Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Wang Ying lay comfortably on the bed, sighing, "The carriage rides these past few days have left my back aching. It's so much better to be home. What are you standing there for? Aren't you coming to bed?"

"Oh, right, I'm coming." Chen Qingyan took off his shoes and stiffly lay down on the bed, rigid as a plank of wood.

Wang Ying noticed his unusual behavior and reached out to touch his hand. "Why are your hands so cold? Did you catch a chill from bathing earlier?"

"No..."

Wang Ying propped herself up on her elbow and saw that his face was also pale. "Are you feeling unwell? Should I call a physician to take a look?"

"No need, I might just be a bit tired."

"Then you should rest quickly. I'm going to check on the experimental field to see how the vegetables are doing. New Year's is just a few days away. If we don't supply the vegetables soon, we won't make any money this year."

"I'll help you with it."

"Just rest. I can manage on my own."

Wang Ying entered the experimental field and immediately noticed that her experience had increased significantly. It hadn’t moved at all a few days ago—could it be that experience automatically increased upon returning home?

With time tight, she didn’t dwell on it and picked up a sickle to harvest the leeks.

The previous night at the inn, they had already harvested plenty of vegetables. Those that could be stored longer, like cucumbers, tomatoes, and long beans, had been picked in advance.

Today, she only needed to harvest the leeks and celery. After working for a full hour, she had gathered dozens of catties of each vegetable. In the last moment before exiting the experimental field, Wang Ying brought all the produce out.

The bedroom was instantly filled with over a dozen baskets of vegetables, leaving no room to even step. Without bothering to tidy up, she collapsed onto the bed, not noticing that the person beside her was still awake.

At that moment, Chen Qingyan couldn't sleep, his mind preoccupied with that incident.

He had thought he was long over it, but hearing that person mentioned by his brother uncontrollably made his blood boil.

He still remembered the day of the county exam, when the examiner discovered his crib notes. He felt weak all over, his mind went blank, and it seemed even his heart stopped beating.

No matter how he pleaded and kowtowed, the officials remained unmoved. They directly crossed out his name on the roster and coldly informed him, "Cheating on the exam—disqualified."

Why? How could someone so full of lies, without virtue or trust, who betrayed his friend, also pass the exam and become a *xiucai*?

He had treated him with sincerity, and this was what he got in return?

Chen Qingyan remembered when they first met. Zhang Shiqiu didn’t even have a decent calligraphy brush. The only one he had was so worn out the bristles had gone bald.

Without a second thought, Chen Qingyan picked two high-quality sheep-hair brushes from his own brush case and gave them to him.

At the time, Zhang Shiqiu's eyes were welling up and he said, "I have no way to repay your kindness in giving me these brushes. I would like to compose a poem for you, Brother Yan. May our friendship last forever."

How hateful that he had been blinded by his honeyed words and considered him a sworn brother.

Chen Qingyan tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. Afraid of disturbing the person beside him, he quietly put on his clothes and slipped out of bed.

*

Early the next morning, Wang Ying woke up to find Chen Qingyan sitting at the desk reading.

"Why are you up so early?"

"Couldn't sleep, so I got up. I’ve already tied up the vegetables for you. You can take them directly to the shop later."

Wang Ying pulled on his clothes and went over to kiss him on the cheek. "What a thoughtful husband you are."

Chen Qingyan managed a faint smile. "There's hot congee in the kitchen. Have some before you go to the shop."

"Alright, I’ll move the vegetables out first."

Dun Zi had been waiting outside for quite some time. The three of them worked for a while to load all the vegetables onto the mule-drawn cart, using the same method as before—pretending they had been brought in from outside the town.

After breakfast, Wang Ying and Er Shun went together to open the shop.

Chen Qingyan went to the room where he taught.

As the New Year approached, the students at the private school were on break. Only Chen Qingsong remained in the classroom. He had gotten up early to study, and it seemed he was applying himself diligently.

