Chapter 10: A Good Start
Yu Ying left the jelly and mint water at the eatery, agreeing to come back after lunchtime, and then went off to explore the market.
The market in Jade County was similar to a township market in later times, with various vendors and hawkers alongside the shops.
After wandering half the circuit, Yu Ying finally spotted the sign of a pawnshop.
It was a small shop with a high counter, about the height of Yu Ying's neck, protected by a railing, and an attendant sitting elevated behind it.
Entering the pawnshop, Yu Ying took out the silver leaf and placed it on the counter, "Shopkeeper, please check how much this silver leaf can fetch. I want a firm price."
The pawnshop owner picked up the silver leaf, examined it carefully, weighed it in his palm, and then indifferently offered a price: "Thirty wen."
Yu Ying paused, then calmly and logically replied, "It should fetch thirty-five wen by weight, and it can be made into a hairpin without extra cost. Thirty wen isn’t even enough for a trade-in."
The pawnshop owner glanced at the woman outside and, knowing she wasn't easy to fool, said coldly, "What kind of jewelry can a single silver leaf make? Just melt it down. Thirty-five wen at most, no more."
Throughout history, items bought and resold were always heavily marked down. Despite this, there was room for negotiation, so Yu Ying wasn’t intimidated by the pawnshop owner's stance.
She remained calm and composed, "I have another leaf at home. Two leaves can definitely make a hairpin. If you agree to thirty-eight wen, I’ll bring the other for pawn in three days. Then, Shopkeeper, you won’t only earn four wen but more, without any loss."
Yu Ying used to dislike bargaining, but now, with every penny needing to be stretched, an extra wen is still a wen.
The shopkeeper glanced at her, then at the silver leaves on the table, calculating the deal in his mind.
"Thirty-eight coins, treated as silver, could earn an extra four or five coins. Two pieces would be about ten coins. If turned into jewelry, there's a small profit to be made."
After pondering, the pawnshop owner said, "I'll give you thirty-seven coins for now, and thirty-nine for the other piece next time."
Since it wasn't a scam, Yu Ying agreed.
The pawnshop owner counted out thirty-seven coins for her, stringing them on a straw rope.
Without a money pouch, Yu Ying wrapped the coins in a piece of rag and left the pawnshop to find a pharmacy.
She brought many herbs, not the common roadside ones, but almost exclusively those found in the mountains.
However, a middle-aged doctor inspected them and dismissed some as weeds, offering only three coins for the remaining half-basket of herbs.
Yu Ying tried to negotiate for more, but there was no room for bargaining.
A coin was still money, so Yu Ying sold them.
After selling the silver and herbs, Yu Ying didn't dare to buy other things recklessly, but went straight to the general store to inquire about the price of salt.
The salt, being coarse, was priced at thirty-two coins per pound. With limited funds, Yu Ying could only afford half a pound.
After buying the salt, she didn't purchase rice at the general store.
Earlier, while strolling through the market, she had seen someone selling a small amount of rice, not as high-quality as in the general store. The grains weren't as cleanly hulled, but it was cheaper than the store's offering.
After comparing, Yu Ying went back to the original stall and bought three bamboo tubes of coarse rice for three coins each, storing them in a clay pot for lack of other containers.
She weighed them; a little over one pound.
By being frugal, cooking wild vegetable porridge with the coarse rice and a pinch of salt, this amount could last about three or four days.
Having bought the essentials and thinking of the long-term medicinal needs of Luo Shi and Fu Wei, she gritted her teeth and purchased an extra pot for decocting herbs, spending four more coins, leaving her with only eighteen.
Feeling hungry, she spent a coin on a steamed bun to satisfy her appetite.
Clutching the dozen or so copper coins she had left, Yu Ying sighed quietly, hoping all the jelly she made would sell.
She found a large tree, picked a few big leaves, and sat down on the ground.
As the sun gradually moved westward, Yu Ying guessed it was midday by the peak time for street food sales. After the food shops slowly emptied and about half an hour passed, Yu Ying headed to the snack shop.
Entering the snack shop, Storekeeper Chen was at the counter doing accounts. Seeing her, he smiled and said, "I was just thinking you’d be back soon."
