Chapter 37
Yu Ying planned to sort out her current affairs before going to the quarry to fetch Fu Dalang.
She had inquired from Uncle He and Aunt He; a round trip to the quarry would take at least four to five days.
Being away for so long, the task of delivering the mung bean jelly to Wu's Eatery would fall to Fu An, Luo, and also Fu Wei.
Fu Wei would prepare the jelly, and then Luo and Fu An would deliver it to the village entrance.
Lastly, there was the matter of the innkeeper Ah Fu at Peng Lai Inn; she wondered what the situation was like there now.
"Yú Yíng had visited Wú's Eatery today. Upon entering, Boss Chén immediately called her over, 'Yesterday, the young man who visited before came looking for you.'"
"Yú Yíng quickly asked, 'What did he say?'"
"Boss Chén replied, 'He didn’t say much, but I told him you’d be here today. He left a message saying he would come to find you.'"
"As Yú Yíng nodded, she heard Boss Chén add, 'But when he came yesterday, he seemed quite happy. The task you entrusted to him, I’d say there’s a very good chance it was successful.'"
"Yú Yíng’s eyes brightened, a sense of joy rising in her heart."
"While waiting for the waiter, Yu Ying thought about visiting the quarry. Being unfamiliar with the area, she realized she needed to gather some information first."
"Noticing that the eatery was still devoid of customers and the shopkeeper Chen seemed free, she approached him for advice."
"She asked, 'Shopkeeper Chen, you're well-informed and experienced in Jade County. Could you tell me what I should be aware of when redeeming someone from the quarry?'"
"Hearing that Madam Yu intended to redeem someone from the quarry, Shopkeeper Chen was initially surprised, but then remembered that most residents of Lingshui Village were descendants of exiles."
"Furthermore, descendants of criminals typically served longer labor terms than ordinary people, often in the most grueling and dangerous places like building walls or quarrying, which were their main tasks."
"He recalled that a general amnesty was announced recently, and most people in Lingshui Village were pardoned, but due to generational poverty, he hadn't heard of anyone moving out."
"Shopkeeper Chen asked, 'Who in your family is at the quarry?'"
"Yu Ying didn't hide the truth, 'It's my uncle and aunt, with several years of service left. I'm planning to redeem them soon.'"
"Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Chen quickly asked, 'So, you won’t be making the ice cream anymore?'"
"Yu Ying replied, 'My husband can make it. Once he's done, he'll have it delivered here.'"
Hearing Madam Yu mention her husband for the first time, Shopkeeper Chen couldn't help his curiosity: "Why do we only see Madam Yu and never her husband?"
Yu Ying smiled and diplomatically responded, "He has some inconveniences."
Seeing that Madam Yu didn't elaborate, Shopkeeper Chen guessed there were difficulties and didn't press further, instead returning to the topic of redeeming someone.
"I haven't specifically inquired about it, but many county office clerks frequent this eatery, and the owner's relatives work in the county office, so I've heard a few things."
Lowering his voice, Shopkeeper Chen added, "The owner's cousin works at the county office, which is why our eatery doesn't get troubled by local hooligans."
After a pause, he continued, "To redeem someone, you must first pay the service fee at the county office, and you'll inevitably have to pay various extra fees at the quarry, so just preparing the service fee won't be enough. But in this world, relationships matter. If you have connections in the county office to help, you can avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble."
Yu Ying, well aware of the power of connections, also spoke softly, "How can I establish such a connection?"
Shopkeeper Chen rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, and Yu Ying understood his implication.
She asked, "Approximately how much money would it take to establish these connections? I might not be able to afford a lot..."
Shopkeeper Chen inquired, "Can you manage a few hundred wen?"
Yu Ying nodded, "I can manage that."
Shopkeeper Chen advised, "Also, prepare a good meal and wine to entertain them. When they deliver the documents with you, they can help smooth things over. The quarry workers wouldn't dare offend the county office clerks. Probably an additional hundred wen will be enough."
Yu Ying looked troubled, "I can afford the money, but my husband is not quite available, and as a woman, it's not really appropriate for me to host male guests alone."
Shopkeeper Chen asked, "Don't you have any elders at home?"
Yu Ying pondered for a moment, then thought of Uncle He.
If Uncle He could establish good relations with these clerks now, perhaps they wouldn't have to face as many obstacles when redeeming He Erlang later.
Yu Ying smiled and replied, "Yes."
After thinking it over, she said to Shopkeeper Chen, "I might need your help in arranging the meal, and then we can host it here at the eatery."
Shopkeeper Chen smiled, "Sure, no problem."
Yu Ying thanked him repeatedly, promising to treat him to a meal as a token of gratitude once her uncle and aunt were brought back home.
Yu Ying knew that Shopkeeper Chen's assistance was driven by mutual benefits.
Yet, the so-called benefit was merely her selling mung bean jelly exclusively at Wu's Eatery, not a significant gain. Shopkeeper Chen could have chosen not to help, but in fact, he had been quite helpful.
A meal should be offered, and naturally, a gift should be presented.
Shopkeeper Chen laughed off the need for a gift, then discussed what to consider for the banquet.
As they were talking, Ah Fu, the waiter from Peng Lai Inn, arrived.
Yu Ying then stepped out of the eatery to speak with him.
Seeing her, Ah Fu excitedly said, "The day before yesterday, I talked to a pharmacist surnamed Wu about the deal you made with Zhao, the other pharmacist. Mr. Wu seemed very interested. I mentioned you were looking for new pharmacists, and he said if you're interested in finding new buyers, you could first bring some herbs for treating cold and fever for his review."
Hearing this, Yu Ying inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
If he was willing to first see the herbs, it indicated there was hope for a deal.
Securing this deal before fetching her elder brother would also set Uncle He and Aunt He's minds at ease.
"Madam Yu, what do you think?" asked Ah Fu.
After considering for a moment, Yu Ying responded, "Good, tell Mr. Wu I'll bring some herbs the day after tomorrow."
Yu Ying planned to gather herbs in the mountains for treating colds and fevers. Even if Mr. Wu didn't buy them, she could keep them for future use.
She went to Uncle He and Aunt He's house, asking them to accompany her to the mountains the next day and also mentioned the banquet arrangements.
Hearing that connections were necessary for a smooth redemption, and that establishing them now would ease any future efforts to redeem Erlang, they were attentive.
Uncle He, upon hearing this, promptly agreed, suggesting they also call his eldest son to join, as more people would prevent any awkward silence.
Yu Ying agreed, repeating what Shopkeeper Chen had advised, before returning home.
In the evening, after washing up, Yu Ying lit the newly bought oil lamp.
At night, the usually dim room was now pleasantly bright.
She sat at the bamboo table, sewing small cloth bags for Fu Ning and Fu An to carry when they went out to pick wild vegetables and fruits.
Fu Ning and Fu An quietly watched their aunt, creating a tranquil and warm scene.
With the oil lamp, Fu An enjoyed spending evenings in the room, only returning to sleep after being urged several times by Luo.
After taking his medicine, Fu Wei's gaze also drifted towards the warm candlelight.
The dim yellow glow cast a soft light on her features, giving her face a gentle and beautiful appearance.
At that moment, Fu Ning suddenly turned to look at her uncle.
Seeing her uncle also staring at their aunt, she tilted her head in confusion.
Fu Wei met his niece's gaze, smiled faintly, then placed his finger to his lips, gesturing for silence.
Fu Ning shifted her attention back to watching her aunt.
Fu Wei, observing the trio, suddenly felt that sharing a room with them was quite pleasant.
He pondered for a moment.
What would change if the bamboo bed was completed?
His elder brother and sister-in-law, whom he had never met, were returning home. With only two rooms in the house, it certainly wouldn't be enough to accommodate everyone.
Building a new house would take several days, and in the short term, she wouldn't be able to move out.
Thinking of this, Fu Wei felt inexplicably joyful.
The next day, Yu Ying went with Uncle He and Aunt He into the mountains to gather herbs.
