Chapter 47 New Neighbors

Chapter 47 New Neighbors

Having decided to keep a low profile at home, Meng Wan settled down to stitch shoe soles for Song Tingzhou, practice calligraphy, and scribble down haphazard plans.

After finishing the quilts for the three of them, Chang Jinhua washed and stored the two small quilts, planning to use them again if they needed to travel by cart later.

The mats spread on the kang prickled the skin, and since they didn’t know how long they would stay in the prefectural city, making mattresses would be wasteful. So Chang Jinhua simply cut a few pieces of coarse cloth to spread over the kang.

Song Tingzhou studied every day, having moved the dining table from his room into the bedroom to use as a desk. In his spare time, he also bought a small kang table for Meng Wan and carried it back.

Meng Wan spent all day writing and drawing on this table, while Chang Jinhua cut fabric she had bought in the town before. After finishing Song Tingzhou’s clothes, she started making some for Meng Wan.

“Yesterday, when I went to buy vegetables, I saw some young men in the prefectural city wearing sleeveless jackets over lined garments. They looked so beautiful, and the colors were so fresh,” Chang Jinhua said. Now, as she shopped for groceries daily, she looked at the green coarse cloth in her hands and suddenly felt dissatisfied. She wanted to dress up Wan’er to look like those young men in the city.

Meng Wan, hunched over the kang table writing, didn’t look up and said, “Let’s not compare with others. It’s fine as long as we’re warm.”

Chang Jinhua was unsatisfied. “You’re still young and fresh, and you’re more handsome than they are. Why shouldn’t you compare?”

A year ago, who would have thought such words would come from this widow who had always been cautious and restrained?

Meng Wan paused his brush and secretly grinned.

After chuckling for a moment, with a flick of his wrist, he continued writing and drawing on the paper.

He drew three big X’s over items like toothbrushes, tooth powder, and soap. On the fourth day after arriving in the prefectural city, he finally learned that toothbrushes had already become widespread in the Yu Kingdom, only absent in remote small towns. Even villagers near Changping Prefecture every household had one.

Common families in the prefectural city also used ordinary soap, which cost one coin for two pieces—very cheap. On her first grocery trip, Chang Jinhua saw others buying it and followed suit, purchasing four bars of soap for the family. Now they used it for everything—washing hair, face, and body.

They had also started using toothbrushes and tooth powder. Good grief—Meng Wan only knew how to make these two things. He had no idea how to make anything else!

He didn’t know how to make hotpot base, and he didn’t know any other foods. Oh, he had worked at a milk tea shop before, but sugar was a rare commodity, even more expensive than salt. Even if Song Tingzhou passed the county exam, the cost of making milk tea would be enormous.

Who knew how long it would take for Yu Kingdom people to accept such novelties? They might not sell at all. He wanted to earn steady money; the Song family’s meager savings couldn’t withstand any risk.

After fretting for several days, Meng Wan came up with an idea that might or might not work—drawing comic books.

He buried his face in the paper, silently asking the heavens.

Good heavens! What a joke. After four years of university, I ended up in another world just to draw comics?

The three of them in the Song family stayed for a few more days. Besides accompanying Chang Jinhua with sewing, Meng Wan pondered how to draw the comic book and, after finishing it, how to sell it.

On the last day of the third month, the other empty room in the small courtyard welcomed its new owner.

“This yard is so small! It’s not even as big as our pigpen back home!”

“Two taels of silver a month? Might as well rob us!”

“We’re not renting. Let’s go, husband!”

A noisy female voice came from the courtyard entrance. Meng Wan threw down his brush and pressed against the window, peering through the yellowed window paper to watch the commotion.

Outside, there were three blurry figures, one of whom was the young broker who had shown them the property last time. The other two were a young couple. With the paper window blocking the view, he couldn’t see clearly. Meng Wan wanted to quietly prop the window open a crack, but Chang Jinhua swatted his hand.

“Don’t meddle in other people’s business. If they see you, they’ll give you an earful.”

Meng Wan sat back at the table, picked up his brush, and wiped the table, thinking: It looks like this family won’t rent the place.

Sure enough, the three left the courtyard, and even after a long distance, the wife’s loud voice could still be heard.

As the sun set, the window paper was stained orange. Meng Wan put down his brush and shook his arms. “I’m going to cook.”

He brought over the leftover congee from the morning and picked out five coarse cornmeal buns steamed yesterday. He first put them in the big pot in Song Tingzhou’s room.

Song Tingzhou heard the noise and came out. “You put it down. I’ll get the firewood and light the fire.”

Meng Wan added water to the pot, placed a steamer rack, and arranged the congee and buns on it. “Then I’ll go over and stir-fry the vegetables.”

Song Tingzhou walked to the woodpile in the corner of the yard and planned to grab half a bundle of firewood to take to Meng Wan.

“Really, can't this yard be any cheaper?”

Several footsteps approached. It was still the same female voice as in the morning.

