After seeing the old lady off, Xu Suying, her face clouded with gloom, went to the adjacent wing room to look for her daughter.
As soon as she lifted the curtain and stepped inside, a faintly warm medicinal fragrance greeted her.
The scent was complex, with the aroma of fleeceflower vine particularly prominent. Xu Suying stood at the doorway for just a moment, feeling her restless emotions gradually settle.
Her almond-shaped eyes swept across the room, and as expected, she spotted Wanqing by the window, intently removing the cores from polygala roots.
Her cheeks were fair and radiant, her eyes bright and captivating. Under the brilliant golden sunlight, her lips appeared redder, her hair darker, and her entire being seemed more vivid and radiant, like a peony in full bloom.
Hearing footsteps approach, she looked up. Her almond-shaped eyes, identical to her mother’s, shimmered as she parted her red lips and asked, “Mother, why have you come?”
Xu Suying paused briefly before walking over. “Your grandmother has left. Since I have nothing else to do, I thought I’d come help you.”
She glanced around the room. “This room of yours is still a bit small. With so many shelves, there’s no space left even for a wardrobe.”
When Chen Song and Xu Suying were first separated from the main household, they were only given a thatched hut.
It leaked during summer rains and let in drafts during winter, making life as difficult as could be.
The couple worked tirelessly to earn money and finally managed to build this small courtyard a year later.
The courtyard faced south, with three main rooms, a wing room on the west side, and a kitchen on the east side.
Before they had children, the courtyard felt spacious and empty. Now, with three children in the family, living space had become cramped.
The main room was the most spacious, partly reserved for receiving guests and partly serving as the couple’s living quarters. The two brothers, Dean and Yaoan, lived in the east side room, while Wanqing occupied the west room.
Take Wanqing’s room, for example. Originally, when she lived alone, it seemed quite spacious.
But ever since she developed an interest in blending fragrances and the family started a spice-selling business, all the related tools and materials were moved into her room.
The once-spacious room was now divided in the middle, instantly feeling cramped.
The inner section could only fit a bed and a dressing table, with no space for even a wardrobe. Wanqing’s clothes had to be stored in trunks, which were then placed behind the bed.
As for the outer section, it held two shelves and a medicine cabinet. The shelves were densely packed with medicinal herbs and flowers—some drying in the shade, some soaking, and others waiting to be processed. The medicine cabinet contained finished incense.
In addition, there were various tools for making incense, leaving the small outer section so crowded there was hardly any room to stand.
Xu Suying said, “I told you to move all this to the west wing, but you refused.”
“The west wing is for storing farming tools, unused items, and the pickled vegetables and salted eggs you make. In winter, we’ll also need to store the charcoal we buy there… If I move all this over, where would you put everything else in the west wing?”
Xu Suying stiffened her neck and replied, “At worst, at worst, we could have your father build another room next to the west wing.”
“There’s no space left, Mother.”
Next to the west wing, a row of sheds had been built. One half stored firewood, while the other served as a cowshed.
Since there was no room for the two-wheeled cart, it was kept in the backyard.
But the backyard also had a latrine, a chicken coop, a pigsty, and a designated area for fruit trees and vegetables. Packed tightly together, it was already quite full.
Xu Suying said, "Mother plans to uproot those fruit trees, leaving only a vegetable patch. The freed-up space will be used to relocate the cowshed and firewood shed."
Chen Wanqing saw her mother speaking with such enthusiasm and several times wanted to speak up, but ultimately held back.
At her age, with marriage not far off, there was no need for her mother to go through all this trouble for her.
Her hesitation did not go unnoticed, and Xu Suying couldn't help but give her daughter a reproachful glance.
A mother knows her daughter best, and Xu Suying could almost read Chen Wanqing’s thoughts at a glance.
"Will you never return to your maiden home after you marry? Won’t your two younger brothers need to take wives someday? Our home is a bit cramped, but if need be, we can ask the village head for a plot of land and build a new house elsewhere?"
In response, Chen Wanqing let out a rather helpless sigh.
"Mother, didn’t you say you were saving up to buy a house in the county town? Let’s invest in property there instead. That way, not only will it be more convenient for Father to go to the yamen every day, but even my brothers can return home daily after their studies."
As for Mother, she’d also have more diversions to keep herself occupied, instead of idly planning all day long.
Hearing the mention of investing in property in the county town, Xu Suying’s wandering thoughts were pulled back.
"I’ve already been saving, but we don’t have enough silver yet. Let’s wait another year, and then we’ll move to the county town."
"How much is still needed? I can make up the shortfall."
Xu Suying glared at her daughter. "I’ve told you, what you have is yours—keep it as your dowry savings. It’s not as if you haven’t contributed to the family; you’ve given half the earnings from the shop to the household."
"The work is done with your help, and the skill was taught by you. Besides, since I’m not yet married, the silver I earn should naturally—"
"Enough, enough, let’s not talk about such things. Mother has other ways to earn money, much simpler and less troublesome than making incense. I only taught you the craft because I didn’t enjoy the work myself. Having a skill to rely on brings me comfort, so I won’t have to worry about you struggling after you marry."
Outsiders believed the spice shop in the county town was started by Xu Suying, but in truth, it was Wanqing who managed everything from the beginning.
At first, the family sold incense outside a private school, and later, after saving enough, they rented a shop.
Though small, with a frontage barely the width of a palm, the business was genuinely thriving.
Over the past two years, they had earned enough to outright buy the shop.
But humble families understood the importance of concealing wealth, so they never mentioned owning the shop publicly, still claiming it was rented. Nor did they reveal that the business was Wanqing’s, presenting it as a family endeavor instead, lest ill-intentioned people scheme to take both the person and the wealth.
While the mother and daughter talked, Chen Wanqing had already finished removing the cores from a jar of polygala root.
Next, it would be processed with licorice broth and then dried.
Some of the processed roots were already on the shelves. She carried the jar outside and spread them evenly on shallow bamboo trays.
In the east wing, leaning against the headboard of his bed, Chen Dean slurped his porridge eagerly while staring with curious eyes at his friend.
Suddenly, he noticed his friend, who had been discussing the next year’s county examinations, looking distracted, his gaze seemingly lost in thought.
Chen Dean thought he was still weighing whether to take the imperial examination next year, so he urged anxiously, "You must definitely give it a try. Because of your uncle, you've already been delayed for four years. Jing-ge'er, how many four-year spans does a person have in life? Although I know you are highly talented and excel in your studies, anything can happen in the examination hall. It's not guaranteed that you'll pass on your first attempt just because your scholarship is outstanding. Jing-ge'er, you…"
Chen Dean was about to continue his earnest persuasion when he saw his friend calmly withdraw his gaze from the distant view.
With a slight nod, he replied unhurriedly, "I will naturally take the examination. Not only me—next year, you should also give it a try."