### Chapter 20: The Rush
Zhuang Yubai wasn’t sure how to address the woman: “I haven’t had the chance to thank you in person yet. The loofah is really nice.”
The woman smiled warmly and followed Zhuang Yubai into the courtyard: “I just picked a batch, thought I’d bring some for you to try. You can call me Aunt Liu, just like Zhizhang does. If you like them, there are more on the vines, feel free to pick some… Oh, is this the material for your gold balls?”
Aunt Liu was immediately drawn to the items drying in the courtyard and began examining each basket closely.
“This is the material for making jade slices,” Zhuang Yubai explained, offering a small plate of freshly made jade slices from that morning. “Please have a taste.”
Aunt Liu turned from the baskets, took the plate, and gave Zhuang Yubai a once-over, pausing briefly at the tear mole at the corner of his eye, but said nothing more, her enthusiasm undiminished.
“Did you make this too? So capable at such a young age. I’m here today because of those gluten balls from the other day. With the Dragon Boat Festival coming up, I plan to take a few packs back to my family as gifts. Could you set aside five packs for me?”
“No problem. Just let me know in advance when you want to pick them up…”
Before Zhuang Yubai could finish, he noticed Aunt Liu’s expression change. Her eyes widened, her mouth half-open, pointing alternately at the half-eaten jade slice in her hand and at Zhuang Yubai.
Oh no, she’s choking!
Zhuang Yubai panicked. Choking on food is dangerous and requires the Heimlich maneuver. He knew the theory but had never practiced it, and in ancient times, men and women were not supposed to touch. But saving a life was more important!
Rolling up his sleeves, Zhuang Yubai was about to move behind Aunt Liu to perform the maneuver when she suddenly exclaimed, “What is this!” and stuffed the remaining half of the jade slice into her mouth, crunching away.
Zhuang Yubai: “…So she wasn’t choking after all!”
Upon learning that the jade slices and gold balls were 8 wen per pack and could be combined into a “Gold and Jade Full House,” Aunt Liu immediately added 10 packs of jade slices to her original order of 5 packs of gold balls, eager to buy them right away, fearing they might sell out if she delayed.
Unable to dissuade her, and since 15 packs were too much for her to carry, Zhuang Yubai had to personally deliver them.
Though they were all villagers, people were still divided into different classes. Being able to spend over a hundred wen at once suggested a well-off family. Even though Zhuang Yubai was mentally prepared, he couldn’t help but feel a bit envious when he saw Aunt Liu’s spacious three-room tiled house.
The courtyard was tidy, clearly a hardworking household. In the southwest corner was a chicken coop with a dozen or so chickens clucking away. Between the chicken coop and the west wing was a vegetable garden, lush and green. A ladder leaned against the wall, and loofah vines covered half the wall, with various-sized gourds hanging temptingly among the leaves and yellow flowers.
Zhuang Yubai placed the items on the table in the west wing and came out to admire the thriving garden: “Aunt Liu, the weather’s been dry lately. You might want to water more in the mornings and evenings. The leaves near the west wall have red, dry edges, which might indicate pests. You could sprinkle some wood ash to prevent it.”
“I didn’t know you knew about gardening. I’ll remember that,” Aunt Liu said, bringing out a cup of tea to entertain her guest, chatting casually.
“With the summer harvest coming up, the men are out in the fields and threshing grounds to keep an eye on things, to avoid any mishaps during the busy farming season. The summer harvest waits for no one. If it rains for days on end, the crops can’t be harvested in time, and it would be a disaster. This is where family support comes in. If a family is short-handed, the clan coordinates to help with the harvest. Of course, the hiring cost is split, with the family paying 30% and the clan covering the rest. Like Zhizhang, who juggles studying and farming, the clan takes extra care of him, and no one minds.”
Aunt Liu was a warm-hearted person, chatting non-stop since they met. Hearing about Meng Zhizhang, Zhuang Yubai, as his cousin, was about to thank the clan for their care when he saw Aunt Liu counting money from a purse.
“This is 120 wen for the Gold and Jade Full House.”
