MFBOWSBTMT Chapter 23

From the tenth day of the month, Qiao Ruifeng had to train for the dragon boat races by the river every day at mao shi[mfn]卯时: 5-7 AM[/mfn] for a full shi chen[mfn]时辰 – a traditional Chinese unit of time equal to two hours[/mfn]. He had participated every year since three years ago.

 

Last year, Xiahe Village placed third, and each team member received fifty jin[mfn]斤 : ~600g[/mfn] of fine rice. At the time, the Qiao family was struggling, so they exchanged that fifty jin of fine rice for over a hundred jin of coarse rice in town to get by.

 

“How are the fields?”

 

After days of training, Qiao Ruifeng and Lu Dongqing had grown much more familiar. Both were tall, though Lu Dongqing stood even taller. This year, they were both the lead rowers.

 

“Not bad. About sixty percent of what a decent field would yield.”

 

“Not bad. You have put a lot of effort into the harvest of the newly cleared land.”

 

“Absolutely. Back then, they were digging mud from the river every day, even in freezing weather. Thankfully, their young bodies could handle it.” Liu Tian, the helmsman and also the elder of the Liu father-son pair chimed in.

 

“Had to fight for food. No other choice,” Lu Dongqing said quietly. To outsiders, he still appeared fierce, but after these days of practice, Liu Tian had learned that the man just had a stern face and his temperament wasn’t bad at all.

 

“Yeah, working ourselves to the bone just for a bite to eat. It’s never easy.”

 

Liu Tian was a generation older than them and had seen more hardships. In his youth, he had lived through disasters. Once, heavy rain ruined the wheat just before harvest, leaving it moldy and unsellable. Grain prices outside soared, shattering a year’s hopes. They survived on the previous year’s leftover grain and wild vegetables foraged from the mountains. Later, when even the wild vegetables ran out, they had to resort to tree bark.

 

Some, driven mad by hunger, ate the moldy wheat anyway and died from it.

 

The memory darkened Liu Tian’s eyes. “But we pulled through. Life gets better bit by bit.”

 

“Mm.” Lu Dongqing and Qiao Ruifeng nodded.

 

“Don’t you know a xiucai[mfn]秀才 – a person who passed the imperial examination at the county level, granting them minor scholarly status[/mfn]? Why didn’t he help you?” Li Da cut in from the side.

 

Most people in the village knew about this. They assumed the Lu family would cling to the scholar for support, but instead, they stubbornly cleared land, borrowed tools to build fences and carve items to sell at the market. Somehow they managed to scrape by on their own.

 

“Helping us relocate here was already a great kindness. In the end, we have to rely on ourselves,” Lu Dongqing said evenly.

 

The scholar they spoke of was his father’s distant relative and childhood friend, Lu Xiang. The two had been as close as brothers. After Lu Xiang passed the imperial examinations and became a xiucai, he taught in Shuijing Town, but the families had kept in touch. Last year, he had already gone to great lengths for their sake, even lending them two taels of silver to tide them over. That was enough.

 

Lu Xiang has his own household expenses to worry about. They couldn’t keep relying on his help. Even the strongest bonds would wear thin. Besides, as a man, it was his duty to provide for the family. How could he just wait for others to help him?

 

Qiao Ruifeng nodded in agreement. Self-reliance was the most dependable path. This young lad seemed capable of supporting a household. Even if the next few years were tough, he would eventually build a good life. If Xiao Man was of the same mind, it might not be a bad match.

 

“Well, he teaches in the academy, and the salary must be high. A little bit of it would be enough for us to eat and drink for a long time.” Li Da pressed when Lu Dongqing didn’t engage.

 

“His family has to eat too,” Lu Dongqing said, frowning slightly. “Besides, I can earn money myself. Why do I always have to rely on others for help?”

 

Aside from farming, he could gather herbs, forage mushrooms, and sell bamboo crafts to make money. After saving enough to repay those two taels, everything he earned now was his own. This man is so strange. Why does he keep mentioning his Uncle Xiang?

 

Li Da scoffed. Who was he fooling? With such a powerful backer, why stay in the village as a farmer? No one would believe it. He was about to continue talking, but he was interrupted before he opened his mouth.

