19:Returning Something
‘Bang, bang, bang!’ A series of knocks rang out.
“Zhenniang! Is Zhenniang at home?” the person at the door called out in a hushed voice.
Footsteps approached, and with a clang, the bolt was pulled back.
“Who is it?” It was already dark, and Qian Zhenniang could not recognise the voice.
“It’s me, Huzi’s mum.” Zhao Rongniang looked around, then squeezed her way into the courtyard.
“What on earth are you doing here at this late hour?” Qian Zhenniang was thoroughly exasperated.
“Good heavens! It’s terrible! Qinghe and Lai Zi have come to blows—she actually tried to throw him down the well!” Zhao Rongniang exaggerated the story, as if she wanted to relive the whole scene.
“What?” Qian Zhenniang was taken aback. “Why on earth would that girl throw someone down the well?”
“That Lai Zi was merely trying to help her fetch water, but she dragged him straight towards the well, tugging him down. Tsk, tsk. Thank goodness there were people at the village entrance to pull him back.”
“Help Qinghe fetch water?” Qian Zhenniang snorted derisively. “If that Lai Zi is so kind-hearted, why haven’t I seen him helping you fetch water?”
Seeing that her flattery had fallen flat, Zhao Rongniang gave a sheepish laugh. “Well, you’re right. Helping someone fetch water late at night—he must have had ulterior motives.”
Qian Zhenniang didn’t wish to argue any further and simply asked, “Is there anything else?”
“No, no, what else could I possibly have… I won’t disturb your rest any longer; I’ll be off home now.” ” Zhao Rongniang hurriedly replied.
With a loud ‘bang’, Qian Zhenniang ignored her and shut the door. The woman outside was left to walk away, seething with anger.
Once inside, Qian Zhenniang immediately changed her tone and repeated her words to Tao Erlang, “If their reputations are ruined, it will drag us down too!”
“Now that we’ve split the household, what’s there to worry about? Instead of fretting over such things all day, why not tidy up the house a bit!” Tao Erlang, hearing her speak thus, simply couldn’t be bothered to respond. Since the split, the courtyard had grown increasingly filthy and disorderly; if visitors were to arrive, wouldn’t they be the laughing stock of the neighbourhood?
Seeing his attitude, Qian Zhenniang grew even more exasperated. “Since you’ve brought it up, why don’t you have a word with your father? Those clothes are filthy and stinking—how am I supposed to wash them? With so much work to do at home, I’m busy from dawn till dusk, yet no one ever acknowledges my efforts!”
Tao Erlang grew even more impatient and merely brushed her off. “All right, I’ll speak to him tomorrow. Go and get some rest now!”
… …
The next day, when she went to the county town again, Tao Qinghe took thirty pastries with her. Just as she had expected, this was practically the maximum she could sell in a single day; it took a little longer than usual to sell them all. After packing the pork she had ordered early that morning, Tao Qinghe hurried home. It was so hot; if she slowed her pace, the pork would go off and she’d suffer a huge loss!
As soon as she got home, Tao Qinghe called out from a distance: “Qingmiao, come and see what I’ve bought!”
Before long, a figure darted out of the house. Seeing her elder sister beaming with joy, Tao Qingmiao asked happily, “What is it?” She reached out to take the basket, lifted the cloth cover, and—wow! A huge chunk of fatty pork!
“Are we rendering pork lard?” Tao Qingmiao’s eyes sparkled; thinking of that tempting aroma, she couldn’t help but swallow repeatedly.
“We’re running low on lard, so I’ve bought a piece of meat to render some first. We’ll eat the meat in a few days!” Tao Qinghe took her hand and led her into the house.
Zhao Liniang, who had already heard the commotion, got up as well. She took the basket and gave it a sniff. “It’s not a good day to leave it out. Shall we render it now?”
Tao Qinghe nodded in agreement. A fire was lit over there, whilst here the meat was already being cut into small pieces. As the temperature rose, a sizzling sound filled the air, and the aroma began to waft through the room.
