MFBOWSBTMT Chapter 70

Several more days passed.

 

“Man-ge’r, are you going to the wine house again?”

 

Feng Jie and a few other women and fulang were heading the same way as Qiao Suiman, also bound for town, and couldn’t help but ask.

 

The news that Qiao Suiman had started making drinks at the big wine house in town spread throughout the village within three days. With them hauling so many drinks out every day, a little inquiry was all it took to find out.

 

Qiao Suiman didn’t try to hide anything. He answered when people asked him questions, but when asked about his wages, he remained silent. After a few such instances, everyone understood his stance and stopped pressing further.

 

Lu Dongqing finally finished carving eighty bamboo tubes. This morning, he and Qiao Suiman went to the Qiao family to finish making the drinks, then pulled the cart to town.

 

Originally, he could have gone to town by himself, and Qiao Suiman didn’t need to accompany him. The drinks were selling so well at the wine house that customers already knew they were his, so his presence wasn’t necessary. But the two wanted to take advantage of the remaining days before the New Year to visit more shops. Once they saved up enough, they could buy one sooner, so they both hurried to town together.

 

After replying to the others, Qiao Suiman offered an apologetic smile. “Feng-jie, aunties, we have to hurry on our way, so we’ll be leaving first.”

 

Lu Dongqing also nodded politely in acknowledgment.

 

“Alright, go on now, don’t delay your business,” Feng Jie said, waving her hand forward.

 

Once the two had walked far away, she sighed, “It hasn’t been that long, but both of them have completely changed.”

 

“That kid from the Lu family used to have a fierce look on his face, but now you can’t tell. The way he looks at Man-ge’r, you can see the love in his eyes.”

 

“They’ve just gotten married, after all. Of course, they’re sweet on each other. Man-ge’r’s energy is getting better and better. He doesn’t look like someone who swallows his bitterness anymore.”

 

“You said these two people’s fate is really strange, but they are surprisingly good together. My goodness, doing business with a wine house is something we can’t even think about. Chen Ping is already amazing just delivering vegetables to people, and now there is another one. He should make more than the Chen family!”

 

Several people chattered away, and Feng Jie smiled, “That’s right, do you know how much the drinks at the wine house cost?”

 

“How much?”

 

“Quit keeping us in suspense and just say it!”

 

Feng Jie held up his fingers and counted, “Twenty-five wen per tube!”

 

A woman widened her eyes and exclaimed, “How much? Twenty-five?!! Is this some kind of divine elixir?”

 

“Heavens, twenty-five wen could buy you a whole string of meat!”

 

“Then they must be making a fortune.”

 

Watching their stunned expressions, Feng Jie nodded with satisfaction. “Come on. The wine house is the one making the real profit. Man-ge’r just helps prepare the drinks with their ingredients. If he earns a few wen per tube, that’s already good. Do you think the wine house is some kind of charity? For us country folk, it’s already lucky they’re even willing to hire us.”

 

“Only a few wen?” The woman immediately scoffed. “That’s not worth it. All that hard work, and someone else gets the money.”

 

The other people also looked as if they had suffered a great loss.

 

Feng Jie, however, secretly smiled to herself. The day before, Qiao Suiman had brought two tubes of drinks to her home. After some small talk, she learned that he wanted her to help spread the word so that the villagers wouldn’t get jealous when they saw that they had established a relationship with the wine house and start spreading rumors. After what happened with Lu Dongqing and the bamboo incident, it was wise to take precautions.

 

Of course, she agreed. And she wasn’t lying. Qiao Suiman had indeed confided that he only earned a few wen per tube.

 

That said, the drinks were truly delicious. One was called the Crystal Jade Beauty Drink. Once tasted, you couldn’t forget its flavor. The other was a Fragrant Osmanthus Tea Drink. Personally, she preferred the one with the prettier name, though her husband favored the latter.

 

It was like getting two tubes for free. And with such high prices, she couldn’t just stand by and say nothing. She was happy to see Qiao Suiman living a better life, and it was only right to help him ease the way and prevent others from stirring up trouble.

