But Jiang Ran did not have high expectations for the two of them. Once trust was damaged, it was hard to rebuild. Even if they improved a little, Jiang Ran would not immediately believe they had truly changed. She had tested Jiang Song three times before trusting him. As for the Yun couple, they would have to go through even more tests.
Madam Yun went to the kitchen to render lard, while Jiang Ran carried a basket to the gate to harvest chives.
She removed the old outer leaves, since they were tough and didn’t taste good. Jiang Song squatted beside her, helping sort the vegetables. The discarded leaves would be collected later to feed the chickens and ducks.
By the time Madam Yun finished rendering the lard, Jiang Ran had already chopped the chives. The bright green chives were cut into small pieces and mixed with finely chopped lard cracklings, over two liang of fresh minced meat, and the dried shrimp they had saved at home.
Still, it looked like something was missing. Jiang Ran used the greasy pan to fry a few eggs. She chopped up the fluffy scrambled eggs and mixed them into the filling. Only then did she feel it was complete.
After seasoning the filling, they started making dumplings. In this era, dumplings were still called jiaozi, but no matter what they were called or what shape they were made into, delicious filling was what mattered most.
The Third Branch had struggled for years. This was the best meal they had ever eaten at home. It was fragrant and fresh, and there were big chunks of egg in every bite.
Jiang Ran had already eaten sugar cakes and rice noodles at noon, so she didn’t eat much that evening. But Jiang Song and Jiang Chuanli each ate nearly forty dumplings. Madam Yun had a smaller appetite but still ate more than thirty. Jiang Ran ate the least out of everyone.
Jiang Song said, “We’ll pan-fry the leftovers tomorrow morning and let Xiao Ran take them for the road.”
Neither Madam Yun nor Jiang Chuanli objected, and Jiang Ran was happy to accept.
After dinner, they cleaned up, and the three of them returned to the fields. Jiang Ran went to bed with the warmth of a full stomach.
Perhaps because of the dumplings, the three worked even harder than usual. At their pace, they would finish planting the remaining fields by tomorrow afternoon.
It was already mid-April. Late at night, even the dogs had stopped barking. Moonlight spread across the fields, and the farmstead lay in complete silence.
On the way home, Jiang Song couldn’t help saying, “Those dumplings tonight were really good.”
Madam Yun and Jiang Chuanli remained silent as usual. Jiang Song wasn’t expecting them to say anything. As long as they listened, that was enough.
He continued, “The vegetables in our garden aren’t to be given away to anyone. And the things at home—the chickens, ducks, pigs—none of them are to be given away either. Hear me?”
Jiang Chuanli gave a grunt of acknowledgment.
Jiang Song turned to Madam Yun. “Mother.”
Madam Yun also responded, “Mm, I understand.”
The next morning, it could hardly be called morning because the sky was still dark. When Jiang Ran got up, the dumplings had already been pan-fried. They were packed together with other supplies into wooden buckets, along with a basket for vegetables and another basket holding food and seasonings.
Jiang Song first carried everything to the entrance of the farmstead before handing it over to Jiang Ran.
Jiang Song asked, “The planting will be finished this afternoon. Is there anything you need me to do?”
Jiang Ran said, “Pick some bok choy and wash it.”
Nothing else was necessary. She would just bring more money. Since she already had a cooking pot, if she lacked anything she could simply buy it and cook it on the spot.
Jiang Ran added, “Wait for me to come back. You’ve been working for so many days. Once you’re done planting, take a break.”
Jiang Song wasn’t tired. Compared to hard labor, what he feared more was having no money. Even when they had money before, it all ended up in other people’s hands.
“No need.”
Jiang Ran didn’t persuade him further. She waved goodbye and headed toward Bianjing alone.
She walked, stopped, rested, then walked again. But the moment she stepped through the city gate, she no longer felt tired. Her legs stopped aching, and even her arms felt full of strength.
She first went to find Auntie Zhao.
The moment Auntie Zhao saw her, she couldn’t help asking, “Why are you so happy today? Something good happen at home?”
