Leaning against the doorframe, Madam Li kept glancing anxiously down the little road outside the house as night slowly swallowed it. Only when she saw the faint silhouettes of the three returning figures did her heart finally settle.
Sanya darted forward excitedly, throwing herself into her mother’s arms. “Mother, we sold all the wild vegetables! I even bought you malt candy.” Then her joy faltered, her voice turning uneasy: “But Mother, we have to pay grain tax…”
Madam Li’s tender smile froze. She quickly lifted her head to look at Yu Qiu, her eyes questioning what was going on.
Yu Qiu soothed her with a smile. “Don’t worry, Mother. Today the village was just informing everyone—we must hand in the grain tax within one month.” She paused before continuing, “There’s no reduction this year. In fact, it’s ten percent higher than last season. For me, Erhe, and Sanya, the tax is one hu each. For you, Mother, also one hu. Altogether, our household only needs to hand in two hu of grain.”
“But…” Madam Li frowned, forcing a bitter smile. “Asheng hasn’t been removed from the registry. Just for him alone, that’s two hu more…”
Yu Qiu froze. She had forgotten her nominal husband’s name was still on the records. She quickly forced a smile. “Right now, grain costs 100 coins a dou. Four hu equals four taels of silver.” She stepped into the main hall, set down her basket, and turned back to reassure her. “Don’t worry, Mother. Today I sold the herbs for two taels. As long as I make a few more trips into the mountains, I’ll earn enough silver to buy the grain.”
Erhe chimed in earnestly, “Mother, Sister-in-law says my woven baskets and trays can be sold too. Don’t be afraid.”
“Yes, yes! Mother, I earned twelve coins today.” Sanya’s bright smile soon turned into regret. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have bought candy. I should have saved the money.”
Yu Qiu smiled at them. “You’ve both done so well. The money you and Erhe earn, keep it for food. I’ll earn the money for grain. Don’t worry.” She added, “I’ll also see if there’s a longer-term way to earn. Then every day our family will have income—wouldn’t it be wonderful, sitting at home just counting silver coins?”
The little siblings listened intently, their bright eyes fixed on Yu Qiu. In that moment, their sister-in-law seemed to shine like light itself.
But Madam Li only felt her eyes sting. Her throat tightened before she finally managed, “The mountains are full of dangers. I don’t want you risking yourself every day. You don’t need to work so hard.” Even though she tried to restrain herself, her voice trembled.
“Mother, you mustn’t blame yourself. If you hadn’t taken me in, how could I have a home at all? Besides, I’m not tired, and I’m not afraid of danger. Even without you, I’d still have to survive by going into the mountains. And mutated beasts usually only come down from the deep mountains when the weather turns cold. For now, it’s safe. Please don’t worry.” Yu Qiu’s words were gentle, but they were also what she truly believed.
Though they hadn’t lived together long, Madam Li knew Yu Qiu was a girl with her own mind. Once she made a decision, she wouldn’t change it. She also knew Yu Qiu was only trying to comfort her. With such skills, how could she possibly fear having no future? Pressing her lips together, she still couldn’t bring herself to argue further.
She could only think that Heaven had shown her a rare bit of mercy—letting her meet Yu Qiu, and even letting her “trick” the girl home with a single bag of grain.
Not wanting Madam Li to dwell on it, Yu Qiu changed the subject. “Mother, I bought a chicken today. It’s late, so I’ve left it in the water jar to keep cool. Tomorrow I’ll gather mushrooms in the mountains—we can have chicken stew with mushrooms!”
If she ever wanted to leave, no one could stop her. Since she chose to stay, it was because the Wei family was worth it.
“And we bought eggs and leeks too!” Sanya’s mood shifted quickly, joy bubbling up again.
Erhe followed her lead. “And Sister-in-law bought white flour, rice, and soybean oil! She even got medicine for you.”
Sanya jumped in eagerly. “She also bought embroidery thread and silk cloth, Mother. You can sew handkerchiefs to sell!”
