Fields of Gold #1-100
Author: Tranquil Fine Rain (姽婳晴雨)
Date: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Cooking; Fantasy; female protagonist; Romance
Description: She transmigrated into the body of a little girl from a fishing village! Her father is honest and foolishly filial, while her mother is weak and ill. Moreover, her siblings are still young children. Her father was the best fisher in the village and breadwinner of the entire family. However, when he got injured and was on the verge of death, her cruel grandparents and uncle kicked her whole family out. They were hungry and cold with nothing but an empty house… But that’s ok! She has a multicolored stone that can accelerate the growth of crops. She was also an expert at preparing braised meat in

Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - Murdered Over a Steamed Bun
Chapter 2 - Evil Step-Grandmother
Chapter 3 - Mysterious Rainbow Stone
Chapter 4 - She Has a Decent Father
Chapter 5 - Lying Without Blinking
Chapter 6 - Collecting Seafood
Chapter 7 - Rescuing a Little Beauty
Chapter 8 - Extraordinary Background
Chapter 9 - A Rewarding Trip
Chapter 10 - Hidden Plan
Chapter 11 - A Famous Restaurant Bullies Its Guests
Chapter 12 - Zhenxiu Restaurant's Third Young Master
Chapter 13 - Utterly Confused
Chapter 14 - Gullible Sheep
Chapter 15 - The Best Seasoning
Chapter 16 - Going Shopping
Chapter 17 - Parental Love
Chapter 18 - The Handsome Youth From the Mountains
Chapter 19 - Following Brother Han Means There's Meat to Eat
Chapter 20 - The Return of the Divine Stone
Chapter 21 - A Person Who Knows How to Roast Meat is the Most Handsome
Chapter 22 - Road Block
Chapter 23 - Younger Uncle Comes Home
Chapter 24 - Flattering
Chapter 25 - Praise
Chapter 26 - Reputation
Chapter 27 - Apprentice
Chapter 28 - Gathering Money
Chapter 29 - Setting Traps
Chapter 30 - Specialty
Chapter 31 - Another Pretty Boy
Chapter 32 - Foodie
Chapter 33 - Beaten
Chapter 34 - Study Medicine
Chapter 35 - Adorable Pet
Chapter 36 - Natural Gift
Chapter 37 - The Docks
Chapter 38 - The Royal Prince
Chapter 39 - Token of Gratitude
Chapter 40 - High Yield
Chapter 41 - Acute Illness
Chapter 42 - Winter Disaster
Chapter 43 - Cold-hearted
Chapter 44 - Bitter Disappointment
Chapter 45 - Getting Rich
Chapter 46 - Making Up an Excuse
Chapter 47 - Punishment
Chapter 48 - A Change
Chapter 49 - Thoughts
Chapter 50 - Gifting Money
Chapter 51 - Business Venture
Chapter 52 - Home Visit
Chapter 53 - Become a Shareholder
Chapter 54 - Advertise
Chapter 55 - The New Year
Chapter 56 - A Disastrous Year
Chapter 57 - Disaster
Chapter 58 - Amputation
Chapter 59 - The Past
Chapter 60 - Coma
Chapter 61 - Awake
Chapter 62 - Being Sold
Chapter 63 - Dividing the Family (1)
Chapter 64 - Dividing the Family (2)
Chapter 65 - Old Residence
Chapter 66 - Maternal Family
Chapter 67 - Building a House
Chapter 68 - A Better Move
Chapter 69 - Expansion of Resources
Chapter 70 - Growing Vegetables
Chapter 71 - Cute Youngster
Chapter 72 - Steamed Stuffed Buns
Chapter 73 - Silently Enduring
Chapter 74 - Collaboration
Chapter 75 - Helping Out
Chapter 76 - What a Surprise!
Chapter 77 - Braised Food
Chapter 78 - Opening Day
Chapter 79 - Pig Head
Chapter 80 - Causing Trouble
Chapter 81 - Secret Recipe
Chapter 82 - New Taste
Chapter 83 - Famous Scholar
Chapter 84 - Glutton
Chapter 85 - Accepting a Disciple
Chapter 86 - Luring Fish
Chapter 87 - Pickled Fish
Chapter 88 - Father and Daughter
Chapter 89 - Tuition
Chapter 90 - Brother Six
Chapter 91 - Advanced Payment
Chapter 92 - Wet Rice
Chapter 93 - Esteemed Guest
Chapter 94 - Donkey Cart
Chapter 95 - Entering School
Chapter 96 - Haggard
Chapter 97 - The Sick Donkey
Chapter 98 - Dividends
Chapter 99 - A Chance Encounter
Chapter 100 - To Drop In
Chapter 101 - The Zhou Family
Chapter 102 - Skimping on Work
Chapter 103 - Loss of Integrity
Chapter 104 - Robbery
Chapter 105 - Seeing a Ghost
Chapter 106 - Dying
Chapter 107 - Interrogate
Chapter 108 - Thunder
Chapter 109 - Struck By Lightning
Chapter 110 - An Apology
Chapter 111 - Going Home
Chapter 112 - Headed Out
Chapter 113 - King of Ginseng
Chapter 114 - A Profitable Trip
Chapter 115 - Selling Vegetables
Chapter 116 - The Prince
Chapter 117 - Fight Over Vegetables
Chapter 118 - Distinguished Guest

Description

She transmigrated into the body of a little girl from a fishing village! Her father is honest and foolishly filial, while her mother is weak and ill. Moreover, her siblings are still young children. Her father was the best fisher in the village and breadwinner of the entire family. However, when he got injured and was on the verge of death, her cruel grandparents and uncle kicked her whole family out. They were hungry and cold with nothing but an empty house… But that’s ok! She has a multicolored stone that can accelerate the growth of crops. She was also an expert at preparing braised meat in her previous life. Just watch as she, an eight year-old girl, challenges the taste buds of people who lived during ancient times. With improved high-yielding crops, she’s going to become the most famous farming expert in the world!

Chapter 1 - Murdered Over a Steamed Bun

Lin Xiaowan’s mind felt groggy and heavy. She could smell a salty and fishy scent distinctive to the beach, while the sound of waves beating on the shore faintly traveled to her ears. This must be a dream! It must be! Her hometown was located in the inner regions. She had only seen the sea once in her life when she visited her sister, who studied in a university located beside the sea. Why would she be able to hear the sound of waves now?

Lin Xiaowan tried her best to open her eyes, but she was unable to break away from the clinging darkness. It felt like a nightmare. Her mind was sober, but she couldn’t wake up.

“Second Sister, Second Sister! Waahhh… Second Sister, you can’t die! Shitou isn’t hungry anymore, Shitou doesn’t want to eat steamed buns anymore! Second Sister, please wake up!…” Lin Xiaowan felt a light weight beside herself, shaking her arm desperately.

Second Sister? That wasn’t right? She was the eldest child in her family. Her parents had died when she was in middle school. As the eldest sister, she dropped out of school to work and raise her younger siblings all by herself. She has been called ‘Eldest Sister’ for over twenty years. Why was she suddenly being called ‘Second Sister’? He must have made a mistake!

“So wicked! The child had just wanted to pick up a steamed bun to eat, yet that woman had beat her as if she wanted to kill her! Xiaocao has always been a child with a weak constitution. Can she still survive after having her head smashed in? Look at how much blood there is! Is she still alive?”

“Moreover, it was the child’s aunt who did it! A steamed bun doesn’t even cost much money. She hit her so hard the child’s head slammed against the ship. I’ve never seen such a cruel person!”

“Xiaocao’s father is the most famous fisherman around this area. He’s also a good hunter. If it wasn’t for him, Old Yu’s family wouldn’t have been able to build that new five-room house and ship. Why couldn’t she just let the child eat a steamed bun?”

“The child doesn’t seem to be doing that well. Quick, call her mother over! If this drags on, she might not even be able to see her child’s last moments!”

“Li Guihua really has a sharp tongue and cruel heart. She was so vicious even to her own niece! We should keep our distance from her. Otherwise, she might backstab us if we accidentally offend her in the future!”

……

Lin Xiaowan’s ears buzzed with the voices of strangers. Her senses were gradually returning. She felt herself lying on soft sands and her forehead was aching with pain. She seemed to be surrounded by a large crowd.

This is such a strange dream. When can she wake up?!

“What nonsense are you talking about?! If you don’t know what happened, then don’t speak blindly! That darned girl stole a steamed bun that I brought back from my maiden home. I just scolded her a little and lightly pushed her a couple of times. Who could had thought that she would bump into that ship? Didn’t you see me tell my son, Heizi, to call for a doctor?” She snorted. “So much money is needed to take care of her fragile body, but she was born in a poor family. She’s always sick, just like her mother! What an utter waste of food!” The woman spoke with a sharp voice, which sounded like a broken gong.

“Second Sister didn’t steal the steamed bun. Brother Heizi dropped it on the ground and didn’t want it since it was dirty! Second Sister picked it up because I was hungry! Second Sister isn’t a thief!” It was a young child’s voice. He was obviously sobbing, but his voice still sounded abnormally clear.

“You little brat! You’ve already learned how to lie at such a young age! Your Brother Heizi clearly said your second sister stole it, yet you still won’t admit it! I just gently pushed her. Maybe she purposely bumped her head on that ship. She might just be using her injury to escape punishment!” A sense of guilt emerged within that woman’s bitter tone.

“Dashan’s wife, your words are unfair! The child has a huge bloody hole in her head and it seems like she’s about to stop breathing. You’re still trying to accuse the child of using her injury to avoid punishment! She was still just a little girl, so how would she be able to think of such a trick!” The speaker’s voice sounded old, but it was full of energy and hidden rage.

That’s right, that’s right! That woman is seriously vile. She battered the child so harshly because of a piece of bun. Moreover, they’re relatives! Lin Xiaowan wanted to open her eyes and see how ‘impressive’ that vicious woman was. However, her eyelids felt extremely heavy. She couldn’t open her eyes no matter how hard she tried.

“Cao’er!!!” It was a tired voice that also sounded anxious and pained. Lin Xiaowan felt her body being lifted by a pair of thin and weak arms. Several drops of warm tears fell on her face.

Such a warm embrace. The feeling of having a mother… How long has it been? Since her mother passed away from a car accident when she was fourteen, she had never felt such a warm and secure feeling. Even though she had gritted her teeth and learned to be strong in life, Lin Xiaowan still felt the urge to cry.

“Younger Sister… She’s bleeding a lot! Mother, it’s not the time to be crying! Quickly call for a doctor!” This was a young girl’s voice. She sounded to be at most ten years old, but… Who’s she calling ‘Younger Sister’? She wouldn’t be calling me, right? A bad feeling suddenly emerged within Lin Xiaowan’s heart. What kind of dream is this? Why is it starting to feel even more real?

Ow!! Her forehead really hurts and the feeling of being embraced… This definitely wasn’t a dream! However, she had clearly lived as Lin Xiaowan for twenty-nine years. Why did she suddenly turn into ‘Cao’er’?

“Move away. Quickly move! Doctor You is here!”

“Doctor You, please save Cao’er! Please save my daughter!” The woman, who was holding her, didn’t know what to do besides crying. At this time, she finally raised her head and pleaded with the doctor while trembling. Her voice was weak and helpless.

“Set the child down. Let me stop her bleeding first…” Lin Xiaowan felt a pair of hands gently wiping the blood on her forehead. When her wound was being cleaned, she felt a sharp pain that made her body shake violently. She opened her eyes slightly, but the piercing light made her shut her eyes again.

“She’s awake, she’s awake! Xiaocao is awake!” Someone in the crowd exclaimed.

Doctor You gently helped the young girl bandage her wound, while saying, “It’s good that she’s awake. However, her body has always been weak and she had bled so much just now. She needs to properly rest for some time. Be sure to give her some nutritious foods to help her recover.”

Lin Xiaowan slightly opened her eyes and slowly got used to the brightness. She was stunned when she finally saw her surroundings. Why was she surrounded by a group of people wearing ancient period clothing? She thought back to the voices she had heard earlier… Did she get caught up in a ridiculous transmigration plot?

“Cao’er, you’re awake? Does your head hurt? Tell Mother, do you still feel uncomfortable anywhere?” Lin Xiaowan turned her head towards the voice and stared into a gaze full of concern and pain. Uh… This her mother? Isn’t she too young? She didn’t look that much older than herself.

“Younger Sister, who beat you up like that? I’ll go scold them for you!!” This thin little girl, who seems to be less than ten years old, was her older sister? Lin Xiaowan widened her eyes, then lowered her head to look at herself. She saw a pair of tiny hands and a small body. She smiled bitterly in her heart. Did the heavens take pity on the difficult life she had previously and granted her a chance to regain her childhood?

However, why didn’t the heavens give her a better family? The whole family were dressed in rags and their faces were wan and haggard. They were so poor that they would even pick up a steamed bun that someone else had thrown away. Doesn’t that seem too miserable?

Lin Xiaowan gradually recovered from the shock of being transmigrated. Since she had already came, she’s just going to go with the flow. Her younger siblings from her previous life had already gotten jobs and formed their own families. It was probably a good time for her to step back and rest. However, she did wonder if her siblings would be sad about her suddenly ‘passing away’.

For a moment, Lin Xiaowan fell into a trance. She thought back to when she was fifteen. She had just entered the second year of middle school that year. Her parents had left early in the morning to sell vegetables like usual, but they had gotten in a car accident on the way and passed away. Her uncles hastily took care of her parents’ funeral before leaving in a hurry, as if they were scared that the three orphaned children would cling on to them.

As the eldest sister, she had dropped out of school ever since she was young. She took the heavy responsibility of raising her siblings on her slender shoulders. That year, her sister was twelve, while her brother had just turned ten.

Over the next fourteen years, she not only took care of their family’s three acres of farmland, but also worked various jobs for the sake of her younger siblings’ school fees. She was afraid that she wouldn’t be hired because of her age, so she would lie by saying that she was seventeen and that she just looked young.

She had sold vegetables, helped others sell fruits, and worked as a waiter. She had also worked in a factory… Later on, the lady boss of a braised food store had helped her after she noticed that she was able to endure hardships and was honest and kind. The lady boss also pitied her due to her circumstances. Thus, she hired her to help out in her store.

The braised food store provided good benefits. Accommodation and meals were provided, and the wage was higher than other stores. The lady boss had also taught her the secret recipes for her braised foods without any reservation. Later on, when the lady boss decided to return to her hometown, she sold the braised food store, which was well-known and doing rather well, to her at a low price. With this small braised food store, she was able to earn enough money to support her younger siblings through middle school and high school…

Her younger sister was an intelligent child and her heart ached for her sister who had to wake up while it was still dark to work in order to send her to school. After graduating high school, her younger sister skipped the national college entrance examination without telling her and secretly followed the other girls from the village to find work in the south.

Lin Xiaowan had cried her heart out for this matter when she found out. She hated herself for being useless and hindering her sister’s future. Even if it wasn’t a famous university, her sister should have been able to enter a decent university with her grades.

Her younger brother had always ranked at the top of his class since he was young. He had even skipped a grade in both elementary school and middle school. When he was fifteen and still a sophomore in high school, he had pestered his homeroom teacher to help him register for the national college entrance examination. On his career form, he only filled in ‘military academy’ as his first admission choice and left all the other slots blank.

There were no tuition fees for the military academy and they also gave a standard allowance. Those with excellent grades would be assigned to the local army and would even be ranked as a deputy officer! She knew that her brother had just wanted to lessen her burden!

Fourteen years had passed in a blink of an eye. While working, her sister had continued to study and earned a bachelor’s degree. After that, she became a white-collar worker and even found love.

Her younger brother performed outstandingly while studying in the military academy. He graduated when he was nineteen years old and was assigned to the Jinling Military Camp. He became the youngest officer in the camp. Later on, her tall and handsome brother, who was exceptional in all areas, caught the eye of the deputy commander of the camp. The deputy commander introduced his granddaughter to her brother and they fell in love.

When they got married, her sister also brought along her white-collar husband and their one-year old son to the wedding. After seeing her younger siblings with their own happy families, she was so happy that she drank a few more cups of wine…

After the wedding banquet, when she was walking down the stairs, she accidentally missed a step and fell down the stairs… When she woke up again, she had already entered the body of this weak, little fisher girl…

Chapter 2 - Evil Step-Grandmother

“You… you’re my mother?” Lin Xiaowan didn’t retain any memories from the original host of this body. However, she had coincidently hit her head, so that gave her a good opportunity to pretend to have amnesia. Weren’t all transmigration novels just like this?

That weak-looking woman already had a pale face, but her face became even more ashen. She wobbled and asked in disbelief, “Cao’er, what’s wrong? Why can’t you even remember your own mother? Doctor You, what’s exactly wrong with my daughter?”

Doctor You was an old man in his fifties. He stroked his beard and frowned. After a moment of deliberation, he said, “When I was younger, I had read a medical book that mentioned a similar case. There was a man who stumbled down a mountain and injured his head, losing all his memories. Little girl, try thinking a little harder, can you remember anything?”

Lin Xiaowan, who was now Yu Xiaocao, scrunched up her face and pretended to think harder. After a long moment, she shook her head firmly and said, “My mind is completely blank. I can’t remember anything at all.”

“My poor daughter… Doctor You, can Cao’er’s illness be cured? Is there any danger to her life?” Yu Xiaocao’s new mother in this lifetime held her hand and wept silently.

The villagers surrounding them clicked their tongues, shook their heads, and sighed. Madam Liu’s life had been rather tough. Her mother-in-law was vicious and harsh, while her sister-in-law was lazy and selfish. After she gave birth to her youngest son, she didn’t get to properly recuperate. Thus, she became prone to illness. However, her mother-in-law still ordered her around without letting her rest. Even after all that, her mother-in-law was still unsatisfied with her and constantly picked on her.

Although her husband was capable to earning money, Madam Liu had never received a single cent before her mother-in-law, Madam Zhang, pocketed all the money. Her younger daughter was born sickly and wasn’t expected to live very long. Now she even injured her head, ah…

Doctor You consoled her, “Don’t worry. As long as there aren’t any other symptoms, her health wouldn’t be affected. Maybe she will start recovering her memories after a few more days. Bring her home first so that she doesn’t catch a cold.”

“Thank you so much, Doctor You! We’ve troubled you again!” Yu Xiaocao’s mother, Madam Liu, wiped her tears with the corner of her clothes and bent down to pick up her daughter.

However, a young man in his twenties had already picked Yu Xiaocao up before she could do so and said, “Second Sister-in-law, let me carry her!”

Yu Xiaocao blinked and stared at this tall and thin man with curiosity. He was a young man with a refined aura. As someone with the mentality of a twenty-six years old, it felt somewhat weird to be carried by a young man like this.

The young man flashed a smile at her and asked, “Xiaocao, do you still remember Third Uncle?

“I don’t remember you!” Yu Xiaocao shook her head honestly. Her movement pulled on her wound and made her grimace in pain.

The young man hastened his pace and carried her towards a room inside a courtyard. Yu Xiaocao wanted to walk by herself, but she had lost too much blood. She was still too dizzy and weak, so she could only stay in her third uncle’s arms. She just kept reminding herself: I’m a child, I’m just a child right now…

Her eyes weren’t idle as she carefully looked around and got a general idea about her surroundings. This was a small fishing village that was close to the sea. There were mostly old straw houses in the village. Their family had a five-room residence with a courtyard, so they can be considered a family with above-average living conditions in the village.

However… if her family had decent living conditions, why had the original host of this body died because of a small and dirty piece of steamed bun?

“What happened?!” A white-haired old woman with deep wrinkles around her mouth came out from the main room. When she saw her daughter-in-law carrying a blood covered Yu Xiaocao in her arms, she frowned and grumbled, “You went out so early this morning. Where did you go? Wouldn’t her head injury cost a lot of money to be treated? A family full of sick and useless people. Even a rich family will be ruined by all the medical fees! Second Daughter-in-law, is this how you look after your daughter?”

“Second Sister didn’t fall by herself! Eldest Aunt pushed her!” The little boy, Shitou, swiftly replied. He straightened his back, trying to protect his sick and weak sister.

The wrinkles on the old woman’s face deepened as she furrowed her brows. Her fierce gaze shot towards the plump figure hidden behind them. She coldly shouted, “Eldest Daughter-in-law, what exactly happened?”

Her eldest daughter-in-law, Madam Li’s, eyes darted around before she answered evasively, “Heizi told me that Xiaocao stole a steamed bun from my room. I just didn’t manage to hold back my anger.”

Xiaocao’s older twin sister, Yu Xiaolian, wasn’t as amicable as her mother. She shouted at the fat Heizi, who was hiding behind his mother, “Brother Heizi always lies, so how can we still believe in his words?”

Li Guihua’s imposing manner had slightly deflated, but, when she saw her precious son being criticized, she immediately bounced back like a rubber ball, “You little brat, who are you calling a liar? You’re still refusing to admit that you stole something! Who would still throw a whole steamed bun on the ground when the harvest had been so bad recently? Heizi, come over here! Quickly come and tell everyone how that damned girl, Xiaocao, stole our steamed bun?!”

Yu Ge, whose nickname was Heizi, was tanned and fat. He was the eldest child among the younger generation of the family and was spoiled by his mother. Although he was usually a bully in front of his younger siblings, he was actually a complete coward. Xiaocao had been battered until she was bloody and nearly died because of his careless words. It was impossible for him to not feel guilty at all.

He kept muttering without actually saying anything relevant until Madam Li smacked him several times. When he finally summoned up the courage to continue lying, he was interrupted by Xiaocao’s older brother, Yu Hang.

“Brother Heizi, do you still remember the story of ‘the wronged souls coming back for justice’? Also, the myths about the eighteen levels of hell? Eldest Aunt had also said this earlier, liars will have their tongues cut off in hell!” The ten year old Yu Hang was usually very quiet, but he had clearly seen through the current situation.

Heizi guiltily looked at Xiaocao, who was being carried by her mother. The sickly and pale Yu Xiaocao silently stared at him with her empty eyes. She barely had any flesh on her small face, which made her eyes look frighteningly big. Her dark pupil nearly filled up her entire eyeball. Her face was also stained with streaks of blood. Wasn’t this exactly the same as the wronged ghosts mention in the story?

Heizi was so scared that he almost wet his pants. He didn’t dare to look at her again and buried his head into his mother’s embrace. He screeched like a dying pig, “I wasn’t the one who had hurt you, so don’t come looking for me! What I said earlier doesn’t count! I dropped the steamed bun on the ground and didn’t want it anymore because it was dirty! Waaahhh… Don’t take my soul away! I don’t want to go to hell and have my tongue be cut off!…”

The truth has been revealed, so Madam Li can’t even argue anymore. She was so angry that she smacked her son’s back several times. Under the onlookers scrutinizing eyes, she could only give in, “Darned brat, why did you lie? Second Sister-in-law, I’ve already scolded him, so don’t take a child’s action to heart.”

Yu Lichun, who had followed behind them, spoke up at this time, “Why are you still fighting over a steamed bun when the child was already injured like this? Sister-in-law, you should hurry up and give Doctor You the medical fees!”

Yu Lichun was the eldest brother of Xiaocao’s grandfather, Old Yu. The two families didn’t have a close relationship due to Xiaocao’s grandmother, Madam Zhang.

When Madam Zhang heard that she needed to pay for that useless brat’s medical fees, she widened her eyes and spoke through gritted teeth, “Brother-in-law, that’s easy for you to say. Pay for her medical fees? All the money that we had wasted on that brat and her mother every year is enough to feed an entire family. Where am I going to find the money to pay for them? Money doesn’t just fall from the sky for our family, so we can’t just spend it carelessly! It’s a small wound, so just cover it with some plant ash and it’ll be fine. She doesn’t need any medicine!”

“She’s not her real granddaughter, so of course she doesn’t want to pay!” The villagers, who had followed along, shook their heads and sighed.

Madam Zhang was actually Yu Hai’s step-mother, who married Old Yu after Yu Hai’s mother died. After they got married, she gave birth to their third son, Yu Bo, and a daughter, Yu Caidie. The eldest son, Yu Dashan, was a child Madam Zhang had from her previous marriage. He had changed his surname after his mother married into the Yu Family.

Yu Lichun cried out against the injustice for his nephew, “Third Sister-in-law! Dahai goes out to the sea to fish every day before dawn. He would also frequently go up the mountain to hunt for pheasants and wild rabbits, then sell them in town. Moreover, all the money he makes goes to the family. We, the villagers, aren’t blind. If Dahai wasn’t in your family, would your family be able to build this five-room house? Can your family afford the new ship? His daughter is badly injured right now, yet you can’t even bear to spend some money? How can he not be disappointed?”

Madam Zhang was upset when she heard Yu Lichun’s words, “Brother-in-law, according to your words, Dahai is the only reason our family is doing well? Let me tell you right now! I’m not going to pay the medical fees! Whoever caused this mess and injured her should be responsible for paying!” After she finished speaking, she turned around and went back into the room, slamming the door loudly.

Madam Li’s fleshy body trembled slightly and she muttered in a low voice, “All our money is in Mother’s hands. I don’t have any money…” Then, she pulled her son back to their own room.

Madam Liu gave Doctor You a bitter smile and said, “Doctor You, I’ll have my husband send over the medical fees when he comes back… My apologies!”

Under everyone’s sympathetic gazes, Madam Liu sent away Doctor You and the villagers…

Chapter 3 - Mysterious Rainbow Stone

Yu Xiaocao, who was set down on the kang bed [1], stared at the affectionate Madam Liu. She didn’t really know how she felt right now. Even though this mother seemed weak and unreliable, she finally had a mother to love her again after fourteen years.

Yu Hang stroked Xiaocao’s hair while speaking to his mother, “Mother, Youngest Sister had been weak and often sick ever since she was born. This time, she even suffered a major injury… Grandpa You told us to feed her more nutritious foods to help her recover.”

A brief moment of silence filled the entire room. Madam Liu thought of her stingy mother-in-law and went out of the room with an agonized expression on her face. After she left, Shitou came closer and caressed her face with his cold hands. He whispered into her ears with his tender voice, “Older Sister, rest well and get better soon. Tomorrow, I’ll bring you an egg to eat…”

Yu Xiaocao sorted out her emotions, then smiled at the young child. She chatted with the cute kid for a while before she felt a wave of fatigue. Right before she fell into a deep slumber, she heard Madam Liu timidly saying, “Mother, the doctor said that Cao’er’s body is weak and that she’ll need to eat some nourishing foods. She only drank a few mouthfuls of porridge in the morning, so I want to make some egg soup for her.”

“Eat, eat, eat! Even a wealthy family wouldn’t be able to withstand the sufferings caused by all of you patients. Calling for a doctor and getting medications, which of these doesn’t require money?! We still need to sell the eggs the next time the market opens. There’s still some white rice inside the jar, so just take some to make a bowl of congee…”

Yu Xiaocao’s body was originally weak and she had just suffered excessive blood loss. Thus, she finally couldn’t resist the call for sleep and fell into a deep slumber.

She slept for a very long time this time. She didn’t wake up even when they were feeding her the congee and medicine. She felt as if she had fallen into a bottomless darkness. No matter how much she struggled, she was unable to escape from the endless despair.

After an unknown amount of time, when she was about to give up and accept her fate, a glimmer of light shone within the darkness. A frustrated yet sweet sounding voice appeared in her mind:

[Darn it! How did I accidently pledge my loyalties to a weak human-being? What should I do? What should I do now? Should I… I should just ignore her. If she dies, then our master-servant relationship will be void. However, I don’t know when I would be able to come out again!]

That damned Goddess of Spirits. She actually sealed most of this mighty divine stone’s spiritual powers, then abandoned it in some random human realm. It had waited for exactly eight hundred years before it was picked up by a human-woman. However, she had died before it was able to acknowledge its master…

It used up all its remaining spiritual powers to bring that human-woman’s soul to another realm and found a suitable body for her to revive in. If it didn’t save her with all its powers, then it might really have to experience another eight hundred years before waking up again.

Ay… It’s better to be a little weaker than stay in endless darkness. However, the wound on her head… Seems like it would need to use the little spiritual powers that it still had to heal her…

While Yu Xiaocao was amazed by that talkative glowing orb, she suddenly felt a cool and refreshing feeling on the wound on her forehead. The painful sensation was also gone. As the darkness around her gradually faded, she slowly opened her heavy eyelids.

A dim lamp was lit inside the room. She could faintly see thin Madam Liu laying on the edge of the kang bed. Her breathing could be clearly heard in the silence.

Yu Xiaocao recalled that strange dream she just had. She lifted her arm and touched her forehead. It really didn’t hurt anymore. Was that not a dream? Did that glowing golden orb, who calls itself a ‘Divine Stone’, really exist? Did it also cure the injury on her head?

Yu Xiaocao felt really hot and stuffy since she was tightly covered by a blanket. She took her arms out of the blanket and noticed a red string bracelet on her thin wrist. There was a multicolored stone threaded on the red string. Wasn’t this the small stone that she picked up in a mountain stream near the Potala Palace, that only time she went on a vacation?

The stone was only about the size of a marble. It appeared smooth and round as it sat in the middle of the creek. She had picked it up because she thought that the colorful stone looked really beautiful at that time. After taking it back, she made a hole in it, threaded it on a red string, and wore it on her wrist. Later on, when she was preparing braised foods, she felt that it wasn’t convenient to wear it while working. Thus, she just casually threw it aside and forgot about it. Why did it transmigrate and reincarnate with her?

“Cao’er, you’re awake! You’ve slept for exactly three days. If you still didn’t wake up, I was about to take you to town to see a doctor.” Madam Liu, who was lying on the kang bed, noticed the movement and raised her head. She cried out in happiness when she looked up and saw her daughter studying the rainbow stone.

Yu Xiaocao stared intently at Madam Liu. Her first impression of her mother was that she was thin. Although she had a beautiful and gentle face, it looked thin and pale. Her hands, which were fixing her blanket, were full of rough calluses and scars. With one glance at her hands, it was obvious that she was constantly performing manual labor.

“Mother…” Although Madam Liu wasn’t that much older than her in her previous life, she was touched by the maternal love within her eyes. Thus, she couldn’t help but call out to her. No one had looked at her with such a loving gaze ever since her mother passed away when she was fourteen. Yu Xiaocao suddenly felt like crying.

“Don’t cry, Cao’er. Does your wound still hurt? Mother will blow on it for you…” Liu Muyun gently blew on her daughter’s bandaged head, then she quickly turned around and wiped her tears with her sleeve.

When she was pregnant with the twins, she accidently fell into the water while washing clothes and gave birth prematurely. Although Xiaolian was slightly underweight, she grew up with a healthy body. However, it was a different situation for Xiaocao. She couldn’t even drink milk at first. Furthermore, she would frequently fall ill. There were even several times when she almost didn’t survive.

Her child needed to take medicine throughout the year, but their family haven’t split off yet. All the money that her husband earned from fishing and hunting must be handed to her mother-in-law. Every time she asked her mother-in-law for money to get medicine, she was always reluctant to give it to her and would say a bunch of unpleasant words. Her eldest sister-in-law would also make jeering remarks on the side.

She can endure anything for her child. However, she had never expected that her daughter almost died in the hands of her eldest sister-in-law. The doctor had clearly instructed them to nourish Xiaocao with more nutrition, but her mother-in-law was unwilling to even give them an egg.

Liu Muyun’s face was full of helplessness as she looked at the dark night sky outside the window. She had already married into the Yu Family for thirteen years. Every day, she had to be the first to wake up and last to sleep. She always exhausted because she was responsible for nearly all of the household chores.

She’s not afraid of being tired, but her mother-in-law was never satisfied with her no matter what she does. She often had to suffer from her demanding gaze and mocking remarks. Even her children were treated poorly.

There was no one in the family who she could rely upon. Xiaocao was injured by Eldest Sister-in-law and was unconscious for three days, but Eldest Brother’s family didn’t even appear once. Her youngest sister-in-law and father-in-law were the only ones who came to check on Xiaocao…

“Cao’er, are you hungry? Your youngest aunt gave us an egg. I kept it warm with some hot water.” Liu Muyun peeled the eggshell for her daughter. She had a satisfied smile on her face as she watched her daughter slowly eat the egg.

She continued, “My good daughter, you should rest some more. Mother will go prepare dinner. Your favorite congee will be ready by the time you’re awake. I’ll be sure to make it thick and add some pickled vegetables in it. I’ll bring a large bowl of it for our Cao’er to eat!”

Yu Xiaocao remembered what she had heard before she fell asleep. Her mother was rejected after she had asked this body’s grandmother for an egg. It seems like her family rarely had the chance to eat fine grains such as white rice and wheat flour.

For this bowl of congee, Madam Liu would probably have to endure people cruelly mocking her. Her heart somewhat ached for her, “Mother, I’ll just eat whatever everyone else is eating. Don’t separately prepare something just for me. Didn’t I already eat an egg today?”

[1] Kang Bed (炕) – traditional long heated platform for general living, entertainment, sleeping, etc; usually used in northern China, where it’s colder

Chapter 4 - She Has a Decent Father

Liu Muyun went to open the door, but briefly paused after hearing her words. She hid her feeling of helplessness within her smile and said, “It’s alright. The doctor said that you lost too much blood and need some nourishment… Your father was heartbroken when he found out that you got injured, so he asked your Uncle Zhao to go hunting early this morning. They should be coming back soon. At noon, you’ll be able to drink thick chicken soup and eat your favorite drumstick…”

The door closed with a squeak and the room was quiet again. Yu Xiaocao propped herself up and touched the wound on her head. She remembered her dream and took out her arm with the multicolored stone tied on her wrist.

She gently shook the rainbow stone, which didn’t appear to be very special. She muttered to herself, “It was clearly just my soul that was transmigrated, so how did I bring this stone over? I must had been dreaming earlier. It’s just a useless stone. How could it be a divine stone?”

[You’re a useless stone! Your whole family are useless stones!] Suddenly, a bright spot appeared above the multicolored stone and a child’s infuriated voice emerged within Yu Xiaocao’s mind. She was so shocked that she almost threw the stone away in her hand.

That bright spot gradually became a small golden ball the size of a child’s fist. A pair of big round eyes and a small mouth appeared on the glowing orb, which was leisurely floating in the air. At this time, the small glowing orb was glaring at her angrily with a puffed-up face, which made it look rather cute.

Yu Xiaocao reached out her hand and wanted to hold up the small glowing orb. However, that little thing quickly flew away with a haughty and amusing expression on its face.

“Don’t be angry. I’ll apologize to you, alright? You’re really a divine stone? Do you really have the ability to heal injuries? Were you the one who healed the wound on my head?” Yu Xiaocao asked a series of questions.

The haughty divine stone snorted disdainfully and said, [I, this Divine Stone, was the only mystic stone that Goddess Nuwa personally refined. Don’t you think I’m amazing? However, most of my power was sealed by that damned Ling’er. How else would I had been stained by a weak human-being’s blood and foolishly accepted you as my master?!]

“Your powers have already been sealed! Why are you still bragging about yourself? Stop with your nonsense about weak human-beings! The master-servant relationship has already been established, so I’m your master now. It’s not like I’m happy about this situation. You’re just a useless stone that had your powers sealed. I can’t even eat you when I’m hungry, nor drink you when I’m thirsty. What can I even use you for?”

Yu Xiaocao had originally thought that she would be invincible with a point of her finger, just like what was written in the novels. Thus, she pouted in disappointment.

The small glowing orb turned into a furious little kitten with golden fur and immediately rushed towards her. Its tiny paws almost scratched Yu Xiaocao’s face as it screamed:

[Who says I’m useless? Who cured the wound on your head? With that big hole in your head, if it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t even be able to get up from the kang bed for at least half a month! How else would you still have the energy to argue with me? Despite having most of my powers sealed, I’m still a stone that was personally refined by Goddess Nuwa! My bathing water alone can prolong life and cure all kinds of illnesses. Moreover, it can also enhance beauty and maintain youthfulness!]

Uh… Bathing water? Yu Xiaocao blinked her eyes a few times. The small glowing orb seemed to have noticed her doubt and said, [Before I was picked out by Goddess Nuwa, I was a multicolored stone from a mountain stream. Thus, I really like to bathe in water. While I’m bathing, my energy would emit into the water and create unexpected effects. Your body is too weak, so you should drink more of my bathing water. I can ensure you that your body will become strong and healthy. You won’t suffer from any more illnesses…]

The small glowing orb used its short paws to pat itself on the chest, as if it was selling quack remedies. Yu Xiaocao had somewhat believed in it earlier, but she become rather unconvinced now.

[You don’t believe me? How can you not believe in me?! Humph, Humph! I seriously need to show you, this mortal, how awesome I am!] The small glowing orb was furious and flew around the room in a rampage. Then, it rushed towards the wound on her head and emitted a faint golden light, which enveloped her wound over the gauze.

After a while, Yu Xiaocao untied the gauze on her head. Originally, her wound was only partially healed, but the scab was almost ready to be removed now. She didn’t remove the dry scab because she was afraid that she couldn’t give an explanation when it’s time to change her medicine.

The small glowing orb proudly snorted at her. However, unexpected sadness comes after extreme joy. Its powers had been depleted, so it abruptly fell down and disappeared into the multicolored stone.

The moment it disappeared, Yu Xiaocao heard the little fellow speaking with a weak voice, [Remember to soak me in water. It can help me recover my spiritual powers.]

“Cao’er’s awake? Let me go take a look! I caught a pheasant today. Quickly go and stew it for my precious daughter.” A man’s voice sounded from the courtyard. Although it couldn’t be considered a pleasant voice, but he sounded very warm.

Yu Xiaocao hastily wrapped the gauze back on her head. Her wound was still bleeding a couple days ago, wouldn’t it be weird if it was healed in just three days?

The door creaked opened right after she finished wrapping the bandage on her head. The wind mischievously entered through the crack and fiddled with the dim candlewick. A tall and burly figure appeared in front of Yu Xiaocao’s eyes.

“Father?” Yu Xiaocao had vaguely heard that her new father was a very capable man, so she was very curious about why he would let his wife and children live so miserably.

The man swiftly walked towards the kang bed. She could vaguely see his face under the dim light. He had healthy-looking tanned skin with thick eyebrows and big eyes. With a tall nose and wide mouth, he appeared very masculine.

“My precious daughter! You had seriously scared me! Fortunately, we were blessed by the heavens and it turned out to be a false alarm. After sleeping for so long, you must be hungry, right? Your favorite chicken soup will be ready soon!”

Yu Hai carefully observed his daughter’s complexion. She really looked much better than this morning, so he happily supported her to sit up and stuffed a pillow behind her back for her to lean on.

Yu Xiaocao’s mouth couldn’t help twitching when she heard him speak in a gentle tone as if he was coaxing a child. She was already a twenty-nine year old woman, so it made her really uncomfortable to be treated like a young child.

Yu Xiaocao gently replied, “I’ve already ate an egg and congee. Let mother and younger brother drink the chicken soup. Mother’s body is weak, so she needs to nourish her body. Also, younger brother is still young and had suffered a major fright today…”

Yu Hai gently caressed his daughter’s head with his big fan-like hand, while carefully avoiding her wound. He grinned and revealed a mouth full of white teeth, “Our Cao’er is so understanding. You already know how to take care of your mother and younger brother. But, don’t worry. We have enough for everyone. We’ll leave the rest simmering on the stove, so you can eat it when you’re hungry later.”

Yu Xiaolian heard him and came in with a pout, “Father, stop coaxing us! As soon as you entered the courtyard with the pheasant, people from the east room had already set their eyes on it. Just Brother Heizi can eat half the chicken. By the time it’s our turn, we would be considered lucky if they leave some scraps!”

“If there’s no more, then I’ll just hunt for some more tomorrow!” Yu Hai smiled at her good-naturedly.

“Don’t…” Her older twin sister, Yu Xiaolian, secretly rolled her eyes, “If you caught more, then it would be even less likely for us to eat anything. You didn’t get to see grandmother’s pained expression when we needed to pay for the medical fees. She would surely find ways to make up for the loss, while also doubling the earnings.”

“Stop! How can a child reprimand their elder like this?” Yu Hai scolded her with a rather gentle tone. After that, he turned toward Xiaocao with a smile, “Don’t worry. Father will watch over the stove. I’ll make sure Cao’er gets a share even if no one else in this family does.”

Yu Xiaolian stuck her tongue out behind his back, then smiled at her sister, “Everything is great about our father, but it would be better if he can have a firmer attitude. Ay! Grandmother is oppressing us, yet our father is a dutiful son and our mother’s personality is too gentle…”

Yu Xiaocao had just transmigrated here, so she still hadn’t figured out this family’s situation. She simply smiled as she listened. When she lowered her head and saw the rainbow stone on her wrist, she hastily asked, “Uh… Xiaolian, can you bring me some water? There’s some bloodstains on the stone…”

Ay! She was too used to being the eldest child in her previous life, so it was really hard for her to call an eight year old girl ‘Older Sister’.

Chapter 5 - Lying Without Blinking

The morning sun quietly lit up the night sky of early spring. In the courtyard, chickens began to crow with their necks stretched out. Yu Xiaocao’s older twin sister, Yu Xiaolian, quietly dressed herself.

Yu Xiaocao slept a lot during the day, so she was immediately stirred awake by her older sister’s movement. She rubbed her eyes, looked through the window paper, and noticed that it was still very early outside. She muttered, “Why are you waking up so early?”

Yu Xiaolian yawned as she put on a jacket that was covered with patches. She glanced at Madam Liu, who was sleeping on the kang bed, and whispered, “Did I wake you up? Mother slept really late yesterday. I’ll do more work and let her rest some more. It’s still early, so you should sleep a little more …”

Xiaocao stared at this young girl’s thin back. She was only an eight year old child. In modern times, she would just be an elementary school kid who was still acting like a spoiled child in front of her parents. However, she was already one of the major contributors in this family.

In the courtyard, their grandmother began screaming again, “What time is it? Why haven’t you started cooking yet?! Don’t think that you can’t do whatever you want just because there’s a patient in your family!”

This person was also someone who strategically chose her victims. She knew that Madam Liu had a soft personality and Yu Hai was an obedient son. Thus, she was able to grasp all of them within her hands. She was probably somewhat worried about Old Yu, so she treated them slightly better when the men are home.

Yu Xiaocao frowned with annoyance when she heard Madam Zhang shouting early in the morning again. She had a biased grandmother and her eldest aunt was always nitpicking on them. Furthermore, she also has a greedy and lazy older cousin who was always bullying them… In her previous life, she had raised her younger brother and sister up all by herself. Even though they were in a difficult situation, but they had never experienced such grievances.

For these past few days, besides doing heavy household chores, Madam Liu also had to take care of her daughter at night. Thus, she barely had any time to sleep. Her body had originally been weak and she was so thin that she barely had any flesh on her body. Moreover, her face was so pale that there didn’t seem to be a trace of blood on her face. She also had dark shadows under her eyes.

Madam Liu hastily stood up when she heard the screaming outside. However, when she got off the bed, she staggered for a few steps before steadying herself.

Yu Xiaocao hastily got off the kang bed to support her mother, helped her sit on the bed, and said, “Mother, your health doesn’t seem that well either. You should rest some more. They won’t starve just because you didn’t cook for a day! If you got sick, then father would be heartbroken…”

Based on her observation, her new father, Yu Hai, not only spoiled his children, but he also loved his wife dearly. If he was at home, he would always rush to take over his wife’s duties. However, he was usually out fishing, selling fish, and hunting every day. Thus, he seldom spent time at home. Otherwise, Madam Liu’s health wouldn’t have deteriorated so much.

“You silly girl! Where did you learn to speak like that?!” A rosy blush emerged on Liu Muyun’s wan face.

“Xiaolian can’t finish the work by herself. I’ll go help her…” Liu Muyun wanted to walk toward the door to leave, but she was pulled back to sit on the bed by her daughter.

“Just ignore grandmother. She’s on menopause! Just pretend you can’t hear her complaints and don’t take her words to heart…” Yu Xiaocao paused briefly before she suddenly shouted loudly, “Mother, Mother! What’s wrong?! Grandmother come in quickly! My mother fainted!”

Liu Muyun sat on edge of the kang bed and stared at her daughter dumbfoundedly. Before she could even reacted, Yu Xiaocao swiftly whispered to her, “Mother, you fainted out of exhaustion. Why aren’t you lying down?”

After her younger daughter woke up from her injuries, she became more intelligent. She also has a brighter and sharper disposition. However, she didn’t know who her daughter had learned this from. Liu Muyun lightly tapped her little forehead and lay down cooperatively.

As soon as Liu Muyun closed her eyes, Madam Zhang pushed the door open and came in while grumbling, “What’s the matter now? Such a troublesome family. Xiaocao, why did your mother faint?”

“My mother hasn’t slept for days in order to take care of me. When Grandmother was yelling that no one was cooking earlier, she got up in a hurry and fell down to the ground. She’s still unconscious now. I helped her onto the kang bed after much difficulty… Grandmother, we should ask Doctor You to come check on her. I’m so scared that my mother won’t wake up. Waahhh…” Yu Xiaocao covered her face with her hands and pretended to cry.

Madam Zhang wrinkled her brows and looked at her second daughter-in-law, who was so skinny that she barely had any flesh on her body. She couldn’t help muttering inwardly; ‘Yu Hai’s sickly wife wouldn’t really have gotten sick, right? If she’s really ill, then we’ll have to spend money again!

She turned towards Yu Xiaocao and said, “There’s no need to call for a doctor. Your mother is just sleeping because she’s too tired. Stop being so easily scared. Don’t bother your mother and let her rest some more!”

When Madam Zhang went out and heard her eldest daughter-in-law indiscreetly making remarks about no one cooking, she finally exploded in anger, “Eat, eat, eat! You won’t die by just missing a meal! Is it not enough that our family was already in a mess! Stop being so noisy in the morning! If you want to eat earlier, then make it yourself. Can’t you see that Xiaolian is busy working now?!”

Xiaocao’s younger aunt, Yu Caidie, quietly came out of her own room. She picked up some firewood and wanted to go to the kitchen to make a fire. However, Madam Zhang was unwilling to let her daughter cook. She swiftly picked up a broom and smacked the arm of her eldest daughter-in-law, who was leaning against the wall and basking in the sun, “You’re such a tactless person. Hurry up and go cook! You want your youngest sister-in-law, who is still in her teens, to serve you?!”

Yu Xiaocao was speechless by her words. She was just selfishly taking care of her own daughter without concern about other people’s daughters. Yu Xiaolian was only eight years old and much younger than her daughter. Xiaolian was busily working throughout the day, yet she didn’t even care. However, her heart ached just because her daughter was carrying a bundle of firewood?

Madam Li covered her arm that was hit and grumbled as she entered the kitchen. She grudgingly made a fire and began preparing breakfast while cursing.

When Yu Xiaocao saw that her mother had fallen asleep shortly after lying on the bed, she quietly left the room and gently closed the door. She took a basin and went to help Xiaolian feed the chickens.

However, Yu Xiaolian quickly grabbed it from her. She looked at her bandaged head and whispered, “You’re still injured. How can I let you work? Are you hungry? Go sit down first. Breakfast will be ready soon!”

Madam Li hasn’t worked in the kitchen for many years, so she was sweating profusely while preparing breakfast for the entire family. During this era, people ate twice a day, which was usually around ten in the morning and four in the afternoon. However, it was nearly noon when breakfast was finally served.

The bean paste soup tasted burnt, while the mixed flour flatbread was so dry that it could choke people death. The eldest son, Yu Dasan, had just returned from fishing. After tasting the bean paste soup and flatbread, he couldn’t hold back his anger, “How are people supposed to eat this? The flatbread is also as hard as a rock. Is it even edible?”

“Ask your wife! I asked her to cook and she was in the kitchen since nine in the morning. However, this was what she made after working in the kitchen for nearly four hours!” Madam Zhang broke off a piece of flatbread and tried hard to chew it in her mouth. She finally swallowed it after drinking two mouthfuls of the bean paste soup.

The Yu Family’s bean paste soup was made with soybean powder and mixed with a small amount of millet. There was originally a strong bean flavor within the soup, so the taste became even more sour when burnt.

“Where’s Second Daughter-in-law? Why didn’t she come out to cook?” Old Yu’s brows creased as he set down the flatbread in his hand and asked.

Yu Xiaocao swiftly answered, “My mother was so exhausted that she fainted. She’s still unconscious and lying on the kang bed.

“What? Your mother fainted? I’ll go check on her!” Yu Hai hastily rushed towards his room without even eating.

Chapter 6 - Collecting Seafood

“Why did she faint? What did the doctor say?” Old Yu had seen his second daughter-in-law taking care of his younger granddaughter without rest.

“Grandmother didn’t let us call for a doctor. She said my mother will be fine after sleeping!” Yu Xiaocao found the perfect opportunity to tattle.

“Nonsense! When we finish eating, go ask Doctor You to come and check on Second Daughter-in-law. Don’t let a minor illness turn into a major illness.” Old Yu frowned as he forced himself to finish the bean paste soup and wiped his mouth.

Madam Zhang reluctantly muttered, “We’ll have to spend money if we seek a doctor! Our third son needs to participate in the district examination soon. He’ll need to travel to the prefectural city for the examination! If we waste all our money on Yu Hai’s family and can’t gather enough money for travel expenses, then he would definitely be resentful towards you…”

Old Yu frowned, slammed his chopsticks on the table, and said, “Our family isn’t as poor as you’re making us out to be! Every year, Yu Hai earns more than a dozen taels [1] from just hunting, let alone his earnings from fishing daily! Our third son has been studying for so many years, but he hasn’t even passed the county-level examination. I reckon he should stop studying. He should just save some money to buy a few acres of land to farm on.”

With the Yu Family’s circumstances, if they weren’t funding for their third son’s studies for more than a decade, they could live more comfortably. Even if they freely ate white rice and wheat flour on a daily basis, they would still have more than enough to eat. However, the payments for a private tutor and the cost of living in town were enough to wear down a middle-class farming family.

“What? Old Man! The fortune teller had said that someone in our family is fated to become a government official! I’m still counting on our third son to earn me a title of ‘noble madam’! Even if I must give up everything, I’ll still fund his studies!” Although Madam Zhang was slightly afraid of her husband, she decided to fight to the end for her son’s future and her own glory.

Old Yu glared at his wife, but didn’t continue on the topic. He threw the bowl in his hand and spoke in a muffled voice, “I’ll go tidy our three acres of farmland! By the way, Xiaolian, go cook a bowl of noodles for your mother and add two fried eggs in it. She must have been exhausted from these past few days!”

“Alright! Thank you, Grandfather!” Yu Xiaocao rushed to answer in a loud voice and had a bright smile on her face.

“Xiaolian! Xiaolian, you wretch! Why are you still dawdling in the room? Can’t you see that it’s about to rain? Hurry up and go retrieve the clothes that are being dried!” Every day, Yu Xiaocao was woken up by her grandmother’s shrill scolding.

Madam Liu, who was used to being oppressed by her mother-in-law, wanted to get up out of habit. However, Yu Hai stopped her, “You should rest some more! I’ll go take a look!”

It was unsuitable to sail out to the sea because it was too windy today. Thus, Yu Hai was able to idle at home on this rare occasion.

After changing his clothes, he came in again and spoke to his sons, “Today is the second day of June and the tide is receding right now. I just went out to check. It’s cloudy and the wind is blowing in the southwest direction. More marine goods could be found when the tide recedes quickly. Thus, it’s the best weather to go gather food by the sea! Let’s go! Father will take you guys to search for some oysters, crabs, fish, and shrimp. If we’re lucky, we might even find abalone!”

“Collecting seafood by the sea? Father, I’ve never gathered food at the sea before! I want to go too. Bring me along!”

In her previous life, Lin Xiaowan’s hometown was located in the inner regions. She had only seen the ocean once in the twenty-nine years that she had been alive. It was all thanks to that one time she had visited her younger sister, who was studying in a university beside the sea.

She had transmigrated to this fishing village for about five or six days. However, Madam Liu had kept her at home in order to recover from her injury. She never went out of the house, let alone go to the sea. When Yu Xiaocao heard that there was a chance to go gather food at the sea, she decided that she’ll follow along even if she had to throw a fit. Well, wasn’t she a child now? Thus, she had the right to be willful and mischievous.

Madam Liu had been frightened and quickly coaxed her daughter, “It’s windy today and your injury hasn’t completely healed yet. Wait a few more days and I’ll let you go anywhere you want. I won’t stop you.”

Xiaocao refused to comply. She was about to become moldy from staying at home. Moreover, today was a rare opportunity for her. Her father, an excellent fisherman, was going to accompany them, so they would definitely catch a lot of seafood. How can she miss this perfect opportunity?

“Mother! Grandpa You had already said that my injury is fine and I’m also much healthier now. My health is really good now and I also have a great appetite! Grandpa You said that moving around more is good for my health. Please let me go with them!” As she spoke, Yu Xiaocao looked at her father, who was known for pampering his children endlessly, with a pleading gaze.

Yu Hai had never been able to refuse his youngest daughter, so he immediately surrendered, “Muyun, I’ll look after Xiaocao, so don’t worry! Rest at home with ease and wait for us to come back. We’ll catch some abalones and make congee for you, to nourish your body!

As he spoke, he signaled his younger daughter with his eyes, telling her to quickly leave the room. Thus, Yu Xiaocao happily pushed the door open and left.

In the courtyard, Yu Hang had already prepared all the equipment needed for collecting seafood by the sea. With a bucket and shovel in their hands, Xiaolian and Shitou happily waited for their father to come out. In the children’s hearts, there’s nothing that their father wasn’t capable of. They were already anticipating fruitful results before they had even left.

In June, the cloudy Dongshan Village was hot and humid. Xiaocao, who was only wearing a single thin garment, held a small bamboo basket as she tried to keep up with her father’s footsteps.

Yu Hai, who was tall and burly, seemed to be over 1.8 meters tall [2] . The eight year old Yu Xiaocao was chronically ill for a long period of time, so she about half a head shorter than Yu Xiaolian, who was just fifteen minutes older than her. She was already doing her best to move forward with her short legs, but she was still falling behind them.

Yu Hai was constantly paying attention to his children and noticed his younger daughter’s situation. He chuckled, lifted her up with one arm, and carried her on his shoulder.

Yu Xiaocao was initially somewhat nervous and embarrassed. Mentally, she was almost the same as Yu Hai, but she was still being treated like a child. Even Shitou, who was five years old, didn’t receive this kind of treatment. Thus, Xiaocao couldn’t help blushing.

As the eldest brother, Yu Hang was also quietly observing his frail youngest sister. When he noticed that her face was flushed, he handed her a straw hat woven with bamboo strips. He spoke with concern, “Youngest Sister, although it’s cloudy today, but you’re rarely exposed to the sun. Thus, it’s very easy for you to get sunburned. See, your face is already red.”

During ancient times, time was calculated based on the lunar calendar and June was considered to be midsummer. Even though it was cloudy by the seashore, the intensity of the UV rays wasn’t low. However, the redness on Yu Xiaocao’s face wasn’t due to the sun.

The lowest tide phase was a rare opportunity for the villagers of Dongshan Village to increase their incomes. Experienced old fishermen were already familiar with the time for the ebb tide. Today, the lowest tide period was around noon. The mudflat was already full of men and women of all ages who came to gather seafood.

Yu Hai’s family had arrived late, so all the good spots were already taken. Shitou was slightly disappointed and muttered, “If it hadn’t taken Eldest Aunt so long to prepare a meal, we could had gotten a good spot.”

Yu Hai caressed his little head and said with a smile, “Don’t be discouraged! Father knows a good spot. I can guarantee that no one else will be there.”

The good spot that Yu Hai mentioned was a region of reefs beside a cliff. The location of these reefs was rather dangerous. It was usually covered by the sea and hit by high waves during high tide. The only time it emerged completely was when the tide completely recedes. Moreover, this place was far from the village and most people wouldn’t think of coming this way.

The sea reefs in this area seemed dangerous, but it was actually just difficult to reach. It was hard to pass the cliff on the way to the reefs. However, this was a simple matter for Yu Hai. He helped the children pass the difficult paths one by one and bypass a cliff. Their eyes lit up when they finally reached their destination.

[1] Tael (两) - a form of currency used in ancient China (1 tael = ~1000 copper coins), also used as a unit of measurement

[2] 1.8 m = ~ 5'10

Chapter 7 - Rescuing a Little Beauty

A vast region of reefs appeared in front of the children. When Xiaolian and Shitou cheerfully ran over, a trail of waves followed them. Yu Hang was slightly more calm. However, when he saw the large amount of seafood on the reefs, he couldn’t resist bending down to gather the food more quickly.

Yu Xiaocao quietly stood on top of the reef, while letting the cool sea breeze blow on her face. A vision of blue greeted her eyes as both the sky and sea were saturated with a pure azure color. It was such a transparent color. Even blue jade, of the best quality, couldn’t compare to the clarity and brilliance of the sea and sky.

This was the sea! The sea without the slightest trace of pollution! Yu Xiaocao fell into a trance that she couldn’t break away from, while being mesmerized by the scenery in front of her.

“Cao’er, come here! Put on these sharkskin boots. Your feet are different from your siblings. They’re already used to running around the shoals on the beach. If you run around the reef like them, then the bottoms of your feet will be ripped to shreds.” She didn’t expect the stalwart Yu Hai to be so attentive. He had actually thought of the fact that his younger daughter’s tender feet had no defense against the rough surface.

Yu Xiaocao, who was dazzled by the beautiful scene in front of her, woke up from her trance and put on the boots happily. Though the boots were slightly big, they could still be worn. She learned from the others and bent down to thoroughly search around the reefs.

Sure enough, this was an area that hadn’t been discovered by others! Soon, Yu Xiaocao found a type of black shellfish. She carefully picked it up and presented it to Yu Hai, as if it was treasure. She said excitedly, “Father, I found a shellfish. Do you think it’s edible?”

Yu Hai took a look and replied with a smile, “This is a mussel. The meat is delicious and also very nourishing. It’s also known as ‘eggs of the sea’. Pick up as much as you can. If we can get a lot of them, then we can dry them and sell them at a good price in town during the winter!”

‘Eggs of the sea’? Doesn’t that mean it’s very nutritious? Our family does need to eat more nutritious meals! Alright, she should pick up a lot. We’re not going to sell them. We’ll just eat them ourselves! She could just imagine the delicious spicy stir-fried clams that she ate in her previous life! Xiaocao almost drooled as she thought about it.

I’m going to pick it up. I’m going to pick them up. I’m going to pick all of them up!

“Huh? Eldest Brother, why are you knocking on that? Is that also edible?” Xiaocao had suddenly arrived beside Yu Hang. When she went over for a closer look, she saw him striking something that was as hard as gray limestone with a shovel. Thus, she got curious and asked.

It was his youngest sister’s first time coming to gather food at the sea, so Yu Hang was very patient as he explained to her, “This is called barnacle. Come look. Doesn’t its shape look like the tooth of a horse? The barnacle doesn’t look like anything special, but it’s very tasty when the meat is stewed with just clear water.”

Yu Xiaocao took the shovel that her eldest brother handed her and knocked hard on it. As expected, she found soft meat within the crushed shell. She happily picked it up and placed it into a small bamboo basket.

“Ah! Isn’t this an oyster? It’s very tasty when roasted!” Shortly afterwards, Xiaocao was surprised to find another type of seafood. She shouted in astonishment as she pried it out from the crack in the reef.

Little Shitou laughed at his sister’s ignorance, “Second Sister, that’s a hailizi! The town folks call them muli. After drying them, we can sell them to a pharmacy.”

Muli was just another name for oysters, alright? It was just different names for the same thing. Yu Xiaocao glared at him resentfully, then continued her treasure hunting journey on the reefs.

Snails? It’s a little small, but we can still eat it! I’m taking it!

Starfish? It looks quite pretty! Is it edible? Whatever, I’ll just pick it up first!

Sea urchin? It looks like a hedgehog. Is it also edible? Pick it up, pick it up, pick it up!

Wow! Look at what she found?! There was a little octopus between the cracks of the rock. Hahaha! You can’t escape!

……

Yu Xiaocao was very busy on the reef and had unknowingly filled up the bamboo bucket. However, she continued to pry and pick up seafood excitedly.

Yu Xiaocao was very enthusiastic about her first harvesting trip at the sea. Moreover, she was thrilled by her rewarding results. Without her knowledge, she had gradually moved farther and farther away from her father and siblings. She followed the reef and arrived at the edge of the cliff.

Huh? What’s that in the water, a person? Yu Xiaocao was startled. Was it a corpse of someone who had drowned? So unlucky!

“Father! Father! Quick, come here!” Even the tone of Yu Xiaocao’s voice has changed and carried an unconscious sense of tension and fear.

Yu Hai quickly followed her voice and went over, “What’s wrong? What happened? Are you alright, Xiaocao?”

“Father, look over there. Is that a dead body?” Yu Xiaocao loudly shouted as she pointed towards the object floating nearby.

Yu Hai looked towards the direction that his daughter was pointing at. She’s right! Did a fisherman from a nearby fishing village suffer a shipwreck? It began to be windy around noon and the waves were even stronger in the sea. So, it was quite possible that someone had encountered a shipwreck!

After promptly making a decision, he took off his upper garment and plunged into the sea. It seemed like the wind was even stronger now. A thundering roar sounded as the waves pounded against the cliff and reefs.

Yu Xiaocao nervously shouted at her father, “Father, be careful! There’s a lot of rocks on the bottom, so be careful and don’t hurt yourself!”

When Yu Hai emerged above the water, he was already several meters away from Xiaocao. He heard his daughter’s concerned words and waved at her. After that, he continued to swim towards the person who was floating in the sea.

Yu Hang and his siblings didn’t care about collecting seafood anymore. They all gathered together and watched as their father swam closer to the unconscious person.

Yu Hai swam against the waves and dragged the person, who had drowned, back to the reef. However, he was already exhausted by the time he returned. Yu Hang and Xiaolian helped their father pull that person onto the reef.

The young man, who was dressed in a completely black outfit, appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen years old. At this time, his face was pale and his eyes were tightly shut. His long eyelashes were like small fans that were stuck to the bottom of his eyes, while there wasn’t even a trace of blood on his plump lips.

“It seems like… he’s still breathing!” Yu Xiaocao placed her finger under the young man’s tall nose and exclaimed in pleasant surprise.

Yu Hai, who was still exhausted, carried the young man on his shoulder with his head facing downwards. When he pushed the young man’s stomach with the edge of his shoulder, a gush of seawater came out of the young man’s mouth. Yu Hai jolted him a few more times, until the young man stopped throwing up seawater, before putting him down again.

“Father, can he still be saved?” Yu Xiaocao worriedly asked when she saw that the handsome young man was still unconscious.

Yu Hai examined the young man’s limbs and affirmed, “He didn’t drown for a very long time. If no accidents occur, he can still be saved. Did anyone bring water? Feed him some.”

“Father, didn’t he drown? Why are you feeding him water when his stomach was already full of water?!” Yu Xiaocao untied the leather bag, which was filled with mystic-stone water, from her waist and asked in confusion.

“I know, I know!” Little Shitou clapped his hands as he spoke, “The seawater is salty. If you drink too much salt, you’ll definitely be thirsty. Of course, you’ll drink water when you’re thirsty.”

Yu Xiaocao was amused by her younger brother’s childish remark. She pinched his cheeks and laughed, “Well, it seems like you know a lot!”

Yu Hai, who sat on the reef wearily, looked at his children and chuckled, “Feeding water to a person who had drowned is to prevent him from dehydrating. Little Shitou is also correct. It’s harmful for the body to consume too much seawater.”

Yu Xiaocao asked Yu Hang to support the young man into a partially reclining position. She carefully parted the young man’s purplish lips and fed the mystic-stone water into his mouth.

Chapter 8 - Extraordinary Background

That day the little divine stone had wanted to show off its abilities by healing her injury, but it used up all its powers to heal her wound. Thus, it was unable maintain its spiritual form and had disappeared for many days. Xiaocao bathed the rainbow stone in spring water every day, but she still didn’t see the appearance of the divine stone’s spiritual form.

It’s so worrisome! However, after the little divine stone exhibited its mystical powers, Yu Xiaocao no longer doubted it. Xiaocao would boil the spring water, that the stone bathed in, for her family to drink. It does seem rather effective so far, at least for herself. Her health wasn’t as shabby as when she had just transmigrated here.

“He’s awake! He woke up!” Xiaolian’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

She turned towards the sound. The young man’s thick eyelashes lightly fluttered before he slowly opened his eyes. His eyes were dazzling and captivating, and seemed to be as deep as the sea and as bright as the stars.

“Were you…the ones who rescued me?” The young man’s voice was very clear, with a slight sense of indifference and coldness. It was like the spring water from an ancient pond found inside a deep mountain, exceptionally cool.

Yu Xiaocao smiled faintly and softly said, “We were collecting seafood by the sea when we suddenly noticed you. My father is an excellent swimmer, so he went to save you. You… It’s great that you’re alright!”

Zhu Junyang’s indifferent gaze focused on the young girl in front of him, who looked around five or six years old. (Author note: I’m eight years old! Eight years old!!) Her skin was even lighter and more flawless than the winter snow, while her hair looked slightly withered and yellow. Her lips were delicate and soft, like light pink-colored petals.

She was clearly just a thin and weak girl from a poor peasant’s family. However, she gave him a calm and gentle feeling, like a spring breeze. This feeling was very different from those noble ladies, who were like mad dogs after a bone whenever they saw him. They obviously wanted to jump on him, but still acted disgustingly pretentious. At least, this peasant girl wasn’t annoying!

“Thank you very much! Did you…happen to see anyone else?” Zhu Junyang deeply regretted not listening to the experienced captain’s advice and chose a day with such weather for testing out the new ships. As a result,…

However, this also proved that this new batch of vessels from the shipyard were unsuitable for ocean voyages. It couldn’t even withstand such a small storm. How could it travel to the foreign lands that royal uncle had mentioned?

“Other people? Do they count?” Yu Hai asked, with amazement and admiration, as he pointed towards a sturdy two-decker ship in the distance.

That was definitely a ship for ocean voyages! It was multiple times bigger than their family’s new fishing ship. If he could also have such a… Ahem, he needed to stop daydreaming!

“Master, my little ancestor! Where are you?! Please be safe and well!” The head steward of Prince Jing’s Estate, who was rescued after the shipwreck, really wanted to strangle himself with a rope right now. If he had known this would happen, then he would have risked his life to stop the young prince from boarding the ship!

After the ship was wrecked, nearly everyone was rescued except for Royal Prince Yang. This matter was about to be the cause of his death!

“Quickly go find him! Continue to search!” The head steward loudly ordered with a sharp voice.

The old captain, who had tried to stop the trial voyage earlier, noticed that they were getting closer and closer to the cliff. He hesitated and said, “Head Steward, there’re a lot of submerged reefs ahead and the waves are also stronger. If we continue to move closer, our second ship will also be destroyed!”

“I don’t care if our second ship is also destroyed. Even if another twenty or thirty ships are wrecked, we still need to find the young prince! Otherwise, everyone on this ship should prepare for death!” Since the head steward had given his command, they had to continue the search. Their lives were on the line for this matter!

“Then… Let’s send out several lifeboats!” The old captain offered the most beneficial option.

On the faraway reef, Yu Xiaocao observed the young man’s wet clothes. Ordinary people definitely wouldn’t be able to afford the materials of his clothes. This handsome young man has an impressive background!

“They probably came to search for you! My father said that there are a lot of reefs under the sea in this area, so it’s hard for ships to approach. If you still have strength, it’s better for you to swim over!” Yu Xiaocao logically analyzed.

Zhu Junyang’s entire body felt soft and powerless right now. He could hardly stand up, so how would he still have the energy to swim over?

“Huh? Second Sister quickly come and look. Numerous smalls boats came out of that big ship!” Shitou pointed at the distance and shouted.

After leaving the ship, around ten boats set off towards different directions in the stormy waves. One of the boats, which was led by the head steward and personally operated by the old captain, sailed towards their direction.

“Hey! Over here! The person who you’re looking for is over here!” Yu Xiaocao picked up some kelps on the reef and shook it with her hands. The small boats seemed to have saw her action and accelerated their speed.

“Head Steward, we really can’t go any further ahead. Otherwise, not only would we be unable to rescue the young prince, but we’ll also be sacrificed along with the wrecked boat!” When everyone on the boat saw the small figure waving a long green strip on the reef, they quickly rowed over with anticipation. However, they were trapped by the reefs under the sea.

The head steward rubbed his hands anxiously and turned towards the sailors, “Who is the best swimmer here? Go and check if the young prince is over there. If he is, then bring him back with you.”

The sailors looked at each other. If they went into the sea with such strong waves, would they even be able to survive? Moreover, they also had to bring another person along while swimming. The head steward asked several times and even offered a reward, but no one dared to go into the water.

Yu Hai, who was resting on the reef, had already recovered his energy. When he saw that the small boat had stopped, he immediately understood their situation, “The boat can’t cross this part of the sea. Let me help you swim over!”

Yu Hai really deserved the reputation of being the best swimmer in Dongshan Village. He took the young man and swam through the stormy waves. He swiftly passed the rocky area and arrived near the lifeboat.

“Quick, it’s the young prince! Hurry and go receive him!” When the head steward saw the figure in the sea, he cried with excitement. His head was finally saved after much difficulty!

When the sailors hastily pulled Royal Prince Yang onto the lifeboat, the head steward rushed over while sobbing, “My little master! This old servant had finally found you…” Then, he burst into another cry of loyalty.

Seeing the disordered situation on the boat, Yu Hai didn’t greet the people on the boat. Instead, he swam back as he was worried about his children who were still on the rocky reef. By the time the young prince finally stopped the commotion caused by the head steward and remembered his savior, Yu Hai had already returned to the reef.

Zhu Junyang looked intently towards the direction of the reef. An image of a fragile and wan little face lingered within his mind…

After the brief episode, the Yu Family continued hunting for seafood on the reefs.

Oh? What’s this? A big and translucent mushroom? Did mushrooms also grow on underwater shoals? How strange!

“Youngest Sister don’t move!” Yu Hang was extremely relieved that he decided to look towards his youngest sister. He was so frightened that he was drenched in cold sweat right now.

Yu Hang quickly ran over and almost stumbled on the uneven reef. He pulled Xiaocao’s skinny hand away, breathed a sigh of relief, and said, “This is a jellyfish, which is poisonous. If you got strung, it could be fatal. Wait for a moment. You can take it after I take care of it.”

He used the sharp shovel in his hand to remove the jellyfish’s tentacles and warned, “If you see this in the future, remember not to touch its tentacles. It’s highly poisonous.”

Chapter 9 - A Rewarding Trip

Yu Xiaocao rubbed her nose, embarrassed by her ignorance. She was a girl who lived in the inner regions of the mainland, so she didn’t understand the dangers of the sea. It just looked like a milky-white and crystal-like ‘mushroom’, but it actually had the potential to be deadly. She really learned something new today!

‘Slosh!’

The siblings heard the sound of slashing nearby and turned their heads towards the direction of the sound. They looked over and saw Yu Hai coming out of the water. He wasn’t wearing an upper garment, exposing his lean and sturdy chest.

“Cao’er, look at what I found!” Yu Hai exclaimed with a grin and revealed a mouth full of white teeth, which made his complexion appear even darker. However, his tan skin made him look even more masculine!

Little Shitou immediately rushed over and shouted, “Abalone! It’s an abalone! Father, you found abalones!”

Xiaocao was curious and hastily went over. She saw several dark greenish-brown colored shellfish within Yu Hai’s big hands. Each one was around ten centimeters in length and looked rather unassuming. Was this the highly popular abalone?

“Such a large abalone would cost at least a few hundred copper coins [1] if we sell it in town. Father got nine of them. If we sell them to a big restaurant, we should be able to get two or three taels!” Yu Xiaolian also came over and exclaimed in surprise.

Two or three taels? Based on Xiaocao’s understanding of the current economy, two or three taels can buy three to four hundred catties [2] of first-class white rice, one hundred catties of first-class pork, around seventy or eighty chubby live chickens… Two to three taels were enough to buy one year’s worth of food for her entire family, which consisted of over ten people.

However, Yu Xiaocao knew an abalone’s nutritional value. Her original plan of using the abalones to nourish her family’s health was disrupted by the value of abalones.

Xiaocao had a basic grasp of her new grandmother’s personality. With her grandmother’s temperament, she would tear down whoever dared to suggest that they eat the abalones! If they take them home, then it would just be like throwing a meat bun at a dog——it will never return!

Yu Xiaocao’s eyes darted about, then she acted like a spoiled child and asked, “Father, are these all for me?”

After hesitating for a moment, Yu Hai nodded and said, “I already mentioned it earlier, if we find abalones, we’ll use it to cook nutritious foods for you and your mother. We were quite lucky today. If we can’t finish them, then we can slowly eat them after they’re dried.”

Yu Hang and Yu Xiaolian casted a skeptical gaze at their father. They knew exactly what kind of person their father was. He was someone who would work wholeheartedly without any complaint. Even if Madam Zhang made unreasonable demands, he would never refute her.

Even Shitou, who was five years old, knew that if they brought the abalones back, then they wouldn’t even be able to touch them, let alone slowly eat them!

Yu Hai felt uncomfortable by the way his children were staring at him. He pretended to cough and bent down to carefully put the abalones into the bucket.

Yu Xiaocao’s eyes darted around and said, “Father! Let me handle the abalones.”

Yu Hai stuffed the abalones, which were worth around three taels, into his daughter’s hands without hesitation. He stood up, looked at the sky, and said, “It’s getting late. We collected a lot of seafood today, so let’s go back now!”

Yu Xiaocao poured all the seafood within her basket into her father’s large barrel, and then carefully placed the abalones into inside her basket. She looked around and ran towards the cliff. She picked up some kelp and sea lettuce, and then used them to securely cover the abalones.

They really collected a lot of seafood today! The barrel that Yu Hai was carrying was as tall as Shitou and filled with their harvest. Yu Hang and Xiaolian were also holding small buckets that were full to the brim. Even Little Shitou’s small basket was packed with seafood.

On the way back, villagers, who they were acquainted with, greeted them with admiration, “Dahai is seriously still the most skilled among us. He arrived later than us, but he also obtained so much more than all of us!”

“Brother Dahai, this mussel that you caught is at least twenty to thirty catties. When it’s dried, it would still weight around five catties. Brother Dahai never fails whenever he makes a move! Do you have any tips? Teach me some!” The speaker was a young man in his mid-twenties. He had a short stature, upright face, and tanned complexion.

In order to prevent disputes when hunting at the sea, the villagers each have their own fixed spots. Thus, their results would depend on their own luck. However, it was different for Yu Hai. He didn’t frequently gather seafood at the sea, but he returned with fruitful results every time.

Many of the villagers wanted to learn from him, but they couldn’t bring themselves to ask. After all, it was his own know-how to make a living and feed his family. If they learned his skills, it would be the same as snatching food from his mouth. It was fortunate that Liu Shuanzhu was close friends with Yu Hai. If another person asked, they might end up having a fall out!

“Uncle Shuanzhu, there’re a lot of reefs around the cliff that no one has been to. You can go check it out when the tide recedes!” Yu Hang knew Liu Shuanzhu was close friends with his father, so he didn’t hide it from him. However, he didn’t reveal his family’s treasured hunting spot.

Liu Shuanzhu looked at the villagers who were eavesdropping on them and laughed loudly, “Xiaosha, do you think we can climb cliffs, hike up mountains, and enter the sea, just like your father? It’s so dangerous over at the cliff. That was where Uncle Liu Si died! Your Uncle Shuanzhu still wants to live for a few more years!”

Yangfan’s wife walked over with her daughter and asked, “Dahai, where’s your wife?”

“She wasn’t feeling very well today, so she stayed at home to rest! How’s Brother Yangfan’s leg?” Li Yangfan was another good friend of Yu Hai. He recently encountered a storm on his way back from the sea. His ship crashed into a reef and he injured his leg. Thus, he was recuperating at home right now.

Yangfan’s wife asked about Liu Muyun’s health with concern, then replied, “He’s fine. The injury on his leg wasn’t very serious. However, our family’s ship was damaged quite badly. Dahai, when you’re free, can you come over to check if it can be fixed?”

Everyone in the nearby fishing villages knew Yu Hai was a very capable person. When it came to fishing in the sea, even three to five ordinary people were incomparable to him. A recent example would be early spring this year. At that time, Old Yu’s family caught a shark that weighed around three hundred catties. They had earned several taels with just the shark’s fin. It’s not that the villagers were looking down on Old Yu and his stepson, but without Yu Hai, they wouldn’t even be enough to feed a shark, let alone to hunt for a shark.

In addition to his fishing and hunting skills, Yu Hai also learned how to repair ships without a teacher. He was capable of fixing most issues and defects of a normal fishing ship. Thus, although many villagers of Dongshan Village were envious of Yu Hai’s skills, they would only gossip behind his back and wouldn’t dare to offend him.

“Alright! Tomorrow, when I return from the mountains, I’ll go over to take a look. Yangfan’s wife, here’s some barnacles’ meats. Brother Yangfan really likes eating this. Take some back for him, so he can eat it when he drinks wine.” Little Shitou’s basket was filled with barnacles’ meats and Yu Hai generously offered them without any hesitation.

Yangfan’s wife smiled and shook her head. She looked at the quiet Xiaocao, who was standing beside them, and said, “Keep it for the children to eat! Xiaocao, how’s your health? Does your head still hurt?”

Yu Xiaocao politely smiled at her and replied, “It doesn’t hurt anymore. Grandpa You said I can take off the bandage in two days.”

Yu Hai briefly chatted with them before taking the children home. When he entered the door, he saw his wife, who was supposed to be resting inside the room, serving dinner from the kitchen. Thus, his expression immediately turned grim.

“Oh! You guys caught quite a lot of good things at the sea today. We’re going to have a feast tomorrow!” Madam Li’s piercing voice sounded behind them.

Yu Xiaolian was so angry that she threw the bucket on the ground and shouted at her eldest aunt, who was halfway into her room, “Eldest Aunt, didn’t Grandmother tell you to cook at home? You were wandering around the village and had just returned. You just want everyone to starve, right?”

Madam Li glanced at her, but she didn’t actually care about that little brat. She sneered, “Someone can pretend to be sick, but I’m not allowed to go out for an errand? How dare you speak to me like that? You have no manners at all. If you’re not careful, you won’t be able to get married in the future!”

[1] Copper coin (文) - a form of currency used in ancient China (1 tael = ~1000 copper coins)

[2] Catty (斤) - 1 catty = 0.5 kg

Chapter 10 - Hidden Plan

Yu Xiaocao was infuriated, “Eldest Aunt, who are you accusing of pretending to be sick? Didn’t you see my mother fainting yesterday? You’re such a healthy person, yet you’re ordering a sick person to work. Moreover, you still think you’re in the right. If you want to know whether my mother was faking her illness, then just invite Grandpa You over!”

Madam Zhang, who was inside her room, finally couldn’t sit still anymore when she heard Xiaocao’s words, “Li Guihua, you lazy woman! You disappeared once it was time to cook and finally came back now! Why are you still chitchatting? Hurry up and go help in the kitchen!”

We’ll have to spend money if we call for a doctor!

Madam Zhang walked to the entrance of the kitchen and jeered at Liu Muyun, who was working busily, “You should hurry up and go back to your room to rest. Your daughter’s heart was aching for you.”

“Are there any daughters who doesn’t love their mothers? Mother, you sit down. I’ll help you bring the dishes over!” Yu Caodie came out of her room. She and the third son, Yu Bo, were the only ones within the family who could calm the old lady down.

Madam Zhang turned her head and saw the seafood that Yu Hai and his children were holding. Her gloomy expression turned bright and she immediately smiled, “Give me the barrel! The seafood looks quite fresh. We can keep them overnight and let your eldest brother sell them to a restaurant in town tomorrow morning.”

“Grandmother, let’s keep some oysters and steam some to eat ourselves! I want know what it tastes like.” Yu Xiaocao deliberately suggested.

Madam Zhang’s expression instantly turned grim. She angrily said, “There are plenty of things that you haven’t eaten before! If we sell them in town, one catty of oysters can be worth several copper coins. Won’t you feel vexed for eating them?!”

If Yu Hai wasn’t standing beside them, Madam Zhang would had made even harsher comments. She called for her daughter and didn’t even spare the children’s buckets. She wanted to take everything back to her room. As long as it was something that could be exchanged for money, she must grasp it within her own hands by all means.

She turned around and looked at the basket within Yu Xiaocao’s hands. She signaled with her lips and said, “Bring the basket you’re holding into my room, too.”

Xiaocao pouted and replied resentfully, “Grandmother, you already took all the seafood. There are only kelp and sea lettuce in my basket, which aren’t worth much money. We should just keep them and make cold dishes for grandfather to accompany his drinks in the evening.”

Madam Zhang stretched out her head to take a look. When she saw that it was only glossy and green kelp, she spoke as if she was showing mercy, “Just this once! In the future, I have the final say in everything within the family. You’re not allowed to act on your own!”

Yu Xiaocao agreed. She waited for Madam Zhang to enter the main room before winking at Xiaolian and taking the small basket into the west room.

Yu Xiaolian understood her meaning and got a worn-out earthenware jar from the corner of the kitchen. She filled it with some water and quietly followed her younger sister into the room.

It was impossible to sell them today, so the sisters carefully placed the abalones inside the ceramic jar and hid them under the kelp. Yu Xiaocao was still worried, so she added some mystic-stone water inside and hid the jar in a concealed place in the corner of the kang bed. After that, she came out of the room again with the rest of the kelp.

Yu Hai followed them inside and saw the sisters’ actions. Xiaolian had always been a hot-tempered person. When she was angry, she had even dared to argue with Madam Zhang. Thus, she was frequently scolded and disciplined for her actions. Xiaocao’s personality was also rather fierce now. However, she had more tricks up her sleeve and was also courageous. She decisively hid the expensive abalones.

In the kitchen, Madam Liu was almost done preparing dinner. Yu Xiaocao went in and swiftly made shredded kelp with crushed garlic and sea lettuce soup. Hence, dinner was much more lavish than in the past.

During the meal, the men and women in the Yu Family sat separately. On the women’s side, each person had a dark-looking piece of pancake that was about the size of a palm. There were also poached vegetables that were seasoned with a small amount of salt and a bowl of bean paste soup.

The staple food for the men was an unlimited amount of triple-flour steamed buns, which were made with a mixture of wheat flour, millet flour, and potato flour. Their meal also consisted of vegetables that were cooked with lard, and they drank the same soup as the womenfolk. However, this had nothing to do with the idea of men being superior over women. It was just that the men did hard labor that required a lot of energy and strength, so they needed to eat a nice and filling meal.

Yu Xiaocao won unanimous praise for the two dishes that she personally prepared. The plate of shredded kelp with crushed garlic was savory and slightly spicy, while the sea lettuce soup tasted very fresh and full of flavors from the sea. Old Yu was especially fond of the shredded kelp with crushed garlic, and praised it endlessly.

Madam Zhang couldn’t stand seeing the second branch being complimented. She stuffed mouthfuls of shredded kelp into her mouth and said, “Xiaocao is rather capable. She can gather for seafood at the sea and help prepare meals. Doctor You had already said that her health is fine, so I reckon we can stop preparing separate meals for her in the future.”

Xiaocao was currently holding her savory congee and happily sharing with Little Shitou. However, her expression darkened when she heard her grandmother’s remark. In the future, she would have to also eat the difficult to swallow coarse grain pancakes and disgusting bean paste soup. Urgh! It’s going to be a painful torment! Luckily, those abalones weren’t confiscated!

Madam Zhang was satisfied upon seeing Xiaocao’s expression. She appeared to be enjoying the coarse grain pancake even more now. She also ate more than half of the bowl of shredded kelp.

Madam Li and her equally obese son were entirely focused on stuffing their mouths, so the rest of the shredded kelp and the sea lettuce soup were also devoured by them. When the plates were completely cleared, she pulled her son, who had wanted to continue eating at the men’s table, back to their room stealthily.

Xiaocao knew that they had gone to secretly eat by themselves again.

Madam Li’s maiden family had been poor at the time she married into the Yu Family. Otherwise, she wouldn’t had married the equally poor stepson of the Yu Family. However, several years ago, her brothers earned some money through a small business and improved their family’s circumstances. Madam Li was the youngest and only daughter in her family. Hence, every time she returned home, her parents, brothers, and sisters-in-law would provide her with some money and food to help her out. Otherwise, with the meals that the Yu Family eats, how were Madam Li and her son able to become so fat?

It was silent throughout the night after dinner!

On the second day, in the west room, Yu Hai’s family had all woken up at the first glimmer of dawn.

Yu Hai and Hunter Zhao had agreed to go hunting in the mountains. Yu Hang and Yu Xiaolian had always gotten up at this time to collect fishworts and pick up firewood at the foot of the mountain. In the courtyard, Madam Liu was already cleaning the chicken and pig pens with a broom.

Yu Xiaocao’s family was surprised to see her waking up so early. Yu Hai touched her little head and said with a smile, “Sleep some more. It’s still pretty dark outside.”

Yu Xiaocao was still concerned about an important matter within her heart, so she couldn’t sleep anymore. She replied to her father with a smile, “Even Little Shitou is helping out with the chores. How can I be lazy when I’m his older sister? Father, you should hurry up. Don’t make Uncle Zhao wait for a long time.”

Yu Hai didn’t delay any further and swiftly gathered his belongings. He took the paper bag with two triple-flour steamed buns wrapped up inside from Madam Liu and tied the water bag to his waist. After that, he got his homemade bow and hunting spear, and left.

Yu Xiaocao took out the earthenware jar that she hid under the kang bed yesterday. The abalones had become even more fresh after being nourished by the mystic-stone water.

Only a big restaurant can offer a good price for abalones of such good quality. However, she had just transmigrated here and hadn’t even left the village before. So, how would she know the direction to town?

“Eldest Brother, is our village far from town?” While the main room and east room were still sleeping, Yu Xiaocao carried the ceramic pot and followed her older siblings out the door.

Yu Hang gave her a weird look and asked, “It’s quite far. It would take over one shichen by foot. Why are you asking? You wouldn’t be thinking of taking these to sell in town, right?” He pointed at the earthenware jar in her hand as he spoke.

Over one shichen? Doesn’t that mean it would take at least two hours?! Yu Xiaocao looked down at her own short legs, sighed, and said, “Are there any horse carriages or ox carts traveling to town in our village?”

Chapter 11 - A Famous Restaurant Bullies Its Guests

“Horse carriage? That’s very expensive. Who can afford that, expect for those wealthy old masters in town? Our village doesn’t have a lot of farmland, so there wasn’t anyone who raised cattle. However, Uncle Ma, from the neighboring village, has a donkey cart. He usually helps transport goods, but when he’s free, he would also give people a ride to town.” Yu Xiaolian chirped a reply.

Yu Hang seemed to have understood Xiaocao’s intentions. After a moment of deliberation, he said, “We still have enough firewood at home. Why don’t I accompany you to town?”

Yu Xiaocao was certainly pleased with his offer, so she hastily nodded. She had wanted to go by herself, but she didn’t know the direction.

Yu Xiaolian also wanted to go with them when she heard her eldest brother’s suggestion to accompany her younger sister to town. However, she knew that if she followed them, then her mother would be responsible for all the chores in the family.

Xiaolian looked at her younger sister’s pale face, set down the sickle in her hand, and whispered, “Wait for a moment.” After that, she ran into the courtyard.

A while later, under her siblings’ puzzled gaze, Xiaolian rushed out again and took out a small cloth bag in a mysterious manner. She pulled out several copper coins from the bag and said with a smile, “It’s younger sister’s first time going to town, so you guys should ride the donkey cart!”

“Where did you get these copper coins?” Yu Hang was surprised. All of their family’s income must be handed to and kept by their grandmother. With their grandmother’s stingy character, even a deity can’t take away a copper coin from her hand.

Xiaolian gave them a mysterious smile, looked around, and whispered, “Didn’t Doctor You teach us how to distinguish medical herbs? While collecting fishworts, I would also dig up herbs that I come across and save them up. Then, I sold the herbs that I saved up to a pharmacy and earned a few copper coins. I had originally wanted to buy some candies for younger sister. She can eat the candy after drinking her medication and change the bitter taste in her mouth.

Yu Xiaocao felt very touched as she held the six copper coins within her hand. She swiftly put away the money and said, “I’m borrowing these copper coins from you. When I have money in the future, I’ll pay you back twice as much.”

“We’re family, so there’s no need to mention that! It’s getting late already. If you guys don’t hurry and leave, you might miss the donkey cart. Remember to come back early. Otherwise, Grandmother will scold you guys again!” Yu Xiaocao wasn’t sure where Xiaolian inherited her frank and brisk personality, but she really likes her this way.

Yu Hang took the earthen jar from his sister’s hands, then they quickly walked towards the neighboring village. About thirty minutes later, they saw Ma Dafu pulling his donkey cart at the entrance of the village.

Although it only cost two copper coins for each person, there weren’t many people who were willing to spend money to ride on the cart these days. On the donkey cart, there were only two women who were taking eggs or vegetables to the morning market. However, there were quite a lot of baskets on the cart.

“Uncle Ma, my sister and I want to go to town. Please give us a ride!” Yu Hang had been to town several times in the past when he followed his father to sell the game that they had caught. Thus, he had ridden on Ma Dafu’s donkey cart before.

Ma Dafu naturally wouldn’t reject them since it was an opportunity to earn money. He answered with a smile, “Isn’t this Brother Dahai’s son, Xiaosha! Is this your younger sister, Xiaolian? Quickly get on!”

The women on the cart sheepishly moved their baskets and emptied a small area for them. Yu Hang lifted his sister up onto the cart, then he went and sat on the thill [1] beside Ma Dafu.

The corners of Yu Xiaocao’s mouth twitched. She seriously didn’t know how to describe the feeling of being carried by a ten year old child.

The donkey swiftly trotted forward. It would have originally taken over two hours to reach the town by foot, but the duration of the trip was shortened by nearly half now.

The siblings finally arrived in town at around eight in the morning. This small town, Tanggu Town, was just an ordinary coastal town. It only takes about an hour to travel from the east side of town to the west side. However, it was a necessary route from the harbor to the Jinwei Prefectural City. Thus, despite being small, it was a rather prosperous town.

The entrance of the small town was crowded with people rushing to the morning market. Xiaocao and her eldest brother thanked Uncle Ma and paid him four copper coins for the ride. Ma Dafu warmly told them the departure time for the return trip, and he also reminded them to meet him at the same gate.

After bidding farewell to Uncle Ma, the siblings walked on the bustling street, which was wide enough for two horse carriages to run side by side. They would occasionally see horse wagons filled with cargos from the wharf rushing through the streets. This town was also an essential route for transporting ocean freights to the capital. Thus, it was no wonder that this town was so lively.

Both sides of the street were filled with stores. There were so many stores lined up one after another that the siblings didn’t even have time to see everything. Yu Xiaocao was eager to sell the abalones in her hands, so she turned her head towards Yu Hang and asked, “Eldest Brother, do you know where the biggest restaurant in town is? Let’s just go there directly!”

“There are two famous restaurants in this town. One is called ‘Fulin Restaurant’, while the other one is ‘Zhenxiu Restaurant’. Father also sells his prey to these two restaurants first. Fulin Restaurant is closer to here, should we go there first and ask?” Yu Hang has been here several times, so he somewhat familiar with this town.

Fulin Restaurant was a two-story restaurant. It appeared to be a long-standing business that gave off a sense of simplicity and elegance.

The siblings stood briefly in front of the entrance. It wasn’t time for them to open the door for business yet, so there was only a young waiter. He was holding a broom and yawning lazily, while sluggishly sweeping the floor.

When the waiter saw the patched clothes on their body, he impatiently swept the dust in their direction and shouted with a disdainful look, “Leave, leave, leave! Is this a place that people like you can come? Even if you want to beg for food, you should find a better time! Hurry up! Hurry up and leave!”

It was the first time that Yu Xiaocao encountered a situation where someone had called her a ‘beggar’. A sense of rage rose within the depth of her heart. However, she endured and suppressed her emotions. On the principle that harmony makes money, she squeezed out a smile, “Hey, young brother, is your manager around? I have some fresh seafood here. I was wondering if your restaurant would be interested in buying them.”

That waiter looked up and swept a gaze at the ceramic jar within her hands. He had a look of contempt as he said, “Fulin Restaurant’s seafoods are all delivered by a fixed fisherman. With your poor appearance, would you even have any high-quality goods? Just scram! Why would our manager waste his time to see a filthy little tramp like you?”

“Why are you swearing at us?!” Yu Hang frowned and stepped forward to reason with him.

The waiter threw the broom in his hands, clasped his waist, and hollered, “So what if I’m swearing at you! Did you filthy beggars want to scam money? You even wanted to see our manager. Who do you think you are?”

“Why is it so nosy in the morning?!” Yu Xiaocao was about to explode in rage when a middle-aged man, who looked like a shopkeeper, came out of the main entrance and scolded.

The waiter instantly changed his attitude and grinned flatteringly, “Manager Liu! This underling was sending away these beggars!”

“You’re a beggar! Manager Liu, I have several fresh and big abalones here. Would your restaurant be interested in buying them?” Yu Xiaocao gave the waiter a fierce glare, but she didn’t continue to argue with him and directed her inquiry to Manager Liu.

Manager Liu looked at the siblings, but he didn’t really take them seriously, “Oh, abalones! If they are of good quality, then we’ll take them!”

Yu Xiaocao walked forward with the earthen jar and said, “These are first-class abalones, with each being over five inches in length. Would you like to have a look?”

On the street, a young man in an exquisite brocade robe immediately pulled on the reins of his horse upon hearing her words. Abalones that were over five inches in length? If it was true, then they were certainly abalones of the highest quality. County Magistrate Wu is holding his birthday banquet at Zhenxiu Restaurant this afternoon. Weren’t they just missing an impressive main course?

[1] Thill - a shaft used to attach a cart or carriage to the animal drawing it

Chapter 12 - Zhenxiu Restaurant's Third Young Master

On the other side, Manager Liu had already checked the goods and was inwardly stunned by the quality of the abalones. He came up with a plan within his heart and said to the siblings, ”You’re troubling me, this manager, just for these few abalones? Alright, since you guys seemed to be in a difficult circumstance, I’ll make an exception and take these abalones for eight hundred copper coins!”

“Eight hundred copper coins?” Yu Xiaocao and Yu Hang looked at each other, then she pursed her lips and snatched the earthen jar with the abalones back from Manager Liu’s hands, “Manager Liu, do you really take us as beggars?”

“What do you mean by that?” Manager Liu looked like a craftly old scoundrel as he twirled his beard and sneered, “With the quality of these abalones, my offer of eight hundred copper coins was already quite a lot. If you can sell them for six hundred copper coins elsewhere, then that just means you’re a skilled seller!”

When Yu Xiaocao saw his firm expression, a sense of uncertainty emerged within the heart. She doesn’t know the market price for abalones! She couldn’t help but shift her gaze towards Yu Hang.

Yu Hang was completely unaffected by Manager Liu. He gave his youngest sister a soothing smile and said, “Business is all about mutual consensus. Since we aren’t satisfied with Manager Liu’s offer, then we should excuse ourselves!”

Manager Liu had originally thought that these two children would be easily fooled. He had planned to coax and scare them into selling the abalones at the lowest price possible. However, they didn’t fall for his tricks. They directly turned around to leave without making any unnecessary comments. He felt somewhat anxious inwardly, so he hastily stopped them by saying,

“You guys should consider carefully! Once you pass up this offer, you won’t be able to find a better deal! Who would dare to accept goods that our Fulin Restaurant had rejected?”

“Ha!” A laughter that carried a slight sense of childishness sounded, “Manager Liu, you’re speaking in such an imposing manner. When did your Fullin Restaurant become the overlord of this street?”

Manager Liu abruptly raised his head, narrowed his eyes, and replied with a smirk, “I was wondering who it was! So, it turned out to be Zhenxiu Restaurant’s Third Young Master! What? Is Zhenxiu Restaurant trying to interfere with our Fulin Restaurant’s matters now?”

“Interfering with your matters? This young master doesn’t have that much free time! I’ll just leave that for your own master to worry about!” Zhenxiu Restaurant’s third young master, Zhou Zixu, faintly smiled and said, “I just can’t stand seeing people, on the pretense of doing honest business with all customers, taking advantage of others and forcing them to their precious seafoods at a lowered price.”

“You––“ Manager Liu noticed that a crowd was forming and knew that he shouldn’t continue to argue with him. Thus, he turned towards the siblings and said, “You two come in first. I’ll definitely offer you an appropriate price!”

“It’s probably a price that only you will be satisfied with!” A faintly indifferent smile emerged on Third Young Master Zhou’s handsome and somewhat tender-looking face, “Tanggu Town is located near the sea. Therefore, most of the locals are familiar with determining the quality and market price of marine products. Little sister, would you please show everyone the abalones that you’re holding? Let us see if our Fulin Restaurant, who does honest and fair business, gave a ‘fair’ price.”

Most of the bystanders didn’t know what was going on. However, after listening to Third Young Master Zhou’s words, was there anyone who still didn’t understand? Fulin Restaurant’s manager was bullying these two young siblings. He was using his powers to take advantages of them and forcing them sell their valuable marine goods at a low price.

A large market was open today at Tanggu Town, so there were numerous fishermen from nearby fishing villages walking on the street. The most hated thing for these fishermen were dishonest merchants who maliciously demands a lower price. Thus, they volunteered in succession to be the sibling’s examiner.

Although Yu Hang has a quiet temperament, but he had a clear-headed understanding of the situation and had already made a decision in his mind. In the past, when he came to sell game with his father, he had heard about the rivalry between the new restaurant, Zhenxiu Restaurant, and the old brand, Fulin Restaurant.

This Third Young Master Zhou appeared to be helping them, but he was probably just taking this opportunity to attack Fulin Restaurant. This was a battle between two strong competitors, so was it really necessary to hurt innocent bystanders?

Yu Hang held back his youngest sister’s eagerness and politely said, “Business is about the mutual willingness between the two parties. It’s natural for the seller to set a price and the buyer to bargain. Even if the deal doesn’t work out, we can still maintain a benevolent relationship. We have nothing more to say since Manager Liu didn’t like our goods. Please excuse us!”

As he spoke, he bowed with his hands clasped together and pulled Yu Xiaocao out of the crowd.

Manager Liu was already fuming with anger due to Third Young Master Zhou’s taunting, but he knew that it wasn’t wise to keep thinking about taking those high-quality abalones. Thus, he used this opportunity to get himself out of this awkward situation. With a toss of his sleeves, he snorted and entered the restaurant. However, he broke out in cold sweat inwardly.

Zhenxiu Restaurant was a new restaurant that had only been opened for less than a year. It was backed by the Zhou Family, who were one of the four major merchants within the entire empire. The Zhou Family’s ancestral home just happened to be in Tanggu Town, so Fulin Restaurant wasn’t in a dominant position.

Nevertheless, Fulin Restaurant was still an established restaurant. They still had several famous specialty dishes in their restaurant and a group of loyal customers.

However, these past two months, the Zhou Family’s third young master had returned to his ancestral home. He had mysteriously obtained several new dishes that really suited the county magistrate’s appetite, and also attracted many of Fulin Restaurant’s customers.

His master was already unsatisfied with him due to that matter. If he also earned the reputation of being a bully today, then he’ll probably be dismissed from his position as the manager of Fulin Restaurant.

Manager Liu alerted himself inwardly. Although he regretted not being able to obtain those precious abalones, he also didn’t dare to use any devious schemes anymore.

“Eldest Brother! Why didn’t we take this chance to teach that snob Manager Liu a lesson?” Yu Xiaocao was still aggrieved about that matter and angrily asked while shaking her small fist.

Yu Hang looked at his youngest sister’s puffed up face, which had very lively expression. He couldn’t resist pinching her little face and replied with a smile, “Fulin Restaurant was backed up by people from the government office. Ordinary citizens shouldn’t fight with government officials. If we seriously offend Manager Liu, then it would be difficult for us to stay in this town in the future.”

Yu Xiaocao was stunned. As a modern-day citizen who was ‘born under the red flag and raised in the spring breeze’, it was her first time being taught that ‘people are classified based on their wealth and status’. Thus, various feelings surged into her heart.

Yu Hang noticed that his youngest sister had stopped walking and had dazed expression on her face. He thought she was frightened, so he hastily comforted her,

“Youngest Sister, don’t be afraid. As long as we do the right things, then those rich people and government officials wouldn’t be able harm us. Father said that our emperor was a good ruler, who was intelligent and had fair judgment. The officials under his rule were still mostly fair and honest. A good example would be the county magistrate of Tanggu Town. He was well-known as an upright magistrate!”

Yu Xiaocao collected her composure. In the novels and television, there were many wealthy people and officials who looked down on the common citizens in ancient times. Hence, she inwardly reminded herself to keep a low profile in the future.

“Eldest Brother, is our emperor really that powerful? He can make all those high-ranking official obediently submit to his ruling?” Yu Xiaocao had just recently transmigrated here, so she still didn’t know what dynasty she was in.

“Shhh––“ Yu Hang almost reached out to cover her mouth. What does she mean by ‘obediently submit to his ruling’? Fortunately, they were in Tanggu Town, a small coastal town. If they were in the capital, which was full of fourth-rank officials walking on the streets, they would had been convicted of irreverence.

“Chortle––“

Just when Yu Hang felt inwardly glad that no one had heard their conversation, he heard a young man’s distinctive laughter.

When the siblings turned their heads, they saw the young master in refined clothes who they met earlier. He was currently pulling his horse and walking behind them.

Yu Hang’s face immediately turned pale. He doesn’t know if this noble young master had heard his youngest sister’s disrespectful words. He gritted his teeth, walked towards him, and said, “Thank you so much for speaking up for us earlier…”

Chapter 13 - Utterly Confused

Third Young Master Zhou dusted off the lapels of his clothes and laughed, “Actually, I wasn’t purely speaking up for you guys! As Zhenxiu Restaurant’s young boss, I wouldn’t miss out on any chance to attack Fulin Restaurant! It was a pity…”

When Yu Xiaocao heard that this young man was the young boss of Zhenxiu Restaurant, she looked out from behind her elder brother with a bright smile, “You’re the young boss of Zhenxiu Restaurant? Can you make decisions?”

Yu Hang knew his youngest sister’s intentions, so he quietly pulled on her sleeve.

There was a slight trace of arrogance that was typical to young people on Third Young Master Zhou’s handsome face, “Zhenxiu Restaurant was specially gifted to me by my family so that I can use it as a form of training. Thus, I naturally have the rights to make decisions.”

They had unknowingly arrived at the street where Zhenxiu Restaurant was located. Zhenxiu Restaurant’s tall and magnificent entrance could be seen from afar.

Yu Xiaocao was completely speechless, “This restaurant was comparable to a five-star hotel, but the owner had actually given it to a young child to use as training. This Zhou Family was seriously rich!”

“Third Young Master, why did you come at this time?” Zhenxiu Restaurant’s manager was a competent assistant that the master of the Zhou Family provided for his son.

The master of the Zhou Family had three sons. When they reached a certain age, they began working to gain experience under one of the family’s businesses. However, the youngest son chose to return to their ancestral home and build a new restaurant. Even his two older brothers didn’t have such courage.

Zhenxiu Restaurant had very few customers a year ago, but it was difficult to even find a seat nowadays. Thus, the manager sincerely acknowledged his young boss. He was determined to follow the third young master and pursue a successful career with him.

Third Young Master Zhou was rather satisfied with this capable and loyal manager. The first step of success for members of the Zhou Family was to be able to win the loyalties of the people around them. This was something that he had already achieved! He will do even better in the future! He will let those people watch as he becomes successful!

“Manager Jiang, how are the preparations for County Magistrate Wu’s birthday banquet?”

“Everything’s ready and here’s the menu. Third Young Master, can you check if there’s anything that needs to be taken out?” Manager Jiang personally held the birthday banquet’s menu for Third Young Master Zhou to look over.

County Magistrate Wu had always placed great emphasis on his reputation as a government official. This banquet wasn’t intended to be extravagant and was just a simple family dinner. Therefore, there were ten people in attendance at most.

County Magistrate Wu was born in an aristocratic family, which had served as officials for generations. Moreover, his wife was the daughter of Marquis Zhongyi. Thus, they wouldn’t be impressed by ordinary dishes. County Magistrate Wu was a major reason for Zhenxiu Restaurant’s success in Tanggu Town, so they must serve him well.

The dishes for the banquet were decided after Zhou Zixu had a thorough discussion with the kitchen. Most of them were specialty dishes and popular dishes of the restaurant. However, Third Young Master Zhou was still unsatisfied with the menu. He felt that it was still missing a top-notch dish that was high-end and elegant.

“I need to discuss business with these siblings, so prepare a quiet place for us.” Third Young Master Zhou didn’t take the menu and instructed the manager. After that, he turned around to greet Yu Hang and his sister.

Discuss business? With these two? Manager Jiang examined the young siblings, who were dressed in old and shabby clothes. There wasn’t any contempt within his eyes, just curiosity––These two little fellows had attracted his young master’s attention, what was so special about them?

While Yu Xiaocao followed behind Third Young Master Zhou, she curiously looked at Zhenxiu Restaurant’s furnishing. It was worthy of being a rising star who competed with the established Fulin Restaurant. There was an expected majestic atmosphere in all aspects of the restaurant, but the details of the decor also made people feel warm and comfortable.

Xiaocao gasped in admiration inwardly, but her every move had fallen into the eyes of Third Young Master Zhou. These siblings had aroused his interest. Although the older brother was young, he could make rational choices and quick decisions. The younger sister was in the grand and upscale Zhenxiu Restaurant, but there was only curiosity and admiration in her eyes, without any trace of unease and timidity.

Were they not born in a poor fisherman’s family, but actually hiding a secret? Zhou Zixu felt somewhat uncertain in his mind.

Seeing the wariness within Yu Hang’s eyes, he knew that Yu Hang was still being cautious due to the unintentional remark the little girl made earlier.

Zhou Zixu smiled and said, “Our Great Ming Dynasty is different from the previous dynasty’s belief that ‘the people’s speech needs to be suppressed like the flood‘. Our current emperor is especially open-minded and advocates for freedom of speech. Your younger sister didn’t say anything wrong. His majesty is an excellent ruler, so how was she being disrespectful?”

Advocates for freedom of speech? Yu Xiaocao felt that it was rather strange to hear this phrase from someone from the ancient times. However, she finally found out that she was in the Great Ming Dynasty.

In her impression, people of the Ming Dynasty were rather fortunate in terms of eating. Numerous ingredients and seasonings had been imported from abroad. As an expert in braised foods, how could she go without any of these?

“Is Jianwen Emperor, Zhu Yunwen, in power now?” Yu Xiaocao didn’t filter her mouth and carelessly blurted out her knowledge of history. However, as soon as she spoke, she knew that she was in trouble. In ancient times, if she directly called out the emperor’s name, would she be beheaded?

Zhou Zixu looked at her and spoke with a slightly surprised tone, “It is currently the reign of Jianwen, but… who’s Zhu Yunwen?”

Yu Xiaocao carefully observed Third Young Master Zhou’s expression and determined that her little life was probably safe. Thus, she cautiously asked, “Isn’t it currently the reign of the second emperor of the Ming Dynasty?”

At the fishing village, she had vaguely heard that the current emperor was the second emperor of this dynasty. The second emperor of the Ming Dynasty was Zhu Yunwen! Did she make a mistake with history?

“You’re right! The first emperor the dynasty passed the imperial throne to his grandson and went on a sightseeing trip. All this had already been compiled into a storytelling and spread throughout the entire Great Ming Dynasty. However, though our emperor is also surnamed Zhu, his name isn’t Zhu Yunwen. The personal name of our respected Jianwen Emperor is Junfan!”

The personal name of the emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty wasn’t necessarily a taboo. Jianwen Emperor had personally set an example for freedom of speech. It was said that a minister had been overly agitated during court and directly called out the emperor’s name. Not only did the emperor not blame him, but he also called him ‘comparable to Wei Zheng [1]’ for his courage to give direct criticism.

Zhu Junfan? Was there an emperor during the Ming Dynasty called Zhu Junfan? I don’t think so? The first emperor of the Ming Dynasty passed his position to his grandson, but that grandson wasn’t Zhu Yunwen? Was this Great Ming Dynasty the same as the Ming Dynasty recorded in history?

“The personal name of the founder of the Ming Dynasty…” Yu Xiaocao bravely continued to ask.

“The founder of the dynasty was Zhu Huaiyong. He had conquered the world with his military force and established the Great Ming Dynasty, which is well-known throughout the world. Are you really a citizen of the Great Ming Dynasty? How can you not even know this?” Zhou Zixu looked at her with disbelief, as if she was an alien.

Yu Hang immediately helped his younger sister explain, “My youngest sister had been sick and bedridden ever since she was young. She had only begun to gradually recover recently…”

Zhou Zixu’s gaze lingered on Yu Xiaocao’s pale face. He slightly nodded and said, “It seems like Little Sister Yu is quite interest in the Great Ming Dynasty, so I’ll be a good person and tell you about it.”

Third Young Master Zhou’s next words was a major shock to Yu Xiaocao. Although the Yuan Dynasty was also overthrown by the Ming Dynasty and the emperor’s surname was also Zhu, but this Ming Dynasty wasn’t the same as the Ming Dynasty in history that she was familiar with.

It wasn’t Zhu Yuanzhang who overthrew the last emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, but the retired emperor, Zhu Huaiyong. The retired emperor had lived in poverty and was allegedly an unsuccessful person in his youth. However, when he was twenty-two years old, he suddenly became an entirely different person.

[1] Wei Zheng (魏征) - a politician and historian during the Tang Dynasty, a notorious critic who was a frank and honest adviser to the emperor

Chapter 14 - Gullible Sheep

Zhu Huaiyong, who was originally timid and cowardly, raised a rebellion under the tyranny of the Yuan Dynasty. He was a brilliant strategist with outstanding abilities, so he quickly became the leader of the rebels and achieved glorious results on the battlefield. In less than ten years, he had subverted the rule of the Yuan Dynasty and established the Great Ming Dynasty.

Afterwards, it took nearly ten years to calm the chaos within the country that was caused by the war. They also had to drive other hostile nations around them far away from the borders, beating them until they didn’t dare to fight back again.

The retired emperor, Zhu Huaiyong, could be regarded as a military genius who only appeared once in a century. However, his ability to govern the country was mediocre. At the beginning of the establishment of the new dynasty, there were endless battles and chaos. As a result, there was a loss of crops and lack of farmland, which caused famine and a price inflation for grain. Thus, people lived in misery and poverty.

The current emperor was the eldest legitimate grandson of the first emperor. He was a young genius, who had led a group of boatmen to build ships for ocean voyages at the age of twelve. He also personally went on a trip and brought back crops like chili peppers, sweet potatoes, and peanuts. Furthermore, he exported tea, porcelain, and silk to the New World for trade with the native people.

The high-yielding sweet potatoes were able to provide the war-weary citizens with food to fill their stomachs. The common people merely strived for survival, so when a source of food was guaranteed, society gradually stabilized.

After the current emperor came of age at twenty years old, the first emperor retired from his position and passed the imperial throne to him. After that, the retired emperor lived a leisurely life of traveling and sightseeing.

After Jianwen Emperor ascended the throne, a series of reforms were carried out to reduce taxes, encourage farming and sericulture, and support the development of industry and commerce. In just five years, he was able to organize and keep the country in good order. It was historically recorded as ‘the rule of heaven’…

Yu Xiaocao was confused. Did she transmigrate back in time or to another world with a similar history?

Ay! What was the point in being bothered by this? Since she was already here, she should just go with the flow. First, she needed to solve the problem of obtaining enough food to eat and warm clothing to wear!

Yu Xiaocao turned her gaze towards the handsome young boy, Zhou Zixu. This gullible little sheep might be the first step to improve her current living conditions.

Although they were in the middle of the three hottest days of summer, Third Young Master Zhou suddenly felt a gust of cold air and the hairs on his arms stood up. He inwardly wondered, ‘Feeling chilly even when there was a scorching sun in the sky. Did I catch a cold?’

“That… Young Master Zhou, you’re in charge of Zhenxiu Restaurant, right? Do you want these abalones?” Yu Xiaocao asked candidly.

While Zhou Zixu was telling them about the history, he had pretended to unintentionally glance at the earthenware jar within her hands several times. He had been waiting for the right time to ask about it, so he hastily replied, “If they’re high quality abalones, then our Zhenxiu Restaurant will definitely offer you a reasonable price. Can… Can I take a look first?”

The abalones that Yu Hai caught this time were indeed rare. Moreover, they seemed to have grown after being nourished by the mystic-stone water overnight. They appeared to be even more fresh and juicy.

Zhou Zixu wasn’t very knowledgeable about seafood, so he invited Manager Jiang and Head Chef Wang over. After they saw the abalones, they praised them fervently. Head Chef Wang had been cooking seafood for nearly thirty years. Such big and fresh abalones were comparable to a king abalone, which he had seen only five years ago after a stroke of luck. Moreover, the abalones were all about the same size and abnormally plump.

“Zhenxiu Restaurant will take these abalones!” Zhou Zixu decisively said, “How much do you want? Just state a price!”

Based on Manager Jiang’s and Head Chef Wang’s eyes and expressions, Yu Xiaocao already knew that these abalones were very rare. After a moment of deliberation, she said, “We have nine abalones. It costs one tael for each abalone. No bargaining!”

Yu Hang widened his eyes in shock as he looked at his youngest sister. One tael for each abalone, then that would be nine taels. He had originally thought that two or three taels would be the most that they could earn from selling the abalones. But, nine taels! His youngest sister had actually dared to state this price!

Manager Jiang furrowed his brows slightly. It was understandable for abalones to be expensive in the capital and some inland regions, since scarcity makes things valuable. However, Tanggu Town was a small coastal town that didn’t lack seafood. Thus, it was rare to see the price of one tael per abalone.

When he was about to start bargaining for a lower price, his young boss had already swiftly made a decision. He readily agreed with a wave of his hand, “Manager Jiang, pay!”

Head Chef Wang had already eagerly carried the earthen jar filled with abalones away. For a renowned chef, what else would be more pleasing than obtaining good ingredients?

Manager Jiang didn’t say anything more and took out two small ingots, which were worth five taels each. He muttered inwardly, “Third Young Master Zhou doesn’t manage the household expenses, so he doesn’t know the cost of living. One tael for one abalone! It’s impossible to find such a price within the entire Tanggu Town! Ay, he’s still too young…”

“Manager Jiang, we don’t have any change…” Yu Hang looked at the shiny ingots on the table. He secretly gulped his saliva and didn’t dare reach out his hand to take them.

Zhou Zixu was in a good mood since he worked out the main dish for the banquet in the afternoon. He directly said, “Keep the change! If your family has any good seafood in the future, remember to send them to Zhenxiu Restaurant first! We can negotiate a good price!”

Yu Xiaocao smiled until her eyes turned a crescent-shaped. She happily took the two ingots and said, “No problem! Our Yu Family are skilled fishermen. In the future, if we catch things like shark fins and sea cucumbers, we’ll definitely send them to Zhenxiu Restaurant first!”

“Yu Family? Is it Yu Dahai’s family from Dongshan Village?” Manager Jiang had heard the rumors about Yu Hai hunting sharks. For a large restaurant, all sorts of delicacies were equally difficult to find.

It seems like Third Young Master has a keen eye for people. If they can have a good relationship with the Yu Family, then they wouldn’t suffer any losses either.

Yu Hang just recovered from the unbelievable shock. He took a deep breath, then gently exhaled. Ten taels! That was several months of income for their family!

After Yu Hang finally steadied his emotions, he answered Manager Jiang’s question, “Yes, Yu Hai is my father. He caught these abalones when he dived under the reefs. However, marine treasures like shark fin and sea cucumbers aren’t as easy to obtain. Don’t listen to my youngest sister’s reckless remark!”

“They’re difficult to obtain, but not impossible! It’s fine as long as you do as your younger sister promised and think of Zhenxiu Restaurant first when you have good seafood––especially the valuable ones!” Zhou Zixu patted his shoulder and said with a smile.

Yu Xiaocao smiled brightly like a flower, while fiddling with the two ingots, “That’s right! I’ll tell my father when we get back. Third Young Master Zhou, thanks a lot!”

Zhou Zixu smiled even more widely when he saw that the young girl’s expression. She looked like a money-grubber who just hadn’t bitten down on the ingots yet.

The young girl suddenly raised her head and asked Manager Jiang with a stern expression, “Manager Jiang, can you help me changes these ingots to silver bits?”

Manager Jiang felt that this little girl was rather interesting, so he purposely teased her, “Are you sure? If I change them to silver bits for you, then I’ll only give you nine taels?”

Yu Xiaocao didn’t mind this since the price she had requested was nine taels. The extra tael was an unexpected bonus. However, it would be inconvenient if they didn’t change them to silver bits. She and Yu Hang were both children dressed in shabby clothes. If they go shopping on the streets with two small ingots, they would obviously attract thieves!

“Nine taels, so be it! If it’s not too troublesome, it would be best if you can also change some into copper coins!” They could have purchased so much white rice and flour with one tael, so Yu Hang was somewhat bewildered that Yu Xiaocao had given up on it so easily.

Chapter 15 - The Best Seasoning

Manager Jiang took the silver ingots from them with a smile and left. A few moments later, he came back out. One hand held a plain purse made of rough burlap and the other had a couple strings of copper coins.  “This bag holds about 4 and ½ taels worth of silver bits. I changed the rest into these strings of copper cash.” The restaurant manager even warned them. “Be careful with how you store this money! You don’t want any thieves to get their eyes onto this!”

“Thank you, Manager Jiang!” Yu Xiaocao as she carefully placed the pouch full of silver into her clothing. She then divided the strings of copper coins evenly between her and her older brother in preparation for their upcoming shopping trip.  Before the two siblings left, the young girl went into the restaurant’s back kitchen to retrieve their old and damaged ceramic pot. At the same moment, a shipment of oysters had come in. The sight of the pails and pails of fresh seafood flowing into the kitchen astonished her. “Wow!” She exclaimed in awe. “Zhenxiu Restaurant must be doing really well! Are you really able to sell all of these oysters out in one day?”

Head Chef Wang laughed ruefully. “Unfortunately, oysters aren’t exactly a rare delicacy for a coastal town like us. How is it possible for us to sell this many oysters in one day? It must be Third Young Master buying more than we need again! These darned creatures are hard to keep alive outside of the sea, and it’s hot right now so we can’t let them sit for too long. I guess I’ll have to find someone to turn most of them into dried goods…”

Zhou Zixu had also followed the two children into the kitchen. After seeing the bunch of oysters all piled in the room, he knew he had bought too many. Feeling awkward, he rubbed his nose sheepishly.

“Uh...” said Yu Xiaocao. “I'll help you guys out since Third Young Master Zhou was so generous! Is there any sugar and cooking wine in here?” The little girl rolled up her sleeves as if she was about to do some hard work.

Zhou Zixu glanced at her slender and weak looking arms before he quickly replied, “Of course we do. What kind of restaurant would we be if we didn’t have such basic ingredients? What are you planning to do with these oysters?”

Yu Xiaocao beamed a smile at him but decided to keep him in suspense. “You’ll know once I’m done! Take it as my present to you, young master!”

The two older men exchanged a perplexed look. Just what was the little girl up to? They still had some spare time before the county magistrate's banquet, so they had enough time to satisfy their curiosity.

In her previous life, her younger brother loved to eat food flavored with oyster sauce. However, the oyster sauce sold at the supermarket all had a bunch of additives in them. In an effort to avoid harming his health, she found a recipe online and started to make her own oyster sauce at home.

After experimenting and tinkering with the recipe for long time, she finally developed a recipe that was not only delicious but also more healthy. Her brother loved the homemade sauce and thought that it tasted more original and savory than the versions from the store. The only flaw was that it spoiled more quickly than the manufactured sauces. But it was to be expected. After all, she never added any preservatives to it!

With a demeanor full of confidence, Yu Xiaocao directed the kitchen staff to start shucking all of the oysters and to leave the meat in a separate wooden cask. She surveyed the kitchen and grabbed the largest pot she could find. She swiftly calculated the ratio, then poured an appropriate amount of water into the pot to boil.

Once the water started to boil, Yu Xiaocao poured in all of the oyster meat and started to stir the pot vigorously with a ladle. The cask that held the oysters had some essence left at the bottom. This leftover liquid actually held a lot of the oysters’ savory flavor, so she added all of it into the hot pot without a second thought. It would be a pity to waste something that could enhance the taste and increase the output of the sauce.

“Hey you! Come help me stir this pot.”  Yu Xiaocao’s fragile body was still too weak to work for too long.

“Let me do it instead!” Head Chef Wang exclaimed as he squeezed his fat butt into the crowd and pushed the earmarked kitchen staff aside. “Should I continue stirring in one direction?”

Head Chef Wang had worked as a chef for over ten years and was passionate about uncovering new methods and recipes. Although it was a little shameful to steal skills from other people, this particular person didn’t seem to be guarding her methods. How could he let such a prime opportunity pass him?

Yu Xiaocao nodded absentmindedly as she silently calculated out the remaining time. The oysters needed to simmer for another twenty to thirty minutes to maximize flavor extraction. After that, the meat needed to be separated out to allow the rest of the sauce to develop. However, the leftover oyster meat could still be cooked in other dishes or set out in the sun to dry for later. Not one bit needed to be wasted!

After the allotted time finished, Yu Xiaocao strained the leftover meat and other solids from the finished oyster essence. She poured some oil into a clean pot to coat the inside to prevent substances from sticking to it. The oyster essence was then added to the vessel along with some fresh water. The contents were set on the fire to stew again.

During this second process, Yu Xiaocao added some sugar, cooking wine, and some other seasonings while the sauce simmered on low heat. Time passed as she let the ingredients cook and meld together. It was almost lunchtime before she finally declared that it was ready!

The finished oyster sauce was dark in color and had a glossy sheen. The whole kitchen was filled with its savory fragrance. Head Chef Wang impatiently sampled a taste of the sauce and his eyes opened wide in shock. “This is incredible! How could something have such a dense yet savory taste? It is so full of flavor but it doesn’t seem overwhelming!”

Yu Xiaocao also took a taste before smiling. “It still lacks a couple of key ingredients that would make it more delicious. Still, this sauce is still pretty good, it retains the original flavor from the oysters.”

Zhou Zixu and Manager Jiang followed in trying the sauce out. “What kind of sauce is this? Can it be added to cooked meats and vegetables?”

Yu Xiaocao nodded in assent. “This is called ‘oyster sauce’. Oyster sauce is also known as the ‘essence of the sea’. Using it while cooking can increase the overall savoriness and tastiness of a dish.”

She looked around the kitchen and then pointed at a bunch of green leafed vegetables. “Let me make some simmered green vegetables with this. This is one of my specialties!”

Head Chef Wang enthusiastically started washing the vegetables himself. In the meantime, Yu Xiaocao set another pot full of water on the fire and let it come to a boil. After quickly blanching the cleaned greens in the water, she set the cooked vegetables onto a serving plate and drizzled some oyster sauce and sesame oil on top. The dish was finished! She glanced up at everyone in the kitchen and hinted at them to take a taste.

“Is this already finished?” asked someone incredulously. The rest of the people in the room looked at her in dismay. Wasn’t this just boiled green vegetables?

On the other hand, Head Chef Wang had a thoughtful expression on his face. From his culinary experience, he knew that the more simple a dish was, the more it tested a chef’s capabilities. He grabbed a pair of chopsticks and used them to bring a single stem to his mouth. The taste of the savory oyster sauce and fresh flavor of the vegetable melded perfectly together. It was something that he had never tasted before but it was divine to his senses.

The blissful expression on Head Chef Wang’s face elicited Zhou Zixu’s curiosity. How could someone like the head chef, who had likely eaten many delicious dishes, be so infatuated with something like this? It was just some steamed vegetables with some sauce on top...

After contemplating for another second, the young master finally decided to try it himself. He also picked up one stalk and carefully placed it into his mouth. As someone who grew up in a rich family, he naturally loved to eat meat more than plain vegetables. His mother had gone through a lot of effort throughout the years to get him to eat some vegetables at his meals.

The chef of his family had a practiced hand in cooking vegetables. In fact, many of the nobles and aristocrats had asked one time or another for his family to sell this chef to them. All of the offers had been gracefully declined.

However, all of those exquisite dishes made by high class cooks could not even be compared to this simple dish made by this little girl. The secret ingredient was obvious in this case!

Zhou Zixu and Head Chef Wang looked at each other. Their thoughts and hearts were linked as one in what their next step to be. The light of greed started to shine in their eyes.

“Young miss from the Yu Family, do you... do you plan on selling your method?” Third Young Master Zhou and Head Chef Wang asked at same time.

“Are you two asking about the recipe for the oyster sauce? What do you mean by ‘selling it’? I didn’t hide anything when I made it earlier. If there are any parts that are confusing, feel free to ask me!” Yu Xiaocao had never intended to sell her recipe for money. It was more important for her to build some good karma and connections.

Zhou Zixu not only was the true owner of the best restaurant in Tanggu Town but was also the young master of one of the four great merchant families of the country, the Zhou Family! In the future, it was likely she would need a couple of favors from him. It was better to leave a good impression now than to be greedy! The more friends she had, the more options she had in the future!

Chapter 16 - Going Shopping

Head Chef Wang had grown up in a family who was well known for producing culinary talents and knew first hand just how cutthroat the culinary world was. In his experience, all famous chefs who had signature dishes guarded and hoarded their recipes zealously. However, this particular little girl in front of him had no qualms in sharing her secrets. The older man rubbed his hands sheepishly before he said, “Miss Yu... might it be a good idea to discuss this with your parents before you make a final decision?”

“No need to ask them. This recipe was personally developed by me; no one else at home knows about it. If you don’t believe, ask my older brother right now!” Yu Xiaocao waved her hand dismissively at the head chef’s suggestion.

Once Third Young Master Zhou confirmed her statement with Yu Hang, he thought for a bit before making his final decision. “Alright! Then I will take your generous gift graciously. In the future, if you run into any trouble, feel free to come to the Zhou Family residence to find me!”

Yu Xiaocao grinned in delight and thought, ‘Whippersnapper, I was just waiting for those words!’

“Oh right! Since the weather is hot now, make sure to store any leftover oyster sauce in the icehouse. It can’t be held for more than a month before it goes bad.” After leaving her last piece of advice to the two men, she rubbed the pouch containing her hard-earned money and prepared to leave.

“Don’t worry! Although it looks like we have a lot of oyster sauce, we have many customers here at Zhenxiu Restaurant. I’d be surprised if this even lasted a week!” Head Chef Wang carefully poured the sauce into a bottle and cradled it like it was a world treasure before he reluctantly set it down again.

At the same time, the flow of customers into Zhenxiu Restaurant started to increase, and the back kitchen started to bustle with activity. Zhou Zixu ordered the restaurant staff to add ‘Oyster Seasoned Green Vegetables’ to County Magistrate Wu’s banquet menu.

Head Chef Wang took out the abalone and had a pensive look on his face. He needed to figure out the best way to serve this high-quality abalone to awe and impress the magistrate’s guests.

Yu Xiaocao couldn’t help but give him a suggestion. “You could try making ‘Abalone with Garlic Sauce’. If the guests don’t like the taste of garlic, you can switch it out for the oyster sauce instead. The sauce can elevate the intrinsic flavor of the abalone. But take your time in deciding, Head Chef Wang.”

Under the escort of Third Young Master Zhou and Manager Jiang, the two siblings finally left Zhenxiu Restaurant. Coincidentally, the magistrate’s son had come over directly after finishing school and saw the brother sister pair leave.

Third Young Master Zhou was not normally a humble person, so seeing him treat a couple of children who were dressed like street urchins so politely was out of the ordinary. The young man couldn’t help but ask incredulously, “Third Young Master Zhou, what are the identities of these two children? They must be extraordinary in order to catch your eye.”

Zhou Zixu clasped his two hands together and perfunctorily greeted him. He quickly reverted back to his usual dandy self. “Brother Wu, I see that school must have let out early today? Come in, come in! I just had a new shipment of Clouds and Mists tea come in. This batch has a strong fragrance and has the color of fresh dew. Very hard to find now!”

Young Master Wu only had one elegant hobby: drinking and comparing teas. Once he heard Zhenxiu Restaurant had received a rare batch, all curious thoughts about the odd sibling pair went straight out of his mind. He followed Zhou Zixu into a private room.

“Let’s go shopping, Eldest Brother! Whatever you want to eat is on me today!” Now that Yu Xiaocao had money in her hands, she felt more confident. Her back was ramrod straight as she strode imposingly down the road.

Yu Hang flicked her forehead teasingly but then lowered his voice before he said, “We’re still one household right now. Any money we earn has to be handed over. If Grandmother finds out we have so much silver now, she definitely would not be happy. I feel like it’s better that we…”

Yu Xiaocao quickly brought her hands up to protect the purse hidden in her clothes. Her eyes glinted with annoyance. “Is the money that our dad brings home not enough? He’s the one keeping the whole family afloat, including our uncle who’s studying in the town! Let the adults find ways to keep the family running! They don't need to know about this little extra income that we earned!”

Yu Hang opened his mouth to say something but his sister quickly interrupted him. “Hand it over, hand it over! You guys are just encouraging Grandmother's behavior. Just think about! How much money has father given to them? And how much of that money comes back to us? You better not tell anyone about the money we made today, otherwise you’re not my older brother anymore!”

Seeing that Yu Xiaocao was adamant, Yu Hang decided it was useless to try to change her mind. Instead, he reminded her, “Then make sure you hide the money well! You can’t let grandmother or the other family members find out…”

“Don’t worry so much about the stuff I’m in charge of!” Yu Xiaocao slapped her chest to show Yu Hand she had everything handled. Her spirits were up now that she had money in hand. She gleefully pulled her brother along to go shopping for the first time.

As the two of them strolled, Yu Xiaocao checked out all of the prices and stored them for future use. At the grain shop, millet, potato starch, and maize were all two copper coins a catty. White flour was five copper coins a catty. Northern lands didn’t plant a lot of rice, so it was seven copper coins a catty.

The price of a catty of high-quality pork twenty copper coins, while one single live chicken was forty copper coins.

Although the imperial court had stabilized prices recently, peace had only recently come to the empire. Most commoners lived similar lives to the fishermen in Dongshan Village: eking out in poverty day by day.

The more she understood the circumstances of this world, the more Yu Xiaocao missed her old world. Modern life was still better! Even though her childhood was not easy, it still wasn’t as bad the lives most people led here. After living as the oldest sister in her past live, she had already gotten used to handling all of the responsibilities. Her mind whirled as she started to come up with ideas to get rich. She needed more money in order to help her family live a better life. One where they weren’t always worrying about their next meal.

A nearby hawker cried out, “Big meat buns! Delicious and tasty meat buns!!” The sound of his harsh voice neatly cut through her thoughts.

Grumble, grumble….Their stomachs groaned and yowled at thought of food. They both had gotten up early that morning, and neither of them had eaten anything before setting out.

Yu Xiaocao rubbed her shriveled tummy as the smell of the meat buns floated into her nose. She waved a fist in the air and said, “Let’s go and eat some meat buns!”

“Give us four big meat buns and two bowls of egg drop soup!” After getting their food, Yu Xiaocao walked over to a low table at the side of the road and made sure to call her brother over to eat food. Although they couldn’t afford to eat at a high class restaurant, they could still eat as much they wanted from the food stalls!

Yu Hang had taken trips with his dad before to town. On those trips, neither of them would spend a single copper coin out of frugalness. His little sister, on the other hand, had no qualms on spending a handful of coins in one transaction. The amount of money she spent on their meal was almost enough to buy two catties of white rice and three catties of white flour…

“I’ll....I’ll just eat three plain buns and drink some water instead…” said Yu Hang after looking at all of the prices. He settled on spending just one copper coin for his meal.

Yu Xiaocao knew her brother had thriftiness down to his bones. She silently counted out twelve copper coins and handed it to the hawker selling breakfast foods. The merchant cleverly took out four stuffed buns and had his wife ladle out two steaming bowls of soup up.

“Don’t make a fuss! We already bought the food, so just eat it now!” Yu Xiaocao grabbed one of the hot buns and thrust it into Yu Hang’s hands. She opened her mouth wide and sank her teeth into another bun.

Mmmmm... these ancient people knew how to make some delicious meat buns. The skins were appropriately thin and there was plenty of filling in the bun. Every bite had the satisfying, rich taste of meat. The savory flavor filled and melted in her mouth. Perhaps she was too hungry but she thought that there was nothing more delicious in the world than these meat buns right here.

She alternated between sips of soup and bites of pastry. Within minutes, Xiaocao had polished off two buns and her bowl of soup. Filled to satisfaction, she let out a happy little burp. So full now! In the past few days, she had never been able to eat as much as she did today. It was good to have money! This experience solidified her desire to save up her own private purse in the future.

Although he was physically older, Yu Hang was still a ten year old child. After seeing his little sister eat so happily, he couldn’t help but also take a bite. The rest was history after that first bite. Before he knew it, all of the food had disappeared into his little belly. He rubbed his bulging tummy sheepishly and grinned in embarrassment.

“This stall’s meat buns are really too delicious! We need to buy some for mother, father, and Little Shitou too!” Yu Xiaocao was not a stingy person and wanted to share her good fortune with her family. Don’t worry little brother, your older sister will always think of you when there’s good food around! Aren’t I a good sister?

Yu Hang’s cute face scrunched up in worry. “I don’t mind buying some for our parents, little sister, and little brother but this can’t get out to other people! If grandmother finds out, she’ll definitely want to know where we got the money from. Wouldn’t we be dead meat then?”

Chapter 17 - Parental Love

Yu Xiaocao glared at her brother. “Are you stupid? Why would we let Grandmother know? Can’t we learn from Eldest Aunt’s example? She eats food on the sly all the time!”

Their eldest aunt, Madam Li, never came back from her maiden home empty-handed. However, all of the food she brought back was hidden in her rooms. Only when no one was around would she surreptitiously take out some snacks and eat them with her son.

Yu Xiaocao bought ten more meat buns and had the hawker wrap them up carefully in oiled paper. The wrapped package was then stuffed into their battered ceramic pot. Earlier, they had placed some old rags on the top to hide their precious abalones. They also used the same tactic now to hide their forbidden pastries.

By the time the two of them arrived at the city gate, they could see that Uncle Ma was already there, waiting for them. The older matron who sold vegetables was also there. Her face was lit up with happiness. Judging by the large empty basket next to the woman, it wasn’t hard to see why.

“Xiaosha, Xiaocao, hurry up! We’re just waiting for you two!” Uncle Ma stood up when he saw them and waved to the two siblings.

“What about the lady who was selling eggs?” Yu Xiaocao inquired as she hopped onto the donkey cart. “She’s not here yet.”

The older lady who sold vegetables smiled, “Oh her? She sold off all of her eggs earlier and left already. She asked me to help her bring her basket back home. Xiaocao, what’s in that pot of yours? It looks pretty heavy.”

Yu Xiaocao sighed dejectedly, a sad expression on her little face. “My mother made some fermented soybean paste. We had wanted to see if we could sell them for a few copper coins and buy some coarse grains back home. But we couldn’t even sell a copper coin’s worth earlier! And now we’re down the four copper coins that we used for the ride here!”

When the matron heard it was soybean paste, she lost interest in the contents of the pot. She comforted the little girl absentmindedly and then leaned her body against the side of the wagon and dozed off.

Yu Hang couldn’t help but stare at his little sister when he heard her glibly lie between her teeth. Where did she learn to lie so easily? That’s not good. When he got back home, he needed to remind his mother to raise her more carefully. Otherwise, his sister might grow up to be too crooked.

When the two siblings arrived back to their village, they saw a familiar, tall figure standing on the road, waiting anxiously for them.

“Father? Father! We’re back!” Yu Xiaocao balanced the heavy ceramic pot in her hand as she ran with a staggering gait towards Yu Hai.

Yu Hai put down the game in his hands, effortlessly lifted his daughter up in the air, and faced his son with a stern look on his face. “You’re pretty brave, huh? You took your little sister out without a word to anyone, eh? Two little kids running around without anyone to look out for you. What if you guys encountered some bad people?”

He then turned to his daughter and spoke in a softer tone, “Cao’er, in the future, if you want to go into town tell father! Father will bring you there. It’s already past lunchtime, you must be hungry right? Father made sure to leave three steamed rolls for you. You should eat them while they’re still hot!”

Ehhhh! Doting only on the daughter, he was truly a fool for his youngest daughter!  Yu Xiaocao had a bashful expression on her face while being carried by her father. She wriggled out of her father's grasp and said, “Older brother and I have already eaten in town! We ate two large meat buns! I’m so full now, father! I also bought some for you too! You should eat them while we walk!”

Yu Xiaocao knew her grandmother’s miserly temperament. Since her father had steamed rolls for them to eat, it meant that he had to go hungry. This man woke up at the crack of dawn to go hunting in the mountains and later had to go into town to sell his game. It wasn’t right for him to go hungry.

Yu Xiaocao forced three pastries into her father’s hands. She looked at the mangled and bloody game on the ground and felt her heart skip a beat. “Father, I want to eat roasted pheasant. Is it possible to leave one of these for me?”  Hunting today went so-so. Yu Hai had only caught some small game: two Reeves’s pheasants, three wild hares, and two plump nondescript wild birds.

Yu Hang pulled gently at his sister’s sleeves and whispered, “Grandmother already saw the game that father caught today. She always knows how much money these will go for. If he comes back with less money, all hell will break loose! Didn’t we already eat some meat buns today? We’ll eat some pheasant meat in the future!”

The congenial expression on Yu Hai’s didn’t change throughout the whole interaction between his two children. “Leaving you a pheasant is not a problem! But your older brother is also right, Cao’er. After your latest illness, your stomach is still quite weak. So you shouldn't eat roasted pheasant right now. In a few days, once your body is all better, Father will definitely leave you a nice, fat pheasant for you to eat!”

Yu Xiaocao was pretty sure that there was nothing wrong with her body now. But it was obvious that no one in her immediate family believed that. It looked like she still had to prove herself to them!

Following that, the two siblings ran around the village, looking for their mother, Xiaolian, and little brother. They soon discovered that their mother was at the creek washing the bedsheets. Xiaolian had taken Little Shitou out to the foot of the West Mountains to pick up some firewood.

No one lived at the foot of the West Mountains, and few people from the village went there normally. It was the perfect place—cough cough—for dividing out their secretly acquired meat buns. The two of them split to complete their mission. Yu Hang went to the river to find Madam Liu while Xiao Cao took the ceramic pot with the pastries to the foot of the mountains.

“Mother, mother! Xiaocao, she…ah...you should come over and look yourself!” A lot of other women from the village were washing their laundry at the bank of the stream. Yu Hang didn’t dare to explain the situation clearly, and he also was too honest to come up with a good lie on the spot. The only thing he could do was to insinuate there was something wrong with his younger sister.

When Madam Liu heard his half-finished sentence, she hurriedly got up. The sheet in her hands almost slipped out and drifted away into the creek.

Yu Hang instantly felt guilty when he saw how worried she was. He tried to backtrack, “Mother, don’t worry! Little sister is fine!”

“You’re not a doctor,” Madam Liu retorted. “How would you know for sure your sister is okay? I need to see her myself. Auntie Futian, do you mind keeping an eye on these sheets for me? If I don’t come back before you’re done, could you do me a favor and bring them back for me?” Liu Muyun wiped her hands dry and then rushed after her son. The two of them pelted in the direction of the West Mountains.

“Ah…it must be Xiaocao again! Dahai’s wife has a cruel fate in this lifetime…” All of the women who were doing laundry in the river were used to Madam Liu leaving halfway before she finished her load. Nine times out of ten, it usually had something to do with her sickly daughter.

On the other hand, Yu Xiaocao was having a more difficult time finding her sister and brother. The mountains here covered a large area, and there were plenty of places for two children to pick up firewood. Luckily, Xiaolian and Little Shitou were both cautious and didn’t dare to venture deep into the mountain range. The two of them stayed at the foot of the mountains. With a little bit of effort, Xiaocao finally found them.

“Oh my goodness, I’m so tired right now! You two really lead me on a merry chase!” lamented Xiaocao when she found the two of them. She collapsed onto the ground and sat on the long grass, completely out of breath. She used her small fists to punch her legs in an effort to loosen the muscles up. This little body is seriously too weak! Even after walking this short of a distance tired it out!  In the distance, Madam Liu, who was following her oldest son, could see what had happened. She ran all the way there, her heart in her mouth. When she got to where Xiaocao had collapsed, she swept her daughter into her arms and repeatedly asked, “Cao’er, where do you feel uncomfortable? Mother will bring you home... Xiaosha, go find Doctor You right now.”

Yu Hang didn’t immediately leave and instead asked his sister with concern, “Youngest sister, do you really not feel well?”

“What do you mean by ‘do you really not feel well’? Are you saying that she’s faking it? Go find the doctor!” Liu Muyun exclaimed. She bent down and held her youngest daughter.

Yu Xiaocao saw that her mother’s face had gone white with worry, so she quickly scampered up and jumped twice on the ground to show Madam Liu that she was fine. “Mother, I’m fine! Who told you I wasn’t feeling well? Tell me and I’ll hit them for you! Eldest Brother, were you the one who scared mother?”

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” Madam Liu inspected her daughter from head to toe. Xiaocao really didn’t look like she had fallen ill again. She felt relieved, so she turned to scold her son, “So what did you call me here for? You interrupted me while I was in the middle of washing! I still have half of the sheets to do!”

Yu Xiaocao quickly came to her brother’s defense. “Mom, didn’t we visit town today? I bought some meat buns for all of us. Here, take a taste!”

Chapter 18 - The Handsome Youth From the Mountains

“Meat buns? Second sister, second sister, are those the large buns? The ones stuffed with ground meat and made with white wheat flour?” Little Shitou’s eyes opened wide when he saw the pastries in his sister’s hands. Saliva started to pool in his mouth as he stared pitifully at his sister.

Xiaocao grinned and pinched the little boy’s cheek. “What? Do you think there are other types of meat buns? Relax, I also bought some for you!”

True to her word, she split the remaining seven stuffed meat buns between her mother and two siblings. Madam Liu received three, while her sister and brother got two each.

Little Shitou carefully wiped his hands on his clothes before he received the pastries from his older sister. He opened his mouth wide and took a giant bite. The slightly sweet bread combined with the dense and fatty taste of the meat harmonized together. In his eagerness to wolf the food down, the little boy almost choked while trying to swallow his large mouthful.

Madam Liu tenderly patted her youngest son’s back. Instead of eating, she began to scold her oldest son and second daughter. “How could you two just disappear without a word and go to town by yourselves? Especially you, Xiaosha! You know your sister has a weak body, how could you make her walk so far? What would you have done if she had collapsed from exhaustion?”

Yu Xiaocao interjected to defend her brother, “Mother, we went with Uncle Ma from the neighboring village. We took his donkey cart into town. Don’t worry about me, I’m not tired at all. Please start eating now. If you let the stuffed buns sit for too long, they won’t taste good anymore!”

“Where did you get the money to ride the cart and to buy these pastries?” Madam Liu asked sternly as she stared at her youngest daughter.

Xiaolian, who was eating a meat bun in tiny, small bites, quietly replied, “Mother, I gave the money to her so she could take the donkey cart. Earlier I had picked some herbal medicine and sold them. Because it was only a few copper coins, I didn’t hand the money over to the main house.”

Madam Liu persisted, “Then where did the money for these pastries come from?” The meat buns left for her remained untouched.

“I know, I know!” exclaimed Little Shitou as he waved a small fist in excitement. He had already devoured one of his large meat-filled buns. “Yesterday we went to the sea and caught some abalone. Second Sister hid them, so she must have sold them for money!”

Yu Xiaocao grasped the little boy’s cheeks with both hands and pulled gently. She grinned, “Our Little Shitou is so smart! You guessed right! Mother, please don’t worry and eat now. The money I used to buy them is clean.”

Madam Liu had not realized the shenanigans her children had gotten into yesterday. She sighed, “You little imp, you’re quite daring, huh? But…is it right to hide something like this from your grandmother?”

“What’s wrong with it? Mother, you and father are too obedient. Just look at Eldest Uncle and Younger Uncle, they’re both so selfish. Younger Uncle lives in a rented house in town and eats white rice every day! His wife even bought a servant girl to do housework!” The hot-tempered Yu Xiaolian complained as she continued to eat her savory pastry.

“Also, look at Eldest Aunt and Brother Heizi. Both of them spend the entire day hiding in their rooms eating their own snacks. Look at their figures and then look at yours and little sister’s…They always claim that the food they eat is from Eldest Aunt’s maiden home, but it’s not like she doesn’t have any brothers. Why would they give so much to a daughter who’s already married? Such a bad lie!”

Liu Muyun looked at her children’s thin faces and stick-like figures after being prompted by her oldest daughter. She sighed deeply and carefully used the oiled paper in her hands to wrap her share up.

“Mother, why aren’t you eating them?” asked Little Shitou. He had already started on his second meat bun. After stuffing himself with the first one, he was able to savor and enjoy his second one more easily. “The meat buns are really tasty! They have a lot of meat in them! If I could eat some every day, I’d be the happiest boy on earth!!”

Yu Xiaocao felt her heart ache after hearing her little brother’s declaration. The little guy was too easily satisfied! His vision of heaven was being able to eat meat-stuffed pastries every day. In her previous life, there were too many spoiled brats who could eat meat every day yet were still very picky. When compared to the elementary school aged Yu Hang and Yu Xiaolian, their lives were too different! Ah, children who grew up in up poor families truly matured faster.

Their mother rubbed her youngest son’s head and smiled gently. The hair on his head was brittle and dry. “Your mother isn’t hungry. I’ll leave these buns for you and your second sister for tonight, one for each of you…”

Yu Xiaocao hurriedly interrupted, “Mom! Brother Heizi somehow always knows when there’s food around! He’s like a dog, always sniffing around for something to eat. If you bring these buns back, he’ll definitely find them. And if he finds them, grandmother will find out. And if grandmother finds out and asks where we got the money to buy the meat buns, how would you reply?”

After thinking for a bit, Madam Liu had to admit her daughter was right. She unwrapped her share of the food and handed one towards Xiaocao. “Your mother can’t eat this much food. Cao’er, come eat another one.”

Xiaocao laughed and patted her bulging belly. “These buns are too big for me! I already ate two earlier, and I also had a bowl of egg soup. If I eat any more, I think I’ll end up exploding. Older brother and I already ate, so you should hurry and eat. Make sure no one sees you!”

Yu Xiaolian had originally planned on leaving her second pastry behind, so she could give it to her little sister at dinner. However, when she heard what Xiaocao told their mother, she started gnawing on her other stuffed bun without any more hesitation. ‘Hmph! That shameless fatty, Yu Heizi, absolutely can’t get a piece of this!’

Shortly after the whole family finished the meat buns, an unfamiliar male voice sounded from a nearby stand of trees. “Eh? Auntie Liu, Xiaosha, Xiaolian, and Little Shitou, why are all of you here?” The stranger sounded youthful and had a clear-pitched voice.

All of them immediately turned their heads around to look. A young man dressed in a neat and casual set of clothes strolled out of gloomy shadows of the trees. A hunting bow was slung on his back. The youth had thick brows and a pair of clear, dark eyes. His nose was straight, and he had a square jawline. Although he was wearing plain, homespun clothing, it didn’t detract from his heroic figure one bit.

‘Whoa! The ancients truly did have flower boys! The novels weren’t pulling my leg! The young man who almost drowned, the town’s handsome and youthful restaurant owner, and this hot and rugged teenage boy are all perfect specimens of good-looking men. Now that I think about it, my own two brothers would be quite handsome if they weren’t so thin.’

Yu Hang threw the piece of firewood from his hand in excitement and eagerly stepped forward. “Brother Han, are you here to check on your traps?”

Zhao Han looked at Xiaocao inquisitively before he smiled and nodded, “I didn’t have time earlier this morning to stop by. Now that I have some free time, I decided to take a walk in the mountains. Is this little girl…your second younger sister?”

“Yes, this is my youngest sister. Her name is Xiaocao. When she was first born, she was weaker than a kitten so my dad decided to give her a name that would help her grow. He hoped that she would be able to grow as quickly as grass and as tenacious as a weed! Little sister, this is Uncle Zhao’s son, Brother Han. Go greet him now!” Yu Hang caressed her head as if he was petting a puppy.

Yu Xiaocao ducked away from her brother’s hand and silently grumbled. ‘Can you stop embarrassing me in front of strangers? Isn’t it bad enough I have such an…unique…name? Did you really have to explain the reasoning too?’

‘Uncle Zhao’s son, who is Uncle Zhao? Oh right, he must be the son of Hunter Zhao, the village’s best hunter. I think father learned how to hunt from this guy, so I probably should treat his son well.’

Xiaocao pasted a polite smile on her face and sweetly said, “Older Brother Zhao!”

Zhao Han guffawed. “Uncle Dahai calls my dad ‘Older Brother Zhao’, now you also are calling me ‘Older Brother Zhao’. Who are we referring to now? Xiaocao, just follow Little Shitou’s lead. Call me ‘Brother Han’ instead!”

“Brother Han! Second Sister, if you follow Brother Han, then you will be able to eat meat!” The little foodie, Little Shitou, licked his lips greedily.

Outnumbered, Yu Xiaocao could only follow their example. “Brother Han….” The sound of her voice was soft and weak. If Zhao Han didn’t have good hearing, he wouldn’t have been able to hear her greeting.

Zhao Han copied Yu Hang and ruffled her hair affectionately. “Are you not fully recovered? You still seem pretty weak… If there’s any game caught in the traps, your Brother Han will roast some meat for you!”

Chapter 19 - Following Brother Han Means There's Meat to Eat

“Don’t forget about me, Brother Han!” When Little Shitou heard that they could possibly eat meat, he immediately jumped up and circled around Zhao Han with admiration.

Zhao Han pinched the little boy’s cheeks and grinned. “Of course! I would never leave our Little Shitou behind!”

“Brother Han, why are you like my second sister? Both of you really like pinching other people’s cheeks for some reason.” Little Shitou pouted as he scampered away from the youth. The little boy held his face between his two hands and had an aggrieved expression on his face.

Seeing that all of her children were laughing and playing happily, Madam Liu glanced at the sky to check the time. “Go on and play. I still haven’t finished washing the bed sheets so I need to go back to the stream. Don’t play too rough and remember to come home to eat supper!”

The custom of having three meals a day started after the ascension of the first emperor of the current dynasty. Decades had passed since the start of the custom, and so, having breakfast, lunch, and supper was customary among the upper classes and in upscale restaurants. However, most peasants still stuck with having two meals a day: once in the morning and once in the evening. The reality was that they couldn't afford to eat more frequently. This was something that Yu Xiaocao found very difficult to stomach.

“Mother, don’t worry! I’m here to watch over younger brother and younger sisters!” Yu Hang promised. Although he really wanted to tag along with Brother Han to check the traps, he still remembered that they were responsible for gathering firewood.

He had just found out from Xiaolian that grandmother had thrown a tantrum when she didn’t see him in the morning. In order to appease her, his mother and sister had to take on more chores at home.

Zhao Han was well aware of the particular circumstances of this group of siblings. He turned to Xiaocao and Little Shitou and beckoned them to follow him. “Do you guys want to follow me to check the traps?”

“Yes! Yes!” Little Shitou, who was still a young child, immediately agreed without thinking.

On the other hand, Yu Xiaocao felt guilty when she saw her older sister and brother working hard to find firewood. When Yu Xiaolian saw her hesitate, she smiled and said, “Little sister, you’re still too weak right now! Do you really think you can help us with this? Don’t be a bother and cause more trouble for us by staying here!”

“Second Sister, we can still help them collect firewood when we hike down the mountain later!” Little Shitou had a clever mind and quickly found an excuse to persuade his sister.

In her previous life, Yu Xiaocao had lived on the plains, so she had never experienced hunting in the mountains. Now that she had the chance, she couldn’t resist satisfying her curiosity. After hesitating for a second, she decided to follow the two boys, “Older brother, Xiaolian, I’ll help you guys as soon as I can. I swear I’ll come back soon!”  The traps that Zhao Han had set were all along the periphery of the mountain range, away from the deep forests where more ferocious animals lived. In fact, even larger game was scarce in this area. This was why he was comfortable with bringing two small children along with him.

It was still summer right now, so the temperature outside was scorching, especially out in the open and under the blistering sun. However, underneath the cover of the trees, it was shady and cool, almost as if it was autumn. The chilly air felt comfortable after sweating the whole morning. Yu Xiaocao started to wonder if this would be a good place to escape to when the weather got even hotter.

“Be careful, Xiaocao! There’s a trap right in front of you, so be careful not to fall in!” Zhao Han warned suddenly. He had noticed that the little girl was looking around curiously and was not paying attention to the ground at her feet. How could she be so inattentive in such dangerous surroundings?

A trap? Yu Xiaocao bent over to inspect the ground more carefully. To her surprise, there was one patch on the ground that looked different from the rest of the terrain. She had to admit that this Brother Zhao had some pretty good skills. Had she not looked carefully, she wouldn’t have been able to find the trap.

“Are you not afraid that some of the villagers might get hurt from your traps here? Other people go through here too.” Yu Xiaocao asked, a concerned look on her face.

Little Shitou giggled and interjected, “Second Sister, besides you, the entire village knows the marks that the Zhao family uses on their traps. Even the three year olds in the village know what to look for. Look at the knotted string over there. If you ever see this, it means that there’s a trap nearby and you have to be careful!”

At this moment, Yu Xiaocao noticed that on a nearby tree, there was indeed a grass rope woven into a distinctive knot. She rubbed her nose sheepishly in embarrassment.

Zhao Han skillfully switched the conversation topic for her. “It looks like this trap hasn’t been tripped, let’s go further in to check on the others. Xiaocao, if you start feeling tired, make sure to tell me.”

Yu Xiaocao raised her voice in assent and followed Zhao Han closely. The three of them went deeper into the forest. The light dimmed perceptively the further they walked, and the underbrush became more thick and unruly. Fortunately, there was a worn path in the forest so they didn’t have to push through too much vegetation.

Little Shitou grabbed a long tree branch and used it to constantly whip the lush underbrush. Not only would this drive away any snakes but it could also startle some hidden pheasants to run out in the open.

“Wait a moment!” The handsome Zhao Han called out. He instructed the two siblings to stay where they were while he disappeared into the nearby brush.

The forest in the mountains was thick with trees and other plants. Branches criss-crossed against each other and blocked any sunlight from reaching the ground. Occasionally, some beams of light were able to escape through the cracks. There were a couple beams right now that lit up this little grove. Above them a bird suddenly spread out its wings and flew away. It cried eerily as it left. The two kids noticed that that a bush started shaking not too far away from them, as if there was something walking through there…

“Second Sister... are you afraid right now?” Little Shitou asked with a trembling voice. He scuttled closer to her and pulled on her hand. His eyes were large with fright as he scanned the area around him.

Yu Xiaocao deliberately teased him. “Little coward! Didn’t Brother Han tell you? We’re on the outskirts of the deep forest. Most big game won’t come here, let alone anything big and mean! Didn’t you just say you were going to ‘protect your older sister’? Why are you scared now?”

Little Shitou let go of her hand, ashamed, and started to tear a piece of grass apart with his fingers. He softly muttered, “When I grow up, I’ll make sure to protect Second Sister——oh, look, Brother Han’s back now!”

Xiaocao turned to face the direction that Zhao Han had left earlier. Sure enough, after the brush rattled a bit, Zhao Han’s tall and steady figure appeared in front of them.

“Look what I have! What do you two think this is?” The youth asked as he dangled something in his hands in front of the two little kids.

Little Shitou hopped up and exclaimed in a voice that echoed, “Pheasant eggs! Second sister, he has Reeves’s pheasant eggs! Eggs are so tasty, and they’re great for strengthening the body!”

“Here, take them. In a bit we’ll cook some eggs to eat!” Zhao Han grinned as he put five pheasant eggs into the two siblings’ hands. Afterwards, he continued to lead the way through the forest.

All of the traps he had set earlier were placed in the dense undergrowth. From time to time, the young man would walk off the dirt path to inspect his traps while the brother and sister pair stayed on the trail. After inspecting more than ten traps in the past two hours, Xiaocao was starting to feel exhausted.

Luckily, their trip was not in vain. One of the traps had caught a freshly killed wild hare, while Zhao Han was also able to shoot down a fat and plump turtledove.

“You guys must be tired now. I bet you both are also hungry. I know a good place for us to stop at and make some food.” Throughout the journey, Zhao Han had kept a close eye on the two siblings.

Little Shitou’s condition was not bad. He spent most of his time running around like crazy with the other kids from the village, so he had a decent amount of energy in his little body. On the other hand, Yu Xiaocao had a weaker constitution. The difference between the two wasn’t surprising. For someone who had been sickly since the day she was born, it was a miracle Xiaocao could walk so long on a rough, mountain trail.

Zhao Han knew this area of the forest like the back of his own hand. He lead the two siblings through the dense underbrush. After tramping through the forest for another quarter-hour, Yu Xiaocao suddenly noticed that they had walked into an unexpected area. They were in a beautiful valley that seemed to appear from nowhere.

The sides of the valley were bracketed on both sides by the mountains. Verdant green leaves shimmered in the sunlight, and the valley seemed to be carpeted lushly with vegetation. A small creek gurgled happily through the valley. The flowing water cut through the grass like a dark blue thread in a piece of fine brocade. Even the air seemed more clear and fresh here!

