“Have you heard? The Lu family at the west of the village is building a house!”
“How could I not? I saw the tiles[mfn]瓦 wǎ – generally refers to clay tile. It is made of clay (including shale, coal gangue and other powders) as the main raw material, through mud processing, molding, drying and baking. (Baidu)[/mfn] they brought from Shanghe Village. Tsk tsk, all of them are top quality.”
“How did they suddenly have enough money to build a house? They’ve only been here for half a year! No wonder they say having a skill makes it easier to earn a living. This must’ve cost several taels of silver, right?”
“What else could it be? They’re preparing for a wedding! The other day, I saw embroiderer Miao buying meat from Butcher Wang early in the morning. They’re prime cuts of pork belly, and she even brought pastries. Later, someone spotted her leaving the Qiao family’s place. She must’ve taken a liking to Man-ge’r!”
“Really?!” exclaimed the woman from the Liu family.
The other women and fulang sitting under the big banyan tree nodded. “Of course it’s true, I saw it with my own eyes.”
“So that’s how it is,” the Liu woman said.
“What? What else is there?” a few women and fulang urged.
“Ah, I was originally thinking of matching Man-ge’r with my nephew. I asked Yu-ge’r about it. He said they had found a good family, but it turned out to be the Lu family.”
“There was such a thing? Why didn’t you say so earlier? Now someone else has gotten ahead of you.” Feng Jie chimed in, not wanting to miss out on the gossip.
“Earlier, there was still that Qiao Chengfu. Who’d dare bring it up? That troublemaker,” the Liu woman said, shaking her head in disdain.
“You… you couldn’t even catch a whiff of fresh dung if you tried[mfn]吃屎都趕不上熱乎的 chī shǐ dōu gǎnbushàng rèhū de – lit. “if you were eating warm shit, it’d be stone cold by the time you finished it” ; an expression used to mock someone for being slow, incompetent, or always missing opportunities.[/mfn],” a familiar fulang burst into laughter. “Who’s to say they hadn’t already taken a liking to Man-ge’r? Didn’t that Lu-xiaozi help make Qiao Chengfu’s coffin? And on Dragon Boat Festival, when Man-ge’r was being bullied, didn’t he nearly beat the culprit to death? Ah, these youngsters!”
“That’s true. Those bamboo tubes they use for their drinks were also made by the Lu family, weren’t they?”
“Tsk tsk, why didn’t we notice earlier? Look at them, one’s skilled in bamboo crafts, the other in making drinks. Both are good commodities, and now they’ve ended up together.”
Liu’s wife sighed in frustration. Thank goodness she didn’t send a matchmaker yet. What a disgrace it would’ve been to be rejected.
“Haven’t you all seen? This morning, the Qiao family and that Lu-xiaozi left the village one after the other. Probably selling drinks together to earn money!”
“Doesn’t that mean things are moving fast?”
“At most half a year, and we’ll be drinking at their wedding!”
As the central figures of these discussions, Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing were indeed setting up their stall in the East Market. They’re so busy they could hardly keep up.
“Everyone, please wait, it’ll be ready soon!”
Amid the noisy crowd, Lu Dongqing’s deep, steady voice stood out even more.
“Hey, hey, I was here first! I want two bamboo tubes like the ones the Magistrate had, plus two servings of Immortal Peach Drink!” shouted a man at the front of the crowd.
“Kind customers, the designs from Dragon Boat Festival are no longer available. We only have designs matching the names of the drinks now, but they’re just as lovely!”
“What? I came all the way for those, and you’re telling me they’re gone?!” The man scowled angrily.
“Those were limited only for the Dragon Boat Festival. These new ones might not be available later either. Why not take a look at them instead?”
Qiao Suiman kept his tone polite. This wasn’t the first time today someone had asked the same. Thankfully, Lu Dongqing’s presence kept anyone from causing trouble.
“Are you buying or not? If not, move aside, I’ll take them. Who knows if these will sell out too? I wanted to drink the same as the Magistrate, but you’re just wasting time here.”
