“Rest for over half a month, complete the confinement period, then return to town, alright?”
Lu Dongqing gently rocked his son as he continued, “I heard from Fulang He that a forty-five-day confinement is best for one’s health.”
“But staying indoors is so boring,” Qiao Suiman pouted.
Lu Dongqing lowered his gaze and thought that was indeed true.
During this period, everyone was busy working in the fields. With the autumn harvest approaching, they had only made time to attend the full moon celebration.
He thought for a moment and said, “Then I’ll enclose the carriage more securely for the trip back to town. Once we’re back, don’t overwork yourself. Let Zhang-dajie handle the fragrant drinks and milk tea for now.”
Only then did Qiao Suiman break into a smile. “I understand.”
Little Tangyuan fell asleep. Lu Dongqing placed him on the inner side of the bed before lying down on the outer side himself. Turning on his side, he said, “The bedding has been moved to the fragrant drink shop. The things in the kitchen haven’t been touched.”
With an additional little one, the room was still manageable since it is spacious. But in town, it is no longer sufficient.
The bamboo ware shop’s two rooms were both small. Adding even one more cradle would make them cramped, let alone such a multitude of swaddling bands, garments, and swaddling clothes of all sizes.
“Alright. The bamboo bed can be brought out for use too. The weather is so hot, and Tangyuan is sweating just wearing a bellyband.” Qiao Suiman gently patted Tangyuan’s little belly. Tangyuan’s belly was bulging, which was very cute.
“That works perfectly. I’ll settle Hua-dajie‘s wages tomorrow. After packing our belongings these next two days, I’ll return with you. I haven’t done business in so long, I’m starting to miss it,” Qiao Suiman said, lying flat and yawning. He allowed Lu Dongqing to gently caress his body.
Lu Dongqing smiled softly. With Qiao Suiman back in town, he would be able to see him all the time. “Mm, after the autumn harvest, we’ll go look at fields in the town outskirts.”
“How is the search for a long-term worker going?” Qiao Suiman asked sleepily.
“I heard from a customer that there’s a family on the town outskirts without land who wants to find a landlord to work as tenant farmers. Although our land isn’t much and can’t compare to a landlord’s, I’ll find time to ask if they’d be willing to work as long-term workers. They’ll still eat and live at home. Besides wages, we can give them some grain each year.”
“Tenant farmers,” Qiao Suiman murmured, “are also poor people. Since it’s about grains, we have to find honest ones. It wouldn’t be worth it if they slacked off or avoided work.”
“The grain tax is tax percent now. One mu[mfn]亩 : ~667 m²[/mfn] of land can yield two hundred jin of grain a year. Five mu would be one thousand jin. Rotating rapeseed yields about the same. After deducting the grain tax, it’d be nine hundred jin. With good weather, it could be even more. How about giving the long-term worker an additional ten percent of the grain each year? That way, the more grain harvested, the more the laborer gets, so they’ll be willing to put in effort.”
Qiao Suiman nodded. “That works. Let’s do that.”
Seeing that he was too sleepy to open his eyes, Lu Dongqing smiled and held his hand, saying softly, “Sleep. Rest for two more days.”
The next day, Lu Dongqing explained their plans to Miao Lianhua and the others. Miao Lianhua was somewhat worried, but her children were grown and had their own ideas. Besides, buying land was a big matter. She only reminded them to be careful and not get cheated.
Lu Xuesong and Tang Guo’er were very excited and said they wanted to go see the land together. Qiao Suiman laughed and agreed. Once the harvest was over, they’d all go together.
In the two days at home, Lu Dongqing didn’t stay idle. He went to the bamboo grove to cut some bamboo and made several bamboo beds. The bamboo transplanted last year had grown quite a bit, but he still went up the mountain to cut some down and drag them home. He did not use the bamboo from the grove behind the house. They needed to let it grow more before cutting.
Qiao Suiman settled Hua Yun’s wages and gave her an extra thirty wen. She was dedicated to her work. Sometimes she helped feed the chickens and ducks when the family was too busy, and she didn’t complain. The rice gruel with goat milk for Little Tangyuan was always prepared on time. She was an honest person, and giving her more was a sign of gratitude for her dedication.
Thus, by the seventh month, Little Tangyuan took his first ride in a donkey cart. His big eyes were full of curiosity as he stared around the carriage. Qiao Suiman occasionally lowered his head to kiss him, and he was very happy.
“Little Yuan’er, Little Yuanfeng, we’re going to town now. Come do business with a-mu, alright?”
Qiao Suiman said while shaking Tangyuan’s hand.
Tangyuan didn’t understand what his a-mu was saying, but he was happy whenever Qiao Suiman played with him, grinning and babbling with laughter.
