Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The two people outside the door were none other than Wang Ying's father and mother.

After discussing for half the night the previous day, they had decided they must come to town—even if they had to sweet-talk him, they would win Wang Ying back. Their in-laws were landowners; if they could latch onto this connection, life would surely be easier from then on!

After finding their way to the shop entrance, Wang Laoshuan nudged his wife. "You go in and get him to come out."

"I don’t dare. What if he hits me with a bamboo pole?"

Wang Laoshuan glared at her, frightening her into immediately lowering her head and stepping forward to inquire.

"Knock, knock." Wang's mother rapped on the door. "Second Ying..."

"Huh?" Wang Ying instinctively responded to the voice. When he lifted his head and saw who was at the door, his face stiffened instantly. He had known this family wouldn’t let him off easily.

"What are you here for?"

"To see you." Wang's mother pulled the old man behind her forward. Wang Laoshuan pasted on a stiff smile.

Wang Ying snorted. "To see if your eldest son had me beaten to death?"

"What kind of talk is that? Yesterday, your elder brother came to eat one of your cucumbers, and you actually asked him for money..."

"Who does he go to and eat without paying? Besides, my cucumbers sell for over twenty coppers per jin. He just picked one up and ate it—why shouldn’t I ask him for money?"

"T-twenty coppers?" Wang's mother’s eyes gleamed at once. She hadn’t expected a vegetable shop to be so profitable.

Wang Ying knew exactly what she was thinking. He stood up and grabbed a bamboo pole, frightening the two into retreating outside the door.

"If you’re not here to buy vegetables, say what you want from out there."

"Ying, I know you hold a grudge. In the past, it was all my fault. Please forgive us."

"I don’t know what you’re talking about. Get out, now!"

Seeing this, Wang Laoshuan bristled. "What do you think you’re doing? Are you going to hit your own parents!"

"Whose parents? Have you gone senile? The disownment document was written long ago. I’m no longer part of your Wang family. Still trying to leech off me? Pah! Why don't you piss and see if you even have the right!"

The old couple was stunned. When had their once honest and dull second son become so feisty? For a moment, they were left speechless.

Seizing the opportunity, Wang Ying closed the door and bolted it shut with a wooden latch. By the time the two realized what had happened, they could no longer get in.

"Open the door, you unfilial son! I’m your birth father! How can you say such things to me? Has your conscience been eaten by dogs?"

Wang's mother played the softer approach. "Second Ying, it’s true, we made you suffer a bit over the years, but which child in the village doesn’t work? Didn’t we still raise you to adulthood?"

Inside, Wang Ying remained silent. How could they have the nerve to say such things?

If it hadn’t been for his original self's grandmother, he would have been drowned at birth.

Later, when his grandmother passed away, he had already grown old enough to be useful, so the Wang family kept him around, using him like a servant.

Three hundred sixty days a year, not a single day of rest—his life was worse than livestock. At least oxen and horses got to rest sometimes, but even when he was running such a high fever, he still had to do the laundry and cook for this family.

He remembered one winter when young Wang Ying, with no thick clothes to keep warm, fell ill from the cold. Burning with fever, weak and dizzy, he still had to fetch water and cook for them.

On his way to the river, he collapsed on the ice and fainted for over half an hour. When he came to, his hands and feet were numb from the cold. He forced himself to carry water back, only to be yelled at fiercely by his mother and slapped twice.

It was only because he was tough that he pulled through—otherwise, the grass on his grave would have grown several feet high by now.

And now they talked about raising him to adulthood? Was it really them who raised him? The nerve!

Seeing that the door wouldn’t open, Wang Laoshuan grew angry and began kicking it.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Chen Qingyan, seeing this, tucked up the hem of his robe and ran over.

Wang's mother stopped and looked him up and down. "Who are you?"

"I’m his husband!"

"Oh my, so you’re our son-in-law?"

"Who’s your son-in-law?" Chen Qingyan shook off Wang's mother, who was trying to cling to him, and looked at the two with full alertness.

"I’m your mother-in-law, Wang Ying’s mother."