“Wow! This is amazing! It’s such a beautiful place!” Yu Xiaocao deeply inhaled the fresh air into her lungs and breathed out dreamily.

Zhao Han smiled and watched indulgently as the little girl plunged into the long grass and rolled around comfortably. To him, she looked like a cute little cat, spoiled and adorable.

Chapter 20 - The Return of the Divine Stone

“This valley is rather hidden, so no one else has discovered it except me! I’ve already checked inside the valley, and it seems safe inside. You guys wait here for a moment, while I go retrieve the seasonings. Let’s barbecue here!”

Although the Zhao Family lived at the foot of the mountain and far away from Dongshan Village, Zhao Han had also heard about Madam Zhang’s stingy personality. The Yu Family rarely had the chance to eat meat throughout the year and were only able to occasionally eat the fish that couldn’t be sold.

“Go, go! Quickly go and come back soon!” After wandering through the mountain forest for over two hours, Yu Xiaocao had already digested the two big meat buns she ate in the morning. It would be quite interesting to have a picnic at such a picturesque mountain valley.

“Second Sister! There’s fishes in the stream!” Little Shitou was washing his hands in the stream when he saw palm-sized fish darting between the cracks of the rocks. He hastily took off his shoes and went to grab them with his hands. However, he was unable to catch the little fish, who were nimbly swimming within the water.

Yu Xiaocao, who had been holding the worn-out ceramic pot within her hands, immediately went over with great interest when she heard his call, “Watch me, I’ll scoop them up with this jar…”

Huh? These fish were quite strange. They immediately came over when they saw this jar, instead of running away. Moreover, they gathered together as if they sensed the fish baits.

Little Shitou was also surprised, and exclaimed in a seemingly clever manner, “Oh! I know! The jar was filled with meat buns earlier, so there was still the tasty smell of the meat buns inside. The little fishes must had been lured over because they were hungry. Let’s catch some more, so we can stew soup when we go back!”

There were more and more little fish gathering around the ceramic pot. They were swimming around as if there was something attracting them within the jar. Was… Little Divine Stone’s spiritual energy also capable of acting as fish bait?

Yu Xiaocao put the multicolored stone on her wrist inside the jar. After the pot was submerged deeper into the stream, the little fishes were even more eager to squeeze into the jar. Soon, the earthenware jar was densely packed with little fish, squeezing together like sardines. The ones that didn’t get in continued to linger around the mouth of the jar. There seems to be more and more fish gathering over…

[Yu Xiaocao, you little brat! How dare you use me, this divine stone, as bait! You, you…you’re seriously too much!] After several days of silence, that voice finally sounded besides Yu Xiaocao’s ears again.

Gradually, a small glittering ball emerged from within the jar. The little divine stone appeared in the form of an angry little golden kitten. It was baring its teeth at Yu Xiaocao and glaring at her with its tail raised up.

“Oh? Little Divine Stone, you’re finally awake? Have your powers recovered?” Yu Xiaocao cried in surprise.

Little Shitou stared at her in confusion and asked, “Second Sister, what did you say? Were you talking to me?”

Xiaocao suddenly remembered that other people couldn’t see the little divine stone’s spiritual form. She rubbed her nose and awkwardly replied, “I’m talking to myself. I’m not talking to anyone. You can carefully take the jar out. There’s enough little fish inside!”

[You’re so dumb! You don’t even know how to use your mind to communicate with me. It’s like this, if you want to say something, just think about it in your mind and I’ll be able to hear you!] Seeing her embarrassment, the little divine stone somersaulted in the air, while laughing at her mercilessly.

Yu Xiaocao wasn’t bothered by it and continued to ask, “Have you recovered all your spiritual powers?”

[It can’t be that fast! I, this divine stone, nearly used up all my powers to cure your injury last time. If you hadn’t placed me inside the mountain stream, and the spiritual energy in this stream was still intact, I wouldn’t had been able to make an appearance. Although the spiritual energy in this world is too weak, it’s still a hundred times better than your previous world.]

[No! My spiritual powers are still too weak right now, so I can only appear briefly. I’m leaving now. Remember to soak my body inside the stream!] The golden light around the little divine stone flickered several times, then it disappeared from Xiaocao’s line of sight.

“Hey! Second Sister, come over quickly! There are too many small fishes! Should we tie them to a rope and bring them back?” Shitou grinned from ear to ear as he looked at the little fish inside the jar. It was enough to cook a big pot of fish stew with so many little fishes, which will make Grandmother nag less!

Xiaocao was also grinning happily while thinking about the tasty fish stew, “Leave them in the jar for now. The weather’s too hot, so there will be a stinky smell after they die. Pick out several of the bigger fish. We’ll grill them to eat later!”

As she spoke, she arrived at the side of the stream and put the multicolored stone between the pebbles at the bottom of the stream. Luckily, the little divine stone woke up and controlled its powers. Otherwise, if it attracted all the fish in the stream or other animals, it would have been seriously troublesome!

“Brother Han, look at the fishes we caught!” Little Shitou picked out several fish that were about half a foot long and showed off to Zhao Han who was rushing over.

Zhao Han was shocked to see so many fish inside the jar, “The fish in this stream are very agile. I’ve tried many times and only caught one or two fish after for a long time. How did you guys catch so many in such a short time? What’s your secret? Teach Brother Han, too.”

“If I told you that the little fishes swam inside themselves, would you believe me?” Little Shitou’s big eyes gleamed as he asked with a mischievous expression.

Zhao Han laughed, then lifted him up and tossed him in the air. While the little guy was screaming, he caught him in his arms again and said, ”Do you think your Brother Han is easily fooled? If you told me that a pheasant flew into the pot, I might had believed you. Alright, let’s roast the meat!”

Zhao Han had returned home and brought back a wide range of seasonings. Yu Xiaocao looked over the seasonings he brought over. He even had a spice like cumin. She lowered her head and sniffed that familiar tan-colored power.

“That’s cumin. You haven’t seen it before, right? Jianwen Emperor brought it back from the south when he was still the imperial crown prince. There’s also chili pepper. Jianwen Emperor was allegedly an avid lover for spicy flavors. However, not everyone can get used to spices like cumin and chili peppers. I can eat them, but if you guys don’t like the spices, you don’t have to use them.” Zhao Han and his grandfather were also lovers of the piquant taste.

At this time, chili peppers had not been popularized. All the vegetables that the Yu Family ate were grown in their own gardens, so they naturally didn’t have any chili peppers. Without any oil and spices, their meals were just poached vegetables with a small amount of salt. If Yu Xiaocao wasn’t hungry, she seriously wouldn’t be able to eat it.

Yu Xiaocao had great admiration for the gourmet Zhao Han. He was able to collect such a vast variety of spices like the bright red chili powder, cumin, anise, cinnamon, and fennel.

Without any other choice, Zhao Han took up the responsibility of taking care of the hare and turtledove, Shitou was chattering on the side as he watched him, while Yu Xiaocao voluntary picked up the firewood to start a fire. She occasionally looked towards them and thought, ‘This young man was only around twelve or thirteen years old, but he was quite skilled in skinning the hare and cutting out the internal organs. It was obvious that he was accustomed to doing this.’

The fire was quickly lit. The hare was smeared with salt and various seasonings, then placed on top of the fire to be roasted. The turtledove was stuffed with spices and covered with mud before being thrown into the fire to be roasted. The pheasant eggs were also covered with a layer of wet mud to prevent them from bursting, then set beside the fire to be baked.

Chapter 21 - A Person Who Knows How to Roast Meat is the Most Handsome

Yu Xiaocao had over ten years of experience with cooking and making braised foods, but she wasn’t skilled in cleaning and preparing game. She could only help on the side by mixing the seasonings. It has been a while since she last ate meat. (Author note: Did she forget about the meat buns?) Thus, it was extremely hard for her to resist the alluring aroma of the roast hare.

Zhao Han wiped the sweat on his face with his shirt. He couldn’t help but laugh when he saw Xiaocao and her younger brother’s eager expressions, “Be patient. We should be able to eat soon. The wild hare I caught today is quite plump, and it will definitely be tasty!”

The grease from the roast hare dripped into the fire, making a sizzling sound. The blazing flame carried the appetizing aroma of the roasted meat into the air. The smell floated throughout the valley, enticing the siblings’ hunger.

By the time the crispy, golden-brown roast hare was finally ready, Yu Xiaocao was already close to drooling! The siblings looked at the steaming roast hare and didn’t know where to begin.

A smile appeared on Zhao Han’s handsome face. He gently shook his head and took out the sharp dagger that he used to peel the wild hare earlier.

After carefully washing the dagger in the stream, he cut off and gave the hind legs to the siblings. The hind legs were the most tender parts of the hare.

There were two young children, so Zhao Han didn’t add too much spicy seasonings on the roasted meats. He gave each of them a hare’s hind leg, which weighed half a catty each. Then, he added more chili powder and cumin on the remaining meat.

Yu Xiaocao felt really envious when she saw that, so she pestered Brother Han to add some more for her too.  Even if there was only a thin layer, it was still able to enhance the taste of the roast hare. With bright red lips, Xiaocao was covered in sweat as she ate. It seemed like she still needed to slowly train herself to be accustomed with spicy foods.

Little Shitou was eating his non-spicy roast hare leg as he watched his second sister sucking in cold air and tearing up due to the spiciness. He curiously wondered, ‘If eating the chili pepper is so painful, then why were Brother Han and Second Sister still eating it? He seriously couldn’t understand them. They were obviously just torturing themselves!’

The little fellow took a big bite of the savory hare while lamenting that today was even better than the New Year, ‘After eating big meat buns at noon, he was also allowed to freely eat roasted meat in the afternoon. Was this really not a dream?’

By the time they finished eating the roast hare leg, the ‘beggar’s turtledove’ was also ready. When taking off the thick mud, the turtledove’s feathers were also completely peeled off along with the mud shell. The flavors of the bright red jujube and fragrant spices, which were inside the stomach, had seeped into the meat of the wild turtledove. With a fragrant aroma, it had a crisp and tender texture, which easily melted in the mouth.

Xiaocao and her younger brother had both just finished eating a hare leg, but when faced with such appetizing roasted meat, they couldn’t resist eating more. Thus, they ended up eating too much, and were whining while rubbing their bellies.

Zhao Han looked at them with amusement. After plucking a few large leaves, he cleaned them with water and wrapped the remaining meats within the leaves, “Take these roasted meats back home for Xiaosha and Xiaolian to eat. But be careful not to let Heizi see it, or else, he’ll take it all from you guys!”

Yu Xiaocao noticed that he didn’t eat a lot of the roasted meat and asked with slight embarrassment, “Brother Han, you were busy working all afternoon. Why don’t you eat some more?”

“I’m already tired of eating game meat. In my opinion, vegetables and tofu are tastier!” Zhao Han gave her a half-truth reply. In fact, it was considered pretty good if an ordinary family was able to eat meat two times a year. Even for a hunter’s family, it was impossible to eat meat on a daily basis. So, how would he be tired of eating meat?

Xiaocao felt very touched because she knew that he just wanted to save the roasted meats for the Yu siblings. From the corner of her eyes, she saw a fish jumping out of the cracked mouth of the earthenware jar. With a cheerful smile on her face, she said, “Brother Han, try my cooking——special grilled fish!”

It was ‘special’ because grilled fish wasn’t one of Xiaocao’s specialties. In an environment with limited seasonings, she was already rather skilled to be able to make the palm-sized fish crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It smelled quite good after she sprinkled a layer of cumin and chili powder on top.

“Do you want to taste it?” Yu Xiaocao was confident in her cooking skills, but it was her first time grilling fish directly above an open-fire. So, she was somewhat worried.

Two small whitefish were strung on a wooden stick. Zhao Han went closer and sniffed it. There weren’t any weird smells, so he bravely took a small bite of the fish.

Oh? It tasted pretty good! He originally had doubts about Xiaocao’s cooking skills since she was constantly bedridden and had never done any chores. Was her cooking even edible? However, it was unexpectedly very crispy and delicious. It was savory and slightly spicy, which was quite difficult to make.

“How is it? How is it?” Xiaocao asked with anticipation in her eyes as she grilled another skewer of fish.

“Delicious! Your cooking skills are pretty good!” As proof of his evaluation, Zhao Han took a big bite of the grilled fish skewer.

These little wild whitefish had delicate meat and a delicious taste. Moreover, it didn’t have any small bones. Even if it was used to make soup with just plain water and salt, it would still be very tasty.

Although Little Shitou’s tummy was already bulging like a ball, he was still staring at the grilled fish in Zhao Han’s hands and drooling.

Yu Xiaocao was amused by her younger brother. She tore a small piece of fish meat off the freshly grilled fish skewer and comforted him, “You can’t eat anymore. Be careful of your belly bursting. You’re only allowed to have a taste!”

Zhao Han laughed when he saw Shitou savoring the grilled fish within his mouth. Like a hungry little kitten, he was reluctant to even swallow this small bite of fish, “The three of us are the only ones who know about this valley right now. If you want to eat grilled fish, Brother Han can just bring you here again!”

Zhao Han ate a few skewers of grilled fish and noticed that the sky was getting darker. He took the ceramic pot from Xiaocao’s hands and brought the reluctant siblings back to Dongshan Village.

They didn’t need to take a detour to check on the traps on the way back, so the return trip took twice as fast. Nevertheless, they still missed dinner time.

The Yu Family’s customary rule was, ‘Whoever returns late and misses the mealtime would just have to starve. Don’t even think about preparing a separate meal!’

However, Yu Xiaocao didn’t want to eat the dry pancake and disgusting porridge anyways! She felt more at ease now that she had money in her hands. These nine taels were going to be her capital for earning money in the future, so she must hide them securely.

Zhao Han had planned to send the siblings home, but as soon as they arrived at the village, they saw Yu Hang and Xiaolian waiting for them at the entrance.

“Eldest Brother, Eldest Sister! Brother Han caught a wild hare and wild turtledove. They were really tasty when roasted. I saved a lot of roasted meat for you guys!” Shitou ran over in an obedient manner and shared the hare meat wrapped in the leaves with his older siblings.

Yu Hang gently wiped the dirt off his face, then he gave him a knock on his head and said, “You really know how to curry favor. Since it was Brother Han’s game, did you even ask for his consent?!”

Little Shitou rubbed his forehead and giggled, “It was Brother Han who said to save them for you guys. He didn’t even eat much himself!”

Yu Hang was even more unwilling to take the roasted meat from his hands, “Brother Han, you should take it back for Grandpa Zhao and Auntie to eat…”

Zhao Han glared at him and spoke with a stern expression, “What? You guys call me ‘Brother Han’, so what’s wrong with treating you guys to some roasted meat? If you still have respect for your ‘Brother Han’, then just eat it!”

Chapter 22 - Road Block

Among all the children in the village, except for the gifted scholar Qian Wen, Yu Hang admired Zhao Han the most. Zhao Han wasn’t only a skilled fighter but also a good hunter. Thus, he couldn’t turn him down again. He gave most of the roasted meat to his younger sister, then asked Xiaocao and Shitou, “Do you guys want to eat some more?”

Xiaocao hastily shook her hands, “I’m already completely stuffed. Also, look at Shitou’s tummy. It almost looks like a bloated toad.”

Little Shitou laughed foolishly as he rubbed his round belly cooperatively.

“Very well! You guys are secretly eating meat here! I’m going to tell Grandmother. She will definitely beat you guys to death!” Yu Heizi jumped out of the dried ditch beside the road and threatened as he stared at the roasted hare meat in Xiaolian’s hands.

Apart from Yu Hang and his siblings, Zhao Han rarely interacted with the other children in the village. However, he had heard of Heizi’s ‘bad reputation’. He couldn’t help but frown and stepped forward to say, “I was the one who gave them the roasted meat. Do you have a problem with that?”

The plump Yu Heizi timidly stepped back when he saw the strong and burly Zhao Han, who was a head taller than him. But, he didn’t plan on giving up on the chance to eat meat. His beady eyes swiftly darted around, and he cried out in a seemingly fierce manner,

“I don’t care! You guys are eating meat by yourselves, and completely disregarding our grandparents and the rest of the family. You’re being disrespectful to your elders! If I go make a complaint, you guys will definitely receive a beating. Unless…”

“Unless what?” Zhao Han had already seen through his intentions and calmly asked.

Heizi wiped his saliva with his dirty sleeve and confidently said, “It’s very simple. If you don’t want me to complain, just give me half of the meat!”

Zhao Han pursed his beautiful thin lips and sneered, “We can share a portion with you, but half is impossible. The roasted meat should be divided equally among the three of you. If you don’t agree, then I’ll just take them back, and none of you can eat any!”

After hearing Zhao Han’s words, Yu Heizi abandoned his greed and swiftly agreed. If he continued to bargain, he wouldn’t even get to lick the bones.

Zhao Han took the roast hare, which was missing two hind legs, and tore off the two forelegs, as well as the meat around it. Then, he handed them to Yu Hang and Yu Xiaolian. After that, he gave the hare’s ribs and back, which had relatively less meat, to Yu Heizi.

Yu Heizi really wanted to protest, but he could only give up on that idea after Zhao Han swept a gaze over him. Although he received a smaller portion of meat, but he got a bigger piece. He hadn’t eaten meat in a long time, so he was satisfied that he could at least gnaw on the bones!

After Heizi left with the roasted meat in his arms, Yu Xiaocao took out the turtledove hidden behind herself and gave it to Yu Hang and Xiaolian. The siblings were only half-full from their meal at home. However, with the roast hare and turtledove, they ate until they were burping.

The filial Yu Hang said guiltily, “It’s a pity that we couldn’t bring them back for Father and Mother to taste…”

Shitou took out several mud-covered eggs from his pocket and grinned, “That’s alright. We still have some roasted pheasant eggs. Let’s secretly give them to our parents to eat at night!”

They were just eating some eggs, but they had to sneak around like a thief. Zhao Han sighed inwardly as he caressed Little Shitou’s head sympathetically.

Yu Xiaocao hadn’t been at home for the entire day, so when they returned home, it was inevitable that she had to endure a series of nagging from Madam Zhang. However, Xiaocao wasn’t one of the main laborers at home. Thus, Madam Zhang paid very little attention to her. She was already grateful if that wretch doesn’t fall ill and waste her money on medical fees!

“Xiaocao, you haven’t eaten yet, right? Youngest Aunt has a few eggs and half a steamed bun. Take them to share with Little Shitou——be careful and don’t let your grandmother see you.” Her youngest aunt, Yu Caidie, quietly approached Xiaocao and stuffed the eggs into her hands while Madam Zhang wasn’t looking.

Although Xiaocao was already very full, but she couldn’t tell her directly. She just whispered, “Youngest Aunt, it’s alright! If Grandmother finds out…”

“Hurry and take it. Isn’t it fine as long as my mother doesn’t find out? Actually, your grandmother just has a sharp tongue. She’s not really a bad person…” Yu Caidie had a gentle temper and spoke in a soft voice, which sounded very comforting.

Yu Xiaocao didn’t decline anymore and felt grateful within her heart. There’s still ample time ahead, so she will repay her kindness in the future!

“Xiaocao! What are you holding in your hands? Are you secretly hiding delicious food?” Madam Li’s fat body shook as she ran out of her room. She stared at the worn-out jar within Xiaocao’s hands with her beady eyes.

Yu Xiaocao didn’t have any good impression of her eldest aunt whatsoever. She replied in a muffled voice, “What is this? You can just check yourself! Eldest Aunt, don’t unfairly accuse me of stealing again!”

“Second Sister isn’t like Brother Heizi, who’s always going through other people’s room every day! The jar is filled with small fishes that Uncle Zhao’s son, Brother Han, helped us catch. Second Sister said she want to make fish stew for us to eat!”

While his older siblings were distracting everyone, Little Shitou had already sneaked into his room and securely hid the roast pheasant eggs. When he saw Eldest Aunt trying to snatch the jar in his second sister’s hands and slandering his second sister by calling her a thief, he couldn’t resist defending her.

Madam Li angrily glared at Little Shitou with her small eyes, which appeared like a slit on her chubby face. She reached out her fleshy hand and wanted to twist his ear, “You little brat! What nonsense are you talking about? When did your Brother Heizi ever poke around in other people’s room? Be careful that I don’t tear mouth for gossiping!”

Little Shitou skillfully dodged Madam Li’s evil hand and shouted, “I’m not speaking nonsense! Who stole the pastries that Younger Uncle brought back the last time his family visited? Brother Heizi still had crumbs on his mouth when he was caught!”

The old lady, Madam Zhang, came out of her room and screamed, “What’s with all the fuss? Aren’t you afraid of being ridiculed by others! Caidie, bring the jar into my room. Your third brother sent a message back and said he’ll come home for a few days. We don’t have anything good at home, so let’s make some dishes with these small fish tomorrow!”

“Grandmother, these fish are still alive! It’s better to keep them in a vat filled with water. If the fish die, it would be hard to keep them in this hot weather.” Yu Xiaocao handed the earthenware jar to her youngest aunt and suggested. She didn’t want to have stinky fish stew tomorrow.

“Mhm!” Madam Zhang grunted with an awful expression on her face. She watched as her youngest daughter put the fish into the water vat and counted the fish before returning to her room.

No wonder Grandmother was so ‘merciful’ and didn’t scold Xiaocao for over an hour when she found out Xiaocao went to town today. It turned out that Younger Uncle’s family was coming home!

Xiaocao was extremely exhausted today. After carefully hiding the money she earned today, she was already nodding off when her mother bathed her. Xiaocao was so tired that she didn’t even know when she finished bathing. She was in a daze as her mother carried her to the kang bed and immediately fell asleep after being placed on the bed.

It was already late in the morning on the next day, but Xiaocao was still grunting and refusing to get up. Her legs were sore, and her feet hurt! This body seriously lacked endurance! She really shouldn’t stay in the room all the time in the future. Shitou, who was three years younger than her, ran around the mountain and helped with chores every day, but he was still so energetic after a night’s sleep.

Yu Xiaocao put on her patched outer garment and went out to the courtyard to wash her face. However, Madam Li, who was wandering around with a broom without actually sweeping the floor, started to look for trouble.

Chapter 23 - Younger Uncle Comes Home

“She really has the body of a noble young lady with the life of a servant. It’s impossible to find another person in the entire village who gets up this late! Does she really think she’s some precious child?!” Madam Li screeched in a sharp tone, covertly mocking her.

Xiaocao was somewhat familiar with that fat woman’s personality. The more attention she received, the more excited she became. Everyone in Dongshan Village knew that whoever spoke with Old Yu’s eldest daughter-in-law would have to endure her for at least half of the day. She was a talkative person who would pester anyone who interacted with her.

“Oh, my precious grandson! Come and give your grandmother a hug——be careful of the doorsill——my precious grandson is so amazing! You were able to cross over such a high doorsill!” Madam Zhang, who usually treated herself as the boss of the family, had actually spoke in such a gentle and soft voice. Moreover, there was even a slight sense of flattery within her voice.

Yu Xiaoxao looked towards the sound. She saw Madam Zhang bending down to help a chubby two year old infant walk over the doorsill, while a young couple walked behind her.

The man had a refined appearance with a fair complexion. He had inherited his good looks from the Yu Family. The woman had ordinary features, but she had pale and smooth skin. Her light complexion enhanced her features, so she wasn’t bad looking. There was a young girl, who looked around twelve or thirteen years old, following behind them with a big baggage in her hands.

She was wondering why it was so quiet in the courtyard, so it turned out that they went to fetch Younger Uncle’s family. Yu Xiaocao smirked since she was already used to Madam Zhang’s differential treatment.

“Xiaocao, don’t stand there like a log. Hurry up and go tell your mother to come back to cook. How can she still be indolent at this time?!” Madam Zhang’s arrogant and bossy attitude emerged again when facing Xiaocao.

Yu Xiaolian came out of the kitchen expressionlessly and said, “My mother went to wash the laundry. She has to wash the whole family’s laundry, so how would she be able to finish it so quickly?”

“Watch your mouth! You’re so capable now that you’re rudely rebutting your elders? Is that what your mother teaches you?” Madam Zhang swiftly swallowed the vulgar curses that she was about to spit out and peeped at her youngest daughter-in-law’s expression from the corner of her eyes.

Yu Bo’s wife, Zhao Meilan, didn’t say a single word ever since she entered the courtyard. She had a faint expression on her face, which looked neither happy nor angry.

Yu Xiaolian wasn’t a pushover and retorted, “Grandmother, I was only speaking the truth. How was I being rude to you? My mother had certainly gone out with a basin full of clothes!”

Yu Xiaocao went into the kitchen, then came out again, “Grandmother, Younger Uncle’s family just come back all the way from town, so they must be tired. You should take them to their room and let them rest for a bit. Xiaolian, quickly go get the fish. Weren’t we planning to add some dishes for Younger Uncle’s family?”

Her younger aunt, Madam Zhao, finally looked at Xiaocao after hearing her speak. She asked in a low voice, “Is this… Second Brother-in-law’s youngest daughter?”

Younger Uncle, Yu Bo, finally noticed the wan and thin young girl. He happily said, “That’s right! Xiaocao, you seem to be in good spirits today. Did you come out for some sun?”

Yu Xiaocao didn’t have any ill-feelings towards her younger uncle and aunt, so she replied with a smile, “Younger Uncle, my health is already better now! I haven’t been sick for over a week!”

“Sure enough, you do seem to have recovered from your illness. You have become livelier and more articulate! It’s great that you’re better now. It’s good to be healthy!” Younger Uncle cheerfully said as he walked forward and touched her head.

Yu Caidie came out of a room on the west side of the main room. She smiled at her third brother and sister-in-law, “Third Brother, Third Sister-in-law, your room is ready. Hurry and go take a rest. We soon be eating soon. Doudou, do you still recognize Youngest Aunt?”

“Our Doudou is back! Come and let Eldest Aunt give you a hug! Why is our family’s Doudou so cute?” Madam Li spoke in a tone that was filled with an obvious sense of flattery and fawning.

Yu Xian, whose nickname was Doudou, was pulled into her embrace and his face was buried within Madam Li’s fleshy body. Madam Li was a lazy person who hated bathing, so there was always a stench of sweat on her body. The young Yu Xian had never encountered such a situation before. He immediately began crying while desperately struggling to escape.

Madam Zhao’s expression turned cold and ordered the young girl behind her, “Why aren’t you bringing your young master back?!”

The young girl gave the baggage in her hands to Xiaocao, who was enjoying the lively scene. She hastily ran to rescue her young master and shouted, “What are you doing?! Hurry up and let go of our young master! What’s wrong with you?”

Madam Li, who had been pushed, loosened her hold on the young Yu Xian with embarrassment. Darn it! She made a mistake while trying to flatter them!

“I don’t want you to hold me! I don’t want you!” The two year old Little Doudou cried until his eyes turned red. He pushed the young girl aside and also refused the embraces of both his parents. With his arms opened, he staggered a few steps as he ran and ended up hugging Yu Xiaocao’s legs.

Uh? What kind of situation is this? Yu Xiaocao was still holding the large bag that the young girl handed her, so her upper body was practically buried by the mountain-like baggage. Now, there was also a little infant holding onto her leg like a koala.

The young maid tactfully retrieved the baggage from Xiaocao. She looked at Xiaocao and hinted by nudging her lips at her young master, who was hugging Xiaocao’s legs and seeking comfort.

Ay! It can’t be helped. She just had that protagonist aura. Even a young infant couldn’t escape from her charms as the protagonist! Yu Xiaocao was very pleased with herself as she thought about it. She bent down to lifted up the little fellow, who was crying pitifully.

Little Doudou looked small, but he actually quite heavy. She tried very hard before she finally lifted the little fellow up while wobbling. Yu Bo, who was beside them, was frightened by the sight and opened his arms to protect them.

It was often said that children had keen senses. Yu Xiaocao had been drinking mystic-stone water for several days and had also been wearing the multicolored stone every day. Thus, it was natural that she had a bit of spiritual energy on her body.

After Little Doudou was attacked by Madam Li’s stench, he followed his instinct and searched for the spiritual energy, which was his source of comfort——Yu Xiaocao.

Little Doudou stopped crying after Yu Xiaocao unstably lifted him up. He widened his dark eyes and looked at her curiously. He asked in a cute voice, “Who are you? I’ve never seen you before!”

His father interrupted him anxiously, “Doudou, this is your Second Sister——come down quickly. Your second sister can’t hold you. Be careful of falling!”

“No, I don’t want to get down! Doudou likes Second Sister. She smells really good.” Little Doudou’s plump arms were wrapped around Xiaocao’s neck as he sniffed her like a little puppy.

Madam Zhao finally had an expression on her face when interacting with her son. She said rather helplessly, “Doudou, your second sister’s health isn’t very good. If she’s too exhausted, then she can’t play with you anymore. So, come down and let mother carry you!”

Little Doudou looked at Xiaocao, and then looked at his mother. It was difficult for him to make a choice at the moment.

In her previous life, Yu Xiaocao had raised her younger siblings by herself, so she was very skilled in dealing with children, “Our Doudou is so cute, so Second Sister really likes you too! Is Doudou hungry? Do you want Second Sister to make some fish stew for you?”

“Yes! Doudou wants to drink it!” Children were all little gluttons. The little foodie Doudou swiftly came down from Yu Xiaocao and waited for the fish stew.

Madam Zhang had been constantly trying to attract her little grandson’s attention, but she never expected him to be deceived by that little wretch. After giving Yu Xiaocao a fierce glare, she smiled at her youngest son and daughter-in-law, “Go take a rest in your room! I’ll go cut some meat and make your favorite ‘stewed fatty meat and cabbage’ for lunch!”

Chapter 24 - Flattering

The Yu Family’s meals had always lacked oil. There were only two occasions when the family could eat meat; the first was during the New Year, and the second was when Yu Bo, the hope of the entire family, came home. Stewed fatty meat and cabbage was Yu Bo’s favorite dish during his childhood.

Yu Bo was already accustomed to eating stir-fried dishes in town, so his taste in food had changed a long time ago. However, he was unable to refuse his mother who wholeheartedly cared for him.

Madam Zhao glanced at him, then entered the west room indifferently. Zhao Meilan, who was the only daughter of a county scholar-official, held contempt for the whole Yu Family. Her mother-in-law was stingy, while her eldest sister-in-law was vulgar and lazy. Her second sister-in-law was cowardly and incompetent. Moreover, none of the children in the family were presentable.

If she had a choice, she seriously didn’t want to stay in the Yu Family’s house at all. However, they were her husband’s family, so she still needed to give her husband some face.

By the time Madam Zhang returned from the butcher’s in the neighboring village with half a catty of fat meat, Madam Liu also came back after washing the laundry. Without giving her a chance to take a break, Madam Zhang had ordered Madam Li, who was aimlessly wandering around the courtyard with a broom, “You go dry the clothes. Second daughter-in-law, you go cook!”

The entire family had unanimous approval for Madam Liu’s culinary skills.

Madam Zhang personally washed the meat and cut it up on the cutting board. After that, she counted the pieces and instructed Madam Liu, “Third Son likes the dishes that you cook the most, so cook well and don’t slack off. You guys help with the preparations!”

Even if Madam Zhang didn’t say it, Yu Xiaocao and her sister wouldn’t have let their mother do all the work alone. After she left, Xiaocao smiled and said, “I doubt Younger Uncle and Aunt like to eat ‘stewed fatty meat and cabbage’. Mother, why don’t I try making a couple of dishes? I have a lot of recipes in my mind that I haven’t had the chance to try out!”

“You can cook, but you’re not allowed to touch the meat. Your grandmother knows very clearly how many pieces there are!” When they had good ingredients, Madam Zhang would always take a count because she was afraid that people would steal some while cooking.

‘Big pot mixed stew’ was very popular in most villages in the north. However, not all ingredients were suitable for the mixed stew. Yu Xiaocao had been craving stir-fried dishes, but she didn’t have any oil. Madam Zhang was so stingy that she wasn’t even willing to purchase vegetable oil.

Xiaocao looked at the fatty meat and tried to persuade her mother to make some lard with a portion of the meat. The meat can be stewed with cabbage, and she could cook with the lard.

Liu Muyun briefly pondered the idea. The meat would slightly shrink after extracting some lard, but as long as she cooked it carefully, it wouldn’t look too unsightly when stewed. Today, Third Younger Brother and Third Sister-in-law came home, so one meat dish really wasn’t enough. Moreover, all the other dishes were bland and tasteless. Thus, she decided to use the meat to make a small bowl of lard.

There were a lot of people in the Yu Family, so they usually used two stoves to cook. One was used to cook the bean porridge, while the other was used to make stewed vegetables and millet pancakes. Madam Zhang was very happy today, so with great mercy, she ‘allowed’ the pancakes to be partially made with wheat flour.

She would rather be a miser and suffer herself, than let her youngest son suffer a little. She was even more unwilling to be looked down on by her youngest daughter-in-law, who was the daughter of a county scholar-official. She was still waiting for her youngest son to earn a noble title for her so that she could enjoy old age with her son’s success!

Yu Xiaocao saw her mother using the usual method to stew the pork slices and cabbages, which was just throwing them together in one big pot. Afraid that the meat dish would be ruined, she quickly stopped her, “Mother, let me cook this dish. I promise it will be even tastier than the one Mother makes!”

Madam Liu was afraid that the old lady would scold Xiaocao, so she rejected the idea at first. In the end, she couldn’t help giving in to Xiaocao and Xiaolian’s constant pleading. However, she insisted on supervising on the side.

Xiaocao had already instructed her younger brother to borrow some chili peppers from the Zhao Family. Without a tinge of spiciness, the stewed pork and cabbage would definitely taste bland.

After deciding not to use the usual method to stew the dishes, she used an oiled pan to stir-fry ginger, scallion, chili pepper, and Sichuan peppercorn. After that, she put the meat into the pan to stir-fry, while also adding some salt and soy sauce. Next, she placed the cabbage millet pancakes in the pan, and after a short deliberation, she also added some mystic-stone water inside. Xiaocao noticed that the mystic-stone water had the ability to enhance freshness! It was still the same dish, but with different cooking methods, the tastes were naturally as different as day and night.

“It smells great! Are we eating meat today?” Yu Heizi, who had been playing wildly outside for the entire day, had a keen nose like a dog. After smelling the fragrant aroma, he followed the scent and entered the kitchen.

Before he had the chance to ‘sabotage’ the food, Madam Zhang, who was behind him, had already pulled on his ear and dragged him out, “Eat, eat! You only know how to eat! What else can you do other than eat? Go and stay in your east room! If you dare to sneakily eat the food, I’ll chop your hands off!”

After that, she glared warningly at Madam Li, who was lingering in front of the kitchen. The crafty and lazy Li Guihua hastily lowered her head. She started to sweep the floor, while repeatedly turning to look back.

Madam Zhang looked at the stew fatty meat and cabbage, sniffed it a few times, and blandly said, “Hm, your culinary skills have improved! Continue to cook this way in the future!”

Xiaocao interjected, “Grandmother, if you bring back some soybean oil, we can cook like this every day. We can’t do anything without oil!”

Madam Zhang’s heart ached at the thought of how much money was needed to buy oil. However, in order to maintain her own dignity, she turned to leave while cursing, “Buy oil? Should I just tear up this old body of mine to make oil for you people?”

Xiaocao’s mouth twitched and grumbled, “Even if you want to, it doesn’t mean we’re willing to eat it. You probably can’t get much oil with that dry and bony body of yours…”

“Cao’er! How can you speak in that manner to your elders? If this spread out, would you still have a good reputation? You can’t act in this way in the future.” Madam Liu was cleaning the pot as she disciplined her daughter.

Yu Xiaocao didn’t rebut her, but she still felt indignant inwardly, ‘We need to have filial piety to the elderly, but we can’t be foolishly devoted to them either, right?’

Xiaocao vented her anger through cooking. Whoosh! She swiftly completed the stir-fried eggplants with garlic, dry fried string beans, fresh greens with mushroom, and stewed meat and cabbage.

In the other pot, an appetizing aroma was emerging from the delicious fish stew. Even Madam Zhao, who was napping in her room, was inwardly surprised by the Yu Family’s ‘pig food’. When did it ever smell so good?

“It’s time to eat!” Little Shitou, who had been dutifully helping to tend the kitchen fire, exclaimed excitedly. Second Sister’s cooking skills were so amazing that he could hardly contain his saliva.

The men and women sat on separate tables for the morning meal. Today, the women’s table also had the same dishes as the men’s table. Four pots that emitted an appetizing aroma were swiftly served on the table. There were many people in the Yu Family, so their foods were usually served in pots.

“There’s meat! We’re eating meat!” Yu Heizi sniffed up his yellowish snot, while also wiping his mucus with his sleeve blackened with dirt from time to time. Instead of washing her hands, Madam Li also just wiped her dirty hands on the front of her worn-out clothes.

Madam Zhao took a look and was so disgusted that she almost puked. There was no way she could have any appetite in front of this dirty mother and son duo.

Madam Zhang, who had been closely observing her youngest daughter-in-law, followed her line of sight. She frowned, took a bowl, and grabbed some food from each dish. After that, she turned towards Madam Li and her son, “It’s too crowded at the table, so you two go back to your room to eat!”

Madam Li stared at the alluring meat and tactlessly said, “We have two extra people, so it is a little crowded. Why are the little brats, who are under ten years old, sitting at the table?! Aren’t you brats going to hurry up and make some room?”

As she spoke, she couldn’t resist lifting her chopsticks to grab the largest piece of fatty meat. However, she was blocked midway by her mother-in-law. Madam Zhang furiously glared at her thoughtless eldest daughter-in-law and spoke with an aggravated tone, “I’m telling you to go back to your room to eat, so stop with all your nonsense! By restricting the children from eating at the table, who are you trying to mock?”

Chapter 25 - Praise

Madam Li watched as Little Doudou earnestly waited at the table to drink his second sister’s fish stew. She suddenly realized that she had said something out of line. Third Brother-in-law would likely become an official in the future. She needed to flatter her third sister-in-law in order to take advantage of having an official in the family.

“Look at my awkward mouth, I just blurt out words without thinking! Third Sister-in-law, I wasn’t scolding your son Doudou, please don’t take it to heart…the table is a little crowded, I’m going to take Heizi out and go back to our rooms to eat!” Madam Li finally took the hint from her mother-in-law. Although she felt reluctant, she still towed her son behind her to leave.

Yu Heizi only cared about eating food. However, he was a crafty young fellow and decided to take advantage of the situation and haggle for more food: “If you want me to leave the table, give me a few more pieces of meat! If you don’t, I’m going to stay here to eat!”

Madam Zhang had no other choice but to give into his demands. Although she lambasted him under her breath for being a ‘small minded bastard’, she still placed a couple pieces of meat into his bowl. She glared fiercely at Madam Li, reminding her that she needed to leave with her son!

With the two unhygienic people gone from the table, there wasn’t much to complain about for the remaining Madam Liu and her four children. No matter how busy she was, Madam Liu made sure to keep her entire family washed and clean. Her husband’s younger sister, Yu Caidie, was at the age where a girl loved being clean and beautifying herself. Madam Zhang was also a sanitary person.

Zhao Meilan barely managed to squeeze herself into a seat next to her son. Under the encouragement of Madam Zhang, she lifted her chopsticks and picked up a piece of stir-fried green vegetable. She slowly placed it into her mouth. Eh? For such a simple dish, the stir-fried fresh green vegetables with shiitake mushrooms tasted surprisingly delicious and refreshing.

Madam Zhao chewed her mouthful delicately, slowly swallowed, and then raised her head to look her second sister-in-law, Liu Muyun, in the eye. She nodded her head in approval and said, “Second Sister-in-law’s culinary skills have improved immensely in these past few months. The food tastes better compared to a few months ago.”

Liu Muyun smiled at her youngest daughter and with a voice full of pride said, “The dishes today were all cooked by Cao’er. I only helped her to wash the vegetables and the pots. I didn’t make any of the food today!”

A rarely seen smile graced Madam Zhao’s face. “I wouldn’t have expected Xiaocao to have this kind of talent…”

Madam Zhang felt displeased that her youngest daughter-in-law was paying attention to other people. She picked up a thick slice of fatty meat with her chopsticks and thrust it into Madam Zhao’s bowl. “Third Daughter-in-law, I especially made sure to select the fattiest cut of meat today. This type of meat will ooze out flavorful oil when you eat it. Quickly try some.”

Madam Zhao looked at Madam Zhang’s greasy and oily chopsticks. Who knew how much saliva was on those things? She felt her stomach lurch with disgust.

Sensitive to her mistress’s likes and dislikes, her servant girl hurriedly took the piece of greasy meat and said, “Elderly lady, my mistress doesn’t like to eat fatty cuts of meat. This servant thanks you in her stead.”

Seeing that a piece of meat that even she herself felt was too precious to eat being taken by a mere servant girl infuriated Madam Zhang. Her expression immediately darkened with anger. She slapped the table with a heavy hand and started haranguing, “Huh, you impudent servant! Do you have the status to sit with us at the same table to eat? How arrogant are you? And you even had the gall to eat meat! What kind of servant are you? Third Daughter-in-law, you need to discipline this maid…”

Madam Zhao placed the chopsticks onto the wooden table with a loud slap. Her full red lips were pressed into a straight line. Despite the obvious signs, Madam Zhang had not noticed that her daughter-in-law was tampering down rage and heedlessly continued to spew criticism at the maid.

“Mother-in-law, before you punish a dog you need to ask permission from its master! Anything that my maid did wrong, I will punish her myself. By yelling at her in front of other people, are you insinuating that you are displeased with me?” Madam Zhao interjected with a soft and even tempered voice after seeing her servant hold back tears in her eyes.

Madam Zhang choked down the rest of her complaints, and her old, wrinkled face turned a bright red color. She wanted to scream a few harsh words at Madam Zhao, like she usually did to her other two daughter in-laws, to discipline her. However, she was afraid that Madam Zhao would whisper honeyed and poisoned words to her husband in the bedroom and cause her favorite son to grow distant from her.

Huffing with anger, the old woman thrust her chopsticks into the stewed meat and cabbage dish and picked out a large and thick piece of fatty meat. She dropped it into her bowl——If you’re not going to eat the meat, then this old lady will eat it instead!

Seeing that her grandmother was preoccupied, Yu Xiaocao saw an opportunity and quickly placed pieces of meat into her mother’s, older brother’s, Xiaolian and Shitou’s bowls. Although she didn’t like to eat fatty cuts of meat, it didn’t mean the other members of her family were the same! The Yu Family considered themselves lucky if they could eat meat once or twice in the year. Therefore, they appreciated the fatty pieces of pork the most.

When Liu Muyun saw that her youngest daughter was too thrifty to eat meat (Author’s note: You’re thinking too much, she simply doesn’t like to eat it!) but braved her grandmother’s poor temper to place meat into her own bowl, the piece of meat became hard for Madam Liu to swallow. However, if she tried to put it back, her mother-in-law would definitely scream at her if she was found out.

Noticing that her mother was hesitating, Xiaocao softly whispered into Madam Liu’s ear. “Mother, I don’t like being yelled at, please eat the meat faster…”

Suddenly, she noticed her grandmother lifting her head from her food. Yu Xiaocao hurriedly gave her grandmother a couple of dry fried string brings. She smiled sweetly, “Grandmother, have some string beans dry fried in lard. They’re almost as delicious as meat! You’re old so you should eat more!”

“You’re such a crafty brat, how come you’re not telling me to eat more meat? Our whole courtyard garden is filled with string beans. There’s nothing special about these!” Madam Zhang had never mastered the art of filtering her words and always blurted out what was on her mind, no matter how unpleasant it was for others to hear.

During this exchange, Madam Liu and her other children had all bolted down the meat that they rarely got to eat, even during New Year’s celebrations. Since Yu Xiaocao successfully completed her mission, she neatly grabbed a couple servings of dry fried green beans and wrapped them in a pancake. She ate the wrap with lively delight.

The dark green string beans glistened with a light coating of oil. The fragrant aroma of lard had infused into each string bean, such that every bite was flavorful without feeling greasy. Even Madam Zhao grabbed a couple of extra servings of the vegetables.

Little Doudou sat at the dinner table like a small adult and kept his mouth wide open, waiting to be fed. The simmered fish stew was as white as cow’s milk and was full of savory flavor. The meat of the fish was delicate without any bones to ruin the texture and complemented perfectly with the rich broth. The little boy’s mouth smacked with delight as he happily drank the soup.

This little fellow had a picky palate, and Madam Zhao had gone through many trials to get him to eat more. She even would be willing to cut off her own flesh if it made her son want to eat more food. This time, her son was eating voraciously. If she was slow in feeding him, he even started opening his mouth wide and made little ‘ah...ah…’ noises begging for more. The sight of him eating with a hearty appetite made her feel incredibly happy.

Since, Yu Xiaocao had simmered the delicious soup that her son liked to eat, Madam Zhao’s demeanor towards the little girl improved perceptively. Other than Yu Caidie, Yu Xiaocao was the only other person in the entire Yu Family that Madam Zhao deigned to converse with.

Madam Zhang’s entire face folded into a brilliant smile as she watched her youngest grandson. “Grandmother’s sweet grandson likes to drink fish soup, so grandmother will leave her bowl for you…”

Madam Zhao looked at her with a bland expression and sweetly said, “Doudou usually doesn’t eat a lot of home. I don’t dare to feed him too much in the event that he might get bloated…”

Hearing that, Madam Zhang dropped the subject and merely smiled while watching Little Doudou eat his fish. She was so preoccupied that she forgot to eat her own food.

Xiaocao glanced at her little brother who was slurping fish soup next to her. Little Shitou was only a little bit older but he was also Madam Zhang’s grandson. However, the difference in treatment between the two little boys was blatantly obvious. It really made her heart ache for her little brother.

On the other hand, Little Shitou had long become accustomed to his grandmother’s cold treatment. He was solely preoccupied with eating his own meal. The food today was astoundingly sumptuous and luxurious, more so than usual. His second sister had better culinary talent than mother. Without his cousin, Heizi, there to fight for food, he needed to take advantage of the circumstances and eat more!

The men at their own table also ate with great gusto. Even Old Yu ate two more pancakes than usual. Yu Hai seized the opportunity to complete his youngest daughter’s mission and suddenly stated, “The vegetables today are pretty much as tasty as the meat. Father, do you think the same too?”

Chapter 26 - Reputation

Old Yu took another serving of the eggplants sauteed with garlic. Because his teeth had started to fall out of his mouth, he liked eating soft and tender foods like the stir-fried eggplants. Unconsciously, he devoured about half the plate of eggplants by himself.

After hearing Yu Hai’s opinion, the old man, satisfied by the meal, naturally didn’t stint on his praise. “Yes, yes! The taste is indeed very good! Our family’s Xiaocao has talent, her hand at cooking is better than her mother’s. Xiaocao’s mother did a good job raising her. There’s a well known saying——the student has surpassed the master. Third Son, is that how it goes?”

Old Yu was quite proud of the phrase he remembered and thought quite highly of himself. He held his beard out of the way as he sipped a mouthful of wine and smacked his lips in pleasure. Our Yu Family is quite cultured!

“Father, you said it perfectly. However, Xiaocao’s dishes were all stir fried with oil. Our family usually only boils vegetables with some salt. There’s no fat added, so of course it’s not as delicious as vegetables stir fried with oil. In the future, our family should continue cooking vegetables this way!”

After finally eating a satisfactory meal at his family’s house, the third son, Yu Bo, was in a good mood and topped off his father’s glass.

Old Yu shook his head after he heard what his son said, “You should know your mother’s personality. If we bought pork every day to make lard, it would hurt her stingy heart more than cutting her flesh directly would!”

At this point, Yu Hai interjected, “We don’t need to use lard, vegetable oil could be used instead. Didn’t our family save some dried soybeans from last year? We could bring them to the oil mill in exchange for some soybean oil for cooking. The food cooked with the oil should still taste good.”

If they used soybeans as the trade instead of money, maybe his wife would be more willing? Old Yu carefully calculated the possibility of his wife agreeing to this.

When Yu Bo saw how happily everyone at home was eating the food cooked with oil, he considered their circumstances again. Choked with emotion, he couldn’t help but set down his chopsticks and urged his father quietly, “Father, if other people found out that our family found it too much of a burden to even get a bottle of soybean oil for the sake of my education, can I still in the academy anymore? Would no one actually expose this? Father, please advise mother to not be so stingy. There are already people at school who are gossiping behind my back…”

Scholars valued their reputations the most. Yu Bo had already heard bad rumors about himself, such as: ‘He lives in a large manor in town, eating and drinking good food, while his parents and siblings back home have to count how many pancakes made with coarse grains they could eat for each meal…’.  His main goal in coming back this time was to persuade his mother to stop being a miser for the sake of his reputation and to stop the rumormongers from discrediting him. However, as her son, he was very familiar with Madam Zhang’s temperament. Therefore, he could only talk about it with his father and have him discuss the situation with his mother.

The old woman always wished she could spend half a copper coin for something that cost one. She was stingy to everyone in the family, including herself, and always restricted how much food people could eat. His second son’s children were all on the brink of starvation with their bone-thin frames and their unsteady gaits...but, for the sake of his youngest son’s education, Old Yu usually turned a blind eye towards his wife’s miserly ways.

However, if her thriftiness was starting to impact their son’s reputation, then it could no longer go on! Their youngest son had the fate to become an official, and it would be a disaster if his wife’s penny-pinching ways caused his son to lose that chance. Old Yu came to a resolution and decided he needed to talk to his wife about the situation.

That night, under the light of the lamps, the old couple discussed their circumstances. For the sake of her son, Madam Zhang obviously had no objections. The very next day, the old lady went on her own to the oil mill and traded half a sack of soybeans for a pitcher full of soybean oil. In addition, she no longer restricted how many coarse grain pancakes people could eat anymore.

Without her heavy restrictions, the family’s store of food naturally disappeared more quickly. Madam Zhang’s heart trembled at the sight of the increased expenditures and inwardly screamed, ‘Who’s the one spewing nonsense from their mouth, all day speaking nonsense. I hope a rat goes and eats his tongue!’

The people who profited the most with this change, naturally, was Yu Xiaocao and the rest of the second branch. At least now, everyone in the family, large and small, could eat until they were full. In addition, every few days Yu Xiaocao would intercept some game from her father for their own use. Gradually, the members of the second branch started to flesh out.

That’s right! Under the attacks from Yu Xiaocao’s strategic pleads and skillful begging, Yu Hai, who already blindly loved his daughter, could only surrender to her whims after a minimal struggle. Every time he came back from a hunt, Xiaocao would always be at the foot of the mountain waiting for him, with no one else around, to choose the fattest piece of game to leave behind. She would then take the game into that hidden valley to either barbecue or simmer the meat in the ceramic urn until cooked and bring home later for the household to eat.

Sometimes Zhao Han would divvy out some meat he caught from his traps to give the kids an extra meal. They also plundered the creek’s store of small, white fish frequently.

For most people, the wild fish were slippery and hard to catch, but Yu Xiaocao never had difficulty harvesting the fish. Although Zhao Han inwardly felt it was odd, he never tried to figure out how the little girl caught the fish.

Adolescent boys could always out-eat their elders. In fishing villages near the sea, young boys and girls, other than gathering seafood or tending the courtyard gardens, weren’t of much use.

For the sake of her youngest son’s reputation and future career, Madam Zhang’s heart palpably ached when she increased the family’s food ration. Two months after the change, the family’s expenditures had more than doubled.

The increased spending combined with her entrance into menopause caused Madam Zhang to hate everyone she saw. When the men left for the sea, if the old woman wasn’t berating the adults, she was hitting the children. Complaints flew out of her in an endless stream.

During mealtimes, Madam Zhang barely managed to stem her complaints in an effort to soothe the men’s egos. However, her eyes flitted around like daggers. Whoever grabbed an extra flatbread was subject to a hateful glare. Naturally, she hoped that her daughters in-law and their group of brats would tactfully eat less.

But her hope was in vain, her eldest daughter-in-law wouldn’t know tact even if it hit her in the face. As long as there was food at the table, she would eat it. Her eldest grandson had inherited his mother’s habits and gobbled down food at the table as if he was a starving animal.

Although her second daughter-in-law had a weak and timid personality, her two daughters were nothing like their mother. Even though Madam Zhang would glare at them until it felt like her eyes would pop out and her face would burst, the two brats ignored her as if nothing was going on. If they weren’t giving their mother another pancake, they were grabbing their brothers another serving of vegetables.

Now that there was oil added to their food, it didn’t matter whether the dishes were stewed or stir-fried, the taste of all the food had improved tremendously. Every meal, with her eldest son’s family leading, became a brawl to snatch as much food as possible. Those who had slow hands wouldn’t even be able to lick the leftovers off a plate.

The two chits’ hands flew so quickly on the table that one could only see their shadows. After their hands had stopped, their timid mother who never dared to grab food, even-tempered older brother, and tiny youngest brother, all had their bowls filled with food. Not only did her two granddaughters grab food for their family but their own appetites were also voracious. Seeing all of this made Madam Zhang’s heart throb with pain.

In the past, with only Xiaolian being unruly, it was easy enough for Madam Zhang to smack the girl a couple of times and then have the brat comply. Now that there was an additional troublemaker, Yu Xiaocao, it had become more difficult to maintain discipline because of the wretch’s sickly constitution. Hitting the minx was obviously out of the question, but even yelling at her was enough to ‘scare’ her into a dead faint.

A situation that happened before her third son and his family had left was a perfect example of the difference now. At the time, three steamer baskets full of steamed rolls had been brought to the table. The little hellion had immediately transferred one to her mother, and also gave a serving to her two brothers who hadn’t even sat down yet. She acted as if she was the master of the house!

Madam Zhang really couldn’t stand these perceived transgressions anymore at the time. Her personality was never one to take an insult sitting down, and so, as her temper flared, the old woman slapped a heavy hand down on the wooden stool. However, before Madam Zhang could open her mouth to start yelling, the little brat’s eyes rolled into the back of her head, and the chit fainted.

Chapter 27 - Apprentice

Everything immediately turned to chaos. Someone went to call the doctor, while another ran out to buy medicine, and so, hundreds of coins flew out of Madam Zhang’s purse. Spending money was bad enough, but her husband also whisked her aside and scolded her profusely. Furthermore, up until the day her third son’s family left to go back to town, her youngest daughter-in-law regarded her with contempt.

Afterwards, Madam Zhang sank into a gloomy depression and almost ended up ill from her pent-up feelings. From then on, she just pretended that the chit, Xiaocao, was invisible. No matter what the little girl did, the old woman would ignore it as if she had never saw it. Luckily the brat, other than mealtimes, kept to her own devices and didn’t cause other problems that Madam Zhang found hard to abide. For the sake of saving money, she could endure anything!

“Mother, mother!” Madam Li’s obese figure hurriedly came back into the courtyard from outside. As she crossed the threshold, the fat woman almost tripped and fell over.

She looked around the entire courtyard furtively like a burglar before she pulled Madam Zhang into a nearby room. She mysteriously said, “Mother, haven’t we spent a lot of money on the household recently? I feel bad for you!! The entire Second Branch really eats too much. Their four children eat almost as much as three adults combined!”

Madam Zhang felt her temper rising again and complained in agreement, “Exactly! A whole bag of coarse grains disappears in a matter of days. Money flows out this household like water from a river. It’s driving me crazy, and my mouth is full of sores from worry. Second Son’s wife comes off as honest, but how come she’s not relieving the burden at home?”

Madam Zhang complained as she slapped her thigh rhythmically. Her entire face was creased with resentment.

Madam Li replied in an empathetic tone, “That’s just how it is! Second Son’s wife pretends to be busy on the surface. She even tells outside people that she is the only one who does housework at home. Is there anyone who doesn’t view her as a good wife? On the other hand, outsiders only call me lazy. However, mother-in-law, you have become an evil mother-in-law who treats her daughter-in-law poorly in the eyes of others!”

Madam Zhang gnashed her teeth together in anger and snarled, “That vile little wretch. She turned out to be such a malicious woman! I’d misjudged her!”

Seeing that her aim had been achieved, Madam Li came to the true purpose of her visit, “Mother, the only reason why she’s doing this is because she has a lot of children. In the future, she’ll have plenty of people to support her, right? However, I definitely have a method to reduce her confidence.”

“The fact that she has many children only means that she’s able to have them. Unlike you who could only lay one egg without any other progress!!” Madam Zhang had always felt bitter that her eldest daughter-in-law only gave birth to Heizi alone. However, now was not the time to pursue this topic. The old woman continued to ask, “What sort of method? I’d like to hear it.”

“My older brother from back home told me that the carpentry shop in town was looking for an apprentice. Second branch’s Xiaosha isn’t young anymore and, as an apprentice, he’ll eat and live away from us. That will save us from feeding another person’s portion of grain, and, in the future, he’ll be able to make a living as a craftsman.” Madam Li’s spit flew out of her mouth as she spoke.

Madam Zhang frowned, “Carpentry shop? Is that the one owned by Zhang Ji? I heard that Shopkeeper Zhang Ji is really cruel and that apprentices in that store keep changing. Some of them had even become permanently injured and disabled, if…”

Madam Li’s waved a plump hand dismissively. “Those are just rumors. My older brother knows Shopkeeper Zhang personally and said he’s usually very friendly. Otherwise, how could he have such a thriving business? He just has high expectations for his apprentices, that’s all. Who doesn’t want to find an apprentice that is more competent and hardworking, right?”

After thinking a bit, Madam Zhang had to conclude that the second branch’s Xiaosha was not a lazy boy. Sending him out to become an apprentice wasn’t a bad idea. After all, in several years, the boy would be able to do woodworking and could make a lot of money.

That night, during mealtime, Madam Zhang disseminated the news to all of the people. “Xiaosha is diligent and sensible. He also learns things quickly. Who knows, maybe in a couple of years he’ll be able to finish his apprenticeship and then make his own money. With a skilled trade he’ll have a much more stable future than relying on the winds and waters to make a living. The carpentry shop is only looking for one apprentice, otherwise, I would also have Heizi go too. In the future, the two cousins could take on work or open a store, wouldn’t that be a good life?”

The rest of the household didn’t have any opinions, but Yu Hai was a bit hesitant. “Mother, I’ve heard that carpentry apprentices spend a long time doing rough and heavy work. Xiaosha is still small, I’m afraid that he doesn’t have the strength to lift and work the heavy wood.”

The old woman’s expression darkened and put her bowl down on the table loudly. “He’s already eleven, you still think he’s small? In two years he’ll be able to marry a wife!! Second Son, you cannot spoil your kids! Mother is trying to treat you guys well. Carpenter Wang back in my hometown worked every year to build other people’s furniture. He always had plenty to eat and clothes to wear. He has a better life by far compared to us!”

Yu Xiaocao looked anxiously at her older brother who was being left out like a tasty piece of meat. Inwardly she cursed, ‘It’s not just Carpenter Wang who has a better life. Most villagers eat better and wear better clothes than us. We don’t live like this because we don’t have money, it’s because you’re too stingy, Grandmother. You only care about Younger Uncle. Trying to send out such a young child out to become an apprentice, you’re truly too heartless!’

She used some force to poke at her bowl of bean soup and muttered, “If this is such a good opportunity, why don’t we send Brother Heizi first? He’s older than Older Brother by three years and is about the size of an adult. He’s still bumming at the village provoking random cats and dogs all day, shouldn’t he go out and learn something?”

Madam Li promptly jumped in and scolded her, “This is an adult conversation, how could children participate? Second Brother-in-law, how could spoil your kids so badly?”

Madam Zhang wanted to yell something but managed to resist and swallowed it back down. Instead she said, “Heizi has a poor personality, what can he do? If we sent him out, he would only be sent back in a couple of days. If we’re talking about ability, Dahai from a young age was always skillful with his hands. When other people were weaving baskets, he only watched them a bit before he learned it. Xiaosha is like his dad and wouldn’t be bad at learning a skill.”

“Mother, I wasn’t saying I don’t want him to go. I just want to wait two years to give him time to mature. Once he has grown in height, then he could go…” Yu Hai said goodnaturedly. He still felt worried about his little boy who had slowly grown under his eye.

Madam Zhang interrupted him, blurting, “Do you think this carpentry house is owned by us? Do you really think you can just let your kid come and go as you please? Other families whose kids are apprentices all sent them when they were young. Once he’s older, he’ll be slow at picking things up, who would want him then?”

As Yu Hai was about to reply, the previously silent Yu Hang calmly interjected, “Father, grandmother is right, I’m no longer a little kid anymore. Learning a craft isn’t a bad thing for me. The neighboring village’s Er Shuan was an apprentice before. He told me that as long as one was clever, quick and diligent with one’s hands, then there wasn’t much suffering to be had. I want to go!”

Yu Hai knew that his oldest son, who usually seemed quiet and dull, had big aspirations and ideas. He thought for a bit and decided that letting his son try wouldn’t be a bad thing. If it didn’t work out, he could spend a couple bits to bring his son back home.  Seeing how enthusiastically Eldest Aunt was pushing her older brother to be an apprentice, Yu Xiaocao felt that there was something fishy about the whole situation. However, she couldn’t pinpoint what exactly was wrong with the idea. She could only watch helplessly as her elder brother packed his things in a cloth and was sent to go to the town’s carpentry shop.

In a flash, the blistering hot summer days had passed and cool and refreshing autumn had leisurely arrived. Right now was just the time to harvest the soybeans and sorghum from the fields, and everyone was brimming with joy from the harvest season.

The Yu Family was a model example of a fisherman’s household. They focused heavily on fishing and hunting and only had three acres of sandy soil which were planted with the high yielding crop of sweet potatoes. It wasn’t yet the time to harvest those, that was about a month away.

Game was at its peak in autumn. Every fall, the Yu Family no longer allowed Yu Hai to go out to sea to fish and instead had him stay back home especially to hunt. Almost every day he went up the mountains to hunt. Sometimes he would partner up with Hunter Zhao, but more often than not, he was on his own.

Yu Xiaocao tried to capitalize on her father’s favor and tried her best to persuade him to take her with him. However, after thinking about all of the dangerous animals he’d encountered throughout the years and his daughter’s sickly body, Yu Hai explicitly refused. He only consoled her by promising her he would always leave a piece of game for her.

Eating the same thing every day, even wild game, would get cloying after a while. Now that her immediate family had enough to eat every day, Yu Xiaocao was no longer preoccupied with eating and drinking. She needed to earn money. As long as she had money, there was nothing she needed to worry about. Unfortunately, at this present time, she could only earn money surreptitiously. If they could separate their branch from the rest of the family, then she could make money much more easily. Unfortunately, most families in the ancient world never divided their households, so the hope for this happening was quite uncertain.

Furthermore, since Yu Xiaocao was only eight years old, her options for making money were so limited that it was pitiful. With that compounded with the need for secrecy, she really had a hard road ahead of her. Out of desperation, she switched her attention to the multicolored stone that was on her wrist. The divine stone noticed her gaze and leapt out to confront her: [Don’t think you can use me as bait. I’m the magnificent stone that was used to patch the heavenly skies, how can I be used in such a humble manner?]

Yu Xiaocao replied, slightly embarrassed, “Little Glutinous Dumpling, do you think I have any other options? You once said that every time you helped me, your master, the purity and speed of absorption of spiritual power would increase for you. Being used as a magical fish bait is helping me! Otherwise, how else would my whole family have bodies that are now so strong and healthy? Where else would you find such a chance to display all of your powers?”

The celestial stone had previously, in a pique over the nickname ‘Glutinous Dumpling [1]’ chosen by its weak owner, refused to acknowledge Yu Xiaocao for several days. Later on since the little girl refused to repent, the stone had to begrudgingly allow itself to be called by such an unimpressive name. It was really quite depressed by this outcome.

Under Yu Xiaocao’s persuasions, the multicolored stone started to waver on its stance. Every time it helped its master, it could feel the Goddess of Spirits’ restrictions loosening a tiny bit. Afterwards, the purity and amount of power it could absorb would also improve. If it wanted to break through the Goddess of Spirits’ chains, shatter the void, and return to Goddess Nuwa’s side, it needed to help its master do more good things.

At its current state, there were very few opportunities that it could help its master with. Acting as fish bait for Xiaocao really hurt its pride as a divine stone. But for the sake of accelerating its power intake to get back to Goddess Nuwa’s side, it was willing to be fish bait.

While the stone was making a decision, Yu Xiaocao had already prepared a rope. Brother Han had promised that he would teach her how to set traps today. If she had Little Glutinous Dumpling’s help, then she would definitely hit bank every day.  [Having me help you...it’s not an impossible request!] As before, the stone sent out its spirit in the form of a golden kitten floating in the air. At this moment, it was pointing its little ears back and had an unwilling look on its face. [However, you need to bathe me every day in the water from that valley’s creek with the fish. That place’s water aura is much more pure compared to other sources.]

“Okay, deal!” Xiaocao reached out a hand in an attempt to pet it. A golden kitten about the size of a ping pong ball was really too cute. It made her heart melt. However, the celestial stone proudly blocked her hand with a pair of wings that were made of light from its back. Light flickered as it dodged her caresses, and it twisted its little head to ignore her.

“Second Sister, why didn’t you call me? I almost overslept!” Little Shitou’s clothes were crookedly put on, and the little boy carelessly wiped his face as he ran. On the way, he picked up a carrying basket and followed Yu Xiaocao out the door.

[1] A bowl of glutinous dumplings

Chapter 28 - Gathering Money

The early morning air was crisp and fresh. Yu Xiaocao deeply inhaled a breath of the moist air as her tail, Little Shitou, walked leisurely with her towards the West Mountains.

“Xiaolian, you’re up so early! Are you out to gather some fishwort for pig feed?” Ever since the little divine stone started helping her, Xiaocao’s body became more healthy with every passing day. In addition, she often ate on the sly outside of the Yu residence, so her face and body had both gradually fleshed out. Now that her figure had become more like her older twin sister’s body, the villagers often mixed the two up.

Little Shitou giddily ran towards the young girl who had mistaken his second sister and said, “Sister Linglong, this my second sister!”

“Second Sister? Xiaocao? Oh my! You’re definitely a twin, you look so similar to your sister.” Zhou Linglong curled her lips up into a smile and continued to inspect Xiaocao from head to toe.

Xiaocao merely smiled but kept silent. Little Shitou introduced his sister in her stead, “Sister Linglong’s family doesn’t live far from the West Mountains and is near our old family residence. Auntie Zhou and mother have a good relationship. When you were sick, the eggs you ate were all from Auntie Zhou.”

Oh, so she’s the daughter of mother’s best friend. Yu Xiaocao smiled sweetly at Zhou Linglong and a faint dimple formed on her left cheek. “It’s nice to meet you, Older Sister Linglong. On another day I will need to drop by to thank Auntie Zhou. Without her eggs, I would not be able to recover this quickly!”

Zhou Linglong stared at Xiaocao’s dimple for a bit and then grinned, “It’s just a couple of eggs, nothing worth mentioning——I figured out how to differentiate between you and your twin. You have a dimple and your older sister doesn’t…”

Yu Xiaocao beamed a smile at her and said, “Sister Linglong, we’re going with Brother Han up the mountain to pick some wild fruits. Do you want to come with us?”

Zhou Linglong revealed the sickle in her hand and shook her head. “I need to harvest some fishwort and then go back home. We have two pigs, and they’ve been squeaking for their food incessantly. You guys can go and play, just be careful!”

Yu Xiaocao waved her hand at the departing girl, linked hands with Little Shitou, and ran towards the hill where the Zhao Family lived.

The villagers at Dongshan Fishing Village had all worked for generations as fishermen. The Zhao Family had moved in more than twenty years ago as outsiders. Their family residence was located on top of a small hill that was at the foot of the West Mountains. The house was constructed out of rock and had three rooms. A tall fence made of stone enclosed the courtyard and building. Trees surrounded the residence on all four sides, and gardens full of vegetables and fruits bordered the front and back of the building. The entire complex gave off a feeling of a dwelling suitable for a hermit living in the deep woods.

“Brother Han, Brother Han,” Little Shitou called out as he moved quietly to push open the wooden door and inserted his head in to take a look. In the middle of the courtyard was the Zhao Family’s daughter-in-law, Zheng Fangyin. She twisted her head around and saw the little fellow looking around. The older woman smiled benevolently, “Oh, it’s little Yu Fan! Quickly come in!”

Madam Zheng wasn’t sure whether her body had gotten injured after birthing her son, but after Zhao Han was born, she was never able to get pregnant again. In the past few months, Little Shitou had gained some weight and had become a strong and good-natured little boy. Madam Zheng, who loved little children, adored his cute and witty character. She had a heart full of maternal love.

“Auntie, Brother Han told us that he was going to teach us how to set traps to catch hares. Second Sister really wants to learn, so we came early... hee hee!” The little fellow rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment while he threw his sister under the bus.

Yu Xiaocao had followed behind her younger brother to enter the courtyard. She surreptitiously jabbed him in the back as her pretty and pale little face beamed an incandescent smile at the older woman. “Good morning Auntie Zhao!”

“Oh, Xiaocao!” Madam Zheng put down the basin full of chicken feed on the ground and wiped her hands on her apron. She tenderly caressed Xiaocao’s thin and pointy face. She sighed, “One is bound to have good fortune after surviving a great disaster. Being healthy is more important than anything! You’re still a little thin, your grandmother...in the future, if you ever want to eat anything, come to Auntie’s house. Auntie’s cooking skills are not too bad.”

“Thank you Auntie! I’ll have to bother you in the future then!” Yu Xiaocao would not bluntly refuse a helping hand, especially when it was offered with a genuine and sincere heart. Instead, she received the older woman’s care with an even more brilliant smile.

“Shitou, Xiaocao! Why are you both here so early? Have you two eaten breakfast yet?” Zhao Han asked with obvious surprise. The youth had come in through the gate carrying a load of water on his shoulder and had seen the two siblings in the courtyard.

Little Shitou butted in before his older sister could reply, “Our family only eats breakfast at seven in the morning, we don’t have time to wait until then! Anyway, it’s better for us to leave some room in our tummies so we can eat roasted fish later!”

Madam Zheng linked her hands with the two siblings and lead them into the main room. Her voice was full of disapproval as she chided, “You have a long way to walk before you’ll get to the mountains. You’re both so young, if neither of you eat breakfast, how would either of you have the strength to get through the day? I’ve already simmered porridge and griddled pancakes this morning, let’s eat together before you go up the mountain.”

“Grandpa Zhao!” The two children greeted a white-haired old man who had a long beard and sat upright in a formal, proper posture. The elderly man, Zhao Zixiong, cut an imposing figure. From time to time, his eyes would reveal a majestic aura that could not be entirely hidden. The pair of siblings couldn’t help but be a little subdued in his presence.

The old man looked up and saw two children who, despite being dressed in shabby clothes, still radiated an aura of sweetness. He revealed a smile and said, “You two are both good children but it’s too bad you’re stuck with a father with no backbone. You’ve both endured hardships!”

“My father’s fine! He knows how to fish, hunt, and weave some simple bamboo tools. He really loves us too!” In front of others, Yu Xiaocao naturally had to defend her father’s reputation.

Old Zhao raised his bushy eyebrows and chuckled, “You are quite protective of your father! However, it’s too bad that your father can’t protect your siblings and your mother! If he can’t defend the people most dear to him, is he still considered a man?”

“Father-in-law! Don’t say such things in front of the children, let’s eat now!” Madam Zheng was afraid the brother and sister pair would start feeling awkward and hastily stepped in to change the subject. She immediately served up bowls of congee and plates of flatbread to the old man and the children.

The Zhao Family had kept to the custom of eating three meals a day. Breakfast consisted of a thick porridge made with white rice, while the pancakes were also made with white flour. In addition to that, Madam Zheng had also cooked two vegetables——bacon stir fried with mushrooms and napa cabbage seasoned with vinegar.

Being able to eat porridge made with white rice and white flour flatbread was already a treat, but there was also meat! Little Shitou stared avidly at the sumptuous breakfast in front of him but didn’t have the courage to start eating. It was only after Madan Zheng hand-delivered him a thin pancake rolled around some mushrooms and bacon did he raise his head sheepishly to look at his second sister.

Upon seeing the little boy’s hesitation, Zhao Han also stuffed and rolled up a piece of flatbread before he placed it in front of Xiaocao. The youth grinned and said, “Eat! We’re going to walk a little farther today, so if you two don’t eat, you’ll become exhausted, right? I don’t have the strength to carry the both of you down if that happens.”

“Thank you! Please excuse me as I start then!” Yu Xiaocao was tired of eating brown flour pancakes and drinking bean soup every day. She had long missed the taste of eating food made with white flour and white rice. The little girl took the offered pancake, nodded her head at her little brother, and then opened her mouth to take a giant bite.

She had never thought that a plain flatbread made of white flour could taste so delicious. When combined with the salty and savory taste of bacon, it elevated this humble dish into the realms of delicacies.

As Madam Zheng served food onto the two children’s plates, she also told her son, “You can’t take these two kids into the deep forests of the mountain. There are wild boars, wolves, and other ferocious creatures in those areas. The children need to be protected from harm.”

Zhao Han peeled a hardboiled egg, placed it into Xiaocao’s congee bowl, and nodded his head. “Mother, don't worry! I’ve been there many times and the largest animal I’ve ever seen was either a roe deer or mountain goat. Something along those lines. It’s very safe!”

After they finished breakfast, Zhao Han took the two kids, who had accidentally eaten too much, to a twisted and windy road that snaked up the mountain.

“When you’re setting traps, the first thing you need to do is to discover which routes the hares like to go on. Hares will often stick to using the same route...see here, there’s a small worn path in the underbrush that a hare left behind!” Zhao Han pointed at a slightly messy patch of grass as he patiently explained the process.

Yu Xiaocao eagerly replied, “Then we should set a trap here! Who knows, maybe by the time we get back we’ll have a rabbit in the trap!”

Zhao Han laughed, “This area is too close to the open outside, so there won’t be a lot of rabbits coming through here. How about we walk a little bit deeper into the woods before we try?”

“We should take the opportunity now to practice first. How should a trap be set? Brother Han, teach me quickly!” Yu Xiaocao refused to let go of any opportunity. After all, didn’t she have a secret weapon?

Zhao Han raised his thick eyebrows and an indulgent smile crossed his face before he said, “Okay! We have plenty of rope with us, so let’s set one here!”

He inspected the area around them first and then broke off a fork-shaped branch from a nearby tree. He trimmed off miscellaneous twigs and pruned it until the middle of the fork was clear. The youth explained as he cut, “When you’re choosing a branch, make you find one that can handle the weight of a running hare. Otherwise, you won’t be able to successfully catch one.”

Yu Xiaocao nodded her head in silence as she tried to engrave the instructions inside her head.

Zhao Han placed the pruned branch on the hare’s trail and made sure it was in the exact middle of the path. This would ensure that the hare would dive straight in-between the forked branch when it came by again.

“If we add the rope noose to this, would the trap be ready then?” Little Shitou watched the whole process with increasing interest and felt that it was quite easy to set traps.

Zhao Han ruffled the little boy’s hair and replied, “We still need to insert a couple more branches on the sides of the trap. The purpose of adding those sticks is to prevent the rabbit from swerving past the lasso. By plugging up all the other escape routes, the hare can only go into the noose.”

The youth then brought out the rope, tied a loop, and inserted it onto the forked branch. The lasso was about ten centimeters [1] above the ground. Yu Xiaocao used her own hand to measure the distance and memorized how far it was. In the future, this would be her ticket to making money!

“Brother Han, the noose looks so big, won’t the rabbit be able to escape?” Little Shitou asked anxiously as his innocent large eyes looked at Zhao Han.

Zhao Han looked at him and then looked at Yu Xiaocao who was also staring at him. “It won’t. Do you see the knot in the rope? Once the hare runs into the lasso, the more it struggles, the tighter it will get. If we made it larger, not only would rabbits be unable to escape but also wild boars!”

The pair of siblings nodded their heads in unison. Their eyes were full of worship as they stared at the slender and young youth.

The thirteen year old Zhao Han felt satisfied having the two kids adore him so much. He proudly waved a fist and said, “Let’s go! The deeper we go, the more prey there is for us to catch!”

As Zhao Han turned, Yu Xiaocao took this window of time to open her water sack and sprinkled a couple drops of her mystic-stone stone water around the trap. After that, she caught up with the two boys as if nothing had happened.

[Stinky Xiaocao, naughty Xiaocao! Don’t you know you’re wasting precious resources? This is the water that I, this heavenly stone, bathed in. It contains more restorative power than an old ginseng root! And you’re using it to lure wild rabbits!”]

The spirit came out of the multicolored stone in its familiar tiny golden kitten form. It climbed onto Yu Xiaocao’s head. Other than its master, no one else could see it.

Xiaocao placated the arrogant spirit mentally, [Little Glutinous Dumpling, once we trap some game, I will reward you with some water taken from bamboo roots grown in the deep mountains. Didn’t you say that the water from there would restore your spiritual power faster?]

Actually, the best way to restore its power was to help its master and gain its master’s gratitude. However, the spirit never said it out loud as it was afraid that its master would give it more missions that it deemed beneath itself.

Seeing that the arrogant spirit had finally calmed down, Yu Xiaocao’s steps became much lighter. She could finally concentrate on learning how to set traps.

[1] 10 cm = ~5 in

Chapter 29 - Setting Traps

Yu Xiaocao learned how to set traps very quickly because she was motivated. By noon, she could already do all the steps independently. Before she knew it, the group had entered the deepest part of the forest.

Bam!

A hard nut fell down and hit Little Shitou’s head.

“Yeouch! Who hit me?” Little Shitou held his head and lifted his eyes to find the person who attacked him.

Bam!

Another nut smacked him on the forehead. An ash gray squirrel peeked its head through the leaves and regarded the three humans inquisitively.

“Stupid squirrel, how dare you throw stuff at me!” Little Shitou picked up a rock from the ground and hurled it up towards the trees. The squirrel, with another nut in its paws, darted across the branches and disappeared.

Yu Xiaocao bent over and picked up the ‘lethal weapon’ from the ground and found that it was a hazelnut. She laughed, “Shitou, we hit the jackpot! This is a hazelnut tree, if we saute these nuts they will taste really good! When we’re done setting traps, we should also harvest some hazelnuts so we’ll have more variety to eat during winter!”

Little Shitou was not interested in the idea and refused, “I don’t want to! All that hard work will not benefit us! We’re not going to be the ones eating these hazelnuts!”

Zhao Han quickly ran through ideas in his head and came up with a solution. “If you two trust me, then you can leave the hazelnuts at my home. Whenever you want to eat them, I’ll have mother cook them for you. You guys can then eat them at my house!”

That’s not a bad idea! Yu Xiaocao grinned in delight. In the future, with the divine stone’s water, the amount of game she caught would not be small. However, she absolutely could not bring the game home as she would not benefit from it. Not having a hiding place for her hauls had tormented her. Now, her problem was solved. It was as if she had been sleepy and a pillow had appeared out of nowhere!

Zhao Han scampered up the extremely tall hazelnut tree. He plucked all of the ripe hazelnuts and let them fall to the ground. The harvest was going too slowly for Yu Xiaocao’s taste, so she grabbed a thick branch and started whacking the hazelnut tree. Leaves and twigs showered down around them.

This particular tree was on the older side. The hazelnuts it grew weren’t very big but the quantity of nuts wasn’t small either. Within minutes, the three of them were able to pick a whole basketful of hazelnuts.

“Luckily Brother Han carried a basket all the way here. Otherwise I wouldn’t know how we’d get these nuts back to the village!” Little Shitou grinned widely, and his eyes squinted up into small crescents.

As the three of them went back on the same route they came on, Yu Xiaocao kept her eyes wide open to look for the traps they had set earlier. Seeing that, Zhao Han chuckled, “Catching hares takes a little bit longer than that…”

Just as the words came out of his mouth, Yu Xiaocao interrupted him with an excited shriek, “Look! What’s that? Is it a small deer? So cute!”  This trap was one set personally by Yu Xiaocao. It was obvious that a young creature, barely out of infancy, had been caught by the rope. The animal had a coat of ashy yellow fur, pointy ears that curved up, a dark and round nose, and four slender legs. The fur on its butt and back legs were white and made it look like it was wearing a pair of pants with an open crouch, similar to the ones used for potty training.

The little creature that had been caught didn’t struggle it all. It stood in place stupidly and was nibbling on the nearby grass.  Zhao Han strode over and, with one hand, caught the foolish little animal. He laughed, “It’s not a small deer, it’s a dumb roe deer. This little guy is quite stupid. After getting caught, it didn’t struggle to get out and is only interested in eating.”

Young children all loved small, cute animals. Little Shitou went up to rub the creature’s ears and cheerfully said, “Second Sister, this roe deer is a little foodie!”

Shitou naturally learned the term ‘little foodie’ from his second sister. He applied it immediately to the little roe deer.

Despite being delighted by her catch, Yu Xiaocao feigned being disappointed, “Such a small animal. It doesn’t look like it has much meat on it. Not worth much on the market!”

“Second Sister, we can bring it back to raise. Once it gets bigger, we’ll have meat to eat!” Little Shitou was a foodie down to his bones. He challenged himself to take on the difficult task of carrying the roe deer back to the village. Although he managed to lift the animal off the ground, he could only stagger a few steps before he fell. The roe deer tumbled over with him. Fortunately, the ground underneath them had a thick layer of grasses and weeds so neither of them were hurt.

Yu Xiaocao dismantled the noose from the trap and then tied up the little roe deer with a lasso around its neck. She then gathered a couple handfuls of dried, yellow grass and poured the last bit of her celestial stone water on top of it. With that, she lead the roe deer behind her. The rope was in one hand, and the grass was in the other. The small creature opened its large, dark, innocent eyes and followed her from behind, like a clever and obedient child.

“Second Sister, do you think this little roe deer has been raised by humans? How come it’s not afraid of us and even wants to get closer to us?” Little Shitou skipped beside the animal and occasionally ran a hand across its fur.

Zhao Han guffawed, “We’re in the deep wilderness, not a household is in sight! Where would someone raise this? In my opinion, I think this little guy got lost from its mother. It probably thinks you two are its substitute mother!”

Yu Xiaocao wanted to cover her eyes in exasperation. Although her clothes were very dull and gray, this didn’t come even close to the roe deer’s coloring. How bad would the creature’s eyes have to be in order to mistaken them as its mother?

As they headed down from the mountain, more than half of their traps had caught some game. The other half had been destroyed by some sort of animal or other. Zhao Han was astonished by their luck. After carefully inspecting the surroundings, he realized that the vegetation near the broken traps had pretty much all been eaten down to a stubble.

“Looks like the wild animals on the mountain are pretty lively today. Are they all starting their winter preparations early?” Zhao Han, who had never seen such a sight, was perplexed by the odd circumstances. He decided to ask his father what was going on today after his father got back from hunting.

Yu Xiaocao was pleasantly surprised when she discovered that her scheme to making money had worked. She exclaimed, “Brother Han, we had a fruitful trip today!”

“Yes, yes! Not only did we catch some hares but we also caught some pheasants. Even better is that most of them are still alive. My father told me that live game is easier to sell!” Little Shitou excited said.

Zhao Han had to agree with them. “Our luck today was quite good! However, with all this game, we can’t possibly eat them all. In the afternoon, my father and Uncle Yu were planning on going into town to sell what they caught. How about we also let my father sell some of our game?”

“I want to go into town too!” Yu Xiaocao eyed the ten animals that were on the ground. Judging by what she knew about Brother Han’s personality, she figured she could get at least two or three from their harvest.

Zhao Han was aware of her family’s circumstances and thought a bit before replying, “I’ve been to town many times and I’m pretty familiar with how to get there. How about I take the two of you there together?”

Yu Xiaocao became pleased beyond expectation when she heard his suggestion. Although she could convince her father to leave behind one or two pieces of game to feed her and her siblings, it was unlikely he’d ever be okay with having a separate, hidden purse from the rest of the family.

From his perspective, he was helping the Yu Family produce a future county scholar-official or possibly even a provincial official. Having an official in the family would also benefit his children’s futures greatly. This was the reason why he was happy to work so hard to earn money for them.

If he knew his own daughter had her own supply of cash, he wouldn’t sell her out. However, should Madam Zhang ever complain about not having enough money, he’d be hard-pressed not to let the secret out! With that thought, Yu Xiaocao became more resolute in her decision to hide her own money from her mother and father.

She looked up at the sky and figured that it was still pretty early. She told Zhao Han to bring the hazelnuts and game back to the Zhao residence while she ran with Little Shitou back to their own home. They needed to retrieve that old ceramic pot.

“Oh ho!” The two of them almost collided with their grandmother as soon as they crossed into the courtyard.

Madam Zhang’s eyes squinted in dislike and deep furrows appeared between her eyebrows. “You little brat! You disappeared at the crack of dawn! Do you not know how to help the rest of the household do some chores?”

Yu Xiaocao blinked her eyes deliberately and looked at the elderly woman innocently. “Grandmother, I also want to help gather fishwort, chop firewood, and other chores. But you know I have a weak body. What if I got sick from exhaustion and needed to spend money to see the doctor? For someone like me, it’s probably better that I don’t cause any trouble. Don’t you think that makes the most sense?”

Madam Zhang didn’t know what to say since everything Xiaocao said was true. Seeing that the little girl was carrying the large ceramic pot out, the area between her eyebrows smoothed out slightly. The old woman nodded in approval.

“Are you going out to catch some fish with that? Although the fish you caught last time were on the smaller side, they still had a good flavor. Your younger uncle’s son, Little Douzi, really enjoyed eating them. Catch some extra and I’ll send some over tomorrow to your uncle.”

Yu Xiaocao frowned for a split second before she adjusted her expression into a congenial smile. “There’s no need to wait until tomorrow. Uncle Zhao’s son, Brother Han, had caught some wild hares today and wanted to go into town to sell them. How about I go with him after I catch some fish? That way Younger Uncle will be able to eat some fresh and flavorful fish stew tonight.”

Madam Zhang didn’t even hesitate before she agreed. “This urn of yours is too small, how much fish can it carry? How about you bring a jug that we use to pickle vegetables instead? That should be able to carry enough fish to last your uncle a couple of meals.”

Yu Xiaocao recalled the size of the earthenware crocks, which were about a foot and a half in height, and stared at her grandmother in mute silence before replying, “Grandmother, do you really think my tiny body has the strength to carry something that large? Then again, those fish aren’t exactly easy to catch. I’m not sure I’d be able to catch enough to fill even this pot! Grandmother, I’m going to leave now. Brother Han might leave without me if I’m too late.”

Before Madam Zhang could reply, she pushed the ceramic pot into Little Shitou’s arms and scuttled into the kitchen. On the stove were three piping hot steamed rolls that had just been cooked. She grabbed two of the three buns from the basket, used some oiled paper to wrap them up, and placed them into her small carry-basket that was on her shoulders.

“Hey! You little minx, those rolls were for your grandfather and the other men…” Madam Zhang, who had followed closely behind, cried out in distress.

Yu Xiaocao had already clasped hands with her little brother and ran out the gate. Her voice floated back, “It’ll take us a couple hours to walk to the town, if we don’t eat, how will we be able to get there? Don’t worry, grandmother! I promise that your precious grandson will be able to drink some fresh fish stew tonight…”

Although Madam Zhang wanted to chase after them, it was too late. The infuriated old woman stomped loudly around the courtyard and her curses filled the air.

By the time the two siblings finished catching the fish in the valley and came back, it was almost nine in the morning. When they arrived at the bottom of the hill that housed the Zhao residence, they saw Zhao Han at the top of the hill, carrying a large basket on his back. They could see the youth waving at them in the distance, hinting at them to not climb the hill.

The thirteen year old was already over 1.7 meters [1] in height. In addition, he practiced martial arts all year long, so carrying a load of more than ten pieces of game was a piece of cake for him. Zhao Han strode over with his long and powerful legs and quickly reunited with the two siblings.

The youth snatched the ceramic pot out from Xiaocao’s hands in a natural movement and grinned, “I noticed that you two really seemed to like that dumb roe deer, so I made the decision to leave it back home. Do you guys want to bring it back to your family or have it live at my place? It’s your choice.”

Little Shitou’s eyes were bright with happiness and he had a small smile on his face. “Second Sister, let’s bring it back home to raise? The little roe deer doesn’t have much meat on it, so grandmother won’t want to eat it right now.”

“Okay!” Yu Xiaocao agreed without thinking too much about it. The little roe deer was quite adorable, and with the celestial stone water, it would probably stay docile.

“If you’re afraid your family members will harm it, just tell them that I caught it and wanted you guys to raise it for a bit.” Zhao Han twisted his head around to talk to them as he continued to walk forward.

[1] 1.7 m = ~5'7"

Chapter 30 - Specialty

As the three chatted, they had started walking on the road that lead to town. When they passed the foot of the mountain, a thin figure with a small bag could be seen walking in front of them from afar.

With keen eyes, Little Shitou had recognized the person in the distance, “Second Sister, the person in front of us looks like Brother Qian Wen. He must be returning to town because his break had ended.”

“Brother Qian Wen——Brother Qian Wen——” Without waiting for his sister’s response, the little fellow had already cupped his mouth with his little hands and shouted.

That figure stopped in his tracks and turned around to look towards them.

As they gradually walked closer, Yu Xiaocao could see the young boy’s face more clearly. He had fair skin and delicate facial features. With gentle and refined manners, he was handsome young boy with a fair and clean complexion.

“Older Brother Zhao, Little Shitou… Is this your second sister?” Qian Wen’s lips curled up slightly as he curiously looked at young girl with pale skin and big eyes in front of him. Little Shitou was a good friend of his younger brother, Qian Wu. In the last two months, the kid had frequently mentioned his second sister.

Little Shitou grinned, “That’s right, Brother Xiaowen. Doesn’t my second sister really look like my eldest sister? People usually mix them up. How did you recognize her immediately?”

Qian Wen took the little fellow’s hand and continued walking to town, “Although I haven’t seen your eldest sister many times, the children of a fishing village usually have darker skin because they frequent the beach. Your second sister seldom goes out, so she has a lighter complexion.”

Little Shitou carefully examined his second sister’s complexion and firmly nodded, “That’s right! Second Sister definitely hasn’t fully recovered yet since her face looks so pale.”

The little fellow had heard that sick people generally had a more pallid complexion. He didn’t have a clear understanding of ‘pallid’ and just thought that it was unhealthy to be pale.

Yu Xiaocao had a big ‘awkward [1]’ character within her heart! ‘Qian Wen, as a scholar, was it really alright to be openly discussing a young lady’s skin color?’ As for her foolish younger brother, ‘Your sister has a fair complexion because she used mystic-stone water to wash her face every day, alright? When did you see me being ill? This was called being pale with a rosy glow, which was very healthy!’

On the other side, her ignorant younger brother had already started chatting with someone else, “Brother Xiaowen, are you going back to town for your studies? We’re going with Brother Han to sell game. Let’s travel together!”

“We’ll have to walk quite a distance to reach town. Can you keep up, little guy?”

“I can! I’m really amazing. Even Second Sister isn’t as good as me!” Uh, she just suffered another blow.

“Shitou, if you’re tired, let me know. Brother Xiaowen will carry you.”

……

Yu Xiaocao never thought that the first person to become exhausted wasn’t the five year old Little Shitou, but herself. Her physical body had never travelled a long distance by foot. She had become much healthier after being nourished by the mystic-stone water. However, after only walking such a short distance, her legs were already sore, and her entire body felt weak.

They had only walked less than a quarter of the way, but Yu Xiaocao’s little face was already turning wan. She wiped the sweat on her forehead, gritted her teeth, and kept on staggering forward.

The tall and burly Zhao Han was naturally fine, and even the seemingly weak Qian Wen didn’t seem tired. He wasn’t breathless and his face wasn’t flushing, while he strode ahead vigorously. Little Shitou had been running around the mountains and seashore ever since he learned to walk, so walking on this road was rather easy for him. He was hopping and chirping throughout the trip, as if he was a cheerful little sparrow.

Qian Wen heard a wheezing sound, which was similar to the sound of a bellows. He turned around and looked at Xiaocao with concern, “Xiaocao, give me your bamboo basket. I’ll help you carry it."

There were only two steamed buns within her basket, but it felt like someone was deliberately pulling down on her basket. Moreover, her legs were so sore that she could barely lift them. Qian Wen’s bag didn’t look very big, but was filled with heavy contents such as books and an inkstone. Besides, she wasn’t very close with him, so wouldn’t it be rude for her to let him carry it for her?

“No need. I’ll be fine after resting for a bit!” Xiaocao shook her head and wiped the sweat on her forehead. She sat on the side of the road, gasping for air.

Little Shitou bit his thumb and said, “Second Sister, with your speed, we might not be able to get back before it gets dark!”

Xiaocao gritted her teeth and forced herself to stand up. She nodded and said, “Let’s hurry up then! We don’t want to delay Brother Xiaowen’s studies…”

At this time, an ox cart came from afar, while squeaking the entire way. After taking a closer look, they realized that the driver was Old Zhang from Xishan Village. When Old Zhang saw them, he smiled good-naturedly and asked, “Aren’t you the kid from Dongshan Village’s Qian Family? Are you guys going to town?”

Every two days, Old Zhang would transport a cart of firewood to town, which seemed to be a reservation made by a blacksmith in town. A load of firewood would cost over fifty copper coins. As long as the family helped out, this was a rather good deal for the Zhang Family, who owned an ox cart.

“Grandpa Zhang, Xiaocao has a weak constitution and had never walked so far before. Can you please let her sit on your cart’s shaft?” Qian Wen saw that there was no room for people to sit on the ox cart, since it was stacked with firewood. Thus, he asked about the cart’s shaft instead.

“So this is the Yu Family’s Xiaocao! I’ve heard from your maternal grandfather that you’ve injured your head. Are you fully recovered now? How can your parents be so at ease with letting you kids go to town by yourselves?” Old Zhang lived close to Madam Liu’s maiden family, so he swiftly agreed. He lifted Xiaocao onto the cart with his big hands.

Even though she would occasionally feel the pain of being jabbed by the firewood behind her, but it was still much easier than walking on foot. Xiaocao watched as her younger brother excitedly guide the ox after being placed on its back by Old Zhang.

“Brother Han, your basket is pretty heavy. Let me hold it.” After all, Zhao Han was only thirteen, so it was quite tiring to travel while carrying so many game. There were over ten game in his basket, which probably weighed over a dozen catties all together. His forehead was already covered with sweat.

He looked at Yu Xiaocao who was wobbling as she sat in the cart. His lips twitched and he shook his head, “It’s not heavy. I can carry it myself.”

Riding on the ox cart, the group finally arrived in town at around half past ten in the morning. Tanggu Town was still bustling with excitement like last time.

After Xiaocao and her younger brother thanked Old Zhang, he warmly arranged a meeting time with them for the trip back to the village. If the siblings wanted to ride on his ox cart on the way back, they could meet him outside the town gate at dusk.

After parting with Qian Wen, Zhao Han handed the ceramic pot back to Xiaocao, and then held each of the siblings’ hands as they walked on the busy street. The street was wide enough for two horse carriages to run side by side and they could see horse wagons filled with cargo from the wharf rushing through the streets from time to time. In Xiaocao’s opinion, as an essential route for transporting ocean freight to the capital, this was a small town with great potential for future developments.

“There aren’t many people at the market in the afternoon. Should we go ask Fulin Restaurant first?” Zhao Han had followed his father to sell game several times in the past. He knew that his father had business with the two biggest restaurants in town, so he asked for the siblings’ opinion first.

Yu Xiaocao recalled how she parted on bad terms with Fulin Restaurant when she was selling abalones last time, so she suggested, “I reckon we should go to Zhenxiu Restaurant first!”

Zhenxiu Restaurant was slightly farther away than Fulin Restaurant, which was one of the reasons that Zhao Han wanted to visit Fulin Restaurant first. However, Zhao Han was quite surprised to hear Xiaocao’s remark.

“Xiaocao, you’ve also heard of Zhenxiu Restaurant? In recent months, Zhenxiu Restaurant’s business has indeed exceeded Fulin Restaurant. Thus, they must need a lot of game. I heard that Zhenxiu Restaurant seems to have learned a method to make a special sauce with oyster from someone. Vegetables sautéed with that whatchamacallit sauce are even tastier than meat dishes!”

“Oyster sauce! Hailizi is also called shenghao in the south!” Hearing that Zhenxiu Restaurant’s business was prospering due to oyster sauce, Yu Xiaocao was extremely proud inwardly and could hardly resist from beaming with joy.

“That’s right! It’s called oyster sauce!” Zhao Han bowed his head, looked at her, and asked, “Xiaocao, how did you know? Did Uncle Yu tell you?”

Of course, Yu Xiaocao wouldn’t explain to him that the recipe for the oyster sauce came from her. Thus, she just nodded evasively.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, Zhenxiu Restaurant’s magnificent sign appeared before their eyes.

“Wow! It’s such a tall building!” Little Shitou gaped in amazement. It was his first time seeing a three-story building after walking so far. Zhenxiu Restaurant’s magnificent charisma and luxurious décor left a lasting impression on the little fellow.

Noon was the busiest time for a restaurant. In front of Zhenxiu Restaurant, there was an endless stream of customers dressed in lavish silk brocades. There were also many posh horse carriages parked nearby. The tall horses were unsaddled and leisurely eating forage.

“Second Sister, we… we should come back when there’s less people.” Little Shitou noticed that all the people entering and exiting the restaurant were affluent people dressed in fancy attire. Looking at his own patched-up clothing, he felt somewhat inferior and was unable to move forward.

Zhao Han grabbed his little hand and calmly said, “Little Shitou, we didn’t steal anything or rob anyone, so there’s nothing to be ashamed of! You guys wait here and don’t wander off. I’ll go over to ask.”

Looking at the young man’s tall and handsome back, Yu Xiaocao felt as if she was looking at a young general who was preparing for his first battle…

The entire Zhao Family, from Grandpa Zhao to the thirteen year old Zhao Han, gave her the impression that they weren’t a simple hunter’s family. They would unconsciously radiate an imposing aura and a soldier’s demeanor that a mere hunter’s family wouldn’t possess.

The tall and handsome youth took up a conversation with the server who was greeting the customers. He put down the carrying basket, took out a wild hare that was still twitching, and said something to the server. At first, the waiter shook his head incessantly, as if they weren’t going to take their game.

In fact, big restaurants usually had their own means to obtain supplies, which were all imported goods. So, they naturally wouldn’t accept goods from any random person.

“Young brother, we just caught these game this morning, so they’re all fresh. Look at this hare, it’s still so lively!” Zhao Han tried his best to sell his game. They can’t come all the way in vain.

The young waiter shook his head and said, “Sorry, but our restaurant doesn’t need anymore game. It’s still really hot right now, so if we have too much, it will be hard to preserve them.”

“Most of the game we brought over are still alive. Even if you keep them overnight and sell them tomorrow, they will still be very fresh. It was difficult for me to come here with my younger brother and sister, so please make an exception.” Zhao Han gestured towards the direction that Xiaocao and Shitou were standing.

“We’re really not taking them…” The server abruptly stopped in the middle of his rejection when looked towards the direction Zhao Han indicated.

His eyes beamed when he saw the appearance of the little girl in the distance. He walked around Zhao Han and swiftly walked over with a smile,

“Miss Yu, I’m so happy to see you again! Ever since you left last time, our young boss had asked about you several times. He was afraid that some idiots wouldn’t recognize you the next time you sent game over, so he specially transferred me over to greet the guests…”

[1] The Chinese character 囧 kind of looks like a dumbfounded expression and is often used as an internet slang to express shock, embarrassment, etc.

Chapter 31 - Another Pretty Boy

Yu Xiaocao finally recognized the waiter in front of her. He was originally a staff in the kitchen. When she made the oyster sauce last time, he was the one who assisted her.

“Oh, it’s Young Brother Li! You actually still remember me!” With the ceramic pot in her hands, Yu Xiaocao smiled, revealing her shallow dimple.

The waiter tactfully took the earthenware jar from her hands and smiled until his eyes appeared like a line, “Of course I recognize you. How can I not?! Our young boss and Head Chef Wang mentions you multiple times every day, so there’s no way I could forget about you. Are you… sending abalones over again?”

“Do you think it’s that easy to obtain abalones? This is a type of wild fish caught in the mountain. Whether it is boiled in soup or fried, it will still be very delicious. It’s rare that I have the chance to come to town, so I brought some over for Third Young Master to try.” Since he had missed her so much, she should return his concern with a gift. Yu Xiaocao turned the wild fish she was going to sell into a gift for Third Young Master Zhou.

The server grinned happily, “Well, this is such a coincidence. Today, our young boss is hosting a banquet for several of his friends at noon. We were just troubled that there wasn’t a new dish to present. Miss Yu is really sending coal in the snow—a timely assistance.”

“Xiaocao, you’ve been here before?” Zhao Han was quite surprised inwardly when he saw the waiter’s change in attitude.

The server interjected, “Yes, of course! Our restaurant’s signature dishes, ‘stir-fried choy sum’, ‘fresh mushrooms in oyster sauce’, and ‘oyster sauce braised eggs’ were all created by Miss Yu! Oh, so this little brother came with Miss Yu. Please come in! Please come in quickly!”

The server guided the sister and brother pair to the side entrance to enter Zhenxiu Restaurant’s rear court. Zhao Han hastily carried his basket filled with game and followed them.

“Teacher——Teacher, quickly come see who came!” The waiter had already started shouting before he even entered the rear court.

Head Chef Wang’s loud voice was accompanied by the clanking of a spatula, “Stinky brat, why are you being so noisy? Can’t you see that your teacher is busy? Hurry up and come over to help!”

The waiter’s voice wasn’t inferior to that of Head Chef Wang’s, “Teacher, Miss Yu came! She also brought over a lot of game and a jar of small fish!”

As soon as he said that, Head Chef Wang’s plump figure rushed over like a cannonball, and then abruptly stopped in front of Yu Xiaocao. He patted the little girl’s shoulder with his chubby hand and spoke in a booming voice, “I have been hoping to see you again and you finally came! Did you know that our Zhenxiu Restaurant has completely defeated Fulin Restaurant with the help of your oyster sauce? Little girl, let Old Wang know if you have any more new recipes.”

Yu Xiaocao grimaced in pain after being smacked by his big palm, which was like a bear’s paw. She stepped back to maintain a safe distance and said, “I taught you how to make oyster sauce last time as a complimentary gift for the success of my first business deal. I’m not going to give out my secret recipes!”

The meaning within her words were very clear, ‘Of course I have new recipes, but don’t even think about getting them for free!’

“Hey! Miss Yu, we meet again! I forgot to ask where you are from when we met last time. It was very rude of me!” Today, the handsome young boy of the Zhou Family wore a moon-white colored brocade robe, a white jade crown, and a pair of patterned soft-soled boots. He looked like such an elegant and beautiful young man!

Yu Xiaocao smiled faintly and said, “Third Young Master, how have you been? We caught some game while hunting in the morning. Would your restaurant be interested in taking them?”

Her skin was as delicate as the snow, while she had big eyes that were dark and clear. Her eyelashes were thick and curly… Although her clothes were old and shabby, it was unable to conceal the confidence and glow that she radiated. Within his heart, Zhou Zixu faintly felt that even the noble ladies in the town might not be comparable to the graceful demeanor of this fisherman’s daughter in front of him.

“We’re taking them! Of course, we’re taking them! Our restaurant is pretty busy today, so we are worried that there might not have enough game! Li Qiang, aren’t you going to hurry up and settle the payment?” Zhou Zixu hinted at the waiter, who was just foolishly standing on the side.

Zhao Han put down the carrying basket and took out the game inside. There were nine plump wild hare and six pheasants, with eight of the game still alive and kicking.

Third Young Master Zhou instructed the waiter, Li Qiang, “The market price for wild hare is twenty copper coins per catty, while pheasants are fifty copper coins each. However, the price for live game is even higher. Let’s just calculate it based on the weight, so twenty-five copper coins per catty.”

Fifteen game weighed a total of seventy-eight catties, but the young server tactfully rounded it up to eighty catties. Thus, the fifteen game were sold for a total of 2,000 copper coins.

The server gave Zhao Han two ingots, which were worth one tael each. After receiving the money, Zhao Han turned toward Yu Xiaocao, who was still speaking with Third Young Master Zhou, and stuffed the ingots into her hands.

“Brother Han, the game were all caught in the traps that you set. Why are you giving all the money to me?” If he just gave her one or two hundred copper coins, then Yu Xiaocao would had accepted it with no qualms. After all, didn’t she also contribute? However, he was giving all the money to her. Although she loved money, she would never take the fruits of another person’s labor.

Zhao Han saw that Xiaocao had hid her hands behind herself, refusing to accept the money. He couldn’t just force it into her hands, so he tried to explain, “If I wasn’t teaching you guys how to set traps today, I would not had planned on entering the mountains. I have a good idea of how much game I usually catch with my traps. I probably got lucky today because of you siblings, so the game should belong to you guys… Quickly take the money!”

“I’m not taking it! Today, most of the traps were set by Brother Han. I’m already very grateful that you’re willing to teach us how to catch rabbits. Furthermore, we’re always eating the game you caught, so how can we take the money that you earn from selling game?” Yu Xiaocao shook her head like a rattle-drum and refused to accept the two ingots.

[You’re such an idiot! Without this Divine Stone’s bathing water, he should be content with just two or three game, let alone fifteen! This is all due to my contribution, so the money should have originally belonged to us!]

Its master was short on money right now, so if it helped its master earn more money, this deed should be able to accelerate its power intake, right? Taking advantage of the fact that no one else could see it, the little divine stone impatiently flew back and forth in front of Yu Xiaocao. However, Yu Xiaocao completely ignored it.

Zhao Han couldn’t win over this stubborn little girl, so he pondered for a moment and said, “Today, you ended up setting up most of the traps. After making a rough estimation, you should take half the credit for these game. You don’t want to take advantage of me, but as your older brother, how can I shamelessly take advantage of you?”

[Who said we only made half of the contribution? It was all the work of this Divine Stone! This brazen mortal actually dared to steal my credit. Look at how this celestial stone is going to punish you——] The tiny golden kitten looked extremely adorable as it bared its teeth and swung its claws angrily.

While Yu Xiaocao quietly shouted at it to stop in her mind, she also had to resist the urge of squeezing it in her hands. Moreover, she had to control her facial expression from exposing her thoughts. Thus, in other people’s eyes, she had a rather complicated expression on her face.

Zhou Zixu didn’t want to see them arguing over a mere two ingots, so he interjected, “I don’t think either of you should decline. Since both sides have made contribution, you guys should just split it evenly!”

Although one tael wasn’t a lot, it had far exceeded Yu Xiaocao’s expectation. Her biggest achievement for today was learning how to set traps. With this new skill, would she still lack the opportunity to earn money?

Seeing that they had no objection to his suggestion, Zhou Zixu wanted to speak up again, but he was interrupted by a clear and gentle voice behind him, “Zixu, Brother Wu and Brother Yang arrived already. Do you want to go over to greet them?”

Yu Xiaocao looked towards the sound and couldn’t help but be stunned. Such a delicate beautiful young man. With a complexion that was purer than snow and a picturesque face, he was dressed in a sky-blue scholar robe that made him looked even more refined. It seemed that even the most meticulously drawn elaborate-style painting wouldn’t be able to accurately depict this young man’s features.

Wow! The water in ancient times really fostered beauties. When just comparing their appearances, the three young boys in front of her each had their own advantages. They were truly beautiful young men!

The gorgeous young man might had felt her intent gaze. With a slight frown, he faintly swept a gaze over her, which gave off a different type of feeling.

Yuan Yunxi’s upbringing made it difficult for him to make crude remarks. However, it was definitely impolite for a young girl to stare at him so openly. When he saw her tattered clothing and young age, he felt slightly more relieved. It was considered excusable that a little girl from a poor family didn’t understand proper etiquette.

“Little Brother Xi, this is the Miss Yu, who I have mentioned to you before. She was the one who gave us the recipe for the oyster sauce for free. Your favorite stir-fried choy sum was made with her recipe.” Zhou Zixu enthusiastically introduced Yu Xiaocao to his close friend.

Yu Xiaocao also recovered from her daze and subtly nodded at the little pretty boy.

Yuan Yunxi was an innate foodie, so when he heard Zhou Zixu’s words, the displeasure within his heart had partially dissipated. He lightly nodded and said, “No wonder my grandfather always often said ‘true masters were among the people’. It seems like he was right. A six or seven year old little girl with such skills and breadth of mind is really admirable!”

“Alright! Stop being so pedantic! Don’t you see the earthenware jar in Miss Yu’s hands? There must be something good inside. Go help me greet the guests first and wait for the delicious meal that’s coming later!” Zhou Zixu had a close friendship with him, so he didn’t treat Yuan Yunxi as an outsider and sent him back to the restaurant’s private room to attend to the guests.

Yu Xiaocao lowered her head to look at the little white fish in the jar. She helplessly looked at Third Young Master Zhou and said, “These wild fish from the mountain were definitely tasty, but when did I ever say I was selling them?”

“You’re not selling them after coming all the way here. Are you planning to eat them yourself?” Zhou Zixu nearly reach out to snatch the ceramic pot when he heard the fish inside were delicious.

Yu Xiaocao shook her head, “I’m not the one eating it! It’s my little cousin who likes to eat this! My grandmother told me to bring them over today. If I don’t complete my mission, then I’ll definitely be scolded when I get home!”

With a disappointed expression, Zhou Zixu looked at the fish in front of him and spoke with a pleading tone, “Aren’t there plenty of fish in there? You can just give me half of them! It’s just that I’ve already made a promise, so if I can’t fulfill my promise, I’ll lose credit in front of my friends. Wouldn’t that be really shameful? I’ll buy them for a high price, wouldn’t that be fine? Your grandmother wouldn’t scold you anymore when she sees all the money.”

As he spoke, he took out an ingot with the value of five taels and stuffed it into Little Shitou’s hands. A basket of game was sold for only two taels, so five taels for several fish should be enough, right?

Yu Xiaocao’s eyes lit up, but she pretended to be in a difficult position and lowered her head to ponder before reluctantly agreeing to him.

Zhou Zixu instructed the waiter to bring a basin over, poured out half of the fish within the jar, and told the kitchen staff to clean them. After that, he made another request shamelessly,

“Look, Head Chef Wang and the others have never cooked this type of fish before. Why don’t you just be a good person until the end and help us make the dish? It won’t take up too much time. In a moment, I’ll have the kitchen prepare a feast for you guys. It’s already late noon, so you guys must be hungry!”

Chapter 32 - Foodie

Wow! There was a free meal to eat! Yu Xiaocao lowered her head to look at her younger brother, asked for Brother Han’s opinion, and then readily agreed. However, she didn’t openly display the method of how to cook the small fish and requested for everyone to leave the kitchen.

Third Young Master Zhou didn’t plan on taking advantage of Xiaocao, so he led her to an independent little kitchen. After that, he personally guarded the entrance to prevent others from peeping. He didn’t know about others, but Head Chef Wang had been eagerly trying to see if he could learn something with the excuse of helping Xiaocao.

In fact, the small white fish itself had a savory flavor, so even if she didn’t use a lot of seasonings to enhance the taste, it would still be delicious. There wasn’t any difficulty or secrets with preparing the fish. She just wanted to create a sense of mystery as an ‘expert’, since there might be opportunities for cooperation in the future.

Yu Xiaocao made the dish with the simplest flavors, which were salt, scallions, and ginger. In order to make the soup taste more delicious and refreshing, she specially ladled some water and told Little Glutinous Dumpling to soak in it, and then she poured the little divine stone’s ‘bathing water’ into the soup.

The thick broth was a milky-white color and the fish instantly melted within the mouth. It tasted delicious and refreshingly smooth… The youths at the table nearly got into a fight for the sake of getting another mouthful of the fish stew.

Even the gentle and elegant Yuan Yunxi became a ferocious little beast when he fought for the fish stew and fish meat. It was inevitable since he was influenced by his grandfather, who was an old foodie, and became a little foodie.

The culprit, Yu Xiaocao, was currently inside Zhenxiu Restaurant’s ‘VIP’ room. She was leading her younger brother to enjoy the most sumptuous lunch she had eaten since she transmigrated here. The three of them were served with six dishes and a soup, which included four meat dishes and two vegetable dishes. Head Chef Wang had cooked all the dishes himself and they were all his most skilled dishes, so they naturally tasted very good.

Even Zhao Han, who had seen more in life, ate until he was stuffed. Xiaocao and her younger brother were even more bloated. Xiaocao was frightened when she saw Little Shitou moaning as he touched his round tummy, so she quickly helped him rub his belly. It would be bad if he became sick from overeating.

[He’s fine! Just drink some of my bathing water. It can help digestion and prevent sickness…] When they were eating, the little divine stone had been hovering around the appetizing dishes with a glowing gaze. It almost dived right into the food, but it was a pity that the little divine stone was unable to touch them.

‘Humph! Once I, this Divine Stone, recover some more of my powers, I’ll be able to take a physical form. At that time, I’ll definitely eat to my heart’s content!’

Yu Xiaocao wanted to ignore it, but it was very difficult to do so. So, she quietly flicked its body and caused it to roll over. After being flicked, the little fellow bared it teeth and claws at Xiaocao.

Xiaocao replaced the cold tea within the pot with mystic-stone water. After she poured Zhao Han a cup, she fed some to Little Shitou and drank a few mouthfuls herself.

Yu Xiaocao certainly wouldn’t waste the remaining half of the ginseng chicken soup on the table, so she asked the waiter for a basin and packed the chicken soup. She smiled at her younger brother and said, “I was just worried that we didn’t bring anything good for our oldest brother to eat!”

After lunch, Yu Xiaocao exchanged a few words with the manager, asked for the direction to the carpentry shop named ‘Zhang Ji’, and then left with Zhao Han and her younger brother

On the street, there were the sounds of hawkers advertising their goods, customers bargaining, and greetings between acquaintances. When all the sounds were intertwined together, it became a song that depicted a lively town market.

“Selling sweets! Candies for sale! Sweet maltose candy!” A candy vendor, who was carrying his goods with a pole, loudly shouted as he walked past the siblings. Little Shitou turned around to look at the maltose candy covered in white powder that the vendor was carrying. It was as if his eyes were stuck on the maltose candy and unable to move away.

Children of poor families rarely had the chance to eat sweets. Last year, during the New Years, their father had caught a deer that was sold for a good price, so he bought one catty of maltose candy for the children. However, their grandmother, Madam Zhang, had cursed at their father for exactly two hours, saying that he was spoiling his children and wasting money. Moreover, she took away and hid the sweets, while claiming that they needed to save it for the guests.

In the end, the siblings finally got a few pieces of candies after their grandfather spoke up. Since their grandmother was unwilling to give any more no matter what anyone said, each person only received a piece of maltose candy that was about the size of a fingernail. Furthermore, no one knew what happened to the rest of the candies. However, Little Shitou could never forget that sweet taste and slightly sticky texture. It was chewy without being greasy.

Seeing the look on her younger brother’s face, Xiaocao felt somewhat sad inwardly. She stopped the candy peddler and took out some copper coins, “Please give us ten copper coins worth of maltose candy.”

Although the siblings’ clothes were worn-old, but they looked very clean. Thus, the hawker didn’t look down on the siblings and replied with a smile, “Okay!”

“No need, no need!” Little Shitou gulped his saliva as he shook his hands sensibly, “Second Sister, don’t waste money. I don’t like to eat sweets.”

Xiaocao’s heart ached as she caressed his head. She smiled and said, “I want to eat it, alright? Didn’t we earn some money today? It’s fine to use ten copper coins! Little shopkeeper, weigh it for us!”

The candy vendor was delighted when he heard her calling him ‘little shopkeeper’. He carried his goods on a pole and walked through the streets every day, but his greatest wish was to open a candy store and become a boss. As he cut the maltose, he slightly tilted his knife and cut off a little more of the sweets for them.

Xiaocao asked the hawker to cut the maltose candy into the size of a thumb. She took a piece of candy in her hand, and then carefully wrapped the rest with an oiled paper. She deliberately shook the sweets in front of Little Shitou, sniffed it with her nose, and loudly exclaimed, “So sweet. It must be very tasty. It’s a pity that my younger brother doesn’t like to eat these sweets. I guess I have to eat them all myself!”

Little Shitou licked his lips as he watched his sister shaking the maltose candy. He had a pitiful expression on his face, as if he was a little puppy who wanted a bone. However, he resisted his desire and didn't ask his sister for the candies.

Xiaocao stopped teasing him and stuffed a maltose candy into his mouth. After that, she took her cute and obedient younger brother into her arms and said, “Little Shitou, in the future, I’ll buy candies for you every day. I’ll also get delicious snacks…”

“No! When we have money, we need to buy a cotton-made comforter first. The cottons within our parents’ comforter are already bursting out. Also, we need to buy clothes for you and eldest sister. Your clothes have become too small, so they’re no longer wearable. I’m fine with not eating candies!”

The little guy kept the maltose candy within his mouth and refused to chew on it. Thus, he only licked it with his tongue. The sweet taste slowly melted within his mouth and he blissfully narrowed his eyes like a satisfied little kitten.

“Alright, alright! After we divide from the family, I’ll buy a new set of clothing for everyone in the family and some more beddings. I’ll make white rice and wheat flour steamed buns for Little Shitou every day…” Xiaocao held her younger brother’s hand as they walked to the carpentry shop.

Little Shitou grinned even more happily, “Isn’t eating white rice and wheat flour every day too wasteful? It’s probably better to save them up and use them when we need them in the future…”

Zhao Han walked behind the siblings and quietly listened to their conversation. Was this the affection between siblings? He was an only child and rarely interacted with his peers in the village. As he observed the friendly relationship between the siblings, an unexplainable feeling surged into his heart.

This small town had three vertical and horizontal streets. The carpentry shop that Xiaocao’s eldest brother, Yu Hang, ‘worked’ at and Zhenxiu Restaurant were both located on the busiest street. As they spoke, the sister and brother pair could already see the sign for Zhang Ji’s Carpentry Shop.

In her previous life, Xiaocao had dropped out of middle school before she graduated. After transmigrating here and faced with the complicated traditional Chinese characters, she was practically illiterate. She would only recognize some words by guessing.

The craftsmen at the carpentry shop were pretty skilled and the manager would often go to the capital for ‘training’. People from town and surrounding areas, who were slightly more well-off, liked to customize furniture and utensils at Zhang Ji’s Carpentry Shop. Thus, it was natural that their business was doing very well.

When the siblings entered the shop hand in hand, a worker had heard the movement and stood up with a smile. However, his expression instantly turned grim when he saw their clothes. With a long face, he hollered, “Leave, leave, leave! This isn’t a place for you paupers to come and play. Hurry up and scram!”

Yu Xiaocao furrowed her brows. Although she was very angry at this snob, she held back and asked, “Young brother, my eldest brother is an apprentice in this carpentry shop. His name is Yu Hang. May I trouble this young brother to pass on a message that his younger siblings have come to see him?”

“Yu Hang? Someone already came to visit him last month, why is his family coming to visit again? If your family doesn’t want him to work here, then he should just scram. To be freely coming in and out, where do you think this is?” The worker had an impatient expression and spoke with a voice full of disdain.

Xiaocao suppressed her anger and spoke with a gentle voice, “Young brother, it’s not easy for us to come all the way here, so please help us out.”

The worker threw the rag in his hand onto the table heavily, went to the backdoor of the shop, and shouted towards the yard, “Yu Hang! Yu Hang! Someone’s looking for you!”

The worker returned to the front of the shop without waiting for a response. He picked up the rag and shooed them away like flies, “Go outside to wait! Don’t hinder our business… Sir Fang, please come in! Your customized folding screen is ready. Please come in and take a look!”

With a manservant beside him, a graceful young man in fine clothes came out of a horse carriage in front of the carpentry shop. When the worker saw him, he hastily pasted on a flattering smile and politely guided him into the shop.

Yu Xiaocao shrugged her shoulders and smiled, ‘People are so realistic.’

That young man slightly glanced at the sister and brother pair. His gaze stopped briefly on her self-mocking smile. Fang Xun had seen the worker’s earlier behavior, so he thought that these siblings, who were obviously from a poor family, would feel wronged, sad, and avoidant…

He didn’t expect the older sister to just smile indifferently with a calm expression on her face. This type of attitude, which was neither haughty nor humble, seemed like an indication of her extraordinary future. However, Fang Xun’s footsteps didn’t stop for this matter. He had thought that they were just a passing guest in each other’s lives and never expected that he would meet her again in the near future…

“Second Sister, Shitou, why are you guys here?” Yu Hang limped out of the shop with a face filled with heartfelt joy.

“Eldest Brother, what happened to your leg? Also, your face…” Little Shitou widened his doubtful eyes and asked with concern.

Yu Xiaocao looked closely and saw two clearly visible red and swollen marks on Yu Hang’s delicate face. Moreover, he looked like he was in pain as he walked out earlier.

Yu Hang touched the bruises on his face and pretended to be fine, “It’s nothing. While I was working, I accidentally tripped over some wood and strained my foot. My face was scraped by the branches on the timber. Don’t make a fuss over such a minor injury. Second Sister, is your health better recently? Is everything alright at home? Do you guys have enough to eat?”

Chapter 33 - Beaten

Yu Xiaocao noticed his eyes darting around as he spoke and understood that his injury was not that simple. She recalled the short story that she read in elementary school called “Vanka [1]”. In the story, apprentices were free sources of labor who were often cruelly beaten for the smallest reasons.

Looking at her eleven year old older brother’s thin figure and emaciated face, Yu Xiaocao knew that his life at the carpentry shop wasn’t very good. As she answered Yu Hang’s series of questions, she took out the cloth bag that she used to wrap the shepherd’s purse stuffed buns,

“Everything is fine at home. Brother Han taught me how to set traps to catch wild hares. I earned one tael from selling the game today. Eldest Brother, you don’t have to worry. If you’re unhappy staying at the carpentry shop, then come home. Our family has enough food for everyone, including you…”

“I’m doing great here! The head craftsman often praises me for being a good worker and that I work hard to learn the skills. He also said that he will teach me how to plane wood in a few days! In two years, when I graduate from apprenticeship, I’ll be able to get a salary and support our family. By the way, why did you guys come here?” Yu Hang swiftly changed the topic as he secretly rubbed his injured leg, which ached from being hit.

Little Shitou took a piece of candy out of the oiled paper bag, stuffed it into his older brother’s mouth, and grinned, “Zhenxiu Restaurant’s young boss also treated us to a meal! A table full of food for just the three of us. Eldest Brother, I saved half a chicken for you. It was made with ginseng. You should quickly have a taste!”

“Brother Han, thank you for bringing my younger brother and sister to visit me. However, it’s too far from the village. Xiaocao’s health isn’t very good, so she can’t walk such a long distance. You guys don’t need to come again.” Yu Hang didn’t take the chicken soup Xiaocao handed over and thanked Zhao Han. After that, he turned to warn his younger siblings.

Xiaocao shook her head and said, “It’s fine. On the way, we encountered Grandpa Zhang, who delivered firewood to town. We borrowed this basin from Zhenxiu Restaurant, so you should hurry up and drink the chicken soup. If you can’t finish the chicken, then wrap it in the oiled paper. It won’t spoil even if you leave it until the evening. I also brought steamed buns for you. They were just freshly cooked before I left, so I got two of them for you…”

Xiaocao could tell that her older brother wasn’t being treated very well at the carpentry shop, so she decided to frequently send food over to him in the future.

“I have a lot to eat and drink here, so I’m already tired of eating steamed buns. You guys should just take the steamed buns back to eat yourselves. Don’t send me any more food in the future. The meals provided by the carpentry shop are pretty good!”

Yu Hang hid the fact that he ate hard bean pancake with cold water every day because he didn’t want his family to worry about him.

If Yu Xiaocao was really an eight year old child, she would have definitely been fooled. She deeply sighed within her heart and pretended to be angry,

“What? Are you already used to eating good food and are now looking down on our family’s coarse grain buns? Even if they provide good food here, it can’t be compared to the good intentions of our family. Take it quickly! Otherwise, I’ll be angry!”

Yu Hang had wanted to say something, but choked up. His heart was filled with familial warmth as he quietly held the cloth bag that his younger sister had forced into his hands. It had been nearly three months since he came to be an apprentice. He was often scolded and beaten by the shop’s worker and craftsmen. Even though he was often dizzy and weak due to hunger, he still had to perform hard and heavy labor every day. Thus, his entire body would be sore and painful every night. There were also times when he almost couldn’t endure any longer… However, he would always think of his family during those difficult times. He would remember his mother’s gentle smile, his father’s encouraging gaze, and his younger siblings’ cute smiling faces…

The only reason he had sustained for so long was because of his family!

“Yu Hang! Where the hell did you go? Until when are you going to slack off? The shop’s order of timber arrived. Aren’t you going to get back in here to work? It’s such a waste to feed you lazy bums…”

The owner of the carpentry shop, Shopkeeper Zhang, looked out and examined Xiaocao and Shitou’s attire. He twitched his lips in disdain, and then yelled fiercely at Yu Hang.

Yu Hang held the cloth bag tightly in his arms and forced a smile, “Our Manager Zhang appears like a mean person, but he’s actually very nice. He usually treats us very well… I need to go in to work. Be careful on your way back. You don’t need to send food over in the future. I’m fine…”

“Why aren’t you in here yet?! If you don’t want to work anymore, then scram! A piece of junk that just wastes food!” Manager Zhang impatiently berated, as if he was ordering a submissive animal.

Yu Xiaocao looked at her older brother’s back as he hastily ran inside. She decided in her heart that she will take Yu Hang home as soon as possible. Apprentices had no freedom and human rights. Furthermore, even their self-esteems were trampled on by others. Thus, she would be the one to protect her own family!

Little Shitou held the bag of sweets within his hand, but it was as if the candies had lost all its sweetness. The little fellow seemed to be holding back his emotions as he raised his head to look at his second sister and said,

“Second Sister, if only there was a way to make people grow up more quickly. If I’m a grown up, I can be like our father. I can catch a lot of game and earn money to support our family. That way, other people will not look down on us and Eldest Brother will not be bullied by other people…”

Yu Xiaocao caressed his little head and wanted to give him an approving smile, but she sighed deeply instead.

“Older Sister, Brother Han, where are we going now?” Little Shitou had already lost his initial excitement as he walked with his head bowed.

Zhao Han noticed that the siblings weren’t in a very good mood. He pondered briefly and said, “It’s still pretty early right now. After we deliver the fish to your younger uncle, we can just casually roam the street.”

The three quickly found Yu Bo’s rented residence. He had gone to the academy and wasn’t at home.  Xiaocao politely declined her younger aunt’s, Madam Zhao, warm offer to stay. After she left with Zhao Han and her younger brother, they began strolling on the street.

The main road of Tanggu Town’s three streets was lined up with restaurants and inns. Right now, all the biggest restaurants and inns were owned by the wealthy Zhou Family.

Some of the wealthy noblemen, who had been traveling by sea, would stay and rest in Tanggu Town after they arrived ashore. The streets were full of noblemen dressed in fine clothes and mounted on groomed horses. It was also quite common to see exquisite horse carriages accompanied by maidservants and senior servants.

With enjoyment and satisfaction, the siblings observed their surroundings as they walked.

Little Shitou held the pastries that his sister second brought with one hand, while he messily ate the candied hawthorn stick in his other hand. His big eyes seemed insufficient to take in everything, as there were so many new and interesting things to see in town.

“Huh? Second Sister, isn’t that Uncle Zhao and Father?” With the hand that held the candied hawthorn stick, Little Shitou pointed at the bustling crowd ahead. He looked more carefully and confirmed, “It really is our father! Second Sister, let’s quickly go over…”

Yu Xiaocao swiftly stopped her younger brother and shook her head in disapproval, “Why are you going over? If Father finds out that we sold game, can we still keep a secret purse? If all the money goes into our grandmother’s purse, then we’ll have to starve and freeze in the winter!”

Little Shitou looked at the pastries and candied hawthorn stick in his hands. If his grandmother took all the money, would he still be able to eat the sweetly-sour candied hawthorn and the sugary maltose candy?

“Second Sister, what should we do?” Little Shitou worshipped his second sister, who seemed like a completely different person ever since she injured her head.

When he followed her, not only could he eat meat, but he could also earn and save money. Even their grandmother didn’t dare to discipline her. Second Sister was also a very generous person. She was willing to buy expensive pastries for him to eat. Thus, he decided that he would firmly support all decisions made by his second sister in the future. It was an unshakeable promise that he would keep for thirty years!

Yu Xiaocao had unexpectedly gained her younger brother’s loyalty with just some crude pastries and candies hawthorn that cost around a dozen copper coins. No wonder he was a little foodie!

Holding onto her younger brother, she pulled on Zhao Han’s sleeve and swiftly dodged into an alley. If she hadn’t moved quickly, she would have been caught by her father.

“What’s wrong?” Zhao Bufan, who was carrying a male deer, couldn’t help but ask when he noticed his close friend, Yu Hai, looking back from time to time.

There were several small game hanging on Yu Hai’s tall body. With slightly creased brows and pursed lips, he muttered hesitantly, “Just now… I think I saw Xiaocao and Shitou…”

“Your second daughter and youngest son? Are you sure? How could they possibly walk so far to town when one of them has a weak constitution and the other is only five? You probably saw someone who looked similar to them and made a mistake.” Zhao Bufan would have never thought that his own son would bring two young children to town to sell game.

The supposedly weak Xiaocao was extremely bold and leisurely shopping after she successfully avoided her father.

[Master, Master! I can sense spiritual energy nearby. It’s on your right side. Quick, take me over to check it out!] The little divine stone was so anxious that it forgot its pledge of ‘not acknowledging Xiaocao as its master’. The energy nearby was quite strong, so if it could absorb the energy, then it would be even better than bathing for ten days.

Yu Xiaocao hastily looked towards her right. ‘Isn’t this a pharmacy? Could it be that this pharmacy also sells elixirs that helps with cultivation?’

“Tong—Ren—Tang… Second Sister, I can recognize these characters!” Little Shitou’s face was a sticky mess after he finished the candied hawthorn. He looked up with a smiling face, as if he wanted to be complimented and loved.

Her younger brother can read? Of course, he should be praised. Yu Xiaocao generously complimented, “You’re worthy of being my younger brother. You were actually able to read! Tell me, where did you learn it from?”

Little Shitou grinned happily and proudly said, “Second Sister, Eldest Brother learned a lot of words from our younger uncle. After that, he taught the three of us. I can recognize over two hundred characters… You injured your head, so you probably don’t remember anymore!”

“Although I can’t remember some things clearly, I can still recognize these characters.” It was a lot more convenient since the original host also recognized a few words.

Little Shitou nodded and said, “Second Sister, when learning to read, you were the fastest learner among the three of us! Younger Uncle said you probably have excellent retentive memory. If you were a boy, our family would definitely send you to study at the academy.”

Xiaocao noticed his envious tone, so she caressed his little head and said, “Our Little Shitou is also very smart. You’re only five, but you can already recognize so many words. Don’t worry, your older sister has money. I’ll send you to study at the academy next year. It will be the same if you come back to teach me after you learn how to read.”

Little Shitou recalled that the rich young master gave his second sister an ingot, which should be enough for a year’s tuition. The little fellow smiled even more brightly since there was hope that he could go study.

Zhao Han, who was silently walking behind the siblings and protecting them, was surprised to see Yu Xiaocao entering the pharmacy, “Xiaocao, are you not feeling well? If you’re sick, you must go treat it. You mustn’t delay it and don’t be afraid of spending money…”

‘You’re the one who’s sick!’ However, Yu Xiaocao was somewhat doubtful of the medical skills of the village’s barefoot doctor, Doctor You. When she transmigrated into this body, it was already in such a dire state. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be any lingering effects from her past illnesses. She should let the doctor in town take her pulse, so she could either treat her illness or be at ease.

[1] "Vanka" - 1886 short story by Anton Chekhov

Chapter 34 - Study Medicine

Tongren Medicine Hall was the largest and most popular pharmacy in town. Allegedly, the pharmacy’s Doctor Sun was born in a family of imperial physicians from the previous dynasty and had high medical skills. Even noblemen from the capital came to see him for medical examination.

As soon as Yu Xiaocao went in, she saw a sage-like old doctor with white hair and beard. At this time, he was carefully taking a patient’s pulse.

[Spiritual energy! There’s so much spiritual energy!] Little Divine Stone hurriedly rushed towards the rows of medicine cabinets and clung onto the cabinet with the strongest energy.

“Little girl, where are you feeling unwell?” After the old physician prescribed a prescription for the patient and instructed his young student to gather the medication, he finally had time to greet Yu Xiaocao.

Little Shitou was somewhat nervous as he replied, “Old grandpa, my second sister injured her head three months ago and nearly died. When she woke up, she couldn’t remember a lot of things. Old grandpa, can you please take a look at my second sister?”

Seeing that the young boy was good-looking and polite, Old Doctor Sun replied with a pleasant smile, “Sit down and let me, this old man, check your pulse.”

Yu Xiaocao’s previous health condition was indeed worrying. She had gotten seriously ill shortly after her birth. At that time, her young life was saved with the help of Doctor Sun, but he had also asserted that Xiaocao might not be able to live past the age of ten without careful nursing.

However, with the daily nourishment of the mystic-stone water, the lingering illnesses within Xiaocao’s body had already been cleared. Thus, apart from a lack of exercise, there was nothing wrong with her body and she was a lot healthier than before.

Old Doctor Sun was a former imperial physician after all, so after he took her pulse and examined the wound on her head, he said, “You were born with a weak constitution, but an expert had nurtured your health with effective medicine. Your body is very healthy, but you need to be more physically active. Don’t stay indoors all day.”

“As for your memory loss, this old man had seen a similar case in the past. You probably have a blood clot in your brain due to the fall and the blood clot might be pressing down on a nerve. However, based on your pulse, it doesn’t seem like you have any major problems. The blood clot should disperse over time and you will gradually recover your memories.”

Zhao Han became nervous when he heard that there was a blood clot, “Old doctor, is there any medicine to accelerate the dispersion of the blood clot?”

Old Doctor Sun looked at the siblings’ shabby clothes and shook his head with a smile, “All medicines are partially poisonous. It better not to take medication when you don’t need it!”

Moreover, that medicine was quite expensive. If it was only taken for a short period of time, then it wouldn’t be effective. However, it wasn’t affordable for people like this little girl’s family when taken for an extended period of time. Anyways, there wasn’t any major problems. This little girl was still so young, so what’s wrong with not remembering the past?

Yu Xiaocao could also somewhat guess the old physician’s thoughts, so she gratefully said, “Old grandpa, thank you so much! With your words, my family and I can be at ease now. How much should we pay for the check-up?”

“I didn’t prescribe any medication, so you don’t need to pay for the medical fee. Little girl, can you tell me who’s the expert who nurtured your health?” Old Doctor Sun had an inevitable sense of appreciation for such a highly skilled medical expert.

Hearing that his second sister was fine, Little Shitou’s heart finally relaxed and he became lively again, “Old grandpa, my second sister’s health have always been looked after by Doctor You of Dongshan Village. He has excellent medical skills. My second sister had such a big and bloody wound on her head, but it was cured in a few days after using Grandpa You’s medicine!”

“Dongshan Village? You Yong?” Doctor Sun couldn’t help shaking his head and laughing. You Yong was a folk practitioner who had studied medicine under him for a while. Thus, he knew better than anyone else about the level of You Yong’s medical skills. He absolutely wouldn’t believe that You Yong could cure fetal diseases with his feeble medical skills.

However, he knew propriety. If they didn’t want to tell him, what’s the point in forcing them?

Little Divine Stone finished absorbing the strongest source of energy and burped in satisfaction. Yet, it was insatiable and wanted to absorb more energy. No matter how tiny a mosquito was, it still had meat. At least, energy absorption was a much easier method to improve its powers than bathing.

Yu Xiaocao’s mouth twitched as she watched it going from the ‘ginseng’ cabinet to the ‘lingzhi’ cabinet. Oh my god! The old physician was such a benevolent and skillful doctor. If he lost some precious medicinal herbs because of her, then she would seriously be a vicious and ungrateful person.

Yu Xiaocao sternly stopped the little divine stone’s action, thanked the old doctor several times, and then she hurried out of the pharmacy with her younger brother.

[Is your butt on fire? Can’t you wait until I’m done absorbing the spiritual energy before leaving?] The little divine stone was annoyed right now. If it could take a physical form, it would definitely scratch her with its claws. Its precious spiritual energy. The restoration of its powers…

Yu Xiaocao had a calm appearance as she communicated with the unreasonable little fellow in her mind, [How are you still in the right when you’re destroying other people’s medicinal herbs?]

[How am I tarnishing other people’s medicinal herbs? Ignorant and stupid human! Did you think the herbs will become useless after I absorb its energy? Absurd! The spiritual energy that I, this Divine Stone, consume can’t be used by weak human beings like you. It’s a waste to keep it anyways!] The little celestial stone shifted into its poisonous tongue mode.

[If you don’t shut up, I’m not going to bring you to the pharmacy again!] As its master, she definitely had her own ways to control it. So easy!

The little celestial stone was briefly stunned, but it was able to adapt to different circumstances and began acting cute, [Master, you’re such a great master! An almighty master! You’re even more remarkable than the Goddess of Spirits and more powerful than the Jade Emperor…]

[Stop, stop! Stop with your nonsense! Can’t you speak like a normal person? How can you be someone’s pet when you don’t even know how to flatter people?] Yu Xiaocao acted in an extremely arrogant manner.

‘Pet? You’re a pet, your whole family are pets!’ Little Divine Stone pouted and muttered, [Pat a horse’s butt [1]? The horse’s butt is so dirty and smelly. Why would I pat it…]

Yu Xiaocao quietly bickered with the little divine stone along the way and quickly arrived at the place where they agreed to meet Old Zhang.

Old Zhang had already delivered the firewood that was on his ox cart and was waiting for them there. Yu Xiaocao greeted him sweetly and handed him a bag of pastries, “Grandpa Zhang, we were lucky to have encountered you. Otherwise, I don’t know if I can make it to town with these legs of mine. This is a little present from us. Please accept it.”

Although the small bag of snacks wasn’t very expensive, Old Zhang knew he wouldn’t be able to afford it even after selling a cart of firewood. It wasn’t easy for the child to make some money, so he firmly refused her offer,

“Why would an old man like me eat pastries? You siblings should enjoy it yourselves. Cao’er, do you still need to take medication now? After drinking the bitter medicine, you can eat a piece and change the taste in your mouth!”

The ox cart rocked as it started to move. Yu Xiaocao didn’t take the pastries that Old Zhang handed back and pointed at the other bag within her younger brother’s hand, “Grandpa Zhang, I have stopped taking medication a long time ago. Look, we have some more! You can take it back for your grandson to eat!”

After declining for a while, Old Zhang helplessly accepted the bag of pastries. ‘Old Liu had a great granddaughter! She was clever and generous. May the heavens be fair and let this child live a long life.’

“Cao’er, Grandpa Zhang delivers firewood to town every two days. If you want to go to town, then wait at the intersection. I usually set off after eating breakfast.”

She got a free ride in exchange for a bag of crude pastries. What a great bargain!

After bidding farewell to Old Zhang, they continued to walk for quite a distance. The sky was already dark when the three of them arrived at the entrance of the village.

There wasn’t much entertainment for people during ancient times. They usually began work at sunrise and rested at sunset. Thus, there weren’t many villagers in sight at this time.

“The person in front looks like Doctor You.” Zhao Han had a keen eyesight and recognized the dark figure in the distance.

They quickly walked forward and Yu Xiaocao warmly greeted her savior, “Grandpa You, where are you coming from?”

“Oh, Xiaocao! Did you guys just return from the town?” Doctor You looked kindly at the sister and brother pair, and then happily replied, “I just came down from the mountain.”

Zhao Han replied, “Doctor You, why are you so late today? Didn’t I warn you already? There’s a lot of wild beasts in the mountain, so it’s dangerous at night.”

“Today, I was delayed while trying to find an herb. It won’t happen again.” Doctor You was rather polite when he spoke to Zhao Han.

“Grandpa You, you can just tell us what kind of herbs you need! We often go set traps in the mountain with Brother Han. We can pick them up for you if we see them!” Little Shitou cleverly suggested.

Doctor You stroked his beard and laughed, “Can you recognize the herbs, little man? Don’t come back with weeds.”

“I don’t recognize them, but Grandpa You can teach us! Second Sister says that I’m very smart. I can already recognize over two hundred words!” Little Shitou lifted his chest in a confident manner.

Yu Xiaocao thought of the mystic-stone water when she heard Shitou’s suggestion. She might be able to openly help the people she cared about through this method. After a moment of deliberation, she said, “Grandpa You, can I study medicine with you?”

Doctor You had watched as Xiaocao grew up and was even more attentive to this little girl than his own grandchildren. Within his heart, Yu Xiaocao was just like his own granddaughter, so he swiftly agreed without any hesitation, “Alright! As long as you don’t think it’s boring, you can start by learning to identify the herbs!”

Although he boasted about being a disciple of Tongren Medicine Hall’s Doctor Sun, he had only learned the basic skills. Medical knowledge that was passed down from the ancestors would only be taught to sons and not daughters, let alone an outsider.

Thus, Doctor You had only learned the most basic and common medical knowledge. There wasn’t anything worth hiding from others. If someone wanted to learn from him, he wouldn’t be stingy with his teachings.

Yu Xiaocao and her younger brother were concerned about the foolish roe deer. After they bid farewell to Doctor You, they went to Zhao Han’s house first. Auntie Zhao, who was elegant and graceful, had already stir-fried the hazelnuts. She filled the front cloth of siblings’ jacket with hazelnuts and said, “Eat some first. If you bring too much back, who knows who it will actually benefit! Auntie has a lot more, so come back tomorrow if you want to eat more!”

Yu Xiaocao loudly agreed. In her heart, Auntie Zhao’s family was a lot more important than some so-called relatives. It naturally wasn’t necessary to be overly courteous to her own people.

Yu Xiaocao held the hazelnuts with one hand, while she placed a hazelnut in her mouth. She cracked open the shell and happily ate the delicious hazelnut. From time to time, she would stuff the hazelnut into her younger brother’s mouth after she cracked open the shell.

As for that foolish little roe deer, they didn’t need to be concerned about it at all. They just needed to sprinkle a little mystic-stone water on their pants and the little guy would follow them closely. It was even more obedient than Little Shitou.

“Cao’er! Shitou! Why were you guys out playing until this late and just coming back? You kids haven’t eaten dinner yet, right?” In a distance, a tall figure appeared on the path leading to their home. Their father had actually arrived home earlier than them. He was quite a fast walker!

[1] 拍马屁 - bootlicking, flattering someone; lit. pat a horse’s butt

Chapter 35 - Adorable Pet

Yu Xiaocao gleefully rushed forward. Her father stooped over and lifted her up in his arms. She sheepishly pushed a hazelnut into his mouth and grinned, “Father, I learned how to set traps! I even caught a giant wild hare in one of my traps! And it was still alive!”

Yu Hai didn’t stint on his praise. “Our Cao’er is really capable. In the future, Father will just wait to eat the hares that you catch.”

“Father, Father! We also caught a small roe deer! Look, it even follows us around without being lead. It’s really obedient!” Shitou said sweetly. The little boy pulled on his father’s trousers with one hand as he pointed at the dumb little roe deer that was running around him.

Yu Hai dropped his head to take a closer look at the small animal on the ground. Earlier, it was too dark for him to see clearly, so he had thought the creature was some other family’s dog that came along. He had never thought that this was actually a baby roe deer.

Yu Hai set his daughter down and bent down to look at the roe deer. The little fellow’s large dark eyes were wide open and confused. It glanced at his daughter and even started to rub its head on his daughter’s legs...hey!

He had never seen a roe deer that wasn’t afraid of humans before. Was it really because it had lost its mother and thought that his children were the same species as it? Dumb roe deer, dumb roe deer. Since it had ‘dumb’ in its name, it really couldn’t be very smart.

“Cao’er, did you catch it or did Zhao Han catch it? We should never try to take advantage of others!” Yu Hai was very grateful to Zhao Bufan, who was also known as Older Brother Zhao, for taking him under his wing. Most of his hunting skills were learned from his good friend, so he was apprehensive that his youngest daughter was being unreasonable and was just asking other people for things.

Yu Xiaocao laughed as she shook her head. “I had just learned how to set traps today, so it was only beginner’s luck that I managed to catch a wild hare today. This little roe deer is actually Brother Han’s. We’re helping him raise it for a couple of days! After a while, we’ll send it back to him.”

Yu Hai nodded his head in approval. “That’s right, after playing with it for a few days, you should send it back. I’m not sure if this creature is easy to take care of or not, but you guys need to be careful. Don’t let it die on your watch! If you two siblings really end up liking it, Father will trade some game tomorrow with the Zhao family to get it for you. You should never ask for someone else’s stuff without offering something in return. Do you two get that?”

“Don’t worry, Father!” Yu Xiaocao took a couple of hazelnuts from her bag and handed it to her father. “Try some! We found some earlier in the forest and Auntie Zhao sauteed them for us. They’re really tasty!”

Seeing that his youngest son had a couple of hazelnuts falling out of his pockets, Yu Hai hastily bent down to pick them up and asked, “Did you two spend the entire day at Uncle Zhao’s house? You didn’t make any trouble for them, did you?”

“We went into town. Look! Second Sister bought me some pastries!!” Little Shitou had long forgotten his promise to his second sister and sold her out to their father.

Yu Hai’s slowly frowned as he first looked at the pastries wrapped in oil paper and then his daughter. Where did they get the money to buy these pastries? Was it really the money left over from selling the abalone?

“Father, Brother Han trapped a lot of game today so he went into town to sell them. Since we had nothing better to do, we followed him. I also caught a hare today so I sold it. I got about a hundred copper coins for it, so I also bought some candy and snacks. This is what’s leftover!” Yu Xiaocao naturally didn’t reveal her larger stash of coins. Instead, she fished a small string of copper coins, about fifty to sixty coins worth, to show her father.

As Yu Hai lead his two children back towards the family residence, he continued to lecture, “You three kids are all daredevils! The oldest one among you is only twelve to thirteen years old and you all dared to go into town. What if some kidnapper got to you guys? In the future, if you want to go into town, wait until Father goes to sell game too. If either of you get tired, I can carry you for a bit.”  “We aren’t tired! Grandpa Zhang from Xishan Village came by with an ox cart and we sat on it. Second Sister even gifted him a bag of snacks!” Little Shitou couldn’t help but be a little obsessed over that bag of pastries.

“Your second sister did the right thing. When someone else helps us, we need to give something in return. If we only want to take advantage of others, who will help us in the future when we’re really in a bind?” Yu Hai began to instruct his children.

Before long, the three of them entered their family courtyard. At this point, the sky had turned completely dark. Autumn nights in the north tended to be on the chillier side. The rest of the Yu Family, other than the second branch, had long retired to their own rooms to rest. The east-sided room was the only one that had a faint glimmer of light still shining.

“Cao’er and Shitou, you two must be hungry. Your father kept a steamed roll behind. Mother can heat it up for you on the small mud stove and then the two of you can share it!” The advantages of having a mild-mannered mother in this life were suddenly apparent. Her previous mother, in her old life, would also heat up leftover food for her if she got home late from playing outside. However, the food also came with a serving of scoldings as well.

Little Shitou carefully peeked his head out of the room before quickly closing the door. He opened up the bag of pastries and started to divide the snacks out to everyone. Although the little boy loved eating sweet and soft pastries, he didn’t have the habit of enjoying them alone.

The packet made of oiled paper had six pieces, so he gave everyone at home a piece each. He stared at the remaining piece for some time, hesitating, before he finally said, “This piece will be saved for Older Brother.”

Yu Hai and his wife’s expressions noticeably dimmed after hearing Shitou. The room sank into an awkward silence. After quite a while, Yu Hai finally sighed and said, “Don’t save it. We don’t know when your older brother will be able to come back, and these snacks can’t sit out for too long. The three of you should split the piece and eat it instead. Next time when Father goes into town, I’ll buy some more for your brother to eat.”

Yu Xiaocao thought of how exhausted and weak her older brother looked when she saw him earlier. Her heart ached and she quietly said, “Father, let’s bring Older Brother back, okay? He’s not as comfortable there as he is at home, right?”

“I also want to bring your older brother home, but…” After they brought him home, what then? There would be fight waiting for them if they did that.

Yu Xiaolian snarled furiously, “Our grandmother and Eldest Aunt always think we’re a bunch of parasites! But we’re not eating from their bowls! Every piece of game that Father sells is enough to feed us for several months!”

Xiaocao sat heavily on the kang bed and mumbled, “If we could split off from our family, that would solve the problem!”

Xiaolian’s eyes lit up before they quickly dimmed again. She shook her head and said, “Our grandmother would never agree! She’s counting on our father’s money making abilities to pay for Younger Uncle’s schooling fees…”

“What are you two saying? The family does not split as long the parents are alive! Your grandfather and grandmother are both still here! Talking about dividing from the family is asking for others to gossip behind our backs. Never talk about stuff like this outside!” After baking the steamed roll until it was crisp on the edges, Madam Liu split open the bun and added some salted vegetables to it. She then handed the food to Xiaocao and her brother.

Madam Liu put her piece of the pastry back into the oiled paper bag as she wanted to leave it for her children to eat tomorrow. However, when her attention was caught elsewhere, Xiaocao popped the piece into her mouth.

Creeeeeek——

The sound of the wooden door opening abruptly stalled the festive atmosphere in the room. Madam Liu hastily swallowed the pastry in her mouth and her hands flew to her face in a fruitless effort to wipe off any crumbs without being conspicuous.

All five pairs of eyes immediately looked over towards the door. Although there was a crack, they couldn’t see anyone there. When they gazed down, they found a pair of large ears poking up from a small head that inquisitively stretched in to inspect the room.

When the limpid and dark eyes found Yu Xiaocao, the slender and delicate animal completely stepped into the room. It shimmied towards Xiaocao and used its head to nudge at her ankle, as if it was a puppy asking for a bone to eat.

“Wow! So cute!!” Yu Xiaolian thought her heart was about the burst as she bent down to pick up the little creature in her arms. One hand caressed the animal’s head as she snuggled her face into its soft fur coat.

“That young fella, Zhao Han, caught it! Little Shitou really liked it, so he let him bring it back to let him play and raise it for a couple of days. The little critter must be hungry, otherwise, it wouldn’t have stepped into the room.” Yu Hai explained on behalf of his youngest daughter and son.

Yu Xiaolian hugged the roe deer tightly, which was no larger than a month old puppy, and seemed reluctant to let it go. “The courtyard still has some fishwort I gathered today. Let me get some to feed it! This little creature is so obedient and doesn’t seem to be afraid of humans at all!”   Unfortunately, she misjudged. When Xiaolian got back after picking out the freshest and most tender fishwort from the bunch, the little roe deer only sniffed it for a bit before it turned its head away arrogantly. Its eyes looked pitifully at Xiaocao and it started to struggle to get back on the ground.

Xiaolian was afraid of dropping the animal, so she placed it back down. She waved the wild grasses in front of it but the roe deer ignored her completely. It was only focused on achieving its goal, which was to get closer to Xiaocao.

Xiaolian sighed in disappointment, “It only likes younger sister! It must be because younger sister was the one who brought it back!”

Yu Xiaocao took the handful of grass from her hands and teased, “The little roe deer probably likes cleanliness and rejected Xiaolian because it thinks this fishwort is too dirty to eat right now!”

She took out the jar that held the mystic-stone water and washed the grass in it. She then offered the fishwort to the roe deer again and the little creature acted completely different. This time, it rushed over and ate the grass in large mouthfuls.

“It really is a roe deer that likes to be clean!” Little Shitou giggled until he started to hiccup. He also grabbed a bunch of fishwort and rinsed it in the water. After it finished eating the food in Xiaocao’s hands, the roe deer smelled more of that delicious stuff that was more tantalizing than a mother’s milk and skipped over to Shitou. It also started eating the fishwort in Shitou’s hands.

Xiaolian learned from her siblings’ examples and used the rest of the mystic-stone water to wash the remaining fishwort. Yu Xiaocao felt a bit forlorn as she watched: ‘This spendthrift girl used two full bowls of mystic-stone water. That was seriously something very valuable!’

Ever since she had access to mystic-stone water, Xiaocao would always give everyone in her family a bowl to drink. The effects were naturally astounding. First, let’s not discuss the effects on her own body. Her mother, Madam Liu, also had a weak constitution. After drinking mystic-stone water for a full two months, her body had improved immensely even though it still looked very thin. Madam Liu recently got soaked with some fall rain. Had this had happened before the mystic-stone water, she would have had a great illness. This time, however, she only needed a bowl of ginger soup to strengthen her body and didn’t even get a sniffle.

Yu Hai also mentioned that he had recently become more strong. In the past, when he used to bring game that weighed about a hundred catties down from the mountain to the town, he would be so exhausted from the effort he needed to rest on the kang bed for hours. Now? It was as if he did nothing strenuous. In fact, he could add a thirty to fifty catties more to his load without any problem.

Thinking of all the benefits, Yu Xiaocao silently held the empty jar and went to the kitchen to fill it completely with water that had been previously boiled. She carefully took the five colored stone from her wrist and let the rock sink into the jar. The spirit of the divine stone came out of the multi-colored stone and swam leisurely in the water.

If the rest of the occupants of the room could see this now, they would all be stunned speechless. Why would there be a golden colored kitten in their water pitcher? Moreover, it was constantly flailing in the water, as if it was almost drowning.

The little divine stone muttered resentfully. [Protest, protest! There’s not enough spiritual energy here! Not having ginseng is one thing, but who wants crappy well water? This spirit wants spring water from the bamboo forest in the mountains!]  “Can you just be content with your situation? Mystic-stone water is really useful for us, and ultimately, won’t you also benefit? If you continue to make a racket, I’ll just throw you into that little creek and never pick you up again!” As Yu Xiaocao fed the little roe deer, she also mentally threatened the arrogant divine stone.

Chapter 36 - Natural Gift

Although the mountain creek also contained spiritual energy, using it didn’t have the added benefit of aiding its master. To put it into perspective, absorbing ten days worth of energy from the creek did not give itself as much benefit as it received from creating one pitcher of mystic-stone water for its master.

A weak, little human had actually had its fate in her hands! ‘Just you wait, once this divine stone breaks free of its restrictions, don’t even think about trying to threaten me again! That’s when you will beg me for help!’ The little divine stone’s spiritual form thrashed harder in the water out of rage.

Yu Xiaocao ignored its antics. Other than her, no one else could see the divine stone’s spiritual form, so it didn’t matter. Instead, she and her siblings fed their family’s new favorite, the little roe deer, until it was full.

“Second Sister, it’s cold at night now. Tiny is really too small, what if it froze to death?”   Little Shitou squatted down with his arms around the newly named roe deer and was clearly reluctant to let go of the animal. Both of them had clear, dark eyes that looked adorably at Yu Xiaocao.

Yu Hai pinched the fattier part of his son’s face and grinned, “If it’s not sleeping outside, do you plan on giving your blanket to it?”

“I’ll hug Tiny to sleep. It’s not as if it takes up a lot of space.” Little Shitou pouted as he tried his best to think of something to convince everyone else in the room.

Although Xiaolian also really liked the cute and clever roe deer, she did not think having the animal indoors was a good idea. “I don’t want it to sleep on our kang bed. What if it pooped in the middle of the night? Then mother would have to wash the sheets tomorrow.”

Yu Xiaocao also didn’t want to raise the roe deer indoors. The animal would start leaving its distinctive odor in the room if it spent a long time inside. However, she was more concerned about leaving it in the courtyard overnight. It was possible that other members of the family might decide to kill it to make some meat stew. Even though the animal didn’t have much meat on it, the soup would still taste very good.

She went outside, gathered some soft straw, and made a small nest next to the corner near the door for the little animal. She tapped the roe deer’s wet little nose and said solemnly, “Tiny, if you need to go potty, go outside. If you make a mess in the room, I’ll roast you over a fire to eat!”

Tiny gazed trustingly at her and even licked the finger she was using to point at it. It acted as if it truly understood what she was saying.

Little Shitou was at a loss for words and let out an adult-sounding sigh, “Tiny was caught by Second Sister, so it’s closest to her.”

Yu Xiaocao pinched his nose and smiled, “The next time something good like this happens, I’ll make sure you go first.”

Hearing that, Little Shitou became happy and jumped up in glee, “Okay, okay! We should bring back another roe deer to give Tiny some company!”

Whether the creature understood Yu Xiaocao’s threats or whether it was because it gained some brains from the mystic-stone water, it was hard to say. However, the little roe deer, who wasn’t more than a month old, had never had an accident in the west room since it started living there. Even if someone accidentally shut the door, it held its waste until someone came to let it out. Only then would it scramble outside quickly to relieve itself.

In addition, the animal never acquired the wild and gamey smell of a wild roe deer. Even in the height of summer it still smelled fresh and sweet. Yu Xiaocao and her siblings all loved and cherished Tiny. Even Madam Liu said that this was a special roe deer that could understand what humans said to it.

Ever since Yu Xiaocao became interested in learning medicine from Doctor You, she relentlessly pursued that goal. In the following days, she became quite busy.

Every morning, she got up early from bed and went to join Zhao Han. The two of them would divide up the areas for trapping and then head their separate ways to set their traps. With the help of the mystic-stone water as bait, she never left the forest empty-handed after walking around the forest once.

