Chapter 27

Chapter 27

In the afternoon, Lu Yuan ground some beans, and upon her return, she simmered a small pot of soybean milk, filling six bowls.

She carefully placed three bowls of soybean milk into a basket, exited the kitchen, and called out to Chun Hua, "Chun Hua, let's take some soybean milk to Aunt Huang Lan's house."

Then, she turned to Old Lady He and added, "Grandma, please keep an eye on Qiu Hua for me."

Qiu Hua, eager to follow, stumbled a few steps before the old lady scooped her up.

Qiu Hua gazed longingly as her mother and sister departed, stretching out her small arms and repeatedly calling, "Mom, Mom, Mom."

Old Lady He patted her little bottom and said, "Your mom and sister will be back soon. Be a good girl, and tomorrow when we go to the market, Great-Grandma will buy you some candy."

Hearing the term "Great-Grandma," Qiu Hua suddenly ceased her struggles. She looked up at Old Lady He, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

Old Lady He seemed to grasp the little one's bewilderment, realizing she was likely puzzled by the change from "Grandma He" to "Great-Grandma."

She explained, "Your mother is marrying my grandson. Since you two sisters will be living in the Qi family, you should call me Great-Grandma."

Old Lady He pondered whether the children's surnames should be changed now that the marriage was imminent and decided to discuss it with Li Niang later.

Lu Yuan delivered the soybean milk to the Chen household.

Old Mrs. Chen, seeing the mother and daughter, nodded and called into the house, "Second daughter-in-law, someone's here for you."

Huang Lan emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands. Surprised to see Lu Yuan, she asked, "What brings you here?"

Lu Yuan replied, "I made some soybean milk and brought some over for you to try."

Huang Lan said, "Why are you doing this? This is something you sell for money."

Lu Yuan explained, "A few bowls of soybean milk aren't worth much. Besides, you taught me how to identify mushrooms this morning. I can't just accept your kindness without showing my appreciation."

Huang Lan chuckled, "You're so genuine, unlike Niu Cui, who's always trying to take advantage of others. Not long ago, she wanted your soybean milk recipe for free. Just the other day, she took a basket of vegetables to the market, rode the ox cart, and promised to pay after selling her produce, but she still hasn't paid."

"Only the village head's family is easygoing and won't press the issue. If it were me, I'd have gone to the Chen family that very day to demand my money."

Lu Yuan handed her the soybean milk and said, "Won't she have to pay next time she takes the ox cart?"

Huang Lan scoffed, "People like her are shamelessly cunning. If you don't bring it up, she'll pretend it never happened. If you do, she'll claim she forgot, didn't have money, and will pay next time. But 'next time' never comes. Unless you corner her at home, she simply won't pay."

Such people were common, and Lu Yuan wasn't particularly surprised.

After delivering the soybean milk, Lu Yuan took Chun Hua and headed back home.

That night, she washed up in the kitchen before returning to her room.

Naturally, it was still Qi Cheng's room.

The two children were already restless on the bamboo bed.

With no toys or entertainment, the children were quite bored.

Lu Yuan thought for a moment, then joined them on the bed, leaning against Qi Cheng's side, and asked, "Would you like to hear a story?"

Both children's eyes widened as they looked at her. Lu Yuan smiled and said, "How about I tell you the story of Sleeping Beauty?"

Chun Hua, puzzled, asked, "What is Sleeping Beauty? Is it like Uncle Qi, a sleeping beauty?"

Lu Yuan paused, then turned to glance at Qi Cheng behind her. She nodded, "I suppose so."

With those features, that height, and build, wasn't he essentially the male version of Sleeping Beauty?

She opened her arms, inviting the two little ones to snuggle closer.

Both children crawled over, each lying on one side.

Lu Yuan began softly, "A long, long time ago, in a faraway land, there was a small city. The city's lord and his wife had been married for many years but couldn't have a child, so they prayed to heaven for one..."

Her soft, gentle voice flowed like a tranquil stream into Qi Cheng's ears.

If only the story she was telling weren't so frivolous, it might have been better.

Leaving aside how the curse was taken seriously, one might wonder if the person who cast the curse had bribed the city's servants to deliberately make the city lord's daughter fall into a deep sleep.

Instead of a thorough investigation, the city lord had the entire city sealed off—hardly the mark of a competent ruler.

What Qi Cheng found most unacceptable was the son of another city lord, who behaved so frivolously and took advantage of the unconscious girl. Such a person, with his improper conduct, was hardly a hero.

Before he could finish his silent critique, he heard Chun Hua ask her mother, "Mom, does that mean if you kiss Uncle Qi, he'll wake up?"

Qi Cheng: ...

Listen to how she's teaching the children!

Lu Yuan: ...

After a moment of silence, she realized the cultural disparity of the times—this story was not suitable for ancient children.

After a long pause, Lu Yuan said, "That city lord's son was no good either. What decent young man would take advantage of a girl? If you ever meet a man like that, run away immediately."

Qi Cheng: ...

So you knew that young man wasn't a good person, yet you still told the story to these children. Aren't you afraid they'll learn bad things!