The street was bustling with noise, and Jiang Ran smiled brightly.
“Our family’s fields are almost finished. My brother can come with me starting tomorrow.”
She took out some dumplings.
“Auntie, have a taste.”
Auntie Zhao only took one. After one bite, she couldn’t help exclaiming, “This is really fragrant and fresh!”
The dumplings had even been pan-fried in oil, so they still tasted good despite being cold.
Jiang Ran smiled. “If you like them, have a few more.”
How could Auntie Zhao possibly do that?
“You haven’t eaten breakfast yet, have you? Hurry and eat.”
Jiang Ran stuffed another dumpling into her hand.
The rich flavor lingered in Auntie Zhao’s mouth as she ate. Then she asked, “Xiao Ran, did your family grow these chives? How much did you plant?”
Jiang Ran picked up a dumpling with her chopsticks and ate while setting up her stall. She emptied out one of the wooden buckets so she could fetch water later.
After thinking for a moment, she answered, “A few garden beds.”
The Third Branch’s courtyard wasn’t large, but every kind of vegetable they planted was enough for family use. Now that they had opened a new vegetable garden, they had even more than before.
Auntie Zhao said, “Could you bring me two jin tomorrow? I’ll pay the market price.”
Living in Bianjing was convenient, but land there was worth its weight in gold.
Even a single room in the outer city was expensive. Many houses didn’t have courtyards at all. Some crowded several families into one shared compound, using the same well and the same entrance.
Even houses with courtyards usually had only tiny ones. People worked hard tending them, but city dwellers simply couldn’t farm as well as country folk. The vegetables were always eaten by insects. Sometimes it felt like they were growing food for bugs instead of people. Other times there simply wasn’t enough harvest.
Auntie Zhao had a small courtyard at home with a tiny vegetable patch.
She wasn’t skilled at farming and usually bought her vegetables.
Jiang Ran froze for a moment.
“Why talk about money? I’ll bring you two jin tomorrow.”
Auntie Zhao looked embarrassed and was about to say something.
Jiang Ran quickly said, “Auntie, I’m going to fetch water.”
There wasn’t even time for Auntie Zhao to reply.
As Jiang Ran carried the bucket away, Auntie Zhao’s words gave her an idea.
There was actually no need to sell vegetables only to the Marquis Manor. Selling to the manor wasn’t even very profitable because they were growing the vegetables on the manor’s land.
Why couldn’t she sell them to other people?
Tomorrow Jiang Song would come as well. To be honest, he wouldn’t be much help with mixing noodles or cooking rice noodles. He was mainly coming so they could return home together. A young woman was safer traveling with her older brother.
Jiang Song could sell vegetables and bring in additional income.
Otherwise, if he wanted to study, he couldn’t rely entirely on her.
Jiang Ran wouldn’t hand over all the money she earned from selling rice noodles. But most of the vegetable garden had been created through Jiang Song’s efforts. The money from selling vegetables could be saved for his education.
Thinking of this, Jiang Ran quickened her pace, hoping the day would pass quickly.
Business was good today.
She had already been setting up her stall here for seven days and had accumulated some regular customers.
One customer who loved spicy food came every day. There were also several people who liked her soup noodles and mixed noodles and came every two or three days. Their faces had become very familiar.
After selling out, Jiang Ran packed up and wandered around the street for a while.
Although she had been coming for many days, she had never really explored. She only glanced around while pushing her cart and looking for a stall location.
Everything was being sold here—live chickens, live ducks, fish, meat, vegetables, and eggs.
The chickens and ducks were still squawking. There were also all kinds of snacks.
Jiang Ran didn’t look too closely because she didn’t have much money.
She bought pork for tomorrow and two bones.
The one hundred wen Jiang Song had given her, along with the twenty wen from selling vegetables, was spent entirely on eggs.
The Jiang family had chickens, but the chicks they had recently received were still too young. Originally they only had two hens. After she had used four eggs yesterday for cooking, they had completely run out.
