MHBOWSBTMT Chapter 10

At noon, only he and Qin Yu were home. Since they hadn’t done any heavy labor today, Qiao Suiman thought for a moment, then plucked a hairy gourd[mfn]节瓜 – a variety of winter melon commonly used in southern Chinese cooking, similar to zucchini but with a fuzzy exterior[/mfn] and went back to the main room to grab a handful of dandelion greens. He hurried into the kitchen under Qin Yu’s stern gaze.

 

The Qiao family’s kitchen was considered large for the countryside, but it was sparsely furnished, making it feel somewhat empty.

 

Qiao Suiman lit a fire under the smaller iron pot, then peeled and sliced the hairy gourd. He scooped water to wash the dandelion greens and set them by the stove. The flames quickly grew strong, and he added a ladle of water to the hot pot, the sizzling sound filling the air.

 

Once the water boiled, he tossed in the hairy gourd and dandelion greens, drizzled in some oil, and let it simmer twice. Then he set up a bamboo steaming rack and placed the remaining two coarse steamed buns on top to warm them up.

 

The steaming rack was made by Qiao Ruifeng a few years ago. Most villagers knew how to craft such things. It was smaller than the pot’s opening, so it didn’t interfere with the soup boiling below or prevent the lid from fitting. It also saved firewood when steaming, eliminating the need to light another stove.

 

The greens cooked quickly. Qiao Suiman moved the buns aside, removed the steaming rack, and saw the dandelion greens had turned a vibrant green. The broth was just right, fragrant and sweet, with a touch of oil that made it even more appetizing.

 

He divided the soup into two bowls and set aside a small portion to mix with bran for Heijin. Since he still had the steamed buns to carry, he set up a low table in the main room, placed the two bowls of soup on it, and shared the meal with Qin Yu, each eating a bun with the greens and broth.

 

Both the hairy gourd and dandelion greens were freshly picked,  so they are wonderfully crispy and flavorful. Even with just a bit of soybean oil, the hot soup was delicious. The meal—complete with vegetables and broth—was finished cleanly by the two of them and the dog, leaving nothing behind.

 

Qiao Suiman placed the cleaned bamboo fungi on the wooden rack in the yard, while the bamboo shoots and cogongrass roots he had hidden at the bottom of the bamboo basket were also cleaned and stored in the kitchen.

 

The bamboo shoots were large. They’d cut half of one tonight, stir-fry it with some dried red chilies, and steam a few more buns It’ll be enough to feed the three of them. Qiao Ruifeng had gone to Guqiao[mfn]固桥 – literally means “Solid Bridge”[/mfn] today for laborious work, so they couldn’t skimp on grains or oils.

 

The steamed buns from a few days ago had been finished at noon, so they needed to make more. After weeding and fertilizing the vegetable plot, they still had to check the crops for weeds.

 

Later, they need to brew drinks. The firewood at home had been stockpiled before the rain. Though there was still some left, they needed to gather more to avoid running out if it rained again. Farmers were never idle. There were always work to be done, inside and out.

 

“Man-ge’r!” A voice called from the gate.

 

“Aunt Shuifen, I’m in the kitchen!”

 

Qiao Suiman put the washed dishes back into the stone cabinet in the kitchen and responded, wiping his hands dry on his short apron.

 

Zhou Shuifen didn’t stop at the gate and walked straight into the Qiao family’s courtyard, heading directly to the kitchen with a beaming smile. “Man-ge’r, those things from yesterday sold for quite a bit of money!”

 

As she spoke, she opened a small cloth pouch and poured out several pieces of broken silver.

 

“The young master of Laifu Tavern[mfn]来福酒樓 “Laifu” means “coming fortune,” a common auspicious name for businesses[/mfn] was hosting guests, and your Uncle Ping mentioned it in passing when delivering vegetables. Who would have thought the steward would buy everything!”

 

Just the yellow mushrooms alone sold for a full three mace of silver. The termite mushrooms were only half a jin[mfn]斤 – “catty” ~600g[/mfn] but fetched forty wen. The red and green mushrooms were pricier. Even though they only weighed nine liang[mfn]两 – ~37g[/mfn] in total, they sold for two mace and thirty wen.

 

This season, spring bamboo shoots were common, so the price wasn’t high, just seven wen per jin. Fortunately, the shoots Qiao Suiman had cut were large, totaling fourteen jin. Along with the other wild vegetables, they made a hundred and thirty wen.

 

In other words, that single trip up the mountain yesterday had earned them a full seven mace of silver.

