The roads were filled with people hurrying home. Lu Dongqing and Qiao Ruifeng each pulled a wooden cart, while Qiao Suiman, Qin Yu, and Miao Lianhua walked ahead of them. Worried that the vendors selling chicks and ducklings in the East Market might pack up early, everyone instinctively quickened their pace.
They rushed back to the outskirts of the East Market just as the aunties selling poultry were tidying up to leave. Qin Yu hurriedly stopped them, panting as he said, “We’d like to buy some. Aunties, please wait while we pick.”
The aunties had assumed no more customers would come, so they were pleasantly surprised when they were stopped. They immediately set down what they were doing and began greeting them.
“Young ge’r, are you looking for chicks or ducklings?”
“Both,” Lu Xuesong answered, already picking through one auntie’s stock.
It’s a big sale!
The other vendors quickly started calling out to them as well. Qiao Suiman noticed that none of them had many chicks or ducklings left, as most had already been picked over during the day. He and Lu Dongqing moved to another auntie’s stall to make their selections.
Chicks and ducklings are harder to raise in winter than in spring, so they had to choose carefully to avoid buying sickly ones. Otherwise, it’d be a waste of money.
Seeing how thoroughly they were inspecting the stock, the vendor knew they were experienced buyers. She boasted that she had decades of experience raising poultry and assured them her stock was healthy, urging them to pick with confidence.
Qiao Suiman wasn’t swayed by her words. Everyone claimed to be an expert, but even experts could make mistakes. It was better to trust his own judgment.
After examining every chick and duckling at the stall, he set aside those that were listless, injured, or had bloodstains. In the end, he picked seven chicks and eight ducklings.
“Mother, I’ve chosen these. What do you think?” Qiao Suiman moved the selected ones into a separate basket with the vendor’s permission and brought them to Miao Lianhua for her approval.
Miao Lianhua lifted each one, feeling them over before nodding in satisfaction. “Good choices.”
Pleased that his judgment was affirmed, Qiao Suiman grinned and tilted his chin up slightly at Lu Dongqing, as if waiting for praise.
“Well done.”
Lu Dongqing ruffled his hair and smiled softly.
Qiao Suiman clapped his hands together, his eyes crinkling with happiness.
“You two just got married, right?” the stall owner asked with a smile.
When Lu Dongqing nodded, the auntie gave a knowing look. No wonder they were so affectionate.
All of them were skilled at picking, and in the end, they selected twenty-four chicks and twenty-seven ducklings from the various stalls. After discussing it, they decided that Lu Xuesong would take ten of each, while Qin Yu and Qiao Ruifeng would buy the rest.
The newly built chicken and duck pens at the Lu family home weren’t very large, so ten was already the limit. They could always buy more later after expanding the pens.
Once they paid, they asked the vendors for baskets and straw. Lu Xuesong carefully placed the chicks and ducklings on the cart, even wrapping the baskets with cloth to keep them warm.
Buying chickens and ducks meant having poultry at home, which was a great joy for farmers. As they passed through the village, many neighbors exclaimed in surprise at the sight of so many chicks and ducklings. These two families were really thriving now!
The two households parted ways at the fork in the road. Qiao Suiman was very happy. Although today had been exhausting, waking up early and working all day, they had earned money and bought poultry. How could he not be happy?
Miao Lianhua, seeing his excitement, couldn’t help but remind him, “Xiao Man, be careful. Don’t trip.”
“I know, Mother.” Qiao Suman smiled embarrassedly.
“I’m here, I’ll watch over you.” Lu Dongqing chuckled, handing the cart to Lu Xuesong and walking beside Qiao Suiman.
Seeing the two of them so inseparable, Miao Lianhua couldn’t help but feel overjoyed. At this rate, it won’t be long before she gets to hold her grandchild!
Once home, Lu Dongqing and Lu Xuesong went to the backyard to arrange the chicken and duck pens, while Qiao Suiman put away the cart and helped Miao Lianhua with washing and preparing vegetables.
Lu Dongqing had bought some meat for the family earlier, so tonight they could stew a portion and save the rest for cured meat. Qiao Suiman picked a head of cabbage. Since the weather had turned cold, their meals mostly consisted of cabbage and radishes, occasionally switching to dried wild vegetables. Yesterday, they had porridge with dried wild greens, so today it was back to cabbage.
Miao Lianhua sliced the meat and fried it in soybean oil until both sides were golden, then set it aside. Using the rendered pork fat, she stir-fried the chopped cabbage Qiao Suiman had prepared, adding a bit of water to let it simmer.
“Mother, after the meat slices, what do we do next?” Qiao Suiman watched the plate of crispy pork slices from the side, swallowing hard, and asked.