Provoked, the man gritted his teeth. “Fine, I’ll take one of each of these four designs. Will you have new designs next time?”
“Yes, but not until Qiqiao[mfn]Qixi Festival[/mfn]. Until then, we’ll only have plain bamboo tubes,” Qiao Suiman replied briskly as he poured the drinks.
“That long?!”
Lu Dongqing explained, “I’m the one who carves these. For the next month, I’ll be busy building a bamboo house for the Magistrate’s in-laws. I don’t have time to do it. But by Qiqiao, I’ll definitely have more ready.”
“So it’s you! Your craftsmanship must be excellent if you’ve landed work for such important people!” someone from the back praised.
“Thanks to the Magistrate’s favor.”
“Little ge’r, will you be setting up here regularly from now on?”
“Yes, just remember us. We’ll be here on the first, fifth, and ninth of every month,” Qin Yu replied cheerfully, handing the four bamboo tubes to the man.
Today, they brought ten full barrels of drinks, and in less than two hours, nearly half were already gone. The Magistrate’s influence was undeniable.
“Hurry up, it’s my turn now,” a middle-aged woman behind the man pushed past him. “I don’t need the bamboo tubes. Little ge’r, do you still recognize me? You’re really capable. Even the Magistrate drank your drinks!”
It was the same woman Qiao Suiman had asked about prices before. Delighted, he said, “Of course I remember! Which flavors would you like, auntie?”
“Immortal Peach Drink and Green Plum Drink. Pour them into these.” She handed over two waterskins.
“Right away!”
“Twenty wen. Here, take it.”
“Thank you, auntie!”
During Dragon Boat Festival, they charged twelve wen per serving, taking advantage of the festive crowd. Normally, that would be too high, so Qiao Suiman had settled on ten wen.
The crowd pressed in, and soon Lu Dongqing was helping pour drinks as well. After another half a shichen[mfn]时辰 : a traditional Chinese unit of time equal to two hours[/mfn], the crowd thinned enough for them to catch their breath.
“Good thing you’re here. I never expected so many people.”
Qiao Suiman sat on a nearby stone stool, rubbing his sore neck and shoulders. Qiao Ruifeng had gone to the docks; they didn’t anticipate such a turnout. Thankfully, Lu Dongqing had set up his stall nearby and could help.
Qiao Suiman looked up with a soft smile. “I wouldn’t have known what to do otherwise.”
His face glowed with a rosy flush. When he hit a sore spot, he frowned and let out a quiet gasp. His pure and graceful expression hit Lu Dongqing straight in the heart and he couldn’t tear his eyes away.
“I’ll always be here,” Lu Dongqing said firmly.
Qiao Suiman didn’t look away either. The two stared at each other, their eyes brimming with affection.
Qin Yu, standing nearby, couldn’t bear to watch. He coughed and teased, “If he weren’t here, you could’ve just called your da-ge[mfn]大哥 dàgē – older/ big brother[/mfn] back!”
He stifled a laugh. Did Qiao Suiman already forgot about his brother? He wondered if Qiao Ruifeng would be upset if he found out. Well, better not mention it. No need to sour his mood and then have to cheer him up.
The remark broke the pair’s lingering eye contact. Qiao Suiman looked away in embarrassment. How could he have forgotten about da-ge?!
Meanwhile, Lu Dongqing thought, He’s so adorable. I need to save up faster and marry him home as my fulang!
By si shi[mfn]巳时 : 9-11 AM[/mfn], customers surged again. After another chaotic rush, they completely sold out of drinks!
There were still more than two shichen before Qiao Ruifeng finished work, just enough time to go buy new fabric. He and Qin Yu could manage pulling the cart, but carrying so many copper coins didn’t feel safe.
So Qiao Suiman tugged lightly on Lu Dongqing’s sleeve, tilting his face up with hopeful eyes. “Could you… come with us to the fabric shop?”
Lu Dongqing’s heart raced. He wished he could be with Qiao Suiman every moment. Of course he wouldn’t say no. He nodded eagerly, afraid Qiao Suiman might change his mind.