"Big brother, you're here!"

"Mm, keep reading."

"From sincerity comes enlightenment—this is called nature; from enlightenment comes sincerity—this is called education. With sincerity, there is enlightenment; with enlightenment, there is sincerity."①

Hearing this, Chen Qingyan couldn’t help but think of Zhang Shiqiu again. "Yesterday you mentioned you met a *xiucai*—is his surname Zhang?"

"Yes, big brother. Do you know him?"

"No, I don't. What poems did you all compose at the poetry club?"

"How would I know how to write poetry? They were the ones who wrote. I was just there for the fun. But that Scholar Zhang’s poem was really good. He wrote one called 'Viewing Snow,' and I’ve already memorized it."

Chen Qingsong cleared his throat and began reciting: "Watching as snow piles deep and strong, especially gleaming cold in the late light. Tired from dancing in the air, it turns lazy, but with a gust of wind, it busies anew."

Chen Qingyan directly continued with the second half: "Heaven spares not the falling jade flowers, sealing the mume buds—jade without scent. Who will carefully knead them into soup cakes, transforming worldly appetites?"②

"Big brother, you know this poem?"

Of course he knew. Not only did he know it, but they had written it together when they were in the county town. How shameless of Zhang Shiqiu to recite it in front of his brother!

"Big brother, do you want to come with me next time to meet him?"

"Sure." Chen Qingyan wanted to ask him why he had set him up back then!

The foolish Chen Qingsong, unaware of the underlying story, clapped in delight. "Great! With big brother’s talent, you’ll surely impress them greatly!"

*

On the other side, Lin Qiu and Lin Sui woke up in the morning, had breakfast with Qing Yun, and were taken to the vegetable shop to play.

The shop was quite crowded. Wang Ying was busy weighing produce for customers and didn’t have time to attend to the children.

He took a string of coins from the money box and handed it to Chen Qingyun. "Your cousins just arrived yesterday. Take them out to show them around town."

Lin Qiu said, "Cousin, you should take Sui Er. I’ll stay here and help cousin-in-law."

Lin Sui shook her head upon hearing this. "If big brother isn’t going, I won’t go either."

During their journey, Chen Rong had repeatedly reminded the brothers to be perceptive, diligent, and not make themselves unwelcome.

Both children were obedient and didn’t want to make things difficult for their mother, so they were cautious in every way.

Chen Qingyun sulked. "If none of you are going, then I won’t go either."

Wang Ying seemed to understand their thoughts and knew the feeling of being dependent on others.

In his previous life, when he was young, he had stayed with relatives for a few days. He was always reading their moods, afraid of doing something wrong and being disliked. Knowing how they felt, he wanted these two children to feel more at ease. He waved them over and said, "Then come here and help me sort through the vegetables."

The vegetables in the baskets had wilted and spoiled, and there was no time to sort through them last night. It was just right to have the three children help pick them out.

"Okay!" The three of them began to work.

Today was Qingshui Town’s big market day. With the New Year approaching, the streets were already crowded before dawn. Vendors were hawking their wares like they were fighting for customers, and shoppers were packed shoulder to shoulder, making it almost impossible to move.

The vegetable shop was also bustling. In just a short while, a large crowd poured in. Some sneaky folks grabbed a handful of vegetables, stuffed them into their clothes, and left. They had already caught three or four such people this morning.

Fortunately, these three children came to help; otherwise, he and Er Shun would have been overwhelmed.

Last night, Wang Ying was worried they had picked too many vegetables to sell, but by midday, the shop was almost emptied.

Nearly half of the vegetables were bought by two restaurants.

During the time Wang Ying was away, the restaurants had run out of fresh vegetables and reverted to their original menu. The customers, whose tastes had been spoiled, couldn't get used to it. After several days without fresh vegetables, they stopped coming, and business plummeted.