Qiao Suiman and his son played happily inside the carriage. Lu Dongqing heard their playful sounds through the thick curtain and also wore a smile.
Lu Dongqing drove the cart leisurely. When they passed by the East Market, he saw someone selling milk tofu and called into the carriage, “Xiao Man, there’s milk tofu. I’m going to buy a bowl.”
“Alright, understood.”
Qiao Suiman’s reply came from inside the carriage.
Milk tofu was originally eaten more by herdsmen in the north. It was also made from fresh milk and had only recently spread to Shuiqing Town. Not long ago, Lu Dongqing bought a bowl at home. Both Qiao Suiman and Tang Guo’er loved it. Tang Guo’er even asked Lu Xuesong to buy another bowl the next day.
Qiao Suiman and him tried to figure out how it was made but couldn’t, so they stopped worrying about it and just enjoyed eating it.
Before long, Lu Dongqing returned with the purchase. He lifted a corner of the thick curtain and handed in a bowl of milk tofu. Though called a bowl, it was actually a rough bamboo bowl the size of a fist. The bowl, together with the milk tofu, cost twenty-five wen, which was also the price of a milk tea.
Lu Dongqing then handed in another packet. Qiao Suiman asked curiously, “What’s this?”
“Dragon beard candy. I saw it selling well, so I bought a packet too,” Lu Dongqing replied.
Qiao Suiman took it with a smile. At some point, Lu Dongqing started to like buying him new things to try. He said with a laugh, “We’ll eat it at the shop.”
Lu Dongqing smiled and agreed, “Alright, sit steady.”
Qiao Suiman placed the milk tofu and dragon beard candy to the side. He held Little Tangyuan with both hands and said, “Let’s go! Father is driving the cart now!”
“Ha ah.”
As the donkey cart moved, Qiao Suiman’s body swayed slightly with Little Tangyuan. Tangyuan seemed to find it fun, crying out “ah ah.” Qiao Suiman was utterly charmed and lowered his head to nibble Tangyuan’s cheek.
The donkey cart moved smoothly along the stone-paved road. When it reached Beide Road, Heijin jumped out and ran back to the shop. Lu Dongqing drove the donkey cart through the back door into the fragrant drink shop. Qiao Suiman carried the child into the room while Lu Dongqing unhitched the cart and tied Da Guai to the bamboo ware shop side.
The bedding in the room was the same as in the bamboo ware shop, but the space was much more spacious. The table, cabinet, and dressing table were moved over, leaving plenty of empty space.
The dressing table was by the window and the table was directly facing the room door. The wardrobe and wooden chest were placed at the foot of the bed as before.
Qiao Suiman thought about it and decided that the small cradle that Lu Dongqing made for Tangyuan could be placed next to the bed. A long table against the wall could hold Tangyuan’s swaddling bands, bellybands, and such.
Tangyuan couldn’t stop staring at the new room. Qiao Suiman smiled and said to Lu Dongqing, who had just come in, “Hurry up and boil some goat milk. He’ll cry when he gets hungry later.”
Lu Dongqing also laughed. He didn’t know who his son resembled that he couldn’t stand being hungry. He left the room, fetched a bowl of goat milk from the cellar, and heated it in the kitchen.
This kitchen was always used for making fragrant drinks and milk tea. Lu Dongqing was very skilled at heating goat milk and he quickly finished it, placing it by the stove to cool. He looked around the kitchen and came up with an idea.
Although the two shops were close to each other, adding another pot here would be much more convenient. For example, after closing up at night, they could cook and eat here before directly returning to the room to sleep.
Lunch was made by Zhang Ning. For dinner, only the three of them ate. They use a clay stove and a small long-handled pot, which was convenient to use.
Once the goat milk cooled enough, Lu Dongqing brought it into the room. Qiao Suiman was tidying up the clothes and utensils brought from home, while Little Tangyuan lay obediently on the bed.
The moment he saw Dongqing come in with the milk, Tangyuan whined and stretched his little hands toward the bowl, as if suddenly remembering he hadn’t eaten yet.
“Little glutton,” Qiao Suiman laughed softly.
Lu Dongqing placed the bowl on the table and picked up Little Tangyuan. He steadied his son with one hand and scooped goat milk with the other, and said with a smile, “Time for milk, Little Yuan’er.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Tangyuan took the small wooden spoon in his mouth and gulped down the goat milk. While feeding his son, Lu Dongqing said to Qiao Suiman, “The silver is all in the wooden chest. We should pay Zhang-dajie and Fulang He their wages tomorrow.”
Qiao Suiman nodded. “Understood. I’ll count the money in a bit.”