The young broker said helplessly, “Really, that’s the lowest. This is the price set by the landlord, nothing to do with our brokerage. Even if you talk until your mouth goes dry, I can’t change it.”

It seemed the trio had wandered around all day and the couple had decided to come back here.

The woman was about to speak again: “Then…”

“Enough! Shut your mouth! Shouting like that is a disgrace to scholars!” The man, who had been silent all this time, suddenly exploded, chewed her out, and sealed the deal.

“We’ll rent this one.”

They might have already agreed to take this room before returning, as the young broker had even brought the contract.

They walked to the third room on the west side, pushed the door open, signed the contract at the table, paid the rent, and received the keys.

As the young broker walked out, Song Tingzhou came out carrying firewood and nodded slightly at him.

The young broker returned the greeting, thinking this family was strange. With the county exam imminent, they weren’t focusing on studying but doing such mundane chores? He had hosted many scholars this year, each so aloof they barely spoke, leaving everything to servants or family.

The woman in the west room was still muttering.

“How can it be so expensive? A room that big in our town costs only three taels for a whole year.”

“It must be that brokerage skimming off the top.”

“Chunfang! Enough!”

The sound stopped. After a moment, the woman quietly closed the door and left. Then the sound of reading came from the room. That man was indeed a scholar.

Meng Wan was cutting vegetables in the kitchen and heard the commotion outside. That family had indeed come back to rent. It seemed they found all other places too expensive; they were an ordinary couple.

For dinner, he stir-fried a plate of shredded potatoes, which Song Tingzhou liked for its crisp and refreshing taste. He also sliced some meat and stewed a large bowl of cabbage, matching it with watery porridge and cornmeal buns.

The three of them were eating in the kitchen when a woman in a brown cotton jacket appeared at the door.

“You’re having dinner? Auntie, we have no firewood for tonight. Could you lend us a bundle to use?”

She looked to be in her twenties, about the same height as Meng Wan—just over 1.7 meters. Her arms and legs were sturdy, giving her a strong build without being fat. Her exposed face and hands were slightly tan and sallow, with thick, jet-black eyebrows and hair, double eyelids, large eyes, dry, chapped lips, and a slightly broad nose. She wore a smile when she spoke, giving her a cheerful and kind demeanor.

Chang Jinhua put down her bowl and chopsticks and stood up. “No need to borrow. There are still two or three bundles left in the yard by the landlord. You can use them.”

The young woman was pleased to hear that. “Perfect. I didn’t expect the landlord left some useful things.”

Chang Jinhua chuckled. “Come with me. I’ll show you. The pile on the east side is the firewood I bought. The two bundles on the west are what the owner left.”

Chang Jinhua led her to the yard. Meng Wan picked up a slice of lean meat and ate it. “Cousin, it seems her husband is also a scholar.”

Song Tingzhou, eating his third cornbread of the evening, said, "He's a scholar, probably about my age. I can call on him tomorrow."

Meng Wan had eaten two bowls of porridge and half a cornbread. It was rougher on the throat than steamed buns, making it hard to swallow, so he said, "Living in the same courtyard is fate. I hope they're easy to get along with."

Song Tingzhou silently transferred the remaining cornbread to his own bowl. Wan'er doesn't like mixed-grain cornbread; next time I'll buy all white flour, he thought.

Chang Jinhua chatted a few more words with the young woman before entering the house to continue eating. She said to the two youngsters, "That couple next door is from Guwen County, not far from us. Their families are both farming households, and the husband's surname is Feng. I think this Mrs. Feng is honest and reliable, worth befriending. But I don't yet know the character of Scholar Feng."

Meng Wan finished eating and left the table first. "Who cares about his character? Our family just needs to keep up appearances. Living in the same courtyard, as long as we get along, it's fine."

Chang Jinhua shook her head at him. "I don't know whether to call you insightful or aloof. When I was your age, I would chat and do needlework with my girlfriends every day, chattering away happily. In our village and later in town, I never saw you actively seek out a companion to play with."

Meng Wan thought to himself, I don't even have time to make money, let alone find a companion to play with. But he brushed it off, saying casually, "Don't I have you? There's nothing more important than spending time with my aunt."

Chang Jinhua scolded him playfully, "An old woman like me doesn't need your company. Leave the dishes for me to clean up. Go play."

Song Tingzhou listened to their conversation, lost in thought.

Over the next few days, everyone lived together in the courtyard. Since Mrs. Feng was talkative and guileless, Meng Wan was able to get a general understanding of the Feng family next door.

As Chang Jinhua had said, the Feng family were farming households under Guwen County. They had pooled the family's resources just to come to the prefectural city for the imperial examination. Their financial situation was worse than the Song family's.

The student candidate Feng Jinzhang was two years older than his wife Lu Chunfang. They had grown up together and were betrothed early, but because Lu Chunfang had to observe a three-year mourning period, they delayed their marriage until last year. They currently had no children.

Lu Chunfang was worried about Feng Jinzhang coming to the prefectural city alone, so she followed.