 

Liu Tian, seeing Li Da wouldn’t let it go, cut in, “Exactly. Help given is out of kindness, not obligation. Relying on yourself is the right way. The food you grow yourself always tastes better.”

 

Li Da shut his mouth when he saw it was Liu Tian interrupting. He could still talk back to others, but Liu Tian had been the helmsman of the village team for many years. He’s experienced and well-respected. Even the village chief often sought his advice on dragon boat matters. Offending him wasn’t an option.

 

The team representing the village changed slightly every year, especially the rowers, who had to be strong and able to find time to practice. The lead rowers were especially crucial.

 

Qiao Ruifeng was taller and broader than most men in the village, so he held a lead rower position for years. This year, Li Da had hoped to snag the other lead spot, only for Lu Dongqing to take it instead.

 

That was a position of prestige. Performing well could even improve one’s marriage prospects. Needless to say, Li Da was resentful.

 

Liu Tian was well aware of his petty grievances. In rowing, the worst thing was to lack unity. Clearing his throat, he raised his voice sternly, “We’re a team. Our hearts must be united. This year’s prizes are higher than before. Plenty would kill to take your spots. Anyone who slacks off can go home!”

 

“If you want the rewards, train properly!”

 

“Understood, Uncle Liu!” The men responded in unison. Li Da was startled. This was a hint at him, so he didn’t dare to say anything more.

 

Xiahe Village placed every year, with even the lowest prizes being several jin of meat. If he does something bad, he can’t stay in the village, so he didn’t dare to think about those things.

 

After resting, they resumed practice until chen shi[mfn]辰时: 7-9 AM[/mfn], when everyone dispersed to tend to their own tasks.

 

Wang Ming’er was also on the team. Because of many things that happened before, Qiao Ruifeng had no desire to interact with him.

 

After Qiao Chengfu’s funeral, Qiao Ruifeng had gone to the Wang family. As expected, Wang Ling’er had never told Wang Qing about her latest run-in with the Qiao family. But Qiao Ruifeng didn’t care and still had a fight with the two men of the Wang family. If they couldn’t control their family’s mouths, they shouldn’t blame him for being ruthless.

 

The two Wang men were no match for him. He held nothing back. Wang Ling’er had bullied Xiao Man since childhood. Even if Xiao Man had cleverly avoided most of it, she still deserve to pay the price. Only when Li Yue fetched the village chief did he stop, which completely scared the Wang family.

 

Later, Qin Yu heard that Wang Qing had beaten Wang Ling’er badly, sold off her nice clothes and jewelry, and made her cut pigweed, feed the pigs, and wash clothes every day. Many in the village took satisfaction in that.

 

Now, Wang Ming’er shrank at the sight of him, terrified of provoking a beating. He didn’t dare speak to Qiao Ruifeng, who also wanted to be quiet. Village life was full of social intricacies, but not everyone was worth dealing with. When conflicts arose, sometimes fists spoke clearest.

 

Returning home, he quickly ate a steamed bun before heading back to the fields. Before dawn, he hauled a cart to town. Qin Yu and Qiao Suiman were selling drinks and gourds at the east market, so the house was empty.

 

——

 

“Here you go, auntie.” Qiao Suiman handed a full pot of perilla drink to the customer in front of him, adding, “Have a sip before sealing it.”

 

“I know, I know. Yours is the most generous. It’s plenty for cheap! Not like others, raising prices left and right!”

 

The auntie paid, took the drink, and gulped several mouthfuls to quench her thirst. She likes to drink this stuff, and has tried both cheap and expensive ones. But none matched this little ge’r‘s for value. Just two wen, and though not as sweet as sugar-laden ones, the flavor was still good.

 

There was a stall she often visited up ahead, but they raised their price to thirteen wen for a tiny portion. Five wen more could buy a whole pot of plum wine! They claimed to use more ingredients and sugar, but she could taste the difference.

 

“Perhaps they use more ingredients,” Qiao Suiman said mildly, dropping two wen into his coin pouch with a smile as he greeted customers.

 

“Hardly! Just greed. They’re raising prices so much before the festival. By the fifth day of the fifth month, they’ll charge fifteen wen!” The auntie huffed.

 

“Exactly. Half a month early, and the prices are already climbing,” a fulang agreed.