Lu Yuan thought for a moment and said, "How about I tell you the story of Chenxiang Rescuing His Mother instead?"

After all, Chinese myths were more fitting for Chinese listeners.

Qi Cheng found this story much more agreeable and pleasant to listen to.

On market day, Lu Yuan, as usual, rose early to prepare the soybean milk.

Old Lady He also woke up, yawned, and said, "Today, I'll go to town with you. Let's bring both children along."

Lu Yuan was momentarily stunned, "What about Qi Cheng?"

Old Lady He replied, "I've already spoken to Old Man Li. He'll watch him for the morning. It's fine."

Old Man Li had arrived early today. Lu Yuan ladled a bowl of soybean milk for him before setting out with Old Lady He and the two children.

On the way, Lu Yuan asked, "How much should we pay for the children's fare?"

Old Lady He, holding Qiu Hua, said, "One coin for the older one. The younger one is free since I'm carrying her."

As she spoke, she took out a coin and said, "Driver Jun-sheng definitely won't charge me, so you give it to him for me."

Lu Yuan took it and said, "He never used to take my money either, but I feel that since we go to town often, it isn't right to never pay. Last time, I gave him two coins. I figured even if I paid on Old Lady He's behalf, he still wouldn't accept it."

Old Lady He said, "Even if he doesn't take it, the money should be given. That way, if we need help with something else in the future, it'll be easier to ask."

Lu Yuan replied, "That's what I thought too."

When they reached the village entrance, Liu Junsheng saw Old Lady He and asked, "Grandma He, are you going to town too?"

Old Lady He nodded and said, "Going to buy some things."

Once on the ox cart, Lu Yuan handed four copper coins to Liu Junsheng.

Liu Junsheng only took two coins and said, "This amount is enough."

Old Lady He's face immediately darkened, and she said sternly, "You should charge what's due, or else what will others say about our family?"

"Take it!" she added with particular severity.

Liu Junsheng was a bit intimidated by Old Lady He. After hesitating, he took the remaining two copper coins.

Seeing this, Lu Yuan thought to herself that she wasn't the only one afraid of Old Lady He—even a big man like him was scared. She didn't feel like a coward anymore.

Upon arriving in town, Old Lady He and Lu Yuan went to the market together.

Lu Yuan searched for her stall. She had made an arrangement: if the spot was reserved early, they’d leave a rope and a stone there as a marker.

Not long after entering the market, she found her stall up ahead.

The location was indeed excellent.

The person who had reserved the spot for her was a boy around thirteen or fourteen years old.

After confirming with him, Lu Yuan gave him two coins, and the boy handed her a bamboo token.

Old Lady He asked curiously, "Why did you still pay him?"

Lu Yuan explained, "I usually arrive late, and the good spots are all taken. My two buckets of soy milk don’t sell well, so I asked someone to help reserve a spot. It’s just two extra coins, and I can still earn it back."

After setting up the soy milk, she picked up a basin and said to Old Lady He, "Please watch the stall for a bit. I'm going to get water."

Lu Yuan wove through the crowd, her steps light and brisk. There was no sign life had worn her down—instead, she was full of vitality.

Old Lady He seemed to catch her upbeat mood and couldn't help but smile.

It took Lu Yuan a while to fetch the water. As she returned, vendors on both sides of the market watched and discussed her.

Because of what had happened a few days earlier, Lu Yuan had already expected to become the talk of the market and didn’t mind much.

She returned with the water and asked Old Lady He, "What did you need to get, ma'am?"

Old Lady He replied, "Just a few things. I'll take Qiu Hua with me so she won’t be underfoot. We'll be back soon."

Lu Yuan nodded and waved at Qiu Hua, saying, "Be good now and go with her."

Qiu Hua reacted slowly, nodding after a moment and saying, "Candy… candy."

Lu Yuan thought Qiu Hua was asking her to buy candy and nodded, "Alright, after we sell the soy milk, I'll take you to buy some malt sugar candy."

Old Lady He left with Qiu Hua, leaving only Lu Yuan and Chun Hua.

Chun Hua said, "Mom, I can wash the bowls for you."

Lu Yuan smiled and said, "Sure, when customers are done, you can wash the bowls. I'll buy you candy too."

As soon as she finished speaking, a customer came to buy soy milk.

With the stall located at the front, business was indeed good. A steady stream of customers came, and soon she was running short on bowls.

Lu Yuan thought she would buy more bowls later.

After a while, the local official came over. Lu Yuan quickly said, "The stall fee’s been paid."

The official grumbled, "I know. I'm just here to have a bowl of soy milk."

Lu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and ladled him a bowl fuller than most.

After drinking, the official took out a coin and gave it to her.

Lu Yuan accepted the money and said, "Let me give you a little more, Sir Official."

The official waved his hand, "That's enough."

Returning the bowl to her, he glanced at the child washing bowls by the basin and asked, "Your daughter?"

Lu Yuan nodded and smiled, "Yes, my daughter. Children from poor families have to grow up fast. She's already out working with me."