In fact, she usually ended up with twice the haul as a regular person got from traps. Sometimes, she would take the two hour walk with Zhao Han to go into town to sell her game. Other times she would ask Uncle Zhao to help her sell her game when he went into town.

Luckily, Zhenxiu Restaurant was becoming more and more popular with every passing day. They had hired a new chef in charge of preparing wild game, and his specialty was roasting and cooking meat. Their need for fresh, wild game slowly increased, so Yu Xiaocao and Zhao Han never had to worry about where to sell their live game.

Sometimes, they would catch too much game by accident. However, even without Yu Xiaocao there herself, Zhenxiu Restaurant still preferred their game over game caught by other hunters. After all, newly slaughtered meat had a better flavor and texture compared to meat that was not freshly harvested.

In the afternoons, Yu Xiaocao often would go to Doctor You’s home to learn how to identify herbal medications. She wasn’t sure whether it was because she had the mystic-stone water helping her or whether she had a good memory, but, to her, learning these medications was as easy as pie for her. Everything she learned was retained perfectly.

Originally, Doctor You did not have any expectations for her but after seeing her talent in this area, he began to cherish her abilities. In fact, she had basically become his disciple in all but name, and he instructed her personally. Whenever he needed to go up into the mountains to gather medicinal plants, he never forgot to bring her along. From time to time, he would test her while in the forest to see her abilities in identifying plants.

Gradually, Doctor You realized that all the herbs he recognized, Yu Xiaocao had also memorized completely. He started to teach her on how to utilize these plants as medications.

Hence, Yu Xiaocao distinctly started to feel that she didn’t have enough time anymore. Oftentimes, she went with Doctor You at the crack of dawn to gather medicinal plants in the mountain, so she naturally didn’t have enough time to set traps to catch wild hares anymore.

From her standpoint, money could be earned at anytime. However, the earlier she gained a practical knowledge of herbal medicines and treating illnesses, the better it would be for her. She thought that she had talent in this area. Maybe in the future she could even become a female doctor!

Thus, Yu Xiaocao began to spend more time with Grandpa You than she did with her own family. Doctor You had lived alone for thirty years after settling in Dongshan Village. He had been so obsessed with learning and practicing medicine that he never ended up marrying a wife and been a solitary bachelor for all his life.

Although Yu Xiaocao was still a little girl physically, mentally she had the thought processes of an adult. With someone like her by his side, You Yong discovered that his days had become more interesting lately. In the past, whenever he started to research a new medicinal, he often lost track of time. Skipping meals was a common pastime for him.

Now, he had a helper at his side. Even if he didn’t remember to eat, she still needed to eat! When he was lost in his thoughts, she would sensibly start cooking some food and place it in front of him. The smell of delicious food would entice him to snap out of his thoughts.

He had never thought he had a dormant foodie within him. However, the little girl’s culinary skills were surprisingly good. Even simple ingredients like leafy green vegetables and daikon could be transformed by her into several different types of delicious dishes.

The little girl was seriously too clever. She not only learned the medical knowledge he taught with ease but also could make connections and point out something that would lead him into a breakthrough. After studying for just a month, the little girl could independently prescribe some simple prescriptions without any problems.

At this point, Doctor You had already regarded Xiaocao as his official disciple and taught her accordingly. When he went out to practice medicine, he always brought his little apprentice along. As time passed, most of the nearby villages all knew that Doctor You had accepted a little girl as his disciple. And she was treasured beyond expectations.

By the time Yu Xiaocao felt that she could accurately diagnose and treat the common illnesses on her own, her teacher, Doctor You, had left behind a letter for her and hastily left Dongshan Village on a short notice.

In the letter, he explained that he had heard that there was information about his long lost relatives who had been separated from him during the chaotic warring times. He needed to travel afar. However, he repeatedly warned Yu Xiaocao that she should not let her natural talent for medicine to go to waste. She needed to continue to review the material on a daily basis. If there was anyone near her who had gotten mildly sick, she could extend a helping hand towards them. Of course, if they refused her help, there was no need to force them.

Yu Xiaocao had finally been released from her busy duties. However, she continued to go to Grandpa You’s house every couple of days to help him tidy up his rooms and to nurture his herbs. She even attempted to compound some medicines used to treat external wounds, such as the ones used to slow and stop bleeding. Medications that had been sprinkled with mystic-stone water were much more potent than the ones that even Doctor You made! However, not many people were brave enough to use the medications that she had prescribed.

It wasn’t surprising as outwardly she was still a small kid who hadn’t even reached the age of nine. The truly odd scenario would have been if the villagers actually believed that she could treat illnesses. Thus, she only switched out the wound balm that her father normally carried when he went hunting with a wound balm she made on her own. Little did she know that her swap would later end up saving her father's life...

That day, the always busy Yu Xiaocao who now had free time, turned to speak to Little Shitou who was in the courtyard feeding Tiny. “Little brother, isn’t this about the time our father got back from fishing today?”

Little Shitou didn’t even raise his head as he replied, “Still too early! Second Sister, you’ve been so busy outside of home lately that you don’t even remember what time our father normally gets back. After he catches fish, he still needs to first go to the docks on land, then unload the fish from the boat and give them to someone. Sometimes, if he has a lot leftover, he even needs to go to the fish market on the wharf and sell the extra off.”

The docks? Her eyes lit up and her mouth curved up into a toothy grin, as if she was the wolf trying to lure a little bunny rabbit into a trap. “Shitou, do you want to go to look at the docks? I heard there are a lot of shops there that sell almost everything! Good food, fun things…”

“Second Sister, you want to go? If you go, I’ll go. However, should we also bring Tiny with us?” Little Shitou was very protective of the little pet. The roe deer went wherever he went.

However, there was a reason for his paranoia. The pitiful little roe deer, who didn’t have much meat on its bones, had almost been killed by Madam Li and Yu Heizi. The two of them had anchored the animal down to the ground with a butcher’s knife in their hands. Had Little Shitou and Xiaolian not arrived in time, Tiny would have been fated to become the main dish to the meal.

Afterwards, Zhao Han took Yu Heizi aside and taught him a small lesson that 'Tiny' was a pet that he had lent to Shitou to play with. If he ever found out that Heizi still wanted to eat the little roe deer, he would knock out all of his teeth!

Hunter Zhao’s family was relatively well-known in Dongshan Village. It was said that some years ago, during a particularly harsh winter, a starving wolf pack had entered the village. The wolves not only stole many chickens, but also hurt some people. Just as the crisis seemed to escalate, the entire Zhao Family went into battle with the creatures. Even the outwardly gentle and elegant Auntie Zhao bent a bow and shot some arrows. The more than dozen wolves were not a match for them.

Although the four members of the Zhao Family had become heroes to most of the villagers, there were some who felt alienated by their actions. After all, no one liked having their deficiencies being pointed out by the deeds of others!

After Yu Heizi’s 'small lesson', he came back home with a bloody nose and black eyes. Even Madam Li, who often liked to make mountains out of molehills, could only throw a tantrum within the courtyard walls as she was too scared of the Zhao Family to cause any large waves. With Heizi as an 'example', the rest of the Yu Family who were not from the second branch no longer dared to steal the little roe deer anymore.

Despite that, Little Shitou still didn’t feel safe leaving the roe deer alone. The sight of Yu Heizi holding a cleaver over a helpless Tiny had engraved itself into his mind. Wherever he went, Shitou would always bring the little roe deer along with him.

Dongshan Village now had an oddity to see: a little boy walking in the front and a tiny roe deer blindly following him from behind. Anyone who saw the unlikely pair couldn’t help but let out a knowing smile...

Chapter 37 - The Docks

They were going just as she planned! Yu Xiaocao fished some money from her hidden stash of cash. After thinking for a bit, she also took out a string of copper coins and put it into her chest pocket. Winter came early to the north, so there was already a chilly nip in the air. Many people had already put on their thick winter coats. Therefore, no one could tell that Yu Xiaocao had about a hundred copper coins hidden on her.

Yu Xiaocao gleefully skipped down the road as she carried a large basket. The equally excited Little Shitou followed her as they went in the direction towards the docks. Although the docks were closer to Dongshan Village compared to the town, it was still about an hour’s walk away. Since Yu Xiaocao was in a good mood, she didn’t feel too tired by the time she got there.   They had arrived at the busiest time at the pier. The fisherman who went out to sea had just come back with their loads. The southwest corner of the wharf had naturally become a fish market.

The stewards in charge of purchasing from large manors were all there early so that they could pick out their master’s favorite fish and seafood. In addition, the buyers from the restaurants, taverns, and small eating houses were also waiting there for the fresh catch of the day.

On the docks were a couple of cargo ships that had just gotten to shore. The dock workers under the direction of a foreman were steadily loading cargo from the ships onto some carts. The sounds of hawkers, shouts, and work chants filled the air...altogether, the various noises wove together into the distinctive noise of a busy wharf.

Under the rich and dense atmosphere of the pier, Xiaocao could feel herself immersing into these new surroundings.

“Second Sister, over there is where they sell snacks. I came once with father before and he bought me a giant steamed bun made with white flour. Buns made with white flour are seriously too tasty!”

The little foodie, Little Shitou, pointed at a road on the outskirts of the docks. A couple of crude shacks were built alongside the street and puffs of warm air came with the morning wind that blew from there.

The fishermen and dock workers probably brought along some dried goods with them to eat. However, in the chill of the early morning, it was still necessary to drink a bowl of hot soup to warm the body up.

Where there’s demand, there’s a market. Under the low ceiling of the shacks were people selling porridge and hot noodle soup. Others had stoves with steaming baskets full of steamed rolls and stuffed buns to sell. There were even some farmers, who didn't have work to do on the fields in the slack season, with baskets full of the dishes or pickled vegetables from the farms to sell.

Schemes began to form in Xiaocao’s mind. With her culinary talent in braised dishes from her past life, it would be easier for her to obtain a good living here. Unfortunately, the people here all gossiped and talked. Once her grandmother found out, even the capital money used here would be taken from her completely…

“Is that Xiaolian...or is it Xiaocao?” Xiaocao didn’t think she would meet someone she knew here at the docks. She twisted her head around and saw an unfamiliar face.

The swarthy youth in front of her looked to be about fifteen to sixteen years of age and had a tall and broad figure. His large eyes were set under a pair of thick eyebrows, and his face looked oddly familiar...who...who was this?  Little Shitou, who was standing next to her, answered her unspoken question. “Eldest Cousin, why are you here? Did you come with Eldest Aunt [1]?”

Ah, so it was Second Uncle’s son, the fourteen year old Liu Zhiwei. Although this fellow was only fourteen years old, he looked very strong and sturdy. In terms of looks, he didn’t resemble either of his parents. Instead, he looked the most like Eldest Uncle.

Liu Zhiwei chuckled, “Yes, I came along with Eldest Aunt and also Eldest Uncle. I’m looking to see if I can find any work here at the docks… Eldest Uncle often comes here and is familiar with the foreman. He’s already unloading the cargo from the ships. They thought I was too young and didn’t want to hire me!”

The youth stated all of this with a face full of resentment. Although he was young in age, he still had plenty of strength. Usually he spent time with his father working the fields and had done a lot of work requiring brute strength. How dare they look down on him!

“Xiaocao, Shitou! Why are you two at the docks?” Eldest Aunt, Madam Han, gently asked as she came by with a basket on her arm.

The two siblings politely returned her greeting and called her ‘Eldest Aunt’. When Xiaocao had had her head accident and was in a coma for three days, her maternal grandmother, grandfather, uncles, and aunts all came over to visit her. They even brought over a hen and half a basket of eggs. Unfortunately, these goods had all been confiscated by Madam Zhang.

In Madam Zhang’s eyes, since Madam Liu had a sickly body and Yu Xiaocao was medicine guzzling fiend, the gifts brought by the Liu Family were not enough to make up for these two spendthrifts!

Xiaocao’s impression of her maternal family was quite good. She had learned from Xiaolian that Eldest Aunt was an honest and genuine person. From personal experience, this was true.

Right at this moment, the dock workers were about to go on break to rest and eat breakfast. After the foreman rang a bell, about a hundred or so workers, some with food in their hands, others without, started coming over to this area.

The hawkers selling breakfast foods immediately started advertising their wares enthusiastically, “Hot soup, hot soup for sale, steaming hot cabbage soup, radish soup…”

“Hot porridge, hot porridge! Warm and cheap, only 1 copper coin per bowl…”

“Noodle soup for sale! You there, young lad, come eat a bowl of noodle soup! I guarantee one bowl will fill you up completely…”

“Pickled and salted vegetables, very delicious! With one copper coin you can get enough for a few people to split! Good sir, buy some pickled vegetables to eat! In a moment, you’ll have enough strength to work again…”

Seeing the situation, Eldest Aunt hurriedly said, “Right now is the time to sell food. I need to start advertising now. You two probably haven’t eaten breakfast yet. Zhiwei, here’s five copper coins, go buy some steamed rolls and split them with your younger brother and younger sister.”

As she was speaking, a dockworker who smelled heavily of sweat came by. His head was beaded with perspiration. He turned towards Eldest Aunt and said, “Madam, can I have one copper coin’s worth of soybean paste with some salted vegetables on cooked dough?”

“Okay!” Eldest Aunt swiftly gave him a few pancakes and spread some soybean paste on them. The pickled vegetables had been finely cut and sautéed with lard. In exchange for the copper coin, the food wrapped in a piece of oiled paper and given to the man.

After receiving the wraps, the man started eating one in huge bites and said, “Madam, I gotta say, your soybean paste has the best flavor and the pickled vegetables are perfect, not too salty. After getting used to eating your food, other people’s food just doesn’t taste right!”

“Of course! Don’t you know who’s wife is this?” A tall, broad shouldered, middle-aged man came from behind and patted the other man’s shoulder. His handsome face was bright and his skin had a healthy bronzed tan. He flashed a grin that showed a mouth full of sparkling white teeth.

Little Shitou gleefully threw himself at the newcomer and hugged the man’s shins as he called out, “Eldest Uncle, it’s been such a long time since you last visited us. I missed you a lot!”

Liu Pei bent down to pull the little kid into his arms. He bounced Shitou in his arms for a bit to check his weight and looked with pleasant surprise at the boy’s now fleshed out face. “Did your family start giving you more food? Looks like you’ve grown quite a bit, little fella!”

“Nuh uh! Second Sister knows how to catch fish and trap rabbits. They taste so good when roasted! Next time I’ll give Eldest Uncle some too…” Had it been earlier, Shitou would have never exchanged meat to get closer to someone. Now that he could eat barbecued meat or stewed meat every couple of days (after bringing game to Auntie Zhao’s house and using her stove to cook the meat), he no longer felt that meat was a rare, precious thing to be hoarded.

Liu Pei examined Yu Xiaocao’s complexion and his smile deepened. “Xiaocao is really capable to be able to catch fish and rabbits! It gladdens my heart knowing you guys are doing better. That grandmother of yours doesn’t mind you using game for your own purposes?”

“What are you saying to the children?” Eldest Aunt glared at her husband. Xiaocao could tell that her business wasn’t going well. It wasn’t surprising as salted vegetables, cooked dough, and soybean paste were food that every family had. Those who brought food from home would bring the exact same fare, why would anyone spend money to buy more of the same thing?

Little Shitou giggled and said, “We cook the meat in the mountains and then give portions to the people in our immediate family. Grandmother has no clue.”

“Don’t forget to sneak some to your mother. Your mother has had a hard life lately!” Liu Pei felt bad regarding his only sister’s hardships as he was unable to help her as much as he would have liked.

At that time, his father should not have married his sister into a family with a stepmother. Where there was a stepmother, there would soon be a stepfather. At first it was still tolerable, but once the Yu Family’s third son left to go to school, even Old Yu’s feelings became biased.

“Yes! I have left chicken and rabbit legs for Mother. The legs have the most meat!” The little boy knew how to ingratiate himself with his elders.

After greeting her eldest uncle with her brother, Yu Xiaocao had stood at the side smiling silently. Only now did she chirp, “Shitou, quickly come down! You should let Eldest Uncle rest a bit and eat something.”

“Not a problem! How much can a five year old weigh anyway?” Despite his words, Liu Pei still let the little boy down. The foreman had told him earlier that in a moment they needed to load a high ranking official’s boat. They could not afford to be sloppy at this task.

The dock workers in the surrounding area ate as they discussed the official’s vessel. Yu Xiaocao had eavesdropped on their conversations and found out it was a seafaring ship that was owned by a royal prince from the capital. It had apparently travelled to far-flung places and found some new creatures.  From the idle gossip of the people around her, Yu Xiaocao found out that the current emperor had also like traveling by ship when he was still an imperial prince. All of the current large, ocean-faring ships were all purchased by the emperor as an imperial prince in his teens.

Prior to his ascension, Jianwen Emperor had travelled several times out to sea. He went to the Southern Seas, Western Seas, and to even further places. On one of his trips, he brought back the high-yielding crop, sweet potatoes, and some strange spices. Some other examples of new goods he brought back included: hot peppers so spicy that they caused a man’s mouth to swell, the fresh and crispy cucumber, and the refreshing and thirst-quenching watermelon.

Yu Xiaocao suddenly remembered that, in her previous life, the Ming Dynasty had also conducted several maritime voyages. However, the person who sailed on the West Seas was the Sanbao Eunuch, Zhang He, and not an imperial prince. Admiral Zhang He in her previous life had no connection whatsoever with Jianwen Emperor. Was it possible that the founding emperor and Jianwen Emperor had transmigrated into this life?

Ah! Transmigrating doesn’t come without risks and one must be cautious! In fact, many novels about political fighting and scheming often harped on this point. When there was more than one person who transmigrated over, they rarely worked together. Instead, they were often locked in a fight to the death! Since I’m ultimately a small fish in the sea, there’s no point in trying to fight with the emperor! It’s better to keep my head low and live a subdued life!

In the end, the two siblings didn’t allow their Eldest Aunt to buy them steamed buns. They both claimed that they had already eaten breakfast. They stayed on the docks, and, before long, an official came over to ask them to move. The royal prince had set out, so the idle and unnecessary personnel should give away.   The two siblings weren’t the only commoners who were shooed away. In fact, even the people peddling wares from baskets had been driven away from the docks. Only the merchants in the shacks were lucky enough to not have to leave.

Little Shitou whined that he wanted to see the royal prince. Against her sensibilities, Yu Xiaocao could only tightly hold onto his head and squirm through a spot between the people pushed away by the bailiff to find a place for them to see.

Within about fifteen minutes, the once raucous and noisy wharf had become quiet. A long line of horse carts, all piled with goods, appeared. There were so many wagons that they couldn’t see the end of the line. In front of the carts were a few haughty people dressed simply. All of them were riding horses, and they surrounded a young man clothed in expensive robes.

“Second Sister, is that older brother the royal prince?” Little Shitou’s voice wasn’t very loud. However, in the stark silence where even the sound of horse hooves was apparent, his voice sounded exceptionally clear.

[1] They are Xiaocao's maternal relatives.

Chapter 38 - The Royal Prince

Yu Xiaocao noticed that a couple of people in the nobly dressed group turned their heads to look in their direction and hastily covered her little brother’s mouth with her hand. Who knew what kind of tempers these old officials had? If they ended up clashing, they were the ones who would suffer.

Next to the robed youth was an extremely pale old man. The elderly man’s eyes flashed and he lowered his head to speak something to the young man. The youth pulled on the reins and turned to look in the distance towards where the two siblings were.

Now Yu Xiaocao could clearly make out the young man’s appearance. He had a pair of eyes as dark as obsidian and they emitted a heroic aura. At first glance, his expression seemed tranquil but, on closer inspection, one could see that he was hiding a decisive and shrewd mind. When paired with a handsome face that seemed to have been carefully sculpted, his entire demeanor became even more imposing. For a split second, Yu Xiaocao felt as if the person in front of her was fierce tiger on hunt and not a fifteen to sixteen year old youth.

However...after a closer look at his face, why did it seem like she had seen him somewhere before? Maybe...she had seen too many celebrities in her previous life, so now every handsome man looked similar to someone she had seen before...

“Second Sister, I remember him!” Little Shitou said quietly after he broke free from her restraining hand. The people around them all looked at them with expressions of disbelief.

Yu Xiaocao let out a hollow laugh and discretely shook her head at her brother. A bailiff had turned his head to look at them, and Xiaocao bowed towards him, “He’s just spewing nonsense. Don’t mind the ignorant words of a little child, hee hee, don’t mind the ignorant words of a little child…”

However, the imposing youth already directed his horse to walk to this area. At his side, the people continued to crowd around them, or was it that they were protecting him?

We’re screwed! If we fled now, would it be too late? Yu Xiaocao scanned the surroundings in an attempt to find an escape route.  Unfortunately, her earlier attempt at finding her younger brother a better location to watch the proceedings had trapped them to an area where they were surrounded on all sides by people. Slowly squeezing through the crowd was out of the question, let alone trying to escape quickly.

The emperor had selected Left Commander of the Imperial Guards, Fang Xun, to be in charge of keeping Royal Prince Yang safe. He blindly followed the prince who had been selected by the emperor himself for the Royal Prince title and found himself incredibly surprised when he saw the figures of the two siblings in the crowd.

The older sister had bright and lively large eyes that were oddly familiar to him. Ah, that’s right, about a month ago he had seen this pair of siblings in front of a woodworker shop in Tanggu Town. She had a demeanor that was neither arrogant nor servile, and seemed to be calmer than her age. It had left an impression on him.

Royal Prince Yang reined his horse into a stop right in front of the two siblings. Zhu Junyang stared at the little girl’s pale, delicate face and the somewhat familiar large eyes and seemed to be lost in his memories.

He continued to sit, silently, on his horse as he regarded the two siblings without a change in expression. His lips were pressed into a single line.  Yu Xiaocao felt flustered under his unrelenting stare. Is that killing intent I sense? Please stop staring at us, neither of us are beauties beyond compare.

“Head Steward Fu, are you certain that they are my saviors?” Zhu Junyang finally said after a long period of silence.

Ever since his accident a few months ago, his mother had kept him home to recuperate. Although he had originally planned on sailing in September, it had been pushed back for almost a month longer.

He had also thought of finding his savior but there were a lot of fishing villages in the area he had almost drowned in. He didn’t want to conduct the search with great fanfare. After all, almost drowning after being capsized from a ship he was testing out wasn’t something that was glorious.

However, Zhu Junyang also didn’t feel comfortable not rewarding someone who had saved his life. Had the head steward not seen the people involved and reminded him, he would have just missed out on the opportunity to meet his saviors again.

“Second Sister, that’s the guy we fished up on the day we went out to gather seafood. Look at his ears, there’s a red birthmark on one. I couldn’t forget something like that.” Innocent to the possible implications, Little Shitou eagerly told Yu Xiaocao all of his findings.

An awkward expression flashed through Zhu Junyang’s normally stern face. He had been the butt of many jokes when he was younger due to the red birthmark on his ear. Other people often teased him that it was a rouge mark and that it was a sign that he was a woman in his past life. Those seeing it at a glance would often think he was wearing an earring. For his entire life, his birthmark had been a source of shame for him. After being titled a Royal Prince, there were very few people who would dare to mention it in front of his face.

Yu Xiaocao could sense that this noble in front of them was displeased and wished she could just glue her brother’s mouth shut. That little imp! How can commoners like us discuss the appearances of the nobility?

The awkward memories of his youth had stymied Royal Prince Yang’s desire to pay his debt of gratitude to his saviors. In a fit of arrogance, he turned his horse around to go back. From the back, his spine was ramrod straight and his entire body held tension.

“Give them some money!” The haughty royal prince suddenly halted. After thinking about the shabby conditions of the two siblings clothes, he had a feeling that these two were about as well off as a streetside beggar. Thus, he dryly commanded the steward to give them some money.

Head Steward Fu bowed his head slightly after receiving his master’s orders. He looked around him and then commanded the bailiffs to bring the two siblings to him. Before the steward could say anything, a tall man broke through the layers of guards, pushed the two children behind his body, and kneeled down in front of him.

“These two children are ignorant and offended noble sir. It’s all this worthless father’s fault for not teaching them better. Please, great lord, let these two children go. I, Yu Hai, am willing to take their punishment instead.”

Apparently, after Yu Hai sold his fish, he had also heard of the nobles passing by to go out to sea, and came by to join in on the fun. He had seen everything that had happened earlier. A father’s protective instinct for his children could not be underestimated. Seeing his beloved children get into trouble, he recklessly rushed up to shield them.

“Father!” The rims of Yu Xiaocao’s eyes turned red with emotion. Previously, she had some pent up frustrations regarding this ordinary and easy-going father. He wasn’t incapable at earning a living but he still let his wife and children live in such poor conditions. A man who couldn’t protect his wife and family wasn’t considered a truly good man.

However, his actions today obliterated her initially poor impression of him. He was willing to sacrifice his life to save his children. That wasn’t something that every father would do. In Xiaocao’s heart, her father’s ranking had increased perceptibly.

Seeing that Yu Hai was a loving father, Head Steward Fu also increased his respect for the man. He personally supported this tall and robust man up with a smile on his face. His usually sharp voice had tempered down into a gentler tone and he said, “Benefactor, I’m not sure if you still remember sajia.”

Sajia? Isn’t that how court eunuchs usually referred to themselves? So the white-haired, beardless old man in front of them was a court eunuch? After hearing the word ‘benefactor’, Yu Xiaocao felt relieved and regarded the slender court eunuch with a stealthy, curious gaze.

Would this head steward be like the head steward court eunuch in [Dragon Gate Inn [1]] who was also really good at martial arts? Classmate Xiaocao, you have hit the bullseye! Just think, would a Royal Prince who was given the heavy responsibility of making an ocean voyage by his imperial majesty not have any experts at his side?

Yu Hai took advantage of the situation to get up. When standing, his body seemed even more tall and sturdy. He inspected Head Steward Fu carefully and then looked down to think carefully before he finally nodded and said, “Any fisherman, not just me, would have done the same thing had they encountered someone drowning. I’m really not worthy of being called a ‘benefactor’.”

Eh! My old father is quite good! He seems calm and cultured in front of this court eunuch who’s a head steward and a whole slew of nobility. In fact, the words he just said sound very educated and literate. Yu Xiaocao gazed at her father with an additional hint of worship in her eyes.

Head Steward Fu nodded his head and smiled, “Perhaps to you, benefactor, it was as simple as threading a needle. However, you did save the life of our Royal Prince. This is the same as saving this one’s life and the entire Royal Prince’s Household. Please receive my respects!”

Enough of the pretty words. No one really wants your respects, okay. Can you give us some tangible benefits, eh? Yu Xiaocao’s eyes flashed as she watched the head steward. Her impatience was clawing at her—like there was twenty-five mice scratching at her at the same time.

How could Yu Hai receive the respects from a royal household’s head steward? This eunuch was someone who spent time everyday with the emperor’s relatives and served them. How could he receive anything from this high personage? He hastily supported Head Steward Fu up and repeatedly said, “I can’t receive this, by the heavens, I absolutely can’t receive this!”

Head Steward Fu gently shook off his restraining hand and bowed solemnly. After he finished expressing his gratitude, he turned to give a hint to the eunuch behind him and said, “Our meeting today was not planned, so I didn’t have the time to prepare a suitable thank you gift. For now, all we have is a small token that is not worthy enough to convey our respect. Please take it as a substitute for now, benefactor, and accept it. Once our Royal Prince has journeyed back from the West Seas, I will definitely come to your home to pay you a visit and bring more gifts to thank you.”

They could only see that he took a heavy object wrapped in a cloth from the court eunuch’s hands. The head steward held the mysterious object with two hands, presented it to Yu Hai, not giving him any avenue to refuse, and said, “The ship is about to sail, I shall take my leave now!”

When Yu Hai was about to chase after them to return the gift, a couple of bailiffs politely blocked his way. They could care less about whether there was a benefactor or not. Their duty was to protect the nobility from any sign of danger or hostilities.

“Father, can I see what the head steward gave us as a gift?” Yu Xiaocao impatiently grabbed at the item in her father’s hands as he led her back into the crowd. Wow! The object was heavier than she thought as it had almost slipped out of her hands.

Yu Hai had just enough time to say ‘Don’t expose the gift in front others!’ when he saw Old Yu and Yu Dashan heading towards them with grim faces.

Yu Dashan’s honest face looked anxious and his eyes were full of alarm and rage, “Dahai, your two children really can cause too much trouble. Those were all officials and nobility from the capital, and princes too. How can people like us cause trouble? And you! How could you just recklessly rush up? If you had offended these people, our whole family would have gotten involved!”

Hearing this, Xiaocao felt unhappy, “Eldest Uncle, how did we cause trouble? Did we kill someone or set something on fire? The people from the capital are fair and reasonable, okay? They just called us up to ask us a couple of things. How can we bring you trouble?”

Yu Dashan glared at them with eyes that resembled Madam Zhang’s and huffed, “Dahai, look at these children you have spoiled! How are they acting like this? How can they speak to their elders like this? The nobles are generous in their conduct and don’t deign to step down to our level. However, if we offend them, you’ll be subject to nine familial extermination [2]! Won’t the whole Yu Family be destroyed by you?”

“Nine familial extermination? That’s only reserved for the worst of crimes: treason! If you claimed that us two kids were conducting treasonous activities, who’d believe you? Eldest Uncle, you’ve heard too many stories from the storytellers!” Yu Xiaocao found herself tickled by her uncle’s patent ignorance. The scene that happened earlier was at most a crime of disrespect. The punishment for that was not even close to nine familial extermination. Ah, Eldest Uncle, you’re such a worrywart.

Yu Hai looked at his father and eldest brother. He was at a loss as to how to feel about them. Earlier the two of them clamped onto him and refused to let him go in and save his two children. His kids were his closest blood and bone. Sacrificing his life to save theirs was normal and just.

He stared at his eldest brother, turned to his father, who had been silent the entire time, and said, “Father, Cao’er and Shitou didn’t offend any nobles. They had actually recognized the two of them and called them over to ask them something.”

[1] Dragon Gate Inn - old wuxia film

[2] Nine familial extermination - the most serious death penalty in Ancient China; execution of close and extended family member; lit. guilt by association of the nine branches of a family

Chapter 39 - Token of Gratitude

Following that, Yu Hai explained what had happened the last time they went to gather seafood. From beginning to end, he described how he resuscitated the royal prince and transported him over the treacherous reefs.  After hearing this, Old Yu’s eyes had finally lifted from the ground and he slowly nodded his head. “Good, everything you said is correct. Saving a drowning person is the duty of us fishermen. It is fortunate that the nobles remembered this event. We certainly aren’t the type of people to demand a reward for doing something good. In the future, we shouldn’t bring this up again.”

She didn’t expect her grandfather to have this type of wisdom. Yu Xiaocao felt she had a whole new understanding of the normally silent and taciturn old man, who had the voice of highest authority in their household.

Yu Dashan’s expression finally turned clear and his face perceptibly relaxed, “Second Younger Brother, I never would have thought you would have the kind of good luck to save a prince while gathering seafood from the beach. Although we’re not the type of people to demand a reward from nobles, we also shouldn’t reject their good intentions, right? Quickly open it and see what good thing the prince gave you!”

Old Yu also glanced over at the cloth-wrapped object in Yu Xiaocao’s hands.

This was the token of gratitude that the royal prince’s Head Steward gave to father, what does it have to do with you guys? Yu Xiaocao felt incredibly resentful but was helpless in this situation. Anything good that was seen by people outside their branch would never be left for them alone.

She inwardly sighed as she opened the wrappings on the small, yet heavy object. Inside were ten ingots of shiny silver neatly stacked together and a single jade pendant. Judging from the appearance, this token of gratitude had been hastily put together. Although the texture of the jade pendant wasn’t bad, it clearly wasn’t a top-notch piece of jade. It was likely something that was usually used to reward servants and the like.

“The aristocrats are truly generous nobles, look, they easily give out a couple hundred taels of silver. And this jade pendant must be worth at least around a hundred and eighty taels!” Yu Dashan clicked his tongue in wonder. “Looks like we have enough money to pay Third Brother’s studies for ten years!”

Yu Dashan felt faint looking at the glittering silver and the quality jade pendant. None of these were things that people in their household would normally ever see.

Yu Xiaocao sneered slightly. This money was given in exchange for her father risking life and limb to save someone from the hostile seas, okay? How is it that in the eyes of these people that the money had suddenly become Younger Uncle’s schooling fees for the next ten years?

Old Yu reached out a large, calloused hand and gently caressed the translucent and white jade pendant. He glanced at his second son and then made a decision, “This jade pendant is not something one can merely be bought with money. In the future, no matter how poor we are, we cannot sell this. It shall become a family heirloom, passed down the oldest legitimate descendants of the Yu family, and serve as a memento for future generations to come.”

Yu Dashan’s face froze. The Yu Family’s oldest legitimate descendants? That didn’t include him! Everyone in the family knew that even though he, Yu Dashan, had changed his surname, wasn’t a blood and flesh relation to the Yu Family.

Madam Zhang was Old Yu’s second wife and was the maternal cousin of Yu Hai’s deceased mother. Back when Madam Zhang was newly widowed, she had been driven away from her husband’s family. Out of kindness, Yu Hai’s mother took her in. Later on, Yu Hai’s mother passed away from an illness and thus, Old Yu took Madam Zhang as his second wife.

The eldest son, Yu Dashan, was the son from Madam Zhang’s first marriage and was only two months older than Yu Hai.

Oldest legitimate descendants? To put it another way, didn’t it mean that Yu Hai was the oldest in the Yu family? In the end, wouldn’t this mean that the beautiful jade pendant would end up in his second brother’s hands?

Yu Dashan wholeheartedly didn’t want that to happen but he wasn’t in a position to object. Anything was better than the jade pendant being owned by Yu Hai, who he didn’t have any blood relations to. However, he knew the circumstances were not in his favor. Even his tiger of a mother, Madam Zhang, couldn’t change the old man’s mind when he made a decision.  Yu Xiaocao felt her heart settle down after hearing this. The Yu Family’s oldest legitimate descendants—that would be her eldest brother! Luckily, this good deed wasn’t done in vain! At least her branch would have a jade pendant in the end.

However, the hundred taels of silver had slipped out of her grasp. If she had only been faster, she could have purloined a couple ingots. Yu Xiaocao cried inwardly: a hundred taels of silver is a lot of money!

Once they all arrived home, Yu Xiaocao saw that all of the shiny silver had disappeared into her cheap grandmother’s purse and felt forlorn again. Madam Liu noticed her daughter’s listlessness and couldn’t help but feel Xiaocao’s forehead out of worry that she was getting sick again.

The past three months were the most comfortable stretch of time that Madam Liu had experienced in the previous seven to eight years. Even though her workload had not decreased and she still got yelled at every day, her normally sickly daughter wasn’t ill even once in the past couple of months. In fact, she was able to run and play like the other village children and even learned medicine from Doctor You.

In fact, they were always able to eat enough to fill their stomachs even though it wasn’t always the type of food they craved. Furthermore, the children had also learned how to set traps and occasionally caught a couple of animals. They would cook the game outside and have a great feast, but they were filial and never forgot to surreptitiously give some roasted meat to her and their father.

Seeing that her children’s cheeks were rosy and that their once skinny bodies filling during bathtime, Madam Liu felt like their lives had finally turned around for the better.

“Dashan’s wife and Dahai’s wife, there was frost on the ground this morning. We should harvest the sweet potatoes tomorrow to store in the cellar.” After receiving the hundred taels of silver, Madam Zhang finally had a smile on her face.

Yu Hai doted on his wife, so he put down his bowl full of rice and interjected, “How about us men don’t go out to sea and instead harvest the sweet potatoes instead?”

After hearing his suggestion, Madam Zhang’s expression immediately darkened, “We only have three plots of poor and rocky land. I could harvest them all myself in my younger days. What’s the point in postponing the true business of fishing out in sea? You need to take advantage of the days you can go out before it gets too cold.”

Yu Xiaocao glanced at her miserly grandmother and thought ‘This old lady really does love money! A hundred taels of silver would last us for an entire year even if we didn’t continue to go out to the sea to catch fish! She’s pretty much the female version of Ebenezer Scrooge [1]!’

The next day at the crack of dawn, Yu Xiaocao groggily put on her thick cotton coat after being woken up by Madam Zhang’s shrill voice. It was only the 10th month of the lunar calendar but there was already a thick layer of frost on the ground. If she didn’t wear her winter coat during the day, she didn’t think she could stand the cold air.

“Littler sister, you should go back to sleep. I’ll help mother dig up the sweet potatoes.” Yu Xiaolian swiftly got up but when she saw her sleepy sister, she quickly went back to push her back into the bed.

The warmth of the bed and covers made it hard for people to leave it in the morning. However, the family’s real eight year old daughter had already gotten up to go to the fields, how could she, an inwardly thirty-something woman, stay in bed shamelessly?

After washing her face and rinsing her mouth, Yu Xiaocao yawned as she followed her mother listlessly from behind. She turned her head slightly to see her fat aunt, Madam Li, also yawning and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Seeing that made Yu Xiaocao immediately feel better about herself. Look, it’s not as if I’m the only one who wants to stay on the kang bed and not get up.

All of them walked on a narrow and curvy trail towards the fields. After walking for about half an hour, Yu Xiaocao could finally see their plots of land filled with lush green sweet potato vines. The verdant plants, the azure skin, and the smell of rich earth that came in with every chilly breath she took all helped to wake her up.

“Dashan’s wife and Dahai’s wife, you guys are here to harvest the sweet potatoes!” An average looking man with a warm smile on his face greeted the group of women eagerly.

“Good morning, Third Uncle! Are you also here to dig up some sweet potatoes?” Yu Xiaocao had a good impression of her father’s cousin. Shortly after she first transmigrated over, she had even been carried home by this man.

Yu Jiang grinned as he ruffled her hair. He noticed that she had a small hoe in her hands and teased, “Oh! Looks like our Xiaocao is a little adult now. Third Uncle’s family has already finished digging up our sweet potatoes. After we make one last sweep over the grounds, how about we come over and help you guys?”

“No need, we only have three plots of land to go over. We’ll be done after a day’s work. Please carry on with everything else you have to do.” Madam Liu gracefully declined his offer in the presence of Li Guihua. Xiaocao’s extended family also had a lot of people in the household and all were busy in this season. How could they possibly delay their chores?  Madam Li glared at her sister-in-law. Declining another person’s offer of help only meant that you would be tired at the end of the day. If it was only you getting fatigued, it would be one thing. But why do you have to drag me into this too?

Yu Xiaocao noticed the large pile of sweet potatoes that other people had dug up lying on the side of the road and was reminded of all of the sweet potato food she had in her past life. Images of baked sweet potatoes, soft and sticky glutinous balls made with yams, and the crispy and sweet potato pancakes floated through her mind. Excited at the prospect of food, she eagerly picked up her hoe and stepped into the field. It was time to harvest!

As her mother and her third uncle continued to talk, she pushed aside the vines and aimed her hoe at the thickest portion to start. After she heaved the hoe up, she was duly rewarded with the sight of a half-buried sweet potato. Yu Xiaocao trembled with excitement. Although her family had some land in her previous life, they only grew wheat and soybeans and had never planted any yams. They would only occasionally come across some that were on the border where other people had planted some and reap the benefits.

Yu Xiaocao carefully used the hoe to push away the surrounding soil and continued to dig a deeper and larger hole. To avoid damaging any of the sweet potatoes, she abandoned the hoe and dug the rest of the dirt with her bare hands. At last, she could feel the yam loosening from the ground. From her perspective, it looked as large as volleyball. She gripped onto it and pulled with all her might as if she was pulling daikon from the ground. Finally, the sweet potato popped out of the ground.

The effort caused her to fall unceremoniously on her butt as she lost her balance. Luckily, all of the vines and dirt she had cleared earlier cushioned her fall, so she didn’t feel much pain. She casually patted off the dirt from her bottom, picked up the sweet potato she had harvested on her own, and announced, “Mother! Look, look! I dug up a really big sweet potato!!”

Third Uncle also came over and a surprised expression crossed his face, “Oh! Xiaocao really has talent to be able to dig up such a big yam on her first try! I gotta say, this one could probably take the crown for size.”

Yu Xiaocao was overjoyed as she held her “spoils of war”, but the voice of the little divine stone suddenly sounded in her mind,

[Why are you so excited? Did you forget? About two months ago, it was getting dry, so you took some of my special water and mixed it with some other water and used that to water the fields. Without my help, how could such barren, sandy land raise sweet potatoes this size?]

“So mystic-stone water can also promote the growth of crops, eh!” The farmer’s child, Yu Xiaocao, felt her heart skip a beat at this thought. In the future, if she could grow some out-of-season crops, wouldn’t she be able to make a lot of money?

[Out-of-season crops? What’s that?] The little divine stone was flabbergasted at the odd term it took from her mind.

Yu Xiaocao continued to dig up the yams as she replied, “That is...growing spring vegetables in the winter.”

[Oh that’s not hard! As long as it doesn’t blizzard, I, this divine stone, can naturally hasten the growth of vegetables.] If the little divine stone had a tail, it would have long been cocked up to the sky proudly. Although only a fraction of the stone’s innate powers had been restored, it had more than enough to accelerate the growth of plants.

Yu Xiaocao excavated the nearby smaller sweet potatoes from her initial find and tampered down her joy and said, “If what you’re telling me is true, I’ll make sure to let you absorb some energy from Grandpa You’s herbs.”

[1] The author was originally comparing Madam Zhang to Felix Grandet, a character in the French novel Eugénie Grandet who was known for being very miserly to himself and his whole family. I used Ebenezer Scrooge since he seems to be a bit more well known in the English speaking community.

Chapter 40 - High Yield

[How many times have I told you? What I’m absorbing is what you humans can’t absorb, spiritual energy. It didn’t affect the effects of the medicinal herbs at all! Yet, you still refuse to believe me. The spiritual energy of the medicinal herbs from Old You’s house was pitifully little!] The little divine stone began to bargain.

[Alright! The next time I go to town, I will take a detour to Tongren Medicine Hall and let you absorb as much spiritual energy as you want!] Finding another sweet potato, Xiaocao focused all her energy to deal with the big sweet potato and casually responded to the Divine Stone. Afterall, who knew when she would visit town again.

Madam Liu, who had never tried to shirk from work or responsibility, bent down and ceaselessly dug for sweet potatoes. She secretly thought: ‘In the previous years, the biggest sweet potato that came from this piece of sandy soil was no bigger than the size of a palm. Yet this year, it seemed as if the sweet potatoes are filled with gas, each bigger than the next.’

She originally thought that the sweet potato that her youngest daughter had just dug up was already considered the best. But she hadn’t expected that the sweet potatoes that she dug up afterwards were also not any less inferior to the sweet potato that her youngest daughter had dug up. Some had even surpassed the size of the ‘potato king’.

“Mother, the size of this year’s sweet potatoes is much bigger than last year’s. It seems like we’ll be able to harvest a lot more sweet potatoes this year, too!” Yu Xiaolian felt that this was unbelievable. It was the same plot of land as last year and the seeds came from the sweet potatoes from the previous year. However, why did it seem as if this year’s harvest of sweet potatoes were in a competition? They were each bigger than the next!

Madam Li had only just begun digging when she sat down and began wiping her sweat. She lowered her head and looked at the size of her family’s field of sweet potatoes. All the meat on Madam Li’s face squished together as she smiled and said, “Younger Sister-in-law, this year, the sweet potatoes will definitely be high-yielding. Do you think Mother will give us some to roast and eat?”

In the past, when the harvest wasn’t abundant, the sweet potatoes would be beaten into thin slices and put out to be dried in the sun. After that, it would be grinded into powder and served together with the other coarse grains throughout the entire winter. Pancakes made from sweet potato powder were sweet and chewy. It tasted much better than the pancakes made from the crude millet flour and weird-smelling bean flour.

Every year, the few remaining small sweet potatoes would occasionally be boiled in a basin. The boiled sweet potatoes tasted very soft and sweet. It was a pity that they couldn’t eat much because it easily caused acid reflux. The sweet potatoes tasted even better when roasted. However, Madam Zhang thought that it was too wasteful since a portion of the scorched skin of the sweet potato must be thrown away.

“Eldest Aunt, you have already rested for a long time. Quickly get up and dig for sweet potatoes. There are so many sweet potatoes. If we don’t finish digging today, my grandmother would be angry. When that happens, we won’t even be able to eat sweet potato skin, let alone roasted sweet potatoes!”

Yu Xiaocao held contempt for this lazy and greedy Eldest Aunt. Both she and Xiaolian had already dug a pile of sweet potatoes, yet her eldest aunt had barely dug up two before she sat down and stopped working. It was impossible for people to refrain themselves from mocking her!

Madam Li picked up a small sweet potato and wiped off the dirt on the sweet potato with her sleeve, which was of an indescribable color. With her big mouth, she loudy gnawed at the outer skin of the sweet potato. While she gnawed off the skin with big mouthfuls, she also didn’t forget to excuse herself and she said,

“It’s only five plots of land! We will definitely be able to finish digging today. If I rest for a bit, it wouldn’t delay anything. This year’s sweet potatoes are not only big, but it’s also sweet. It tastes better than the sweet potatoes from the previous years.”

Yu Xiaolian glared at her. She knew that they can never rely on Madam Li when they harvest sweet potatoes every year. Yu Xiaolian raised her head to look at her younger twin sister. She couldn’t help but say, “Xiaocao, rest for a little bit before you start digging again. Don’t tire yourself out.”

Madam Liu straightened her waist and lightly wiped away the droplets of sweat on her forehead. In a caring voice, she said, “Cao’er, you have never done farm work before. Why don’t you go sit at the edge of the field and play? Your sister and I can finish the work.”

In her past life, Yu Xiaocao was also accustomed to doing farm work. Although her family had never planted any sweet potatoes, there was no technique or skill needed to dig sweet potatoes. In just a few moments, she had started to dig for sweet potatoes. After nursing her body for four to five months, and with the exercises she got by climbing the mountain and going out to sea, she was no longer the same Yu Xiaocao whose legs would go soft after walking two steps. She smiled at her mother and continued the work at hand without delay.

“Hey, Second Sister-in-law, what type of fertilizer did your family use this year? All your sweet potatoes are so big. Look at that! This sweet potato should at least weigh seven to eight catties!” After Yu Jiang finished digging the sweet potatoes in his family’s field, he came over to help Madam Liu. However, when he saw the football-sized sweet potatoes on the ground, he couldn’t help but become stunned.

Madam Liu shook her head and replied with a smile, “The fertilizer we used this year was the same as the previous years. It’s made from the same manure from our family. Perhaps, we have such a good harvest this year because the weather is really good for the crops.”

Yu Jiang picked up the hoe that Madam Li had thrown on the ground. He skillfully began to dig up the potato, said, “If the reason is because of the weather, then why is my family’s harvest the same as last year’s? So, good weather can’t be the reason. Second Sister-in-law, if there is a secret recipe to produce a bountiful harvest, please don’t conceal it from me!”

Yu Xiaolian knew that Third Uncle liked to joke around so she said, “Third Uncle, if we have a secret recipe, would we hide it from our own family? The fertilizer that we used this year was made by my mother and I. It’s certainly the same fertilizer as last year. As for why there is such a large harvest this year, we also don’t know.”

‘You don’t know, but I know!’ Yu Xiaocao thought inwardly. With her head lowered, she continued to work and said, “Didn’t Mother say that when we farm, we depend on Heaven to eat a meal. Perhaps, Heaven sees that my family is pleasing to the eye, so the Heaven gave us a high yield this year.”

“Hey! I didn’t expect that our family’s Xiaocao takes after your Third Uncle, we both like to tell jokes. Will the Heaven also be bias towards certain people? However, the Gods probably saw that your mother and siblings never had enough food to eat. Thus, it’s justifiable if the Heaven gives you some more food.”

Yu Jiang had long been displeased with his second uncle’s second wife. He was part of the younger generation and wasn’t part of the second household, so he couldn’t say anything. He could only help the pitiful Second Sister-in-law and her children do some heavy work as much as he can. He tried to help out as much as possible.

“Your family will probably harvest at least around 2,000 catties from your family’s field, which is much more than the harvest of other families! If our field is able to produce half of the amount your field produced, then I will be laughing!” Although his speech showed that he was envious, his hand never stopped working. He was certainly a real professional when it came to manual labor. His working speed was faster than three people combined.

Yu Dashan and Yu Hai came to help in the afternoon after they returned from fishing. So, with the extra helpers, and Third Uncle, who was a free and efficient laborer, they were able to finish before the sky turned dark. All the sweet potatoes in the five fields had been dug up and placed in the wheelbarrows to be transported home.

When Madam Zhang, who always put on a long face, saw the mountains of sweet potatoes piled up in the courtyard, she beamed like a flower. It was estimated that this year’s sweet potato harvest had unexpectedly reached 3,000 catties. This was more than twice the amount harvested last year.

Facing such a big harvest, Madam Zhang finally relented and left a portion of the smaller sweet potatoes in the cellar to be steamed or boiled to eat for the winter. Taking advantage of the early winter sun, the remaining sweet potatoes were cut into pieces and dried in the sun. When needed, they could grind it into potato powder.

“This is all thanks to the good fortune of the current emperor.” Old Yu looked at the mountain of sweet potatoes with a sense of satisfaction, as if he would never need to panic as long as he had food on his hands. “When I was young, during a famine, I had to eat tree barks and grassroots. When I’m extremely hungry, I would even eat dirt to fill my stomach. At that time, many people had died of hunger!”

Old Yu stopped for a moment and appeared to be caught up in the memories of his past as he continued, “After sweet potato was imported from abroad, we had also experienced another famine. The sweet potatoes produced high yields and could be stored for a long time. Hence, the sweet potatoes and the sweet potato flour, as well as sweet potato vines, had helped us survive the dreadful three-year famine. It saved us from being starved to death.”

Madam Zhang also nodded her head and said, “That’s right. Sweet potato is indeed a good crop. However, eating sweet potatoes and sweet potato flour twice a day will make the stomach bloated. Eating too much sweet potato will cause acid regurgitation. The sweet potato will also make you fart and give you heartburn. It’s really difficult to bear. It would be really nice if there’s a crop that’s high yielding and doesn’t give you heartburn!”

“Don’t be unsatisfied with what you have! You already have something to eat and yet you’re thinking about this and that!” Old Yu glared at the woman, and then continued to watch them slice the potatoes into thin slices.

There weren’t many kitchen knives at home, so even the sickle and the iron pieces from the hoe were used. However, there still wasn’t enough tools for everyone to use. Moreover, their cutting speed was also slow. When would they ever be able to finish cutting 10,000 catties of sweet potatoes?

Yu Xiaocao remembered that in her previous life when her neighbor cut sweet potatoes, the tool she had used was a razor blade with a single side that has open blades on the edge of the blade. The blade would be fixed in the middle of the wooden board. When a big sweet potato was pushed down on the blades, the sweet potatoes would be cut into slices. Moreover, it was also very safe to use since it wouldn’t easily injury your hands.

Yu Xiaocao discussed it with her father for a while. The next day, when her father returned from the town, he had bought a few blades that she had requested. After working on it for the entire afternoon, her skillful father finally finished making a few sweet potato slicers.

Yu Xiaocao used the damaged clothes that they could no longer wear and made a few pairs of thick gloves. With the thick gloves, they don’t have to worry about getting their hands cut with the tool.

Madam Liu put on the tattered gloves and lifted the wooden board of the tool. Then, she picked up a big sweet potato and placed it on top of the blades. With a hard push, a moderately sized sweet potato pieces fell down from the blades.

Madam Zhang also tried out the tool and gave them a rare compliment, “This tool is really convenient to use. Not only does it quickly cuts the sweet potatoes, but it also doesn’t require a lot of effort. It’s pretty good!”

Madam Li, who was interested in the new tool, had also became diligent for a couple days and cut a few hundred catties of sweet potatoes.

Thanks to the sweet potato cutting tool, they were able to cut the 10,000 catties of sweet potatoes in less than ten days. Originally, it would be hard to even finish cutting 10,000 catties of sweet potatoes in a month. But with the combined efforts of the women and men at home, as well as the cutting tool, they were able to quickly finish the task.

While they were cutting the sweet potatoes, a few villagers dropped by their house and saw their sweet potato cutter. After they inquired Yu Hai about the sweet potato cutter, they went to the blacksmith in town and got a few pieces of razor blades. Then, they asked Yu Hai to help them make the sweet potato slicers when he was free. Which family didn’t have some relatives in other villages? Soon, the usage of the sweet potato cutter spread from Dongshan Village outward to the other villages.

In the future, every time it was sweet potato harvest season, people would often talk about the Yu Family from Dongshan Village.  Yu Xiaocao would had never imagined that the small invention that she had pirated from someone else would make the Yu Family’s reputation soar around the nearby villages. She had only made the sweet potato cutter for the convenience of her family. Yu Xiaocao was currently pondering about what tasty food she should make with the sweet potato flour.

With the combination of the meager experiences she had in her previous life and her own improvisation, she was able to come up with many recipes that used the coarse grain as the base ingredient.

For example, there were already several ways to make sweet potato noodles.

The simplest way to make the noodles was to use a big grater (Author’s note: Yu Xiaocao had asked her father to get this grater from the blacksmith when he went there to get the razor blades.) to shred a freshly kneaded sweet potato dough above a pot of boiling water. The noodles made like this would be thick. The thickness would be the same as a child’s finger.

But in all honesty, without any condiments and oil, a big bowl of such noodles wouldn’t be filling at all. Shortly after eating it, the stomach will soon rumble in hunger.

The most delicious type of noodle dish was noodles served with thick gravy. The first step would be to use a flour sifter to filter out fine sweet potato flour. Next, warm boiled water should be mixed into the flour while kneading the dough into a ball. Above a pot of boiling water, shred the dough with a file and let the sweet potato noodles fall into the boiling water. As the firewood underneath the stove continues to burn, the person shredding the dough must finish swiftly, or else the noodles inside the pot would dissolve inside the water.

However, making noodles required a lot of strength. She was only able to make the noodles when her father was home. Even though Yu Hai had great strength, every time he made the noodles, droplets of sweat would cover his entire body. There were around a dozen people in the Yu Family. To ensure that everyone would get to eat, Yu Xiaocao had to cook a big pot of noodles every time she made the noodles. Thus, even as winter approached, Yu Hai’s clothes would still be drenched with sweat.

However, the cooked noodles would come out sparkly and translucent. When eaten, the noodles had a smooth and chewy texture. When the noodles were combined with clam soup, minced chives, and a bit of spice, the dish was extremely satisfying to eat. This was the classic example of a sweet potato noodle dish.

Another way to make it was to cut the freshly kneaded dough into strands of noodles on the chopping board. After making the noodles, just put them in a pot of boiling water. Once the noodles were cooked, it could be directly eaten. The noodles that were made this way would still be tasty and sweet. Soup stock could also be added to the noodles to make it into noodles with gravy. However, the texture for noodles made with this method weren’t as smooth and good as the ones cooked directly in boiling water.

There was also another way to eat it, which was a combination of both thin and thick noodles. First, the sweet potato dough would be wrapped with the wheat dough to make handmade noodles. After cutting the dough in half, the black and white dough would be very apparent. When eaten, the noodles would have the tenacity of the wheat flour, and the smoothness and exquisiteness of the sweet potato flour. The noodles could also be eaten along with a broth of the eater’s preference. This type of dish was also a delicacy. But there was a stingy old lady watching her at home. Unless her younger uncle returns home with his family, she wouldn’t let her touch the wheat flour.

In addition to this, the sweet potato flour could be used to make flatbread, pancakes, or steamed cornbread. It could also make into steamed vegetables buns, dumplings, and more. With Xiaocao’s ability to make various dishes from the sweet potato flour, the Yu Family rarely went out to buy food in the winter.

Chapter 41 - Acute Illness

Doctor You had been gone for two months. The villagers in and around Dongshan Village didn’t feel anything was different in the short term. But after a while, they all felt the inconvenience of his absence. In the past, when they had a minor illness or a small disaster, they were able to pay Doctor You ten to twenty copper coins to be seen. Afterward, they just needed to take some medicine and their illness would be gone.

After Doctor You had left, the majority of the villagers who fell sick were able to overcome their illness by bearing with it. But if their condition didn’t get better with time, they would have to go to town to see a doctor. However, they had to pay at least several hundred of copper coins to visit even the smallest medical hall.

Everyone knew that the granddaughter from Old Yu’s family had studied medicine under Doctor You for a month. But, she was merely a silly eight year old girl and also didn’t study under Doctor You for long. They rather endure the illness themselves than to put their own lives in the hands of a little girl. She might even turn their small illness into a serious illness!

Xiaocao was quite talented in studying medicine, and Doctor You felt that there wasn’t much that he could teach her anymore. However, three months passed, and Xiaocao didn’t receive even one patient. But she didn’t take that to heart. Xiaocao’s original purpose in studying medicine was to conceal the effects of the mystic-stone water when she used it. Hence, it didn’t matter to her whether she had any patients seeking her help or not.

Doctor You often liked to concoct pills for common conditions like the common cold, small fevers, and other minor illnesses. The majority of the villagers from Dong Shan village knew this.

Every once in a while, Yu Xiaocao would be visited by the villagers. She would get the pills or medicine packs prepared by Grandfather You and give it to the sick villager. This was the only role left for her as Doctor You’s direct disciple while he was gone.

Taking advantage of the fact that the early winter snow didn’t seal the mountain, Yu Xiaocao would leisurely put out some traps every few days when she went up the mountain. With the mystic-stone water as an all-purpose bait, her harvest every time would be quite bountiful. Her private little purse was bulging more and more.

With more money came more worries. In the past, with only one or two silver ingots, she would be able to find a random corner and hide it. But now she had silver ingots and silver pieces inside her bulging purse, it was more difficult to find a safe hiding spot.. After all, the family had Yu Heizi, who liked to go through other people’s things.

Xiaocao wasn’t treating him unjustly: Heizi had a criminal record. Everyday, Yu Hai and Madam Liu both had more work than they could finish in a day, and Yu Xiaolian was also not allowed to idle around. When Xiaocao set out the traps, she would bring Little Shitou along. Basically, other than when they were eating or sleeping, there was no one in the West Room to witness anything.

One time, Yu Xiaocao had just returned from selling the animals she had caught using her traps in the mountain. When she returned, she saw the West Room’s door wide open so she quickly hurried over to take a look. The whole room was a mess after being rummaged through by someone. The tattered clothes inside the trunk were thrown everywhere. Even the blanket on the kang bed was tangled into a lump.

She quickly went to check the place where she hid the money——in the small crack between the kang bed and the mud wall. Fortunately, after she had hid the money in the small crack, she had used some loose dirt to seal it. Otherwise, the money would be hard pressed to escape from Brother Heizi’s sinister hand.

Xiaocao was angered by this so she told the head of the household——Madam Zhang. The biased elderly lady only asked a few questions. Due to the lack of evidence, they were forced to leave the matter unsettled. After that, when Xiaocao hid her secret money, she was much more careful.

In the end, she came up with a foolproof way of hiding her money. She dug a small square hole in one of the mud bricks of the wall. She also got a small piece of mud brick that can be easily placed into the hole. After she put the silver inside the small hole, she would put the small mud brick in. Then, she would take some mud and fill the small cracks, making everything look flawless.

As the days passed, the winter in the north finally showed its might. On that day, the weather was gloomy. The entire sky was covered in thick, low, and grayish-yellow turbid clouds.

The northeast wind howled as it wreaked havoc in the wilderness. It seemed as if the wind was holding a sharp sword that could easily pierce through a tight leather coat. So when Xiaocao left to go outside, her exposed cheek was stricken again and again by the wind. Her cheeks ached and it was difficult for her to bear the pain.

The umber-black sky was sprinkled with little pieces of pure white petals. It seemed as if the white petals also had a touch of fragrance on them. Snow as big as a goose feather flew down in great numbers, instantly dyeing the world in white.

In her previous life, Yu Xiaocao had lived in Central China. So even if there was snow, it would only be on a small scale. This was her first time seeing a snow so heavy that it looked like torn puffs of cotton were falling down.

The old and shabby cotton-padded jacket she was wearing wasn’t sufficient enough to resist the severe cold of the north. Ever since winter had approached, Yu Xiaocao wasn’t willing to go out. She would nestle on the kang bed everyday.

“It’s the first snow of the year and yet it’s already snowed this much! It seems like it would be hard to pass through this winter! Did we store enough food in the house?” At dinner, Old Yu sat on the kang bed. He looked out to see the snow that had been falling for a day and sighed. From his years of experience, it wasn’t uncommon to see the big snow become a disaster.

Madam Zhang thought about the mountains of sliced sweet potatoes in the storage room. Once again, with food in her hand, Madam Zhang didn’t panic. She nodded her head and replied, “There is definitely enough food. It’s just hasn’t been grinded into powder yet. When the snow stops, eldest son and second son will go grind thousands of catties of sweet potato powder and store it.

Old Yu wrinkled his brows and said, “Even if you don’t get tired of just eating sweet potato flour for the entire winter, your stomach may not be able to handle it. We still need to buy some coarse and fine grains to store for the winter. If we wait till New Years when the snow has piled almost up to the sky, the prices of the grains would definitely be higher.”

Just as they were discussing, the Yu Family’s front door was slapped with a heaven-shattering sound. Within the sound of the wind and snow, they could also hear someone crying at the door.

“I’ll go check it out!” Yu Hai put down his rice bowl and put on his tattered cotton-padded jacket. He pulled the door open and lurched into the raging storm. The moment the door opened and closed, a few snowflakes entered the house. The snowflakes fell onto the floor and melted into tiny specks of muddy water.

Madam Li continued to eat large mouthfuls of food, yet she didn’t forget to complain, “Who is it? Why would they come when it’s snowing so much? They also came at this hour. Are they trying to prevent us from eating?”

“Cao’er! Do you have any fever pills made by Grandpa You left? Your Uncle Shuanzhu has a high fever and needs it immediately!” A burst of bone-chilling wind blasted through the door. Yu Hai hurriedly pushed the door open and entered the house. Behind him was Shuanzhu’s wife whose eyes were rimmed with red.

Yu Xiaocao swallowed the croquette in her mouth and quickly replied, “All of the medicine that Grandpa You had made is already used up. Is Uncle Shuanzhu burning up really badly? Does he need me to go look at him?”

“You are only a child, what good would there be for you to go? Don’t delay a patient’s illness. It’s better if you send him to town to see a doctor. Don’t worry about the money.” Madam Zhang was worried that Yu Xiaocao would bring trouble to her family so she quickly interrupted her.

Shuanzhu’s wife was so anxious to the point where tears almost fell from her eyes. “Yesterday, my husband caught a little cold. When he woke up today, he felt uncomfortable but didn’t think it was serious. In the past he would just bear with the illness until he gets better by himself. But who would’ve thought that his fever would begin to burn hotter. Earlier, his hands and feet were thrashing about. We are also out of fever reducing medicine. What should I do?”

Madam Li began to make cynical remarks on the side, “Oh my! His fever has burned to the point where he has cramps? That can’t be! My maternal family’s neighbor also had a fever. His fever was burning fiercely to the point it burned his brain and he became a fool. He’s almost forty now and he still can’t find a wife! Your family’s Shuanzhu’s fever has already burned for a day now. I don’t even know how he is right now!”

After being told that, Shuanzhu’s wife could no longer hold back her tears. She was anxious without any solutions, “Then what can be done? It’s snowing badly so we can’t even send him to the town to see a doctor. Xiaocao, is there really no medicine left?”

“Human life is worth beyond any value. If I had medicine, I wouldn’t hide or conceal it! Auntie Shuanzhu, if you trust me then I will go with you to check on him. You can’t just stand there and watch his fever get worse right?” Yu Xiaocao decided to receive her first patient.

Madam Zhang angrily said, “What can an eight year old girl like you do? Is seeing a patient some easy thing? There is a human life involved! How many days did you study under Doctor You? Aren’t you afraid of wasting your Uncle Shuanzu’s——and his wife’s time? Why don’t you go to town and invite a doctor?”

If she left for town right now through the snow, it would still take three to four hours to go and return. By the time she arrived at town, it would be nighttime. What’s more, it would be hard to say if the doctor would even agree to travel overnight to see a patient in this bad weather.

Shuanzhu’s wife was turning to any doctor she could find out of desperation. She put her last hope on Yu Xiaocao, “Xiaocao, your Uncle Shuanzhu and your father are friends who’ve been through life and death together. They had even fought a shark together at sea. Don’t conceal it from me and tell me the extent of your medical skills.”

Yu Xiaocao’s eyes were steady as she looked at Shuanzhu’s wife. She honestly said, “Auntie Shuanzhu, Grandpa You said that I learned about seven to eight points of his skills. The remaining two to three points is because I lack experience. When it comes to a common cold or fever, as long as Grandpa You can cure it, I can do it too!”

Shuanzhu’s wife’s frenetic and anxious heart gradually relaxed after seeing Xiaocao’s calm gaze. She bit her teeth and made a hard but correct decision, “Good! Auntie believe in you. I will put your Uncle Shuanzhu’s life in your hands!”

“Aiya! Shuanzhu’s wife, how can you believe in a child’s boastful words? Our family’s Xiaocao is only eight years old. We can’t afford it if she treats Shuanzhu incorrectly!” Madam Li had finished eating and drinking. She was watching the show but now she was worried about the consequences if something bad happened.

Shuanzhu’s wife once again clenched her teeth. She stamped her foot and said, “Whether she cures him or not, we won’t make you take any responsibilities. Xiaocao, let’s go quickly. Your Uncle Shuanzhu is still burning with a fever!”

Yu Xiaocao didn’t care about her half eaten meal. She quickly went to the West Room to get the medicine box Grandpa You had left behind. She looked at the medicinal ingredients inside the medicine box and saw that it was complete. Thinking about it more, she looked for the Divine Stone’s bath water with high concentration of mystic stone water. She poured the mystic-stone water in an empty medicine bottle. Only after she had put on all the clothes she had that could help her resist the cold did she leave the house with Shuanzhu’s wife.

Yu Hai didn’t feel reassured and couldn’t continue eating his dinner. He followed behind his own daughter, helping her carry the heavy medicine box. From time to time, he would support his daughter, making sure that she didn’t slip in this snowy weather.

Originally, the walk would take just five minutes. However, with the wind and snow obstructing their path, it took the three of them a quarter of an hour to arrive at their destination. Just as they opened the door, they were able to hear the sharp yet sad cry from the two children of the Liu Family, “Father! Father, please wake up! Father, you can’t die yet!”

When Shuanzhu’s wife heard their cries, her legs suddenly became soft. She sat on the floor and started crying.

Yu Xiaocao half walked and half ran as she rushed towards the kang bed. She pulled Uncle Shuanzhu’s eyelid up and looked at his pupil. She calmly said, “Don’t cry anymore. Uncle Shuanzhu didn’t die! But the fever has made him go into shock. Auntie, quickly prepare some prepare some warm water to lower the temperature of his body.”

“What? You want to lower the temperature of the room [1]? It’s such a cold day and he’s still sick. If you lower the temperature of his body, won’t his illness get worse?” Shuanzhu’s wife swayed lightly as she got up. Her heart began to waver at her decision to allow Yu Xiaocao to treat her husband’s illness.

Yu Xiaocao didn’t know whether she should laugh or cry as she said, “Uncle Shuanzhu’s fever is burning too much. He needs to lower his body temperature. If he only relies on medication, he would recover much slower. Hence, I need Auntie to use warm water to wipe Uncle Shuanzhu’s body. This way, his body temperature will lower faster.

[1] Author was making a pun here. The two words can sound the same, so Shuanzhu's wife basically misheard what Xiaocao was saying.

Chapter 42 - Winter Disaster

“Yes! Alright! There’s hot water in the pot. I’ll go get some!” Seeing that Xiaocao seemed to know what she was doing, a sense of hope reemerged within Shuanzhu’s wife’s heart. She hastily went to the kitchen to get the hot water. She was so anxious that she almost tripped in the yard.

After Yu Xiaocao carefully examined Uncle Shuanzhu’s pulse, she took out some fever-reducing cold medicine from her medicine box and swiftly began decocting the medicine inside the room.

“Little Sister Xiaocao, will my father really be alright?” Liu Shuanzhu’s ten year old daughter, Liu Huifang, whimpered as she squatted down to help Xiaocao brew the medicine and asked for reassurance.

Yu Xiaocao put the herbs into a ceramic pot, which was used to brew herbal medicine, and added a few drops of mystic-stone water into the pot. After that, she replied in a confident and firm manner, “Don’t worry! He will be fine after drinking two doses of the medication!”

“Here’s the hot water. Xiaocao, is this temperature suitable?” Shuanzhu’s wife came in with a basin of hot water and a washcloth.

After Yu Xiaocao checked the temperature, she added half a bottle of mystic-stone water into the hot water and nodded, “It’s fine! Quickly wipe down Uncle Shuanzhu’s body with the cloth, especially the neck and armpit areas. The excessive body heat will dissipate faster!”

“Sister Xiaocao, what did you put in the water? It doesn’t look like medicinal herbs? The second child of the Liu Family was the same age as Xiaocao, but he was a few months younger than Xiaocao.

While Yu Xiaocao instructed Liu Huifang on how to brew the medicine, she explained to the Liu Family’s second child, whose nickname was Tiedan’er, “This is Grandpa You’s secret remedy. It can speed up the recovery of any diseases. This is extracted from forty-nine different kinds of medicinal herbs. Grandpa You only made two bottles in fifty years. Don’t you think it’s precious? Don’t go out and tell other people about this. If Uncle Shuanzi wasn’t a close friend of my father, I would had been reluctant to use it!”

Shuanzhu’s wife believed her and shed tears of gratitude, “Cao’er, you used up half a bottle for my husband. Wouldn’t Doctor You be mad at you when he returns?”

“He won’t! Grandpa You said that medicine was made to save people. Uncle Shuanzhu needed urgent treatment for his illness. If we delayed it any longer, then a big hole might be burned into his lungs. His life might be in danger if we don’t use this medicine!”

Yu Xiaocao knew that it would be difficult to treat Uncle Shuanzhu’s illness with just her own abilities, but it was much easier to cure him with the help of the mystic-stone water.

She also had concerns before she made the decision to come treat Uncle Shuanzhu’s illness. After all, he was her first patient after she began studying medicine. If anything went wrong, it would be impossible for her to treat other patients in the future. Furthermore, she might get the reputation as ‘a quack doctor who had harmed her patients’ and wouldn’t be able to lift her head in the village anymore.

While she was hesitating, the little divine stone suddenly appeared and sneered, [It’s just a mere cold! Even though my powers are sealed, I can still cure such a minor disease. Take this! My, this Divine Stone’s, bathing water will surely work without fail! Here, let me add a little more saliva for you——spit. It will definitely not fail.]

The little divine stone’s bathing water and saliva had remarkable results. Shuanzhu’s wife wiped her husband’s body several times and noticed that his body temperature had dropped a lot. Shuanzhu, who had been unconscious due to his high fever, also gradually regained consciousness.

At this time, the medicine was ready. Shuanzhu’s wife fed the medication to her husband. His terribly high fever was reduced within two hours after taking one dose of medicine.

“Ay! Brother Dahai, your daughter’s medical skills is almost as good as Doctor You’s. No wonder Doctor You praised her as a medical genius!” Liu Shuanzhu, who was still somewhat weak after his fever went down, leaned against the bed as he expressed his gratitude and praise for Xiaocao.

Shuanzhu’s wife pulled out a cloth bag from the cabinet and took out several strings of copper coins, which had around one hundred copper coins on each string. She gratefully exclaimed, “Older Brother Yu Hai, we’re so grateful to your daughter, Xiaocao. Doctor You’s medicine must be very expensive, so I’m not sure if eight hundred copper coins is enough. If it’s not enough, I’ll go borrow some from my maiden family when the snow stops.”

If the bottle of elixir and medicinal herbs belonged to his daughter, Yu Hai would never accept the money because of his close relationship with Shuanzhu. However, his daughter said that medicine belonged to Doctor You. Moreover, it seemed to be rather valuable. It was difficult for him to make a decision, so he looked at his daughter.

Since Yu Xiaocao had already spoken, it would be suspicious if she didn’t accept the money. After a moment of hesitation, she said, “Auntie Shuanzhu, you’re also familiar with Grandpa You’s personality. If his patients’ family had difficulties, he would waive their medical fee.”

“That’s right! All the villagers in the surrounding villages compliments our Dongshan Village’s Doctor You as a benevolent person. A lot of people regard him as a living Bodhisattva!” Shuanzhu’s wife exclaimed.

Yu Xiaocao continued, “If Grandpa You was here, he wouldn’t want to see you guys borrowing money to pay the medical fee. I’ll make the decision today and just accept two hundred copper coins from Auntie. Uncle Shuanzhu still needs to recuperate for some time and the New Year is coming soon…”

“Two hundred copper coins? Isn’t that too little? Doctor You will scold you when he comes back in the spring! Cao’er, just take the money. We’re a little short of money because we also bought a new boat this year. Don’t worry. Although your Uncle Shuanzhu isn’t as good of a fisher as your father, he is also one of the best fishermen within the village. With a new fishing boat, would we still be afraid of a little debt?” Shuanzhu’s wife forced the cloth bag into Xiaocao’s arms.

The cost for the medicine Xiaocao used for Shuanzhu didn’t even add up to a dozen copper coins. The crucial component was the mystic-stone water, which didn’t cost a single penny. Thus, she basically didn’t spend any money at all. If she accepted the eight hundred copper coins, she would feel guilty. Hence, Yu Xiaocao refused and insisted on only taking two hundred copper coins.

Shuanzhu’s wife was also a stubborn person. The more Xiaocao refused to accept the money, the more she wanted to give it to her. After seeing them pushing back and forth for a long time, Uncle Shuanzhu finally couldn’t take it anymore and coughed a few times,

“Don’t push and shove anymore. Xiaocao, just take it as your uncle taking advantage of you and accept five hundred copper coins. We’re spending the New Year at Tiedan’s grandfather’s house, so we have enough for the winter with the remaining three hundred copper coins.”

Xiaocao knew she couldn’t decline anymore, so she accepted the five strings of coins with shame. She left behind several packs of herbs and reminded Auntie Shuanzhu to decoct a dose of the combined herbs for Uncle Shuanzhu to take daily.

The mystic-stone water was too effective. In the future, she needed to adjust the dosage to prevent arousing other people’s suspicion and greed.

It snowed even more heavily on their way back. The snowflakes were almost like small snowballs since they were drifting so profusely and disorderly. The snow on the ground had already accumulated up to Xiaocao’s knees, so she walked unstably in the snow. Her feet were sometimes stuck in the snow, which made it difficult to pull out.

Yu Hai, who held his daughter’s small hand, noticed her situation and picked her up with a chuckle. He carried her on his back and strode home.

Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at the sky——it’s unfair that she had short legs!

The heavy snow lasted throughout the entire night. When they woke up on the next day, the door was blocked by all the snow in the courtyard. When Yu Hai got up in the morning, the first thing he did was to sweep the knee-deep snow out of the yard.

“Brother Dahai, have you heard? Wang Erlian’zi’s three-room house was crushed by the snow. Two and a half of the rooms were destroyed. Last night, in the middle of the night, his family of five crammed together in the crumbling half-room that survived. They were lucky that they didn’t freeze to death!” Their neighbor, Zhao Da, had already finished sweeping the snow and went around the village to share the news.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Old Yu frowned as he came back from outside. He stamped the snow off his shoes in front of entrance and deeply sighed as he said, “This was just the first snow of this winter, but it was already so big. I’m afraid it’s going to be a tough winter.”

“The heavy snow has become a disaster. Many houses within the village was more or less damaged by the snow. There were also several elders who didn’t make it through last night. I heard that they were already frozen by the time they were discovered in the morning!” Zhao Da shook his head and went into his father’s room. He stuffed more firewood into the duct of the kang to keep the kang bed warm.

Nearly every year, during the winter in the north, there would be sick elders and young children freezing to death and dying of illness. However, it was rare to see houses collapsing and people freezing to death so early in the winter like this year.

There were more and more people sweeping snow in front of their door. As they worked, they were also gossiping about the unfilial children, who left their elderly parents to live alone. The snow had crushed the houses of these elders and buried them inside. No one even knew how long they had lain dead...

Yu Xiaocao felt increasingly sad as she listened. She thought of Grandpa You, who was an elder in his sixties and lived alone in this remote fishing village. She was worried about his well-being. Was there was anyone to take care of him as he traveled alone? Would he be lonely and helpless?

“Father, I’m concerned about Grandpa You’s house. Let’s go take a look!” Seeing all the snow accumulated outside, Yu Xiaocao knew it would be hard for her to walk with her short legs, so she asked for her father’s help.

“Alright! I’ll take you over to have a look!” Yu Hai held the snow-cleaning tools in one hand, while he picked up his daughter and placed her on his back with the other. After that, he arduously walked towards the west side of the village.

Madam Zhang briefly chased after them before she gave up and shouted, “The snow on our own roof hasn’t been swept, yet you have time to meddle in other people’s business! Do you guys have too much free time on their hands?”

Yu Xiaocao, who was hugging her father’s neck, turned around and shouted back at her grandmother, “Grandmother! My father isn’t the only man in the family! Aren’t Eldest Uncle and Younger Uncle both at home? Grandpa You is the only doctor in the vicinity. If his house is ruined, can he still live in our village when he returns in the spring?”

The neighboring villages were all envious of the fact the Doctor You stayed in Dongshan Village. It was also very convenient for the villagers of Dongshan Village to have a doctor in the village. There wasn’t anything that Doctor You would be worried about except for his two-room house. Thus, it was considered Dongshan Village’s responsibility to take care of his house when he was away.

When Yu Hai and Xiaocao arrived, the village head had already gathered several strong men to help clear out Doctor You’s courtyard.

Doctor You had a two-room house. The roof for one of the rooms had already collapsed due to the snow. Fortunately, it was a storage room, so there wasn’t much loss.

Yu Xiaocao hurriedly entered the room that was still intact, which only had a large kang bed and boxes of medicinal herbs. She carefully examined all the boxes that stored medicinal herbs. She finally breathed a sigh of relief after she made sure that all the herbs were still intact.

The village head was an old man in his fifties with gray hair and beard. He had a tall figure and a somewhat stern appearance. When he saw Yu Xiaocao, he quipped, “Oh, did our village’s little doctor come to check on the herbs? Don’t worry. Village Head Grandpa promises to repair this two-room house to make it nice and sturdy. No matter how heavy it snows, the herbs will not be crushed.”

Chapter 43 - Cold-hearted

Dongshan Village wasn’t very big, so news spread really quickly from the east side of the village to the west. Last night, Shuanzhu’s wife had traveled through the snow in order to ask the youngest daughter of the Yu Family to see a patient. The news had already circulated around the entire village, so early this morning, someone had gone to Shuanzhu’s house to inquire about this incident.

After that, Yu Xiaocao would be invited to treat patients from time to time. She had also learned from her experience and didn’t rely on the mystic-stone water for minor illnesses. She would just prescribe medication for minor illnesses and only sprinkled several drops of mystic-stone water into the herbs if it was more complex illness. All the patients she had treated were fully cured. Thus, her reputation as ‘the little doctor of Dongshan Village’ gradually spread to the nearby villages.

It snowed heavily for seven days before gradually stopping. The entire Dongshan Village was shrouded in a vast amount of white snow. It seemed as if there were only the colors of black and white left in the world.

Twenty households in Dongshan Village had suffered as a result of this blizzard. While all of their residences were more or less damaged, the houses of three families were completely crushed by the heavy snow. Fortunately, there were no casualties.

However, there were many elderly and children who didn’t survive the sudden arrival of the severe cold and silently passed away during the winter weather.

The bitter cold and heavy snow also brought hunger and illness to the weak commoners. The heavy snowfall, which lasted for days, caused a price inflation for grains in town.

The price for coarse grain rose from two copper coins per catty to the same price as fine grains before the snow. Fine grain originally cost five copper coins per catty, but the price had risen to ten copper coins now. Furthermore, the price for the white rice, which weren’t grown around Tanggu Town, had increased to twenty copper coins! The value for all types of meat had also doubled because a lot of poultry and livestock had either died from illness or froze to death during the snowstorm.

As the days drifted by, the New Year was also approaching. However, the price for food and goods still remained high. This was a heavy blow for the common people, who had worked hard in the past year and had wanted to change up their lifestyles during the New Year.

For several days, the atmosphere was strangely gloomy at the Yu Family’s dining table. Madam Zhang’s discontent grumbles and complaints made it difficult for people to eat.

“Eat! Eat! Eat! You only know how to eat! The Yu Family’s resources are going to be demolished by you people! Why did our Yu Family let such an unhealthy person like you marry into our family? You’re seriously a woman who brings bad luck to your husband’s family!” Madam Zhang saw Yu Xiaocao getting another piece of potato pancake for her mother and began to harshly reproach them.

The heavy snowfall also caused Madam Liu, who had always been weak and in poor health, to fall ill. Madam Liu was often breathless due to her severe cough. Xiaocao didn’t even need to check her mother’s pulse to know that she had bronchitis. She prescribed several doses of medicine and added some mystic-stone water in her mother’s drinking water. Thus, the cough, which usually lingered for months in the past, had been cured with her treatment.

Madam Liu couldn’t suffer from the cold when she was already sick. Thus, Madam Li and the rest of the family had to share a portion of her chores. Madam Li was never a serious worker, so most of the household work fell on the shoulders of Yu Caidie and Madam Zhao’s servant.

Madam Zhang was reluctant to let her youngest daughter do chores, but she also didn’t dare to push all the work onto her youngest daughter-in-law’s maidservant. Hence, she had to do the work herself. When she became irritated from all the work, she would start swearing incessantly.

“Grandmother, my mother didn’t spend a single penny when she got sick this time. Didn’t she just rest for a few days? With over a dozen people in the family, we can finish all the chores if everyone just helps out a little. My mother’s body is still rather weak, so she can’t be hungry. If she doesn’t properly recuperate, then a minor illness will become something serious. If it becomes a serious illness, do you think I will be able to treat her with my medical skills? Wouldn’t we have to call for a doctor from town?”

Yu Xiaocao continued to eat and ignored Madam Zhang’s complaints. She would be just torturing herself if she quarreled with this biased old lady who had reached menopause!

Madam Zhang didn’t know how to refute to her words, so she just set her chopsticks aside and wailed as she slapped her legs, “What sins have I committed?! Why did I have to encounter such a useless and worrisome bunch? I’m a weak, old lady who works hard to supply food for the entire family, yet I still have to be scolded by a little girl. Oh, heavens! Why can’t you open your eyes and take away that unfilial thing——"

After Madam Li devoured her food, she wiped her mouth with her dirty sleeves and happily ridiculed, “Hey, Xiaocao, how can you talk to your grandmother like that? You’ve made your grandmother so angry. Aren’t you going to quickly kowtow and apologize to her?”

Yu Hai hastily interjected and appeased Madam Zhang, “Mother, Cao’er is still an ignorant child, so please don’t take her words to your heart. We all know that you’re anxious for the family because of the price inflation this winter. But don’t worry. When the snow melts, I’ll go hunt for some game in the mountain. We can keep half for the New Year, while the other half can be taken to town to be exchanged for some fine white and wheat flour.”

As soon as Madam Zhang heard that the problem of the New Year meal had been solved, she stopped crying and looked at Xiaocao, who had repeatedly challenged her authority, with a fierce expression. She turned to Yu Hai and said,

“Second Son, you have spoiled your daughter so much that she doesn’t even respect her ancestors anymore. How can she talk to the elders in her family in that manner? You should quickly give that brat a couple of slaps on the face to teach her how to respect her elders!”

Yu Hai, who wouldn’t even bear to hurt his precious daughter’s fingertip, didn’t actually think there was anything wrong with what his daughter said. However, he knew that the old lady couldn’t accept being shamed. If he didn’t give her a way out of this situation, she would definitely continue to make a ruckus for the entire day.

During Yu Hai’s hesitation, he saw the chopsticks in his daughter’s hand suddenly dropped to the ground. Her brows were tightly creased as she grasped her chest with a painful expression, “Father… I, I can’t breathe…” Before she could finish her words, she had already lost consciousness and directly fell backwards.

Yu Xiaolian had already set down her chopsticks in preparation when she saw Xiaocao frowning. When Xiaocao fell backwards, Xiaolian quickly caught her right before she landed on the ground and prevented her from hitting her head. Xiaocao stealthily opened her eyes and made a gesture of praise to Xiaolian.

“Cao’er! What’s wrong, Cao’er?” With a pale face, Madam Liu hugged her daughter’s thin body and cried.

Yu Hai swiftly picked up his daughter and strode out, “Father! Mother! Cao’er is sick again! Doctor You said this child has an extremely weak constitution, so her life might be in danger if she falls ill again. I’ll go to Eldest Uncle’s house to borrow a sleigh, and then take Xiaocao to town…”

Old Yu immediately stopped eating and quickly covered his granddaughter with his fur jacket, “Dress more warmly and don’t let the child catch a cold. Old Lady quickly take out the money. The doctors in town don’t accept deferred payments!”

Trembling with anger, Madam Zhang stood up and shouted at the old man, “Why should I take out money? That damn wretch is obviously pretending to be sick! She was fine earlier, so why did she suddenly fall ill when I’m asking her to apologize to me? She’s trying to threaten me be pretending to be sick! No one is allowed to move! If any of you dares to leave this room, then don’t ever step into the Yu Family’s house again!”

Old Yu was also infuriated, “You’re such an imperious woman! How can you be so cruel to such a young child? Didn’t you hear what Doctor You said? The child can’t be overly provoked. You tried to hit and punish her earlier, so she got scared and fell sick again. How can you still act this way when you’re her elder? Hurry up and go get the money. Don’t delay the child from receiving treatment!”

“What’s the point in seeing a doctor when she’s just a waste of money! I don’t have any money. Just chop up this old body of mine to pay off the debt!” Madam Zhang appeared as if she would rather die than give them the money. Thus, the family didn’t know what to do with her.

Madam Li smirked and sneered, “Isn’t your family’s Xiaocao very capable? She had earned money by treating patients! She never turned in any of the money that she had earned!”

“The money was for Doctor You’s medicine! Youngest Sister only charged them for the medication!” Yu Xiaolian couldn’t help but explain when she saw the scorn on her grandmother and eldest aunt’s faces.

Madam Zhang hollered as if she found a mistake they had committed, “You guys only charged them for the medicine? Who would believe that? Everything you eat and drink belongs to me, yet you’re still selfishly keeping a secret purse! We can’t let the others follow suit, so quickly give me the money!” As she spoke, she was about to personally rummage in the west room.

Yu Hai carried his daughter’s small body and gritted his teeth as he watched Madam Zhang’s action. His daughter was sick and unconscious, yet her grandmother hindered them from seeking treatment. Furthermore, she also wanted to seize the medicine fees that his daughter kept for Doctor You.

“Father! All the money that Xiaocao kept were fees for Doctor You’s medicinal herbs, which he worked hard to dig up! If Doctor You finds out that we took all his hard-earned money, will our family still have the face to ask him to treat our illnesses in the future? If people in the village finds out, will our family still have any dignity?”

Seeing that his father had no intentions to stop Madam Zhang, Yu Hai felt a deep sense of pain and indignation. People often said, ‘If you have a stepmother, you’ll have a stepfather’. It seemed like that saying was true. Madam Zhang would often bully and suppress the second branch, but his father only spoke up for them when he felt that she went overboard. Today, he actually tacitly consented to her actions when the problem involved their family’s finances.

Old Yu also had his own considerations. Since the family had to provide for a scholar, there were a lot of things that they needed to spend money on in the future. If everyone had selfish motives, then with his aging body, how would this family be able to survive? The matter of keeping a secret purse mustn’t be tolerated.

However, their Yu Family really couldn’t touch the medicine fees in his granddaughter’s hands. These days, every household had some minor illnesses and problems that requires the help of a doctor. So, they couldn’t offend the only doctor in the vicinity. It would be terrible if he secretly messed with their medicines.

“No one is allowed to touch Doctor You’s money! My children’s mother, don’t you still need Doctor You to treat your rheumatoid arthritis? Also, Dashan’s cough…” Old Yu finally spoke up.

Madam Zhang held the box of money that she found, which was mostly filled with copper coins. There were probably at least a few thousand copper coins inside. If all the money were taken into the family account, even if prices remained high during the New Year, the Yu Family would still be able to spend a prosperous New Year.

Old Yu’s words had caused her hands, which were reaching for the money, to stop. Madam Zhang inwardly thought that she had a very clear idea about how skilled Yu Xiaocao really was. She believed that the only reason those people asked Xiaocao to treat on their illnesses was because of Doctor You’s medicines.

Madam Zhang had suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for over ten years. During the snowstorm several days ago, her disorder had acted up again. At that time, Yu Xiaocao had used the medicinal herbs prepared by Doctor You to reduce her pain (Author’s Note: It was actually prepared by Xiaocao.). If they offended Doctor You, wouldn’t she need to go to town in order to treat her leg? That would waste so much money!

After a long deliberation, she finally put down the box of money reluctantly. She angrily returned to her room without eating her meal. She ignored everyone as she laid on her bed.

Yu Hai looked down at his wan-looking daughter, who was in his embrace, and said to Old Yu, “Father, even if I need to borrow money, I’ll still take Xiaocao to see a doctor.”

Chapter 44 - Bitter Disappointment

“Borrow money? Who’s going to pay the debt?” Madam Li interjected.

Yu Hai glared at her and replied with a slightly angry tone, “It’s natural that I will repay the money since I was the one who borrow it! Eldest Sister-in-law doesn’t need to worry about it!”

“Second Brother-in-law, don’t forget that all the money that you earn has to be handed in!” Madam Li reminded him with a smirk.

“What? I’m the one who earns the money, but I can’t even use my hard-earned money to get medical treatment for my daughter. As a father, should I just watch my daughter die of illness without doing anything? If I did that, am I still worthy to be a father? What’s the point of me earning all this money? Why should I continue to fish and hunt? I might as well just stay at home, and then die of illness or starvation with my wife and daughter!” The honest man finally erupted in rage and vented his anger at Madam Li, who kept provoking him.

Madam Li shouted back, “I didn’t even get a single penny from the money that you earned! Why are you screaming at me?”

“Alright, stop talking. Even if you don’t talk, no one will think you’re a mute!” Yu Dashan noticed that his second brother was really angry right now, so he hastily dragged his wife back to their east room.

With a sorrow filled gaze, Yu Hai looked at his father and spoke with a hoarse voice, “Father, Cao’er is your granddaughter and a descendant of the Yu Family. Are you really going to be so cruel and just watch her…”

Old Yu sighed deeply and said, “I’ll go to your eldest uncle’s house to borrow some money. You can repay them with the game that you catch in the future…”

The inner room’s door slammed open before he could finish speaking. With a grim expression, Madam Zhang fiercely glared at the old man and yelled,

“A certain someone can fish and hunt, so he has a better reputation than you. Why would he need you to help borrow money? There’s a price inflation this winter and we’re not making any income right now. If we continue to eat like this, wouldn’t our family eventually go bankrupt? In the future, we will have a light breakfast, and the pancakes served for dinner will be limited.”

After she finished speaking, she slammed the door shut again. She shut the door so hard that  all the dust on the house beam drifted down to the ground.

His daughter’s life was still in danger, but her grandmother was still only concerned with saving money. Yu Hai despondently looked around the house, and then rushed towards his eldest uncle’s house with Xiaocao in his arms.

Yu Hai’s eldest uncle, Yu Lichun, raised two big dogs at home. They were useful for pulling the sleigh when it snows. It had snowed heavily a couple days ago, so it would take him at least half a day to reach town by foot. Thus, when he visited his eldest uncle this time, not only would he need to get a loan, but he also needed to borrow the sledge.

With a dazed expression, Yu Hai knocked on his eldest uncle’s front door. The person who opened the door was Xiaocao’s third uncle.

Yu Jiang looked at his older cousin in surprise. When his gaze shifted to the small figure within Yu Hai’s arms, his voice instantly changed, “What happened? Did Xiaocao get sick again? Eldest Brother, Eldest Brother… quickly bring the sledge over! Second Brother needs to use it!”

Yu Lichun had two sons and three daughters. His eldest son was five years older than Yu Hai, while his second son was younger than Yu Hai. Yu Hai was the second oldest, so they called him ‘Second Brother’.

Yu Lichun’s whole family was home, hiding from the winter weather. When they heard the youngest son’s shout, they all immediately rushed out of the house. Yu Lichun didn’t even put on his cotton-padded jacket when he hurried over to check on Xiaocao’s situation.

Yu Hai went straight to the point and directly stated the purpose of this visit. Yu Lichun immediately turned towards his wife, Madam Sun, and said with a firm tone, “How much money does our family still have? Give them all to Dahai.”

Without any hesitation, the old lady went into the room and came back with a gray bag. She didn’t even open the bag before directly handing it to Yu Hai, and told him, “Take the whole thing. It’s more important for the child to get treatment first.”

The eldest son’s, Yu Xi, wife’s mouth twitched and muttered in a low voice, “If we give all our money to Dahai, what are we going to eat over the New Year? The children are all anticipating the chance to eat some wheat flour during the holiday!”

Elder Yu, who had just set up the sleigh, heard his daughter-in-law’s remark and glared at her, “Is eating more important than a person’s life?”

The eldest son’s wife didn’t utter another word, but she criticized inwardly: His parents have so much more money than our family. Why does our family have to pay for the little girl’s medical fees? That aunt of hers is seriously a miser who won’t even give away a single penny!

Yu Hai had always felt grateful to his eldest uncle. When his birth mother passed away, his eldest uncle and aunt took great care of him and his older sister. If it weren’t for his eldest uncle’s support, he didn’t even know when he would be able to get a wife.

Yu Hai bowed deeply towards his eldest uncle’s family. He didn’t say anything else and took the bag of money. After that, he got onto the sleigh and sped all the way to the village entrance.

Shortly after they left the village entrance, Xiaocao, who had been attentively listening to her surroundings, pretended as if she had just woken up and called out to Yu Hai, who held her tightly in his embrace.

A trace of expression finally appeared on Yu Hai’s face. He smiled at his precious daughter, who was wrapped up like a ball, and softly asked, “Cao’er, you awake? Can you tell Father where you’re feeling unwell?”

As Yu Xiaocao struggled to sit up, she shook her head firmly and said, “I don’t feel uncomfortable anywhere. Father, don’t worry. Earlier, I was just scared by Grandmother and fainted. I’m fine now, so let’s go back!”

“We should still go to town and get a doctor to check on you. We need to make sure that your illness is completely cured.” Yu Hai touched his daughter face and insisted on taking her to see a doctor.

When faced with Yu Hai’s stubbornness, Yu Xiaocao felt moved and helpless. She continued to persuade her father, “Father! I’m really fine! No matter what I can still be considered half a doctor. Wouldn’t I know about the condition of my own body?”

Yu Hai gave her a perfunctory reply as he controlled the sleigh, “Father knows that our Xiaocao is very capable. However, the ancients often say: ‘Doctors don’t treat their own illnesses.’ Father will only be at ease after a doctor from Tongren Medicine Hall checks on you.”

Without any other choice, Yu Xiaocao came up with a compromise, “Father, let’s do this! Let’s go to the mountain first and set some traps. We might be able to catch some game. In that case, we will have money for the medical fee. It’s inauspicious to owe money during the New Year.”

Yu Hai looked at his daughter’s rosy cheeks and her liveliness when she spoke. Seeing her persistence, he decided to compromise. So, he ordered the two dogs to turn towards the direction of the mountain forest.

The snow accumulated on the main road had been trampled on by pedestrians and carriages, so it was hard and firm. However, it was different in the mountain because the snow was soft and knee-deep high. When the two dogs travelled in the deep snow, only their heads were visible, which made it extremely difficult for them to walk.

Yu Hai decided to simply unload the sleigh from the dogs and pull his daughter into the mountain himself. He would be too worried to leave his daughter alone on the mountain road when it was so freezing cold.

The snow was beginning to clear, so many hungry little creatures came out to seek food in the mountain forest. After walking briefly, they saw a pheasant flapping its wings and flying pass them.

Yu Hai felt somewhat regretful and said, “It’s a pity that I didn’t bring my hunting tools with me.”

“It’s alright, Father! Let’s go over to the left side. Brother Han and I hid some ropes for the traps there.” Sitting on the sleigh, Yu Xiaocao enjoyed this new experience and curiously touched everything around her. From time to time, she made a snowball and threw it at the branches. She giggled ceaselessly as she watched the snow on the branches falling down.

Yu Hai finally felt relieved when he saw his daughter looking so energetic. A moment later, the two of them found the ropes. Yu Hai broke off some dead branches and set up around twenty traps of varying sizes.

Yu Xiaocao was also working busily behind him. She was either sprinkling some mystic-stone water on the snows around the noose or putting a batch of dry grass, which were soaked with mystic-stone water, around the traps. Ever since Yu Xiaocao freed up two bottles and filled them up with mystic-stone water, she had always carried a bottle with her for emergencies. In order to prevent the animals in the mountain from causing an uproar, Xiaocao urgently diluted the mystic-stone water with snow water before she sprinkled it.

It took them over two hours to finish setting all the snares. Yu Hai was an experienced hunter, so it was inevitable that he was better at setting the traps than she was. He specifically chose to set the traps on the routes that the animals frequented. After they set the last snare and returned on the same route, they noticed that there was already quite a lot of harvest.

“Wow! Cabot’s tragopan! Partridge! There’s also blue-rumped pitta!” Yu Xiaocao screamed excitedly. After such a big snowstorm, these live mountain birds should be worth quite a lot of money.

Yu Hai tied up those small game with a rope and put them on the sleigh. After that, they also caught several wild hares.

“Father! Look, what’s that? Is it a roe deer?” Yu Xiaocao saw from a distance that there was also some harvest under the few bigger snares that they had lay out. The creature looked similar to their family’s Tiny.

Yu Hai swiftly rushed towards the struggling game, pushed it down onto the ground, and tied its limbs with a rope.

“Ha-ha! We got quite a harvest today. We actually caught a deer at the edge of the forest! My daughter, this isn’t a roe deer. It’s an adult male deer! The deer’s blood and meat are all very good things. The wealthy people in town really like this!” A smile finally emerged within Yu Hai’s eyes. The deer probably weighed over a hundred catties. If he sold it, then he wouldn’t need to borrow money to pay for his daughter’s medical fees.

By the time Yu Hai and his daughter came out of the forest, the sleigh was already filled with game. After he reassembled the sleigh, they travelled all the way to Tanggu Town on the dog-pulled sleigh.

When they reached the gate of Tanggu Town, it was already noon. They left the sleigh with a family who lived near the city gate and gave them a pheasant as a payment for their help.

After the blizzard, the prices for goods steadily soared, so such a fat pheasant would cost at least one or two hundred copper coins. That family was extremely happy and promised to take good care of the two dogs.

“Hey? Isn’t this Brother Dahai? Did you come deliver game to our Fulin Restaurant? Quick, quick! Please come in!” Fulin Restaurant’s manager was sharp-eyed and quickly recognized Yu Hai and his daughter. When he saw the game that Yu Hai carried on his back, he, who was usually arrogant, couldn’t help but greet them warmly.

Yu Hai was very uncomfortable with his hospitality. As someone who frequently delivered game to town, Yu Hai naturally knew about Fulin Restaurant’s Manager Liu’s usual attitude and behavior. He was a powerful man who despised the poor. Manager Liu had also incessantly forced him to lower the price for his game.

With the booming business of Zhenxiu Restaurant and their increased demand for game, Yu Hai rarely did business with Fulin Restaurant. Had Manager Liu gone mad today? He actually acted so friendly with him and he even called him ‘brother’.

Yu Xiaocao, who was holding several small game, had a terrible impression of this Manager Liu. Moreover, she had previously made a verbal agreement Third Young Master Zhou. If she caught game, she would prioritize Zhenxiu Restaurant. Thus, she naturally didn’t want to do business with Fulin Restaurant, since they had unethical business conducts.

Chapter 45 - Getting Rich

“Oh, it’s Xiaocao! Did you go to the mountain to set traps on such a cold day?” In the midst of her hesitation, the familiar voice of Third Young Master Zhou sounded from nearby.

Yu Xiaocao turned around and saw a handsome young man, who was dressed in a royal blue colored robe, stepping down from a luxurious horse carriage. Wasn’t this Third Young Master Zhou?

“Third Young Master, what a coincidence? I was just about to send over the game that you ordered! Since we caught a lot of game today, I couldn’t carry all of them by myself. So, I asked for my father’s help!” Yu Xiaocao slightly pushed her father and moved closer to Zhou Zixu.

Yu Hai smiled apologetically, “Manager Liu, I’m really sorry! Zhenxiu Restaurant made a reservation for these game with my daughter. Next time, when I get the chance, I’ll work with Manager Liu.”

Manager Liu’s face violently twitched and his expression instantly darkened. He spat at Yu Hai’s back figure, “Just a filthy poor hunter. Does he even deserve to talk ‘business’ with me? All staff listen up! In the future, we’re not taking any of the game that the Yu Family sends over! Just let them cling onto Zhenxiu Restaurant! Humph!”

Although Manager Liu spoke proudly, he felt extremely distressed inwardly. It snowed really heavily this year. During the blizzard, not many hunters would brave the snow and enter the mountain to hunt. Thus, there was a shortage of game for all the restaurants in town. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have lowered himself and acted friendly with a mere hunter.

Manager Liu could only enviously look at the game, while Third Young Master Zhou was pleasantly surprised. Zhou Zixu smiled happily as he looked at the buck on Yu Hai’s shoulder.

“Uncle Yu, you’re seriously such a life savior! At the end of the year, the county magistrate and the aristocrats in town have all reserved a table at Zhenxiu Restaurant. We were just worried about not having any presentable dishes! With this buck, our Zhenxiu Restaurant’s reputation will surely go up another level!”

“Xu’er, is this our Zhenxiu Restaurant’s great savior who you have mentioned?” A gentle and graceful voice emerged from within the horse carriage.

Third Young Master Zhou smiled at Xiaocao, and then replied to the person within the carriage, “Mother, this little girl is one who gave us the recipe for the oyster sauce. Her name is Yu Xiaocao. We are able to defeat the older and more famous restaurants in town because of the oyster sauce. Thus, it’s not an exaggeration to say that she’s the savior of Zhenxiu Restaurant.”

It was inconvenient for Madam Zhou for come out of the carriage since there was an unfamiliar man present. Thus, she stayed within the carriage as she expressed her gratitude, “Thank you so much, Miss Yu, for being so generous and teaching us your secret recipe. Xu’er, remember to invite the young miss to our estate some other day. Mother should thank her in person.”

Yu Xiaocao quickly said, “Madam is being too courteous. If I keep the formula for the oyster sauce for myself, then only my family can taste it. However, if I give it to Zhenxiu Restaurant, more people can try the delicious taste. All recipes and formulas can only reflect its worth in the hands of people who know how to truly appreciate and use it. Don’t you think so?”

When Madam Zhou heard her reply, she couldn’t help but look differently at the little peasant girl from the mountains. Her manner of speech and thinking were even better than some of the noble ladies in town.

“Mother, you should go back first! I’ll need to go to the restaurant and make the arrangements.” Zhou Zixu was completely focused on the game right now. He wasn’t just concerned about the money. This matter could also affect the restaurant’s reputation.

When the other restaurants couldn't provide decent game to the public, Zhenxiu Restaurant would surely reach new heights by presenting a full deer banquet.

“Xiaocao, you’re seriously my little lucky star! The game that we stocked up before the snow has long been sold out. Recently, a few distinguished, regular customers have been clamoring for fresh meat dishes. My hair is about to turn white due to the stress. At the end of the year, if the dishes on the menu are too simple, then it’s seriously not presentable!” Zhou Zixu took the game from Xiaocao’s hands and walked beside her.

Yu Hai, who walked behind them, was stunned inwardly, ‘When did my daughter become so familiar with the young boss of Zhenxiu Restaurant?’

When they arrived at Zhenxiu Restaurant, Third Young Master Zhou instructed the server to take the game into the kitchen. After that, he invited the father and daughter pair into his own private room and heated up the brazier. Looking at Xiaocao’s reddened face, he couldn’t help but ask with concern,

“You must be freezing, right? Quickly come warm yourself up beside the brazier. There’s so much snow in the mountain, so it must be very difficult to catch prey! Uncle Yu, your hunting skills are truly excellent!”

Yu Hai held a cup of hot tea in his hands to keep warm, while he observed the gorgeous and elegant decors in the private room. He inwardly sighed: ‘I have been to Zhenxiu Restaurant numerous times to sell game, but I have never enjoyed such treatment before. This was all thanks to my daughter!’

According to Madam Zhou, they had learned to make the oyster sauce, which was one of Zhenxiu Restaurant’s specialties, from his daughter. He never knew that his little girl had such skills, and a spontaneous sense of pride and honor surged within his heart.

When he heard the courteous remark made by the young boss of Zhenxiu Restaurant, he quickly straightened his posture and appeared slightly stiff as he replied, “Third Young Master Zhou has overpraised me. I was just lucky today. I also hadn’t expected that we get such results by just setting traps.”

“Uncle Yu, you can just call me Zixu. I knew Xiaocao was skillful in setting traps. However, I didn’t know that the skill runs in Uncle Yu’s family!” The ginger soup that Zhou Zixu instructed to be brewed had arrived, so he personally handed them to Yu Hai and Xiao’s hands.

Seeing that his daughter had received the ginger soup in a relaxed manner, Yu Hai also dropped the formalities and drank the soup while it was still warm. When his frozen body finally warmed up, he smiled and said, “We’re not really a family devoted to hunting. I had learned my hunting skills from Older Brother Zhao, who was also a hunter. In terms of hunting, Older Brother Zhao Bufan is the one who’s truly an expert!

“Our Zhenxiu Restaurant needs to thank Uncle Yu and Uncle Zhao for always helping us out. As an expression of our gratitude, I’ll treat you guys to a meal this afternoon. I hope Uncle Yu will accept my sincerity…” Disregarding their business relationship, Zhou Zixu felt that the generosity and help that Yu Hai’s daughter had provided him was enough for him to treat the father and daughter warmly.

Yu Hai hastily declined, “Third Young Master Zhou doesn’t have to waste the money. We are still in a hurry to go to Tongren Medicine Hall and ask Doctor Sun to check on Cao’er.”

“Xiaocao, are you feeling unwell? Tongren Medicine Hall’s Doctor Sun’s medical skills is very good. Should I get someone to call Doctor Sun over?” Zhou Zixu carefully examined Yu Xiaocao and felt relieved to see that she didn’t seem sick.

Yu Xiaocao drank the bitter ginger soup with a troubled face, and then waved her hand at him, “I’m fine. I suffered a little fright in the morning, but I’m alright now. My father is just overly anxious!”

Yu Hai inwardly thought, ‘You even fainted this morning, so how am I being overly anxious?’

Yu Xiaocao continued, “However, it has gotten colder recently. I wonder if my older brother has any warm clothes. Third Young Master Zhou, are there any shops to buy ready-made garments nearby? I want to buy a cotton-padded clothing for my older brother.”

With a slightly discontented expression on his face, Zhou Zixu exclaimed, “How many times have I told you already? Don’t call me ‘Third Young Master Zhou’. It makes us sound like strangers. No matter what I’m still five years older than you, so it wouldn’t be too much for you to call me ‘Older Brother Zhou’, right? You don’t need to go buy the cotton-padded clothes. I have many quilted garments at home that have become too small for me even before I got to wear them. If you don’t mind, you can give them to your older brother to wear.”

“No, please don’t! My older brother is an apprentice at a shop, so it’s improper for him to wear your fancy clothing! It’s better to buy those cotton-padded attires made with rough fabric because it’s not as eye-catching!” Yu Xiaocao looked at the royal blue brocade robe on his body. It definitely wasn’t suitable for poor folks like them.

Zhou Zixu’s servant, who was like a shadow without any sense of existence, finally spoke up at this time, “Young Master, this servant’s mother had made a cotton attire for me at the beginning of the year. When I tried it on several days ago, I noticed that it had gotten shorter. The clothing was made from a fabric gifted by Madam and I have never worn it before. If Miss Yu doesn’t mind…”

“Bring it over for me to see! Also, go fetch two quilts from home on your way. The weather has gotten so cold, so we don’t want our Brother Yu Hang to freeze!” After Zhou Zixu finished giving out his orders, knowing that Yu Xiaocao wouldn’t stay for the meal, he instructed the server to go weigh the game on the scale.

The waiter came back from the kitchen a moment later and reported, “The male deer is two hundred sixty catties, while the various small game weighed a total of thirty-five catties.”

Zhou Zixu naturally wouldn’t treat them badly. After a moment of deliberation, he said, “In the past, a buck was worth sixty copper coins per catty. However, according to this winter’s market value, it will cost about a hundred copper coins per catty. The deer you caught is still alive. The deer blood and penis are both very valuable things… Let’s do this. I’ll pay you one hundred twenty copper coins per catty for this deer. The price for the other small game will also be double. What do you think?”

“The venison can be sold for a hundred copper coins, but our deer is only heavy due to its fur. So, how can we ask for a hundred twenty copper coins for each catty! We’re already taking advantage of you by taking a hundred copper coins per catty.” Yu Hai wasn’t someone who would take advantage of others.

Zhou Zixu guffawed, “If you’re talking about taking advantage, we’re the ones who have benefited the most. I can sell this deer for at least ten times the price that I brought it with. If Uncle hadn’t delivered this deer to Zhenxiu Restaurant in consideration of our old friendship, how would we be able to use it to earn money? Uncle Yu, no offense, but you’re not as straightforward as your daughter.”

Yu Hai was even more astonished inwardly when he saw his daughter’s relaxed and satisfied attitude, ‘Based on their attitude, this clearly wasn’t their first business deal. When did his daughter start doing business with Zhenxiu Restaurant?’

The deer, which was over two hundred catties, was sold for thirty-one taels and two hundred copper coins. The various small game were sold for 1,750 copper coins. In the end, Third Young Master Zhou rounded the total up and gave them thirty-three taels.

“The deerskin is very valuable. Do you guys want it?” The price for the deerskin is calculated separately. A complete deerskin would be worth at least ten taels.

Yu Hai pondered for a moment and said to his daughter, “Let’s just keep the deerskin. After we tan the skin, it will be very soft and strong. It’s also water-resistant. I can make two pairs of deerskin boots for you siblings. In the future, your feet won’t get wet when you go gather seafood at the beach.”

If he wasn’t her own father, Yu Xiaocao would have replied to him by saying, ‘Are you an idiot?!’ We could buy so many pairs of shoes with ten taels. Moreover, he wanted us to wear the deerskin boots to gather seafood at the sea. How much seafood would we need to gather in order to make up for the price of a pair of deerskin boots?

“We don’t want the deerskin. You can just give us the money for it!” Yu Xiaocao directly made the decision. It was undeniable that her father really loved his children, but he was too indecisive sometimes.

Zhou Zixu didn’t say anything and took out a banknote, which was worth fifty taels, from his purse. Without giving Yu Hai a chance to refuse, Yu Xiaocao had reached out her hand to take the banknote, “Wow! So this is the banknote that people talk about! Are there any restrictions? It won’t expire, right?”

Zhou Zixu rolled his eyes in an unrefined manner. He smiled as he pinched her cheek and said, “Don’t worry! This note is from the old and famous bank operated by the Sang Family. They’re the wealthiest family in all of the Great Ming Dynasty. The bank won’t go bankrupt! Moreover, with our relationship, even if the bank is gone, you can still come find me to exchange it for cash.”

Chapter 46 - Making Up an Excuse

“Thank you then!” Yu Xiaocao flipped the banknote back and forth and examined it for a long time. After her curiosity had been fulfilled, she carefully folded the banknote and put it into the pocket of her jacket. After that, she patted her pocket contentedly.

A fifty taels banknote! In addition to her earnings from selling game last time, she had at least seventy or eighty taels now. It seemed like she had accumulated some savings now!

Third Young Master Zhou looked at Xiaocao, who appeared like a money-grubber. Her big eyes were like a pair of crescent moons and her rosy lips were curled up slightly. Even her shabby and worn-out attire couldn’t conceal her cuteness.

Yu Hai was quite surprised to see his daughter unreservedly putting the banknote into her pocket. When did his daughter become so assertive? She had calmly stuffed a fifty taels banknote into her own pocket. She didn’t know how many things fifty taels could buy, does she? Even a five-room house in Dongshan Village wouldn’t need so much money to be built.

Third Young Master Zhou had noticed Yu Hai looking at Xiaocao with a hesitant expression when she directly took the money without prior discussion with him. However, Yu Hai didn’t say anything in the end. He also didn’t confiscate the banknote, which was enough money for an ordinary family to live off for several years.

Zhou Zixu smiled faintly and said to Yu Hai, “Uncle Yu is really a good father, who dotes on your daughter.”

Yu Hai looked affectionately at his youngest daughter, who was currently eating snacks. He thought of his poverty-stricken situation of not having any money when his daughter fainted, as well as his other thin and weak children at home. He shook his head gently and replied with a voice full of solemnity and self-remorse, “No, I’m not a good father…”

“Father, if you stop listening to my grandmother all the time and think of our immediate family more, then you will definitely be a good father!” Yu Xiaocao lectured her father as she drank the steaming hot brown sugar ginger soup.

“My mother… who is also your real grandmother had passed away when your father, I, was still very young. Thus, I’m grateful to your grandmother for raising me up. After your youngest aunt gets married and your younger uncle passes the county level examination, there will be fewer burdens at home, so our immediate family can break off from the family and live separately from them. At that time, I’ll earn more money by hunting and fishing more frequently. I’ll buy more new clothes and hair accessories for our Xiaocao…” Yu Hai felt slightly distressed in his heart as he touched his daughter’s somewhat withered and yellow hair.

Yu Xiaocao inwardly pouted her lips. Her father was the breadwinner of the family. If her younger uncle passed the county level examination, then he would want to take provincial level examination and the imperial examination… Her grandmother was a leech, so she was never going to let them go until she had sucked all their blood. Their hope of breaking off from the family was very slim!

Another manservant of Third Young Master Zhou knocked on the door and came in with a bulky bundle. With an embarrassed expression on his face, Zhou Zixu’s personal manservant, Simo, took the bundle from him and said, “This servant really hasn’t worn this cotton-padded clothes before. If Miss Yu doesn’t mind, then…”

“I don’t mind! I don’t mind!” He was the personal manservant of the young master of the Zhou Family, which was the wealthiest family in Tanggu Town. Thus, he dressed more decently than most of the ordinary people in town. The quilted attire he wore was made of fine cotton cloth, which cost thirty-four copper coins for one-third of a meter!

She took the bundle and saw that it was indeed a brand-new set of dark blue quilted jacket and trousers. They were made with fine cotton fabric and filled with thick cotton, so the set of clothing felt extremely soft. Even if she didn’t touch the garment, it was easy to tell that they were made with fresh cotton. This set of cotton-padded clothes would cost at least a few hundred copper coins.

It wasn’t easy to work as a servant, so Yu Xiaocao naturally didn’t want to take advantage of him. She stretched her hand out towards her father and said, “We’ll buy this set of clothing from this young brother. Father, give me money to pay him!”

Third Young Master Zhou was quite amused when he saw the young girl, who had a fifty taels banknote in her pocket, outright asked her father to pay. Moreover, the obedient father swiftly complied to his daughter’s orders and paid with his money…

Simo hastily declined the string of copper coins that Yu Hai handed to him and said, “This cotton-padded attire is too small for me to wear, so it’s useless for me to keep it. It’s also a pity to just throw it away. It’s fortunate that Miss Yu wants to take it, so how can I accept money for it?”

In fact, the madam had rewarded the fabric for the quilted garments to him because she saw that he had served the young master wholeheartedly. Simo’s mother felt that her son had gained honor for her, so she gladly stayed up for two nights to make the clothes for him. However, he didn’t get the chance to wear it since the weather had gotten warmer. He took it out to wear as soon as winter came around, but it had already become too small for him.

His young master’s status in the Zhou Family had risen due to Zhenxiu Restaurant’s success. Eldest Master had praised his young master more than once in front of the other young masters. Even a personal manservant like him had also received more respect.

Simo, who had become conscious of his position, prevented his mother from altering the clothes. It would be so embarrassing if the personal manservant of the only heir of the second branch came out dressed in a mended attire. Wouldn’t he turn into a laughingstock? Thus, a good and brand new set of quilted clothes became useless.

Who was Miss Yu? In merely half a year, Zhenxiu Restaurant had become the best restaurant in Tanggu Town. Miss Yu could probably take at least half of the credit for the success of Zhenxiu Restaurant. Thus, even his own young master treated her with respect and gratitude. She readily accepted the cotton-padded clothes, so how would he dare to take her money?

Yu Xiaocao noticed that the young brother was about to be upset if she continued to give him the money. Hence, she stopped insisting and expressed her gratitude to the manservant again. After that, she stuffed the quilted clothing into her father’s hands and bid farewell to Third Young Master Zhou.

Zhou Zixu lamented, “Head Chef Wang came up with a new dish. I wanted to ask you to taste the dish and give us some advice. But it seems like we have to do it on another day. By the way, where do you live, Xiaocao? Leave me your address, so I can find you more easily in the future.”

“I live in Dongshan Village, which is southeast of town. It’s a small fishing village a little over twenty-five kilometers [1] away.” Yu Xiaocao’s plan to quietly make a fortune was inseparable from her ‘God of Fortune [2]’, so she naturally wouldn’t reject his request.

When they came out of the private room, they ran into Head Chef Wang, who had hurriedly rushed over. He had a slightly disappointed expression on his face when he saw Yu Xiaocao leaving. He found out that Xiaocao was going to visit her older brother, who worked as an apprentice. Head Chef Wang, who had also begun as an apprentice, naturally knew that pain of being an apprentice. Thus, he ordered the server to wrap a bag of freshly-made steamed buns from the kitchen and told Xiaocao bring it to her older brother.

Yu Xiaocao was so grateful that she repeatedly thanked him. Head Chef Wang chuckled merrily, “No need to thank me! I’m just borrowing my boss’s flower and offering it to you, this little Bodhisattva [3]! Miss Yu, if there’s a chance in the future, let’s exchange our knowledge regarding cooking.”

“My meager culinary skills are incomparable to Head Chef Wang’s skills. However, if I have any new ideas in cooking, I’ll definitely ask for Uncle Wang’s advice.

Yu Xiaocao finally got away from Head Chef Wang’s enthusiasm, but before she had the time to breathe a sigh of relief, she was stumped by her father’s question.

“The oyster sauce is Zhenxiu Restaurant’s specialty. Cao’er, were you the one who taught them? How did you know how to make oyster sauce? Why did the arrogant Head Chef Wang of Zhenxiu Restaurant act so respectful and friendly to you?” Yu Hai voiced the questions he had in his heart.

Yu Xiaocao couldn’t immediately answer his questions. She couldn’t just tell him: ‘Father, your daughter is already dead. I’m a soul from another world, who has maintained my knowledge from my previous life.’ If she really told him that, then she would definitely be viewed as a demon and burned to death.

After a brief deliberation, she gathered her courage and replied, “Father, do you believe in the resurrection of the dead?”

Yu Hai’s expression immediately changed. His eyebrows were so tightly creased that he could probably catch mosquitoes. He replied, “How can a dead person be revived? Unless the King of Hell didn’t accept him because he hasn’t completed his predestined lifespan!”

“If I told you that I had been to the Palace of Hell and met the King of Hell, would you believe me?” Yu Xiaocao carefully observed every one of Yu Hai’s expressions. If he showed great resistance and aversion, she would use the excuse that it was a joke and stop trying to continue with this lie.

Her only consolation for coming to this world was that she was able to enjoy parental love and care once again. She didn’t want to lose her father’s doting love and her mother’s tender care again…

Yu Hai halted in his steps and bent down to look at her. With eyes filled of agony and guilt, he asked in a warm tone,

“Cao’er, was it that time you injured your head? Your eldest granduncle said that you had already stopped breathing at that time. It was fortunate that Doctor You arrived in time and saved you… Father is really useless. I can’t even protect my own children. I don’t deserve to be your father…”

“Father! Although you’re a little blindly devoted to your parents and have a slightly soft personality, you’re still the best father to Cao’er. Father, you don’t need to blame yourself. Though I had wandered at the gates of hell, it was actually a blessing in disguise because I had obtained some methods to earn money!”

Since her new father didn’t reject the idea of demons and gods, Yu Xiaocao spoke even more recklessly as she continued with her story. After all, she was nearly thirty years old in her past life. Although she tried her best to act like a child, she would inadvertently reveal something suspicious. Furthermore, she definitely couldn’t hide her big money-making plan from her close relatives. Didn’t people of ancient times regard supernatural beings with respect and fear? Hopefully, she could fool them with her made-up story.

At the thought that his daughter, who he had carefully protected for eight years, almost dying in vain, Yu Hai felt a moment of fear within his heart. He hugged his daughter’s thin body tightly and choked up with sobs, “No amount of money is as important as my daughter being alive and healthy. Don’t be afraid, Cao’er. Can you tell me what exactly happened?”

“Actually, I’m not really sure either. After I injured my head and fell into a coma, I dazedly saw two men, who were dressed in white and black respectively. They took me to a place to meet a very dignified official. Later, it seemed like they mentioned something about an unfinished lifespan and that they had taken the wrong person. They even said they would compensate me. When I woke up, I felt like certain things would suddenly emerge within my mind. My knowledge of the oyster sauce also appeared after I woke up. However, I had never tried it because our family doesn’t have the means to do so.”

Yu Xiaocao tried to speak vaguely since the original host was still only nine years old after the new year. When taken to an unfamiliar environment, she would definitely be scared and wouldn’t remember certain things very clearly.

“Cao’er, don’t be afraid! Allegedly, Hundred Year Old Zhang of Shangtun Village had also loitered around in the underworld. When the King of Hell noticed that he misjudged, he compensated him with a long life. Thus, Hundred Year Old Zhang lived until he was 108 years old before he died of old age. Our Cao’er will certainly live a long life in the future!”

Yu Hai didn’t dare imagine his delicate and frail daughter wandering around in the underworld, which was such an eerie and frightening place. His daughter was originally timid, so how scared would she had been at that time?

Yu Xiaocao was extremely surprised that there was actually a similar real-life case for the story that she randomly fabricated. This was even better since it increased the credibility of her story.

The father and daughter pair walked side by side on the empty street. Yu Hai tightly clasped onto his daughter’s small hand with his big hand for fear that his daughter would be taken away if he loosened his hold.

[1] 里 (li) - 1 li = 1/2 km = 0.31 miles

[2] She actually called him 'Zhou Caishen' (周财神) - Zhou is from his surname, while caishen means the God of Fortune

[3] Bodhisattva (菩萨) - someone who is on the path towards Buddhahood but has not yet attained it; deity in Buddhism; a term applied to a kindhearted person

Chapter 47 - Punishment

Xiaocao felt her heart warm with gratitude. Even though she had told such a ridiculous story, her father, who clearly loved her, decided to believe her completely and continued to show concern for her. It was something that made her feel happy and grateful.

In the eyes of Yu Hai, his precious daughter was as pure as water from a hidden spring deep in the mountains. Prior to her head injury, she had never stepped out of the house and spent most of her days recuperating on the bed. How would she learn how to deceive people?

Furthermore, how would an eight year old child know about the Black and White Impermanence deities who escorted the dead, the judge of the dead, King Yama, and what the Palace of Hell looked like? Would she be able to describe these things so clearly had she not experienced them herself? He couldn’t help but tighten his grip on his little girl’s hand. His daughter hadn’t had an easy life and almost had a brush with death. He silently made a decision in order to not waste her second chance at life...

“Father, we’ve reached the carpentry shop!” Yu Xiaocao noticed that her father was so lost in his thoughts that he almost passed the woodworking store, so she couldn’t help but pull on his hand to remind him.

Yu Hai pulled his mind away from his train of thoughts, saw a man with his hands in his sleeves standing next to entrance, and went up to him and said, “Sir, would you mind bringing Yu Hang out? I’m one of his family members and I’m here to give him a padded cotton coat.”

This man was clearly more polite than the one from last time. He looked at the father-daughter pair and only replied with a hint of impatience, “Wait here, a couple of the apprentices are currently being punished, the shopkeeper may not necessarily let anyone out!”

As the man walked towards the back hall, he mumbled quietly to himself, “They don’t look like people who can’t afford to raise their children, so why did they harden their hearts and send their kid to this tiger’s den?”

After her body was rejuvenated by the mystic-stone water, Yu Xiaocao’s natural senses were sharper compared to the average person’s. She could faintly hear the fellow’s grumblings and it reminded her of the bruises she saw on her older brother's face the last time she visited him. Uneasy, she said, “Father, can we bring older brother back? I feel like learning carpentry from here is not as good as him going off with you to learn how to hunt and fish!”

Yu Hai often came into town and had also heard rumors of the carpentry shopkeeper’s poor temper. Apparently, whenever the man got drunk, he would use his fists on his associates and apprentices. Yu Hai frowned and then sighed softly, “Let’s decide after we finish celebrating the New Year. Because we had to borrow money to let you see the doctor today, your grandmother will definitely take advantage of this and throw a few temper tantrums. If we brought your brother back without asking for her opinion, no one in the family would be able to enjoy the festivities this year!”

The father and daughter pair stood out in the cold for quite a while before they saw Yu Hang running out of the side door. It had been almost two months since Yu Xiaocao last saw her brother. She gazed at him from head to toe sorrowfully. Although she couldn't detect any new wounds on him, the color of his face was poor and his whole body had become painfully thin.

She asked with a voice full of worry, “Older brother, you’ve become so thin. Does your master not give you any food to eat?”  Yu Hang placed his hands in his sleeves and did his best to keep a smile on his face. He shook his head gently and replied, “I just grew a bit. Nothing I eat seems to stick on me. Don’t worry, little sister! The amount of food I get here is about the same as what I get at home!”

It was the same amount as home, when they were still being rationed and couldn’t eat their fill, but now he also had more work to do. However, Yu Hang had a sensible personality and wouldn’t voice these inner thoughts in front of his family in order to keep them from worrying.

Yu Hai gently smoothed his son’s brittle and yellowing hair. The child had indeed become thinner. In fact, his son’s appearance was not much different compared to the time when his grandmother was restricting their rations as his two cheeks were still sunken. His daughter wasn’t wrong, he really needed to bring his son back home as soon as possible.

Yu Xiaocao used a lot of effort to blink back the tears in her eyes and fished out a few meat buns from her pocket. She stuffed them into her older brother’s hands and said, “Older brother, these meat bums had just come out of the steamer, you should eat them now while they’re still hot!”

“Didn’t I tell you that you don’t need to buy me food to eat? If Grandmother found out you were buying random things, she would definitely be angry at our branch!” Yu Hang stared at the white and puffy meat bun that gave off a delicious aroma. He couldn’t help but swallow back the saliva that pooled in his mouth. How long had it been since he last ate something made of white flour?

The rolls in the carpentry shop were all made of the lowest quality, roughest type of grain there was. The bread stuck to one’s throat and they were only given a piece the size of a child’s fist to eat. As for the soup, other than a few pieces of broken cabbage, it was mostly water. Not even a single drop of oil could be found in the broth. And they never had any vegetables to eat!

The shop originally accepted around a total of seven to eight apprentices, but about half of them left due to hunger. The rest would have quit long ago had their birth families not been too poor to raise them. Just a moment ago, he had been cruelly punished along with two other apprentices who were slightly older than him. The three of them had been sentenced to kneel on the snow covered ground and had to hold a basin full of ice cold water in their arms. Yu Hang’s eyes dimmed at that recent memory.

“These steamed rolls were gifted to us by Zhenxiu Restaurant’s Head Chef Wang, so we didn’t spend any money. Hurry up and eat them, they won’t taste good when they’re cold.” Yu Xiaocao explained persuasively. She suddenly noticed that the hand that her older brother used to hold the bun was trembling incessantly. She couldn’t help but ask impatiently, “Older brother, what’s wrong with your hand?”

Yu Hang evasively replied, “We didn’t finish all of our tasks so the shop manager punished us. It’s not a big deal, I’ll be fine after I rest a bit. Father, little sister, did you eat already?”

“We already ate. Xiaosha, is the work in the store exhausting? Just endure for a few more days. When I get back I’ll negotiate with your grandmother and after we finish celebrating the new year, we’ll bring you back home.” Hearing that his obedient and hardworking son had been punished solidified Yu Hai’s desire to bring him back home.

Yu Hang could no longer hold back. He took out a steaming hot meat bun and bit off a large mouthful. The boy almost burst into tears after tasting the combination of the soft and tender bread with the rich and fragrant ground meat.

After hearing what his father said, he hesitated for a moment before he shook his head, “Father, Grandmother will not agree. It doesn’t matter how much work any of us children do, it doesn’t mean anything in her eyes. She will not allow me to go home to ‘live an easy life’! Furthermore, if we want to break the apprenticeship contract, we need to pay the shop manager money. Father, do you really think Grandmother will take out money for anyone other than our Younger Uncle?”

This past half year of being a carpentry apprentice had been nothing but a nightmare for Yu Hang. Not only could he not eat his fill and get enough sleep, but he was also punished for every little thing, and the penalties changed on a whim. It exhausted him physically and mentally. In fact, had his father and little sister not come to visit him, it was likely he would not have been able to endure holding that water basin for much longer.

If he couldn’t hold out, then he could only end up becoming soaked by the icy, cold water. As an apprentice who came from a poor family, he was considered fortunate to even have one piece of warm clothing. Had it become wet, he didn’t have any other clothing to swap. Without something to keep him warm in this type of freezing weather, wasn’t that asking for his life?

That was why he didn’t reject the offer to bring him back home. Even though he was normally very sensible, he only voiced his worries regarding the plan.

Yu Hai’s resolve solidified and he patted his son’s bony and sharp shoulder. The rims of his eyes were reddened as he said, “Don’t worry about it! Father can resolve the money issue. Hang in there for a little longer… take this string of cash and keep it safe. Whenever you’re hungry, you can buy some steamed buns and meat buns to fill your stomach. After the New Years celebrations, Father will come and visit you again.”

Yu Xiaocao looked at the string of copper coins and her attitude towards her father changed for the better. It appeared that her father’s filial piety wasn’t to the point where he was without reason now.

“Older brother, this coat was sent by Third Young Master Zhou and it’s quite thick. Remember to wear it when you go back.” Yu Xiaocao had noticed that her brother’s hands were covered with pus-filled lesions from frostbite and also had cracks in the skin filled with blood. A ten year old child had hands that looked like someone much older. The sight made her feel bad. Next time she definitely needed to make some frostbite ointment for her older brother with some extra mystic-stone water. That combination should fix his hands up!

After seeing Yu Hang eat three meat stuffed buns in a row, Yu Hai warned him to stop, “Don’t eat anymore, you can end up bloated. Drink some hot water when you get back and leave the rest of the food for tomorrow. It’s getting late, your little sister and I need to head back. Take care of yourself.”

Yu Hang carefully wrapped up the remaining steamed meat buns and inserted the packet of food into the package containing his coat. He was reluctant to say farewell to his father and little sister. If only Father could convince his grandmother to bring him back earlier. Otherwise, he would likely end up like Little Mu and be on the verge of death before his family would get notified to bring him back.

Silence reigned as the father and daughter pair traveled on. When they passed by the Tongren Medicine Hall, Yu Hai insisted on having his daughter being checked by Doctor Sun.

[Haha! Spiritual energy is everywhere, I can absorb more spiritual energy now!] The little divine stone ‘whooshed’ towards the cabinet full of precious medicinal herbs and sat on top like a gecko who had found a resting place and refused to let go. In any case, no one else could see it other than its master, so it didn’t really matter what its appearance was.

Doctor Sun still had an impression of the father daughter pair. He stroked his long beard while asking the little girl, “Where are you feeling unwell?”

“I feel fine..” Before Xiaocao could finish replying, her father interrupted her.

“Doctor Sun, my daughter fainted this morning. Please take a look at her and check to see if this is a recurrence of her old illness.” In the past, Xiaocao often became sick at the slightest touch, and those experiences had left a deep impression in Yu Hai’s heart. There were a few times when Doctor You couldn’t do anything for her and only Doctor Sun was able to save his daughter’s life.

Yu Xiaocao knew she couldn’t fool the highly skilled Doctor Sun and hurriedly said, “Father, earlier I was only scared a bit by Grandmother. I already said that I’ve long recovered from my old illness, why do you still not believe me?”

Doctor Sun carefully took her pulse and inspected Xiaocao’s complexion. He smiled slightly and said, “Don’t be concerned, this little girl’s chronic condition has definitely been healed. A little extra care should be given in the future. The child shouldn’t be frightened as sometimes being overly scared can cause another big problem to occur.”

“Thank you doctor. Please prescribe some medication to stabilize her condition...”

“Doctor Sun already said that I’m fine. What’s the point of prescribing medication?” Yu Xiaocao really did not want to drink bitter medication.

“Every medication has a side effect. This little girl has a good head on her shoulders and does not need to take any more medication.” Doctor Sun’s words were like a beam of light in darkness and he was able to cut off Yu Hai’s stubborn persistence. The old man then smiled profoundly at Xiaocao.

Yu Xiaocao smiled in embarrassment. This Doctor Sun was quite an interesting old fellow. Suddenly, she remembered her own mother’s grave condition. She described her mother’s symptoms and pulse condition at the onset of the recent attack with great detail to Doctor Sun.

“Little girl, you have some medical knowledge?” Doctor Sun revealed a flabbergasted expression.

Yu Xiaocao chuckled and said, “It’s really not much. I only spend some time with Doctor You, our village doctor, for a few days and picked a couple things up. It’s not true medicinal skills, and I don’t dare to show my poor skills in front of you.”

Doctor Sun smiled and didn’t respond further. He pondered for a short period of time and then explained, “From what you described to me about her pulse condition, I can tell that this is an old illness. If it continues to go on without getting treated, she’ll end up having chronic lung disease. First, have her drink the medications I’ll prescribe her. After a few days of that, it’s best that she comes in person to be evaluated.”

Chapter 48 - A Change

After receiving the medication, the father and daughter pair thanked Doctor Sun profusely over and over. The two of them then went to the outskirts of town to pick up their sledge. On the way there, Xiaocao bought a few meat stuffed buns from a roadside stall and used the buns to feed the two energetic dogs until they were stuffed full. In addition, she added a couple drops of the mystic-stone water to the dog’s drinking water.

The two dogs instantly became lively and full of energy. On the road back home, the two animals pulled the sled at lightning speed. They even caught up and passed a fellow who was driving a horse-pulled sleigh. The driver exclaimed in admiration at the speed and strength of the two dogs and even said that his own horse would not be able to catch up with them.

The two sturdy and brave dogs finished a distance of around twenty-five kilometers in less than an hour. Before they arrived at the entrance of the village, the father and daughter pair took a detour to check on the traps they had set earlier. It was not a surprise to Xiaocao that more than half of their traps had some sort of game to be harvested.

Out of the two large snares, one of them had been damaged while the other one had caught a fat and fleshy roe deer. However, it appeared that too much time had passed since the roe deer had been trapped. The animal had already died a while ago and had been frozen stiff. The other smaller traps had mostly caught wild hares and pheasants but one of them had even snapped a badger!

Xiaocao was not familiar with badgers, so she curiously poked the animal a couple of times. A slight smile had finally appeared on Yu Hai’s face as he said, “A badger’s fur is very warm. After Father finishes tanning its pelt, I’ll have your mother make a badger fur vest for you. The meat from the badger is also very tasty and has the ability to nourish the body. We should keep for ourselves to eat. You should take the badger fat so that when Doctor You returns you can use it to brew some burn ointment.”

“This badger probably weighs at least twenty or so catties, even if we’re estimating on the low end. It could be sold for a couple hundred copper coins. Do you think grandmother will really allow us to eat it?” Yu Xiaocao casually replied without much expectation.

“This badger was caught by us, if I say we eat it, then we shall eat it!” Yu Hai had a much more resolute and determined air around him compared to before.

They had quite a large haul from their traps, and altogether it came out to be around two to three hundred catties worth of game. Yu Hai stacked the prey on top of the sleigh and walked alongside the vehicle. From time to time, he would ask his daughter if she was either hungry or cold.

Yu Xiaocao had been wrapped up until she resembled a large cotton ball. Other than her eyes and nose, everything else was under layers of cloth. She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: ‘The way Father treats me, his daughter, is beyond words!’

The father and daughter pair first went to Yu Hai’s uncle’s home to return the sledge. On the way there, Xiaocao had already convinced her father that he should temporarily not repay the money he had borrowed. With a debt to pay off, he will have an excuse to not give up the money he obtained from selling game. At this time, it was necessary for their own branch to have their own purse!

After the past few events, Yu Hai was very clear on the importance of having some cash on hand. His wife had a poor constitution ever since she gave birth to Shitou and even coughed up blood several times. Although his youngest daughter had said she was feeling fine, but he still wasn’t completely convinced by her. If he didn’t have a single copper coin in his hands, what could he do in the future? Would he be destined to watch the two of them suffer the next time they got ill or encountered a disaster?”

Thus, he didn’t say a word when his daughter received the fifty taels note earlier. Furthermore, when his daughter suggested to delay settling the debt, he also agreed to the idea without a single hesitation. In the future he will continue to work hard and expand great effort for the family as a whole but he would never disregard his own branch and be foolishly filial again!

“Dahai, quickly bring the child into the room so she can sit on the kang to get warmed up. It’s a cold day, you must be frozen right? How are you Xiaocao? You look pretty wan and listless!” Yu Lichun stooped down to pick Xiaocao and the blankets combined and quickly entered the house.

The warm air from the room hit her immediately and before she could take a good look at her surroundings, Xiaocao had been inserted directly into the blankets covering the kang. The toasty warmth of the covers was incredibly comfortable, and it made her feel drowsy.

“What did the doctor say?” Yu Xiaocao’s third uncle, Yu Jiang, asked as he held two bowls of piping hot ginger soup. After giving one bowl to Yu Hai, he carefully cajoled his niece to drink the ginger soup.

The Yu Family’s ginger soup was only made with fresh ginger that had been simmered for a long time. It tasted primarily of ginger and its distinctive spiciness lingered in the throat. Yu Xiaocao grimaced and wanted to avoid the torture of consuming the soup but her third uncle pried her mouth open and poured it down into her. Although her body had warmed perceptibly, the uncomfortable sensation endlessly tormented her throat and mouth.

Yu Hai had gulped down his bowl of ginger soup in one go. After seeing his daughter’s uncomfortable expression, he chuckled wickedly and said, “Tongren Medicine Hall’s Doctor Sun looked her over and prescribed a few medications. There’s nothing seriously wrong with her!”

He definitely would not say that his child didn’t have any health problems. Yu Hai was very familiar with Madam Zhang’s character—money was her life! If she never had to bleed a little bit, then she would never know what true pain was. In the future if she wanted to treat his daughter poorly, she would need to think about the consequences first!

Madam Sun took out a few delicious baked sweet potatoes, peeled off their skins, and put them into Xiaocao’s hands and said, “Eat these, it’ll help change the taste in your mouth. As long as your fine, that’s what matters. This child has endured a lot over the past few years!”

“Thank you, Eldest Grandaunt!” Xiaocao had a fondness for baked sweet potatoes, but it was a pity that she had a witch of a grandmother with Madam Zhang at home. She rarely had the opportunity to eat any. The sweet and fragrant taste of the roasted sweet potato momentarily eradicated the wound on her heart which had been caused by the ginger soup.

Yu Hai chatted casually with his eldest uncle and cousins. When he saw that his daughter, who had finished her sweet potato, rubbing her eyes in drowsiness, he stood up and said, “Eldest Uncle, I will definitely return the money I borrowed from you before the end of the year. I will always remember your kindness to me.”

Yu Lichun hastily replied: “We’re family, no need to say anything about remembering kindness! Don’t blame your father, he’s always been that type of weak-willed person. Your stepmother… aish, just don’t mention it! Don’t make the borrowed money a burden on yourself, my family doesn’t need it urgently!”

Yu Hai helped his daughter put on a thick leather coat. The coat was so large that it almost touched the ground. As if she was in a daze, Xiaocao stumbled blindly behind her father on the bumpy road. After making sure things were okay, Yu Jiang lifted the little kid up in preparation to send the father daughter pair on their way.

Yu Hai picked out a plump hare and pheasant out of the pile of game and spoke to his eldest uncle: “Before we went to town, I made a detour to the mountains to set a few traps. Perhaps it was because the snow made it difficult for the animals to find food, but I unexpectedly caught a lot of game. This hare and pheasant should be given to Eldest Aunt so she can let them freeze properly. Then, there will be some extra dishes for the New Year celebration feast.”

Yu Lichun could not accept such a gift and said: “Dahai, it’s not easy for you to go hunting in such freezing weather. When Xiaocao finishes her medication, she might need to get more. You should take the game for yourself and go back to town tomorrow to sell them for money…”

“Eldest Uncle, if you don’t accept them, then it means you’re looking down on me, your nephew! Had it not been for you giving me money today, I really don’t know what I would have done instead… This is me showing my filial respect for you, please, you really need to accept this!” Yu Hai was very resolute in his request.   Yu Lichun had long known that this nephew of his had a stubborn personality. If he really continued to refuse the game, the man in front of him might become even more determined out of anxiety.

By the time they left Eldest Uncle’s dwelling, it was already dusk. Yu Hai tread on the snow that was frozen solid and went towards the direction of his home. As he walked, his heart gradually became cold and froze over.

The doors of the room were all tightly shut, the kitchen stove was ice-cold… hearing the sounds of people, only the door in the west room opened eagerly. His wife and children hurriedly came out. He had truly been stupid in the past in letting his wife endure slights repeatedly. In the end, his wife’s health had deteriorated and his daughter almost lost her life.

The door to the main room remained as tightly closed as before. The faint sounds of scolding and fighting could be heard from the outside. In the east room, the window was secretly opened up a tiny crack. Inside, a pair of eyes met his line of sight and then abruptly disappeared. The sound of the window closing seemed all the more obvious in the otherwise silent evening.

Yu Jiang frowned, placed the drowsily sleeping Xiaocao on the kang bed in the room, and then left to go outside. Her grandmother wasn’t related to her by blood, but did that mean her grandfather wasn’t as well? Second Uncle’s decisions in the past couple of years have become more and more muddled!

However, this time Yu Jiang had wrongly blamed Old Yu. After he finished the evening meal, Old Yu got dressed and went outside after seeing that his son and granddaughter hadn’t come home yet. He wanted to welcome them back and so wandered around outside. However, the father and daughter pair were in the mountains harvesting the traps, so they missed each other.

As Yu Hai was preparing the medication under the eaves, Old Yu came in from the outside. As soon as he arrived home, he hurried towards the west room. He went inside and saw the sleeping Xiaocao. After asking about her out of concern, he also said: “Did you two eat yet? Go tell your wife to make a bowl of noodles and also cook Xiaocao a poached egg.”

Yu Hai glanced at the main room and shook his head: “We don’t have a lot of white flour left in the household, so we should set it aside for the New Year’s dumplings. Today I caught a badger. After I finish preparing it, it’ll be used to make a bowl of meat stew to drink.”

Seeing that his son had a plan for the game, Old Yu was about to say something without considering the mood. He caught his words before they came out and then instead said: “That’s also good! A badger’s meat can nourish the body, you should give more to the child to eat.”

After he finished, he clasped his hands behind his back and slowly walked back to the main room. Old Yu had sensed the slight difference in his son and he sighed inwardly—seems like my son’s feelings had really been hurt this time!

Yu Xiaocao had been woken up by the tantalizing smell of meat. A badger’s meat was naturally very delicious. When that was added with Madam Liu’s culinary skills, the simmered meat stew could bring out anyone’s inner foodie.

The whole family sat in a circle on the kang bed and enjoyed the savory and tasty meat stew. Yu Hai looked at the meat in the bowl and was silent for a bit before he said: “I’ll go send two bowls to the main room!”

Madam Liu paused in her motion in eating for a short bit before she lowered her head to continue to eat, but didn’t say anything. Little Shitou, on the other hand, sneered and complained: “Grandmother didn’t want to give any money to treat Second Sister when she fell ill. Why are you sending her meat stew?”

Xiaocao chewed on her mouthful of meat before she swallowed it down. She pinched the little fellow’s cheek and said: “She’s one of the elders at home. She can treat us poorly but we cannot be disrespectful to her.”

Yu Hai glanced at his daughter and inwardly nodded his head. It was true, ‘being filial’ was a law greater than heaven. If word came out that the younger generation of their branch ate meat without sending some to their elders, then their reputations would be ruined. Furthermore, the family had a notorious gossip-monger, Madam Li. Once she knew something, the whole world would know!

Yu Hai came out of the kitchen with the bowls of meat stew in his hand. As he walked, he saw Madam Li at the doorway of the east room, craning her neck towards the kitchen, looking around. Her gluttonous son was behind her complaining: “Meat stew! I want to drink meat stew! Why can the people in the west room secretly eat it and not give us any?”  Yu Dashan forcefully pulled the mother and son pair back into the room. Just as he was about to close the door, he looked at Yu Hai and said with a foolish smile on his face: “Dahai, your nephew has been spoiled by his mother. Please don’t mind him…”

“There’s more meat stew in the kitchen, if you want some, you can go get some yourself.” Yu Hai walked into the main room with bowls in hand.

Madam Zhang narrowed her eyes as she looked at him. Her voice was sharp and shrill as she commented: “Oh! This old woman doesn’t have the good fortune this year to drink soup and eat meat! If I do, I might shorten my life!”

Old Yu glared at her and rebutted: “Stop saying so much! I agreed to let them slaughter the badger. Second Daughter-in-Law and Xiaocao both have weak constitutions and should eat something to strengthen their bodies. How can we shorten our lives by eating meat that we have hunted ourselves? If you don’t want to eat it, then I’ll eat both of our shares!”

Chapter 49 - Thoughts

“Eat! Eat! Eat! They take medicine and also eat meat! How are we supposed to support all of this? I am so old yet I ration my food and clothing. Who do you think I’m scrimping and saving for? It’s one thing to not receive any benefits, but I also get blamed for everything! I… the heavens…, you should just take away this old lady ah! I’ll stop being an eyesore for some people then…” Madam Zhang sat on the kang bed while she slapped her leg and pulled at the fleshy parts of her legs. She howled incessantly yet a single tear drop could not be seen.

In the Yu Family, this type of act could be seen every few days. Yu Hai was mentally and physically exhausted and did not have the energy to match with her ‘acting’ anymore. He silently placed the stew bowls down, turned, and left the room. The view of his back seemed especially desolate and down.

As soon as he left, Madam Zhang acted as if a switch to her megaphone had been turned off and instantly became silent. She furrowed her brows furiously and her triangular shaped eyes beadily stared at the door. Her mouth curved down into a frown.

She noticed that Old Yu had finished one of the bowls of meat stew and was about to grab the other one. The old woman hastily snatched the bowl away and started to eat it in large, heaping gulps while she spoke to Old Yu: “Dahai’s father, why do I have a feeling that Second Son is a bit off today? Does he want to rebel?”

“Why are you talking about rebellion? If your daughter had fainted from illness and your parents refused to give you money and instead caused trouble, wouldn’t you cause the sky to fall with your fiery temper? Other people have tempers too. When Second Son becomes stubborn, even three large oxen can’t pull him away from his views!”

Old Yu wished to continue to wipe his mouth and to savor the taste of the badger’s meat. There was clearly someone at home who was a good hunter, yet they hadn’t been able to even get the tiniest taste of meat in the past few months due to inner turmoil. How was this still living?!

“How can say that? Whose daughter had fainted from illness? Are you saying my daughter isn’t your daughter?! How can your curse your own daughter? You need to kneel on the ground and beg for forgiveness! Don’t blame us Buddha, it was just a slip of the tongue, don’t blame us, don’t blame us…” Madam Zhang piously clasped her hands and started bowing left and right.

That night, Madam Zhang tossed and turned on the kang bed incessantly as if she was a pancake being flipped on the stove. No matter what she did, she couldn’t fall asleep for some reason. She punched the loudly snoring Old Yu and worriedly chattered: “Old man, do you think Second Son’s brat had to spend a lot of money this time? They saw a doctor from the Tongren Medicine Hall and came back with a lot of medication.”

Old Yu impatiently turned over, his voice muffled as he replied: “I’m not a doctor of Tongren Medicine Hall, how am I supposed to know whether the medications are expensive? Stop chatting endlessly, if you don’t want to sleep, that doesn’t mean other people don’t want to sleep! No matter how much money they spent, you don’t need to worry as not even a single copper coin will need to come from you!”

Madam Zhang pushed him once more with all her strength and said: “What do you mean that the money isn’t coming from my hands? I just went outside to check and Second Son caught a lot of animals today. Even when estimating on the low end, the game could be sold for a couple hundred copper coins. If he didn’t owe any money, wouldn’t all of the proceeds from his sale go to me?”

As soon as she saw the pile of game, they had been transformed into a pile of money in her eyes! Madam Zhang’s heart was full of uncomfortable feelings, as if she had a tiny kitten running around and scratching things.

The frustration within Old Yu’s heart bubbled over as he sat up on the bed suddenly. A padded coat was draped over his body as he glared at her: “Who was the one making the fuss today? If it wasn’t for your horrible temper, the child wouldn’t have been frightened, and then Second Son wouldn’t need to borrow money from Eldest Brother. Even though we as grandparents clearly have money in our hands, yet you refused to take any out for an ill child. What kind of face do I have left now? How am I supposed to go out in the future?”

“So what? Whoever tries to talk behind our back, I’ll make sure to confront them in person. How much money is that old face of yours worth anyway? Is it as valuable as Third Son’s future prospects?” Madam Zhang pulled a fallacious argument out to counteract him.

“Third Son’s future prospects?! From my perspective, Third Son’s future prospects will someday be ruined by his mother who’s basically a bull in a china shop!!” Old Yu furiously laid back down on the bed.

Madam Zhang acted as if she was a cat whose tail had just been stepped on. She leapt up quickly and forcefully pulled on the quilt that was on Old Yu. She slapped and hit the old man as she screamed: “You stupid old fool! After you cursed our daughter, you go on to curse our son! How could Third Son’s future prospects be ruined by me? If you don’t give me a reasonable explanation, don’t even think about sleeping tonight!!”

“Why are you acting so crazy in the middle of the night?” Old Yu didn’t quite know what to do with his lunatic wife. He tried to block her blows somewhat fearfully.

“Stupid old fool! I’ve already seen through your true thoughts. You only treasure the son and daughter who were given to you by Zhu Xiuyun. Our Xiaobo and Caidie are not considered Yu Family descendants in your eyes, right? For the sake of a half dead chit, you not only cursed our daughter to become ill but also cursed our son’s future prospects. In the future, will there be a living road for the three of us in this family?” Madam Zhang had reached the end of her rope this time. She howled and screamed as she continued to beat the old man thoroughly.

The usually taciturn Old Yu was nowhere close to being her opponent. The old man could only wrap the blanket tightly around him and shield his head as he endured her blows.

In the room west of the main room, the third daughter-in-law, Madam Zhao, heard the ruckus and frowned sternly. She gently patted her son who was sleeping fitfully and spoke to Yu Bo who was reading under the light of a lamp: “Look, they’re arguing again! What’s wrong with your mother that she has to throw a fit two to three times in one day? With them screaming like this, will you really be able to study? In my opinion, I think we should pack our bags and go back home to town tomorrow. We’ll come back on the 27th to 28th day of the new year.”

“Aish, just forget about it. The weather is so cold now, and our son is still young. There’s no point in making another round trip. Tomorrow I’ll tell my mother that she needs to calm down during the New Year festivities!” Yu Bo abandoned his books with frustration and sat next to Madam Zhao. He pulled at her toasty warm and tender white hands in an attempt to pull her into his embrace.

Madam Zhao made a token protest and gave him a sidelong glance. She gently pushed him away and said: “Be careful to not let the people next to us hear. They’ll scold me again for not being a good example and delaying your studies.”

Under the lamplight, Madam Zhao was as beautiful as a blooming flower. Her sparkling eyes carried hints of welcome, and Yu Bo could feel his heart tremble as he lowered his head to meet her luscious, pink lips. His hand went up to grip that soft and plump… just as they were about to become more passionate, their little fellow next to them ‘coughed’ and whispered a couple of sentences. The couple instantly separated.

Madam Zhao’s cheeks were flushed as she glared at her husband. She pulled her son into her arms to help him go to the bathroom when she suddenly remember the scene from the morning. She lightly sighed and said: “Husband Yu, I’m not trying to criticize your parents’ decisions. However, your mother was definitely in the wrong in the situation that happened today. A human’s life is beyond value. As a grandmother, how could she be so callous to watch her granddaughter fall ill and refuse to give money to have her get medical treatment? That’s a child’s life at stake!”

“Ah...you can’t blame my mother. When Xiaocao was born, the doctor said that her lifespan would not be too long. A lot of money has been spent on her health expenses over the past few years. My mother is doing this for my sake, for my future!” Due to his mother, Yu Bo did not have a lot of sentiment regarding his young niece.

Madam Zhao’s eyes flickered as she replied, “Husband Yu, you definitely cannot say this where it can be heard by outsiders in the future. Just think, if word came out that for the sake of your future we neglected the life of your niece, what do you think will happen?  Even if you pass the county level examinations, you won’t have anywhere to go. The reputation of a scholar-official is the most important thing and you should be afraid of any stains.”

“This… What should we do then? There’s a proverb that says: ‘good news never goes far, but bad news travels a thousand miles’. I’m afraid that the news about Second Brother going to Eldest Uncle to borrow money has already spread throughout the whole village…”

Yu Bo trusted his wife a lot, as she was the daughter of a scholar who had passed the county examinations. After hearing her warning, his body immediately became covered in cold sweat from head to toe. He couldn’t help but rub his hands incessantly as he didn’t know what to do.

“Don’t worry, let me think…” Madam Zhao lowered her head to ponder the situation for a bit. She looked at her husband and then said, “Tomorrow, you should give some money to Second Brother and have him use it to pay back his debt to Eldest Uncle… never mind, I should go instead! Go sleep, tomorrow your wife will definitely smooth everything over for you.”

Yu Bo glanced at his beloved son and, seeing that he was sleeping peacefully, quickly hugged his wife’s delicate body and kissed her fiercely on the neck and said: “My good wife, you are truly a virtuous wife. Being able to marry you is the culmination of the blessings from three lifetimes…”

The next day, it was a rare nice day in the middle of winter. The winter sun shined brightly, its rays giving off as much warmth as it was possible. When Yu Hai left to check over the traps they set yesterday and to bring the game they caught to town, Yu Xiaocao could only lay on the bed, pretending to be an invalid.

Acting as a sick person took effort, so she kind of regretted her decision to do so. She repeatedly reminded Xiaolian to keep the money from selling game in her hands and to make sure to not let the main house’s and the east room’s inhabitants find out how much money they had, etc..

Madam Liu was decocting the medication in front of the door and when she was done, she transferred the medication to let it cool before she drank it. Yesterday, her husband and daughter took the initiative to also buy about two taels worth of medication for her. It really made her heart ache. However, the medication had already been bought. Even if she didn’t take it, the money wouldn’t come back. She had to use her daughter as an excuse to prepare the medication but she needed to drink it herself on the sly. Ah, this type of life, how much longer did they have to endure?

After Madam Liu finished drinking the medication, she took the pile of dirty clothing to the pond at the foot of the mountain where she had to break the ice in order to wash the laundry. Little Shitou hugged the little roe deer as he sat on the kang and chatted with his second sister.

At this time, Youngest Aunt Yu Caidie looked around for a bit before she quietly slipped into the west room. In her hands was a bowl of piping hot sugar water with a poached egg floating in it.

Seeing that her young niece was listlessly sitting on the kang (Author’s note: She was actually bored to death.), she softly said: “Xiaocao, your aunt has made some sugar syrup with egg. Quickly eat it while it’s still hot.”

Xiaocao glanced at the contents of the bowl. She knew that whenever her youngest aunt was about to have her period, grandmother would have her drink some sugar water with egg starting three days prior. It was said to enrich the blood and nourish the body, and was supposed to be very good for a woman’s health. To her biological children, Madam Zhang was considered a pretty good mother.

“Youngest Aunt, if Grandmother found out that Second Sister ate your nourishing egg in syrup, she’ll hit Second Sister.” Little Shitou grimaced and spoke like a young adult.

Yu Caidie pinched his plump cheeks and stuffed the bowl with the sugar water and egg into Xiaocao’s hands and said: “Don’t worry. My mother went to town to help me buy some needles and thread. Quickly eat it, once its cold it won’t taste good anymore.”

Yu Xiaocao hesitated for a moment and then slowly drank the sugar water under her Youngest Aunt’s earnest gaze.

A slight smile had finally appeared on Yu Caidie’s face. She lightly sighed and said: “Xiaocao, yesterday your grandmother was in the midst of a temper tantrum. You know your grandmother’s personality. The more other people urge, the angrier she gets. Do you blame me for not speaking up for you?”

“I won’t, Youngest Aunt. Thank you for the sweet soup, it’s really sweet!” Yu Xiaocao couldn’t really say whether she liked or disliked her youngest aunt, who had a weak and pliable personality and was almost invisible in this family. Regardless, she didn’t plan on having too much involvement with her. At any rate, she only planned on repaying the people who treated her well in the future.