As the imperial examination approached, Feng Jinzhang took the initiative to discuss scholarship with Song Tingzhou. His attitude was very humble, often saying he was inferior, and the two of them frequently debated.

"Wan Geer, I came across the potatoes you bought today. How did you say you eat them?" Lu Chunfang walked in from outside carrying a basket on her back, still wearing that same brown cotton coat.

Meng Wan was washing clothes in the courtyard. Hearing this, he asked her to take off the basket for a look. It was indeed the familiar black mud lumps. "Sister-in-law, you're amazing! You actually managed to buy some. I only bought them once. You can peel and cut them into chunks to stew, or shred them and stir-fry with shredded meat. Both are delicious."

Lu Chunfang beamed, "Alright, I'll try. Vegetables in the prefectural city are too expensive. Potatoes are cheaper and easier to store."

"Indeed. If you don't mind the trouble, you can take some home and plant them yourself." Meng Wan sat back on the small wooden stool to wash clothes. Chang Jinhua had said to let him do his own sewing, but when it came down to it, she couldn't help but make them herself. Not only that, she had spent days researching.

It wasn't the countryside style of separate top and bottom designed purely for convenience in work. Instead, imitating the dress of the young men (xiaoge) in Changping Prefecture, she made him a short straight-collar front-opening jacket that reached only to his waist, paired with a long cloth skirt that went down to his ankles.

From the leftover fabric, she made a fashionable beizi (a type of outer garment). It was unclear where she had seen such a design. This garment reaches the knees, has slits under the armpits, and features several strings that can be tied to create normal sleeves. When left untied, the strings serve as decoration. It is worn open and loose at the front without buttons.

Meng Wan felt the weather was warm, so as soon as the new clothes were ready, he quickly took off his cotton coat and wore the beizi over his clothes. When it got hotter, he would take off the beizi and wear only the short jacket and long skirt underneath.

When he sat on the stool washing clothes, the hem of the beizi would sweep the ground. If he took it off, he would be cold and risk catching a cold. So he bunched up the hem in his lap while working, stiffening his upper body. When he exerted force while washing, his back would arch into a graceful curve.

Lu Chunfang put the potatoes in the kitchen and stood in the courtyard patting the dust off her clothes. The only advantage of her dark-colored clothes was that they were dirt-resistant. But seeing Meng Wan's elegant and beautiful skirt sway as he walked, she couldn't help but envy, "Wan Geer, your outfit is really beautiful. You are so skillful."

Meng Wan finished scrubbing the clothes and waited for clean water to rinse. He stood up and tugged at his hem. "Really? My aunt made this for me. She's skillful; I can't do it."

Although the skirt felt less familiar than pants at first, after getting used to it, Meng Wan actually found it quite comfortable. He also found the beizi acceptable to wear; it was like a large coat and indeed nicer than the cotton coat, but not very convenient for work.

"Aunt Song is really kind, making clothes for you." Lu Chunfang touched the edge of her cotton coat, where the color was slightly newer—a patch that had been added later.

Meng Wan was rather proud. "Every piece of clothing I have was made by my aunt. She even said she'd use the leftover scraps to make shoe uppers for me."

The shock on Lu Chunfang's face seemed genuine. "So at home, you don't have to do anything except cook?"

Meng Wan was also confused by her question. "Huh? With three of us in the family, what else is there for me to do?"

Just as they were talking, Song Tingzhou came in from outside carrying a bucket of water. They didn't have a carrying pole, so they had to haul water home one bucket at a time.

Meng Wan called out to him, "Cousin, I need some water."

Song Tingzhou walked over and said to him, "Go inside and ladle out two ladles of warm water. The well water is too cold."

"Oh." Meng Wan hurried inside, took a ladle, and scooped warm water from the pot.

Lu Chunfang, feeling embarrassed, hid inside the room, but she was secretly envious.

Feng Jinzhang called her, "Chunfang, I'm parched from reading. Pour me a bowl of warm water."

In the past, Lu Chunfang would have already poured it and brought it in to him, but today her feet wouldn't move.

"Chunfang?"

"Coming, coming."

With five days left until the prefectural examination, Song Tingzhou planned to go to the inn to find Zhang Jizu and the others. Before the prefectural examination, five examinees needed to find a Linseng to vouch for them, to guarantee the five examinees had clean backgrounds and were the actual test-takers.

The examinees themselves then filled out detailed application forms to register. After entering the grounds, the search officer led soldiers in conducting body searches, while the patrol officer led soldiers in patrolling back and forth.

The examinees entered the numbered examination cubicles according to their assigned numbers, with a soldier supervising each person at all times.

That was the procedure. However, Quanshui Town had only one man with the xiucai degree. Scholar He, as their teacher, was just a regular xiucai, not a Linseng.

Fortunately, at this time every year, the Linsengs in Changping Prefecture who wanted to earn this guarantee fee would actively seek out examinees to offer their guarantee. Master He had a former classmate living in Changping Prefecture. In previous years, Song Tingzhou and his classmates would go together to this classmate to have him vouch for them.