As the mountains were dangerous, they couldn't stray too far from each other.
After finding several herbs, Yu Ying explained their characteristics and what to be careful of when digging them up. Once she finished instructing, she let them use the samples to find the herbs.
After their return, Yu Ying would sort through the herbs once more.
However, as Uncle He and Aunt He were new to herb gathering, they collected less than two pounds combined in the entire morning, while Yu Ying alone dug up about three pounds.
The couple felt a bit disheartened, but Yu Ying reassured them, "For your first time, this amount is quite good. Once you get familiar with these herbs, you won't need to inspect each one closely."
Aunt He, feeling slightly better, still worriedly asked, "Will the pharmacist really buy these herbs?"
Yu Ying analyzed for her, "The medical halls in Yu County mostly buy their herbs, which vary in quality. Moreover, they may not clean and dry them as patiently as we do. That's why the pharmacist who previously made a deal with me decided to repurchase after seeing my herbs."
Hearing her explanation, Uncle He and Aunt He began to ponder. With a quality comparison, they wouldn't have to worry about sales.
Everyone needs medicinal herbs for illnesses at some point in their lives. On reflection, the herb business did seem promising.
The villagers who tried to follow Yu Ying's lead in selling herbs couldn't sustain their efforts for long. Firstly, they couldn't identify the herbs correctly, and secondly, they were cheated by the medical halls, so they couldn't make much money.
Now, with Yu Ying leading them, were they still worried about not earning money?
After parting with Yu Ying, on their way home, Aunt He suggested, "If we can really make money from the herbs, why not call Dalang back to gather herbs together? After all, Dalang is just treated like a slave without any dignity under those gentry."
Hearing this, Uncle He fell silent.
Indeed, who would willingly serve as a slave without dignity just for a bite to eat?
But pride couldn't overcome the need for sustenance. Dalang was the main earner for the family, so they couldn't rashly ask him to quit his job.
After a moment of contemplation, Uncle He sighed and said, "Let's wait and see."
Chapter 37
Yu Ying planned to sort out her current affairs before going to the quarry to fetch Fu Dalang.
She had inquired from Uncle He and Aunt He; a round trip to the quarry would take at least four to five days.
Being away for so long, the task of delivering the mung bean jelly to Wu's Eatery would fall to Fu An, Luo, and also Fu Wei.
Fu Wei would prepare the jelly, and then Luo and Fu An would deliver it to the village entrance.
Lastly, there was the matter of the innkeeper Ah Fu at Peng Lai Inn; she wondered what the situation was like there now.
"Yú Yíng had visited Wú's Eatery today. Upon entering, Boss Chén immediately called her over, 'Yesterday, the young man who visited before came looking for you.'"
"Yú Yíng quickly asked, 'What did he say?'"
"Boss Chén replied, 'He didn’t say much, but I told him you’d be here today. He left a message saying he would come to find you.'"
"As Yú Yíng nodded, she heard Boss Chén add, 'But when he came yesterday, he seemed quite happy. The task you entrusted to him, I’d say there’s a very good chance it was successful.'"
"Yú Yíng’s eyes brightened, a sense of joy rising in her heart."
"While waiting for the waiter, Yu Ying thought about visiting the quarry. Being unfamiliar with the area, she realized she needed to gather some information first."
"Noticing that the eatery was still devoid of customers and the shopkeeper Chen seemed free, she approached him for advice."
"She asked, 'Shopkeeper Chen, you're well-informed and experienced in Jade County. Could you tell me what I should be aware of when redeeming someone from the quarry?'"
"Hearing that Madam Yu intended to redeem someone from the quarry, Shopkeeper Chen was initially surprised, but then remembered that most residents of Lingshui Village were descendants of exiles."
"Furthermore, descendants of criminals typically served longer labor terms than ordinary people, often in the most grueling and dangerous places like building walls or quarrying, which were their main tasks."
"He recalled that a general amnesty was announced recently, and most people in Lingshui Village were pardoned, but due to generational poverty, he hadn't heard of anyone moving out."