Wang Laoshuan, wanting to assert his authority as a father-in-law, put on airs and scrutinized Chen Qingyan. After waiting a long time and seeing no initiative from Chen Qingyan to greet him, he cleared his throat and said, "I am your father-in-law, Wang Ying’s father."

Chen Qingyan ignored them completely. He walked straight past them to the shop and knocked on the door.

"Knock, knock. It’s me, open up."

The door opened from the inside. Wang Ying stuck his head out and looked around. Seeing that the two still hadn’t left, he quickly pulled Chen Qingyan inside and immediately bolted the door again.

Chen Qingyan nervously pulled him to one side and checked him over. "They didn’t give you trouble, did they?"

"No, don’t bother with them. Aunt Chen’s small fried fish cakes today smell delicious! Huh? Why didn’t you bring chopsticks?"

Chen Qingyan stopped his hand from reaching for the food. "Are you just going to let those two ruin your reputation outside?"

"What else can I do? Yelling at them would waste my breath, and if we start fighting, even if I’m in the right, I’ll end up in the wrong."

"I’ll go talk to them."

"Don’t. You don’t understand these kinds of people. They’re greedy and shameless. Cursing won’t drive them away. If they get even a taste of benefit from this, it’ll be even harder to get rid of them later!"

"Don’t worry, I have a way. This matter needs to be resolved, or they’ll come make trouble every day from now on. How will you run your business then?" Chen Qingyan stood up and opened the main door.

Unable to hold him back, Wang Ying gritted his teeth and could only wait to play it by ear.

The two at the door, seeing it open, rushed in immediately, eyeing Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan suspiciously, worried they might escape.

Chen Qingyan spoke up first. "You’re Wang Ying’s parents?"

"Yes, yes. On the wedding day, you were seriously ill and didn’t come to fetch the groom, so you didn’t see us."

"You’ve come just in time. Take Wang Ying back home."

"Ah?"

"?"

This not only stunned Wang Ying’s parents but also left Wang Ying himself full of questions, not understanding what Chen Qingyan meant.

Chen Qingyan said impatiently, "I married him back then to ward off bad luck. Otherwise, who would marry an illiterate country lad? His looks are plain, he can't even speak properly, and aside from being able to do some manual labor, he’s useless at all." He paused, then winked at Wang Ying.

Wang Ying immediately understood and lowered his head, putting on an act of being humble and obedient.

"Our Chen family is, after all, a landowning household, and we even have an uncle who holds a sixth-rank Prefect position. As the eldest son, I naturally ought to marry a dignified wife who can manage a household—not some rustic country bumpkin like this."

Wang Ying pulled out a handkerchief and began pretending to dab at his tears. Upon hearing this, Wang Ying’s father and mother grew somewhat flustered. Before coming, they had only heard from their eldest son that the second son was now living a prosperous life and assumed he was well-respected in the Chen family. They never expected he would be scorned.

Wang Laoshuan, thinking of the ten strings of cash betrothal gift, immediately changed his expression. "You can’t say that. Although Wang Ying may not compare to the young ladies and gentlemen in town, he has still been with you. Since you married him, there’s no reason to send him back…"

"Why can’t I send him back? In the village, you can marry a boy for less than two strings of cash. I spent ten strings, so naturally, I ought to marry someone better. How about this: return eight strings of cash and take him back with you. I’ll waive the remaining two."

Wang Laoshuan couldn’t bear to part with even two strings of cash, let alone two hundred coins. As soon as they heard this, the couple turned on their heel to leave.

Wang Ying wailed and ran after them, "Father, Mother, you can’t just abandon me!"

"Let go! Who’s your father? We wrote a severance letter long ago—we have no ties anymore. If you keep making a scene… if you keep making a scene, I’ll have the authorities take you in!"

Wang Ying stifled his laughter until his stomach hurt, but he still maintained a heartbroken expression. "The Chen family looks down on me, and you don’t want me either. I might as well just bash my head in and die!"

Mother Wang pushed him away in disgust. "If you want to die, go die somewhere else. Don’t dirty our clothes." With that, she quickened her pace and fled the scene.