Chapter 50 - Gifting Money

Yu Caidie ruffled Xiaocao’s hair and her smile deepened a bit: “As long as you don’t blame me, it’s fine. Rest now, tomorrow I will send you more of the sugar water with egg again.”

Youngest Aunt had a soft personality like flour. In a glance one could tell that it would be easy to grasp her in the palm of one’s hand. It was hard to say whether she would be bullied in the future by her in-laws. Madam Zhang had such shrewish and fiery personality; how did she end up raising a daughter as weak and sweet as her?

Yu Xiaocao thought: Did they take home the wrong infant? Ehhh...in this time period, all births were delivered at home with the help of a midwife. There was no way for someone to take home the wrong child, okay!

Out of boredom, Yu Xiaocao teased the little roe deer, Tiny. This little roe deer was quite odd. They had already raised it for a few months and fed it consistently. In fact, from time to time, it was even given some mystic-stone water to nourish it. But how come it hadn’t grown in height at all? It was still small and seemed very adorable. Its continued diminutive size made certain people, who wanted to ‘kill it once it got big to eat meat’, feel quite disappointed.

However, as a pet, this miniature sized roe deer was truly so cute that one could burst. In addition, the little creature loved cleanliness and was full of intelligence. It never relieved itself inside the room and didn’t have the characteristic gamey smell of a roe deer. In fact, it smelled faintly of grass.

Little Shitou loved to hug the animal and would take it everywhere he went. The village children were green with envy. Wuzi, who was on the best terms with Little Shitou, did his very best to convince Shitou to lend him the little roe deer to play with for a couple of days. However, Tiny absolutely refused to follow. Even when the animal was forcibly carried back to Wuzi’s home, the creature always managed to ‘break out of prison’ and run back home.

One time, when the door at home was shut tightly, the little creature stood in the snow foolishly and froze for an entire night. The next morning, it had almost become an ice sculpture from the cold, and Little Shitou felt very bad. From then on, Tiny was never lent out to other people again.

At this moment, the little roe deer was tractably lying next to Xiaocao and didn’t have any ill will towards the hand that was messing its hair up. On the contrary, from time to time it would extend its warm and moist tongue and lick Xiaocao’s hand.

In her previous life, she had raised a small dog who liked to lick people more than this creature, so Xiaocao didn’t feel much about it. However, the little divine stone on her wrist had other thoughts: [Hey, can you push away that fellow? The rock is my body, so how can I suffer having such a lowly beast sullying it?]

Yu Xiaocao ignored the stone and deliberately placed the wrist that had the multicolored on it closer to the little roe deer’s mouth. The multicolored stone inadvertently emitted a small bit of spiritual energy, which made the sensitive and clever roe deer beyond pleased. Its licks increased perceptibly.

[Go away, go away now!] The little divine stone erupted in fury and its golden kitten spiritual form flew out towards the little roe deer’s head. It scratched incessantly at the deer but it didn’t have enough energy to materialize into a physical form. With its revenge thwarted, the kitten hissed and expanded until it looked like a hedgehog.

“Little Glutinous Dumpling, ah, Little Glutinous Dumpling! How come you haven’t learned how to be obedient yet? Your fate is grasped in my hands as I’m your master. Therefore, you need to be more respectful to me and more polite! Do you understand?” Yu Xiaocao was bored silly so she deliberately teased the arrogant little divine stone.

[You’re not allowed to call me by ‘Little Glutinous Dumpling’! This name is not impressive at all! Please call me ‘Lord Divine Stone’...yeouch! Make it quickly leave! I’m all covered in saliva and it’s disgusting!]

The little divine stone was like a tiger out of its native territory. There was nothing it could do against the nasty human and the weak creature in front of it. In the past, it could have settled the two of them without even moving a single finger.

[Okay! Master, my dear master! I concede, please push it away and help me take a bath!] As the Goddess Nuwa’s divine stone that loved cleanliness the most, the Little Glutinous Dumpling finally admitted defeat to its vile master.

The little divine stone bit on a small handkerchief: ‘Goddess Nuwa, did you know that your most favorite stone is being tormented in some nameless corner of the world? Please save me quickly!’

Although the little divine stone didn’t want to admit it, but Goddess Nuwa had also given it a name that was very similar to the one that its current master’s little brother had given it! This is also why when Xiaocao previously asked its name it refused to tell her. As a grand and magnificent heavenly divine stone, having a name that was given by weak human with mucus dripping out of his nose made the stone feel very ashamed. (Author’s note: Little Shitou’s protest: When I was very young, I didn't have a runny nose, ok!)

By the time Yu Xiaocao had almost fallen asleep from boredom, the door to the west room was pushed open again. A chubby and pudgy figure, who looked almost exactly like ball, snuck through the crack in the door. Behind him was a little servant girl who was repeatedly saying: “Little master, be careful of the doorsill. Don’t fall down!”

“Tiny! Tiny, Doudou wants to play with Tiny!” The little child Doudou saw the little roe deer on the kang bed and rushed over to climb onto it. However, his little legs were too weak. His hands pushed on the bed as he tried to climb up, but still failed after a good amount of time.

Xiaocao chuckled wickedly at the scene and had no intention to help the little boy. Little Doudou’s eyes held back tears as he looked at her accusedly.

At the corner of her eye, Yu Xiaocao could see a graceful figure walking into the room. She hurriedly coughed a couple of times and pretended to be weak and powerless. She quietly said: “Doudou, your older sister is sick right now. You shouldn’t climb up here and inhale the air from my illness. If you like, you can bring Tiny back to your room to play…”

Before Little Doudou could agree, he was interrupted by his mother’s cough: “It’s not a big deal. Let Doudou sit with Shitou at the head of the kang bed and play. I, your aunt, would like to have a talk with you.”

The servant girl bent down to lift the little master onto the kang bed. Under Madam Zhao’s hint, she left the west room and even closed the door in passing.

“Xiaocao, your grandmother was in the midst of a temper tantrum yesterday. As her daughter-in-law, I can’t willfully disobey her wishes, right?” Madam Zhao sat on the side of the kang bed and pulled at Xiaocao’s hand. She seemed to be full of sincerity.

Xiaocao sneered on the inside: ‘Who doesn’t know that the person the old hag fears the most is you, Madam Zhao. The old lady would think even your farts smelled good. Yesterday, had there been the slightest movement in the east room, Madam Zhang would have dialed back a ton. Younger Aunt, ah, Younger Aunt, you’re trying to trick a little child!' (Author’s note: You’re a little kid right now!)

The blank expression on Xiaocao’s eyes (Author’s note: Actually, it was just her being lost in her thoughts while roasting her aunt.) made Madam Zhao feel a bit powerless. She didn’t try to skirt around the issue anymore and directly said: “Xiaocao, your younger uncle and I are in town, so we need to rent a house, pay for his tutor, and buy your uncle brushes and ink. We also need to spend money on food and drink. After trying to scrimp and save, your younger uncle and I were only able to save just one to two taels. How much money did your father borrow from Eldest Uncle? Take this first and repay some now!”

Xiaocao quietly coughed a few times in order to show that she ‘was very weak’. She looked down at the silver bits in Madam Zhao’s hand and couldn’t help but sneer on the inside: ‘She really thinks other people are fools, eh! Every month, Madam Zhang would send more than enough money to cover her son and daughter-in-law’s living expenses. From Madam Li’s sour comments, I know that the amount of money she’s given her youngest son in a month is more than equal to the amount of money our whole family spends in half a year.’

In a short three years, the couple not only didn’t have to worry about their food and living expenses, but also bought a little servant girl to help them. With the rest of the money, they also bought a little stall in a somewhat desolate street in town to conduct a small grocery business.

On the outside they claimed that the shop stall was the dowry from the Zhao Family. However, as a dowry, how come it wasn’t given to them when they got engaged and was only sent three years later? Such a story could only fool a simpleton ah!

However, in front of Younger Aunt’s ‘goodwill’, Xiaocao would not expose her lies and instead tactfully refused the offer: “Younger Aunt, Doudou is still little and Younger Uncle needs to continue his schooling. You guys have a lot of expenses ahead. Xiaocao thanks Younger Aunt for your good intentions; however, you should keep these silver bits and bring them back home!”

“Older sister, older sister! The money is for you to visit a doctor!” Little Doudou crawled over from the head of the kang bed and attempted to grab the silver bits from his mother and put them in Xiaocao’s hand. With great effort, he managed to stand up and press his forehead against hers. Whenever the little fellow became sick, his mother would also treat him the same way.

The concern of a child was never cheap or discounted. Xiaocao felt her heart soften and she pinched the little guy’s chubby cheeks and said gently: “Our Doudou is really sweet. Older sister will get better soon. When the snows melt from the mountain, I’ll go there to catch some small fish and simmer Doudou’s favorite fish stew!”

“Okay, okay!” Little Doudou clapped his hands and jumped while squealing in delight on the kang bed. On accident, he tripped on the quilt and fell head first into the soft blankets. He puffed and struggled for a long time but wasn’t able to pull himself up. It was only with Little Shitou’s help that the little fellow finally got rescued.

“Older Sister, get better soon! You need to catch fishies and simmer stew for Doudou to eat!” Little Doudou didn’t care that his butt was still tender from falling and instead sweetly came over and laid on Xiaocao’s quilt. He fixed his damp and shiny dark eyes on Xiaocao. The expression on his face looked exactly like the little roe deer’s hungry expression whenever it wanted to drink more mystic-stone water.

“Okay, okay, okay! I’ll simmer fish stew for Doudou to eat!”

After getting Xiaocao’s promise, Little Doudou grinned happily and his attention was once again taken away by the lively roe deer that was running around on the kang bed. The fat little boy went on all fours and chased after the little roe deer in a rollicking chase.

Yu Xiaocao handed back the silver bits that were stuffed in her hand by the little fellow and said: “Younger Aunt, although we did borrow a lot of money this time, I overheard father saying that because of the snowstorm, the town is really lacking game, so we can sell them for a good price. On the flip side, if there wasn’t a lot of snow, then father could just go up to the mountains more times and would still be able to almost return the money before the end of the year. If this one tael was given to Eldest Granduncle, it wouldn’t be close to enough to return the money we owe. It’s probably better to sell some game and save it until we can return all of the money at once.”

“What kind of medication was prescribed that cost more than a couple taels?” When Madam Zhao found out that a couple taels of money would not be able to pay back the debt, she couldn’t help but feel a little bit suspicious.

Yu Xiaocao lightly sighed and said: “Doctor Sun said that my innate constitution was really too weak. It should have been carefully nourished but the food I got wasn’t enough to keep up. So he needed to add some strengthening tonics and so forth to the medication, which is why it’s more expensive. He also said that after I finish the medication, my father needs to bring me back to town for another visit. If my body is still weak and not properly nourished, then I might need to continue to take medication.”

As she spoke, she furrowed her brows and scowled, as if she hated to take medication but was stuck without a choice.

After finishing this medication, she might need to take more? No wonder her mother-in-law said that this girl was a medicine guzzling fiend! Madam Zhao took back the money in her hand without hesitation and said: “Xiaocao, don’t worry about the money. It’s most important to take care of your body. When I get back, I’ll negotiate with your younger uncle and see if we can raise some money, ok? Doudou, let’s go back now, don’t disturb your older sister’s rest.”

“No! Doudou wants to play with Tiny!” Because of the snow storm, Doudou had been stuck inside and seldom went out, so naturally he didn’t want to go back to their room again.

Madam Zhao tried to convince the little fellow to leave but saw that he was almost in tears. Against her will, she could only agree to let Doudou stay in the west room and she left to go back to her room by herself.

Chapter 51 - Business Venture

It was a beautiful day today. The skies were clear and there wasn’t even the slightest bit of wind. Yu Xiaocao pretended to be weak and had Little Shitou support her to the middle of the courtyard to get some sun. When one was acting in a play, one needed to go on for the entire set, ah!

The rays of the winter sun on her body felt as warm and comforting as a mother’s loving hand gently stroking her face. Yu Xiaocao was so comfortable that she almost fell asleep. Even the sight of Madam Li peeking through the window didn’t annoy her much.

As the sun started to set in the west, Yu Hai and Xiaolian came back. Judging from the incandescent smile on Xiaolian’s face, the spoils of the day were good.

Yu Hai picked up his youngest daughter and transferred her from the somewhat chilly courtyard back to the room. After checking the temperature on the kang bed, he went to add some more firewood to the fire pit beneath the bed. He smiled as he watched his two daughters, who resembled each other more and more with each passing day, as they whispered in each other’s ears. He said, “You two sisters can continue to talk, Father is going to go up the mountain to chop some more firewood and come back. The older and experienced villagers have all said that this year will be a harsh winter. Being prepared with extra firewood will surely pay off.”

“Father, I’ll go with you!” Little Shitou had been feeling stuffy after being stuck at home for most of the day. He brought along his little attendant—the little roe deer named Tiny—and eagerly scampered behind his father.

Xiaolian waited until her father had left the home before she looked all around the courtyard and carefully closed the door. Only then did she take off her shoes and went up on the kang bed right next to Xiaocao. She fished out a five tael ingot from her chest pocket and quickly shoved it into her younger sister’s hands and quietly said, “Quickly hide the money and don’t let Grandmother and Eldest Aunt see! We really caught a lot of game today. In addition to the game from yesterday, we sold them all for five taels! However, when Zhenxiu Restaurant was paying the bill, they didn’t give the money to Father and instead gave it to me. Don’t you think that’s odd?”

What was weird about that? In the past, Xiaocao always took the money when she was doing business with Zhenxiu Restaurant. Last time she even handled the prize of fifty taels. So why would it be any different with the smaller sum of five taels?

Xiaocao put away the money in a very natural manner and replied casually, “Xiaolian, is it worth it to be so happy over these couple taels?”

“What do you mean by a ‘couple taels’? Before today, the most money that had ever crossed my hands was about ten copper coins. These are the silvery taels, ah! A whole silver ingot worth five taels!!” Xiaolian realized that the volume of her voice had been on the louder side and hurriedly clasped her hands over her mouth as she looked through the window.

“Eldest Aunt is so annoying. She’s trying to eavesdrop on us again! I don’t know if she overheard what I said earlier. If Grandmother found out, her top would definitely blow!” Xiaolian had seen Madam Li with a broom coming closer and closer to the west room as she swept the floor. Seeing that the window was open, Madam Li tried to backtrack and went towards the direction of the chicken coop.

Yu Xiaocao spoke as if she didn’t care, “If she heard, then she heard. What can she do? We owe Eldest Granduncle at least a few taels of money! I’m also sick right now and will probably need to buy more medicine later. I need to carefully take care of my body so I won’t end up with a chronic illness! How much can this little bit of money do?”

She deliberately raised her voice for the last few sentences she spoke, as if she was talking to Madam Li who was in the middle of the courtyard.

Madam Li waited until the window to the west room closed and only then did she get up and spit towards the west room and said. “Bah! She’s a bad investment that thinks of herself as a treasure. A few taels is more than enough to marry a wife. But now, all of it is going to feed that medicine guzzling pot in the second branch. She’s seriously a bottomless pit. When she was born she should have been thrown to the south slope since raising her is just a calamity!”

The south slopes were at the south side of the West Mountains and were a mound full of random trash and rubble. Whenever a child in the nearby villages died prematurely or had a violent death and couldn’t be interred in the family’s ancestral tombs, he or she would always be buried there.

Madam Li naturally didn’t dare to loudly voice her complaints behind another person’s back. Thus, the two sisters in the west room didn’t hear her. Xiaolian was currently in the midst of excitedly telling her story of what happened when she met the young boss of Zhenxiu Restaurant.

“Younger sister, you wouldn’t believe just how funny that scene was. That young master from the Zhou Family grabbed me as soon as he met me and called me ‘Xiaocao’. He even said that he had a business venture that he wanted to find out if I was interested in. At that time, I was so shocked that I couldn’t react. I was just thinking of pretending to be you when our father just sincerely told him the truth and sold me out! When the Third Young Master found out I was your twin, his whole face exuded shock and amazement and he could only say ‘alike, too alike!’. You wouldn't believe just how hilarious his expression looked at the time!”

Yu Xiaocao waited until her sister chattered to her fill and then said, “Xiaolian, Third Young Master Zhou said he had some business venture that he wanted to talk to me about? Did he say what type of business?”

“Nope, he didn’t say! I reckon that when he found out I wasn’t you that he thought it would be a waste of time to tell me. Oh right, younger sister! Did they really learn how to make Zhenxiu Restaurant’s special oyster sauce themed dishes from you? Father told me that the King of Hell accidentally took you there on accident and gave it to you as compensation. What did he mean by that? Tell me everything!”

Yu Xiaocao had long known that her made up story would someday be transmitted to her close family members. Therefore, she made sure to polish her fabrication about meeting the King of Hell. She told Xiaolian what happened as if she was recalling an old story. In addition, she repeatedly cautioned Xiaolian to not let anyone outside of their family know to avoid having her become a freak in other people’s eyes.

Xiaolian pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows, “Do you remember when you first got injured and just woke up and couldn’t remember much? Our good Eldest Aunt had told everyone in the village that part of your soul had been captured by a demon. Since part of your soul was gone, you couldn't remember the past. She even said that people with partial souls attracted demons the most. Most of the village girls got scared by her so they all stay far away from me…”

Outside the door, Madam Liu trembled incessantly from rage: ‘What a good Madam Li! She always spread malicious rumors about the second branch but this time she spread such a horrible story. If this was truly transmitted to every household, how could my second daughter get married in the future? My poor daughter had even been dragged to the underworld! How scared and helpless she must have felt!’

Then she heard Yu Xiaocao in the room scornfully reply, “Eldest Aunt’s wagging tongue must have been previously slapped by the bottoms of an old pair of shoes! Is she not afraid of having it pulled out in hell? Xiaolian, don’t listen to her! The reason why I can’t remember anything from the past is because I tried a sip of Granny Meng’s soup [1] out of curiosity!”

“Younger sister, is the King of Hell scary? Doesn’t he have four eyes and two mouths?” Since Xiaolian was only an eight year old child, it was natural she would curious about new and novel things.

Xiaocao pinched her cheek as Xiaolain scooted closer and laughed, “The King of Hell is just the god in charge of the nether world. He looks pretty much like us humans but is just a little more imposing. The Palace of Hell is a grand and magnificent building. However, it is dim inside and has a gloomy and frightening atmosphere. The truly scary thing is the 18 levels of hell [2]. I only saw up to the third level and didn’t dare to look further down...however, there is no need to be afraid, those areas are only for punishing evil people.”

“Mm, mm!” Xiaolian nodded furiously but muttered silently in her heart, ‘Eldest Aunt and Brother Heizai are always bullying mother and us. In the future, they are definitely getting punished in hell.’

Seeing that Xiaolian believed her without a doubt, Yu Xiaocao’s eyes shifted and she continued, “In the Palace of Hell, I also saw the God of Fortune too! He was wearing a bright scarlet red robe and there was a lucky red hat on his head. His face always had a cheerful smile on it, and he was always playing go with the King of Hell. When he heard I had been taken by mistake, he smiled, rubbed my head and said he was going to compensate me...suddenly there were some weird thoughts that appeared in my head. Those ideas were probably stuffed into me by the God of Fortune?”

Xiaolian suddenly squeaked ‘ah’ and then quietly said, “Younger sister, you had never been inside the kitchen before, and you had very seldom seen an oyster. Since you unexpectedly were able to make oyster sauce, don’t you think that was something the God of Fortune taught you? Then...aren’t you the God of Fortune’s disciple now?”

Xiaocao merely smiled but didn’t bother to reply. From Xiaolian’s perspective, it meant that her younger sister tacitly agreed with her conjecture.

“Then...wouldn’t the God of Fortune give us some wealth? Little Sister, when we’re rich in the future, we can eat steamed white flour rolls and buy meat buns and dumplings everyday!” Xiaolian somewhat exaggeratedly swallowed some saliva and revealed a cute expression on her face.

Madam Liu pushed the door open sadly and hugged the two sisters in her arms. She sighed and said, “Mother doesn’t want to get rich. My only wish is Cao’er stays healthy and the rest of you are able to grow up peacefully. That would make me the most happy!”

“Mother, did you hear everything?” Yu Xiaocao felt somewhat dispirited. She didn’t intend to have her kind hearted and loving mother to be worried.

“Silly child. In the future, don’t hide everything within your heart and let Mother know instead. Although your mother doesn’t have many abilities, I will sacrifice my life in order to protect you and your siblings!”

Madam Liu could clearly sense that her youngest daughter was afraid that she would worry, so she didn’t tell her the things that happened in the past. Her eyes couldn’t help but brim with tears. Her most delicate little daughter would always think of her even when she had fallen sick. As her mother, didn’t that mean she wasn’t qualified enough? That wouldn’t do, she needed to become more strong and become a mother that her children could depend on!

Alright! The three main members of her family had all accepted her somewhat absurd, made-up story. The most important aspect was that she was still young in age, and her descriptions of the underworld and scenes were extremely detailed and precise. The picture she painted was such that it’d be impossible for others not to believe her.

Naturally, Madam Liu also warned her children repeatedly out of fear that the two of them wouldn’t know the severity of the consequences should the story leak. If it did, it would cause a whole lot of trouble for her two daughters.

Time passed and before they knew it, another two days had passed. In those two days, Yu Xiaocao, who had been restricted from going outside, worried endlessly about the business venture that Third Young Master Zhou mentioned. If she was able to do business with the Zhou Family, who were imperial merchants, then her money woes would be mostly settled. Even though she couldn’t guarantee one hundred percent that she wouldn’t lose money, she at least had about eighty percent confidence that she’d earn and not lose.

The uncomfortable feeling within her heart persisted, as if she had a tiny kitten inside her, scratching incessantly. Luckily, Third Young Master Zhou didn’t let her wait for too long. On the third day, he arrived at her home.

The splendidly dressed young master cut a stylish figure as he rode a tall horse. Behind him was a dignified attendant who had a noble air about him. Despite that, the around fifty year old man obviously followed and deferred to the young master completely. The delegation entered the village swiftly and caused the frozen village of Dongshan to explode in curiosity.

“Who are they?”

“How would I know? They’re not looking for me.”

“Looking for you? From the way you appear, you wouldn’t even be fit to take the night soil out for these people!”

“The young master looks quite handsome, ah! It’s definitely good to be a rich person. Just look at the material of his clothes, the amount he spent on the cloth alone would be enough to feed us for an entire year!”

“He definitely is from a high ranking family in town! Look at what his attendant is wearing, it’s even more dignified and elegant than what Moneybags Wang wears. I just don’t know whether these people coming to Dongshan Village is a good or bad thing.”

“Which family was he looking for? Yu Hai’s family? For the past few days, Yu Hai has been going to town every day to sell game. Did he offend some noble lord?”

“Don’t make false conjectures, you should know how easygoing Dahai is. How could he possibly cause trouble willy-nilly? Judging from the expression on the young master’s face, it doesn’t look like he’s here to settle scores. Stop letting your imagination run wild. Once they leave, just go ask around to find out, right?”

……

[1] Granny Meng’s soup (孟婆汤) - It is believed that before one reincarnates, they would have to drink a bowl of soup to permanently erase all their previous memories; Grandma Meng is an immortal in the underworld who is responsible for serving the soup to the souls who are ready to reincarnate to ensure that they don't remember any of their previous lives and their time in hell; also known as the Water of Oblivion or Five Flavored Tea of Forgetfulness

[2] 18 levels of hell (十八层地狱) - It is believed that sinners will be sentenced to receive punishment in the 18 levels of hell but the punishment received may be different depending on the crime committed; there's a different type torture in each level

Chapter 52 - Home Visit

Little Shitou was crouching in front of the entrance and combing Tiny’s fur with his little hands. When he heard the trotting sounds of horses, he lifted his head and looked towards the direction of the sound. He noticed that the youth leading the group looked somewhat familiar, so he couldn’t help but squint his eyes to check more carefully.

“Young Master, that five-room house with a courtyard in front is Uncle Yu’s residence. From this servant’s inquiry, there were only a few households within the entire village with such a big house, but…” Third Young Master Zhou’s personal manservant, Simo, paused hesitantly for a moment.

“What?” Third Young Master Zhou had already recognized the little kid in front of the door from afar. It was Xiaocao’s foolishly cute younger brother. This should be the place!

Simo also saw the little boy dressed in a patched-up green quilted clothing and sighed, “With Uncle Yu’s abilities and the size of this house, the Yu Family should have decent living conditions. However, the clothes on his children were even more shabby than the other children in the village.”

“Look, isn’t that Miss Xiaocao’s younger brother? His worn-out clothes should have been thrown out long ago. Recently, they should have earned at least sixty to seventy taels from selling game to Zhenxiu Restaurant. It’s almost the New Year, but they’re still unwilling to buy a new set of cotton-padded clothing for the children…”

Zhou Zixu frowned slightly and said, “Uncle Yu doesn’t look like someone who would mistreat his children. Could it be that they have some undisclosed difficulties?”

Having personally experienced the struggle for power and constant scheming within his family, Zhou Zixu would think deeply about every situation he encountered. Wasn’t his own family like this? Had his grandparents not been around to control the family, with the display of his talent in business over the past two years, the second branch would had been devoured by his greedy relatives long ago. Uncle Yu probably also had his own difficulties that he couldn’t express.

“I remember you! You’re the third young master of the Zhou Family, right?” Little Shitou stood up and raised his head with a beaming smile.

Zhou Zixu dismounted from his horse, ruffled the little guy’s messy hair, and said with a warm face, “Little Shitou, who are you calling ‘Third Young Master Zhou’? Call me ‘Third Brother Zhou’! If you make a mistake again next time, then I’ll punish you!”

“What kind of punishment?” Little Shitou blinked and asked curiously.

“I’ll punish you…” Zhou Zixu took a box of pastries from Simo’s hands and smiled, “You will be forbidden to eat the pastries that Third Brother Zhou brings over!”

Little Shitou eagerly stared at the exquisite food box within Third Young Master Zhou’s hands and slowly read the name on the box, “Lian… ji… Pastry Shop! Is it the ‘Lianji’ with the biggest storefront and the most expensive pastries in town? Doesn’t this box of pastries cost a lot of money?”

Zhou Zixu was somewhat amazed and said, “Oh, Little Shitou is so young, but you can already read?”

Little Shitou shyly scratched his head and said, “When playing at Wuzi’s house, I learned a few words from Brother Wen…”

“Little Shitou is so smart! I heard that your second sister is sick?” Zhou Zixu asked.

“Yes! She’s very sick. If Eldest Granduncle hadn’t lent us money, my second sister might have…” The little fellow lowered his head and appeared to be in low spirits. He and his older sister were both very obedient, but why does their grandmother dislike them?

“Shitou, who are you talking to? Aren’t you going to hurry up and gather some firewood while the weather is good? All you know is how to play! Everyday, you’re only concerned about eating and not doing any work! Moreover, we have to provide for a chronic invalid! I must owe you people something!” Madam Zhang’s jarring shrieks traveled over.

Zhou Zixu couldn’t help but furrow his brows, ‘He’s such a young child, yet he’s already being ordered to work?’

Just as he was deep in his thoughts, a mean looking old lady with a fierce gaze came out of the door. With her hands on her waist, she made a stance of a shrew who loudly cursed in public.

Seeing three imposing people in front of her, Madam Zhang forced down the curses that was about the come out of her mouth. In front of the courtyard was Zhou Zixu who was obviously born of noble status, Madam Zhang’s originally threatening manner immediately withered down. With her shoulder drooped and head shrunken, she asked in a timid voice, “You… Who are you looking for?”

Simo had disdain for the wicked old woman’s double standards and differential treatment, so he had a face of contempt as he asked, “Is this Yu Hai’s residence?”

“Yu Hai? Had Yu Hai offended great lords? That damn bastard is always causing trouble for our family! This young master, Yu Hai hasn’t returned from hunting in the mountains. Whatever he did has nothing to do with us!” Seeing the grim expression on Simo’s face, Madam Zhang was so scared that she spoke incoherently, scolding and breaking off relationships.

Simo was even more displeased and impatiently interrupted her, “Yu Hai isn’t home, but Yu Xiaocao should be home, right?”

“Xiaocao? Is she also involved? I knew that wretch was sharp-tongued and would eventually stir up some trouble. Isn’t this… That troublemaker is causing trouble for our family…” Madam Zhang was completely bewildered as she murmured.

“Is she here or not?!” Simo’s expression was even more ugly when he noticed that his young master had narrowed his eyes, which was a sign of his anger.

“Yes… In the west room!” Madam Zhang trembled in fright when he suddenly raised his voice. They wouldn’t be implicated by the noblemen’s anger, will they?

Zhou Zixu threw the reins to Simo and walked into the courtyard with his steward. He looked around briefly before he turned to enter the small and cramped west room.

“Third Young Master Zhou, you’re finally here!” It was rather dim inside the room and Zhou Zixu’s eyes hadn’t adapted to the light inside, so he was surprised by Xiaocao’s voice.

Zhou Zixu glanced around and saw the simple furnishings in the room. There was a large kang bed, on which the quilts were old and shabby, but tidied up. An old rattan trunk was placed at the head of the bed. Beside the kang bed, there was a wooden table that was about to fall apart. There wasn’t anything else in the room besides these simple and old furniture. Even the lowest ranked servants of the Zhou Family had better living conditions than them.

Zhou Zixu’s brows were tightly creased and said unhappily, “What happened to the money that you earned? Where did all the money go? The quilt is already so stiff, so how are you still able to use it? Your family had earned quite a lot of money from selling game, so don’t hesitate to spend it…”

“Shh… shh…” Xiaocao swiftly pulled on Third Young Master Zhou’s arm. If she wasn’t so short, she would had already covered his mouth with her hand!

“Third Young Master, I have bad health and easily fall ill, so my family has borrowed a lot of money for my medical treatment. These days, the money that my father earned from hunting wasn’t even enough to repay the loan! How can we afford to buy new bedding?” Yu Xiaocao amplified her voice and spoke towards the direction of the door.

Zhou Zixu followed her gaze and saw the harsh-looking old lady and a fat woman in the yard looking into the room from time to time.

He signaled Simo with his eyes. Simo went out of the west room and stood imposingly in front of the door. With a grim expression on his face, he appeared like he was a door god [1] as he stared at the two sneaky women, who were greedily watching them.

The two women were both only fierce at home, so they recoiled in fear and went back to the main room when they saw Simo’s stern gaze.

Madam Li looked into the courtyard warily and whispered, “Mother! Who are these people? They look like they came to demand a payment for a debt! Did Second Brother-in-law borrow money from a loan shark? They charge really high interest rates, so lending one tael means that we have to pay back ten taels!”

Madam Zhang couldn’t help but panic, and scolded, “Yu Hai refused to tell us how much that wicked girl, Xiaocao’s, medical fees cost. Third Daughter-in-law said that there’s ginseng in the prescription, so it must be expensive! She’s such a waste of money. Even if we sold her, she wouldn’t be worth the money of the ginseng! That scourge, if I knew earlier, I would had strangled her and thrown her down the mountain!”

“Mother, what should we do now? They sent three people over, so Second Brother-in-law must had borrowed a lot of money. If Second Brother-in-law can’t repay the debt, they wouldn’t take the things in our house to pay of the debt, will they? No way! I have to securely hide all my valuables…” Madam Li was somewhat unsettled and wanted to go back to her east room.

Madam Zhang also felt extremely anxious, so she swiftly pulled Madam Li back and rebuked, “What valuable things do you have in your room? Eldest Son wouldn’t be keeping a secret stash of money behind my back, right?”

Madam Li’s face stiffened and hastily said, “Mother, we wouldn’t do that! Dashan is the most devoted and dutiful son, so he wouldn’t have such thoughts. Didn’t I return to my maiden home recently? My mother gave me a piece of cloth and secretly hid some money in there for me. Mother, you’re the most understanding and reasonable. You won’t confiscate the money that my maiden family gave me, right?”

In fact, this wasn’t something that Madam Zhang hadn’t done before. Every time her second daughter-in-law’s maiden family came to visit, they would always leave goods or money for her. However, everything eventually ended up in Madam Zhang’s pockets. Moreover, she didn’t even forget to leave them a warning. If they didn’t turn everything in, then she wouldn’t pay the medical fees for the two chronic patients of the second branch.

However, Madam Li’s maiden family had a stronger background, so Madam Zhang didn’t dare to give her the same treatment. Madam Zhang would pretend that she didn’t see Madam Li constantly bringing things back from her maiden home since half of the things she brought back would be used by her grandson.

“Alright, alright! Would they care about the few copper coins that you have? If you’re so worried, then go. But be careful and don’t offend the nobles!” Madam Zhang was also waiting for Madam Li to leave so that she could move the money in the cabinet to a hidden place. She didn’t want to send money down to the bottomless pit made by her second son.

Seeing that it had finally quieted down in the courtyard, Zhou Zixu glanced at Yu Xiaocao and sat on the kang bed, “Alright, they’re gone now, so stop pretending to be poor!”

“I don’t have a choice either! You don’t know about our family’s situation! The old lady forbids the children from keeping a secret purse, especially our second branch! She’s always monitoring us as if we’re thieves! If she found out that I have money, wouldn’t she turn the second branch upside down!” Yu Xiaocao didn’t shy away from talking about the situation in her family.

Every family had their own difficulties. Zhou Zixu shook his head and whispered, “Well, if the money continues to stay in your hand, then it will eventually be exposed. You should just take it out and invest in a business with me!”

He had just made a casual remark, so he hadn’t expected that Yu Xiaocao had been waiting for him to make this suggestion, “I had heard from Xiaolian. What kind of business is so difficult for Third Young Master Zhou that you have to pull me into it?”

“Hey! Something that’s too difficult for me to handle? Is there anything that I, Third Young Master Zhou, can’t do?” Zhou Zixu glared at her and said, “In gratitude for your help, I had wanted to take you along to make a fortune! However, let’s just forget it since you said that…”

“No!” When Yu Xiaocao saw that he was going to leave, she hastily pulled him back. She was also joking earlier. If it was something that even the Zhou Family, who were imperial merchants, couldn’t handle, then what would a fisherman’s daughter like her be able to do?

“Alright! You, Third Young Master Zhou, has a magnanimous heart, so don’t be bothered by a little girl like me! So, what kind of business is it? Tell me the details!” Yu Xiaocao smiled and repeatedly bowed with her hands clasped.

Of course, Zhou Zixu wasn’t really angry at her, so he smiled and tapped her forehead, “You! Stop putting up this weird act! I want to open an oyster sauce production factory and sell the products to the big restaurants in the neighboring cities. But, as you said, the oyster sauce doesn’t have a long shelf life. Thus, I wanted to ask to see if you have any solutions to this problem.”

[1] Door Gods (门神) - divine guardians of doors and gates; protect the family against evil and bad things, while bringing peace and good fortune to the family

Chapter 53 - Become a Shareholder

Yu Xiaocao thought about it and said, “If you want to open an oyster sauce factory, then the shelf life of the oyster sauce will indeed be a problem! It’s alright during the winter since the temperature is low in the north. Thus, there’s no problem with keeping it for several months. However, it will be rather troublesome for the summer!”

In her previous life, what methods were used to extend the shelf life of food? Yu Xiaocao wrinkled her brows and was lost in her thoughts. Although Zhou Zixu was anxious, he refrained himself from disturbing her.

Yu Xiaocao muttered to herself, “The usual method used to extend the shelf life of foods was to store them in low temperature. However, there’s no refrigerator here…”

“Icebox? Is it a box to store ice?” Steward Zhou, who was brought over by Zhou Zixu, couldn’t help asking a question.

“Uh… Yes, a box to store ice.” Yu Xiaocao just realized that she had verbally expressed her inner thoughts, but it was difficult to explain what a ‘refrigerator’ was. Thus, she just agreed with Steward Zhou’s words.

Steward Zhou pondered for a moment and said, “It’s fine to transport goods in the iceboxes during winter. However, the expense will probably be very high in the summer. Besides, how big would the icehouse have to be in order to store a year’s worth of ice?

“There’s also another way to extend the shelf life, which is to add a lot of sugar and salt. However, with this method, the taste of the oyster sauce will definitely be affected!” Yu Xiaocao shook her head and denied her own suggestion.

Zhou Zixu, who had come from a family of imperial merchants, naturally knew the importance of a product’s quality. He couldn’t resist asking, “Are there any other ways?”

“There is also the method of preservation with propolis! However, honey is already so expensive, let alone propolis! It wouldn’t cost any less than using ice for the transportation and preservation!”

Propolis? Zhou Zixu had heard of honey. His mother had heard from an unknown source that she could enhance her beauty and maintain her figure by drinking honey water. Thus, she had been drinking a cup of honey water daily since last year. But what was propolis?

“It… It would be great if we can also make ice in the summer.” Yu Xiaocao had had the habit of talking to herself since her previous life.

Wasn’t ice formed naturally at low temperature? Was it something that could be made? This little girl’s imagination was seriously too fanciful. In his heart, Steward Zhou disagreed with the idea of his young master cooperating with a poor little girl to open a factory.

“Third Young Master, have you heard of saltpeter?” Yu Xiaocao suddenly recalled an article called “Ingenious Ice-making Methods in Ancient Times” that she had read in her previous life. It seemed that since the late Tang Dynasty, when gunpowder was produced, people often mined a large amount of saltpeter.

Since then, there was a precedent of ice-making in the summer. After that, traders, who added sugar to the ice to attract customers, began to emerge. In the Song Dynasty, merchants added fruits or juices in it. The businessmen of the Yuan Dynasty had even added fruit jam and milk into the ice, which was very similar to the modern ice cream. She was curious about whether there were any examples of using saltpeter to make ice in this revised time period.

“Saltpeter? Yes, I know. It’s sold in the pharmacy. Can… saltpeter make ice?” Zhou Zixu had also heard her mumbles, so he automatically made the connection when she mentioned saltpeter.

Yu Xiaocao looked at him with approval and nodded, “When saltpeter dissolves in water, it absorbs a lot of heat and lowers the temperature of the water. It can even freeze the water.”

“Really? How did you know?” Zhou Zixu was still somewhat skeptical.

Yu Xiaocao was stunned for a moment, and then spoke with a stern expression, “It’s none of your business! If you don’t believe me, then you can just go buy some saltpeter and try it!”

Steward Zhou stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and said, “I think I might have seen a documentation that recorded the usage of saltpeter to make ice when I was organizing the ancient books that Second Master had collected before his death.”

“Oh? So, it’s true that saltpeter can make ice? Steward Zhou, go on!” Zhou Zixu inquired with great interest.

With a bitter smile, Steward Zhou shook his head and said, “Second Master had a large collection of books, so I don’t really remember which book I had seen this from. We should listen to Miss Yu regarding the specific details of how to make the ice.”

Zhou Zixu’s eyes lit up as he looked at Yu Xiaocao, as if he was a child begging for candy, “Xiaocao, don’t keep us guessing. Quickly say it, say it!”

“You need to dig a big pond inside the factory, and then put a large vat that is half-filled with water in the center of the pond. After that, put the saltpeter into the pond and fill the pond with water. I’ve never done this before, so I’m also uncertain about the ratio for the water and saltpeter. You will know after experimenting a few more times.” Yu Xiaocao provided them with general guidance, but Zhou Zixu was responsible for carrying out the actual procedures.

Zhou Zixu nodded and thought about how he would do the experiment when he goes back. Steward Zhou spoke up again, “Based on what you said, it seems like we need a large amount of saltpeter. However, the cost of saltpeter isn’t low either!”

They had originally come up with the idea of using saltpeter to produce ice in order to reduce the production cost. However, the prime cost didn’t seem much less than storing ice in an icehouse.

As expected, the steward in charge of the Zhou Family’s external affairs was sensible and had foresight. Yu Xiaocao nodded with a smile, “Steward Zhou is correct! However, saltpeter can be reused. The method of evaporative crystallization can be used to recast the saltpeter that was dissolved in water.”

Steward Zhou nodded his head slightly and was inwardly surprised: ‘She’s such a young little girl. How can she have such vast knowledge and good memory? She’s even more knowledgeable than a head steward like him, who boosts about reading a wide range of books. Does the Yu Family have a secret that I doesn’t know?’

It wasn’t weird for him to be skeptical. At the end of the former dynasty, there was a lot of chaos caused by the war and many aristocratic families had fallen into oblivion during the long process. Could it be that a fallen aristocrat family had settled within this small fishing village?

“Steward Zhou, stop overthinking this matter! I have an agreement with Xiaocao to not make a detailed inquiry about anything except for business-related matters. What does it have to do with us how she knew that saltpeter can make ice? Don’t make things complicated. I don’t want to lose a good business partner!” Zhou Zixu withdrew the smile on his face and faintly said. He naturally revealed the dignified and imposing manner of a noble family’s young master.

As if a large bell rang loudly within heart, Steward Zhou was inwardly stunned as he came to a realization. He put aside his sidetracked thoughts and bowed with great respect and solemnity, “Young Master, thank you for your reminder! This old servant is deeply ashamed!”

When Zhou Zixu turned to face Yu Xiaocao, he reverted to a gentle and friendly attitude again, “Now that the problem of the oyster sauce’s preservation and transportation have been resolved, we can begin the construction of the oyster sauce factory in early spring. Where do you think we should open the oyster sauce factory?”

“In terms of business, Third Young Master Zhou definitely has more foresight than an eight year old girl like me. So just make the decision yourself!” Yu Xiaocao had also sensed Steward Zhou’s examining gaze earlier. Fortunately, the great lord, Third Young Master Zhou, was here to control the situation and prevented her from making a slip. She inwardly alerted herself to keep a low profile in the future and stop standing out so much.

It was impossible for Zhou Zixu to not notice her faint vigilance. However, he instinctively felt that this little girl in front of him was like an undiscovered mine, in which the hidden treasures could only be recovered by digging slowly and deeply. As for how this ‘treasure’ was formed, there was no need to get to the bottom of this. He didn’t want to be regretful later due to a moment of curiosity.

“In my opinion, it’s a good idea to build the oyster sauce factory near the harbor. The traffic is very convenient whether it’s by land or water. Furthermore, it’s near the sea, so it will be more convenient to purchase raw materials!” Zhou Zixu expressed his thoughts and asked for Yu Xiaocao’s advice.

Yu Xiaocao, who had learned her lesson, just smiled and nodded silently.

Zhou Zixu’s eyes darted around and knew how to make this little girl speak up. With a faint smile on his face, he looked at Xiaocao and asked, “Do you want to invest in the oyster sauce factory?”

Become a shareholder? Wasn’t this a modern term? Why would this term come out of Third Young Master Zhou’s mouth? Could it be that… this Third Young Master Zhou was also a transmigrator? Yu Xiaocao widened her eyes and looked at him in disbelief.

Zhou Zixu misunderstood her meaning and smiled, “What? You don’t know what ‘become a shareholder’ means? When Jianwen Emperor was still the imperial crown prince, he had established an ocean shipping corporation and pulled many high-ranking officials and noblemen to make an investment. Thus, the term ‘become a shareholder’ began to spread within the business industry. It just means to make an investment and join in the business.”

“Oh…” Yu Xiaocao was frightened by the false alarm and almost broke out in a cold sweat. However, she immediately became interested when she heard that she could invest in the oyster sauce factory.

“But… I don’t have a lot of money on hand. I only have less than one hundred taels…” Yu Xiaocao took out her secret stash of money from the corner and scratched her head in embarrassment.

Zhou Zixu looked at the money that was scattered on the kang bed. She had earned all this money from him, so of course, he knew how much money she had. He had originally intended to gift the young girl with a share of the factory, but an urge to tease her had emerged within him at this time,

He coughed and said, “We got the recipe for the oyster sauce from you, so I had planned to give you a share after building the factory. But, since you feel sorry about taking it for free, this money… I’ll just accept it!”

The expression on Yu Xiaocao’s face immediately stiffened. She helplessly watched as her money was plundered by that evil, ‘black-hearted’ businessman. Her heart was bleeding!

No way! She, Yu Xiaocao, could accept anything but being forced to suffer a loss in silence!

“Third Young Master Zhou!” She gnashed her teeth and said, “Isn’t it too dull for such a large factory to only produce oyster sauce?”

Zhou Zixu’s eyes lit up: ‘My little ancestor! I was just waiting for you to say that!’

“What? Does Xiaocao have other suggestions?” Zhou Zixu looked at her with great interest.

“I have secret recipes for two more sauces! I wonder if Third Young Master Zhou will be interested in them?” Anyone who was sensible could had felt Yu Xiaocao emphasizing her tone when she said ‘Third Young Master Zhou’. Ah, it seemed like the little kitten was bearing its claws!

Zhou Zixu happily moved closer and said, “I’m interested. Of course I’m interested! Quickly tell me about it!”

“Humph!” Yu Xiaocao proudly turned her head away and said, “If you want my two secret recipes, then exchange them with shares!”

In fact, for the establishment of the factory, the recipe for oyster sauce and the two sauces that the little girl had mentioned were all obtained from Yu Xiaocao. The Zhou Family had only provided money and labor.

Zhou Zixu naturally wouldn’t give up on an endless flow of treasures for the sake of a small profit. He gallantly exclaimed, “If the two recipes are of the same value as the oyster sauce, then I’ll give up half of the shares for the factory!”

Half? Yu Xiaocao had originally planned to only take 20% of the dividend, so this had far exceeded her expectations.

Chapter 54 - Advertise

However, she had received half of the shares when she had only invested a little over ninety taels. Wasn’t this a little… like she was demanding an excessive price? She didn’t demand the price herself, but there would be more opportunities for cooperation between them in the future, so she should adopt a long-term plan for major returns.

“I don’t need half of the shares. I’ll just take 40% of the shares! First of all, let’s make an agreement that I only need to provide the recipes and won’t be responsible for anything else!” With 40% of the oyster sauce factory’s shares, she could earn money at home without having to do anything in the future. Was there anything better than this?

Steward Zhou inwardly nodded and approved of his young master’s good judgment. The little girl of the Yu Family wasn’t greedy despite coming from a poor background.

“Okay! Deal!” Zhou Zixu was extremely pleased, “I’ll draw up the contract when I get back. Do you know how to write your own name? For this business deal, will it be a cooperation with you only or with the Yu Family?”

“You have also seen our family’s situation! If the entire Yu Family gets involved, then our second branch won’t be able to even receive a single penny! So, I hope that nobody knows about this collaboration except you and me!” Yu Xiaocao had planned to depend on this cooperation to earn some private savings! She had to grasp the money within her own hands in order to prevent it from being taken away by the wicked old lady of the main branch!

“Alright! The factory will be a collaboration between you and me!” Zhou Zixu concluded.

The ‘Fresh and Delicious’ condiment series became famous throughout the Great Ming Dynasty several years later. However, no one would have expected that the brand was created after a brief discussion between a thirteen year old youth and a young eight year old girl…

“But… what are the other sauces? Can you tell me?” It was human nature for everyone to possess curiosity, let alone a thirteen year old youth.

“The first one is ‘black bean paste’, while the other is called ‘broad bean paste’. The black bean paste can be used to make delicious dishes like spareribs with black bean sauce, fried mud carp with salted black beans, braised chicken, duck, pork, and more. The broad bean paste is good for stir-frying eggplants, Chinese long beans, mushrooms, etc….”

As Zhou Zixu continued to listen to Yu Xiaocao’s description, he felt that he made the right choice by coming over. This trip not only resolved his problems, but he also received an extra surprise. At this moment, Zhou Zixu, Steward Zhou, and Yu Xiaocao were having a detailed discussion regarding the name and business operation of the condiments production factory.

Unbeknownst to them, time had quietly slipped away.

“Rumble, rumble…”

A strange sound rang out. Little Shitou, who had become drowsy as he listened to their discussion, suddenly sat up and exclaimed, “Ah! My second sister hasn’t eaten breakfast yet! She’s so hungry that even her stomach is growling!”

Zhou Zixu looked at Yu Xiaocao, who was covering her tummy with an embarrassed expression. He tried to refrain himself from laughing as he said, “I brought some pastries over, so fill your stomach first! I’ll visit again to discuss the details of the arrangements after I draw up the contract.”

“No need. A few days later, I’ll ask my father to take me to town to buy some things before the New Year. We can talk about the details at that time. Third Young Master, you can also see my family’s situation, so I’m not going to ask you to stay for a meal!” Yu Xiaocao was afraid that her grandmother would become suspicious if Zhou Zixu came to visit again.

“Okay! Then I shall take my leave now!” Third Young Master Zhou smiled from ear to ear as he came out of the west room. Yu Xiaocao wanted to personally lead him out of the courtyard.

However, right at this moment, Yu Hai returned from outside and saw the lavishly dressed Third Young Master Zhou. He was momentarily stunned at first, and then he smiled warmly and asked, “Third Young Master Zhou, why are you here?”

Seeing the people from the main room and east room popping their heads out to probe, Zhou Zixu made up a lie, “Did Uncle Yu just came back from town? The weather’s really good today, so I’m taking my attendants to the West Mountains to hunt. I came for a visit since I was passing by Dongshan Village.”

“It’s not a good day for hunting! If Third Young Master is interested, you can come back in the fall. There will be a lot of game at that time. Moreover, they’re fat!” Yu Hai wasn’t a dull person either. He had noticed that the three people didn’t bring any hunting tools. Thus, he knew that Zhou Zixu had made up an excuse because it was inconvenient for him to speak.

Zhou Zixu spoke up again, “Uncle Yu haven’t been sending a lot of game to us recently. The manager of our Zhenxiu Restaurant has complained to me several times already!”

Yu Hai apologetically said, “It’s difficult to hunt since the snow hasn’t completely melted in the mountains. So I can only set traps outside the forest. It was still alright a few days ago and I was able to catch quite a lot of game every day. However, I’m not sure what happened in these two days. The quantity of game caught in the traps has been greatly reduced. I’m really sorry for any inconvenience this has caused the restaurant.”

“It’s not Uncle Yu’s fault. Zhenxiu Restaurant is the only restaurant in town with wild game now. This is all thanks to Uncle Yu for taking care of us!” Since Yu Hai was Yu Xiaocao’s father, Zhou Zixu’s attitude was quite amiable. If it was another hunter, he wouldn’t even be able to meet Third Young Master Zhou.

Yu Xiaocao also felt anxious as she listened. Other people didn’t know what was wrong, but she did! Without her mystic-stone water, it would be weird if the animals came out during such freezing weather! If they couldn’t catch any game, then they wouldn’t be able to earn any money. Third Young Master Zhou had already taken all the money she had! Would her few dozens of taels really make a difference for such a big factory? That guy must have done it intentionally. Absolutely!

It seemed like she really had to find a chance to sneak out and sprinkle some mystic-stone water around the traps!

“Oh? This little roe deer is quite fat! Its meat must be very tender. The rich people in town really likes eating young lambs and suckling pigs. Why don’t you sell it to me!” Zhou Zixu’s attention was drawn by the little roe deer frolicking in the yard.

As if it understood Zhou Zixu’s words, the little roe deer, who had been running around the courtyard, suddenly stopped in its tracks and anxiously hid behind Yu Xiaocao for protection. From time to time, it stretched out its head and peeked at Third Young Master Zhou with its big, dark eyes. When it saw Third Young Master Zhou looking at it, it would tremble and hastily retract its head.

“Interesting! This little roe deer seems very intelligent, so it’s also pretty good as a pet! If I take it to the capital, those noble ladies will definitely like it. I can sell it for a good price!” Zhou Zixu was quite surprised by the little roe deer’s closeness and dependence on Xiaocao.

Her younger brother treasured the little roe deer from the bottom of his heart. Furthermore, they had already become emotionally attached. Thus, Yu Xiaocao naturally wouldn’t sell it for a few pieces of silver. She bent down and caressed the little roe deer’s head, and then smiled, “Its name is ‘Tiny’. Someone has entrusted our family to take care of it, so our family can’t make the decision about selling it.”

Zhou Zixu didn’t take it seriously either and casually said, “If you guys want to sell it for a good price, I can help you contact a buyer when I go to the capital later. Alright! You haven’t completely recovered yet, so hurry back into the room.”

Zhou Zixu was going to the capital to attend a business meeting with his nominally eldest uncle, who was actually his biological father. The current head of the Zhou Family had two legitimate sons. In terms of talent in business, his second son was somewhat better. Even before he had come-of-age, the second son was already quite successful in the business industry. In a way, without the second son, the Zhou Family wouldn’t have gotten the position of an imperial merchant.

Unfortunately, his second son was killed by bandits during a business trip at a young age. Otherwise, it would be hard to say who would become the next head of the household.

His second son had died early, so he didn’t even get the chance to get married, let alone leave a descendant! People of ancient times placed great importance on the afterlife. The patriarch of the Zhou Family was afraid that, after he passed away, there wouldn’t be anyone to pay respects to his second son. So he decided to let his eldest son shoulder the responsibility of two branches and had him marry a declining businessman’s daughter to carry on the family line of the second branch.

In other words, although Third Young Master Zhou was the biological child of the eldest son, he was considered a child of the second branch. Thus, Zhou Zixu could only call him ‘eldest uncle’. Every time the eldest son of the Zhou Family saw Third Young Master Zhou, his mood would be very complicated. One of his sons wasn’t interested in doing business, while the other one was ambitious but lacked talent.

On the other hand, Zhou Zixu, who inherited the second branch, already had such talent for business at such a young age. The restaurant that he managed was flourishing with business. Moreover, he was also planning to establish a condiment production factory. It seemed like the position of the next head of the household would end up with the second branch. He seriously resented this situation!

Zhou Zixu didn’t know that his eldest uncle had such mixed feelings regarding his own talent in business. He followed the first branch to attend the business meeting in the capital and received an unexpected result.

The owners of the restaurants in the capital had long coveted the oyster sauce recipe in Third Young Master Zhou’s hands. However, since the Zhou Family were imperial merchants, no one dared to forcibly seize the recipe. During this gathering, there were many people who were planning to stealthily inquire about the recipe. Within the Zhou Family, Third Young Master Zhou was the only one who knew the recipe for the oyster sauce. As a result, Third Young Master Zhou ended up being the main focus of this meeting.

The eldest master of the Zhou Family felt anxious inwardly. His ‘nephew’ was still so young, would he be able to manage these crafty old foxes?

However, no one would have expected that Zhou Zixu was just waiting for this group of old foxes to bring up the topic!

When another uncle [1], intentionally or unintentionally, mentioned the ‘oyster sauce’, Zhou Zixu used this opportunity to raise his voice,

“Uncle Fang, the recipe for the oyster sauce belongs to my friend and this nephew has promised that I won’t disclose the recipe. But, after the New Year, I’m planning on establishing a condiments factory with the oyster sauce as the main product. Other than oyster sauce, there’s also two new condiments. If uncles are interested, please give a lot of support to my condiments factory!”

When the group of business tycoons heard the news, they were stunned at first. However, someone immediately asked, “Nephew, do you mean that you’re going to produce oyster sauce and sell them?”

“Yes!” Zhou Zixu disregarded his eldest uncle, who was anxiously trying to stop him, and nodded his head in affirmation.

Zhou Zixu’s eldest uncle felt extremely angry within his heart! He had prepared to open a big restaurant in the capital with oyster sauce as the main theme. He believed that with the oyster sauce, which was their exclusive recipe, his restaurant would surely occupy a stable place in the capital.

He had only learned of his nephew’s plans for an oyster sauce factory today. If he had found out earlier, he would definitely do everything possible to stop him. But the news had already been spread out, so there was nothing he could do now!

“That’s great! You definitely take after your father! In those days, the second son of the Zhou Family was daring and insightful. I didn’t expect for his son to also have such courage at a young age! My dear nephew, when your factory opens, this uncle will definitely support you!” Boss Fang of Juxian Restaurant patted Zhou Zixu’s shoulder and smiled until his eyes narrowed.

“I heard that there are two more condiment recipes. Is it also from the same person?” After receiving a confirmation, Boss Fang proudly said, “There absolutely will not be any problems then! As for our cooperation for these three condiments, let’s talk in detail later!”

The other merchants who owned restaurants naturally wouldn’t let Boss Fang dominate in this business. Hence, they all swiftly expressed their desire to cooperate with Zhou Zixu. Even before it was out in the market, the ‘Fresh and Delicious’ brand of condiments had already become a hot trend within the capital.

The eldest master of the Zhou Family watched as the second branch’s Zhou Zixu become the center of attention for this gathering. He was both proud and vexed. His heart was filled with complicated and mixed emotions.

[1] Uncle/Nephew (世伯/世侄) – non-blood related uncle/nephew, family friends

Chapter 55 - The New Year

Yu Xiaocao, who had become one of the shareholders of the leading condiment production factory in the future, spent the following days pondering about how to get to her parents to let her out of the house to get some fresh air. That was the only way she could get the chance to add some mystic-stone water around the traps that her father had set. Ay! At times, it was quite troublesome to have overly anxious parents!

However, she failed to achieve her goal in the end. It wasn’t due to her parent’s opposition, but the arrival of another snowstorm. This snowfall wasn’t inferior to that of the first snow. The entire mountain village was covered in a thick layer of whiteness.

At the Yu Family’s old residence, half of the roof had been crushed by the snow. Under Old Yu’s insistence and supervision, the three brothers of the Yu Family worked hard against the snowstorm for three to five days and finally repaired the old house.

Old Yu had fled to Dongshan Village as a refugee with his father when he was still a young child. The Yu Family’s old residence was a two-room cottage made of mud and straw that was built with the enthusiastic help of the villagers of Dongshan Village. It was full of Old Yu’s yearning for his deceased father, as well as his childhood memories. The four siblings of the Yu Family were all born and raised in this old house.

Therefore, even though the Yu Family had moved into the newly built new five-room house, they hadn’t abandoned their old residence. Old Yu would frequently visit the old house. They also made repairs once or twice every year. Otherwise, it would have already become a wasteland.

It had snowed too much, so it was impossible to go hunt in the mountains. Yu Xiaocao’s plan to earn some money before the New Year by catching some game was delayed. Furthermore, the price for goods had also reached a new height before the New Year. Every day, Madam Zhang would sigh deeply while she calculated the family’s food rations.

Fortunately, the whole family was just staying at home during the winter, so they didn’t need to do any physically demanding work. The Yu Family had two meals per day, which were reduced to only eating dry pancakes in the morning and a bowl of disgusting bean paste soup in the evening. Moreover, the coarse grain pancakes eaten for breakfast wasn’t an all-you-can-eat meal.

The men each had two palm-sized pancakes, while the women were only given one piece each. But the children were given even less. Madam Zhang had even stopped giving Yu Caidie a secret portion of eggs. They were a family of over ten people, who couldn’t make any income for the entire winter. During the cold winter, even the family’s chickens didn’t lay much eggs. They were just idly sitting and eating at home, while slowly using up their money. How much money would they have to waste to fill in this bottomless pit?

Madam Zhang glared furiously at Yu Hai and his daughter. If they hadn’t gotten into a debt for that wicked girl’s medical fees, with the money that Yu Hai had earned from selling game, their family would had had enough money for a lavish New Year! Their situation wouldn’t be like right now, in which they had to count their food rations before preparing each meal!

“Second Son! It’s going to be the New Year is a couple days. It just stopped snowing today, so take advantage of this time and go to town to buy some things we’ll need for the New Year! First of all, we don’t have much millet flour. Buy more millet flour back, so we can stock them up at home. Also, no matter what we’ll need to make some dumplings for the New Year. So buy some wheat flour and two catties of meat…”

Madam Zhang made a bunch of requests but didn’t take out any money.

Yu Hai was about to agree when his youngest daughter pulled on his sleeve. He looked over and noticed that his daughter was signaling at him with her eyes. Yu Hai immediately understood his daughter’s meaning. After all, he was already accustomed to being obedient to Madam Zhang for over twenty years. Thus, he fell into a state of hesitation.

However, when he saw his daughter’s pitiful gaze and thought about the resolution he had made to himself recently, he finally said, “Mother, I’ll go to Eldest Uncle’s house to borrow the sleigh—but the money for the New Year goods…”

As soon as money was mentioned, Madam Zhang immediately pulled a face that was even longer than a donkey’s face, “A few days ago, didn’t you go to town to sell game every day? You must have earned a lot of money. Why are you still asking me for money when you have money yourself?! Second Son, there’s no precedent of anyone having private savings within our family! This is a rule that no one is allowed to break!”

“Grandmother, the snow that had accumulated in the mountain forest hadn’t even melted yet, so there wasn’t a lot of game to be caught. We caught very little game during those couple of days! So, aren’t you very clear about how much money we can earn? It’s almost the New Year, so of course we have to pay off our debt first. After repaying the money that Eldest Granduncle lent us for my medical treatment, we didn’t even have enough money for the medication! Fortunately, Doctor Sun took pity on us and allowed my father to buy the medicine on credit! Father! After the New Year, you have to go up the mountain more frequently in order to pay back the dozen or more taels that we owe Tongren Medicine Hall! Our family still needs Doctor Sun to help treat our illnesses in the future!”

Xiaocao knew very well that her father had already made great improvement since he was able to openly ask Madam Zhang for money. So, she interjected and stated everything that needed to be said.

A dozen or more taels? Madam Zhang gasped in astonishment and looked at Xiaocao with a piercing gaze, as if her eyes were daggers. If she could, she seriously wanted to cut that jinx into pieces!

“Tsk! To use a dozen or more taels for a minor illness, it seems like our family really do have someone born with a noble young lady’s life. It’s a pity that she has reincarnated into the wrong family. She has the body of a noble lady without the fate to enjoy it! Oh my, those twenty-something taels is nearly enough for a whole family to use for an entire year while living frugally! Tsk-tsk…” Madam Li clicked her tongue in disapproval as she ceaselessly fanned the fire.

Yu Hai recalled his family’s indifference when his daughter was on the verge of death. They didn’t spend any of the family’s money for his daughter’s illness, yet they still had to endure mocking remarks from them. His expression immediately turned grim and he muttered in a muffled voice, “Eldest Sister-in-law don’t need to worry about what kind of life my daughter has! We didn’t use a single penny of yours for my daughter’s illness!”

“Oh! He’s getting angry at me now! You didn’t spend any of my money for your daughter’s illness, but I, Li Guihua, also didn’t use any of your money for food or drinks! What rights do you have to yell at me?! Do you think that I’ll be easy to bully?” Madam Li wasn’t someone who would suffer any losses, so she clasped her waist and hollered back.

Yu Hai was originally bad at arguing with people, so he didn’t know what to do when he saw her acting like a shrew.

But Yu Xiaolian couldn’t tolerate her, “Eldest Aunt, you’re allowed to criticize others with a mocking tone, but other people can’t even say a word about you! What kind of logic is this? Is there anything wrong with what my father said? A lot of money was spent for my sister’s medical treatment. So, what’s wrong with a father earning money for his daughter’s medical fees? Even two hundred taels isn’t as important as my younger sister’s life, let alone twenty taels!”

Madam Zhang’s glared at Xiaolian with her beady eyes. She threw the broom in her hands at Xiaolian’s direction and shouted, “Why is a child butting in when the adults are talking? Second Son, is that how you teach your children?”

Yu Xiacoao cried out in shock and exclaimed, “Grandmother, what are you doing? It’s not enough that you’ve caused me to become seriously ill, but you’re also going to hit my sister! Grandmother, you should think more carefully about your actions. If anything happens to my older sister, you won’t even get the chance to grieve over the money!”

When money was mentioned, even though Madam Zhang had a belly full of anger, she didn’t dare direct her rage towards the children again. If something happened to the children during the New Year Festival, based on how much Yu Hai doted on his children, he would definitely take his children to see a doctor. Even if they had to owe more debts, he would still get medical treatment for his children. As a result of that, she wouldn’t be able to get any money out of Yu Hai for the next spring and summer seasons.

Old Yu, who was silently standing on the side, finally spoke up! “Everyone, stop! Aren’t you guys afraid of becoming a laughingstock for others during the New Year?! Wife, it’s not like you don’t have any money, so stop thinking about taking the little money that Second Son has! Hurry up and take out the money. It’s more important to buy the New Year goods!”

“Would the meager amount of money in my hands even be enough for them to use?” It was more painful for Madam Zhang to have money taken out of her hands than it would be to cut off her flesh.

Old Yu impatiently said, “You’re always talking about money, money, money! To you, even a single copper coin is bigger than a millstone! Can’t we just earn all the money back when the coastal waters thaws in the spring? After the New Year, Eldest Son and I will go out to the sea, while Second Son goes into the mountains. Won’t we be able to make up for our winter expenses?”

Madam Zhang couldn’t escape this situation, so she reluctantly opened the cabinet’s lock while grumbling. She took out a string of copper coins and several silver bits, which were about the size of a fingernail. She reminded Yu Hai, as if she was afraid that he would spend the money recklessly, “Everything is really expensive nowadays, so don’t buy too much food. We have sweet potato flour at home. Although eating too much of it may cause heartburn, it’s still very filling! As for wheat flour and meat, just buy enough for one meal of dumplings…”

Yu Xiaocao looked at the money in her hands. Her mouth twitched as she inwardly thought: Even if they wanted to, this wouldn’t be enough money to buy a lot of things! Did she really need to repeatedly warn them?

Yu Hai took the money and left the house silently. It was a rare sunny day. Although the snow on the ground went up to the calves, there were still many people going to town to buy New Year goods. After days of heavy snow, most people hadn’t had the chance to purchase the goods needed for the New Year. Thus, they wanted to take advantage of this good day to buy the things that they need.

Yu Hai’s eldest uncle had originally planned to go to town today. However, seeing that his eldest nephew wanted to borrow the sleigh and that the good weather would probably last for more than a day, he decided to go to town on the next day.

Yu Hai didn’t dare to buy too many unnecessary things and directly went to the grains shop to purchase fifty catties of millet flour and five catties of wheat flour. After that, he went to the butchers and got two catties of meat. The money that Madam Zhang gave him wasn’t enough, so he used some of his own money to cover the cost.

While walking on the street, he encountered the manager of Zhenxiu Restaurant. The manager knew that the little girl of the Yu Family was someone who his young master highly valued, so he naturally acted very warmly towards Yu Hai. Seeing that simple New Year goods that Yu Hai had purchased, he bought some snacks and candies from the pastry shop. He insisted that Yu Hai accept them, saying that Third Young Master Zhou had ordered him to buy them for Miss Yu and her younger brother.

Yu Hai bought some meat buns and went to the carpentry shop to visit his son. He also left some copper coins for his son. However, Yu Hai wouldn’t have expected that his son would be reluctant to use the money that he had received from the family and saved them up instead, which led to a disaster that almost cost Yu Hang’s life.

The New Year was slowly approaching. On the morning of New Year's Eve, Madam Liu was busily working in the kitchen with her two daughters. The two catties of meat that Yu Hai bought were mostly fat. Madam Liu cut out some of the fat to make lard, and then left the dregs of fat for the evening when they needed to mix it with cabbage to make stuffing for the dumplings.

Winter vegetables were usually either radishes or cabbages. Yu Xiaocao had already predicted that there wouldn’t be enough food at home for the New Year, so she grew some bean sprouts at the edge of the kang bed. She had also made some handmade vermicelli with the sweet potato flour.

With the sweet potato vermicelli, their dishes for the New Year didn’t seem as dull. Stewed cabbage and radish with vermicelli, stir-fried sour cabbage, braised radish, stir-fried black fungus and cabbage, crispy radish salad, and dry-fried bean sprouts… They also cut a few slices of pork to cook with the bean sprouts and vermicelli, making another home-cooked dish. For the soup, they made cabbage and bean sprout soup.

When the dishes were served, even the picky Madam Zhang was visibly surprised. She never knew that so many dishes could be made with radish, cabbage, and a few bean sprouts.

As for the taste, it was pretty obvious based on everyone’s reactions. No one had time to talk as they were all just diligently eating, which was the biggest affirmation for the dishes.

Old Yu seldom had the chance to drink alcohol, so he poured a cup for his three sons and said with satisfaction, “Second Daughter-in-law’s culinary skills have improved again!”

Chapter 56 - A Disastrous Year

“Daughter-in-law can’t take credit for the dishes. Xiaocao was the one who came up with these dishes.” Madam Liu looked at her daughter proudly and gave her some vermicelli. Her daughter was so clever to be able make such delicious vermicelli with the sweet potato flour. Her daughter should eat more as a reward!

They had made a decent amount of each dish. Madam Zhang was enjoying the delicious dishes, so she didn’t make any jarring remarks regarding Madam Liu giving her children more food. She had originally thought that they would spend the New Year frugally, but she hadn’t expected that such simple ingredients could also make a lavish New Year meal.

Madam Li stuffed a mouthful of food into her mouth as she said, “Xiaocao came up with them? She’s the one only in the family with the leisure to think of these things.”

Yu Xiaocao glared at Madam Li: ‘This fat woman never has anything good to say. She’s making it seem like she’s a gluttonous person who only thinks about eating!’

“Stop talking so much if you don’t have anything good to say. You won’t shut up even when you’re eating!” Yu Dashan had noticed his second brother’s displeasure and hastily reprimanded his wife.

Madam Zhao, who seldom ate together with the Yu Family, had several small plates placed in front of her. The food inside were exactly the same as everyone else. Madam Zhang knew that her youngest daughter-in-law was very particular about eating and didn’t like eating from the same plates as everyone. Thus, a separate set of the dishes was specially prepared for Madam Zhao and her son.

Little Doudou sucked a strand of vermicelli into his mouth with much effort, and then chewed it with a smile on his face. He beamed a smile at Xiaocao and said, “Second Sister’s cooking is the best! Doudou likes this really long thing. It’s very tasty!”

“This is vermicelli! Since our Doudou likes it, Second Sister will make some more for you to take back to town!” Yu Xiaocao never had any resistance towards cute children. Although it was quite laborious to make vermicelli, it was also good to have an improvement to their meals with a new type of dish.

“Yes, yes! This year’s yield of sweet potato is very high. We have enough sweet potato flour until the harvest in the fall. If we make some more vermicelli, we’ll have another type of dish to eat during the winter! The stewed bean sprouts and vermicelli tastes very good!” Madam Li sucked on the grease on her chopsticks, and then she used her chopsticks to rummage through the dishes. When she found a piece of fatty meat, she immediately stuffed it into her mouth.

Heizi, who sat beside her, had even stood up. He wiped his snot on his blackened sleeve, and then poked around in the dishes with his chopsticks. It seemed like he would never stop until he found a piece of meat.

Seeing the dirty appearance of the mother and son pair, no matter how delicious that homemade dish was, Yu Xiaocao still didn’t want to eat it anymore. With her head lowered, she concentrated on eating the dry-fried bean sprouts in front of her. She was seriously about to vomit if she looked at them any longer.

Dry-fried bean sprouts was made with bean sprouts that had just grown about one or two centimeters. After heating the lard in a hot pot, dried chili pepper was put into the pot and stir-fried. After that, bean sprouts, seasonings, and garlic sprouts were added into the pot and stir-fried. With the refreshing taste of the bean sprouts and the addition of lard as a base ingredient, it was natural that the taste wouldn’t be bad.

Unexpectedly, Madam Zhang was the first one to comment on Madam Li and her son’s unsightly eating manner, “How are other people supposed to eat when you guys keep picking and choosing in the dishes? If you’re going to keep doing this, then go back to your room to eat! Stop being so loathsome here!”

As she spoke, she also glanced at her youngest daughter-in-law’s direction. It turned out that Madam Zhang, who had been paying attention to her youngest daughter-in-law and grandson, noticed that from time to time Madam Zhao would look at her eldest daughter-in-law in disgust. Madam Zhao, who was originally enjoying the meal, had suddenly set down her chopsticks. Thus, she finally spoke up to stop Madam Li and her son’s unsightly behavior.

Seeing that the meat in the dishes were mostly gone, Madam Li finally stopped searching with her chopsticks. However, she still wolfed down the rest of the dishes, as if there was someone fighting over them with her.

The New Year Eve lunch ended shortly after this small episode. For this meal, Madam Zhang didn’t limit how much everyone could eat. Thus, even if the staple food was still coarse grain pancakes, the entire family still ate with a rare sense of satisfaction. The main reason was that it was a more sumptuous meal than in the previous years.

After the meal, Madam Zhang’s heart ached at the sight of the swiftly depleted food and muttered endlessly. With a grim expression, she finally stopped her complaints when Old Yu scolded her for ‘being so fussy even during the New Year’.

Dumplings were usually eaten in the evening during the New Year celebration. The Yu Family didn’t buy a lot of meat in the first place, so even when the stuffing was mixed with a lot of cabbage, it still wasn’t enough to fill everyone’s stomach.

There were only two types of fillings in the Yu Family’s dumplings, which were pork with cabbage and lard mixed with cabbage. On the evening of New Year's Eve, the men were given twenty dumplings each, while the womenfolk got ten each. The children received half of what the women got.

With only five small dumplings, even the three year old Little Doudou wasn’t full, let alone Yu Xiaocao and the others. Yu Heizi wasn’t satisfied after he finished his portion, so he swiftly stole one of Little Shitou’s dumplings when he wasn’t paying attention and stuffed it into his own mouth. He disregarded Little Shitou’s angry cries and approached Yu Xiaocao and Yu Xiaolian.

Yu Xiaocao swiftly pulled her siblings to their father’s table and stayed beside him. In the presence of Old Yu and their father, Yu Heizi naturally didn’t dare to act rashly. He could only brazenly go ask his own mother for more dumplings.

Madam Li was a greedy woman, who wasn’t even willing to share her dumplings with her own child. Thus, she begged her mother-in-law shamelessly, “Mother, Heizi is a growing youth, who can eat as much as an adult. So five dumplings isn’t even enough as an appetizer. Mother, this daughter-in-law doesn’t dare request that he gets the same amount as the men. Just give him five more so that he’ll have the same amount as us!”

Madam Zhang looked up toward Madam Liu and nonchalantly said, “If you can guarantee that no one will complain that I’m being biased, then I don’t mind giving him five extra dumplings since it’s the New Year.”

Madam Liu had never liked arguing with others, so she said in a quiet voice, “Heizi is a growing youth, so who dares to say anything about him getting five more dumplings? However, he shouldn’t steal his younger siblings’ dumplings.”

“What does a child know? Younger Sister-in-law shouldn’t argue with a child. Mother, I’ll go give Heizi the dumplings.” Madam Li not only didn’t discipline her child, but she was also annoyed at Madam Liu for being difficult. Ay, it was true that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!

Madam Liu quietly entered the kitchen and divided her ten dumplings among her children. She put four dumplings into her youngest son’s bowl, and then split the remaining six dumplings between her two daughters.

Yu Xiaocao held her own bowl tightly and said, “Mother, I’m a light eater. Five dumplings are enough for me! If you give us all your dumplings, you’ll starve tonight. Even if you give me the dumplings, I won’t be able to finish them.”

Xiaolian chimed in, “Mother, you seldom eat dumplings throughout the year. Moreover, you’ve been busy the entire afternoon. If you can’t even eat a bite of the dumplings you made yourself, do you think that we, your children, will be able to eat?”

“Mother, take the dumpling back. I don’t want it!” Little Shitou quickly returned the dumplings that were in his bowl.

“You guys eat! Mother ate too much for lunch, so I’m not hungry right now!” Madam Liu picked up the dumplings and put them in her children’s bowls.

While the four of them were pushing back and forth, Yu Hai had come out with his bowl of dumplings. When he saw this scene, he felt both sad and touched. In the end, he made the decision to fairly distribute all the dumplings that the second branch had received. The children received eight dumplings each, while he and his wife each got ten.

“Ten dumplings aren’t enough for such a grown man like you? I’m used to eating light meals in the evening, so I’ll feel uncomfortable if I eat too much dumplings. Here, I’ll give you a few more. I’ll just drink more of the dumpling soup later…” Madam Liu’s heart ached for her husband and was reluctant to eat the dumplings that she had received.

“There’s no way you will be full with just ten dumplings. Quickly eat, or else it’s going to be cold!” Yu Hai went into the kitchen with a bowl and asked Madam Zhang to ladle a bowl full of dumpling soup for him. He swiftly drank the bowl of soup and filled his stomach first before he ate the dumplings. In this way, after eating the dumplings, he would be considered somewhat full.

On the first day of the New Year, since all the villagers knew about Madam Zhang’s stingy disposition, not many children came over for New Year greetings. Apart from Eldest Granduncle, Hunter Zhao, and several close family friends, the second branch of the Yu Family also felt too ashamed to bring their children to give New Year greetings to others.

Yu Xiaocao and her siblings didn’t receive any red envelopes [1] from their own grandparents, but her eldest granduncle gave them two copper coins as lucky money. When they arrived at the Zhao Family’s residence, Madam Zheng specially filled the embroidered pouches that she made with around one mace [2] worth of silver bits and gave a pouch to each child.

Yu Xiaolian looked at the embroidery on the pouch and loved it very much. Seeing the admiration on her face, Madam Zheng agreed to teach her how to do embroidery.

On the way home, Madam Liu whispered to her husband, “Based on the aura that Madam Zheng emits, she obviously didn’t come from an ordinary family. Just look at the embroidered pouches. Even the ordinary families in town won’t be so particular as to give the children lucky money in embroidered pouches, let alone people in the village.”

“It’s not only Madam Zheng, but also Uncle Zhao and Older Brother Bufan. Their martial arts skills don’t seem like skills of an ordinary hunter’s family. There must be some hidden reason as to why Uncle Zhao’s whole family is living in seclusion within the mountains. But this isn’t something that we should inquire about. We should just interact as usual. There’s no need to act in a deliberate manner.”

Yu Hai had long been aware that the Zhao Family, whether it was their eating habits, living conditions or behaviors, would unconsciously reveal the manners of a noble family. The men of the Zhao Family all exuded the orderly and dignified aura of a soldier. During the later period of the former dynasty, the imperial court was prodigal and immoral, and thus many righteous officials decided to live in seclusion. The Zhao Family might had been one of those families.

As the days passed by, the winter made it apparent that this year was doomed to be disastrous. In January, the snow almost never stopped. Many families had insufficient food reserves and were only able to eat one meal a day. So they were already quite lucky if they were able to survive starvation.

However, there were quite a few people who had died of starvation and froze to death because of the successive heavy snow. Moreover, there were even incidents in which none of the family had survived. Even in the city, there were incidents of people dying of starvation…

Fortunately, in Dongshan Village, except for several weak and elderly people who had failed to survive the cold winter, there wasn’t a phenomenon in which a large number of people died of starvation or froze to death. However, the situation in the village wasn’t optimistic either.

At this time, Madam Zhang deeply regretted being so stingy before the New Year and didn’t allow her second son to buy more foods to stock up. They had already used up all the millet flour at home. The only thing that they had at home that could satisfy their hunger was the sweet potatoes in the cellar and the sweet potato slices, which could only be grinded into sweet potato flour.

Every day, they either ate sweet potato gruel or sweet potato cornbread. Even if they occasionally tried something different, it was just directly using the dried sweet potato to make porridge. The digestive system of the elderly wasn’t very good, so they would get heartburn after eating sweet potato on a daily basis. However, if they didn’t eat it, they would be facing the danger of starvation. Thus, Yu Xiaocao had no choice but to mix the mystic-stone water into herbal medicine and fed it to her family in order to nourish their intestines and stomach.

The continuous snowstorm had caused the roads to be blocked. The town’s food reserves were also facing a crisis due to a problem with the dispatch. Furthermore, the price for grains remained high without any signs of decline. White rice and wheat flour had become as expensive as meat!

[1] Red envelope, lucky money - auspicious money given in a red envelope during special holidays and events, such as New Year and weddings

[2] 1 mace (钱) = 1/10 tael

Chapter 57 - Disaster

With great difficulty, they managed to ‘endure’ it until the beginning of spring. Once spring began, it finally stopped snowing. The sun that had been gone for around two months had finally showed itself. The snow covering the mountains melted slowly. However, the occasional short burst of wind from the sea was still piercing cold. On top of the mudflat and the reef surrounding the shore, a fisherman appeared in the middle of the cold wind, shivering in the cold but he persisted on gathering seafood at the sea.

‘Summer night, winter white’ is an authentic line of verse from what people who gather seafood say. Due to the influence of the receding tide and the change in temperature, the best time to gather seafood was during the summer nights and winter mornings. During the winter, the temperature was the most suitable for gathering oysters. The oysters were very fat in this season, and they would be able to harvest a lot. They just needed to gather oysters once, and they would be able to eat oysters for many days.

To the villagers of Dongshan Village, who had just experienced a food shortage because of winter, this was a favor from the sea. The abundance of oysters from the sea was no different than sending charcoal in snowy weather. People who came to gather seafood at the sea each brought their own wicker basket or a small bamboo basket. The basket would either be hung over the neck or straddled over the arm. They held a small shovel in their hand as they searched for their ‘prey’ on the reef. There were even villagers who, despite the frigid cold seawater, would enter the shallow water with their fishing net and try to catch fish. It was a bustling sight to behold.

“Xiaocao, your boots look very warm. Are they waterproof?” Zhou Shanhu, who had invited the Yu sisters to gather seafood at the mudflat, enviously looked at Xiaocao’s deerskin boots. Although she didn’t recognize what material the boots were made of, she knew that it wasn’t something a regular family would be able to afford.

Yu Xiaocao saw that everyone was wearing tattered and old cotton shoes. Some people were even afraid that their only pair of shoes would become wet from the sea, so they wore only straw sandals with their bare feet. The chilly air from the cold spring season combined with the ice-cold seawater froze their little feet. Their feet would become red and some would even have frostbite.

She was a little embarrassed by this as she shrank her feet back. In a small voice, she said, “Years ago, my father killed a deer and sold it to a restaurant in town. My body wasn’t good at that time. My father took less money for the deerskin and asked the restaurant owner to use some of the deerskin to make boots. So, when I came out to gather seafood today, my father insisted that I wear them...”

Zhou Linglong secretly tugged at her little sister’s clothes. She smiled at Xiaocao and said, “Years ago, your serious illness almost frightened Auntie Liu to death. You should wear warmer clothing otherwise your family members would worry. Shanhu, don’t stare at other people’s feet. Once father comes home, we can ask him to buy you a pair of boots too.”

Zhou Linglong and her little sister were the daughters of Madam Liu’s best friend, Auntie Fang. Auntie Fang’s husband, Zhou Danian, started off as a peddler and their family raised dozens of chickens. So, their family’s financial situation was considered to be quite outstanding within Dongshan Village.

Zhou Shanhu was only one year older than Xiaocao, but she was a very sensible child, “Older sister, I was only looking at her shoes. Boots are very expensive. Moreover, the cotton shoes at home are already quite warm and a pair of boots can buy so much food!”

“They are catching fish over there, let’s go and have a look!” Yu Xiaocao didn’t want to talk anymore regarding the boots, so she changed the topic of their conversation.

When she walked closer, she realized it was actually her Third Uncle, Yu Jiang, and the expert fisherman of Dongshan Village, Uncle Shuanzhu, who were catching fish. They were enduring the bone-chilling cold water as they pulled the fishing net to catch fish. Someone else was responsible for pulling a part of the fishing net on the shore while Yu Jiang and Shuanzhu took turns holding the other end of the fishing net as they slowly walked into the water. After the water line reached their chest, they would walk in a semi-circular arc as they went back to shore. The rest of the people would take over the net as they worked together to pull it to the shore.

There wasn’t much harvest to be had in this one fishing net. Besides a few fish that were worth approximately a tael each, there were only a few palm-sized fish that were stuck on the lines of the net. Once the two men got to shore, their wives gave them boiling hot ginger soup. They also wrapped themselves in thick layers of cotton-padded clothing and drank a few mouthfuls of ginger soup before they entered the sea to pull the net again.

“I know a place where the reef is hidden. Let’s go there and look. But when we go there, we have to be careful.” This was the first spring tide since the beginning of spring. There were too many people who came to gather seafood today. Some people came all the way from town with their tools to try their luck. There were more people on the reef gathering seafood than available seafood. The children had searched for seafood for half a day, but they didn’t harvest much.

Yu Xiaolian knew the place that her sister was talking about. Last year, when they were gathering seafood there, they had even saved a person. The children chatted and laughed as they walked towards the steep cliffs. Sure enough, there was a lot of seafood.

“An oyster’s shell is very sharp. Sometimes, with just slight contact with the skin, the skin would be scratched by it. You must be careful when you gather oysters. Xiaocao, you and Shitou don’t have much strength so why don’t you two gather other seafood products?” Zhou Linglong was a young lady now; she knew how to take care of the younger children.

They lowered their heads and pried open oyster shells. In a short while, their baskets and tiny buckets were all full. Zhou Shanhu happily said, “We harvested a lot today. If we can harvest this much every day, then we won’t have to worry about making ends meet or starving during springtime!”

“My father said that the reef would only be revealed when the tide recedes a lot. Every month, there will only be low tides twice. So how can we come every day? Besides, aren’t you afraid of vomiting after eating seafood every day?” Yu Xiaolian was also very happy. She pondered what kind of delicious dishes her little sister would make with these oysters.

After experiencing a shortage of food and vegetables in the winter, Yu Xiaocao used different ways to prepare meals, saving food yet still making it delicious. Everyone in the family praised her cooking. She can turn ordinary radishes and white cabbage into different dishes. So, she definitely would be able to make something delicious using the oysters. Xiaolian was full of expectations towards Xiaocao’s cooking.

Yu Xiaocao thought of how her business with Third Young Master Zhou would improve after the beginning of spring, so she turned to Sister Linglong and said, “I heard that the Zhou Family from the town intends to build a workshop on the dock. They would be accepting large amounts of oysters. In the future, when you are free, you can go gather and pry open oysters and sell it to them. You will be able to earn some money to buy needles and thread.”

When Zhou Linglong heard that, her eyes immediately brightened. She asked, “Is this news reliable? Usually, people who accept seafood aren’t very willing to accept oysters. They would continuously lower the price of the oysters. Due to this, the villagers don’t really like to gather oysters. I hope that the price that the Zhou Family’s workshop will not set a very low price for the oysters.”

Xiaocao and Shitou’s basket was also full from gathering other kinds of seafood. Xiaocao was very satisfied with today’s harvest. Besides small seafood like goose barnacles, mussels, and water-snails, she has also gathered a dozen sea urchins. She was ready to make a stew from the sea urchin. It would be delicious and nourishing. To her surprise, she actually managed to gather a sea cucumber today. ‘Four Seafood Treasures’ was a type of exotic delicacy that required abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, and fish maw. Sea cucumbers were definitely a good find.

The three siblings walked with the Zhou sisters on the soft sandy shore. They laughed and chatted as they went in the direction of Dongshan Village.

They hadn’t even entered the village when they saw Auntie Shuanzhu hurriedly rushing toward the seashore. When she saw Xiaocao and her siblings, she accelerated her speed more, rushing towards them. She said, “Xiaolian, Xiaocao, something happened to your father. You have to quickly return home!”

“My father? What happened to him?” Yu Xiaocao’s grip on her basket tightened. Her heart was thrown in chaos.

The family was struggling through winter. In the past few days, the snow in the forest mountain had finally began to melt. Madam Zhang urged Yu Hai to hunt in the mountains. Early this morning, Yu Hai invited Hunter Zhao to hunt. Everyone said that the beginning of spring wasn’t a good time to hunt. This is because when wild animals enter the breeding season, they were especially violent. Could it be...

“Your father was bitten by a bear. His entire body is covered in blood. One of his legs was almost bitten till it was gone… You should quickly go home and have a look!” Thinking of the condition Yu Hai was in, Shuanzhu’s wife couldn’t help but shiver.

As soon as Shitou heard that, he immediately cried out and burst into tears. He threw his basket down and ran back home. Yu Xiaocao and her sister tried to suppress their panic-stricken hearts as they left their basket full of seafood and rushed back home side-by-side.

The Zhou sisters picked up the Yu sibling’s baskets with their free hand. They carried the baskets as they hurriedly walked in the direction of the Yu Family’s house.

Shuanzhu’s wife followed along with the Yu siblings. She couldn’t help but comfort the children, “Don’t worry. Your third uncle and Uncle Shuanzhu already borrowed the donkey cart from the neighboring village. They went to the town to get a doctor. Maybe your father’s injury isn’t as serious as it looks!”

Yu Xiaocao suppressed the fear and sorrow in her heart. Her steps were getting bigger and bigger as she ran. In the past six months, Yu Hai’s doting and tolerance were still vivid in her mind. Although their days were bitter, her parent’s love and affection gave her the courage to continue to live in this strange world.

Although Yu Hai had a lot of filial piety and wasn’t very good with conversations, he unconsciously became Xiaocao’s backbone. He was also the pillar of the second branch. She really couldn’t imagine how the second branch would fare in the Yu Family once her father was gone.

Father, you mustn’t let anything happen to you! Wait for me to save you! Yu Xiaocao was firmly holding her only life-saving straw in her hand——the multicolored stone. Since it was capable of using its remaining magical power to bring her soul from a different world to this world and allowing her to reincarnate, then it must have a method to save her father.

[Master don’t worry! If your father still has one breath left, this Divine Stone can pull him back from the gates of hell!] The little divine stone appears to detect her indecisive state of mind, so it put away its usual air of arrogance and haughtiness. It was full of self-confidence as it promised her that it’ll save her father.

Due to the great snow, the mountain was sealed. During the entire winter, the little divine stone didn’t get a chance to soak in the spring water from the mountains. However, it sensed that the snow also contained spiritual energy. The spiritual energy within the snow was not any less than the energy in the spring water. Every day, the divine stone would make Xiaocao collect the snow from the bamboo leaves and melt it for it to bathe. After nurturing its spirit for half a year, it stored enough spiritual energy to save a dying person.

With the little divine stone’s promise, Xiaocao’s restless heart finally calmed down. Xiaocao prayed to the deities for a blessing. She prayed that her father would hang on until she returned home!

The road home seemed very slow and long. As a result from fiercely running, Xiaocao’s chest felt as if it’s about to burst. She opened her mouth and tried to take in big breaths of air. However, in other people’s eyes, it seemed as if she was unable to breathe.

Yu Xiaolian sobbed, “Little sister, go slower. Something already happened to father. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I will go home first to take a look; you can slowly walk……”

“No…hu hu...no need! I…It’s because I usually don’t exercise…hu hu hu…so I’m like this! Don’t worry…I know my body best…hu hu…” Yu Xiaocao gasped for breath. Her two legs felt like they weighed as much as lead. Yet she didn’t have any intention of stopping to rest.

With great difficulty, she finally arrived in front of her own family’s door. She used up the remainder of her strength to push open the heavy door. Their courtyard was crowded with villagers who came over to help. When they saw Yu Xiaocao and her siblings, they acted on their own initiative and made room for them to enter.

“Father!” Yu Xiaocao rushed through the door of the west room. She pushed aside Eldest Aunt’s plump body and threw herself at the side of the kang bed.

There wasn’t a trace of blood on Yu Hai’s pale face. His tattered cotton jacket was stained with blood that had hardened into small patches. Only a few strips of bandages remained on his right trouser leg which exposed his badly mangled right leg.

Chapter 58 - Amputation

No! That can hardly be called a leg anymore! The skin on his right leg was nearly all peeled off, revealing the bloody muscle tissues and thick, white bone inside. The most severely injured part of his leg was the thigh; a piece of flesh had been torn off. Blood was ceaselessly pouring out of the artery on his thigh. If Zhao Bufan hadn’t tore off a piece of cloth and tied it around his thigh, it was likely that Yu Hai would have lost his life due to excessive blood loss before he reached home.

“Xiao… Xiaocao.” Madam Liu was crying so hard that she was barely able to breathe. If she hadn’t eaten an entire winter’s worth if medicine, Madam Liu would have already fainted. She grabbed her younger daughter tightly as if she was grabbing onto her last life-saving straw. “Right! Xiaocao, didn’t you study medicine under Doctor You? Quickly save your father!”

Yu Xiaocao had never seen such a tragic and bloody scene in neither of her lifetimes. Thus, she was stunned for a moment and didn’t know where to start.

[Master, you must stop the bleeding first! If all his blood flowed out, even an immortal wouldn’t be able to save him!] When the little divine stone saw the frightened expression on its master’s face, it quickly reminded her to stop the bleeding.

“I, what should I do?” Yu Xiaocao remembered from the surgeries in her previous life that large wounds were usually sutured to stop the bleeding. However, her father’s leg was riddled with injuries. What should she do?

[Put my body near the wound on his thigh to make it easier for me to use my spiritual powers!] The little divine stone could only guide its owner through the process step-by-step.

Yu Xiaocao took out all the medicine for external injuries from the medicine box. She used a high concentration of the mystic-stone water and mixed it together with the medicine. When the mixture turned into a paste, she carefully applied it on her father’s wounds. As she applied the medicine, she tried to get the multicolored stone on her wrist as close to the wounds as possible.

A faint golden light emerged from the multicolored stone and slowly enveloped Yu Hai’s entire leg. Although the naked eye couldn’t see any change, the ruptured veins and torn flesh were unwittingly nourished by the Divine Stone’s spiritual power. In other words, even though his leg looked as appalling as before, his leg would heal twice as fast in the future.

Yu Hai’s legs were shrouded in the golden light for half an hour, exhausting the last of the little divine stone’s spiritual power. Yet it didn’t forget to haggle with Yu Xiaocao, [The next time you go to town, remember to bring me to Tongren Medicine Hall. All the spiritual power I had accumulated is gone again! I’m very tired, I need to sleep.]

Before it even finished talking, the last rays of golden light returned to the multicolored stone. There were no more movements from the little divine stone. Although Yu Xiaocao was also worried about the little divine stone, she was even more worried about her father’s injury.

On the kang bed, Yu Hai’s face was still pale. His breathing was faint, and his legs were covered in wound paste. But, it didn’t look as frightening as before.

“Oh my! He has such a serious injury. Even if you manage to save his life, his right leg will probably still be crippled! Tsk tsk…” Madam Li, who came to enjoy the bustling scene, fanned the flames as she shook her head and clicked her tongue.

Old Yu, who had a bellyful of anger, finally found someone to vent on, “He already became like this, yet you still making sarcastic remarks! Get lost!”

No matter how thick-skinned Madam Li was, she couldn’t stand being berated by her father-in-law in public. She couldn’t help but mutter in a low voice, “I wasn’t the one who told him to go up the mountain, so why are you yelling at me? If you want someone to blame, blame him for not being careful… ouch!”

Madam Li didn’t even finish speaking yet when Little Shitou knocked against her. Little Shitou’s eyes were brimming with sadness and hatred as he firmly stared at Madam Li. His father was injured for this family. Yet Eldest Aunt still said those words! Father’s injury wasn’t worth it at all!

Little Shitou looked like a young wounded beast. Met with Little Shitou’s eyes, Madam Li who was usually crafty and bossy, felt somewhat guilty as she retreated. Under the villagers’ dissatisfied gaze, she left the west room with her tail between her legs.

It seemed as if the things happening around Yu Xiaocao didn’t concern her at all. Her entire focus was on her father’s well-being. She took out a bottle of high-concentration mystic-stone water from the medicine box. With Madam Liu’s help, they slowly opened Yu Hai’s mouth ad carefully fed it to him.

Fortunately, not a drop of the mystic-stone water was wasted. Yu Hai had unconsciously swallowed the water. If he was unable to even swallow water, Xiaocao would’ve felt that everything was hopeless. With her understanding of the mystic-stone water’s properties, she had faith that her father would survive the injury.

Auntie Shuanzhu looked at the medicine bottle in Xiaocao’s hand and said nothing. Her husband had a serious illness during the winter. If Xiaocao didn’t take out that life-saving medicine, he would’ve probably died. This medicine was the fruit of Doctor You’s painstaking effort of his lifetime. It should be able to protect Dahai’s life, right?

Yu Xiaocao also gave her mother, who was refusing to leave even when she was staggering, a few mouthfuls of mystic-stone water. Her mother’s old illness had just gotten a little better, she couldn’t allow her to fall ill again at this critical juncture.

“Second Sister, will father die? I’m so scared!” Little Shitou, who wasn’t even six years old yet, had already became aware of how fearful death was. Tears were filling up his eyes as he snuggled against the only calm member of the family——Yu Xiaocao.

At this moment, Madam Zhang was hiding inside her room, not interacting with anyone. Old Yu walked back and forth in front of the west room. He could only sigh as he didn’t have any idea as to what to do. Yu Dashan stayed in the west room, but he wasn’t any help at all. Yu Caidie’s crying was like raindrops on a pear blossom, she didn’t look dependable at all. Younger Uncle and his family had left at the beginning of spring. They borrowed a donkey cart and returned to town already. In this large family, besides Yu Xiaocao who was calmly applying medicine to her father’s wounds, no one else had any idea what they should do.

Time seemed to pass by particularly slowly in anxious times. Whether it was the Yu Family or their fellow villagers, they were all awaiting the arrival of the town doctor.

At last, a donkey cart dashed through the village entrance. When the driver of the donkey cart heard that the injury of the patient was very urgent, he didn’t bother about his donkey’s well-being and rushed his donkey all the way here like it was a horse. After rushing for an hour, he was finally able to bring the town doctor here.

The doctor who came was the divine physician from Tongren Medicine Hall, Doctor Sun. The moment he stepped off the donkey cart, he immediately took his medicine box and hurriedly walked through the courtyard door, asking, “Where is the wounded person? Quickly bring me to him!”

The fellow villagers led Doctor Sun to the west room. Originally, the lighting in the west room wasn’t very bright. Now, with so many people crowding at the entrance, the room looked even darker than usual.

“Everyone besides the next of kin will have to leave the room to avoid disturbing the patient!” Doctor Sun was very dissatisfied with how noisy it was inside the room. He was frowning as he drove the people out.

When Doctor You saw Yu Hai’s injury, he inhaled a cold breath of air. After practicing medicine for many years, it was rare to see such a serious injury. He hurriedly sat next to the kang bed and put his right hand on Yu Hai’s pulse.

After taking his pulse for a while, Doctor You let out a deep sigh. He turned to face Madam Liu and her daughters who had their eyes fixed on him. Doctor You said with a serious expression, “His pulse is very weak. His arteries are hollow like onion-shoots and the main cause of his condition is the loss of blood and the injury to his yin…”

“Doctor, can the children’s father be saved?” Madam Liu’s current state of mind was in a mess as she anxiously inquired about her husband’s condition.

Doctor Sun carefully reexamined Yu Hai’s injury. He wrinkled his eyebrows even more after the examination and replied, “The external medicine applied on his wounds to stop his bleeding is quite effective. If the medicine wasn’t applied on time, he wouldn’t have been able to wait till I arrive. However…”

When Madam Liu saw the heavy expression on Doctor You’s face, she felt her heart sink and nearly fell into the abyss, “Doctor Sun, you are a famous doctor from town. Please, you must save my children’s father! I beg you!”

“It’s not that I don’t want to save him. The problem is whether I can save him or not. The wound on his leg is too big. In addition, all the flesh and tendons are torn apart and are peeling off. Even if I want to save him, I don’t know even know where to start with all the wounds he has!” Many years ago, Doctor Sun had seen a patient with similar injuries. He did his best to save the patient. But in the end, the patient couldn’t survive the high fever he got after his wounds got infected, and died.

When Madam Liu heard what Doctor Sun had said, she couldn’t breathe and fainted next to the kang bed. The three children were crying as they helped their mother lie down on the kang bed.

Yu Xiaocao tried her best to suppress the sadness and anxiety rising inside her heart. She asked in a calm yet stubborn voice, “Doctor Sun, is there no hope in treating him?”

Doctor Sun looked at Yu Hai’s bloody, mangled right leg and sighed, “Right now, we have to amputate his injured leg for him to have the opportunity to even live. However, even when coupled with my medicine, he only has a 30% chance of surviving.”

“Is it possible for him to survive without amputating his injured leg?” To Yu Hai, who was omnipotent when going up the mountain and down the sea, losing one of his legs was no different than a bird with broken wings. He would suffer his entire life if he lost one of his legs.

Doctor Sun shook his head and said, “The surface of the wound is too big. With long term exposure to the air, the chance of the wound getting infected will significantly increase. If he gets a high fever because of the infection, even the Daluo Immortals [1] might not be able to save him. These are the only two options you have, you’ll have to choose one for him!”

Yu Xiaocao didn’t have a lot of mystic-stone liquid remaining in the bottle in her hands, but she still had a full jar of mystic-stone water. She was confident that she could keep the wound clean and uninfected. However, she still didn’t feel reassured, so she asked, “If his wounds don’t get infected, does that mean he won’t have to amputate his injured leg?”

“Yes. But if he amputates his injured leg, he still has a 30% of survival. However, if he doesn’t, then we can only wait for a miracle… I will prescribe him some medicine first. It’s better to take a little medicine than do nothing at all!”

For over twenty years, Doctor Sun had never felt as powerless as he did today. If Hua Tuo [2] was alive today, he might be able to save Yu Hai’s injured leg. But he was also hoping for a miracle as the one Yu Xiaocao experienced; Xiaocao had completely recovered from the illness she carried since she was a fetus.

Doctor Sun gave Old Yu the prescription. He reminded them once again, “Whether he is keeping this leg or not, you have to make a decision early!”

When Doctor Sun had just finished speaking, Madam Zhang immediately rushed into the main house. She pulled on Old Yu’s arm and shouted, “Old Man, you can’t amputate Dahai’s injured leg! Let’s first not talk about how low the 30% chance of survival is, even if he is lucky enough to survive, what’s the point of living if he doesn’t have one of his legs?”

Old Yu immediately became unhappy after hearing that. He yelled at his wife, “What do you mean there is no point in living? As the ancient saying goes: ‘It’s better to have a bad life than a good death!’ It’s obviously more important to save his life! You only care about your money!”

“What do you mean I only care about my money… I was just thinking about letting Yu Hai make the decision himself once he wakes up! I’m just worried that our kind intention will lead to hatred!” Madam Zhang was so frightened that she quickly explained. This was the first time in decades that Madam Zhang had seen Old Yu this angry.

However, Madam Zhang was the only one who knew her real thoughts. In the past, a large part of the family income came from selling the game that Yu Hai hunted. Now that he was seriously injured and couldn’t keep one of his legs, how would he go up the mountain or to the sea? He could only lie in bed like a useless person and live as a parasite. Moreover, there was a lot of children in his family. His wife was also weak. If his injured leg really got amputated, didn’t that mean that Yu Hai’s family would be depending on her to feed and raise them? Where would she get that much spare money to raise those good-for-nothings?

[1] Daluo immortals (大罗神仙) - refers to the Taoist immortals who lives in the Daluo Heavens, which is a realm where immortals with high cultivation dwells in

[2] Hua Tuo (华佗) - a famous doctor who lived during the end of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 59 - The Past

The villagers in the yard were all either friends with Yu Hai and his wife, or neighbors who lived close by. When the second son of the Yu Family was carried home due to a serious injury, Madam Zhang hid and claimed to be poor at the mention of paying for the medical treatment. However, no one was surprised by her actions since it was already a common occurrence for the villagers.

Shuanzhu’s wife couldn’t help but feel somewhat sad within her heart. She had heard the elders at home talking about Madam Zhang. Madam Zhang was Old Yu’s second wife after his wife’s death, and she was also the cousin of Yu Hai’s deceased mother. At that time, when the newly widowed Madam Zhang was driven out by her cruel in-laws, it was Yu Hai’s bedridden mother who had graciously taken her in. Later, when Yu Hai’s mother died of illness, Old Yu saw that Madam Zhang was rather sincere as she took care of Yu Hai and his older sister, so he married her as his second wife.

The eldest son, Yu Dashan, was Madam Zhang’s son from her previous marriage and only two months older than Yu Hai. The third son, Yu Bo, and the youngest daughter, Yu Caidie, were Madam Zhang and Old Yu’s biological children.

When Yu Hai’s mother was still alive, Madam Zhang had acted hypocritically and treated Yu Hai and his older sister even better than her own son. Thus, when Yu Hai’s mother was lying on her deathbed, she had entrusted her children to Madam Zhang. However, shortly after Yu Hai’s mother passed away, Madam Zhang exposed her true colors.

Under the pretext that the family was in bad circumstances, Yu Hai and his older sister were only given porridge, which was so diluted that a person’s image could be reflected in it, and a small piece of bean paste pancake every day. In front of Old Yu, she would pretend that everyone was eating the same food. However, she had actually kept the good things for her own children to secretly eat at night.

When Yu Hai was young, he had climbed trees to get eggs, gathered wild fruits, and searched for seafood in the sea because of hunger. When he got older, he learned how to catch pheasants, wild hare, and small game in the mountains by himself.

Being pure and filial, he had never selfishly enjoyed the pheasant and wild hare that he caught by himself. He always took them home and had his father prepare it for the entire family to eat. However, Madam Zhang would pick out the drumsticks and hare legs for her own children to eat. Thus, Yu Hai and his older sister could only eat the parts without much meat. When Old Yu chided her, she would respond plausibly by saying: ‘Our third son and youngest daughter are still young, so Second Son should yield to his younger siblings…’

When Yu Hai was in his teens, he began to go fishing in the sea with Old Yu. Within two years, he had become one of the best fishermen in the village. Every time he went to the sea, he caught much more fish than the other people. Moreover, he often caught rare and precious fish species. Hence, the wealthy families and famous restaurants in town all liked to buy the fish that he had caught.

Yu Hai also frequently hunted in the mountain with Hunter Zhao. They would bring back some game every time, but most of the time, Madam Zhang was unwilling to let the family eat them. So, most of them were sold in town in exchange for money, which was securely kept in her own purse.

Gradually, the Yu Family moved out of their shabby ancestral home and built a five-room tiled residence at the east side of the village, near the sea. In the past two years, they had also replaced their broken fishing boat with a new boat. With Yu Hai’s abilities, the Yu Family had leaped from a well-known poor family to a relatively well-off family in the village.

Madam Zhang had complete control over the family’s finances. It was impossible to even get a single penny out of her hands. Even the money used to purchase groceries for the family was meticulously calculated over and over again. Every day, they ate coarse grain pancakes, bean porridge, and pickled vegetables. At times, they would just cook the vegetables from their garden in boiled water, without even adding any oil. Except during the New Year, there wouldn’t be any trace of meat at home.

Even the people that rarely worked and the poorest families in the village ate better food and wore warmer clothes than their family. There wasn’t anyone in the village who didn’t know that the old lady of the Yu Family was like a mouse entering an oilcan——an entrance without an exit.

The eldest daughter-in-law’s, Madam Li, maiden family lived close by and had decent family circumstances. Furthermore, Madam Zhang had taken almost all of the family’s resources to prepare the betrothal gifts in order to get this marriage for her eldest son. From time to time, Madam Li would take her son back to her maiden home to eat a sumptuous meal. She always returned with various bags, which were all snuck into her room. However, Madam Zhang would just turn a blind eye to her behavior. As a result, both mother and son ate so much that their body turned into the shape of a ball. They were completely different from Yu Hai’s wife and children, who all looked emaciated and haggard.

Yu Hai had chosen Madam Liu as his wife by himself and asked his father to hire a matchmaker to arrange the marriage. At that time, the fat and ugly daughter of a general store owner had taken a fancy to Yu Hai, who was tall, handsome, and capable. They had already invited someone to tell Madam Zhang that they didn’t need betrothal gifts. Moreover, they had also prepared a dowry of thirty taels.

For ordinary families in the fishing village like the Yu Family, their annual expense would only be about three to five taels. Although they got a decent income from fishing every day, they had to pay for the third son’s, Yu Bo, schooling fees. Moreover, they had to prepare the money needed for his future examinations. They also had to prepare for their youngest daughter dowry. At that time, thirty taels was quite a large sum of money to the Yu Family, so of course Madam Zhang was interested.

Just when she made up her mind to agree with this marriage proposal, Yu Hai and Madam Liu’s marriage had been settled. Madam Liu came from an average family and her older brothers had just recently gotten married, so they only gathered several taels as her dowry after making much effort. It was naturally far worse than the thirty taels that the general store owner had suggested. The thirty taels that she was about to receive had suddenly disappeared, so of course Madam Zhang would view Madam Liu as an eyesore.

After Madam Liu married into the family, she became responsible with nearly all the chores at home. She had to cook, do the laundry, and gather fishwort and firewood. She also had to feed the chickens and pigs. Moreover, she was also responsible for taking care of the family’s two plot of land. Even when she was pregnant, Madam Zhang didn’t allow her to rest. She scolded her throughout the day, while nitpicking at everything she did.

Before Madam Liu had completed her confinement period [1] after the birth of her youngest son, Little Shitou, she had already been ordered to wash clothes in the ice-covered river. As a result, she had fallen ill and suffered the lingering effects of the chronic disease. During the winter and rainy days, she would cough incessantly. Sometimes, she coughed so much that she would have trouble breathing and her face would turn blue due to the suffocation. Furthermore, she had nearly died on several occasions.

Every year, Madam Liu had to see a doctor and take medication for her illness, which was a major expense. Moreover, Yu Xiaocao was born with a weak constitution and would constantly fall ill. Each time Madam Zhang had to pay for their medical fees, it was as if someone dug up her ancestral grave. The old lady would scold them every day while saying that she was raising two medicine guzzling fiends who were bottomless pits…

In the past, seeing Yu Hai’s ability to earn money, Madam Zhang would make complaints, but she still took out money to pay for the medical fees.

Due to Madam Zhang’s persistent urging today, Yu Hai had followed his close friend, Zhao Bufan, to hunt in the West Mountains. However, they had inadvertently disturbed a bear that was hibernating within a cave. In order to save Hunter Zhao, Yu Hai’s leg was bitten severely by the bear, and his back was also scratched into a bloody mess. He seemed as if he was barely breathing now.

However, he was considered rather lucky. Even though his blood vessels had nearly ruptured, he was able to endure until the doctor arrived from town. They had originally thought that the best physician in town would provide them with some good news. However, after examining Yu Hai’s injuries, Doctor Sun of Tongren Medicine Hall only shook his head and said, “Do what can be done and leave all else to fate.” After that, he reluctantly wrote a prescription for them, while saying that the medication probably won’t be effective and that they were only seeking peace of mind.

A dosage of medicine cost approximately one tael and it might not be able to save the life of the Yu Family’s second son. There was no way that Madam Zhang would let the money that she painstakingly saved up be wasted. With a family filled with sick and weak people, if Yu Hai couldn’t wake up, they would all become burdens for the Yu Family in the future. If Yu Hai survived with an amputated leg, he would also just be a burden to the family since he had lost a leg.

Shuanzhu’s wife had already seen through the current situation. If Madam Zhang could make the decisions, then she would definitely kick Yu Hai’s entire family out of the house without hesitation. However, Old Yu was still had the final say within the family. Furthermore, Madam Zhang was afraid that the other villagers would gossip, so she didn’t dare to brazenly mention this suggestion.

Ay! How would Yu Hai’s family survive under Madam Zhang’s control in the future? Shuanzhu’s wife couldn’t help but worry for them!

There was a heavy scent of blood drifting in the air. Yu Hai, who was lying on the bed, looked deathly pale and was barely breathing. Every time he went hunting in the mountains, he would be able to earn at least four or five hundred copper coins. But now he was only covered with a worn-out cotton quilt that was faded and patched-up.

It was dark and cramped inside the west room, which was mostly occupied by a kang bed. At the head of the bed, there was an old rattan case, while a table held up by numerous planks was placed on the side of the bed. And that was all. Yu Hai and his wife, who were the main laborers in the family, had to live in this crowded room with several children.

Yu Hai was still alive, yet the second branch was already being treated in such a way. If…

“Hurry up and pay Doctor Sun for the medicine!” Old Yu, who was dragged into the main room by Madam Zhang, suddenly shouted. The villagers in the courtyard looked at each other speechlessly. Had Madam Zhang seriously shed all pretense of cordiality and refused to pay for Yu Hai’s medications?

“It’s five taels! Even the doctor had said that it was probably useless to eat the medicine! Doesn’t Xiaocao have Doctor You’s medicine box? We can just use some of the medicine inside to have peace of mind. Five taels is enough for a month’s supply of brush and ink for our third son!” Madam Zhang’s growl sounded like a female beast guarding her child.

Old Yu’s voice sounded once again, “Do you think I don’t know how much money you have saved up? If there is even a glimmer of hope, we should do our best to make our last efforts. Otherwise, will your conscience be at ease? Aren’t you afraid that Xiaocao and her siblings will resent you?”

Madam Zhang was unwilling to comply, “It’s not that I don’t want to save him, but the doctor already said that taking the medicine won’t help. So, why are we still wasting our money? It’s better to just save the money and help Second Son raise his children…”

As the old couple argued in the main room, the neighbors in the yard looked sympathetically at the west room and shook their heads incessantly.

“Uncle Yu——” A man with a strong-built, who emitted a strong sense of vigor and appeared valiant, entered the gate of the Yu Family’s courtyard. He was the person that Yu Hai had saved today, Zhao Bufan.

When Madam Zhang heard his voice, she immediately rushed out of her room. Although she appeared thin and petite, she was actually quite strong. She grabbed the front of Zhao Bufan’s clothes and hollered at the top of her voice, “You damned Hunter Zhao! If it weren’t for you today, would our family’s Yu Hai be lying on the bed and on the verge of death? I don’t care! Our second son got injured because of you, so your Zhao Family should be responsible for the medical fees! Also, if anything happens to Yu Hai, then your Zhao Family will also be responsible for taking care of the widow and orphans of the second branch!”

At the end of the day, Madam Zhang had never cared about Yu Hai’s life and death. The only thing that she was ever concerned about was money, money, and money!

“Don’t worry, Auntie! Brother Yu Hai have saved me from this misfortune. If it hadn’t been for him, I would have died long ago! I, Zhao Bufan, am an honest and dauntless man, who will never act ungrateful and treacherous! I have already killed the bear that injured Brother Yu Hai and sold it in town…”

With a greedy expression on her face, Madam Zhang interrupted Zhao Bufan before he had finished speaking, “Hunter Zhao, please come into the room to talk!”

Disregarding the bear’s fur and gallbladder, the bear’s paws and meat alone could be sold for quite a large sum in town.

[1] Postnatal confinement period (月子) - a month long confinement period after giving birth to let the new mother recuperate and rest

Chapter 60 - Coma

In a way, her family’s second son had exchanged his life to get this bear, so no matter what, she wasn’t going to let the Zhao Family reap all the benefits! As Madam Zhang urgently hurriedly Zhao Bufan into the room, she was also inwardly calculating how much money she could get.

Zhao Bufan gently shook her hands off, strode towards Old Yu, and then unfolded the heavy bag within his hands in front of him.

Madam Zhang was immediately dazzled by the shiny silver. She was so stunned that her droopy triangular eyes were about to pop out. A bag full of silver ingots, which were worth ten taels each, would add up to at least two or three hundred taels!

Madam Zhang was an extremely stingy person, who was unwilling to spend too much money on clothes and food. There was a free laborer like Yu Hai to earn money throughout the day and Madam Zhang had been meticulously saving money for over a decade. However, after deducting the daily expenses and Yu Bo’s schooling fees, she had only saved up a little more than one hundred taels over all those years. Yet, a single bear was sold for two or three hundred taels!

“Is this the share that our second son deserved? Oh my, I didn’t expect a bear to be so valuable…” Madam Zhang grinned so widely that her old face had turned into a chrysanthemum. Her eyes had narrowed into a slit, while she exposed a mouth full of crooked, yellow teeth.

Zhao Bufan dodged Madam Zhang’s hands that were reaching for the bag of money. He handed the bag of money to Old Yu and solemnly said, “Uncle Yu, this two or three hundred taels is all the money that I got from selling the bear, which is also the money that Brother Yu Hai deserves! If it weren’t for him, the person lying on the kang bed would be me!”

Old Yu didn’t take the money, sighed deeply, and said, “You two are as close as real brothers. I believe that if Dahai was the one in danger today, you would also do the same and rescue him! You guys have always split the earnings from hunting equally, so it shall be the same today!”

“Old man! Our Dahai is still lying on the bed and waiting for the money to save his life! Our second son has risked his life to get this money. Moreover, if Hunter Zhao takes the money, then all the villagers will gossip so much about him!” Seeing that her husband had gave out half of the money with a few words, Madam Zhang got worked up immediately! ‘Fifty-fifty? That would be one hundred fifty taels! Most people probably wouldn’t have that much money even if they saved up money for over a decade!’

Zhao Bufan, as if he didn’t see that Madam Zhang was hopping mad beside him, shoved the bag into Old Yu’s arms and said, “Uncle Yu, I only have one request!  Brother Dahai had risked his life in exchange for this money, which was something that Auntie had also mentioned earlier. Thus, I hope that at least half of the money will be used for Brother Dahai and his family. This shouldn’t be a difficult request!”

“Yes… Of course! The money will be used to treat my second son’s injuries. If anything happens to him… then the money will be saved for his children’s marriages!” Old Yu was Yu Hai’s biological father, so there was still familial affection between them!

Madam Zhang grabbed the money from her husband’s hands and held it in her arms happily. She replied in agreement, “Hunter Zhao, you don’t have to worry! Yu Hai is our Old Yu’s biological son, so how can we treat him badly? See, we have already invited the best doctor in town. A single dose of medication prescribed by him costs more than one tael! I’ll go pay for the medicine first. You guys continue talking!”

With three hundred taels in hand, Madam Zhang no longer hesitated to pay five taels for the medical examination and medication. She swiftly settled the bill, and then asked Yu Jiang to send the doctor back to town on his donkey cart.

“Everyone should go home! Dahai needs to rest quietly to recuperate. When he wakes up, I’ll let everyone know!” It was inconvenient with so many people in the yard. She must prevent the three hundred taels from falling into the eyes of the greedy! Once money reached Madam Zhang’s hands, it was like throwing a meat bun at a dog——it would never return!

In the west room, Madam Liu had already woken up and silently weeping as she stood beside her husband. Xiaolian and Little Shitou, who were accompanying their mother, had also cried until their eyes were red and swollen. Thus, Xiaocao would check on Yu Hai’s condition from time to time, while she decocted the medicine on a small mud furnace outside the room.

The sun had set in the west. The Yu Family had missed both the morning and evening meals. Except for the second branch, who had no appetite, everyone else was already starving. With Yu Hai’s three hundred taels, Madam Zhang naturally didn’t have the face to order the second branch around for the time being. So, she shouted at the east room, “Li Guihua, you lazy woman! Do you know what time it is right now? Quickly go cook dinner! Do you want to starve us to death?”

Madam Li and her son had secretly eaten some snacks inside their room. When she heard the noise, she reluctantly came out of the room and slowly lit the fire to cook. Yu Caidie glanced at the west room with her reddened eyes, and then quietly entered the kitchen to help cook dinner.

This was a sleepless night for the entire second branch in the west room. They all stayed beside Yu Hai for fear that the pillar of their family would suddenly collapse.

At the break of dawn, Yu Hai, whose breathing had originally stabilized, suddenly had a high fever. His pale and bloodless complexion had turned as red as a soldering iron, while his breathing became short and rapid.

Madam Liu’s, who hadn’t slept the entire night, face was without a trace of blood. There were also dark, heavy bags under her eyes. Her originally thin and weak body appeared even more fragile.

Madam Liu couldn’t stop her tears from falling down as she looked at her husband’s flushed face. The words that Doctor Sun had said yesterday still lingered beside her ears: ‘If he gets an infection or fever, then it will be difficult to save his life!’

“It’s so hot! Father has a fever! I’ll go ask Grandfather to call for a doctor!” Xiaolian wiped the tears on her cheeks and knocked on the door of the main room. Shortly afterwards, Yu Dashan was woken up and told to go fetch the doctor from town.

Yu Xiaocao, who didn’t dare to close her eyes throughout the night, felt lightheaded as she brew the second dose of medication for her father. She added two more drops of the mystic-stone water inside, while she anxiously called for the little divine stone within her heart, [Glutinous Dumpling, Glutinous Dumpling, are you here?]

[How many times have I told you? Stop calling me, this divine stone, ‘Glutinous Dumpling’! It’s such an insult to my status as a celestial stone!] Little Divine Stone responded lazily.

[Didn’t you say that my father will be fine after your being treated by you? Why did he suddenly have a fever again?] Yu Xiaocao asked uneasily.

[It’s normal to have a fever! He consumed too much of the mystic-stone water! I have already told you that if a healthy person takes in a high concentration of the mystic-stone water, then they will at most be more energetic and vigorous. But for someone like your father, who have suffered a serious injury, it will be difficult to endure the high concentration of energy within the mystic-stone water at the moment. Hence, he has a fever now!]

The little divine stone answered nonchalantly, but it was inwardly thinking about whether it would get any benefits from it saved its master’s father this time. If the shackles locking its powers could loosen up a little, then it might be able to…

“Then will anything happen to my father now?!” With Yu Xiaocao’s knowledge, she still understood the meaning of ‘too much is as bad as too little’. There would be side effects from taking too much medication, so would there also be negative consequences from consuming too much mystic-stone water?

Little Divine Stone’s train of thoughts were interrupted, so it impatiently replied, [What can happen? At most, he will just sleep for a few more days! I, this divine stone, can guarantee with my character that he will be fine, so what are you still worried about? Stop being so anxious about groundless matters! I need to rest for a certain period of time, so don’t bother me!]

With the little divine stone’s guarantee, Yu Xiaocao’s unsettled heart had finally calmed down. She stared at the medicine that was decocting, at a loss: ‘There’s also mystic-stone water within this pot of medicine. Should I still feed this medicine to Father?’

Since the little celestial stone had already promised that there was no side effects and he would just sleep for several more days, then… there wasn’t any harm in sleeping for a few more days, right? Don’t people say that sleeping more would help the recovery of wounds?

By the time Doctor Sun arrived again, Yu Hai’s fever was already gone. However, there were still no signs of him waking up.

Doctor Sun carefully examined his condition and checked his wound again, but he was still not optimistic, “If the patient doesn’t wake up within two days, I’m afraid that the chances of him waking up in the future will be very slim! Even if he wakes up, I don’t think we can keep his leg… However, it’s a good sign that his fever has gone down! He will still need to continue to take the medicine. If anything comes up, you can find me in town!”

Several days has already passed after that, but there still wasn’t any signs of Yu Hai waking up. Most of the family no longer held any hopes, except for Yu Xiaocao. She was the only one who knew that the condition of her injured father, who had been declared dead by the doctor, wouldn’t worsen anymore. Furthermore, he had also been fed mystic-stone water every day, so he could still survive even if he didn’t eat or drink anything. Yu Xiaocao firmly believed that as long as he drank a few more bowls of mystic-stone water, her father’s injury would gradually be healed sooner or later.

It had been three days since the little celestial stone used up all its powers to treat her father’s injury, but it had only recovered its spiritual form.

Look, that little golden ball of light was happily frolicking in the spring water and patted its chest in assurance, [Don’t worry. If you hadn’t fed him so much of the mystic-stone water, he would had woken up long ago.]

When the little divine stone heard from Xiaocao that the doctor told them that her father’s leg needed to be severed, it replied in disdain, [Don’t listen to that quack. This divine stone will be merciful and use a little more of my spiritual power. In a month, your father will definitely be able to walk with that leg of his. But… he did hurt the tendons and bones in his legs, so he might walk with a limp in the future.]

Even if he walked with a limp, it was fine as long as he was alright! Over the past few days, Yu Xiaocao had come to a clear understanding that her father was the main pillar of their second branch. If he collapsed, then the entire second branch would also fall apart.

Madam Zhang, who had been silent for a couple days, also didn’t have any hopes for Yu Hai’s recovery. She began to shout again, “What time is it? No one is feeding the pigs, nor is there anyone gathering firewood. Are we still going to get on with life? If you’re not going to work, then get the hell out! Our family doesn’t accept any slackers!”

Madam Liu, who always remained in a state of anxiety these days, would hastily get up from the kang bed whenever she heard Madam Zhang’s screams. The continuous days of worry and hard work had caused Madam Liu’s complexion to be even more pallid than Yu Hai, who was lying on the bed.

Seeing this, Yu Xiaocao hastily said, “Xiaolian and I can take care of the household chores. Mother, you should lie down and rest some more! Don’t worry, it’s already the best news that Father’s condition hasn’t worsened. Father wouldn’t bear to part with such a virtuous wife and such intelligent children like us. My father is an upright and fearless man, so he will definitely be able to get through this obstacle! Mother, you should have confidence in Father!”

“Little girl! Who praise themselves like you?” Madam Liu’s anxious heart had somewhat settled as she pretended to glare at the little lass. Although there were endless work and scolding in this family, her husband was genuinely good to her. As long as her husband could safely survive this misfortune, she wouldn’t complain even if she encountered any hardships.

Madam Liu bowed her head and silently looked at Yu Hai. After so many years, it was her first time looking at him so carefully. For the five days that he had been unconscious, he looked really serene, as if he had fallen asleep. It was as if he would suddenly open his eyes at the next moment, smile at her foolishly, and then call out her maiden name——Muyun.

Hopefully, as Xiaocao had said, he could survive this hurdle…

Chapter 61 - Awake

In the eyes of outsiders, ever since Yu Hai got injured, there seemed to be a lot of ups and downs with his situation. Over the past few days, he had been suffering from a low fever. At times, his fever would be so high that the heat would scald the hand. Except for the people of the second branch, the rest of the Yu Family all felt that he wouldn’t be able to survive this hurdle! However, on the sixth day, Yu Hai finally woke up from his coma.

Within the Yu Family, Old Yu and the second branch were probably the only ones who were genuinely happy for him. Yu Caidie, who had a soft temperament and never interfered with other people’s affairs, might had also been sincerely happy for him.

“Grandfather, my father hasn’t eaten anything in five days. I’ll go make a bowl of noodles for him!” Although her father had survived on the mystic-stone water these past few days, eating food was naturally more beneficial for the recovery of his wound.

Old Yu nodded and said, “Alright, cook two fried eggs for your father, too. It’s good that he’s awake. Our ancestors have blessed and protected him… I’ll have Dashan to go to town tomorrow morning and ask Doctor Sun to come check if Dahai is out of danger now!”

Madam Zhang glared at him and wanted to say something, but she held back her words with the thought, ‘For the sake of the three hundred taels, I’ll tolerate it!’

“Okay! Thank you, Grandfather!” Yu Xiaocao loudly replied with a smile on her face. The crude grain pancake and bean paste soup that they ate for breakfast seriously wasn’t something that humans should eat! Since her grandfather had agreed, she mixed the wheat flour with two handfuls of bean flour and made a little more noodles so that her family could also eat something special.

“Mother, I want to eat a fried egg too…” The fat son of the first branch, who was so obese that his eyes were nearly squished together, shouted as he threw the pancake in hands.

Madam Li was so angry that she slapped him, “Eat, eat, eat! Aren’t you afraid of dying from overeating!”

Yu Xiaocao held the pancake that she received in her arms and swiftly finished the disgusting bean paste soup with her nose pinched. After that, she pulled Xiaolian into the kitchen.

Little Shitou copied her and quickly finished his bowl of bean paste soup, which had a burnt taste, and then exclaimed, “I’ll go help heat the pot!”

After Yu Xiaocao looked through the kitchen, she realized that there was hardly any food except for a few dried up radishes, half a bag of bean flour, and a large bag of sweet potato flour. She briefly thought about it, and then asked Xiaolian, “Do we still have any dried vegetables at home?”

Xiaolian pondered briefly and asked, “We have some sun-dried sweet potato leaves and radish leaves, will they do?”

“Let’s use the sweet potato leaves then!” Yu Xiaocao shrugged her shoulders, as if she didn’t expect much from the ingredients, “Xiaolian, let’s make the noodles with a mixture of wheat flour and bean flour!”

“Second Sister makes the tastiest foods! But, our family is usually reluctant about using wheat flour. If we use too much, Grandmother will scold us again!”

Little Shitou was extremely confident in his second sister’s culinary skills. He had also accepted Xiaocao’s story about ‘taking a tour in hell’ and promised to keep it a secret for her. While his second sister was loitering in the underworld, she had unexpectedly won the favor of the God of Fortune and was taught the skills of cooking and money-making. Was this considered a blessing in disguise?

Yu Xiaocao was very skilled in making bean noodles. In her previous life, she and her siblings had experienced a long period of hardship after her parents passed away in a car accident. Thus, she had already developed the ability to make delicious meals with simple ingredients.

Yu Xiaocao smiled as she pinched Little Shitou’s nose and said, “Rest assured! It doesn’t need a lot of wheat flour. Moreover, we’ll be able to get a little benefit from this!”

As she spoke, she soaked the dried sweet potato leaves in the water in order to soften them before putting them in the pot of noodles. Afterwards, she skillfully took out less than half a ladle of bean flour, and then she took out a large bowl of wheat flour from the basket hanging on the beam. There wasn’t much wheat flour within the basket, so nearly half of it was gone after she took out this bowl of flour.

Xiaolian’s eyes widened and exclaimed in alarm, “How can we use so much flour for a bowl of noodles? If Grandmother sees this, she’ll start scolding us again…”

“Just let her! No matter how well we do, she will always find ways to pick on us. If she wants to scold us, then just let her. We can just pretend to not hear her!” Xiaocao poured some mystic-stone water into the basin and mixed it with the bean flour and wheat flour.

Yu Xiaolian looked at her younger sister skillfully kneading and rolling the dough. Her culinary skills were even better that their mother. After a while, Xiaocao had already rolled the dough into a large flattened circle, sprinkled some bean flour on it to prevent it from sticking together, and said without even lifting her head, “The noodles can’t be too thin. If the noodles are too thin, then they will easily jumble together and turn into paste!”

She cut the dough into even strands of noodles. The bean noodles shouldn’t be cut into strands that were too wide, but it should be a thickness that was suitable for eating. It would be better to cook the noodles until they had a soft and chewy texture. The only thing that didn’t really matter was the length of the noodles.

“Second Sister, it looks really delicious!” Little Shitou excitedly looked at the noodles, which were all nearly the same thickness and had a pale-yellow color. He couldn’t help but swallow his saliva as he looked at each strand of bean noodles.

Yu Xiaocao pinched the little fellow’s cheeks, leaving white wheat flour stains on his face. She smiled lightly and bowed her head to cut the scallion and dried vegetables that had been soaked.

She glanced at the basket, which held the wheat flour, and found a fat piece of bacon inside. Thus, she took it down on her own initiative and rubbed it on the hot iron pan. A layer of oil immediately formed in the pan.

Xiaocao put the cured meat, which appeared unchanged, back in the basket and asked Xiaolian to hang it back on the beam. After that, she quickly stir-fried the chopped scallions and dried vegetables, and then added some salt in it.

When the chopped scallions were cooked in lard, it exuded an alluring fragrance. Little Shitou inhaled a deep breath of the aroma and smacked his lips, “It smells so good that I’m about to drool!”

Since the dumplings that they had eaten during the New Year, the Yu Family’s meals had only consisted of coarse grain. Not only were the meals unfulfilling, but there also wasn’t even a trace of oil in them. For Little Shitou who had secretly improved his meals from time to time before the New Year, he was already very happy to be able to eat some noodles made from a mixture of bean flour and wheat flour.

Madam Zhang, who was basking in the sun in the yard after breakfast, smelled the scent of lard and rushed into the kitchen. She swiftly took down the basket, carefully inspected the palm-sized bacon, and glanced in the pot. When she didn’t find anything wrong, she purposely shouted, “Do you need to make so much noodles for a bowl of noodles? You bunch of spendthrifts are going to deplete all our family’s resources!”

Xiaocao pointed at the bean noodles on the chopping board and said, “It’s my first time making noodles, so I didn’t get a good grasp of the quantity. But I made the noodles with half bean flour and half wheat flour. So, I didn’t use a lot of the wheat flour!”

Madam Zhang picked up the small bag of flour and saw that there was still some wheat flour inside. Moreover, the noodles were yellow and smelled like beans, so she grumbled as she put the basket back and left.

When the water in the pot boiled, Yu Xiaocao scattered the noodles into the pot and cracked two eggs inside. She covered the pot with the lid and simmered it on low heat for a while. It was ready to be served when the noodles became soft and sticky.

Yu Xiaolian and Little Shitou looked at each other. Little Shitou couldn’t bear to look at the soggy noodles and asked in a low voice, “Is it slightly overcooked?”

Xiaocao filled a bowl for the little guy, and then suggested with a smile, “Try it. How’s your sister’s cooking?”

Little Shitou blew on the noodles and took in a mouthful. He dark eyes instantly lit up as he chewed it in his mouth. In spite of the heat, he swiftly ate another mouthful. While he ate, he also mumbled words of praise, “Delicious! It’s really delicious! It’s even tastier than the plain wheat noodles that I have eaten in the past!”

Xiaocao picked up another radish with good moisture level and cut it into thin strips to make a cold dish. Bean noodles didn’t need to be served with rich side dishes. Cold shredded radish or spicy cold cabbage were the best complements.

Xiaocao added another spoonful of bean noodles to Little Shitou’s bowl, and then filled a bowl for herself and Xiaolian. They swiftly began devouring the noodles in the kitchen. The bean noodles and side dish were made with simple and incomplete ingredients. However, with Xiaocao’s cooking skills and the enhancement of the mystic-stone water, the three kids ate until they nearly swallowed their own tongues.

When Madam Li smelled the aroma and came over with her son, the siblings had already eaten most of the bean noodles, leaving only a large bowl for their father. They had even finished washing the bowls already.

“You two damned brats, you must be secretly eating in the kitchen. Is there anymore? Take it out and give your Brother Heizi a bowl!” Madam Li opened the pot and stared at the bowl of bean noodles with a covetous gaze.

“No, there’s a limited amount of flour at home. Grandfather told us to make a bowl for our father, so we won’t dare to make more. Won’t Grandmother skin us, if we did? Look, there’s only one bowl. Shitou was already salivating, but he still didn’t dare to take a bite!” Yu Xiaocao had an expression that said ‘if you don’t believe me, then see for yourself’.

Madam Li didn’t believe her and looked everywhere in the kitchen. When she didn’t find anything, she stared at the only bowl of bean noodles, “Your father just woke up after a serious injury. He won’t have any appetite to eat so much. Divide it in half and give it to her Brother Heizi…” As she spoke, she was about to pick up the bowl to divide the noodles.

Yu Xiaocao quickly picked up the noodles and ran towards the entrance of the kitchen, while shouting, “My father hasn’t eaten anything for five days. Eating more can help him recover faster… Grandfather, Grandfather! Brother Heizi wants to steal the noodles that we made for our father—"

Seeing that Heizi wanted to grab the bowl in her hands, Yu Xiaocao ran and screamed towards the yard. Heizi wasn’t afraid of anyone, but he feared Grandfather’s glare the most. He was so afraid that he hastily withdrew his hands and allowed Xiaocao to slip away under his nose.

Old Yu usually mended the fishing nets in the courtyard at this time. Yu Xiaocao, who ran out of the kitchen, knew that Madam Li and son didn’t dare to brazenly take the noodles from her in the yard. She glanced back at him proudly, and then went back to her room with the bowl of noodles.

Inside the room, Madam Liu was feeding Xiaocao’s father water with a spoon. Yu Hai’s face was flushed, and he clearly still had a high fever. He moved closer to Madam Liu’s hand and slowly drank the mystic-stone water. Madam Liu carefully wiped off the water that had seeped from the corner of his mouth. Her thin and pale face was full of tenderness. The two of them sat face to face silently and glanced at one another from time to time, as if they were the only ones left in the world…

For a moment, Xiaocao felt that interrupting them was an unforgivable sin. Madam Liu was the first one to notice her arrival. Her eyes were filled with shock when she saw the bowl of noodles in Xiaocao’s hands. In the past, if anyone in their second branch missed a meal, they would had had to starve until the next meal. There had never been a time in which they were allowed to cook again. This big bowl of oily and savory noodles obviously wasn’t something they ate for breakfast…

Xiaolian saw the doubt within her mother’s eyes and laughed, “Grandfather heard that Father was awake, so he allowed us to make this. Xiaocao had deliberately made more. Mother can also eat some!”

Although some bean flour was added into the bean noodles, it was still mostly made of wheat flour. Moreover, it also had a rare trace of oil in it. So, of course, Madam Liu was reluctant to eat it and wanted to give some to her children to eat.

Chapter 62 - Being Sold

Xiaocao and her siblings dodged her happily, “We already ate in the kitchen. You can touch Younger Brother’s tummy. It’s as round as a bloated frog. Mother, you eat it!”

Madam Liu clearly didn’t believe them. She was very familiar with her mother-in-law’s stingy character. Her mother-in-law knew exactly how much of each ingredient was in the kitchen. It was alright for the coarse grain, but without her permission, they were strictly forbidden to use things such as wheat flour, rice, and eggs.

Xiaolian and Little Shitou also patted their bellies to ensure her that they had really eaten. So Madam Liu slowly fed the noodles to her husband. Yu Hai’s heart ached for his wife and refused to eat alone. He insisted that he would only eat after Madam Liu took a bite. In this way, the couple shared the bowl of noodles, taking a bite one after another.

Under Yu Hai’s insistence, the family of five enjoyed the two fried eggs that were found at the bottom of the bowl together. The small fried eggs were incomparably precious within Yu Xiaocao’s heart because they contained strong familial affection and love.

“Father, Mother! I think that we should take this opportunity to leave this family and live by ourselves!” Yu Xiaocao had already reached the breaking point of her endurance for Madam Zhang’s stingy and harsh character. In the past, when her father was still able to hunt and fish, Madam Zhang definitely wouldn’t allow them to leave. But it might not be the same now!

“Splitting from the family? Your grandparents are still alive, so they won’t agree to dividing the family!” Madam Liu felt somewhat sad within her heart. They were still uncertain about whether her husband could keep his leg. Moreover, the condition of her health made it impossible for her to do heavy labor and their children were still too young. What would they rely on to feed the family if they separated from this family?

Yu Xiaocao didn’t agree with her! With the little divine stone as her special weapon, the injury on her father’s leg would eventually recover. Although there was the possibility of him being crippled, he would still be able to do ordinary handcrafts. After being nourished for months with the mystic-stone water and herbal medicine, her mother’s health had almost completely recuperated. As long as they could separate from this family, with her expert skills in braised foods, they would definitely live in better conditions than right now!

“Grandmother and Eldest Aunt must be eagerly looking forward to us leaving this family! In their eyes, our second branch is just a major burden. As for Grandfather, we will definitely have a chance to way to convince him!” That’s right! She had been waiting for an opportunity, a perfect opportunity to suggest splitting up the family!

While Yu Xiaocao and her family were discussing the matter of dividing from the family, Madam Li was also speaking ill of the second branch in the main room, “Mother, since Second Brother-in-law got injured, there isn’t a single able-bodied worker in the second branch. Furthermore, Second Sister-in-law and Xiaocao are both medicine guzzling fiends. Think about it. We have already spent dozens of taels in the past several days. Although Second Brother-in-law has woken up, Doctor Sun have also said that one of his legs was going to be useless even if he woke up! Second Brother-in-law’s family is filled with sick and weak people who are all relying on us to support them. Mother, our family’s situation just got a little better off. We can’t let them drag us down.”

Madam Zhang received an extra three hundred taels as income, but when she saw the money in her hands gradually decreasing every day, it was as if someone was cutting her heart over and over again. When she heard her eldest daughter-in-law’s words, she angrily pounded on the kang bed several times and said,

“What are we supposed to do then? Do you think we can just kick them out? Even if we disregard the fact that your father would definitely disagree, the villagers’ gossip and criticism alone would be enough to drown us!”

“But we can’t just waste all our money on them without anything in return!” Madam Li viciously wrung the rough-cloth handkerchief within her chubby hands, feeling frustrated.

Madam Zhang glanced at her and said, “What ideas do you have? Let me hear it…”

All the meat on Madam Li’s face squished together as she smiled and said, “My maiden family knows a trafficking matron [1], who does business with the wealthy families in town. She even has business with some of the rich people in the prefectural city. I heard that a wealthy merchant in town, the Zhou Family, wants to buy a batch of young girls… That trafficking matron has offered the high price of eight taels for the trade.”

Madam Zhang lifted her brows, “You mean… we should sell their eldest daughter?” She pointed towards the direction of the second branch’s room.

“Who would want that unhealthy wretch, Xiaocao? Xiaolian is competent and well-groomed, so we can definitely sell her for a good price!” Madam Li replied with a crafty smile and narrowed her beady eyes, which had nearly disappeared into the wrinkles of fat in her face.

If they sold one of the useless brats, not only would they earn a few extra taels, but there would also be one less person to feed. Moreover, Xiaolian had a stubborn personality and was also the most disobedient. Without her, it would be even easier to control the second branch! Madam Zhang became interested in the idea…

In the early morning of the next day, Yu Xiaocao carried a bundle of firewood and followed behind Xiaolian. Her heart ached for the weak and small figure in front of her, who was nearly covered up by the mountain of firewood on her back. Thus, she would reach out her hand to help support the firewood on Xiaolian’s back from time to time. Little Shitou, who was also carrying a bundle of firewood, followed behind them.

Originally, Xiaolian had planned to gather firewood by herself, but Xiaocao and Little Shitou both expressed that they wanted to ‘share bliss and misfortune together’. Thus, they went out to collect firewood together. It was currently the end of winter and the beginning of spring, so dried firewood could be readily found on the West Mountains at this time. Hence, the siblings had obtained a fruitful result this morning.

Yu Xiaolian, who had known how to take care of her younger siblings from an early age, took on the task of carrying most of the firewood. She only allowed her frail younger sister and younger brother to carry some firewood as a token of helping out. In her previous life, Yu Xiaocao had always taken care of her younger siblings, so she felt somewhat weird being taken care of now. She had repeatedly expressed that her health was fine and that she could carry more, but Xiaolian rejected her every time she made the suggestion.

“Eldest Sister, Second Sister, there’s a guest at home!” As soon as Little Shitou looked up, he saw Madam Li eagerly invite a colorfully dressed middle-aged woman into the courtyard. Thus, he curiously ran over.

Yu Xiaocao and Xiaolian looked at one another and saw the doubt within each other’s eyes. The woman was dressed in a satin jacket and had a golden hairpin on her head. However, normal villagers wouldn’t be able to afford these items. The Yu Family also didn’t have any relatives like this. So, who exactly was this person?

“Based on how Eldest Aunt fawns on her, could it be that she’s here for Brother Heizi?” Heizi, whose real name was Yu Ge, was already thirteen years old. In ancient times, he should be approaching a marriageable age. Yu Xiaocao couldn’t think of any other reasons for the snobby Madam Li to treat that woman as if she were her own mother.

“Xiaolian, I’ll go take a look!” After Father got injured, Yu Xiaocao had been worried and took care of him for five days straight without going out. It was seldom that they would have a guest, so this incident sparked her inner curiosity.

She jogged into the yard with the firewood on her back while Madam Zhang and Madam Li were happily welcoming the woman into the main house.

Hearing the movement, the woman stopped in her tracks and turned to look at her from head to toe. Her critical gaze, as if she was examining a piece of good that she had just received, made Yu Xiaocao feel extremely uncomfortable.

“Is she the one? She has a decent appearance, fair and clean. Just a little too thin!” Trafficker Zhuang twitched her mouth in a picky manner.

The Zhou Family in town had just released a batch of maidservants, who had reached marriageable age. Thus, they needed to buy twenty to thirty young girls. For the past several days, Trafficker Zhuang had been extremely busy due to this matter. The Zhou Family was a major client of hers, so she couldn’t mess up this deal.

Yesterday evening, someone came to inform her that there was a competent and honest young girl for sale at Dongshan Village. So, she hired a carriage early in the morning and rushed over. She hadn’t expected that the little girl would be so thin and small that she didn’t even look the age of eight or nine.

Madam Li evasively moved away after she made contact with Yu Xiaocao’s cautious gaze. She vaguely replied, “It’s not her, but her older sister. She’s very competent and can do most of the work at home! Her father suffered a serious injury and her mother is weak and sickly, so the family is in need of money. If not, we wouldn’t have been willing to do this!”

Trafficker Zhuang looked around the five-room residence, which was bright and spacious, and the fence in the yard, which was made of sun-dried mud bricks. She smirked inwardly as she thought: ‘Looking at this house, this family doesn’t seem like they’re so short of money for them to sell their children!’ But, she’s only here to do business, so it was none of her concern. She never interfered with the dirty matters in other people’s homes.

Yu Xiaocao wasn’t an ignorant child. She could feel that something was wrong based on Trafficker Zhuang’s examining gaze and Madam Li’s guilty expression. Thus, she asked with alert, “What are you going to do with Xiaolian?”

“Go, go, go! What is a child doing here when the adults are talking?! Go somewhere else to play!” Madam Zhang impatiently waved her hand, as if she were shooing away a little chick. After that, she turned to smile at Trafficker Zhuang and said, “Let’s talk inside, in the room…”

“How is it none of our business? If you guys are trying to scheme against our second branch, then of course it has something to do with me!” Yu Xiaocao shouted as her suspicions increased.

“Who talks to their elders like you? Is this how your mother teaches you? For the past eight or nine years, we’ve been raising you, feeding you, and even providing medication for you. Yet you grew up to be an unfilial child who dares to rudely contradict your own grandmother. We should have just let you die from your illness at that time!” Seeing the impatient expression on Trafficker Zhuang’s face, Madam Zhang grinded her teeth and screamed loudly.

Madam Liu heard the screaming from the kitchen and swiftly walked out. She pulled Yu Xiaocao behind herself and apologized repeatedly, “Mother, she’s still a young child who doesn’t know anything. Please don’t take a child’s actions to heart…”

Madam Zhang continued to shout arrogantly, “You’re the only one who thinks that this useless wretch is a treasure! You damned brat, go kneel in your room and reflect on yourself! You’re not allowed to eat breakfast today!!”

Yu Xiaolian came in with the heavy firewood on her back. When she heard Madam Zhang’s words, she quickly threw the firewood down and rushed to her younger sister. She stood in front of Xiaocao and said, “My younger sister was seriously ill right before the New Year. If she falls sick again, won’t you have to spend money for the medicine? Grandmother, I’m willing to receive the punishment in place of my sister!”

Trafficker Zhuang had experienced and encountered numerous situations before, so she immediately knew that the child’s grandmother and eldest aunt were planning on secretly selling the child without the parents’ knowledge. Trafficker Zhuang had always had a good reputation in Tanggu Town. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have so many customers of high social status. Thus, she naturally wouldn’t ruin her own reputation just for a young girl.

Trafficker Zhuang smiled at Xiaolian and praised her, “Well, you’re quite faithful and righteous. Although you’re somewhat tanned and thin, you will look decent in two years after growing up a little. When noble families buy maidservants, a good character is the one important quality that they look for. These two girls, one is clever and sensible, while the other is honest and trustworthy. Moreover, they look exactly the same. Old Lady of the Yu Family, if you sell both your granddaughters to me, I’ll give you double the price!”

Earlier, Madam Zhang had already heard Trafficker Zhuang say that an eight or nine year old girl would be worth five taels at most. If the price was doubled for two girls, then it would be twenty taels. Not only would she earn back the money that was spent for the second branch’s medical fees recently, but there was also some surplus. If she added that to the money Hunter Zhao got from selling the bear… Madam Zhang suddenly got so happy that she smiled until her eyes disappeared.

[1] Trafficking matron (牙婆) – a woman trafficking young girls as slaves, concubines, etc.

Chapter 63 - Dividing the Family (1)

Madam Liu almost fainted when she heard that her mother-in-law and eldest sister-in-law wanted to sell her daughters. Were their family so poor that they needed to sell their own children?

“Mother, Cao’er’s heath is already good enough to help out in the family. Lian’er feeds the pigs, raises the chickens, and takes care of the garden. So, she’s already one of the main laborers in the family. Please don’t sell our children. Please, I'm begging…” Madam Liu had a weak temperament, so despite being harshly bullied, she had never dared to rebut her mother-in-law in the past. However, since this concerned the future of her two daughters, she couldn’t help but cry while begging piteously.

Madam Zhang frowned and had an impatient expression on her face, “Think about it yourself. For Second Son’s injury, we have already spent dozens of taels over the past few days. The weather isn’t very good at the beginning of spring, so your father and eldest brother can’t catch any fish. Thus, the family doesn’t have any income right now. If we don’t sell your daughters, did you want us to sell your eldest sister-in-law’s son? Do you still want to treat your husband’s injury?”

Madam Li also insidiously agreed, “That’s right, that’s right! Doctor Sun said that even if your husband woke up, his leg will still be crippled. Don’t we need money in order to support that good-for-nothing? There’s also you, who falls sick every now and then. Don’t we need money for your medical fees? Third Brother-in-law needs to take the district examination next year and Youngest Sister-in-law needs to get married… Which of these matters doesn’t need money?! If you people use up all our family’s money, how are the rest of us supposed to live? Can we still survive?”

“Besides…” Madam Li cleared her throat and continued, “The Zhou Family is one of the wealthiest families in town. Zhenxiu Restaurant had even opened another store in the capital. The handmaids in their household eats and dresses even more elegantly than the young misses of most families. They not only receive a monthly wage of one tael, but the masters of the family will also give them rewards. If Xiaolian and Xiaocao went, then they will be living a life of ease and comfort!”

Xiaolian nervously supported her mother and furiously said, “If it’s so good, why don’t you go? Hey Auntie, doesn’t the Zhou Family also need to buy senior servants? Eldest Aunt, you can also enjoy an easy and comfortable life…”

Madam Li’s expression instantly changed and scolded, “Damned brat, what are you saying?”

Yu Xiaocao coldly snorted and said, “Eldest Aunt, Xiaolian is right. Since you think that being a servant in the Zhou Household is a blessing, why don’t you go? After being sold into a noble household, you’ll no longer be a free person. Whether you get beaten, killed, or sold again, it all depends on your masters’ moods. Eldest Aunt only sees the bright side of being a handmaid, but within the red-lacquered doors of wealthy households, are there any without a few dead maidservants? Eldest Aunt is just trying to kill us!”

It was unknown whether she was angered or frightened, but Madam Liu trembled slightly when she heard this. However, her tone was usually firm when she spoke, “Even if I’m living in poor and harsh conditions, I still wouldn’t sell my own daughters! Mother, this matter is not negotiable!”

Madam Zhang was immediately enraged when she heard this. Furthermore, it was about time when the old man came back from fishing. So, she had to send the girls away before he came back. Thus, she didn’t allow any disagreements and said, “It’s not up to you whether they get sold or not! I’m not dead yet, so I still have the final say in this family! Trafficker Zhuang, you can take these two girls for twenty taels!”

Madam Zhang’s daughter, Yu Caidie, was already sixteen. She couldn’t bear to see her two cute nieces being sold off, so she couldn’t help but speak for your them, “Mother, our family hasn’t reached the point of selling children. If the villagers find out, how are we supposed to raise our heads in the future?”

Madam Zhang pushed her gently and sullenly said, “Go back and sew your dowry. This has nothing to do with you!”

Yu Xiaocao saw her younger uncle, who seldom came home, holding a book and standing at the entrance with a frown, so she hastily said, “Grandmother, you need to think about Younger Uncle’s future. He needs to take the county examination next year. If his classmates find out that he sold his two nieces in order to obtain this chance, how is he supposed to continue attending the academy?”

Originally, her younger uncle, Yu Bo, had disapproved of Madam Zhang’s decision because, no matter what, his two nieces were also descendants of the Yu Family. If this got spread out, there was no way he could continue living with such shame. Thus, he decided to speak up to persuade Madam Zhang to give up on his idea.

Madam Zhang had placed all her hopes on her youngest son. Her greatest wish was for him to pass the imperial examinations to become a government official, earning a noble title for her. However, when she heard that this could potentially affect her son’s future, she couldn’t help but hesitate.

Yu Xiaocao continued, “Grandmother, aren’t you just afraid that our family will become a burden for you guys in the future? Let’s just divide the family then! No matter what happens to our family in the future, even if our whole family starves to death, we won’t take a single penny from any of you!”

Madam Zhang and Madam Li looked at each other with eyes that were twinkling with delight. Madam Zhang put on a stern expression and asked, “Splitting the family? You’re just a little girl making empty promises. Can you even make the decision?”

“She can’t make the decision, but I can!” The door of the west room slammed open. With an ashen complexion and bloodshot eyes, Yu Hai stood at the entrance. However, he couldn’t support himself with just one leg and fell heavily by the doorsill.

“Father!” Yu Xiaolian and Little Shitou shouted in unison. They hurriedly rushed towards Yu Hai and tried to help him up, with a person on each side.

“Husband, be careful! Nothing is as important as your body!” Madam Liu’s lips trembled as tears filled up her eyes. During the time when Yu Hai was unconscious, her heart always felt anxious, as if the sky might collapse at any time. As long as her husband was alive, even if he was disabled and they lived in harsher conditions, she would still willingly endure it.

With Xiaolian’s help, Yu Hai stood up after such difficulty and sat on the tall wooden stool that Little Shitou brought over. His gaze turned gentle as he looked at Madam Liu. After they got married, his wife had never had a peaceful day. Not only did she worked hard every day, but she also suffered mental torture. Her originally fit figure become so thin that she was left with nothing but bones.

He had always felt deeply apologetic towards Madam Liu. In the past, for the sake of peace at home, he had always believed that it was also a blessing to be taken advantage of and that everything would be fine if he just took a step back. However, his stepmother, Madam Zhang, and eldest sister-in-law, Madam Li, became increasingly abusive because of his tolerance.

Every year, he had earned over ten taels from hunting alone. Moreover, without him, it was impossible for their fishing boat to catch so many fish every day. He painstakingly worked for this family, yet his wife and children never had enough to eat nor warm clothes to wear. Furthermore, they also had to suffer from verbal and physical abuse…

While he was in a coma these past few days, he wasn’t completely unconscious. He had heard clearly and remembered everything that happened at home. Before he was injured, Madam Zhang had sent his ten year old son to work as an apprentice at a carpentry shop under the pretext that they couldn’t support so many people in the family.

He hadn’t expected that his stepmother and the first branch would scheme against his two cute and sensible daughters when he was still alive! Even if he had to risk his life, he would never allow his own children to be sold!

Xiaocao was correct! There was no place for them in this family. If they continued to stay here, his family would be broken apart sooner or later. Split from the family! No matter how harsh their living conditions were, their whole family still had to stay together!

“Second Son! You’re the one who mentioned splitting from the family. We never forced you!” Madam Zhang suppressed the elation within her heart and immediately exclaimed, afraid that Yu Hai would go back on his words.

Yu Caidie looked at her second brother’s injured leg, pulled on Madam Zhang’s sleeve, and whispered, “Second Brother hasn’t recovered from his injury yet. Isn’t it inappropriate to divide the family right now? Father won’t agree either!”

Madam Li interjected, “What’s inappropriate about it?! Second Brother-in-law was the one who mentioned the separation. As long as he insists, Father can’t do anything about it either! Youngest Sister-in-law, stop being so muddle-headed. With such a family dragging us down, you will also have less dowry in the future!”

Yu Hai looked at this stepmother and eldest sister-in-law disappointedly. They had long been eager to kick them out of the family… This was also good. In the future, his wife wouldn’t be mistreated at home anymore. His children also didn’t need to be worried all day long that they would be scolded or beaten. With his ability, even if one of his legs was crippled, he still wouldn’t let his family suffer from hunger and coldness.

Madam Zhang glared at her daughter and shouted, “It’s decided then! When your father and eldest brother returns, we’ll get the village head and the elders of the Yu Family as witnesses, and then divide the family!”

“Why are you guys quarreling in the morning? What do you mean dividing the family? Who wants to leave? Eldest Son’s family?” Old Yu came in from outside, holding the fish that hadn’t been sold. The eldest son, Yu Dashan, followed him inside with a fishing net in his hands.

Madam Li hastily explained, “It’s not me, Father! Second Brother-in-law was the one who mentioned it!”

“Second Son? It’s impossible for Second Son to make this suggestion when he’s injured. He still hasn’t passed the critical period, so why would he suggest splitting from the family on his own initiative?” Although Old Yu wasn’t good at expressing his emotions, he wasn’t foolish. He looked at all the strangers in the yard and furrowed his sparse brows.

Madam Zhang quietly approached Trafficker Zhuang, stuffed a handful of copper coins into her hands, and quietly asked her to leave. Trafficker Zhuang held contempt for her behavior, so she pushed the money back and left in the ox cart that she came in.

Old Yu usually kept silent and didn’t interfere with the matters at home. But he had the final say in all the important matters in the family. Madam Zhang was still somewhat afraid of him, so she awkwardly explained, “Second Son volunteered to leave the family in fear that he will become a burden to the family. Look, our third son needs to take an important exam next year. I heard that the third part of the county examination will take place in the prefectural city. We need to prepare more money… Also, Heizi is approaching marriage age… there isn’t enough space at home…”

Old Yu frowned and glared at her, while saying, “What do you mean there isn’t enough space at home?! Caidie will get married in a couple years, so won’t we have a vacant room at that time? Second Son’s leg hasn’t recovered yet, but you’re already so anxious to force him out of the house. Aren’t you afraid that people will curse at you behind your back?!”

“How did it become me forcing him out? Second Son was the one who mentioned the separation. Even if they curse, it has nothing to do with me!” Madam Zhang screeched, “Alright! So it turns out that this is how you, Old Yu, really thinks of me in your heart! I worked so hard for this family, but in the end, I’m accused of forcing my stepson out of the family. My God! How am I supposed to live now! It’s better for me to just die than be an eyesore!”

Madam Zhang sat on the ground, while smacking her thighs and lamenting to the heavens. However, she didn’t even manage to squeeze a teardrop out of her eyes for half a day. Yu Xiaocao inwardly rolled her eyes. What a scumbag! Of course, she would go for the clichéd routine of crying, screaming, and killing herself.

