Chapter 35

On the way to the county seat, Qin Fangniang was explaining to Sang Luo what her father-in-law had instructed.

"Originally, we could have asked more families to help, but my father only remembered last night that it’s best not to let people know about your 'fairy bean curd' too early. He was worried about drawing too much attention, so he didn’t ask many people—only the two families closest to us. I’m afraid the house construction might be a bit slow because of this."

"By the way, regarding the money for your house, my father’s public explanation is that we earned it by selling wild vegetables in the county. Even if people in the village are curious, they won’t travel all the way to the county to check, and they certainly wouldn't want to spend that one copper coin for the city entry fee."

Sang Luo chuckled. "Grandpa is right. We are indeed selling wild vegetables. Let’s stick to what he said. It’s fine if it’s a bit slow; can it be finished before the autumn harvest?"

Qin Fangniang nodded. "That should be doable."

As long as it could be finished before the autumn harvest, Sang Luo had no issues. Though it might be slower, it would spare her a lot of trouble.

After entering the city smoothly, the two went to the West Market first. Sang Luo moved her goods into the market, and then Qin Fangniang pulled her cart to the East Market.

Sang Luo had made 120 pieces of fairy bean curd last night, so they each took sixty. Along with the wild vegetables they brought, they went off to tend to their own businesses.

By early afternoon, everything had been sold except for two bunches of wild vegetables. Sang Luo looked at the sparse number of buyers in the West Market and figured those last two bunches would be hard to sell. She decided to pack up her stall, pay the market tax, and, as agreed, headed to the East Market with her empty buckets and basket to find Qin Fangniang.

Construction was set to begin tomorrow, and she had already agreed with Qin Fangniang that morning to buy some grain in the East Market, which they could then transport back on the empty cart.

When they met in the East Market, Qin Fangniang had also sold out of her fairy bean curd, with only a few bunches of purslane left. Seeing Sang Luo arrive, Qin Fangniang knew it was time to pack up. It was midday, and everyone was at home taking a nap; no one would be wandering the market.

She packed up, handed Sang Luo her share of the earnings, and whispered, her voice trembling slightly with excitement: "I sold eighteen bunches of wild vegetables today, plus the thirty coins from the bean curd, totaling thirty-nine coins. After deducting the city entry fee and market tax, I have thirty-seven coins left. I can even buy a marrow bone to take home today."

Qin Fangniang was truly happy. She was slow at calculating, but from the moment Sang Luo gave her the sixty pieces in the West Market, she had been counting in her head. By the time she reached the East Market, she knew she would make thirty coins if she sold them all. As for the wild vegetables, she had been adding one coin for every two bunches sold, keeping track in her mind.

Now, she didn't need to count again; she knew exactly how much she had made. Thirty-seven coins—before Sang Luo arrived, she hadn't even dared to dream of such a thing.

"Thank you so much," Qin Fangniang said, struggling to find the words. "This is a huge income for our family." She didn't know exactly how huge, as she couldn't calculate large sums, but she knew that earning nearly forty coins in a single day was an astonishing feat, something she never dared to imagine before. Farmers relied on their crops all year, and selling eggs once every eight or ten days was the most they could hope for. Apart from selling grain, they rarely saw much cash.

As she handed over Sang Luo's share and clutched her own heavy purse, she thought about earning this much every day and felt her heart and hands trembling with excitement.

Sang Luo smiled and preemptively warned her, "This is because everyone finds this food novel recently. It might sell a bit slower and in smaller quantities later on." Of course, she didn't mention that the bean curd would be added to the mix later.

Qin Fangniang paused, a hint of disappointment flashing across her face, but she quickly adjusted. "This is already very good." Even if it sold a bit slower, it wouldn't be by much. Once a new food item appeared, there would always be a steady group of people who liked it, and building a long-term, stable business with them was enough. She did worry about the raw materials coming from the mountains—she wondered if they were available year-round or seasonal—but she kept those thoughts to herself. She knew better than to ask what shouldn't be asked.

"Let’s go. I’ll buy a marrow bone, and then we’ll buy the millet."

Sang Luo nodded. "Before buying the millet, I was thinking of getting a rice jar. We only have two cloth bags at home, which isn't very convenient."

Upon hearing this, Qin Fangniang nodded immediately. "A rice jar is essential; you must buy one. There’s a saying: no matter how poor a family is, they should never be without a rice jar and a water vat. It’s the 'feng shui' of a home."

To buy the jar, they headed to the shops on the main street. The stores in the county were much larger than those in Sanli Village. The pottery section alone took up an entire storefront, with over a dozen types of rice jars. Sang Luo wasn't overwhelmed; she only wanted something simple, practical, and affordable. She spent eighty-nine coins on a lidded earthenware jar that could hold five pecks of rice—sufficient for a family of three—and bought some salt.

She asked the shop assistant to wipe off the dust with a clean cloth before loading it onto Qin Fangniang’s cart, securing it firmly among the buckets.

With the jar taken care of, they went to buy grain. This time, with some cash in hand, Sang Luo didn't buy just a liter or two; she bought a full peck. It cost seventy coins and would yield about seven or eight liters of rice once husked. Combined with what she had husked yesterday, it should be enough for a few days if they didn't have too many guests.

She still had over fifty coins left, but she didn't splurge. Construction started tomorrow, and she would need to buy meat, eggs, and vegetables. There might be unexpected expenses, so it was better to keep some savings on hand.

By the time they returned to the village, it was already afternoon. Sang Luo was exhausted and hungry. Since the construction workers would be eating at the Chen family's place the next day, she let Qin Fangniang take the cart back home. Sang Luo planned to carry her own basket home via the small path, leaving the buckets for later.

Qin Fangniang was accommodating, but she was firm on one point: "You can't store the rice jar at my house; it will leak your family's fortune. I’ll pour the millet into a basket at my door, and I’ll have your uncle bring the jar to your house."

She was quite superstitious, but Sang Luo figured that since she knew about it, she might as well follow the tradition—it gave peace of mind, didn't it? "Auntie, I'm truly exhausted. I'll trouble Uncle Youtian to make the trip."

Qin Fangniang knew Sang Luo went to the market before dawn and spent her afternoons searching for ingredients in the mountains, only to make bean curd all night. "It's no trouble at all," she said quickly. "You don't need to come back for the buckets; I'll have your uncle bring them over. I'll also have him husk the millet for you. Just go home and rest."

Sang Luo thanked her, parted ways with Qin Fangniang, and headed down the path.

...

Shen San sat at home waiting, but he never saw a trace of the "Sang woman," let alone Shen An or Shen Ning. When he caught Shen Jin returning at noon, the boy said he hadn't seen their eldest sister-in-law all morning.

Shen San and Lady Li had been watching the Chen house all morning and hadn't seen Qin Fangniang out and about either. Qin Fangniang was famous in the village for her diligence; she wasn't the type to hide in her room. The couple finally began to believe the rumors about Sang Luo and Qin Fangniang selling vegetables in the county.

With this on his mind, Shen San couldn't even enjoy his afternoon nap. After tossing and turning for a while, he went back out to the courtyard. He was glad he did, because not long after, he saw Qin Fangniang pulling a cart back. He squinted and saw what looked like baskets and buckets—seven or eight of them. Qin Fangniang pulled the cart to her gate and called for Chen Youtian. After they fussed about for a bit, Chen Youtian walked out carrying a rice jar. Shen San watched from his courtyard for a long time, noticing that Chen Youtian was heading in the direction of Sang Luo’s house.

Shen San stood there with a dark expression as Chen Youtian made several trips to carry the buckets, baskets, and basins up the mountain. He tried to recall when the elder branch of his family had become so close to the Chen family. When Shen Lie was around, he was close to Chen Dashan, but that wasn't unusual for young men in the village. After Shen Lie left, it was Shen An and his sister who were close to the Chen children. But never like this. The Chen parents and Chen Youtian had kept their distance, especially after hearing of Chen Dashan's death. They had been devastated and rarely spoke to anyone for half a year.

It seemed they had only become close to Sang Luo after that night they borrowed grain. But if the Chens lent grain to Sang Luo, surely Sang Luo should be the one grateful to them? Why did this look so wrong?

Shen San couldn't figure it out, so he sat back in the main room with a scowl.

...

Sang Luo had no idea that her house construction had caused the Shen couple to fret all day. If she had known, she would have simply wondered, "What business is it of yours?"

When she arrived home, the land behind her hut was bustling. Scattered across the small plot were seven children, ranging from tall to short. She paused and was reminded of the seven gourd brothers from the folktale—not one more, not one less.

Shen An and Shen Ning were the most enthusiastic, dropping their hoes to run toward her, taking her basket, and pouring her water, constantly asking if she was tired or if she had eaten. Chen Ershan called out a greeting from a distance, and little Ya'er followed behind Shen Ning, looking at Sang Luo shyly.

Shen Jin, having been coldly lectured by Sang Luo a few days prior, felt awkward. He just tapped his hoe and didn't move. Shen Yin and Shen Tie, not familiar with her, stayed put as well.

Sang Luo looked at the line of "child laborers" and felt like a coal mine boss. She felt a bit awkward. She knew about Shen Jin and his brothers, but what about Chen Ershan and Ya'er?

Sang Luo crouched down and asked Ya'er, who was clinging to Shen Ning, "Why is Ya'er here to help?"

Ya'er was surprised and delighted to have an adult crouch down to speak to her at eye level. "I’m good friends with Sister Anning, so I came to help her." She added shyly, "And for the sesame cake. The cake Mother brought home yesterday was delicious. Thank you, Sister-in-law Sang."

Shen Jin’s ears pricked up. *What sesame cake?!*

He stopped digging and stared at the two of them. He wanted to ask, but remembering how he had been shut down by his sister-in-law previously, he didn't dare. He felt aggrieved—whose sister-in-law was she, anyway? Why were the Chen children eating sesame cake while he hadn't even seen a crumb? He was the one with the surname Shen!

He glared at Chen Ershan, who was still silently hoeing. He moved his hoe closer and muttered in a low, aggressive tone, "You ate sesame cake before coming to work, yet you had the nerve to look down on me this morning!"

Chen Ershan blinked, confused. "What are you talking about?"

Shen Jin, feeling indignant, couldn't help but ask, "Is... is the sesame cake good?"