Time always flew by in the midst of busyness, and before they knew it, it was already the end of the ninth month.
Apart from the added anticipation in his life, Qiao Suiman’s days were no different from usual. Speaking of which, he and Lu Dongqing hadn’t seen each other for nearly ten days, and under old customs, they would not meet again before the eighteenth day of the next month.
Qiao Suiman sighed as he sifted through the mung beans on the winnowing basket. It had grown colder lately, and the sales of his drinks weren’t as good as before. Moreover, more and more drink stalls and shops had popped up in town, with more than ten in the East Market alone.
Some shop owners in town would warm the drinks over a fire so that customers would still have warm drinks in their hands. This naturally attracted many customers to their shops. The stall owner who had once imitated his setup was nowhere to be seen recently, probably because his business has been affected too much and he can’t continue.
Bamboo tubes weren’t selling as well either. Many people who were willing to buy them have already done so. One person can only use one, so buying more is useless. Hence, he hadn’t asked Lu Dongqing to carve any bamboo tubes recently.
It just so happened that Lu Dongqing was called to work in town. Mei-ge’r‘s future father-in-law was quite influential. When a wealthy merchant from town visited their home, he was attracted by the bamboo house and called people to build one for him.
Now that it’s getting cooler, Qiao Suiman can’t figure out why these rich people are building bamboo houses. But as long as there’s money to be made, who cares?
He currently makes three types of drinks: perilla drink, osmanthus drink, and jasmine tea. However, many vendors in town offered a greater variety, especially those with capital and connections who could source all kinds of fruits. In terms of selection alone, he was already at a disadvantage.
After setting up the stall last time, he realized that relying solely on the magistrate’s endorsement wouldn’t be enough. He needed more variety. But drinks would still turn cold if left out too long, making them harder to sell than during warmer days.
If only he could open a shop in town.
Qiao Suiman sighed. For farmers like them, that wasn’t easy. Buying a shop was out of the question for now. Renting one would cost at least several taels of silver per month. He currently has less than ten taels of silver, which would only be enough to rent a shop for half a year. And even then, it would be in a remote location.
The more he thought about it, the more overwhelmed he felt. Qiao Suiman decided to stop thinking about it. He washed the beans thoroughly, and prepared to make mung bean porridge. His next stall day was still three days away. Since it got dark earlier now and drinks weren’t selling as well, he only needed to prepare eight barrels each time, making the workload lighter than before.
Qin Yu and Qiao Ruifeng went to the neighboring village today to pick up the new quilts they had asked someone to make for them and should be home soon.
Qiao Suiman’s dowry was similar to that of other ge’r in the village. It included two new quilts, two sets of new clothes, two pairs of new shoes, and a wooden chest. In fact, it was considered to be above average.
As for the money he had saved up before, it was being kept by Qiao Ruifeng. This money wasn’t part of the dowry, so there was no reason to bring it over. He could always retrieve it later if needed.
Qiao Suiman wasn’t the least bit worried about whether he could get the money back. If his brother and Qin Yu wanted it, they wouldn’t have let him keep it all this time. Besides, without his brother, he might not have even lived to this day. Even if he has to give it all to them, he would be willing to do so.
Just as his thoughts wandered, Qiao Ruifeng and Qin Yu returned, pulling a cart into the courtyard.
“Xiao Man, come take a look,” Qin Yu said cheerfully. “No wonder Aunt Shuifen recommended this family. Their quilts are truly impeccable. It was worth the long trip and the wait.”
The congee was ready, so Qiao Suiman first acknowledged them, put out the stove fire, wiped his hands on his long apron, and stepped out of the kitchen.
The large cotton quilt on the cart was snow-white and thick, and just looking at it made one feel warm. Qiao Suiman touched it and found it to be of excellent quality, more than twice as thick as the one he was currently using. From now on, he would no longer have to worry about the cold in winter.