Yu Hai shook his drowsy head and looked towards his wife and children. Their faces were wan and thin because of long-term malnutrition. They had been wearing tattered clothes that were covered in patches for who knew how long. After that, he turned to look at the new attires that his stepmother and eldest sister-in-law wore, which were made just before the New Year. He became even more determined on leaving this family. Anyway, they would definitely have a better and more comfortable life than they did right now!

Chapter 64 - Dividing the Family (2)

“Father, separating from the main family and living apart was my idea! It has nothing to do with the situation involving Mother and Eldest Sister-in-law!” Yu Hai spoke again as he looked at Old Yu.

Old Yu’s frown deepened as he scolded, “What do you mean by separating from the family? Stop making a fuss! When your leg gets better, we can revisit this again!!”

Yu Xiaocao suddenly interjected, “If we don’t split from the main family, then the whole second branch will be sold out! Grandfather, if Father didn’t come out to save us, Xiaolian and I wouldn’t be here anymore. We should separate from the family now so no one else gets any ideas to sell us again!”

“Selling people off? Old Yu’s normally murky eyes suddenly revealed a coldness that sent shivers down people. He remembered that his wife had gone out earlier and then connected the dots. He glared furiously at Madam Zhang and Madam Li and snarled, “I’m not dead yet. Let’s see who has the guts to sell you!! The Yu Family will not do something as disgraceful as selling our sons and daughters!!”

Old Yu seldom had his temper roused, so Madam Li lowered her head in shock and hid behind her mother-in-law’s back. Madam Zhang cowered down but still rebutted fiercely, “What’s wrong with being a servant girl at the Zhou Family? They won’t have to worry about food or clothing and can even get paid one to two taels a month. Where else can you find such a good deal? We spent more than half of our money on treating Second Son’s injuries. At that time, we didn’t even know when he would wake up from his coma. His medication costs a few silver bits a day. Lately the family’s income has also decreased…I was just trying to think of the future of our whole family, ah!”

“Well isn’t Second Son awake now? Don’t ever bring up splitting the family up again!” Old Yu was well aware of Madam Zhang’s true personality. When his first wife passed away, how did he make such an error of judgement and decide to marry such a troublesome wretch?

In the past, he had also fought with Madam Zhang when she treated Second Son poorly. However, she always threw a colossal temper tantrum and would bewail about the family’s troubles and her own difficulties. Sometimes, she would agree to change at the time, but in a blink of an eye would always revert back to her old ways.

Back when Yu Hai was eight years old, he had almost drowned trying to catch fish in the river because he was so hungry. At that time, Old Yu had made a firm resolution to divorce her. However, he didn’t expect for Madam Zhang to find out that she was pregnant with his unborn child. After fighting with her, he decided to keep her as his wife. Unexpectedly, after she gave birth to Third Son, Madam Zhang became even more harsh and severe. She was solely preoccupied with her own biological children and no longer took care of the son and daughter from Old Yu’s first marriage.

As the years passed by, everytime he rebuked her, she always made a scene and threw a temper tantrum. Gradually, the children grew up. For the sake of keeping the peace in the family, he could only turn a blind eye to her doings…only, it had made things difficult for Second Son’s family.

Old Yu always felt somewhat guilty inside regarding his kind hearted and capable second son. Doctor Sun had said that his right leg would likely be unfit for use in the future and if it was serious enough, he might even have to amputate it. Second Son’s family had both sick and weak members. If they didn’t split the family, as long as he was there, there would always be some food for them to eat…however if he passed away, and Second Son’s children were older and could be of use…

Contrary to his expectations, Yu Hai had made up his mind and he sincerely said, “Father! If you truly love me as your son, then you would split my branch from the family! Your son is begging you!!”

Seeing the earnest look in his son’s eyes, Old Yu felt a sharp pang to his heart. When his first wife was dying, she repeatedly requested that he take good care of their son and daughter. However, he wasn’t able to fulfill his promise. His oldest daughter had married someone who lived far away. The journey back to visit took around four to five days of travel. Ever since his daughter birthed children of her own, she rarely came back to visit her parental home. As for his first wife’s most beloved son? He was now a cripple—when he died, how would he could he face his first wife?

Lost in his thoughts, Old Yu thought he could once again see that beautiful young girl in the field of green vegetables smiling sweetly at him again…

With Madam Zhang’s poor personality and the fact that his Second Son would be staying at home like a parasite in the future, Old Yu couldn’t even imagine how cruel and harsh she would be. Forget it, if Second Son wanted to split from the main family then he should leave. In the future, he would just privately help them a little and they should still be able to live out their days…

Following that, Old Yu told Dashan to invite his older brother and the village chief to come over to discuss the details of separating their families.

Old Yu’s eldest brother, Yu Lichun, was outraged on his nephew’s behalf, “I say, Third Brother! Dahai is the most hardworking person in your family! Try to find your conscience and think a little! Isn’t Dahai’s hard work the reason why your whole family can live this way? He only just came out of his coma, and you want to push him out already. Can you face his dead mother now?”

“Eldest Brother-in-law, Second Son is the one who wants to split. What does that have to do with us?” Madam Zhang was unhappy. All of these irrelevant people were here criticizing and being opinionated when it was just their own family affair to split off a branch. ‘It’s all well to talk but getting things done is another matter. If we don’t separate, will one of you take care of Second Son’s family?’

Yu Hai’s second uncle, Yu Lixia, who lived outside the village and rarely visited had a rather fiery personality. He glared at her and growled, “Men are talking here, how can a woman like you interject into official business?

Madam Zhang grumbled resentfully under her breath, “Our family is the one that’s splitting off, how could it not be related to me?

Although on paper Dongshan Village was a small fishing village, the village chief, Liu Jiashun, still had a lot of prestige. He glanced at Madam Zhang, and she became quiet immediately. Only then did he open his mouth for the first time to speak to Old Yu, “Brother Liqiu, what are your plans on splitting the family?”

Old Yu puffed on his tobacco pipe, thought a bit, and said, “I’ve already have a plan. We’ll split the family assets equally into four. Dashan and his other brothers will all get a piece each, and then I and my wife will get a piece…”

“That’s not okay! Caidie hasn’t married yet and should also get a share! Otherwise, who will give her a dowry? The Zhan Family offered eight taels as a betrothal gift for her! Also, Third Son will be participating in the preliminary round of imperial examinations in the future. His expenses will be quite a lot. Are you saying that his brother who has left the family will be raising some money for him?” As soon as she heard the proposal, Madam Zhang instantly became unhappy and blurted out her complaints to show her objections.

Old Yu tapped his pipe under the table and said, “Then we’ll split it into five equal parts and Caidie will have a portion! After we split the family, your mother and I will live with one of you and in the future our portion will go to that person’s branch when we die. After we come to an agreement, it doesn’t mean that splitting the family will lead to leaving the family. Second Son’s family can still live in the main residence with us, that way we can live in harmony and not drift apart. Dahai earned most of the money for the family’s new boat, and his legs aren’t good anymore, so the boat will go to him. In the future, renting it out could be a form of income…”

Before he could finish what he was saying, Madam Li forcefully pulled on her husband’s arm. Seeing that he didn’t say anything, she promptly spoke, “Father, Dashan and Heizi are the first son and first grandson of the family, so it is their duty to look after their parents and grandparents. Naturally, you two should live with us. However, my husband only knows how to go fishing to make an income. If the boat is given to Second Brother-in-law, are we supposed to eat and drink solely from the wind itself ah?”

Madam Zhang had long been holding back her complaints and this time they finally all came out, “Eldest Son’s family is correct! As the head of the household, you are clearly being too biased! Without a fishing boat, how are we supposed to make a living? Do you still want Third Son to take his examinations? Do you still want Caidie to get married in the future? What about Heizi’s future marriage? You really want all of our lives ah! I don’t agree, I absolutely don’t agree!”

“Don’t we also have three plots of land? Eldest Son and I can go into town and work some temporary jobs again…didn’t we also live life like that before?” Old Yu stayed silent for a bit before he finally replied as he was thinking about his studious and talented Third Son.

Madam Zhang’s loud, shrill voice pierced the ears of everyone in the room as she hollered, “The amount of crops produced by those three plots of sandy land in one year is only enough to feed our household for six months. In the past we had fewer children, I didn’t dare to eat too much or get new clothing in an effort to save. We were only able to amass this much property with great difficulty. But you, you’re giving it all to Second Son! Yes, Eldest Son was from my first marriage, if you don’t care about him, then whatever! But aren’t Third Son and Caidie both your flesh and blood? You old man, you’re not giving us a living road! This is not okay! The fishing boat absolutely cannot be given to Second Son unless you want to strangle the rest of us to death!”

The slow of speech and honest Eldest Son, Yu Dashan, also timidly interjected after being pinched by his wife several times, “Father, other than fishing, I don’t know how to do anything else. If I go into town, I won’t be able to find any work…I also don’t agree in giving the boat to Second Brother…”

“That’s right, that’s right! Mother and Father are living with us, while Youngest Sister-in-law hasn’t gotten married yet. Third Brother-in-law is still in school and still needs to be with the family. Thus, the fishing boat absolutely cannot be given away!” Madam Li hastily agreed and stared at Old Yu pathetically.

Both Yu Bo and Yu Caidie stayed silent with their heads lowered. No one could tell what their thoughts were on any of this.

Yu Hai calmly listened to everyone and only now did he speak, “Father, the doctor told me that my leg will never get better. It’s still up in the air whether I can stand on them in the future. Even if I had the fishing boat, I wouldn’t be able to go out to sea and catch fish. I don’t want the fishing boat. As for the three plots of land, there’s a decent amount of harvest to be had from them in a year. So just give the land to us and we’ll have my wife and children farm them.”

Yu Xiaocao didn’t know how to catch fish so she really didn’t care much about that fishing boat. She was currently thinking about the future. If they were still living together, it still wouldn’t be a clean break. If their branch suddenly started living well, with Madam Zhang’s and Madam Li’s temperaments, wouldn’t they still cause trouble for them every couple of days? What did they have to do to live farther from this pack of wolves?

Just as she was thinking, her father spoke again, “Eldest Brother’s child is about to grow up and Third Brother can only squeeze into the tiny west room when he visits. If our whole family still lived together, it would definitely be crowded. How about you give the Yu Family’s old residence to us? After cleaning it up a bit, it should be livable…”

The Yu Family’s old residence was at the foot of the West Mountains and it was a three-room house made of mud bricks. It also had a decently sized courtyard and behind the rooms was a large pond. Back when Yu Hai’s mother was still alive, the whole family had lived there. Later, as their circumstances got better, the whole family moved into the village, where it was closer to the sea.

No one had lived in the old residence for the past ten years. Although every year they would go back and do some small fixes, no one knew how much damage there was on the house. Madam Zhang thought for a bit, decided not to make a fuss, but wished she could still keep those three plots of sandy land. Even though the land didn’t produce a lot, not having it meant that in the future they would need to spend money to eat grains and starches. It was not surprising Madam Zhang wanted to keep it. However, compared to the fishing boat, the three plots of land were really not as important.

In the end, other than the shabby, old residence and those three plots of land, Xiaocao’s family also got a cooking pot, a few bowls and plates, and some farming tools. When Old Yu raised the issue of splitting the money into five parts, Madam Zhang’s face turned so dark that someone might have thought her mother had died.

However, with the village chief and the rest of the Yu Family elders present, no one would believe her if she said that there wasn’t any money. She reluctantly fished out a few strings of copper and a few silver bits from a jar and threw them onto the kang bed. She huffily said, “When Second Son got injured, we spent almost all of our money. Look, this is what’s left!”

Xiaocao eyeballed the money and estimated that the coins and bits together at most came out to be about ten taels, and they needed to split them five ways. Her family could only get two taels at most. It wasn’t even enough to fix their new home!

Chapter 65 - Old Residence

Madam Zhang felt Old Yu’s complicated gaze coming over and felt her heart freeze. She was afraid that he might say something that shouldn’t be said, so she took a deep breath and screamed at him, “There’s no more! It’s just this much! We don’t have a mountain of money at home! After spending more than ten taels on medication, how much money can be left over?”

Xiaocao could tell that the old woman was using her loud voice to cover up her inner turmoil. She knew there had to be more money at home; however, as long as they could smoothly split their families apart, they didn’t need to squabble too much over other things. But, she didn’t want Madam Zhang to pull the wool over everyone else’s eyes, so she said, “If there’s nothing more, then there’s nothing more! Why are you yelling? If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’re trying to hide something!”

“Hide something? What do I need to hide? You little brat, all you know how to do is talk back to your elders. This past morning I really should have sold you off…” Madam Zhang’s face twisted into a grim expression. If the village chief and the rest of the family elders weren’t here, she would have long ran over and slapped the chit on the face.

“Who are you to be able to say whether you can sell my Yu Family’s grandsons and granddaughters?” That morning an unfamiliar woman had stopped by Old Yu house, and the rumors had said that she was a trafficker matron in town. There were no walls that didn’t have cracks in the world. The whole village already knew that Madam Zhang and Madam Li had tried to sell the twins.

As the eldest, Yu Lichun glared fiercely at her and looked dignified and imposing. However, everyone had underestimated Madam Zhang’s shrewish fury.

In the end, Yu Xiaocao’s family had only received two taels, as Madam Zhang’s temper tantrum ability and spoiled whining had been turned on to her highest capacity. That night, Old Yu sat at the head of the kang bed and smoked his tobacco pipe, turning an indifferent eye towards Madam Zhang’s small acts at currying favor with him.

Madam Zhang let out a sigh and said, “I know you blame me for not taking out the three hundred taels that Hunter Zhao sent to us to split between the branches. But I was doing it for the good of our family! In the past, you had always thought that Second Son was hard working and capable, so the family revolved around him. But he’s gotten injured, so now our entire family’s hopes are all on Third Son’s shoulders now. Didn’t the teacher always praise Third Son’s efforts? Next year, after the examination is over, if he passes it, then the teacher will recommend him to the academy of the famous scholar, Teacher Yuan. I had asked around and Scholar Yuan is a rare talent who had placed first in the provincial examination, the metropolitan examination, and the imperial palace examination in the past dynasty. His academy has turned out scholars who’ve placed second and third in the imperial palace examination, not to mention how many other scholars who have passed it too. Didn’t they say that our third son has a glorious fate and has the possibility of passing the imperial examinations? We definitely can’t let this opportunity go by!”

Seeing that Old Yu’s expression had improved perceptibly, Madam Zhang continued cajoling, “I know that these three hundred taels were in exchange for Second Son’s leg, but just think, if Third Son makes it, in the future when he has a scholar-official’s income, we’ll just give Second Branch some more. Then it’s fine!”

Old Yu held the tobacco pipe in his mouth but didn’t inhale from it for a long time. In the end, he let out a deep sigh and said, “I’ve failed Dahai’s mother, I didn’t take care of those two kids…I even stole the money that Dahai’s risked his life to get, ah…”

Madam Zhang felt a burst of jealousy rise in her heart when she saw that Old Yu was still thinking of that dead ghost. However, for the sake of those three hundred taels, she restrained herself and didn’t start an argument with the old man. With the three hundred taels firmly in her hands and the money spending Second Son’s entire family expelled, the taste of sweetness in her mouth was even more delicious than honey.

With their long-standing wish to have the family separate finally fulfilled and their father also looking more energetic, the three siblings were happier than they had been during the New Year celebrations. They surrounded their parents and chattered and laughed endlessly.

Madam Liu’s heart was full of uncertainties towards their future. However, the obvious happiness of her children and the thought of no longer being under Madam Zhang’s abuse and being in charge of her own household made her gently smile.

It was this exact same, sweet smile that had captured Yu Hai’s heart so many years ago. However, ever since she married into the Yu family, the smile that made his heart skip a beat was seen less and less often as the years went by.

Despite the children being nearby, Yu Hai furtively linked his hand with his wife’s and smiled at her winsomely. Madam Liu’s face flushed a bright red and she made a token resistance before she stopped, leaving their hands together.

Yu Xiaocao couldn’t help but laugh, her eyes curving up in joy, when she saw the two of them being lovey-dovey. Yu Hai sensed that she was looking at them and spoke to his most beloved daughter, “Cao’er, were you terribly frightened these past few days?”

“No, I always knew that father would wake up. Father could never bear to leave us all alone!” Yu Xiaocao cleverly sat next to her father and lifted her head to look at him.

“Of course! One is bound for good fortune after surviving a great disaster! In the future, our family will continue to do better and better!” Yu Hai couldn’t help but hug his daughter close to him when he thought about how he had almost died and would never see his beloved family and clever daughter again.   Although he was her father, Yu Xiaocao was not used to being hugged by an adult man, so she slipped out of his hold and smiled, “Father, the poultice on your leg needs to changed. I’ll do it for you!”

Yu Hai’s leg injury was extremely severe as almost all of the flesh on it had been torn into pieces by the black bear. If Yu Xiaocao hadn’t been treating him every day with the little divine stone and washing the wound with mystic-stone water, his leg likely would have rotted from the inside out.

Xiaocao carefully removed the bandages and used the mystic-stone water to wash off the old dressings. The scary-looking wound had already started growing new skin and flesh. Yesterday, Doctor Sun had come over to check up on him. The doctor was amazed at Yu Hai’s healing abilities. Anyone else with such a wound would have had their leg amputated by this time.

Yu Xiaocao refused her mother’s offer of help and pounded the fever reducing medication that Doctor You had left behind into a fine powder. She then mixed the powder with the mystic-stone water to create a thick paste before she carefully applied the mixture to her father’s wounds.

Yu Hai sighed in relief as the cool and refreshing poultice covered and soothed the itchy wound. He looked at his second daughter with gratitude and said, “After Xiaocao hit her head, not only did her body get healthy, but she’s also become a lot more deft and clever. She easily learned all of the dense and hard-to-learn medical knowledge. Is this another transformation that the God of Fortune did?”

Yu Xiaocau carefully bandaged the dressing on the wound and raised her head to smile at him when she heard his words. She didn’t agree or refute what her father had said.

That night, when the whole family was asleep, Yu Xiaocao once again pushed the little divine stone to release its hard earned spiritual energy to heal Yu Hai’s ravaged and torn tendons.

The water in this world was clear and pure. In addition, the little divine stone had also helped its master to save her father. All of these factors combined loosened its shackles, and its speed at absorbing spiritual energy had increased immensely. It was convinced that it would soon be able to materialize its physical form and openly appear in front of everyone. However, the energy that it painstakingly gathered every day was always used to treat Yu Hai’s leg injury. This made the little stone feel gloomy and depressed.

Luckily, it discovered that every time it used up all its spiritual energy, the shackles confining it would loosen a little more. It was especially prominent whenever it was healing people’s injuries, like its master’s head wound or its master’s father’s leg.

The clever little divine stone couldn’t help but grumble inwardly: ‘Don’t tell me that every time I help my master is when the Goddess of Spirit’s shackles will loosen on me?’ This was the complaint it had lodged within its heart but this was also the reason why it continued to help Xiaocao heal her father’s injury.

The next day, Xiaocao’s whole family was finally able to sleep until they woke up naturally. When Madam Zhang got up and saw that there was no one feeding the pigs, the chickens were clucking in hunger, there was no firewood gathered, no one was sweeping, and no one was washing the clothes, she couldn’t help but rush towards the west room and holler, “How long are you all going to sleep like the dead? Do you know what time it is?”

Yu Xiaocao opened the door and looked at Madam Zhang with a faint smile on her face, ‘Grandmother, it must have slipped your mind. We already split our family, so each branch is living independently. If you want us to feed the pigs and chickens, does that mean you want to give us a fifth of those animals?”

Madam Zhang choked down the abuse she had wanted to hurl and glanced at the east room’s messily attired Madam Li, who was leaning against the doorframe watching the show. Her fury had found a new target, and she screamed, “Lazy woman, why don’t you quickly start getting to work? If you can’t finish, don’t bother eating breakfast!”

The expression on Madam Li’s face changed instantly. She realized that she would have to be like Madam Liu in the future: working endlessly from dawn to dusk. She silently grumbled inside.

After more than ten years of marriage, she had only been ordered around by Madam Zhang during the first year. Ever since Madam Liu married into the family, she had taken it easy and lived a leisurely life. Now that she suddenly had to do housework again, she really didn’t know where she should start. For the whole morning, she muddled through the multitude of tasks while being criticized by her mother-in-law the whole time.

Her youngest sister-in-law, Yu Caidie, couldn’t stand by idly and watch, so she helped to sweep the floor and feed the chickens. Like this, by the time it was time to make breakfast, they hadn’t even gathered the necessary firewood. When Old Yu came back home, the kitchen was still cold and silent. Up until noon, he had to endure his hunger pains, and only then did he get to eat a breakfast that was poorly made.

Old Yu had an ugly expression on his face as he sighed. In the future, without Madam Liu and the others, it would be impossible to have the residence all tidied up and orderly like it was before. He put down his bowl and chopsticks to go to the old residence to see if there was anything he could help with.

As for Xiaocao and company, after enjoying the melodramatic play in the courtyard, they had eaten their breakfast at the crack of dawn and left to go to the old residence at the foot of the West Mountains. Yu Hai was left at the main residence to recuperate.

The old residence and the current Yu Family residence was about a half an hour walk from each other. Although it was said to be at the foot of the mountains, it was really about one to two kilometers away. With the glorious scenery of mountains and water, Yu Xiaocao’s good mood could not be ruined even if the old residence was about to fall apart. She had no doubt that they would be able to do well and even thrive in their new environment. Adapting to their new home was not a question.

The shabby old residence was in such bad condition that it made people gasp. Even though every year they would go back and fix things, that was only enough to guarantee that the whole house wouldn’t fall down. This year’s snows were heavy, so one of the rooms had also been crushed by the weight of the snow. Although in the spring they had hastily fixed it a bit, that room was currently not fit for living inhabitants.

The broken down house had a courtyard with weeds growing everywhere. On the side was a bamboo fence that had mostly fallen over. Wild hares had nested in the courtyard and, when they heard there were people, they zipped out with a ‘whoosh’ and scared them. Little Shitou cheerfully chased after the wild hares. Madam Liu quietly let out a breath in relief and started to pull up the weeds from the courtyard with her two daughters.

The old residence was located in a more remote area. In the vicinity, there were only a few neighbors. On the left, about two hundred meters away was the Zhou Family who raised chickens to make a living. Madam Fang had married into the Zhou Family and had a good relationship with Madam Liu. When she saw them all stooped over fighting with the weeds, she also brought over her two daughters to help.

The Zhou Family had one son and two daughters. The oldest daughter, Zhou Linglong, was fourteen years old and was already on the marriage market. The younger daughter, Zhou Shanhu, was only nine and had an innocent and open personality. Her favorite thing to do was to play with the Xiaocao and Xiaolian together.

Uncle Zhou, Zhou Danian, started out as a street peddler. His son, Zhou Wenhua, had gone to school for two years and then followed his father in buying and selling goods. When it wasn’t busy at home, he would go to the village and walk up and down the streets selling household goods, such as needles and thread. They also had about a hundred chickens at home. Due to that, they were among the small number of families in the village who could afford to eat wheat flour and white rice on the regular.

“Brother Han!” Little Shitou, who was holding a small sickle and was using it to cut the weeds, raised his head and saw a familiar figure. He greeted the person cheerfully.

Zhao Han rolled up his sleeves and also grabbed a sickle. He stooped over and started to work as he said, “I heard you all are about to move here, so I came over. Is there anything I can help with?”

Chapter 66 - Maternal Family

Madam Liu replied with embarrassment, “Little Han, there’s not much to do here. With your Auntie Zhou here to help, you really don’t need to help us…”

“Auntie, your words wrongfully make me an outsider. I consider Xiaocao and Shitou to be as close to me as true siblings are. We’re all one family, so don’t make it into separate ones. In the future if anything comes up, please speak up!”

Little Shitou was gleefully happy and a large smile bloomed on his face, “Brother Han, in the future our two families will live closer, so coming and going will be much more easy! I used to eat your family's food all the time, but from now on you should come over and taste my second sister’s skills! My second sister is a really good cook; she even made bean flour noodles taste better than wheat flour noodles!”

“Alright! Then in the future my stomach will be very fortunate!” Zhao Han raised his head to look at Xiaocao’s back for a second and then bent over again to cut the weeds.

Perhaps it was because the family branch had split off, but Little Shitou finally revealed his lively side as a small boy. He chattered non-stop but it didn’t delay his work. The small sickle in his hand flashed constantly in being swung around.

The little roe deer next to him had seemingly also been infected by his excited mood. It leapt through the underbrush and would occasionally lower its head to snip a plant off and present it like a treasure to Xiaocao, as if it was trying to ask for compliments and rewards.

On the other side, Madam Liu and Madam Fang also kept busy. The two of them worked as they talked.

After looking at the shabby old house, Madam Fang couldn’t help but say, “The Yu Family’s matriarch really is something! Brother Dahai earned so much money for the family but they only gave two taels to you. What can you do with two taels, it’s not even enough to fix the house! Younger Sister Muyun, if you don’t have enough money, feel free to tell me. We don’t have a lot at home but we definitely can take out several taels worth. The weather is still cold now, so no matter what you guys should get that house fixed up.”

Liu Muyun was so moved by her words that tears came to her eyes. She threw herself into pulling up more weeds to hide her emotions and replied quietly, “Thank you in advance, Danian’s wife…”

“What are you thanking me for? In the future, we’ll be neighbors. A relative afar is less use than a close neighbor. If there’s anything I can do to help, please tell me!” Madam Fang swiftly swung the sickle across the ground to cut the weeds. At a glance, one could tell she was a hardworking woman.

The family on the west side opened the gate in their rear courtyard and let a flock of ducks into the pond behind the residence. When the person saw that there was activity here, she came over to look things over and said, “Hey! Dahai’s wife! You guys are really moving over? Oh my oh my, Uncle Yu and Auntie Yu are really heartless. How can anyone live in this shabby old house…”

Yu Xiaocao raised her head and saw a woman with high cheekbones and thin lips. How come the more she thought about it the more she felt that the woman’s words seemed to be implying that she was taking delight in their poor circumstances?

“Don’t give her any attention! If you take Madam Mao’s words to heart, then you will really die of anger. Just pretend it’s a sparrow chirping and you’ll be fine.” The Zhou Family and Qian Family were the only two neighbors within a one kilometer vicinity of the old residence. The Zhou Family raised chickens, and the Qian Family raised ducks. The market for chicken eggs and live chickens were obviously better than the demand for ducks. The Qian Family’s daughter-in-law, Madam Mao, also had a sharp tongue and a big mouth, and whenever she saw Madam Fang she only had prickly words to say.

In the beginning, Madam Fang would also bicker a bit with her. Later on, after the two families had come to an understanding, she knew that Madam Mao didn’t truly have any personality problems besides her ability to make someone hate her as soon as she opened her mouth. Most of the women and girls in the village had all shied away from her as a result of that. It was only Madam Fang who didn’t let it bother her too much in an effort to keep the peace between neighbors.

Madam Mao apparently also realized that what she said earlier didn’t sound too good, so she hastily interjected, “If you need someone to help you fix up the house, come to my house and ask. My husband may not have any other skills but he sure is strong. In the future we’ll be neighbors, so it’s right and proper that we help each other. Don’t stop your work on account of me, I need to go to the docks to see if there are any fish for sale. I need to buy one for my son, Wen’er, to nourish his body…”

Madam Fang quietly commented, “Madam Mao’s eldest son goes to school in town and it’s said that he’s doing quite well. She’ll brag about him at any opportunity she can get. Like today, Qian Wen is coming home today to take a break and she has to bring it up.”

“I know, I know! Brother Qian Wen is really awesome, and he even placed first on the last exam!” Little Shitou interjected as he followed Zhao Han like a little tail, roving around happily.

Madam Liu watched her noticeably more lively son and smiled gently, “All parents treasure their children. In a mother’s eyes, their own children are always the best.”

Madam Fang thought a bit then smiled, “That’s true, that’s true! Even though my son, Hua’er, doesn’t have scholarly talents, but since he was young he has helped his father peddle goods on the streets. He doesn’t think it’s hard work and instead takes great pleasure in it. We have about a hundred or so chickens at home, but with my two daughters at home, I hardly have to ask and they’ll take care of them…”

Madam Liu glanced at her two daughters who were both steadily clearing out the weeds. Her eyes revealed a faint glow of happiness and she said, “Our children are all sensible and hardworking…”

Yu Xiaocao turned her head around and grinned, “Mother, Auntie Zhou, you should speak softer! If people overheard this conversation, they’ll all think the two of you like to give false praise!”

Madam Liu and Madam Fang both laughed and looked at her. Madam Fang replied, “Splitting the family was a good thing. Xiaocao’s personality has become more lively; she’s even making fun of us.”

Madam Liu nodded her head and said, “Cao’er’s body has also gotten better, and she’s become much more lively. As her mother, I now feel a lot more relieved. If only her father’s leg would get better…”

“It’ll get better, it’ll get better! Good things will happen to good people, Brother Dahai’s leg will definitely be cured!” Madam Fang had also heard of Yu Hai’s wounded leg and hastily comforted Madam Liu.

“Second Sister, Second Sister! Look! Brother Xiaowu and I found some wild pheasant eggs in the grove, there are three total!” Later on, Eldest Sister can boil them, then Father, Mother, and Second Sister can each have one to eat!”

Just as everyone had almost finished clearing the weeds from the front and back courtyards, Little Shitou, who had gone out with the next door neighbor, Qian Wu, came back. No one knew where they had gone, but Little Shitou still had leaves and grass in his hair as he held the pheasant eggs in his hands with a large grin on his face.

The second daughter from the Zhou Family, Shanhu, deliberately teased him, “You want your eldest sister to help cook the eggs, but you’re not giving her a share. Little Shitou, are you not afraid of Xiaolian accusing you of being biased?”

Little Shitou glanced at Xiaolian, and then gleefully replied, “Older Sister wouldn’t do that! Father is injured while Mother and Second Sister’s bodies are weak. If Eldest Sister had good food to eat, she would also give it to them first.”

Madam Fang rubbed the little guy’s head and smiled, “Younger Sister Muyun, your son is so sensible. People like us, ah, we don’t need to envy other people, we just need to live our own lives to the fullest.”

No one wanted to monopolize the three pheasant eggs. Thus, Xiaocao proposed to use them to make egg drop soup. Every single member of the five person family happily drank a bowl of the soup.

At around lunch, Xiaocao’s maternal grandmother, three uncles, and aunts all came over with a borrowed ox cart. The cart was stuffed full with household goods meant to be used in this new home. The largest items were tables and stools, the smaller items were pots, bowls, ladles and basins. Some were new and some were items that were pre-owned.

When Yu Hai first got injured, Grandmother Liu had come over the see them and even left behind two taels for her daughter to give to her grandson and granddaughters to buy food to eat. As soon as the Liu Family left, the two taels were confiscated by Madam Zhang who said that she needed to take them to pay for Yu Hai’s medical fees.

Xiaocao’s maternal grandmother, Madam Yao, could tell that her daughter and grandchildren’s complexion had all improved a lot, and felt the worries ease in her heart. She hugged Shitou closely and spoke to Madam Liu with a slightly choked up voice, “It’s good to split, it’s good to split! At least in the future you won’t have to be your mother-in-law’s punching bag anymore.”

Madam Liu wiped the corners of her eyes and smiled, “Yes, that’s true. Although our future may be a little harder, it’s good to be the one in charge of the household. I don’t have to think about other people’s moods or worry about my children being beaten and scolded. Living in hardship will still taste sweet.”

Madam Liu’s maternal family lived on the other side of the mountain, and they only had four plots of dry land to farm. Thus, they also didn’t have a very comfortable life. Madam Liu had two older brothers and one younger brother. The eldest one, Liu Pei, had a strong and muscular body. During the off season, he often went out to take temporary jobs. His wife, Madam Han, usually went to the docks to sell things and could often earn a couple bits to subsidize the income at home.

Eldest Uncle’s family only had two girls. The oldest one was named Liu Feiying and was fourteen years old. She was already betrothed and was just waiting until she reached marriageable age, fifteen, before she married. Their second daughter, Liu Feiyan, was around the age of Xiaocao’s eldest brother, Yu Hang. The two families had even joked about having them marry each other in the future.

Second Uncle, Liu Han, was an honest and hardworking man. He was the expert in planting, and the few fields they had were managed by him and Cao’er’s maternal grandfather. The output from these fields were somewhat better than other people’s. Although Second Aunt, Madam Hu, was a little bit selfish, she didn’t have any other glaring problems. She had birthed two sons and a daughter, so she felt that she was superior to Eldest Aunt, who didn’t have a son.

Third Uncle, Liu Hao, was the youngest in the family and it could be said that Madam Liu had done half of his upbringing. Therefore, he was the one closest to his older sister. The year before last, he had married Madam Bian, and they had a son who had not yet turned one. Liu Hao had been apprenticed to a village carpenter and had learned woodworking. Thus, he often went out to find carpentry work to make money. Third Aunt, Madam Bian, was skilled at embroidery and could often sell her work every month.

The Liu Family had not split its branches off, and the three sons were all filial and respectful. All the money they made was given to their mother, Madam Yao, to keep. However, Madam Yao was not like the stingy and parsimonious Madam Zhang. Other than spending the money on the family’s food and clothing, from time to time, she would also give her daughters-in-law some spending money. The Liu Family had few providers but a lot of mouths to feed, so they didn’t have a lot of income. Thus, they weren’t able to save a lot of money from year to year.

The previous evening, Madam Yao had heard that her daughter and son-in-law had split off from the family. Madam Liu had a lot of young children and an injured husband. In addition, their branch was only given three plots of sandy land and an old, broken-down, three-room house. With her daughter having such poor resources, Madam Yao couldn’t idly sit by. This morning, at dawn, she had packed up household goods, such as bedding and utensils, and borrowed an ox cart to rush over there.

The Liu Family lived in Xishan Village and the West Mountain was in-between Xishan Village and Dongshan village. Traversing by foot through the forests of the mountain usually only took one hour. However, bringing an ox cart over required skirting around that area on a different road, which took twice as long as the mountainous trail.

Before the sun rose, Madam Yao and her sons and daughters-in-law left home to go to her daughter’s new home. They had only arrived at noon and even had to eat their breakfast of dried rations on the road.

When she saw that the old house’s roof had almost fallen off, Madam Yao felt angry and distressed. Their in-laws were really too excessive! They almost let her daughter and her son-in-law leave with barely any clothes on their backs. Having a stepmother really meant that one had a stepfather! Madam Yao was also very familiar with Madam Zhang’s shrewish and crafty personality. Even if she confronted the old woman, it would be of no use.

She fished out a bulging embroidered pouch from her pocket and stuffed it into Madam Liu’s hands and said in a voice choked with emotion, “Yunzi, the pouch has ten taels in it. Take it and use it to fix the house. The earlier you move out, the better it is, so you can avoid the enmity of others. As for those three plots of land, don’t worry about them. This past year, we have more sweet potato seedlings than before, so during spring I can have your brothers come over and help you plant some…”

Chapter 67 - Building a House

Madam Liu also knew that her maternal family’s circumstances were not great. Saving a couple taels a year was considered good for them. Because she had a weak constitution, her mother would subsidize her from time to time. When her children’s father had an accident, the family had already taken over two taels to help…to be able to give her ten taels now, she didn’t know where her mother had gone to borrow the money.

She pushed the pouch back and said, “The mud bricks on the house are still usable. As long as we chop some trees down to fix the beams of the roof and then rethatch it with straw, it will be livable. Mother, you and the family also don’t have an easy time at home. My older brothers and their wives all live frugally and it’s only with great difficulty does the family get to save some money. How could you continue to subsidize, me, a daughter who has already gotten married?”

Madam Liu’s eldest sister-in-law, Madam Han, took the embroidered pouch from Madam Yao and stuffed it into her younger sister-in-law’s hands and said, “You and your family will be living in this house, so it’s important that it gets completely fixed. I already looked it over, the kang beds in all of the rooms are unusable. Also this bamboo fence…Younger Sister’s family lives far away from the village and next to a large mountain, this fence is not safe enough. With all these expenses, ten taels may not even be enough! Quickly take it, don’t be polite to your own family members!”

The expression on her second sister-in-law’s, Madam Hu, face continued to darken. The family had so little resources but her mother-in-law had taken all of it and given it to her younger sister-in-law. A married daughter is like spilt water. How could the maternal family continue to subsidize her? She didn’t have the guts to rebel against her mother-in-law’s wishes but when she heard her elder sister-in-law’s words, a tiny sneer slowly grew on her face. She twisted her head around and lightly “tsked…”a breath.

Second Son Liu Han heard her, and he frowned and gave her a glare in warning. The expression on his face seemed to say, ‘if you decide to be a shrewish woman and say something unpleasant, then you’re in for it when we get home’.  Madam Hu had a cold-hearted, selfish personality but Xiaocao’s second uncle could keep her in check. She knew that her husband was very filial, and she usually only dared to bicker with her fellow sisters-in-law. However, in front of her mother-in-law, she never had the guts to say a word.

After receiving a glare from her husband, Madam Hu immediately settled down and lowered her head. Not a peep could be heard from her.

The third son, Liu Hao, unloaded a sack of sweet potatoes for the cellar and grinned, “Older Sister! Just take the money. If you don’t, mother will be angry ah!”

Madam Liu wanted to persist in refusing but Yu Xiaocao came up and took the pouch for her and said, “Mother, this money is the sum of Grandmother’s, Uncles’, and Aunts’ good heart and intentions for you. You should take it. That being said, we really do need this money. If you feel guilty about taking it, then think of it as a loan. Later on we’ll return it after we earn some money.”

“That’s right! Yunzi, you’re not even as clever as your child! You must be Xiaolian, right? After not seeing you for a few days, it looks like you’ve become a lot more pale.” Madam Yao linked her hand with Xiaocao’s and repeatedly complimented her.

Yu Xiaocao gently giggled, “Grandmother, I’m Xiaocao. Xiaolian took Little Shitou with her to pick up firewood.”

Yu Xiaocao and Xiaolian were twins, so naturally, they looked very similar to each other. However, when Xiaocao was first born, she had a very weak body and was the thinner and paler of the two. On the flip side, Xiaolian had grown up doing household chores with Madam Liu, so her skin was on the tanner side. When the two girls stood next to each other, it was very easy to tell them apart. However, after consistently drinking mystic-stone water for half a year, Xiaocao’s body had recovered immensely and Xiaolian’s skin had become more white. It was becoming more and more difficult for people to distinguish between the two.

Madam Yao watched the energetic Xiaocao contently and spoke to Madam Liu, “With Xiaocao’s health better, it must be a large weight off of your shoulders. From my point of view, it looks like your complexion has become more rosy too. Did your mother-in-law have a sliver of conscience and decide to invite the doctor over lately for you?”

“How could she ever bear to spend money on me? Whenever I got ill in the past, she always accused me of faking it and refused to let Xiaocao’s father to get the doctor, let alone now. I feel like my body has gotten healthier over the past half year. Also, Dahai had surreptitiously made me take medicine the whole winter without the rest of the family’s knowledge. Although I felt more tired lately taking care of the children’s father, I still think my body feels more limber and dexterous than before. The other day I had fallen asleep on the side of the bed inadvertently but the next day I didn’t get sick. I think my illness has finally healed. Mother, please don’t worry about me anymore.”

Madam Liu felt baffled and joyful at the same time. If even she fell ill in the household, then their family really had nowhere to go.

Yu Xiaocao rubbed the five-colored stone on her wrist and sniggered inside.  The Liu brothers first cleaned and organized the wooden rooms. After fixing them more or less, they started to move the items they brought inside. Madam Liu took her two daughters-in-law (Author’s note: Third daughter-in-law’s child was still young, so she couldn’t pull herself away to come) and cleaned up the courtyard in another round. Before any of them could stop and take a break, they rushed home with the ox cart.

Although Madam Yao wasn’t entirely satisfied with leaving things as they were, but she knew that with her daughter’s family of five all squeezed into one room, even if they stayed overnight there would be no place for them to sleep. They needed to get back to Xishan Village before the sun set. Thus, they only said, “We’ll see you again in two days”, and left in a hurry.  In contrast, the three Liu brothers stayed behind to help their younger sister and her husband to fix their house before planting season started.

Yu Hai was an honest and kind hearted man. If another family needed help, as long as they asked him, he would always help them enthusiastically. He had a good reputation in Dongshan Village. When the villagers heard that he needed to fix up the old residence, many of them came one after another to help.

The oldest son of Dahai’s Eldest Uncle, Yu Lichun, knew how to lay bricks. Under the urging of his father, he stopped taking outside jobs and came over to help. For the next several days, Yu Lichun brought over his three sons and two grandsons, and they were always the first to arrive and last to leave. Although Dahai’s Second Uncle, Yu Lixia, lived far away, he only sent over one son over as he himself wasn’t feeling well.

A bunch of Dahai’s old friends who had played with him since they were tots had also come over to form dirt bricks, build a wall with the bricks, and cut down lumber...and they all did so enthusiastically. Hunter Zhao, who was good friends with him, also punctually came over every day with his son, Zhao Han, to deliver game and help them after they finished hunting. In addition, their new neighbors on their left and right also come over every day without anyone to ask.

Generally speaking, when you had people over to help you with your house, you needed to be responsible for two meals. All of these people knew that Yu Hai had just split from the family and didn’t have much food in storage, so all of them brought their own food over every day and refused to eat even a mouthful of theirs. The whole family felt incredibly grateful and Xiaocao had finally experienced the simple and good-natured kindness of those who lived in the ancient times.

Many hands make light work. The work on the three-roomed house, courtyard, and wall had been finished in ten days. Madam Liu shed tears of joy when she saw the brand new house with its large and spacious courtyard. The three siblings chattered in the courtyard with bright smiles on their faces. They were incredibly happy—all of them finally had a home of their own...

The Liu brothers had chopped enough firewood to fill the whole storage area in the kitchen and also cleaned up the well before they left. After letting the house air out for two days, Yu Hai, whose leg has healed enough for him to walk on crutches, brought his family to move in.

During the past ten or so days, other than Old Yu and Dashan coming over every afternoon to help, not even the shadow of the other family members were seen. With the house finished, Yu Hai invited the villagers and neighbors over to celebrate. Only then did Madam Li bring her son over to visit.

Whenever anyone in the village constructed a new house or moved into one, it was necessary for them to celebrate with a party. The construction of this house was done entirely by the help of others. In addition, most of the materials used was from the local area. The muddy clay used for the bricks were dug from the side of the village levee. The beams and rafters came from lumber from felled trees in the mountains. Even the rice straw thatching came from the villagers gathering it up from all over the place.

Originally, Xiaocao wanted to buy some ceramic tiles for the roof to create a house that was similar to the current Yu Residence. However, when she remembered she only had ten taels on hand, she discarded that idea. Once again, she regretted investing all of her money in Third Young Master Zhou’s business venture. She looked on the bright side and consoled herself by thinking, ‘A sod house is also good, warm in the winter and cool in the summer…’

Argh! This Third Young Master Zhou was so busy. At the start of spring, he was so busy that his feet barely touched the ground. Not only was he establishing the workshops but he was also planning on opening a Zhenxiu Restaurant in the capital. He travelled constantly between the capital and Tanggu Town, and no one ever knew exactly where he was. Xiaocao had actually wanted to ask him for help but she could never find him!

Luckily, the house had been restored and it didn’t take more than a few taels to do it. Yu Hai felt deep gratitude in his heart for the villagers who had helped them. Thus, when they were preparing for the party, he made sure to get some good food to thank them.

When Hunter Zhao heard that Yu Hai only received two taels after splitting from the family, he felt both angry and guilty at the same time. In order to save him, Yu Hai had almost died to the bear’s fangs. After killing the bear and selling it, he gave the Yu Family three hundred taels and said it was for Brother Yu Hai’s medical fees. However, he had never thought that Yu Hai’s callous father and ruthless stepmother would funnel the money Yu Hai had sacrificed life and limb for into their own pockets.

In a rage, Hunter Zhao wanted to find Old Yu and giving him a talking to, but Yu Hai stopped him. Yu Hai said the three hundred taels were considered repayment for all of the years Madam Zhang spent raising and nurturing him.   Zhao Bufan felt deeply guilty towards his Brother Yu Hai and often gave them some game to strengthen Yu Hai’s body. In addition, he and his son enthusiastically worked on their new house. For the upcoming banquet, he also especially entered the mountain and caught more than ten pheasants and hares for them.

Yu Hai didn’t decline his gift and also bought fifty chicken eggs from their close neighbor, the Zhou Family. At the town market, he bought about ten catties of meat. At the end of winter and beginning of spring, there were not any green vegetables for sale. However, each and every family stored plenty of white radishes and cabbages in their cellars. Furthermore, most also had the dried vegetables from autumn. Families with a good relationship with them had also sent some, and Madam Liu also went to the market and bought some.

Madam Yao had heard that her daughter was giving a party for the villages and was afraid she had more work than she could deal with alone. Thus, on that day, she brought over her eldest daughter-in-law to help. Her daughter’s courtyard was large and spacious with tall, lofty walls surrounding it. The three-room residence spanned from north to south, and the inside of the rooms were sparsely decorated and seemed empty and desolate. However, for a family of six, the house did not seem overly crowded.

Little Shitou pulled on his grandmother’s hand and enthusiastically toured the house for her, such as: which room was his parents’ room, which room were for his sisters, and which room was for him and his oldest brother...He even brought her to the shed for firewood and kitchen. One by one, he dutifully showed them all for Madam Yao to see.

“Tonight Grandmother and Eldest Aunt will be living in this room, which is usually for older brother and me. I’ll be sleeping with mother and father!” Little Shitou’s eldest brother, Yu Hang, was still an apprentice at the carpentry shop and seldom came home. The owner of the carpentry shop was not a reasonable man. He had only let Yu Hang off for half a day when their father got injured, and he was only given a day to help with constructing their new house. At that time, it was obvious he had gotten much thinner.

His older brother wasn’t at home, so in order to save on firewood, Little Shitou slept on the same kang bed as Yu Hai and Madam Liu. However, to show off that he also had his own room, he deliberately said it like this.

On this day at dawn, Yu Xiaocao had followed Madam Liu in starting the work early. The previous two days, she had written the menu. The non-vegetarian dishes were: braised rabbit meat, sauteed spicy chicken pieces, Chinese cabbage stir-fried with meat, stewed white radish with pork, and scrambled eggs.

The vegetarian dishes were: pan-fried turnip cake, stir-fried daikon, deep fried radish balls, lightly pickled sweet and sour radish, spicy stir-fried Chinese cabbage, stewed tofu and cabbage , dry stir-fried Chinese cabbage, and sauteed assorted pickled vegetables.

Chapter 68 - A Better Move

A dense and flavorful pork bone soup was made by gently simmering pork bones an entire night. The staple food for the banquet was steamed rolls made from a mix of wheat and millet flour.

Every table had eight vegetarian dishes, four meat dishes, and a tureen of the rich soup. Out of all the banquets that had occurred in the village, this feast was considered one of the best. In addition, some of the dishes had never been tasted by any of the villagers before. Although the raw ingredients were simple, they were prepared in a way that was exceptionally refreshing and delicious. Everyone who ate at the banquet praised the food endlessly.

Some of the married women who had a good relationship with Madam Liu surreptitiously asked her how she managed to make so many different and delicious types of dishes using just radishes and cabbages. Madam Liu gazed fondly at her daughter and replied with pride, “Most of these dishes were thought up by Cao’er. She told me and Eldest Sister-in-law what to do.”

All of the villagers were familiar with the story of Madam Liu’s second daughter, Yu Xiaocao. After getting knocked unconscious the past summer, she had forgotten a lot of things. However, none of them would have expected that she would become more clever and lively despite losing most of her memories. In addition, she had a natural gift and talent at cooking. They couldn't help but praise her over and over.

Madam Li had appeared right when the food was ready to be set out. Jealousy surged into her as she inspected the completely new old residence and she remarked in a sour tone, “We’re not as fortunate as second sister-in-law. Your whole family occupies an entire courtyard and gets to live in a giant house.”’

The kitchen bustled with activity. Several of Madam Liu’s friends from the village had come over earlier to help. Despite Madam Zhang’s disapproval, Yu Caidie had also come over to help wash the vegetables and set the tables, and was cheerfully busy.

Madam Li, on the other hand, didn’t even help them to bring out the food. Instead, she pulled her son to a table and sat heavily down. When they were eating, they gobbled down the food as if they had been starving for a long time. Madam Li’s chopsticks flew at light speed and quickly snatched away prime mouthfuls of meat and vegetables into her and her son’s bowls. Their tablemates could only watch her with disapproval and shake their heads.

A total of ten tables were at the banquet. Madam Liu had prepared more than enough food for it and there were plenty of leftovers for each dish. After Madam Li ate and drank to her fill, she didn’t leave immediately and lazed in the courtyard under the sun. Generally speaking, the leftovers were given to the people who had helped prepare the food and everyone would get a share to go home.

Madam Li balked the tradition and didn’t help to either prepare or clean up the food. Instead, when it was time to dole out the leftovers, she brazenly squeezed in and said, “Ah, Second Sister-in-law, you guys can’t possibly finish all of this leftover food. Give me some to bring home so Mother and Third Brother-in-law can try your culinary talent…”

“Dashan’s wife, it’s not like you haven’t tried her food before you guys split off. Did you miss her cooking so much after just a few days?”

The next door neighbor to the Yu Family, the wife of Hai Xing, was a quick-witted woman and had a relatively good relationship with Madam Liu. The two of them often gathered firewood and cut fishwort together. From time to time, she would also ask Madam Liu’s advice on embroidery. At this time, she was obviously satirizing Madam Li.

Madam Li pretended not to hear her and grabbed an already cleaned basin and started to fill it with food. She specifically chose the dishes that had meat, such as the rabbit meat and chicken pieces. In the end, almost half of the meat-containing dishes had gone to her. The amount of food in the basin was piled into a small mountain. She avariciously looked at the soup pot and reluctantly left, her fleshy waist swaying as she walked.

When Heizi heard his mother calling for him, he scuttled out from the rear courtyard. In his hands was a small pheasant whose wings were bound together. He shamelessly said, “Second Aunt, your rear court still has two hares and a pheasant, give one to me to bring home, ok. I haven’t tasted meat for more than a month!”

Yu Xiaocao almost wanted to laugh out of fury, ‘Who was the person who took almost half of the chicken dish? Also, did the hare and chicken meat disappear down some other person’s stomach?’

Madam Liu was well familiar with this mother-son pair’s temperaments and didn’t want to bother with those two. She only wanted these two demons to leave faster. All of the other women who helped could only shake their heads in disbelief. Yu Hai had an injured leg, Madam Liu couldn’t do heavy work, and their children were still small. As the eldest sister-in-law, Madam Li didn’t even help them and only came to take things from them. Madam Liu was quite unlucky to have relatives like her.

After sending off a couple people who had helped, Madam Yao could tell it was getting late by the color of the sky. She also left with her eldest daughter-in-law. That night, Yu Xiaocao and her two other siblings squeezed onto their parents’ kang bed. The five of them were counting their expenses together.

“Although the construction of the house didn’t require us to spend much money for the labor, but when you add on the materials and furniture we bought, we spent around five taels. Building a house is tiring. Even though everyone brought their own food, Xiaocao had proposed we give each of them a steamed roll and a bowl of porridge at lunch. The steamed rolls were made with a combination of wheat flour and millet flour or sweet potato powder. Buying all of those grains cost another tael.” When the house was getting built, Yu Hai’s leg was still injured, so he spent his days recuperating at the main residence. Madam Liu was telling him their expenses right now.

Yu Hai ruffled Xiaocao’s hair and smiled, “Cao’er did the right thing. Although we don’t have a lot of money, we can’t let other people starve when they’re helping us out. Most villagers don’t get to eat much. In the morning they’ll probably have some mixed grain flatbread which is not enough to last until noon, so it is necessary we add a meal for them. I heard Older Brother Li complimenting our family for being sincere and honest as our rolls all contained half wheat flour. He said he always brought an extra flat cake made from bean flour as he couldn’t bear to eat our steamed roll. Instead, he would bring the roll back for his children to eat to their heart’s content!”

Dongshan Village was a small fishing village next to the sea. Most of the villages relied on fishing to make a living. The surrounding land was mostly sandy and only a limited variety of crops could be grown there. The majority of families only ate bean flour, sweet potato starch, and millet flour as their source of carbohydrates. It was only during the New Year celebrations that they would be willing to buy some wheat flour to eat. Thus, even a steamed roll that was composed of half wheat flour was considered something delicious to eat in the villagers’ eyes.

Madam Liu looked at her second daughter who was becoming more and more clever and witty with every passing day. She smiled and continued, “Most of the ingredients for today’s banquet was given to us by Older Brother Zhao. As for the pork, we spent about three hundred copper coins, if we add the amount we spent on grain and vegetables, about one tael was spent in total. Originally we had twelve taels on hand and now we have around five taels left.”

Yu Hai thought for a bit and then said, “Your mother’s family doesn’t have an easy life and still gave us ten taels after borrowing from others left and right. We definitely cannot let your parents carry debt for us. We should find someone tomorrow to bring the remaining five taels back to your mother. It’s okay if we our lives are a little harder, but we cannot be a dead weight on your whole maternal family.”

This was what being a family meant. When someone was in need, the others would spare no effort to help. Everyone worked together and was concerned about each other…

Xiaocao could feel the warmth of having a family. Although she lived in poverty, she wasn’t alone in the struggle. She still had her father, mother, and all her other siblings.   She smiled brilliantly and shifted to her father’s side to lift up the quilt covering his leg and said, “It’s time to massage your leg. Father, please receive your daughter’s loving, filial care!”

The wound on his leg was healing very quickly, and the vast majority of the scabs that had formed had already fallen off. A few days ago, Yu Xiaocao went with him to town to the Tongren Medicine Hall for a checkup to see Doctor Sun who had previously told them there was nothing he could do. An expression of awe was on the doctor’s rosy face, and the old man was excited and exclaimed continuously over this phenomenon.

Even if they were in the modern times, this would also be considered a medical miracle. His calf had been shattered, and there wasn’t a single piece of flesh on his leg that wasn’t torn into pieces. A huge hole had been clawed into his back such that one could almost see his internal organs peeking out. Yu Hai had fallen unconscious due to such a serious wound on his leg. The fact that he was still standing and alive without the help of modern medical equipment and medications was incredible. If this wasn’t a miracle, then what was?

At this time, Doctor Sun was amazed and could only say that his innate constitution was very good and that he must have had a very strong desire to live. He must have also had a god taking care of him.

After inspecting his leg and back wound, he palpated Yu Hai’s pulse again. After confirming he had no issues, Doctor Sun said, “You don’t need to take medication anymore. The injuries to your tendons and veins on your leg are very serious. The leg should be massaged frequently. I can’t say for sure but he might be able to walk without crutches in the future.”

At that time, Yu Xiaocao had asked Doctor Sun for guidance on massage techniques and made sure to note them down carefully. Since then, she used the massage times as an opportunity to use the little divine stone to rub her father’s leg injury. She made the stone use its spiritual energy to slowly heal the fractured, injured tendons and vessels.

The multi-colored stone on her wrist seemed to inadvertently slide on the dense scars that criss-crossed over the leg as she massaged the limb. Only Xiaocao could see the faint golden streams of light slowly flowing into the leg’s arteries and veins.

All Yu Hai could sense was that wherever his daughter’s little hands massaged his leg, a feeling of comforting warmth would follow. The aches and pains on his leg slowly disappeared and he drowsily closed his eyes. Under his daughter’s massage, he comfortably fell asleep...

“Cao’er, you must be tired. Teach mother how to massage and in the future I’ll do it.” Madam Liu saw her daughter shaking out her sore hands afterwards and felt bad.

Xiaocao shook her head and said, “Mother, this is my chance to show my respect and filial piety to Father. Don’t stop me. Xiaolian had also asked me many times to teach her, but I refused! Father and Mother treat me so well and took on a lot of burdens for me. It’s right and proper that I help Father massage his leg.”

After working hard for a whole day, the entire family fell asleep at an early time. Yu Xiaocao lay quietly on the toasty kang bed. Under her was a layer of rice straw and the blanket covering her had hard cotton lumps with patches all interconnected to each other. Despite that, it was still more warm and comfortable than the shabby old kang bed that the entire family had to squeeze onto in their old home.

After she was sure Xiaolian, who was next to her, had fallen into a deep sleep, Xiaocao raised her left wrist and quietly spoke to the little divine stone, “Little Glutinous Dumpling, Little Glutinous Dumpling…

[If you keep calling me by that name, I will stop responding to you!] A faint golden light came up and slowly formed into a small golden kitten with a large head and pointy ears. The little fellow stared indignantly at Xiaocao with its large and round eyes.

Yu Xiaocao used a fingertip to poke at the little fellow’s smooth and slippery head and grinned, “Okay, okay! I won’t call you Little Glutinous Dumpling then, but what should I call you by? How about I give you a new name then, hmmm… like Little Baldy, how’s that?”

The golden little ball beat its wings to doge Xiaocao’s finger and raged, [In the future when I materialize myself, I will be female. ‘Little Baldy’ is seriously such a bad name. This divine stone already has a name that was given to me by the Goddess Nuwa. It’s called ‘Circle’, now doesn’t that sound nice?]

“Pffft——circle? Then I’m a square! I still don’t think it’s as good as Little Glutinous Dumpling. That name describes your round figure very well and sounds cute to boot! So we’ve decided on it, in the future, I’ll call you Little Glutinous Dumpling. Complaining about it will have no effect!” Yu Xiaocao forcefully gave the little divine stone a name.

“Little Glutinous Dumpling, in your opinion, how much longer until my father’s leg gets better? Do you think he can walk like normal then?” Yu Xiaocao asked with a little bit of worry in her tone. For the past few days, although her father had always pasted a smile on his face when he was in front of them, but she could tell that there was a faint outline of loneliness in that smile.

Her father had previously been a high-spirited and optimistic man. He was good at fishing, hunting, and could even make some simple bamboo tools. If he was doomed to using crutches for the rest of his life, she would bet that would make him extremely depressed…

Chapter 69 - Expansion of Resources

Little Divine Stone hadn’t planned on paying attention to her, but when it felt her faint feelings of sadness, it proudly opened its mouth, [You actually don’t trust me, this divine stone! Let me tell you, my powers have improved a lot recently. I can already turn into a physical form. As long as I, this celestial stone, help him clear his meridians [1] and circulate his vital energy every day, he will definitely be able to walk within half a month. But, he did suffer a serious injury after all, so he might walk with a limp.]

Yu Xiaocao was completely relieved now. She excitedly hugged the little golden kitten and kissed it a few times, and then said, [You can turn into a physical form? Doesn’t that mean that your powers have improved quite a lot? That’s great, Little Glutinous Dumpling. You’re seriously my lucky star! Thank you so much!]

The little divine stone felt slightly shy and awkwardly exclaimed, [Go away, go away! I want to transform into a girl in the future. You lesbian…]

“Ha-ha…” Seeing the little kitten being shy, Yu Xiaocao couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“Youngest Sister, what’s wrong?” Xiaolian, who was beside her, was startled awake. She rubbed her eyes and asked with sleepy eyes.

“No… Nothing!” Xiaocao quickly put away the multicolored stone and stuffed the little golden kitten into her blanket. She pretended as if she had just woken up and said, “I had a dream and woke up laughing…”

“What kind of good dream did you have to be so happy?” Xiaolian flipped over and lay on the bed facing her.

Yu Xiaocao hastily closed her eyes as if she was very sleepy and replied, “I don’t remember…”

She was afraid that Xiaolian would continue asking, so she deliberately slowed down her breathing and pretended to sleep. She didn’t know when, but she really ended up falling asleep as she pretended…

After they sent the five taels over, they didn’t have much money left at home. They couldn’t plant the three acres of sweet potatoes until May and it would take over half a year until they could harvest them. How was their family going to survive during the half a year?

Xiaocao carefully calculated their family’s resources. In the kitchen, besides the two wild hares that were left over from the banquet, there were still five cabbages and a few radishes. They had about two catties of wheat flour and four or five catties of millet flour. Sweet potato flour was the thing that they had the most of, but there were only less than ten catties left. In the backyard cellar, they had a little over a hundred catties of sweet potatoes that her maternal grandmother gave them. If they lived frugally, they could last for a little over a month.

They only had forty-something copper coins left at home. They were reluctant to eat the two hares, so they took them to the town market and sold them for more than two hundred copper coins.

The winter blizzard had become a disaster. Even though the government had stabilized prices, the common folks still lived a tight and frugal life.

Yu Xiaocao had learned that the prices in early spring were much higher than when she first transmigrated here. The prices in the grain shop was a good example. Coarse grains, such as millet flour and sweet potato flour, used to be two copper coins a catty, but it cost three or four copper coins now. Refined flour, which cost five copper coins per catty last year, cost at least eight copper coins now. Of course, the price for white rice was even higher. It had risen to fifteen copper coins per catty at its peak. It cost thirty copper coins a catty for pork right now, while the price for eggs had also risen quite a lot.

They only had two hundred sixty copper coins left. Their family would probably consume at least one hundred catties of grain per month, so after making a rough calculation, they didn’t even have enough money to buy coarse grain. Ay… No wonder most of the villagers couldn’t eat wheat flour throughout the year!

In her opinion, being frugal wasn’t enough. They needed to expand their sources of income!

Madam Liu also understood the fact that they couldn’t just sit idly while eating away all their resources, so she found a job in town to help people wash their clothes. She had to go once every three days. She went out early in the morning and returned at around three to five in the afternoon. She earned fifteen copper coins each time she worked. In the early spring, the weather was still relatively cold in the northern regions. Madam Liu’s hands were red and swollen due to prolonged exposure to the cold water. Yu Xiaocao’s heart ached when she saw the bloody cuts on her mother’s fingers.

Every day when Madam Liu came back, Yu Xiaocao would help her mother warm her hands and feet with boiled water that the divine stone had soaked in. With the mystic-stone water’s nourishment, the frostbitten areas on Madam Liu’s hands were healed in a few days. The calluses on her hands had also disappeared. Her hands had become so fair and delicate that she didn’t need to worry about accidentally scraping the threads when she did embroidery anymore.

When their mother went to work, Yu Xiaolian took on all housework at home. As if she was a little housekeeper, she gathered firewood, cooked, washed clothes, and also cleaned the yard. When she was free, she would sit under the warm sun and embroider purses and handkerchiefs to help support the family.

Yu Xiaolian’s embroidery skills were nearly on par with Madam Liu’s. However, before they had split from the Yu Family, she was too busy and didn’t have any time to sew.

Yu Xiaocao seriously admired this young eight year old girl. In her previous life, Xiaolian would have just been a second grader in elementary school. However, she had shouldered most of her family’s burdens on her weak shoulders.

In fact, Xiaocao should call her ‘older sister’. But even when the original host was still alive, she had never called her in that way. The reason was that, when Madam Liu gave birth, they hadn’t expected that she would give birth to twins. During the confusion, the midwife had mixed them up and didn’t know who the older and younger sister was.

Later, due to Xiaocao’s weak constitution, Xiaolian, who was more sensible, always took care of her and protected her. Thus, the family began calling Xiaolian ‘the eldest daughter’ and Xiaocao naturally became the younger one.

However, Xiaocao had always felt that she was the older one and was unwilling to call Xiaolian ‘older sister. Their family decided to just let her be and didn’t correct her…

The renovated old residence had a large courtyard with at least half an acre of land. There was a small entrance in the backyard that led to the pond behind the house. During the late winter and early spring, there was little rain and the water level of the pond was low. There were also plenty of fertile, empty land beside the pond. So, Xiaocao made plans to use the vacant space in front and behind their house.

In modern times, there was greenhouse farming, so most vegetables weren’t limited to certain seasons. People could buy whatever vegetables they wanted to eat in the supermarkets throughout the year. However, in ancient times, late winter and early spring was the time when the new crop of vegetables wasn’t ripe yet. Even if people wanted to eat greens and had the money to buy them, it probably wasn’t even available anywhere. If someone could grow fresh greens at this time, they could definitely sell them for a good price.

Due to the restrictions of her living conditions, Xiaocao definitely wouldn’t be able to make a big greenhouse and brooder, but she also didn’t plan on doing so. She was almost certain that the emperor had also transmigrated here, just like her. So, she didn’t want to do anything out of the ordinary. She had made up her mind to ‘silently make a fortune’!

However, she could first use the indoor temperature to grow the vegetable seedlings, and then transfer them to the yard when the weather became warmer. In this way, they would certainly be able to sell the vegetables in the market earlier then if they planted them during early spring.

Just as Xiaocao was enthusiastically considering the type of soil she should use to fertilize the seeds with, the Little Divine Stone muttered beside her ears, [Why go through so much trouble? You can just soak the seeds in this divine stone’s bathing water. Not only will they become resistant to the cold and pests, but it can also reduce the ripening time of vegetables…]

Yu Xiaocao felt elated inwardly when she heard its words. She held Little Glutinous Dumpling’s tiny body and kissed it fervently, which provoked the little divine stone to repeatedly protest against her action.

Right now, the little divine stone had already transformed into the form of a little kitten and became a part of the family. As for the origin of the little fellow, Yu Xiaocao’s explanation was that she had found it at the foot of the mountain when she went to gather firewood. Seeing that the little kitten was about to freeze to death, she kindheartedly brought it back.

The whole family readily accepted the proud golden kitten, and thus Little Divine Stone became the second popular pet of the family after the little roe deer.

But, the little divine stone didn’t care about anyone else except for its master, Yu Xiaocao. Its favorite thing to do every day was to lie down on its master’s fluffy head and sleep. From afar, it looked as if Xiaocao was wearing a golden headdress.

Yu Xiaocao was overjoyed when she found out that Little Divine Stone could enhance the quality of the seeds, “Little Glutinous Dumpling, you’re seriously my big lucky star! I’ll go plow the field immediately…”

Under her father and Xiaolian’s questioning gaze, Yu Xiaocao took a hoe and went to plow the land.

Little Glutinous Dumpling paced leisurely around her feet and spoke in a voice that only Xiaocao could hear, [If it wasn’t because of the fact that helping you can help me lift the shackles placed by the Goddess of Spirits, I wouldn’t have bothered to help you! Not only do I have to help treat your father’s leg at night, but also soak the seeds. I need to replenish my spiritual energy, so I strongly demand that you throw me into the water vat…]

Frequent contact with water would be helpful for the restoration of its powers. Xiaocao would usually just let it bathe inside a pot, but it had long been interested in the water vat in the yard.

Yu Xiaocao eventually surrendered to its Monk Xuanzang-like [2] naggings. She took off the multicolored stone bracelet from her wrist and threw it into the water vat. The little golden kitten gracefully jumped onto the water vat and sat on the edge of the vat, wagging its tail. Little Shitou couldn’t help but worry that the little fellow would accidentally fall into the tank. Since then, all the water, even for washing vegetables and clothes, used by Xiaocao’s family were mystic-stone water.

“What are you guys doing?” Madam Liu, who had returned from work with hands reddened from the cold, curiously asked when she saw Yu Hai and the three siblings kneeling in the yard and excitedly turning over the soil.

Yu Hai could walk a few steps without his crutches now. He was in a good mood, so when his second daughter suggested that they plow the field and grow vegetables, he went to help without any hesitation. He pulled out the grass root from the plowed land and threw them aside. Then he lifted his head and said, “Cao’er is planning on planting various vegetables in the front and back yard. In the future, our family won’t have to worry about not having anything to eat. Our daughter is so competent!”

Madam Liu was annoyed and amused at the same time, so she replied, “Of course we need to grow vegetables, but it’s only February. The water in the tank still freezes up in the evening. It’s not like we’re in a hurry sow the seeds, so why are you guys rushing to plow the land?”

“We have nothing to do anyways so we might as well work on the field first!” In terms of pampering children, no one would dare to take first place even if Yu Hai identified himself as second. He had always done his best to fulfill all the requests made by his children, let alone a proper matter like plowing the field and growing vegetables.

Madam Liu couldn’t win over them, so she also rolled up her sleeves and joined in. By evening, the front yard’s half an acre of land had all been turned over, leaving only a small path to walk in the center.

In the evening, Xiaocao asked Madam Liu for the seeds that her maternal grandmother had sent over. Madam Liu looked at her and asked, “Cao’er, are you planning to grow the vegetables right now? It’s not time yet. If you sow the seeds now, it won’t sprout at all and the seeds will be wasted in vain.”

“Mother, the God of Fortune came to enlighten me again last night. He taught me a method to keep the vegetable field warm. Think about it. When other people’s vegetables have just sprouted, we can already sell ours. The town folks have already eaten radishes and cabbages for the entire winter, so they will definitely buy them despite the high price!” Xiaocao, who was mentally a modern person, knew better than anyone else about the principle of ‘hoarding a rare commodity and selling it at a high price’.

[1] Meridian (经络) - (in acupuncture and Chinese medicine) each of a set of pathways in the body along which vital energy is said to flow. There are twelve such pathways associated with specific organs.

[2] Monk Xuanzang aka Tang Seng (唐僧) – the monk from Journey to the West, who is the master of the Monkey King and co.; known to be strict and persistent in his beliefs and morals; often used to describe people who nags a lot

Chapter 70 - Growing Vegetables

Yu Hai’s eyes lit up and was the first to understand, “Do you really know a way to grow vegetables at this time?”

Yu Xiaocao patted her chest and vouched for herself, “I can guarantee that there’s absolutely no problem! Father, Mother, you can rest assured!”

On the next day, Xiaocao spent twenty copper coins to buy two ox carts of straw from a villager who came from a village with more farmlands. She personally taught Yu Hai and Madam Liu how to weave a straw thatch. Although Little Divine Stone had promised that the vegetable seeds that were soaked in the mystic-stone water would definitely be able to overcome the severe cold of early spring, Yu Xiaocao was still worried. Straw thatches were widely used in greenhouse farming in her previous life to keep the vegetables warm. It was better to be prepared than to feel sorry later!

With the help of the skeptical Madam Liu, Xiaocao scattered the seeds that she had soaked last night in the plowed field. In the half an acre of land in the front yard, they planted vegetables with relatively shorter growth periods, such as bok choy, spinach, and mustard greens. They strived to earn their first bucket of gold by taking advantage of the fact that other people hadn’t planted their vegetables yet.

After sowing the seeds, Madam Liu took Xiaolian to loosen the land in the backyard. Madam Mao, who was tending the ducks by the pond, saw them and reminded them, “You’re turning up the soil so early? It’s not suitable to grow crops beside the pond. The water level will rise during the rainy season of late spring, so they will drown in the flood.”

Madam Mao had a sharp tongue, but she didn’t have bad intentions. Madam Liu smiled at her and said, “We’re preparing to grow some bok choy and mustard greens, and then harvest them before the water level rises.”

Madam Mao nodded and said, “Then you should enclose the field with a fence. We usually breed our ducks in the pond, so if they ate your vegetables, I’m not going to compensate you!”

As expected, Madam Mao spoke in an unlikeable manner. She was obviously reminding them out of kindness, but why did she have to say it in such an annoying manner?

Madam Liu smiled good-naturedly and said, “Thank you for reminding us, Madam Mao. I’ll set up the fence tomorrow.”

By evening, Xiaocao and her father had complied more than ten straw thatches after working for the entire afternoon. Yu Hai had woven mats before. A straw thatch was easier to weave than a summer sleeping mat since he didn’t need to be too meticulous. He learned very quickly and had even woven two more thatches than Xiaocao.

Xiaocao and Madam Liu spread the straw thatches over the vegetable fields, as if they were covering the field with a blanket. Little Shitou, who had also helped a lot, asked with slight concern, “Second Sister, can we keep the vegetables warm like this?”

Xiaocao caressed his little head and laughed, “Don’t you feel warmer when you cover yourself with a blanket in the winter? It’s the same logic. The ground absorbs the heat from the sun at noon, so when we cover it with the thatches, the heat won’t dissipate during the evening. Thus, the vegetables won’t be afraid of the cold now.”

The little fellow nodded in realization and exclaimed, “So we’re covering the vegetable fields with blankets! But, won’t the areas without the straw thatches be freezing?”

“It’s okay. The seeds were just scattered and haven’t sprouted yet, so it won’t be cold. We’ll make more straw thatches tomorrow, and then cover all the fields with blankets so that the veggie will swiftly sprout and grow up!”

Xiaocao vaguely remembered her younger brother of her previous life when she looked at the six year old Little Shitou. When her younger brother was the same age as Little Shitou, he wasn’t as obedient and clever. Her parents were still alive at that time, so as the only son in the family, he would act like a spoiled child in their mother’s arms…

It took them three days to cultivate all the lands in the front and back yards. When the water level increased, a lot of black mud would accumulate on the land beside the pond. After cultivating the soil, it would be a good fertile field. Unfortunately, there was a lot of rainfall every year at the end of June. The water in the pond would also rise, so they couldn’t grow crops that had a long growth period.

With four months to go before the rise of the water level, Xiaocao planted crops with around two or three months of growth period on the land beside the pond, which had about one acre of land. So, winter melon, string beans, eggplant, and kidney beans were planted beside the pond. In the backyard, she planted chives, cucumbers, garlic, and chili pepper. There were also sponge gourds and pumpkins on the edge of the fence.

The whole family worked overtime for exactly three days before they finished making all the straw thatches that they needed for the vegetable garden. Little Shitou had also woven several smaller thatches. Although the density and thickness weren’t as good, they were still useable.

During these past few days, the meals at home were just coarse grain pancakes and bean paste soup. For vegetable, they only had cabbage, radishes, and pickled vegetables. They had to carefully chew the coarse grain pancakes because the pancakes might scrape their throats when swallowing. The bean paste soup also had a strong bean smell. If they weren’t hungry, they seriously wouldn’t be able to eat them at all. Boiled vegetables that lacked oil and seasonings really gave Xiaocao a headache during mealtime.

With the current living conditions of Xiaocao’s family, even with such meals, they still needed to carefully ration their meals for fear of using too much food. If their current food supply wasn’t enough to support them until they could harvest the vegetables, their whole family might have to starve.

Apart from washing clothes every three days, Madam Liu also got sewing jobs from an embroidery shop. So, she burned the midnight oil every day to work on her needlework. Yu Hai asked Hunter Zhao, who lived at the foot of the West Mountains, to help him cut down some bamboo and bring them back for him. He made bamboo baskets and hampers, and then put them up for sale in the general store in town.

Xiaocao become idle after she finished planting the vegetables in early spring. Xiaolian had took on all the housework at home and didn’t let her interfere. Little Shitou followed the youngest son of the Qian Family from next door, going up mountains and exploring the river. However, he wasn’t just purely playing and would bring back some eggs at times. He would also tactfully bring back two bundles of firewood every day.

Qian Wu, who was the youngest son of the Qian Family’s Madam Mao, was eight years old. His personality was very different from his older brother, Qian Wen, who was interested in studying. He was very active and usually wouldn’t go home until mealtime every day. The shouts of his mother, Madam Mao, calling him to come home to eat could be frequently heard, “Little Wuzi, where are you horsing around again? Come home to eat…”

Madam Mao’s two sons were quite different in character. One was quiet, while the other was active. The older son, Qian Wen, was a bookworm who carried a book wherever he went. Sometimes he would be so focused on reading that he would walk into a tree without even knowing. Xiaocao had once seen him reading while walking, and then accidentally falling into a ditch. Fortunately, there wasn’t any water in the ditch at that time. Otherwise, that idiot would have been freezing.

On this day, Xiaocao carried a basket and took a shovel to see if there were any wild herbs to dig up nearby. Based on her knowledge, wild shepherd’s purse should be out during this time of the year. In her previous life, she really liked to dig shepherd’s purse and make soup or steamed stuffed buns, which tasted very delicious.

Along the path in front of the door and all the way to the West Mountains, Little Shitou cheerfully skipped behind her. He was very delighted inwardly: ‘Second Sister said she was going to make shepherd’s purse stuffed buns for me. Everything Second Sister made was of high quality and bound to be delicious. Although it wasn’t the season for digging wild herbs, it was good for Second Sister’s health to come out for a walk.’

Little Shitou had refused Qian Wu’s tempting invitation to go dig out bird’s eggs in the mountains and volunteered to serve as his second sister’s bodyguard. As long as they didn’t go deep into the West Mountains, it wouldn’t be dangerous. He was just afraid that his second sister, who rarely left home, wouldn’t be able to find the way home.

Qian Wen, who was staying at home during his break from school, leisurely walked out of his house with a book in hand. Little Shitou warmly greeted him, “Brother Xiaowen, are you going to read in the mountains again?”

The Qian Family raised over a hundred ducks and they were very noisy all the time. Whenever Qian Wen came back during a break, he liked to go up in the mountains with a book and pick a quiet place to read. They hadn’t expected to meet him when going out today.

The eleven year old Qian Wen had a fair complexion and elegant features. He had refined manner and was a clean, handsome youth. Even though it was her second time seeing him, Xiaocao still felt that he was pleasing to the eyes.

Hearing his voice, Qian Wen raised his head and looked at Xiaocao and her younger brother. He greeted them with a smile, “Yes, I want to find a quiet place to read. What are you siblings doing?”

Little Shitou said, “Second Sister wanted to see if there’s any wild herbs. She wants to dig some up and make soup.”

Qian Wen glanced at Xiaocao, who he initially thought was Xiaolian. He had long heard that Uncle Dahai’s second daughter had a weak constitution and often ill. The doctor had said she wouldn’t live a long life ever since she was born. He had originally thought that she was a sick and listless little girl who wouldn’t even be able to get up from bed. However, seeing her today, she didn’t appear like a sick person at all. Although she was a little thin, she had rosy cheeks and walked energetically.

“You probably have to wait until March in order to gather wild herbs. At this time, the ice in the river hasn’t melted yet, so it’s not the time to pick wild herbs.” Qian Wen kindly reminded them.

Yu Xiaocao had a faint smile as she said, “It’s okay. I’m just looking for a chance to go out for a walk. You should get back to what you were doing. We don’t want to delay your reading.”

Qian Wen had heard from his gossipy mother about Uncle Dahai’s family splitting from the main family. If it hadn’t been for the help from his in-laws and the villagers, their house would probably still be rundown and filled with cracks! For them to come out to find wild vegetables at this time, there must be a lack of food at home.

Qian Wen touched the dry food that his mother gave him in case he got hungry while reading. It was a steamed bun that was made of wheat flour mixed with some millet flour. He began to speak, but ended up not saying anything.

After all, it was only his second time meeting the young girl. If he suddenly gave her a steamed bun for no reason, she would probably feel that he ‘gave her the food out of pity and contempt’. Forget it, he should just find opportunities to help her out in the future when they became more acquainted.

The weather was still quite cold during February. Yu Xiaocao couldn’t help but shiver when a gust of northeast wind blew. Her jacket was already old and worn-out. The old cotton inside were taken from her older brother’s old clothing, and then stuffed into his younger siblings’ jackets. Hence, the cotton was so stiff that they were almost packed together. It not only felt stiff and uncomfortable when worn, but it wasn’t very warm either. Why didn’t she think of buying some new cotton to stuff into their jackets when she had money?

Xiaocao blew on her hands, which felt painful due to the cold, with her warm breath. She carefully searched for the familiar plant along the edge of the roadside ditch. Little Shitou was full of energy as he skipped and ran the whole way. He saw his older sister shrink her neck as if she was very cold, so he held her hand with his warm little hand and said with a grin, “Second Sister, I’m filled with heat, so let me warm your hands!”

Xiaocao was so moved that she took him into her embrace and kissed him on his tender face. The little fellow’s face immediately turned red. Ancient people usually expressed their love in a more subtle way, so even his own parents hadn’t kissed him before.

Little Shitou shyly shook off his second sister’s hand and ran away quickly. Xiaocao ran behind him, but still couldn’t catch up to him even when she was panting for breath. However, her body had finally warmed up now.

“Wait a moment! Youngest Brother, I found the shepherd’s purse!” On the dry riverbank, there were small grayish-brown plants growing on the ground. The jagged leaves were exactly the wild shepherd’s purse that she knew of.

Little Shitou turned around, went to take a look, and said, “Second Sister, shepherd’s purse doesn’t look like that. Its leaf is green and long. It also has a white flower in the center.”

Chapter 71 - Cute Youngster

“You’re talking about another kind of shepherd’s purse, which grows in the grass and has pinnate leaves. This is the one that I’m looking for, which is a type of wild shepherd’s purse that grows in early spring. Though it doesn’t look very good, it’s actually very tasty. If you don’t believe, smell it.”

Xiaocao dug up a shepherd’s purse, which had leaves that were only two centimeters long, and delivered it to his nose for him to smell it. Sure enough, there was a refreshing scent of wild herbs.

“But this kind of shepherd’s purse is so small…” With his butt sticking out and humming, Little Shitou also squatted down and dug for wild herbs.

There were a lot of shepherd’s purse in this area. It seemed like in a few months there would be a bed of white flowers. Yu Xiaocao picked the bigger ones and dug without stopping as she laughed, “We came a little early. They will be bigger in a few more days. The biggest ones have leaves that are three to six centimeters long! Don’t dig out the smaller ones. Let’s wait until they grow bigger.”

Along the edge of the ditch, the siblings kept searching as they dug. The shepherd’s purse on the bank facing the sun had sprouted earlier, so their leaves were evidently larger.

The warm spring sun gradually rose. Xiaocao and her younger brother basked in the warm sunshine while harvesting the first batch of wild herbs of the early spring.

At the foot of the mountains, Qian Wen, who had decided to sit on a rock, seemed to have lost interest in his book. Hearing the joyful cries of Little Shitou from afar, he raised his head from time to time and looked towards the two thin figures who were dozens of meters away. His heart could no longer remain calm.

He simply rolled up his book, stuffed it into his arms, and then walked towards the direction of the siblings. The sister-brother pair were so absorbed in their task that they didn’t even notice him approaching.

Yu Xiaocao squatted and moved forward step by step, while she was busily working with a shovel in her hands. Qian Wen moved closer and wondered: ‘Are there really wild herbs during this time of year?’

Suddenly, Xiaocao saw a large region of big shepherd’s purse in front, so she screamed with delight and jumped up happily. However, she didn’t notice Qian Wen, who was approaching from behind, and bumped right into his chin with the back of her head.

Holding her own head, Xiaocao turned around to see Qian Wen also clutching his chin with a painful expression on his face. She felt somewhat embarrassed and apologized, “Sorry, I didn’t notice that you were behind me. Does it hurt a lot?”

When Qian Wen was hit, he had accidentally bitten the tip of his tongue, which caused tears to pool up in his eyes. So, he hastily opened his eyes wide and looked towards the sky. He was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to control his tears and let the young girl see him crying.

It originally wasn’t Xiaocao’s fault, so he gracefully replied, “It was my fault. I shouldn’t have got so close.” He kept sucking in the cool air because of the injury on his tongue. As a result, his voice sounded muffled and he had a slightly distorted expression on his face.

Yu Xiaocao chuckled and said, “Neither of us did it intentionally, so no one has to apologize for it. Did we bother your reading? After we finish digging around this area, I’ll take Little Shitou somewhere a little farther…”

“No need, no need! I mainly came out to relax. My teacher said that there should be a proper balance between work and leisure when studying. I’ll help you dig for wild herbs.” Qian Wen lifted up his cotton-padded robe and squatted down, but then realized that he didn’t have a shovel.

Xiaocao shook her head at him, lowered her head to dig up the shepherd’s purse that she found earlier, and said, “No need. You should go back and continue reading. I will be at fault if you delay your studies.”

Qian Wen smiled and said, “My teacher said that one can’t just solely focus on reading when studying. The Analects of Confucius says: ‘For someone who can neither do physical work nor distinguish rice from wheat, how art thou considered a scholar’?” As he spoke, he took the shovel from Xiaocao’s hands and began digging the shepherd’s purse on the ground.

“Hey, hey! Be careful! You have to stick to the surface of the ground when shoveling. Otherwise, the leaves will break apart!” Seeing him clumsily digging the shepherd’s purse and destroying a few in the process, Yu Xiaocao felt distressed inwardly and reminded him.

Little Shitou ran over from a distance with a large batch of shepherd’s purse in the pocket of his jacket. Seeing that Qian Wen was using his sister’s shovel, he put the shepherd’s purse in the basket and handed his shovel to his older sister, and said, “Second Sister, you can use mine. I’m a fast runner, so I’ll go home to get another one.”

Just as he finished speaking, he had already sprinted away.

Yu Xiaocao crouched down and patiently demonstrated to Qian Wen several times. Qian Wen swiftly learned how to properly dig the wild herbs. The two of them squatted side by side on the edge of the ditch and silently dug the wild herbs. From time to time, they would quietly converse when one of them had dug a big one. There was a light sense of peace and harmony between them…

A moment later, Little Shitou returned with a shovel and was followed by a chirping Qian Wu. Qian Wu saw his older brother helping Xiaocao dig for shepherd’s purse instead of reading, so he curiously asked, “Older Brother, why are you here? Didn’t you go out to read?”

Qian Wen glanced at him and replied solemnly, “I’ve already finished reading. While working, I can recall the contents of the book, which is conducive to understanding and integration of the subject. Xiaowu, didn’t Mother ask you to tend the ducks? Did you sneak out again? You better watch out because Mother is going to beat you with a broomstick!”

Qian Wu was somewhat scared of his older brother, who was three years older than him and often acted like an elder. He shrunk his neck and said, “I already guided the ducks to the pond. They will look for food themselves. There’s nothing for me to do… Oh, right! Little Shitou, what’s with all the turfs behind your house?” Ah, he needed to quickly change the subject!

Yu Xiaocao looked at him with a smile and noticed that the little guy was completely different from his older brother. The older brother had a fair and clear complexion and a gentle and refined disposition. He also had delicate and fine features. The younger brother had darker skin with thick brows and big eyes. When he smiled, two small canine teeth could be seen. With a dignified and strong appearance, he looked very cute.

Little Shitou proudly straightened his back and said, “What turfs? They’re called straw thatches, which are made of wheat straw and rice straw. They’re used to keep the vegetable fields warm!”

“To keep the vegetable fields warm? Your family already planted the vegetables?” Qian Wen looked at Yu Xiaocao in surprise. He instinctively felt that she was the mastermind behind this idea.

Sure enough, Little Shitou answered proudly, “That’s right! The crops in the front yard had already been planted for three or four days. This morning, when I lifted the thatches to check, I noticed that the seeds have already sprouted tender buds! Isn’t my second sister amazing? She can come up with ideas that no one else knows!”

“Oh! They really sprouted? Even the water in the vat still freezes at night. Aren’t you afraid that they will freeze?” Qian Wu opened his eyes wide in amazement. In previous years, his family had always planted their seeds at the end of March. They had to wait until at least April or May in order to eat fresh vegetables.

After eating radish, cabbage, pickled vegetables, and soybean paste for the entire winter, Qian Wu felt that saliva swiftly flowed within his mouth when he thought of fresh and green vegetables.

“Does that mean that your family will be able to fresh vegetables soon?” Qian Wu felt extremely envious as he looked at Little Shitou.

However, Little Shitou shook his head and said, “We can’t eat it ourselves! We need to sell the vegetables in town for money. Second Sister said she’ll send me to the academy to study when we have enough money. Brother Xiaowen, if there’s anything that I don’t understand in the future, I’ll go ask you for help!”

Qian Wen couldn’t help but look at Xiaocao again when he thought about their current living conditions. Shitou’s family didn’t even have enough to eat at the moment, yet his older sister still made plans for her younger brother’s academic future.

Xiaocao didn’t have outstanding facial features. She had phoenix eyes, which were narrow and slanted slightly upwards. She had faint eyebrows and her nose wasn’t very tall. Her lips were fleshy, which didn’t meet the current aesthetic of having a small cherry-like mouth. However, the combination of these features on her palm-sized face made her appear very vivid and natural.

Sensing his gaze, Xiaocao replied with a faint smile. After that, with the addition of the Qian brothers, their speed when digging wild herbs increased tremendously.

Although Xiaocao had already transmigrated here for over half a year, she still hadn’t become accustomed to eating two meals a day. Noon had just passed, but her tummy had already begun rumbling in hunger. Xiaocao clasped her stomach, which was cramping slightly due to hunger, and her digging speed had also slowed down.

Qian Wen, who was closer to her, had inadvertently heard the sound. He touched the steamed bun within his embrace. After a short deliberation, he quietly moved closer to her as he continued to dig for the wild herbs. When he was about half a step away from her, he took out the steamed bun and swiftly stuffed it into her hands. After that, he stood up and quickly walked away.

Xiaocao looked at the cloth bag in her hands, and then looked at the young man’s slender back. She opened the bag and saw a steamed bun that was made of wheat flour. At present, few families in the village could afford eating this kind of steamed bun. Auntie Qian had probably specially prepared it for her son.

She wanted to give it back to him, but he had already walked far away. If she caught up to him, it would be unsightly to push back and forth over a steamed bun. Xiaocao briefly thought about it, and then rewrapped the steamed bun and put it under the shepherd’s purse in the basket. She decided to find a chance to give it back to him on the way back.

It wasn’t the season to dig for wild herbs and the shepherd’s purse seedlings hadn’t completely sprouted yet, so they had the advantage of not needing to share with others. After digging for more than half a day, the four of them had filled up two baskets. Both baskets were full and heavy.

Little Shitou and Qian Wu used a branch to lift it up and walked in front. Xiaocao bent down to pick up the other basket, but another hand grabbed it before her.

Qian Wen picked up the basket and smiled at Xiaocao. The shallow dimples on the side of his face were slightly visible as he said, “Let’s go…”

On the way back, they encountered Hunter Zhao’s son, Zhao Han. He was walking towards Xiaocao’s house with a pheasant in his hands.

Hunter Zhao’s family had moved to Dongshan Village thirty years ago. At that time, with the two year old Hunter Zhao, Hunter Zhao’s father had built a straw shed at the foot of the West Mountains and settled down. Their household registration wasn’t in Dongshan Village, so they naturally didn’t have any land. Fortunately, Grandpa Zhao was a skilled martial artist, so they were able to rely on hunting to make a living.

Fifteen years ago, Grandpa Zhao suddenly left for a period of time. When he returned, he told Zhao Bufan that he had selected a wife for him, who was Zhao Han’s mother. Madam Zheng had a gentle and graceful disposition. Moreover, her demeanor always revealed the upbringing of a young lady of a noble family. So everyone speculated that she might be the daughter of a fallen noble family. However, in Xiaocao’s opinion, Auntie Zhao had the agile and competence of a general’s daughter.

The young Zhao Han had also learned the skills that his family had passed down. Xiaocao had heard from her father that Grandpa Zhao would personally teach his son martial arts. Her father also mentioned that his skills had become more nimble after Hunter Zhao taught him a couple moves.

“Brother Han, did you just come back from hunting? How’s your harvest today?” Little Shitou dropped the basket in his hands and trotted towards him.

As a result of practicing martial arts for years, the thirteen year old Zhao Han was a lot taller than his peers. Based on a rough estimate, he looked to be over 1.7 meters tall. There was a healthy glow to his tan skin. He had a pair of long, straight eyebrows that were slanted upwards. His tiger-like eyes shone brightly from time to time. When compared to the fair and refined Qian Wen, who stood next to him, they each had their own merits. One was a scholar, while the other was a martial artist.

Chapter 72 - Steamed Stuffed Buns

Qian Wu also went up and poked the pheasant in his hands, and then said, “Older Brother Zhao Han, can you give me a few of this pheasant’s feathers? My younger sister is always pestering me to make a feathered shuttlecock for her…”

Little Shitou didn’t give him any face and laughed, “Weren’t you the one who boasted that you could catch pheasants? You have exaggerated so much that you don’t know how to fix it, right? So you’re asking for Brother Zhao Han’s help now…”

“You stinky rock [1]! Can’t you give your older brother some face? I’m two years older than you after all. Don’t you know that you need to respect the old and the wise!” Qian Wu cried angrily. The two little kids began to fight in jest again and appeared very lively.

“Father, we’re back!” Before Little Shitou entered the door, he had shouted excitedly as if he was afraid that others wouldn’t know about his ‘triumphant’ return.

Yu Hai, who was immersed in weaving bamboo baskets in the courtyard, heard the noise in front of the door and looked up in surprise, “Xiaowen, Xiaowu, Hanzi, why are you guys here? Xiaolian, quickly get seats for the guests…”

Qian Wen gently prevented Yu Hai from standing up and smiled, “Uncle Dahai, there’s no need. Xiaowu and I are going back now. Xiaocao, where should I put this basket of wild herbs?”

Xiaolian put down her embroidery and looked at the basket full of wild herbs in surprise. She exclaimed softly, “You guys dug out so many wild herbs? I never knew that we could gather so many wild herbs during this season!”

Yu Xiaocao directly instructed, “Just put it in the kitchen… By the way, Brother Xiaowen, you should take some back to make soup. It tastes delicious!”

“No need, no need! There are still a lot of vegetables in our family’s cellar, so we have enough vegetables to eat at home…” Qian Wen politely declined.

Qian Wu covetly stared at the basket of shepherd’s purse and honestly said, “I’m tired of eating vegetables in the cellar, which are nothing but radishes and cabbage. Older Brother, today we also helped to dig up a lot of the wild herbs, so it’s alright to take some back.”

Qian Wen glared at him helplessly and continued to refuse. But Xiaocao had already packed the vegetables for him. She divided one basket of shepherd’s purse into two small baskets. She gave one basket to Qian Wu and had prepared to give the other basket to Zhao Han so that he could take it back to try it.

“Uncle Hai, I caught two wild hares and three pheasants today. My father told me to bring you one.” Zhao Han put the tied up pheasant in front of the kitchen door and was about to leave right away.

Yu Hai limped over with a crutch and said, “Why are you bringing game over again? These days, your family have sent a lot of things over already. For the bear last time, your family didn’t keep any money for yourselves and gave it all to us. Go back and tell your father that you guys don’t owe me anything!”

Zhao Han’s mouth twitched and slightly furrowed his dashing brows, and then said, “You guys didn’t receive any of the money for the bear, right? If we knew that it would turn out like this, my father would have secretly given the money to Uncle Hai and Auntie…”

Yu Xiaocao smirked and said, “Everyone in the village knows that your family sold the bear for three hundred taels. If Grandmother hadn’t received the money from you guys, she would had already gone to your house for trouble. Even if the money was given to my father, it would had been snatched away by my grandmother anyways. Well, she’s not our real grandmother, so there’s nothing I can say. However, my father is Grandfather’s biological son. I can’t believe he actually helped Grandmother hide it from us…”

“Cao’er! How can you criticize your elders? Is that what Father usually teaches you?” Yu Hai raised his voice and interrupted his daughter’s words.

Xiaocao bit her lips and refused to comply, “Why would they be afraid of other’s criticism when they’re capable of acting in such ways? Grandfather and Grandmother are originally at fault for this matter! If they even gave us one-tenth of the three hundred taels, we wouldn’t have to meticulously calculate our rations when cooking every day!”

Yu Hai’s gaze dimmed. He sighed deeply and said, “Father is useless. I’ve made you guys suffer with me…” As he spoke, he limped back to the main room.

Xiaolian looked at her stubborn younger sister, and then looked at her father desolate back. She wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, she finally said, “Little Sister, I buried a sweet potato for you under the ashes below the stove. Later, you can take it out to eat…” After she finished speaking, she immediately chased after her father and entered the house.

Everyone in the family knew that Xiaocao easily got hungry at noon, so they would bury a sweet potato in the ashes under the stove after cooking every morning. Xiaocao preferred the sweet-tasting roasted sweet potato compared to the coarse grain pancakes and bean paste soup. They saved all the sweet potatoes that their maternal grandmother sent over last time for her. Even Little Shitou didn’t bear to eat one.

Qian Wen felt somewhat awkward as he stood there, so he coughed twice and said, “Xiaocao, we’ve been out for quite a while, so we should go back now.” After that, he pulled the slow-witted Qian Wu and left Xiaocao’s house.

Zhao Han also planned to take this opportunity to leave, but Xiaocao stopped him and said, “Thank you for sending the pheasant. Like my father said, you don’t have to bring us game anymore. We’ll accept it this time, but if you continue, we’ll just send them back to your house. This is the wild herbs that we dug out today. Bring them back for Uncle Zhao to taste.”

Zhao Han didn’t refuse and took the basket, “I’ll bring the basket back to you tomorrow.”

Xiaocao and Little Shitou were the only ones left in the courtyard speechlessly looking at one another. Little Shitou stealthily looked his second sister and whispered, “It seems like Father is really angry. You should go in and apologize to him. Father dotes on you the most, so he won’t spank you!”

Whenever Little Shitou misbehaved, his father would always hold him down on his knees and spanked him severely on his bottoms. Yu Hai was used to working and had great strength, so he often beat Little Shitou so hard that he ended up crying while holding his butt. Thus, Little Shitou feared his father’s hands the most!

Yu Xiaocao didn’t know whether she should laugh or cry, and just sighed deeply. She went into the room and apologized to her father. Seeing that she was sincere, Yu Hai also didn’t scold her anymore. Hence, this matter had passed over in this way.

Yu Xiaocao personally prepared dinner, while Xiaolian helped on the side. She asked Little Shitou to buy one copper coin worth of tofu in the village and made shepherd’s purse tofu soup. She also made shepherd’s purse pancake and several shepherd’s purse steamed buns, which was made with a small mixture of wheat flour.

Xiaocao recalled the steamed bun that Qian Wen gave her at noon, so she used the cloth bag and packed three shepherd’s purse steamed buns inside. After that, she told Little Shitou to bring it over to the Qian Family.

It was Qian Wen’s mother, Madam Mao, who opened the door. When she saw the cloth bag in Little Shitou’s hands, she couldn’t help but mutter inwardly: ‘Isn’t this the cloth bag that I used to wrap the steamed bun for my son? Why is it in this kid’s hand? My son went out for so long today. Could it be that he didn’t eat the steamed bun and gave it to someone else instead?’

She was very clear about the situation of Yu Hai’s family. After separating from the main family for so many days, the ration of food that they received was probably already running out. Could it be that her kind-hearted son decided to give his steamed bun to the hungry Little Shitou because their family skipped out on breakfast?

With that in mind, Madam Mao forced a smile and asked, “Oh! Isn’t this the cloth bag that I gave Wen’er to carry the dry food? Why is it in your hands?”

No, she should keep her two sons stays away from the Yu siblings. Her family didn’t have a lot of resources, so they couldn’t afford helping them out so much!

Little Shitou didn’t understand the undertones of her words, so he replied with a grin, “When we were digging for wild herbs, Brother Xiaowen gave his steamed bun to my second sister because she was hungry. My second sister felt sorry for eating your family’s steamed bun, so she told me to bring several shepherd’s purse steamed buns for Brother Xiaowen and Brother Xiaowu to try.”

As he spoke, he opened the cloth bag and revealed the soft, fluffy steamed buns inside.

Madam Mao saw that there were three steamed buns made of wheat flour inside and knew that there was one for each of her three children. She felt a sense of shame for her narrow-mindedness earlier. She hastily pushed the cloth bag back and said, “It’s tough for your family too. You should keep these steamed buns for you and your siblings to eat! Didn’t you guys give us some shepherd’s purse this afternoon? Tomorrow, we can make the buns ourselves…”

Little Shitou shook his head and said, “Auntie Qian, my second sister has excellent cooking skills. You guys won’t be able to make the same taste!”

He held the steamed buns, walked past Madam Mao, and went inside the house while shouting, “Brother Xiaowen, come eat steamed buns. It’s fragrant and delicious shepherd’s purse steamed buns!”

When Qian Wu, who was eating millet pancake in the room, heard him, he immediately ran out and grabbed the cloth bag within Little Shitou’s hands. He directly took one and bit down on it.

Xiaocao had added fried tofu inside the shepherd’s purse stuffing. She also minced the dried fish that her youngest aunt sent over and mixed it in the stuffing to enhance the taste. Due to the lack of seasonings at home, she stir-fried the dried chili pepper, and then grounded it into powder. The stir-fried chili pepper was fragrant and appetizing, adding an extra tang to the steamed buns.

Generally, people were reluctant to use oil when making steamed buns with vegetable stuffing. They would only use salt and scallion as seasonings. Qian Wu had never eaten such a tasty steamed bun before. He disregarded the fact that he couldn’t eat spicy food and continued eating the bun. Half of the steamed bun in his hand was already gone after a few bites. Little Shitou, who was beside him, anxiously reminded him, “Don’t eat it all by yourself! Share it with Brother Xiaowen and Yafang!”

It was so spicy that Qian Wu was tearing up and had a runny nose. He kept sucking for cold air and repeatedly praised, “It’s delicious! So addicting! Little Shitou, your mother’s cooking is really good. Let my mother learn from her tomorrow…”

“Stinky brat! Since you’re complaining about my cooking, don’t eat the food I make in the future!” Madam Mao smacked the back of her younger son’s head and jokingly scolded. She took the cloth bag in his hands and said, “Have you thanked Little Shitou yet? You only think about eating and didn’t even think about letting your older brother have a taste!”

When Madam Mao got closer, she smelled an alluring shepherd’s purse scent mixed with the burnt fragrance of stir-fried chili pepper. She couldn’t help but swallow her saliva secretly.

As soon as the steamed buns were ready, Little Shitou was immediately sent out to deliver the steamed buns. When he saw Qian Wu eating the steamed buns earlier, his stomach couldn’t help but growling in protest. Seeing that he had completed his mission, Little Shitou said his farewells and immediately turned to leave.

Qian Wen ran after him and stopped him, and said, “Go back and tell your older sister that I said ‘thank you for your steamed stuffed buns’. Also, the basket has been vacated, so you can take it back. If you guys go dig for shepherd’s purse tomorrow, remember to let me know.”

Little Shitou took the basket from him, agreed, and swiftly dashed home. There was delicious food waiting for him at home. Behind him, the little roe deer was also running gleefully at full speed.

Xiaocao’s culinary skills had won the praise of the entire family. In the shepherd’s purse tofu soup, the verdant shepherd’s purse and the snow-white, soft tofu was a perfect contrast for each other. When looking at the green and white colors, people’s appetite would increase. Xiaocao had also used the dried fish to enhance the flavor of this soup. It was a substitute for dried sea shrimp, but the taste wasn’t bad at all.

[1] Shitou (石头) – literally means rock/stone

Chapter 73 - Silently Enduring

Although wheat flour was replaced by coarse grain flour, the shepherd’s purse pancake was baked until it was a golden-brown color in the cauldron. The charred aroma was accompanied by the delicate fragrance of the shepherd’s purse, and tasted extremely delicious. The family had never eaten such food before and was immediately conquered by the tempting taste.

Madam Liu silently remembered it within her heart and said with a smile, “I never thought that bean flour and millet flour could make something so delicious even without adding wheat flour. Cao’er, is this method also something that the deity taught you?”

Yu Xiaocao, who was eating the pancake with relish, was stunned when she heard her mother’s question. She immediately answered, “I don’t know either, maybe? Anyways, I just knew how to do it when I woke up. It seems like someone in my dream told me that we can dig for this kind of shepherd’s purse right now and the cooking methods for them. Father, Mother, try the shepherd’s purse steamed buns. It should taste better than the flatbreads.”

When she was making the shepherd’s purse steamed buns, Xiaocao also made pan-fried tofu and stir-fried chili pepper. She had used one teaspoon of the less than one catty of vegetable oil that her maternal grandmother sent over, which made Madam Liu’s heart ache. Moreover, she also used two handfuls of wheat flour to make the outer skin of the steamed buns, which seemed a bit too wasteful in Madam Liu’s opinion.

She glanced at buns in the steamer basket and hesitated. Then, she took one and gave it to Yu Hai and said, “I ate two pancakes and drank a big bowl of the shepherd’s purse soup, so I’m already full. Husband, you should try one and leave the rest for the children. By the way, Xiaolian, go to town tomorrow and bring some steamed buns for your older brother. While you’re at it, take the baskets that your father made to the general store in town.”

Last time, Yu Xiaocao had gone to town in a rush with her father when she pretended to be sick before the New Year. So, when she heard that there was a chance to visit town, she immediately volunteered, “Why don’t I go to town tomorrow with Little Shitou? Xiaolian can stay at home to work on her embroidery…”

Seeing her eager expression, Yu Hai couldn’t bear to reject her and repeated advised her, “You can go, but your have to be careful and don’t talk to strangers… Little Shitou, you have to take care of your older sister and make sure she doesn’t get lost!”

As he spoke, he ripped the steamed bun in half and gave the bigger portion to his wife and said, “Let’s have a taste of our daughter’s cooking. If it tastes good, we can dig more shepherd’s purse and make buns to sell at the wharf in the future.”

Xiaocao nodded in approval when she heard his words. Her father was quite business savvy!

It took about three hours to get to town from Dongshan Village. So, Xiaolian, who lived in the same room as Xiaocao, had woken Xiaocao up at the break of dawn.

Since the siblings were going to town, Xiaolian had woken up early to prepare breakfast so that their stomachs would be filled before leaving. For breakfast, they had sweet potato porridge, which was cooked until it was soft and mushy. The flatbreads from yesterday were also re-baked in the pot.

Xiaocao drank a full bowl of porridge and ate a piece of pancake, and then wiped her mouth and said, “I’m full! Little Shitou, hurry up. I’m not going to wait for you if we’re late!”

Madam Liu wrapped the three remaining pancakes in a cloth bag so that they could eat it when they get hungry later. After thinking about it, she took out a purse from the bottom of the rattan box. She took out twenty copper coins from it and gave it to Xiaocao, while saying, “Here, take this. It’s your first time going to the town market. If there’s anything you want to buy, then buy some…”

Although the twenty copper coins wasn’t a lot, they were extremely precious to the Yu Family, who only had two hundred copper coins left. Twenty copper coins was enough to buy more than two catties of wheat flour, or more than four catties of coarse grain flour. Xiaocao didn't want it, but Madam Liu forced it into her hands and said, “It’s okay, take it! Just bring it back if you don’t spend it.

After that, she turned around and got five shepherd’s purse steamed buns for eldest son, Yu Hang. She wrapped them all in the same cloth bag. Xiaolian got five embroidered pouches from her own room and instructed, “Go to Zhenlong Embroidery Workshop and give these to the boss lady. After that, go buy me some silk threads, which cost ten copper coins. You can buy candies with the remaining money…”

Yu Xiaocao’s mouth twitched a few times. She had the mentality of a woman who was nearly thirty years old, so can she not be treated like a kid?

After being repeatedly cautioned by their family, the siblings finally embarked on their journey to town. Shortly after going, they saw Madam Mao sending Qian Wen, who was carrying a small bag, out the door.

“Where are you siblings going?” Yesterday, Madam Mao had used the shepherd’s purse to make soup. It tasted really good, so she planned to take her children to dig some more back to make steamed buns for her children.

Little Shitou beamed excitedly, showing his pearly whites. As if he was afraid that others wouldn’t know where he was going, he loudly replied, “My second sister and I are going to town to bring some steamed stuffed buns for my older brother!”

Qian Wu, who was standing behind Madam Mao and rubbing his sleepy eyes, instantly became energetic when he heard him, “Mother, I want to go play in town with Little Shitou!”

“What is there to play?! If you’re not careful, you might be kidnapped by an abductor! Today, you’re coming with Mother to dig for shepherd’s purse, or I won’t give you dinner tonight!” Madam Mao pushed Qian Wu, who was throwing a tantrum, into the yard and turned to talk to her eldest son, “Be careful on your way. When you come back next time, Mother will make delicious food for you!”

Little Shitou looked at Qian Wen’s attire and said, “Brother Xiaowen, are you going back to town to study? My second sister and I are going too. Let’s go together!”

Qian Wen saw that Yu Xiaocao was not only carrying a bulky baggage, but also holding three small baskets on one hand and a bigger basket on the other. Thus, he went forward and took the heavy basket in her hand and said, “It’s a long way to town. If you carry so many things, you’ll probably get tired soon. I’ll help you hold the basket.”

“No need, no need! When I’m tired, I can exchange with Little Shitou!” Yu Xiaocao clasped tightly on the basket and didn’t let go, but she wasn’t as strong as Qian Wen. So, he eventually snatched the basket from her hands. Xiacoao couldn’t do anything about it, so she just thanked him.

Speaking of Yu Xiaocao, she really wasn’t suited to travel long distances. She had originally thought that her body had gotten much better after being nourished by the mystic-stone water. She thought that she would be able to walk dozens of kilometers, but she had overestimated herself. The more she walked, the heavier the things in her hands became. It was getting more and more difficult for her to take the next step.

Fortunately, Uncle Ma from the neighboring village had a donkey cart and was taking several people to town. Seeing the three children, Uncle Ma warmly greeted them, “Do you guys want a ride? I’ll take the three of you for the price of two.”’

The group of three rode on the donkey cart and quickly arrived in town. Qian Wen was worried about the siblings’ safety and suggested in a gentle voice, “Xiaocao, there are all sorts of people in town. How about you guys follow me to the academy first? I’ll put down my belongings, and then take guys to find your older brother…”

Yu Xiaocao politely declined, “No, thanks. My younger brother and I have been to town before, so we’re familiar with the road. We shouldn’t delay Brother Xiaowen’s studies any longer.”

“Goodbye Brother Xiaowen!” Little Shitou waved at him and looked around with his big, round eyes.

After Xiaocao and her younger brother bid farewell to Qian Wen, she inquired about the direction to the general store and prepared to send the bamboo baskets over. The general store was located in a somewhat desolate area. When the shopkeeper saw the siblings bringing newly woven baskets over, he had a troubled expression on his face and said, “Xiaolian, you’re sending baskets over again! It’s not a busy season for agriculture right now, so bamboo wares aren’t in demand. I still haven’t sold off the ones that you bought over last time. I won’t make it difficult for you this time and accept the products. But… you don’t have to send any more over next time.”

Xiaocao didn’t correct the shopkeeper’s mistake. She thanked the shopkeeper, and then quietly held her younger brother’s hand as they walked on the street. She felt somewhat downcast. Although her father had hoped to earn some money by selling bamboo crafts, money wasn’t the most important reason for him to weave bamboo wares. By weaving bamboo crafts, it seemed like her father wanted to prove something to himself——to prove that he wasn’t a worthless person.

Ay! It would be great if Father’s leg could recover soon…

When they arrived at Zhenlong Embroidery Workshop, the boss lady warmly welcomed them, “Oh! Xiaolian, I haven’t seen you for a few days, but your skin has gotten much whiter. You also seem to have gotten prettier. Girls really do change as they grow older!”

Yu Xiaocao had learned that after the previous emperor ascended the throne, he had once vigorously promoted the ‘equality between men and women’. Later, the policy was left unsettled due to various reasons. Nonetheless, the status of women had indeed improved. Women walking and shopping on the streets could be been everywhere. It wasn’t uncommon for a woman to be a boss, like the boss lady of Zhenlong Embroidery Workshop.

Xiaocao felt somewhat glad to have transmigrated to this era. In the future, it wouldn’t seem strange for her to do some small business and earn money to support her family.

She needed to thank her fellow transmigrators for creating a relatively relaxed environment for her. Through the rumors she had heard about the retired emperor and the current emperor, Xiaocao had confirmed that they were definitely transmigrators, just like herself. Since there were these two, there might also be others.

She didn’t have any major ambitions. She only wanted to quietly protect her own family and live happily as a little farmer girl. At times, she could come up with new ideas and earn some money. The saying of ‘when people from the same hometown meets each other, their eyes will brim with tears of happiness’ wouldn’t apply to all fellow transmigrators. She didn’t want to become someone else’s cannon-fodder. It seemed like she had to keep a low-profile in the future…

“Xiaolian’s skills are getting better and better. You can probably surpass your mother soon. Oh? This time, the patterns are quite unique, and the color assortments are rather novel. For these five embroidered pouches, I’ll raise the price and give you the same amount as your mother, twenty copper coins per pouch. If you make more of such purses in the future, I’ll raise the price for you again!”

In the past, Xiaolian’s purse cost fifteen copper coins each. Thus, she had earned twenty-five copper coins more than before. As a matter of fact, Xiaocao should also take some credit for this because she was one who designed the patterns.

In her previous life, she was interested in art. If it hadn’t been for her parent’s accident, she might have entered the specialty classes in high school. After she took over the braised food store, she liked to draw flowers and plants in her spare time as a hobby. She hadn’t expected that she would be able to use this skill to make money after transmigrating.

After securely putting away the money, Xiaocao took her younger brother to the woodworking shop. In the carpentry shop, that snobby worker from last time was manning the store. He was currently sitting in a chair with his legs crossed and dozing off. When he heard that the siblings were looking for Yu Hang, he stood up reluctantly and grumbled, “Looking for Yu Hang? Didn’t that kid just go home around a dozen days ago? What a hassle!”

When Yu Hang came out, he was wearing the cotton jacket that Xiaocao gave him before the New Year. It had only been a little over two months, but there were already several holes in the jacket, revealing the white cotton inside. Xiaocao was aware of the fact that her older brother was someone who cherished his own clothing and belongings, and thus his new clothes usually wouldn’t turn out like this.

Chapter 74 - Collaboration

When Yu Hang noticed that his little sister continued to glance at his clothing, his eyes flickered evasively, and he squeezed out a smile, “That uh...when I was moving timber around, I accidentally caught my coat on a branch…”

“If a branch poked a hole into your coat, it should leave a triangle sized hole, right? How did it become little strips?” Little Shitou asked doubtfully. He liked to climb trees and occasionally his clothing would also get caught on the branches.

Yu Hang coughed fakely and said, “If I said a branch grazed my clothing, then it was a branch! Little children shouldn’t have too much to say! ...Younger Sister, how’s Father’s leg injury right now?”

“Father’s injury is mostly healed, and he can even walk with crutches right now. Older Brother, our family has already split and we also revamped the old residence. If you don’t feel happy staying here, then come home with us! Now we don’t have to deal with Grandmother constantly scolding us or Eldest Aunt’s sour comments!”

Yu Xiaocao could tell that the marks left on his clothing seemed to have been caused by a whip. In addition, every time she came over to see him, her older brother always seemed to have new injuries on him. Thus, she wanted to bring Yu Hang home.

When Yu Hang found out that their branch had finally separated from the others, a true smile finally appeared on his face. However, when he remembered Shopkeeper Zhang’s ruthless personality, he knew that the man wouldn’t let him leave easily. He recalled that the last time one of the apprentices’ family members came to take him home, they were told they had to give up twenty taels to take him out. He couldn’t help but frown at that memory.

When they separated from the family, his stingy grandmother would definitely not give their branch a lot of money. In addition, they had to rebuild the house, buy furniture and purchase household wares. He was sure that his family had to take on some debt. As the oldest son of the family, he wasn’t in a position to help them with their issues, thus, he definitely couldn’t add to their troubles!

With great difficulty, Yu Hang tampered down his desire to leave and slowly shook his head, “The master at the shop treats me pretty well, and he already taught me a lot of carpentry skills. I want to stay here a little longer and it won’t be too late to go home after I master this trade.

Yu Xiaocao tried again to convince him but Yu Hang stubbornly insisted on staying, so there was nothing more she could do. She stuffed a meat bun that she brought over into his hands and gave him fifty copper coins. Only after she did that did she silently leave.

As he watched the slowly disappearing figures of his younger brother and sister, Yu Hang did his best to hold back his tears. He hoped that he could endure long enough to see his siblings again in the future...

“Older Sister, where should we go now?” Little Shitou felt somewhat down as even he could sense something was off.

Xiaocao pondered the question and then said, “It’s still early right now, we should go to Zhenxiu Restaurant and see if Third Young Master Zhou is there.”

When they got to Zhenxiu Restaurant, the manager told them that the Young Master had gone to the capital to oversee the details surrounding the opening of a branch restaurant. He was so busy that he couldn’t even spare time for the condiment factory and could only have Steward Zhou watch it.

After leaving Zhenxiu Restaurant, Yu Xiaocao thought for a bit and then took her little brother to look at the food market.

Since they were growing vegetables at home, it was necessary to explore the food market. The market at Tanggu was on the most remote road in the town and was named ‘North Market’. At noon, the market didn’t have much going on. Only a couple of stalls were open, and they were selling radishes and Chinese cabbages that didn’t look very fresh. It was obvious that they had been stored in the cellar for a whole winter.

Yu Xiaocao pulled her younger brother into a pickled vegetable stand and found that there wasn’t much variety. There was a black colored thick paste that faintly smelled of mold, a form of dried radish that had been salted, and a watery-looking salted Chinese cabbage...compared to her previous life’s supermarkets, which had more than twenty varieties of pickled and salted vegetables, this was quite a let down.

Xiaocao rubbed her nose and started to plan. Should she pickle some salted vegetables and leave them here to sell? However, even if she wanted to make some, she wouldn’t be able to do so this year. The family stores of radish and Chinese cabbage were low. She wasn’t even sure if there was enough left to pickle for her own family to eat.

“Little girl, do you want to buy some salted vegetables?” The stall’s shopkeeper was a sixteen to seventeen year old young man. He greeted them with a friendly demeanor despite their shabby looking clothes.

Yu Xiaocao sheepishly replied, “I was just looking if you had any pickled cucumbers…”

“Pickled cucumbers? Is that also a type of pickled vegetable? You can pickle cucumbers?” The young man asked humbly as his voice carried an undercurrent of excitement.

This pickled vegetable stand was opened by his mother when she was still alive. At that time, his mother was very skilled in pickling and salting vegetables. People from far-flung villages would come and buy a jar from her. His mother later fell ill and passed away, and he had only learned a few pickling methods. In addition, the taste of his pickles could not even come close to how tasty his mother’s were. Gradually, the business in his stall declined. Jiang Yu felt anxious and angry as he watched his mother’s life’s work slowly declining in his own hands.

“Ah...when cucumbers are in season, I’ll make some pickled cucumbers and bring them over for you to taste. If you think they taste good, I was planning on placing them in your stall to sell…” Yu Xiaocao smiled winsomely.

Jiang Yu sighed heavily and said, “I’m afraid that my stall won’t be able to last until then…”

Yu Xiaocao thought for a bit and then said, “Ah, older brother…”

“I’m called Jiang Yu, just call me by my name!” Jiang Yu smiled somewhat bashfully.

Yu Xiaocao nodded and continued, “Jiang Yu, I have a few pickled vegetable recipes and they should taste pretty good...do you know how to write? I can tell you them while you write them down. You can follow my recipe and see how they turn out.”

“We’re neither relatives nor friends, how could I possibly take your pickled vegetable recipes? ...how about this, if the pickled vegetables turn out good and sell well, I’ll give you a portion of the profits. I need to pay rent and taxes, so I’ll take seventy percent and give thirty. What do you think?” Jiang Yu was quite young but had a good head for business.

Yu Xiaocao slowly shook her head and smiled to placate Jiang Yu who had opened his mouth to speak, “You need to account for the manufacturing and material costs, while I’m only giving you a recipe. I don’t need thirty percent of the profits. How about we split it twenty-eighty, you’ll take eighty percent and only need to give me twenty percent.”

Jiang Yu couldn’t tell what her recipes would taste like but inwardly promised that if the sales went well, he would give her a larger cut of the profits. He replied, “When my mother was still alive, she had sent me to a private school for a few years, later on...anyway, I can handle writing down a few recipes.”

In her previous life, she had gone into the workforce early as her two younger siblings needed to pay for both schooling and boarding costs. There was a time when they had a very difficult time making ends meet. In an effort to save money, she had learned how to marinate several different types of pickled vegetables. Her younger brother and sister both said that pickled vegetables sold at stores couldn’t even come ten percent close to how good hers tasted. Even after they graduated college and had gone to different cities to work and settle down, they still asked her to make some pickled vegetables and mail them over.

She recited the recipes that she was the best at and let Jiang Yu carefully write down the details. The types of recipes she gave were: spicy and numbing dried radish strips, spicy young radish, Korean kimchi, spicy kelp strips, soybeans in wine, and pickled beans.

Originally she had felt bad that the teenager’s business was not going well and didn’t want his stall to go bankrupt so she was only planning on teaching him two types of pickled vegetables for the sake of it. But now since she was getting her own share, then it was fine to tell him more recipes. The good thing was that all of the condiments and seasonings, other than MSG which the youth had never heard of, used in pickling vegetables could all be found at a general store or pharmacy.

For example: star anise, fennel, Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns were all used by later generations as seasonings and spices. In ancient times, however, these were all medicinal herbs. It was only after the Emperor Emeritus and current emperor ascended the throne that these spices started being used as seasonings in food. These herbs were not very expensive. However, Xiaocao’s family could barely feed everyone. In fact, using oil to cook their food was considered a luxury for them. Thus, it was natural that they would be reluctant to shell out money for these spices.

Under Jiang Yu’s recommendations, Xiaocao went to a relatively remote section of the food market and found a general goods stall where she could buy cheap condiments and spices. At noon, other than the shopkeeper with a beard like a mountain goat who was dozing off in a chair, not a soul could be found in the stall.

This particular goods stall had very few articles for daily use. Inside the stall were two large vats and they distributed a smell of soy sauce and vinegar. When the two scents combined, it didn’t smell very good. Next to the wall was a long table with many wooden boxes. These boxes contained the condiments that Xiaocao wanted to buy.

“Shopkeeper, how are these spices sold?” Xiaocao asked worriedly as she rubbed at chest pocket which held an old embroidered pouch with about a hundred or so copper coins in it.

When the old shopkeeper heard her voice, he suddenly raised his head and sleepily blinked a couple of times. His mountain goat beard moved up and down as he said, “Do you want to weigh the spices separately or all together?”

“How much would it cost to weigh the spices separately versus together?” Yu Xiaocao asked after thinking a bit.

“If you’re weighing them separately, Chinese cinnamon is eighteen copper coins per ounce, bay leaves are fifteen coppers, star anise twenty-six coppers, Sichuan peppercorn twenty coppers and fennel is twenty coppers.” The old shopkeeper glanced at the two siblings and proposed, “If you’re buying larger quantities, it’s generally more worth it to buy them separately.”

Yu Xiaocao gnawed on her lip and sheepishly smiled, “Then...I should probably weigh them altogether, right? I just want one ounce worth of spices to use for a bit…”

“Okay!” The shopkeeper took out a square shaped piece of rough straw paper and folded it into a tube-shape and started to grab some spices.

Xiaocao hesitated but then spoke up, “Shopkeeper Grandfather, can I add the spices myself?” After running a braised foods shop in her past life, she already knew the ratios of spices needed for her food by heart. Now that she was pressed for money, she didn’t want to waste even the tiniest speck of spice.

The old shopkeeper hesitated for a moment and his eyes scanned over the two siblings and their old and patched up attire. In the end, he nodded his head in agreement.

Xiaocao followed the proportions she had memorized and carefully scooped out the spices from the wooden boxes. When the old shopkeeper noticed that she didn’t try to play a small trick and take only the expensive spices, he smoothed his beard with a hand and inwardly nodded his head in approval.

When she thought the weight was about right, Xiaocao folded the tube closed and handed it to the old shopkeeper to let him weigh it. The shopkeeper’s scale was similar to the ones used in a pharmacy. It was very small and could weigh things very precisely. The weight came out to be one ounce and three maces [1], which came out to be twenty-five copper coins total.

Xiaocao looked at the two large vats again and hesitated before she said, “Shopkeeper Grandfather, I also want to buy some soy sauce and vinegar, but I didn’t bring any containers with me…”

The old man grabbed two small bamboo tubes and smiled, “It’s not a problem. Since you called me ‘shopkeeper grandfather’ then I’ll let you borrow these two containers. The next time you come to buy spices, you can just return them to me. Now tell me, how much soy sauce and vinegar do you want?”

She could tell that these two containers were goods that the shop was selling. Once soy sauce and vinegar went into them, it would definitely dye the containers a different color and also leave a smell behind. After being used, these containers likely couldn’t be sold again. Xiaocao’s heart warmed up.

[1] 10 maces = 1 ounce, 16 ounces = 1 catty

Chapter 75 - Helping Out

She thought for a bit and almost blurted out ‘half a catty’ but then she remembered that in ancient times half a catty was equal to around eight ounces. After all, wasn’t there a saying that said ‘a half a catty is eight ounces’, which meant ‘there’s not much to choose between the two’? Thus, she hastily corrected herself, “Please give me four ounces of each.”

The price for the vinegar and soy sauce came out to be five copper coins total. She then calculated all of the transactions she had conducted today. Her mother had given her twenty copper coins for pocket money, and she had sold Xiaolian’s embroidery for one hundred copper coins. The embroidery silks cost ten coins, and the spices and condiments were thirty coins. She had also stuffed ten coins into her older brother’s hands. After that, she still had eighty coins on hand. So it wasn’t like she was a spendthrift right?

Growl….

They had eaten breakfast early today. Even Little Shitou, who was used to having only two meals a day, hugged his belly, which was rumbling in protest, with a distressed look on his small face. However, he didn’t even suggest the possibility of buying something to eat.

The food market had some booths selling breakfast that hadn’t closed yet. Xiaocao carefully held her condiments and walked over to the stalls with her younger brother. She bought a bowl of hot soup, took out her shepherd’s purse pancake, and soaked a piece of the pancake in the soup for her brother.

The soup they bought was just a plain Chinese cabbage soup and only had some salt in it as flavoring. On the surface, only a few drops of oil could be seen. In actuality, the taste of the soup was quite mediocre. However, it had been simmering on a small stove for a long time and mouthfuls of it easily warmed up the belly. The pancakes they had brought with them from home this morning had long become stone cold. By letting the pancakes soak in the soup, it was warmed up and became easy and comforting to eat.

There was a little child, about four to five years in age, who was at the breakfast booth. He eyed the two siblings’ delicious pancake with pure envy. He flailed an arm and complained at his father, “Father, I also want to eat that kind of savory, delicious pancake. Go buy one for me!”

The stall owner had noticed that the pancake contained verdant green vegetables. Perplexed, he asked, “Little girl, where did you buy that flatbread? How could there be green vegetables in this season?”

Little Shitou ate the pancake in large bites and joyfully replied, “My second sister made this pancake, but it doesn’t have green vegetables inside. We dug up some wild herbs in the mountains for the pancakes. My second sister is a very good cook, so no one else can make something as delicious as this.”

“I want to eat the pancake, Father, Father, I want to eat wild herb pancakes, wahhhhhh…” After he saw the satisfied expression on Little Shitou’s face, the little fellow started to cry and sob pitifully that he wanted to eat it.

Earlier that morning, Madam Liu had packed the remaining three pancakes for the two siblings to bring into town. The two of them had ripped off pieces of one of them to put in the soup, so there was still another whole pancake on the table. When Xiaocao saw this, she hastily said, “We still have one more left. Older uncle, if you’re okay with it, then take it to give to the little brother to eat.”

“How could I possibly do that? You two siblings won’t have enough to eat then!” The breakfast seller smiled awkwardly at the sister-brother pair as he quietly coaxed the little boy.

“It’s not a problem. We had already eaten breakfast before we came here and just wanted to drink some hot soup to warm up our bodies.” Xiaocao had seen that the little boy couldn’t be calmed down. He had cried until a trail of mucus flowed down his nose, and his continued sobs produced tiny bubbles in it. She and her younger brother had eaten one pancake and drank a bowl of soup. That was enough to quiet their stomachs, and when they got home in the evening there would be supper to eat. Thus, she offered her remaining pancake to them.

The food stall owner thought for a bit and then said, “Then I thank you. The soup that you two drank is free. Take it as a sign of my gratitude.”

A bowl of soup cost one copper coin. Every penny saved was a penny earned. After Yu Xiaocao thanked the stall owner, she left the food market with her brother. They went to a spot outside the town gates where Uncle Ma was waiting for them. His donkey cart was already full of people, and they were just waiting for the two of them.

If Madam Liu found out that they had spent thirty copper coins on seasonings and condiments, she would definitely start lecturing them. They almost didn’t have anything to eat at home, why would they buy seasonings?

When they got home, Xiaocao pushed the gate open and carefully poked her head in to look. Xiaolian was in the middle of the courtyard doing embroidery. When she saw Xiaocao’s sneaky movements, she burst out in giggles and said, “Xiaocao, what shameful thing did you do? Relax, Mother isn’t at home right now!”

After hearing that, Xiaocao entered the courtyard with relief. She smirked, “Who did something shameful? I just bought some condiments in town and was afraid that Mother would lecture me for spending money recklessly… Here, this is the money that was leftover after selling your embroidery.”

“I told you earlier that you could spend the remaining money on whatever you wanted. How could buying seasonings be considered reckless spending?” Xiaolian casually took the money pouch and felt its weight. Surprised, she said, “How much seasoning did you buy? It doesn’t feel like you used too much money.”

Her five embroidered pouches had previously been sold for a total of seventy-five copper coins. However, the leftover money in the pouch that Xiaocao given her had five coins more than the usual seventy-five, and she could feel the difference.

Xiaocao explained to her sister that the owner of the embroidery shop had given her a better price for the pouches, and then said, “Xiaolian, please don’t tell Mother that I bought these condiments. I have something I need them for!”

“What can’t you tell your mother?” Yu Hai limped out of the room and grinned at his two adorable daughters. His leg had healed to the point where he didn’t need to use crutches to walk anymore.

“Nothing, nothing! Father, do you know how to make this type of bamboo tube? When you have time, can you help me make two? I still need to return what I borrowed to someone!” Xiaocao deliberately changed the subject and handed over the bamboo tube that held the soy sauce to her father.

“This type of tube is one of the easiest bamboo utensils to make, it won’t be hard for me.” Yu Hai sniffed at the bamboo container and laughed, “Soy sauce? If we had a catty of fatty, streaky pork right now, we could make a bowl of red braised pork…then we really could eat to our heart’s content!”

Ever since his biological mother had passed away, Yu Hai had never been able to taste red braised pork again. He cherished the memory of the taste of that dish.

Xiaocao quickly snatched back the tube of soy sauce from him and emphasized, “I need to use these condiments, so you can’t touch them! Oh right, where did Mother go?”

“Next door to Auntie Zhou’s place. They had gotten a large order and need to get it done by tomorrow, so they asked our mother for help in killing the chickens.” Xiaolian took the proffered condiments from her sister and put them in a hidden nook in the kitchen.

Yu Hai called out towards Little Shitou, “Son, come with Father to help cover the vegetable fields with their blankets…our seedlings are growing quite well. After only five days, they’ve already sprouted to a height of a couple of centimeters. I have never seen vegetables grow this fast, even in previous years when the spring was warmer than this…”

Of course they grew quickly. She had watered them every day with the mystic-stone water. Xiaocao rubbed her nose somewhat uneasily and said, “I’m going to visit Auntie Zhou’s house and see if they need any help.” With that said, she escaped as quickly as a wisp of smoke.

Madam Fang had gone into town earlier today to sell her chickens and eggs. In town, she found out that Lord Huang’s father was going to have his sixtieth birthday celebration and needed around thirty chickens for the banquet. The steward in charge of buying food had made an order of forty chickens and had asked her to get them all prepared today so they could be sent to the residence the next day.

She had rushed back home after receiving the order. There were not enough people at home to help kill, pluck, and clean all of the forty chickens in one afternoon. Additionally, her husband wasn’t home. Madam Fang was afraid that her three children and herself would end up ruining this large order, so she asked Madam Liu to help.

When Xiaocao got there, Zhou Linglong and her sister were in the kitchen boiling water. Madam Fang was holding a cleaver and about to kill a chicken. There were five or six roosters lying on the ground with their legs bound up. Her mother, Madam Liu, was next to a large wooden basin and was pouring hot water from a pail into it. Inside the basin were three slaughtered chickens that still had their feathers on.

“Mother, Auntie Zhou, I came over to help!” Xiaocao casually greeted them and frowned when she saw there was a bunch of chicken blood on the ground.

Madam Fang picked up a chicken whose legs were bound and plucked off some feathers from its neck. Just as the knife was about to flash down, she heard a voice and looked over with a smile, “You got back, Xiaocao? If I had known earlier you were also going into town, we could have gone together. Did you have a good time shopping in town?”

“Auntie Zhou, do you not want any of the chicken blood leftover from  killing chickens?” Xiaocao irrelevantly answered and regarded the dirt soaked with chicken blood with slight regret.

Madam Fang hesitated in confusion and said, ”Why would anyone want chicken blood? It’s not even tasty!”

Yu Xiaocao blinked and replied, “You can eat chicken blood! If it’s made well, there’s not an odd smell or taste either. You need to eat blood to enrich blood, so chicken blood is very good at this. It can also relieve rheumatic pains, improve blood circulation, and open things up!”

“Uh....I have never heard of chicken blood having all of those properties. Who did you learn this from, Xiaocao?” The knife in Madam Fang’s hand wavered as she didn’t know whether she should cut off the chicken’s head at the moment or not.

Yu Xiaocao rushed into the kitchen and asked Zhou Shanhu to grab her a basin. She placed it in front of Madam Fang and said, “Auntie Zhou, listen to me! If chicken blood is cooked correctly, it’ll have a tender texture and be very delicious. You can use it together with tofu to make a soup, and it could also be stewed with cabbage. If it’s stewed in a sauce, it’ll be soft and smooth, and be extremely delicious!”  “This child, you describe it so well that the saliva has almost come dripping out of my mouth. Okay, all of the chicken blood will be yours. When you finish cooking it, don’t forget to bring your Auntie Zhou a bowl...” Madam Fang nimbly wielded the knife to cut the chicken’s neck open. The scarlet blood gurgled down into the basin.

Xiaocao felt as if she could see a host of culinary delights floating in front of her. She gluttonously wished that she could grab the chicken blood and start cooking now. Two months had passed since the New Year celebrations. They couldn’t even eat their fill of coarse grains, let alone get a taste of meat or fish. Living life like this had caused her cravings to go out of control!

“What are you just standing there for? Didn’t you come over to help? Go back home and grab the basin we used to wash vegetables in. We can pluck the feathers off faster this way!” Madam Liu said in an indulgent yet slightly scolding tone of voice as she smiled at her daughter  “Okay!” Yu Xiaocao assented and bolted out.

Madam Fang looked at her cheerful steps as her figure got smaller in the distance and smiled, “Younger Sister Muyun, your family’s luck must have changed. Just look, ever since you guys moved out, your husband’s leg has healed, Xiaocao’s body is healthy, and you haven’t gotten sick again. You should relax a bit. In the future, your family will definitely do better and better. When some chicks hatch in spring, go grab a few and bring them home to raise. They can lay some eggs and nourish your children’s bodies. You and your children have such thin bodies, ah…”

Madam Liu raised her head to gently smile at the other woman. After moving out, her smile appeared more frequently. She held in her laugh as her hands continued to pluck the chicken with practiced ease. Steam rose from the wooden basin and there was a slightly fishy smell in the air…

When Xiaocao had gotten back, she saw Madam Liu opening up the chicken’s belly, pulling out the internal organs, and throwing them aside on the ground. She tentatively asked, “Are these all going to be thrown away?”  Madam Liu shot her a glance and teased, “Do you really want to eat something so dirty and smelly? There’s chicken poop in them. If you make it, you’ll be the only one eating them. Okay, stop goofing off and go help me get the chickens that your Auntie Zhou slaughtered. I need to scald them, and you can be in charge of plucking the feathers!”

“Xiaocao, work carefully! If you do well, Auntie will give you ten copper coins as payment…” Madam Fang could tell that Xiaocao was a practiced hand at this work and made her a promise.

Madam Liu interjected heavily, “We’re all fellow villagers and neighbors. There’s no need to give us money for helping you! Also, she’s a little child, how much help can she be…”

Chapter 76 - What a Surprise!

Madam Liu looked over and discovered that her daughter’s speed in plucking the chickens was not any slower than hers. In fact, to her surprise, the chickens her daughter plucked were even cleaner than hers.

What a joke, of course Xiaocao was good at this, just look at what she did in her previous life. Her braised foods shop had a chicken dish, braised roast chicken. Every day she needed to slaughter and prepare around thirty to forty chickens. If she wasn’t good at this, that would truly be an oddity!

Xiaocao looked around the room and smiled, “I don’t need wages. Auntie Zhou, just give me the internal organs from these forty chickens instead!”

“What do you want the internal organs for? You’re not going to really take them back home to eat them, are you?! …Cao’er, mother knows our circumstances at home are not very good and that we usually can’t taste any meat during most of the year. However, we still can’t eat something as dirty as this! How about this, next time I go sell my embroidery, I’ll buy a catty of meat and give you a great feast…” The smile on Madam Liu’s face gradually dimmed and a look of guilt and shame rose in her eyes.

“Mother, don’t worry about it, I really do have a use for these internal organs!” Xiaocao was inwardly surprised and flabbergasted. Didn’t they all say that people in ancient times ate internal organs? Was it just a false rumor?

Madam Fang smiled and tried to resolve the dispute, “When children get older, they start having their own ideas. Younger Sister Muyun, just let her try! Xiaocao, the chicken blood and internal organs are all yours! I’ll also give you money for your help!”

Xiaocao shook her head and replied, “Auntie Zhou, I really can’t take your money for the work. Last time when we had moved in and had a banquet, you and Older Sister Linglong were busy for the whole day helping us. You guys didn’t even get to eat lunch. I’m only helping out a little. If I wanted money for it, isn’t that too much of me? A relative afar is less use than a close neighbor. Neighbors helping each other out is the right thing to do!”

Madam Liu agreed, “Cao’er is right! Missus, if you keep bringing up giving us money, I will go back home right now…”

Seeing that both the mother and daughter persisted in refusing her offer, Madam Fang no longer brought up the subject of paying them. It took the two adults and three children a whole hour to finish slaughtering and cleaning up the chickens. Yu Xiaocao’s speed and abilities were even better than her mother’s and was neck to neck to the old hand, Madam Fang. Madam Fang repeatedly praised her skills...

Afterwards, Madam Fang went into the room to take out the cakes and pastries she had bought in town earlier that morning. She shoved them into Xiaocao’s hands and insisted that she bring them back home. The Zhou Family sold chickens and eggs, and when it was the off-season for farming, her husband would peddle goods. They were the only family in the village who could afford to buy some sweets for their children to eat from time to time.

Madam Liu held the wooden basin filled to the brim with chicken offal as she watched her daughter who held the pail with chicken blood in one hand and pastries in the other. She frowned and said, “Do you really know how to prepare chicken blood? Don’t talk a big game and not be able to follow up, otherwise Auntie Zhou and her daughters will laugh at you.”

“Mother, stop worrying, when did I ever promise more than I can deliver?” Xiaocao struggled with holding the chicken blood in one hand so she placed the string that tied the pastries together in her mouth. Her freed hand joined the other one in lifting the basin as she stepped forward quickly.

When they got home, Xiaolian had already finished making the meal and was waiting for them before she started serving. Xiaocao proudly shook the pail in her hand and smiled, “Don’t start serving yet, I’m going to make something delicious to add to the meal.”

“What sort of good thing?” Little Shitou stood up from his seated position and dashed toward her. After he saw the contents of the basin, he frowned in disappointment and said, “This is chicken blood! Second Sister, you can’t possibly be saying that this will be the tasty dish, right?”

“What sort of expression is that? You don’t believe your older sister? Once I finish making it, you don’t get to have any!” Xiaocao glared at him, feigning displeasure.

Little Shitou remembered his older sister’s out of the ordinary culinary skills and backtracked immediately to apologize, “Second Sister, I was wrong. Everything you make is top-notch. I’m just a wimpy little kid, don’t lower yourself to my level, Second Sister…”

“Go, go! Buy a copper coin’s worth of tofu from Er Gouzi’s place!” Xiaocao cheerfully dispatched him out and entered the kitchen with the basin of chicken blood.

Xiaolian followed her inside and said, “I’ll help! What do you need me to do?”

“Boil some water in the pot, I need to blanch the chicken blood in that!”

The blood in the basin had already started congealing into blood clots. Xiaocao used a knife to cut a few lines to divide them into a few ‘tofu pieces’. She took out a block of blood and carefully cut it up into smaller pieces. She placed it into the boiling water to blanch and waited until it changed color before she ladled it back up.

She was making ‘spicy and sour chicken blood’. The family didn’t have any pickled chili peppers, so she used the pickled vegetables her maternal grandmother had sent over as a substitute for the sour. After cutting the vegetables into tiny cubes, she started chopping up the dried chili peppers. She also sliced the ginger into thin strips and smashed some garlic heads to be used as well.

Xiaocao ladled a small spoonful of oil from the oil pitcher and put it into the pan. The cubed pickled vegetables, dried chili peppers, the julienned ginger, and smashed garlic were lightly fried in the oil to bring out the flavors. Afterwards, the chicken blood was lightly stir-fried in the aromatics. It was important not to overcook the chicken blood to not ruin the final texture. It had the tender mouthfeel of tofu but had a much better flavor than tofu.

After thinking a bit, she made the decisive decision to add some vinegar to remove the fishy smell and also added some salt and soy sauce. After sauteing everything until it was mixed well, it was ready to plate.

“Smells so good!” Little Shitou ran all the way home after buying the tofu. He panted heavily but continued to inhale the smell and had a gluttonous expression on his face.

Xiaocao also made a ‘tofu and chicken blood soup’. The snow white tofu floated at the top of the broth and the dark red color of the chicken blood was faintly visible. With the addition of chopped scallions, the green color of the herb contrasted beautifully with the other colors. It was a fragrant and visually attractive soup.

“Time to eat! Time to eat!!” Little Shitou impatiently rushed towards the dining table but was pulled back by Xiaocao.

“Don’t be in such a rush! Come with me to bring some food over to Auntie Zhou!” She had deliberately made an extra portion of each dish so there was enough for the Zhou Family too.

Little Shitou pouted and held the ‘spicy and sour chicken blood’ in his hands as he walked and inhaled the smell of the food. Xiaoao laughed and said, “You greedy cat. Be careful, other people might see you like this. How shameful!”

Little Shitou closed his mouth, smiled, and with great difficulty managed to hold back his desire and said, “Second Sister, who would have thought that chicken blood could be used to make something that smells so good. When our family used to slaughter chickens to eat, we would always throw away the blood, what a waste! Oh right, you had mother bring back the inner organs of a chicken, can’t they be used to make food too?”

“Of course! Are you brave enough to try?” Xiaocao slanted her eyes at him as she faintly smiled.

Little Shitou emphatically nodded his head and said, “Of course! Of course I’m brave enough! As long as Second Sister makes it as tasty as the chicken blood, I’ll eat it! What’s there to be scared of?”

“In your dreams! That will all be used to sell for money, how can I bear to let you eat it?” Yu Xiaocao wrinkled her nose at him and made a funny face at him. She then knocked on the front door of the Zhou Residence.   “Coming, coming! Oh! Xiaocao, have you eaten yet?” Madam Fang had come to the door to see who was there. When she saw Xiaocao and her younger brother, both with delicious smelling plates of food in their hands, a look of surprise crossed her face.

“Auntie Zhou, I finished cooking the chicken blood. Little Shitou’s holding spicy and sour chicken blood and I have the tofu and chicken blood soup. Have you and your family eaten yet? If not, then you don’t need to make anything.” Xiaocao gleefully walked into the courtyard and gave the food to Zhou Linglong who had just walked out of the kitchen.

The Zhou Family had been busy earlier slaughtering chickens, so they hadn’t had the time to make food. She had come at the right time.

“Smells good! Did you really use chicken blood to make this food?” Zhou Shanhu was about the same age as Xiaocao and slipped over to smell the food in awe as she showed an infatuated expression.

Yu Xiaocao smiled and nodded her head, “Yes! Auntie, in the future when your family slaughters chickens, make sure to keep the blood and offal. I will teach you how to make them into delicious dishes. We have to go now, you can give the plates back to us tomorrow, Auntie.”

The Yu Family ate a sumptuous meal that satisfied everyone’s taste buds. The spicy and sour chicken blood not only had a rich and dense flavor of chicken meat, but also had the tender texture of tofu. Each bite was addicting and made them want to eat more. Even Little Shitou, who usually couldn’t eat spicy foods, couldn’t stop eating it as his tears and mucus traveled down his face.

The tofu and chicken blood soup had a vibrant color and savory taste. It tasted exquisite and fresh, and the broth was full of rich flavor. The whole family praised it continuously. Even Madam Liu, who usually tried to leave good food for her children, couldn’t help but drink an extra bowl.

The large cauldron full of tofu and chicken blood soup, other than the large bowl that had been given to Madam Fang, had almost been nearly wiped out by Xiaocao and her family.

Little Shitou had eaten so much that his stomach had bloated into the size of a small watermelon. He lay on the bed, contently groaning. Madam Liu was afraid that the little fellow had almost eaten until he was sick, so she sat on the beside and helped him massage his tummy. At the side, Yu Hai burped and smiled somewhat uncomfortably, “It’s been a long time since I’ve been so full. Second daughter’s culinary skills are truly remarkable. She can use something that other people throw away and make it into a delicacy.”

Madam Liu’s face gentled significantly at the thought of her younger daughter. She said, “Ever since Cao’er hit her head and lost her memories, it feels like she’s completely changed personalities. Not only has her body become healthy, but she’s also no longer as cowardly and timid as before. In addition, she has a lot of new ideas and recipes. For example, yesterday we had advised her that there weren’t any wild herbs to be found in this season but she stubbornly disagreed. It turns out she was right and she was able to dig up a lot of shepherd’s purse.”

“Changing is good. In the past, you and the children have suffered greatly at home. Xiaocao’s previous timid personality probably had an outside cause. It was I who was useless as I couldn’t protect you or the kids…” Yu Hai’s eyes dimmed at the thought of his stepmother's callous, biased heart and his older sister-in-law’s greedy and lazy personality.

Madam Liu interjected hastily, “Don’t say stuff like that. I and the children are still waiting to have a good life with you in the future. Oh right, Xiaocao also brought back that chicken offal. Do you really think she’ll use them to make food? They’re so dirty and stinky. I definitely am too afraid to try them!”

Little Shitou flipped his body around, sat up, and giggled, “Second Sister had said earlier that she was planning on using that stuff to make food to be sold for money.”

“Sell that for money? Has Cao’er gone crazy at the thought of making money? If other people eat it and end up having problems, then we would get in trouble with the law. As her father, you need to guide and watch over her. She absolutely cannot become someone who makes money off of the misfortune of others.” Madam Liu frowned as she lectured worriedly.

Yu Hai, on the other hand, was not in the least bit worried. He had been observing his second daughter these past few days and he knew in his heart that she didn’t have any malicious intentions. He replied in a calm and unhurried voice, “The type of person that Cao’er is, shouldn’t you as her mother know as well? You definitely cannot let her overhear such talk, it’ll hurt her feelings! Don’t worry, I believe that child’s heart is in a good place, so don’t worry over nothing.”

Little Shitou nodded his head furiously and supported his second sister, “Mother, chicken offal may not necessarily be inedible. Just think, didn’t we also throw away chicken blood in the past? But didn’t Second Sister also use that to make something so delicious? I’m on Father’s side. I believe in Second Sister’s abilities.”

“Okay, okay! You’re both the good guys, and I’m the bad guy!” Madam Liu’s lips twitched slightly and she glared at the father and son pair before she left the room.

In the rear courtyard, the twin sisters were currently next to the well cleaning up the chicken offal! Xiaolian lifted a bucket of water out of the well and pursed her lips when she saw her younger sister separating the chicken liver, gizzard, and intestines from each other. In the end, she couldn’t help but ask, “Are you sure that these can be used to make something to eat? Were the condiments and seasonings you bought earlier supposed to be used this stuff?”

Xiaocao rolled her eyes and said, “Relax, have some faith in me! I am absolutely not wrong!

Chapter 77 - Braised Food

She used a pair of scissors to cut open the chicken intestines and then used cold water to wash out all of the feces. When they were fixing up the rear courtyard, she had deliberately directed people to create a channel next to the well that connected to the outhouse’s latrine pit. By having this, they could wash laundry and vegetables and the dirty water would just flow away.

“Cao’er, what can I do to help?” Madam Liu couldn’t bear to just watch the two sisters being busy and walked over.

Yu Xiaocao smiled at her and said, “Mother, you came at the right time. Do we still have any coarse salt left at home? You can grab it and use it to forcefully scrub the inside of the chicken intestines. This will remove any weird odors from it.”

“Use coarse salt to scrub? Are you sure you can sell this for money? When the time comes, I hope you can sell out because otherwise we won’t be able to eat it and would have wasted all of these materials!” Although coarse salt was cheap to buy in areas by the sea, about one copper coin could buy half a jar of it, Madam Liu was used to being frugal and couldn’t help from warning her daughter.

Xiaocao pouted her lips and said, “Mother! Relax! My methods are given to me by the God of Fortune and they definitely won’t fail!”

After the little girl used the god’s name as a rebuttal, Madam Liu didn’t say anything more and squatted down to scrub the chicken intestines clean with salt. She was very thorough in her work as she was afraid that if they weren’t clean, she’d end up causing more problems for her daughter.

Xiaocao started to fully concentrate on preparing the chicken liver and gizzards. The most important part when cleaning the liver was to cut off the gallbladder on top. This was delicate work because if you weren’t careful, it was very easy to cut into the gallbladder and leak out its contents. With the spillage, the liver would have a bitter taste that would influence the taste of the final dish in a bad way. Luckily, she had more than ten years of experience from her past life in preparing this and could even do it in her sleep.

The gizzards, on the other hand, were slightly more troublesome as she needed to cut them open, wash out the feces, and then cut off the inner layer of yellow colored film. However, this yellow chicken gizzard lining was an important medicinal ingredient and was also called ‘fowl’s inner gold’. If a child had indigestion from eating too much, the sun-dried fowl’s inner gold could be ground into a powder and taken. After taking it, the digestive problems would go away.

Xiaocao was an expert in peeling off this membrane. Out of the forty-so chicken gizzard linings she had to take out, every single one was intact and not a single rip could be seen.

After the chicken intestines, liver, and gizzards were all cleaned, Xiaocao told her mother to go rest. She then pulled Xiaolian into the kitchen with her. The plan was to finish braising all of these meats tonight and then go into town the next day to see if she could sell them.

“You want to sell this in town? The townspeople are snobbish and picky. If they found out that you had made these dishes out of the innards of a chicken, they would probably beat you to death. In my opinion, you should try your luck at the docks instead. First of all, we live closer to the docks as it takes less than two hours to walk there. Second, the people who work there, such as the fishmongers and dock porters, all wake up early. Most of them either bring their own breakfast from home or buy something. These people don’t have high expectations for their food. As long as it tastes good and the price is reasonable, they won’t think anything of spending a couple copper coins for food.” Xiaolian had overheard her eldest maternal aunt describing her small business on the docks and proposed this idea to Xiaocao.

Xiaocao thought for a bit and then nodded her head, “Ok! You are right. It’s very lively and bustling at Tanggu Docks. There’s a decent market for food even if we only count those dockworkers. We’ll go there tomorrow to try our luck!”

The two sisters went into the kitchen and lit the fire to boil water. After the water reached a boil, they first blanched the chicken to remove any odd odors. Next, they needed to make the seasoning sauce. Whether or not a braised dish tasted good depended heavily on its sauce. There were three general types of seasoning sauces for braised food: red sauce, white sauce, and yellow sauce.

In her past life, Xiaocao had received the authentic recipes for the sauces from her shop’s boss. All of the sauces were her proprietary specialties. She thought for a bit and then asked Xiaolian, “Xiaolian, give me a couple more coins, I need to go to Doctor You to buy some herbs and then I’ll come back…”

At the beginning of spring, Doctor You had returned to the village with a young boy around the age of ten. It was said that this boy was his grandnephew or some sort of relative. Xiaocao had already returned the medicine trunk with all of the money she had earned during the fall and winter back to him. The villagers were also relieved. Although most people had recognized her medical skills, fellow villagers still preferred to have an older doctor to take care of them.

“Medicinal herbs?” Can you really cook with those?” Xiaolian asked, perplexed.

Xiaocao grinned, “Of course. Don’t the more wealthy families often eat ginseng chicken and angelica sinensis stewed with chicken? Don’t those dishes contain medicinal ingredients?”

Xiaolian muttered under her breath, “How can we compare to those rich people?” However, she still went back to the room and took out the embroidered pouch Xiaocao had returned to her that afternoon and placed it back into her younger sister’s hands.

The medicinal herbs that Xiaocao needed were all very common ones and, thus, were cheap. She only spent ten copper coins on a bunch of different types. After she got home, she started to make the sauce. Since the weather was cold now, she made sure to blend a large portion of the seasoning sauce.

The seasoning sauce of a braised dish could be used multiple times as long as it was stored properly. In fact, the more times the sauce was used and the longer it fermented, the better the taste and quality. This was because the percentage of soluble proteins in the sauce increased as time went by. This was also the reason why the braised dishes made with older sauces had a more mellow and rich taste compared to the newer sauces.

Xiaocao started measuring the ingredients. Her recipe required: 20 grams of star anise, 20 grams of chinese cinnamon, 50 grams of dried orange peel, 20 grams of Sichuan peppercorn, 15 grams of fennel, 20 grams of bay leaves, 15 grams of licorice root, 100 grams of dried hot chili pepper, 150 grams of scallions, 150 grams of fresh ginger, one catty of yellow wine, 400 grams of soy sauce, 200 grams of salt…(Author’s note: Please don’t try to make this at home, this is a simplified recipe.)

When Xiaolian saw forty copper coins worth of materials being wrapped into a cheesecloth and being thrown into the basin, she hastily said, “Is it okay to make so much on the first try? What if it turns out bad…”

“There won’t be a problem with it!” Xiaocao interrupted her firmly. Perhaps her confidence made Xiaolian feel more confident since she didn’t make any more comments and only followed Xiaocao’s instructions in increasing or decreasing the heat on the stove.

“Smells so good! Mother, do you smell it yet? This must be the smell of Second Sister’s finished offal dish. I’m going to go look!” Little Shitou, who had been laying on the bed digesting his food, was like a police dog who had smelled something interesting. He scrambled off the kang bed, hastily slipped on his old and worn cotton shoes, and bolted out the room. He ran so fast that he almost tripped on the threshold of the door.

Madam Liu could only laugh and shake her head, “This child...Shitou’s father, let’s go look too?”

Yu Hai was also bursting with curiosity so he nodded his head and put on his shoes quickly to go to the kitchen.

The forty portions of chicken offal had been stewed together in one big pot and was simmering merrily at low heat on the stove. Little Shitou waited impatiently at the side of the stove, his eyes flickering with a feverish, excited light. He resembled a little puppy who had spotted a juicy, meaty bone. All he lacked was a wagging tail and a lolling tongue.

Xiaocao felt that the time was about right and opened the lid. She ladled up some chicken intestines and blew on them a couple of times before offering them to the little fellow’s mouth.

Little Shitou shook his head in refusal, “This will be sold for money, I shouldn’t eat it…”

“It’s just a small bite, we don’t need to save it” Xiaocao forcefully pushed the food into the little boy’s mouth. The braised intestines had a delicious flavor and the texture was very crispy which gave it a very good mouthfeel. The little fellow closed his eyes in bliss and carefully chewed on the food as he wanted to savor the flavor as long as possible.

Xiaocao also gave everyone else a share to let them all have a taste. Yu Hai and Xiaolian very willingly opened their mouths to eat it. Madam Liu, on the other hand, was much more hesitant. She asked her husband doubtfully, “How’s the taste? Does it smell or taste bad?”

Xiaocao didn’t know whether she should laugh or cry and said, “Mother, do you really think my cooking is that bad?”

Yu Hai soothed her ego by nodding his head profusely, “Delicious, very delicious! You really can’t tell these are chicken intestines. They have the flavor of chicken—no, they’re even better than your red-braised chicken pieces! Yes, if you’re going to sell these, there will definitely be people who’ll want to eat it!”

Xiaolian also vigorously nodded her head to express her agreement. Xiaocao also took a taste herself and slightly frowned and said, “Too bad we don’t have any MSG or bone broth. The taste is not as good as it could be. However, it’s still quite good!”  Once Madam Liu saw that everyone was praising the food ceaselessly, she got the courage to try a mouthful. As soon as she put it in her mouth, the fragrant and dense flavor stunned her, “This...is this really the flavor of those dirty chicken intestines? This is truly, truly too inconceivable!!”

Xiaocao also put the leftover chicken blood from the previous night into the stew. After braising it together, she was planning on selling it together with the chicken offal.

“How much should I sell one catty for?” Xiaocao somewhat worriedly talked to herself.

Yu Hai gave her a very good idea: The dockworkers could usually earn around thirty to forty copper coins a day. When business wasn’t as good, they could still get more than twenty coins. The braised food that Xiaocao made still had the taste of meat even if it was made with chicken offal. If she sold it by the catty and the price was low, then she wouldn’t make much money. On the other hand, if the price was high, then no one would buy it.

However, if she split into small packets of food and sold it for one copper coin a packet, then the workers definitely wouldn’t care about spending one to two copper coins. After all, it was food that had meat in it and was tasty and cheap. How could it not sell?

Xiaocao felt like she had reached the light at the end of the tunnel and regarded her father with gleaming and admiring eyes. She had to admit, her father really had a head for business!

Yu Hai felt his pride swell when he saw his daughter’s worshipful gaze. He chuckled as he went to find some oiled paper. The whole family worked together to make sixty little portioned packets of the braised chicken offal. Each packet had some intestines, liver, and gizzards. The chicken blood was not easy to pack into the oiled paper so instead they put it all into a jar. When they were selling the food, they could add a little chicken blood to each portion. This way, the portion size of each one copper coin packet wouldn't be small!