Only when they were far away did Wang Ying burst out laughing loudly, turning back to give Chen Qingyan a thumbs-up.

Chen Qingyan, blushing to the tips of his ears, scratched his head. "Hurry up and eat before the food gets cold."

Wang Ying borrowed two pairs of chopsticks from the wonton vendor's stall next door. "Have you eaten? Let’s eat together."

"Okay."

The food was still warm. Today, Aunt Chen had prepared three dishes: one was small fish fried cakes—the fish were caught from the river, and there was a dedicated fish seller in town where you could buy a catty for ten coins. Coated in flour and fried until crispy, they were absolutely delicious. The other two vegetarian dishes were stewed eggplant and eggs stir-fried with cucumber.

Any unsold vegetables from their own shop, Wang Ying would take home in the evening, saving quite a bit on food expenses.

While eating, Wang Ying nudged Chen Qingyan beside him with his shoulder. "Hey, what you said earlier—was that how you really feel?"

"How could that be?!" Chen Qingyan immediately put down his chopsticks and said seriously, "That was just a temporary measure. Everything I said was false. Need I say more about what you’re really like?"

Wang Ying chuckled. "Just teasing you. I know you were pretending. I just didn’t expect you had such skills in you—really impressive."

Chen Qingyan’s face flushed again. "I was afraid they’d come bother you again. How could there be such unfeeling parents? Treating their own son so despicably is truly chilling to the bone."

"Ah, it doesn’t matter. They can’t hurt me." If it were the original owner, he might have been upset, but as Wang Ying, he felt nothing at all—at most, it was a slight irritation, like stepping in dog poop while walking.

Still, it must be admitted, Chen Qingyan’s move was very effective against them. Probably next time the Wang family comes to town, they’ll avoid him.

*

After lunch, the owner of Welcome Guest Restaurant came again.

Last time, he came to inquire about vegetable prices, thinking they were too expensive and wanting to negotiate them down, but the other party simply ignored him.

After waiting four or five days without any contact from the vegetable shop, Zhao Lan was getting antsy.

Nowadays, there are three restaurants and eating establishments in town, with Welcome Guest Restaurant being the largest. Any respectable person in town hosting guests dines there.

These past few days, several customers have asked if there are fresh vegetables available. If he doesn’t buy soon, he’s afraid the other two restaurants will outdo him.

Zhao Lan coughed and entered with a friendly demeanor. "Both Shopkeepers are here."

The two, who had been huddled together looking at the account books, looked up. "Manager Zhao is here."

"Ah, heh heh heh. Last time we talked about buying vegetables—I wonder what Shopkeeper Wang has decided?"

Wang Ying said, "The price really can’t be any cheaper. We can supply at most five catty of each vegetable per day."

"Only five catty?"

"Well, Shopkeeper Yang from Cuixiang Restaurant just came by yesterday. He also placed an order with our shop. Any more, and we won’t have enough to sell."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lan immediately grew anxious. "Alright, alright, alright. The price will be as we agreed before. The five catty must be the freshest!"

"Of course. If you’re worried, Manager, you can send someone to select them."

"Deal. Do you still have any of those tomatoes from last time?"

"Yes, but not many. The Feng family, who own the grain shop in town, really like them and send someone to buy a lot every day. If you want some, we can allocate twenty at most, priced at ten coins each."

"So expensive?" Zhao Lan hesitated.

"If you don’t want them, I’ll sell them to Shopkeeper Yang…"

"Want them, want them! Keep them all for me!" In our business, we're all competitors—even if it’s expensive, he can’t let Cuixiang Restaurant surpass him.

"Please pay an advance payment, Manager."

"Would a restaurant as large as mine cheat you?"

Wang Ying smiled. "Of course not. But ours is a small business—we rely on this money to purchase new inventory. Otherwise, we won’t have enough to keep running."

"Fine. I’ll place an order for half a month’s worth of vegetables. You must save the freshest ones for me!"