“Thank you,” Qiao Suiman said sweetly.
“It’s the least I can do,” Lu Dongqing replied with a grin.
Not far from the East Market was a fabric shop with reasonable prices, unlike the larger stores in town that sold luxurious silks and satins far beyond the means of common folk.
At Pingji Fabric Shop, Qiao Suiman carried the heavy coin pouch while the cart waited outside. The shop catered mostly to farmers and ordinary townsfolk, so the clerk greeted them warmly.
“Honored guests, what kind of fabric are you looking for?” The clerk bowed slightly, ushering them inside.
Qin Yu thought for a moment. “Do you have indigo cotton fabric? Let’s take a look.”
“Of course! One moment.”
Most farmers buy hemp fabriv, and the clerk thought they were here to buy hemp fabric, so he led them to the hemp counter. But he didn’t expect that they would ask for cotton fabric as soon as they came up, so he immediately took out a roll of cotton fabric happily.
“Honored guest, take a look. This just arrived from the prefectural city a few days ago. The color is very flattering.” The clerk held up a bolt of pale green cotton fabric. Although not the indigo Qin Yu had asked for, it was undeniably beautiful.
“How much is this?”
“This color is quite special, see how it shimmers in the sunlight? So it’s a bit pricier, forty wen per chi[mfn]尺 : ~33 cm (about 1 ft.)[/mfn].”
“That expensive?!” Qiao Suiman’s eyes widened. A full outfit required at least eight chi which would cost over three mace of silver, enough for several sets of coarse fabric clothing!
“Let’s pick another color. That one looks good,” Qiao Suiman pointed to a bolt of lake blue fabric on another shelf. “Let’s see that one.”
“Of course! You’ve got great taste. That’s our best-selling fabric. Though it’s not as striking as the other one.” Unfazed by the rejection, the clerk fetched the bolt as requested.
It was clear this fabric wasn’t as fine as the first. The earlier one seemed to flow like water, while this one looked somewhat dull.
“Qin Yu-ge, this will do. No need to wear anything too fancy.” Qiao Suiman whispered, tugging Qin Yu’s sleeve meaningfully.
Qin Yu also thought the other was too expensive, so he asked, “How much is this?”
“Twenty-five wen. Buy five chi and I’ll throw in one chi for free. How much would you like?”
That was more reasonable. Two and a half mace could get them twelve chi, enough for two outfits with some hemp fabric added.
“How much for that hemp fabric?” Qin Yu pointed to a bolt of smoky blue coarse hemp hanging on the wall.
“If you’re buying a lot, I’ll give it to you for eight wen per chi!”
“In that case, we’ll take twelve chi of the hemp, ten chi of the coarse fabric,” Qin Yu scanned the shelves and pointed to a bolt of soft, mist-colored fine hemp. “And give us a discount on that. We’ll take ten chi of it too.”
This is a big purchase!
The clerk didn’t dare slack off. He hurried to fetch the roll of fine hemp so Qin Yu could inspect it.
“Since you’re buying so much, let’s do it this way,” the clerk gritted his teeth, “I’ll give it to you for fifteen wen per chi. But I can’t throw in any extra.”
“We’re buying ten chi, can’t you give us one more? We’re spending so much, your boss should reward you,” Qiao Suiman bargained.
“Exactly! Don’t cheat us,” Qin Yu added.
“Fine, fine,” the clerk wiped his forehead. It was still a big purchase. He could afford to lose a little profit.
In the end, they bought twelve chi of cotton, eleven chi of fine hemp, and ten chi of coarse hemp. They’re enough for four outfits if they are careful. It cost nearly five mace of silver, but both Qiao Suiman and Qin Yu were happy. They didn’t have new clothes even during New Year, so today felt especially joyful.
Meanwhile, Lu Dongqing, who stayed silent the whole time, quietly memorized the pale green cotton fabric.
That color would look beautiful on Qiao Suiman. And he was sure Qiao Suiman liked it too.
So, he made a silent decision.
—
Thanks for the chapter! Always useful to have a direct opinion, lol