 

Meanwhile, Qiao Suiman, who had already walked away, was chatting with Lu Dongqing, mentioning how Heijin was scolded by Lu Xuesong yesterday for chasing the chickens.

 

Ever since Heijin came to the Lu household, it had been running all over the western part of the village. It always wanted to go outside, but at least it remembered to guard the house and only ran off when there were more people around.

 

Yesterday, Lu Xuesong let the chickens walk around in the yard, and Heijin suddenly pounced on them, scaring the chickens so much that they started to cluck and barely ate their feed. Lu Xuesong was furious and gave him a few good swats.

 

“The chickens seem to be eating well today, so they should be fine,” said Lu Dongqing.

 

“But Heijin is still sulking like a child. It used to follow Songzi everywhere, but after being hit a few times, it won’t even look at him. Even when he’s asked to go out, he just lingers around aimlessly.“ Qiao Suiman shook his head helplessly. “Chasing chickens really can’t be allowed. After raising them for so long, if they died of fright, it would be such a waste. It’s my fault for not training Heijin properly. I’ve spoiled it too much.”

 

Lu Dongqing glanced back at Qiao Suiman’s remorseful expression and thought for a moment. “Heijin’s already well-behaved. Chickens and ducks aren’t that fragile. It’s in its nature to play. We’ll just have to teach it better in the future. It’s already so diligent guarding the house. Mother says it’s becoming more and more like A-Hei.”

 

At this, Qiao Suiman brightened a little. Heijin was raised by him from the start. When it misbehaved, he couldn’t bring himself to discipline it harshly. Luckily, no real harm had been done, or he would have been caught in an awkward spot.

 

“Yesterday, Steward Fang mentioned something in passing. One of the shops under his management is being vacated by the current tenant after the New Year, and he’s looking for new renters.”

 

“Really?” Lu Dongqing became interested. “Let’s ask about it later. If it’s suitable, we’ll go take a look.”

 

“Mm. He said it’s on Dongde Road. It’s quite far from the wine house but close to the East Market. There are plenty of residents there, too. Unfortunately, their shops are only for rent, not for sale, and I don’t know how much the rent is.”

 

Qiao Suiman lowered his voice, a hint of regret in his tone.

 

Lu Dongqing wanted to pat him, but couldn’t free his hands from the cart. Instead, he comforted him gently, “Let’s see first. We’re not in a hurry. If it really doesn’t work out, we can ask the broker. The New Year is coming soon. After finishing the work at the wine house, I’ll make some lanterns. We can sell them during the Lantern Festival and earn a tidy sum. We’ll definitely have enough.”

 

“Really? Like the lanterns from Qixi?” Qiao Suiman’s eyes lit up, and his face brightened.

 

Lu Dongqing chuckled. It was just an idea for now. With the bamboo tubes for the wine house completed, he couldn’t stand being idle. After some thought, crafting lanterns seemed the fastest way to earn money.

 

“They’ll be more intricate than the ones from Qixi, but I haven’t settled on a design yet.”

 

“Everyone loves to light lanterns during the Lantern Festival. With your skills, if we sell them along the streets, we’ll definitely make a lot of money!”

 

Lu Dongqing raised his chin and motioned with his eyes for Qiao Suiman to come closer. He leaned in and whispered, “Mm. All the earnings will go to you.”

 

A shiver ran down Qiao Suiman’s ears. He shot Lu Dongqing a light glare. “You’re hopeless.”

 

“I’m completely serious. I’m here for you. Xiao Man, don’t worry about the shop.” Lu Dongqing said seriously.

 

“I know. I’m not worried, I’m just thinking about it.”

 

If they had a shop, at least they wouldn’t have to drag such a heavy cart back and forth for hours every day. Over time, it would wear their body down.

 

Qiao Suiman exhaled softly and wrapped his arms around Lu Dongqing’s arm. “It’s good to have you with me.”

 

The moment the words left his mouth, he flushed with embarrassment and quickly retreated to the back to steady the drink barrels while Lu Dongqing’s heart was pounding.

 

Lu Dongqing took a deep breath to steady himself before muttering under his breath, “You’re really testing me!”

 

Behind him, Qiao Suiman was laughing like flowers in full bloom.

 

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