coins, asked Meng Wudong to consolidate the payments into silver. In less than a month, the money box had gained over four taels of silver.

Combined with the twenty-three taels of silver Qiu Huanian had, the family now had a total of over twenty-seven taels of silver, with a steady stream of income. Even accounting for Qiu Huanian's monthly medicine expenses, building a grand and beautiful brick house was more than feasible.

Jiu Jiu's success in managing the Sorghum Candy business was an unexpected delight. Qiu Huanian didn't hold back his praise, and Du Yunse also nodded in approval of Jiu Jiu's diligence and studiousness. Chun Sheng, knowing his sister had indeed done better than him, could only sulk and hang his head. Qiu Huanian noticed everything but chose not to say anything for the time being.

Later, Cun Lan from the clan leader's house came to call them for dinner, and Qiu Huanian's family went to the clan leader's home.

Today, Yun Cheng had also returned home from the county school. He didn't trouble his family and instead took several mule carts to get back. He had just arrived and, upon seeing Du Yunse, immediately stood up excitedly, shedding his usual mature demeanor.

The clan leader's family had set out the largest dining table, and because there were so many people, they split into two tables. Many of the dishes on the table were learned from Meng Fuyue, Ye Taohong, and Qiu Huanian. There was sour fish, braised pork, and corn rib soup, accompanied by fresh seasonal vegetables and homemade pickles, making everyone's appetite soar.

The clan leader opened a treasured bottle of wine and shared a few cups with Du Yunse and Yun Cheng to celebrate their success in this year's imperial examinations. When Du Yunse mentioned that he planned to take the provincial examination next year, the clan leader repeatedly said, "Good, good."

After the meal, the clan leader noticed that Du Yunse had something to say and asked everyone else to leave, keeping only Du Yunse, Qiu Huanian, and Yun Cheng. Du Yunse then asked Yun Cheng to stay as well.

The clan leader had a premonition and frowned in thought, "Yunse, what do you want to discuss privately with me?"

"It's about the Du Yunjing family."

"Didn't Yun Jing also pass the academy exam? Although he was at the bottom of the list, it's still not easy..." the clan leader asked uneasily, "Could it be that he used some tricks?"

Du Yunjing had gone to study in the county school many years ago, and the clan leader didn't know much about him. Previously, he simply thought of him as a rare young talent from Du Village.

After Du Yunjing's mother, Zhao, repeatedly stirred up trouble, although the clan leader had protected their family for Du Yunjing's future, he couldn't help but harbor doubts.

Later, he heard from Yun Cheng about Du Yunjing's behavior at the county school, and these doubts gradually turned into uncertainty.

Now that Du Yunse, who had achieved the top three in the academy exams, had returned to the village, while Du Yunjing's family had no word, although Du Yunse hadn't said a word, the clan leader's mind had already started to speculate in a negative direction.

"Du Yunjing's ranking on the academy exam list should indeed be his own doing."

Before the clan leader could relax, he heard Du Yunse say indifferently, "But on the day the results were announced, he was criticized by our prefecture's education commissioner as 'absurd and unfit for significant responsibilities,' and was publicly reprimanded and banned from the provincial exams for three terms."

"How... how could this be?"

The clan leader was shocked. The last time he heard about the 'education commissioner' was when Du Yunse, at the tender age of ten, topped the scholar exam, attracting the education commissioner of Liaozhou to Du Village for an assessment. Magistrate Wang of Zhang County's respectful attitude towards the education commissioner left a deep impression on the clan leader.

What had Du Yunjing done, a newly listed scholar, to be publicly reprimanded by the prefecture's education commissioner?!

Du Yunse calmly and succinctly recounted a series of absurd actions Du Yunjing had taken in the prefectural city. He spoke as if it were some minor matter, but the clan leader listened with rising anger, his blood running cold.