The official nodded, then said quietly, "Let me share a bit of gossip with you—don't tell anyone else."

Lu Yuan quickly nodded in agreement.

The official said, "The town chief is planning to redo the market layout. He wants to set up eight to ten permanent stalls and even put up rain shelters. If you want to expand your soy milk business, you might consider renting a permanent one."

After hearing this, Lu Yuan felt tempted but quickly dismissed the idea.

Soy milk has to be made with mountain spring water, and she can’t stall out every day. A permanent stall would be wasted.

Besides, she didn't have enough money.

She politely said, "I'll think about it."

The official suggested further, "You don’t have to use the permanent stall every day. You could also sublet it to others on a daily basis."

That was indeed an option.

Lu Yuan asked curiously, "How much would it cost per month?"

The official replied, "Not much, just ninety coins a month."

Lu Yuan: ...

That was hardly "not much." She only paid two coins a day for her stall, which came to sixty coins a month.

She felt the official wasn’t just sharing a rumor—he was clearly looking for tenants.

Lu Yuan gave a noncommittal answer, and just then, another vendor arrived. The official went off to collect stall fees.

Lu Yuan soon sold out one bucket of soy milk and started on the second.

Just as she began selling from the second bucket, she saw Old Lady He carrying Qiu Hua and holding a basket as she returned.

Qiu Hua held a piece of malt candy in each hand, clearly bought by Old Lady He.

A small piece of malt candy cost one penny—Old Lady He actually splurged?!

Back at the stall, Qiu Hua handed the other piece of malt candy to her sister: "Candy, sister. Eat."

Chun Hua looked at her mother.

Only after Lu Yuan nodded did she take it.

Old Lady He didn’t say anything and simply crouched down to take over Chun Hua’s work.

As Lu Yuan ladled soybean milk, she glanced at Old Lady He’s basket and could vaguely glimpse a pair of red candles.

So she had come to town to buy these things.

This time, both buckets of soybean milk sold out much earlier than usual, and Lu Yuan thought she could buy two larger buckets to hold the soybean milk.

But... she couldn’t carry them with a shoulder pole—that was a real problem.

After the soybean milk sold out, there were still dried bamboo shoots and mushrooms left.

The dried bamboo shoots sold for just six pennies, and that was only because a customer who’d tried the stir-fried pork with dried bamboo shoots at Welcome Guest came to buy some.

And she only sold one pound of mushrooms, for seven pennies.

Many stalls were selling mushrooms, and the ones others had were even better than Lu Yuan’s.

By noon, she had only earned an additional five pennies, so Lu Yuan packed up her stall.

After selling the beans, the cured meat, and the pork, then they headed home.

They left the market and returned to the town entrance.

Liu Junsheng saw them and said to Lu Yuan, "The proprietor of Welcome Guest asked you to bring five pounds of dried bamboo shoots next time you come to the market."

Lu Yuan acknowledged this, then lifted both children onto the cart.

All the way home, and after setting down the carrying pole, Lu Yuan immediately started cooking.

In the evening, as Lu Yuan washed up and prepared to return to her room, Old Lady He called her.

Lu Yuan entered Old Lady He’s room and saw the altered clothes laid out on the bed, along with a fine-toothed comb, a pair of red silk flower hairpins, and a rouge box.

Old Lady He said, "Though our family is poor and you’re remarrying, these things and the formalities can't be skipped."

"Later, I’ll ask Grandma Huang Lan to come and arrange your hair, right here in my room."

Looking at the items on the bed and hearing Old Lady He’s words, Lu Yuan finally felt the reality of the upcoming marriage.

Old Lady He continued, "I was thinking, since both your children will be living with the Qi family from now on, should we change Chun Hua and Qiu Hua’s surname to Qi? What do you think?"

Lu Yuan came back to the moment, thought for a moment, and said, "I have no objection, but the children should decide for themselves."

Old Lady He: "Qiu Hua is still so young, what could she possibly understand?"

Lu Yuan replied, "That’s exactly why we should wait until they’re a bit older to ask if they want to change their surname. It’s too early to talk about this now."

Although Chun Hua didn’t have deep feelings for her father, he was still her biological father, so she might not be willing to change her surname.

Qiu Hua had no memory of him and might agree.

Old Lady He thought it over and also felt it was a bit premature. If they brought it up after the children had developed stronger bonds, they would probably be willing.

Lu Yuan stayed in Old Lady He’s room for a while before taking the items back to her own room.

Back in her room, she glanced at her two children playing with pebbles, then looked at Qi Cheng lying there like a corpse on the bed.

She walked to the bedside, leaned close to his ear, and said, "Qi Cheng, if you don’t wake up soon, we’ll be getting married tomorrow. Once I’ve exchanged bows with Big Red, you won’t be able to back out."

Big Red was the name Lu Yuan had given the rooster.

Lu Yuan stared at Qi Cheng, who showed no reaction, shook her head helplessly, and sighed, "Forget it, I doubt you’ll wake up anyway."

As she turned to speak to the children, she completely missed the slight tremble in Qi Cheng’s finger.