MFBOWSBTMT Chapter 90

“Is the little one being fussy?” Qiao Suiman asked.

 

Qin Yu lowered his gaze, touched his belly, and said with a slight smile, “No, he’s very well-behaved. Your elder brother and I both think it’s a little ge’r.”

 

Qiao Suiman finished turning the dried peach blossoms and placed them back on the wooden rack. Turning his head, he said, “A little ge’r is good, fragrant and soft. Little boys tend to love rolling around in the mud as they grow older. Have you thought of a name yet?”

 

“Not yet. We’ve only thought of the character ‘An’ (安)[mfn]安 – The character means “peace,” “safety,” or “tranquility.”[/mfn] for now. We’ll find time to go to the Taoist temple to have it divined later.”

 

“Safe and sound[mfn]平平安安 píng píng ān ān –  means safe and without danger; no accidents, no danger. This phrase is usually used to express a good wish, hoping that things will go smoothly without any accidents; well / without mishap / quiet and safe / at peace[/mfn], that’s very good.” Qiao Suiman’s eyes curved in delight. In just a while, he would be able to hold the little one in his arms.

 

Just as they were speaking, Lu Dongqing’s voice came from the doorway. He and Miao Lianhua had returned. The Qiao family lived close to the village entrance, so they came here first to fetch them before going together for a meal at the west end of the village.

 

Though Qin Yu was heavily pregnant, he still walked with swift and decisive steps. Qiao Ruifeng often grew anxious watching him. Since Miao Lianhua and the others took the donkey cart to Hedong Village, Qiao Suiman simply placed a thick cushion on the cart and had Qin Yu sit on it for the journey.

 

The main road was relatively smooth, but they still had to dismount and walk when they reached the bumpy paths to avoid jostling too much. However, the donkey cart covered a good portion of the distance, and it didn’t take long before they arrived at the west end of the village.

 

After closing the courtyard gate, Miao Lianhua called Lu Xuesong out and announced joyfully, “The Tang family has accepted our gifts!”

 

Qiao Suiman had already guessed as much from the smile that didn’t leave her face. Now, he beamed and said to Lu Xuesong, “Songzi, congratulations.”

 

You’ve won the heart of your beloved.

 

Lu Xuesong was so nervous that his lips were trembling slightly. And upon hearing Miao Lianhua’s words, he seemed stunned. It was only after Lu Dongqing patted him twice that he came to his senses and asked dazedly, “Mother, really? He… he really agreed?”

 

Miao Lianhua shot her son a look of utter exasperation[mfn]恨鐵不成鋼 hèn tiě bù chéng gāng (lit. to hate that the iron doesn’t become steel) – (figurative) to feel resentful towards someone for failing to meet expectations; to be impatient to see improvement (Wikipedia); here it shows parental frustration[/mfn]. If it weren’t for the joyous occasion, she would have taken a bamboo stick to her younger son. “They accepted the gifts, so of course they agreed. Now then, let’s pick an auspicious date and invite a matchmaker to formally propose!”

 

“Good, good, good.” For a moment, Lu Xuesong was so overjoyed he could only repeat “good” endlessly.

 

Miao Lianhua laughed, but then her thoughts turned elsewhere, and she sighed softly. The Tang family was well-off and placed great importance on their youngest ge’r‘s marriage. They wanted to keep the child at home until next year before the wedding and had also mentioned the matter of a house. Miao Lianhua understood their meaning.

 

Her second son is still living in the thatched hut built for them back in Xiahe Village. Though he diligently tended the fields, the harvest from that soil could never compare with fertile land.

 

Though he had raised more chickens and ducks, now twenty-five of each, and had recently earned some money selling eggs, it was still a drop in the bucket compared to the funds needed to build a house.

 

Fortunately, the eldest was understanding. Remembering that it was always the second who worked at home and tended the fields, he said he would take care of the house construction. Miao Lianhua wasn’t worried that Qiao Suiman would object. Over this period, she had seen clearly that Xiao Man was the best one could ask for; he even helped inquire about the Tang family’s affairs beforehand.

 

The more Miao Lianhua thought about it, the more relieved she felt. The two brothers had always been close, and now their respective fulang had known each other early on and got along well too. There was nothing more perfect than this.

 

Qin Yu teased for a while, making Lu Xuesong flush red from head to toe. Overexcited, he ran off to chop grass for the chickens, making Qiao Suiman laugh until his stomach hurt.

 

Who would have thought there would come a day when Lu Xuesong would be rendered speechless!

 

At noon, Qiao Ruifeng also came to the west end. It was as if the two families had an unspoken agreement that whenever Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing returned from town, they would gather for a meal. Qiao Suiman was always immensely happy on these days.