At the entrance of the examination hall, Du Yunjing had slandered and maliciously attacked his fellow clansman, inciting other scholars to question the education commissioner. After being warned by the education commissioner without being named, he deliberately skipped the Hundred Flavors Test organized by the prefectural magistrate and was caught in broad daylight with Li Guer.

If it weren't for the new education commissioner's strict enforcement of the rules, he could have stripped Du Yunjing of his scholar title on the spot without anyone objecting!

Seeing the clan leader's furious state, Du Yunse gestured to Yun Cheng to help the clan leader sit down and calm down.

"Du Yunjing is full of jealousy, like his mother, greedy for small gains but losing big principles. This self-inflicted disaster was already foreshadowed. Why should the clan leader add to his own distress over this?"

"..."

The clan leader took a sip of water offered by Yun Cheng, sighed deeply, and said dejectedly, "Yunse, I... sigh!"

He remembered how he had previously, for such a person, caused Yunse and Brother Hua to feel cold-hearted, and couldn't stop feeling regret and anger.

Yun Cheng comforted him, "Grandfather, you didn't see Du Yunjing often before, so it's understandable to misjudge once. Now that you recognize the true nature of this family, it's fine."

"..." The clan leader sighed, "Their whole family is confused, and with Li Guer added to the mix, who knows what trouble they'll cause when they return to the village."

"Du Village might not have peace in the future."

Hearing this, Qiu Huanian's heart stirred, "If that's the case, why not just let the troublemakers leave?"

The clan leader's brow twitched. Did Brother Hua mean to expel them from the clan? This... this seems too harsh for fellow clansmen.

Qiu Huanian smiled, "Clan leader, you care about clan ties, but Du Yunjing's family might not. When he was doing those absurd things outside, did he ever care about the people of Du Village?"

"If it weren't for Yunse participating in the academy exam this year and topping the list, impressing the prefectural magistrate and the education commissioner, do you think, based on what Du Yunjing did, the education commissioner would develop a dislike for scholars from Du Village, affecting Yun Cheng and others' future paths in the imperial exams?"

"We had Yun Cheng stay to listen today so he knows the whole story, lest he be asked about it during the prefectural academy exam and not know how to respond."

"..."

Reminded by Qiu Huanian, the clan leader quickly realized the adverse impact Du Yunjing's actions could have on all the scholars of the Du clan.

Thinking that his most outstanding grandson, Yun Cheng, was almost tainted by Du Yunjing's actions, the clan leader's heart, which had grown softer with age, hardened again as it had in his youth when he traveled far and wide.

He thought for a moment, then shook his head, "I already know about this matter, leave it to me to arrange. Baoquan and Zhao are after all elders, you youngsters shouldn't interfere too much, lest it gives people something to talk about."

Qiu Huanian looked at Du Yunse, who nodded at him, and Qiu Huanian didn’t say anything more.

After seeing off all the guests, the clan leader called Bao Ren, his wife, and Yun Cheng to his side once again.

Upon hearing about the disgraceful things Du Yunjing had done in the prefecture city, Meng Fuyue was first relieved that her nephew’s thing with Du Yunjing didn’t work out, otherwise wouldn’t it have been pushing Brother Yuanling into a pit of fire?

The clan leader repeated Qiu Huanian’s reminder and his own analysis, and Bao Ren and his wife immediately became anxious.

The couple had been unlucky with their offspring, having lost several children in infancy, and only Yun Cheng, their only surviving child, had brought them comfort with his intelligence, sensibility, and natural talent for studying.

Bao Ren and his wife’s greatest hope was that their son would one day pass the academy exam and bring honor to their ancestors. They would fight to the death for anyone who messed with Yun Cheng!

If it weren’t for their father-in-law still being around, Meng Fuyue would have already cursed Zhao, Du Yunjing, Li Guer, and their ancestors for generations.

But she couldn’t curse any further, as that would be cursing her own ancestors.

"Kick him out! Once Du Yunjing is out, he’s no longer part of our Du Village!"

Meng Fuyue, always impulsive, wasn’t held back by Bao Ren this time, because he felt exactly the same as his wife. If their father didn’t agree, he would argue even if it meant being scolded for being unfilial.