Yu Ying asked, "Did the jelly sell well?"
She had prepared for the worst when she came.
Storekeeper Chen honestly replied, "Not many people came for lunch today, sold nine bowls, some left over."
That any had sold was good enough; Yu Ying dared not hope that everything would be sold.
Storekeeper Chen said, "There's about three and a bit bowls left. I plan to buy them to send to the owner, deducting six wen for the sugar water cost, and give you eleven wen."
As he spoke, he placed ten wen on the counter.
Yu Ying, knowing the amount, said, "Ten wen is fine."
She only took nine copper coins, leaving one behind.
Storekeeper Chen couldn't help but chuckle, "I won’t miss this one wen, take it."
Yu Ying insisted, "I can't accept even one wen more."
Seeing her steadfastness in keeping public and private matters separate, Storekeeper Chen developed a sense of respect for her.
He took back the extra wen and said, "Although not all sold, it's still a promising start. Most who tried today said it's even more refreshing than sour plum drink, and they would like to order more next time."
Then, Storekeeper Chen asked, "How long can these jellies be kept?"
After thinking, Yu Ying gave a conservative estimate, "If kept hanging in the well all day, they can last for two days."
Storekeeper Chen tapped his fingers on the table, lost in thought for a few moments.
A few moments later, he suggested, "Then, how about delivering twice the amount in three days, at the same price? You can have my father bring it, or you can deliver it yourself."
Yu Ying's face brightened immediately, "Of course, I'll bring it myself!"
Storekeeper Chen smiled, "Then I’ll wait for your delivery."
Yu Ying saw a glimmer of hope; though the earnings weren’t much, it was a good start.
Leaving the snack shop, a faint smile stayed on Yu Ying's face.
She retraced her steps to the city gate, waiting for Uncle Chen's ox cart.
About half an hour later, Uncle Chen arrived with his ox cart.
The once indifferent Uncle Chen now wore a few more smiles for Yu Ying.
"I heard from my eldest son that all the jelly sold. That's great."
Yu Ying replied, "Thanks to Storekeeper Chen, and to Uncle Chen as well."
Uncle Chen chuckled, "What does it have to do with me?"
Yu Ying, having helped at the traditional medicine clinic every summer, knew well what the elderly liked to hear and didn't skimp on saying good things.
"If it weren't for Uncle Chen kindly giving me a lift and allowing me to fetch water at Storekeeper Chen's, how could I have sold all the jelly?"
A deeper smile appeared on Uncle Chen's face.
After chatting for a while, and when two more people joined the ox cart ride, conversation ceased.
The journey back to Lingshui Village took about an hour, and it was nearly dusk when they approached the village.
From afar, a frail figure could be seen standing at the entrance of the village.
Yu Ying faintly recognized the figure; as they drew closer, she realized it was Mrs. Luo.
Yu Ying paused, realizing Mrs. Luo was probably waiting there out of concern she wouldn't return, which stirred a subtle feeling in her heart.
In this unfamiliar place, someone was still waiting for her.
Yu Ying could endure living a harder life for the time being, but she couldn't bear the thought of being alone in this strange place.
Now, she might never see her family and friends again, so she feared loneliness, the silence of no one to talk to, and the thought of dying in this world without anyone to claim her body or visit her grave.
Perhaps this was one of the reasons she stayed with the Fu family, willingly helping them and Fu Wei.
Hearing the ox cart approach the village entrance, Mrs. Luo squinted into the shadows ahead. She could only see blurred figures and couldn't make out anything until a familiar voice settled the heavy stone in her heart.
"Mother, what are you doing here?" Yu Ying called out softly, not wanting to arouse suspicion as the ox cart hadn’t gone far yet.
Hearing the word 'mother,' Mrs. Luo was momentarily stunned, while also thinking to herself that if Yu was willing to call her mother, it meant she was truly planning to make a life with Erlang.
Mrs. Luo was pleased that Yu had decided to stay.
"I came to meet you," Mrs. Luo said, her tone noticeably lighter.
