The plot of land enclosed by Lu Dongqing’s bamboo fence was sizable, enough to grow vegetables and gourds. If they yielded well, they could even sell some in town. The front yard has two rows of radishes and two rows of cabbage planted. Several crops have been harvested, and two large baskets were dried and placed in the woodshed to be eaten when the weather gets cold.
Similarly, plenty of cabbage, bamboo shoots, and wild vegetables had been dried, but it still wasn’t enough. They needed to stock up more. As for rice and flour, they didn’t have much. The land at home had only been planted for the first time and was newly cultivated, so the yield was barely enough for two people to last through winter, let alone now that there were four in the household.
Thus, they still needed to buy more rice and flour. As for vegetables and gourds, if they ran short, they could always buy from Chen Ping. The backyard, however, was much more spacious. Behind the new house, a large area remained where they could purchase saplings and plant them in the spring.
Qin Yu was still growing perilla leaves, but neither of the two fruit trees bore fruit anymore. If they wanted to continue selling drinks in the future, they would need to plant fruit trees that bore fruit at different times.
Qiao Suiman already had a plan in mind and explained it to Lu Dongqing one by one. Lu Dongqing nodded and said, “Songzi originally planned to buy chicks and ducklings to raise in the back. But if we want to plant trees, that’s fine too. We can just divide the space.”
He added, “We should also clear a bamboo grove behind the fence. Back when I cut bamboo in the mountains to earn money, some people complained to the village chief. The amount I used was large, unlike ordinary households, which only make small trinkets, so I was indeed in the wrong. I’ve been thinking of discussing it with the village chief. For the next couple of years, we can pay the village a small fee. Once our own bamboo grove grows in, we won’t have to worry anymore. By then, Songzi will also have more space to raise chickens and ducks.”
Qiao Suiman looked surprised but quickly agreed, “That’s indeed the right thing to do, lest others grow envious and cause trouble for us.”
Planting trees and clearing a bamboo grove were both costly and time-consuming. Qiao Suiman lowered his voice and asked, “How much silver do you have left now?”
Instead of answering directly, Lu Dongqing first closed the courtyard gate and led Qiao Suiman back to their room. Beside the bed was the large wooden chest Qiao Suiman had brought, and next to it was a wooden cabinet that Lu Dongqing had made himself. He unlocked the cabinet, took out a wooden box, and sat back down beside Qiao Suiman.
“It’s all here,” he said, opening the box and pushing it toward Qiao Suiman.
Qiao Suiman couldn’t help but laugh at his eager expression. He then weighed the silver in the money pouch and was startled by its heft. Opening it, he found three five-tael silver ingots!
Lu Dongqing curled his lips into a smile. “I earned ten taels building a bamboo house for a family in town. The weather’s been cold lately, and the master of the house was kind enough to give me two extra taels, considering the hardship of traveling back and forth.”
Previously, when he built the bamboo house for Mei-ge’r’s in-laws, the payment was nearly eight taels. This time, the wealthy merchant was even more generous, paying ten taels at once, though it was also because of the intricate carvings he made. The merchant also asked him to carve some pen holders to give to scholars who were hoping to pass the imperial examination.
Qiao Suiman’s face filled with admiration. At this moment, he didn’t care about shyness and took Lu Dongqing’s hands, rubbing them carefully. “These are golden hands!”
An extra ten taels of silver a month!
Qiao Suiman felt that having him carve bamboo cups for just ten wen before was practically a waste of his talent!
“Little moneygrubber.”
Lu Dongqing flicked Qiao Suiman’s nose and laughed. “The remaining loose silver and copper coins add up to two taels, seven mace, and ninety-seven wen.”
That meant they had a total of seventeen taels, seven mace, and ninety-seven wen. Qiao Suiman counted the coins one by one. Even though he already knew the amount, the process itself was still enjoyable.
With this money plus his own small sum of nearly ten taels, the two of them could be considered wealthy in the village.
However, the drink business wasn’t as profitable as before. Qiao Suiman sighed, “It’s a shame the drinks cool too quickly now. They don’t sell as well at the market as they used to.”