When the restaurant managers learned that Wang Ying was back, they sent their assistants to wait at the shop. As soon as the shop opened, they rushed in to buy vegetables.

The remaining vegetables, though sold at higher prices, were all purchased—every household was willing to spend a few dozen coins for a taste of freshness during the New Year, even if it was just half a catty or eight taels.

By noon, over 400 catties of vegetables were completely sold out, and some people came too late and missed out.

Wang Ying counted the money until his hands grew weak—literally, because ancient copper coins had weight. A string of a thousand coins weighed over eight catties, and just stringing them together made his wrists sore.

The elder sister from the neighboring sesame oil shop was green with envy. She crossed her arms and came over to see the commotion: "Your business is so good. Why has your shop been closed for so long? I thought you'd given up."

"How could we give up? We went to the county to visit relatives and deliver New Year's gifts. The round trip delayed us for a few days."

"No wonder! Over the past few days, many people came asking when your shop would reopen. Your shop is the only one in town selling fresh vegetables—you're going to make a fortune!"

Wang Ying detected the envy in her tone. "Sister, you only see the bustling business now, but you don't realize we can only do this for half a year. Once spring comes and vegetables ripen in the fields, who will come to buy from me?"

The woman thought it made sense. In summer, every household grew their own vegetables, so no one would spend money buying his.

"What will you do with your shop in the summer?"

"Sell fruits like melons and such. It wouldn’t do to leave it empty." Actually, Wang Ying had other plans. He intended to sell shaved ice when the weather warmed up. The experimental field was a natural ice maker—containers placed there could collect rainwater and freeze into ice, another cost-free business.

After chatting for a while, customers arrived, and Wang Ying had no time to entertain her further. He hurried to attend to the customers, sold the last batch of vegetables at a discounted price, and took out the account book to record the day's earnings.

Today’s total revenue was seven strings and four hundred seventy coins, almost equivalent to half a month's earnings in the past.

There was one more major market before the New Year, and business was expected to remain strong during this period. Wang Ying decided to hire the three children as helpers.

"Come help at the shop again tomorrow. How about I pay you for your work during the New Year?"

Lin Qiu shook his head. "No need for payment. Sui Er and I will come to help."

Chen Qingyun said, "Then I don’t need payment either."

Wang Ying tapped her forehead. "Whether you want payment or not, you still have to come help. Otherwise, I really can’t manage alone."

"Hehehe."

Just then, Li Shi and Chen Rong arrived with lunch and saw the shop empty except for some leftover vegetable leaves.

"Have all the vegetables been sold out?"

Wang Ying took the food box and said, "Yes, today’s market was crowded, so everything sold quickly. Why didn’t Qing Yan come?"

"Your third aunt and I came out for a stroll and brought you some food on our way, so we didn't let him come out."

After the meal, the afternoon wasn't busy. Li Shi planned to take Lin Qiu and Lin Sui to the fabric shop to buy some cloth for new clothes. Wang Ying took three strings of cash from the money box and said, "Pick something nice for your two cousins, and while you’re at it, get some new clothes for Qing Yun and Qing Song as well."

Li Shi declined, saying, "You don’t need to give us money—I brought silver with me when I left home."

"Take it. If there’s any left, just keep the remainder." Now that she was financially comfortable, she was especially generous with her family, particularly Qing Yun and Qing Song, whom she treated as her own younger siblings.

Unable to refuse, Li Shi had the maid take the money, and the group headed out to stroll around the streets.

Wang Ying cleaned up the shop, locked the main door, and started heading home. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Chen Qingyan had been acting strangely since last night.

When she got up this morning, she noticed dark circles under Chen Qingyan’s eyes, as if he hadn’t slept much all night.

She hadn't had time to ask earlier as she was in a hurry, but the matter had been on her mind the whole time. She decided to hurry back and find out what was going on.

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Author’s Note: ① Excerpt from *The Doctrine of the Mean*; ② *Two Poems on Watching Snow* by Yang Wanli.