 

Qiao Suiman’s eyes lit up, his lips curling into an irrepressible smile. He wiped his hands on his apron again and carefully accepted the silver. Wealthy families were particular as even the broken silver gleamed, likely clipped from a larger ingot.

 

Nowadays, the smallest silver ingot in the Great Sheng Dynasty[mfn]大盛朝 – a fictional dynasty in the story[/mfn] was one tael. What he have now was just a few mace, so naturally, he only got small pieces.

 

Even if Zhou Shuifen didn’t say it, Qiao Suiman knew Chen Ping must have put in a good word for him. He said gratefully, “Aunt Shuifen, I don’t even know how to thank you… and Uncle Ping too, I…”

 

“Silly child, what nonsense are you spouting? This little thing is nothing. I’m just happy to see you all getting by.”

 

“Auntie, wait a moment. Let me pick some hairy gourds from the backyard for you to stir-fry or make soup with.”

 

“No need, no need! I’ve already cooked the meal.”

 

“Then save them for tonight.” Without waiting for Zhou Shuifen to refuse, Qiao Suiman hurried to the backyard. The hairy gourd had ripened at the same time. With quick movements, he picked three well-sized ones and plucked a sponge gourd[mfn]丝瓜 – luffah or loofah, used in cooking and for making natural sponges[/mfn] along the way before returning to the front yard.

 

“Aunt Shuifen, these are fresh. Tomorrow, I’ll be making drinks for everyone and save a few tubes for you. Tell Xuesheng to come by.”

 

Qiao Suiman’s heart swelled with emotion. The Chen family had helped him so much, he didn’t even know how to repay them. They refused to accept money, so all he could do was offer some homegrown produce or homemade treats as a small token of gratitude.

 

“Alright, alright. Don’t overwork yourself, ah? Keep the money safe. Life will only get better from here.”

 

Zhou Shuifen felt a pang of warmth. This Man-ge’r was diligent, clever, and kind-hearted. It was only that wretched Lin Xiuhua who kept gossiping about how he had bad luck.

 

If only Qiao Chengfu had been a responsible family man, matchmakers would’ve worn out the Qiao family’s threshold trying to arrange a marriage for Man-ge’r. It was a shame Xiasheng is still too young, otherwise, she’ll snatch him up as her son’s fulang in a heartbeat.

 

Zhou Shuifen sighed inwardly. She didn’t know which family’s man would end up with him, but she hoped it’d be a good one. Someone who could give Man-ge’r a happy life.

 

She didn’t linger as her family was waiting for her to eat. Unable to refuse, she took the vegetables home. If it had been anything more valuable, she would’ve have flat-out refused.

 

Qin Yu emerged from his room. He heard Zhou Shuifen earlier but figured she was delivering money to Qiao Suiman, so he hadn’t gone over. If Qiao Suiman wanted to tell him, he would. If not, he wouldn’t pry. Xiao Man was grown now with many things for him to decide.

 

“Qin Yu-ge, guess how much the mushrooms I picked yesterday sold for.” Qiao Suiman was in high spirits, grinning so wide his eyes nearly disappeared. They are not outsiders so there was no reason to hide this.

 

Besides, if his elder brother and Qin Yu-ge knew how much extra money he has, they wouldn’t stop him from buying salt, soy sauce, or vinegar for the household in the future.

 

“So happy, huh? Let me guess… four mace?”

 

Qin Yu shook his head. This kid was sharp outside, but with them, he was still the same as when he was little.

 

Qiao Suiman didn’t keep him in suspense. He took out all the broken silver from his pocket and laid it on his palm.

 

“This much?”

 

“Yep! I searched all over and found a bunch of yellow mushrooms, red mushrooms, and green mushrooms, some really valuable stuff. And Uncle Ping happened to run into a young master in town hosting guests, so they bought everything.”

 

“Then keep it safe, hide it well. Don’t let outsiders know, and especially don’t let Father see, alright?”

 

“I know.”

 

Qiao Suiman returned to his room and closed the door. His room wasn’t furnished much. Just a plank bed against the wall, a firwood chest, and a table with chairs.

 

But only he knew about the small locked wooden box hidden under the bed against the wall.. He had picked it up as a child when someone else had discarded it. Though old, it was still sturdy.

 

He wiped the box clean and opened it. Inside were the earnings from selling drinks and wild vegetables with Qin Yu over the years. They didn’t sell drinks often. Before Qin Yu joined the household, the money Qiao Suiman and his elder brother made from selling drinks was kept by Li Hua. When she left, she didn’t leave them a single copper coin. They were likely all spent on Qiao Chengfu’s drinking.

