In truth, Madam Zhang was skilled in cooking, but before now, she had almost no access to spices, let alone basic resources.
Life was difficult; any money they managed to earn was taken by the main house, leaving them with just salt for seasoning.
Without oils or fats to cook with, their meals were usually boiled or roasted, and she had never even deep-fried food since lard was a luxury.
However, ever since Zhao Ying had transformed their daily meals with flavorful ingredients, none of them could go back to plain salted rice porridge.
With more money available, Madam Zhang no longer held back on seasoning, thoroughly enjoying the art of cooking, and her culinary skills continued to improve.
For tonight’s meal, the family hosted a small gathering.
The men and women sat separately due to the limited space and only one table, with some of them seated on the floor to enjoy the spread.
Zhao Ying, Madam Zhang, and Xiao Bao shared their meal in the kitchen.
This time, the meal ended quickly with little talk—only the sound of chopsticks and appreciative slurps from everyone enjoying the food.
As each person patted their full stomach, the compliments poured in, and Father Lu couldn’t hide his pride in Madam Zhang’s cooking.
“Truly delicious!
Sister-in-law’s cooking is second to none,” one of the guests praised.
“Yes, Lu!
If you have more work like this in the future, remember to call us back!”
“Just admit it—you mean if there’s more delicious food,” someone else teased.
“That too!
I mean, how many times a year do we get to eat meat this good?”
Their hearty laughter continued, filling the house with cheerful sounds.
After the guests departed, the family cleared the dishes, tidied up, and then gathered in the main room to go over their household finances.
The house renovations, well, fence, and food costs had totaled twenty-two taels—equivalent to what an average family might spend in an entire year.
Father Lu and Madam Zhang couldn’t help but sigh at the memory of their past hardships.
Those bitter days seemed to finally be behind them.
They were immensely grateful to Zhao Ying, not only for using her personal funds for the household but also for her herbal knowledge and discovery of lingzhi mushrooms, which had brought in considerable income.
Looking around, the home was still modest, but compared to when they first moved in, it was greatly improved.
No more leaky roof, no drafty doors and windows, and everyone now had decent clothing.
“Currently, I still have some money set aside for us,” Zhao Ying began.
“I’ll leave a portion with you, Mother, so that you can buy anything else you may need.
We’ll use the money I keep for daily expenses, and tomorrow I’ll head to town to inquire about medicinal herb seeds.
Father, would you mind preparing the vegetable plot tomorrow so we can start planting?”
Just as she finished speaking, a voice called from the front gate, “Is anyone home?”
Xiao Bao and Zhao Ying went to see who it was and found Grandfather Xie standing outside.
“Please, come in, Grandfather Xie!” Zhao Ying welcomed him, guiding him to the main room where Father Lu and Madam Zhang quickly rose to greet him.
Grandfather Xie was a highly respected figure in the village.
He not only ran a shop where he bought forest products from the villagers but also sold goods brought in from town.
For those with good credit, he was even willing to let them take items on loan when needed—but only for a select few.
“Please, Uncle Xie, there was no need for you to come all this way,” Father Lu said.
“I could have gone to see you at your place.”
“No trouble at all; I’ve been wanting to come by and check on your home.
I finally found the time today and figured I’d get some exercise while I’m at it!
Although, I must say, it is quite far!” Grandfather Xie chuckled.
While they talked, Zhao Ying returned from the kitchen with a pot of ju hua tea sweetened with sugar, offering it to everyone at the table.
Grandfather Xie, who was a bit winded from the walk, gratefully took a cup, savoring the fragrant, refreshing drink.
“What kind of tea is this?
It smells wonderful!” he couldn’t help but ask.
“It’s wild ju hua, I picked and dried it myself; it’s soothing, good for the eyes, and helps cool the body,” Zhao Ying replied.
“If you enjoy it, I can prepare some for you to take home.”
“Well, I won’t turn down such kindness!” Grandfather Xie said with a smile.
He accepted gratefully, appreciating the refreshing tea.
Then, he turned back to Father Lu and Mother Zhang, saying, “I’ve come to share news of Wenyao.
My son, Dalang, arrived in the township just as the final day of the county exam wrapped up.