The clan leader shook his head and turned to his eldest grandson, asking, "What does Yun Cheng think?"

Yun Cheng said gravely, "Most people in Uncle Bao Quan’s family are not in harmony with the Du clan. Not to mention recent events, in previous years they have always caused trouble in the village. If Grandfather wants the village to prosper, such a family cannot be kept for long, and they may not want to stay in our village either."

"Moreover, Grandfather always says that Brother Yunse is a qilin boy bestowed upon the Du clan by heaven. A qilin, encountering rain, gives rise to wind and soars thousands of miles in the clouds, and will not be confined to the small corner of Du Village forever. Brother Yunse and his husband are good people who know how to return favors, but if Grandfather wants them to always be in harmony with the clan, some choices must be made."

"What happened before was wrong, but it’s not too late to fix it."

The clan leader nodded and smiled, "Good job, you’ve grown up, and I finally see something good. In the future, learn more from your brother Yunse, and I will wait for the day when you too can soar like a qilin."

The clan leader looked at Meng Fuyue, who was holding back a lot of words, "Eldest daughter-in-law, I know you are uncomfortable. You can spread the word about Du Yunjing’s mess in the prefecture city as much as you like, don’t leave them any face, the further the better, but don’t mention Yunse and Brother Huanian, just say you heard it from the county officials."

"Father, you mean..." Bao Ren seemed to understand but couldn’t quite grasp it.

The clan leader said earnestly to his eldest son, "If you’re going to act, do it clean and neat. In the coming days, learn more from me, don’t let your son’s success outpace your own."

"Also, the eldest daughter-in-law should get closer to Bao Quan’s eldest daughter-in-law in the future. Although the Wei family is not well off, coming from a small village in the mountains, she seems to be a sensible and capable person. Only when they want to split the family can I step in and make things right."

...

On the second morning after Qiu Huanian returned, Meng Yuanling, who got the news, came to Du Village in an oxcart driven by Meng Wudong to play with him.

After meeting, they first congratulated each other. Meng Yuanling brought two pounds of tofu and one pound of pork, and Meng Wudong even generously bought one pound of oil and one pound of white sugar.

One pound of soybean oil cost one hundred and twenty wen, and one pound of white sugar was about the same price. These items added up to almost three qian of silver. Qiu Huanian wanted to decline, but Meng Yuanling directly pressed his hand.

"Our gifts were bought with our own earned money, Brother Huanian, don’t be polite. My second brother’s been making good money lately, so it’s time to take advantage of him."

Meng Wudong laughed out loud, "Why does my brother always take their side? It wasn’t like this when you were begging me to bring you here!"

Meng Wudong had been feeling pretty proud lately. Even though it was exhausting trying to sell Sorghum Candy everywhere and he had encountered many difficulties, he’d finally gotten out from under the shadow of being the second son with no inheritance from the tofu shop. How could he not be happy!

Since partnering with Qiu Huanian to distribute Sorghum Candy, he had saved up a full seven taels of silver, enough to buy a strong blue-and-white mule! Half a year ago, this would have been unthinkable.

Meng Wudong had no interest in studying or the academy exam, and couldn’t join in the conversation between the young men. After staying in the courtyard for a while, he thought of finding some work to do.

Seeing that the firewood pile in the courtyard was almost empty, he volunteered to go up the mountain to help chop wood. Qiu Huanian couldn’t dissuade him, and Meng Yuanling was egging him on, so Qiu Huanian had to instruct Chun Sheng to lead the way and let them go.

With the Meng brothers visiting, they would definitely stay for lunch. Qiu Huanian got the tofu and meat Meng Yuanling brought and went to the small garden to pick fresh veggies.

The two rows of yardlong beans, and one row each of bok choy, eggplants, and peppers that Qiu Huanian planted after Qingming Festival are thriving. The eggplant and pepper plants already have small green fruits about the size of a finger, and in another half month, the first harvest will be ready. The tender bok choy leaves are just right for eating now, and there are already many young pods growing at the base of the yardlong bean trellises.