After Tangyuan finished the milk, Lu Dongqing wiped him down. He fell asleep shortly after being placed on the bed. Qiao Suiman finished tidying the room, took out the large money pouch from the wooden chest, alongside two large bags. These were the broken silver he had counted before, totaling three hundred taels.
The money pouch in his hand was what they earned during his time back home. Although Lu Dongqing told him daily how much the shop earned, counting it himself was more satisfying.
Qiao Suiman used a small scale to weigh bit by bit until all the broken silver was weighed. He calculated in his mind, “This is one hundred twenty-six taels.”
Just the broken silver amounted to four hundred twenty-six taels. Whenever copper coins reached ten guan[mfn]貫 – a string of 1000 wen or one tael[/mfn], Lu Dongqing would exchange them at the money shop for silver ingots, which were placed in the other two pouches. The current loose copper coins were only two guan, plus three hundred eighty-seven wen, kept for daily expenses like vegetables and snacks.
So now they had four hundred twenty-eight taels and eighty-seven wen on hand. Even if buying land cost fifty taels, they would still have over three hundred seventy-eight taels. Qiao Suiman couldn’t stop smiling just looking at the silver.
Qiao Suiman spread his arms to hug the money pouch, resting her face on it, with his voice full of excitement. “We’re so rich, Dongqing.”
Lu Dongqing curled his lips into a smile. “We’ll have even more money. Then we won’t have to worry about supporting Tangyuan’s studies. We can even have as many children as we want and send them all to school.”
Qiao Suiman giggled, as if seeing several children studying together in school, and said with a smile, “Indeed. Let’s send the ge’rs and girls to study too, to broaden their horizons.”
“Of course. After studying, they can choose good husbands,” Lu Dongqing added.
Qiao Suiman chuckled. “Tangyuan is only a month old, and you’re already thinking about the children getting married.”
Scratching his head, Lu Dongqing found it funny himself. But once the topic started, it was hard to stop. He continued, “For the children’s marriages, betrothal gifts and dowries are all necessary. If they don’t inherit our shops, we’ll have to buy them houses. If one has it, the others must too. Looking at it this way, we still need to earn lots more money.”
Qiao Suiman laughed so hard he nearly fell over, tears streaming down his face. “We don’t even have a ge’r or girl yet, and you’re worrying about dowries.”
“They’ll come eventually,” Lu Dongqing said, sitting down and wrapping an arm around Qiao Suiman’s waist. “It would be best if we have a boy, a girl, and a ge’r.”
Lu Dongqing kissed Qiao Suiman’s forehead and sighed.“But then you’ll have to suffer through childbirth three times. Let’s just go with fate and not force it.”
Qiao Suiman smiled warmly. “I think three is just right. Childbirth is hard, but you haven’t had it easy either, coming home every day and feeding Tangyuan milk late at night. If you’re not afraid of tiredness, neither am I.”
“I’m too happy to be tired.”
Lu Dongqing said with a soft smile and pulled Qiao Suiman into his arms from behind, “Xiao Man, I often feel that meeting you is the luckiest thing in my life.”
“Meeting you is my luck,” Qiao Suiman said, recalling their first meeting. “Back then on the mountain, thankfully you warned me about the snake, otherwise who knows what might have happened.”
“At that time, I thought you were incredibly brave, unlike other ge’rs. Looking back now, I’m glad I called out. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gained a fulang for myself.”Lu Dongqing said, his eyes shining with laughter.
Qiao Suiman suddenly remembered something. “That patch of bamboo fungus we came across deep in the grove, before I met you, I went there several times but never found any. Did you pick them?”
Lu Dongqing paused. “I did pick there a few times before I met you…” His voice trailed off.
“No wonder I didn’t see it after going several times. So you picked it!” Thinking of those times when he went there in vain, Qiao Suiman couldn’t help but feel angry.
Lu Dongqing immediately soothed him: “Next time we go home, we’ll go take a look. You hold the basket, I’ll pick, then take you to Huichun Hall to sell it.”
Qiao Suiman hummed twice. That was more like it. Then he realized, wasn’t he now the very definition of “to become spoiled and conceited”?[mfn]恃宠而骄 shì chǒng’érjiāo (lit. relying on favor and becoming arrogant) – to be conceited because one is in someone’s good graces[/mfn]
After putting the silver back into the wooden chest, Qiao Suiman took off his clothes to bathe in the room. Having just finished the confinement period, he wasn’t in a state for intimacy, so he didn’t let Lu Dongqing stay in the room to avoid him losing control and needing his help.
Hearing Lu Dongqing washing up next door, Qiao Suiman lowered his head and secretly smiled.
If you enjoy my translations, consider buying me a milk tea 🥛🍵