 

For the past two years, he and Qin Yu had set up a stall at the market on the first and fifteenth of each month, earning about sixty or seventy wen each time—thirty or forty wen per person. But they couldn’t set up during wind, rain, or the winter months after October. After occasionally buying household necessities, they had saved a total of six hundred and seventy-four wen over these two years.

 

When they asked Chen Ping to sell vegetables for them, they told him to sell them cheaply on the way to avoid wasting his time. They don’t do it often, so the earning were just loose copper coins. Selling drinks for two or three wen naturally also meant small change. Today was the first time Qiao Suiman had ever received broken silver, and he was utterly fascinated by it.

 

He had counted the copper coins many times before, but every time he opened the box and heard the clinking of so many coins, he still felt a surge of joy.

 

Not daring to handle the silver too much for fear of wearing it down, he took out a small pouch made from scrap cloth, gently placed the silver inside, and tucked it into the wooden box.

 

Now, he has one tael of silver and three hundred seventy-four wen. Lin Xiuhua wanted to sell him off to the Lin family for just two taels? Hah! With a bit more effort, he could earn two taels himself.

 

He hugged the wooden box to his chest for a long moment before reluctantly placing it back under the bed, weighing it down with a rock to keep it hidden.

 

—

 

The sky was still dark when Qiao Suiman yawned and stirred the pot with a wooden stick. The perilla drink had already taken on its signature color.

 

Last night, after bringing up that matter with his elder brother, he was scolded for nearly the time it took an incense stick to burn[mfn]一柱香 – traditional measure of time based on how long it takes for an incense stick to burn (~30 minutes)[/mfn]. If Qin Yu hadn’t stepped in to mediate, his brother might’ve lectured him for half a shichen.[mfn]时辰 – a traditional Chinese unit of time, equivalent to two hours[/mfn]

 

Regardless, it was settled now. The fifteenth was just four days away, and on the fourteenth, his brother would take the bamboo fungi to the Lu family.

 

Qin Yu had picked a few sour yellow fruits from the backyard and washed them. They used a clay stove to brew the drinks, which couldn’t hold much water. To fill three wooden barrels, they had to brew six separate batches, so Qiao Suiman and Qin Yu had gotten up early to prepare.

 

This was already the fifth batch, and the tea’s color had developed nicely. Qiao Suiman added cogongrass tips and roots for sweetness, letting it simmer for half a ke[mfn]刻 – an ancient Chinese time unit, approximately 15 minutes ; so half a ke is 7.5 minutes[/mfn] before fishing out the wilted perilla leaves and grass roots. He poured the tea into a nearby barrel. These barrels were specially for drinks, their interiors stained pinkish-red from years of use.

 

The sixth batch was soon ready. Qin Yu peeled the sour yellow fruits, mashed them for juice, and added the juice of two fruits per barrel—any more would make it too tart. Peeling them avoided bitterness, a trick Qiao Suiman had figured out through trial and error.

 

Li Hua had copied the recipe carelessly, so the taste wasn’t great. Back when they could afford sugar, its sweetness masked the flaws, making it sellable. Now, even with a bit of money, they didn’t buy sugar to avoid drawing attention.

 

Without sugar, the drink’s shortcomings became obvious. Qiao Suiman had remembered chewing on cogongrass roots as a child when hungry and found they were slightly sweet. On a whim, he tried adding them and found they improved the flavor.

 

Once the three barrels of perilla drink were ready, they were covered to cool. The sky was lightening and by the time customers arrived, the drinks would be just the right temperature.

 

It was a shame peaches weren’t in season. Dried peach chunks added to the perilla drink gave it a unique flavor. They had been the first at the market to do it, and it sold extremely well—until town merchants copied them, and sales dwindled.

 

“Xiao Man, is the drink ready?”

 

Someone called from outside the yard.

 

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Translator [LUNE]: We are now on the 10th chapter! Yey! LDQ and QSM interaction soon, so I hope you stay and find out. 

 

This is also a simplified conversion of their currency in this story’s setting:

1 silver tael (1000 wen) = 10 mace (1000 wen/mace) = 1 wen

1 gold tael = 10 silver tael

The currency mace is originally qián (钱), but I kept it in English as I also use the word tael here (which is also in English, originally liǎng 两). Both qián and liǎng are also being used as a weight measurement (coz money were literally being weighed), so if these words are being used for that reason, they will retain their pinyin in the translation. I also edited the previous chapters for consistency.

Now that we are on weight measurements, here’s a summary (because they will appear quite often in the next chapters) :

分 Fēn – ~0.37g
钱 Qián – ~3.7g
两 Liǎng – ~37g
斤 Jīn – ~600g
石 Dàn – ~60–100kg

 

 

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