Qiu Huanian grabbed a willow basket and headed out to pick the bean pods, and Meng Yuanling came over to help. Qiu Huanian taught him to start picking from the bottom, so that the lower parts wouldn’t take up nutrients, allowing the upper vines to grow more pods. The Meng family didn’t farm much, so Meng Yuanling listened with fascination, memorizing everything whether he would use it later or not.

After picking half a basket of bean pods, cutting a handful of chives, a few green onions, and a bunch of bok choy, Qiu Huanian returned to the stove to start cooking, with Meng Yuanling helping to wash and prepare the vegetables.

Qiu Huanian planned to make four simple homestyle dishes: braised pork with bean pods, scrambled eggs with chives, homestyle tofu, and a cold bok choy salad. At this, Meng Yuanling burst out laughing.

“Brother Hua, if this is your idea of homestyle, what do you call what we usually eat? This is almost as good as a village feast!”

Qiu Huanian smiled without responding. Having eaten the dishes made by the chefs at Shuyi Inn in the city and tasted Huang Daniang’s cooking, he knew that his own cooking could only be considered homestyle.

But homestyle didn’t mean low-quality or unappetizing. Cooking simple dishes with vegetables he had grown himself had a unique flavor, something that even delicacies might not surpass.

The star of the four dishes was the braised pork with bean pods. The beans he grew probably weren’t called yardlong beans in modern terms, but that’s what everyone in Zhang County called them, so Qiu Huanian followed local custom.

Qiu Huanian first cut the pork into thick slices about half a finger wide, then placed them in a bowl, adding green onions, salt, soy sauce, and a bit of vegetable oil to marinate. The pork slices for braised pork with bean pods couldn’t be cut too thin, or they would lose their texture after long cooking.

Meng Yuanling had already washed the bean pods, removing the tips and strings as Qiu Huanian had taught him. Qiu Huanian grabbed a handful of bean pods, twisted them in the middle, and tossed them directly into the hot, dry wok.

Before stir-frying the bean pods, he used the hot iron wok to evaporate the moisture from the beans themselves, ensuring they would absorb the flavors of the seasoning later instead of being bland and watery.

When the skins of the bean pods in the wok began to shrivel and wrinkle, emitting a cooked aroma, Qiu Huanian temporarily set them aside. He added vegetable oil, green onions, and a small star anise pod to the wok to stir-fry until fragrant, then added the marinated pork to render out the fat. After that, he returned the bean pods to the wok, adding some salt and soy sauce for seasoning.

After stir-frying everything evenly, Qiu Huanian finally poured in enough water to cover the ingredients, covered the wok, and let it simmer slowly.

Meng Yuanling sniffed the enticing aroma wafting from the wok, his nose twitching slightly. Taking advantage of Qiu Huanian’s momentary free time, he pulled him behind the pear tree in the yard.

The pear tree’s flowers had long since fallen, and now the lush green leaves were dotted with small, unripe fruits. By autumn, they would likely yield several baskets of pears.

“What does Brother Ling want to know?”

“I didn’t say I wanted to ask anything!” Meng Yuanling denied in a whisper, looking around to confirm that Du Yunse was studying in the main room and Jiu Jiu was practicing embroidery in the left side room, their attention elsewhere. Then, with some hesitation, he said, “I just… heard that Yun Cheng has returned to the village… right?”

“Whether Yun Cheng has returned or not, you can just go to your aunt’s house and see for yourself. You—” Qiu Huanian found it amusing at first, but then his eyes lit up with a spark of gossip. “Are you—”

“Ah! It’s really nothing!” Meng Yuanling vehemently denied, his voice rising slightly before he quickly covered his mouth, his round eyes filled with accusation.

“Alright, alright, if it’s nothing, don’t get so worked up.” Seeing that he wouldn’t get any gossip for now, Qiu Huanian regretfully gave up.