Unaware of her thoughts, Yu Ying turned to walk back with Mrs. Luo, saying, "Let’s go back. We'll have something nice for dinner tonight."
Once they were a bit farther away, Mrs. Luo asked, "How did the jelly sell?"
After a pause, she added, "If it didn’t sell this time, next time we’ll have Fu An go with the adults to Yu County to sell it."
Noticing Mrs. Luo's slow pace and the stones on the road, Yu Ying gently took her arm, saying, "Everything sold. I even bought back the clay pot."
At these words, a brief pause crossed Mrs. Luo’s face.
After a moment of silence, Mrs. Luo suddenly said, "Liuniang, from now on, you make the decisions for the household. We’ll all listen to you."
Hearing an unfamiliar name, Yu Ying was momentarily confused, only realizing after a few moments that Liuniang was the original owner's nickname.
Approaching the Fu family’s fence, they saw the siblings in the yard.
Fu Ning stood foolishly to one side, watching his brother chop wood.
And Fu An, not yet four feet tall, was struggling with a large knife, trying to chop tree branches that were too long and thick.
Seeing their grandmother and Yu Ying return, the siblings turned to look outside the yard.
Seeing Yu Ying return, Fu An's face showed a trace of surprise, mixed with a sense that she would indeed come back.
Yu Ying let go of Mrs. Luo, set down her backpack, and took out Aunt He's clay pot, instructing Fu An, "Return the pot to Aunt He, and tell her I'll come over tomorrow to thank her."
Although Fu An was reluctant to be ordered around, he still pouted, took the clay pot, and ran out of the yard.
Yu Ying brought the salt, the new clay pot, and rice into her own thatched hut, pouring the rice into several bamboo tubes and filling a bowl.
She scooped a couple of handfuls of rice into the clay pot, thought for a moment, then added another handful before going outside to rinse the rice.
She saved the second rinse water in a basin to use later for washing her hair.
When Fu An returned and saw the new clay pot, his eyes lit up, and they widened even more at the sight of the rice in the pot, looking incredulously at Yu Ying.
Fu An hadn't had rice porridge in a long time. Before his uncle returned, he used to have wild vegetable porridge every few days, but later, they could only afford wild vegetable soup.
It took a while for Fu An to come back to reality. After hesitating, he awkwardly asked Yu Ying, "Do we get some too?"
Yu Ying glanced at him and said, "Go start the fire, keep an eye on it later. I need to prepare and cook medicine for your uncle and grandma."
Hearing he would get to eat, Fu An was even more diligent than usual, quickly going to start the fire.
Yu Ying rebuilt a simple stone stove and placed the pot on it, then went inside to fetch some red mushrooms, which she washed and tore into pieces, setting them aside in a bowl.
Cooking porridge with red mushrooms, just a bit of salt was needed for flavor, and even so, it would be delicious.
She had Fu An watch the fire and would call her once the water boiled.
Yu Ying initially planned to prepare medicine, but looking at the sky, she decided to check on Fu Wei's legs first and see if the bamboo splints had loosened.
Shaking the water droplets from her hands, she then lifted the grass curtain and looked up at Fu Wei on the bamboo bed.
Fu Wei leaned against the thatched wall, eyes closed, his face turned towards Yu Ying.
Yu Ying, observing his decadently beautiful profile, thought to herself that indeed, good-looking people and things always bring pleasure to the eye.
Moreover, attractive people remain so even when draped in a sack.
Now, although Fu Wei was in a state of despair, lifeless in appearance, his remarkable features still amazed her.
Yu Ying entered, stopped by the bed, and said, "Let me take a look at your legs."
Hearing her voice, Fu Wei opened his emotionless black eyes and asked indifferently, "Why don't you leave?"
Yu Ying frowned slightly, "Why should I leave?"
Fu Wei fell silent for a moment, turned his face towards her without expression, and said, "The Fu family is a bottomless pit you can't fill. Moreover, the son of the Wuling Prefecture's governor sees me as a thorn in his side, and who knows what troubles will come next. Staying here brings you no benefit."
Yu Ying thought to herself that he was quite self-aware.
But she didn't feel the need to explain anything to him, so she simply said three words.