Zhuang Yubai thought for a moment and didn’t take it: “We’re all neighbors, and I’m sure Aunt Liu has looked after my cousin plenty. The gold balls and jade slices are just food items, and I shouldn’t charge for them. How about this, if Aunt Liu has extra grain at home, you could trade some with me. It would save us from buying more before the summer harvest.”
“Sure, sure!” Aunt Liu didn’t refuse, turning to bring out half a bag of wheat from the west wing. She then asked Zhuang Yubai to wait, climbed a ladder to pick five or six one-foot-long loofahs from the vines, and handed them over.
Aunt Liu, still feeling it wasn’t enough, went to the garden to pull out two half-grown cabbages, stuffing them into the bag while scanning the yard for anything else to give to Zhuang Yubai.
Grateful, Zhuang Yubai couldn’t refuse the bag full of kindness, but taking everything felt like taking advantage. As he hesitated, someone called from outside the courtyard: “Is Aunt Liu home?”
The door was open, and seeing people inside, the person outside walked in, saying, “Here’s the shoe pattern you wanted. I left it in the cabinet and only found it today while airing clothes. My memory, I tell you!”
The newcomer, also a woman in her forties, spotted Zhuang Yubai in the yard and, while sizing him up, said to Aunt Liu, “Is this your nephew? Such a handsome young man! Look at those eyebrows, that face… I’ve never seen such a fine-looking boy in all my years around here!”
“If I had a nephew like this, I’d laugh myself awake from a dream,” Aunt Liu said, stopping her packing to greet the newcomer with a smile. “This is Meng Shulang’s cousin, here to deliver gold balls and jade slices. I just bought a few more packs to make a ‘Gold and Jade Full House’… the gluten balls I let you try last time,” Aunt Liu added for the newcomer, “only 8 wen a pack.”
Hearing “Gold and Jade Full House,” the woman seemed to trigger something, forgetting her original purpose for visiting Aunt Liu and any notions of gender propriety, grabbing Zhuang Yubai’s sleeve to go to his house immediately.
It turned out her sister-in-law from the town had come by last night, specifically asking if there was a “Gold and Jade Full House,” insisting it was made by a scholar’s family in Mengjia Village. There were several scholars in Mengjia Village, but none known for any gold or jade. The sister-in-law wouldn’t believe it, leaving 200 wen, asking her to buy some if she found out.
In just a few days, people from the town were already inquiring?!
Comparison is the thief of joy, and Aunt Liu suddenly felt she hadn’t bought enough, wanting to follow Zhuang Yubai back to buy more.
In the sweltering heat, the enthusiasm of the aunts left Zhuang Yubai both flattered and overwhelmed.
He was practically dragged home by the sleeve.
As soon as the two aunts entered, the usually quiet courtyard turned into a chaotic scene, bustling with activity, laughter filling the air.
The two “uninvited guests” didn’t need introductions, immediately starting a self-service shopping spree: self-ordering, self-sorting, self-paying, and then leaving with their spoils, laughing and chatting as they went.
It was a while after the aunts left that the noise in Zhuang Yubai’s ears began to fade.
Coming to his senses, he looked at the shelves that had been “swept clean” of gold balls and jade slices, and the pile of copper coins on the table, recalling the thrilling scene of “forced buying and selling,” still a bit dazed.
He had only intended to deliver goods, so how did he end up being “cleared out”?
The few noodle blanks he had cooked that morning were the only stock left, ensuring there’d be enough for the peddler Zhang to pick up in a couple of days. But what about after that?
Zhuang Yubai hadn’t anticipated the products selling out so quickly after hitting the shelves.
The wheat he traded from Aunt Liu weighed about twenty pounds, enough to make 100 packs of jade slices and 30 packs of gold balls.
First, he washed the wheat twice with clean water and spread it out to dry in a sunny spot. While the wheat dried, he sliced the noodle blanks.
Thin slices, pink and translucent, were neatly arranged on round baskets. Once the wheat was about 70-80% dry, he collected it and headed to the mill.
The mill was on the south side of the village, and thankfully, during the aunts’ busy self-service shopping, they had taken the time to give him directions.
As he walked, Zhuang Yubai got a sense of Meng Family Village’s economic conditions based on the houses. Most were thatched like Meng Zhizhang’s, with some tiled houses, though none as grand as Aunt Liu’s. But there were no signs of dilapidation or hardship.