Meng Yuanling muttered softly, “It’s really nothing.”

Qiu Huanian teased, “If it’s nothing, then I won’t tell you about Yun Cheng.”

“What about Yun Cheng?” Meng Yuanling quickly asked.

“Nothing?” Qiu Huanian smiled at him.

“…” Meng Yuanling blushed and stomped his foot, tugging at Qiu Huanian’s arm. “Brother Hua, I’m begging you, you must know something, so stop teasing me!”

Qiu Huanian poked his dimple, and Meng Yuanling quickly puffed out his cheeks and covered his face, glaring at Qiu Huanian in hopes of making him feel guilty.

After joking around, Qiu Huanian finally spoke seriously to Meng Yuanling. “Yun Cheng returned late yesterday evening and is heading back to the county school today. He’ll stop by after lunch to consult with Yun Se, so if you stay a bit longer, you’ll see him.”

Meng Yuanling sighed in relief, nodded, and slowly turned red, lost in his thoughts.

After a month apart, the puppy fat on Meng Yuanling’s face had faded even more. His cheeks were still round, but his chin had become more pointed, making him look like an adorable little hamster when he smiled. His rapid weight loss was likely due to both puberty and the emotional stress of a young heart.

From Meng Yuanling’s reactions, Qiu Huanian understood everything. He felt happy for his good friend, whom he’d met soon after arriving in this new life, but a twinge of concern also tugged at him.

Meng Yuanling and Yun Cheng are cousins, with Meng Yuanling being a year younger. Qingfu Town and Du Village are close by, and the two grew up together, almost like childhood sweethearts. Meng Yuanling is lively and cute, while Yun Cheng is mature beyond his years and always worrying. If they got together, it would be a match made in heaven.

But now, Meng Yuanling's feelings are pretty clear, though no one knows how Yun Cheng feels. If it's just one-sided love, there's not much to do about it.

Besides, Yun Cheng's mom, Meng Fuyue, was talked into playing matchmaker for Meng Yuanling and Du Yunjing by Zhao. Even though nothing came of it, it shows Meng Fuyue didn't see Meng Yuanling as a future daughter-in-law.

Even if Meng Fuyue agreed, Yun Cheng, as the clan leader's top grandson, wouldn't have his marriage decided so easily. It would still be up to the clan leader.

Even though the Meng family is pretty well-off in the countryside, Yun Cheng is still young. If he's aiming for the imperial exams, there's no hurry. He'll definitely find better options down the road.

As for being related, that's the least of their worries. Back in the day, marrying within the family was pretty common, and Meng Fuyue is Meng Yuanling's aunt on his father's side.

Nowadays, Yun Cheng and Meng Yuanling aren't closely related. Scientifically, it's fine, and the law allows it.

Meng Yuanling might be lively and playful, but he's no fool. He's thought it all through, which is why he doesn't dare visit his aunt's place to see Yun Cheng, afraid someone might catch on and make him give up his feelings for good.

Lately, Meng Yuanling's been torn between sweet and bitter feelings. He often sits by himself, smiling one minute and crying the next, making his mom and sister-in-law wonder what's going on.

Meng Yuanling doesn't dare say anything. Yun Cheng's family and his are really close. If things got awkward because of the kids, Meng Yuanling would be crushed.

Only with his buddy Qiu Huanian, who's not mixed up in all this, does he dare open up a bit.

Seeing Meng Yuanling about to cry, Qiu Huanian quickly changed the subject, "Alright, alright, we've got the info. Let's head back to cook. There are still a few dishes to make."

"Don't you dare cry, or else when Yun Cheng shows up later, he'll ask why your eyes are red. Then you'll have to figure out how to answer."

Meng Yuanling chuckled, his mood shifting fast, and went back to helping Qiu Huanian wash the baby bok choy.

As he scrubbed the roots, his hands paused for a moment, and he muttered almost inaudibly, "If only he really knew to ask..."