That night, Xiaocao was so excited that she tossed and turned on the kang bed for a long time but still couldn't fall asleep. It was only after about 3 in the morning did she finally doze a little before she woke up at dawn.  When Yu Hai saw the dark circles underneath his younger daughter’s eyes, he laughed and teased her, “Still inexperienced, huh!  Aren’t you super confident in your own skills, eh? What are you worrying for?”

‘Hey, do I look worried, eh? I was excited, ok?’

After finishing breakfast at the crack of dawn, Xiaocao refused her father’s offer to come with her. Instead, she brought along the equally excited Little Shitou and started walking in the direction of the docks, with a large basket holding their goods.

As the rays of the early morning sun shone upon the docks, the area was as bustling and lively as before. The sounds of hawkers advertising their wares, shouts, and work chants...wove together again. A cargo ship from far away had just reached the shore and the dock workers were in full swing unloading the goods.

This was her second time coming to the docks. As before, Xiaocao took in the sights and sounds of the scene with an interested curiosity.

“Second Sister, where should we go to sell our braised food?” Little Shitou had a lot of confidence in his sister and was eager to get started.

Xiaocao thought a bit. The dock workers and fishermen most likely had brought food from home with them. However, in the chilly air of dawn, most of them still needed to drink a hot bowl of soup to warm themselves up. Therefore, she walked towards a row of low straw sheds with her basket in hand.

The stalls here sold porridge, hot noodle soup, or steamed buns fresh from the stove. There were also people like her with baskets on their arms, selling some small appetizers from home or some pickled vegetables. For example, Xiaocao’s eldest maternal aunt was one of these people.

Chapter 78 - Opening Day

“Is that Xiaocao ah? I didn’t get the wrong person, right?” Eldest Aunt greeted the two siblings warmly when she saw them with a loving smile on her face.

“Eldest Aunt,” Little Shitou impatiently shouted, “Eldest Aunt, my second sister made some delicious meat and vegetable dishes and we’re going to sell them at the docks. Second Sister’s food is really good. Eldest Aunt, Eldest Cousin, do you want to try some?”

Eldest Aunt shook her head, “You’re going to sell your food, so we won’t try any. However, a dish that contains meat can’t possibly be cheap, right? It might be hard to sell here…”

“If you guys want to talk, go to the side and talk! All of you standing here will ruin my business!!” Behind them was a place that sold hot noodle soup under a makeshift shelter. Under the awning was a couple of shabby looking tables and chairs. The single woman manning the area, who had crankily interjected, had high cheekbones, thin and sparse eyebrows, and a pair of narrow eyes.

“Auntie, I’m only selling a couple of side dishes and won’t be competing with your business, could I possibly…” Xiaocao knew that the workers who had the money to buy noodles would definitely not be so stingy that they couldn’t afford a copper coin to try a braised dish.

“No, no! Leave, you’re hindering my sales right now! Can you afford to pay me back?” The woman with the high cheekbones glared at them in disdain from the corner of her eyes. The expression in them showed that she regarded them as beggars.

Eldest Aunt pulled Xiaocao, who had wanted to say something, away and softly said, “Let’s go. This woman is infamous for being difficult. You can go to Grandpa Liu’s booth and try there. His family also sells noodles.”

Just as they were talking, the dockworkers had been let out for a break. A sea of dark-colored heads started rushing this way.

When Eldest Aunt saw the group of men coming over, she hastily said to the two siblings, “Right now is the time to sell food and snacks. You two need to quickly start advertising. Do you guys know how? Do you need me to help you?”

Xiaocao shook her head in refusal and said, “Eldest Aunt, you should go back to your own work. Before we came here, our father already told us on how to advertise to customers.”

After Eldest Aunt left, the two siblings went over to the front of a stall with an old man who had kind looking eyes. They politely asked, “Grandfather, can we sell our appetizers next to your booth?”

This old man was the same Grandpa Liu that their Eldest Aunt had spoken about earlier. He was someone who was very easy to talk to. He felt sympathy for the two siblings, who had to sell things at such a young age, and easily agreed to their request.

The two siblings found a spot next to the stall and smiled at each other. Little Shitou immediately started to shout, “One copper coin for a meat dish, only one copper coin for a meat dish! Excuse me, older uncle who has some food from home, buy a packet of this meat dish and try some. If it’s not tasty, we’ll give your money back!”

“Oh what? There’s someone selling a dish with meat in it? For only one copper coin a portion?”

“Are they stupid? Meat is so expensive right now. If they’re selling it for one copper coin, won’t they be losing instead of making money?”

“A copper coin’s worth of food with meat would probably not be enough to even get stuck in my teeth…forget it, us brothers should go buy some salted, pickled vegetables to eat instead.”

……

Although Little Shitou’s advertising had stirred the interests of many of the dockworkers, of the people who came over to look, none of them actually bought any.

Little Shitou started to feel anxious and looked at his sister and said, “Older sister, what should we do? This food is so delicious, why won’t they buy any?”

Xiaocao had long predicted that this type of situation might happen. Most people needed some time to pass in order to get used to something new. She thought and then opened the basket and unwrapped one of the oil paper packets containing food. She borrowed Grandpa Liu’s knife that was used to cut noodles and sliced the chicken offal into small bites. She walked up to a man who was eating noodle soup and smiled, “Older uncle, try my meat dish. It’s completely free. If it doesn’t taste good, then you won’t be losing anything right?

The man hesitated for a second and was about to take the proffered bite of chicken gizzard when he was stopped by one of his companions next to him who said, “Don’t! Old Hao, who knows whether or not she’s a swindler. If you eat it, she might insinuate that you owe her money and then what will you do?”

When the man heard that, he withdrew his hand. Little Shitou’s eyes opened wide in worry and anxiety.

However, Xiaocao was as cool as a cucumber. A bright smile graced her face as she said, “Older uncle, just look at me and my little brother. We’re tiny and there’s no way we can fight against even your finger. How could we possibly swindle you?”

Old Hao stroked his chin and decided that the little girl was right. If he said that the food didn’t taste good and refused to give them money, then they’d be out of luck. The money was in his own pouch, and there was no way the two children could steal it from him, right?

He took a bamboo skewer from Xiaocao, speared a piece of chicken liver, and carefully chewed it after he popped it in his mouth. The mellow and savory flavor of the chicken liver slowly spread across his mouth, and his eyes started shining in delight at the taste.  “Good, so good! It really is incredibly delicious!! Is it just one copper coin? Give me a portion!” Old Hao fished a copper coin from his pouch without any hesitation.

His companion shook his head and said, “Is it really that delicious? One copper coin’s worth is not going to get you much. Old Hao, you’ve been had!”

Little Shitou glared fiercely at the other man and said, “My father had told us that it is important to be honest when we’re doing business. This our first time selling something, so we wouldn’t do something as stupid as to ruin the trust of others.“

Xiaocao took out a packet of pre-wrapped food from her basket and said cheerfully, “That’s right, that’s right! In the future, we’ll continue selling one copper coin’s worth of meat dishes, and the types of food we bring will rotate constantly. We definitely want to keep our good reputations. Older Uncle Hao, here’s your braised appetizer dish…”

With the alluring taste of the food still lingering in his mouth. Old Hao ripped into the packet of oiled paper impatiently. He found that inside the packet was not only the dish that he had tried, but that there were also other varieties available. All of the food combined together was enough to fill about half of a small bowl. He took a little taste of everything and discovered that even though the textures were all different, every single bite was tasty and delicious.

“Is this called braised food? I have never heard of it! Quite good, it’s delicious and a good deal!! Give me another portion, I need to bring some back to give my wife and children a taste!” Old Hao mixed the rest of the braised chicken offal into his bowl of noodle soup. The addition of the meat had made the noodles that had tasted heavily of beans immediately taste better.

“Okay!” Xiaocao took the copper coin and then took out another pouch of braised chicken offal. She even ladled up a spoonful of braised chicken blood from her jar and placed it into Old Hao’s bowl and said, “This blood tofu is too soft and tender. If I put it in the oiled paper packets, it would have gotten smushed into smithereens. It’s better for me to add some on top of your noodles!”

“Wow! This is such a great portion size for one copper coin!” Old Hao felt like he was the one taking advantage of them.

The people around them all saw Old Hao praising the food endlessly as he scarfed it down bite by bite. One copper wasn’t a lot of money to them, so they all lined up, one after another, to buy a portion to taste. A couple of them put the food into the flat cakes they had brought from home, while others put it directly into the vegetable soup they bought. A few other people bought some warm steamed rolls and ate it with the braised food…

Many people discovered that the food was tasty and came back for a second helping. Even the cheapest meat sold at the markets was priced at more than ten copper coins a catty. One copper coin could, at most, get you two small slices of meat. The food that the little girl was selling not only tasted better than the food they had at home but also had a decent portion size. It was a good deal!  Without much effort, Xiaocao had sold off forty portions of braised food. The money she had spent on seasonings had been earned back, so Xiaocao was as happy as a clam. Next to her were a few people who had come by late and were afraid that they had missed out.

“It’s so loud over there, what’s going on? If someone’s causing trouble, don’t blame me if I have to expel them from here!” The foreman was at the only shack in the area that sold stir-fried dishes. He had ordered a few of their house specialties and politely poured the steward a cup of wine.

“Sir, I’ll go over there and look!” The foreman always had a few errand runners next to him. The man ran towards the area that was wreathed by people.

“Steward Liu, the conditions here are too simple and crude. A little further from here is a small market and there are a couple of restaurants there that have decent food, how about…” The foreman looked at the few dishes in front of him and felt they looked quite pitiful. He was afraid that the manager would not be satisfied with the area’s offerings and would not do business with him in the future.

Steward Liu shook his head and said, “The cargo I have right now is urgently needed in the capital. I can eat any time, so it’s more important to get the cargo loaded before we discuss other things.”

“Alright, alright! Don’t worry, Steward Liu, I promise that I can get all of the cargo loaded before one in the afternoon!” The foreman raised his wine cup and toasted Steward Liu. Steward Liu was a steward for a well-known, wealthy merchant in the capital. If he took good care of him, then in the future, the Liu Family’s monthly business would all go to him and not get taken away from his arch-business rival.

“Sir, there’s no one causing trouble. There’s a little girl selling a copper coin’s worth of braised meat dishes. All of the others said it’s very good, so I also bought a portion back. You and Steward Liu can try some.” The errand runner was perceptive and had dipped into his own pockets to show respect to his boss. If he took good care of his boss, then wouldn’t he get more benefits in the future?

“What kind of food can one copper coin buy? What kind of meat? Is it edible?” The foreman grumbled as he took a bite. Eh? The taste was really not bad. “Steward Liu, this braised meat dish is quite delicious. It actually tastes better than the food at the restaurants in the markets. Do you want to try some?”

As the chief steward of a large merchant household, Steward Liu had tasted all kinds of dishes. However, when he picked up a piece of chicken gizzard and put it into his mouth to eat, the expression on his face softened immediately. He had travelled extensively as a part of his duties, but he had never eaten something as delicious as this before.

Steward Liu casually asked, “From what I can tell, this is neither pork nor beef nor lamb. It seems to have the flavor of chicken but I have never encountered food made this way before. Not bad, not bad! The taste is also very palatable!”

When the foreman noticed that Steward Liu ate several bites of the food in a row and seemed to want to continue, he hurriedly directed the errand runner, “Erzi, it’s hard to find something that Steward Liu likes. Go buy two more portions now!”

Steward Liu didn’t stop them and a satisfied look crossed his face. The foreman smirked inside—It looks like this big customer is finally mine!

“Sir! The one copper coin’s worth of braised meat dish has all been sold out...however, I brought over the little girl who was selling it. Her basket still has some blood tofu left. She wants to know if you want any?” Erzi was unable to buy the braised chicken offal and huffily came back.

“Blood tofu? Is that the dusty brown lumps that’s in here? Didn’t know it was called ‘blood tofu’. It’s more tender than tofu and the taste is much better too!” Steward Liu lightly picked a piece of the braised chicken blood in his chopsticks and placed it in his mouth with avid pleasure.

Since he could tell Steward Liu liked it, the foreman turned and spoke to Xiaocao, “I want the rest of the blood tofu in your jar. If I give you ten copper coins, is that enough?”

Xiaocao grinned winsomely and shook her head, “Foreman Uncle, it’s not worth that much! I at most have about a bowl’s worth of blood tofu left. Just give me two copper coins and it’s a done deal!”

Steward Liu glanced over and said, “I would have never expected that something so inexpensive could taste so exquisite and delicious. What is this blood tofu actually made of?

Xiaocao thought a bit and then replied, “Steward Uncle, are you able to accept foods that are not commonly eaten?”

Steward Liu guffawed and said, “I’m in charge of a lot of business and travel all the time. What haven’t I eaten before? In southern Guangdong, I’ve even eaten mice and vipers! Oftentimes what sounds scary to eat actually tastes just fine. Tell me, little girl, you can’t scare this old man!”

Chapter 79 - Pig Head

Xiaocao was now relieved. She nodded and smiled, “I didn’t expect that Steward Uncle is also a big eater! To be honest, my blood tofu is created using a secret method to braise the chicken blood. Although it doesn’t look elegant, the taste is still pretty good.”

“Chicken blood? I didn’t even smell a trace of blood when I ate it. Yet the tofu is still so smooth and tender. Wonderful! Wonderful!” Steward Liu didn’t slow down his eating speed as he talked. He had heard that the people of Jinling used duck blood to make soup but didn’t expect that chicken blood could also be consumed!

When the foreman saw that Steward Liu was happily eating the blood tofu, his heart settled back down with relief. He took out five copper coins and gave it to Xiaocao, “Here, the remaining money is to reward you. In the future, will you still be selling blood tofu at the dock?”

Xiaocao also didn’t act too formally. She smiled as she took the copper coins and said, “In the future, I will still be selling meat dishes for one copper coin with my little brother. However, I might not be selling blood tofu. But foreman, don’t worry. The taste of my meat dishes won’t be worse than my blood tofu!”

“Xiaocao, your Eldest Aunt had told me that you were selling things here, so I came to find you.” Xiaocao’s Eldest Uncle, Liu Pei, walked towards her in large strides. He asked with concern, “Did you eat breakfast yet? Eldest Uncle found work today, so I came to invite you and Shitou to eat white steamed buns.”

“Eldest Uncle, we already had breakfast before we came here. You didn’t eat yet, right? Oh right, I still have half a portion of some braised food. Why don’t you eat that with a flatbread?” Xiaocao knew that whenever Eldest Aunt came here to sell things, she would always bring food for Eldest Uncle. Therefore, she stuffed the remaining free samples of braised chicken into Liu Pei’s hands.

“This is what you’re selling? It smells very fragrant! I can just eat flatbread with pickles. Why don’t you sell the rest of this?” When Liu Pei smelled the fragrant dish, he secretly swallowed his saliva. But he wasn’t willing to take advantage of his niece.

Xiaocao didn’t take back the paper pouch that the braised food was in. She blinked her eyes at her Eldest Uncle, “My business went pretty well today. The braised food that I had brought here has all been sold out. How can I sell half a portion of a dish? It’s not like I can split a copper coin in half. Eldest Uncle go do what you need to do. I will go to the market and have a look.…..”

After she finished speaking, she pulled her little brother’s hand and ran away.

When the foreman saw the scene, he laughed, “Brother Liu, she is your niece! The meat dishes she sells for one copper coin taste good. Even Steward Liu from the capital felt that it tasted good. If you don’t want it, then you can just sell it to me.”

All the braised food that he had bought earlier had entered Steward Liu’s stomach. He only had two bites of blood tofu. Now, he craved it.

“Ah! Foreman Sun, what are you saying? If you like it, you can just take it. Why are you talking about buying or selling?” In order to work at the docks, they must first be inspected by Foreman Sun. If they had a good relationship with Foreman Sun, then it would be easier to find a job in the future.

Foreman Sun was very pleased with Liu Pei taking the high road. He ate the rich and delicious braised food when he suddenly said, “Didn’t your nephew come with you a few days ago? Did he come with you today? The young man looks tall and strong. He seems like he has a lot of strength. Once he has eaten, let him help with unloading too.…..”

The person that foreman is talking about was the son of the second branch of the Liu Family, Liu Zhiwei. Because of his young age, the foreman usually didn’t like to hire him.

It was common knowledge that a worker could earn twenty to thirty copper coins in a day from loading and unloading goods at the dock. When Liu Pei heard what Foreman Sun had said, he was overjoyed. He repeatedly said, “Thank you Foreman Sun! My nephew has also come today! Don’t worry, that kid is used to doing manual labor! He is very honest, and he definitely won’t disappoint you!”

“What are you thanking me for? In the future, make sure your niece leaves a meat dish behind every day. Just eating a little isn’t really satisfying. But don’t worry, I will pay for what it’s worth!” Steward Liu had left after eating and drinking his fill. Foreman Sun was now happily eating and drinking and felt very satisfied with the food.

The Tanggu Docks had a moderately sized market. On every 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 15th of a month, as well as New Years, the people from the nearby villages would come and sell their own products or buy goods that they needed.

Although it was called a market, it felt more like a street than a market. On both sides of the market, there were short houses made of grass. Occasionally there would be an eye-catching brick house. But whether it was a house made of grass or brick, it was only open when the market was open. Usually, their doors would be tightly closed.

Today was February 16th, and it was a market day today. Even though the market was small, there were still quite a bit of people here. On both sides of the street, the houses towards the front had become a simple vegetable market.

Some people carried their frozen radishes and cabbages for sale on their shoulders, while others carried varieties of chicken, duck, and eggs they had raised to sell. There were also street vendors who sold daily necessities. All of these vendors tried their best to attract customers.  The sounds of people selling their products, bargaining, and even the sound of gossipers talking all wove together and made it a lively scene. Xiaocao held her little brother’s hand and walked through the crowd. But, from time to time, they would sway unsteadily from being squeezed by the crowd.

“Xiaocao? Shitou? Did you come here by yourself? Is it because there’s nothing to eat at home?” What a coincidence, before they walked very far, they met another acquaintance again. The person who had just spoken was Xiaocao’s grandfather. Following behind him was her uncle, Yu Dashan, who was carrying a fishing basket.

Although Xiaocao was dissatisfied with her grandfather and her inarticulate uncle, she didn’t harbor any malice towards them. She gave them a faint smile and replied, “No, Shitou and I just came here to take a look.”

Old Yu looked at his grandson and granddaughter who had become somewhat alienated from him. He thought about how his second son had left the house with practically nothing. If it wasn’t  for the relatives who had sent money to his son and the villagers who had aided him, they probably wouldn’t have a house to live in such a cold day. Thinking back to that, he couldn’t help but feel guilty.

After thinking about it, he turned around and took the fish basket from Dashan. He poured the remaining ten small yellow croakers that they couldn't sell into Xiaocao’s basket. Old Yu stroked Little Shitou’s head using his fishy hands and said, “Take these fish home to eat...do you have any money on you? If you don’t, Grandpa can buy you what you want.”  Yu Dashan’s mouth moved as he glanced at his father. But in the end, he didn’t say anything. These days, without the fishing expert, Yu Hai, they had caught fewer and fewer fish. In addition, the varieties of fish they caught had also dwindled. They had lost quite a few regular customers in town. Now, their business was getting worse and worse.

Every time they brought home money, Madam Zhang would complain that it was too little and that it was not enough for the family’s expenses. The money they had earned by selling fish this time, was the lowest amount they had earned. If they also bought things for the children, he was afraid that they’ll never hear the end of it when they returned home.

When he saw Xiaocao sensibly shaking her head and heard her say, “Grandfather, there’s no need. We brought money with us,” he felt relieved. At home, his mother kept harping on about money, and his wife talked too much. All of this made him feel very annoyed.

After saying goodbye to their grandfather, Xiaocao continued walking forward. Suddenly, she was attracted to a pork stall in the distance. She pulled Little Shitou and walked over. The swarthy and plump butcher had a tangled and coarse beard. His eyes were especially big, which made it seem like he was glaring at people whenever he looked at them. He appeared to be quite fierce looking.

However, the people who knew him all knew that Butcher Wang was famous for being a good person. Whenever he sold meat, he never gave the customers less meat or change. He even gave his regular customers some things that are of little value. His reputation was quite good in the nearby villages.

“Little girl, are you buying meat?” Butcher Wang knew that his appearance often scared children and made them cry. So, when he saw the sister and brother pair, he hurriedly showed them what he believed to be a kind smile. He also softened his voice as he called out to them. But he didn’t know that this kind of expression made him look even more fierce.

Little Shitou was scared by the butcher and hid behind his second sister. But after thinking about it, he stepped forward and walked in front of his sister. At home, he had boasted that he would protect his sister well. However from his clenched fist, trembling body, and reddening face, it was obvious that he was about to cry. Everyone could sense his fear and nervousness.

When Butcher Wang saw that his smile produced the opposite of his desired result, he awkwardly scratched the back of his head. But he didn’t forget to praise Little Shitou, “Little guy, you are very brave. You know how to protect your sister. You really are a young man!”

From his manner and tone, Xiaocao determined that this man was a blockhead who had a mean-looking face but a heart of gold. She held her brother’s shoulders and ruffled his head, smiling as she said, “Uncle is praising you, aren’t you going to quickly thank him?”

Little Shitou bashfully lowered his head. In a small voice, he replied, “Thank you for your praise…”

“Good child, what a good child…what do you want to buy? Uncle will give you a discount!” Butcher Wang laughed out loud, his voice was loud and clear like the rumbling of thunder.

Yu Xiaocao looked at the meat in the stall. She saw that what was remaining was less than two catties of a moderately sized, not too fat and not too thin leg meat. There was also some fatty oil, a few pig bones, and a large pig head.

Her line of sight was instantly attracted by the pig head. She proceeded to ask, “Uncle, how is this pig head sold? Do you also sell pig liver, pig heart, pig stomach, and the large intestines of pigs?”

During this time period, almost all the pig heads were used as a sacrifice to the gods. Very few families in the villages would eat them. The main reason that people didn’t eat pig heads was that they disliked the distinct flavor of the pig heads. If the flavor isn’t properly taken care of, then the oil, salt, firewood, and the grains they used would be wasted on the pig’s head.

But since both the twelfth lunar month and the first month of the lunar year had passed, no one had been interested in the pig head. After hearing her questions, Butcher Wang asked her with good intentions, “Little girl, why does your family want a pig head? What are they planning to do with it? Pig heads don’t taste good. Why don’t you buy some pig bones and make a stew with it? I can sell you the pig bones for a cheaper price. As for the pig liver and pig hearts, it has been all sold out. The filthy and smelly pig stomach and pig intestines have either been thrown out or fed to the dogs. Is your family raising a dog?”

Just as she had expected...the people from this time period didn’t have a method to cleanse the dirty and smelly internal organs of animals. Because they didn’t have a method to cleanse it, they didn’t dare to eat them. However, the pig stomach and pig intestines tasted delicious after being braised. In addition, the braised pig head dish was one of the most popular braised foods her shop had sold in her previous life!

“Uncle, I also don’t know what they’re going to do with those items. It was my father who had told me to buy those items. How much does the pig head cost per catty? Also, please give me all of the pig stomach and pig intestines……” Xiaocao pointed at the pig head with a smile, confidently asking him to sell her those items.

Butcher Wang nodded his head and said, “There’s no need to weigh the pig head. Pig heads are usually sold after the buyer and seller comes to an agreement. A pig head usually costs eight copper coins. But since it’s off-season right now, I’ll sell it to you for six copper coins. The pork stomach and intestines haven’t been thrown away today. I’ll give them to you for free if you want it.”

Wow! A pig head usually weighed around seven to eight catties, but it was only sold for six copper coins! It was so cheap that it was almost ridiculous. What’s more, the pig stomach and intestines were offered to her for free! Yu Xiaocao felt that she had gotten a huge deal for this trip!

Thinking about her long-term business, she suddenly asked, “Uncle, seeing that there aren’t many things left in your stall, your business must be doing good. How frequently does your family to kill a pig?”

Butcher Wang laughed out loud and proudly replied, “Thanks to the blessings from the villagers, my meat stall business has been doing well. Almost every time the market opens, we kill one pig. At other times, we are busy catching pigs in the village!”

Chapter 80 - Causing Trouble

Yu Xiaocao earnestly asked, “The next time you kill a pig, can you leave me the pig blood, pork tripe, and pig intestine? I can give you the money for it……”

Butcher Wang was very curious and puzzledly asked, “What do you want these things for? Little girl, these things are both smelly and dirty. They really don’t taste good!”

Yu Xiaocao mysteriously smiled and said, “I know, but I have a use for them. How about this? I will place an order on those items for two copper coins. You usually throw those things out, but if you sell it to me, you will earn an extra two copper coins!”

Butcher Wang’s business was pretty good, so he didn’t care for an extra two copper coins. He smiled and said, “Okay, okay! I will keep those items for you. But you don’t need to pay for it. Consider it as a gift from this uncle. If your family needs to buy meat in the future, just remember to take care of my business. That will be enough.”

“Do you want me to use straw ropes to tie up the pig head for you? I will also go to the house to get some pork tripe and pig intestines for you!” Butcher Wang didn’t forget to get some rice straws to carefully make a cushion inside Xiaocao’s basket. He feared that the pork tripe and intestines will dirty the fish on the bottom of the basket.

Xiaocao allowed him to also put the pig head inside the basket. She considered this to be a rewarding journey because she had profited a lot. After that, she spent another ten copper coins to buy a jar of soybean oil. The basket was stuffed to the brim with items, so it was quite heavy. Little Shitou picked up a wooden stick from the roadside. Utilizing the stick, both the older sister and younger brother carried the basket together. On their way home, they walked and took occasional breaks from carrying the basket. Because of this, they didn’t get home until it was afternoon.

They had just walked to the entrance of the village when they saw a familiar figure pacing back and forth. The small shadow underneath its foot followed the figure as it wandered back and forth. When the little roe deer saw the sister and brother, it took the initiative to run over to them. First, it ran over to Xiaocao’s feet and acted like a spoiled child, rubbing its head against her leg a few times. After that, it ran over to Little Shitou to play with him.

“Haha! Tiny, we haven’t seen each other for half a day, did you miss me? Our Tiny is the most sensible for coming over and greeting us. Second Sister, I’m afraid that we don’t even know where your Little Glutinous Dumpling has run off to. Father is right! It’s hard to get a stray kitten to become close to you!” Little Shitou held the little roe deer as it licked his face. His face was covered in saliva, but he was still taking pleasure in it.

The mini golden kitten that the little divine stone had taken the form of was very proud and haughty. It didn’t pay heed to anyone from the family besides Xiaocao. Little Shitou wanted to get closer to it but he was scratched by its claws, leaving behind a few red marks. Little Shitou loved the kitten but he also feared it. Thus, he would always make sour remarks about it.

Xiaocao found the situation to be rather funny. She pinched Little Shitou’s face and said, “What? Has Little Glutinous Dumpling offended you again? You really are too much for holding a grudge against a kitten!”

Ever since the little divine stone had a physical form, it would bring its real body, the multicolored stone, out to look for the spring water with the most amount of spiritual energy in the forest. Every day, it would leave early and come home late. It would soak in the spring water for the entire day and obediently return home at nighttime.

Xiaolian, who had been pacing around the entrance of the village for a long time, gasped for breath as she ran over. She took over the basket from her siblings and was astonished when she felt the weight of the basket.

When they went out, the basket wasn’t this heavy. So, when Xiaolian felt the weight of the basket, she thought that they didn't sell any of the braised chicken giblets. She comforted her younger siblings, “Tonight, there will be a lot of fine food! The small piece of chicken gizzard that we tasted yesterday was tasteless. But tonight, you’ll be able to eat your fill. Little sister, thanks to your blessing, our dinner will be more sumptuous than the New Year’s!”

Xiaocao was just about to lament about her appetite when Little Shitou was unable to wait any longer. He noisily shouted, “Eldest Sister, all the braised food dishes we have brought there today were sold. We didn’t even have enough to sell! Guess how much money we have earned? Quickly guess!”

“You sold everything?” Xiaolian opened her mouth in surprise, “Do I really need to guess? I was the one who had divided the servings of braised food. When I was dividing them up, I counted a total of sixty servings. So, it would be sixty copper coins at most, since it only cost one copper coin each. But, did you guys really sell everything?”

When Xiaocao saw the uncertain expression on her sister’s face, she giggled. She replied, “We sold everything in less than half an hour! We didn’t even have enough to sell! Many people, who either bought or didn’t manage to buy our food, asked me if I would still be selling tomorrow! Even a steward, who had come from the capital, praised the taste of our braised food!”

“That’s great! But unfortunately, Auntie Zhou’s family doesn’t often have the chance to kill that many chickens…” On one hand, Xiaolian was very happy with the results from today. But on the other hand, she felt regretful because it was just a one-time business opportunity.

However, she quickly pulled herself together. She weighed the heavy basket in her hand and asked, “Little sister, what did you buy? You didn’t spend all of the sixty copper coins that you earned, did you? No wonder Mother always says that you can never save any money……”

“I didn’t! I only spent sixteen copper coins! This time, we have earned back the money that we spent. In the future, we will only be gaining profits when we sell. When we have enough money later, we should also make a hut at the docks, selling all kinds of braised food!” Xiaocao patted the place where her purse was placed. She was confident in her braised food business.

“Xiaolian, Xiaocao, and Little Shitou, where did the three of you come from?” The village idiot’s wife had her eyes fixed at the heavy basket in Xiaolian’s hands. She was full of laughter when she asked.

The village idiot’s wife was a famous gossiper in the village. She and Madam Li were quite a pair since their ability to gossip were on par with each other.

Xiaolian didn’t want to pay her any attention. In a perfunctory manner, she replied, “Little sister had said that she wants to take a look at the dock. So, I made Little Shitou take her there. Auntie, my little sister, and brother haven’t even eaten breakfast yet. We will be going first……”

The village idiot’s wife looked at the three siblings’ backs as they hurriedly left. Her mouth twitched and scoffed, “You brought a basket to play at the dock? I don’t know what kind of good things are in that basket! By the way, didn’t Li Guihua complain that the money her father-in-law and husband brought home was less than before? Could it be that Old Yu secretly gave his fish to the siblings? No! I have to go and tell her!

The village idiot’s wife went to find Madam Li, adding oil and vinegar as she told her the story. When Madam Li heard the story, she became extremely angry. Good! No wonder they were earning less and less money from selling fish recently. It turned out that they have been supplementing the second son; that group of rubbish and invalids.

Xiaocao and her siblings had just reached home and hadn’t even put the content of the basket in their kitchen, when Madam Li arrived right behind them.

She boldly and confidently kicked open Xiaocao’s family’s front door. If their front door wasn’t newly built, it would have probably been broken by Madam Li’s kick. She hadn't even entered the door when her pheasant-like voice loudly shouted, “Second Brother in-law, come out! We have already separated our households yet you’re still clinging onto the old man, trying to suck his blood dry! Do you still have a conscience? Quickly bring out what you have taken from him!”

Yu Hai, who was making bamboo utensils in the courtyard, was stunned and at a complete loss about what she was yelling about. He replied, “Eldest Sister-in-law, you can’t make irresponsible remarks. After separating our branch, I haven’t taken anything from your family. When you accuse other people, you need evidence!”

“Humph! You didn’t take money or things from the family? Then how did you build this house? How did you build those pieces of furniture? Don’t tell me that all of that was supplemented from Second Sister-in-law’s family? We all know the situation with the Liu Family. How are they able to give you a dozen or more taels of silver? Do you want evidence? Good! The items in that basket are evidence!”

Madam Li looked around the courtyard with her triangular eyes. Then, as if she had gotten evidence that she could use against them, she pointed at the basket that Xiaolian had just put down while coldly sneering.

Fortunately, Xiaocao’s family lived some distance from the fishing village. There were only two to three families living nearby. Otherwise, with Madam Li’s loud voice, it would’ve attracted a crowd of people to come here and watch the show. Even so, their neighbor from the west side, Madam Mao leaned in front of her front door, trying to eavesdrop on what was going on. Madam Fang also came over and tried to convince Madam Li in a low voice.

Fortunately, today was the day that Madam Liu went to town to help people wash their clothes. Otherwise, she would have been angered by Madam Li’s words.

Xiaocao, who had been drinking a bowl of warm boiled water, poured the water on the ground when she heard Madam Li’s accusations. The warm water had almost landed on Madam Li’s foot. Xiaocao bluntly said: “Do you want to calculate? Okay! Then let’s carefully calculate! Disregarding everything else, just the money earned from the game that my father hunted in the mountains and sold were worth more than ten taels a year, right? I won’t mention anything too long ago, so let’s calculate it from when Little Shitou was born. In the six years since Shitou was born, my father has given grandmother at least sixty taels of silver. After subtracting two taels each year for expenses, there should be at least fifty taels remaining. Furthermore, there was still the money earned from selling fishing. Even after using them for daily expenses, there should still be some money leftover.

“Yes, we have spent over a dozen taels for my father’s injury. Let’s just round it up to twenty taels! Then there should still be around thirty taels remaining at home. When we were separating from the family, how much did we get? When we separated our branches, it was as if you were trying to get rid of beggars, giving us only two taels of silver.

“The house we lived in was broken and water easily leaked in. The food that we got from splitting the household wasn’t even enough to eat for half a month. What is two taels of silver enough to do? If it’s not for my maternal grandmother borrowing some money for us and all the uncles from the village helping us rebuild the house, we would still be living in that run-down house that has cracks and leaks rain!

“Are you saying that Grandfather is giving us money? Even if other people don’t know how much they earned from selling fish every day, but wouldn’t Eldest Uncle know? If Grandfather takes his hard-earned money to supplement us, would Eldest Uncle not complain? Wouldn’t he tell you?”

After being rebuked by a little girl, Madam Li’s face turned from red to pale. However, she couldn’t defend herself and refute her claims. She was right. Her father-in-law might feel sorry for his second son, but her husband was always there when he went fishing and selling fish. If the old man had subsidized them, her husband might help him hide it once or twice. However, if it continued for a long time, he would definitely have some complaints.

Then… what about the basket that was full of things that the village idiot’s wife was talking about? With her brother-in-law’s current situation, it was impossible for him to buy so many things. When Madam Li thought up to this point, she was immediately full of life again like she was cockfighting:

“Are you saying that Father-in-law didn’t supplement you with anything? Then what is in that basket? Weren’t you just crying about how you didn’t even have enough to eat? Then where did you get the money to buy so many things? If you have the guts, open the basket and let this old lady have a look. Just what is inside?”

Xiaocao sneered and asked wickedly, “Eldest Aunt, are you sure you want to take a look?”

“Of course, I want to take a look! That is the evidence that Father-in-law is being partial to your family!” Madam Li jumped as she hooted and the fats on her face trembled along with her movements. Her face right now looked really similar to the pig head that Xiaocao bought today.

“Okay! If that’s the case, I will fulfill your wish!” Xiaocao bent over and opened the basket. She took out the pig head from inside the basket and using some force, she threw it at Madam Li.

Madam Li only saw a black shadow flying at her, so she subconsciously reached out her hands and caught it. She lowered her head and looked at the thing she was holding. Oh my mother! An ugly pig with its eyes rolled to the back of his head so only the whites of his eyes were showing. It was staring straight at her…

“Ahhhh——” Madam Li screamed as she quickly threw the pig head away.

“Didn’t you want to see it? I’ll let you look! I’ll let take a look!” Xiaocao was thinking, if it weren’t for Madam Li who had pushed the original host of the body to death, perhaps she wouldn’t have transmigrated. Maybe, the Lin Xiaowan from the modern world wouldn’t have died. As she thought about it, the resentment in her heart increased greatly. She grabbed the stinky pork tripe and pig intestines and threw them directly at Madam Li’s face.

Chapter 81 - Secret Recipe

Right after Madam Li threw the pig head away in a panic, she suddenly felt a long thing fall on her shoulders. Her head and chest had also been hit by something soft. Immediately a horrendous stench arose, like the smell of a pig sty that hadn’t been cleaned up, and the scent assaulted her nostrils.

When she could finally clearly see what was on her, she acted as if she had stepped on a bunch of hot coals. She jumped in fright and screamed as if she was a pig at slaughter. Words just blabbered out of her mouth in an unending stream, and she felt like something had exploded near her ears as she continuously retreated.

“You need to die, need to die! I am your eldest paternal aunt, yet you dare to pelt me with such disgusting things! Do you no longer believe in the young respecting the old? If you can treat me this way, then the next time you will treat your grandmother this way!! I want the entire village to know how Madam Liu has taught her kids!!”

Madam Li lowered her head to look at her clothes that were made dirty. The acrid smell of pig feces on her body repeatedly assaulted her nose and made her stomach roll in nausea. She almost fainted at this moment.

Xiaocao smiled sweetly at her, “Eldest Aunt, how did I not show you proper respect? You said you wanted to see what was in our basket, and I was afraid that your eyes weren’t so good due to your age, so I especially ‘delivered’ the things in front of you to let you see them more clearly. Now that you see what they are, are you still going to say that Grandfather is secretly giving us money on the sly?”

Without waiting for Madam Li to reply, Xiaocao continued after increasing the volume of her voice, “Eldest Aunt! There was one thing you said correctly, our family really doesn’t have much at home! Today I brought my younger brother to the docks because I wanted to see the markets over there. I wanted to find out if I could pick up any vegetables on the ground that other people didn’t want or other food like that. Uncle Wang, who’s the butcher in town, saw that we were pitiful and gave a pig head to us. As for the pig tripe and pig intestines, Little Shitou and I picked them up from the ground to see if we can eat them after washing them clean. As long as we don’t die from eating them, does it matter if it smells a little? It’s still better than starving to death. Our family is already at this point in our lives, so why would Eldest Aunt claim that our grandfather is subsidizing us? Do you really want our whole family to die? If my whole family dies of starvation or from freezing to death, will that make you happy?”

After tasting the steamed stuffed buns that Xiaocao had sent her family earlier, Madam Mao’s opinion of Xiaocao and her whole family was quite good. At the side, she idly commented, “This is the first time that I’ve heard of an older sister-in-law forcing her younger brother-in-law’s entire family to die in the entire Dongshan Village! Madam Li, if you really want to do this, you’ll be famous all around the area! Tsk, tsk, tsk…just look, the children are so hungry that they’re willing to scavenge something so disgusting and smelly to try to eat!”  The expression on Madam Li’s face changed instantly. Her son was only two years away from talking about marriage and finding a wife. If word came out that she had forced her younger brother-in-law’s family to death, who would let their daughter marry her son?

Madam Li’s mouth opened and closed a few times as if she wanted to say something. The usually gentle and easily persuadable Madam Fang glared at her as if she was her worst enemy. Madam Fang tenderly drew Little Shitou into her arms and wiped the tears in her eyes, and said, “Poor children, you guys can’t eat those things. Quickly throw them away. If there’s really nothing at home to eat, then I’ll lend you guys a few catties of grain to eat.”

Yu Hai felt a pang in his heart and a complicated look crossed his face. He lifted up his head and let the tears in his eyes slowly disappear. He glanced at Madam Li and said, “Eldest Sister-in-law, I can make an oath to the heavens that I have never asked my parents to give me money. Father also has never subsidized us on the sly! When we split our families, I had made it clear, no matter how poor we became or how difficult our lives were, even if we had to beg for food, we would never ask a single thing from the rest of the family! You have seen what is in the basket, if there’s nothing else, please go back home!!”

Madam Li had made a fuss for nothing, so she flung her handkerchief down on the ground and left the place covered from head to toe in grime. She needed to find the village idiot’s wife to settle the score for giving her bad information.

There was no such thing as a secret in a small fishing village. Before long, word that Yu Hai and his family were desperate enough to gather food that was as smelly as pig poop travelled throughout Dongshan Village.

Yu Hai’s eldest uncle, Yu Lichun, went over to the Yu Family’s main residence in a towering rage. He screamed and shouted at Old Yu in fury, “This wife is a stepmother, so does that mean you’ve also become a fake father too? Dahai is your own blood and flesh. Do you guys want Dahai’s whole family to forfeit their lives? If that’s so, then you are no longer my younger brother!!”

With a dark expression on his face, Old Yu called Madam Li over to scold her profusely. He then told his youngest daughter to bring around ten catties of millet and ten catties of sweet potato starch to his second son’s family.

Naturally, Yu Hai didn’t take any of it. He had already said that he was not going to take even one iota from the Yu Family, and they weren’t desperate without anywhere to go. Thus, in order to avoid anyone calling them hypocrites, even when Old Yu personally came over to discuss the matter, he maintained his current stance on the matter.

After Yu Xiaocao used the pig head and extremely smelly offal to frighten Madam Li into leaving, she immediately started to work on cleaning and preparing the ingredients. It was time to make more braised food.

“Uh…Xiaocao, are you sure that you can use this stuff to make food? Don’t waste your time and seasonings if it’s not going to work!” Madam Fang reminded her warmly. The rest of the members of the Yu family had long gotten used to her ability to turn trash into treasure, so they didn’t say anything.

Madam Mao had actually brought over a small portion of sweet potato starch and some wild herbs that she had dug up today and said, “Quickly stop trying to prepare those things. Listen to your auntie and throw them away, ok? In the future, if there’s nothing to eat at home, just go to my place and borrow some. Once the sweet potatoes are harvested, you can return what you ate! Who doesn’t have a difficult time now and then? Throw it away, throw it away!”    As she talked, Madam Mao enthusiastically pulled the tripe from Xiaocao’s hands and turned to head out of the room to throw it away.

Xiaocao started sweating in anxiety! This was the money-making method that she had wracked her brains for. If they threw away her ingredients, then how could she sell more of her braised foods for a copper coin a portion tomorrow? She had promised people at the docks!

Seeing that his second daughter was almost bouncing in anxiety, Yu Hai hastily limped forward and took the pig offal from Madam Mao and smiled, “Neighbor, our family hasn’t gotten to the point where we will starve to death. Thank you for your good intentions. Xiaocao has use for this pig tripe as she heard from someone that there’s a remedy that can be used on my leg with these…”

Madam Mao glanced at his leg, suddenly realized something, and said, “Ah! So it was supposed to be used for the leg eh…no wonder! If it really could fix your leg, then it doesn’t matter how stinky it is, you just have to endure it! Okay, I’ll bring the sweet potato starch back home, but you guys can keep the wild herbs so you can make a soup tonight. Xiaocao, if you want to gather more wild herbs tomorrow, find me, I know a spot where there’s a lot of shepherd’s purse around!”

Xiaocao promised the outwardly cold, inwardly warmhearted Madam Mao as she sent her off. Madam Fang still stayed behind to say, “Xiaocao, your mother’s not home right now. Let me help you prepare these things!”

When Xiaocao saw that there was no way she could persuade the older woman otherwise, she washed out the contents of the offal and cut them into sections. She instructed Madam Fang to turn them inside out and use coarse salt to scrub thoroughly. This helped to remove any lingering odors and excess fat. Madam Fang didn’t act as if she thought it was disgusting and rolled up her sleeves and got busy.

Yu Xiaocao then taught Xiaolian how to prepare and clean the pig tripe. She herself prepped the pig’s head. The first step was to let the pig head steep in clean water for some time, scrub off any dirt on the outside, and remove hairs until it was completely clean. Next, it had to be boiled in a pot for about fifteen minutes and inspected to see if there was any hair left on the head. At this point, a rough brush was used to energetically scrub the whole surface until it was absolutely clean.

Yu Hai had actually volunteered to take on the task of scrubbing the pig’s head. Before he had injured his leg, all of the villagers would ask him to help whenever they were slaughtering a pig. The reason was two-fold. On one hand, he was strong and had a lot of strength. On the other hand, he had learned how to slaughter pigs on his own and really knew how to deal with the hair on the animal. When Yu Xiaocao saw that he was as good as she was, she was able to give him the task with relief.

After making sure the pig head was clean, it was time to cleave it open and take out the innards. This work was naturally also given to Yu Hai. On the side, Xiaocao pointed out where he needed to cut and clean out any junk, such as the ears, the corners of the eyes, the lymph nodes, and nasal polyps. Then, the brain was taken out and placed carefully in a bowl to be used later that night. It could be used to make a stew for the whole family to eat!

Yu Hai removed the bones from the pig head in a practiced motion and split them into five to six pieces. The bone pieces were then put into cold water and washed carefully to remove any debris and bloodstains. This would prevent any odd tastes from seeping into the braised pig head dish, which could ruin an entire pot.

After that, Yu Xiaocao took over. She took the cleaned pig head and put it into boiling water. After blanching it for about twenty minutes, she took it out again and washed it clean. Then she took the blanched pig meat and placed it into a new pot with clean water along with the bones from the head. The combination was boiled, and she skimmed off any foam that appeared until it was about half cooked. Then, she put the meat in the braising sauce she had simmered yesterday and let it slowly stew until the meat was tender and soft. In addition, the meat was also put into the master sauce to allow it to incorporate some more flavors.

As the pig head meat slowly stewed, a rich smell of meat gradually spread from the courtyard out into the open. Even the Qian Family home, which was about two hundred meters away, had been enveloped in the savory scent of braised pig heat. Qian Wu was in the courtyard cleaning rods when he deeply inhaled the smell. He managed to swallow down his saliva with difficulty and said, “Smells so good! Mother, did you smell it too? It’s not the New Years, nor is it a holiday, which family is cooking meat right now?”

Madam Mao had also smelled it and thought about the neighbors in the area. Other than Hunter Zhao’s family at the foot of the mountain, who often ate meat because he was skilled at hunting, there was only Madam Fang’s family, who she didn’t get along with, that could possibly be the source of the smell. Could it be that Madam Fang had a guest come over and they slaughtered a chicken for them? But that seemed wrong. It didn’t smell like the aroma of chicken meat. As for Xiaocao’s family, Madam Mao completely skipped over them. They were so poor that they usually couldn’t eat enough, how could they possibly have any extra money to buy meat?

“You glutton! The next time your older brother comes back for his break, I’ll buy some meat and stew some for you two to eat! Where are you going? Be more obedient and don’t make your mother lose face by going to the Zhou Family!” Hunter Zhao lived a bit farther from them, so it was quite unlikely that the scent of their cooking would waft to here. Thus, there was only one family where the smells could come from.

Actually, there wasn’t any truly large conflicts between Madam Mao and the Zhou Family. It was simply that one family raised ducks while the other raised chickens, and the Qian Family’s ducks and duck eggs were not as popular as the Zhou Family’s chickens. In addition, the head of the Zhou Family liked to peddle goods during the farming off-season and made a lot of money from that. Madam Mao felt it was a bit unfair, and she never learned how to mince her words. After a few encounters, the relationship between the two families slowly cooled and drifted apart.

Qian Wu threw down the stick that was in his hand, dashed out of the gate, and said, “I’m not going to Older Brother Wenhua’s home, I want to find Little Shitou to play!”

When Qian Wu arrived at the gates of the Yu Family’s residence, he discovered that the smell of meat was stronger here. Even the red braised pork that his mother made during the New Years didn’t smell as mouth-watering and tantalizing as this. He deeply breathed in the air through his nose and set foot into the courtyard.

“Little Shitou, can you smell this? It smells so good!!” Qian Wu shouted as soon as he entered the residence.

Little Shitou bolted out of the kitchen and grinned, “Older brother Xiaowu, you have a good nose! The pig head meat has just finished braising and you ran over. Come here, come here, come here! My second sister will cut a piece of piping hot braised pig head meat and let you satisfy your craving!”

“Wow! So the smell of meat was actually coming from your family ah!! What's going on today for your family to make meat to eat?” Qian Wu almost let some drool slip out of his mouth and onto his jacket. He used the back of his hand to wipe his mouth but his feet didn’t move at all.

Chapter 82 - New Taste

Although he was gluttonous, he also knew that Shitou’s family didn’t have an easy life. Meat was expensive and if they felt it was too precious to eat, what would it mean if he butted into this?

However, Little Shitou grabbed his hand and pulled him into the kitchen enthusiastically. The little boy pointed a finger at the piping hot braised pig head meat that had just gotten out of the pot and smiled, “Arriving early can’t beat coming at the right time! Come, try a little of my second sister’s talents…”

In actuality, Little Shitou was being devious. He wanted Qian Wu to be the first guinea pig. After all, whenever he thought about the way the pig head looked before it was braised, he felt a little scared to try.

The braised pig head meat was rosy red and had an enchanting smell. The meat looked tender and tasty, fatty without being greasy, and had all the qualities needed to evoke a sense of hunger and yearning from any customer.

Xiaocao seemed to have seen through Little Shitou’s plan and smiled knowingly at him. She cut off a small piece of pig head meat from the corner and stuffed it into Qian Wu’s mouth before he could say anything.

As soon as it hit his mouth, an explosion of savory flavor and richness occurred. It was so delicious that Qian Wu almost cried tears of joy. It was too delicious!! He had never, in his entire life, eaten meat that was as delicious as this!! Xiaocao’s cooking talent had to be better than his mother’s abilities by at least a hundred times. It would have been perfect if she was his younger sister. Then he could frequently taste the fruits of her talent.

Little Shitou stared intently at the multitude of expressions that crossed Qian Wu’s face and eagerly asked, “How is it? Does it taste good? Does it have any odd flavors?”

Qian Wu forcefully grabbed onto Little Shitou’s hand, holding back tears of happiness in his eyes, and replied with complete earnesty, “Shitou, the two of us should switch lives! You can be my mother’s son. Didn’t you always want to have a little sister, right? I have a little sister just waiting for you at home! I, on the other hand, will go to your family and be Xiaocao’s younger brother…”

A couple of imaginary black lines appeared above Xiaocao’s head. ‘Hey, hey! First of all, Qian Yafang is older than Little Shitou, and thus, she couldn’t be his ‘younger sister’. Furthermore, Xiaowu, you brat, you’re also older than me, the honorable Xiaocao, by a year, ok? How is it possible that you have the nerve to say such shameless things?’

Madam Fang had been helping them prepare the pig intestines and as she was bringing the basin into the kitchen, she heard Qian Wu’s childish suggestion and couldn’t help but ‘pfffft’ and laugh, “Wuzi, if your mother heard that you wanted to sell your younger sister and leave home for the sake of eating food, she’d probably beat you until your leg broke!!”

“Xiaocao’s cooking is seriously too good. In this lifetime...no, in my previous lifetime and the lifetime before that, I swear I have never eaten meat that has tasted as good as it did today. Shitou, what did you say it was? Is it called braised pig head meat? Does it use the meat from a pig’s head? That can’t be right, right?? A pig’s head is such a disgusting looking thing, how could it possibly be made into something so tasty?” Qian Wu shook his head until it resembled a rattle. He clearly didn’t want to believe that the meat he ate came from a pig’s head.

When Little Shitou saw Qian Wu’s reaction to the meat, he hastily cut off a piece and stuffed it into his mouth. He had believed that the braised blood tofu and braised chicken offal he had eaten yesterday were the tastiest dishes on earth. Who would have thought that the pig head, which everyone avoided like the plague, could be braised into a dish that was even more delicious than braised chicken offal?

After being braised, the meat from a pig’s head had the perfect ratio between fatty meat and lean meat. When eaten, the taste of pig’s fat and seasonings melded together into an explosion of flavor. The savory taste seemed to permeate into all corners of the mouth and made people feel so happy that they could have almost died.

Seeing their expressions, Xiaocao picked a piece that didn’t look very pretty and cut it into enough pieces to fill a plate. She let everyone taste a small bit and also used a pair of chopsticks to try her own handiwork. She placed a small piece into her mouth and carefully chewed it. Mhm, the taste was good and seemed to be authentic. In her previous life, she had almost gotten sick of eating braised food since that was all she made in her store, but she had never gotten tired of eating braised pig head meat. Because of that, she had gained a decent amount of weight from it.

In the beginning, Madam Fang was too scared to give it a try. However, after seeing how everyone was enjoying the food with immense pleasure, she picked up the smallest piece of meat with a pair of chopsticks and placed it in her mouth. Immediately, her eyes begin to shine with amazement. The taste of this meat, ah, was more flavorful and delicious than her best dish, stewed pork shoulder. Wherever Xiaocao learned this dish from, it was truly awesome!

“Xiaocao, Xiaocao! How did you make this braised pig head meat? I want my mother to learn from you, is that ok?” Qian Wu ate the meat deliciously as the flavor and oils from the meat filled his mouth. He ate the pig head meat in large bites and didn’t forget to sing his praises and talk.

Little Shitou’s eyes immediately became wide, and he said, “Second Sister’s culinary skills have all come from the gods in her dreams. She can’t tell other people! If the god blames her for spreading his secrets and decides to take her abilities away, then you will never be able to eat something as delicious as this again, even if you wanted to!”

Madam Fang thought that was just something that the children made up. She reckoned that Xiaocao had learned a secret recipe from someone and was told not to make it public. Thus, she decided not to ask to be taught as well.

However, Qian Wu had completely believed what Little Shitou told him. Just think about it, in the past, Xiaocao had a very weak body and it was considered a good day when she could get out of bed. How was it possible that she could be able to learn cooking from someone? Also, no outsiders had gone through the village recently. If a god hadn’t taught her, then where would she get these skills?  After thinking about it, Qian Wu nodded his head furiously and said, “I won’t let my mother come here to learn then...Xiaocao, in the future, whenever you make some new type of food, please don’t forget to save a portion for me ah...I won’t be a freeloader either, I can help you gather wild plants, steal eggs from wild birds, and when it gets warm again, I can also dig up some clams…”

“It’s a deal! When there’s something good to eat, I’ll have Little Shitou grab you then!” Xiaocao didn’t add any more pieces of the pig head meat to the depleted plate. After all, the braised meat was supposed to be sold tomorrow at the docks.

After making sure that the braised pig head meat had been done correctly, Xiaocao started to braise the intestines and tripe. Braised intestines had a delicious taste, tender and soft texture, savory and rich flavor, and had a really good mouthfeel. Braised pig tripe had a sweeter taste, a silky texture without being mushy, and was chewy. Both of these were very delicious and tasty types of braised dishes.

After all of the braised dishes were finished, the whole family all thought that each type had its own characteristics but they were all considered to be very delicious. When Madam Fang was about to leave, Xiaocao made sure to put some braised pig head, intestines, and tripe all together on one plate to let her bring some back home.

Madam Fang knew that the purpose of making all of this food was to sell it at the docks, so she stubbornly refused. However, Xiaocao told her that the ingredients were all bought by the money she had made from selling the chicken offal. If Madam Fang didn’t want the meat, Xiaocao said that she would give her money instead. It was only after hearing that did Madam Fang take the plate of food back home.

That night, after Zhou Dacang and his son came back from peddling goods all day, the two of them almost ate the entire plate of braised foods. They praised it endlessly and even wished that there was more for them to eat. They repeatedly told Madam Fang, ‘such a delicious set of meat dishes, in the future, you should buy more to eat at home.’

Madam Fang laughed but didn’t let out Xiaocao’s secret. The village wasn’t very big. If Madam Li and Madam Zhang found out Xiaocao’s culinary talents, the two of them would definitely come over to make trouble. Neither of them would ever tolerate the second branch of the family doing well!

The next day, Xiaocao and her brother brought the extremely heavy basket to the docks. When they got there, Foreman Sun, who was directing the flow of workers transporting cargo and goods, spotted them immediately with his eagle eyes. He shouted in a loud voice at the dock workers, “Brothers, work hard! After you guys are done transporting the goods on this boat, you all can rest and eat breakfast!! The brother and sister pair who were selling a portion of a meat dish for one copper coin yesterday are here again!!”

The workers who had tried the braised chicken offal yesterday all felt their spirits rise and their enthusiasm for work increased significantly. In addition, the men who were unable to get a taste of the braised foods yesterday also became more energetic. They wanted to finish transporting the cargo before the other men in order to queue for the food and try the meat that their fellow workers had been praising without end.

The owner of the cargo ship had been shipping goods for decades but he had never seen dock workers work so quickly before. He felt puzzled inside and curiously asked what this ‘one copper coin for a portion of meat’ was.

Foreman Sun was an old acquaintance of this cargo ship master. He knew that if this cargo ship owner put in a good word for him for the merchant who sold the goods, it would help his business a ton.

He quickly invited the owner of the ship to eat at the only shack in the area that sold stir-fried dishes and had Erzi call the two siblings over and said, “Little girl, can you give me ten portions of the braised meat from yesterday, and also give me two copper coins worth of blood tofu…”

“I’m sorry, Foreman Sun! I brought over a different type of braised food, and I don’t have any blood tofu today.” Foreman Sun felt very disappointed when he heard Xiaocao’s reply. He had been counting on this delicious yet cheap braised food to give him some face and reputation!

The owner of the cargo ship was a bit unsatisfied that Foreman Sun had invited him to eat at such a crude and lowly place. He thought a bit and decided that next time he should recommend Old Six to take the job of unloading the goods...

However, at this point, he heard a young child cheerfully reply, “Foreman Uncle, today’s braised foods are even better than yesterday’s! I have some crispy slices of pig ear, tender and fatty pig lips, delicious and savory pig offal, and the chewy and fragrant pig tripe…I guarantee you won’t regret trying these after one bite!”

When the master of the cargo ship saw Little Shitou, who seemed to be almost the same age as his youngest grandson, he naturally started to miss his youngest and most beloved grandson. Although Little Shitou was dressed entirely in patched and ragged looking clothes, his face was washed completely clean and he had an incandescent and sweet smile on his face. The shipowner, who spent most of his time on the sea shipping cargo, looked at Little Shitou and smiled, “Little fellow, you have quite a nimble mouth! After hearing you advertise your wares, the gluttonous monster in me is suddenly quite interested!”

Foreman Sun felt vindicated and interjected strategically, “Little girl, give us two portions of everything your younger brother recommended! If we like what we eat, we will also give you an additional reward.”  The braised foods that Xiaocao brought over this time had been packed together in small portion sizes again. Other than that, she had also packed a few individual packets in anticipation of any special requests from those who ate the food and only liked one of the types.

“Okay!” Xiaocao agreed in a ringing voice.

One by one, the braised dishes were set out. First was the pig ear ribbons that were tossed in a mix of scallions, garlic, and chili oil. The dish had a beautiful scarlet color that raised the appetite. In addition, the pig ear meat glistened under the light and was delicious looking. Then there was the pig offal that had a rich, fatty taste without being greasy. Last, there was the pig tripe that had been sliced into thin sheets and seemed savory and delicious. Xiaocao had especially borrowed a couple of plates from the stall’s owner and carefully arranged the food. Although there wasn’t a large portion of food, the smell and appearance of the dishes immediately gave people an appetite.

The owner of the ship had grown up in a rural area by the water, and was the type of man who loved to drink alcohol and eat meat. After traveling extensively all these years, this was the first time he had eaten something that was as delicious and as inexpensive as these meat dishes. As he ate from the food, he felt as if he had entered heaven. Before long, over half of the food had been polished off by the old man.

On the side, Foreman Sun continued to toast with wine but he only ate from the stir-fried vegetable dishes. He didn’t forget to look at Xiaocao in the eye meaningfully to hint——don’t forget to leave me a portion, ok....

“Boss, there’s another boat that’s about to reach the shore. We should head over quickly and not let Old Six take away the business from us…” Erzi shouted loudly as he ran over, panting heavily.

The master of the cargo ship also knew that the goods on his ship would be completely unloaded very soon. He looked at Foreman Sun and said, “Go and do your work, ok? No need to attend to me anymore! Don’t worry, in the future when I have business, I’ll make sure to take care of you…”

After receiving his desired result, Foreman Sun contently jogged towards the docks by the sea. Wherever there were people, there would be vagrants. Similarly, wherever there was business, there would be competition. Since Tanggu’s docks were flourishing and busy, it was natural that there wasn’t only one team of dock workers that worked to unload cargo.

Chapter 83 - Famous Scholar

On the docks, there were at least ten teams who worked on loading or unloading cargo from the ships. The largest groups were run by Foreman Sun and Old Six. At their largest, there were at least a hundred or so dock workers working under these two foremen, and they could load or unload five to six ships at the same time. Thus, the biggest customers were monopolized by these two men.

Naturally, these two men regarded each other as their competitor. Their struggle wasn’t out in the open, but behind the scenes, the two of them fought over business. Foreman Sun had consecutively acquired the business of two big clients over the past two days with the help of a little girl’s food. He was as happy as a clam and started to ponder whether he should carefully bring this little girl onto his side.

The dock workers worked like mad men. Originally it would have taken them around an hour and a half to finish unloading the ship they were working on. However, today they had managed to finish it in less than an hour. The owner of the cargo was amazed and thought that this team of workers were more efficient than the others. Due to that, the man decided to ask for this team the next time he needed his goods to be loaded or unloaded. Inadvertently, Xiaocao had helped Foreman Sun retain another customer.

“Xiaocao, give me two portions of your meat dish today. Yesterday evening, I had brought some of your braised food home to the family, and my two children really loved eating it. My wife even complained, asking me why I didn’t buy more of this inexpensive braised food and bring it home!” Her first customer from yesterday, Old Hao, had rushed over to greet her today. His whole body was dripping with sweat but he couldn’t be bothered to wipe it off.

“Okay! Two portions of braised food, Shitou, take his money!” Xiaocao had noticed that there was a sea of people running towards her behind Old Hao and quickly gave her little brother some work to do.

“Okay! Uncle Old Hao, two portions will be two copper coins!” Little Shitou stretched out his hand and grinned until his large eyes formed into crescent shapes. He looked like the prime example of an auspicious little boy who brings good fortune.

Old Hao happily paid the money and took the two oil paper packets from them. He then went to buy two steamed rolls and put the braised food between the rolls, eating them in large bites. When he opened the packets, he found out that the braised food today was different from yesterday’s packets. In fact, the food from today tasted even better and more delicious than yesterday’s. A hint of regret ran through him, he should have bought an additional portion earlier…

He looked back to see where the two siblings were selling their braised food. At this point, the small statures of the two children had long been dwarfed by the sea of people around them. If he tried to squeeze in right now, it was unlikely that he’d be able to buy more. Old Hao sighed and started to slowly take small amounts of the braised food to eat, as if he was afraid that he would miss out on savoring the flavor if he ate too quickly…

“Xiaocao, I want a portion…”

“Shitou, Shitou! Take my money first, haha...make sure you hold onto those two copper coins!”

“I want three portions, make sure to leave me three! You guys are all animals, don’t take it all away, I didn’t get to try any yesterday…”

“I just paid, give me a portion...hey!! Huzi, why are you pushing so hard? You almost pushed the little girl onto the ground!” ……

Little Shitou’s hand started to ache from all of the money he had to take. He felt like there were countless hands just pushing copper coins to him. Afterwards, he couldn’t even tell exactly who gave him money. He frowned and puffed up his face due to his inward distress.

Luckily, the vast majority of the dock workers knew the ways of the world, and none of them cared too much about one or two copper coins. Thus, no one made any trouble for the two of them.

Fortunately, they had prepared more braised food today than yesterday. After the workers all finished their rush to buy, they still had around ten portions of braised food left in the basket. Because they had some manufacturing problems, the portion size of one packet was slightly smaller than yesterday’s. However, it was still enough to fill about half the volume of a small bowl and was definitely enough for one person to eat with their steamed buns.

The passenger ship had already reached the store. After all, this area was close to the town and markets. The passengers who disembarked from the ship looked around with curiosity at the bustling scene around them.

“Eh? There’s a lot of people surrounding that area, what’s going on over there? Ah, Yunxi, go over and check out the situation…”

The person who spoke was an old man with a head full of white hair and a hale, ruddy complexion. He had a full mustache and beard, and his eyes seemed to shine with wisdom. Every move he made was imbued with an elegance that seemed to attest to his scholarly position. However, at this moment, the old man seemed to have a hankering for gossip, which was a bit at odds with his outward appearance.

The person whom he called by the name ‘Yunxi’ was a young boy around ten years old. He wore a long, white colored robe with a light blue lined jacket over it. His small face was delicately pretty and at first glance could be taken as male or female. His good-looking lips were pursed into a straight line, as if he felt helpless regarding his grandfather’s penchant for gossip.

Although he personally had no desire to squeeze into a bunch of rough workers to find out what was going on, he understood his grandfather’s personality quite well. If he didn’t find out, his grandfather would not give up until he got all of the details. The ten year old youth strolled steadily at a speed that was neither fast nor slow towards the crowd of people.

“Teacher Yuan! You must be tired after travelling so far. There’s a horse-drawn carriage over there, please come this way…” A man came over who was dressed from head to toe in ornate and expensive clothing, as if he wanted to make sure everyone around him knew he had money.

Yuan Sinian was a famous scholar from the previous dynasty. In fact, the last emperor of the Yuan Dynasty esteemed him for his scholarly achievements and had invited him several times to come to the imperial palace to teach the imperial princes. However, these offers had all been politely declined with the excuse of poor health. Later on, when the country fell into turmoil and the future was uncertain, he had brought his family to live in seclusion deep in the mountains and had lived in hiding for a few years.

After the Great Ming Dynasty was established, the current emperor emeritus had admired his capabilities and had asked him time and time again to leave his mountain and become an official. However, the old man had refused and could not be easily found. Afterwards, he was moved by the emperor emeritus’s persistence and sincerity, and so, he recommended his knowledgeable and experienced son, who was in no way inferior to him, Yuan Guoan. He would later become the person who would always clean up the emperor emeritus’s messes from behind, the man who was only under one but above ten thousand, the upright and meritorious prime minister.

When the Great Ming Dynasty was first established, the emperor emeritus, who was still emperor at that time, was obsessed with making war on all borders. If he didn’t have the illustrious prime minister as his left hand and the unshakeable imperial tutor as his right hand, it was likely that the Great Ming Dynasty would have fallen apart!

After the current emperor ascended to the throne, Prime Minister Yuan was given the title of a duke with unlimited succession rights. In an instant, he had become the most favored official in the court and had no opposition.

On the other hand, the famous scholar, Yuan Sinian, had just reached the age of seventy, but had long gotten used to his current leisurely life. In the small town of Tanggu, he had established the Rongxuan Academy. At first, he would teach classes every day, take care of his garden, and had a comfortable and leisurely life.

Later on, as word got around about the quality of his teachings, more and more students enrolled. Many high ranking officials from the capital did every possible method they could to use their connections to let their children enter the school. As the academy’s student population grew larger and larger, the operations became larger and larger. Furthermore, a lot of famous scholars recommended themselves to the academy to become teachers, among them included his former disciples...

When Great Scholar Yuan noticed that Rongxuan Academy had almost veered from his original vision, he set down a series of stringent requirements for admission. If you wanted to enter the academy, it was possible! However, you either had to pass a series of difficult admission exams or catch his eyes with your talents and potential. Otherwise, it didn’t matter what position you had, or how much money you had, this old fellow would still not allow admission...

Although Yuan Sinian was outwardly in appearance the perfect example of a famous scholar, in his bones he was actually a mischievous old urchin. He had an insatiable curiosity and loved to keep up with gossip. In addition, he loved to eat good food—few people knew about this aspect of him. Otherwise, the parents who wanted their kids to enter the academy would search high and low for delicacies to tempt him. It would truly become chaotic!

Parents who would think of any possible method to fawn on Great Scholar Yuan for the sake of their children’s futures could be found everywhere. For example, the fat man dressed in glittering gold at the docks was one of them.

Great Scholar Yuan frowned and secretly rolled his eyes. He coldly snorted and said, “Didn’t I say that I didn’t need anyone to meet me at docks, eh? Shopkeeper Jin, you are publicly going against my wishes right now!”

Inside he was roasting the man, ‘You dummy, how about you use gold to build a suit of armor for yourself? This old man’s eyes aren’t very good, do you want to blind me with all of the gold on your body?’

The round and plump Shopkeeper Jin’s attempt at flattery had gone awry. Immediately, sweat started to roll down his fat and pudgy cheeks. For the past six generations, the Jin Family had all been merchants. Although they had a lot of wealth and material goods, they were still considered within the lowest classes of citizens in the four classes—scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants.

After the current emperor ascended to the throne, he had issued an ordinance that improved the status of merchants in society. The children of merchants could also participate in the imperial examinations. Shopkeeper Jin was overjoyed at the unexpected good news and wanted to hire the best tutor for his son, who had been clever and intelligent since childhood, so he could break away from a merchant’s fate.

He had heard that Tanggu Town had Rongxuan Academy, which had been established by a Great Scholar from the previous dynasty who was wise and knowledgeable and conversant in things of the past and present. In addition, the current dynasty’s prime minister had been raised and educated entirely by the founder. Shopkeeper Jin had brought his son on a long journey to get to Tanggu Town. To his delight, his son had passed the academy’s entrance examination in one try and had formally become a student at the academy.

However, something bad quickly happened. Shopkeeper Jin felt his son had it difficult having to live so far away from home to go to school. In addition, he was afraid his son would feel wronged since this was the first time his son had ever left home. So, he had redone his son’s dormitory room at school to be full of luxurious materials and furniture. Everything had been switched to the best that money could possibly buy, even the ink stones and pens were expensive antiques. In the academy, there were very few who had seen such items.

When Teacher Yuan, who had a moody personality, found out about all of this, he sent Shopkeeper Jin’s son out with a remark, “The academy is a place for learning and studying, not a place to take a vacation at. If you’re afraid your son can’t bear any hardships, then bring him back home to live comfortably instead!”

Shopkeeper Jin was stunned silly. He was counting on his son to bring honor and glory to the family, but who knew after entering the academy for a few days, his prospects had been ruined by his own mistake! His son had been so angry that he didn’t eat and drink for a few days in a row and only laid in his bed. Shopkeeper Jin was so remorseful over his mistake that half of his head had turned white overnight. In order to not be the cause of his son’s ruin, Shopkeeper Jin every day without fail would go and see what he could do to remedy his mistake.

However, there were very few opportunities to see Teacher Yuan. Before a few days had passed, the academy had closed for the yearly holiday. Teacher Yuan had brought his grandson back home to visit family. However, Shopkeeper Jin was unwilling to give up, and didn’t even go home to celebrate the New Years with his family. He stayed at Tanggu Town in hope that he could find an opportunity to redeem himself.

For the whole first month, he stayed at the docks of Tanggu Town, waiting and hoping that Teacher Yuan would be able to see his sincerity and give his son another chance. Finally, he had an opportunity. However, he never would have thought…he apparently had made the scholar unhappy again.

Shopkeeper Jin was so anxious that he wanted to hop around in frustration, but he didn’t know what he could do to remedy the situation. As he was worrying himself sick at the side, Teacher Yuan’s grandson, Yuan Yunxi, slowly came back and spoke to his gossipy grandfather, “It’s nothing really, just someone selling something called ‘braised food’...”

“Braised food? It’s a type of dish? I’ve never heard of it, does it taste good? There are so many people waiting to buy some, the flavor must be good!” Yuan Sinian’s eyes suddenly glowed in excitement when he heard there was a new type of food to be tried. It instantly destroyed his elegant and scholarly temperament and showed him as a crazy and fanatical glutton.

Shopkeeper Jin, who was in the midst of worrying about how to get Great Scholar Yuan to like him, hastily interjected, “Teacher Yuan, please find a place to sit and rest for a bit, I’ll go see what’s going on…”

His exceedingly fat body, which looked like a gold colored ball, bolted quickly towards Xiaocao’s side. He said, “Little girl, the braised food that you’re selling right now, I’ll take all that’s left…”

Chapter 84 - Glutton

At this moment, Xiaocao only had a few individual packets of braised dishes left in her basket, and she had previously promised Foreman Sun that she was going to leave one pack for him. Thus, she only had a portion of pig ear ribbons, a portion of pig lips, and two portions of pig intestines.

“Okay! That will be four copper coins!” Xiaocao swiftly used a piece of oiled paper and packaged all of the braised foods together. Little Shitou stretched out his hand to receive the money.

Shopkeeper Jin was stunned for a moment. Four copper coins? He had invited Great Scholar Yuan to eat food that cost four copper coins? Wasn’t that a little too shameful? This was not showing the proper respect to Great Scholar Yuan! What should he do? Teacher Yuan was still waiting for him over there. Ah, why did he take this upon himself and volunteer to run an errand like this?

“Excuse me, do you still want these braised dishes?” Xiaocao had noticed that when the man was reaching for the money from his purse, he had acted as if someone had paralyzed him and froze. She had inquired quietly as she was a bit confused and perplexed by this change in demeanor.

Little Shitou made an ‘I understand everything’ expression, and he stated sympathetically, “Older sister, do you think this fat older uncle had gotten his money stolen? I heard that the docks have pickpockets around…Second Sister, he’s quite pitiful, how about we give him a portion of braised food free of charge for him to try…”

A few dock workers in their surroundings who had arrived late and hadn’t bought any braised food repeatedly asked the man, “Sir, do you still want it? Xiaocao, if he doesn’t want any, then sell me a portion——here’s the money.”

Shopkeeper Jin clenched his jaw and stamped his foot, “Who said I didn’t want it? Don’t you still have some left in the basket? Give me all that’s left!”

Xiaocao hastily replied, “Please don’t take offense, these couple of portions have already been reserved by other people. I really only do have four portions left, so I’m really sorry about this. I’ll be coming over every day to sell my braised food. The price of one copper coin per portion is my family’s specialty. If you enjoy eating it, sir, then please come back again.”

Shopkeeper Jin was afraid that Teacher Yuan would lose his patience from waiting too long, so he took the packet of braised food and threw a silver piece that was worth about a hundred copper coins to them. He turned and bolted away, as if something had scorched his butt. Xiaocao held the silver piece and pondered what to do since they likely didn’t have enough money from selling food today to give the man his change. When she saw that the fat, glittering man had left, she swiftly called out, “Hey, hey! I haven’t given you your change yet!

“No need to give me change, take the rest as a reward for you!” This type of silver piece was usually used by Shopkeeper Jin to reward lower ranked servants in his residence. In his eyes, this piece was of no more value than a copper coin was in ordinary people’s eyes.

Yuan Sinian and his young grandson had already sat down at a nearby noodle stand that was run by the Wang Family. They had ordered two bowls of plain noodles and were slouching as they waited for Shopkeeper Jin to come over.

“What’s taking him so long? What if it got sold out? You brat, you know how much I, your grandfather, love to eat, yet you didn’t even bother to buy a portion to let me have a taste, hmph! If I’m unable to try this ‘braised food’, then just you wait!”

At this point, Yuan Sinian had completely shed his scholarly persona and was starting to resemble a stubborn old urchin more and more. Yuan Yunxi managed to resist the urge to roll his eyes at his grandfather and silently sighed inwardly…however, he felt like the little girl who was selling braised food sounded somewhat familiar…

“It’s here! It’s here!!” Yuan Sinian immediately sat up straight and changed his posture. Once again, he resumed the outward demeanor of an elegant and mysterious scholar. The corners of Yuan Yunxi’s mouth twitched as he looked down.

Shopkeeper Jin had a bright smile on his face as he borrowed a bowl from the noodle stall and politely placed the braised food one by one into it. He then asked, “Sir, would you happen to have any sesame oil? Adding a little bit of sesame oil should help make the flavor even better…”

Xiaocao, who had chased after the man to give him the change, overheard their conversation and smiled, “That’s a good idea, if you add a little bit of sesame oil and then put a couple pieces of garlic on top, it will definitely be more delicious! Sir, I have your ninety-six copper coins as change right here…”

Teacher Yuan lightly glanced at the copper coins in her hand and said, “He already said that you can keep the change, so just keep it for yourselves. In any case, this man is so wealthy that even a larger bit of money wouldn’t be of a concern to him.”

Shopkeeper Jin inwardly quivered in fear! How did he manage to offend this imposing old man again? Was there something wrong with having a lot of money? If Teacher Yuan was willing to accept his son again into the academy, he would gladly disperse his family’s wealth and live a poor and impoverished life…

“Ah…Teacher Yuan, they don’t have any sesame oil here, let me go somewhere else to find some…” Shopkeeper Jin took ahold of this opportunity to escape from this awkward situation. He managed to find a stall that sold stir-fries and threw them another silver piece to take the rest of the sesame oil that the stall had left, which was about half a small bottle’s worth.

When Xiaocao noticed that both the brightly clothed fatty and the elegant old scholar were people who lived lives where they didn’t have to do much on their own, she naturally started to crush the garlic heads with a practiced air and seasoned the braised foods with sesame oil. Then she said, “Please eat!”

“Okay!” Yuan Sinian used his entire willpower to restrain his hungry desire and unhurriedly stretched out his chopsticks and picked up a piece of sliced pig ear. He then slowly placed the piece of food into his mouth.

Yuan Yunxi, who was next to the old man, once again stopped himself from rolling his eyes. No one understood his grandfather as well as he did. Had there not been other people present, which made the old man aware of his status, he would have long started wolfing down the food in front of him…however, for some reason, this little girl seemed a bit familiar to him!

Before Yuan Yunxi had finished his silent sarcastic soliloquy, he saw that his disappointing grandfather had already thrown away his dignified, reserved air. There were tears in the old man’s eyes, and his mouth never stopped moving. The chopsticks in his grandfather’s hands picked up food as if it was a machine driven by an electric motor, and it delivered the braised food into his mouth at lightning speed, as if he was afraid someone would start fighting him for it.

“Old grandpa, you should slow down a little! You need to carefully chew the slices of pig ear in order to really taste the food!” The kindhearted and adorable Little Shitou felt sympathy rise in his heart when he saw the Great Scholar stuffing his mouth full with the braised food. ‘This old grandpa must not have had the taste of meat in a long time, right? He looks so hungry and gluttonous.’    Great Scholar Yuan, with the help of Little Shitou’s kind reminder, realized that there were people around him! However, in his eyes, his outward appearance and reputation were not nearly as important as fully enjoying delicious food. But, he was also aware that throwing away appearances altogether may not be a very wise decision in the end.

Gradually, he slowed down his eating speed, and he began to chew each bite thoroughly before he swallowed. As he continued to eat, he slapped the table in praise and said, “Little girl, is this called ‘pig ear ribbons seasoned in chili oil’? So fantastic! Bright red color, soft and bouncy texture, savory spiciness, dense flavor…hm, what about this one, what is it called?”

“That is called braised pig intestines!” Xiaocao’s voice sounded exceptionally clear and bright as she replied.

Yuan Sinian picked up a piece of the pig intestines and delivered it into his mouth. He slowly tasted the food and continuously nodded his head, “Rich and flavorful taste, chewy and soft texture, fatty without being greasy, this is something a person can eat every day without getting sick of it…very good, very good! Braised pig intestines, eh? So you used animal offal to make it then?”

“Esteemed gentleman is wise, I used the intestines from a pig and many different types of seasoning to braise it into this. It has a savory taste and luxurious flavor, and it’s a type of dish that goes very well with alcohol. Braised pig intestines are very versatile, you can eat it cold with seasonings, you can also stir-fry it at high heat, and it can even be used to simmer soup. Every single way has its own unique taste and flavor!” When Xiaocao noticed that the man didn’t seem to reject the concept of eating offal, she excitedly introduced the ingredient with its myriad cooking methods.

Shopkeeper Jin was originally going along with the gentleman’s judgement and continuously moved his head. However, when he heard what it was, he suddenly froze and his chin almost fell to the floor. Pig intestines? He had actually invited Great Scholar Yuan to eat the intestines of a pig, he was finished, he was finished! His son’s chance at regaining admission to the academy was definitely lost now.

—Argh! How could his son have such a fool of a father? Shopkeeper Jin wished he could just slam his head on the table and die at this very moment!

“Good! Good! This old man had previously heard the emperor emeritus reminiscing about the food from his hometown. His favorite dish was ‘spicy pig intestines’. When I heard how he deliciously described the food, how soft and delicate, how much the mouth filled with its incredible flavor…listening to it made me want to drool, oh—it almost just dripped straight out…”

“Ahem, ahem!” When the young and accomplished Yuan Yunxi saw how his grandfather forgot his decorum when he waxed continuously about food, he coughed a few times in an effort to remind the old man of his status.

Yuan Sinian eyes widened into round circles, and he resentfully complained, “Why are you coughing right now? Food is the God of the people. In fact, the emperor emeritus himself had once said, ‘one cannot function on an empty stomach, missing a meal will make one anxious’. What’s wrong with talking about food? Is it shameful to like eating good food? You brat, get away from me, so I don’t have to see your face—hmph, what a spoil sport!”

“Eh? You wouldn’t be that person…that person…” When Yu Xiaocao got a better look at the pretty young man’s face, she instantly recognized who he was. However, she couldn’t quite remember his name. “You must be the friend of Third Young Master Zhou, right? Did you just disembark from the ship?”

Yuan Yunxi could finally recall where he had seen that little girl. He smiled faintly and said, “Miss Yu…”

“Good grandson, you know this young lady? How come I’ve never heard you talk about having a friend who can cook so well?” Yuan Sinian gave his grandson a pointed look and then turned to face Yu Xiaocao with an unexpectedly friendly smile, “Young lady, your braised pig intestines are quite good, where’s your ancestral hometown? Are you also from the same hometown as the emperor emeritus? Do you know how to make the delicious and flavorful pig head meat too?”

Yuan Yunxi’s delicate eyebrows came together in a frown and his whole face had a helpless expression on it.

Yu Xiaocao had been greatly amused at the interaction between this old rascal of a grandfather and his elementary school aged grandson. She had been watching the two squabble with delight when this unexpected question sent a chill down her spine. Her smile froze for a split second, and she immediately shook her head, “My ancestors for generations and generations have all lived in a nearby small fishing village. They all relied on fishing to make a living. My family is a bit poor, so I had to figure out how to make food from things that other people won’t eat. This is how I came up with the pig ear ribbons and pig intestine dishes. I’m a nobody really, so how could I be from the same hometown as the honorable emperor emeritus…”

She was already certain that the emperor emeritus was a transmigrator like her. Only a transmigrator would change history and establish a Great Ming Dynasty that was completely different from the one she remembered in her past life. Ah what a joke, she had long planned on making a fortune quietly and had no desire to make herself a target. She did not want to get entangled with that well-known transmigrator from her own world.

On the other hand, Little Shitou, who was next to her, replied proudly, “My second sister’s braised food is the best. Old gentleman, we had already sold out of the braised pig head meat you were talking about. However, these pig lips are also pretty good. They’re fatty without being greasy and are full of savory flavor. If you don’t believe me, please try some!”

“Haha! Good, good! Little fellow, you have quite the silver tongue. How old are you? Have you started to learn how to read?” Yuan Sinian lifted some of the vegetables and noodles out of the bowl and pushed some of the pig lips into the bowl. He mixed them together and started to eat the noodles and braised food in large bites.

Little Shitou grinned, “I’m six years old, and my second sister told me that after she makes some money from selling her braised food, she’ll send me to school in town to study. Our village is too poor and there isn’t a school there to attend. However, our next door neighbor, Brother Xiaowen, often comes back for vacation and teaches me and Brother Xiaowu how to recognize words. I already know how to write my own name and I can read about a hundred and fifty-six characters!”

“Oh? Sounds like you know quite a few characters and can write your own name, that’s good, that’s good! Can you write your name and let this old man take a look at it?” Great Scholar Yuan apparently was interested in this young child. It had been almost two years since his academy had started having beginner classes for the purpose of instructing clever and bright children in the area.

Chapter 85 - Accepting a Disciple

Little Shitou confidently dipped a fingertip into some water and wrote his name in large, broad strokes on the wooden table—Yu Fan.

Yuan Sinian ate his braised food with obvious pleasure as he intently watched the little fellow write. When he saw that the boy’s handwriting had character and style, he smiled, “Not bad, that child did a good job in teaching! Yu Fan, do you want to come with me to Rongxuan Academy to study?”

Shopkeeper Jin was listening to their conversation at the side and his heart filled with envy and jealousy. This little fellow was quite fortunate. He had an older sister who was talented at cooking. Despite the fact that the boy only knew how to write his own name, Great Scholar Yuan had personally recruited him into the academy. His son, on the other hand, wasn’t the most talented person but he had relied on his own abilities to test into the school. It was only because of him…So many regrets, ah, he regretted his previous actions so much!

Little Shitou blinked a couple of times and then beamed a smile, “Old mister, thank you for your good intentions. However, we don’t have enough money saved up to pay for my tuition. After we have enough money, then I’ll go into town to find you…”

Shopkeeper Jin hurriedly reminded them, “Teacher Yuan is a famous scholar in our times. The Rongxuan Academy that he established is one of the best schools in our whole Great Ming Dynasty. There are many people who want to enroll but have not been accepted! Little fellow, don’t miss this opportunity!”

“Wow! Sir, you are truly too incredible!! In the future, I want to be like you and become someone that other people respect!” Little Shitou exclaimed in admiration as he looked at Yuan Sinian. For the first time in his life, the clever and bright little boy had found someone who he admired greatly.

“Haha! Little fellow, what’s the point of being like me? Don’t you want to become a high-ranking official so that your parents and siblings will never be looked down upon or bullied again?” Yuan Sinian guffawed as he was in a good mood. Speaking childishly was the best way to manifest the inner child in one’s heart.

Little Shitou’s round face creased in worry from the inner turmoil in his heart and said, “Then...from what you’re saying, becoming an official is also not bad. I want to become someone like you, where everyone respects me, but I also want to become a high-ranking official and make sure my parents and siblings live comfortably. Would that be too greedy of me?”

Yu Xiaocao thought his words were too funny, knocked on his head, and said, “You haven’t even entered the academy yet and you’re starting to think this far in the future? The reason I wanted to send you to school was to let you become a cultured and educated individual. Do you think becoming a government official is that easy? You need to pass many rounds of imperial examinations. Just look at Younger Uncle, he’s already studied for more than ten years and he hasn’t even passed the county level exams! If you have a larger head, then you’ll have to wear a larger hat. Don’t become too arrogant, otherwise when you fall it will hurt more!”

Yuan Sinian placed down his chopsticks. After eating all of that meat, he was pleasantly stuffed, and he stroked his beard in contentedness. He smiled and said, “Little fellow, what your older sister says has some truth in it. However, as people, we should always have a goal and dream to shoot for! Naturally, it needs to be a realistic goal. Idle daydreams and overambitious targets are not a good idea! Alright, it’s getting late, we should set out again. Little girl, I always keep my promises. You can send your younger brother to the academy earlier as the school can waive some of the fees and expenditures for the students who receive excellent grades. In addition, we often reward books, writing brushes, and inkstones too. I’d like to say again that the taste of your braised food is really quite good. I’d like to eat it again in the future.”

When Shopkeeper Jin saw Great Scholar Yuan getting up to leave, he hurriedly came forward and politely helped him carry the luggage. He thought that Teacher Yuan’s mood seemed to be pretty good, so he worriedly opened his mouth and said, “Teacher, everything was my fault. My family has been merchants for six generations, and I only had a son in my middle age. Thus, I dote upon Zhuo’er too much. I will change, in the future I will definitely change! Ever since Zhuo’er has been expelled from the academy, he doesn’t eat or drink anymore and almost died this past winter. Can you...possibly give him another chance?”

Yuan Sinian silently looked at the gilded and magnificent carriage in front of him and faintly glanced at him from head to toe. He then said, “One cannot achieve glory and triumph without having been through trials and tribulations. Being a scholar has always been a hard and unprofitable job. It’s easy to be extravagant after being frugal, but it’s hard to become frugal after becoming accustomed to luxury. I can give you another opportunity, but if Jin Wenzhuo is unable to become accustomed to hardships, then it’s better to leave now than later!”

“He can! He can!! My Zhuo’er can definitely bear hardships!! Thank you, Teacher Yuan, thank you…” When Shopkeeper Jin saw that his efforts had finally produced the result he desired, tears immediately streamed down his face. He was so happy that he couldn’t contain his glee as he repeatedly thanked the scholar.

The happy and content Shopkeeper Jin took the stuffed Great Scholar and left the noisy and bustling docks. Neither of them could forget that little girl who sold braised food at the docks. She was the one who had given them their heart’s desire and allowed them to obtain happiness...

Thus, Great Scholar Yuan Sinian became a frequent visitor at the Tanggu Docks. He would often take a two hour cart ride from the town to the docks to ‘fight over food’ with the rough dock workers. Heh heh, naturally, Xiaocao wouldn’t let him really squeeze and elbow the workers to buy braised food. After all, he was also her younger brother’s teacher!

“Father, Mother! We met Brother Xiaowen’s respected teacher from the academy today. He agreed to let me enter the school to study!” Little Shitou was excited the entire way home and incessantly asked Xiaocao if he could really go to town and study at the school. Was this real? He asked so many times that Xiaocao thought it was simultaneously hilarious yet sad at the same time.

Yu Hai was in the middle of chopping firewood and stopped at this moment. He came up, took the heavy basket from his daughter’s hand, and then ruffled his son’s hair. The smile on his face was full of helplessness and guilt, “Shitou, Father knows you really want to study, but our family’s current circumstances are not good enough to allow you to...you’re still young right now, let’s wait until next year to go to the academy, is that ok?”

Their next door neighbor’s, Old Qian, oldest son had gone to the town’s most famous academy and passed the entrance exam. This was no longer considered news in Dongshan Village. It was said that Rongxuan Academy had already taught two students who had received the top score, one second place candidate, and one third place scholar in the imperial palace examinations within its first ten years of operating. All of the villagers said that the Qian Family had gotten their chance to produce a high-ranking official!

Luckily, the Qian Family also raised about two hundred ducks at the time of his admission. By selling duck eggs and duck meat to the restaurants in town, they were able to make some money. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to afford the tuition, which was almost one tael a month. The vast majority of families in the village made nowhere near that much.

Having an extra tael for the family to spend was one thing, but their current circumstances were so dire that, had it not been for Xiaocao selling braised food for the past two days, they would be scrambling to find three hundred copper coins. Ah! He was such a useless father as he couldn’t satisfy his child’s desire to go to school…

Xiaocao noticed that her father was blaming himself, and so, she stepped forward to pull gently on his arm. She smiled, “The headmaster of Rongxuan Academy liked the taste of this daughter’s braised food today. He had promised us that we can hold off on paying the fees for now and then give them what we owe once we earn the money. The headmaster also said that the academy tests its outstanding students from time to time and can even waive the tuition fees for those who do well. The tests occur every three months. As long as Little Shitou studies hard, all we need to save is about three months worth of tuition for him…Don’t be worried, Father, once your leg is completely better and we’re past the season when the animals are giving birth, you can go hunting to subsidize the family again. In about a month, our vegetables will also be ready to go to market. Won’t we soon make enough to get three months worth of tuition?”

Yu Hai rubbed at his leg that still couldn’t take too much weight and lightly sighed. After getting it massaged every day by Xiaocao, his leg had already recovered immensely. Now he didn’t need to use crutches to walk anymore, and he could also do some regular work around the residence.

Previously the town doctor had told him that ‘the leg cannot be saved’, which made him almost want to die. To be able to have his leg recover up to this much, even the doctor from Tongren Medicine Hall felt that it was a miracle. He should really be content with his situation. But, to have his leg fully recovered, to be able to hunt in the mountains, that was his true heart’s desire that he couldn’t help but wish for.

When Xiaocao saw that her father had lowered his head and was thinking deeply about something, she turned her attention to Little Shitou. She rubbed at his little face that was gradually gaining some flesh and grinned, “Our Little Shitou just needs to wait a few more days. After I make more money, I’ll make you two new pieces of clothing and then you can attend school with a spanking new wardrobe! When our next door neighbor Brother Xiaowen gets back, we can ask him what we need to prepare for the academy. We definitely can’t let Little Scholar Yu Fan get bullied there!”

Little Shitou was apparently very pleased with the nickname “Little Scholar Yu Fan” and laughed happily, “Second Sister, you don’t need to prepare anything! I heard Brother Xiaowen talking about it. The academy has a place for its students to live and a place for them to eat. You also don’t need to make new clothes for me. The people at the academy only despise those who are inelegant not those who are poor! As long as I do well there, no one there would dare to slight me!”

“Hm, they laugh at those who are inelegant but not the poor, is that a phrase you had learned from Brother Xiaowen? Little brother, you’ve also seen how good our business is. Don’t you think making you a couple of new clothes is a drop in the bucket now? No need to talk more, just bring out our purse and count how many coins we got today.” While they were walking back home, the little fellow had felt the heavy purse the whole way back. The jaw-splitting grin on his face seemed to be permanently there, and he looked like a little money grubber.

Madam Liu and Xiaolian put down their embroidery and took the basket that held the pig head meat and intestines. They smiled at Xiaocao, “Go rest a bit! Let us do the cleaning, okay! Relax, although we may not be able to help you with creating the seasoning but we can definitely be your assistants in everything else!”

Xiaocao was also happy to let them do the hard work and gleefully counted the money with Little Shitou. Their haul from today was clearly much better than yesterday’s. They managed to sell all of the braised food for a total of a hundred and thirty copper coins. If they added the mace of silver that Shopkeeper Jin had given them, then they had earned more than two hundred copper coins today!

At the docks today, she had asked about the prices of items in town. A bolt of homespun cloth at the market sold for around two hundred and thirty-four copper coins. If they got Little Shitou a few feet of cloth and then about half a catty of cotton to make two pairs of cotton-padded clothes, it shouldn’t be a problem financially anymore. However, they currently didn’t have enough money to buy the four scholarly essentials of ink, brushes, paper and ink stone. She had heard that those things were quite expensive!

Apparently, they needed to work hard for a few more days to make it! Xiaocao stared blankly at the pile of copper coins and was racking her brain for other ideas to make more money.

“Second Sister, can the small yellow croakers we caught yesterday be braised into something that we can sell? The older uncles at the docks had all asked me whether we would be selling braised food in the afternoon!” Little Shitou was also trying to think of solutions for the same problem that bothered Xiaocao.

Having a daily income of two hundred copper coins had given him a taste of sweet success. If they continued on their trajectory, after five or six days, they would have enough to pay for his tuition fees! With a stable income at home, he could also study at the academy with ease. It was a pity that they could only buy one pig’s head and one pig’s worth of offal from the market a day. Those ingredients didn’t make enough braised food to last for the whole morning!”

Small yellow croakers? She actually knew quite a few methods to prepare this fish, such as: ‘dry fried small yellow croaker’, ‘salty and crunchy small yellow croaker’, sweet and sour small yellow croaker’...these types of dishes were all very delicious but they took a lot of time and effort to make. In addition, they needed to spend money to not only buy the small yellow croakers but also the seasonings and oil used in the recipes. If they were sold for a copper coin per two pieces and they subtracted the manufacturing costs, she’d bet that they wouldn’t make much profit...

Chapter 86 - Luring Fish

Oh right! She knew another method of making pickled fish, which only needed ordinary small fish. There was a pond behind their house, which had an abundance of resources that she could take advantage of!

She remembered that Qian Wu and Little Shitou had caught many palm-sized crucian carps and sharpbelly last time and brought them back to make soup. The little crucian carps and sharpbelly had a lot of small bones, but the bones would become soft when made into pickled fish. So the bones could be chewed and eaten together with the meat. Yes! That was it!

“But… is there any way to catch a large number of small fish?” Yu Xiaocao couldn’t help but worry again.

Suddenly, Little Shitou’s joyful screams sounded beside her ears, “Quickly look! There’s a wild bird drinking water from our water tank!”

Xiaocao looked up and saw a snow-white bird with slender, long legs. It stood on the edge of the water vat and leaned forward to drink water in the vat. In early spring, the weather was gradually becoming warmer. These past few days, there had been unknown birds visiting their home to borrow water from the vat to drink.

The little divine stone had once proudly told her that the wild birds were attracted to the spiritual energy in the bathing water inside the water tank. Regardless of whether it was an animal or plant, spiritual energy was a good nourishment for them. However, if the concentration of energy was too high and the organism was too young, it would be overpowered by the energy and explode…

Yu Xiaocao’s eyes suddenly lit up at that thought——Didn’t that mean that if she used the little divine stone as bait, she would be able to lure a school of little fish?

[Stinky Master, bad Master! You’re going to use me as a bait again. I won’t let you off!] Out of nowhere, a little golden kitten suddenly jumped onto her shoulder and fiercely snarled at her.

After it acknowledged its master, Xiaocao and the little divine stone’s minds had become interlinked. So, the little fellow could immediately sense all her thoughts.

[Alright, alright! I won’t use you as bait anymore!] Xiaocao hastily pacified the angry kitten, [But, Little Glutinous Dumpling, you’ll have to help me think of a way to lure the small fish into the trap.]

The little divine stone snorted proudly and said, [There’s no need for me, this celestial stone, to personally do anything. Isn’t my bathing water the best bait? As for how to use it, do you really need me to answer such a stupid question?]

After hearing its words, Yu Xiaocao immediately stuffed the two hundred copper coins into her purse and told Madam Liu to put it away safely. The remaining money was left as pocket money for family expenses. After that, she pulled Little Shitou into the kitchen and filled a jar with mystic-stone water. She went to Yu Hai and asked, “Father, do we have a fishing net at home?”

“Fishing net? No! What do you need it for?” Yu Hai soaked the pig head in the water from the vat. The water from the vat had the spiritual energy from the little divine stone, which enhanced the taste of the braised pig’s head.

Xiaocao smiled mysteriously and said, “Of course I’ll have a use for it! I just thought of another way to make money again. Just wait and see!”

Yu Hai stretched out his hand, which he had touched the pig’s head with, and wanted to pinch her nose, but Xiaocao nimbly dodged him. He smiled and said, “What kind of net do you want? I can just make it for you right now!”

Yu Hai didn’t have much to do, so he would often help the villagers weave some fishing nets at home. Thus, their family naturally didn’t lack nets. Xiaocao instructed him heat a bamboo strip until it turned into a circular shape and fasten it onto a bamboo pole. After that, attach a fishing net onto the round bamboo strip to form a pocket—a simple net was formed.

“Are you two going netting? It’s quite hard to catch the big fish in the pond behind the house, so be careful and don’t fall in… Do you want Father to come with you guys?” Yu Hai saw the kids going out of the backyard and worriedly cautioned.

“No, we’re just experimenting first. If we succeed, then we’ll ask for Father’s help…” Xiaocao’s voice sounded from behind the house, while Little Shitou also made an elated cry.

When the sister-brother pair arrived at the pond, Qian Wu, who was tending the ducks by the river, saw them and swiftly rushed over. He asked, “Xiaocao, Xiaocao! How come you have time to play by the river today?”

Little Shitou acted like a little adult and said, “Go, go, go! Do you think we’re like you, who only cares about playing! We’re here for serious business. Go away! Don’t delay us from catching fish!”

“Catching fish? I’m really good at that! Let me help you!” Qian Wu immediately forgot about his task of tending the ducks and shamelessly insisted on helping.

Xiaocao was worried about other people discovering the secret in her jar, so she smiled and refused, “Xiaowu, if Auntie Qian sees you leaving the ducks aside and playing by yourself, your ears will definitely suffer some pain. You should just go back to tend the ducks!”

Qian Wu touched his ears, pouted, and sat on the shore, feeling aggrieved. He smacked the water with the bamboo pole in his hands to vent his anger, which scared the ducks to flee in all directions. Madam Mao saw this scene and shrieked, “Stinky brat, I told you to tend the ducks, not to send the ducks away! If the ducks are too scared to lay eggs, you can anticipate being spanked!”

Qian Wu touched his butt, and then reluctantly looked at the siblings who had walked far away. He sighed heavily and resigned to his fate of tending the ducks.

Xiaocao chose a hidden area, put the crock into the water, and anxiously looked at the surface of the water. This jar was the place where Little Divine Stone often ‘bathed’. Thus, it had accumulated a large amount of spiritual energy over time.

After the jar was placed in the water, the energy inside gradually overflowed. In a short time, ripples began to appear on the surface of the water…

“Second Sister, quickly look! A lot of small fish are swimming over! That’s so amazing. What kind of bait do you have in the jar? It works so well!” Little Shitou tried to suppress the joy in his voice and whispered.

His voice didn’t frighten the school of fish that were gathering over. On the contrary, more and more little fish were gathering due to the overflow of spiritual power. They all swam towards the mouth of the jar in succession.

When Xiaocao placed the jar in the water, she had only submerged a small portion of the opening in the water. Although the fish had followed the spiritual energy over, they were unable to enter the crock. Thus, they were eagerly flapping their tails and swimming around the crock.

As more the fish gathered, the more densely they surrounded the jar. Xiaocao lifted the net in her hand and gently scooped towards the place with the most fish. If it was like before, the fish would had already scattered in different directions. However, they were attracted by the spiritual energy and ignored the looming danger. They opened their mouth as if they wanted to absorb more of the pure energy.

Xiaocao slowly raised the net in her hand from the bottom of the water. In the net that had a diameter of thirty centimeter, there were dozens of small fishes, including grass carp, crucian carp, and sharpbelly… But, most of them were still grass carp and crucian carp. The bigger ones were around half a catty, while the smaller ones were only about the size of Little Shitou’s small palm.

“Wow! So many fish were caught in such a short time! Wasn’t that too easy! Second Sister, Second Sister! Let me try!” Little Shitou took the bucket over and received the fish that Xiaocao had caught, and was very eager to try.

Xiaocao put the net into the little guy’s hand and laughed, “Move slowly when you’re netting the fish. I’ll go bring another bucket over. If we catch more fish, we’ll have something to sell tomorrow afternoon!”

Little Shitou lifted the net enthusiastically and carefully extended it towards the school of fish. He asked in a low voice, “Older Sister, these fish have a lot of bones, so I’m afraid that people might find it too troublesome to eat. It might not sell well!”

“Don’t worry. I have a plan!” Xiaocao looked at him with a gaze that read ‘believe me’, and then left with a smile.

When she came back again, more than half of the bucket was already filled with fish. The water in the bucket also came from the water vat, so there was also spiritual energy in it. So, the fish were still very lively even when they were squeezed together in such a narrow space.

The siblings had caught two full buckets of fish in less than two hours. During that time, a fish that was half a meter long had also appeared. Unfortunately, their net was too small. They had caught the fish’s tail, but the big fish had escaped with a swing of its tail. The siblings felt that it was rather regretful, since they would have been able to eat an extra dish for dinner if they had caught the fish.

When they returned home, the Yu Hai couple and Xiaolian had already finished cleaning the pig’s head and intestines. Madam Liu pointed at the remaining pot of pig blood and asked, “We didn’t know what to do with this, so we didn’t dare to touch it…”

Yu Hai, on the other hand, looked at the siblings with amusement and exclaimed, “Oh! There’s quite a lot in the buckets! How many fish did you guys catch? Let me see. Are we eating it for dinner?”

However, Little Shitou excitedly said, “We’re not going to eat these fish ourselves. We’re selling them! Second Sister said that she could solve the problem of the fish having too many bones! Father, look, we caught a lot of fish!”

Yu Hai went over to take a look and saw that it was really true. He had originally thought that the kids were just going to play when they asked him to make a net for them to catch fish. He hadn’t expected that they would bring back two buckets of fish two hours later. Looking at the densely packed fish heads in the bucket, there must be a lot of them inside.

“Oh! There’s really quite a lot! How did you guys catch them?” Yu Hai was stunned. Even if he was the one who had cast the net, he still wouldn’t be able to catch so many fish in such a short period of time. How did the kids do it?

Little Shitou swiftly answered, “It’s Second Sister! Second Sister made a new type of bait that attracted all the fish. All we have to do was to catch the fish with the net on the shore!”

Yu Hai looked at his younger daughter with a complicated gaze. His daughter was becoming more and more capable. As her father, he felt both proud and ashamed.

Xiaocao looked at the sky and said, “Why don’t we clean the fish first? We might be able to rush to the docks and sell them before dinner! We can work on the pig’s head and intestines later in the evening!”

The family worked together to scrape the gills, take out the intestines, and clean the fish. Little Shitou couldn’t do this work, so he continuously fetched water with a small basin and helped them clean the small fish with the water.

Ha! They had really caught a lot of fish this time. There was a full tub! However, Xiaocao didn’t have time to be happy about this. She pickled the cleaned fish with salt.

“What’s next?” Xiaolian finally had time to catch her breath and asked with a happy expression on her face.

“It needs to be cured for about thirty minutes, and then we need to prepare it to be fried!” Xiaocao smelled the fishy smell on the hands and rushed to clean it with water. After being busy for the entire day, she felt somewhat hungry. She dug out a hot baked sweet potato from under the stove, which was specially prepared for her every day.

Chapter 87 - Pickled Fish

Madam Liu felt slightly worried, “We need to fry it with oil? Do we have enough oil at home? Should I… go borrow some from your Auntie Zhou’s house?”

Xiaocao thought about it and said, “Yesterday, we didn’t use much of the one catty of soybean oil, so it should be enough! But, we need white sugar to make pickled fish. It might be too late to buy it now… I wonder if Auntie Zhou has some…”

The Zhou Family was known as one of the more well-off families in the village. The husband was a capable earner outside, while the wife had also earned a decent amount of money by raising chickens. Madam Fang was never harsh and strict towards her children. If they wanted to borrow sugar from someone in the village, her family was probably the most likely to have it.

Madam Liu took off her apron and smiled, “I’ll go ask. About how much do you need?”

Xiaocao replied, “It’s just seasoning, so a small handful it enough…”

“A small handful? Cao’er, you don’t know about the price of white sugar, do you? One catty cost two hundred sixty copper coins! The small handful that you want is probably dozens of copper coin! Although your Auntie Zhou indulges her children, she won’t buy so much of it.” Yu Hai couldn’t help but remind her.

Xiaocao stared at him in shock, “What? Sugar is that expensive! Oh my, an ordinary household seriously wouldn’t be able to afford that…”

Madam Liu rolled her eyes and laughed, “White sugar isn’t something that commoners eat. What kind of fish dish are you making? It needs such an expensive condiment. Will you even be able to get a profit?”

Xiaocao looked at the hundred or so fish pickled in the pot and made the calculation in her mind. If she sold each fish for one copper coin, she would be able to earn sixty or seventy copper coins without a problem. However, without seasoning the pickled fish with sugar, it wouldn’t taste as good. If she put a little less… it should be okay?

“Mother, I’ll go to Auntie Zhou’s house with you.” Xiaocao took a few bites of the sweet potato in her hands, and then stuffed it into Little Shitou’s hand. She stood up and followed Madam Liu out the front door.

After walking around three hundred meters from their house, they knocked on the Zhou Family’s front door. A handsome youth, who was twelve or thirteen years old, opened the door. He had a healthy tan and a pair of crescent-like eyes. The corners of his lips were curled up slightly, which gave off the impression that he was smiling even when he wasn’t. He appeared very likeable and eye-catching at first glance.

“Wenhua! Why didn’t you follow your father to sell goods today?” Madam Liu was slightly surprised to see the teen and couldn’t help asking.

Zhou Wenhua coughed a couple times and a heavy breathing sound came from his chest. He suppressed the itchy sensation in his throat, swallowed his saliva, and said, “When I came back yesterday, I took off my clothes because I felt hot. As a result, I caught a cold and didn’t feel very well. So, my father told me to rest at home for a few days. Cough, cough… Auntie Yu, Little Sister Xiaolian, are you guys looking for my mother?”

Madam Liu asked with concern, “Have you seen a doctor yet? Don’t drag a minor illness into a major illness just because you have a good constitution.”

“Doctor You had already checked on my condition and opened a prescription. I’ve taken two doses of medication and feel a lot better now. Cough, cough… Mother! Auntie Yu and Little Sister Xiaolian is looking for you…” It seemed like Zhou Wenhua firmly believed that she was Yu Xiaolian, so Xiaocao just smiled and didn’t correct him.

Madam Fang came out of the house and saw the mother-daughter pair. She smiled and said, “Xiaocao, you came back from the docks! How was business today? Your braised food tastes so good, so there must be a lot of customers. Wenhua, this is Little Sister Xiaocao, not Xiaolian. Xiaocao has a slightly paler and smoother complexion than Xiaolian. She’s also a little shorter. If you don’t look closely, it might be hard to distinguish them. It’s also reasonable for you to make a mistake.”

Zhou Wenhua touched the back of his head in embarrassment for recognizing the wrong person. His mouth that smiled frequently curled up and he said, “So it’s Little Sister Xiaocao ah! In the past, Little Sister Xiaolian was always the one who came with Auntie Yu, so I thought it was her. I heard from Shanhu that your health has gotten better now. Congratulations!”

The twelve or thirteen year old youth was already such a good speaker. As expected, he had the quality of a good salesman. Xiaocao smiled at him and said, “The last few times I came, Brother Wenhua wasn’t at home. It’s inevitable for you to have mistaken since it’s the first time we’ve met. Sometimes, my mother also mixes us up when she isn’t paying attention! Well, there’s nothing I can do since we have the same face.”

Zhou Wenhua was amused by her seemingly helpless expression. His chest had felt stuffy due to his illness, but he felt a lot more comfortable now.

“Auntie Zhou, do you have any sugar at home? I want to make a new dish, but I’m lacking a few condiments…” Xiaocao looked at Madam Fang expectantly, fearing that she would say no. If they really didn’t have it, then she probably wouldn’t be able to make the pickled fish today…

Madam Fang smiled and said, “What a coincidence! If you came a day earlier, then we really wouldn’t have any. Yesterday, when your Uncle Zhou came back from selling goods, he got forty or fifty copper coins worth of sweets for the children. Since he had the money, he might as well buy more meat, or white rice and wheat flour. But, he bought that expensive stuff instead… Linglong, bring the remaining sweets from yesterday for Little Sister Xiaocao to try!”

Though Madam Fang was complaining, there was a hint of smile in her eyes. To Madam Fang and her husband, it didn’t matter if they had to suffer a little, but they couldn’t let their children be like their younger selves, inexperienced and ignorant. They didn’t want them to be treated like country bumpkins when they go to town.

Xiaocao took a look at Zhou Linglong’s hands and realized the so-called white sugar were chucks of sugar similar to that of rock sugar. No wonder it cost one copper coin per piece.

She chose an egg-sized piece of sugar from the pack. It was about an ounce of sugar, which would cost around fifteen or sixteen copper coins. She smiled and said, “Auntie Zhou, I want to use the sugar to make food, and then sell it at the docks. How much was this chunk of sugar? I can’t let you guys suffer losses when I’m making money…”

Madam Fang looked at her and smiled, “With our family’s relationship, why are we talking about money? Your Brother Wenhua isn’t feeling well and doesn’t have any appetite. Yesterday, he ate the braised food that I brought back and had endless praises for it. He even ate another bowl of rice. When you complete your new dish, just make sure to send Auntie some!”

Xiaocao thought about it and nodded, “Alright! Even if you don’t say it, I won’t forget to let you guys have a taste. Thank you very much then. It’s getting late, so I need to go back to fry the fish…”

On the way back, Madam Liu didn’t say anything, but inwardly muttered: ‘Although the fish didn’t cost any money, the seasonings and oil cost at least thirty or forty copper coins… Would we really be able to make a profit?’

Upon returning home, Xiaocao first prepared all the necessary seasonings and ingredients. When the fish was almost done being salted, she poured in half a catty of soybean oil in the cauldron on the stove and heated it up. She sprinkled some water into the pot when smoke began emerging from the pot. This would remove the fishy smell in the soybean oil.

Then, put out the fire under the stove and wait until the heat of the oil was reduced to seventy percent hot. At that time, put in the salted fish and fry them one by one.

The stoves in the countryside usually had two cauldrons, one on each side. Normally, one was used to cook dishes, while the other was for steaming rice. Xiaocao put the chopped scallion, ginger, and garlic into the other pot and spread it out evenly into a layer. The fried fish was placed orderly on the bottom of the pot, with the bigger ones on the bottom and the smaller ones on top.

After taking out half of the oil that was used to fry the fish, put the remaining oil into the fried chili shreds and stir-fry to get an aromatic scent. Then, add in vinegar, sugar, yellow wine, scallion, ginger, garlic, pepper, fennel, Chinese cinnamon, and other spices. After that, she sprinkled some soy sauce in it. Seeing that there wasn’t enough water in the soup, she added an appropriate amount of mystic-stone water inside and cooked it on high heat.

When the soup was ready, she poured it onto the fish in the other pot and covered it tightly with the wooden lid. She had even specially instructed Little Shitou to pick up several rocks to put on top of the lid. After it was simmered over low heat for about thirty minutes, she extinguished the fire under the cauldron and opened the lid to let it cool down.

The pickled fish tasted the best when it was cooled. Xiaocao picked out several smaller ones and let her parents, Xiaolian, and Little Shitou taste them. The pickled fish had a savory and sweet taste that also had a hint of spiciness. It brimmed with the fragrance of the oil. After being fried and stewed, the bones in the fish had already become so soft that they just melted in the mouth. Even the fish’s head could be chewed and swallowed without any problem. No parts of the fish would be wasted.

“It’s pretty good! Delicious!! Go and give some to your Auntie Zhou…” Madam Liu couldn’t bear eating another fish after she tried one. All these fish needed to be sold for money!

Xiaocao filled a plate with over twenty pieces of fish and told Little Shitou to send it over. She got a ceramic jar and put all the remaining fish inside. She had to rush to the wharf and sell all the fish before the dockworkers went home for dinner.

Xiaolian saw that she had been busy selling and cooking food all day long and didn’t even have time to rest. Thus, she said, “Little Sister, why don’t I go to the docks with Little Shitou?”

Xiaocao had gotten up early in the morning and rushed to the docks. When she finished selling the braised food, she went to the market to buy pig’s head and other ingredients and seasonings. She didn’t even have time to catch her breath when she got home and went to catch fish. After that, she cured the fish to make pickled fish. Thus, she must have been really tired today.

Considering the fact that she would have to walk for nearly two hours, she seriously didn’t know if she could make it. These past couple days, Little Shitou was already familiar with the selling process, so there probably wouldn’t be any problems. However, she was still worried and reminded them,

“For the bigger fish, sell them two for one copper coin. Try to sell the bigger ones first. Later, if the smaller ones don’t sell very well, then sell three for one copper coin. Anyways… just try to sell as much as possible.”

Little Shitou confidently said, “Don’t worry! I will definitely accomplish my mission!”

After watching Xiaolian and Little Shitou leave, Xiaocao didn’t rest either. She had to braise all of the cleaned pig’s head, pork tripe, and pig intestines in order to sell them tomorrow morning.

Seeing that the pig’s head and marinade were already in the pot and just needed to be simmered over low heat, Madam Liu urged her daughter to quickly go rest,

“I can take care of the rest… In the future, you just need to be responsible for the preparation of the marinade. We can take care of the rest. You don’t have to do everything yourself! Your health just got better, so don’t tire yourself out!”

Xiaocao nodded and said, “Okay, okay! I know Mother is better at controlling the fire than me! I’ll just be a supervisor then!”

When she went out of the kitchen, she saw her father making a new net pocket. So, she went closer and said, “Father, it’s still early, so why don’t we go catch some more fish in the pond?”

Yu Hai was slightly interested, but he looked at her with concern and said, “Aren’t you tired? You should go back to your room and rest for a while! As for fishing, I’ll go try it out tomorrow morning…”

Based on her observation these past few days, Xiaocao had noticed that her family had the typical ‘strict mother and loving father’ combination. Generally, Madam Liu took on the ‘bad cop’ role and was responsible for disciplining and rebuking the children. On the other hand, Yu Hai was the one who pampered and spoiled the children, especially Xiaocao. He rarely refused her requests.

Chapter 88 - Father and Daughter

Xiaocao hastily acted like a child shamelessly. She went up to him and shook his arm, while saying, “Father, I’m not tired! Moreover, I just need to prepare the bait and put it into the pond. You can do the rest. You’re one of the best fishermen in the village, so you’re definitely better at catching a few fish than me! Let’s go, let’s go! We can catch some more fish and raise them in the empty water vat in the backyard. Tomorrow afternoon, we can make more pickled fish and sell them!”

Yu Hai couldn’t reject her pleading. Without Madam Liu’s knowledge, he stealthily took Xiaocao to the pond via a shortcut in the backyard. Their backyard wasn’t as good as their foreyard. It was surrounded by a fence that was made with bamboo and branches. On the fence, a back door was specially opened for easy access.

Xiaocao specially got some bean flour and mixed it with vegetable oil. Then, she cut it into small dices to serve as bait. Little Shitou was still young and naïve, but her father was an experienced fisherman. She couldn’t let him know that she was luring fish with the mystic-stone water.

From her room, she got the earthenware jar, which the small multi-colored stone laid in. The little golden kitten was lying beside the jar and stretching its back. When the little divine stone saw her, it grumpily said, [What are you doing now? I can’t believe you using such good mystic-stone water to catch fish. You’re just recklessly wasting such a heavenly gift! You’re going to be struck by thunder!]

Xiaocao made sure no one was around and said, “Little Glutinous Dumpling, what’s there to be afraid of? Don’t I still have you? Aren’t you the celestial stone that Goddess Nuwa meticulously smelted? Doesn’t the God of Thunder and Goddess of Lighting have to give you some face? Let’s go, don’t you like to swim? I’ll let you swim to your heart’s desire when we get to the pond!”

[No, don’t! Don’t directly put me into the water! That might attract unknown species! Don’t you just need some small fish? It’s enough to just use the water in the jar!] These past few days, Little Divine Stone had gone to the depths of the mountains and chosen a deep pond with pure spiritual energy to cultivate. However, it hadn’t expected that it would attract wild animals in the mountains. A python had dived into the deep pond and almost swallowed its body.

Little Divine Stone was afraid that Xiaocao would directly throw it into the pond. If it got swallowed by a duck or fish, wouldn’t it have to take a one-day tour in the animal’s intestines? That’s so dirty and stinky! No way, it doesn’t want to!

Xiaocao fastened it onto her wrist again and asked softly, “Is this how my father’s leg will be like from now on?”

The little golden kitten flew to the top of her head and laid on top like it was a hen resting in its nest, and then proudly replied, [You’re looking down on this divine stone’s abilities. Your father’s leg will get even better. However, the damage to the veins and bones were too severe. So, a full recovery is impossible. In the future, he might walk with a limp, but it won’t be too obvious!]

When Xiaocao arrived at the backyard with the ‘fish bait’ in the mystic-stone water jar, Yu Hai was already waiting there. Considering the inconvenience of his legs, the father-daughter pair chose a relatively lower slope and went down to the pond.

While Xiaocao placed the ‘bait’ into the pond, Yu Hai was slightly concerned and asked, “Cao’er, what if the jar floats away like this? Let’s tie a rope on the mouth of the jar!”

“I’ll go get a rope!” Xiaocao thought that he had a point, so she stood up and wanted to run back to the house.

However, her father stopped her by saying, “You don’t need to go back… Wait a moment!”

Yu Hai pulled several withered and yellow weeds from the pond and rubbed them together with his dexterous hands. A long grass rope was swiftly formed within his hands. Xiaocao inwardly marveled, ‘Don’t underestimate the wisdom and ability of ancient people.’

With the rope and her father’s help, Xiaocao placed the jar farther away. She held the net in her hand, ready to catch fish.

In the afternoon, Xiaocao and younger brother had caught hundreds of fish in less than two hours. Yu Hai had initially thought that she had a new and good method of fishing. But, when he was a child, he had also placed bait in a jar for fishing. Even after fishing for the whole morning, it wasn’t always possible to catch more than a dozen fish. Was this how his daughter caught fish at noon?

In the midst of his doubts, the fish nearby sensed the spiritual energy and swam towards the ceramic jar one after another, as if they were on a pilgrimage. It was impossible to drive them away. Seeing that there were more and more fish gathering, Yu Hai was stunned inwardly, ‘This was too incredible!’

While he was hesitating, Xiaocao had already picked up the net and carefully scooped up the fish. Oddly enough, when the usually nimble fish actually didn’t escape when the net approached them. Each time his daughter lowered her net, she was able to scoop up several fish.

Yu Hai stared absentmindedly at his daughter’s pretty little face. He recalled how she seemed like a completely different person ever since she hit her head last summer. There were always endless ways to make money in her mind.

After they split from the main family, she first planted vegetables in their yard. Originally, he pitied his daughter and couldn’t bear to reject her. Thus, with the mindset that they would only waste a few bags of seeds and not wanting to disappoint her, he did his best to support her. As a result, the vegetable gardens in front of the house were covered in green in just a few days. The greens with a short-term growing period such as spinach were almost as long as his finger. Tender green buds had also already sprouted for vegetables with a long-term growing period, which was extremely gratifying.

After that, she made braised food, specializing in braising things that others didn’t eat or didn’t want: chicken innards, pig intestines, pig head meat… Today, she had even brought back pig blood to make something called ‘blood sausage’. He thought of the braised pig brain from the other day, which was something really disgusting to look at, but she had actually turned it into a supreme delicacy.

Now, she used small fish with a lot of tiny bones that nobody else ate to make the incredibly crispy and tender pickled fish. Her method of fishing was the most astonishing part. What was in the jar to make all the fish do the opposite of their usual habits and actively gather over? Even a novice fisherman would know that this kind of phenomenon shouldn’t exist.

What had his daughter encountered when she was injured and unconscious? Could it be that what she said about meeting the God of Fortune at the Palace of Hell was true? Did she really get ‘golden hands’ after receiving luck from the God of Fortune?

However, Yu Hai didn’t suspect that his daughter’s soul had changed. Wasn’t it even more unbelievable to reincarnate in another person’s body than to visit the Palace of Hell and drink Granny Meng’s soup by mistake?

No! He couldn’t let anyone else know about his daughter’s abilities. If someone with devious intentions found out, they would definitely catch her and burn her alive, as if she was a monster! His precious daughter, who had been plagued by misfortunes since birth, had been on the verge of death numerous times. As her father, he hadn’t fulfilled his duty and failed to protect his family in the past. Hence, from now on, he had to serve as his daughter’s protective umbrella and get rid of all possible dangers for her.

“Cao’er, in the future, just let Father do the fishing after you prepare the bait! When you go sell braised food in the morning, I will go catch the fish and your mother can clean them. So, you can make the pickled fish when you get home in the afternoon. Doesn’t that save a lot of time?” Yu Hai suddenly said.

Xiaocao briefly stopped the actions of her hands, which were scooping fish. She could feel Yu Hai’s gaze lingering on herself for a long time. Hence, it was inevitable that she felt somewhat nervous at that time. She knew it would be hard to fool her father, so she had already thought of an explanation within her mind. But, she was worried about whether he would believe her. She hadn’t expected that even after Yu Hai witnessed this strange scene, he didn’t ask any questions and took up the task of fishing in the future.

He had such an unimaginable trust and love for his daughter!

Xiaocao felt so moved that she almost wanted to cry. She smiled slightly, nodded her head heavily, and said, “Okay! Everyone says that Father is an excellent fisherman, so you’re definitely better at fishing than me! Well, I’ll leave the hard work to Father then!”

“We’re a family so there’s no need to mention that. In terms of hard work, you’re the one who have been working the hardest these past few days! I don’t even know what this family would be like without you…” Yu Hai ruefully sighed.

Indeed, Xiaocao’s major change was what kept the family intact. He had a young son and a sickly daughter. His wife was capable, but disease-ridden. Furthermore, he was considered a half-cripple. If it hadn’t been for the great change in Xiaocao, Xiaolian wouldn’t be able to carry such a mountainous burden alone.

Fortunately, the heavens didn’t abandon them. They gave his wife and daughter a healthy body, while also letting his leg gradually recover. They also bestowed his daughter with the ability to survive…

A joyful smile appeared on the corner of Yu Hai’s mouth. He waved the net in his hands and scooped up the fish in a swift, accurate, and steady manner. His speed was a lot faster than the inexperienced Xiaocao. The net in his hands was relatively sturdier, so they were able to catch a big fish that weighed five catties.

By sunset, the father-daughter pair had returned with fruitful results. Xiaocao tottered with a bucket full of small fish as she walked under the golden sunset. The reflection of the sunset caused her little face to appear flushed, while her eyes were tinted with a gold color.

Yu Hai carried two buckets full of fish and limped behind her. From time to time, he would ask, “Are you tired? If you can’t carry it, give it to Father. My left hand is still empty!”

“I can carry it!” Xiaocao carried the bucket with a broad smile. Although her shoes got wet due to the swaying of the bucket and the heavy bucket in her hands hurt her arms, she was still very happy. Today, the distance between her and her father seemed to have drawn closer. Their originally weak affection seemed to have gradually gotten stronger because of her father’s safeguard.

Madam Liu, who had already finished braising the pig head and large intestines, finally noticed that the room was empty when she went to call Xiaocao for dinner. The kang bed was cold and the quilt was neatly folded. Just as she was wondering where her daughter went, she heard the laughter of her husband and daughter from the backyard.

Madam Liu went around the house and saw the father-daughter pair coming in with buckets in their hands and a broad smile on their faces. She couldn’t contain the hint of smile in her eyes, yet she said, “Cao’er, didn’t I tell you to rest? Why did you go fishing again? Husband, you too! Don’t you know how to care for the child? Don’t tire out our daughter!”

“Mother! I’m not tired! Besides, I didn’t do much and just sat on shore and played. Father was the one who caught all these fish! Look! We also caught a big fish. We have an extra dish for dinner!” Xiaocao grinned proudly.

Madam Liu smiled helplessly and walked over to her. She took the bucket in Xiaocao’s hands and poured the contents into the cracked vat in the backyard. After that, she lighted tapped her forehead and said, “You! You’re risking your life for money! Are you hungry? Let’s not wait for Xiaolian and Shitou and eat first…”

“Let’s wait until they come back and eat together! They will be back soon. It’s more lively when the whole family eats together! I’ll go make a fish head stew and braised fish fillet. Let’s eat a good meal tonight!” Within her heart, Xiaocao had gradually regarded this place as her home. She believed that with her own efforts, this family would surely get better and better.

Chapter 89 - Tuition

In the evening, the whole family sat around a round table. They were drinking delicious fish head stew and eating fragrant braised fish, while happily talking about their results for today.

“Second Sister! At the beginning, when we were selling the pickled fish, everyone just looked at the fish and was unwilling to buy them because the fish were too small. So, I took a small one and ate it in front of them. I told them that the fish bones had become very crispy and tender, so it was alright to eat them. After that, they were finally willing to take out money and buy them.” Little Shitou drank a big mouthful of the fish stew and felt extremely pleased in his heart. A month ago, the crude grain pancakes had never been able to satisfy his hunger. When had he ever lived such a good life, to be able to eat fish every day?

“At the beginning, I was really worried because they didn’t buy much. Fortunately, those who bought the pickled fish all said it was very tasty. Many of them also bought another one to take home for their children to eat! Uncle Hao bought five servings at once. He ate one himself and took the rest back home. He said that there was a lot of work at the docks recently, so he wanted to spend the money that he had earned on his family. With such cheap and delicious food, if he didn’t buy some back, he will be scolded by Auntie Hao!”

Little Shitou’s crisp voice filled the entire room, while everyone looked at him with a smile. Happiness was really just that simple…

“More than a hundred fish were completely sold out in less than thirty minutes. The leader of another group of dockers, Brother Six, also bought five servings. Foreman Sun almost fought with him in order to get the last portion of pickled fish!” Little Shitou proudly said, “So, I divided the last serving of fish and gave a free fish to each of them to put an end to the fight. Second Sister, I’m really clever, right?!”

Xiaocao tapped the tip of his nose and praised him, “Yes! Our family’s Shitou is the best. You’re only six, but you’re already so smart. It’s no wonder that Teacher Yuan, who has such discerning eyes, likes you!”

Little Shitou felt even more proud of himself and kept chattering endlessly. In the end, he squinted his smiling eyes and said, “Second Sister, guess how much money we earned at the docks today? Guess…”

Xiaocao was very clear about the quantity of fish they had. But, she deliberately frowned, pretended as if she was thinking very hard, and intentionally guessed the wrong amount, “Fifty copper coins? At most sixty copper coins…”

Little Shitou couldn’t restrain his excitement and immediately reported today’s earnings, “No, you’re wrong! It’s one tael and seventy-eight copper coins!! Look, this is one tael! It’s my first time seeing so much money. The shiny silver is so beautiful!”

The little fellow impatiently took out the purse that he had been holding in front of his chest. He took out the piece of silver and put it on the table. The family gathered around and looked at the money with a surprised expression.

Xiaocao wondered, “Xiaolian, Shitou, did you guys meet a tycoon this time? To pay you one tael, he’s even more generous than Fatty Jin from this morning.”

Little Shitou was very pleased with himself as he touched the silver bits. His eyes were narrowed as he smiled, “Second Sister, what’s a tycoon? Is it edible?”

Xiaolian glanced at him and said, “Let me explain instead. As soon as we reached the docks, we encountered the son of the county magistrate. He had even mistaken me for you. Young Master Wu had gone to the docks to pick someone up. He tasted our pickled fish and thought that it tasted very good, so he packed some to go. However, he had come out in haste and didn’t bring any loose change. He also didn’t bring a manservant with him, so he just gave us a piece of silver. I told him that I didn’t have enough change for him, but the ship he was waiting for had arrived. Thus, he told us to just keep the change.”

“Hehe, we sold five servings of pickled fish for one tael. It would be great if we can encounter such a foolishly-generous spender every day!” It was unknown where Little Shitou had learned the term ‘foolishly-generous spender’, but he had used it in quite a fitting situation.

Madam Liu scolded him jokingly, “You little money-grubber! You were lucky to have met two generous, wealthy people today. But, this lucky encounter was like a pie-in-the-sky. Do you really think it will happen every day? I’ll keep this piece of silver for you. In a few days, when you go study in town, you can also go pay the tuition!”

Since the first month’s schooling fees had been taken care of, Little Shitou felt even more elated. He was so lively for the entire night that he couldn’t even fall asleep.

After dinner, Xiaocao took Madam Liu and Xiaolian and taught them how to make blood sausage. She had already sliced up the clotted pig blood and boiled a large bowl of plain pork broth with various seasonings. After it cooled down, she added it into the pig blood. After that, she put in chives and stirred it evenly. Afterwards, she stuffed it into the cleaned small intestine and tied it securely with a string. Xiaocao had purposely saved the pig’s small intestine by instructing her mother not to put it in with the rest of the braised food.

After stuffing the blood sausages, cook it in plain water and then stew it on low heat for fifteen minutes. When it was ready, soak it in cold water until it cooled down. When cooled, remove the string before eating. The method of making blood sausage was relatively easy, and the taste depended on the combination of seasonings used for the plain pork broth. However, Madam Liu and Xiaolian were both people who constantly worked in the kitchen. Thus, they had swiftly mastered the ratio needed for the seasonings.

She drank a cup of highly concentrated mystic-stone water before bed and had a great sleep. On the next morning, Xiaocao felt energized and refreshed. The fatigue on her body had been swept away. Today, she needed to bring a lot more food to sell at the docks. In addition to the braised pig head, large intestine, stomach, and blood sausage, there was also over a hundred small fish.

In the past two days, according to Xiaocao’s observation, there would be at least two to three hundred dockers transporting goods on the docks. Grandpa Liu, who sold noodles, said that February and March were the busiest months at the docks. Most businesses didn’t transport goods in December and January. The New Year celebrations was one of the reasons. The other reason was because the coastal waters of the northern regions were frozen, making it difficult for ships to sail. So, in February and March, when the weather was warming up again, the merchants began transporting goods that they had accumulated over the winter from the south to the north.

Her one copper coin braised food was delicious and cheap, so she wasn’t worried about not being able to sell them whatsoever!

“Cao’er, Father will go borrow a handcart from your Uncle Qian. Today, let’s go to the docks together!” Yu Hai saw that the braised food and pickled fish had filled two baskets and looked quite heavy. He was afraid that the two kids would be tired, so he suggested.

Xiaocao called for the little divine in her mind, [Little Glutinous Dumpling, can you hear me?]

[What do you want? I’m sleeping, so stop bothering me!] The little divine stone grumpily said.

[I’ll just bother you for a moment with a question. With the current condition of my father’s leg, can he walk for a long time?] Xiaocao felt somewhat worried and asked.

Little Divine Stone hmphed and said, [His leg, veins, and bones have all grown well. More exercise is beneficial to his recovery process. Don’t worry, it’s fine for him to go to the docks.]

Madam Liu, who was beside him, asked with concern, “Is your leg okay? Don’t people say that it takes a hundred days to recover after injuring the veins and bones. It hasn’t even been a month yet, will you really be alright?”

Yu Hai kicked his left leg and said, “It’s my own leg, so I’m very clear about its condition. As long as I don’t do any heavy labor, it should be fine. I’m just pushing two baskets while walking, so it’s alright…”

Under his insistence, Madam Liu had no choice but to let him go. When they were leaving, she reminded Xiaocao to help her father push the cart and don’t let him do too much work.

The handcart was a wooden wheelbarrow. Yu Hai hung the cart’s rope on his shoulder and firmly held onto the handles with his strong hands. He strode forward as he steadily pushed the handcart. Despite his limp, his legs were longer than Xiaocao’s, so his one step was two or three steps for her! Xiaocao could barely catch up to her father, let alone help him push the handcart.

Yu Hai, who was used to doing hard labor, had been idling at home for nearly a month and felt that his bones were rusting. He finally had the chance to help out, so his whole body was naturally full of energy. He turned around and saw his daughter panting for breath, so he stopped and said with a smile, “Come up, Father will push you!”

Xiaocao hastily shook her head and said, “Father, I can walk myself! Your leg hasn’t fully recovered yet and you’re also pushing a cart full of braised food…”

Before she had even finished speaking, her father had already lifted her up with one arm and placed her on the wheelbarrow. Although she had been carried several times in the past half of a year since she had transmigrated, it was the first time that he had slipped her under his armpit and lifted her up. Xiaocao felt slightly embarrassed and looked around to make sure no one saw it.

“Ha, do you really think that you can tire me out with that weight of yours? Cao’er, you need to eat more. You only have bones on your body and there’s barely any meat!” Yu Hai’s heart ached and felt remorseful as he nagged. In his mind, he planned to buy some white rice and wheat flour back for the children after they finished selling today’s braised food. It was the children’s growth period, so they shouldn’t eat coarse grain flatbread all the time like them…

Being escorted by her father, Xiaocao walked for a while, and also sat on the cart that her father pushed for a while. When they were resting on the road, she eagerly helped massage her father’s left leg and asked Little Divine Stone to quickly help relieve his fatigue. It was still early when they arrived at the docks.

“Good morning, Grandpa Liu!” Xiaocao cheerfully greeted the kind and gentle old grandfather. These past few days, her business had been booming, so it was inevitable that some people were green with envy, especially those who sold pickled vegetables and stir-fried dishes. From time to time, they would make jealous remarks, but Xiaocao was too lazy to argue with them and just ignored them. Grandpa Liu was the only one who was kind to her from the beginning to the end. He would always warmly bring a stool over and let the siblings rest on it.

Grandpa Liu, who was working hard on kneading the dough, heard the sound and looked up. He smiled and said, “Oh, it’s Xiaocao. You came pretty early today. Are you tired? Come sit down and rest for a while. Oh? Little Shitou didn’t come with you today?”

“No! My father came with me today!” Xiaocao smiled as she pointed to Yu Hai, who was parking the handcart by the roadside.

Old Liu looked at Yu Hai, who had limped over. A sense of realization flashed in his mind: ‘It’s no wonder that they would allow two young children to come and sell things. It turns out that their father’s leg…’

“Xiaocao’s father, quickly come and rest. You must be tired after walking such a long way.” Grandma Liu came out of the shack and greeted him warmly.

Yu Hai was stunned for a moment, but he immediately smiled and thanked them, “Thank you! You must be the Grandpa Liu and Grandma Liu that Xiaocao often mentions? I must thank you two elders for taking care of them these past two days. Many thanks, many thanks!”

“No need to thank us! Xiaocao and her younger brother are both very capable. Ever since she came here, my noodle business has been doing much better!” Old Liu wiped his hands and exclaimed.

He was right. In the past, there wasn’t anything good to eat at the docks. Thus, most of the workers on the docks usually brought food from home. At most, a few people would pool in some money and buy some pickled vegetables to eat together. However, most people wouldn’t even come to this side at all.

Ever since Xiaocao’s one copper coin meat dish became popular among the dockers, many people who had bought the meat dish would also buy a bowl of hot noodles from the nearby noodle stall. It was much better to eat a warm bowl of noodles with meat dish than to eat the hard to swallow dried rations. Other than the noodle stalls, the business of the steamed buns stalls nearby had also gotten a lot better. However, those who sold pickled vegetables were full of resentment.

Chapter 90 - Brother Six

With Foreman Sun’s help, Xiaocao’s eldest uncle and eldest cousin from the Liu Family were able to find work every day. At times, they would also bring her second uncle with them. They earned over a hundred copper coins per person every day. Eldest Aunt also stopped selling pickled vegetables since she wasn’t able to make much money from selling them anyways…

Seeing that her father was chatting fervently with Grandpa Liu, Xiaocao stood up and strolled around. During these past couple of days, she had been focused on earning money and hadn’t had the time to tour the docks.

Tanggu Docks had only begun to develop in the past few years after the current emperor ascended the throne. When the current emperor was still a teenager, he had liked venturing in the seas. He had also personally supervised the making of ocean-going vessels. After he ascended the throne, he vigorously developed ocean shipping and formed a strong navy to combat pirates and protect the shipping vessels. As a result, the shipping industry had flourished in the past five or six years.

As the closest docks to the capital, the development of Tanggu Docks was naturally a matter of course. But, it was still a rather new wharf. Although it was big, it looked very simple and many of the constructions hadn’t been completed. However, merchants with foresight seemed to have set their eyes on the docks. Allegedly, the Zhou Family had already selected a location near the docks to build a branch of Zhenxiu Restaurant.

As Xiaocao wandered around, she had walked far from Grandpa Liu’s noodle stall and arrived at the place where the dockers were hired. It was the most lively here every day before dawn. Over a hundred short-term laborers would gather here, waiting to be selected by the foreman. However, at this time, people were already busily working on the docks, so there was barely anyone here now.

“Hey! Your name’s Xiaocao… right?” Several guys, who appeared like good-for-nothing rogues, blocked her path.

Yu Xiaocao looked around and frowned inwardly. She warily looked at the guy with a face that says ‘I’m a bad guy’, and asked, “What can I do for you?”

The leader, who wore a cotton-padded jacket that was seventy percent new, had his hands tucked in his sleeves and coldly stared at Xiaocao with his rat-like eyes. With a crafty smile on his face, he said, “I heard that your one copper coin meat dish is selling pretty well at the docks.”

“It’s nothing special. It might seem like I’m selling a lot, but we sell it for a cheap price and don’t get much profit. So, we don’t earn much!” Xiaocao didn’t believe he was here to congratulate her on her prospering business, so she secretly stayed alert.

Behind the rat’s eye, a skinny guy with a protruding mouth and ape-like chin jumped out and shouted, “Who cares if you earn any profit! You’re selling things on our Brother Shark’s turf! Did you pay respect to the boss? Did you pay the protection fee yet?”

Yu Xiaocao understood very clearly now. Her business had been doing too well these past two days and caused others to become envious. Thus, people had come to extort money! She looked around and moaned in her heart. She couldn’t find a single person nearby at this time. What should she do?

“Protection fee? I’m new here and haven’t heard anything about needing to pay a protection fee in order to do business on the docks.” Yu Xiaocao stalled for time as she tried to think of ways to get away from this group of scoundrels.

The man who was known as Brother Shark showed a thug-like smile and said, “Just because you didn’t hear about it, doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist! Stop with the bullshit and give me the money!”

“Okay, okay! I’ll pay… How much do I need to pay?” Xiaocao showed weakness in order lower her opponent’s guard.

Brother Shark and Skinny Monkey looked at each other triumphantly, and then demanded an exorbitant price, “Ten copper coins for a day. If you’re paying monthly, we’ll just take two hundred copper coins per month!”

Shit! Two hundred copper coins? Even the best business on the docks wouldn’t be able to pay two hundred copper coins a month for a protection fee! It seemed like these local bullies only aimed at her.

Yu Xiaocao pretended to be terrified, glanced at the location of the pier and her father, and inwardly measured the shortest distance to get there. With a sobbing tone, she said, “Big brothers! This little sister has just arrived today. I haven’t even opened my business yet, so where would I get ten copper coins to give you? How about… after I finish selling the meat dishes today, I’ll pay the monthly fee all at once. What do you guys think?”

Skinny Monkey moved closer to Brother Shark and whispered into his ear, “This brat came with a tall and strong-looking man today. If we let her go back, it will be over then!”

These guys were lazy good-for-nothing punks around the docks. They usually bullied the weak and feared the strong. They also occasionally engaged in petty theft. They had extorted money from nearly all the old, weak, women, and children who sold goods on the docks. Most of the peddlers had come from nearby villages, so they didn’t dare to speak out against these local hoodlums.

There were some bailiffs who maintained order at the docks. However, these local rogues always acted very good when the bailiffs patrolled the area. They would hide in some unknown corner and only come out when the bailiffs were gone. Thus, most of the people who were blackmailed would just spend some money as a way to buy peace.

This group of hoodlums had heard from an unknown source about the Yu Siblings’s recently booming business. They had planned to wait until the siblings finished selling their food, and then rob all their money by coaxing and threatening them. But, they hadn’t expected that an adult would come along today. Moreover, he was tall and strong and didn’t seem like someone they could bully. Hence, they changed their plans, stopped the little girl, and tried to extort as much money as possible.

“How much money do you have on you? Give them all to me!” Brother Shark fiercely demanded.

Xiaocao shook her head timidly and quietly moved to the side. As if she was about to cry, she said, “My father has the money. I don’t have a single penny on me. Big brothers, please let me go. I really don’t have any money…”

As she spoke, she suddenly squatted on the ground and grabbed some sand. She threw it at the hoodlums’ faces, and then hastily ran towards the docks with all her might.

She used all the strength in her body, while only thinking about one thing——run, run! As long as she ran to a crowded place, these rascals wouldn’t dare to be so reckless.

However, reality was cruel. With Xiaocao’s short legs, how would she be able to outrun several adult men? It only took a few steps for them to catch up with her.

Being surrounded once again, Xiaocao felt vexed and cursed in her heart: Damn it! It seems like she couldn’t avoid getting a beating.

Brother Shark, who was supported by Skinny Monkey, rubbed his eyes with one hand and started swearing. Earlier, Xiaocao had thrown all the sand at his face, so he couldn’t see clearly now.

“Damned brat! You’re refusing a toast and asking to be forced to drink a forfeit! Go and teach her a lesson!!” Brother Shark’s eyes were in pain, so he kept tearing up and couldn’t see anything. Thus, he angrily shouted.

“Ah!”

“Ai-yo!!”

“Mother, save me!”

At the beginning, Brother Shark was very proud and confident. ‘That damned brat actually dared to throw sand at me! She needs to be taught a lesson!’

Uh? Something wasn’t right! Why do the screams sound so familiar, as if they were coming from his group of buddies? What was going on?

“Six… Brother Six…” Beside him, Monkey’s stuttering voice could be heard and his hand that was supporting him was also shaking incessantly…

After Shark issued the order, Xiaocao immediately held her head and squatted down. She was waiting to feel the pain on her body, but the punch and kicks that she had anticipated didn’t happen. She curiously looked up upon hearing a series of screams and noticed that the hooligans were all lying on the ground, wailing in pain.

She blinked a few times and looked at the tall figure in front of her——broad shoulders, slender figure, half-old clothes that couldn’t hide his charisma. Wow! Was this the legendary scenario of ‘a hero rescuing a beauty’? Cough, cough… Okay, it was more of ‘a hero rescuing a little girl’ right now…

“Six… Brother Six…” She saw Skinny Monkey shaking like a quail, and he was so scared that he just hadn’t pee his pants yet. She was even more curious about the identity of the hero who saved her.

Xiaocao stood up and watched as the hero kicked them one by one and sent Skinny Monkey and Shark flying. She worshiped him even more within her heart.

The pain in his stomach caused Shark’s tears and snot to all flow out. His tears finally washed out the sand in his eyes. He blinked his red and swollen eyes vigorously and finally saw the person who had come to fight for justice. Enduring the pain, he hastily got up and weakly called out, “Brother Six…”

The man who was called ‘Brother Six’ didn’t have any expression on his cold face. He stared at him with an icy gaze that could almost freeze a person’s blood. Brother Shark felt a chill run down his spine and collapsed on the ground like a dead dog.

Who didn’t know Brother Six on the docks? He used to be a beggar who had taken food from vicious dogs when he was a child. At the age of ten, with a fierce force, he killed a wolf with his bare hands.

At sixteen, the youth called Liuzi [1], with several brothers of beggar origin, had defeated the tyrant on the docks and opened up the path to his own career. With his ability, he was able to monopolize the docks. But he wasn’t greedy and only held onto several important customers. He left the rest to be divided by the other foremen. Later, Foreman Sun gradually accumulated his own network and got rid of a lot of the smaller forces. Over time, the current situation was formed…

Nevertheless, on the docks, the words of the man, who was respectfully known as ‘Brother Six’, was even more powerful than the bailiffs. Even the bailiffs had to give him some face. The hoodlums on the docks had been beaten up by him in the past, so they were so scared of him that they would run away whenever they saw him.

Shark and Skinny Monkey were one of them. They were merely insignificant people who weren’t even qualified to compete with Brother Six, but they had heard of his prestige. They hadn’t expected to bump into him today. Skinny Monkey trembled as he thought of Brother Six’s cruelty and suddenly felt a warm sensation on the area around his crotch…

“Scram! Don’t let me see you guys at the docks anymore, or else…” Brother Six narrowed his eyes, which were fierce like wolves. His voice was light, but the effect was very strong!

Shark promptly got up from the ground and replied, “Yes, yes! We’ll scram immediately, scram immediately! We promise to never step onto the docks again…”

He was so scared that his legs became limp. He rolled several times on the ground, and then crawled away on both hands and feet. The others also resented their parents for not giving them two more legs and desperately ran away, as if they were being chased by a hungry wolf that wanted to bite their butts.

“Uh… Thank you!” Yu Xiaocao had heard the name ‘Liuzi’ from Foreman Sun. She only knew that he was a competitor of Foreman Sun and didn’t know anything else. Based on those rascals’ attitude, this Liuzi definitely wasn’t someone easy to deal with.

Brother Six turned around slowly and lightly nodded at her. Xiaocao finally had a clear look at his face. He had profound facial features. His eyes and eyebrows made him look a little mixed. He had a tall nose and slightly thin lips. He had uniformly tanned skin due to long-term exposure to the sea breeze and sun. If it weren’t for the scar stretching from his left eyebrow to the corner of his lips on the right side of his face, he would definitely be a super icy, handsome man.

[1] Liu = Six

Chapter 91 - Advanced Payment

Brother Six keenly caught the brief expression that flickered through Xiaocao’s eyes. It looked like she was surprised? He barely restrained his desire to rub at the scars on his face and a feeling of confused doubt settled into his heart. Didn’t they already meet each other yesterday afternoon? At that time, the little girl had been so frightened by his facial scars that her face had turned ghost white. How come her reaction today to his face, which was scary enough to make any little kid weep, was simply surprise? He must have misinterpreted her expression!

He briefly glanced at Xiaocao and thought about saying something. In the end, he decided to stay silent and turned around to slowly walk towards the area where people were selling breakfast. Xiaocao looked around her and noticed that not a soul was in sight and quickly followed behind him. She definitely didn’t want to stay in that area by herself. If that group of scoundrels suddenly came back looking for blood, then she was dead meat in their hands.

Since Xiaocao was gone for a long time, Yu Hai was starting to get antsy waiting for her by the noodle stand. When he saw his daughter coming back with her tail between her legs next to a stern and ferocious looking man with facial scars, his first thought was that his beloved daughter was being bullied. He quickly limped forward and pushed his daughter behind him. He looked at Old Six warily and said, “Don’t be scared, daughter. Father is here and I definitely won’t let anyone bully you!”

Xiaocao simultaneously felt touched and tickled by his protectiveness. She smiled apologetically at Brother Six, pulled her father back to the stool to sit down, and explained, “Father, Brother Six wasn’t giving me problems. On the contrary, he had just saved me from bullies!”

After that, she broadly sketched out what had happened during that heart-pounding scenario to her father. Yu Hai pulled on her hand and inspected her from head to toe. Only after he didn’t find anything out of the ordinary did he slightly relax a bit and say, “The docks are very chaotic, so in the future you’re not allowed to wander around randomly! Brother, I was rude to you earlier, but thank you very much for saving my daughter!”

Brother Six’s face was as expressionless as before, and he only lightly nodded his head in reply. He opened his mouth for the first time to speak to Old Liu, “I’d like a bowl of noodles in soup without any bean flour noodles…”

Old Liu quickly ripped a piece of dough from a small bowl and skillfully rolled and cut the dough into sections. Within a short period of time, a bowl of delicious noodles was done.

At this moment, Yu Hai hastily took out a portion of braised pig head meat and a portion of pickled fish from the basket. He then placed them both in front of Brother Six’s bowl and said, “Brother, eat these two dishes with your noodles. Take them as a token of my gratitude for saving my daughter’s life earlier.”

Brother Six slightly raised his eyebrows but didn’t refuse the offer. However, when he finished eating and left, he had placed two copper coins on the table. When Yu Hai noticed the coins, he wanted to chase after the man to return the money but was stopped by Xiaocao who said, “Father, let it be. He doesn’t lack these two copper coins. Get ready, it’s almost time for the dockworkers’ break to eat their meals!”

Sure enough, when they looked towards the direction of the wharf, they saw a group of rough, old men chattering and laughing as they walked over. A few people who were more impatient walked briskly the whole way and started calling out to Xiaocao from far away, “Xiaocao, give me two portions of braised pig head meat, I want the fatty portions!”

“Xiaocao, Xiaocao! I want a portion of the pig intestines and one of the tripe…”

“Do you have any of the fish from yesterday? I want two of those!”

…

Despite having heard his son describe the situation over and over to him, Yu Hai was shocked when he saw it in person.

However, Xiaocao had become accustomed to this and calmly dealt with the crowd while also advertising her new product, “Old Uncle Hao, today I also made a new type of food. This is called blood sausage, do you want to buy a portion to try?”

“You have another new type of braised food? Give me a portion of blood sausage!” hollered a young fellow. He was behind the crowd of people surrounding her, and, despite his attempts at jumping around to get to the front, he was unable to squeeze through.

“Give me a portion to try, too!”

“Those of you in the front, don’t buy too many at once and leave me a portion of the blood sausages, ah! I absolutely believe in Xiaocao’s cooking skills!”’

…

The father and daughter pair worked together to receive the money until their hands started cramping from the effort. They were busy for over an hour without any chance to take a quick breather or break. The crowd gradually dispersed when the basket had about a tenth of the original amount of braised food left.

At this point, Old Liu’s noodle stall was also full of people at the tables eating noodles. The father and daughter pair could only find a rock at the side of the road to sit on to rest their feet. Grandma Liu was busy but sent the two of them each a bowl of steaming hot noodle soup. She smiled and said, “Yu Hai, Xiaocao, you two must be thirsty, right? Drink a mouthful of noodle soup and let it wet your throats.”

“Thank you, Grandma Liu. There’s no need to wait on us, I’m sure you have other things to do right?” Xiaocao took the two bowls from the old woman and gave one of them to her father. The other one she held in her hands as she drank in small sips from the bowl.

At this time, Xiaocao noticed that her Eldest Uncle, Liu Pei, Second Uncle, Liu Han, and her oldest male cousin, Liu Zhiwei, were at a nearby congee stall eating food. She put down her bowl of soup and took out a portion of pickled fish, blood sausage, and braised pig head meat to take over there.

“Eldest Uncle, Second Uncle, Oldest Cousin, you are all eating breakfast right now…Second Uncle, did you come to the docks to find work today too?” Xiaocao greeted the men warmly. In the previous two days, she had only seen Eldest Uncle with Oldest Cousin in the area. This was the first time she had seen Second Uncle at the docks.

Liu Pei and Liu Han raised their heads and grinned at her, “Hey, Xiaocao. How’s the business going today? Look, your head is full of sweat, you must be exhausted right?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine! Today my father came with me as well. Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle, here’s some of the braised food and pickled fish I made. You should all try some and see how it tastes. I didn’t make enough the past two days so I couldn’t leave you guys any…” Xiaocao replied somewhat bashfully.

The honest and timid Liu Han shook his hand hastily and said, “Your eldest aunt had packed us some salted vegetables. Earlier I noticed that your braised food sells really well here, so you should keep the food to make money. Your family has a great need for money at the moment…”

Xiaocao smiled, “I made a bit too much food today, so there’s still some left in my basket! When we were remodeling the house, Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle were both a great help to us. It’s right and necessary that I repay your kindness with my feelings of respect. Please take the food. Oldest Cousin, you should try this pickled fish, I bet you’ll really like the taste.”

The three men from the Liu Family only brought a few pancakes made from coarse grain and three salted radishes from home for breakfast. At the congee stall, they also bought three bowls of bean soup for one copper coin apiece. Although Liu Zhiwei had a tall and imposing figure, he was only around fourteen to fifteen years of age. This was the time when boys like him constantly hungered for food to eat.

Had the person selling the braised food for one copper coin a portion not been Xiaocao, he would have gone over earlier to queue for the food. Sometimes, he would see his fellow dock workers eating the braised food with gusto, and he could catch a whiff of its tantalizing and appetizing smell. Those were the times when he almost couldn’t keep the drool in his mouth.

When he noticed that Xiaocao had already opened the oiled paper packets and the tempting, savory smell of the braised food hit his nose, Liu Zhiwei had to swallow down the saliva that flooded his mouth. He glanced at his father and older uncle. His eyes glinted with a look of pure envy that was the exact same look Little Shitou had whenever he wanted to eat something.

Xiaocao stifled her desire to burst out laughing and snatched the pancake from his hand. She unfolded it flat and put a piece of stir-fried fish and a couple pieces of fatty pig head meat in the middle. She then gently placed the food back in his hands and said, “Oldest Cousin, try it! This was all made by me…”

Back by the noodle stall, Yu Hai had a few more customers come up to him to buy food. After that, other than the portion of braised food reserved for Foreman Sun, the rest of the food had pretty much been sold out. He placed the basket back on the wheelbarrow and walked over to where Xiaocao and the others were. He also urged the men when he got there, “Eldest Brother-in-law, Second Older Brother-in-law, it’s only three copper coins worth of food. Xiaocao is showing her filial respect to you, so just eat some!”

Seeing that they couldn’t refuse the offer, Liu Pei and Liu Han each used a pair of chopsticks to pick up a piece of braised pig head meat and placed it into their mouths to slowly savor. A burst of delicious flavor hit their tongues. They had never eaten anything so delicious, so it prompted them both to praise the food endlessly. The two brothers then tried only a bite or two of the other two dishes. They left the rest of the food for Liu Zhiwei to eat, as he was still a growing adolescent.

After Liu Pei finished eating breakfast, he took a look at his younger brother-in-law’s leg. With sincere concern, he asked, “I’ve been a bit busy lately, so I haven’t had the time to visit you. Does your leg give you any problems after walking so far a distance?”

Yu Hai slapped his left leg a couple of times and grinned, “Not a problem at all! The doctor in town even told me to walk a bit more on it when I have the time! It’s all thanks to Xiaocao for massaging my leg every night. Otherwise, I don’t think my leg would get better so quickly! Who knows, maybe after more time passes, I can also go to the docks to find some work.”

The two brothers from the Liu Family complimented their younger sister and brother-in-law for raising such an obedient and sweet daughter. Yu Hai felt more happy from hearing the praises than he did about his own leg getting better.

The small group of people chatted for a little bit more until it was time to start working again. Yu Hai and his daughter had also gotten enough rest during this interlude. They left the saved portion of braised food for Foreman Sun at Old Liu’s noodle stand and prepared to go into town with their wheelbarrow to buy some stuff at the town’s markets.

At this point, the solemn looking Brother Six came over. He threw some silver bits at Xiaocao and said, “Tomorrow I have an important client coming over. Are you able to help me prepare some food for them?”

Xiaocao looked at the money in her hands and estimated that it must be around two taels worth of money. She proceeded to ask him more details about his clients. How many people did he plan on entertaining? Were they southerners or northerners? Did they have any specific tastes or requests regarding their food? Brother Six answered her questions one by one. After that, Xiaocao had a good idea on what she needed to prepare.

At this time, Foreman Sun hurriedly rushed over from the docks to here and clearly didn’t take any time to catch his breath. He looked at the silver bits in Xiaocao’s hands and frowned, “What’s going on, Xiaocao? Is there someone trying to cause trouble for you here? If so, don’t feel shy to tell me. You have me behind you!”

Brother Six stared at him with an imperceptible smile on his face until Foreman Sun started to feel uncomfortable. Only then did Brother Six speak, “Foreman Sun, I know what you’re thinking about! The larger one’s head is, the larger the hat you’ll have to wear! Beware of biting off more than you can chew! Xiaocao is someone who does business with everyone and is not just an instrument for you to use to bring in clients! Old Sun, tomorrow’s customer isn’t someone you can steal just because you want to!”

Foreman Sun rubbed his nose out of embarrassment and said, “Ah Liuzi, don’t be so petty! Xiaocao has helped me a bit, so I was afraid that she was being bullied by others…”

Brother Six glanced at him with disinterest and then returned his gaze back on Xiaocao. He said, “Then I’ll be counting on you tomorrow…” After that, he turned and left the area.

Foreman Sun took offense to his attitude and sneered while quietly grumbling, “What’s he’s so proud about? If I had come to the docks to work two years earlier, then I wouldn’t have to deal with your blustering—Xiaocao, what did that stupid Liuzi want you to do for him? He gave you so much money, he’s not asking you to do something illegal, right?”

Xiaocao looked at him with a faint smile on her face and said, “Older Uncle Sun, he was merely admiring my culinary talent and wanted me to make some delicious food for him tomorrow. He gave me this money to buy ingredients…Older Uncle, the braised food you reserved is back at Grandpa Liu’s place. It’s getting late, I need to go into town and restock my seasoning and condiment supplies.”