 

“It’s indeed too much.” Qiao Suiman mused, then asked, “I think raising prices by just one or two wen during the festival to eleven or twelve wen would be fair. Don’t you agree?”

 

“If it tastes good, of course it’s fine. Festivals are for fun. How can they raise the price by several wens like they do, and the taste won’t change?”

 

“Right, right.” Qiao Suiman nodded along, an idea forming.

 

He remembered this auntie. She lived on the town outskirts and often bought drinks or fermented wines at the market, having tried every stall in the east market. She knew the prices best and wasn’t stingy, happily drinking two-wen brews or splurging on ten-wen ones. According to her, twelve wen would be the sweet spot for festival pricing.

 

Smiling, Qiao Suiman saw off his customers. The good weather had drawn crowds, and by the end of si shi[mfn]巳时: 9-11 AM[/mfn], only half a barrel of syrup remained. The stall had been bustling nonstop, and he wiped sweat from his brow, thinking life couldn’t get better than this.

 

“Qin Yu-ge, have some water.”

 

He handed Qin Yu a bamboo tube of the drink. There were many long beans in the vegetable garden, and the family couldn’t eat them all every day. This trip, they brought a large basket, selling at three wen per jin. Qin Yu had been haggling nonstop with women and fulang all morning and his throat was parched.

 

After downing half the tube, Qin Yu finally felt his voice returning. The market was packed today. Luckily they arrived early, or they would have missed their spot.

 

The chives[mfn]韭菜 – garlic chives or Chinese leeks[/mfn] from the Qiao family’s garden had also ripened, so they’d harvested a large batch. Chives were cheap for only three wen for two jin, but they’re delicious whether stuffed into dumplings, steamed buns, or stir-fried. Their neatly bundled chives sold out shortly after opening.

 

More customers trickled in. Qiao Suiman set aside a cup for himself, not wanting to go thirsty on the way home.

 

By wei shi,[mfn]未时: 1-3 PM[/mfn] everything they had brought was sold out. After a short rest, they pulled the cart home. With only six empty barrels and four large bamboo baskets left, the load was light enough for the two of them. They already told Qiao Ruifeng not to come fetch them.

 

It was still early, and the road was busy enough to be safe. The two of them talked and laughed while pulling the cart. The coins were hidden between stacked buckets. They did not dare to put them in front of their chests because it was too obvious. One pulled from the front, the other kept watch beside the cart, and they arrived home without any incident.

 

“Yu-ge’er, sold so much at the market today?”

 

Several women and fulang gathered under the banyan tree at the village entrance called out as they passed.

 

“Yes, the market was packed. We sold out early.”

 

“Did you see anyone selling sauce? What was the price?”

 

“We did. Twenty wen per jin,” Qin Yu replied.

 

“No discount?” The fulang sighed. “Good thing I didn’t make the trip.”

 

Qin Yu and Qiao Suiman smiled but didn’t linger. “Aunties, a-mo,[mfn] 阿麽 – A respectful term for an elder woman, similar to “auntie” or “granny.” I will retain it in pinyin when addressing a fulang.[/mfn] we’ll head back now.”

 

“Alright, go on.”

 

Once they were out of earshot, the women and fulang resumed their chatter. “See? Since Qiao Chengfu died, those kids have been full of life.”

 

“That’s right. They are busy every day, making drinks and selling vegetables. Who knows how much they’ve earned.”

 

“Tch, whatever they earn probably goes to Qiao Chengfu’s gambling debts. I’m surprised they scraped together three taels. I wonder who lent it to them.”

 

“Who else? Either the Chens or the village chief.”

 

“Man-ge’er’s grown quite handsome. Without his drunkard father dragging him down, and Rui-xiaozi[mfn]小子 – an affectionate or casual term for a young boy/man, similar to “lad,” “youngster,” or “kid”[/mfn] being capable,” a woman smirked, “bet there’ll be matchmakers knocking soon.”

 

“The Qiao kids have turned things around. People used to say Man-ge’er brought bad luck. It seems it was Qiao Chengfu all along!”

 

“Now that you mention it, it does make sense. Once he was gone, their fortunes improved!”

 

Their gossip continued, but Qiao Suiman and Qin Yu were long gone.

 

 

 

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