Is your family’s copper coins piled up in the treasury…
Lu Runrun suddenly remembered what her mother had told her in the sedan chair during the day about remarrying. Oh no, had her mother told Nanny Chen about it now?
Please don’t let this cause a scene.
Although Nanny Chen worked for the Lu family for wages, she had not signed any contract for eight or ten years. In fact, when Lu Runrun’s paternal grandmother was still alive, she had specifically arranged a marriage for Nanny Chen, who married a man from Bianjing. His family made a living by processing lotus seeds through pounding, setting up a workshop in front of their home and hiring people from nearby streets to help pound the lotus seeds.
Even though Nanny Chen’s husband had passed away and her son was also gone, the house in Old Caomen was still there. She had not remarried, and with no one left in her husband’s family—not even any greedy relatives to fight over the property—the house remained securely in her name.
Over the years, more and more households in Old Caomen had taken up processing lotus seeds, almost all relying on it for their livelihood. A hired worker could earn a hundred wen a day. Nanny Chen had thus rented out her vacant small house, earning some income each month, and her personal savings far exceeded Lu Runrun’s.
Her confidence came not only from this. Back when the elders and male members of the Lu family had passed away, during the Lu family’s most difficult times, even the money for the funeral was owed. Tan Xianniang returned to her maiden home to borrow money, only to find that Lu Runrun’s maternal grandparents advised her to sell the Lu family’s mansion, exchange it for a smaller, more remote one, and use the extra money to scrape by until Lu Runrun grew up.
Instead, it was Nanny Chen who stepped forward, saying that without her Madam, she would not have survived back then. She could not bear to see the Madam’s only granddaughter lose even the shelter of this mansion. She offered to sell her house in Old Caomen to repay the debt, and the remaining money could still sustain them for a while. As for how to survive afterward, she said she would go out to work as a washerwoman, pound lotus seeds, or even beg—anything to ensure the Madam’s granddaughter would not go hungry.
When the Lu family’s relatives tried to come and take a share, it was she who stood by Tan Xianniang’s side—one causing a scene and arguing, the other calmly dealing with the situation—to endure the hardest times.
Later, Tan Xianniang’s eldest brother, Lu Runrun’s Eldest Maternal Uncle, rushed back from the border to support his sister. He repaid the funeral expenses and intimidated the Lu family’s relatives, finally bringing stability to the situation.
Not only that, he also discussed future plans with his sister. One option was for her to take her daughter and follow him to the border. While she was still young, with his guarantee, she could remarry a military officer, ensuring a secure future.
The second option was, if she refused to sell the mansion, to rent it out first, securing a steady income to cover basic needs, and then make detailed plans later.
With her husband newly deceased and the white mourning cloth still hanging in the main hall, Tan Xianniang was unwilling to remarry and chose the second option. Taking advantage of his remaining time in the capital, Tan Xianniang’s eldest brother helped hire craftsmen to renovate the mansion’s gate so it could be rented out to collect the house-rent fee.
Nanny Chen stayed with the Lu family, still insisting on caring for the mother and daughter as a servant.
But from that moment on, her presence was different in their eyes—more like family, like an elder.
Now, if Tan Xianniang were to remarry and Nanny Chen objected, it was likely to cause a scene. Lu Runrun knew better than anyone how much Nanny Chen cared for her and how fiercely she guarded against outsiders meddling with her family’s wealth.
Even after all these years, she could still hear Nanny Chen cursing those clan relatives at night. When going to burn incense and pray to Buddha, besides praying for her safety and lighting lamps for the deceased Grandmother and father of Lu Runrun, she never forgot to ask Buddha to open his eyes and make those clan relatives who once came to seize the family property die miserable deaths.
At the thought of this, Lu Runrun grew so worried that she stood at the door, not daring to leave. If a quarrel really broke out, she could stand there, and Nanny Chen, fearing she might accidentally hurt her, wouldn’t make too much of a scene.
However, the quarrel she had anticipated did not occur. It seemed there was talking inside the room, and soon the door opened. Nanny Chen came out holding an empty wooden basin, the floor covered in water stains. Soaked and wrinkled medicinal herbs were scattered all over the ground, looking like wriggling black insects.
"Why aren’t you inside yet?" Nanny Chen spoke first, pushing Lu Runrun’s hand to hurry her along. "Quick, go back inside and lie down. You’ve been tired all day, so rest up. Oh, it’s nothing here. I accidentally spilled the water. Oh dear, my sweetheart, why are you cleaning up? You’re just making a mess. What if you slip and fall? Let me do it. How could it be your turn to do this kind of work? If not me, there’s still Huan’er…"
Nanny Chen absolutely refused to let Lu Runrun help and even forced her back into the room.
In the end, Huan’er, who was pounding clothes, heard the commotion and cleaned up the mess on the floor.
Lu Runrun waited a while before Nanny Chen finally came into the room, still carrying a wooden basin, which she placed in front of Lu Runrun.
Lu Runrun untied the laces of her white silk socks, rolled up her wide trousers, and placed her feet into the basin. The medicinal water had just been ladled from the pot, and though two ladles of cold water had been added, it was still so hot that her feet went numb, and she shivered from the shock.
Thinking the day had finally settled down, she casually asked Nanny Chen, "Out of nowhere, how did you spill the water basin earlier?"
But Nanny Chen, unusually, did not answer Lu Runrun’s question seriously. Instead, she leaned close to Lu Runrun, looking nervous, and glanced sideways at the door as if she were a thief, yet her expression was serious and solemn. "Your mother is going to remarry!"
Seeing that Lu Runrun showed no sign of shock, Nanny Chen guessed what was going on and chided, "You knew already and didn’t even tell your Grandmother.