Xiaocao’s clear and bright eyes seemed to pierce through Foreman Sun’s small schemes, and he replied with slight embarrassment, “Then go! Here’s the money I owe you for the food…”

It wasn’t a special market day at the markets at the docks today, so there weren’t a lot of people browsing. Most of the shops were open at the market, and Butcher Wang’s meat shop was one of those open stalls.

“Xiaocao, are you here to buy some another pig head and pig offal? How was business today? This uncle has heard that your one copper coin per meat dish is very popular at the docks” Butcher Wang smiled genially as he greeted her.

Chapter 92 - Wet Rice

Every day Butcher Wang slaughtered a pig. Half of the pig meat went to the restaurants in the area, and the other half was sold at his store. By the time the day ended, most of the other half of meat had been bought out.

As usual, Xiaocao spent six copper coins to buy a pig head. For the tripe and intestines, she persisted on giving him four copper coins for them. As for the pig’s blood, Butcher Wang insisted on giving it to her for free.

After lightly rubbing at the silver pieces in the purse that Brother Six had given her, she also bought two catties of pork belly and a large pork bone. Butcher Wang looked at her in surprise and said, “You’re buying a lot of meat today. Are you guys having guests over?”

Xiaocao didn’t bother explaining and only smiled, “Mhm, I need to take care of a visitor who has some status, so I need to get some stuff to make the table more presentable!”

The bought ingredients were placed in the wheelbarrow that Yu Hai was pushing. She then led them into a shop in town that sold rice and other grains. As they entered the store, they could hear people making a racket. The sounds of the scolding voice of an adult and the wailing of child blended together into a cacophony.

Xiaocao stood at the entrance, listening for a bit. Apparently, the child of the family that ran the store was naughty and accidentally spilled water on a bag of glutinous rice. Although the store’s manager did his best to save the rice, over ten catties of rice had been soaked by the water. Everyone knew that rice that had been soaked in water was no good. Even after letting it dry, the rice would still crumble into pieces and powder. Thus, over seventeen to eighteen catties of glutinous rice were no longer sellable!

The shopkeeper’s entire family relied on the income from this tiny rice and grain store, and were only barely able to make it from month to month. Suddenly losing seventeen to eighteen catties of glutinous rice meant that they were losing over a hundred copper coins of sales. How could the manager not feel his heart bleed a little? However, on the other hand, he couldn’t bear to hit his child, so he could only give the boy a rough scolding.

“Uncle Shopkeeper, I offer you three copper coins per catty for all of this wet glutinous rice. Are you willing to sell it to me?” Xiaocao suddenly interjected after assessing the situation.

Although the sound of her voice wasn’t very loud, the noise in the store abruptly cut off and it became silent. The shopkeeper looked at her and then glanced at the adult behind her and softly replied, “Little girl, once the rice gets soaked with water, it won’t taste good anymore…”

“Just because it doesn’t taste good doesn’t mean it isn’t edible, right? Shopkeeper Uncle, you can’t sell this rice anymore, how about you just give to me at a cheap price? Xiaocao smiled sweetly.

Just as the owner of the rice shop wanted to say something, his wife pulled on his sleeve and spoke instead, “Little girl, this glutinous rice is usually eight to nine copper coins a catty. If you want all of it, the lowest we can go is five copper coins a catty. Otherwise, we’d be better off leaving it for ourselves to eat!”

The owner of the stall was angry and anxious at the same time. He stared at his wife helplessly in worry. However, his wife glared at him fiercely, and the look in her eyes seemed to say, ‘if you dare to say anything, then I’ll definitely have something to say to you’.

Xiaocao shrugged her shoulders and replied, “If that’s the case, then please keep the rice for yourselves to eat! Father, let’s go to that other rice stall to take a look…”

The shopkeeper hastily threw off his wife’s hand. He rushed forward to block their way and said, “Don’t leave! Three copper coins a catty it is, three copper coins a catty it is! There’s nineteen catties of wet glutinous rice altogether, and I’ll even throw in one catty for free…”

Seeing that the shopkeeper was at least honest and sincere, she gave him fifty-four copper coins and had her father load all of the glutinous rice onto their wheelbarrow. She also asked them how much the wheat flour and regular rice cost, and thought the prices were quite reasonable. So she also bought ten catties of wheat flour and five catties of rice. Thus, she had suddenly spent a hundred and thirty copper coins at the grain store alone.

Luckily, their business had gone pretty well today, and they had earned over two hundred copper coins alone from selling the braised food. If she added the two taels of silver bits that Brother Six gave her, Xiaocao didn’t feel bad about spending so much money.

After they stepped out of the rice and grain store, Xiaocao also went to a general goods shop to replenish a small number of seasonings and condiments for the family. She even reluctantly fished out some money to buy half a catty of white sugar. Now, she had pretty much spent all of the money she had earned from selling braised food. However, when she thought about how all of these seasonings would last her for at least half a month, she immediately felt happier at the thought of all the taels she could earn from them.

Yu Hai didn’t say a single word as he watched his daughter spend money as if it was water. In fact, the money they had earned that morning hadn’t even had a chance to get warmed up in their hands before it all went out. Despite that, not a peep came out of his mouth even when she was buying glutinous rice that had been soaked with water.

On their way, it was Xiaocao who finally asked him why cheerfully, “Father, how come you didn’t stop me when I was buying glutinous rice that had been soaked?”

Yu Hai pushed the wheelbarrow with his daughter in it with a satisfied expression and smiled, “Whatever my Xiaocao buys definitely has its uses. Father knows you’re not a child who spends money recklessly. Then again, even if you couldn’t do anything with the glutinous rice, it still wouldn't go to waste. Even bits and powdery pieces of glutinous rice can be used to make a congee that is more tasty than pancakes made from bean flour!”

Xiaocao grinned, “Thank you Father for trusting me. I really do have a good idea for this rice! Brother Six asked me to help him create a table of dishes for his guest. I want to make something special and unique. I need to help him look good, especially since he saved me from those hooligans. My plan is to make pearl meatballs with them. They’ll be fragrant and tasty, shiny and pure, and will be considered a top notch dish whether you’re judging it for looks or taste. His clients will definitely like them. If you grind the glutinous rice into glutinous rice flour, it can be used to make desserts...also, also, making some pig’s blood glutinous rice cake will also be quite good!”

Seeing his daughter’s extremely thin face lit up with happiness as she talked made Yu Hai feel both happy and proud of his daughter——the daughter they had once thought wouldn’t reach adulthood has actually stepped it up and shouldered a lot of responsibilities for the family!

When they got home, Xiaocao began to draw up the menu and prepare the ingredients for the food. The pearl meatballs needed small steamer baskets. Something as simple as this type of bamboo tool was not hard for Yu Hai to make. He took a drink of water and started to chop some bamboo, following the directions his daughter gave him to make the baskets.

Salted egg yolks were needed to make the pearl meatballs so Xiaocao went to the Qian Family and knocked on their door. Madam Mao came out and when she saw Xiaocao, she asked with surprise, “Xiaocao? Why are you at our place at this time?”

Xiaocao straightforwardly replied, “Auntie Qian, do you have any salted duck eggs? If so, can you sell me a few?”

Ducks generally lay fewer eggs in the winter but they were still hard to sell. The problem was that most people didn't like to eat duck eggs because they had an odd smell. In order to keep them from going bad, Madam Mao used coarse sea salt to pickle the duck eggs. She likely still had some left after eating and selling some of her stock.

“I have some! Xiaocao, how many do you want? However, salted duck eggs are one copper coin each, ok!” Madam Mao’s personality was just this way. She never tempered her words and always said things in a straightforward way.  Xiaocao nodded her head. She actually liked this type of personality. If the duck eggs were offered to her for free, she would feel too uncomfortable to take them. She fished out ten copper coins from her embroidered purse and said, “Auntie Qian, please give me ten for now. In the future if I need more, I’ll be sure to come to Auntie’s to buy more.”

Madam Mao took out eleven duck eggs from the jar and placed them in her basket. She smiled and said, “My son, Qian Wu, went to your house again this morning to beg for food. I don’t have anything good in this house, so I’ll just give you an extra duck egg!”

Although Madam Mao didn’t know how to mince her words, she also wasn’t the type of person to take advantage of other people. Qian Wen had eaten two pickled fish earlier that morning which came out to exactly one copper coin. Hence, she gave Xiaocao an extra duck egg.

Xiaocao didn’t refuse the offer and thanked Madam Mao instead. When she got home, she went over the menu in her head again. Brother Six’s client was a northerner who needed to eat meat with every meal and loved to eat spicy foods...Ah, I got it! Earlier that afternoon, she had caught a large fish at the pond, so she could make that into ‘poached sliced fish in hot chili oil’ and the fish head could be used to make ‘fish head with chopped peppers’!

With the pearl meatballs as one of them, right now Xiaocao had three types of good dishes to serve. Were there any other unique foods she could make? Xiaocao racked her mind for ideas...that’s right! Didn’t she buy some pork belly earlier? She remembered that Auntie Zhou had made some sun-dried salted vegetables. If she could borrow some, she could make ‘steamed pork with salted vegetables’!

These four dishes were all non-vegetarian dishes that contained meat, so she needed to come up with a vegetable based dish to pair with them all! But in this season, where would she get some fresh produce? Xiaocao went into the courtyard to look at the green vegetable shoots that had just opened up under the noon sun. Her heart ached at the thought of harming them so early in their cycle. If she really had no other choice, then she would just pick a few of the larger leaves and make a bowl of ‘green vegetables and egg drop soup’.

In a moment she needed to go to the tofu sellers and buy some dried tofu. The plan was to fry it and then marinate it slightly with some of the braising seasoning to successfully make a plate of ‘braised dried tofu’. How about...she should also make a plate of spicy and sour cabbage’ as well. After all, they were limited by what was in season at this time of year.

Suddenly, a different idea flashed into her head. She could make ‘sauteed shredded pork in sweet bean sauce’. This was a dish that she herself had really liked, so it probably meant that they didn’t have it in this era, right? It would definitely taste novel and delicious to the people here. Thus, she decided to eliminate ‘fish head with chopped peppers’’ from the menu.

Four meat dishes, two vegetarian dishes, and one soup should be more than enough for two people if she also added a main starch dish—sweet potato with sweet rice flour cakes!

That afternoon, it was still Xiaolian who went with Shitou to the docks to sell the pickled fish. After Yu Hai finished crafting the bamboo steamer baskets, he took the ‘fish bait’ that Xiaocao had prepared to catch some fish. He had a very important assignment: he needed to catch a fish that weighed at least five catties. The best scenario would be if he could fish up a black carp.

Madam Liu found herself busy with preparing the pig head and intestines that afternoon. They were planning on using those ingredients to make more braised food. When Madam Fang came over to call on them and saw that she had more work than one person could handle, she also rolled up her sleeves to help. They were so busy that the whole household wished they could each grow another pair of arms to finish all that needed to be done.

As for Xiaocao’s mission? That was to nap that afternoon as she needed to wake up very early tomorrow to prepare the food for her client.

Surely enough, before the sun came out the next morning, Xiaocao automatically woke up. When she got up from bed, she noticed Madam Liu was extremely busy in the kitchen making breakfast. Madam Liu had wanted to make sure that both her husband and daughter got to eat their fill before they left for the day.

The filling of the pearl meatballs was made of ground meat. Luckily, they didn’t need a lot of ground meat, so Madam Liu was able to ‘chop chop chop’ a few times with a cleaver and the amount they needed was done. Xiaocao seasoned the finely chopped meat and then formed each meatball using some ground meat and half a duck egg’s yolk. After forming them, she then rolled each meatball into the glutinous rice and then steamed all of them for about half an hour.

The poached sliced fish in hot chili oil was slightly more complicated to make, and it was also best eaten while hot and steaming. Xiaocao decided to bring the small clay stoves that they had used to concoct her father’s medications with them to town. When the moment came, they could use a couple pieces of charcoal and have the dish sit on top of the stove. Being able to eat hot and spicy poached fish with the slightly cold sea-breeze around them would definitely add to the atmosphere!

With six dishes, one soup, and a staple food to make, Xiaocao and her mother spent almost two hours getting everything ready. Similar to yesterday, Yu Hai pushed the wheelbarrow to town today. The cart held both the braised food they planned to sell today as well as the table of food that Brother Six had reserved.

On the way there, Xiaocao also sat in the wheelbarrow, holding two baskets that held the soup. This was to prevent the soup from spilling out along the way and ruining all of her morning’s work!

When they got to the wharf, Brother Six was already there waiting for them. The place he had reserved for entertaining his guest was the area’s best building—The Lin Family’s Restaurant. Although it was considered the best, in reality it was only three-room building constructed of mud bricks with a tiled roof. Brother Six had reserved the only private room in the restaurant and especially hired Xiaocao bring in the table of food. From this, one could tell that he really regarded this person as an important client.

The customer that Brother Six was inviting over was a steward from Prince Jing’s Estate. Imperial Prince Jing was in charge of the vast majority of the country’s sea trade. This time, he was managing the transport grain from the south to the north.

Chapter 93 - Esteemed Guest

The southern part of the country was a land of fish and rice. For the past two years, the area had favorable weather and since the taxes were relaxed, they even had an abundance of crops leftover. On the other hand, the north had suffered from successive years of drought. Tanggu Town was near the sea, but the farmers in that area had suffered from decreased output from their fields. As for the northwest part of the country, the drought was in full force and nothing could be grown at this point.

Transferring grain from the southern provinces to the north was the brilliant strategic idea of their current emperor. By opening up the imperial treasury, the government was able to buy large amounts of rice and ship it via the sea and river transport to the north. This helped to stabilize grain prices in the drought-stricken areas and lessened the disaster by a good amount. This was also the main reason why there weren’t a lot of refugees from the north travelling despite the successive years of drought.

Imperial Prince Jing was the paternal uncle of the current emperor. Although he had mediocre abilities, his heart was in a good place and he was honest. As the person in charge of trade by sea, he often went himself to oversee the operations. In fact, he personally went many times to the south to escort the ships to bring the rice and grain to the north.

The guest that Brother Six was receiving today was a capable person under Imperial Prince Jing. If one wanted to continue to be a part of this shipping business, it was necessary to have a good relationship with this man.

For the sake of keeping the food warm and fresh, Brother Six requested that Xiaocao stay in the building and use the restaurant’s facilities on an as needed basis. Xiaocao agreed easily to this request. Her father could more than handle the braised food sales on his own.

By the time the cargo ships had gotten the shore, it was already past breakfast time. Steward Wu from Prince Jing’s estate had long gotten tired of spending time on the boat. However, he had previously visited the docks at Tanggu Town many times before, so he was quite familiar with the conditions of that area. The only thing Steward Wu hoped for was to have something warm to eat for breakfast as he stepped onto dry land. Under Brother Six’s lead, he arrived at a simple and crude looking restaurant.

“Tell the kitchen to bring out the food!” Although Brother Six’s attitude was warm, he didn’t come off as being too eager for something. Instead he acted very naturally, which allowed Steward Wu to feel free and unrestrained.

“Okay!” The waiter didn’t disappear for long before he appeared with a bowl of lush green and bright yellow leafy vegetables and egg drop soup. He reported the name of the dish, “This is an ‘appetizer soup’. These two guests, please take a bowl each and start!”

The private room had one particular guest who seemed to have an imposing manner and clearly had a status that was beyond the ordinary. Although the person didn’t order any food from this restaurant, he had given them a decent amount of money. Thus, the manager of the restaurant had instructed the employees of the place to take good care of these guests.

“Eh? Are these green vegetables? Is it the season for green vegetables to appear on the market here?” Steward Wu had just come off the ship, so he felt like the ground beneath his feet was still rocking. When he saw the verdant green of the vegetables in the bowl, he immediately felt better inside and started to have an appetite.

Brother Six was inwardly flabbergasted too. At this time of the year, most farmers hadn’t even planted the seeds of green vegetables yet. This Xiaocao, where did she manage to get ahold of these vegetables to make the soup? Despite his inner surprise, he calmly helped Steward Wu to ladle up a bowl of green vegetable soup and smiled, “Steward Wu, have a taste of this soup…”

The ‘appetizer soup’ had a light and fresh taste. The leaves of the vegetables were tender and soft, and the bright yellow eggs went easily down the throat. Such a fresh and flavorful profile matched entirely with Steward Wu’s food preferences. He drank two large bowls of soup without a break and only then did he stroke his beard and smile with admiration, “Good! Good!! This is extremely delicious!”

The second dish was the braised dried tofu. The strong flavors of the braising marinade had sunk into each piece of tofu. Even though this dish didn’t have any meat, Steward Wu, who only liked to eat meat, still ate several mouthfuls before he stopped.

The third dish, ‘pearl meatballs’, was covered on the outside with glutinous rice. Each translucent grain seemed to sparkle and glow the way a true pearl would. When bitten into, the perfectly round meatballs had the savory flavor of pork and the distinct, unique taste of duck egg’s yolk that blended together harmoniously. With the additional fragrant taste of the glutinous rice added in, Steward Wu, who had travelled extensively around the country, couldn’t help but praise this food incessantly, “Ah Liuzi, this ‘pearl meatball’ is quite tasty and the name is also quite elegant. Did this restaurant switch chefs recently? Where did they get the new chef? He’s not any worse than the best chef in the capital! For example, this simple dish of dried tofu, ah, he can even make that taste so good...tell me, if I manage to make him leave with me, do you think the owner here will make a fuss?”

Brother Six laughed, “Steward Wu is being too kind. You’ve followed his highness, Imperial Prince Jing, all over the country. What kind of culinary delicacies haven’t you tried yet? You’ve been cooped up in that ship for too long, so it made you extremely happy to get ashore. So it’s not surprising that you feel like everything you eat tastes good——try some of this salted vegetables with steamed pork, what do you think?”

When Xiaocao was making salted vegetables with steamed pork, she had carefully selected slices of pork belly that had an even ratio of fat to lean meat. She also made sure to render some of the fat off the meat, such that the meat would still be tasty without being greasy. Steward Wu had also had a difficult childhood. After eating one piece, he couldn’t help but continuously eat several more pieces before he reluctantly set down his chopsticks——who would have thought that even pork could be prepared in such an elegant and delicious way, ah….

After the meat dishes, Xiaocao had them serve up a vegetable dish——’spicy and sour cabbage’. Steward Wu had eaten too many radishes and cabbages in his youth, so he now hated them with a passion. Thus, he didn’t seem very interested in eating this dish and managed to try one mouthful with much difficulty. After he tasted it, he discovered that spiciness came with the sour, and hidden in the midst was something savory. The dish was really quite delicious. He thought silently, ‘Who has the ability to make even cabbage taste good? This must be a true culinary genius, right?’

Following that came the sauteed shredded pork in sweet bean sauce. What really surprised him was that it came with very small and thin wheat wraps. By wrapping the meat with some scallion strips, it provided a very unique texture and flavor combination. It was inconceivable! Steward Wu couldn’t stop himself from eating more.

Don’t underestimate this sauteed shredded pork in sweet bean sauce! Just making the meat alone took over seven to eight steps, and it drove Xiaocao crazy while she was fine-tuning the procedure. After experimenting countless times, she was finally able to create a dish that satisfies her desires. However, her efforts were not in vain. Had it not been for his status, Steward Wu would have gone himself to ask the chef what the recipe was!

The final dish on the menu, ‘poached sliced fish in hot chili oil’, had completely conquered Steward Wu’s taste buds. The dish seemed to be filled with the bright red of chili peppers. However, when he was eating it, it was spicy without being too pungent, numbing but not bitter. The fish had been cooked in a way that made in slippery and tender, fatty without being greasy. All of the fishy smell had been taken away but it still had that unique soft and delicate taste that fish meat had. As soon as one ate a bite, it made the person want to continue eating without stopping.

After finishing the entire meal, Steward Wu rubbed at his bulging stomach that almost couldn’t bend anymore as he felt extremely conflicted in his heart. Ever since he had been promoted to a steward at Prince Jing’s estate, he had pretty much eaten every delicacy and special cuisine that was available. He had never forgotten his manners, even when he had eaten at the restaurants reckoned to be the first or second best in the capital. However, this simple and crude restaurant was unexpectedly a jewel in the rough and had such a fresh and fantastic way of cooking. The next time his master came over, he definitely needed to bring him over to try the food.

“The chef here is quite talented. Let him come over and get rewarded!” Steward Wu leaned back in his chair as he slowly sipped on the fragrant tea that he had brought himself to this restaurant. He suddenly wanted to see this divine chef who could make food that he had never tasted before in his life.

Brother Six poured him another cup of tea and smiled, “The person who made the food really isn’t this restaurant’s chef. It was someone I found and brought over especially for you!”

“Eh? Liuzi, you really are quite detailed and considerate! Good, good! I’ll remember this...I’m extremely curious, where did you find someone who’s so talented at cooking?” Steward Wu looked deeply at Brother Six as he asked.

Brother Six didn’t attempt to conceal it and replied, “A little girl had appeared on the docks these past few days selling ‘a portion of meat for one copper coin’. She has the ability to take ingredients that other people would throw away, for example a pig’s head, intestines, and tiny fish, and make them into delicacies that people fight over. This lowly one believed that she was definitely talented at cooking, so I had her come over to help me create a table for you today.”

“A little girl? You’re telling me that this table of food was all made by a little girl? Then I really need to reward her!” Steward Wu became even more interested in this little girl after hearing Brother Six’s story.

In the kitchen, Xiaocao had sincerely started to clean up the area after the last dish had gone out to the guests. When one was borrowing another person’s kitchen, it was only right and proper to return it to the original condition…

Just as she finished tidying up the kitchen and was about to leave, the waiter suddenly chased after her and yelled, “Little girl, the esteemed guest inside wants to meet you! He said he really likes the food you made and wants to reward you!”

A reward? Never say no to free money! She had spent time racking her brains to come up with these dishes, and it wasn’t easy to make them either. If the noble guest who ate the food thought it was good and wanted to give her some money, it would definitely be more money than she could earn from selling one day’s worth of braised food.

Xiaocao scampered after the waiter into the only private room in the building. She gave him an out of place bow and lowered her head as she stood there waiting for her reward.

“Liuzi...are you telling me that the little girl who can make simple ingredients into delicacies is her?” Steward Wu stared at the little girl who was around seven to eight years old that was standing in front of him. She was dressed entirely in shabby yet clean clothes, and her hair had been combed into two braids. Her face was thin but she had fair and clear skin. It was obvious that he couldn’t quite believe that a child this young was the creator of such delicious food.

Liuzi, however, very solemnly nodded his head and said, “That is her…”

Steward Wu clearly was someone who had seen a wide aspect of life, so he quickly got over his surprise at the matter. He smiled at Xiaocao and asked, “Little girl, where did you learn how to make this food?”

Xiaocao very slightly raised her head and looked him in the eye for a glance. She replied in a tone that was neither servile nor overbearing, “These dishes were all recipes that I figured out myself. Brother Six had saved my life, so since he needed to receive a noble guest, I naturally used all of my ability to help him.”

Steward Wu exclaimed in surprise, “These were all thought up and created by you? It’s not a good habit to start trying to trick people at such a young age!”

Despite the obvious censure and displeasure in the man’s tone, Xiaocao calmly replied, “My family is poor, and we pretty much can never get a taste of meat or fish throughout the year. This is why when I saw that the butcher was throwing away the pig offal I thought, ‘pig offal is still a part of a pig, so it still should be edible!’. When I got back home and pondered about it for a couple of days, I made braised pig head and intestines after adding a lot of spices and condiments to the meat. It not only doesn’t have any weird smells but also tastes supremely delicious! From then on, I became interested in cooking and creating new dishes. A set of weird and interesting thoughts started to pop up in my mind. Because my family’s ability to buy things are limited, I never had the chance to experiment. Yesterday, Brother Six gave me money to create an entire table’s worth of food. I went back and experimented for an entire afternoon and finally managed to create this table. If you don’t believe me, you can bring my father over and ask him. In the past my family almost had nothing to eat, how could we possibly have the money to hire a teacher to teach me how to cook?”

Steward Wu glanced again at the cotton padded clothes and coat on her body that were only cleaner than a set that a beggar would wear. Although he felt the situation was somewhat inconceivable, he didn’t continue to pursue this line of questioning and simply labeled her in his mind as someone who was naturally gifted and talented at cooking.

Originally his intentions for meeting the chef was to see whether or not he could tempt the person to work for the Prince Jing’s Estate instead. Recently the matriarch didn’t have a good appetite and only wanted to eat foods that were novel and refreshing. However, when he saw this skinny and tiny little girl in front of him, he let go of that idea. A child that was only seven to eight years old still needed an adult to take care of them, so how could she leave the place where she grew up to go to the far away capital? If she missed her home and started crying, who would comfort her?

After rewarding Xiaocao with five taels, Steward Wu followed Brother Six, who led him to a nearby guest house for him to get some rest.

Chapter 94 - Donkey Cart

When Brother Six came out of the guest house, he noticed that Xiaocao was still standing there. He raised his eyebrows and asked, “Thank you very much for your help today—is there anything else you need?

Xiaocao took out a string of copper coins from her embroidered pouch and lifted it towards him, “Brother Six, this is the money leftover from buying all of the ingredients, here take it….”

The table of food only required half a catty of pork belly, a catty of pork leg meat, five duck egg yolks, fish that they had caught on their own, and dried tofu and cabbage that were of little monetary value. Altogether, it only cost about one tael and three hundred copper coins to prepare the whole meal.

However, Brother Six didn’t extend his hand to receive the money. He glanced at her hand indifferently and said, “No need! A table of food at Zhenxiu Restaurant would cost at least thirty to fifty taels. When you calculate it, it’s I who gained the advantage! Thank you for helping me keep a very big client of mine!”

Xiaocao gleefully put the money back in her purse and patted the bulging pouch. She grinned, “What are you thanking me for? I’m very happy I could help you! It’s not early anymore, Brother Six, you should head out and do what you need to do.”

By making a few dishes, she was able to earn at least a tael in income. She wished that this type of business could happen several times a month! When she thought of Brother Six’s important client rewarding her with five taels, Xiaocao felt even more giddy and ecstatic. She had not only made enough money to pay for her younger brother’s school fees but also had some leftover to buy at least two sets of clothes for everyone in her family and the materials to make a couple of warm blankets!

“Cao’er, what happened that made you so happy?” As Yu Hai pushed the wheelbarrow, he noticed that his daughter who was sitting on top would occasionally snigger from time to time, which perplexed him. For the past half year or so, his younger daughter had seemed excessively sensible and mature. Sometimes he felt like there was a soul of an adult living in that thin and slightly built body of hers.

XIaocao looked around them before she fished out a large piece of silver from her chest pocket. She waved the money in front of her father and said, “Look! What do think this is…”

“Is that silver? What a large piece, it must be worth around five taels right?” A look of surprise appeared on Yu Hai’s face as he questioned her, “Cao’er, where did that come from?”

“Brother Six’s important client gave it as a reward to me. He said that the food I made was even more delicious than the best restaurants in the capital!” Xiaocao’s face glowed with pride, and if she was a little puppy, her tail would have been pointing straight up.

His younger daughter rarely showed her childish side, so Yu Hai chuckled, “Of course, my Cao’er is the best! If I didn’t know better, I’d believe that the God of Food had entered your body!”

“Hee hee! It doesn’t matter whether the God of Food is with me or if it’s the blessings from the God of Fortune, as long as I can make money then it’s fine! In about two days, do you think Brother Qian Wen will be coming home for a break? Tomorrow is market day at the docks. We should buy some cloth and cotton and make Little Shitou two sets of new clothing…” Xiaocao chattered happily and words flowed out of her mouth in an unending stream. Seeing that she was happy and excited, Yu Hai simply nodded and agreed with everything she said.

With Yu Hai pushing, the over twenty kilometer road home didn’t seem as long as before. They both rested at the midpoint, and Xiaocao rolled up the leg of her father’s trouser and started to massage his injured leg with practiced movements. She felt as if her dad had worked too hard walking and said, “Father, we have around seven to eight taels right now. How about instead of getting new clothes and blankets we get an ox cart instead?”

Yu Hai wiped the sweat off his face and drank a mouthful of sweet and delicious water that had previously been boiled. He felt as if all of the fatigue on his body had been quickly washed away. Xiaocao had especially prepared some mystic-stone water for her father to bring along, so it was natural that it had that effect.

When he heard her suggestion, he laughed, “Seven to eight taels is only about enough to buy an ox alone. If we wanted a cart to go with it, even if we provided the wood, it would still require an additional couple hundred copper coins. The money our family has right now is just about enough to buy a donkey cart instead…”

“A donkey is faster than an ox, so it’s probably better to have a donkey pull a cart then! Father, how much would a donkey cost? How about we buy a donkey and then have Third Maternal Uncle help us make a donkey cart. In a few days, the vegetables at home should be ready to be sold. If we had a donkey cart, wouldn’t it be easier to bring them to market?”

In her previous life, it was rare to see a donkey around, even in the rural areas. She could faintly remember that her family had raised a donkey when she was young. She had even been carried by her father as he drove the donkey cart to go to the town market!

Yu Hai felt his heart skip a beat at the idea. The plots of land in the front and back courtyards were already lush and verdant with growing green vegetables. After growing for over twenty days, the produce should soon be ready to be picked and sold at market. If they didn’t have a cart, they would need to rely on someone hauling the vegetables by foot to get them into town. It would be quite an effort!

“One male donkey should be around four to five taels. If we add on the cart, I’d reckon that Cao’er wouldn’t be able to wear new clothing then…” Yu Hai looked briefly at his daughter’s worn and patched clothing with a pang of guilt. The weather was getting warmer but none of his children had any presentable clothing to wear. As a father, he had really let his children down.

“It’s not a problem. If we spend all the money, we can earn more later! We should still buy a donkey first, so that in the future, whether we’re going to the docks to sell braised food or going into town, it’ll be a lot easier for us to travel!” The corners of Xiaocao’s mouth curved up into a grin and a feeling of excitement rushed into her heart—very soon her family would be the owners’ of a cart!

“Alright! When we send Shitou to the academy in town, we can conveniently stop by the ox and horse market to look. If there’s a suitable animal there, then we can buy one then! In the future, when Little Shitou goes into town, we can drop him off and pick him up easily with the donkey cart. Your mother will also feel relieved too!” Yu Hai made the final decision and could not be swayed from the idea of getting a donkey cart!

For the next couple of days, the entire Yu Family bustled around, busy with their tasks. Xiaocao and Yu Hai went to the docks in the morning to sell their braised food. During that time, Little Shitou would bring his older sister, Xiaolian, to the pond behind their house to catch fish. Madam Liu spent her time in the house working on sewing a couple pieces of clothing for her youngest son. She had seen that the neighbor’s boy, Qian Wen, was now wearing a long robe. Thus she copied the style and crafted an indigo-blue colored long robe for her son.

At noon, Xiaocao came back to the house to take an hour nap. When she got up, she helped her mother and Xiaolian to prepare the fish to make pickled fish. In the afternoon, Xiaolian and Little Shitou would go to the docks to sell more braised food.

It was actually quite funny. Xiaolian had been going to the docks for about four to five days now, but none of the customers at the docks had realized the two girls were different people, except for Brother Six. Little Shitou said that Brother Six seemed to be very surprised when he came over once to buy pickled fish, but the man didn’t say a word.

Xiaocao and Xiaolian were a set of identical twins. In the past, Xiaocao had a sickly constitution and had stunted growth since birth. Her body was thin and weak, and she had a deathly pale pallor. On the other hand, Xiaolian had followed her mother around doing household chores for years. Although her body was also thin, it had a strong foundation and her skin was tanner. It was still easy to tell the two girls apart, even if they weren’t standing right next to each other.

At the present, things had changed. With the little divine stone by her side every day, Xiaocao had been slowly nourished by its power until her body was strong and healthy. She even grew a decent amount of height in the past half year and had almost caught up to Xiaolian, who had previously been half a head taller than her. As for Xiaolian, she had been washing her face every day with the mystic-stone water. In addition, everything she ate and drank had been touched by the stone’s water. Thus, her previously somewhat coarse and tanned skin had been transformed into soft and bright skin.

Now if someone glanced at the two of them, there was hardly a difference between the two. However, those who were familiar with the two girls could still in a glimpse catch the differences. Xiaocao’s eyes were always bright and Xiaolian, from time to time, would reveal a cute and silly expression...

From what Shitou was saying, it seemed like Brother Six, who she had only seen a few times, was able to tell the difference between her and Xiaolian with one look? Xiaocao was a bit puzzled by this scenario.

However, she quickly put that thought to the back of her mind as other ideas came to the forefront. Because they could earn almost three hundred copper coins a day, the whole family labored busily with an optimistic outlook towards the future.

Time passed quickly until it was the day that Qian Wen was coming back for his break. In this time period, possibly due to the influence of the transmigrator who established the current dynasty, all of the schools in the country were using the modern day schedule: five days of study with two days of break. Other than the people who rented apartments in town to live in, most of the other students boarded at the dormitories. On the first day of the week, classes started at 7 am in the morning, and on the fifth day, classes ended at 5 pm. This meant that those who lived close to home could spend three nights and two days there!

Yu Hai intentionally brought some braised food over to the Qian Family when he called on them. He wanted to ask them for guidance and get help in determining what Shitou need to bring to school and other such details.

When Qian Wen found out that Little Shitou had been accepted into the academy by the recommendation of the headmaster, he felt simultaneously happy for the little boy and a tiny bit of envy grew in his heart. The headmaster of Rongxuan Academy was the most famous scholar of his generation. All of the students in the academy had wanted to enter the school based off of his reputation.

However, the headmaster rarely taught the beginner classes. In fact, even the intermediate and higher level classes were infrequently graced by his presence. Great Scholar Yuan only gave out pointers and coached the students who were close to participating in the metropolitan civil exams.

If one could catch Great Scholar Yuan’s attention, then obtaining first place at the examinations would not be difficult at all. The graduates from the academy who had achieved first to third place in the imperial examinations had all been personally guided by the headmaster himself.

Little Shitou had just turned six but was bright and eager to learn. He frequently came over to Qian Wen’s residence to learn how to read and write characters. The little fellow learned quickly and only required one to two repetitions before he could remember it. Qian Wen would have never expected that the boy would be so lucky that the headmaster would recognize his talent while selling food at the docks...

The early morning of spring had a chilly nip in the air. The branches of willow trees by the road had already started to become tender and flexible. One could occasionally see a few strands of green within the patches of withered grass. All of this combined started to make people feel like spring had finally arrived.

On the days when Old Zhang wasn’t delivering firewood to town, he could always be found at the crack of dawn at the crossroads with his ox cart. Rides were offered to a few villagers who needed to go to town and the cost for the ride was one copper coin a person. Old Zhang could make some spending money from this.

Usually, it was considered a good day if he could earn around ten to eighteen coppers from his ride services. The vast majority of villagers were frugal and didn't want to spend that one coin, so they mostly used their own legs to get to town.

Today was the end of the two day break for students. There were a few children in the nearby villages who all studied at the schools in town. Although most of them weren’t at Rongxuan Academy, having scholarly talents alone was enough to make their parents proud. Those families who were able to pay the schooling fees naturally didn’t lack that one copper coin for the ox cart ride. Thus, all of those parents who dearly loved their children would always spend a copper coin to let them hitch a ride to town whenever Old Zhang wasn’t hauling firewood.

Old Zhang was flabbergasted when he saw Yu Hai and his two kids next to Qian Wen. He asked curiously, “Dahai, are you going into town to get your leg checked out?”

Yu Hai’s entire face was wreathed in happiness as he shook his head, “No, Older Uncle Zhang. My leg has already healed. Cao’er and I are bringing Shitou to town to go to school!”

“He’s going to town to study? The yearly tuition is quite a lot, isn’t your family…” Old Zhang didn’t continue his train of thought and merely looked sympathetically at Yu Hai.

Yu Hai’s expression didn’t change and continued to smile brightly, “The academy told us that we can delay paying the first two months of tuition. After a few days, when my leg is completely better, I’ll go hunting in the mountains. Won’t I have the schooling fees then? No matter how hard or rough it gets, I can’t hold my children back!”

“You still dare to go up the mountain?! The last time you came back you were all bloody! It truly scared the heck out of all the villagers! Just be a little bit more poor, ah, who knows what’s in those mountains? The less you go the better!” Old Zhang begged Yu Hai to reconsider out of concern.

Chapter 95 - Entering School

In the past, the young men of the village often went into the mountains to trap some hares and kill some pheasants because they had seen Hunter Zhao and Yu Hai make money from hunting. However, ever since Yu Hai had his accident, other than the highly skilled Hunter Zhao, most of the other villagers didn’t dare to go into the mountains anymore.

Old Zhang had lived in Xishan Village for many decades and this was the first time he had heard that a vicious animal like a wild bear was in the mountains! Even though the wild bear had been killed, who knew what other ferocious animals and creatures lived in the mountain?

Yu Hai grinned, “It’s not a big deal. As long as you don’t go deep into the mountains, you won’t have any issues. People in nearby villages go through the forests by the mountains every day. After all these years, have you heard of an accident occurring? At that time, it was because we had not been careful and alarmed a bear who had just woken up from his winter nap. Without precautions…in the future, as long as we’re more careful we’ll be fine.”

Old Zhang simply sighed and shook his head. He took out two of the three copper coins given to him and said, “Your children don’t take up much space, so you only need to pay for one person. Your family doesn’t have an easy life…”

Xiaocao thanked Grandpa Zhang. Although her family currently didn’t lack the one or two copper coins, all of them still felt grateful for Old Zhang’s kindness and good intentions.  The two siblings chose a middle spot on the ox cart and leaned their backs against Little Shitou’s bag as they squatted down. Yu Hai sat next to Old Zhang in the front and spent the time chatting with him about nonessential things. Qian Wen sat next to the two siblings as he quietly read aloud from a book. His head bobbed gently with the cart’s movements.

The ox cart started and stopped several times. When it passed by the third village, the cart was finally full of people going into town. Xiaocao and her younger brother had been squeezed solidly into the middle of the vehicle and couldn’t even extend their legs out. Although it was uncomfortable, Xiaocao felt that it wasn’t the right time to complain. Qian Wen apparently seemed to sense her discomfort and decided to switch places with her. This allowed her to sit at the side of the cart and dangle her legs down. It was certainly more comfortable than curling up her legs.

Xiaocao smiled gratefully at Qian Wen. Meanwhile, Little Shitou had managed to squeeze himself in between his father and Grandpa Zhang. He had taken Old Zhang’s bullwhip and was using it to draw pictures in the air...

It hadn’t reached breakfast time when the cart arrived in Tanggu Town. Xiaocao had carefully cradled a delicate woven basket the entire road there. Inside the basket were some gifts that she planned on giving to the academy’s headmaster. With Qian Wen to guide them, the three of them managed to go straight to Rongxuan Academy.

The main gate to the school was large and spectacular, and on the top of the gate was an inscription board with ‘Rongxuan Academy’ written on it. In fact, those words had been personally written by the emperor emeritus himself. The schoolyard had been designed along symmetrical lines and had a deep courtyard. The main building was built on the central axis, and the classroom that the headmaster personally taught in was located at the exact middle of the complex. The other lecture halls were divided into two rows at the sides. The dining hall, worship hall, and ancestral hall were ordered around the left and right of the main wing.

The layers of sights within the courtyard gave off a wondrous and marvelous atmosphere. There was a pond with a stream, a stone bridge, and pavilions...a person walking around could hear the faint cadence of students repeating the words they read in their books. This was a place that dripped of culture and learning, and people visiting couldn’t help but feel a sense of deep reverence and fascination...

With Qian Wen’s guidance, the three of them managed to smoothly enter through the academy’s main gate. As they walked through the secluded and quiet avenue, they couldn’t help but walk more lightly than they usually would.

It was currently the meal time at the academy, so Qian Wen directly brought them into the ‘canteen courtyard’. The area was split into two courtyards. One of them was naturally the place where the students were able to eat food. The other smaller area was a bit more elegant and it was for the teachers.

Xiaocao tightly squeezed on the handle of her basket and joyfully followed Qian Wen from behind. When they arrived at a round gate shaped like the moon, they were stopped by a student who was dressed in a black robe, “Student, this is the courtyard where the teachers eat. If you want to partake in a meal, please go over there.”

Qian Wen respectfully gave a greeting and quietly replied, “Brother, if you don’t mind, could you report to the headmaster and tell him that the little boy from the docks that he had accepted into the school is here to report for duty…”

The headmaster had personally accepted a new student? The youth wearing the black robe peeped inquisitively at the little boy who was wearing an entire set of brand-new cotton padded clothes and the man and little girl who were clothed shabbily. He paused for a second and then nodded, “Please wait a moment here…”

Inside the canteen, Headmaster Yuan was having a snack with the academy supervisor and the official of rites and history. When he heard what the student prefect reported, his eyes immediately lit up and sillily asked, “Is the girl that’s with him about seven to eight years of age? Did she come empty-handed? Did she really not bring anything?”

The academy supervisor was considered an old friend of his and knew that he never received other people’s gifts. Flabbergasted, he silently asked himself why his old friend would ask something like that. Isn’t this...isn’t this making it obvious that you want something from her? What sort of person could make his old friend do something so out of character? The official of rites and history also gave the headmaster a bewildered glance.

The student prefect secretly peeked at the headmaster and quietly replied, “The little girl had a basket in her hands. There was a piece of rough cloth covering the top, so I don’t know what’s in the basket.”

Inside his heart he felt that this was not right and proper. The three of them looked like they came from an impoverished family, what kind of poor gift could they give? Could be a few chicken eggs, or a bunch of dried vegetables, at most it’d be an old hen. What was there to look forward to?

Yet, when the headmaster heard his reply, his expression became even more excited. The old man stood up abruptly with a ‘whoosh’ and paced around a few steps as he guffawed, “Looks like this little girl has some sense in her head! Quickly, quickly, let those people come in!”

Qian Wen felt even more surprised when he found out that the headmaster would personally receive the Yu Family. Just what kind of talent did Little Shitou have that made the esteemed headmaster favor him so much?

However, when the three esteemed scholars of the academy came out to personally receive them, Qian Wen felt extremely privileged to be able to bask in the glory of others. He bowed deeply to the headmaster, academy supervisor, and the official.

Headmaster Yuan noticed that he was wearing the uniform of a student: a long gown. He smiled at him and nodded his head, “Are you a student in the junior class? What’s your name? Are you from the same hometown as Yu Fan and his sister?”

They had to admit, Headmaster Yuan had a formidable memory. After all these days had passed, he could still clearly remember Little Shitou’s full name. As for being able to recognize Qian Wen as a student in the junior class, that wasn’t because he had an impression of Qian Wen. Instead, the classes at the academy: primary, junior, middle, and advanced, all had different uniform colors.

The children in the primary class wore long robes that were an ink-blue color. The junior class had sea-blue, the middle class was azure blue, and the advanced class wore a pale moon-blue. By looking at the sea-blue uniform Qian Wen was wearing, Headmaster Yuan could tell in a glance what class he was in.

Qian Wen respectfully bowed to Great Scholar Yuan in a reply to his question. Headmaster Yuan stared obviously at the basket in Xiaocao’s hands and carelessly encouraged Qian Wen with a couple of sentences. The boy felt overwhelmed with favor by his attention.   The old man waved his hand in dismissal to let Qian Wen go eat a meal and then he smiled toothily at Xiaocao. He rubbed his hands in anticipation, “Little girl, what’s in your basket? The greedy monster inside my stomach is already rumbling, quickly take it out...”

The academy supervisor and official of rites looked at each other and then simultaneously turned their heads away——we don’t know this shameful man, we don’t know him...

“Esteemed headmaster, you really have a good nose! I brought over some braised pig head meat and pickled fish. Do you want to try them?” Xiaocao took out two plates of tantalizing braised food from the basket and placed them on the table in front of the three important figures of the academy.

“Braised pig head meat? Is that the dish that the emperor emeritus loves the most? That’s fantastic...ah! You two, didn’t you both say that you were full? If you’re full, then leave, quickly leave now…” Headmaster Yuan protected the two plates of food like it was his beloved treasure. He wanted to keep his beloved food away from the two hungry wolves that were his old friends.

The academy supervisor and official of rites had been friends for him for a long time, so they naturally knew what type of personality he had. They looked at the table full of food that had been barely touched and the wine cups that had only a sip taken out. The two of them looked at each other bitterly and silently got up to leave——it looked like they needed to have the kitchen make another table of food.

The two men glanced at the raggedly clothed Xiaocao and thought, ‘This little girl looks like she comes from a very poor family, yet she can bring out something that our old friend, who disdains the food from the imperial kitchen, likes so much? Isn’t it just a plate of pale red meat and a few messy looking strips of fish? Does he really need to protect them?’

The supervisor and official both sat down at a nearby table and sat face to face drinking wine as they watched Headmaster Yuan’s movements and expressions. They first saw him pick up a piece of pork with the skin on it and carefully chew the bite to taste. His eyes closed in pleasure, and his body language showed that he was very satisfied with the taste of this dish.

It was just a piece of pork, how delicious could it be? Could it possibly be that their old friend’s taste buds had degenerated and he was no longer that picky? The two men then saw the headmaster pick up a fish about the size of a young child’s palm. A fish that size had a lot of thin bones, right? Eating it had to take a lot of effort, they needed to see how their old friend would eat this.

Headmaster Yuan evidently also had some doubts, and he asked the little girl a couple of questions. After hesitating for a short period of time, he then popped the fish into his mouth. Supervisor Meng and Official Yao felt like they could feel the multitudes of small fish bones piercing their mouth and both of them coughed to clear their throats.

As for their old friend, Headmaster Yuan, his eyes, which had originally been opened wide, and slowly closed into a line with his chewing movements. This type of expression clearly showed that he was enjoying the taste of a culinary delicacy.

Ehhhh? How come when their old friend was eating the fish he didn’t spit out a single fish bone? And he also didn’t seem to get poked by any bones? Is the fish the type that didn’t have any bones? That couldn’t be right. Official Yao, who had grown up in the rural country, had recognized early on what type of fish that was used. It was a crucian carp and it definitely had a lot of tiny bones!

This little girl, what kind of spell did she cast on the headmaster that he could eat fish with tiny bones in it without any sign of pain or suffering...

Official Yao couldn’t sit there anymore! That can’t do, he needed to figure out what was going on. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to eat and sleep for the next few days!

Official Yao quickly stepped over to Headmaster Yuan’s table and snatched a little fish when the old man was in the midst of speaking warmly to Xiaocao. Before the other man could object, he quickly stuffed the fish into his mouth.

Headmaster Yuan was immediately stunned. He had known Official Yao for almost fifty years, and he knew that his old friend had come from a poor family. Thus, Old Yao didn’t have any expectations for food, as long as he could eat his fill, then he was content.

Today Old Yao knew that there was something special to be had. He knew that the little girl’s fish had to be a dish of unique taste and splendor. Thus, he didn’t care about his reputation and had snatched food from his plate. After being stunned for a second, Headmaster Yuan snarled, “Old Yao! You’re really too much! How could you steal the pickled fish that the little girl made especially for me as a sign of her filial respect? I...I...I’m super angry at you!!”

At this moment, Headmaster Yuan put down his chopsticks and threw himself at his old friend who was still chewing on the fish that he loved. Official Yao continued to eat the fish that had melted completely in his mouth, yet his hands were not idle. He continuously managed to dodge and repel his old friend’s ‘offense’.

Chapter 96 - Haggard

Two elderly men, who were around seventy years old, were unexpectedly fighting over a fish in public like they are a child. When the teachers in the canteen saw this side of the famous scholar, his grand and dignified image within their hearts instantly toppled down. Good gracious! Was that really the aloof and mysterious Headmaster Yuan? He was obviously an old urchin!

Taking advantage of the time when his old friends were pushing and blocking each other, Supervisor Meng also came over. He had just tasted a piece of braised pig head meat when he was pushed away by his friend who was trying to protect his food. Great Scholar Yuan was so angry that his face had turned red. He loudly shouted, “Good! You are all stealing my culinary delicacy! This old man! This old man will break off relations with you both!”

Xiaocao and her father were both stunned by the scene. If they weren’t in Rongxuan Academy, she would’ve thought that Great Scholar Yuan was an impostor. This… they were the three most important people of Rongxuan Academy. If they become hostile towards each other because of the braised food she had brought, then she would have sinned greatly.

She hurriedly walked forward and persuaded, “Headmaster Yuan, please quell your anger. If you don’t mind, every time Little Shitou returns after break, I will bring some small side dishes for you……”

Headmaster Yuan had been waiting for her to say this, so when he heard her words, his anger turned into happiness. He said, “Good girl, this old man didn’t misjudged you. You really have a good heart! Shishu, have you finished eating? If you’re done, then bring Yu Fan to the primary class’s dormitory and help him settle down.”

Shishu was slightly astounded within his heart. He was just a small new student from the primary class, yet the headmaster had asked him, his personal assistant to personally find a place for him to settle down. It was apparent how much the headmaster valued this small child!

Although Shishu was surprised, he didn’t reveal any of his feelings on his face. He replied with a ‘yes’, and said to Yu Hai and his children, “Please come with me!”

The headmaster’s personal assistant, Teacher Shishu, actually came to the primary class to help a new student named “Yu Fan” to complete the enrollment procedure. He had also personally arranged a room for the new student in the dormitory. This news quickly spread throughout Rongxuan Academy. Everyone was very curious as to who the new student was, to be able to make Teacher Shishu do all of that for him.

Little Shitou didn’t know that he had already become well-known on his first day at the academy. At this time, he had just happily set his little bag down on his bed in the dormitory. He reached out his hands and touched the loose and soft new bedding. Seeing that the dormitory was complete with a desk and stool, he immediately felt that he was very privileged to be able to live and study in such a comfortable environment. He secretly made a firm resolution to study hard and not disappoint his parents and older sisters!

Xiaocao looked at her little brother’s roommates. One of his roommates was about ten years old, while the other one was slightly younger and looked around seven or eight years old. There was no contempt reflected in their eyes upon seeing the ragged clothes that she and her father were wearing. At such a young age, they already had a sense of propriety, and were neither arrogant nor rash. Thus, Xiaocao’s tensed heart finally relaxed.

Little Shitou had just settled down when Qian Wen came inside the room with a porcelain bowl in his hand. The two students from the primary class hurriedly got up to greet their senior.

Qian Wen slightly nodded his head towards the two younger students, and then said to Little Shitou, “I got some food for you. Eat it quickly because there’s a morning reading class later. The primary class had already started school about a month ago. So, if you have anything you don’t understand, you can come and find me. I live in the third room from the left over there.”

Little Shitou was very worried when he heard that he had missed out on nearly a month of class. So, when he heard Qian Wen offering to help him, he replied, “Thank you Brother Xiaowen. I will frequently ask you for guidance if you don’t feel like I’m a bother. I have already eaten breakfast, so you should bring the food back to eat yourself!”

“The evening meal starts around three in the afternoon. Since you ate breakfast so early in the morning, if you don’t eat something now, how will you be able to endure until the afternoon? You won’t be able to learn anything with an empty stomach!” Qian Wen pushed the porcelain bowl towards Shitou, urging him, “Quickly eat!”

Xiaocao saw that the rice inside the bowl was made with a mixture of white rice and millet. Although there were only radishes and white cabbage topping it, they had used a decent amount of oil to stir-fry the vegetables, which was about the same as the living standards of ordinary families. She suddenly asked, “Brother Xiaowen, how much does one serving of this meal cost?”

“It’s only one copper coin for a bowl of white rice mixed with millet and vegetables. If you want white rice only with the same vegetables, then it will cost two copper coins. It will be five copper coins for white rice with meat… If you don’t want rice, it can be exchanged for steamed buns. There are buns made with wheat flour, as well as mixed grains…” Qian Wen understood her meaning so he reported all the prices of the food from the canteen to her.

As the saying goes, ‘be thrifty at home and spend liberally while traveling’. So of course Xiaocao wouldn’t mistreat her younger brother, who was studying away from home. He had a two-day break after every five days of studies. She set aside eight copper coins daily for his meals and counted an additional ten copper coins as allowance, and thus gave Little Shitou fifty copper coins in total.

Qian Wen was somewhat surprised to see Xiaocao giving Little Shitou fifty copper coins. His living expenses for five days was merely thirty to forty copper coins. His family’s living conditions were much better than Xiaocao’s, but she was still willing to give her brother that much money.

Little Shitou looked at the string of coins her older sister handed to him and refused to take it all no matter what. He said, “Second Sister, just two copper coins is enough for me to eat for a day. Why are you giving me so much money? Our family isn’t rich. In order to earn enough money to pay for my school fees, everyone in the family has been busy without rest. You can just give me ten copper coins for five days!”

Xiaocao pulled him aside and resolutely gave the string of coins to him. She said, “Just take the money first. If you can’t use it all up, then use the rest to buy paper and brushes. Shitou, you are at an age when your body is growing. Don’t always think about saving money and eat something good from time to time!  You should know about your second sister’s ability. The money I earn from selling braised food is enough for our family’s living expenses. Quickly take the money, or else I’m going to be angry...”

Little Shitou’s eyes reddened as he accepted the money. Sniffling his nose, he said, “Father, Second Sister, rest assured because I will definitely study hard…”

“Studying is important, but your health is even more important! You’re still young and you have never left home before, so you must learn to take care of yourself. Remember to dress according to the weather...” Xiaocao’s eyes were tearing up. It was as if she had returned to her previous life when her younger brother had left home to study in another part of the country. However, she was unable to send him off at that time because she had to take care of her braised food shop. Thus, all her worries and concerns were turned into successive words of caution.

Little Shitou wiped away his tears and tried to dispel their reluctance to part with laughter, “Second Sister, you really are Mother’s daughter. Even the words you say are the same as hers!”

Yu Hai forced himself to smile and said, “Isn’t it because both your mother and older sister care about you? They’re worried about you… Alright, quickly eat. Don’t be late for your first class.”  He turned towards Qian Wen, solemnly cupped his fist together, and said, “Xiaowen ah, Shitou is still young and he is also new to the academy. Please help me look after him.”

Qian Wen hastily bowed in return and laughed, “Uncle Dahai, I would’ve looked after him even if you didn’t ask me to! Don’t worry! Besides the teachers in the academy, there are also staff who oversee student life for each row of houses. There’s also a doctor dedicated exclusively to the academy. If any of the students have a headache or fever, he can receive free treatments from the doctor. Uncle Dahai, Shitou is very hardworking, so he won’t have any problems!”

Xiaocao came out of Rongxuan Academy with reddened eyes. Ever since she transmigrated into this unfamiliar world, she had always been accompanied by this sensible and clever little boy.

When she was bedridden, he had gotten bird eggs for her, chatted with her and laughed with her. When they dug for wild herbs, he held a little basket and worked even harder than her. He had always stayed by her side when they went to the docks to sell braised food…

In her heart, she had already regarded Little Shitou as her real younger brother. He only six years old, yet he had to stay in town to study at the academy all by himself. She was extremely reluctant to part with him and didn’t feel reassured at all.

Yu Hai felt very happy about the deep bond between the sister and brother. He comforted her, saying, “Cao’er, don’t be sad anymore. You will be able to see him after five days. At that time, let’s come early to pick him up! Didn’t you say you wanted to go to the ox and horse market? Let’s go!”

Xiaocao rubbed away the tears in her eyes, sniffed her nose, and cheered up, “Let’s go visit Eldest Brother at the woodworking shop first… Mother made a new pair of shoes for him. Let’s give him the shoes.”

The father and daughter pair went to the main street and arrived at Zhang Ji’s Carpentry Shop. Perhaps it was because Yu Hai was present, the shop assistant had an ugly expression on his face but he didn’t deliberately make things difficult for them. He immediately called Yu Hang out.

After not seeing her older brother for a few days, Xiaocao felt that her brother had gotten even thinner. There was a sense of weariness within his withered and yellow complexion. Although he forced himself to appear energetic in front of them, they could still see how exhausted he was.

“Older Brother, is it tiring to be an apprentice here? Or is it because you aren’t feeling well? Your complexion doesn’t look good…” Xiaocao asked with concern. After all, Yu Hang was only eleven to twelve years old. Most of the work in woodworking shop required physical strength, so it was considered strenuous work for a young boy like Yu Hang.

The sensible Yu Hang was afraid that he would make his family worry, so he laughed heedlessly and said, “Business has been doing well these past few days. Even the head craftsmen had to work overtime. I’m merely an assistant who stayed up a little later. After the busy period passes, I will be fine!”

Yu Hai sighed deeply as he looked at his son who was acting like an adult. He wanted to say something but after hesitating for a while, he swallowed back his words. Xiaocao looked at her father and said, “Father, our family’s daily income is very good now. We also lack people helping at home. Why don’t we bring Eldest Brother back home?”

Yu Hang didn’t wait for his father’s response and interjected, “Second Sister, I am really fine! Which head craftsmen didn’t start as an apprentice? After enduring for two years as a newcomer, I will be able to start learning woodwork. Don’t worry, your older brother’s health is great!”

Xiaocao stuffed the bundle she was holding into her older brother’s hands and said, “Older Brother, this is a pair of shoes that mother made for you. There’s also a hundred copper coins inside. Take it……”

Yu Hang lowered his head and looked at his shoes which had his toes exposed. He quickly replied, “I will take the shoes, but take the money back! Our family isn’t well-off. I have enough to eat and drink here, so I don’t have any need for money.”

Xiaocao stubbornly stuffed the string of coins into her brother’s hands and said, “Xiaolian and I take turns to sell food at the docks. Our business is doing very well, so our family's circumstances aren’t as difficult as you think. In just a few days, we were able to scrape together enough money for a month’s worth of tuition for Little Shitou. So, a hundred copper coins isn’t much. When you’re away from home, it’s best to have some money on you for emergencies.”

Yu Hai also urged, “Your younger sister is right. Just take it! You are growing right now, so buy some food and eat it when you’re hungry at night… We won’t delay you any longer. Quickly go in.”

After leaving the woodworking shop, the father and daughter didn’t speak for a long time. When they were almost at the ox and horse market, Xiaocao finally said, “Father, after a few days, let’s bring Eldest Brother back. It’s hard to live as an apprentice……”

Yu Hai nodded his head and replied, “En.” After that, he didn’t say anything else and just sighed.

Chapter 97 - The Sick Donkey

The ox and horse market was located in the northmost part of the town. It was an open area that was surrounded by wooden fences. At this time, ox and horse market bustled with activity. People who sold oxen, horses, and mules had all gathered here. The air gave off the smell of animal feces, making it smell very unpleasant.

“I’m selling a calf! This calf is just two months old. It’s very sturdy! Brother, I can sell the calf to you at a cheaper price if you want it.”

“Brother look at my mule. It’s only two years old and so it’s the perfect time for it to start working…”

“There seems to be a problem with your mule’s legs. It can’t walk so what do I need it for?”

“The calf is too small. I want a calf that will be able to work at the beginning of spring…”

“Uncle, look at my…”

…

Her ears were full of various kinds of sounds. However, Xiaocao felt that the noises felt very familiar. On her way, she had asked a few people regarding the price of their oxen and mules. But all their prices were on the high side. It was just like her father had said, if they hadn’t paid for Little Shitou’s school fees, then they might have been able to buy one. But even then, they still won’t have enough money leftover to equip it with a cart.

It was not known if the Heavens was deliberately setting itself against Xiaocao, but she didn’t see many people selling donkeys after circling around the market once. Occasionally there would be a family that was selling a donkey; however, their asking price was beyond reasonable limits. Their asking price was even higher than the price of an ox.

“Hey! It’s bustling with noise and excitement over there. Let’s go and look…” Yu Hai also knew that it was not easy to reach a deal when buying an animal. So unlike Xiaocao who had a glum look on her face, when he saw that there was a crowd of people in front of them, he immediately pulled his daughter’s hand and squeezed into the crowd.

Like he was conferring a favor, a man said, “Pedantic scholar, your donkey is sick to the point that it’s about to stop breathing. Yet you’re still asking for such a high price. Who will buy it? Let it be. Forget about it. I’m a kindhearted person. I will take pity on you and pay eight hundred copper coins to buy your donkey cart!” The middle-aged man with a shrewd-looking face looked at the donkey which was as skinny as firewood.

Xiaocao, who had squeezed through the crowd, saw a youngster crouched down in front of a donkey. The youngster was around sixteen to seventeen years old, and he wore the uniformed long gown from Rongxuan Academy. The donkey was so thin that there were only bones left. It was weakly lying on the ground because it didn’t even have the energy to stand up. If its abdomen wasn’t still moving up and down, she would’ve thought the donkey was dead. The youngster’s face was full of melancholy as he shook his head. He quietly said, “No, no! It already takes one tael of silver to make a donkey cart. My father is waiting for the money I earn from the donkey cart to save his life! Eight hundred copper coins aren’t even enough for two packets of medicine…”

The middle-aged man impatiently asked, “Pedantic scholar, how much money do you want to sell this half-dead donkey for?”

“Three...three taels of silver! My father is very sick. He needs this money to see a doctor…” The young scholar appeared to understand that his asking price was somewhat excessive, so his voice was almost inaudible.

But he also had no choice. All the valuables in the family had already been sold off to pay for his school fees. They had relied on this donkey cart to help people carry their goods or transport people around to town to earn money to survive. However, he had never expected that five days ago, the donkey had started vomiting and had diarrhea. It was very sick, so they found a few veterinarians. But none of the veterinarians were able to help. His father was anxious and suffered from excessive internal heat and ended up catching a cold. Now, his dad couldn’t get out of his bed.

There was no money at home to invite a doctor, so he brought the sick donkey to the market to try his luck…

The middle-aged man sneered at him and rudely said, “You want me to pay three taels of silver for that sick donkey? Little scholar, you must know that a big healthy male donkey costs only five taels of silver. And your donkey...tsk, tsk! I’m afraid that even if you kill it and sell its meat, you wouldn’t be able to even get a few taels of silver. I am already showing consideration towards you by paying eight hundred copper coins for that sick donkey!”

“Yeah, yeah! Who would pay three taels of silver for a donkey that’s about to die?”

“Eight hundred copper coins is too little. That amount isn’t even enough to buy a donkey cart. If it’s me, I wouldn’t be willing to sell it either……”

“This child is too pitiful. Looking at the attire the young boy is wearing, he must be a student from Rongxuan Academy. If he didn’t urgently need money, he probably wouldn’t be here and letting people point and gossip about him……”

The onlookers that were surrounding him were divided into two parties. One party said that the youngster had become insane thinking about money, while the other party sympathized and felt pity for the youngster.

The young scholar’s face was pale. His gaze looked crazed as he stared at the donkey which was struggling at death’s door. He continuously said, “No, no...my father is waiting for the money I earn from selling the donkey to save his life. He is waiting for me to save his life……”

Yu Xiaocao was somewhat touched by the young scholar’s filial piety as she looked at him. She thought back to the time when her father was between life and death. She recalled how grief-stricken they were and how helpless the entire family felt. Xiaocao shouted for the little divine stone in her mind, [Little Glutinous Dumpling, will you be able to save this donkey?]

A mini golden kitten squeezed itself out from Xiaocao’s chest region of her tattered cotton-padded jacket. It stretched its little head and lazily glanced at the donkey and in a tender but an unhappy voice, it said, [Smelly master, what do you take me for? You used me as fish bait and to save people. Now, you want me to rescue a domestic animal. I’m unwilling! I, your father, will go on strike!]

Imagine a very small kitten with one of its legs crossed over its other, holding its two front legs, with its head tilted to the side, and calling itself ‘daddy’. The scene was quite cute but also a bit weird.

Xiaocao patiently worked on it, “Little Glutinous Dumpling, the Goddess of Spirits had thrown you into the mortal world because she wants you to learn and gain experience in the mortal world. The so-called saying, ‘saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-floor pagoda’. If you do good and kind deeds, your achievements will allow you to return to the Goddess Nuwa’s side!”

The little divine stone recalled how every time it had helped Xiaocao do something, its power would restore itself in different degrees of magnitude, especially the time when it had saved Yu Hai. After saving Yu Hai, the little divine stone was able to materialize a physical body. It felt that what Xiaocao had said was very reasonable. So, it unwillingly said, [As long as the donkey hasn’t stopped breathing, then I can save it…]

With the Divine Stone’s guarantee, Xiaocao stepped forward and said to the young scholar, “Can you let me take a look at the donkey?”

The young scholar’s lifeless expression suddenly became full of expectation when he heard Xiaocao’s words. As if he was looking at his savior, he said, “Little girl, you...do you want to buy my donkey?”

But when he saw the cotton-padded jacket that was full of patches that Xiaocao was wearing, his expression dimmed again. He forced his greed away and said, “Little girl, my donkey is sick. It’s best if you don’t buy it…”

Xiaocao saw that even though he had fallen in such a dire situation, he still had a kind and honest heart. She smiled, “My father and I had learned some medical treatments for domestic animals. If the donkey can be saved, then I will buy it.”

“Okay, good! Look at the donkey. My donkey is very capable, it’s not even three years old yet. Before it was sick, everyone had said that my donkey was a good one.” A fire of hope once again ignited in the young scholar’s eyes as he stared at Xiaocao’s every movement.

Xiaocao squatted in front of the donkey. She extended her hand to place between the donkey’s nose and mouth. Hot streams of air sprayed at the palm of her hand as the donkey breathed. Although its breathing was weak, it was clear.

It’s good if it’s still breathing! She borrowed a broken bowl that domestic animals used to drink water. She allowed Yu Hai to take off the water bag that was tied to the side of her waist and poured the mystic-stone water from the water bag into the bowl.

The donkey seemed to be able to feel the spiritual energy from the water as it raised its head with difficulty. One mouthful after another, it slowly drank the mystic-stone water from the bowl in Xiaocao’s hand. After it finished the bowl of mystic-stone water, it powerlessly lay on the ground. Although the donkey didn’t have any more strength to stand up, its eyes were clearer and livelier than before.

“How is my donkey? Little girl, can my donkey be saved?” When the young scholar saw the donkey, that hadn’t drank water or eaten grass for a long time, drinking the bowl of water, the fire of hope in his heart burned even stronger.

The middle-aged man with a shrewd-looking face made cynical remarks at the side, “The veterinarians from the ox and horse market all said that the donkey is incurable. What can a silly little girl be capable of? I advise you to quickly sell the donkey before it takes its last breath. Otherwise, it’ll be bad luck for you when it dies later. When it dies, I won’t spend eight hundred copper coins to buy it.”

The young scholar acted as if he didn’t hear the middle-aged man ridiculing him. He looked at Xiaocao as if she was his last chance at life. He wasn’t even aware that his fingernails had pierced through the skin at the palm of his hand as he tightly clenched it into a fist.

The outsiders thought that Xiaocao was taking pity on the donkey as she stroked the donkey’s boney ribs. But, in fact, she was using the multicolored stone on her wrist to help the donkey sort out the illness inside its body. In a space where other people couldn’t see, soft rays of golden light entered the donkey from the multicolored stone. In less than a moment, the donkey was able to lift its head and its eyes were full of spirit again.

Xiaocao smiled and nodded at the scholar, “The donkey isn’t very ill. I will buy it! It’s three taels of silver, right?

“Y-yes!” The young scholar was in a daze as he stared at the silver that Xiaocao had handed to him. He seemed to be in disbelief that his sick donkey that was about to go to heaven would actually fetch him three taels of silver. For a moment, he foolishly stood there because he wasn’t sure what to do.

Xiaocao saw that he didn’t move for a while, so she thought that he wanted to go back on his words. She whispered to him, “What’s wrong? Didn’t you say that your father is waiting for this money to save his life? Why aren’t you hurrying to him?”

“Oh! Yeah...thank you, little girl. Benefactors, please leave your names behind. In the future, I would like to repay your kindness!” The young scholar made a big bow towards Xiaocao and her father.

Xiaocao replied, “What kindness are you talking about? You are selling something, and I am merely buying it. This is a fair trade. There is no need to repay anything. Go quickly, your father’s illness can’t be delayed!”  Fang Zimo missed his sick father. Seeing that the two didn’t want to leave behind their names, he bowed towards them again and left the market while tightly holding onto the silver.

The middle-aged man, who couldn’t take advantage of the scholar, sourly said, “Little girl, you are still young. There are all kinds of people in this world. There are many who pretend to be sick in order to gain people’s sympathy. You were tricked by others and yet you still haven’t realized it.”

“Thank you, uncle, for the reminder! However, the scholar is wearing a long gown from Rongxuan Academy. Rongxuan Academy accepts students based on their moral character. I believe that he is not a swindler.” Xiaocao wasn’t an eight-year-old child who could easily be tricked. She had spent three taels of silver to buy both the donkey and the donkey cart. This was much cheaper than buying a donkey and then asking someone to build a donkey cart for her.

The middle-aged man gave a final glance at the relatively new donkey cart. He coldly snorted, “You will suffer losses if you turn a deaf ear to your elders. I only reminded you because I believe that you probably saved up money for a long time to be able to save up three taels of silver. I didn’t want you to have a dead loss in the end!” After he finished speaking, he swung his sleeve and left.

Xiaocao raised her eyebrows and disdainfully curled her lip. He couldn’t take advantage of the scholar so he could only say a few hateful words. His moral character is really…

However, Yu Hai was a little worried as he asked, “Cao’er, the donkey is very weak. It can’t even stand up so how can we bring it back home? Your Grandpa Zhang’s ox cart can’t fit the donkey…”

Xiaocao confidently said, “Don’t worry. I have a feeling that when we go back in the afternoon, the donkey will be able to walk on its own! Father, there isn’t much seasoning left at home. There is a shop in the food market that sells cheap seasonings. Let’s go look.”

Chapter 98 - Dividends

After paying for a month’s worth of tuition for Little Shitou and an additional three taels to buy the donkey cart, Xiaocao had about four taels left in her purse. She decided to take advantage of being in town to buy whatever else her family needed.

The father and daughter pair deposited the donkey cart at the entrance of the ox and horse market and paid the attendant five copper coins. Xiaocao had especially given the old man her water pouch and repeatedly instructed him to give the donkey a bowl of the special water every hour.

The two of them then went to the town’s largest food market. At the market, the selection of vegetables and produce was as pathetic as before. The vast majority of vegetables on sale were cabbages, radishes, and sweet potatoes. It was obvious that all of them had clearly been stored in people’s cellars for a long time. There also weren’t a lot of people selling meat or chickens.

Xiaocao first went to the general store to buy some spices, soy sauce, and vinegar. This time, she had a decent amount of money on hand, so she could weigh each seasoning separately. She bought two ounces of each spice she needed, which would last her for about ten days.

In addition, she also brought along seven to eight bamboo tubes of differing sizes which had all been made by her father. As soon as she entered the stall, she gave the shopkeeper the new containers to replace the ones she had borrowed from him last time. She then asked the shopkeeper to put a catty of soy sauce into each of the remaining large tubes

The shopkeeper had only remembered that she was the little girl who had bought seasonings previously when she returned the bamboo tubes to him. He smiled, “Little girl, did you finish using the spices so quickly? Your family must sell food to other people, right?”

“That’s right! How did you know?” Xiaocao gave him the weights of the condiments that she wanted and smiled sweetly at this honest and kind shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper grinned, “Other than selling food, what normal, average family would be willing to spend so much money to season their food? Oh ho! You’re buying more spices than last time, looks like you made some money! Congratulations ah!”

Xiaocao flashed a grin at him and said, “I sold some appetizers at the docks and managed to make a little money. I’m not sure when I’ll have enough money to be like you, Uncle Shopkeeper, and open up a store in town.”

The shopkeeper guffawed and said, “This older uncle is also only making a little money, just enough to survive that is. Don’t think that it’s all sunshine and rainbows opening up a place. When you add up the rent and money spent on goods and other things, there’s really not much leftover, right? Don’t look down at selling food. In fact, as long as you make good salted and pickled vegetables, you can still make a good amount of money. Do you see that pickled vegetable store over there? They’ve been flaming popular these past two days. In fact, my wife really loves that stall’s sweet and crispy dried radishes and spicy pickled cabbage. If she doesn’t have any with every meal, she won’t be able to finish her food…”

“The town is truly a good place to earn money, even salted and pickled vegetables can sell out so quickly!” Yu Hai exclaimed in wonder as he left the general store.

Xiaocao smiled knowingly and said, “Father, when we make enough money one day, we can also rent a stall here in town. The store would only sell different types of braised dishes. As the only stall in town to sell braised food, we can definitely make money that way…”

Yu Hai happily replied, “When our family has more money, we should buy some more farmland. We only have three plots of dry, sandy land. The yield from the land is not enough to feed our whole family.”

“Once we open up a stall in town and make some money, we can buy more farmland then! Father, most of the land in our village is dry and sandy. If we want to buy land, we should buy plots that are closer to town. At that time, we can even move our entire family to town. That way we can avoid Eldest Aunt coming over to bother us all the time…” Xiaocao really despised Madam Li’s bad habits and small tricks. The woman also had a gossipy tongue that never stopped, and she never had anything good to say of others.

Yu Hai frowned and quietly reprimanded her, “How could say something like that about your eldest aunt. Be careful to not let anyone else hear you, they’ll start saying that you’re a bad child.”

Xiaocao sneered slightly and grumbled inwardly, ‘Isn’t Eldest Aunt the most shameless one around here? She’s completely a troublemaker!’

Suddenly, they heard a familiar sounding voice calling out to them, “Brother Dahai, Xiaocao! You guys are also in town now? Looks like you’ve bought a lot of things ah!”

Xiaocao twisted her head around to look and saw that their neighbor, Madam Fang, was waving her hand at them. The basket in front of her had a couple plump and fat hens in it, and the basket next to it was empty.

“Auntie Zhou, did you come to the market again to sell chicken eggs? Business is doing okay?’ Xiaocao scampered a couple steps forward and stopped by Madam Fang’s side. She smiled sweetly at the woman as she asked.

Madam Fang helped her brush away a few stray hairs from her cheek and smiled, “It’s not bad! The chicken eggs all sold out and there are only a few chickens left. Did you guys hitch a ride on Old Zhang’s ox cart to get here? How was the academy? Was Little Shitou able to enter without any problems?”

“With Brother Qian Wen guiding us, it went pretty smoothly. We don’t have enough seasonings at home, so we went to the food market to look around. Auntie Zhou, please continue with what you need to do, but will you be going back to the village on the cart too? We bought a donkey cart today!” Xiaocao was very happy and excited that they were able to buy a cheap donkey cart. She couldn’t help but tell Madam Fang the good news as soon as she could.

Madam Fang replied with an astonished look at her face, “Wow, Xiaocao! You only worked for a few days and you managed to buy a cart? Then when we go back, Auntie Zhou will have to take advantage of you…”

Yu Hai, who was standing at the side, hastily interjected, “Madam Fang, don’t listen to her! When we were at the ox and horse market, we saw a classmate of Shitou’s who desperately needed money and was selling a sick donkey. Xiaocao thought the animal looked pitiful, so she spent three taels to buy the animal and the cart. That donkey looks pretty ill in my opinion. I don’t know if it’s savable or not!”

After finding out they had spent three taels to buy a half-dead donkey, Madam Fang wasn’t sure what she should say. Instead, she smiled and commented, “Our Xiaocao has an especially kind heart! Good things come to good people. That donkey definitely will get better…”

Right at this time, a person came up to ask Madam Fang how much she was selling her hens for. Xiaocao hurriedly said, “Auntie Zhou, do what you need to do! In the afternoon, we’ll go back home together, ok!”

After saying their goodbyes to Madam Fang, the father and daughter pair walked off. Before they had gone a few steps, they were stopped by someone. Jiang Yu, the young lad who ran the pickled vegetable store, came out of his stall with a large smile on his face and greeted them, “Benefactor, benefactor, please wait for a second!”

Yu Hai felt perplexed inside. This young fellow didn’t look familiar at all to him. When did he help this guy? Who would have thought, Yu Hai had assumed wrongly. The person that the young man was thanking wasn’t him.

“Ah…you are the fellow that runs that pickled and salted vegetable store, right?” Xiaocao pointed her finger at the pickled vegetable shop that was in the vicinity. Inside, there were several people buying pickled vegetables. A middle-aged man, who looked very similar to Jiang Yu, was currently bustling around helping out the customers inside.

Xiaocao grinned at the young man, “Looks like business is going well right now!”

Jiang Yu happily replied, “It’s all thanks to you, benefactor. The recipes for pickled and salted vegetables that you gave me have all been made and are on the market. Everyone likes the taste, and the new products attracted a lot of new and old customers. My father has been talking constantly about you these past few days and keeps telling me that we need to personally express our gratitude to you. Earlier when you were talking to the other person over there, I thought you looked familiar. When I got closer, I discovered that it was you. Benefactor, please come to our store to sit and chat a little…”

Yu Hai looked at his daughter, flabbergasted. When did his little girl become this family’s ‘benefactor’?

Jiang Yu was too enthusiastic and warm, so Xiaocao was unable to decline his invitation. Thus, she followed him into the pickled and salted vegetable store. Inside the shop, the unique smell of pickled and salted vegetables surrounded her. Compared to the previous time, it smelled a lot more appetizing.

“Old Jiang, can you give me half a catty of the savory and spicy dried radish and half a catty of the sweet and spicy…what? The savory and spicy one is all sold out? When will it be back in stock? In about two days?! Then just give me half a catty of the sweet and spicy then…and then add half a catty of the spicy cabbage!” A stout-looking woman who looked about forty revealed a disappointed expression when she heard the savory and spicy dried radishes had been sold out.

Another old man who was in his fifties shook his head and smiled, “Shopkeeper Jiang, your family’s salted and pickled vegetables now taste better and have a better flavor than when your wife was alive. Did you get the advice of someone talented?”

Shopkeeper Jiang was weighing the requested pickled vegetables as he smiled and replied, “Of course, that's what happened! We actually did have a really great person give us some tips. Elder Uncle Lu, you know that my wife had died suddenly and unexpectedly. So all of her recipes went with her to the grave. My son and daughter had only learned some basic and simple pickling methods from her. You, of all people, should know that my store, had it not been for you old clients still helping us out, would have long gone out of business by now.”

At this point, he couldn’t help but shake his head due to his heavy emotions. The other old man sighed for a bit and then Shopkeeper Jiang continued, “A few days ago, my son had gotten the help of a talented individual. That person gave him a few pickling recipes and when we made them we found out that the vegetables were even more delicious than the ones my deceased wife had made…make sure to hold on tight to these pickled beans and spicy cabbage! If you think they taste good, please come back again!”

The old man chuckled gently, “Even if you didn’t say anything I would still come back! My old wife, after eating a whole winter’s worth of cabbage and radish, doesn’t have a good appetite right now. When she ate the spicy cabbage I bought two days ago, she even ate an extra two bowls of food. Now, she can’t even eat a meal without having some of your spicy cabbage on the table!”

A young matron at the side interjected in agreement, “Isn’t that so! My youngest at home has almost turned your sweet and crispy dried radish into a snack. If I don’t give it, he throws a tantrum! Luckily, your family’s pickled vegetables are cheap and are of good quality, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to afford his habit!” She then urged the shopkeeper to weigh out a catty of the sweet and crispy radish for her.

Shopkeeper Jiang humbly smiled and said, “It’s not good to eat too much pickled vegetables. It’s better that he eats more of his regular meals. After a couple of months, the newly grown vegetables will hit the market. Make sure your child eats more green vegetables…”

“Father! It really was our benefactor! I invited her back!” Jiang Yu walked in joyfully with a large grin on his face.

Shopkeeper Jiang saw Yu Hai behind his son and rushed out, forgetting that his hands were still sticky from vegetable pickling juice. He grabbed Yu Hai’s hand and repeatedly said, “Benefactor! I finally had the chance to meet you! You are truly the savior of our little store!”

An awkward expression crossed Yu Hai’s face as he stared blankly at his hand that was now covered in pickling juice. Jiang Yu promptly pulled his father away and bashfully smiled in embarrassment, “Father, you’re thanking the wrong person. The person who taught me the recipes is the little girl behind him. You’re thanking our benefactor’s father.”

Shopkeeper Jiang laughed hollowly as he said, “It’s all the same, all the same! Ah...good brother, you have a daughter who has the heart and kindness of a Bodhisattva!”

Yu Hai modestly replied, “You’re too kind, too kind! She’s always liked experimenting with cooking since she was young, so she has a bit of talent in this area.”

Xiaocao rolled her eyes in her heart and silently said, ‘Father, are you trying to be modest here? Why does it seem like you’re actually boasting right now?’

Jiang Yu took out the most recent account books and spread them open for Xiaocao to look at. He enthusiastically said, “Benefactor, although the recipes you taught me use more spices and condiments than other recipes, but the flavor of the products are very good. Even though we spend a little more to make them, we can still set a slightly higher price and customers will still buy them. Over the past few days, the best sellers were the savory and spicy dried radish and spicy cabbage. A lot of people also really like the pickled beans…”

The youth was afraid that Xiaocao couldn’t read, so he chattered constantly to describe the sales. Xiaocao glanced at the books. Although it was written in the traditional style, she could recognize the vast majority of the characters. It was obvious at a glance how many catties of pickled and salted vegetables they sold as well as the profit they made.

In just a few days, a tiny pickled and salted vegetable store actually had an income of forty-five taels and a profit of twenty taels. It made her want to sigh in sorrow——it was much easier to make money in town!

Right now there weren’t any other people in the store, so Shopkeeper Jiang took out five taels and said, “Benefactor! At that time we had come to an agreement that we would split our profits 20-80. These are your dividends from the past few days, please kindly accept them, benefactor.”

Chapter 99 - A Chance Encounter

Originally the plan was to give out dividends once a month. However, Shopkeeper Jiang had noticed that the father and daughter in front of him were wearing shabby clothes and thought that they were embarrassingly short of money, so he decided to give out the money early.

Yu Hai refused to take it and shook his hand, “We can’t take this, we absolutely can’t take this! It’s only a few recipes for pickled and salted vegetables, so how can we take your money?! You guys had to do all of the labor and buy the ingredients. We haven’t done anything to earn the money. If this came out, wouldn’t people criticize us behind our back?”

Shopkeeper Jiang hastily replied, “Brother, you are wrong! Why do you think the new Zhenxiu Restaurant in town can compete against the established Fulin Restaurant? Isn’t it because they have a few unique and special dishes that other places don’t have? That’s how they attracted a lot of customers over. If Zhenxiu Restaurant had wanted to sell the recipes of their new dishes, I believe that even if they set the price to over a thousand taels per recipe, there would still be people willing to buy them! I have never seen anything like the recipes that your precious daughter gave us, so they are absolutely worth it! If you wanted to make these pickled vegetables and sell them in town yourself, you would have made much more money than what I’m giving you. However, your daughter has a kind heart and only wanted twenty percent of the earnings. If you calculate it out, we are the ones taking advantage of you! Brother, quickly take the money, you guys deserve it…what’s wrong? Do you think it’s too little?”

Overwhelmed with the situation, Yu Hai couldn’t help but back away from the enthusiastic man. He glanced at his daughter out of embarrassment, silently asking her to help. Xiaocao quickly interjected, “Uncle Jiang, at the time, I had already come to an agreement with Brother Jiang Yu. We were supposed to receive dividends once a month, but it hasn’t been a month yet, right?”

Shopkeeper Jiang obviously had done a lot of business so he suavely replied, “I just felt really happy after making some money! Just take these five taels as start of a great beginning, it’ll bring good fortune to us! In the future, we’ll divvy out the money once a month as agreed upon!”

There were people in the store who wanted to buy some pickled vegetables, so Shopkeeper Jiang stuffed the five taels into Yu Hai’s hand without saying anything, and lifted up the cloth curtain to help them. Yu Hai hesitated as he wasn’t sure what to do with the money. Xiaocao merely smiled, “Since Uncle Jiang said it this way, then let’s just take the money!”

When Jiang Yu saw the father giving the money to the seven to eight year old girl, he thought it was odd, ‘Is he not afraid that the little girl might lose the money...’

Right after that interlude, Xiaocao dictated a few more recipes for pickled and salted vegetables to Jiang Yu and had him write them down. This time, the recipes were of a different variety than the previous ones she gave him. The recipes were for: red pepper paste, sweet bean paste, and, the more complex, shitake mushroom sauce, and peanut and sesame seed sauce.

Jiang Yu acted as if he had just received the most precious treasure in the world. He carefully placed the handwritten recipes into his pocket. Once he and his father learned how to make them, he would destroy his written copies. This way, these unique and flavorful products could only be made and sold at their store and would become their trade secret...

Xiaocao bid her farewells to Jiang Yu and walked out of the inner room. When she came out to the main room, she saw a handsome young man dressed in brocade who was looking at the vats of fermented vegetables in the store with a frown on his face. Shopkeeper Jiang was at his side, patiently explaining the different types of products that were available.

The attendant next to the youth quietly said, “Third Young Master, if you wanted to eat salted and pickled vegetables, you could have just ordered me to come here. There’s no need for you to personally be here, right? …be careful, don’t get your clothing dirty!”

The youth raised his head to look over at Xiaocao when he heard some noise. A look of surprise crossed his face, as if he was astonished that he would meet her here.

Xiaocao grinned widely when she saw that his eyes were opened wide with surprise, “Third Young Master Zhou, you’re finally back from the capital, eh? When did you come back?”

Apparently, this finely dressed young man was the youth she hadn’t seen for almost a month, the third young master of the Zhou family——Zhou Zixu. As she approached, Zhou Zixu abruptly said, “What the heck, Yu Xiaocao. You clearly have some good recipes for sauces in that head of yours, but you don’t even invest in your own production. Instead, you privately started cooperating with someone else!”

On the other hand, Yu Xiaocao recalled that all of the money she had painstakingly saved up had been lured away by this bugger at the end of last year. Had she had some cash on hand when their branch split from the family, then their circumstances wouldn't have been so bad! The Zhou Family was the richest family in Tanggu Town. Did they really need her tiny stash of cash to start up a condiment factory? This bugger must have deliberately wanted to cause her trouble!!

“As soon as I entered the restaurant today, I overheard the people in the kitchen making a racket. Can you guess what it was about? Apparently, they were arguing with each other on how to make a small plate of food! Zhenxiu Restaurant’s purchasing staff had bought a plate of small fish at the docks!!” Third Young Master Zhou gritted his teeth as he frowned at Yu Xiaocao. A bitter and worried expression surfaced onto his face.

“What’s wrong? How does me selling some snacks at the dock in any way affect what you’re doing?” Xiaocao couldn’t understand why he was looking at her with such an aggrieved expression in his eyes. She was the person who should have been annoyed, right?

“I heard this dish was called ‘pickled fish’, right? How did you make this? The small bones in the fish are so soft that it’s indescribable, and the taste is incomparable! This truly is a magnificent dish that is full of flavor!”

Third Young Master Zhou had also tasted one piece that day and thought that the flavor profile was very good. When the head chef of Zhenxiu Restaurant tried it, he could tell that it had been first been fried and then steamed. However, no matter how much he tried, he was unable to make a result that tasted as authentic and good as the original. In fact, he even pondered inwardly. ‘I never would have thought that such a simple looking pickled fish would require such a tricky technique to make perfectly.’

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, the youth seemed to realize it didn’t sound right and abruptly corrected himself, “I wasn’t trying to make you tell me your secret method. I was mostly wanted to show my surprise, that’s all. How do you have the time to stroll the market today, Xiaocao? Why didn’t you go to the docks to sell braised food instead?”

Xiaocao smiled, not all offended, and said, “Third Young Master is too complimentary. My crude method is nothing special, it definitely won’t be able to be taken out in more formal situations. Today my mother and Xiaolian went to the docks while my father and I ran some errands in town——Third Young Master Zhou is buying some pickled vegetables today?”

Third Young Master Zhou nodded his head and replied, “Recently, our family’s matriarch hasn’t had a good appetite and has no interest in eating. Earlier on the streets I overheard that this store’s pickled and salted vegetable products have a good flavor, so I wanted to buy some and show some respect to her…”

After she had a good understanding of the elderly lady’s preferences, Xiaocao recommended that Third Young Master Zhou buy some sweet and crispy radishes. They were crunchy and had a fresh taste; thus, they were the best for increasing a person’s appetite.

Third Young Master Zhou nodded his head and then had the store weigh out some radishes for him. He also asked the manager what the other products in the store tasted like. With the help of Shopkeeper Jiang, he got to taste a few different types of pickled vegetables. Afterwards, he selected the ones he liked: wine-marinated beans and spicy cabbage. When he settled the bill, he also took out a piece of silver that was worth around two taels.

Oh alright! If you wanted to find someone who was rich and had money to spare, that’s your guy right there!

“I heard that your branch of the family had split off from the rest? Separating is good. We don’t have to surreptitiously give you the dividends after the factory is up! If you have any other difficult situations, don’t worry and come to me for help!!” Zhou Zixu said with a face full of sincerity.

‘Is it a little too late to be saying these words? When we had just separated families, I would have shamelessly asked you for some help, pride be damned. But now...we’ve already survived the most difficult situation, what’s the point in making these promises now?’

With just these few thoughts, Yu Xiaocao quickly dismissed Third Young Master Zhou! Before Zhou Zixu left, he didn’t forget to remind her that she had some stock in their condiment factory. She needed to think up more condiment and seasoning recipes up! She shouldn’t just place all of her efforts on a small pickled and salted vegetable shop!

After waving goodbye to Third Young Master Zhou, Xiaocao went to a cloth shop that Jiang Yu and his father had recommended and bought a few bolts of cotton cloth that differed in color. She also got four blankets worth of quilted fabric and spent almost a tael on ten catties worth of cotton filling.

Cotton had become a commonly grown crop during the previous Yuan Dynasty. At the initial start of the Great Ming Dynasty, the country was still settling down from the chaos of war, and vast acres of land had been left fallow. Thus, the output of cotton had decreased dramatically, and prices had risen without falling. After the current emperor ascended the throne, he energetically encouraged the people to open up land and start farming. He implemented a series of policies that lowered taxes and reduced the forced labor requirements. The prices of grain and cash crops slowly decreased and stabilized a bit. However, for the vast majority of the poverty stricken commoners, the price of cotton, which was seventy copper coins a catty, was still considered a somewhat luxurious purchase.

After the father and daughter pair finished buying cloth and cotton, it was already ten minutes to 3 pm. With a giant bag of cotton to haul around, it would be hard to shop around even if they wanted to. Thus, the two of them headed in the direction of the ox and horse market to retrieve their donkey cart with their large and small bags of goods in tow.

The old man who was helping them keep an eye on the donkey took their five copper coins and looked at the skinny, sick donkey that was lying on the ground. He silently prayed that the animal wouldn’t fall over dead right this minute.

In his younger days, the old man was a good hand at raising animals. Now that he was older, he no longer could keep up, so he set up an area for people to leave their animals and carts. Every day he could earn a decent amount of money. If his business hadn’t been slow today, he would not have accepted this arduous and thankless task to watch over a sick donkey.

In accordance with Xiaocao’s instructions, he made sure to give the donkey a bowl of water to drink every hour. He thought it was a little bit odd that the donkey wouldn’t even sniff at other types of water and instead only happily drank the water that was in the little girl’s pouch.

After drinking two bowls of water, the donkey, who had been close to death’s door, seemed to be more and more energetic with every passing minute. By the time it had its third bowl of water, it could actually stand up and even whinnied a couple times, asking him for some food to eat.

Was it possible that there was some medicine that was put in the water pouch? In a moment he needed to ask them who had made it, it was actually quite efficacious.

The five copper coins paid for not only the board of the donkey but also its feed and water. Although they had given him their own water, he still needed to give the donkey fodder from his own stores. After eating its fill, the little gray colored donkey knelt back down to take a nap. Despite its obvious thinness, the animal still looked rather lively.

When it was almost three in the afternoon, Yu Hai’s silhouette with the slight limp appeared in front of the old man’s sight. The father and daughter pair both were loaded down with large and small bags; they had clearly bought a lot of things.

The little donkey seemed to have a connection with them, and, as soon as it saw its little master, it immediately stood and opened up its large, limpid eyes. It cheerfully whinnied at the two people in front of it.   “Little Gray, are you okay?” Xiaocao ran swiftly to the little donkey’s side. She used her right hand, which had the multi-colored stone on her wrist, to gently pet its back, and have the little divine store to heal it from head to toe again.

The little donkey comfortably closed its eyes and rubbed its head continuously on Xiaocao’s arm. The expression on its face was obvious——so comfortable ah!

Yu Hai exclaimed in surprise, “It really got better! Looks quite energetic too! I’m not sure if its able to walk all the way home though...Cao’er, we should have Old Zhang help us bring our goods back today.”

The little donkey whinnied spiritedly a couple of times as if it was trying to say that it was okay. Xiaocao smiled and patted its head, “Father, by this time, Grandpa Zhang’s cart is probably all full with people now. Where would he have room to put our stuff? In any case, cloth and cotton isn’t very heavy, so let’s try to have Little Gray pull it home.”

Yu Hai skillfully put the cart harness onto the donkey and then placed all of their goods onto the cart. After thinking a bit, he helped his daughter onto the vehicle. If the donkey couldn’t pull the cart, he could help it by pushing the vehicle on the side. After all, his daughter was only eight years old and had been running around all day. He didn’t want her to get more tired by walking all the way home.   This was the first time Yu Hai had led a donkey cart. However, as they left the ox and horse market, the little donkey seemed to really understand what he wanted and closely followed behind him and didn’t need any direction from him at all.

Chapter 100 - To Drop In

When they exited the city, Yu Hai saw someone selling hot cakes and so he bought some. Everyone in the family had already gotten used to Xiaocao needing a meal at this time. By the time they got home, they would have likely missed the meal time. His daughter was probably dying of hunger now.

Xiaocao sat on the donkey cart with her back against the bag full of cotton. Her legs dangled down the sides of the cart as she nibbled on the delicious hot cake. She looked leisurely and content.

“Brother Dahai, Xiaocao!! I saved you two a spot, come quickly!” Outside the town gates, Madam Fang had been waiting on Old Zhang’s ox cart for a while. It looked like business had gone well today for her as the baskets in her hands were completely empty. Both the eggs and live chickens had been sold out.

Old Zhang gaped in astonishment when he saw Yu Hai leading the donkey cart. He tapped his tobacco pipe on the side of his cart shaft and sad, “Ah, Dahai! Where did this donkey cart come from? Did you guys actually buy it?? It’s not that I’m trying to criticize you but when you’re buying a donkey, you should choose one that is plump and healthy…this donkey, are you sure you can keep it alive?”

Yu Hai smiled, “Uncle Zhang, although this donkey is on the thin side, it is quite lively. I previously was able to spend several days with a person versed in veterinary medicine, and when I saw that this donkey didn’t have any critical defects, I knew that it will be fine after nursing it for a few days. If the donkey wasn’t skinny, how could I get it for a good, cheap price?”

Old Zhang then asked how much they had spent on the donkey and cart, and Xiaocao told him they had only spent three taels. The old man nodded his head, “Three taels for all of this is not considered expensive. It would probably cost the same amount of money to commission a donkey cart. Even if the donkey is unable to survive, you guys wouldn’t be losing out too much anyway…Brother Dahai, did you buy this donkey cart for…”

Whenever Old Zhang was not hauling firewood to town, he would bring people from the villages to town for a fee. On a good day, he could even make twenty to thirty copper coins. When he saw Yu Hai’s donkey cart, the first thought that came to his mind was, ‘Is Yu Hai trying to cut into my business bringing people to town? After all, a donkey cart is definitely faster than an ox cart.’

Xiaocao smiled and hurriedly dispelled his fears, “Grandpa Zhang, isn’t Shitou studying at school in town now? With a donkey cart, it will be a lot easier to visit him. We have also grown some vegetables in our front and back courtyards. In the future, it’ll be easier to sell those vegetables in town with a cart.”

When Old Zhang heard the little girl chattering about this and that but not mentioning anything about using the donkey cart to carry people into town, he was able to dispel his worries.

On the road home, Yu Hai was afraid that making the thin donkey work too hard would cause it to become exhausted, so he adamantly refused to sit on the cart. Despite all her efforts, Xiaocao was unable to convince him. She only managed to make him compromise and had him sit on Old Zhang’s ox cart. The donkey was very perceptive and blindly followed the ox cart from behind. Other than a slight break in the middle to give the animal another drink of the mystic-stone water, contrary to Yu Hai’s fears, the donkey didn’t collapse from exhaustion.

Xiaocao’s family lived at the foot of the West Mountains, so they had to traverse through more than half of the village when coming back from town. The news that Yu Hai’s family had bought a donkey cart had traveled throughout the village before the two of them had even got home.

Madam Li teetered on her bound feet as she trotted back home. When she told her mother-in-law what she found out, she also added her own embellishments. After her failure the last time she tried to scheme against the second branch, she had learned her lesson. This time, she decided to make her mother-in-law attack the second branch by stating that her father-in-law was subsidizing them. They had only split off from the main family for a short period of time, so how could they possibly buy a donkey cart?!

When Madam Zhang heard Madam Li’s accusations, her sparse eyebrows immediately snapped together in a frown, “They bought a donkey cart? You’re certain?”

Madam Li nodded her head furiously and replied, “I am absolutely sure. The whole village knows already so they’re only hiding it from us! Mother, just think about it, one donkey costs around five to six taels. When Second Brother-in-law split from the family, his leg was also injured, so how would he be able to earn the money to buy a donkey and cart? Perhaps Father is privately…”

Madam Li didn’t elaborate further beyond that point but Madam Zhang clearly understood what she was implying. The old woman stated hesitantly, “I’m in charge of all of the money at home! If you said that the old man had around a dozen copper coins in his hand, that would be believable. However, if you’re saying that he has a few taels to subsidize Second Son, then I don’t think that’s possible!”

When Madam Li saw that her mother-in-law hadn’t flown into a rage as she would like, she started to become anxious, “Mother, if it were not for Father privately subsidizing them, Second Brother-in-law’s family wouldn’t even have enough food to eat. How could they possibly have the money to buy a donkey cart? We’ve been catching fewer fish these days, but what about before? When Second Brother-in-law’s leg was still good, he always gave the money he earned from selling game to Father. If he didn’t give all of it to you and had about eight to ten taels on hand, maybe…”

“Ah, what!!” When Madam Zhang thought that the old man was sneakily giving money to Second Son’s family behind her back, anger bubbled within her until it exploded. She violently threw her sewing from her hands into the basket and screamed, “I thought it was fishy that Second Son didn’t make a fuss when we were splitting the family! Apparently he had been greasing up that stupid old man on the down low! That’s not okay, they need to spit out whatever they had swallowed earlier!!”

Madam Zhang stomped furiously towards the road leading to Xiaocao’s family’s home. Madam Li smirked proudly as she wiggled her fat waist from behind. When Old Yu’s eldest brother’s, Yu Lichun, eldest daughter-in-law, Madam Liu [1], saw the expression on the two women’s faces as well as the direction they were headed, she knew they were going to cause trouble for Yu Hai. As she silently cursed in her heart, she hurried back to the village to find Old Yu, who was playing go.

When Madam Zhang and Madam Li arrived at the residence, Xiaocao’s whole family was busily preparing the pig head and pig offal. Madam Liu raised her head and saw Madam Zhang furiously charging in. Her heart squeezed painfully and she hastily got up and timidly said, “Mother, when did you come over?”

Madam Li stared at the wooden basin that was full of the smelly pig intestines and could only remember the last time she had disastrously tried to cause trouble for them, only to have herself fall into trouble instead. When she had gotten home that time, she had washed her feces stained clothes several times. However, no matter how often she washed it, she always felt there was a disgusting stench stuck on the clothing. Madam Li suddenly noticed that a pig intestine was in Xiaocao’s hand, who was facing her with a faint smile on her face. The woman hastily retreated until she was behind Madam Zhang, covered her nose, and said, “When can’t mother come over to visit? Are you telling me that we have to make an appointment just to come over to Second Brother-in-law’s house?”

Madam Zhang huffily snorted, “I heard that Second Son’s family has hit the jackpot and had recently bought a donkey cart. As his mother, shouldn’t I come over to congratulate you guys?”

Suddenly the expression on her face twisted, “Second Son’s wife, tell me the truth! How did you guys manage to weasel out so much money from that old man? I was wondering why your branch agreed so easily to splitting the family! Apparently you guys had another trick up your sleeves, eh!!! I’m telling you all, if you guys don’t tell me where that old geezer is hiding money, I swear I’ll make your lives hell!!”

Madam Liu was shocked by the accusation and hastily replied, “Mother, what do you mean? Where would we get money from him? When we split from the family, we only got two taels and we also borrowed some money from my maternal family. All of it was spent on fixing up the house. Father doesn’t have any money in his hands. Other people likely don’t know how much money there is at home, but how could you not know?”

“Well apparently I don’t know where the money is!! If it were not for that old geezer giving money to you guys on the sly, how could all of you earn enough money in such a short amount of time to buy a donkey cart? Look at you, one’s lame, the other’s sickly, and the rest are tiny children!”

When Madam Zhang found out that a donkey cart cost around five to six taels, she felt like her heart had been scooped out, dripping blood. Every day the old man and her eldest son went out to catch fish, but the amount they caught was less than before. The amount of money they made was barely enough to cover the family’s expenditures. How long ago had the old man secretly been saving those five to six taels?!

Madam Liu had a gentle personality, so she obviously couldn’t argue against Madam Zhang. She was so emotional that tears almost came pouring down her face. She quietly tried to explain, “Mother, the money that we used to buy the donkey was all earned from Xiaocao selling braised pig head meat and pig intestines at the docks. If you don’t believe me, go to the docks and ask around. Everyone knows about our braised meat, which is sold for one copper coin a portion.”

Xiaocao slapped her forehead and lamented silently, ‘Oh my gosh, Mother! You are seriously too honest, aren’t you? In just a few sentences, you basically sold out our entire family, ah…’

“One copper coin for a portion of meat? Second Sister-in-law, who are you trying to pull the wool over, ah? A catty of pork is around twenty copper coins. At that price, how many pieces of meat can you get for one copper coin? Not enough to even get a taste! On the outside you look so honest and sincere, but who would have thought you’d even try to trick Mother!” Madam Li had a self-satisfied expression on her face as she sarcastically remarked on the side.

“Eldest Sister-in-law, I’m not trying to trick Mother! If you use seasonings to braise pig intestines and the meat from the pig’s head, it actually tastes pretty good. We can earn around twenty to thirty copper coins a day…if it wasn’t for this, our whole family would have starved to death by now…” Madam Liu wasn’t completely naive and didn’t tell them the whole truth: that they actually were earning around two hundred to three hundred copper coins a day.

However, getting twenty to thirty copper coins per day was enough to make Madam Zhang and Madam Li salivate with envy! Madam Zhang inched a bit closer to the wooden basin full of dirty, disgusting, only fit to feed dogs, pig intestines but was pushed back by their stench. She sneered and said, “What people would buy something so disgusting and smelly? Do you really think this old woman is stupid and easy to cheat? Even if you guys earn around twenty to thirty coins a day and not spend any on food or drink, it’s still not enough to buy a donkey cart after only saving for ten days!”

Yu Hai had been in the rear courtyard settling the donkey down under the shed. When he heard the commotion, he quickly walked over and quietly said to Madam Zhang, “Mother, we bought a donkey that was so sick that it almost died. The previous owner didn’t want the animal anymore, and we only had to pay enough money to cover the cart. We only spent around three taels total. If you don’t believe me, you can go to the rear courtyard and take a look…”

At the back of the house, Little Gray was comfortably lying on the ground under the sun after drinking some more mystic-stone water. From Madam Zhang’s angle, she could only see an extremely emaciated donkey that had barely any meat on it listlessly lying down on the ground. She thought it clearly didn’t have any energy to even stand up and, thus, she started to somewhat believe Yu Hai’s words.

However, she couldn’t just come here without grasping any advantage she could get. Her eyes whirled around as she said, “Second Son, ah. Your family is capable and hardworking to be able to earn twenty to thirty copper coins a day. But you guys don’t even know how to help the rest of the family out. Your mother and father almost don’t have enough food to eat yet you’re throwing money away buying a sick donkey that’s about to die. Are you not afraid of other people accusing you of being unfilial?!”

Xiaocao wanted to laugh out of rage and was unable to keep her mouth shut as she retorted, “Grandmother, don’t forget that we had already separated families! When we split, we only got three plots of sandy land, two taels, and an old, run-down house that wasn’t even livable. In addition, when we split, we had a contract written out that spells it out very clearly. Each year, we only need to give you five hundred catties of grain or one tael and five hundred coins. Grandmother, we haven’t even planted sweet potatoes yet, how are we supposed to help you?”

Madam Zhang had greedily kept the three hundred taels Yu Hai had risked his life for but wasn’t a little bit ashamed as she confidently asserted, “Can’t you guys sell pig offal to earn money? Then just give the recipes for the braised pig head meat and pig offal to us. Don’t hide it from us. Even though we already split, we are still one family. It’s better to give us the advantage than to let outsiders find out instead...”

Xiaocao felt a bit helpless. They were trying to sever their only chance of survival! She was inwardly ecstatic that the weather was on the colder side today as all of the vegetables in the back garden had been covered up with the straw mats. Otherwise, if Madam Zhang and Madam Li had seen them growing, they probably would have wanted to put their grubby hands on them. It was obvious, there was nothing these two women wouldn’t be ashamed to do.

[1] She's not related to Xiaocao's mother; their surnames sound the same but are different characters.

Chapter 101 - The Zhou Family

Yu Hai and Madam Liu looked at each other, and both of them could see helplessness in the other’s eyes. They were both the younger generation, so there was little they could do against the overbearing and shameless Madam Zhang. If they were too resolute and stuck to their guns, the two women in front of them would slander them in the village for being unfilial. On the other hand, if they yielded too much, this pair of locusts would gobble them up and devour everything they could get their hands on.

“Madam Li, why are you here again causing trouble?” Just as the married couple were trying to find a solution, the sound of Old Yu’s voice resonated in and provided them with a glimpse of hope.

Madam Li was still a bit timid in front of her father-in-law, so she weakly said, “Father, I was keeping Mother company…”

Madam Zhang abruptly interrupted her and pasted a smile on her face as she spoke to Old Yu, “Old man, Second Son still has a filial heart. Their family had come up with a new method of making money, so they were going to help us too!”

When Old Yu heard what she said, he looked towards Yu Hai with a remorseful expression and a tinge of gratitude. This son of his had always been filial since childhood. Even if he had caught a tiny tit, he would always bring it back home to let everyone eat some. In fact, after he settled down and got married, he still always gave the money he earned to the general purse and didn’t keep a private purse.

Ah, he was not worthy of his son. He even pushed his son out of the family during his most difficult time. Fortunately, his son was able to survive and even his leg was preserved…

Old Yu switched his gaze to Madam Zhang and glared at her, “I already know about the method for making money! Aren’t they just selling some appetizers to make a small sum of money every day? Stop trying to covet it, Second Son’s family is relying on this little bit of money to make it through!”

“What do you mean? It’s not a little bit of money, they make around twenty to thirty copper coins a day, ah! That’s more than what you and Eldest Son brings home every day! This is Second Son’s good intentions, so he should spread the wealth to the whole family. Husband, Third Son will be able to participate in the entrance examination for Rongxuan Academy soon. If he passes and then becomes a scholar who had passed the county level examinations, he can get a lot of benefits…his whole family is living in town right now and doesn’t he need money for living expenses?” Madam Zhang, once again, brought the topic of the conversation back to her younger son in an attempt to voice her complaints.

As Madam Zhang rambled on and on, Xiaocao and her family stayed mutely silent. It was obvious that she was forcing them to teach her how to make braised food. How did she manage to twist it around such that they were the ones volunteering for this?

Although Xiaocao had no qualms, her father was a different story. He had always been filial and was softhearted. In front of his father, Yu Hai wasn’t able to refuse any request. In the end, Xiaocao was forced to fork out a portion of the spices she had used yesterday and give instructions on how to use them to Madam Zhang. In a pique of fury, she pretended to forget to give the pair of women the complete details on how to prepare and clean the pig head and intestines properly.

She had already reserved the pig head and offal in advance from Butcher Wang’s stall at the dock’s marketplace. Furthermore, the butcher was a kind and honest man. To him, it didn’t matter who he made money from, but it was more important to preserve his relationships with and not have a reputation of breaking his promises. Thus, their ingredient supplies would not be endangered in the future. She planned on doing business as usual. As for who could make more money...that would depend on their own abilities!

Meanwhile, Third Young Master Zhou Zixu had gone straight home after buying the pickled vegetables from the market and was able to be at the table in time for the meal.

The three branches of the Zhou Family had not separated, so they were all present in the parlor for the meal. In the main hall, the ground was paved with glossy marble tiles that had been polished as bright as a mirror. The beams of the roof were painted in bright colors, and gorgeous glass lanterns dangled from the ceiling.

On the right side of the parlor was a display case made of red mahogany. On top of the case were a bunch of carefully arranged priceless objects: a blue and white porcelain vase made in the previous dynasty that was decorated with an image depicting ‘Gui Guzi coming down the mountain [1]’, a cloisonne enamel plum blossom vase, a long-necked vase made entirely of white jade with two round handles, and a variety of other delicate and well-preserved antique items.

A decorative screen made of red sandalwood was on the left side. The screen was inlaid with white jade that was carved into a picture depicting Five Hundred Luohan [2]. It was bright and beautiful and so luxurious that it was hard for a person to take their eyes away from it.

The patriarch and matriarch of the Zhou Family were sitting in the middle and seated on their right was the Zhou Family’s eldest son. The head of the Zhou Family had three sons and two daughters. The eldest son and second son were birthed by his wife. The eldest son was conservative in his business dealings and was only able to preserve their current family wealth. He was in charge of a portion of the family’s businesses and while he didn’t make any big contributions, he also didn’t make any large blunders.

The eldest son of the Zhou Family had two sons and a daughter. His oldest son was birthed by a concubine. Although his younger son was born by his wife, he had very little interest in doing business and had set his heart on his studies. He was truly a bookworm and pedant. His eldest son, on the other hand, had ambitions and grabbed every opportunity that came in order to show his abilities in front of the head of the family. Before he became an adult, he had helped his father supervise their store and had made sure everything was clear and orderly. He had carefully managed two stores, and they had increased their revenue by a third.

Furthermore, he completed the few tasks that the head of the family had given him perfectly, so the old man was quite pleased with this grandson.

The second son of the head of the family had died at a young age, so the patriarch had his married eldest son take a young girl from a declining family as a secondary wife in order to keep his second son’s lineage alive. Thus, Third Young Master Zhou was considered a part of the second branch’s family. Third Young Master Zhou’s mother had a strong personality, so after she gave birth to him, she established herself as the widow of the second branch and severed all her ties with the eldest son. From then on, she lived alone in a small courtyard on the west side of the residence. Other than stepping out on the first and fifteenth days of each month to burn incense for the second son of the Zhou Family, she spent the rest of the time in her residence. This was the reason why the head of the Zhou Family regarded the mother and son pair with importance despite their awkward status within the family.

The third son of the Zhou Family was a person who only knew how to enjoy life but couldn’t endure any hardships. The eldest son was always afraid of taking the slightest risk and had no courage. Thus, Patriarch Zhou had to take the reins back into his hands in his old age and become the primary driver of the Zhou Family again. He had no hope left for his sons, so he silently observed his grandsons out of hope that he could pick a successor out of them who would bring more glory and honor to the Zhou Family.

Although Zhou Zifang, who was the son of the eldest son, had decent abilities, he was still born from a concubine. Since ancient times it was known that there was a difference between children born from the main wife versus a concubine. In addition, he had a somewhat irritable temper and was quick to take offense. Acting hastily out of greed could lead to the ruin of an entire family’s fortune. Thus, as the patriarch observed from the side, he had to take a few points off of Zhou Zifang.

As for the second branch’s Zhou Zixu, he had displayed astonishing talents since he was small. However, despite his recent beautiful business victories, the boy was still too young. This really caused the patriarch to worry incessantly, causing his hair to turn white faster...

“Haha! I’m really quite lucky when it comes to food. Just got home in time to make mealtime!” Third Young Master Zhou, Zhou Zixu, held two jars of salted vegetables as he came in. When he saw everyone’s attention on him, he smiled a self-deprecating smile as he paid his respects to his grandfather and grandmother.

The head of the Zhou Family coldly snorted and said, “Looks like you still know how to come home! Every day you’re running off to who knows where. Ah, other than Zhenxiu Restaurant, you have never even touched the other businesses of the family! Oh right, you had talked about having a condiment factory before the end of last year. How is it going so far? At your age, your father had already made waves in the southern province’s market!”

Because he had an awkward status in the family, Zhou Zixu’s grandmother had raised him at her side since childhood to avoid having other people treat him badly. Thus, his relationship with his grandparents had always been good. This caused the other grandsons in the family to envy him. In fact, whenever the patriarch seemed displeased, the other grandsons kept quiet out of fear. Even Eldest Young Master Zhou had to consider his words for a bit before he would say anything. However, Zhou Zixu was all smiles as he replied, “Grandfather, don’t we still have you managing the rest of the family’s businesses? You’re old but vigorous. Staying at home doing nothing is really quite dull. As for my factory, didn’t you previously say that this is for me to practice? I’m still young, so it’s important to take it a little at a time, especially for business!”

“Is thirteen still considered young? It’s the right age for settling a marriage and getting engaged, ah! Second Son’s wife, you need to start considering his marriage prospects now. After he gets engaged, he’s considered an adult and should start doing some proper business and stop running around outside, avoiding home!” The Zhou Family patriarch was very unsatisfied with him and wished he could just press on that youngster’s head to transfer all of his knowledge of business matters to him.

Madam Jiang, who was Zhou Zixu’s mother, agreed sweet-temperedly. Zhou Zixu let out a smile that was half a grimace at his mother and said, “Grandfather, how do you know I’m not concerned about the family’s businesses? I’m not running around without a purpose. After all, the last time I was at the docks, didn’t I find a dish of pickled fish that tasted quite good, eh?”

If he hadn’t brought up this topic it would have been better as the Zhou Family patriarch frowned after hearing this and said, “Has the chef from Zhenxiu Restaurant figured out how to make this pickled fish yet? He even boasted that he’s a famous chef but he’s no better than a little girl from the countryside!”

“Grandfather, please calm down. It’s not that the chef at Zhenxiu Restaurant was boosting his own reputation, but in terms of cooking, one false step makes a great difference. That pickled fish recipe was probably a secret recipe that was passed down from her ancestors, so it’s unlikely it’d be easy to just figure it out.” The eldest grandson, Zhou Zifang, cleverly interjected and explained.

Zhou Zixu also agreed, “That’s right, that’s right! Let’s wait a little longer, if he really can’t figure it out then, I’ll just go to that little girl and buy the recipe from her.”

The Zhou Family’s matriarch loved her grandson dearly. She nodded her head in agreement and said, “Xu’er is right! Also, let’s not talk about business during the family meal. Start the meal ah…”

Zhou Zixu hurriedly patted the jugs of pickled vegetables in his hands as if they were some priceless treasure. He sidled over to his grandmother, made eye contact with her, and said, “Grandmother loves grandson the most! Grandson also loves you very much. I know your appetite hasn’t been very good lately, so I especially went to a pickled vegetable store and bought some appetizers in hope that they’ll increase your appetite. Please try some! I personally carried them the entire way back home!”

When Matriarch Zhou saw her grandson’s smiling face, she immediately felt better. As if he was still a child, she gently caressed his head, and said, “My Xu’er is still so filial. Qinglian, go to the kitchen and take a portion of these pickled vegetables out. Let’s have everyone here try some.”

Zhou Zixu’s mother, Madam Jiang, glared lovingly at her son and said, “Be careful of boasting too much in front of grandmother. In a moment if it doesn’t fit her tastes, what kind of situation do you think you’ll be in?”

Zhou Zixu sat next to his mother and pulled on her arm like a spoiled child. He pouted and said, “Mother, it doesn’t matter if other people give me face or not, but you need to help your son. If it’s not tasty, please still eat a little more!”

His grandmother pointed a finger at him and gently laughed, “You little monkey...with such a filial heart, I will also give you some face and eat a couple more bites…”

A plate of sweet and crispy radishes and a plate of fragrant and spicy wine marinated tofu came out. They were artfully arranged on a crystal plate with a light dressing of sesame oil on top. The tantalizing smell of sweetness and sour hit everyone, which increased all their appetites greatly.

Matriarch Zhou’s personal maidservant, Zitang, served her mistress a portion of the radishes and placed them into her congee bowl using ivory chopsticks. The combination of the sweet and crispy radishes with a hint of spiciness paired perfectly with the congee that had been slowly simmered with the best rice money could buy. The old lady’s eyes lit up in pleasure as she enjoyed her food.

“How is it? Grandma, does it meet your tastes?” Out of all of the grandsons, only Zhou Zixu would ever intimately call the matriarch ‘grandma’. The rest of them all respectfully referred to her as ‘grandmother’.

The Zhou Family’s matriarch carefully chewed and tasted the different flavors that came from the congee and pickled radishes. A bit of time passed before she finally met her grandson’s eager eyes and slowly nodded her head, “Not bad, not bad! How could I not believe in my grandson’s tastes?”

[1] Gui Guzi (鬼谷子) was Sun Bin's (famous general) master and had agreed to come down the mountain to save him after the Qi Country's envoy, Su Dai, asked him three times.

[2] Arhat or Luohan (罗汉) - a term originating from Buddhism. In Chinese Buddhism, it is used to describe a practitioner who had a higher level of attainment or pre-enlightenment but has not become a Boddhisattva, or a Buddha.

Chapter 102 - Skimping on Work

As she talked, she dispensed with having her maidservant serve her. The old lady picked up her chopsticks to grab more crispy pickled radish and placed it in her bowl...unconsciously, after consuming a whole bowl of nourishing and dense congee, she still wanted to eat more. She had her maidservant serve her up another bowl. She had a taste of all of the other dishes on the table. However, the one she ate the most of was still the sweet, crispy and tasty radishes.

On the other hand, the patriarch of the family loved the wine-marinated beans the most. The old man liked to have a few drinks of alcohol every day. Since the wine-marinated beans had the slight fragrance of wine and a hint of spiciness, they provoked his taste buds and made him want to eat them continuously without stopping.

As for the other members of the family, they all praised these two appetizers continuously. A satisfied expression crossed Zhou Zixu’s face. Suddenly he remembered the words that the shabbily dressed little girl, who had more dazzling talents than any of those noble young ladies,  had said. He spoke to his grandfather, “Grandfather, do you think these pickled vegetables are delicious?”

Patriarch Zhou picked up a small steamed roll and used his chopsticks to place some wine-marinated beans on top. He opened his mouth wide to take a bite and closed his eyes, “Not bad…”

“Grandfather, do you think the customers would like it if Zhenxiu Restaurant added a couple small plates of these pickled vegetables to the cold appetizer platters?” At the pickled vegetable stall, the little girl had off-handedly mentioned this idea, and it lit up a lightbulb in his business minded self.

The patriarch’s eyes, which had been comfortably closed, abruptly opened wide. He placed down the chopsticks in his hands and stroked his beard. He nodded and remarked in a gratified tone, “Xu’er, Grandfather has not missed the mark with you. You really are like Second Son ah...this idea is quite feasible, so I’ll give it to you to handle!”

Zhou Zifang clenched his hand that was underneath the table into a tight fist. Despite his fingernails digging into his flesh, he felt no pain as he did his best to keep a faint smile on his face, “Grandfather, Younger Brother Xu is truly a dark horse whose ideas amaze the world! Fortunately, all of the Zhou family members have the same blood in our veins.”

Within his heart, he secretly hated his younger brother. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how well he did business-wise, in his grandfather’s heart, it wasn’t enough for him to overcome his brothers who were born from the wives of the family.

Although his grandfather had complimented him for his business acumen and talents, he was only ever given a few small-scale business ventures. Zhou Zixu was just a little brat who didn’t know anything. However, with just a simple idea that anyone could have come up with, his grandfather had decided to give him a larger share of the business in disguise, setting him up to be the successor. How could he accept this?

Within the Zhou Family, the wealthiest family in Tanggu Town, there were some people who were rejoicing and some people who worried. On the other hand, Xiaocao continued on with her usual tasks: making braised food and selling braised food. The whole household bustled around busily working to fulfill their aspirations.

After Madam Zhang made a fuss and came away with the recipe for the braised food, the next day she went to the market and bought a large pig head. She also made the butcher give her some pig intestines and tripe before she went home to prepare the food.

Pig intestines and tripe were not only dirty but also smelly. Naturally Madam Zhang didn’t want to work with these ingredients herself. However, her daughter was also at home sewing her dowry and couldn’t rough up her hands. Thus, the task naturally fell to Madam Li.

Madam Li was a lazy person who only liked to eat and gossip, so how could she possibly be someone who could do the hard work? If her efforts would result in money going into her own pocket, that would be a different story. However, all of the family’s income went straight into her mother-in-law’s control. Thus, she really had no incentive to work hard.

With one hand pinching her nose closed, Madam Li used water to wash out the nasty gunk that was inside the pig intestines. She then let the intestines soak a couple of times in clean water without scrubbing them. As for the pig head, she didn’t even bother to remove all of the hair and fur or clean out the junk in the ears before she immediately placed it in a pot to boil.

During the braising process, Madam Zhang didn’t want to waste money by using too many spices, so she cut down the amount needed for each spice by half. As for the expensive seasonings, she directly left them out. With this, the taste of the product had also been diluted.

The finished braised pig head meat and offal had a sickening stench of feces that could make anyone want to vomit. Who would want to eat something that smelled that bad? At the table, Old Yu didn’t even bother trying the plate of braised pig meat. Instead, he slapped the table and howled, “Is this food fit for humans to eat? Quickly take this off the table and throw it far away! How can anyone have the appetite to eat with a smell this disgusting around?”

Third Son Yu Bo was at home for one of his rare visits. However, the stench of the braised food made him dry heave a couple of times. He didn’t even finish the egg that was added to each of his meals before he threw down his chopsticks and went back to his room. The door to his room was slammed forcefully shut. As for Yu Caidie, she grabbed a pancake and some dried radish strips and went to the courtyard to eat her meal.

Heizi was the only person not affected by the horrible stench. Instead, he picked up a plump piece of pig head meat and ate it in large bites. Had Xiaocao been there, she would have silently laughed, ‘This stupid boy. As long as it’s meat, even if it smells worse than human excrement, he’ll still eat it!’

However, they had spent around ten copper coins to buy the pig head. In addition, the spices also cost money. All in all, they spent around twenty to thirty copper coins. If they threw this food away, wouldn’t that be the same as throwing money away?

Madam Zhang didn’t care about any of this. That afternoon, she placed the braised pig head meat and intestines into a basket and dragged Madam Li with her to the docks.

“One copper coin for a portion of meat! This is the authentic Yu Family’s braised food! Tasty and cheap...Big Brother, buy a portion and try some!” Under Madam Zhang’s prodding, Madam Li managed to squeeze out a smile on her face as she advertised their wears. However, she was quite unwilling on the inside.

It was quite an opportune time for them. There wasn’t a lot of work under Foreman Sun, so the dockworkers had all come early to wait for Xiaocao’s braised food for one copper coin a portion. When they heard Madam Li yelling, all of them came over.

As usual, Old Hao fished out two copper coins and casually asked, “Give me two portions of pickled fish...where’s Xiaocao today? How come she’s not here?”

Pickled fish? The smile on Madam Li’s face froze for a second. Madam Zhang, on the other hand, quickly took the money and said, “You’re talking about my granddaughter, ah! She’s busy today...Big Brother, we don’t have any pickled fish today. We have pig head meat and intestines, do you want some?”

“Yes, yes! Give me two portions of pig head meat, larger portions please.” Pig head meat was Old Hao’s favorite dish. He had gotten used to buying pickled fish in the afternoons, so it was a nice surprise for him that he could get some pig head meat today.

After taking over the oiled paper packet that Madam Zhang gave him, Old Hao weighed the contents in his hand a bit. He grumbled inside, ‘Why does it seem like they gave me a smaller portion of braised food today?’ However, after thinking a bit, he thought, ‘This meat is so delicious and it’s only one copper coin. A smaller portion is just a smaller portion…’

Old Hao impatiently ripped open his oiled paper packet but the smell that came out wasn’t the usual dense and appetizing smell. It was hard to describe but it assaulted his nose, causing him to scowl. He used one hand to pick up a piece and discovered that the piece still had obvious bits of pig fur, standing up tall and proud.

The braised food that Xiaocao sold for one copper coin a portion always smelled appetizing, had incredible flavor, but most importantly, she always cleaned the raw ingredients thoroughly. With this, even a fool could tell that there was something wrong with this braised food.

Old Hao held his portion of pig head meat as he squeezed through the crowd. He waved the piece with fur on it in front of Madam Zhang’s face and said, “Yo Auntie, are you absolutely sure that Xiaocao herself had braised this pig head meat?”

“Of...of course! That bit of fur must have escaped our notice when we were preparing the food. Didn’t see it then...Big Brother, I’ll swap out a new portion for you…” Madam Zhang stammered awkwardly with a stiff smile on her face.

Seeing that the old woman was hemming and hawing, Old Hao knew something fishy was going on here. He placed that piece of meat back into the paper packet and shoved the whole thing into Madam Zhang’s hand, “Go smell it yourself! Whenever you open a packet of Xiaocao’s one copper coin a portion of braised food, the smell that comes out is so good. As for yours, I almost wanted to vomit from the stench. This absolutely is not something Xiaocao made! ...I don’t want this anymore, refund me, refund me!”

Madam Zhang was like a Pixiu [1], gold and silver only went in and never came out. If you wanted her to refund you, tough luck! The expression on her face turned frosty, and she yelled shrilly, “You already ate it and you want your money to be refunded! Do you think bullying an old woman is easy?!”

At this time, she had already sold more than ten portions out. When the people surrounding her realized that something wasn’t right, they put their coins back into their purses and stood at the side to watch and see.

A few of the dockworkers who had just bought the food hadn’t opened up the paper pouches yet, and they hurriedly asked, “Auntie, I just got this and I haven’t even opened the pouch yet. Can I return it now?”

When Madam Zhang saw that their roaring business had slid to a halt by the complaints, she obviously had no desire to return any of the money in her hands. She pinched herself on her thigh and started screaming towards the sky, “Okay, I see how it is! You’re all trying to bully a pair of old weak women! You don’t want to pay money for your goods! The heavens witness all, are you guys not afraid of receiving retribution?”

Madam Li joined in and hollered, “We are selling food. If you already got it in hand, who knows what you’ve done to it? If you return it, how are we supposed to sell it to other people? If the goods have already been transferred, we cannot refund the purchase!!”

Old Hao pointed at the pig head meat in his hand in frustration, “The food you sell is inedible! Refunding the money is heaven’s law and earth’s principle!”

“What ‘heaven’s law and earth’s principle’? How is it not edible? If you eat it, will you die? Just eat some and see. If it really kills you, then we’ll pay your funeral fees!!” Madam Zhang shrewish side was out in full force. At any rate, she was an old woman, the workers here on the dock wouldn’t dare to touch her. If they did, then they really would be in for it!

Old Hao’s eyes widened in fury. He clenched his fist into a death grip and advanced a step, “Old woman, how can you be so unreasonable? Not only that, you’re even cursing other people to die!”

“Ahhhh! He wants to kill me!! Everyone come see, a whole group of men are trying to bully us two weak women! Is there no one here who cares...” Madam Zhang was frightened by the look of pure fury in his eyes, and she retreated two steps before she fell on the ground. She slapped her thighs as she cried and screamed.

Old Hao and the other dockworkers didn’t know whether they should laugh or cry at this situation——did she have any leg to stand on after selling counterfeit goods?!

“Grandmother, what’s wrong? Who’s trying to bully you?” The sound of Xiaocao’s voice could be heard from behind the crowd of people. The dock workers opened a small crack and let her in. With a basket slung over her arm, Xiaocao carefully walked towards where Madam Zhang was sitting.

Madam Zhang wasn’t thickfaced enough to allow the younger generation to see her in such a dismal state. She hastily got up, patted off the dirt from her body, and then righteously shouted, “Xiaocao, you came at the right time!! Did you give us the wrong recipe on purpose because you didn’t want us to steal your business? They’re all saying that there’s something wrong with the braised food and want to return it!”

Xiaocao glanced briefly at the faces behind Madam Zhang and had a basic understanding of what might have happened. She walked towards Old Hao. looked at the oiled paper pouch in his hand ,and said, “Uncle Old Hao, can I take a look at the braised food in your hand?”

Old Hao handed over the pouch that he had previously owned and complained, “Xiaocao, smell this. Is this something that humans are supposed to eat?”

The smell that came out of the pouch assaulted Xiaocao’s nose, and she couldn't help but frown. She inspected the pig head meat carefully and then turned to speak to Madam Zhang, “Grandmother, before you braise the pig head meat, you need to make sure you remove all of the fur and hair from the pig head. You also need to scrape and clean out all of the junk in its ears, and it’s important to use a lot of force when scrubbing. Afterwards, you need to split the head open and take out its brains, then let it soak in some clean water and let the blood all come out. Then you need to let it soak in hot water for about half an hour. This is the only way to remove any odd odors from the pig head. Look at this pig head meat, there’s still hair and fur on it. It’s obvious that whoever was washing the pig head was skimping on the work.”

[1] Pixiu (貔貅) - a mythical creature, which is depicted as a winged animal with the head of a dragon and body of a lion, that brings luck (usually wealth) and wards off evil; it is believed that the pixiu doesn't have an anus which signifies that wealth/luck will flow in and not leave

Chapter 103 - Loss of Integrity

Madam Zhang stared fiercely at Madam Li, who looked down to avoid her eyes, and asked, “Why didn’t you speak more clearly at the beginning? Did you do it on purpose?”

Xiaocao was so angry that she became amused by them and said, “Grandmother, when you’re in the food industry, you have to see things through other people’s eyes! When you cook for yourself, don’t you wash the ingredients first? It’s especially important to do so when braising pig head. Do you really still need other people to tell you? Look at this large intestine. The feces inside haven’t even been thoroughly cleaned yet. How are people supposed to eat this?!”

The docker, who had bought the braised large intestine, saw Xiaocao taking out a lump of black substance from a section of the large intestine. He instantly felt his stomach lurch and was glad that he hadn’t started eating yet.

Xiaocao continued, “Grandmother, based on the color of the braised food, there isn’t enough flavorings in it. So, both the large intestine and pig head look deathly pale. Also, when braising food, you need to first boil in high heat, and then in low heat after half an hour. Each time, it needs to be cooked for a total of one and a half hours, so that the meat and bone can be easily separated by hand. It’s important to have a good grasp of the fire. If the fire is too big and it’s cooked too long, the pig head will be overcooked, and the output will be reduced. If the fire is too small and the cooking time is too short, then the color, aroma, and taste of the product will be poor. It’s evident that you didn’t get a good grasp of the fire for your braised food…”

These were all things that Xiaocao had told them before. However, that lazy woman, Madam Li, didn’t have the patience to wait beside the stove. She had put out the fire and went out to gossip before the braised food was ready. As for the seasonings, Madam Zhang’s eyes darted around and appeared somewhat guilty. In order to save some money, she had reduced the required seasonings by half.

“Oh… so this isn’t the braised food made by Xiaocao. You deceived us by saying that it’s the authentic one copper coin meat dish!” He snorted and continued, “I’ll take it as throwing two copper coins in the sea, but don’t expect us to buy any of your one copper coin food again!” Old Hao angrily threw the other packet of braised food from his hands next to Madam Zhang’s feet, and then walked away furiously.

Xiaocao hastily stopped him and said, “Uncle Hao, I’ll apologize for my grandmother. Please take two servings of pickled fish as compensation! Xiaolian, give Uncle Hao two portions of pickled fish.”

Old Hao rubbed his hands together in embarrassment. He took two copper coins out from his pocket and said, “She is she and you are you! Take it as me buying these two pickled fish…”

Xiaocao pushed back his hand that held the money and said, “When the elders do something wrong, the younger generation should also bear some responsibilities. Although we have already split from the main family, there’s nothing wrong with using a few copper coins to show filial piety to our elders. Those who had bought braised food from my grandmother can come over to get the corresponding amount of pickled fish from me. The money that you gave my grandmother will be our way of showing filial respects to her.”

As soon as Madam Zhang heard that she didn’t need to refund the money that she received, her anxious heart finally relaxed. Seeing that everyone was praising Xiaocao for being filial and doing honest business, she sneered in disdain. As she counted the ten or so coins in her hand, she inwardly resented that Old Hao for not coming later. If it hadn’t been for him, she could have earned a profit. When she thought about how she hadn’t earned back half of the money that was used to buy the seasonings, she felt a piercing pain as if a part of her heart had been dug out by someone.

When Xiaolian came over with the basket to give everyone the pickled fish, the crowd were surprised to find out that the two little girls looked exactly the same. Xiaocao smiled and said, “Everyone, this is my twin sister Xiaolian. Yesterday, as well as every afternoon before, she was the one who came to sell the braised food.”

Old Hao was briefly stunned, and then he laughed, “I knew something was off! I had wondered why Xiaocao isn’t as talkative in the afternoon. So it turned out to be another person! It’s ridiculous that we didn’t notice it was a different person in the morning and afternoon for so many days. It’s so interesting and funny!”

The pair of sisters who looked identical attracted the attention of even more people, and thus, Xiaocao’s business became more popular than ever. Brother Six, who had also come to buy two portions of pickled fish, glanced at the two sisters with his cold gaze. When he left, he had a rare smile on his face——He had guessed correctly…

Madam Zhang and her daughter in-law’s gaze were filled with envy as they looked at the endless crowd around Xiaocao. But, no matter how much they advertised, the news of their crude and inferior braised food had already spread among the dock workers. Their voices were already hoarse from all the shouting, but they still didn’t sell another serving of food. Hence, they could only leave in disgrace.

Later, when their braised food was finally edible, there still wasn’t anyone willing to support their business. This was how business worked. Once a business lost its integrity, then it would be difficult to redeem themselves.

After several times, the mother in-law and daughter in-law not only didn’t earn any money, but they also lost their capital. The process of braising pig head and pig offal was very laborious. Neither of the in-laws were hard working people, so they gradually lost their interest in making money from selling braised food.

March should had been a good season for the weather to warm up and flowers to blossom. However, at the beginning of March this year, there was a cold current, which perfectly matched the saying: ‘There is a chill in the early spring air.’

Fortunately, Madam Liu and Xiaolian had already taken time to make new bedding for the whole family. They had opened up the old quilts, took out the cotton, and fluffed up the cotton. After that, they stuffed the old cotton into the new covers and used them as a cotton-padded mattress in place of the rice straw on top of the kang bed. As for the new bedding, they had sewn four sets of new soft and fluffy cotton quilts.

When Xiaocao was covered with the warm and soft quilts, she sighed happily and rolled around on the bed, reluctant to get up. Madam Liu and Xiaolian were amused by her actions.

When the cold wave came, Yu Hai immediately drove his donkey cart to town to give both his sons a new set of cotton-padded clothes. Although the clothes were made of cheap coarse cloth, the cotton inside was new and it had better heat retention than their old jackets.

Xiaocao and Xiaolian had also put on new jackets, which were blue with red flower patterns. They were snuggling with their parents on the kang bed after dinner. The whole family looked out of the window with concern. Yu Hai sighed and said, “It seems like there’s going to be ‘peach blossom snow’ tonight…”

Xiaolian asked, “Father, what’s a ‘peach blossom snow’?”

Madam Liu patiently explained the changes in the solar terms to her, and then recited a farmer’s proverb: In March, on the third day of March, apricot flowers and peach blossoms will bloom all over the mountains. When the peach blossom blooms and the apricot flower withers, plums and prunes will grow up. As the peach blossom blooms and the apricot flower withers, persimmons will grow and the apricots will drop. If there’s a spring snow in March, there won’t be a high yield of fruits.

In the end, she concluded, “If it snows tonight, I’m afraid that the villagers who planted fruits this year will have a headache…”

Xiaolian looked out the window at the vegetable garden and said worriedly, “Then… will our family’s vegetables be affected? I think we can harvest them in a few days. If it freezes, all our previous efforts would be wasted…”

Yu Hai looked at Xiaocao and couldn’t help but ask, “Cao’er, can those straw thatches withstand this snowstorm?”

Xiaocao looked at the little golden kitten napping on the bed and asked in her mind, [Little Glutinous Dumpling, will the vegetables that we planted be alright? Didn’t you say that if we watered them with your bathing water, they can resist drought, cold, and pests?]

Every night, it would absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and recover its powers. Yes, in addition to soaking in water, it could also absorb the essence of the sun and the moon and turn it into its own spiritual power. The little golden kitten stretched, yawned, rubbed its little eyes with its paws, and then said, [Don’t worry! As long as it doesn’t last more than three days, it will be fine… I’m tired, so quickly help this divine stone get to bed.]

Go to bed? My butt! Wasn’t it just taking off the multicolored stone and putting it in a jar of water? Xiaocao reluctantly brought over the jar that the little divine stone usually rest in and placed the multicolored stone inside. After that, she repeated what Little Divine Stone said to her family. Xiaolian asked curiously, “Little Sister, where did you find that useless stone? You’re always soaking it in water like it’s some kind of treasure. What’s the use of this stone?”

[Who’s a useless stone? You’re a useless stone! Your whole family are useless stones!] Little Divine Stone angrily bared its fangs at Xiaolian as it mimicked the Goddess of Spirit’s favorite pet phrase, saying it in exactly the same manner. After scolding her, it was so pleased with itself that it even showed a complacent expression.

“Xiaocao, what’s wrong with your Little Glutinous Dumpling? Hurry and take it away!” Xiaolian watched as the lazily sleeping kitten abruptly jumped on her head and scratched her hair with its tiny claws. It didn’t really hurt, but it looked rather silly.

The Yu Family was still rather fond of the beautiful little golden kitten that suddenly appeared at their home. But, this little kitten was very proud and aloof. It usually ignored everyone except for Xiaocao.

Xiaocao grabbed the grumpy little kitten and pacified it by caressing it on her palm. She smiled and said, “I found it by chance in the stream. Xiaolian, don’t you think the rainbow color looks very pretty? I found that the color becomes even more vibrant if it’s nourished in the spring water every day. Moreover, I noticed that our family’s life has been getting better and better after I picked up this little rock. Perhaps, it’s a lucky stone!”

Seeing her daughter treat a rock as if it were a precious treasure, Madam Liu felt slightly saddened within her heart. She secretly made up her mind to buy some accessories for her daughters after they earned money from selling the vegetables. Her daughters were already at the age when they liked to be well-groomed. Time sure passed by quickly…

That evening, smoke reemerged from the kang flues in Dongshan Village, which had already been stopped for a period of time. Xiaocao’s family had new mattresses and quilts, so they didn’t really need to heat the kang bed.

The next day, the village was shrouded in a silvery-white attire, as if everything was dressed in silver. Even the mountains were covered in snow and looked as if they were back in the ice and snow-covered winter. The pond behind the house was like a green jadeite inlaid within white marble, brilliant and clear.

On top of the rows of old pine trees were snowballs of various sizes. In the bamboo forest, tall bamboo trees were bent by the heavy snow. Rows and rows of bamboo trees were covered by layers upon layers of silver cloaks.

The sun rose from the east side of the mountains and shone brightly in all directions. The mountain village became particularly enchanting. The snow accumulated on the distant mountain peaks was like rosy clouds in the sky. Under the sunshine, a faint golden glow appeared on the treetops. The sparrows in the woods hopped around and shook the branches. The snow accumulated on the branches fluttered to the ground like powder. When reflected by the sunlight, it looked like a layer of silver fog.

Xiaocao would always get seriously ill whenever it snowed in the past. She had also fallen seriously sick before the New Year (Author’s note: It was fake.). Thus, her family was worried about her health. They requested her to stay at home and had Yu Hai drive the donkey cart and take Xiaolian to the docks to sell braised food.

After all, it was the spring season of March. After the warm sun rose, the snow began to melt under the sunlight. The sound of the snow crashing down could be heard and large clusters of accumulated snow fell from the bamboo trees. The bamboo tree straightened up its waist and shook its head as if it was saying: ‘You want to crush me? Don’t even think about it!’ In the distance came the loud mooing of an old cattle, the quacking of ducks, and the laughter of people…

Chapter 104 - Robbery

Xiaocao and Madam Liu, who stayed at home, weren’t idling around either. Taking advantage of the warm sunshine after the snow, they lifted up the straw thatches and shook off the snow on top. The smiles on mother-daughter’s faces were even brighter than the sun as they looked at the green vegetables, which were bathing in the sunshine and unaffected by the spring snow.

Madam Fang, who had come to visit with her daughter, was shocked by the greenery in front of her when she entered the courtyard. She felt as if she had entered spring ahead of time. Madam Fang chattered endlessly, “Your vegetables are growing so well! Younger Sister Muyun, we also made straw thatches and tried to grow a vegetable garden according to the way you taught me. A few, sparse seedlings just sprouted, but they had wilted due to the heavy snow yesterday. I don’t even know if they can survive…”

Madam Liu couldn’t contain the joy on her face and said with a smile, “Xiaocao’s father just lets her do whatever she wants. I couldn’t stop them, so I just let them plant the vegetables with the thought that we’re just wasting several bags of seeds. Unexpectedly, the vegetables that little lass planted actually sprouted. Your garden isn’t growing very well, could it be that the soil isn’t fertile enough? As you know, our yard has been deserted for many years and has accumulated a thick layer of foliar fertilizer.”

Xiaocao quickly said, “The seeds for greens and mustard greens were scattered more densely in our backyard. When it gets warmer in a couple days, Auntie Zhou can take some back to grow in your garden.”

Madam Fang’s younger daughter, Zhou Shanhu, wasn’t much older than her and had a lively personality. Every time she came, she would be envious of Xiaocao’s family’s greeneries. When she returned to her own home, she would water and fertilize her family’s vegetable garden. She wanted the vegetables in her yard to grow faster so that she could eat them as soon as possible. When she woke up this morning, she had cried bitterly at the sight of pitiful state of the vegetables, which were all frozen.

When Zhou Shanhu heard what Xiaocao said, she immediately grabbed Xiaocao’s hand with a grin and asked, “Really? Are you really giving some to us? But… aren’t you guys going to sell the vegetables in town?”

Xiaocao held her hand and walked towards the rear courtyard. As they walked, she said, “Shanhu, you should also know that if the crops are planted too densely, their growth will also be affected. If you and Older Sister Linglong come take some away tomorrow, it will benefit our family too. We got two laborers for free!”

“Hey! So that’s what you were planning!” Zhou Shanhu laughed and tried to pinch her tender cheeks, while Xiaocao smiled and dodged her. The two young girls were chasing and frolicking beside the vegetable garden, while Zhou Linglong followed behind them, smiling quietly.

In the Yu Family’s main house, Madam Li was complaining to her mother in-law.

“Mother, I think that Second Brother in-law’s family earns more than ten copper coins daily from selling braised food! No matter what they probably earn more than a hundred copper coins. So that means they get three taels in a month, which is more than the income we get from our fishing boat!” As Madam Li thought of the shiny silvers, she felt as if there were twenty-five kittens hiding in her heart—there were a hundred claws scratching her heart!

Of course, Madam Zhang was also envious of the second branch’s income, but she couldn’t just go take it from them. The old man wouldn’t agree. Last time, when she got the braised food recipe from the second branch, that damned old man was angry at her for several days!

When Madam Zhang thought of how the old man was being ‘partial’, she slammed the rough ceramic cup in her hand heavily on table and vented her anger at Madam Li, “What’s the point in talking about this? Can you get the money? It’s all your fault! You can’t even properly clean the pig offal and offended all the customers. Now, even if we stole the braised food that Xiaocao made and sold them, no one would be willing to buy them!!”

Madam Li’s face went from blue to white after being scolded. She thought inwardly: ‘How am I the one who offended the customers? Weren’t you the one who was so greedy that you refused to give them refunds? You even shamelessly threw a tantrum! Even those rough men on the docks avoid you whenever they see you…’

Her eyes darted around for a moment, and then she stealthily changed the topic in order to redirect her mother in-law’s anger, “Mother, I can’t believe Second Brother in-law would act like this! He earns so much money every day, but he didn’t even think of his parents. He appeared like such a good son in the past, but who knew… Tsk tsk, he was never sincere and was just pretending all along!”

Madam Li was seriously stirring up problems for no reason. Before Yu Hai’s family had split from the household, they had to hand in all their income. If they also handed in all their money now that they were living separately, what would their family eat and drink with?

Madam Zhang snorted and angrily replied, “He’s a good son? He’s completely disregarding his parents’ life or death, while his own family is eating and living well! How is he good? He deserves to be crippled! It’s karma!”

In the room, the mother in-law and daughter in-law were venting and making Yu Hai out to be a worthless person. However, they hadn’t expected that an evil idea would emerge within the heart of a dark figure under the window, who had overheard them.

The sky was clear and boundless the next day. The snow from a couple days ago had already melted and seeped into the soil. Xiaocao and her sister were walking home with a basket in their hands.

Their baskets were completely empty. Xiaocao happily hummed as she touched her bloated purse. Xiaolian also had a delighted expression on her face and said to Xiaocao, “Little Sister, the manager of the restaurant at the docks asked you to help make a meal for a table in the morning. Are you going to prepare the same dishes as before?”

Xiaocao smiled and said, “This time, the guests are from the south, so they don’t like spicy food and prefer sweeter flavors and vegetable dishes. I’m going to make new dishes on the basis of ‘pearl balls’ and ‘shredded pork with bean sauce’. For the fish, I’m planning on making ‘sweet and sour fish’. Since it has a sweet and sour taste, the southerners will definitely like it. Our family’s bok choy and mustard greens should be ready to eat. The vegetable dishes will be ‘sautéed mushroom and bok choy’ and ‘minced garlic with mustard greens’. For the staple food… ‘three delicacies vegetarian crystal steamed buns’ would be a good choice. It’s exquisite and delicious! To be able to eat bok choy and mustard greens during this season, the guests will surely enjoy the meal!”

While the sisters were happily discussing the dishes for the meal and how much they had earned with the two taels that they were given, a dark shadow suddenly flew out from the withered bush on wayside and blocked the sisters’ path.

Xiaocao was alarmed in her heart. She looked around and noticed that there wasn’t anyone else on the road. Although they had two people, they were only children who weren’t even nine yet. The other person had covered his face with a mask. Though he wasn’t very tall, he looked very sturdy. Thus, he was more than capable of dealing with two thin and small girls.

“Take out your money! Otherwise, I’ll kill you!” The masked man tried to make his voice sound deeper and pretended to sound vicious. But there was still a faint sense of immaturity within his voice.

Upon hearing him, Xiaocao had determined that he wasn’t very old and should be at the age when his voice was changing. They had earned more than two hundred copper coins from peddling this morning. In the purse, she not only had the money they earned this morning, but also a deposit of two taels from the restaurant’s boss. She was really reluctant to hand it over obediently.

She stalled for time as she tried to think of a way to get away, “Don’t act recklessly! There’s a lot of pedestrians on this road at this time. Roadway robbery is a felony. If you get caught and sent to the yamen [1], you will first be punished with fifty strikes. Even if you don’t die, your skin will tear off!”

When the masked man heard her, all the flesh on his body trembled. He tightened his grip on the stick in his hand, pointed at the sisters, and angrily said, “Cut the crap and quickly hand over the money!!”

Xiaocao looked around and quietly squeezed Xiaolian’s palm. She suddenly had a look of surprise and loudly shouted behind him, “Uncle Zhao! Did you come to sell game?”

As soon as he heard that it was the skilled fighter Hunter Zhao, the masked man was so scared that the stick in his hand fell to the ground. He turned around and looked behind himself, while he got ready to escape.

The moment he turned his head, Xiaocao pulled Xiaolian and ran in the opposite direction with all her might.

When the masked man saw the empty path behind him, he finally realized that he had been fooled. He scolded at them, “Stinky brats, I definitely skin you alive when I catch you!” After that, he swiftly ran after the sisters.

Although the sisters took the lead, their legs were short and weak, and was soon caught up by the robber. He furiously reached out his hands and pushed Xiaocao very far away. He said fiercely, “You dared to trick me! If I don’t beat you up until you’re crying for your parents, then I won’t go by the surname of…”

He wasn’t so foolish as to tell them his family name, and swiftly stopped himself before he exposed his own surname. He angrily sent a hard slap towards Xiaocao’s direction.

However, at this time, Xiaolian suddenly strode forward and blocked her younger sister. With a sharp sound of the clap, Xiaolian staggered several steps backwards and fell to the ground after being hit. Her fair and tender face instantly became swollen.

Xiaocao rushed towards her to help her up. Her heart ached as she blew on her red and swollen face. She had always protected people who were close to her. For her younger siblings in her previous life, she had been in countless fights with people who had bullied them. She had ‘gloriously’ won the title of a tigress!

She tightened her fist and clenched her teeth. Directly fighting with the opponent would be her last resort. Based on his reaction when she tricked him earlier, he should know Hunter Zhao, Uncle Zhao. In addition, she had this lingering feeling that there was a sense of familiarity from the robber. She suspected that he was someone she knew and could possibly be someone from Dongshan Village…

[Yaaawn… Stop guessing. There’s no one else other than your eldest paternal cousin, who’s lazy, gluttonous, and a good-for-nothing!] The lazy voice of the little divine stone sounded in her ear as the little golden kitten on her shoulder stretched its back.

Yu Ge, Yu Heizi? Xiaocao looked at the other person’s plump figure, who had a sharp rooster-like voice. He appeared to be tough on the outside, but was timid inwardly… It really was him!

Little Divine Stone nonchalantly said, [Little girl, do you want me, this Divine Stone, to use my power and teach that fellow a lesson?] Although the little celestial stone had recognized Xiaocao as its master, it usually didn’t treat her with high esteem.

Xiaocao knew that Yu Ge, appeared fierce and malicious, but he was actually cowardly inside. She recalled how, on the day she woke up, he got so scared that he nearly wet his pants because of a few words. A plan was forming within her mind…

Yu Heizi had secretly eavesdropped on his mother and grandmother’s conversation. He found out that Xiaocao went to the docks every day and earned over a hundred copper coins. Since he was young, his stingy grandmother had always stealthily fed him delicious food behind younger siblings of the second branch’s back, but she had never given him more than two copper coins for allowance. It wasn’t even enough to buy a piece of candy from a peddler.

One hundred copper coins was like a fortune to him. He thought about all the things he could do if he had a hundred copper coins. He would be able to buy two fragrant sesame pancakes stuffed with several pieces of beef and have a good meal in town. He could also buy a pearl hairpin for Xiaoxiang, who liked to dress up, to make her happy.

The next morning, he had heard that the two little girls, Xiaocao and Xiaolian, were the ones going to the docks today, and thus an idea formed in his mind.

[1] Yamen (衙门) - government office in ancient China, which works as a courthouse, police station, etc.

Chapter 105 - Seeing a Ghost

He had originally thought that they were only two seven to eight year old girls, so he could get the money easily by just scaring them a little. But he hadn’t expected that Xiaocao would threaten him with the yamen and the punishment of being flogged. She also tried to run away after deceiving him. He couldn’t help but feel infuriated. He picked up the wooden stick that was as thick as a person’s wrist and prepared swiftly knock them out and run away after grabbing the money. He needed to act quickly lest someone really passed by at this time and wasted all his efforts.

In the village, taking other children’s things and bullying people were things that he had done ever since he was a young child. However, it was his first time committing a felony and robbing people on the road. With a twisted expression, he hardened his heart, lifted the wooden stick in his hand, and was about to ruthlessly strike Xiaocao’s head.

Xiaolian screamed and disregarded the pain on her face as she rushed over to block the blow for her younger sister. Her younger sister had nearly died last summer after being pushed by their eldest aunt. She could never forget the scene of her sister’s pale face being covered by the dark red blood. There was only one thought within her mind at the moment—she must never let her get hurt again!

When Xiaolian hugged Xiaocao with her own frail body to prevent her from being assaulted by the robber, Xiaocao’s heart was filled with a burst of emotion. In her previous life, no matter how much she suffered, she had to stand up straight and face it bravely. She must never fall down because she knew that she was the main pillar of her family and the one person that her younger siblings could depend on. After being resurrected, she had become the one who was being protected, which let her feel the warmth of a family again…

Xiaocao supported Xiaolian’s shoulders and pointed at the robber, who had the stick raised up high but seemed as if he had been paralyzed by a spell. She said, “Don’t be scared! He can’t do anything!”

“Uh? Why isn’t he moving? Could it be that there’s some deity helping us?” Xiaolian still had a lingering fear as she pulled her sister back a few steps and asked curiously.

At this time, Yu Ge was suffering from unprecedented fear and torment. As soon as he lifted the wooden stick, the sky suddenly darkened and fierce voice shouted, “How dare you, Yu Ge! To rob others of their wealth in broad daylight! To bully the good and the weak! The King of Hell had sent this immortal to detain your soul and take you to the Palace of Hell for trial!”

Heizi was so frightened that he immediately lost all his senses the moment he looked up. In the dark sky, there was a tall, bulky figure with the head of an ox and the body of a human holding a steel fork. Wasn’t he the soul messenger in the legends? His legs went limp from the shock. He felt a warm sensation around his crotch and a stinky odor could be smelled. He was so scared that he had peed in his pants.

When a dark and shiny iron chain wrapped around his neck, he immediately threw away the stick in his hand, knelt on his knees, and desperately kowtowed at Ox-Head [1]. He kept begging for mercy, “Please spare me, please have mercy on me! Since this was my first time committing such a crime, can you please spare me this one time?”

Ox-Head spoke again, “You are a thief committing a robbery. You have also bullied the good and the weak and took possession of other people’s properties. You shall be taken to the Cauldron of Boiling Oil [2]. You will be stripped of your clothing and thrown into the hot oil pan to be fried. Just like a fish, the human skin will gradually be fried into a golden crisp as the hot oil in the pan crackles… According to the seriousness of the case, the severity of the punishment will be altered. You’re a first-time offender, so being fried two or three times should be enough! Alright, stop your nonsense and come with me!!”

Heizi would shudder every time Ox-Head said something. When Ox-Head finished speaking, Heizi had also collapsed on the ground and was unable to get up. If Heizi had a choice, he would rather pass out immediately. But he was extremely clear headed right now. At the same time, he was also afraid of fainting, and then be taken to the Palace of Hell in an unconscious state. He feared that he would be sentenced to the eighteen levels of hell and suffer the torments of being fried and frozen!

He was so frightened that he couldn’t even speak. He just kept kowtowing and admitting his wrongdoings, while seeking a chance to mend his ways and start anew.

A faint smile slowly appeared on the corner of Xiaocao’s mouth, while Xiaolian, who was beside her, exclaimed in astonishment, “Little Sister, is he possessed? What did he suddenly change his attitude and kowtow to us while begging for mercy?”

Xiaocao smiled and said, “Maybe… he was suddenly enlightened by Buddha to reform as an evildoer and become a good person! Isn’t there a saying: ‘there’s a thin line between good and evil’? Let’s go and let him be!”

Xiaolian picked up the basket that had fallen on the ground and asked in a slightly uncertain tone, “Little Sister, why do I have this feeling that his voice sounds slightly familiar? He should be someone we know, right?”

“Who cares if we know him or not? Let’s quickly leave! If he suddenly changes his mind again, then we’re done for!” Xiaocao was afraid of arousing Xiaolian’s suspicion, so she couldn’t stay to appreciate Heizi’s humiliation and urgently pulled her away.

Heizi was still ceaselessly kowtowing to the air. His forehead was already bleeding, but he didn’t dare to stop. Little Divine Stone saw that the sisters had gone far away, so it feigned a merciful appearance and said, [Alright! A fault confessed is half redressed. For the sake of your good attitude, I’ll give you another chance! Remember to do good deeds and don’t commit sinful acts!]

Heizi kowtowed repeatedly to express his gratitude, “Yes, yes! This little one won’t dare to have malicious intentions again. I will definitely do more good deeds! Definitely!”

Seeing that he had learned his lesson, Little Divine Stone dissolved its power and chased after its master with its short legs at lightning speed.

Heizi only felt that the boundless darkness in front of him had dispersed and the soul messenger had already disappeared. After experiencing the ‘calamity’ earlier, he had finally realized the importance of light. Lying on the ground, it took him half a day to recover the strength in his upper body. His cotton-padded clothing was already soaked in cold sweat, especially his trousers. It was filled with his urine. He couldn’t help shivering a few times when a cold breeze blew.

Heizi’s head was wounded and bleeding, and he seemed as if he had been rolling around in the mud. So, when Madam Li saw his battered appearance after he returned home, her heart ached as she questioned repeatedly, “What happened? Heizi, who bullied you? Tell Mother, I’ll go settle the scores with them!”

Heizi was afraid that he would leak ‘celestial secrets’ and anger Ox-Head and Horse-Face, so he hastily came up with an excuse, “Mother, no one was bullying me. I accidentally fell down when I climbed up a tree to catch birds. Mother, you should also be more amicable in the future, lest you get sentenced to the eighteen levels of hell!”

“Damned brat! You dared to curse your mother. Are you looking for a beating?” Madam Li raised her hand, but when she saw the wound on her son’s head, she put her hand down in distress.

After suffering a scare and catching a cold, Heizi had a high fever throughout the entire night. The whole family scrambled to call for a doctor and get the medication. It took more than ten days for him to completely recover from the illness. After he recovered, all the villagers of Dongshan Village clearly noticed the changes in Heizi.

