Chapter 90

Chapter 90

Lu Yuan was drifting in and out of sleep when she felt the person beside her throw back the covers and get out of bed, letting in a cold draft.

"What are you doing?" Lu Yuan mumbled through chattering teeth, shivering from the chill.

She glanced outside the curtain; the sky was still dark, probably just before daybreak.

Qi Cheng replied, "Like I said a couple of days ago, I’m heading back to Weishan Village today to bring the sugarcane into the city."

Lu Yuan, still groggy, took a moment to process his words.

She pushed herself up groggily and said, "I’ll go with you."

Qi Cheng tucked the quilt around her. "Go back to sleep. I’ll make it quick and might even be back by noon for lunch."

After a brief hesitation, Lu Yuan snuggled back under the covers, yawning as she told him, "Be careful, then."

Qi Cheng gave a nod.

He put on his outer robe and servant's cap, then quietly opened the door and left the room.

Despite his efforts to be quiet, his grandmother was already up shortly after he left the room.

"Sheng Geer, let me fix you some boiled eggs for you to take on the road."

Qi Cheng declined, "No need to trouble yourself. I’ll grab some steamed buns near the city gates. The sooner I go, the sooner I’ll return."

The old lady nodded and added, "The roads aren’t safe lately—do be cautious."

After splashing his face with cold water, Qi Cheng hitched the horse to the cart and set off.

Lu Yuan slept until seven in the morning before getting up.

As she stepped out of the room, both children rushed to the door. After greeting them and her grandmother, she washed up and had breakfast.

Once finished, Lu Yuan gathered the children’s calligraphy materials and began calculating the cost of making spicy tofu skin.

Although they currently got the tofu skin for free, she knew they’d eventually have to buy it in larger quantities, so she included it in her calculations.

Tofu skin wasn’t particularly cheap or expensive—market price was about six *wen* per pound, which could make at least ten servings after soaking.

However, oil paper for packaging cost one *wen* for three sheets, and spices and sugar added another two *wen* per serving.

Factoring in small waste, the total cost came to about three *wen* per serving.

As a small business, they couldn’t charge too much, but they'd have to charge five *wen* per serving.

Though five *wen* was a bit steep, the high cost of ingredients left little choice.

After settling on the price, Lu Yuan began soaking the tofu skin.

The spicy tofu skin could last about two days, which matched perfectly with the night market’s schedule every two days.

Although the free samples from two days ago had garnered good feedback, the relatively high price made her hesitant to prepare too much.

Chun Hua, noticing her mother was busy, made sure neither she nor her little sister bothered her.

When the grandmother returned from the neighbor’s house, she told her granddaughter-in-law, "Li Niang, the neighbors are going fishing in a couple of days and asked what size we want."

Right—New Year's Eve was only six or seven days away.

Lu Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Let’s get three fish weighing about one or two pounds each, and three larger ones around three pounds."

The grandmother passed along the request next door.

Around noon, Lu Yuan began making lunch.

Just as she started washing vegetables, she heard the sound of horse hooves and cart wheels.

Could Qi Cheng be back already?

She had assumed he wouldn’t return until after noon.

Sure enough, the two children ran outside upon hearing the noise, soon calling out, "Dad!"

The grandmother also muttered to herself in surprise.

Qi Cheng helped the children up onto the cart and led the horse into the yard.

Lu Yuan leaned out the window and asked, "How'd you get back so early?"

After greeting his grandmother and washing his hands, Qi Cheng entered the kitchen and whispered, "I brought the sugarcane back for you. On my way, I passed through Anping Town and noticed several strangers. I also asked Manager Liu at the Welcome Guest inn, and she mentioned seeing many strangers around lately."

Lu Yuan’s expression turned serious. She lowered her voice and said, "With the New Year approaching, most people are returning home. Why would there be so many newcomers? And right after Deputy Magistrate cleared out that mountain bandit hideout… Could it be…?"

She widened her eyes at Qi Cheng.

Why did he always end up in these situations?

Qi Cheng explained, "I checked the inns—there weren’t many guests staying, but these people have been loitering nearby. I also spoke with the town chief. He finds it suspicious too and suspects they might be bandits scouting the area. He’s already taking precautions."

"Based on my observations, there’s a sixty percent chance they’re bandits casing the town. That’s why I hurried back. I’ll skip lunch and head to the magistrate's office to report this to Deputy Magistrate."

Understanding the urgency, Lu Yuan urged, "Go ahead. I’ll fill Grandma in later."

Qi Cheng nodded, then went out to unhitch the cart.

His grandmother asked, "Are you heading out again?"

He replied, "There’s something I need to take care of. Don’t wait for me for lunch."

The grandmother pressed, "What’s so urgent?"

Lu Yuan popped her head out the door and said, "Grandma, I’ll explain later. Let him go for now."

The grandmother didn’t ask further.

After detaching the cart, Qi Cheng said, "I’ll unload the sugarcane when I get back."

Lu Yuan reassured him, "Don’t worry about it. Just go."

Qi Cheng led the horse out and departed.

Once he was gone, the grandmother asked, "What’s going on? More trouble?"

She didn't miss a trick.

Lu Yuan nodded. "He mentioned seeing many unfamiliar faces in Anping Town, but the number of guests at the inn hasn’t increased."

Upon hearing this, the elderly lady seemed to recall something, and her expression changed.

Lu Yuan continued, "So, Mr. Qi has gone to the Public Office to report what he discovered to the Deputy Magistrate."

Since Qi Cheng still hadn't returned, and the soaked beans needed to be delivered, Lu Yuan had no choice but to hire an ox cart, taking the children and the old woman along.

Lu Yuan had arranged with Madam Chen from the pastry shop to meet the hired help at the shop at dusk that day.

As it turned out, Qi Cheng likely wouldn’t be back that evening. If the person was suitable, they could start helping with the stall that very night.

Having grown up in Weishan Village, Qi Cheng was very familiar with the surrounding mountains. If the Deputy Magistrate sent people there, he would surely go along.

At the night market street, Lu Yuan ground soybeans for milk and began making tofu, planning to cook the soy pulp later.

Once she was done, she took the elderly lady and the children to the pastry shop.

Madam Chen, upon seeing the two children, exclaimed in surprise, "Oh my, you and your husband look barely in your early twenties, yet your children are already so big!"

The old woman chuckled from beside them, "They married early."

Madam Chen smiled and said to the elderly lady, "You must be Mr. Qi’s grandmother. I’ve heard Mrs. Su mention you, saying you are friendly and good-natured."

The elderly lady chuckled, "Did she really say that?"

Madam Chen replied, "Absolutely."

After some small talk, Madam Chen pointed to a woman in her thirties inside the shop and said to Lu Yuan, "The person you’re looking for doesn’t live on Night Market Street, but her husband also works here at night. They go home together, so her safety isn't a concern."

Lu Yuan looked at the woman—in her thirties, ordinary-looking, but with neatly combed hair. Though her clothes were old, they were clean and free of stains.

Even her nails were trimmed neatly and clean.

For food handling, cleanliness was essential.

The woman stepped forward confidently and said, "Boss, my name is Hu Qiniang, and I live in the west of the city."

Lu Yuan smiled and called her "Qiniang," then asked, "Has Madam Chen discussed the wages and working hours with you?"

Hu Qiniang replied, "Yes, she has."

Lu Yuan said, "Besides assisting with daily tasks, you’ll need to help move things out in the evening and bring them back after closing."

Hu Qiniang smiled, "Madam Chen has already explained all that. As long as you’re willing to hire me, it’s all fine."

Lu Yuan smiled, "Alright, let’s try it out for three days. If everything goes smoothly, you can continue, and you’ll be paid your usual wage for those days."

Hu Qiniang asked, "So, you want me to start working?"

Lu Yuan nodded and said, "I’ll show you around in a bit. At dusk sharp, we’ll move the goods to the street. Once the small pushcart is ready in a couple of days, it won’t be so hard to carry things."

After finishing the cart, Lu Yuan had also asked the carpenter to make a small pushcart, which would likely be ready for pickup tomorrow.

With the pushcart, moving tables and chairs wouldn’t be so strenuous.

Hu Qiniang responded, "That’s fine. I’m strong and can handle the moving."

Hearing that she was strong, Lu Yuan felt even more pleased.

Once the small cart was ready, on days when Qi Cheng wasn’t around, she could pay Hu Qiniang extra to help with grinding.

She hadn’t done grinding for too long; after just two hours today, her hands were already sore.

After settling the matter, Lu Yuan asked Madam Chen to weigh half a *jin* of layered cake, then took Hu Qiniang back to show her around.

After familiarizing herself with the place, Hu Qiniang said, "I’ll tell my husband to wait for me so we can walk home together tonight."

Lu Yuan nodded, "Alright, keep an eye on the time and come over when it’s about right."

After Hu Qiniang left, the elderly lady asked, "How much does hiring someone cost?"

Lu Yuan replied, "Not much, just eighteen *wen* per night."

After all, they were in remote Lingnan, where labor was the cheapest.

The elderly lady nodded, "Indeed, not much. That works out to just six *wen* per hour. An hour’s wage is only enough to buy one *jin* of rice. A whole night’s work is just enough for a family’s daily food."

Lu Yuan said, "She and her husband both work, and they might have other jobs during the day. Otherwise, such meager wages really wouldn’t be enough to support a family."

Seeing that it was getting late, the elderly lady said, "I’ll go prepare dinner."

As she spoke, she couldn’t help but sigh and murmur to herself, "I wonder if I should prepare a portion for Sheng Geer…"

Lu Yuan could guess the situation and said, "At this hour, there’s no need to prepare."

Just as she finished speaking, a voice called out from the courtyard gate: "Mrs. Su, Grandma Qi."

They turned to look and saw a young man standing outside the gate—the same young constable who had delivered a message to their home last time.

Recognizing someone from the Public Office, Lu Yuan and the elderly lady, concerned about Qi Cheng, hurried forward together.

Lu Yuan asked, "Did my husband send you to deliver a message?"

The constable nodded and said, "Stockade Official Qi asked me to come and inform you that he went out of the city with the Deputy Magistrate this afternoon and won’t be back for a few days."

The elderly lady’s heart tightened, and she pressed, "Did he say where they went or when they’ll return?"

The constable replied, "He didn’t specify, but Stockade Official Qi said you and Mrs. Su would understand."

Both Lu Yuan and the elderly lady understood: Qi Cheng had gone with the Deputy Magistrate to Anping Town.

If Anping Town was really being targeted by bandits, whether they could return in time for the New Year was another matter entirely.

With the New Year just around the corner, such a troubling situation made it impossible to enjoy the festivities peacefully.