Chapter 10: A Good Start
Yu Ying left the jelly and mint water at the eatery, agreeing to come back after lunchtime, and then went off to explore the market.
The market in Jade County was similar to a township market in later times, with various vendors and hawkers alongside the shops.
After wandering half the circuit, Yu Ying finally spotted the sign of a pawnshop.
It was a small shop with a high counter, about the height of Yu Ying's neck, protected by a railing, and an attendant sitting elevated behind it.
Entering the pawnshop, Yu Ying took out the silver leaf and placed it on the counter, "Shopkeeper, please check how much this silver leaf can fetch. I want a firm price."
The pawnshop owner picked up the silver leaf, examined it carefully, weighed it in his palm, and then indifferently offered a price: "Thirty wen."
Yu Ying paused, then calmly and logically replied, "It should fetch thirty-five wen by weight, and it can be made into a hairpin without extra cost. Thirty wen isn’t even enough for a trade-in."
The pawnshop owner glanced at the woman outside and, knowing she wasn't easy to fool, said coldly, "What kind of jewelry can a single silver leaf make? Just melt it down. Thirty-five wen at most, no more."
Throughout history, items bought and resold were always heavily marked down. Despite this, there was room for negotiation, so Yu Ying wasn’t intimidated by the pawnshop owner's stance.
She remained calm and composed, "I have another leaf at home. Two leaves can definitely make a hairpin. If you agree to thirty-eight wen, I’ll bring the other for pawn in three days. Then, Shopkeeper, you won’t only earn four wen but more, without any loss."
Yu Ying used to dislike bargaining, but now, with every penny needing to be stretched, an extra wen is still a wen.
The shopkeeper glanced at her, then at the silver leaves on the table, calculating the deal in his mind.
"Thirty-eight coins, treated as silver, could earn an extra four or five coins. Two pieces would be about ten coins. If turned into jewelry, there's a small profit to be made."
After pondering, the pawnshop owner said, "I'll give you thirty-seven coins for now, and thirty-nine for the other piece next time."
Since it wasn't a scam, Yu Ying agreed.
The pawnshop owner counted out thirty-seven coins for her, stringing them on a straw rope.
Without a money pouch, Yu Ying wrapped the coins in a piece of rag and left the pawnshop to find a pharmacy.
She brought many herbs, not the common roadside ones, but almost exclusively those found in the mountains.
However, a middle-aged doctor inspected them and dismissed some as weeds, offering only three coins for the remaining half-basket of herbs.
Yu Ying tried to negotiate for more, but there was no room for bargaining.
A coin was still money, so Yu Ying sold them.
After selling the silver and herbs, Yu Ying didn't dare to buy other things recklessly, but went straight to the general store to inquire about the price of salt.
The salt, being coarse, was priced at thirty-two coins per pound. With limited funds, Yu Ying could only afford half a pound.
After buying the salt, she didn't purchase rice at the general store.
Earlier, while strolling through the market, she had seen someone selling a small amount of rice, not as high-quality as in the general store. The grains weren't as cleanly hulled, but it was cheaper than the store's offering.
After comparing, Yu Ying went back to the original stall and bought three bamboo tubes of coarse rice for three coins each, storing them in a clay pot for lack of other containers.
She weighed them; a little over one pound.
By being frugal, cooking wild vegetable porridge with the coarse rice and a pinch of salt, this amount could last about three or four days.
Having bought the essentials and thinking of the long-term medicinal needs of Luo Shi and Fu Wei, she gritted her teeth and purchased an extra pot for decocting herbs, spending four more coins, leaving her with only eighteen.
Feeling hungry, she spent a coin on a steamed bun to satisfy her appetite.
Clutching the dozen or so copper coins she had left, Yu Ying sighed quietly, hoping all the jelly she made would sell.
She found a large tree, picked a few big leaves, and sat down on the ground.
As the sun gradually moved westward, Yu Ying guessed it was midday by the peak time for street food sales. After the food shops slowly emptied and about half an hour passed, Yu Ying headed to the snack shop.
Entering the snack shop, Storekeeper Chen was at the counter doing accounts. Seeing her, he smiled and said, "I was just thinking you’d be back soon."