“It smells lovely~” Tao Qingmiao gazed longingly at the earthenware pot, sniffing the air repeatedly.
“It smells lovely!” It was as though eating pork had been a thing of a past life; even though she’d only just arrived here, Tao Qinghe was now ravenous.
Zhao Liniang was amused by the sisters’ comments. “Once the oil’s rendered and the cracklings are left over, we’ll fry some wild greens to eat.”
“Mm-hmm! We must definitely fry plenty of them—I want a big, heaping bowlful!” Tao Qingmiao nodded vigorously, chiming in eagerly.
“We must definitely fry plenty of them—it’s been ages since I’ve smelled such a delicious aroma.” ” Tao Qinghe echoed, her appetite thoroughly whetted; she simply couldn’t bear to wait any longer!
Seeing their reaction, Zhao Liniang had no choice but to speed up her stirring.
Once the oil jar was full again, Tao Qinghe felt an immense sense of satisfaction wash over her: with grain and oil, there was nothing to worry about! Unfortunately, the household currently possessed only a single earthenware pot for cooking. Once the porridge was cooked and ladled out, she used the oil residue to stir-fry the wild greens until fragrant, sprinkling a pinch of salt over them. Mmm! A large bowl of vibrant green, oil-glazed greens was served up—truly a most delicious meal!
Zhao Liniang brought the dish over; the two sisters had been waiting with bated breath. Tao Qinghe picked up a forkful of greens and popped them into her mouth; the rich, oily texture combined with the fresh aroma of the vegetables exploded in her mouth. “It was worth it!” she couldn’t help but exclaim.
“This dish is truly fragrant—far better than when it’s boiled in porridge!” Tao Qingmiao, meanwhile, was already squinting her eyes in pure enjoyment.
Tao Qinghe couldn’t help but smile. “Would you like to have pork lard-stir-fried vegetables every day from now on?”
“Of course I would!” Tao Qingmiao’s eyes practically sparkled at the thought. “Big Sister, don’t tease me—will we really be able to eat dishes like this from now on?”
Tao Qinghe cleared her throat. “I’ll do my best, little sister, and try to make sure we have good food every day!”
Zhao Liniang, overhearing their conversation, couldn’t help but speak up. “Pork is a luxury—it’s not something we can afford every day. Qinghe, don’t spoil her!” She shook her head as she spoke, glancing at Tao Qingmiao.
Catching her mother’s glance, Tao Qingmiao gave a sheepish chuckle and said no more.
Tao Qinghe, however, disagreed. Wasn’t earning money all about living well? Now that they had a way to make money, they ought to indulge their appetites too; otherwise, what was the point?
Seeing that no one responded to her remarks, Zhao Liniang had no choice but to change the subject and strike up a casual conversation. “When I was washing clothes by the river this morning, I heard Hui’niang say that the Chen lad had returned with a cart full of goods. Quite the spectacle.”
The young man from the Chen family? Was he the one who’d gone off to trade and made a fortune? Tao Qinghe mused. Come to think of it, he was, in a way, a benefactor of the Tao family. If the opportunity arose, she certainly ought to thank him in person. With that in mind, she spoke up: “Father’s affairs were settled in such a hurry, and we’ve been running around non-stop these past few days. Once things settle down, we really must go and express our gratitude.”
Zhao Liniang agreed wholeheartedly. “That is certainly the right thing to do. However, as he has only just returned today, it would not be appropriate to pay a visit just yet.”
“Why not wait a few days?” Tao Qinghe pondered. “We don’t have much money on hand at the moment; waiting a few more days will give us time to buy some gifts to take with us.” Zhao Liniang had no objection.
It was another two days before the iron wok was ready. Tao Qinghe stood in front of the blacksmith’s shop, counting the copper coins one by one. Once the payment had been settled, she felt the substantial weight of the item in her hands and said with a smile, “This is a very well-made piece of work. Should I need anything in the future, I shall certainly come back to buy from you.”