 

The villagers were not without gossip. Some said Miao Lianhua did not act like a proper elder, and that Qin Yu and Qiao Ruifeng stuck too closely to their younger brother’s household. But few dared say such things to their faces.

 

At the end of last month, Li Da’s wife made a few remarks in front of Qin Yu. Qiao Ruifeng immediately dropped his hoe, went to Li Da’s field, grabbed him, and gave him a beating. It was not even a year since they and the Lin family deceived them, and they dared to say something behind his back again!

 

Because of that earlier matter, Li Da’s intended marriage fell through, and he ended up marrying the daughter of an old widower’s family, whic is a woman older than him. That in itself was no great matter. What was hateful was that Li Da’s mother refused to learn her lesson. She forgot the pain once the wound healed. She cursed the Qiao and the Lu family with her daughter-in-law every day. She was so thick-skinned that she dared to gossip about them in person.

 

Li Da was beaten and bedridden for nearly half a month. His wife went to the village chief to complain, but before she could finish a sentence, she was driven out by Aunt Qian with a broom. Aunt Qian drove her out while scolding: “After what Li Da did, it’s already a mercy he’s allowed to remain in this village. You should keep your tails between your legs and behave yourselves. If you cause more trouble, don’t think we won’t drive you out of the village!”

 

Many people had gone to watch the commotion. Even Chen Xuesheng followed along, cursing them the entire way. What did it matter to the Li family that another household lived in harmony? She better worry about her own man, lest he be unable to work the fields in the future.

 

There are only a few people who are petty and mean-spirited. Most people don’t care about what’s going on in other people’s homes. They are busy with their own affairs, so how can they have time to care about others? After that, no one dared to talk nonsense in front of them.

 

Naturally, it was Chen Xuesheng who told Qiao Suiman about this incident. Qin Yu and Qiao Ruifeng would never have let him know. After Qiao Suiman found out, he only asked about Qin Yu’s health, relieved to hear he hadn’t been angered. As for the Li family, good and evil would eventually be repaid, and they would get their retribution.

 

Leaving aside such messy affairs, Qiao Suiman and Miao Lianhua discussed the matter of hiring a matchmaker. Miao Lianhua had already done this once before and was experienced. She said they could prepare everything once they had calculated an auspicious date for the betrothal gifts.

 

While Miao Lianhua was talking to Qin Yu, Lu Dongqing pulled Qiao Suiman aside and told him about building a house. Qiao Suiman agreed without a second thought. The house had long needed repairs. They now have nearly ninety taels of silver, so building another house wouldn’t be a problem.

 

The old thatched hut could be repaired into a wooden shed to shelter chickens and ducks from the winter winds and rain. Besides a new house, Qiao Suiman thought they also needed a well. The west of the village was far from the river, and every trip to fetch water was exhausting.

 

As they spoke, the two quickly reached an agreement. Qiao Suiman did not feel he was suffering any loss. After all, when Lu Dongqing married him, it was something the three of them, mother and sons, planned together.

 

He and Lu Dongqing were now mostly running the shop in town. At home, it was Songzi and Miao Lianhua who were busy with chopping firewood, carrying water, planting crops, feeding poultry and livestock, and taking care of the bamboo grove. Of course, he couldn’t just enjoy the benefits.

 

Having gone through building a house once before, Lu Xuesong knew the ropes. Since his elder brother and Xiao Man-ge had provided the money, he would take care of the rest. He had also seen wells being dug before and felt confident he could manage it.

 

After discussing this, Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing left fifteen taels of silver at home and returned to town to run their business.

 

The shop’s business continued as usual. The better Qiao Suiman’s shop grew, the quieter Liu’s Food Shop became. As the fifth month approached, they actually closed down directly, claiming they were going to create some drink unheard of in heaven or on earth.

 

Qiao Suiman found it laughable. He served Tang Guo’er and Tang Yuan each a bowl of the newly offered Immortal Peach Drink and pulled Tang Guo’er aside to ask quietly, “The person you mentioned before, it’s Songzi, right?”

 

Tang Guo’er’s face instantly flushed bright red. “What person? I didn’t… I didn’t say anything.”

 

Qiao Suiman wore an expression that said ‘I knew it.‘ He chuckled and said, “Alright, if you say there isn’t, then there isn’t.”

 

For a moment, it felt like teasing Chen Xuesheng back in the day.

 

By the end of the fourth month, when they returned home, the place had changed greatly. The foundation of the new house had been laid, the well nearly dug, and many villagers had gathered to watch the fun. Everyone kept saying their family was truly prosperous. Building two houses in just a year!