Yu Ying asked, "Did the jelly sell well?"
She had prepared for the worst when she came.
Storekeeper Chen honestly replied, "Not many people came for lunch today, sold nine bowls, some left over."
That any had sold was good enough; Yu Ying dared not hope that everything would be sold.
Storekeeper Chen said, "There's about three and a bit bowls left. I plan to buy them to send to the owner, deducting six wen for the sugar water cost, and give you eleven wen."
As he spoke, he placed ten wen on the counter.
Yu Ying, knowing the amount, said, "Ten wen is fine."
She only took nine copper coins, leaving one behind.
Storekeeper Chen couldn't help but chuckle, "I won’t miss this one wen, take it."
Yu Ying insisted, "I can't accept even one wen more."
Seeing her steadfastness in keeping public and private matters separate, Storekeeper Chen developed a sense of respect for her.
He took back the extra wen and said, "Although not all sold, it's still a promising start. Most who tried today said it's even more refreshing than sour plum drink, and they would like to order more next time."
Then, Storekeeper Chen asked, "How long can these jellies be kept?"
After thinking, Yu Ying gave a conservative estimate, "If kept hanging in the well all day, they can last for two days."
Storekeeper Chen tapped his fingers on the table, lost in thought for a few moments.
A few moments later, he suggested, "Then, how about delivering twice the amount in three days, at the same price? You can have my father bring it, or you can deliver it yourself."
Yu Ying's face brightened immediately, "Of course, I'll bring it myself!"
Storekeeper Chen smiled, "Then I’ll wait for your delivery."
Yu Ying saw a glimmer of hope; though the earnings weren’t much, it was a good start.
Leaving the snack shop, a faint smile stayed on Yu Ying's face.
She retraced her steps to the city gate, waiting for Uncle Chen's ox cart.
About half an hour later, Uncle Chen arrived with his ox cart.
The once indifferent Uncle Chen now wore a few more smiles for Yu Ying.
"I heard from my eldest son that all the jelly sold. That's great."
Yu Ying replied, "Thanks to Storekeeper Chen, and to Uncle Chen as well."
Uncle Chen chuckled, "What does it have to do with me?"
Yu Ying, having helped at the traditional medicine clinic every summer, knew well what the elderly liked to hear and didn't skimp on saying good things.
"If it weren't for Uncle Chen kindly giving me a lift and allowing me to fetch water at Storekeeper Chen's, how could I have sold all the jelly?"
A deeper smile appeared on Uncle Chen's face.
After chatting for a while, and when two more people joined the ox cart ride, conversation ceased.
The journey back to Lingshui Village took about an hour, and it was nearly dusk when they approached the village.
From afar, a frail figure could be seen standing at the entrance of the village.
Yu Ying faintly recognized the figure; as they drew closer, she realized it was Mrs. Luo.
Yu Ying paused, realizing Mrs. Luo was probably waiting there out of concern she wouldn't return, which stirred a subtle feeling in her heart.
In this unfamiliar place, someone was still waiting for her.
Yu Ying could endure living a harder life for the time being, but she couldn't bear the thought of being alone in this strange place.
Now, she might never see her family and friends again, so she feared loneliness, the silence of no one to talk to, and the thought of dying in this world without anyone to claim her body or visit her grave.
Perhaps this was one of the reasons she stayed with the Fu family, willingly helping them and Fu Wei.
Hearing the ox cart approach the village entrance, Mrs. Luo squinted into the shadows ahead. She could only see blurred figures and couldn't make out anything until a familiar voice settled the heavy stone in her heart.
"Mother, what are you doing here?" Yu Ying called out softly, not wanting to arouse suspicion as the ox cart hadn’t gone far yet.
Hearing the word 'mother,' Mrs. Luo was momentarily stunned, while also thinking to herself that if Yu was willing to call her mother, it meant she was truly planning to make a life with Erlang.
Mrs. Luo was pleased that Yu had decided to stay.
"I came to meet you," Mrs. Luo said, her tone noticeably lighter.