"Shopkeeper Chen asked, 'Who in your family is at the quarry?'"
"Yu Ying didn't hide the truth, 'It's my uncle and aunt, with several years of service left. I'm planning to redeem them soon.'"
"Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Chen quickly asked, 'So, you won’t be making the ice cream anymore?'"
"Yu Ying replied, 'My husband can make it. Once he's done, he'll have it delivered here.'"
Hearing Madam Yu mention her husband for the first time, Shopkeeper Chen couldn't help his curiosity: "Why do we only see Madam Yu and never her husband?"
Yu Ying smiled and diplomatically responded, "He has some inconveniences."
Seeing that Madam Yu didn't elaborate, Shopkeeper Chen guessed there were difficulties and didn't press further, instead returning to the topic of redeeming someone.
"I haven't specifically inquired about it, but many county office clerks frequent this eatery, and the owner's relatives work in the county office, so I've heard a few things."
Lowering his voice, Shopkeeper Chen added, "The owner's cousin works at the county office, which is why our eatery doesn't get troubled by local hooligans."
After a pause, he continued, "To redeem someone, you must first pay the service fee at the county office, and you'll inevitably have to pay various extra fees at the quarry, so just preparing the service fee won't be enough. But in this world, relationships matter. If you have connections in the county office to help, you can avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble."
Yu Ying, well aware of the power of connections, also spoke softly, "How can I establish such a connection?"
Shopkeeper Chen rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, and Yu Ying understood his implication.
She asked, "Approximately how much money would it take to establish these connections? I might not be able to afford a lot..."
Shopkeeper Chen inquired, "Can you manage a few hundred wen?"
Yu Ying nodded, "I can manage that."
Shopkeeper Chen advised, "Also, prepare a good meal and wine to entertain them. When they deliver the documents with you, they can help smooth things over. The quarry workers wouldn't dare offend the county office clerks. Probably an additional hundred wen will be enough."
Yu Ying looked troubled, "I can afford the money, but my husband is not quite available, and as a woman, it's not really appropriate for me to host male guests alone."
Shopkeeper Chen asked, "Don't you have any elders at home?"
Yu Ying pondered for a moment, then thought of Uncle He.
If Uncle He could establish good relations with these clerks now, perhaps they wouldn't have to face as many obstacles when redeeming He Erlang later.
Yu Ying smiled and replied, "Yes."
After thinking it over, she said to Shopkeeper Chen, "I might need your help in arranging the meal, and then we can host it here at the eatery."
Shopkeeper Chen smiled, "Sure, no problem."
Yu Ying thanked him repeatedly, promising to treat him to a meal as a token of gratitude once her uncle and aunt were brought back home.
Yu Ying knew that Shopkeeper Chen's assistance was driven by mutual benefits.
Yet, the so-called benefit was merely her selling mung bean jelly exclusively at Wu's Eatery, not a significant gain. Shopkeeper Chen could have chosen not to help, but in fact, he had been quite helpful.
A meal should be offered, and naturally, a gift should be presented.
Shopkeeper Chen laughed off the need for a gift, then discussed what to consider for the banquet.
As they were talking, Ah Fu, the waiter from Peng Lai Inn, arrived.
Yu Ying then stepped out of the eatery to speak with him.
Seeing her, Ah Fu excitedly said, "The day before yesterday, I talked to a pharmacist surnamed Wu about the deal you made with Zhao, the other pharmacist. Mr. Wu seemed very interested. I mentioned you were looking for new pharmacists, and he said if you're interested in finding new buyers, you could first bring some herbs for treating cold and fever for his review."
Hearing this, Yu Ying inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
If he was willing to first see the herbs, it indicated there was hope for a deal.
Securing this deal before fetching her elder brother would also set Uncle He and Aunt He's minds at ease.
"Madam Yu, what do you think?" asked Ah Fu.
After considering for a moment, Yu Ying responded, "Good, tell Mr. Wu I'll bring some herbs the day after tomorrow."