He waited by the exam hall and was able to hand Wenyao the money and letter.
Here’s a letter he quickly wrote to send back.”
Everyone thanked Grandfather Xie earnestly, and Madam Zhang asked, “Did Dalang mention anything about how Wenyao is doing?”
Grandfather Xie anticipated the question.
“Dalang said he looked a bit weary and pale, but he seemed in good spirits and was able to chat normally.
In fact, everyone coming out of the exam hall looked a bit worse for wear,” he added with a reassuring smile.
Seeing Madam Zhang’s worried expression, Zhao Ying quickly spoke up to reassure her, “Mother, Gege will be fine.
It’s exhausting being in an exam hall for days, so it’s normal to be tired.
Now that he has some extra money, he’ll be able to eat better and regain his strength soon.”
“That’s right,” Grandfather Xie agreed.
“Wenyao is a smart young man—he wouldn’t let anything get in the way of his studies.”
Reassured by Zhao Ying and Grandfather Xie, Madam Zhang relaxed a bit.
She gently patted Zhao Ying’s hand, relieved that her son now had the support he needed.
“Well then, it’s getting late, so I’ll head back now,” Grandfather Xie said as he stood up to leave.
“Please wait just a moment, Grandfather Xie,” Zhao Ying called.
She quickly ran to the kitchen and returned with a small package of dried ju hua flowers wrapped in paper for him to take home.
The whole family accompanied him to the gate to see him off.
Since dusk was approaching, they didn’t hold him up any longer, worried that he might end up walking back in the dark.
They all gathered around as Madam Zhang handed the letter to Zhao Ying, asking her to read it aloud for everyone.
Zhao Ying took it eagerly and opened it, immediately struck by the beauty of his calligraphy—each character elegant, orderly, and flowing gracefully across the page.
In modern times, it was rare to see such masterful brushwork, even when hastily written.
Suppressing her admiration, Zhao Ying began to read:
“To Father and Mother, please be assured that I, Lu Wenyao, am in good health and have safely received the money.
I promise to use it wisely and will do my utmost to bring honor to our family.
Signed, Lu Wenyao, your son.”
After finishing, she passed the letter to Father Lu, who, though unable to read, recognized his son’s handwriting.
“That’s all there is?” Madam Zhang asked.
“Yes, that’s all he wrote,” Zhao Ying replied.
“It’s a shame it’s so short,” Madam Zhang said with a sigh.
“I wish he had shared a bit more about himself.”
“Gege likely didn’t have much time to write, Mother,” Zhao Ying reassured her gently.
“But now you know he’s received the money, so you can rest easy.”
“You’re right; it’s good news.” Madam Zhang clasped her hands together in a prayerful gesture, shaking them in thanks, as if honoring their ancestors.
“What are you doing, Grandma?” Xiao Bao asked, tilting his head curiously.
“I’m thanking the ancestors and Heaven for protecting your father.
Come, Xiao Bao, join me,” Madam Zhang said, calling him over.
“No, I don’t think that’s necessary, Grandma,” Xiao Bao answered.
“If you’re already asking, then if I ask too, Heaven might get confused and not know who to help first.”
“Pfftt!” Zhao Ying, unable to contain herself, nearly spat out her tea, quickly covering her mouth as her shoulders shook with silent laughter.
Father Lu, too, could barely hold back and burst out in hearty laughter.
Soon, everyone joined in, the room filled with warm laughter.
Even Xiao Bao, who didn’t quite understand the joke, laughed along with the grown-ups.
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, Lu Wenyao—the very person everyone was talking about—sat on his bed holding a sheet of paper.
He didn’t read it, though.
Instead, he stared out the window, lost in thought.
•────❅❀❅────•
Yellow rice wine: This is a very traditional type of rice wine made from sticky rice.
It goes through a fermentation process in which the starch breaks down into sugar, and then the liquid is pressed out.
After pressing, it is stored for several years to develop its flavor, giving it a distinctive yellow hue.
Typically, it has a low alcohol content, around 10-20%.
Yuxingcao (鱼腥草): Known in English as fish mint or houttuynia, also called “plu khao thong” or “khao tong” in Thai.
Ju hua (菊花): Chrysanthemum, or “gik huay” (Teochew Chinese).