Madam Li’s suppressed tears welled up again, this time unstoppable.
Seeing the children’s worried gazes, her cheeks flushed. She turned away, wiped her face, and scolded, “Don’t waste silver on me. My body is much better already.”
Yu Qiu shook her head. “How can it be waste? The medicine’s already bought. Only if you take it and recover your health will it not be wasted.”
Both Erhe and Sanya nodded firmly in agreement.
Madam Li sighed inwardly. Perhaps age really did bring more tears.
“I’ll cook dinner. Mother, you go boil your medicine first,” Yu Qiu said, rolling up her sleeves and carrying the food outside.
But the moment she stepped out, she froze.
The sky was fully dark, the yard pitch-black. After blinking a few times, her eyes adjusted, and by the faint moonlight she could just make out the shapes of things in the courtyard.
She sighed softly, swallowing her disappointment, before turning back. “It’s too dark outside. Tonight we’ll just eat something simple. Tomorrow, we’ll make something better.”
The two younger ones groaned in unison, their disappointment obvious.
“Enough, no whining. Dinner’s already made. Don’t waste oil.”
There would be no feast tonight. Yu Qiu’s gaze fell on the oil lamp on the table, and a thought flickered in her mind.
In this world, there were no candles. She hadn’t seen them in the trading post catalog either. Here in Qingshan Town, people only used oil lamps, fueled with sesame oil. But it burned poorly and gave dim light.
She recalled from a book in her previous life that tallow tree seeds could be used to make candles. Perhaps she could try.
Turning this idea over in her mind, Yu Qiu and the others finished their simple meal, washed, and went to bed.
Meanwhile, in the Liu household—
Old Madam Zhao lay tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Finally, she muttered, “What do you think that Wei family daughter-in-law was carrying in her basket? She sold off several baskets of wild greens this morning, and when she came back, the baskets were full again. Are wild vegetables really worth that much?”
Old man Liu kept his eyes shut, unwilling to respond.
Annoyed, she jabbed him with her elbow. “What if we send Liangzi with little Mi tomorrow to dig some wild greens to sell in town? We don’t have enough grain to pay taxes.”
At that, old man Liu finally opened his ears. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Let them try. Now sleep.” Rolling over, he said nothing more.
They weren’t the only ones with such thoughts. The Qian and Chen families had noticed too—those baskets had been full.
At the Qian household—
Qian Shou was speaking with his wife. “Dashu said the Wei family daughter-in-law gathered a lot of herbs. She must have made good money. Others think she only sold wild vegetables, but really—could greens buy that many full baskets of supplies?”
His wife, Wang E, was also considering. “That little girl does have some skill. Do you think we should go check the mountains too?”
Qian Shou sneered. “Hmph. Do you know herbs? Do I know herbs? That little girl clearly has ability. Didn’t you see? Four strong men chased her, and she came back alone the next morning. Her skills aren’t small. Don’t be foolish.”
“Then why bring it up at all?” Wang E retorted, turning away in annoyance.
Qian Shou quickly pulled her into his arms, his hands wandering. “Good wife, I was just talking. Let’s rest.” With that, he pressed her down.
The old wooden bed creaked loudly.
Not far away, in the Chen household, a middle-aged couple sat in silence, sighing.
Finally, Chen Sheng lost patience. “Enough sighing.”
Yu Lan choked up, tears spilling down her face.
“Every time I think about the taxes, I feel panicked.”
Chen Sheng paused, sighing again. “Don’t panic. At worst, I’ll go do corvée labor. You should keep close ties with Madam Li. That little Wei wife has great skills—if you stay close to her, you and the children will manage.”
“I just worry about you… And besides, we sent our children to help, but really… I fear they’ve already worn out their welcome.”
“Stop worrying. I’ll figure something out. Sleep.”
Under the night sky, the village lay shrouded in gloom, every household burdened with the same heavy shadow—the grain tax.