Bamboo fences and wooden gates separated each household, with vegetables often grown in front and behind the houses. Some raised chickens and ducks, and if you got close, you could hear clucking and quacking.
As expected, Zhuang Yubai got lost and couldn’t find the mill according to his mental map.
Fortunately, a group of lively children appeared at the intersection, leading him there. They chattered noisily, some tugging at his sleeves, others at his clothes, and some kindly helping carry his bag. They surrounded him like a group of cats winding around your feet at feeding time, chattering away with strange questions.
“Which family are you from? I’ve never seen you before.”
“Why is your hair this color?”
“Do you know my name?”
“Are you a god from a New Year painting? You’re so good-looking!”
“Why does your sleeve smell so nice?”
…
At the mill, the children scattered like a flock. Just as Zhuang Yubai was about to catch his breath, he realized the news of the aunts’ forced buying had already spread to the mill. He underestimated the speed of information in the village.
Several villagers were waiting in line to grind their grain, chatting idly. Upon hearing he was Meng Zhizhang’s cousin, the one who made “Gold and Jade Full House,” they immediately surrounded him, helping carry his bag, offering him a seat, and even bringing a fan to cool him down.
Zhuang Yubai admitted he sometimes had introverted tendencies, and this wave of hospitality made him… want to escape.
The eager villagers didn’t care, pressing him into the chair, fearing he might run.
Their sole purpose: to queue up and buy his “Gold and Jade Full House.”
**Author’s Note:**
*About Cabbage*
In ancient times, cabbage was known as “song” (sōng). In “Compendium of Materia Medica,” it was listed as a top-grade item. Li Shizhen in “Compendium of Materia Medica” said: “Song is what people now call cabbage.”
Ancient records indicate that before the Tang Dynasty, there was no cabbage in the north; it was transplanted from the south. But after the Tang Dynasty, northern cabbage grew exceptionally well, surpassing its original habitat.
Cabbage was favored by literati, with Su Shi comparing its taste to lamb and pork.
Cabbage is as good as lamb and pork—”After the Rain, Walking in the Vegetable Garden” by Su Shi, Song Dynasty
Spring mud cuts green chives, autumn rain sows green cabbage—”Song of the Farmer’s Garden” by Lu You, Song Dynasty
Spring osmanthus blooms in the front valley, autumn cabbage fills the back garden—”Lan Gaoting” by Song Qi, Song Dynasty
Open the door to buy wild vegetables, cabbage and garlic rejoice in new sprouts—”Drinking Alone in the Autumn Rain, Three Poems, One” by Zhang Lei, Song Dynasty
Research shows that Chinese cabbage is the world’s “second” healthiest fruit and vegetable.
The conclusion comes from a study published in 2014 in the journal “Preventing Chronic Disease” by researchers at William Paterson University. They evaluated 47 fruits and vegetables based on 17 essential nutrients (fiber, protein, potassium, calcium, iron, zinc, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folate, and vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, E, and K) defined by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the Institute of Medicine. Chinese cabbage ranked second in healthiness.
Babies should eat more Chinese cabbage!
Babies should eat more Chinese cabbage!
Babies should eat more Chinese cabbage!
*About Loofah*
Loofah originated in India and was introduced to China after the Tang and Song Dynasties. It was named loofah because, when mature, the fibers inside resemble silk. In ancient times, it was also called “cloth gourd” because the fibers intertwined like woven fabric.
“Compendium of Materia Medica”: “Loofah was unknown before the Tang and Song Dynasties, but now it is common in both the north and south, considered a staple vegetable.”
“Compendium of Materia Medica”: “Loofah juice has the function of unblocking meridians and promoting blood circulation, and is used to cleanse the face and remove dirt.”
Since the Song Dynasty, there has been a custom of using loofah to wash inkstones, which was popular among literati.
Lu You’s “Notes from the Old Study” in the Song Dynasty: “Loofah cleans inkstones thoroughly without damaging them.”
Zhao Meiyin’s “Ode to Loofah” in the Song Dynasty: “Yellow flowers fade, green bodies grow long, white silk wraps in the morning frost; thin and slender, it becomes a pinch, just like a face dyed with rouge.”