Lu Dongqing thought for a moment. “I have an idea. Back at the medicine shop, I saw the apprentices sealing boiled medicine in porcelain bowls with yellow clay before sending it to patients’ homes to keep it warm.”
Qiao Suiman’s eyes lit up. “So if we seal the outside of the wooden barrels with yellow clay, wouldn’t it be like keeping them warm over a fire?”
Qiao Suiman had previously considered bringing firewood to the market, but they only had one cart. Building a stove would require hiring someone else, and unlike stalls selling hot food, they would only need it for these two months. It wasn’t worth the cost.
If this method worked, it would truly solve their current problem. Qiao Suiman thought further and said, “But the yellow clay would make the barrels look unappealing. Maybe we could add another layer of decoration on top of the yellow clay.”
Suddenly, he had an idea. He excitedly grabbed Lu Dongqing’s arm and looked up with a smile, saying, “We could add a layer of wood or bamboo strips on top, and even write our stall’s name on it!”
“But what should we call it…?” Qiao Suiman bit his lip and began to struggle with the decision.
Lu Dongqing smiled warmly, pulling Qiao Suiman into his arms as if he wanted to squeeze him into his body. “The drinks are your specialty, so let’s call it Qiao’s Drink Stall.”
“But you make all the bamboo cups. What about your stall?”
“I’ll just set up next to you with a sign that says ‘Lu’s Bamboo Products.’ How about that?”
Lu Dongqing lowered his head, nuzzling Qiao Suiman’s cheek. The soft, sweet scent lingering on him stirred something deeper in Lu Dongqing’s heart.
Qiao Suiman wrapped his arms around Lu Dongqing’s waist, tilting his head up obediently. His eyes shimmered with joy. “Of course, that sounds perfect.”
After speaking, gentle kisses fell one by one on his lips. He and Lu Dongqing locked eyes, drowning in the affection reflected in each other’s gaze. For a long while, neither spoke, as if time had frozen in that moment.
After some time, Qiao Suiman let out soft, flustered breaths, pressing his palms to his cheeks. It took a while for the heat to fade.
Although he still felt a little embarrassed, he thought to himself that he was now Lu Dongqing’s fulang; if he wanted him, he couldn’t refuse. Besides, he also enjoyed being close to him when no one else was around.
Lu Dongqing locked the money box away, and the two of them strolled around the courtyard again.
Looking at the sky, he estimated that Miao Lianhua and Lu Xuesong would return soon, and said, “Mother and the others should be back soon. I’ll go make dinner.”
“Alright,” Lu Dongqing said, carrying a chair to sit in the open space in front of the kitchen. “I’ll carve hairpins here.”
“Mm.”
Qiao Suiman checked the ingredients left in the kitchen. The wedding banquet had been lavish, with six meat dishes alone. There were still chestnut-braised chicken, spicy braised pork, and plenty of meatballs left.
He wondered if his Da-ge and Qin Yu-ge had taken some home. On the day of the return visit[mfn]回门 huí mén – the first visit of a married woman (or in this case, fulang) to her parents’ home after the marriage[/mfn], they would have to buy more meat. With just the two of them at home, it might feel a bit lonely.
But Qiao Suiman wasn’t particularly sad. Before marriage, he was anxious about the unknown, but now everything was settled. His mother and Dongqing treated him so well, and Songzi was easy to get along with. It would be unreasonable for him to be unsatisfied.
After having noodles for breakfast, Qiao Suiman cooked a pot of porridge at noon. He took some stewed meat and added a cabbage to it. The stewed meat was extremely delicious. Having meat and vegetables with the porridge was considered a very rich meal in the village.
Not long after the meal was ready, Miao Lianhua and Lu Xuesong returned. Seeing how well Qiao Suiman had organized the kitchen, Miao Lianhua felt even more satisfied. It was a good thing her eldest had married him. With everyone in the family being hardworking, their days would only get better.
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Author [陳皮皮梅]: Little husbands can’t stop being affectionate! Posted half an hour early today~
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Thanks for the chapter!