“You little glutton[mfn]小饞貓 xiǎo chánmāo – “little greedy cat”, a term used for people who are fond of food (used affectionately here)[/mfn],” Miao Lianhua laughed. “Didn’t we grind chili powder the other day? Mix some salt into it and sprinkle it over the meat. It’ll be fragrant and spicy, and I guarantee it’ll be delicious!”
“You can eat it like that?” Qiao Suiman said in surprise, then went to the main room to fetch the small jar of chili powder that Miao Lianhua had mentioned.
The jar was only the size of his fist, but it had taken a whole basket of dried chilies to produce this much powder. Miao Lianhua and Lu Xuesong spent a long time grinding it, and even Qiao Suiman helped for half a day before they got this small amount.
He scooped out two spoonfuls of chili powder into a small bowl, added a pinch of salt as Miao Lianhua instructed, and stirred it well. The fatty meat was still hot, and it sizzled as he sprinkled the chili mixture over it.
The rich aroma of meat colliding with the spice made Qiao Suiman’s mouth water. His stomach chose that moment to growl loudly.
Miao Lianhua picked up a slice and held it to Qiao Suiman’s lips, “Here, have a piece first.”
Qiao Suiman gently bit into it, but it was too hot, so he blew on it a few times before slowly chewing it in his mouth.
“Mother, it’s so good!” His eyes sparkled as he picked up another slice for Miao Lianhua to try.
Lu Dongqing and his brother were still busy in the backyard, but they had already sneaked a bite. Qiao Suiman and Miao Lianhua exchanged a knowing smile, as if they shared a secret.
The cabbage finished simmering shortly after. Qiao Suiman called the men in from the backyard and brought the dishes to the main room.
The four sat down to a meal of several large steamed buns. Since they had worked hard today, Miao Lianhua made them with refined flour, which they ate with meat and vegetables. Qiao Suiman ate so much that he didn’t even lift his head.
After finishing one large bun, he finally felt less hungry. He and Lu Dongqing split another bun, nibbling at it slowly. There wasn’t much meat, so after having a few slices, Qiao Suiman focused on the cabbage, which was still delicious.
Lu Dongqing and Lu Xuesong have bigger appetites. They ate two steamed buns each and broke the remaining one into two halves to eat. They even wiped the oil on the plate clean with the steamed buns.
There was still hot water in the pot while they were eating. Qiao Suiman filled several basins with it for washing and added the rest with cold water to wash dishes.
After packing everything up, he returned to the room, where Lu Dongqing was sitting on a chair waiting for him. The foot basin was on the floor, and steam was still rising from the water. Lu Dongqing placed the money bag on the table, and the copper coins and silver pieces inside clattered loudly.
“Xiao Man, come here and count the money.”
Lu Dongqing knew that Qiao Suiman liked to count money when he had nothing else to do, so he placed the foot basin next to the table so that he could count while soaking his feet.
“Coming!”
Qiao Suiman quickly kicked off his shoes and socks, dipping his feet in, only to jerk back from the heat.
Lu Dongqing steadied him and smiled, “It’s a bit hot at first. Here, step on my feet. I don’t mind the heat.”
He submerged his own feet first, then lifted Qiao Suiman’s fair, delicate feet onto his. The water only covered Qiao Suiman’s feet slightly.
Qiao Suiman smiled sweetly, playfully splashing the water with his toes. “It doesn’t feel too hot now.”
But his heart felt even warmer.
Qiao Suiman was delighted as he counted the coins, and together with Lu Dongqing’s, they piled up into a small mountain. He counted for a long time, and by the time he finished, the water had almost cooled down.
Today’s total earnings were one tael, eight mace, and forty-two wen!
Lu Dongqing already counted his share earlier, which amounted to exactly eight mace. The rest came from Qiao Suiman’s drink stall.
Qin Yu had agreed with Qiao Suiman beforehand that on market days, he would only take twenty percent of the profits and firmly refused to take anything more. Since Qiao Suiman was the one coming up with new drink recipes and gathering most of the flowers and fruits, Qin Yu could not bring himself to take advantage of Qiao Suiman’s hard-earned money.
Miao Lianhua and Lu Xuesong had also worked hard all day, so after discussing it with Lu Dongqing, Qiao Suiman decided to give each of them one hundred wen. So, the money they earned today was one tael, four mace, and thirty-two wen.
Qiao Suiman was so happy he couldn’t stop smiling in his sleep. Lu Dongqing held him close, kissing him over and over. Thinking of how tired they were after a day’s work, he refrained from teasing him.
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Translator [LUNE]: Thank you for waiting. Regular updates again!
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