 

Qin Yu was almost seven months pregnant. Qiao Ruifeng went to Hedong Village every few days to buy a bowl of goat’s milk. Qiao Suiman had tried it once, too. After boiling it with sweet almonds, the gamey smell disappeared, replaced by a rich and mellow taste. Qiao Suiman, having tasted it for the first time, found the flavor quite unique, but Qin Yu couldn’t get used to it.

 

The yellow dogs at home were quite grown now. Qiao Suiman brought Heijin back to town with him. Heijin was not used to the shop at first, but it got used to it after two days.

 

On the first day of the fifth month, Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing finished making drinks early in the morning but did not open the shop yet. Leaving Heijin to watch the house, they went to the county office. A large crowd had already gathered in front of the announcement wall, all eager to know when the fragrant drink competition would begin.

 

They waited for a while before they saw the shiye slowly walked to the announcement wall with a notice and carefully pasted it onto the wall.

 

The surrounding people were anxious but didn’t dare rush him. They could only swarm forward to look once the shiye left.

 

Lu Dongqing was tall, so he could see even if he wasn’t in the front. He quickly scanned the list and said to Qiao Suiman with his head lowered, “The competition will be held on the tenth. It will be divided into three rounds. The first round is herbal tea, the second round is fruit tea, and the third round is made with the ingredients you bring. It doesn’t say what to make, but the theme is ‘life'[mfn]生 shēng – The character means “life,” “birth,” “to live,” “to grow.”[/mfn].”

 

Qiao Suiman was stunned by what he heard. He looked up and asked, “A theme? ‘Life’? Does the drink we make have to be related to life?”

 

After reading the notice, Lu Dongqing led Qiao Suiman out of the crowd. As they walked, he explained, “Whatever drink is made in the third round, you must tie it to ‘Life’. Explain why these ingredients create this flavor. Is it because they make you feel like you’ve lived again, or is there some other reason? In short, you must make people feel your drink is connected to this character.”

 

Qiao Suiman understood now. “So it’s about giving the drink a name or idea. And they’ve already given it, and the word is ‘life,’ right?”

 

Lu Dongqing moved closer to Qiao Suiman, lowered his head, and chuckled, “That’s the idea. Xiao Man is so clever.”

 

Qiao Suiman smiled warmly. “You taught me well. I even know how to write the character ‘Life’ (生)!”

 

“There are nine days left. Although they’ve said what kind of drinks for the first two rounds, they didn’t give the exact ingredients. I reckon it’s to test the ability to make something on the spot.” Lu Dongqing spoke as he thought. These people certainly knew how to build anticipation.

 

Having made many flower and fruit drinks, Qiao Suiman wasn’t too worried about these rounds. It was the third round that was troubling him. Usually, he would make whatever drinks he had the ingredients for, picking out a few that he knew he could make well. But this time, he had no idea at all, which made it difficult.

 

“There’s no hurry. Perhaps inspiration will strike when you least expect it.” Lu Dongqing smoothed out Qiao Suiman’s furrowed brow to comfort him.

 

“Yes, there’s still plenty of time. We also need to go back to watch the competitions on Dragon Boat Festival day. This year it’s being held in Hedong Village; it should be lively.”

 

Qiao Suiman found it amusing just thinking about it. Last year, Lu Dongqing and Qiao Ruifeng were the lead rowers. This year, Lu Dongqing didn’t have time to practice, so the other lead rower became Lu Xuesong. Coincidentally, it was in Hedong Village, where Tang Guo’er’s family lived. Lu Xuesong was determined to put on a good show in front of Tang Guo’er.

 

They naturally wouldn’t return empty-handed. The town couldn’t compare to the village’s excitement that day. Qiao Suiman planned to make several extra barrels of drinks to sell in Hedong Village. The notice was already posted at the drink shop.

 

Though Qiao Suiman said he wasn’t anxious about the drink competition, he lost interest in practicing his characters over the next few days. Whenever he had time, he had Lu Dongqing read him that book, the Compendium of Fragrant Drinks[mfn]香饮集 Xiāng Yǐn Jí – (this is a fictional book in this novel, if I’m not mistaken. but basically, this is a compilation or collection of fragrant drinks ever recorded)[/mfn], hoping to find some inspiration. He even dreamed about it every night.

 

Lu Dongqing knew how much importance he placed on this competition and could only try his best to comfort him.

 

 

 

Author [陳皮皮梅]: Ahhh, why have I still not gotten to the competition! Writing along, I keep finding things that need to be explained (cry-laugh). But tomorrow for sure, I’ll reach it! After the competition, it’ll be close to the ending (though “close” doesn’t mean soon, haha, not sure). By the way, is there any extra story you’d all like to see? Just asking in advance~

 

 

 

 

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