"Don’t worry." Wang Ying took out an abacus and worked the beads for a moment. "Half the deposit will do. That’s three strings and five hundred seventy coins total. We’ll knock off the odd amount—three strings and five hundred coins."

Zhao Lan calculated it several times himself and, confirming it was correct, paid with an expression of agony. Half a month’s worth of vegetables costing seven taels of silver was just too expensive!

But expensive or not, there was no other option—aside from this shop, no other place had fresh produce, not even a leaf. He absolutely had to find out where they were sourcing these vegetables!

After seeing Manager Zhao off, Wang Ying happily tossed the silver piece to Chen Qingyan. "So, how about it? Business is pretty good, right?"

"I’m still worried someone might look into where the vegetables are coming from."

"Don’t worry. Using your fourth uncle’s reputation when we opened the shop wasn’t for nothing. He is, after all, a sixth-rank official—ordinary people wouldn’t dare offend us lightly."

That was just one part of it. Wang Ying had made other preparations as well.

A few days ago, while chatting with Er Shun, he learned that there really is a hot spring on the estate—what later generations would call a hot spring.

The area is warm year-round, with green grass even in the coldest winters. He plans to build a small villa around the hot spring next spring when the vegetable shop isn’t too busy. In winter, he can grow some vegetables there to throw people off, so if anyone comes asking, he’ll have a plausible explanation.

*

In the afternoon, the weather took a turn for the worse—overcast and gloomy, with a north wind blowing, suggesting it might snow.

Wang Ying closed the shop early, and the two headed home together.

Halfway there, it began to snow—flakes falling like scattered salt, landing on them. They quickened their pace and jogged the rest of the way home.

As soon as they entered, they saw Li Shi waiting at the door early, smiling and waving to them.

"Mother, why are you waiting outside?"

"Waiting for you. Are you cold? I made hot pot today—come in and eat something to warm up."

"Mmm, it smells amazing!" Wang Ying took off his cloak, and Chen Qingyan casually took it, shaking off the light snow before hanging it on the coat rack nearby.

"Where are Qing Yun and Qing Song?"

"Everyone else has eaten, and so have I. You two should eat while it's hot."

The stew, simmered in a clay pot, was filled with chunks of radish and meat, smelling incredibly fragrant.

The meat in the pot was tender and flavorful, not like pork but more like beef. However, the Wu Dynasty prohibited the consumption of beef, as cattle were essential labor for farming. Even if allowed, ordinary folks wouldn't be able to bring themselves to eat it.

"What kind of meat is this? It's so delicious!"

"Today, I attended the month-old celebration at the Qiu family. Mrs. Qiu gave me a piece of wild game hunted from the mountains, and I asked Aunt Chen to stew it."

The two didn't think much of it and sat down to eat.

This wild game was actually venison. Earlier, when Li Shi visited the Qiu family, she couldn't help but envy their plump, healthy grandson and ended up confiding in her old friend about her own family matters.

"You know, these two have been married for so long, yet there are no signs of pregnancy. Not long ago, I heard from the servants that they even sleep in separate beds. I don't know when I'll get to hold a grandchild."

Mrs. Qiu mysteriously pulled her aside and said, "I have something special. Take it with you when you leave later. Cook it for the young couple, and I guarantee it'll do the trick after just one meal!"

Li Shi perked up at once. "What is it?"

"Our in-law's younger brother is a hunter. Not long ago, he hunted a deer in the mountains and gave us a hind leg. I had the servants stew a small pot. Guess what happened?"

"What happened?"

Mrs. Qiu blushed, covering her mouth as she said, "That thing is an aphrodisiac. The old man kept me up half the night with his vigor."

"Oh my!" Li Shi couldn't help but blush as well.

The two exchanged glances and and giggled. Before leaving, Mrs. Qiu gave her the remaining meat to take home.

Wang Ying ate the lion's share of the meat in the pot, and Chen Qingyan ate quite a bit too. The two young men even finished all the soup.

Sitting beside them, Li Shi smiled benevolently. "Eat up, eat more. Once you're done, maybe you'll give me a bouncing grandbaby."