Unaware of her thoughts, Yu Ying turned to walk back with Mrs. Luo, saying, "Let’s go back. We'll have something nice for dinner tonight."
Once they were a bit farther away, Mrs. Luo asked, "How did the jelly sell?"
After a pause, she added, "If it didn’t sell this time, next time we’ll have Fu An go with the adults to Yu County to sell it."
Noticing Mrs. Luo's slow pace and the stones on the road, Yu Ying gently took her arm, saying, "Everything sold. I even bought back the clay pot."
At these words, a brief pause crossed Mrs. Luo’s face.
After a moment of silence, Mrs. Luo suddenly said, "Liuniang, from now on, you make the decisions for the household. We’ll all listen to you."
Hearing an unfamiliar name, Yu Ying was momentarily confused, only realizing after a few moments that Liuniang was the original owner's nickname.
Approaching the Fu family’s fence, they saw the siblings in the yard.
Fu Ning stood foolishly to one side, watching his brother chop wood.
And Fu An, not yet four feet tall, was struggling with a large knife, trying to chop tree branches that were too long and thick.
Seeing their grandmother and Yu Ying return, the siblings turned to look outside the yard.
Seeing Yu Ying return, Fu An's face showed a trace of surprise, mixed with a sense that she would indeed come back.
Yu Ying let go of Mrs. Luo, set down her backpack, and took out Aunt He's clay pot, instructing Fu An, "Return the pot to Aunt He, and tell her I'll come over tomorrow to thank her."
Although Fu An was reluctant to be ordered around, he still pouted, took the clay pot, and ran out of the yard.
Yu Ying brought the salt, the new clay pot, and rice into her own thatched hut, pouring the rice into several bamboo tubes and filling a bowl.
She scooped a couple of handfuls of rice into the clay pot, thought for a moment, then added another handful before going outside to rinse the rice.
She saved the second rinse water in a basin to use later for washing her hair.
When Fu An returned and saw the new clay pot, his eyes lit up, and they widened even more at the sight of the rice in the pot, looking incredulously at Yu Ying.
Fu An hadn't had rice porridge in a long time. Before his uncle returned, he used to have wild vegetable porridge every few days, but later, they could only afford wild vegetable soup.
It took a while for Fu An to come back to reality. After hesitating, he awkwardly asked Yu Ying, "Do we get some too?"
Yu Ying glanced at him and said, "Go start the fire, keep an eye on it later. I need to prepare and cook medicine for your uncle and grandma."
Hearing he would get to eat, Fu An was even more diligent than usual, quickly going to start the fire.
Yu Ying rebuilt a simple stone stove and placed the pot on it, then went inside to fetch some red mushrooms, which she washed and tore into pieces, setting them aside in a bowl.
Cooking porridge with red mushrooms, just a bit of salt was needed for flavor, and even so, it would be delicious.
She had Fu An watch the fire and would call her once the water boiled.
Yu Ying initially planned to prepare medicine, but looking at the sky, she decided to check on Fu Wei's legs first and see if the bamboo splints had loosened.
Shaking the water droplets from her hands, she then lifted the grass curtain and looked up at Fu Wei on the bamboo bed.
Fu Wei leaned against the thatched wall, eyes closed, his face turned towards Yu Ying.
Yu Ying, observing his decadently beautiful profile, thought to herself that indeed, good-looking people and things always bring pleasure to the eye.
Moreover, attractive people remain so even when draped in a sack.
Now, although Fu Wei was in a state of despair, lifeless in appearance, his remarkable features still amazed her.
Yu Ying entered, stopped by the bed, and said, "Let me take a look at your legs."
Hearing her voice, Fu Wei opened his emotionless black eyes and asked indifferently, "Why don't you leave?"
Yu Ying frowned slightly, "Why should I leave?"
Fu Wei fell silent for a moment, turned his face towards her without expression, and said, "The Fu family is a bottomless pit you can't fill. Moreover, the son of the Wuling Prefecture's governor sees me as a thorn in his side, and who knows what troubles will come next. Staying here brings you no benefit."
Yu Ying thought to herself that he was quite self-aware.
But she didn't feel the need to explain anything to him, so she simply said three words.