"Alright, alright, your mother has already told me about this. As a servant, it’s not my place to ask too much. But tell your Grandmother, who is this man? What does he do for a living? Where does he live? Does he have his own house? Will your mother move out to live with him? What’s his character like?"
This barrage of questions left Lu Runrun unable to make out what was being said.
She scratched her head and thought carefully. "I only know he’s an official. My mother said he loves good food, but that’s all."
These were the only two things Lu Runrun could say, and they formed her initial impression of her future stepfather.
"Oh dear, and he’s a glutton too. I hope he’s not like your great-grandfather, who wasted more than half the family fortune just on eating. Eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling—when it comes to eating away a family fortune, it happens fast!" Nanny Chen exclaimed, clearly displeased.
Lu Runrun hadn’t expected her words to make Nanny Chen dislike him even more, so she quickly added, "It’s probably not that bad. My mother is a professional female chef, so it’s a perfect match. Besides, my mother said she’s remarrying to find a father for me. Since he’s an official, it’ll be easier for me to find a marriage match in the future."
Lu Runrun deliberately mentioned the benefits for herself, and only then did Nanny Chen reluctantly accept it, her resentful expression fading away.
Nanny Chen took the cloth from the side, rolled up her sleeves, and wiped the water from Lu Runrun's feet. She then stood up to lower the bed curtains, close the raised window, and blow out the candles. As she did these things, she said, "Didn't you say there were mosquitoes yesterday? Tonight, while you were out eating savory snacks, I lit some insect-repellent incense in your room. It’ll make sure you sleep soundly tonight. You’ve worked hard all day, so rest well. What would you like for breakfast tomorrow? Grandmother will go buy it for you."
Lu Runrun lay face down on the bed, hugging a soft pillow. She took a deep breath and indeed caught a scent she didn’t usually smell—something akin to sulfur. It wasn’t particularly fragrant, but it felt oddly comforting. She rubbed her face against the soft quilt, her eyes already closed, drowsiness setting in. Her voice was muffled and indistinct as she mumbled, "No need, no need. I might not even be able to get up for breakfast tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Nanny Chen seemed to start lecturing again—something about "skipping breakfast harms the stomach," "what if there’s no time to make snacks," "your mother"…
But gradually, Lu Runrun could no longer make out Nanny Chen’s words in her daze. The voice seemed to drift farther and farther away, growing softer and softer.
When she opened her eyes again, the sun was already high in the sky.
She stretched lazily and got up, just in time to hear the sound of bamboo poles knocking outside. Peering out the window, she saw a vendor carrying a shoulder pole selling breakfast.
So, Lu Runrun called out to him, shouting twice. The vendor stopped and smiled amiably, asking her what she wanted.
Lu Runrun thought for a moment and said loudly, "A bowl of soup noodles, please, with extra broth."
She didn’t need the vendor to tell her the price—she had ordered this countless times. She threaded a rope through the hanging wooden basin beneath the window, placed eight wen inside, and leaned out again. Just then, someone from the neighboring house leaned out in exactly the same way, calling out to the vendor.
"Give me a bowl of botuo noodles and two bowls of rice noodle soup. Add eight wen worth of kidney and offal to the botuo noodles."
Perhaps hearing the commotion, others also leaned out their windows before retreating indoors, likely to ask their family members what they wanted to eat.
The people of Bianjing were truly diligent—vendors hawking their goods could be seen on every street and alley, working hard to earn money. But when it came to laziness, they were equally unwilling to take an extra step. Many households had grown accustomed to waiting for vendors to pass through the alleys, lowering a wooden basin from their second-floor windows to buy breakfast.
With the arrival of the breakfast vendors, the alley suddenly came alive.
There were even people greeting each other and exchanging pleasantries.
Madam Qian, a tenant of the Lu family, happened to be taking her daughter out to buy breakfast. Looking up and seeing Lu Runrun, she waved enthusiastically and said, "Oh, it’s Miss Lu! No banquet today? I came by yesterday to bring some food but didn’t see you. Being a professional female chef must be exhausting."
"But then again…" She covered her mouth and laughed, looking as if she were about to share some gossip. "The wages must be quite high, right? And there are tips too. Do you have so many copper coins piled up in your storeroom that the strings holding them together have rotted away?"
Madam Qian wasn’t a bad person, but her mouth had no filter—she spoke without restraint, often exaggerating and lacking tact.
Lu Runrun gave a lukewarm, mocking laugh and said with a hint of sarcasm, "How could that be? If my family were as well-off as you say, why would we turn a perfectly good house into this state and rent it out just to earn a bit of house-rent fee? On the other hand, I've heard that Uncle Qian often brings home baskets of copper coins. Now that your family has become wealthy, don't forget about us. At the very least, you should pay the house-rent fee, shouldn't you?"
Nearby, a nosy person immediately asked how those baskets of copper coins were obtained.
Everyone knew that the salaries of minor officials were meager, and if they wanted to prosper, they had to rely on other methods.
Madam Qian stomped her feet anxiously, "That's nonsense! Miss Lu, you shouldn't talk nonsense!"
Unfortunately, she was known for gossiping and stirring up trouble all day long, and people didn't like her much. They deliberately wanted to embarrass her and pressed her further.
Just then, the vendor finished making Lu Runrun's portion of botuo and placed it in her wooden basin. Lu Runrun pulled the basin up along the wall, took out the botuo, and casually set it on the table.
Then, she leaned against the window, glanced down a couple of times, watched the commotion below, and smiled faintly.
Unexpectedly, she suddenly caught sight of Jin Niang beside Madam Qian. Even though her mother was arguing with others right beside her, she didn't utter a single word. Instead, she stared at Lu Runrun with dark, unblinking eyes, her expression completely blank.
Author's note: