Chapter 46 Settling In

Chapter 46: Settling In

Song Tingzhou drank four bowls of porridge before putting down his chopsticks and saying, "I asked the innkeeper when I came back. There are villagers from nearby who deliver firewood to the inn year-round. Tomorrow morning, I'll go see if I can run into one and ask him to send us twenty or thirty bundles too."

Chang Jinhua nodded. "One quilt is done. You can use it tonight. Wan Geer and I will make do with the two small quilts. Tomorrow, I won't go out and will finish the other two."

Meng Wan urged her, "No need to rush. We're settled now; we can take it slow."

That night, the three of them rested well. The next morning, they had another simple meal of porridge and cabbage. Chang Jinhua sat on the kang, sewing the quilt.

Winter had passed. Meng Wan had bought nine catties of cotton, three catties for each of the three quilts. They might be a bit thin now, but they'd be just right next month, and it wouldn't waste the cotton.

Song Tingzhou went out to find the villager selling firewood and wouldn't be back for a while. Meng Wan had washed his clothes, which had been stained with blood and cut up on the road. He figured he'd cut up the garment since it was already very old, to make shoe insoles and layered soles for shoes.

Chang Jinhua saw him doing needlework and teased, "Well, isn't this a rare sight? Our Wan Geer is actually doing needlework."

Meng Wan laughed along, unashamed. "People change, you know."

At noon, Song Tingzhou returned, followed by a man pulling a cart piled high with firewood. Together, they unloaded the wood into a corner of the yard, stacking it neatly.

The man said, "There are fifteen more bundles. I'll bring them tomorrow at noon. If you ever need more firewood, just come looking for me in Daguancun to the north. I'm the first house at the village entrance."

Song Tingzhou clasped his hands in thanks. "Thank you, Brother Ding. I'll remember that."

Only after the stranger left did Meng Wan come out. He had just soaked a handkerchief in the basin, wrung it out, and handed it over to Song Tingzhou. "Is he the one who delivers to the inn?"

Song Tingzhou took the wet handkerchief and wiped the sweat and ash from his face. "Yeah. He sent fifteen bundles today. Tomorrow, after he delivers to the inn, he'll go home and pick up ours."

After wiping himself, he washed the handkerchief and hung it outside. That was one of the two handkerchiefs the fabric shop had thrown in for Meng Wan. In ancient times, without all kinds of paper, handkerchiefs were really handy—always useful.

"Will you come with me to buy two catties of meat later?" They hadn't had a proper meal throughout the whole journey, and all three had lost weight. They couldn't just keep drinking porridge every day.

Song Tingzhou brushed the dust off his clothes. "Let's go."

Meng Wan went inside to get his little purse and out of habit went to the kitchen to look for a basket. Finding the kitchen empty, he suddenly remembered they were in the prefectural city now, not Sanquan Village.

The meat stalls in the north of the city were all clustered together, stretching along a long street with vegetable stands and general goods. That one street alone was longer than the main street of Quanshui Town, let alone all the similar streets all over Changping Prefecture.

It was clear the competition among these common vendors was fierce. As soon as Meng Wan approached a meat stall, four or five stall owners started calling out to him to buy their meat.

He gave an awkward smile. Although he had bought meat with Chang Jinhua a few times, he wasn't really experienced in it. Song Tingzhou was even less knowledgeable.

Meng Wan randomly chose a stall where the meat looked lean with little fat. The stall owner clearly hadn't expected his stall to be picked. He wasn't much of a talker and didn't know how to advertise, just letting Meng Wan choose.

"How much for the ribs? And the front leg meat?"

The stall owner answered, "Ribs are thirteen wen. The front leg... my pork shoulder is leaner with less fat, so I'll give you a discount of one wen—seventeen wen per catty."

Meng Wan figured it was a few wen more expensive than in town, but still acceptable. "Alright, I'll take four ribs and two catties of the front leg meat."

Unexpectedly, Meng Wan had really chosen his meat. The stall owner deftly chopped the ribs and cut the meat, and even threw in half a slice of pork liver as a bonus.

The meat was strung with hemp rope and Song Tingzhou carried it. Meng Wan asked the stall owner, "Brother, do you know where I can buy baskets?"

The stall owner pointed in a direction. "Head north to a lane. It's close to the north city gate. Village women from nearby settlements go there to sell odds and ends. There are several stalls selling baskets and crates."

He had actually found the right place. Meng Wan was delighted. "Thank you, Brother."

The stall owner wiped his cutting board. "Don't mention it, young man."

Meng Wan and Song Tingzhou continued north. Behind them, other stall owners teased the meat seller.

"Erzhuang, why is your face all red?"

"Better get your mother to find you a match! You saw a handsome young man and couldn't even speak properly."

"Why don't you go ask if he's engaged? Maybe you'll get lucky?"

"Who's that man following him?"

"Must be his brother. What else? An unmarried young man wouldn't go out with a strange man."

Meng Wan slowed his steps. At these words, his heart sank. It seemed the prefectural city had stricter rules than the towns. Next time, he shouldn't go out alone with Song Tingzhou. The prefectural exam was coming up; they needed to be more careful.

They found the lane the stall owner had mentioned. It was full of miscellaneous daily goods: handkerchiefs, baskets, crates, small wooden stools, straw hats, bamboo hats, eggs, dried goods, and homespun cloth.

Meng Wan observed carefully. Not a single stall was run by an unmarried young woman or young man. Most were married women with their hair coiled up, and those who were younger were accompanied by relatives.

Deciding to go out less often in the future, he bought twenty eggs, two baskets, a few coarse pottery bowls from a folk kiln, and a small wooden basin—useful for kneading dough or holding rice.

The northern lands were still cold. Even at the end of March, nothing green had sprouted in the mountains or fields. There were no stalls selling wild vegetables in the lane. But there were many selling their own stored rice or beans, and plenty of crops Meng Wan had never seen in Sanquan Village.

!!!

"Aren't these apples?"

"And pears!"

In Sanquan Village, the only fruits Meng Wan had seen were plums and dates, both ancient varieties—the plums sour and astringent, the dates passably sweet but small.

The prefectural city was much richer in goods. There were even apples and pears preserved until now. Though a bit shriveled and wrinkled, they were still a rare find.

Meng Wan asked the price. It wasn't too expensive—six wen per catty. He spent thirteen wen on a few apples and pears.

Excited, he continued browsing and discovered something that looked like potatoes.

Meng Wan crouched down and poked at the fist-sized black mud balls on the ground. Wiping away the dirt, he revealed a yellowish-brown skin. The more he looked, the more they resembled potatoes. Suppressing his excitement, he asked the stall owner, "Uncle, what are these?"

The stall owner was a dark-skinned old man who looked like he'd worked in the fields for years. Besides the black mud balls, his stall had a few dozen cabbages and two cloth sacks of red beans and soybeans.

"These... what are they called? I forgot. The year before last, the county magistrate ordered everyone to plant them. We were supposed to buy seeds from him at the county office. A few families in our village planted them. Last year, my family harvested several baskets of these black earth eggs. At first, nobody knew how to eat them. We just washed them and boiled them with porridge. Later, a girl in our village, Er Ya, said they taste good steamed, so everyone steamed them. They're filling—a good thing. But this year, I don't know how to plant them yet."

Meng Wan was dumbfounded. Buy seeds from the county magistrate? That sounded off.

Potatoes: anyone who'd grown and tasted them should know their value. Taste aside, in an age of low yields where starvation was common, they were a godsend.

If this had spread to the Yu Kingdom, the king, unless he's a fool, would certainly promote them. But Meng Wan had never even heard of potatoes being grown in Sanquan Village.

Yet villages near the prefectural city had them—as early as two years ago? And they still hadn't reached Quanshui Town in two years?

Moreover, if they were promoting potato cultivation, shouldn't they distribute seeds for free or trade them for other seeds? Why sell them at the county office?

What fool would spend money on an unknown crop seed? If it didn't grow, he'd not only lose the seed money but also waste a season's harvest. Who has money to burn?

The old stall owner blinked his small, dark eyes. He grinned, revealing chipped teeth and pink gums, looking pitiable. "Young man, take a few home and try them. Two wen per catty."

Meng Wan cleared his throat. "I'll buy the whole basket from you. Could you give me a discount?"

The old man's eyes widened in surprise. His voice rose. "Discount! For this whole basket, I won't even weigh it—thirty wen for everything, and the basket is free!"

Song Tingzhou stepped forward and hefted the basket. Without the basket, the potatoes alone must weigh at least twenty jin. This uncle was indeed honest and sincere.

Meng Wan paid and also bought from him two cabbages, one sheng of soybeans, and half a sheng of red beans. The soybeans could be sprouted and stir-fried, while the red beans would be kept for steaming red bean buns.

Before leaving, Meng Wan instructed the dark-skinned uncle, "Uncle, when planting these black mud eggs, you must first let them sprout—see, like these. Then cut them with a knife, splitting each one into two or three pieces, each piece with a bud. Plant them with the bud facing upward. Don't water them too much at first; wait until the seedlings grow, then water them more frequently."

The uncle listened, looking bewildered. "Ah, I'll try planting some more this year."

The villagers around the prefectural city were indeed a bit sharper than those in remote areas. The previous king of Yu had abolished the entry tax for commoners, so although they had to pay some stall fees when trading in the city, they could still earn some spare money to supplement their households.

In a remote town like Quanshui, no stall fees were collected, and even on market days, there were few stalls set up.

The county town, like the prefectural city, also charged stall fees, but the stall locations were not as strictly regulated as in the prefectural city, where stalls must be in designated spots.

Having bought too many things, Song Tingzhou carried the basket filled with potatoes, with two bags of beans placed on top of the remaining space. His hands were also occupied, holding the baskets of cabbage and meat.

Meng Wan followed behind him, also carrying a basket, but it only contained lightweight items.

The two returned fully laden. Chang Jinhua was still on the kang making a quilt—she worked quickly, and the quilt was almost finished.

"Why did you buy so many things?" She hurried off the kang, and the three of them sorted the items together.

Meng Wan explained the reason to her, "When my cousin and I went to sell meat, we overheard some gossip. There are many rules in the prefectural city, so it's better to avoid them. From now on, I won't go out unless necessary. My cousin's prefectural exam is coming up, so he should stay home and focus on his studies."

Chang Jinhua put the apples and pears into a large bowl and stored it in the cabinet. "Alas, then we'll just have to endure a few days of hardship. After Da Lang finishes the prefectural exam..." it will be better after marriage.

The remaining words were left unspoken, understood by all three.

In the afternoon, there was nothing to do. Song Tingzhou studied, and Chang Jinhua did her needlework.

Meng Wan busied himself in the kitchen. He chopped the four pork ribs into small pieces, didn't blanch them, but rinsed them clean and stewed them in a large pot.

Song Tingzhou's room also had a pot, and Meng Wan used that one to steam dry rice.

The muddy potatoes were placed in a basket in the corner of the kitchen. He took seven or eight of them into a wooden basin. Without a peeler, he used a kitchen knife to peel the potatoes, then washed them again, saving a bit of water.

When the ribs in the pot came to a boil, he cut half a jin of front leg meat into small pieces and threw them into the rib pot to stew together. Chang Jinhua liked tender, soft meat. The twenty-some wen for pork belly was too expensive, so Meng Wan substituted it with front leg meat. The rest could be used for stir-fries later.

When the stew started to smell fragrant, Meng Wan cut the potatoes into chunks and added them to the pot. The potatoes were all small, so each one was cut into just two or three pieces.

The leftover cabbage from last night's stir-fry still had the cabbage heart. Meng Wan shredded it finely, seasoned it with salt and a bit of aged vinegar, and served it as a refreshing side dish.

There was a long table in the kitchen with two benches. Used to eating on the kang table, Meng Wan felt a bit out of place.

He set the side dish on the table and called out, "Time to eat, Aunt!"

Then he ran out of the kitchen to call Song Tingzhou from the other room, "Cousin, help me bring the rice over!"

Song Tingzhou responded, and Chang Jinhua tidied up her sewing and got off the kang.

Meng Wan lifted the lid of the pot and used a basin to scoop out the meat. Chang Jinhua came out to set the bowls and chopsticks. "Your stewed meat today smells especially fragrant."

Meng Wan teased her, "Aunt, you must be craving it."

Chang Jinhua laughed, "After eating dry flatbreads the whole way, of course I'm craving it."

Song Tingzhou came in with the rice basin and also commented, "Today's ribs are fragrant."

There was too much meat in the pot to fit in one basin, so he filled two basins and set them all on the table. "Since everyone says it smells good, let's try it quick!"

Chang Jinhua sat down first and picked up a piece of potato. "Is this the black mud egg you bought?"

"Yes, try it quickly." Meng Wan also picked up a piece, eager to verify its taste and texture.

Chang Jinhua took a bite; it melted in her mouth instantly. The potato itself was mild, mostly taking on the meat broth flavor. "Delicious!"

Meng Wan's eyes lit up. The texture was soft and glutinous, fully infused with flavor—it was indeed potato. He was practically going crazy for it. He mashed the potato chunks soaked in meat broth and mixed them with rice, polishing off two big bowls of rice.

Song Tingzhou didn't say a word, just ate in silence.

They consumed one and a half basins of the meat and potato dish. Song Tingzhou scraped the rice basin clean. Meng Wan patted his full belly and stood up to clear the bowls.

Chang Jinhua stopped him. "You two go out to the yard and collect the dried clothes. I'll tidy up the kitchen. I've been sitting all day, and my back is stiff—I need to move around."

Meng Wan didn't argue. He washed his face and rinsed his mouth, then went out to the yard to wander.

The yard was smaller than Song Tingzhou's in Sanquan Village, and not even half the size of the Lu family's yard in town. After a few steps, he reached the end.

He paced back and forth like a goof, wondering what kind of silly sight he must be in Song Tingzhou's eyes.

Song Tingzhou collected the clothes from the drying rack, watching Meng Wan goofing around in the yard. A smile touched his lips. His gaze fell on Meng Wan's face, still damp from washing; in his hands were the clothes Meng Wan had been wearing; in his belly was the meal Meng Wan had cooked himself.

His heart's desire, his eyes' focus—all of it was Meng Wan.