Yu Ying planned to gather herbs in the mountains for treating colds and fevers. Even if Mr. Wu didn't buy them, she could keep them for future use.
She went to Uncle He and Aunt He's house, asking them to accompany her to the mountains the next day and also mentioned the banquet arrangements.
Hearing that connections were necessary for a smooth redemption, and that establishing them now would ease any future efforts to redeem Erlang, they were attentive.
Uncle He, upon hearing this, promptly agreed, suggesting they also call his eldest son to join, as more people would prevent any awkward silence.
Yu Ying agreed, repeating what Shopkeeper Chen had advised, before returning home.
In the evening, after washing up, Yu Ying lit the newly bought oil lamp.
At night, the usually dim room was now pleasantly bright.
She sat at the bamboo table, sewing small cloth bags for Fu Ning and Fu An to carry when they went out to pick wild vegetables and fruits.
Fu Ning and Fu An quietly watched their aunt, creating a tranquil and warm scene.
With the oil lamp, Fu An enjoyed spending evenings in the room, only returning to sleep after being urged several times by Luo.
After taking his medicine, Fu Wei's gaze also drifted towards the warm candlelight.
The dim yellow glow cast a soft light on her features, giving her face a gentle and beautiful appearance.
At that moment, Fu Ning suddenly turned to look at her uncle.
Seeing her uncle also staring at their aunt, she tilted her head in confusion.
Fu Wei met his niece's gaze, smiled faintly, then placed his finger to his lips, gesturing for silence.
Fu Ning shifted her attention back to watching her aunt.
Fu Wei, observing the trio, suddenly felt that sharing a room with them was quite pleasant.
He pondered for a moment.
What would change if the bamboo bed was completed?
His elder brother and sister-in-law, whom he had never met, were returning home. With only two rooms in the house, it certainly wouldn't be enough to accommodate everyone.
Building a new house would take several days, and in the short term, she wouldn't be able to move out.
Thinking of this, Fu Wei felt inexplicably joyful.
The next day, Yu Ying went with Uncle He and Aunt He into the mountains to gather herbs.
As the mountains were dangerous, they couldn't stray too far from each other.
After finding several herbs, Yu Ying explained their characteristics and what to be careful of when digging them up. Once she finished instructing, she let them use the samples to find the herbs.
After their return, Yu Ying would sort through the herbs once more.
However, as Uncle He and Aunt He were new to herb gathering, they collected less than two pounds combined in the entire morning, while Yu Ying alone dug up about three pounds.
The couple felt a bit disheartened, but Yu Ying reassured them, "For your first time, this amount is quite good. Once you get familiar with these herbs, you won't need to inspect each one closely."
Aunt He, feeling slightly better, still worriedly asked, "Will the pharmacist really buy these herbs?"
Yu Ying analyzed for her, "The medical halls in Yu County mostly buy their herbs, which vary in quality. Moreover, they may not clean and dry them as patiently as we do. That's why the pharmacist who previously made a deal with me decided to repurchase after seeing my herbs."
Hearing her explanation, Uncle He and Aunt He began to ponder. With a quality comparison, they wouldn't have to worry about sales.
Everyone needs medicinal herbs for illnesses at some point in their lives. On reflection, the herb business did seem promising.
The villagers who tried to follow Yu Ying's lead in selling herbs couldn't sustain their efforts for long. Firstly, they couldn't identify the herbs correctly, and secondly, they were cheated by the medical halls, so they couldn't make much money.
Now, with Yu Ying leading them, were they still worried about not earning money?
After parting with Yu Ying, on their way home, Aunt He suggested, "If we can really make money from the herbs, why not call Dalang back to gather herbs together? After all, Dalang is just treated like a slave without any dignity under those gentry."
Hearing this, Uncle He fell silent.
Indeed, who would willingly serve as a slave without dignity just for a bite to eat?
But pride couldn't overcome the need for sustenance. Dalang was the main earner for the family, so they couldn't rashly ask him to quit his job.
After a moment of contemplation, Uncle He sighed and said, "Let's wait and see."