“Qin Yu-ge, why are there only two quilts?” Qiao Suiman asked in confusion.
Half a month ago, they discussed making three: two for Qiao Suiman’s dowry and one for themselves to use during the depths of winter.
“We originally planned to, but then we remembered there’s still one in Father’s room. When it gets colder, we can just layer it with that one,” Qiao Ruifeng explained.
Old quilts are never as warm as new ones. Qiao Suiman knew that his brother and brother-in-law were just trying to save money. Qin Yu has been treating his leg for the past few months, which costed quite a bit of money. Plus, he hadn’t been earning as much from selling drinks lately, so he definitely didn’t want to spend any money.
They were willing to scrimp on a new quilt for themselves but splurged on two for him, which must have cost at least two taels of silver. Add to that the meat and vegetables they would need to buy for the wedding banquet to entertain the villagers.
Most of the betrothal gifts given by Lu Dongqing were spent in an instant. The cloth that was sent was used to make new clothes for himself. Apart from the two sets that were made as wedding dowry and had never been worn, there were also two sets that he had already worn.
His brother and brother-in-law were determined to make sure he married well, so Qiao Suiman couldn’t help but be moved. He spoke softly, “Ge, Qin Yu-ge…”
Qiao Ruifeng ruffled Qiao Suiman’s hair. Since Qiao Suiman had grown up, he rarely did this anymore. He smiled and said, “I can’t let people look down on my little brother, can I? Besides, I still have money, so there’s no need to be stingy.”
“The quilt in Father’s room is thick enough. It’d be a waste not to use it. We’ll save the money for when your Qin Yu-ge has a baby to spend on!” Qiao Ruifeng teased.
“Stop spouting nonsense in broad daylight!” Qin Yu elbowed him, feigning annoyance.
At the mention of this, Qiao Suiman also laughed. “Right, then I’ll have to earn more money to buy things for the little one.”
“You two… utterly shameless!” Qin Yu scolded, though his smile never faded.
Life was getting better, and both Qiao Ruifeng and Qiao Suiman urged him to treat his leg. The physician had also prescribed some tonics to nourish his body, which he had been taking slowly.
During his last visit, the physician said his health had improved significantly. Though he still needed to put plasters on his leg, his internal condition was no longer as bad as before, and it was only a matter of time before he could conceive.
“Oh, right. Dongqing asked us to bring this to you.” As he spoke, Qiao Ruifeng pulled out a small wooden box from his pocket.
“When we returned to the village, we saw him waiting for us at the village entrance. I guess he wanted to bring you something,” Qin Yu remembered another thing. “He also said that he borrowed a horse-drawn carriage from a relative and would come to pick you up on the eighteenth!”
“A horse-drawn carriage?!” Qiao Suiman’s eyes widened, his outstretched hand froze mid‑air.
“That’s right. Even though it’s borrowed, our village has never seen a horse-drawn carriage for a wedding before. It’s obvious that they want to make you look good!”
Qiao Suiman’s heart pounded wildly. He had never even seen a carriage, let alone ridden one. And now he’s going to ride in one for his wedding. He was being treated so well. Suddenly, Qiao Suiman resented the tradition that forbade couples from seeing each other in the month before the wedding. He wanted to see Lu Dongqing right now. He wanted to see him so badly!
Qiao Ruifeng, long past his own surprise, couldn’t help but laugh at his brother’s dazed expression. He placed the box in Qiao Suiman’s hand. “Take a look. What treasure has he sent you this time?”
Qiao Suiman opened the box in a daze. Inside was a lover’s knot[mfn]同心結 tóngxīn jié – (true lover’s knot, love knot, heart knot), a traditional Chinese knot, usually made of two ropes woven together, symbolizing eternal love and steadfast love. It is also used as a talisman, hoping that two people can be in love and live together forever (see photos below for example)[/mfn].
—
Translator [LUNE]: The wedding is soon…!!