The blacksmith looked at the slender yet spirited young woman before him and laughed heartily in reply, “In that case, I’d like to thank you in advance for supporting my business.”
After leaving the blacksmith’s shop, Tao Qinghe looked at her empty purse and couldn’t help but let out a long sigh. Earning a living was no easy task! But on second thought, wasn’t life finally starting to fall into place?
Carrying her new purchases and carefully packing away the eggs she’d bought that morning, she hurried back home in high spirits, no longer feeling the slightest bit tired.
Back at the foot of the mountain, after finishing their supper, the group set to work once more. Kneading dough, mixing the flower-shaped fillings—before long, that familiar aroma wafted out once again. Once everything was ready, Tao Qinghe wrapped them up carefully, packed in the eggs, and set off with Zhao Liniang, carrying the iron griddle, to the Li household.
The afternoon sun was still scorching, but the mother and daughter walked without stopping and soon arrived at their destination.
“Is Huiniang at home?” Standing outside the door, Zhao Liniang called out.
“Coming! Coming!” Before they could see anyone, Aunt Li voice rang out.
Auntie Li certainly has plenty of energy! Tao Qinghe couldn’t help but think as she heard the loud reply.
“Squeak—” The door swung open. Seeing the two of them laden with bags, Ding Huiniang quickly took the iron pan from them and ushered them inside.
“Don’t you need this anymore?” she asked as they walked.
“Thanks to you, the pastry business is going rather well. I’ve just scraped together the money to buy a new one myself, so I’ve hurried over to bring this one to you,” Zhao Liniang replied with a smile.
As the three chatted, they reached the inner room, where Yezi, the eldest daughter of the Li family, came forward to greet them, and tea had already been poured onto the table. Seeing this, Tao Qinghe smiled and gestured to them.
Ding Huiniang invited the two to sit down, then said, “Young Qinghe’s skills are truly remarkable! I’ve been eating those pastries for a few days now and they’re absolutely delicious. If you can really get this business off the ground, you’ll be able to make a decent living.” Having said this, she seemed to remember something and added with a smile, “Now you’re truly the most capable woman in our village!”
“Please don’t tease me,” Zhao Liniang said, feeling her face flush at the remark. “It’s all thanks to my husband’s protection. For now, I feel I’ve done him justice, and my child and I have managed to scrape by.”
Ding Huiniang patted her hand. “You must try to look on the bright side of things. Right now, looking after those two girls is more important than anything else.” With that, she turned to look at Tao Qinghe with a smile. “I see you’ve brought a basket with you. Is there something you need?”
Hearing the question, Tao Qinghe simply lifted the cloth cover and handed over the basket containing pastries and eggs. “Thanks to Auntie’s help with my family these past few days, I saw some fresh eggs this morning and bought a few for you to try.”
Upon seeing the food, Ding Huiniang would not accept it. She waved her hands hurriedly and said, “These trifles aren’t worth you going to such trouble over. I thought we didn’t keep chickens at home? I’m afraid you’ve wasted your money buying these things!”
“The pastries are homemade; they just took a bit of effort, and the eggs aren’t worth much,” Tao Qinghe explained. “But surely your kindness towards us is worth more than these trifles? If others were to find out, they’d surely scold us.”
“You’re a sharp-tongued girl, aren’t you? You’ve left me with no choice but to accept them.” She looked closely at Tao Qinghe now and felt she seemed to have blossomed a little; she was clearly a young lady with a lovely face and bright, clear eyes.
Ding Huiniang took the gifts. “Since it’s your heartfelt gesture, I’ll accept them. But next time, you mustn’t do this—it feels rather too formal.”
The group sat together chatting for a while longer. By the time the sun had set, leaving only a faint glow in the sky, the two of them finally made their way home.