The little bully who used to go around playing tricks and picking on people had disappeared. He had become polite and would come forward to help others when they needed help. Heizi had never helped out at home in the past, but now, he would chop the firewood for his mother and help his grandmother feed the pigs. He had also followed his grandfather out to the sea several times. Everyone in the family agreed that he had grown up and became serious and hardworking.

For the next few days, life was simple yet warm.

In the morning, at dawn, the little donkey called ‘Little Gray’ took the sisters to the docks to sell the braised food that they made the previous night.

The little gray donkey, who had been on the verge of death, was fed mystic-stone water and bean fodder every day. Little Divine Stone had also graciously treated its illness. After a few days, it not only recovered from its illness, but it had also fattened up. Its originally dull and bleak fur had become glossy. As if it knew that Xiaocao was its savior, it was especially close to her and obeyed all her orders.

Therefore, Yu Hai wasn’t worried about his two eight year old daughters driving the cart by themselves at all. This was because they didn’t even need to steer the cart when Xiaocao was around. As if it could understand the human language, the little donkey would run wherever it was being pointed to go.

Yu Hai and Madam Liu were also busy yet full of life. Every day, Madam Liu would wake up early and prepare breakfast for her daughters. Now that the family had better living conditions, she would always make different kinds of food with refined rice and wheat flour for her children to eat. But she continued to eat coarse grain flour herself…

When Xiaocao found out, she had talked to her mother several times about the matter. However, Madam Liu would just reply with a smile, “I’m already used to eating coarse grain flour, so if I suddenly eat wheat flour, my stomach wouldn’t be used to it.” After that, she would hide from Xiaocao whenever she ate, fearing that her daughter would feel bad for her.

After their daughters left, she and her husband would prop up the straw thatches in the front and rear courtyards, so that the vibrant vegetables could bask in the warm spring sunshine.

Next, the idle Madam Liu would sit down and sew clothes and shoes for her husband and children. The morning passed by swiftly just like this.

Yu Hai, on the other hand, went net fishing in the middle of the pond behind the house on the bamboo raft that he had made himself. Actually, he was only pretending to fish with a net for others to see. In fact, he was actually catching fish with the ‘fish bait’ that his daughter had prepared. He caught a lot of fish every day, which made his neighbors envious.

After he came back from fishing, Madam Mao had once asked him to let her husband borrow the bamboo raft and fishing net so that he could try to fish like him. However, after wasting an entire afternoon, her husband had only caught two or three catties of small catfish. She was so angry that she scolded her husband for not living up to expectations and that he didn’t even know how to catch fish.

Her husband, Qian Fugui, just laughed and said, “Brother Yu Hai is a first-class fisherman in the village. He had even caught a large shark in the sea before, let alone some small fish in the pond. How can we compare with him? We should just focus on raising our ducks…”

With the little donkey, they saved a lot of traveling time and Xiaocao had a lot more time on her hands. When they returned home at noon, she took a nice nap after eating a proper lunch. When she woke up, she fried the small fish and pickled fish with Madam Liu’s help.

In the afternoon, Yu Hai drove the donkey cart and took his eldest daughter, Xiaolian, to sell the pickled fish. In this way, Xiaocao could rest for the entire afternoon.

When braising the pig head and large intestines in the evening, Xiaocao just needed to prepare the braising sauce and Madam Liu would be able to finish the rest of the process alone. Since the whole family worked together and divided the work, they weren’t as busy and rushed.

Today, the entire family had gathered around a table to eat lunch. They were probably the only family in the village with the luxury of eating three meals a day, which was, of course, suggested by Xiaocao. With the reason that breakfast was eaten too early and she couldn’t sustain her hunger until dinner, she simplified breakfast, made lunch the priority, and pushed dinner back for two hours. The new schedule was basically the same as the three meals in modern time. Thus, Xiaocao was very satisfied with the results.

For lunch, they had a plate of sautéed chives with dried bean curd and a bowl of thick fresh fish soup. The staple food was steamed buns made of wheat flour and sorghum flour. Originally, Xiaocao had suggested that they only eat wheat flour in the future, but Madam Liu, who was used to being frugal, wouldn’t agree with her suggestion. She also said that Xiaocao was a spendthrift, who not only knew how to earn money but also spend money. So she was worried about how Xiaocao would manage a household in the future with her spending habits.

[1] Ox-Head and Horse-Face (牛头马面）- guardians of the underworld in Chinese mythology, who are usually responsible for delivering the souls of the newly dead to hell

[2] Cauldron of Boiling Oil (油锅地狱) - one of the punishments in the 18 levels of hell

Chapter 106 - Dying

Xiaocao didn’t agree with her views. Didn’t people earn money just to spend them? If people weren’t willing to spend money, then there was no point in earning money. But she didn’t argue with her mother. She intended to proceed step-by-step to slowly and subtly influence her mother.

At this moment, they suddenly heard a series of rowdy noise coming from afar outside the door, and then a rushed knocking sound came from the door. The family, who were currently eating lunch, glanced at each other and wondered who knocked on the door so urgently.

“I’ll go open the door!” Xiaocao said as she put down her chopsticks. She ran to the door and saw an anxious Qian Wen who was about to knock on the door again. With red and swollen eyes, Little Shitou was still wiping his tears ceaselessly as he stood behind him.

Xiaocao was alarmed inwardly and hastily asked, “Brother Xiaowen, Shitou, what happened? It isn’t a break today.”

Seeing his older sister, Little Shitou, who had endured his feelings of fear and panic during this whole time, finally burst into tears. He choked with sobs and said, “Second… Second Sister, Eldest Brother… Eldest Brother, he’s… he’s dying!”

“What? What’s wrong with Eldest Brother? Don’t cry and speak slowly!” When Xiaocao heard his words, she anxiously grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously.

Seeing that Little Shitou was crying so hard that he could barely speak, Qian Wen helped him explain, “We didn’t have any classes in the morning, so Little Shitou wanted to go visit his older brother at the carpentry shop. Since I was free, I also wanted to go stroll on the streets and buy a new brush. Thus, we went out together. When we reached the woodworking shop, we found your eldest brother beaten and covered with wounds. He was unconscious and spitting out blood as he lay on the ground. The shop worker said that he was beaten up like this because he had stolen money from the shop. I and several classmates carried your older brother to Tongren Medicine Hall. After the doctor’s examination, he said that your older brother had hurt his internal organs, and there was no cure! If Doctor Sun hadn’t recognized Little Shitou, they might not have even treated him and directly carried him out. Doctor Sun told us to be mentally prepared. If the internal bleeding continues, he’s afraid that even if Hua Tuo [1] was alive, he wouldn’t be able to save him!”

“Hang’er, my son ah——” Madam Liu, who had followed Xiaocao over, turned ghastly pale when she overheard the bad news. She cried out, and then fainted.

Yu Hai, who was beside her, promptly supported her and lightly pinched her philtrum. Despite the extreme grief within his heart, he was still the head of the family. If he also panicked, then this family would be in chaos.

Xiaocao tightly bit on her own lips, swiftly ran back into the house, and picked up the jar that the multicolored stone usually bathed in. The water inside was a high concentration of mystic-stone water, which was enough to save someone’s life!

“Xiaolian, go to our parents’ room and get the jar with the money inside. Little Shitou, you stay at home with Mother. I’ll go to town with Father!” At this time, Xiaocao was the only clear-headed person here, other than Yu Hai. They shouldn’t delay the matter any longer. They needed to quickly get to town and see if they could save her oldest brother.

Madam Liu had slowly woken up. When she heard Xiaocao’s arrangement, she suppressed the sorrow with her heart and shouted, “No, I don’t want to stay here! I want to go see my Hang’er. I know my son the best. He would never steal other people’s things. My son is innocent!”

Xiaocao knew that her mother would never feel at ease if they didn’t let her go. She thought about it and said, “Father, go and harness Little Gray to the cart. I’ll take the horse carriage with Qian Wen and send the money to the medical hall first so that they can give Eldest Brother medicine. You take Mother and Xiaolian and follow after us…”

Qian Wen had rented this horse carriage in town. The horse wasn’t really good, but it was young. As it galloped, the carriage jolted up and down, which made people feel as if their hearts were about to jump out.

Xiaocao sat in the dashing carriage with a blank expression. She tightly clutched the carriage with one hand to stabilize herself, while she tightly held the jar of mystic-stone water with her other hand. The little golden kitten sat solemnly beside her as it tapped its slender tail with a steady beat.

Qian Wen, who sat next to her, was curious about why she was still holding a jar at this time. But he didn’t ask and just gently consoled her,

“Xiaocao, don’t worry! Doctor Sun is a skilled doctor. When your father was injured, he also said that your father couldn’t be cured at the beginning. Isn’t he fine now? Your eldest brother will surely make it too!”

Xiaocao’s mind was filled with words that Little Divine Stone had once said: ‘As long as he’s still breathing, he can still be saved!’ At this time, she inwardly called out to all the gods and deities, and prayed piously that her eldest brother could hold out until she reached the medical hall.

After being repeatedly urged by Xiaocao, the coachman pushed the carriage to its full speed and arrived at town gates in less than an hour. However, this one hour was no different than an endless torment to Xiaocao’s family.

Fortunately, there weren’t many people on the streets at this time. The carriage directly took her to the entrance of Tongren Medicine Hall. After riding on the bumpy carriage for an hour, Xiaocao’s legs had gone weak and she nearly fell to the ground when she got off the carriage. Luckily, Qian Wen, who was getting off the carriage after her, pulled her up from behind.

She tightened her hold on the jar and swiftly rushed into Tongren Medicine Hall. Just as the staff inside the medical hall wanted to stop her, he saw Qian Wen, who was dressed in the uniform of Rongxuan Academy. So he immediately changed his words and said, “The patient is in the rear hall. Doctor Sun and Doctor Zhang are currently in consultation.”

Xiaocao didn’t halt her steps at all and quickly entered the rear hall. She saw her eldest brother lying in the bed with a deathly pale face. His clothes were stained with blood, while his face and body were covered in bruises and wounds. She immediately choked up and burst into tears.

She knew that it wasn’t the time to feel sad, so she wiped her tears with her sleeve and asked to Doctor Sun, who was doing acupuncture on her older brother, “Doctor Sun, my eldest brother… how is he?”

Doctor Sun remembered this strong and sensible little girl. He looked at her with pity and replied, “His fractured ribs had punctured the spleen and caused internal bleeding. I can only temporarily reduce the speed of his bleeding with this silver needle, but it will just treat the symptoms and not cure the root cause. If it continues like this, I’m afraid…”

Xiaocao hastily interjected, “That… if we can cease the bleeding, does that mean that my older brother’s life will be out of danger?”

Doctor Sun stroked his beard, and then nodded slowly, “If we can effectively stop the bleeding right now and he could survive while I connect his ribs and then nourish him with medicinal soups that promotes blood circulation and dissipate blood stasis, I am ninety percent confident that he will wake up. But…”

He shook his head with a sigh because he knew that if he pulled out the silver needle, this young, vivid life would swiftly die in less than fifteen minutes.

Xiaocao hastily pretended to be sad and threw herself next to the bed. She used her body to block the line of sight of the two doctors and laid her small hand—or more precisely, the multicolored stone on her wrist—on her oldest brother’s chest. She earnestly pleaded in her heart, [Little Glutinous Dumpling, please take care of my eldest brother’s injury. I’m begging you. Please save him!]

The little golden kitten jumped on Yu Hang’s bed and emitted a dazzling, golden light that others couldn’t see. As if there was someone guiding it, the light slowly penetrated into Yu Hang’s body. However, he feigned dissatisfaction and complained, [It’s just my luck to have a master like you. My power, which I worked so hard to recover, is going to be depleted again! If I can’t turn into my spiritual form this time, you must bring me fresh spring water every day as a reward…]

In less than half a quarter of an hour, the gold light that Little Divine Stone emitted gradually dimmed… until it completely disappeared. On the other hand, Yu Hang’s, who was breathing feebly and hanging on his last breath, breathing gradually improved and stabilized.

[You must remember! You have to soak me in spring water. Spring water…] Little Divine Stone’s voice became weaker and weaker, but it didn’t forget to remind Xiaocao of its own welfare before disappearing.

Seeing Xiaocao lying on the edge of the bed with her shoulders trembling, Qian Wen thought that she was suppressing her inner grief and crying silently. So, he squatted down next to her and comforted her with a soft voice, “Xiaocao, heaven will protect and reward the good, so your older brother will definitely survive this! Don’t cry anymore. Quickly go gather medicinal herbs and decoct the medicine!”

Xiaocao knew that Yu Hang’s life was out of danger for now, so she rubbed her red eyes hard, sniffed, and went to the front hall with her head lowered. When decocting the medicine, she specially used the mystic-stone water and carefully boiled the medicine according to the doctor’s instructions.

Yu Hai and Madam Liu came in and saw the lonely and sad back of Xiaocao, who had reddened eyes and her head hung low as she brewed the medication. Seeing this scene, their worries and fears surged in their hearts again. With a low cry, Madam Liu broke away from Yu Hai’s support and rushed towards her son, who was covered in wounds and so thin that he only had bones on his body. She cried softly,

“Hang’er, my Hang’er! That goddamn bastard, how can he be so cruel and beat you into this state? It’s all Mother’s fault. I shouldn’t have agreed to send you to be an apprentice in town. Mother regrets not listening to your younger sister. We should have taken you back earlier… It’s all Mother’s fault! Hang’er, wake up! Don’t leave your mother!”

Yu Hai looked at the countless new and old wounds on his son’s bony body. He had heard from the doctor that his ribs were broken, and his life was in danger due to internal injuries. The tall and mighty man clenched his fist and brutally pounded on his own chest—what kind of man was he? He had sent his son into the tiger’s den with his own hands and helplessly watched as he was beaten and tortured.

Xiaolian and Little Shitou cried so hard that they were gasping for breath. For a moment, there was a tragic scene inside the inner room. Qian Wen cried with them quietly and from time to time, he would glance at the only calm person in the room, Xiaocao. It was often said that ‘people would act very abnormally when they were in extreme grief’. So, he was afraid that Xiaocao would do something unusual.

At this moment, Xiaocao looked up with cold and clear eyes. It was just a short moment of eye contact, but Qian Wen felt as if a basin of cold water in the depths of the cold winter had just been poured on him. He felt a chill piercing through his bones.

While he was briefly stunned, Xiaocao’s calm yet slight cruel voice slowly spread in the room, “Father, Mother, stop being sad! I will definitely make that Shopkeeper Zhang be disgraced and lose all his reputation! I’ll make him pay with his blood!”

People couldn’t help but be convinced by this small and determined figure. No one took her vows as words of nonsense. Qian Wen only felt as if that thin and small figure had some kind of power that radiated a dazzling glow that people couldn’t take their eyes off of. A young man’s heart could help but throb for her…

When the medicine was ready, Doctor Sun came in again to examine on Yu Hang’s pulse and brought them a surprising news, “The patient’s internal bleeding has stopped and his pulse is also stable. His life is no longer in danger.”

The melancholic feelings that filled the room earlier had been instantly swept away. Everyone’s nervous hearts finally felt relieved. Madam Liu shed tears again, but it was tears of happiness this time. She personally fed her son the medicine, and despite the family’s opposition, she insisted on staying by his side.

[1] Hua Tuo (华佗) - a famous doctor who lived during the end of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 107 - Interrogate

Xiaocao took Xiaolian and drove the donkey cart to the West Mountains. At the foot of the mountains, she fetched a good deal of spring water with a bamboo tube. On the way back, she soaked the multicolored stone in the spring water. A faint but cheerful voice sounded in her mind, [It’s so comfortable… The spring water in the mountains are definitely more pure, so it can help this Divine Stone restore my power faster…]

Xiaocao was pleasantly surprised. She had originally thought that the little divine stone had used up all its power and would fall into a slumber for three to five days like last time when it treated her father’s leg.

The little divine stone seemed to have read her thoughts and triumphantly said, [Little girl, aren’t you underestimating this Divine Stone? Previously, I had just accepted a master and my power had just began to awaken. Thus, I exhausted all my power in order to save someone. But it’s different now. This Divine Stone’s power has been gradually improving. Earlier, my power was only temporarily depleted. If I soak in the spring water, I will be able to replenish the energy that was consumed in four to six hours.]

Little Divine Stone wasn’t going to tell Xiaocao that every time it exhausted its power to help her or the people around her, its energy and power would be enhanced. This was the reason it was willing to help those weak humans again and again. If it continued like this, one day it would be able to recover all its power, break through the confinements of this realm, and return to Goddess Nuwa’s side!

Xiaocao looked up and saw dark clouds coming from the west. With concealed aggression and fury in her gaze, she sneered and whispered, “So four to six hours! Little Glutinous Dumpling, are you willing to help me out again? Let the rage of vengeance ignite!”

At dusk, thick, dark clouds weighed down on the sky, hiding the vast scarlet sky of the west. The sky appeared very heavy, as if it was going to fall down. The repressed heavens seemed like it was carrying a heavy baggage, while the indifferent wind rushed through the streets and lifted up patches of the withered leaves.

The workers of the shops on both sides of the streets prepared to close up. On the street, the pedestrians walked against the cold wind and rushed to get home before the storm.

The entrance of Zhang Ji’s Carpentry Shop was surrounded by curious onlookers. In the middle of the crowd, on a donkey cart, lay a lifeless young man who had no trace of blood on his face. Next to the cart, the young man’s family, with grief and indignation, stared fiercely at the shopkeeper, who stood in front of the woodworking shop.

The ugly and ferocious-looking Shopkeeper Zhang stood at the entrance with a worker who wielded a club in his hand. He grimly shouted, “Where did this group of country bumpkins come from? They actually dared to blackmail me, Old Zhang. Don’t you know who I am! Hurry up and leave. If you want to do make trouble, then I’ll send you to the yamen after a beating!”

A thin and pretty young girl confronted the sinister shopkeeper without fear. Her hair was tousled by the wind, causing it to stick to her small, pale face. Whether it was during ancient times or modern times, never underestimate people’s curiosity for gossip. More and more people were gathering over. The whole family and Zhang Ji’s Carpentry Shop were completely surrounded by the massive crowd of people.

Xiaocao, who eyes were like bottomless pits, swept her gaze around the crowd and cried sorrowfully, “Fellow countrymen, this severely injured youth lying on the donkey cart is my eldest brother, who’s an apprentice of Zhang Ji’s Carpentry Shop!

“Shopkeeper Zhang is mean and cruel. He often beats, scolds, and abuses his apprentices. He doesn’t even treat them like humans. It hasn’t even been half a year since my pitiful older brother worked here, but there isn’t any part of him that isn’t wounded! Today, he had even been beaten until they broke his ribs and injured internal organs. Even Doctor Sun of Tongren Medicine Hall said that it’s difficult to cure these serious injuries!

“My pitiful older brother is only ten years old, yet his life is already hanging on a thread! Shopkeeper Zhang, shouldn’t you give us an explanation?”

Although Zhang Ji’s Carpentry Shop was very famous in Tanggu Town, Shopkeeper Zhang was also infamous for being greedy, cruel, and immoral.

Among the onlookers, a gray-haired old man sighed and shook his head, “What a sin! How can he be so ruthless to such a young child?”

The worker of the store next to Zhang Ji’s Carpentry Shop wasn’t surprised and calmly said, “Shopkeeper Zhang of Zhang Ji’s Carpentry Shop is violent and frequently gets angry at the staff in his shop. It’s even worse for the shop’s apprentices. They’re provided with the worst meals, while they also have to do the hardest jobs. Moreover, they often get beaten for no reason whatsoever. As a result, very few of the people who come to the woodworking shop to be an apprentice have stayed a full month.”

“I know that kid Yu Hang. He’s very diligent and honest. Although he seems thin, he does nearly all the heavy and tiring transportation of timber without any complaint. Unexpectedly, he also couldn’t escape the fate of being cruelly beaten. Ay… You guys should have known better. Why didn’t you inquire about the place before sending your child there? Isn’t that the same as sending your child into the pit of hell?” Another store’s shopkeeper added with a voice filled with pity and regret.

“What are you people talking about! Be careful with your words! To maliciously slander and defame me right in front of my face, do you think that I, Zhang Dongming, can be easily bullied?” When Shopkeeper Zhang was young, he was a well-known ruffian in town. There were more than one murders associated with him, but he was the younger brother in-law of the official registrar, who the county magistrate placed great importance on. Every time he caused trouble, the problem could be smoothly settled, and thus he became more and more fearless.

After being threatened by his fierce gaze, the people who whispered in the crowd immediately shut their mouths. Some of the more timid had even quietly withdrew from the circle for fear of being recognized by Shopkeeper Zhang and that he would take revenge on them in the future.

Madam Liu, who had gradually stopped crying, instantly burst into tears again when she heard his words. Standing next to the donkey cart, she gently touched her son’s pallid face and cried, “My dear son! It’s all Mother’s fault! At that time, I should have done my best to stop you from being sent here even if I ended up with the reputation of being unfilial. Every time I saw you, you would tell us that everything was fine. You told us that you were eating and sleeping well and that we didn’t have to worry about you… Why are you so foolish? If you had told Mother about your situation, I would have brought you home no matter what!”

Yu Hai’s veins were popping out as he clenched his fists. He gritted his teeth and said, “Shopkeeper Zhang, I sent my son, who was alive and well, to your shop, but he ended up being on the verge of death. I want to know, what is the reason you would be so cruel to a ten year old child?”

Zhang Dongming was a little afraid of Yu Hai’s tall and strong physique. However, when he saw the weak woman and young children around him, and that there were many people with weapons beside him, his confidence immediately boosted up again, “That’s right. I was the one who hit him, so what are you going to do about it? Not only did he steal the head craftsmen’s food, but he also stole money from the shop! I’m already considered soft-hearted for not beating that thief to death!”

“That’s impossible! My eldest brother won’t steal from others! You’re wrongly accusing him!” Little Shitou clenched his small fist and swung it at Shopkeeper Zhang with resentment.

With his hands behind his back and a confident expression, Zhang Dongming ordered one of the workers behind him, “Go! Bring out the things that we found in Yu Hang’s room!”

A moment later, the worker brought out a washed-out handkerchief, which contained several strings of copper coins. Each string had about fifty copper coins. Shopkeeper Zhang took the money and showed it to the crowd and sneered, “Have you looked clearly yet? There are a hundred and fifty copper coins here. Everyone should know that apprentices don’t receive a wage. But we have found so much money at the head of Yu Hang’s bed. If he didn’t steal it, then where did it come from? Also, the fellow who lived with him said that he often smelled food in the middle of the night… The head craftsmen’s meals had always been served by Yu Hang. So where did the food that he secretly ate at night come from? Well isn’t it very obvious now!”

Seeing the ‘evidence’ that Shopkeeper Zhang presented, the onlookers immediately changed their stance and said, “That’s unexpected. Yu Hang seems like such an honest child. I wouldn’t have expected him to do such a thing!”

“Don’t judge a book by its cover! I can understand stealing the head craftsmen’s food since he’s still a growing child and probably couldn’t stand the hunger. But, to be so greedy as to steal the boss’s money, that’s unforgivable!

“If he got caught stealing, then there’s nothing to say even if he was beaten to death…”

……

When Xiaocao saw the people who had just cried injustice for them, turn against the ‘thieves’ one after another, she couldn’t help but straightened her back and shouted, “Shopkeeper Zhang, you’re accusing my eldest brother of being a thief, but did you personally see it? Or did you personally catch him stealing money? Isn’t it too arbitrary to judge my older brother as a thief just because you found a few copper coins in his room? Dear folks, can we also randomly accuse you of being thieves if we find some money in your pockets?”

“No way! The money in my pocket is mine, which I worked hard to earn. How can it be stolen?”

“That’s right, that’s right! It’s also a crime to make false accusations!”

……

Xiaocao’s clear eyes swept across everyone’s face and she spoke in a strong and imposing voice, “That’s right! In the same way, my father and I were the ones who gave my eldest brother the money when we came to send or pick up my younger brother from town! I never expected that my older brother was reluctant to use even a single coin and saved up the money, and thus led to such a disaster!”

Zhang Dongming glanced at her disdainfully with his murky triangular eyes and said, “Little girl, you should also use your brain when lying! If you family has money, they wouldn’t have sent their child over to be an apprentice! To say that you had provided him with dozens of copper coins each time, do you think that everyone is stupid?”

When faced with everyone’s doubtful eyes, Xiaocao wasn’t flustered and calmly said, “My family probably didn’t have the ability to do so half a year ago! But now! Although we’re not operating a big business like Shopkeeper Zhang, we do have a small business at the docks and are capable of earning two or three hundred copper coins a day! Let me ask you. I feel sad to see my eldest brother not being able to eat well and wear warm clothes, so I sent him some food and money. Is anything wrong with that?”

Suddenly, a voice came out of the crowd and shouted, “I recognize this little girl. She sells one copper coin meat dishes at the docks. When I was a porter at the docks, I had bought her family’s braised food before. The braised food that Miss Xiaocao makes is delicious and they have excellent business. If you’re too slow, they would be all sold out already!”

This voice had confirmed the authenticity of Xiaocao’s words, so she continued, “Shopkeeper Zhang, the string of money in your hands were all personally strung together by me. I made the string with the different colored threads that my mother’s leftover embroidery threads. I have sent money twice and given him food once, which is something that the workers in your shop should know about…”

“Last time, when I came out to shop with my classmate and passed by Zhang Ji’s Carpentry Shop, I left twenty copper coins for my eldest brother…” Little Shitou spoke up once again.

Chapter 108 - Thunder

“My little brother and I brought a total of one hundred and seventy copper coins to our older brother. If there is an extra copper coin, then it’ll be yours!” Xiaocao was confident about the number of coins on the string. Her older brother was very frugal. If there wasn’t anything important, then he wouldn’t touch his money.

Shopkeeper Zhang spread the string of coins on the palm of his hand. He silently counted the number of coins in his mind. Sure enough, there were one hundred and seventy copper coins in total, not one coin more or less. Originally, he got drunk and didn’t hold back his strength when beating Yu Hang. Yu Hang had fallen unconscious after spitting out blood from the beating. After Yu Hang had fallen unconscious, he had found this money after searching through Yu Hang’s room. Today, Yu Hang’s family came here to get an explanation from him, so he hurriedly took out the money as an excuse.

The crowd surrounding them saw that Shopkeeper Zhang’s expression had slightly changed. The people who were closer to him could clearly see the thread that was used to keep the copper coins together were just as Xiaocao had said, a multicolored embroidery thread. The crowd’s heart once again tilted towards Xiaocao’s favor.

But Shopkeeper Zhang rudely and unreasonably replied, “Humph! You are just a group of poor country bumpkins. If you could, you would’ve split a copper coin in two. How would you be willing to give Yu Hang over a hundred copper coins as an allowance? Little girl, your tongue will be pulled out in hell for lying!”

“Shopkeeper Zhang, if you falsely accuse other people, you will be tortured after you die!” Xiaocao’s jet-black eyes looked just like night sky as a cold ray of light flashed by her eyes, making people can’t help but shudder, “Moreover, we pay one tael of silver each month for Rongxuan Academy’s tuition for my younger brother. Since we’re able to afford that, why wouldn’t we be willing to give Yu Hang a trifling one hundred copper coins?”

The crowd had just noticed the short little boy who was wearing Rongxuan Academy's primary class uniform. They couldn't help but feel admiration and respect towards the little boy. After all, Rongxuan Academy wasn’t just open to anyone. They had all heard that inside Rongxuan Academy’s doors, there are hidden dragons and crouching tigers [1]. It was said that people from the big government officials’, dukes’, and marquises’ residences were all trying to get into the school!

When the grandson of the prefectural magistrate of the Jinwei Prefectural City passed the exam and entered the primary class, the prefectural magistrate had invited many people to dinner! Then wasn’t this little boy a classmate of the magistrate’s grandson? If he reported this to the prefectural magistrate, then it wouldn’t be good for Shopkeeper Zhang!

Is Rong...Rongxuan Academy that great? Even if...the crown prince breaks the law, he will bear the same crime and punishment as commoners. Does it mean that just because you’re the family of a student from Rongxuan Academy, you can steal things?” The shopkeeper tried to appear fierce ashe was a coward at heart. He was trying to bluff his way out by making unreasonable excuses.

“Shopkeeper Zhang, how can you prove that it was this little brother who had stolen the copper coins?” Within the crowd, a handsome young man wearing a white scholarly robe, couldn’t bear the injustice any longer so he spoke out for them. If Xiaocao was in the mood to check the young man out, she would’ve recognized him as the grandson of the foodie headmaster, Yuan Yunxi.

Shopkeeper Zhang’s rat-like eyes looked around for a few moments before he looked at them and said, “But there is no one who can prove that it wasn’t Yu Hang who had stolen these copper coins!”

Yu Xiaocao raised an eyebrow and sneered at him, “Shopkeeper Zhang if I can prove that he didn’t steal these copper coins, what would you do?”

“That…” Shopkeeper Zhang frowned and hesitated.

“I have earned these copper coins by selling braised food, so there should be a small amount of oil on each of the copper coins. Can anyone bring me a basin of warm water?” Yu Xiaocao didn’t look at Shopkeeper Zhang; her gaze was directed at the crowd.

The crowd around them suddenly became silent. They all had some misgivings regarding Shopkeeper Zhang, so they all avoided Xiaocao’s gaze.

Xiaocao felt an ice-cold burst of wind attack her heart. No matter what time period it was, there were always not enough people who had the courage to stand up and confront evil forces!

Yuan Yunxi squeezed his way out of the crowd to a literary store not far from here. He pushed up his sleeves and filled a large basin with hot water. Yuan Yunxi squeezed through the crowd again with the basin of hot water and said, “Miss Xiaocao, the hot water is here!”

Yu Xiaocao gratefully looked at the handsome young man who had a warm heart. She sincerely thanked the young man and grabbed the string of copper coins from Shopkeeper Zhang’s hand, “I will throw these copper coins into the water. If grease appears, then it’ll prove that I wasn’t lying. It’ll also prove that I have indeed, given these copper coins to my brother.”

After she finished speaking, she broke the string that was holding the coins together and threw all the copper coins into the basin of warm water. Sure enough, rainbow-like grease appeared in the warm water. The crowd looked at Shopkeeper Zhang with condemnation and disgust.

Shopkeeper Zhang continued to retort, “Just because there’s grease on the coins, it doesn’t prove that those coins belong to you. Maybe these copper coins were given to me by a butcher! Every day, I would go buy meat and oil, so it’s natural for those copper coins to be stained with grease. My assistant had seen Yu Hang wandering around the account room before. Am I right, Xiaoxing?”

The person that Shopkeeper Zhang addressed as ‘Xiaoxing’ was the shop assistant that would help Xiaocao call Yu Hang out every time she visited. Originally, he was standing on the side, watching the scene. But when he was suddenly called out by the shopkeeper, he began to panic. After a burst of panic, under the shopkeeper’s warning gaze, he said, “Yes, yes…in the past, I’ve seen Yu Hang sneaking and wandering around the account room...he must be harboring some evil intentions!”

Yu Xiaocao’s gaze was as sharp as a knife, her voice was brimming with fierceness when she interrogated the shop assistant, “This big brother, you will have to take responsibility for what you say! Have you seen my brother enter the account room with your own eyes? Have you seen my brother steal money from the account room with your own eyes? Since you haven’t, why are you so sure that my brother harbors evil intentions?”

The shop assistant was young, he had only said those groundless accusations under Shopkeeper Zhang’s pressure. But he began to stutter and insist that he was right after Xiaocao’s questioning.

Shopkeeper Zhang glared at his assistant while secretly scolding his assistant for being useless. He countered, “If he didn’t have any evil intentions, why would he be secretly wandering around the account room? It’s clear that he’s doing that because he wants to steal money!”

“Shopkeeper Zhang, I’ve heard that your business has been doing well. Recently, I heard that you’ve received a job from an influential official from the capital, is that true?” Yu Xiaocao abruptly changed the topic of conversation.

Zhang Dongming stroked the goatee on his chin and proudly said, “That’s right! The woodwares from our Zhang Ji Carpentry Shop is famous throughout the capital! The man who works for Royal Prince Yang, Sir Fang, has ordered a screen and a bed from our carpentry shop. Humph! It was already nice of me not to report this Yu boy to the officials for stealing things, so what does a beating count for?”

Yu Xiaocao indifferently looked at how Shopkeeper Zhang was intoxicated by his success and said, “Since the business in Zhang Ji Carpentry Shop is doing so well, the amount of money going in and out of the account room should be around a few hundred to a thousand copper coins, right? You said that my brother has been stealing for a long time, but instead of stealing more money from the mountain of money inside the account room, he only stole a hundred copper coins. Is my brother stupid or what?”

“Uh…” Shopkeeper Zhang choked on her words. He looked around before he replied, “Your older brother is timid, so he’s afraid that he’ll be discovered if he steals too much. Little girl, stop making excuses and quickly take your brother away. I will be merciful and no longer look into the matter anymore.”

“Shopkeeper Zhang, the gods can see everything. My older brother isn’t a thief, the gods know this and will do something about it! I, Yu Xiaocao swear to the gods that everything I said is true! I dare to use my life as a guarantee that my older brother would’ve never stolen anything!” Yu Xiaocao simply exchanged a few words with the little divine stone in her heart before she vowed, “If these copper coins are stolen, my whole family is willing to be struck by lightning. I don’t know if Shopkeeper Zhang is willing to make a serious vow like me?”

Although Shopkeeper Zhang had a guilty conscious, he pretended like he was unperturbed. He sneered and said, “Vow? It’s only considered glib talk, who doesn’t know how to do that?”

He looked up and pointed at the sky, which was swimming with thick, dark clouds. He said with a strange voice, “Gods, I, Zhang Dongming vow…”

Rumble, rumble…

Zhang Dongming hadn’t even finished speaking yet when thunder began rolling in the dark clouds. Bright rays of lightning were faintly discernible in the clouds. Shopkeeper Zhang was frightened by this and retreated a few steps. In the beginning, his eyes were full of contempt but now they were full of fear.

It couldn’t come true, could it? He had lived for over 50 years, and if he hadn’t made thousands of oaths, then it should’ve at least been around hundreds, wasn’t he still living well? Humph! It was only a little girl who put a lot of importance on making an oath. What could a verbal oath do? What had happened before must’ve been a coincidence. Today was a cloudy day so it’s natural to see some thunder!

While Zhang Dongming’s heart was rolling over and over, the other people didn’t notice the ray of light that shot forth from Yu Xiaocao’s wrist and directly into the dense and dark clouds in the sky.

Above the clouds, the God of Thunder lazily fiddled with the thunder hammer in his hand. The God of Thunder had blue skin and a pointed mouth. After he yawned, he finally absent-mindedly hit the hammer in his hand. After he hit the hammer, thunder immediately began to roll in the sky, enveloping the earth its muffled sound.

The Goddess of Lightning had silver hair reached the ground and an enchanting figure as if she had just walked out of a painting. She was directly facing the mirror in her hand, trying to pop the pimple that had mysteriously appeared on her face.

“Old wife, stop shamelessly showing off your beauty! We must make more lightning! The God of Thunder couldn’t help but remind her of their job. However, the Goddess of Lightning had actually exploded in fury after hearing his words.

“Who are you calling ‘old wife’? I’m charming and as beautiful as a flower; beautiful to the point that even birds and beasts are attracted by my looks… (Author’s note: after a thousand words later) yet you’ve called me ‘old’ right in front of me! I think that you’re tired of living!” The Goddess of Lightning raised the hand that was holding the mirror and a ray of lightning shot from her hand, heading straight towards the God of Thunder.

The God of Thunder easily dodged the lightning as he half-heartedly apologized, “Okay, I’m the one to blame. It’s my fault for calling you an ‘old wife’, you are ‘beautiful wife’, is that okay? We were demoted to this tiny space where there is barely any spiritual energy. Every day, we hit the hammer, beat a drum, and look at a mirror. There are no prospects here. When will we be able to return to the ninth gate, where we can serve the Goddess of Spirits? I’m willing to give up being the God of Thunder to serve as a doorman just to return!”

When the Goddess of Lightning heard what the God of Thunder had said, she became extremely angry. She ruthlessly pinched him and hatefully said, “Wasn’t this all because of you? You offended the silver wolf that the Goddess of Spirits doted the most on! Otherwise, why would we be exiled to this damned place?”

“How would I know that the beautiful silver wolf is the Goddess of Spirits’ beloved pet? The silver wolf is too narrow-minded. I merely burned a few strands of his hair, but he went as far as to complain to the Goddess of Spirits.” The God of Thunder felt very regretful such that his intestines had turned green.

At this time, a flash of golden light passed by, and a small golden cat which was the size of a child's fist, appeared in front of the God and Goddess of Thunder and Lightning.

"Which evildoer are you? Quickly reveal yourself!" The God of Thunder stood in front of the Goddess of Lightning and pointed the thunder hammer at the small golden cat in alarm.

"Humph! Little Thunder, you have a lot of courage! You dared to address this Divine Stone as 'evildoer!' Do you not want to return to Spiritual Space?" The small golden cat looked at him with disdain as it spoke.

[1] Hidden dragons and crouching tigers (藏龙卧虎) - talented people in hiding

Chapter 109 - Struck By Lightning

Spiritual Space? The God of Thunder and Goddess of Lightning looked at each other and saw a shocked expression on each other’s faces. There was actually someone who knew of the Spiritual Space in this broken space? Could it be... a patrolling envoy sent by the Goddess of Spirits?”

“You...may I ask who you…” The Goddess of Lightning pushed aside the God of Thunder and tried to squeeze out a smile on her face. She was afraid that her hope might become nothing.

[Humph! As deities of the Spiritual Space, you actually don’t know this Lord Divine Stone. To be so ignorant, it’s no wonder you were punished and exiled to this shabby, little space! How sad! What a pity!] The small golden cat shook its head softly and sighed.

With the God of Thunder’s fiery temper, how could he endure this mini cat’s mocking? He was about to flare up when the Goddess of Thunder quickly stopped her husband and gave him a look. She smiled, “It was us who were ignorant and didn’t recognize you. Were you sent by the Goddess of Spirits to check on us?”

[Goddess of Spirits? Humph! Humph! She doesn’t have the power to order this Divine Stone around!] The little golden kitten lifted its head and snorted, [This Divine Stone serves under Goddess Nuwa and is the only one to be favored by her. Even the Goddess of Spirits have to give me some faces.]

The Great Pangu [1] split heaven and earth and created the world, Goddess Nuwa made humans with mud, and the Goddess of Spirits was leader of all spirits—these three gods of creation were known by all within the Primeval Realm. The Goddess of Spirits was the most famous one among the three gods of creation because not only did she create all spirits and living things besides humans, she also had an amazing ability—she was able to open up new spaces.

When the spiritual energy within the Primeval Realm was becoming sparse and the cultivation world became increasingly silent day by day, the Goddess of Spirits created the ‘Spiritual Space’ and set up new order for the cultivation world and the immortal world.

The Goddess of Spirit was generous, but she tended to shield those who were close to her. Had the fiery-tempered God of Thunder not offended the Goddess of Spirits, the God of Thunder and Goddess of Lightning would still be living leisurely within the Spiritual Space, like a fish in water.

This worn-down space was created by the Goddess of Spirits when she was still young and learning, so it wasn’t very well made. As a result, the spiritual energy here was only one percent of the what the Spiritual Space held, which wasn’t conducive for cultivators to cultivate in. Most of the deities here were immortals from other spaces, who were sent here to cultivate and gain experience. Of course, there were also a few like the God of Thunder and Goddess of Lightning, who had been sent down from the higher realms to reflect on their mistakes.

The God of Thunder and Goddess of Lightning had stayed here for about seven or eight hundred years. It had been so long that they thought they had been abandoned forever. They thought that they would have to just continue living aimlessly while hitting the thunder hammer daily as the God of Thunder. However, they had finally discovered new hope today.

The God of Thunder’s eyes lit up after hearing the little divine stone’s words. He moved closer with his pointed face and he spoke flatteringly, “May I ask what the Lord Divine Stone is here for?”

[As you know, as a mystic stone, it takes much longer and is more difficult to cultivate compared to humans and spiritual beings. It has been hundreds of millions of years since this Divine Stone had been obtained enlightenment under the refinement of Goddess Nuwa. For a long time, this Divine Stone had been cultivating smoothly and without obstacles. But I encountered an obstacle when I was close to making a transformation!] As the little divine stone recalled its days around Goddess Nuwa’s side, a trace of nostalgia emerged within its golden eyes.

It was precisely because it had been irritated that it was stuck at the transforming stage that it went to provoke Goddess of Spirits’ authority. As a result, it was banished to the mortal realm by the grudge-bearing Ling’er! The little divine stone was in an even worse situation than the God of Thunder and Goddess of Lightning. It was sent to even more barren and shabby space, where there was barely any spiritual energy to speak of.

After much difficulty, it finally found a place with a tint of spiritual energy—it recuperated in the creek in front of the Potala Palace in Tibet for several hundred years before being picked up by Lin Xiaowan, who went there on vacation. It used all its spiritual power to transport Lin Xiaowan’s soul, who had died after falling down the stairs, to this realm and found a suitable body for her. However, it had accidentally acknowledged her as its master, forcing it to board the pirate ship.

Since the situation had already turned out like this, it decided to go with the flow and take things as they come. Although Yu Xiaocao was weak, she was kind in nature. Helping her was the same as helping itself. In order to successfully return to the higher realm as soon as possible, the little divine stone dropped its pride and dignity, and helped its weak master grow.

With its head lowered, the small golden kitten sighed and continued, [In order to overcome the obstacle, Goddess Nuwa let her sister—the Goddess of Spirits—send me to this space to cultivate experience. I inadvertently made a blood pact with a human and now I need to help her for a century. Once she dies, this Divine Stone can return.]

It turned out that it had come down from the Spiritual Space to gain experience! The God of Thunder and Goddess of Lightning looked at each other. When they were in the Spiritual Space, they had heard that the celestial stone, which was leftover after Goddess Nuwa patched the heavens, beside Goddess Nuwa had gained wisdom. However, they never expected that a rock could also cultivate into an immortal!

Since the divine stone could return to the Spiritual Space after a century, they needed to be on good terms with this Lord Divine Stone. Hopefully, when it returns, it could put in a good word for them in front of the Goddess of Spirits, even if it was just one or two sentences. Based on the Goddess of Spirits’ benevolent and generous personality, she would definitely remember them and forgive their crimes.

“May I ask why Lord Divine Stone is looking for us, these little deities?” The Goddess of Lightning asked cautiously with a smile.

Seeing that the two were quite obedient, the little divine stone swayed its slender tail and ‘meowed,’ [This Divine Stone’s master is in a difficult situation with a malicious businessman. I hope the two of you can act according to my orders later.]

“But… if he wasn’t an extremely evil person and this little god punished him with the thunder penalty without permission, it would be hard to justify this to the Jade Emperor of this realm.” Although the God of Thunder had a terrible temper, he was considered a good god who had principles.

The small golden kitten gave him a contemptuous look, [Are you an idiot?! Who told you to kill him? You just need to create a little thunder and lightning to scare that wicked man. Can you do it?]

[Understood! This little god knows what to do!] The Goddess of Lightning pulled on the God of Thunder, who was about to say something, and secretly glared at him, fearing that he would offend the divine stone. If that happened, they might have to stay here forever and never be able to get out of this situation.

The little divine stone was very satisfied with how tactful the Goddess of Lightning was. It held its head high and chest out as it paced on the clouds and nodded, [Very good! After you guys accomplish this task, consider it as this Divine Stone owing you a favor. When this Divine Stone returns to to the Spiritual Space, I will definitely plea for the two of you in front of the Goddess of Spirits. You will just have to wait for the decree to be pardoned.]

“Thank you, Lord Divine Stone! Thank you, Lord Divine Stone.” The God of Thunder and Goddess of Lightning thanked the little divine stone profusely after they heard its words. Right now, if someone else saw this scene, they would surely split their sides laughing. It was quite weird to see two dignified immortals bowing to a small golden kitten who was only the size of a child’s fist.

Under the God of Thunder and the Goddess of Lightning’s escort, the mini golden cat transformed into a golden light and returned to the multicolored stone on Yu Xiaocao’s wrist. Had it not been afraid that it would attract too much attention, it would have chosen to appear on Xiaocao’s shoulder in its cat form.

At this time, Shopkeeper Zhang Dongming, who didn’t believe in heresy, pointed at the sky and vowed in a peculiar tone, “I, Zhang Dongming, swears to the heavens that if I wrongly accused the young lad whose surname is Yu, then let the Heavens strike me…”

Before he had finished speaking, the God of Thunder and Goddess of Lightning had received the little divine stone’s order, and a loud sound of thunder rang out. The sound of thunder sounded as if there was a landslide and the ground splitting open. It felt as if the ground vibrating. Shopkeeper Zhang was so scared that his legs went limp and he fell onto the ground.

However, the Goddess of Lightning wasn’t finished. She aimed the mirror in her hands at the signboard with the name ‘Zhang Ji’s Carpentry Shop’. A glaring beam of light flashed by and a bolt of lightning struck the signboard, turning it into a pile of ashes that happened to fall on Shopkeeper Zhang’s head.

Shopkeeper Zhang recalled of the oath he just made and thought that he couldn’t escape this calamity. He eyes went still with fear, and a feeling of wetness spread down his thighs.

After a few seconds of silence, the surrounding people began to talk amongst themselves.

“Heavens! Shopkeeper Zhang got struck by lightning! His oath has been fulfilled!”

“The Heavens has opened its eyes! It should just kill this black-hearted man! The grandson of Old Liu’s family from the neighboring village, who was sent over to be an apprentice, was beaten until his legs were broken. Now, the boy can never use his legs anymore.”

“He’s crippled but at least he’s still alive. Over the past decade or so, there had been two apprentices who disappeared from this woodworking shop. Shopkeeper Zhang told others that they stole some items and ran off. But I reckon that these two children had most likely met with a disaster.”

“What a sin! The Heavens should’ve taken him away already!”

“What a great strike! It would be even better if it hit more accurately and strike this vile and rotten man to death!”

“Thank goodness, I borrowed twenty taels from here and there, and got my Si’er back. Otherwise, he would’ve ended up like the child from the Yu Family.”

“Ay! I don’t know if the child from the Yu Family can be saved.”

...

Yu Xiaocao looked coldly at Shopkeeper Zhang, who lay paralyzed on the ground and had wet himself in fright. She said with hatred, “Shopkeeper Zhang, I already told you that ‘the gods will always be looking over our actions’. It’s not that you’re not going to be punished but rather it wasn’t time yet! Now, do you still insist that my brother stole money from your store?”

Shopkeeper Zhang had already woken up after fainting briefly. However, he didn’t have any face to confront the wetness between his legs and the criticism of his neighbors. After hearing Xiaocao’s words, his heart was filled with respect and fear towards the gods, so he decided to fake death until the end.

Yu Xiaocao saw the slight movement of Shopkeeper Zhang’s eyelids, and knew that he was pretending to be unconscious. He had beaten the sensible and clever Yu Hang until his bones were fractured and left with internal injuries, so she obviously couldn't just let him go like that. She needed to give him a deep and unforgettable lesson!

Yu Xiaocao communicated with the divine stone in her mind, and then the little divine stone sent out its second command. Above the clouds, the God of Thunder picked up his thunder hammer once again, while the mirror within the Goddess of Lightning’s hands flickered repeatedly.

In front of Zhang Ji’s Carpentry Shop, the limestone slabs near where Shopkeeper Zhang lay prone on the ground were consecutively struck by thunderbolts. The broken pieces of limestones flew onto Shopkeeper Zhang’s face and body.

Zhang Dongming’s ears were about to be deafened by the sound of thunder. He felt as if the snow-white thunderbolt was almost about to land on him. How would he dare to continue to lay on the ground and pretend to be dead?

Disregarding how others would view him, he got up nimbly and tried to jump into the store to hide. But, as if they had eyes, the thunderbolts chased him the whole way and repeatedly struck at locations within one meter of him, cutting off the path into his store.

The onlookers were afraid of being implicated by the thunderbolts, and all backed away. Only the members of the Yu Family stood firmly in the midst of the lightning flashes and roaring thunder. With the fierce winds blowing behind them, they appeared somewhat solemn and tragic.

Yu Xiaocao looked at him with a stern gaze, “Shopkeeper Zhang, aren’t you going to plead guilty? Or, are you only willing to repent sincerely after the Heavenly Thunder strikes you on the head and turn you into a pile of dispersing ashes?”

[1] Pan Gu (盘古) - creator of the universe in Chinese mythology

Chapter 110 - An Apology

“I plead guilty, I plead guilty! It’s all my fault, I should die! I hit Yu Hang when I was drunk and I was afraid of the consequences, so I made it sound like he had stolen money from me instead! Heavens, please forgive me, ah, please forgive me!” Zhang Dongming had been scared out of his wits. He held his head in his hands as he knelt on the ground crying for forgiveness like a broken record.

Zhang Dongming actually had a good business acumen. Otherwise, the rich and noble people from the capital wouldn’t bother coming to a backwards place like Tanggu Town to commission furniture. However, this man was not only miserly but he also had a fatal character flaw: he loved alcohol. In addition, his ability to handle alcohol was very poor. Every time he came across wine he had to drink it until he was drunk, and when he was drunk, he was given to violent tendencies.

Towards the people around him, especially the apprentices who came from poor and impoverished families, he would either beat them up with his fists or find some other way to torment them to satisfy his violent cravings. Thus, most of the apprentices at his store didn’t end up staying long as they all tried to find any method they could to leave. As for those who had no options, they could only be like Yu Hang, silently enduring until they lost their lives to him.

Out of all of the apprentices, Yu Hang was considered to be one of the people who had lasted the longest time. He was naturally diligent and cautious when he worked, so the main teacher of the shop took better care of him. Thus, Shopkeeper Zhang had fewer opportunities to make him his punching bag.

Unfortunately, Shopkeeper Zhang was like a rabid dog when he was drunk and didn’t differentiate between innocent and guilty people before he bit them. In fact, in his drunken stupor, he didn’t have any qualms causing the head craftsman trouble. Every time he was drunk, the apprentices in the store were out of luck, and Yu Hang often couldn’t escape the fate of being hit by Shopkeeper Zhang.

This time, the head craftsman had left to purchase some lumber and took one of the tall and strong apprentices to help. He left Yu Hang in the back courtyard to practice carving and shaving wood——the head craftsman had noticed that Yu Hang was hardworking and clever, so out of the kindness of his heart towards this apprentice, he wanted to transfer some woodworking techniques to him.

Yu Hang had been practicing his skills diligently and didn’t expect calamity to suddenly fall upon him. Shopkeeper Zhang had been invited to drink alcohol with some people, and, when he staggered back to the shop, he headed straight towards the back court to satisfy his drunken urge to beat someone. Yu Hang had turned into his victim. Not only did he beat the child with his fists from head to toe, but the drunken man also picked up every piece of spare lumber there was around and hurled them at Yu Hang’s tiny and weak little body. The boy tried to shield himself but in the end he spat up blood and stopped moving...

This wasn’t the first time he had accidentally killed an apprentice. In fact, Shopkeeper Zhang never cared about the lives of his students who had come from powerless, destitute families. After killing them, he’d carelessly throw their corpses into a common grave and let the feral dogs drag their bodies away. Once he got rid of any clues or evidence pointing towards him, he would then make a false countercharge. Shopkeeper Zhang would bring his partner along to visit the dead apprentice’s family and then accuse the apprentice of stealing something from the store and running off. Then, the timid family members would even have to kowtow to him and ask for forgiveness.

Shopkeeper Zhang had a vague idea what Yu Hang’s family situation was like. He was the son of an ordinary, poor fishing family that had relied on fishing for generations. Yu Hang had no background and no status, so even if he accidentally killed the boy, what was the worst that could happen? However, who would have thought that the Yu youngster had a little brother who was studying at Rongxuan Academy and that he would be on break and want to visit his brother today? Thus, his crime had been exposed prematurely.

In actuality, being exposed wasn’t really a big deal either. All he needed to do was make up something that made it Yu Hang’s fault and send his poor, trash family away. After all, weren’t impoverished fishermen, who were on the bottom of the social ladder, all cowardly and timid? Why was there a silly girl who managed to lead him by the nose and make him make a vow to the heavens? Usually making a heavenly oath meant nothing, but why did the heavens act today and send lightning to punish him...

In order to fix the problem now, his only choice was to kneel on the ground and ask the heavens for mercy and forgiveness! Zhang Dongming repeatedly knocked his forehead on the ground and the sound of his head tapping on the ground echoed. When he lifted his head, people could see a purple mark forming on his face, “I was wrong, I admit my guilt! I am willing to pay for all of Yu Hang’s medical fees! If, on the off hand, things get worse, then I will take charge of all of his funeral expenses!”

“Pah! Surnamed Zhang, stop cursing my older brother!! Is being well off really that great? You should know, everything that people do here on earth is seen by the Heavens!! If you sin too much, don’t be surprised when the Heavens decide to punish you!!” When the lightning had struck, Yu Xiaocao had been shielded behind her father. Now, without the slightest bit of fear on her face, she walked forward a step with the flash of lightning behind her. It made her seem as if she was a child sent by the Heavens.

Yu Yunxi had been standing for a long time in the midst of the crowd. He serenely watched the slightly-built, fearless girl in the middle who had a cold expression on her face. A faint sense of respect for her rose in his heart along with another indescribable feeling.

Although Shopkeeper Zhang wanted to refute the little girl in front of him in his heart, he continued to kowtow to the heavens and admit his wrongs. As he apologized and repented, the dense lightning in the skies slowly dissipated and the thick, dark clouds in the sky gradually disappeared.

After witnessing this phenomenon, the townspeople of Tanggu Town soon had a saying based on this event, ‘If you do bad things you’ll get punished by lightning’.

Yu Hang, who had been diagnosed as a hopeless case by the doctor from Tongren Medicine Hall, slowly opened his eyes after the black clouds scattered. With a very weak voice, he called out at Liu Muyun, who had been sobbing endlessly, “Mother…”

The people surrounding them all commented one after another, “The Heavens have eyes! The gods have not only punished the evil person but also saved Yu Hang’s life…”

“Are you awake, Xiaosha? What part of you feels uncomfortable?” Yu Hai softly asked his weak son as he supported his wife who was crying tears of joy.

Yu Hang barely managed to squeeze out a placating smile on his supernaturally thin face and replied with great difficulty, “Father, Mother! I’m okay, I’m sorry for making you two worry…”

“It’s all my fault, it’s all my fault! If I had made you come back earlier, then you wouldn’t have encountered such a bad fate…” Madam Liu had cried so hard that her eyes had swollen up until she almost couldn’t open them. After the crazy rollercoaster events of the day, she felt physically and emotionally exhausted.

Yu Xiaocao noticed that her older brother was struggling in an effort to sit up and hastily stopped him, “Older Brother, you broke three of your ribs! Doctor Sun had just done his best to bandage you up, but you’re absolutely not allowed to flail around!” Mother, it’s a good thing that Older Brother has woken up, so stop crying. Your body is not very healthy, so if you keep crying, it’ll make Older Brother very worried for you.”

“Older Brother, let’s go home! Father and Shitou will protect you, so there will be no other bad people who can bully you!!” Little Shitou’s eyes had turned as red as a rabbit’s eyes. He slightly sobbed as he tried to comfort Yu Hang. Yu Hang did his best to smile back at him.

However, Yu Xiaocao had turned around to face Shopkeeper Zhang, who was picking himself up from the ground, “Shopkeeper Zhang, we’re going to take my older brother back home. Do you have any problems with that?”

“Ah…usually, if the apprentice leaves the store before finishing their training, a penalty fee needs to be paid…” Shopkeeper Zhang secretly shot a glance at the dark clouds near the horizon as he stood up with great effort. He barely managed to steady his weak legs as he patted himself on the chest.

When Third Young Master Zhou heard the news, he had hurriedly rushed over from the docks. He dismounted from his horse when he got there and broke through the crowd. He came just in time to hear Shopkeeper Zhang’s shameless comment, so he coldly snorted and said, “Surnamed Zhang! We haven’t even settled your debt from injuring someone, so how do you have the face to ask for a penalty fee?! How about this, let’s go to the county magistrate’s office and settle things there?”

Everyone in town knew that Zhenxiu Restaurant’s business had been roaring hot. After all, there was a three month wait to reserve a private room there. In addition, with the imperial merchant Zhou Family behind the young master, how could Shopkeeper Zhang not know the status of this youth in front of him?

“Third Young Master Zhou, what sort of relationship do you have with Yu Hang?” From Zhang Dongming’s perspective, one was the son of a prosperous, rich family, and the other was the son of a poor fisherman. There was not much in common between the two. However, judging from the tone of Third Young Master Zhou’s voice, why did it sound like he was on the side of the Yu Family?

Zhou Zixu casually brushed off some dust from his clothes as he inquired about Yu Hang’s current condition. In addition, he learned the whole story of what had happened, including all of the details. Only then did he slant a sidelong glance at Shopkeeper Zhang, who he had coldly ignored the whole time. He stated solemnly, “This young girl, Miss Yu, is someone I consider to be my younger sister! Whoever wants to bully my younger sister is telling me that they don’t want to have a good relationship with me, Third Young Master Zhou!”

Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes inwardly, ‘Surnamed Zhou ah, when did this girl become your younger sister? At most, we are only a couple of business associates, okay?’

Zhou Zixu seemed to be able to sense her inner thoughts and turned around to look at her reassuringly before he turned back to faintly smile at Shopkeeper Zhang. For a split second, it seemed like the small and frail looking figure of a young man had suddenly become tall and lofty.

In order for Shopkeeper Zhang to be able to conduct business as easily as a fish swimming in water, he naturally had a good sense of who he could offend and who he had treat carefully. Although Third Young Master Zhou was young in age, the patriarch of the Zhou Family regarded him highly. It was obvious that this young man’s future would be bright in the future.

Furthermore, Third Young Master Zhou had a close relationship with the son of County Magistrate Wu, and he was in the wrong in this situation. If they really did bring this to the county magistrate’s office, Shopkeeper Zhang was afraid that the one who would lose would still be him...

Zhang Dongming immediately showed off his acting skills by ‘changing expressions to fit the situation’. A large smile crossed his face as he said cloyingly, “I really didn’t have the eyes to tell the difference between trash and treasure. Since Third Young Master Zhou is helping us settle our differences, this dumb one will return the apprenticeship contract back to the Yu Family in consideration for Third Young Master Zhou’s reputation…”

After seeing the extent of Yu Hang’s injuries, Third Young Master Zhou was angered and aggrieved at how vicious Shopkeeper Zhang was to the young boy. He cut off Shopkeeper Zhang’s flattery short and frostily replied, “Shopkeeper Zhang, there is no need to do this out of concern for my reputation. We can find out who is truly at fault at the magistrate’s office! Simo, please go to the county magistrate’s office to report a case, tell them that the Zhang Ji Carpentry Shop’s shopkeeper had seriously hurt someone while drunk…”

“Wait a moment, wait a moment!” Although it was a chilly spring day, Shopkeeper Zhang suddenly felt cold sweat dripping down his bruised forehead. He immediately bowed deeply and repeatedly pleaded, “Young Master Zhou, tell me what needs to be done and this lowly one will immediately obey!”

Third Young Master Zhou glanced back at the silent and taciturn Xiaocao and quietly asked, “Xiaocao, how do you want to handle this Shopkeeper Zhang…”

“Shopkeeper Zhang violently beat up my older brother and caused injuries serious enough that he almost died. In addition, he also caused severe psychological damage to him. We’ll waive the psychological fees. As for the fees for medications, nursing, disability, and nutrition...he needs to pay for all of these to repent for his mistake. Furthermore, Shopkeeper Zhang falsely accused my older brother of stealing from him and damaged his reputation. He must sincerely apologize to my brother in front of everyone here!”

Zhou Zixu watched as the tiny figure in front of him, with her hands clasped behind her back, pretended to have the demeanor of an adult. Everything she said had made sense, and it only made him feel that she was an adorable little girl. He couldn’t help but soften his gaze towards her and reveal a warm and gentle smile on his face.

“Did you hear all of that? Medication fees, nursing costs...all of it. Given our status as fellow townspeople, I’ll cut a deal with you. Pay out a hundred taels as a courtesy okay? That won’t be considered too expensive, right?” Third Young Master Zhou was as gentle as a spring day towards his friends, but towards his enemies, he was as severe and ruthless as the cold winter day.

Originally he had wanted to extort the man for around three hundred to five hundred taels, but he was afraid that Xiaocao and her family would then be slandered as blackmailers. So he modified his request to a more reasonable one hundred taels as compensation for Yu Hang’s injuries.

Shopkeeper Zhang obviously couldn’t say anything at this point. His heart dripped blood at the thought of the terms but he still kept a smile on his face as he nodded furiously, “Not too much, not too much! Young Master Zhou’s terms are very fair, very very fair!”

Third Young Master Zhou took the banknote worth a hundred taels from Shopkeeper Zhang’s hands and then turned to face Yu Hang, who was lying in the donkey cart. He hinted, “The compensation has been paid in full, so quickly apologize now! We still need to go back to the medicine hall to check on his condition again!”

Shopkeeper Zhang really didn’t want to apologize to his poor and humble apprentice. However, if he didn’t do it, it was likely that he’d be brought to the county magistrate's office——in that case, then he’d really lose his face and reputation. After considering the facts, he decided to assume an air of sincerity and figuratively pinched his nose as he apologized to Yu Hang.

Chapter 111 - Going Home

The family went to the carpentry shop to retrieve all of Yu Hang’s clothing and other items, especially the one hundred and seventy copper coins——the money was all a symbol of the family’s love and concern for Yu Hang, so they absolutely couldn’t let Shopkeeper Zhang get his paws on it!

Although the now awake Yu Hang resolutely refused to go, the family still dragged him to Tongren Medicine Hall to have Doctor Sun check his condition. On the way to the doctor’s, Yu Xiaocao also made the little divine stone use its spiritual power to heal her older brother, who was lying down on the donkey cart.

When Doctor Sun palpated Yu Hang’s pulse again, he was astonished at the boy’s recovery ability. Did everyone from the Yu Family have bodies that were different from the rest of humanity? He had diagnosed three of the members, and all of them had originally had death sentences. However, all three managed to survive beyond the odds. For example, Yu Xiaocao had been diagnosed with a weak constitution since birth and had been bedridden but was now skipping and running around like a completely different person. Yu Hai, on the other hand, had his leg completely savaged by a vicious bear, but he had managed to recover completely, except for a little limp. Then there was Yu Hang, who had gotten his internal organs damaged. If it was another person, he or she would have spat up blood and died within hours. However, he only took half a day to come out of his coma and could even talk normally!

All of these miraculous situations were only seen in the Yu Family. Was this a coincidence or did Yu Family have a secret, holy method to heal their bodies?

Luckily, Doctor Sun was an ethical man and squelched down his hesitation and curiosity. He didn’t try to investigate further into the Yu Family and instead buried these thoughts deep inside his heart. The Yu Family had already experienced too much suffering so they really didn’t need another problem to arise.

With Doctor Sun’s permission and Yu Hang’s persistence, the family rejected Third Young Master Zhou’s well-intentioned offer to have Yu Hang recuperate in one of his other residences and instead brought him home in the donkey cart.

They cushioned the donkey cart with a thick layer of bedding, and Yu Hai, who was driving the cart, tried to have the cart move slower and more smoothly. However, the mountainous roads here were still a bit bumpy, so Yu Hang had to suffer a bit while traveling. Luckily, Xiaocao was there to feed Yu Hang with some highly concentrated mystic-stone water the whole way back and also had the little divine stone protecting his injuries. Thus, Yu Hang managed to survive the journey home.

Little Shitou had asked for a day off because he was still worried about his older brother. He grumbled when he saw his brother suffering, “The only thing not good about our donkey cart is that the wheels are made out of wood and have no shock absorption. If we could get a set of rubber wheels that would be much better.”

“Rubber wheels? Are you talking about the wheels with the black rubber on the outside and you can blow air into them?” Yu Xiaocao would have never thought that this world would already have rubber tires available for carts.

Little Shitou nodded furiously and continued, “In town, the horse carriage that the Zhou Family’s patriarch and matriarch use has rubber wheels. When it’s pulled, the carriage doesn’t bump or jump at all. I heard that rubber wheels were something that our current emperor, Jianwen Emperor, had discovered when he was young.

When Jianwen Emperor was still the imperial grandson, he had built a shipyard, organized a fleet of ships, and sailed the distant seas to the southern regions. He had discovered rubber trees there and used them to manufacture rubber wheels. After experimenting for more than half a year, he was finally able to make a rubber wheel that had the right amount of flexibility to be shock absorbent. It was said that he created these rubber wheels to make it easier for him to go out and travel. Rubber possibly had other uses but no one was currently using it for anything else of importance.

Yu Xiaocao raised an eyebrow at this information. This fellow transmigrator was probably an engineer in his past life as he had not only built ships but also invented rubber wheels. If Jianwen Emperor hadn’t transmigrated into the imperial family, then he likely would have become a person primed to become the Chancellor of the Ministry of Works.

The sky had turned completely dark by the time they got back to Dongshan Village as they had to take multiple breaks on the road. In the distance, they could see a slim and stooped over figure at the village entrance pacing anxiously to and fro. Only when they got closer were they finally able to recognize the person as Xiaocao’s grandfather, Old Yu.

“How’s Xiaosha’s condition and injuries? Why didn’t you guys get back until now?” Old Yu wasn’t faking his concern over his grandson. When he heard the news, his first reaction was to ask for some money from his wife. As Yu Hai’s father, he knew what kind of circumstances his son’s family was under. His grandson’s injuries were not light, so they likely needed a lot of money to heal him.

But Madam Zhang was a pixiu [1]. Any money that came into her purse was hers alone. Even if the Heavenly Emperor himself came over, he wouldn’t be able to pry even half a copper coin from her paws. Old Yu naturally was unable to get any money, so he stayed at home, too ashamed to go into town, and waited in agony.

When he saw Yu Hang’s extreme pallor and closed eyes, Old Yu staggered a bit as he thought his eldest grandson had encountered a disaster.

Although Dashan had changed his surname to Yu after Madam Zhang had married again, Heizi still didn’t have the Yu Family’s blood flowing through him. In actuality, Yu Hang was the true eldest grandson of the Yu Family. After Yu Hang was born, despite Madam Zhang watching them like a hawk, Old Yu was always able to come up with a method to add some extra food for his eldest grandson.

Other than going out to sea or mending fishing nets, Old Yu mostly played with his eldest grandson. As for the rest of his grandchildren, he didn’t place as much importance on them as he did on Yu Hang. When he saw his grandson with tightly closed eyes and no movement, tears immediately came to Old Yu’s eyes.

“Father, Xiaosha’s okay now. Don’t feel sad, okay!” Yu Hai gently tucked the blankets around his son as he comforted his father.

Yu Xiaocao didn’t have a lot of ill will towards this grandfather of hers, so she supported his arm and quietly said, “Grandfather, my older brother has truly encountered a calamitous event this time. There’s not a single part of his body that’s not injured. Three of his ribs were broken and his internal organs were severely damaged. Even Doctor Sun at Tongren Medicine Hall couldn’t do much for him. Fortunately, my older brother was lucky and was able to keep his life with great difficulty. Grandfather, at that time we weren’t in horrible circumstances, so how could we send my brother to that carpentry shop to become an apprentice without even asking about the situation there?”

When Old Yu heard that, he blamed himself continuously, “I’m such a useless grandfather. At that time, I thought that having Xiaosha learn a trade wasn’t a bad thing and was convinced by Madam Zhang and Madam Li’s persuasions, so I agreed. Who knew that the Zhang Ji Carpentry Shop was a den full of tigers and wolves, ah! My poor eldest grandson almost…”

Yu Hai knew that his daughter was deliberately blackening the reputation of the old hag, Madam Zhang. However, when he saw how repentant and guilty his father looked, his heart immediately softened, “Gossip travels quickly in the village, let’s go home and then talk!”

Old Yu’s hand trembled as he fished out a string of copper coins and shoved them into his son’s hands. His voice was choked with emotion as he said, “I won’t go with you guys back to the old residence to avoid that old woman from coming over and making a disturbance again. Father is useless and doesn’t have much. Take this money and use it to buy some chicken eggs to nourish Xiaosha’s body.”

Yu Hai was astonished when he found out his father had also saved up a secret purse. However, he knew that his father’s money didn’t come to him easily, so how could he take it? The father and son pushed the money back and forth for a bit, but, in the end, Yu Hai was no match for the old man’s persistence and finally took the money that was a symbol of a grandfather’s good intentions.

A burst of sorrow bloomed within Yu Hai’s heart as he watched his father, who had become older with every passing day, walk away. Yu Xiaocao was afraid that her father would become softhearted again and hurriedly pulled on his hand and said, “Father, when our situation at home is better, we should bring Grandfather over and treat him well to show our filial piety! Let’s remember Grandfather’s good intentions from today! Let’s go home now, Older Brother’s body is weak and shouldn’t be subject to the chilly air.”

When the old residence got fixed, they only fixed the major parts of the central building and the two side rooms next to it. Ordinarily, Yu Hai and his wife lived in the central building and the children lived in the rooms on the side. In order to make it easier to take care of their seriously injured son, Yu Hai lifted his son onto their own kang bed to sleep on.

When Yu Hang was placed on the kang bed, he opened up his faintly bruised eyes and, in the weak light, could see that he was in a room that was much more spacious and bright than their old West room at the new residence. He revealed a smile that came from his heart and it brightened up his wasted and pallid face——he was finally home! In the future, he would never have to live feeling scared and on the edge again, afraid that at any time someone would hit him. He looked at the concerned expressions on his parents’ and siblings’ faces and slipped quickly into sleep again. In the midst of his heart, four words appeared before him——returning home feels good!

“Let’s allow Older Brother to sleep for a bit. I’m going to simmer some congee. Older Brother has become so thin that he doesn’t even look human anymore, we need to let him carefully nourish his body for a bit!” Yu Xiaolain wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes. Her heart was filled with worry, and she wholeheartedly wished she could magically restore her brother’s body back to a healthy weight.

Yu Xiaocao urged her mother, whose face was even more pale than her older brother’s face, to lay down and rest a bit. She went out of the room with Xiaolian to make dinner together. Yu Hai was in the courtyard cleaning and preparing the pig head and offal they had bought earlier. Tonight, they still had to braise these cuts of meat for the next day.

At the evening meal, the pig head and intestines were already stewing on the stove as the whole family surrounded the kang bed. Madam Liu carefully and gently fed her eldest son some congee. When she saw her son eating the food eagerly, tears began to brim again in her eyes.

“Mother, I’m okay now. Please don’t worry anymore!” Yu Hang sensibly lifted up his weak arms and helped Madam Liu to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes.

Yu Xiaocao also comforted their mother, “Mother, they always say that ‘after escaping a calamity, fortune will abound’. Older Brother will definitely have a bright and good future now! Stop crying. If you continue to cry, then our whole kang bed will soon be underwater!”

Madam Liu didn’t know whether she should laugh or cry as she gently slapped her daughter’s arm and said, “You always say the darndest things! Cao’er is right though. Good days are just ahead of us! In the future, we should never divide our family apart again!”

“Mother! Judging from what you just said, in the future, Xiaolian and I will have to find husbands who will live us, ah!” Yu Xiaocao wanted to lighten up the atmosphere for her family, so she tried hard to amuse everyone.

Xiaolian, who had already turned nine, blushed fiercely after hearing her sister’s words. She spat at her and then quickly cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks, and fled into the kitchen to hide.

Madam Liu pinched her daughter, who had slowly been filling out, on the cheek and rebuked her, “You’re a girl, so you should be more gentle and refined. Why are you saying things like having a husband live with us? If word of this came out, then will you two have any reputations left here? In the future, will there be a mother-in-law who would want you two?”

No matter what the time period, everyone discriminated against the men who lived with their wives’ families. Who would be happy to have a perfectly good son marry a woman and live with her family as if he was a layabout?

Xiaocao finally remembered that she was living in a time period where girls couldn’t just say whatever they wanted, especially when it came in regards to marriage. The people here were much more conservative than those living in modern times.

Yu Hai helped his son wipe his face and wash his hands and feet. He gently smiled and placated Madam Liu, “Cao’er is still young and spent seven to eight years of her life lying on the bed indoors. What does she know right now? In the future, you just need to teach her a little more. Don’t yell at the child anymore!”

Xiaocao quickly placed an innocent look at her face, as if she didn’t know what she had said wrong. She also pouted slightly as if she was feeling wronged.

The rest of the night passed quickly. The next morning, Xiaolian brought Little Shitou along on the donkey cart to sell braised food at the docks. After eating breakfast and chatting a bit with her older brother, she spoke to her parents, “I heard Doctor Sun say that eating snakehead fish can nourish the body, enrich the blood, dispel blood stasis, and improve the healing of the body. I also heard Brother Han say that there is apparently some snakehead fish living in the river just south of the mountain. I want to go over there and see if it’s true!”

“I’ll go with you!” To get to the southern part of the mountain required traversing through some mountain thickets and climbing a mountain. In the middle, there was even a mass grave to go around. Yu Hai naturally didn’t feel that it was safe for his beloved young daughter to go by herself. He put down the fish bait and net from his hands and decided not to catch fish in the pond behind their house anymore.

[1] Pixiu (貔貅) - a mythical creature, which is depicted as a winged animal with the head of a dragon and body of a lion, that brings luck (usually wealth) and wards off evil; it is believed that the pixiu doesn't have an anus which signifies that wealth/luck will flow in and not leave

Chapter 112 - Headed Out

When Madam Liu heard they were going to the south side of the mountain, she immediately became worried, “Stop right there! In the future, none of you are allowed to go into the mountains!”

Ever since Yu Hai had his accident, Madam Liu had no longer regarded the mountain as an area people should go to! In the past, she had also heard the stories about vicious and ferocious creatures living deep in the mountains. However, after living with the Yu Family for more than ten years, Yu Hai had never encountered any of the vicious beasts when he was in the mountain. In fact, he rarely even saw a wild boar, let alone tigers, wolves or other dangerous animals.

But after Yu Hai was ravaged by the bear, Madam Liu felt that the mountain and its thickets were truly a dangerous area. She had almost lost her husband once, so it was natural that she had lingering fears, right? Thus, whenever someone said they wanted to go in the mountain, she had to voice her fear and disapproval!

When Xiaocao saw that her mother’s expression had changed significantly, she quickly tried to placate her, “Mother! I’m not going into the mountain!! I’m just going on the trail at the foot of the mountain to get to the south side. Although it’s a longer detour, it’s not going to be dangerous!”

“You’re really not going into the mountain?” After seeing Xiaocao nod her head furiously, Madam Liu finally let out a sigh and said, “As long as you’re not going into the mountain, it’s fine. Yesterday we caught a lot of fish in the net, so we have more than enough to make pickled fish this afternoon. Just let your father accompany you and make sure to bring more dry rations along. If you’re going around the foot of the mountains, I’m afraid you won’t get back before it’s dark!”

Yu Hang, who was lying on the bed recuperating, overheard their conversation. He struggled to sit up, but a sharp twinge shot through his chest and he grimaced in pain. When Xiaocao saw this, she hastily ran over to support him up. After propping him up using bedding behind his back to allow him to recline slightly, she said, “Older Brother, stop moving around. If there’s anything you need, call Mother and she can help you! The most important thing for you to do right now is to let your body heal. Stop thinking about random stuff!”

“Younger Sister, Doctor Sun told me that I’m recovering quickly. There’s really no difference if I get to eat snakehead fish or not! We’re too far from the southern part of the mountain, so don’t bother going there! Don’t we already have fish at home? Just use what we have to make a stew and it’ll still be very good!” Yu Hang didn’t want his family members to run ragged for his sake, so he did his best to persuade them from going.

“Older Brother, stop being such a worrywart! Here, drink some water and take a nap. Sleeping helps the body rest and recover a lot!” Whenever Yu Xiaocao made up her mind to do anything, she could not be persuaded otherwise. There was no way that Yu Hang’s attempt would sway her mind at all. She poured him a large cup of highly concentrated mystic-stone essence infused water and fed it to him.

The little divine stone had told her that a person wouldn’t get into trouble if they drank too much mystic-stone water. The only side effect was that it would make them sleep for a bit. See here, she even used its side effects as a make-shift sleeping pill!

When the little divine stone found out they were going to the southern side of the mountain, it immediately became excited. It had already finished exploring the West Mountain and it hadn’t had a chance to explore any farther areas.

With a ‘whoosh’, it leapt onto Xiaocao’s shoulders and enthusiastically rubbed its golden head against Xiaocao’s cheek, [Bring me along, I want to go there and play too!]

Yu Hang was perplexed at the sight of the tiny, golden kitten. Although its size made it seem like it had just recently been born, it’s agile and strong movements implied otherwise. “Ehhh? It’s quite rare to see a kitten that’s so pretty, where did you get it from?”

“Your younger sister found it in the thickets behind us. It’s quite clever, so we decided to raise and have it keep Tiny company!” Madam Liu was cleaning up the room as she watched Xiaocao and her husband’s antics with amusement.

Yu Xiaocao was in the middle of trying to convince her father to let her go to the southern side of the mountain on her own. There was a common saying, ‘full recovery from a serious injury takes a hundred days’. Even though the little divine stone strengthened and healed her father’s leg every day, he had still suffered from a violent injury. To get to the south side of the mountain, they needed to walk a very long distance. She really wasn’t sure if her father could do it right now!

But how could Yu Hai, who loved his daughter to death, feel okay in letting his daughter, who was only eight to nine years old, go by herself?

Just as the two of them were mutually stuck in a deadlock, someone knocked on their main gate. Zhao Han stepped in with a hunting knife in one hand and his hunting bow and arrows slung over his back. “Good morning, Uncle Yu! Xiaocao, you didn’t go to the docks today to sell braised food, eh!”

When Yu Xiaocao saw the impressive-looking and decked out Zhao Han, her eyes lit up. She ran over to pull at his hand and spoke to her father, “Father, didn’t you say you don’t feel comfortable letting me go by myself? Then let Brother Han go with me then! Doctor Sun had said that you need to let your leg heal for a little longer, ah!”

Zhao Han grinned when he heard Xiaocao explain what was going on, “What a coincidence! The prefectural magistrate’s son is getting married, and he wanted to reserve a pair of wild geese. At the southern side of the mountain is a pond filled with reeds. There should be some wild geese migrating from the north resting there. Since Xiaocao also needs to go to the southern side of the mountain, it works perfectly since it’s on the way. Uncle Yu, I’ll accompany Xiaocao, so don’t worry!”

With the Zhao Han’s help, Xiaocao was finally able to convince her father to stay at home after another bout of wheedling. Before they left, Yu Hai warned them continuously to be cautious. In the end, Madam Liu had to intervene, “Husband, if Xiaocao doesn’t leave now because of you, she won’t be able to come home today!” Only then did Yu Hai reluctantly let his daughter leave.

After she had traveled out of sight from her father, Xiaocao let out a long sigh. When she saw the amusement glimmering in Zhao Han’s eyes, she said with a bit of embarrassment, “Having an overprotective father is sometimes quite inconvenient!”

Zhao Han chuckled, “Uncle Yu is just concerned about you. I never would have expected that a big, hulking man like Uncle Yu would be so attentive and worried about his children!”

Yu Xiaocao merely shrugged and didn’t say anything more. She followed Zhao Han from behind as they traveled. They arrived at the foot of the West Mountain and there were a bunch of burial mounds messily interspersed in the area. Weeds grew in abundance and grave markers dotted the entire landscape. From time to time, the sounds of feral dogs yelping and crying could be heard.

Yu Xiaocao shortened her stride and didn’t dare to glance sideways. She was afraid she might see something inauspicious. Zhao Han had looked back at her without paying much attention to his surroundings and noticed the tight expression on her face. He frowned, thinking that there might be something incredibly dangerous around them, and then realized that Xiaocao was only an eight to nine year old little girl. Normally, her actions and words were too similar to an adult’s, so it was very easy for other people to forget her actual age.

Zhao Han slowed down a few steps to allow Xiaocao to catch up until they were walking side-by-side. The top of Xiaocao’s head didn’t even reach his armpits, which once again served as a reminder to him that the little girl next to him was young and inexperienced.

“Don’t be scared. Although the area we’re walking through is somewhat isolated and desolate, there won’t be anything like an undead monster appearing in the wilderness, if that’s what you’re worried about. If you’re scared, you can hold onto the corner of my jacket!” Zhao Han had been taught from childhood that a distance between sexes should be kept at age seven and older, so he didn’t feel comfortable holding Xiaocao’s hand. Thus, he could only suggest this solution.

Xiaocao inwardly rolled her eyes, ‘Hold onto the corner of your jacket? Do you think I’m a three year old child, ah?! Let me set things straight, inside, I’m almost thirty years old, an adult. Do you really think I’m worse than you, a twelve to thirteen year old preteen?’ In order to prove that she wasn’t afraid, she deliberately lengthened her strides and took large steps.

Zhao Han absentmindedly kept up with her and stayed alert to their surroundings in order to keep the tiny girl next to him shielded underneath his wings.

Luckily, the messy graveyard didn’t take up a large area, so the two of them managed to quickly go past it and get to the foot of the mountains.

“How about we walk on the large road at the foot of the mountains?” If they traversed across this mountain range, which wasn’t considered very tall, they would be able to get to their destination very quickly. On the other hand, if they traveled on the road winding around the foot of the mountain ranges, it would take them at least twice as long. Had Zhao Han been traveling on his own, he definitely would have picked going over the mountain range. However, when he thought about Xiaocao’s age and body constitution, he hesitated.

Yu Xiaocao had long thrown her mother’s warnings out of her head. She raised her head to look at the mountain range in front of her and thought it wasn’t very high. In addition, she could clearly see the mountain trail squiggling through the peaks, which showed that this road was often used by people. She raised her voice and announced grandly, “Let’s go! Up the mountains!!”

After she said that, she took the lead and dived into the forest thicket. Zhao Han helplessly followed behind her as he tightly held onto the hunting knife in his hand.

Yu Xiaocao walked as she carefully observed the environment on both sides of the trail. From time to time, she would scuttle into the underbrush and use the rope she brought to set some traps in areas where small animals liked to run.  Zhao suddenly interjected after seeing the rope traps in Xiaocao’s hands, “Every time I set traps with you, the odds of success increase by a lot, why is this so?”

In the past, when he set traps on his own, he would consider it to be a good day when three out of the ten traps caught prey. However, whenever he set traps with Xiaocao, the odds would increase to around five to six successes per trap. Sometimes, it was even higher! It really made him feel puzzled!

Xiaocao’s hands paused for a brief moment before she regained her composure. After all, she had lived for almost thirty years in her past life and knew how to bluff convincingly. She glanced at Zhao Han as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, and cheerfully said, “Well that’s obvious, it’s because my moral character is good, ah!!”

Did having a good moral character....really have anything to do with setting traps? Zhao Han started to think that the question he asked was a bit childish. Maybe it was really all just a coincidence!

After she used up all of the rope traps she brought from home, the road they walked on gradually became more precipitous. In some areas, she even had to use both her hands and feet to climb over. Zhao Han was in the front opening the way. From time to time, he would hold his scabbard and let Xiaocao drag on it as she climbed. This way she could save some energy.

The little divine stone had transformed into its golden kitten from and took the lead, running ahead. Occasionally, it would dart into some dense undergrowth or climb onto some branches to swing on or even leap over a boulder...suddenly, it acted as if someone had pressed down on it to keep it still. Its bright eyes stared at a nearby cliff and its nose lightly twitched. Unaware, its tail started to swish back and forth.

“What’s wrong, Little Glutinous Dumpling? Did you find something?” Xiaocao had spent more than a half year in constant contact with the little divine stone, and, while she didn’t know its every movement like the back of her own hand, she at least had an inkling on how to interpret its body language. After noticing the look of concentration on its face, she knew that there was something to be found.

[Spiritual energy, really dense spiritual energy! Something is giving off a stronger spiritual energy than the lingzhi mushroom or ginseng at Tongren Medicine Hall!! There must be a true treasure in front of us!!] The golden kitten’s ears quivered, and it scrambled toward the area with the cliff.

“Little Glutinous Dumpling, wait for me!!” Xiaocao had a decent amount of confidence in the little divine stone’s sensing abilities. Something that could make it this excited and run so quickly was definitely out of the ordinary. Yu Xiaocao pushed aside the weeds that had reached half a person’s height and struggled to follow from behind.

“Be careful!!” Zhao Han swiftly threw out his hand and grabbed Xiaocao’s arm just in time to save her from falling into a deep ditch that was hidden in the underbrush. He dragged her back up and said, “Make sure to look where you’re going! Be careful not to fall down!”

“Thank you, Brother Han! Little Glutinous Dumpling ran over there and I need to find it and bring it back!!” After receiving a fright, she took Zhao Han’s help to surmount that deep ditch and cautiously traversed through the thick weeds.

Zhao Han was in the front, opening up a path. He kept finding ditches left and right, and made sure to warn her. At last, he finally said out of worry, “How about you wait here and I go catch the cat for you? Is that okay?”

Yu Xiaocao slightly frowned and inwardly thought, ‘Do you think the little divine stone is a real cat that you can catch just because you want to, ah?’

“Little Glutinous Dumpling is afraid of strangers, so I’m afraid if it sees you, it’ll run away even farther! I can see up ahead that Little Glutinous Dumpling has stopped, so let me look instead!” In front of the cliff, she could see the golden kitten glittering in the sunlight under a bit of lush green undergrowth. From afar, the scene resembled a golden diamond surrounded by precious jade.

It took a bit of time for the two people to pass through the thick weeds. When they got to the side of the cliff, they noticed that the little kitten was using its claws to dig at some type of vegetation buried in the ground. It kind of looked like a bustling little groundhog.

Chapter 113 - King of Ginseng

Zhao Han watched as the little golden kitten dug at the plant furiously. The top of plant grew a large set of compound leaves and around it were smaller leaves that were all oval shaped. He thought it seemed somewhat familiar and hesitated before he said, “Xiaocao, is your cat a spiritual creature? Looks like it somehow recognizes ginseng?”

“Ginseng? Are you saying that Little Glutinous Dumpling is digging up ginseng?” Judging from the little divine stone’s obvious excitement, Xiaocao had a premonition that this stalk of ginseng was definitely out of the ordinary. It was probably older than a hundred years! Hundred year old ginseng...they hit the jackpot!!

Xiaocao scuttled a few steps closer and took out a small trowel from the basket on her back. She carefully helped the little golden kitten to excavate the ginseng. Before long, a stalk of ginseng that was shaped like a human and was about thirty to forty centimeters long came out of the ground.

Zhao Han’s voice wavered in emotion, “This ginseng must be at least a hundred years old! Legend says that after cultivating for a hundred years, a ginseng starts to have a human shape. Five hundred years, it’ll have a face, and if it goes past a thousand years, it’ll become sentient! This ginseng is already human shaped and we can faintly see that it has a face——Xiaocao, this ginseng you dug up can be rated as the king of ginseng!”

The little golden kitten flung the dirt off its claws and then hopped into Xiaocao’s hands. It wrapped its paws around the ginseng and had a look of infatuation on its face, [Such a dense concentration of spiritual energy, ah! Let me absorb as much as I can!]

“Be careful” Zhao Han quickly plucked the kitten out and into his own hands. He didn’t let the cat go no matter how hard it struggled, “This is a priceless treasure, don’t let your cat damage it!”

Xiaocao grinned in amusement when she saw the little divine stone, who had been caught by Zhao Han, baring its fangs at the youth in an attempt to threaten him. She gave it a placating look and spoke to it through her mind, [Don’t be impatient, ah, the ginseng won’t run away. When we get home we’ll discuss it!]

[This stinky human. If I didn’t take into account that he has helped you before, I would have torn him to pieces by now!] The little divine stone bared its fangs and claws, but in the eyes of outside observers, it just looked like false front.

Zhao Han felt that the little animal was quite adorable and used his hand to rub its furry head. Due to a moment of carelessness, the little kitten, whose fur was being messed up, scratched him and left two lines of red on his hand.

“Little Glutinous Dumpling, you’re not allowed to scratch people!” Xiaocao rushed over and rescued the little golden cat from Zhao Han’s hands.

After getting its independence back, the little divine stone agilely flipped over and jumped onto Xiaocao’s shoulder. All of its fur was raised up as it angrily howled a couple of times at Zhao Han. To Zhao Han’s ears, its snarls sounded only like a tiny kitten, barely weaned from its mother’s milk, throwing a spoiled temper tantrum.

Yu Xiaocao used some long grass to wrap the ginseng and secretly added a few drops of mystic-stone water to help it stay fresh. This was a treasure and was worth a lot of money! She needed to keep it carefully preserved!

Distances could be hard to judge. When she was looking at the mountain from afar, it didn’t seem very tall. However, as she was climbing it, it was a different story. Luckily, Yu Xiaocao had over half a year’s worth of nourishment with the mystic-stone water, so her body was much stronger than before. In addition, she also had Zhao Han helping her from time to time, so the two of them were able to easily cross through the mountain in a short amount of time.

“Wow! Is this the pond full of reeds that you were talking about?” Yu Xiaocao was mesmerized by the beautiful scene in front of her.

The tall and lofty mountain had hid a tranquil, dark green lake that delighted the eye. Reeds grew on the shoreline and surrounded the lake completely. Sunlight scattered through the reeds and reflected off the water that was so still that the reflection of the plants seemed to be a perfect inverted image.

Clouds of water vapor rose from the surface of the lake and embraced the whole area in a misty wonder. Not far from the water was a tree that she couldn’t identify. The branches of tree stretched out widely, and its trunk was tall and straight. The thick, misty fog that enveloped the area created a feeling that they were in a heavenly paradise.

In winter, the reeds lay dormant. The feathery tips of the plants gently swayed in the wind, which looked like the plumage of a red-crowned crane dancing in midair. Towards the bottom of the reeds, a few tender, verdant shoots peaked out of the earth and vigorously reached up towards the sky. Multitudes of unnamed birds were in the surrounding area. They sang, jumped around on branches, played, and occasionally tilted their heads to size up these two unexpected guests...

Zhao Han advanced a step and stayed alongside Xiaocao. He gazed into the distance, taking in the tranquil serenity of this utopian land, and said, “Indeed! This field of reeds is bracketed by mountains on three sides, and they shield this area from the biting cold northern winds. Even in the wintry and freezing twelfth month, this area is still as warm as spring. Many of the migratory birds who return earlier will spend some time in this place in early spring to rest.

“Look! There’s some wild ducks!! We should search this area and see if we can find any wild duck eggs!” Yu Xiaocao became instantly excited and dove into the reeds.

Zhao Han looked in the direction that Xiaocao was pointing and frowned deeply. He quickly caught up to Xiaocao in about three steps and looked left and right to protect her. He stifled a laugh and said, “Xiaocao, do you know what wild geese look like?”

“Wild geese? Of course I’ve seen them, but I’ve only see them when they’re flying in the sky. They’re up so high, so I can’t really tell what exactly they look like! Brother Han, do you know how to identify wild geese? If you don’t, how are we supposed to catch some, ah!!” Yu Xiaocao chattered on as she swept her gaze through the underbrush.

Giggles escaped from Zhao Han as Xiaocao looked at him oddly. He pointed towards the ‘wild ducks’ that she had identified earlier and grinned widely, “Those are wild geese! Wild ducks look very similar to domestic ducks. Male ducks have green plumage on their heads, which is why they’re called mallard ducks. Wild geese, on the other hand, have brown outer feathers, white bellies, flat mouths, short legs, and webbed feet. Usually a flock will live near the water. When they fly, they like to arrange themselves into…”

Yu Xiaocao peeked in-between the reeds and carefully observed the wild geese. She pouted, “Ah what! I think they look quite like ducks, ah!! Alright, since you say they’re wild geese, then they’re wild geese! If we catch the wrong animal, and the prefectural magistrate’s son beats you out of fury, then don’t blame me…”

When Zhao Han heard her prattling on and on, he laughed and shook his head. He retrieved his unique long bow from his back and placed an arrow on the string. He then took aim at the closest wild goose...

“Wait just a moment, wait!” Yu Xiaocao hurriedly used her hand to push down his bow and frowned, “For his wedding feast, didn’t the prefectural magistrate’s son want the wild goose to be alive? What if you’re not careful and kill it with your arrow? Wouldn’t that ruin all of your hard work?”

“Wild geese are very cautious, and most people are unable to approach them closely. They also spend a lot of time on the water, so if I don’t use a bow and arrow, how else am I supposed to catch them? I’m a good archer, so as long as I hit the goose’s wings, it won’t be able to fly off!” Zhao Han confidently raised his bow and arrow again.

Yu Xiaocao still disagreed with his idea, “An injured wild goose won’t look good either at the banquet! Give me a second to think of an idea!”

Wild geese lived together in a large flock and were very wary, so they were quite hard to catch. Thus, most people used a swan to substitute for the goose during their wedding rites.

The prefectural magistrate son’s fiancee was the youngest daughter of the mayor of the capital. Because her father had an important and high position in the capital, the prefectural magistrate naturally wanted to make sure the wedding rites went off perfectly in order to prevent the in-laws from looking down on them. Thus, even though the date of the wedding was more than half a year away, they had started looking all over the place for some live geese.

However, it was the beginning of spring right now, and most of the migrating geese flocks hadn’t flown back north yet. If this bed of reeds didn’t have a heavenly terrain, it’d be hard to find some geese feathers, let alone some live geese!

Yu Xiaocao thought deeply for a short period of time and then suddenly clapped her hands together, “I have an idea, but I’m not sure if it’ll work or not!”

“What’s your idea? Let me hear about it.” Zhao Han was in the middle of pondering whether he could go into the water and get close to the flock of geese when he absentmindedly replied.

Yu Xiaocao said, “We can bend my sewing needle into a large fish hook and then place some food that the wild geese like to eat on it. When the goose eats the bait, then we can pull the string and reel the goose on. As long as the fish hook is able to grab onto the goose’s neck, it won’t be able to run away!”

Zhao Han thought for a bit and then decided there weren’t any other options for them, so he might as well give it a try!

Xiaocao heated up her sewing needle until it turned red and used an iron tool to strike it until it formed a hook shape. While she was doing that, Zhao Han was busy catching some fish and shrimp that the geese liked to eat. When he was done, he gave the bait to Xiaocao.

After finishing her simple fish hook, Yu Xiaocao secretly sprinkled some mystic-stone  water onto the bait and then had Zhao Han fling the hook with bait towards the flock of wild geese.

The bait landed about three to four meters from the edge of the group of geese. The wild goose in charge of keeping watch squawked a few times. The flock immediately scattered in all directions and some of them even flew into the sky.

Zhao Han beat his hand out of a bit of annoyance as he thought they had failed on the first try. Just as he was about to pull the hook in, Xiaocao stopped him, “Wait a little bit! Catching wild geese is the same as catching fish. There’s only one true method, and that’s you need to ‘wait’! Let’s wait and see!!”

When he saw how confident Xiaocao was, Zhao Han tampered down his temper and crouched down into the reed bed. He attentively observed the movements of the geese flock.

When the group of geese that scattered realized that there wasn’t any danger, they quickly returned. The bait had a large concentration of spiritual energy, and it quickly attracted the attention of a few of the animals that were closer. A large and powerful male goose fanned its wings as it swiftly came towards the bait. It swooped down its neck and snatched the hook in its beak as it proudly looked back at the rest of its competitors.

When some of the wild geese saw that the food had already been taken, they decided not to fight for it. Others, on the other hand, were not to be outdone and flung themselves at the winner, stretching out their necks in an attempt to steal the food from the winner’s mouth.

The victor nimbly dodged the losers’ attacks and swiftly swam away. It gently dropped the hook with the food on it next to its female companion and used its neck to gently rub the female’s body. The male goose also didn’t forget to look back warningly at the other geese that were coming over.

The female goose showed her gratitude to her mate before she gracefully dipped her head and swallowed the hook that smelled so tantalizing...

“I almost can’t bear to catch them!” She had heard that wild geese lived together only in pairs, which was why flocks only had even numbers of geese, and that when one of the partners died, its companion would have a great desire to commit suicide. Seeing the scene in front of her, compassion rose inside Xiaocao’s heart.

Zhao Han also felt touched at the scene and softly said, “Don’t worry, after the banquet, these geese will be let go alive.”

After he finished talking, he silently reeled in the fishing line. The female goose, who had swallowed the bait, was gradually being pulled over. Her companion also followed behind her and acted like a faithful knight to his princess.

“Let me pull the fishing line, and you can hold onto the fishing net I brought along. When the male goose gets closer, use the net to catch him.” Yu Xiaocao explained as she secretly placed another bit of bait that had been doctored with the mystic-stone water in the nearby water around them.

The male goose apparently could sense the spiritual energy that the bait was emitting and swiftly swam closer to them. In a flash, it had entered Zhao Han’s hunting radius. With Zhao Han’s excellent hunting skills, the male goose naturally would have a hard time escaping. Furthermore, with the female goose also struggling, the two of them were caught like turtles in a jar.

Yu Xiaocao braved the risk of being pecked by the goose and carefully retrieved the fish hook from the female goose’s mouth. She was afraid the goose had injured its throat so she stealthily fed it a few mouthfuls of mystic-stone water.

Zhao Han thought the whole situation was very weird. Originally, the female goose had been struggling mightily but when it came into Xiaocao’s hands it was more docile than a domesticated duck. It lay motionless in the little girl’s hands. As for the male goose in his hands, it was still fighting violently, and his hands had already been pecked furiously by the animal several times. It hurt quite a lot!

Chapter 114 - A Profitable Trip

Yu Xiaocao couldn’t just stand by idly and watch the youth suffer. She lifted the female goose in her hands and walked over. When the male goose saw that the female goose had been caught, it struggled even more mightily. With Zhao Han’s bright eyes watching her, Yu Xiaocao couldn’t easily use her cheat item, mystic-stone water, to fix the situation, so she had to use the bait that was previously soaked in the water instead. She fed the male goose with it and only then did both geese settle down.

They tied up the geese’s feet and then placed the two animals into a basket that Zhao Han had carried over. After covering the basket with a lid, they had completed their mission of the day.

As for catching a snakehead fish, it also took a bit of time even though she had her special fish bait. There was no way around it. Xiaocao’s unique fish bait was too popular with everyone. All of the fish fought to eat the bait, and they ended up catching five to six catties worth of carp. The smallest fish was about the size of the palm of one’s hand, while the largest was around the size of a grass carp. Without much effort, Xiaocao’s fish basket soon filled up very quickly.

Luckily, by the time they almost ran out of bait, they managed to catch a big snakehead fish that weighed around two to three catties. As for the remaining fish bait, Xiaocao didn’t plan on bringing it home and used the rest to catch more fish. In the end, she had caught too many fish and needed to have Zhao Han string them up on a rope and help her bring them home.

This time, they not only caught three snakehead fish but they also caught a lot of other fish that made the trip worth it. Xiaocao released the smaller fish back into the lake, but she naturally took the larger ones back home as her ‘spoils from war’!

On the way home, Zhao Han carried the majority of their gains, and Yu Xiaocao only had to carry the couple of snakehead fish and the ginseng. Despite having a lighter load, Xiaocao ended up expending a lot of energy to just barely cross that mountain range that looked deceivingly easy. By the time they got to the area where they had set their traps, the cotton lining of Xiaocao’s jacket was already soaked with her sweat.

“Oh my gosh, I am exhausted!” Xiaocao plopped heavily down on a rock at the side of the road and used the back of her hand to wipe the beads of sweat off her forehead. A trail of gray dirt was left on her face afterwards.

Zhao Han looked at Yu Xiaocao, who looked like a cute, dirty little kitten, and grinned, “Sit down and rest here, I’m going to go to the traps and take a look.”

Despite carrying two fat and large geese in his bamboo basket and having both of his hands holding strings of fish, Zhao Han wasn’t even winded after crossing over the mountain range. Xiaocao watched him walk with pure envy, ‘Ah, he’s definitely someone who practices martial arts. The difference between us is just too big!’

Zhao Han placed the bamboo basket and the strings of fish on the ground next to Xiaocao and warned her repeatedly, “Be careful. Even though there shouldn’t be any ferocious animals in this area, sometimes wild boars or dogs can appear. If anything happens, scream loudly for me!”

“I have a very good moral character, so my luck shouldn’t be that bad, right?” Xiaocao carelessly replied as she stroked the male goose’s sleek feathers on his back.

Zhao Han was a little bit confused when he heard Xiaocao’s reply. What did a person’s moral character have anything to do with coming across a wild boar or another animal? And what was this ‘pointy [1]’ thing that she mentioned? However, he didn’t try to clarify. He was already used to Xiaocao saying random things from time to time that didn’t quite make sense.

After making sure their surroundings were safe again, Zhao Han went into the shrubbery that was about half a man’s height. He only came back, fully loaded with game, after all of the sweat on Xiaocao had dried up.

She had set a total of ten traps earlier, and, to avoid rousing Zhao Han’s suspicions, she only sprinkled mystic-stone water around five to six of them. Naturally, all of the traps she used mystic-stone water on had game. Because she only used smaller traps this time around, the animals she caught were all on the smaller side, like hares, pheasants, and badgers. One of the hares she caught was actually pregnant too!

Springtime was the season for animals to mate and reproduce. Thus, experienced hunters usually didn’t choose to hunt in this season. One of the reasons was that the animals raising their children were much more fierce and violent. The more important reason was that there was no reason to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs; that is, they needed to give the animals on the mountain time to multiply and thrive.

“What should we do with this wild hare? Let it go?” Hunters who went out into the woods during the springtime usually would let the pregnant creatures go. Thus, when Zhao Han saw the pregnant female hare hopping and skipping around, he couldn’t help but ask what Xiaocao’s plan was.

Yu Xiaocao carefully picked up the obviously pregnant hare and used her right hand, which had the multi-colored stone on it, to gently stroke the hare’s soft and silky fur.

“Be careful! Wild hares can also bite people when they get scared!” Zhao Han couldn’t help but remind her. One time when he was picking up a pregnant hare, the creature fought him vigorously and bit him hard. The resulting wound wasn’t serious but it bled for a bit and hurt!

Contrary to his expectations, the hare, which had been struggling frantically, calmed down and stayed in Xiaocao’s hands as if it was a kitten that had just eaten its fill. It stopped moving and even closed its eyes, as if it really enjoyed Xiaocao’s pets.

“Xiaocao, are you sure you’re not the legendary forest spirit or something like that? How come all of the wild animals in these mountains seem to especially like you?!” Zhao Han was astounded at the change in the hare and couldn’t help but make a little joke.

There was a reason why he mentioned this. Last year, she had caught a small roe deer in her trap. When the creature saw her, it treated her as if she was its mother, and followed her blindly home. Inside the secret valley, there were a bunch of tiny white fish that were very hard to catch, but Xiaocao was able to catch a whole jar full of them without much effort. And then there was what happened today at the lake. When they were catching the geese, there were a lot of shrimp and tiny fish in the water but the two birds seemed to have a special affinity for her bait.

Yu Xiaocao definitely had a secret! However, Zhao Han didn’t plan on asking her about it. Everyone more or less had their own little secrets. After all, wasn’t his own family an example of that? He had already thought of Xiaocao as a friend, as a younger sister no less, so he decided to honor her privacy.

When Xiaocao heard his joke, she deliberately opened her mouth wide and pretended to look scary, she sinisterly said, “Looks like you’ve seen through my disguise, youngster! Guess that means I can’t leave you here in this world anymore! Zhao Han, you need to die…”

[Idiot, stop being so boring!] The little divine stone had been laying in the basket, and absorbing the spiritual energy from the mountain ginseng. It rolled its eyes at Xiaocao’s antics and changed its position. Then, it continued to hug the ginseng and cultivate.

Zhao Han laughed in delight at Xiaocao’s joke but then saw the little golden kitten moving around in the basket. He reminded Xiaocao out of worry, “Xiaocao! That mountain ginseng is quite valuable! Be careful to not have your cat ruin it!”

“Don’t worry! Little Glutinous Dumpling won’t ruin it. That being said, without Little Glutinous Dumpling, I wouldn’t have been able to find this wild mountain ginseng. Since it likes the ginseng so much, then we should just let it hug it!” Yu Xiaocao, on the other hand, wasn’t a bit concerned at all.

Zhao Han took out the two large geese from the basket on his back and placed the game they just caught and the fish into the basket. Luckily, he had brought a large enough basket for this trip!

He held a wild goose in each hand and then glanced at the golden kitten that was dozing with its eyes closed. He smiled, “Your kitten is truly a treasure. It could actually find a ginseng in all of those weeds. I’ve heard of hunters training dogs to catch prey but I’ve never heard of training a kitten to find medicinal herbs!”

“I only recently picked up this little kitten, and it usually gets to freely range at home. So I’m actually not very familiar with this cat. Perhaps this is just a coincidence? Have you ever heard of animals that can specifically find medicinal ingredients?” Yu Xiaocao also placed her bamboo basket on her back. One of her hands still held the pregnant wild hare.

She had already made a decision that she was going to bring this hare back home to be raised. It was said that hares and rabbits multiplied very quickly. In the future, even if she didn’t go into the mountains, she could still have rabbit meat at home to eat!

Zhao Han looked at her for a long moment and then faintly smiled, “How come I have a feeling that every time I’m with you, coincidences seem to happen more often?”

“Haha! That’s because I have a good moral character, ah!” Yu Xiaocao acted as if she had accidentally avoided his gaze and pretended to be extremely happy as she skipped down the road back home.

At home, they found out that Little Shitou had  only went back to the town to return to school after confirming that his older brother was okay. Yu Hai had gone with his older daughter on the donkey cart to sell pickled fish at the docks. The only person in the courtyard was Madam Liu, who was darning clothes.

When she saw her younger daughter push the gate open, Madam Liu looked up at the sky and the expression on her face immediately changed, “This child, ah, is really disobedient! Didn’t you promise me before you left that you would go on the road that winds at the foot of the mountain? How could you be so reckless? What if something happened to you, do you want your mother to live anymore?”

“Auntie, please stop scolding Xiaocao! It was my idea to go into the mountains. I’ve walked on that trail for multiple times and I know there’s nothing dangerous on there. Auntie, if you want to scold someone, scold me instead!” Zhan Han had followed Xiaocao into the courtyard and had heard Madam Liu rebuking her, so he quickly pulled the responsibility onto himself.

The tight expression on Madam Liu’s face relaxed slightly but she was still a bit discontented, “Xiaohan, don’t blame auntie for making a big fuss about nothing. After what happened with your Uncle Yu last time...Auntie is truly afraid now!”

Zhao Han took the basket on his back that was filled with game, placed it on the ground, and replied in an understanding tone, “Auntie, I know you’re trying to do the best for Xiaocao! Don’t worry! In the future, I won’t bring Xiaocao into the mountains without your permission first. This is the game and fish that Xiaocao caught, please quickly put them away!”

“Oh you silly child, why do you always treat yourself like an outsider? In the past, when your Uncle Yu and your father went into the mountains, they always split the game fifty-fifty! We don’t need to get bogged down with who owns what between our two families, okay?”

After receiving Zhao Han’s promise that he wouldn’t secretly bring Xiaocao into the mountains, a smile finally appeared on Madam Liu’s face. She picked up three large fish, two pheasants, and a hare, and stuffed them into Zhao Han’s basket, ignoring his protests.

“Mother, leave the wild hare for me! I want father to weave a basket cage and house this pregnant hare with that male hare together. Hares can give birth to a litter after about a month. In the future, we will always have rabbit meat to eat!” Yu Xiaocao hastily took the male hare out of the basket and swapped it for the badger.

After seeing the mother and daughter pair acting like this, Zhao Han knew that if he continued to refuse it would only make things more awkward. Instead, he smiled and said, “Okay! Then I’ll just politely accept these. Xiaocao has a good hand at raising animals, so I’m going to leave these two geese at auntie’s house. The next time I go into the prefectural city, I will stop buy and pick up the geese to bring to the prefectural magistrate’s residence!”

“Oh right, Xiaocao!” Before Zhao Han exited through the gate, he suddenly asked, “Do you plan on keeping that ginseng for now or do you want to sell it? If you want to sell it now, you may not be able to get a good price in town. You should wait until I go into the prefectural city and I can help you inquire a bit!”

Yu Xiaocao thought that with the mystic-stone water, she probably wouldn’t need to use this old ginseng and said, “Then I’ll have to humbly ask Brother Han to ask around then! You also know our family’s current circumstances. If we sell off the ginseng, I think we should completely redo our house and then buy a few more plots of land. With my mother here, we probably can’t go into the mountains to hunt anymore. We should just settle down and plant fields!”

“Don’t you make good money from selling your food? If you don’t farm, do you really think you guys will starve?” Zhao Han lightly joked.

“Oh that’s true!” Yu Xiaocao lifted her head proudly, “However, as a family of peasants, it’s still better to have more plots of land at hand!”

[1] Xiaocao was using slang when she talked about her 'luck'. In literal terms, it means a 'point'. I couldn't think of a good English equivalent.

Chapter 115 - Selling Vegetables

The beautiful spring sun had already leaped out of the horizon at which the sky and the water was merged. Thousands of red clouds overflowed and blended with the morning mist rising slowly from the top of the mountains and turned into a multicolored halo.

Today was a rare sunny day. The sun was warm and cozy, so it felt comfortable to be caressed by its big, warm hands. It had only been five days, but Yu Hang already felt that he was close to recovering from his injury. He only occasionally felt a sore pain around the chest area, where his ribs were broken.

From the window, he saw his youngest sister’s busy figure in the courtyard. He slowly sat up from the kang bed and carefully supported himself against the wall. He put on his shoes and slowly walked out the door.

Yu Xiaocao, who was in the vegetable garden in the yard, lifted the straw thatches that were used to keep the vegetables warm, and revealed the green, tender seedlings. About seventy or eighty percent of the land in the courtyard was used as a vegetable garden. Leafy greens with short growth periods were planted in the garden in the yard. In addition, the mystic-stone water definitely had a role in accelerating the growth of the crops. Thus, in less than half a month, the greens, spinach, and leaf lettuce were all ready to be harvested. They appeared verdant and lush under the morning spring sun.

“Older Brother, you haven’t recovered from your injuries yet. Why did you come out?” Yu Xiaocao was the first to notice the movement at the door of the main room. She hastily wiped her hands and ran over to help her older brother walk over the threshold.

She found a place in the courtyard where the sun would shine on and brought over a recliner that her father had made in his spare time. After that, she laid a thick mattress on top before she allowed her older brother to lie down.

Yu Hang watched as his youngest sister moved the chair and went into the room to find the mattress. She was bustling about like a happy little bee. He had an apologetic smile on his face as he said, “Little Sister, you should go back to what you were doing! As your older brother, even though I can’t help much, but I don’t want to give you more trouble…”

“Older Brother! The most important thing for you to do right now is to recover from your injuries. Wouldn’t you be able to help out when you’re healed? Look, the vegetables in our garden are already ready to be sold. We also can’t disregard our business at the docks! You must cooperate well with the recuperation process, so that you don’t end up with a   lingering illness!”

Yu Hang looked at the vibrant vegetables in the garden, and the distress in his heart seemed to be dispelled by the greenery. He sighed with a smile, “Youngest Sister, this method is really good! At this time, other people have just planted their seeds, but we can already start selling our vegetables! If we take them to town, those noble masters and madams will love them so much!”

In this era, there wasn’t any advanced techniques like greenhouse farming. The high officials and noble lords in the capital, who had some hot spring resorts, were able to eat some fresh vegetables in the winter. However, there weren’t any geothermal resources around areas like Tanggu Town. Thus, it was very difficult for them to eat fresh vegetables during winter and early spring!

Yu Xiaocao covered his leg with a quilt, and then began to harvest the vegetables. She carefully dug out the greens one by one. After that, she asked Madam Liu, who had just finished tidying the kitchen, to help wash them with clean water, shake them dry, and neatly stack them inside the bamboo basket. The droplets of water on the bok choy made it look so fresh and juicy that she couldn’t help but swallow her saliva after gnawing on radishes and cabbages for the entire winter.

“Mother, should we eat hotpot this evening?” She could buy a chunk of pork bone to make a thick soup, and also a few pieces of soft tofu. There were homegrown bean sprouts in the pot and several big fish in the water vat. They also had fresh and tender greens… Ai-ya, she couldn’t think about it anymore, or she would start drooling!

“Hotpot?” Madam Liu and her eldest son looked at each other and knew that the little lass had come up with a new dish. However, Madam Liu felt somewhat reluctant since their one-of-a-kind vegetables would certainly sell for a good price.

Xiaocao was aware of her mother’s thoughts and explained, “Mother, why do we work from dusk to dawn to make braised food and earn money? Aren’t we doing this so that we can live a good life? If we make money but are unwilling to spend it on our own family, then isn’t that the same as being a money-grubber?”

“This child, who are you calling a money-grubber?” Madam Liu rebuked Xiaocao with a glare. But Madam Liu had a sudden realization after hearing her daughter’s words. Her daughter was right. Weren’t they earning money to ensure that their family could eat well and wear warm clothes and get out of the hard times? If they weren’t even willing to let their own children eat their own homegrown vegetables, then what was the point of them working so hard to earn money?

While the mother-daughter pair engaged in small talk, they were also busily working with their hands. After a while, they had filled several bamboo baskets with vegetables.

At this time, Yu Hai came from the backyard with a basket full of fish. He laughed, “Though the pond behind our house isn’t very big, there’s quite a lot of fish in there! I’ve been fishing there for over half a month, but there’s still a lot of fish. Cao’er, what did you put in the baits? All the big and small fish were crazily fighting for them. It was so gratifying to watch!”

“Quickly put the fish down! You go to town with Cao’er. How can she handle so much vegetables by herself? Fortunately, Xiaolian took the ox cart from the neighboring village to the docks this morning, otherwise it would be inconvenient for you two to go to town!” Madam Liu said as she helped load a basket of vegetables onto the donkey cart.

The donkey named ‘Little Gray’ had recovered from its illness already. After being nourished by the mystic-stone water, it looked sleek and lively. It was nearly impossible to tell that it was as thin as sticks and barely breathing just half a month ago.

Everyone who had seen the Yu Family’s donkey all praised it for being very clever. It didn’t need anyone to guide it and would obediently walk along the road by itself. When it encountered pits and holes, it even knew to avoid them. It seriously saved people so much energy and effort!

People who were close to Yu Hai all knew that the donkey was half-dead when they first bought it. They all praised Yu Hai for being an excellent animal breeder. To be able to raise a dying animal until it was plump and strong, wasn’t that already the best proof?

Later, because of this, there were people who would persistently request Yu Hai to treat their sick livestock. Fortunately, he had Yu Xiaocao as a secret weapon, so they were able to cure all of the sick animals.

Such sorrow! Ever since Doctor You came back, there wasn’t a single person who came to seek Xiaocao for medical treatment! Although Doctor You repeatedly claimed that his little disciple, Yu Xiaocao, had already surpassed her teacher, she was still too young after all. There was a saying: ‘Young people can’t be trusted with important tasks.’ Thus, most people still believed that the white-bearded Doctor You seemed more reliable.

After saving a few animals, Yu Xiaocao suddenly ended up becoming a vet. Moreover, her fame spread far and wide. Even her maternal grandmother on the other side of the mountains had heard about her reputation. Xiaocao seriously felt speechless at how things turned out! However, the reason she studied medicine was merely to hide her secret weapon, the mystic-stone water. She didn’t care whether other people believed her, as long as it could benefit her family!

“The sun is winking at me,

The birds are singing for me.

I’m a hardworking and non-clingy little demon.

Don’t ask where I came from,

And don’t ask where I’m going.

I just want to pick the most beautiful flower,

And give it to my little princess.

The king told me to patrol the mountains,

So I wandered around in the mortal realm…” [1]

Yu Hai enjoyed the first couple lines: ‘My daughter’s singing is pretty good. She must have gotten it from me!’ However, Yu Hai felt that something was off the more he listened to it. Why did his good daughter become a little demon? This child had become so daring that she wasn’t even afraid of being taken away by a Taoist master!

“My daughter! What demon? Have you heard too many supernatural stories?” Yu Hai couldn’t help but interrupt Xiaocao when he heard her singing the line ‘catch a monk for dinner’. The donkey cart had already reached the main road, and there were more and more people on the road.

When facing the curious gaze beside her, Yu Xiaocao giggled and said, “That’s right, Father! Grandpa You knows a lot of supernatural stories!”

A white-bearded grandfather, who was riding backwards on a donkey, chuckled and said, “The little girl has a crisp voice, which was very pleasant to hear! The content of the song is also very interesting. I didn’t know little goblins can also be so cute!”

This white-bearded old man was white and plump. He had a healthy and hearty appearance. Even though he was dressed in coarse cloth, he was obviously someone who lived a respected and privileged life. There were also the ‘filial sons and grandsons’ who were guiding the donkey for him and carried the bags. Their clothes couldn’t even conceal the bulging muscles on their bodies. When coupled with their alert gazes, they were definitely some sort of guards.

However, Yu Xiaocao pretended to be pure and innocent, and said with a smile, “Old grandpa, are you riding a donkey backwards to imitate Zhang Guoluo [2]?”

“Oh! Little girl, you have also heard the story The Eight Immortals Cross the Sea [3]!” The white-bearded grandfather was obviously in a good mood. He laughed merrily and said, “Come and tell Grandpa, who else do you know other than Zhang Guoluo?”

“I know a lot!” Yu Xiaocao swung the willow twig, which already had some green buds on it, in her hand. She raised her little head up high in a proud manner and replied, “The stories of Lu Dongbin, Li Tieguai, He Xiangu [4]… I know all their stories!”

Yu Xiaocao remembered that the story of the Eight Immortals originated from the Yuan Dynasty’s zaju [5] called “The Eight Immortals Cross the Sea”. Thus, she wasn’t afraid that this knowledge would expose her identity as a transmigrator.

She continued to talk with the old man with a white beard. The old and young pair happily chatted the whole way to town, so they didn’t feel that the trip to town was very far. When they arrived at the town gate, the childlike grandfather with a white beard bit on his little handkerchief and reluctantly said goodbye to Xiaocao, who he had become friends with despite their huge age gap.

Yu Hai didn’t say much throughout the journey. After they parted with the group of people who were disguised as fathers and sons, he finally said, “Daughter, that old man with a white beard probably has an extraordinary background! If you encounter him again in the future, remember to pay attention to your words and be careful to not get into trouble.”

Yu Xiaocao obediently complied, “Father! You can rest assured. I have a sense of propriety!”

Yu Hai recalled that throughout the journey, his daughter was indeed much more attentive of her speech. He also thought about how his youngest daughter was especially sensible and clever, so he finally relaxed his anxious heart.

As they were speaking, they had reached the biggest and busiest food market in town. The father-daughter pair chose a vacant space with a good flow of people and unloaded the donkey cart. The donkey cart was led to a specific resting area for livestock. There were also people there to specially take care of the animals. If they brought their own fodder, then they only needed to pay one copper coin for the service fee.

Xiaocao’s family’s donkey had already become picky eater after being fed by Xiaocao for so long. No matter how good the fodder was, it wouldn’t even glance at it if it didn’t have any mystic-stone water in it. Xiaocao took the fodder she had prepared, which was definitely mixed with the important mystic-stone water, from the cart.

Little Gray’s eyes lit up with a fervent glow. Instead of rushing to eat the fodder, it first rubbed its big head against Xiaocao’s hand. It looked at her with a gentle and reliant gaze, and then ate with relish after hearing her order.

[1] The King Asked Me to Patrol the Mountains (大王叫我来巡山) - song written/sung by Chinese singer Zhao Yingjun (赵英俊)

[2] Zhang Guoluo (张果老) - one of the Eight Immortals in Chinese mythology, he is often depicted as an old man riding backwards on a donkey and carrying a fish drum

[3] The Eight Immortals Cross the Sea (八仙过海) - a story written during the Ming Dynasty by an anonymous writer

[4] Lu Dongbin (吕洞宾), Li Tieguai (铁拐李), He Xiangu (何仙姑) - names of three of the Eight Immortals

[5] Zaju (杂剧) - poetic drama set to music that flourished in the Yuan Dynasty, usually consisted of four acts

Chapter 116 - The Prince

There was a burgundy colored horse tied not too far from Little Gray. At this time, it was no longer interested in the fine fodder beans within its own trough. It craned its neck and tried to eat the coarse hay in front of the little donkey. But its range of activity was restricted by the reins. The feelings of not being able to eat something that it wanted to eat made it feel very grumpy. It could help but kick backwards as it raised its head and neighed ceaselessly.

As soon as its owner came out of pickled vegetables shop, he swiftly strode forward upon hearing the furious cry of his beloved horse. Seeing the scene, the handsome youth laughed and scolded, “Red Cloud, you’re seriously acting so shamelessly! Why aren’t you eating the fine fodder beans but coveting others hay instead? You’re really such a disgrace to be fighting for food with a little donkey!!”

The burgundy horse seemed to have understood its owner’s words and made several long augmentative sounds as it struggled hard to break free from its reins. The youth loosened the reins, and the little red horse immediately rushed towards the little donkey. It strongly pushed Little Gray aside and devoured the remaining fodder. It even neighed fiercely at Little Gray with dissatisfaction, as if it was blaming Little Gray for not leaving more hay for him!

Little Gray had a mild temperament and didn’t make a scene despite being robbed of its food. It only stared at the burgundy horse with its big, gentle eyes. The burgundy horse seemed somewhat embarrassed and stopped making a fuss. It turned around, with its butt facing Little Gray, and chewed the hay in its mouth several times as if it was savoring the delicious taste of the fodder.

“This beast, you’re seriously shameless! If you like hay, then I’ll tell the horsekeeper to prepare some for you when we get home!” The youth gently touched Little Gray’s polished and smooth hair. He patted it and said, “Sorry about that, buddy! Old man, give my bag of fodder beans to the donkey’s owner as compensation later!”

The old man, who was in charge of taking care of the horses and livestock, also smiled merrily and promised.

The youth led his beloved horse, who was still reluctant to leave, out of the food market, and rushed all the way to the capital.

His mother was worried about his younger brother, who had gone on an oceangoing voyage recently. So, her appetite hadn’t been very good. They had changed several cooks, but there still wasn’t any improvement to her appetite. Madam Wu, whose husband served in Tanggu Town, told them that there were several types of tasty and refreshing pickled vegetables in Tanggu Town’s food market. After his mother tried the tasty crispy pickled radish that Madam Wu sent over, she ate one more bowl of congee than before.

After all, Madam Wu didn’t bring a lot of pickled vegetables back to the capital. It was only enough for his mother to eat for two days. After finishing the pickled vegetables, his mother returned to the state of not having any appetite. As a dutiful son, he couldn’t bear to see his mother get any thinner, so he took advantage of his break and rushed to Tanggu Town. After asking around, he finally found his mother’s favorite crispy pickled radish!

In order to ensure that this trip was not in vain, he even packed all the different kinds of pickled vegetables available in the shop! If his close friends found out that he, the dignified son of Prince Jing, had traveled busily between the capital and the small town of Tanggu within a day for the sake of a few crude pickled vegetables, they would definitely laugh their heads off. However, for the sake of his mother, he didn’t mind letting them laugh a bit!

Today, they had arrived just in time for the five major markets. Small businesses, vegetable vendors, peddlers… They were all gathered in this food market. As soon as Yu Xiaocao took out the fresh, green vegetables, they were surrounded by a group of people.

“Hey! There are actually fresh greens for sale during this time of the year! Look at this bok choy, it’s so tender that water could come out of it! It looks so appetizing!! This big brother, how much is this bok choy?” The person who asked was a well-off matron, who wore a fine cotton jacket and silver hairpin in her hair. She looked as if she came from a family with good living conditions.

On the way to town, the father-daughter pair had already decided on the price for the vegetables. Yu Hai chuckled and said, “The bok choy is twenty copper coins per catty and the spinach cost fifteen coins a catty. It’s eighteen copper coins for the leaf lettuce, while the romaine lettuce cost twenty-five coins. Older sister, take a look. Which one do you want?”

“Oh! Your vegetables aren’t cheap. It’s almost as expensive as pork! The common folks won’t be able to afford it!!” The matron’s chubby face was crumpled up and she seemed very dissatisfied with the price.

With a smile on her face, Yu Xiaocao sweetly replied, “Auntie, as the saying goes, the rarer something is, the greater its value! As you know, the heavy snowstorms this winter had been disastrous. There were also two more snowfalls in spring! What vegetables wouldn’t freeze to death in that situation? So it’s quite difficult for us to grow these vegetables!”

Although the onlookers were curious about how these fresh and juicy vegetables survived the early spring snowstorm, no one asked because they knew that only a fool would reveal their own secret money-making method. However, most of the people who came to the market were villagers from the surrounding villages. There were very few people who could afford vegetables that were about the same price as meat.

The fat woman genuinely felt that the vegetables were expensive, but she still had the money to eat them once or twice. Moreover, her pregnant daughter in-law would vomit whenever she ate and craved for some green vegetables. She also knew that none of the vegetable seeds had been planted yet at this time of the season, so there was no way she could find leafy greens.

She had come out with the intention of trying out her luck to see if she might find them. If she couldn’t find any, she was going to buy some garlic and grow garlic sprouts, which could also be considered a greenery. But she hadn’t expected to be so lucky and find vegetables. Moreover, it seemed like they had all the different types of spring vegetables.

Although it was expensive, for the sake of her unborn eldest grandson, she gritted her teeth—buy!

Under the envious gazes of the crowd, the fat matron put on a proud smile and pointed at the bok choy, spinach, and romaine lettuce with her chubby finger. As if she was afraid that others couldn’t hear her, she raised her voice and said, “Little girl, this, this, and this. Give me half a catty of each! If it’s good, Auntie will come back to buy some more tomorrow!”

“Okay!” Yu Xiaocao swiftly weighed the vegetables that the woman wanted. She lifted them up high as she handed them to her and said, “Auntie, it’s a total of exactly thirty copper coins!”

“Thirty copper coins ah! That’s enough to buy a catty of pork! In the previous years, that small portion of greens would be the same price as one and a half catties of pork. Who would be willing to eat that!”

“That’s right, that’s right! I originally wanted to buy some for my family to taste, but I didn’t expect it to be that expensive! Forget it, I’ll just bear with it! We just need to wait one or two more months and there should be vegetables for sale at that time!”

“They’re selling them to the rich people! Thirty copper coins is enough to buy around ten catties of coarse grain! It was really cold this winter, so the price for grain has skyrocketed. It was already very fortunate that we didn’t die of starvation. We don’t have the spare money to eat such expensive food.”

……

There were a lot of onlookers, but very few bought anything. An hour had already passed, but Yu Hai and his daughter didn’t get another customer besides the fat matron.

“Cao’er, did we set the price a little too high? It’s also noon. If we can’t sell them, the vegetables are about to wilt. At that time, it would be difficult to sell them for a good price!” Yu Hai felt slightly worried as he looked at the vegetables in the basket.

His youngest daughter had put in a lot of painstaking effort to grow these vegetables. She watered and weeded it every day by herself without needing other people’s help. The temperature was low in early spring, so she covered the vegetable gardens with straw thatches in order to prevent them from dying from the cold. In the morning at dawn, she would lift the thatches up again. Every day, she wouldn’t miss either of these two steps.

In front of and behind the house, there would be vegetables planted in all the open spaces, which added up to about four or five mu [1]. Cao’er and the other children never said they were tired. They were so sensible that his heart ached for them.

His youngest daughter, in particular, personally took care of making braised food and planting crops. This little girl, whose height only reached up to his waist, had even more things to worry about than him, her father. Ay! If he had worked harder as the head of the family, they wouldn’t have to let a nine year old girl shoulder the burdens of the family at such a young age.

Yu Xiaocao didn’t know that her father had thought about so much within his heart in such a short time, but she still confidently said, “Don’t worry, Father! There’s a lot of rich people in Tanggu Town!! At this time, people might not even be able to buy our vegetables even if they have money!”

Her eyes swept across the crowd and saw a middle-aged man, who looked like a steward. She shouted loudly, “Hey, Uncle, do you want to buy some fresh vegetables? We’re the only one who sells them in the whole market!”

This man with a goatee was the steward for the second richest household in town after the Zhou Family—the Yao Household. Old Master Yao’s sixtieth birthday banquet was in two days, which happened to be at the time when the new crops weren’t ripe yet. It was easy to prepare the meat dishes, but the vegetable dishes were a more tricky matter to handle.

As a result of the blizzard this winter, Old Master Yao didn’t plan a big banquet and only invited a few close friends and family, who were all wealthy and respectable people. Thus, they could just serve radishes and cabbages, which were simple and humble, to these honorable guests.

The steward was so stressed out by the planning of the banquet dishes that several strands of his hair had turned white. When faced with the approaching date of the birthday banquet, he not only mobilized the servants under him, but he also personally went out to find a solution. He had browsed through most of the food market, but he still couldn’t find a solution to the problem. The steward scratched his head in distress!

As the saying goes: ‘Heaven never seals off all the exits.’ He hadn’t expected that there would be a light at the end of the tunnel, and a heavenly voice sounded in his ears.

The steward followed the voice and looked over to see baskets of verdant vegetables. They looked so fresh that he couldn’t even take his eyes off of them. The steward’s eyes brimmed with tears of joy—he was saved!

He immediately rushed towards Yu Hai and his daughter’s stall. Without asking for the price, he pointed at the bamboo basket and said eagerly, “I want all of these…”

“Oh, isn’t this Miss Yu!” A familiar voice interrupted Steward Yao’s words.

Yu Xiaocao looked over and saw that it was the apprentice of Head Chef Wang of Zhenxiu Restaurant. He was the worker in charge of collecting and purchasing ingredients, Qian Xiaoduo!

“Miss Yu, it’s been a long time since I have seen you deliver game to our restaurant. My teacher has been talking about you for days!” Qian Xiaoduo was surprised to see the baskets of green vegetables.

Even for a wealthy family like their boss’s, it wasn’t easy to be able to have several different vegetable dishes on the table during this season. They had to spend a large sum of money to build a greenhouse in order to grow the vegetables. How did the Yu Family grow fresh vegetables at this time?

“There were some things going on at home… We might not be able to send game to your restaurant anymore in the future. But Uncle Zhao and Brother Han are both skilled hunters. They will surely send enough game to your restaurant.”

In the past month or so, numerous things had been happening one after another in their family. First her father had gotten injured. Then, they separated from the main family and had to repair their new residence. After that, they worked on selling braised food at the docks. In addition, her older brother met with a mishap… After thinking about this, she realized that it really had been a long time since she visited Zhenxiu Restaurant.

“Miss Yu, you’re selling vegetables?!” Every family had their own problems, so Qian Xiaoduo didn’t ask about it anymore. He looked at the baskets of greens and said, “Seriously, what should I say about you! If you have such rare green vegetables, why didn’t you send them to Zhenxiu Restaurant? Our restaurant will take all the vegetables you have. There’s no need to set up a stall! Let’s go, let’s go! Take them all to our restaurant…”

[1] 1 mu (亩) = ~0.16474 acres = ~666.7 square meters

Chapter 117 - Fight Over Vegetables

“Wait!” Seeing that Zhenxiu Restaurant’s staff wanted to take the basket, Steward Yao panicked and loudly shouted, “You should follow the rule of first come, first served! I have already placed my order on these vegetables! Little girl, take this money. If it not enough, come find me!”

Steward Yao shoved a purse into Xiaocao’s hands for fear that she wouldn’t accept it. Xiaocao didn’t know whether she should laugh or cry as she weighed the pouch with her hands. There were at least twenty or thirty taels inside. For example, the romaine lettuce, which was the most expensive, cost twenty-five copper coins per catty. With twenty or thirty taels, he could buy over a thousand catties of lettuce. There were at most four to five hundred catties of vegetables within their baskets. So how would it cost that much money?

For the sake of their restaurant, Qian Xiaoduo definitely couldn’t give up on this opportunity. He didn’t back down and said, “Steward Yao, our Tanggu Town has clear law and order and prohibits buying and selling by force! Miss Yu didn’t say that she wanted to sell them to you, so it’s useless even if you give her the money!”

Steward Yao was so angry that his beard was about to curl up. He pointed at Qian Xiaoduo and shouted, “Who’s forcibly buying and selling things? The little girl is selling vegetables, while I want to buy vegetables. This is a fair deal! Even if we take it to the county magistrate, I will still be in the right!! Don’t think that just because you have the backing of Zhenxiu Restaurant and the Zhou Family that you can turn white into black with a few words!”

“You’re willing to buy, but are they willing to sell? You’re stuffing the money into their hands, if that’s not buying by force then what is it…”

The two of them continued to quarrel, and they each had their own reasons. From ancient times to present, there was never a lack of curious onlooker wherever there was a dispute. In a short moment, the four of them were surrounded by a tightly packed crowd of people.

Yu Xiaocao and her father looked at each other helplessly They couldn’t let the two of them continue arguing as if they were in a cockfight.

Xiaocao quickly went forward and pulled Qian Xiaoduo back a couple steps, and then said to Steward Yao, “Steward Yao, right? Can your master finish all these vegetables in a day? If they can’t finish it, then it won’t be fresh anymore!”

Steward Yao was so anxious that his forehead was sweating, “Little girl, I’ll tell you honestly! Our old master’s birthday banquet is tomorrow. Everything else is already prepared, but we just urgently need these greens for the banquet!”

How respectable would it be if they were able to bring out fresh vegetables for the banquet during this season? Steward Yao thought that if he could accomplish this task, his master certainly wouldn’t treat him too badly. The head steward was already getting old and it was about time for him to retire. Maybe he could take this opportunity to make further progress towards a promotion!

With that thought, Steward Yao’s tone became even more urgent, “Little girl, being sincere and honest is very important in business. Let’s be honest, didn’t I come first and said that I wanted to buy these vegetables?”

Qian Xiaoduo was also anxious. County Magistrate Wu’s son personally reserved a table at Zhenxiu Restaurant and said that they were entertaining a distinguished guest from the capital. He asked the kitchen to be extremely alert and be sure to prepare an impressive meal for the guest.

The manager said that, with County Magistrate Wu’s background, the identity of the guest must be incredible to be addressed as a ‘distinguished guest’. Zhenxiu Restaurant was famous for its oyster sauce dishes. But oyster sauce was usually used for vegetable dishes. Where would they find leafy greens at this time? He also came with the mentality of trying, but he didn’t expect that he would actually find them.

However, someone else already claimed the vegetables that he had been worried about before him! Fortunately, the vegetable vendor was an old acquaintance of Zhenxiu Restaurant and had a good relationship with their young boss. Thus, he summoned his courage and brazenly fought over the greens with the other person.

Seeing Yu Xiaocao’s gaze, he could only tell her the truth, “My little lady ah! We also have an urgent need for them!! The honored guest of County Magistrate Wu will be at the restaurant soon!!”

As soon as Steward Yao heard that Zhenxiu Restaurant was buying the vegetables to serve the honored guest of County Magistrate Wu, he was also at a loss of what to do. He could only look at Yu Xiaocao and her father in hope that they would make a fair judgment.

Yu Xiaocao bit her lower lip and thought for a moment, and then said, “Steward Yao, your old master’s birthday banquet is tomorrow, so let’s do this! Let’s give these vegetables to Zhenxiu Restaurant first since they need them for the feast at noon. Steward Yao leave us your address. We’ll go back and pick up a batch of vegetables, and then send them to you. Is this alright?”

Steward Yao understood the principle of ‘a commoner shouldn’t fight with an official’. He had already lost all hope when the staff of Zhenxiu Restaurant revealed their use for the vegetables. However, when Yu Xiaocao said that her family still had vegetables at home, the spark of hope rekindled again.

He thought about it and said, “Miss Yu, I won’t bother you to deliver them to us. Why don’t you just wait a moment and let me go get a horse carriage? I’ll go back with you.”

‘Leave an address? If you don’t deliver them to us, where would we go to find you guys?’ Since there were still more of the vegetables, they could do a favor for Zhenxiu Restaurant.

“Alright! Steward Yao, we’ll wait for you at the back entrance of Zhenxiu Restaurant!” It was quite a far distance from Dongshan Village to town, so of course Yu Xiaocao was happy that she didn’t need to make an extra trip.

Steward Yao nodded and quickly left. He had to act swiftly in case they got annoyed from waiting and leave first. If that happened, he wouldn’t even have any more tears to cry!

Seeing that he had gotten the greens, Qian Xiaoduo was in a very happy mood. At this time, someone asked about the price of the vegetables, so he waved his hand and shouted, “Sorry, our Zhenxiu Restaurant has already bought all the vegetables. Please come earlier tomorrow!”

He didn’t need Xiaocao to say anything and tactfully moved the baskets onto the donkey cart. By the time Yu Xiaocao came back with the little donkey in her left hand and a bag of fodder beans, which came from an unidentified person, in her right hand, the four or five hundred catties of vegetables had been neatly stacked on the donkey cart.

Qian Xiaoduo laughed flatteringly and said, “Miss Yu, you’ve got a good donkey. It probably cost a few taels, right?”

Yu Xiaocao pulled the donkey cart and walked to Zhenxiu Restaurant. From time to time, she would chat with the enthusiastic Qian Xiaoduo. This fellow usually seemed like a quiet person, but as if a switch was turned on today, he had turned into a chatterbox!

Fortunately, Zhenxiu Restaurant wasn’t too far away. It only took a few minutes to get there. When the donkey cart entered the backdoor, the manager, who had heard the news, rushed over with surprise.

“Aiya! Big brother, Miss Yu! You guys are seriously our Zhenxiu Restaurant’s big lucky stars! These vegetables came at just the right timing!! You guys quickly unload the vegetables!” The manager’s overly enthusiastic attitude felt too overwhelming.

The manager smiled like a chrysanthemum flower as he watched the baskets and baskets of vegetables being moved into the kitchen, “Quickly come rest in Third Young Master’s private room! Xiaoduo, make a pot of our restaurant’s best tea to let Brother Yu and Miss Yu quench their thirst.”

Yu Hai felt very uncomfortable with the manager’s keen attitude. He waved his hand and said, “No need, we still have to rush back…”

“It’s almost noon. You can’t go back on an empty stomach! Our third young master went to the dock early in the morning and should be coming back soon. If he found out that I let you and your daughter go home hungry, he will definitely blame me! Go, go! Have a taste of Head Chef Wang’s new dish!” Without letting them refuse, the manager pulled on Yu Hai’s arm and led the father-daughter pair to Third Young Master Zhou’s private room.

They had come out early in the morning and stayed at the food market for half of the day, so Yu Xiaocao was really somewhat thirsty. She blew on the tea, drank it in one gulp, and smacked her lips—the tea’s pretty good and very fragrant!

The manager watched as Yu Hai and his daughter, who were oblivious to the worth of the tea, drank the excellent tea that cost a dozen taels per ounce without any thoughts. However, he didn’t dare show contempt and hastily refilled their cups. When the manager of Zhenxiu Restaurant served the high officials and noble lords, he usually acted neither humble nor arrogant. But at this time, he engaged in small talk with Yu Hai and his daughter in a very approachable manner.

In the middle of their conversation, the door of the private room was pushed open and Third Young Master Zhou came in with an oiled paper bag.

“Fortunately, I came back just in time, or else I would have missed you guys again!” Zhou Zixu handed the oiled paper bag to the manager and continued, “I have been busy with the factory after the new year. I thought that I could meet you at the docks, but it was always your twin sister selling the braised food. Oh right, how’s your older brother’s injuries? It’s a crucial time for the factory right now, so I haven’t had time to visit.”

Yu Xiaocao put down the cup in her hand and looked at the familiar oiled bag in the manager’s hands. She replied, “My older brother can get out of the bed already. Thank you for your concern, Third Young Master!”

“You’re acting as if we’re strangers!” Zhou Zixu noticed that Yu Xiaocao was looking at the oiled paper bag that he brought back, so he smiled and said, “Your family’s braised food is absolutely amazing! I’ve become addicted to it after trying a couple times! My favorites are the pig snout and pig ears. If you don’t tell them, who would have thought that such delicious delicacies are made from ingredients that other people usually don’t want?”

Yu Xiaocao said with a smile, “If Third Young Master likes to eat it, I can bring some for you the next time I come over!”

“Sure, that’s great! You don’t know how hard it was for me to buy the braised food. It took so much effort for me to squeeze in there and grab a few portions. Now that I think about it, it’s really not easy!” Zhou Zixu made a perturbed expression and successfully amused Yu Xiaocao.

Yu Xiaocao laughed and said, “In order to appease your wounded heart, I will be merciful and personally make ‘spicy sliced pork ear’ and ‘pig head meat with mashed garlic’ for you. I guarantee that you will want to eat more after trying them!”

“Sure, I couldn’t ask for more!!” Zhou Zixu followed Yu Xiaocao to the kitchen.

In order to entertain the esteemed guest from the capital, County Magistrate Wu had reserved the entire Zhenxiu Restaurant. Thus, the whole kitchen was busy prepping for the mysterious guest in the most luxurious private room.

When Head Chef Wang, who had been promoted to executive chef, saw Yu Xiaocao coming in, he greeted her with a smile, “Miss Yu, long time no see! I developed a new dish again. Taste it and give me some advice when you’re free!”

“Uncle Wang, you’re a famous chef in Tanggu Town. I don’t dare to show my slight skill in front of an expert!” Yu Xiaocao washed her hands and busied herself in the kitchen unreservedly.

For the two dishes, besides taking a little more time to mix the chili oil, everything else were ready-made. Moreover, she had the help of the kitchen’s staff who all competed to be her assistant. Thus, in a short time, the mouthwatering ‘spicy sliced pork ear’ and ‘pig head meat with mashed garlic’ were completed!

Head Chef Wang, of course, didn’t miss the opportunity to learn. He stopped the work in his hands and inwardly memorized all of Xiaocao’s steps for mixing the chili oil. Not only did he blatantly learn the secret methods, but he also asked questions from time to time, “Can the chili oil used for the pig ears also be used for other cold dishes?”

“Of course! With Head Chef Wang’s intelligence and wisdom, you can definitely make more and more delicious dishes!” After Yu Xiaocao finished making the two cold dishes, she left the kitchen to avoid delaying the kitchen from doing their work.

Chapter 118 - Distinguished Guest

After leaving the back kitchen, they were just about to go up to the second floor when they encountered a group of well-dressed people. They were all clustered around an old man, who had a healthy glow and wore a bright yellow belt around his waist, and they were also about to go up the stairs.

“Ah-Xu! You’re back?” County Magistrate Wu’s son greeted him and looked towards Yu Xiaocao who was behind him. He frowned slightly and whispered, “Ah-Xu, didn’t I ask you in advance to clear out the restaurant? Why are there other people here?”

Before Zhou Zixu could answer, he heard a resonant voice saying, “Oh? Isn’t this the little demon who patrols the mountains? What? Did you also come to eat?”

Yu Xiaocao felt as if she had heard this voice somewhere before, so she looked over. The fat old man wore an ivory headdress, a dark brown brocade gown, and had a bright yellow belt with jade inlays fastened on his waist. Wasn’t he the white-bearded grandfather who had talked with her about the Eight Immortals Cross the Sea all the way to town this morning?

So, he was the honored guest of the county magistrate! She had guessed that he had an extraordinary background, but she hadn’t expected that he was a member of the imperial family from the capital! It would be a foolish question to ask how she knew that he was part of the imperial family. Other than members of the imperial family, who would dare to wear a bright yellow belt on his waist? Wouldn’t that be like starting a rebellion?

County Magistrate Wu was a middle-aged man with elegant features and refined manners. He was slightly stunned as he looked at the little girl who was dressed in coarse cloth. She had a young appearance and was short in stature. It was inevitable that he had some doubt within his heart: ‘How did the emperor emeritus know someone from the countryside?’

However, his confusion was resolved when he recalled how the emperor emeritus and his entourage were dressed this morning. The emperor emeritus was born and raised in poverty, so he had always been friendly to the commoners from the same poverty-stricken backgrounds. Thus, it wasn’t surprising for him to become acquainted with a few commoners when he travelled incognito.

“Oh? Aren’t you the old grandfather who rode the donkey backwards this morning?” Yu Xiaocao feigned surprise and asked.

The retired emperor walked forward with a laugh and stopped two steps away from her. He nodded and said, “That’s right! We just parted this morning and met here again; we really have a predestined relationship!”

He looked around with his big, bell-like eyes and clicked his tongue, “County Magistrate Wu, this restaurant that you recommended doesn’t seem that great ah! It’s already lunch time, but there’s no other customers beside us and this little girl. It seems that their food doesn’t taste very good! Should we go to another restaurant?”

Third Young Master Zhou and Yu Xiaocao exchanged eye contact and had imaginary black lines on their heads: County Magistrate Wu had already reserved the entire restaurant, so how would there be other customers?

County Magistrate Wu couldn’t just say that he had reserved the entire restaurant in order to entertain him, the emperor emeritus. The retired emperor hated being treated with the extravagant bureaucratic style the most when he travelled incognito. Thus, Magistrate Wu didn’t know how to respond for a moment.

At this time, Yu Xiaocao spoke up to defend Zhenxiu Restaurant, “Old grandpa, the food here tastes delicious. You will know after trying it!”

The imperial guards and servants of the emperor emeritus inwardly sneered and thought: ‘You’re just an ignorant and inexperienced little girl. Do you really think that your words will sound convincing? It’s better to not say anything at all.’

The emperor emeritus was in a good mood and wanted to tease the little girl, “Oh? Then tell me, what delicious food do they have here?”

Yu Xiaocao didn’t think and immediately listed, “There’s a lot! Listen to me… steamed lamb, steamed bear’s paw, steamed deer’s tail, roasted duck, roasted, chicken, roasted goose, braised salted duck, marinated chicken, cured pork, preserved eggs, smoked pork belly, deep-fried dried pork, sausage, assorted meat, smoked chicken, boiled pig tripe, steamed eight treasure pig, glutinous rice stuffed duck, pheasant in clay pot, pot cooked quail, assorted braised food, braised duck, stewed shrimp, braised prawn, fried shrimp…”

She counted her fingers and recited the tongue-twister that she used to enjoy all in one breath. She listed them one by one without taking a breath. Third Young Master Zhou widened his eyes and wondered if there were that many dishes in his restaurant. How come he didn’t know?

“Oh my! You’re quite an articulate speaker! You have practiced the “Announcing the Names of Dishes [1]” very well. Little girl, are you a staff of the restaurant?” When the emperor emeritus heard the familiar tongue-twister, he had to conceal the elation within his heart. He had never thought that there would be another transmigrator in this world besides him and the little brat in his family!

‘Calm down. I have to calm down. I can’t slip up and reveal myself, lest this clever little bunny gets startled and runs away!’

But Yu Xiaocao was already shocked by what he said: ‘How did he know that I was reciting the tongue-twister, “Announcing the Names of Dishes”? Could it be that the old grandfather in front of me is also a transmigrator? Shit, what’s wrong with this world? This world is being penetrated so much that it’s going to turn into a sieve!! Calm down, I must be calm! Whether the other party is a transmigrator or not, I still can’t let him notice anything!!’

She showed an innocent and pure expression and replied with a smile, “Old grandpa, didn’t you ask me what tasty dishes they have? I just listed the names of the dishes for you! Well, is there any that you like?”

‘This kid! Pretend, just keep pretending!!’ The emperor emeritus scolded her as a ‘little fox’ in his heart but didn’t expose her. He continued to cooperate with her and said, “Well… you listed too many dishes earlier. This old man doesn’t have a good memory, so I couldn’t remember most of them! How about this? Just pick several of the best dishes in the restaurant and serve them!”

Third Young Master Zhou instructed the manager, “Go, serve all the specialty dishes of the restaurant! I hope you, our honored guest, will give us more valuable advice!”

“Little girl, you should stay and introduce the dishes to us!” The retired emperor smiled like a big gray wolf who was luring a little white bunny.

Yu Xiaocao rubbed her nose and apologized, “Sorry, I’m not a server in this restaurant, so…”

“This girl! You just recited so many alluring dishes and aroused this old man’s appetite, yet you’re suddenly taking back your words… Are you making fun of me, Fifth Lord?” The emperor emeritus performed his special face-changing skill. In an instant, the originally friendly and childish old man had turned into a powerful and domineering superior. His companions couldn’t help but be covered in cold sweat due to his formidable aura.

Yu Xiaocao was alarmed in her heart and suddenly realized that the dignity of the imperial family was inviolable. She recalled that the mood of the royals and high officials in the novels were always uncertain. They could be laughing happily a second ago but take someone’s life in the next. In an instant, her little face turned ghastly pale with fear and her eyes reddened.

Zhou Zixu, in the face of the esteemed guest’s force, opened his mouth to plead for her, “Fifth Lord, please take into consideration that Xiaocao is still a child and spare her! I’m willing to guarantee with my honor that Xiaocao has no intention of making fun of or being disrespectful to you…”

“Haha… You’re the third son of the Zhou Family, right? You’re quite a sentimental one and much better than that eldest uncle of yours!” The emperor emeritus couldn’t maintain his grim expression for more than three minutes and smiled broadly again. He softly said to Xiaocao, “Little fellow, you must have been terribly frightened, right? You must remember this lesson in the future. There are some people that you can’t offend!”

Yu Xiaocao’s anxious feelings suddenly relaxed and she couldn’t help but feel sad: No matter if it was in ancient or modern times, a little commoner like her could never live free and happy life. There would be privileged classes everywhere.

Seeing that the little lass had tears in her eyes, the emperor emeritus couldn’t help but touch her head. His voice became even more gentle, “Ay! You’re crying. It seems like you’re really still a child who gets easily frightened. Zhou Xiaosan [2], serve the little girl a few good dishes and remember to put them on my bill!! Stroking your hair, so don’t be afraid anymore…”

County Magistrate Wu and his son were stunned by the emperor emeritus’s ever-changing attitude. The emperor emeritus was usually smiling and very approachable, but once he showed his authority, even he, a county magistrate, nearly wet his pants, let alone a little girl. The little girl was already very brave for not crying on the spot from the fright.

In the next moment, he saw the emperor emeritus turn back into a kind old man. He was caressing the little country girl’s head and comforting her. If it weren’t for the great disparity of their attire, they could almost be considered grandfather and granddaughter!

Yu Xiaocao tried to force back her tears and forced a smile, “Old grandpa, you were really scary just now. It’s even worse than when my grandfather gets angry… I won’t delay your meal anymore. Xiaocao shall leave now…”

As she spoke, she bent her knees slightly  and took a few steps backwards. After that, she swiftly returned to the back courtyard as if she was being chased by a wolf. She finally breathed a sigh of relief—oh my god, that was so scary! In the future, she should obediently stay at home and try her best to avoid interacting with influential officials!

Zhou Zixu stayed to personally entertain the esteemed guest. After the manager arranged for the distinguished guest to sit in the private room, he instructed the kitchen to serve the food. When he saw Yu Xiaocao, who still had a lingering fear, in the middle of the yard, he lightly tapped her head a few times and said, “You, you! In the future, be careful with what you say. If you offend someone that you shouldn’t offend, nobody can save you!!”

The manager was several years older than Yu Hai. He really liked this clever little girl and treated her like a junior in his family. As for what happened earlier, he also broke out in cold sweat for her. It was fortunate that the noble lord wasn’t someone who was picky and vengeful. Otherwise, even this little girl’s family would have to suffer with her.

Yu Xiaocao obediently nodded her head and asked in a low voice, “If I go up now, would I run into them?”

“No, the honored guests are already seated. Quickly go back upstairs. Brother Yu is probably anxious from the wait!” After the manager replied, he entered the kitchen.

Yu Xiaocao, like a little mouse avoiding a cat, crept up to the second floor. But she ended up being shocked by the county magistrate’s son, who pushed open the door and came out.

“What are you doing? You’re acting like a thief.” Young Master Wu was quite impressed by this little girl who had good cooking skills. Last time, even that picky fellow, Yuan Yunxi, drank two big bowls of the fish stew that this little girl made. Earlier, if Third Young Master Zhou hadn’t plead for her, he almost couldn’t resist speaking up for her.

Yu Xiaocao was somewhat embarrassed as she awkwardly touched the back of her head. She cautiously looked at the closed door behind Young Master Wu. She placed her index finger in front of her mouth and made a silent gesture, and then she pointed at the private room that she was going to. After that, she waved at Young Master Wu and continued to creep towards her destination. When she arrived at the door, she rapidly opened the door and went in, as if she was driven out by a burglar.

Young Master Wu, who watched her series of movements, felt that the little girl was very interesting. She was a lot more interesting than those pretentious noble ladies! He shook his head with a smile on his face.

[1] Announcing the Names of Dishes (报菜名) - a basic skill in Chinese crosstalk, a long tongue-twister in which a long list of dish are listed

[2] Zhou Xiaosan (周小三儿) - xiaosan = little three, so he's calling him the third son of the Zhou Family

Table of Contents

Table of Contents
Description
Chapter 1 - Murdered Over a Steamed Bun
Chapter 2 - Evil Step-Grandmother
Chapter 3 - Mysterious Rainbow Stone
Chapter 4 - She Has a Decent Father
Chapter 5 - Lying Without Blinking
Chapter 6 - Collecting Seafood
Chapter 7 - Rescuing a Little Beauty
Chapter 8 - Extraordinary Background
Chapter 9 - A Rewarding Trip
Chapter 10 - Hidden Plan

Chapter 11 - A Famous Restaurant Bullies Its Guests

Chapter 12 - Zhenxiu Restaurant's Third Young Master

Chapter 13 - Utterly Confused
Chapter 14 - Gullible Sheep
Chapter 15 - The Best Seasoning
Chapter 16 - Going Shopping
Chapter 17 - Parental Love

Chapter 18 - The Handsome Youth From the Mountains

Chapter 19 - Following Brother Han Means There's Meat to Eat

Chapter 20 - The Return of the Divine Stone

Chapter 21 - A Person Who Knows How to Roast Meat is the Most Handsome

Chapter 22 - Road Block
Chapter 23 - Younger Uncle Comes Home
Chapter 24 - Flattering
Chapter 25 - Praise
Chapter 26 - Reputation
Chapter 27 - Apprentice
Chapter 28 - Gathering Money
Chapter 29 - Setting Traps
Chapter 30 - Specialty
Chapter 31 - Another Pretty Boy
Chapter 32 - Foodie
Chapter 33 - Beaten
Chapter 34 - Study Medicine
Chapter 35 - Adorable Pet
Chapter 36 - Natural Gift
Chapter 37 - The Docks
Chapter 38 - The Royal Prince
Chapter 39 - Token of Gratitude
Chapter 40 - High Yield
Chapter 41 - Acute Illness
Chapter 42 - Winter Disaster
Chapter 43 - Cold-hearted
Chapter 44 - Bitter Disappointment
Chapter 45 - Getting Rich
Chapter 46 - Making Up an Excuse
Chapter 47 - Punishment
Chapter 48 - A Change
Chapter 49 - Thoughts
Chapter 50 - Gifting Money
Chapter 51 - Business Venture
Chapter 52 - Home Visit
Chapter 53 - Become a Shareholder
Chapter 54 - Advertise
Chapter 55 - The New Year
Chapter 56 - A Disastrous Year
Chapter 57 - Disaster
Chapter 58 - Amputation
Chapter 59 - The Past
Chapter 60 - Coma
Chapter 61 - Awake
Chapter 62 - Being Sold
Chapter 63 - Dividing the Family (1)
Chapter 64 - Dividing the Family (2)
Chapter 65 - Old Residence
Chapter 66 - Maternal Family
Chapter 67 - Building a House
Chapter 68 - A Better Move
Chapter 69 - Expansion of Resources
Chapter 70 - Growing Vegetables
Chapter 71 - Cute Youngster
Chapter 72 - Steamed Stuffed Buns
Chapter 73 - Silently Enduring
Chapter 74 - Collaboration
Chapter 75 - Helping Out
Chapter 76 - What a Surprise!
Chapter 77 - Braised Food
Chapter 78 - Opening Day
Chapter 79 - Pig Head
Chapter 80 - Causing Trouble
Chapter 81 - Secret Recipe
Chapter 82 - New Taste
Chapter 83 - Famous Scholar
Chapter 84 - Glutton
Chapter 85 - Accepting a Disciple
Chapter 86 - Luring Fish
Chapter 87 - Pickled Fish
Chapter 88 - Father and Daughter
Chapter 89 - Tuition
Chapter 90 - Brother Six
Chapter 91 - Advanced Payment
Chapter 92 - Wet Rice
Chapter 93 - Esteemed Guest
Chapter 94 - Donkey Cart
Chapter 95 - Entering School
Chapter 96 - Haggard
Chapter 97 - The Sick Donkey
Chapter 98 - Dividends
Chapter 99 - A Chance Encounter
Chapter 100 - To Drop In
Chapter 101 - The Zhou Family
Chapter 102 - Skimping on Work
Chapter 103 - Loss of Integrity
Chapter 104 - Robbery
Chapter 105 - Seeing a Ghost
Chapter 106 - Dying
Chapter 107 - Interrogate
Chapter 108 - Thunder
Chapter 109 - Struck By Lightning
Chapter 110 - An Apology
Chapter 111 - Going Home
Chapter 112 - Headed Out
Chapter 113 - King of Ginseng
Chapter 114 - A Profitable Trip
Chapter 115 - Selling Vegetables
Chapter 116 - The Prince
Chapter 117 - Fight Over Vegetables
Chapter 118 - Distinguished Guest