Eggs cost two wen each.
After bargaining, Jiang Ran bought sixty eggs. She also spent five wen on some inexpensive tea leaves.
Tomorrow Jiang Song would be coming, so they could carry more things.
Jiang Ran planned to make tea eggs tonight and add them to her rice noodles tomorrow. Eggs cost her two wen each, but she could sell them for four wen and still make a profit.
She currently sold over forty bowls of noodles each day.
She planned to bring twenty tea eggs tomorrow. If they sold well, she could add even more items later.
Jiang Ran wanted to earn as much money as possible, then open more vegetable plots. There was still plenty of unused land around the farmstead. She also wanted to raise more chickens and ducks.
In the future, she would make frequent trips to Bianjing. All those products would sell well.
She could sell rice noodles while her brother sold other things.
The eggs were packed into a basket cushioned with straw and bran, so they wouldn’t break even if they shook around.
By the time Jiang Ran got home, Jiang Song had already harvested and washed the bok choy she had requested.
The leaves were dark green and had been set in the shade to dry.
When Jiang Song saw the eggs she bought, he said, “Xiao Ran, we already have eggs at home.”
They only got one or two eggs a day. Aside from giving them to Jiang Ran, Jiang Song and the others usually didn’t eat any.
Jiang Ran said, “They’re not for us. I’m making something to sell on the street tomorrow. Where are Father and Mother?”
Tea eggs were already sold on the streets, also for four wen each.
Jiang Song replied, “They’re cleaning the pigsty. After the field work was finished, Grandfather told Father to help the Eldest Branch plant their fields, but I stopped him.”
Jiang Song had told Jiang Chuanli to think carefully about whether his old-age support would come from his son or from his nephews.
There was still plenty of work to do at home. If Jiang Chuanli went to help the Eldest Branch, all the work here would fall on Jiang Song.
Out of a total of two hundred and eighty mu of farmland, the Third Branch had taken responsibility for sixty mu.
They had the fewest people, yet they finished planting the fastest.
That alone showed how much they had been taken advantage of in previous years.
Jiang Ran asked worriedly, “Will they fail to finish planting in time and affect the harvest?”
Jiang Song said, “No. They’ve farmed for over ten years. They’re lazy, not incapable. Even the children are already eight or nine years old. They’re old enough to transplant rice seedlings.”
Besides, there was still no news from the Eldest Branch. Jiang Song was referring to Jiang Xing. The Eldest Branch still depended on these fields to survive, so they wouldn’t dare neglect them.
Jiang Song had already told Jiang Chuanli that he would be going out tomorrow. Even if he wasn’t home, Jiang Chuanli was not allowed to help the Eldest Branch.
He had already assigned plenty of work.
The chicken coop needed repairs. The chicks had grown quite a bit, and the weather was getting warmer. They couldn’t continue raising them inside the house.
They had bought twenty chicks. Only one was a rooster; the rest were hens. In a few months, they wouldn’t need to buy eggs anymore.
In the hot weather, the pigsty had to be cleaned twice a day. The water trough needed frequent refilling. They also had to compost fertilizer, turn the soil, weed the fields, and catch insects.
Madam Yun and Jiang Chuanli stayed home doing these jobs.
The tasks were endless, and with so many vegetable plots, they barely had time for anything else.
Jiang Ran finally relaxed.
“They really do need to take good care of the vegetable gardens. Brother, do you know what? Auntie Zhao told me today that she doesn’t have enough garden space at home and wants me to bring her some chives. In the future, we can sell these vegetables too.”
Jiang Song nodded firmly.
“Good.”
Right now, the vegetables they grew were only enough to support Jiang Ran’s rice noodle business, so they wouldn’t start selling vegetables yet.
She asked Jiang Song to harvest some chives while she returned to her room to make tea eggs.
The eggs were first boiled. Then she cracked the shells all over by rolling them. Tea leaves, spice packets, salt, and other seasonings were added to the water. After bringing it to a boil, the eggs simply needed to soak overnight.
They were far more flavorful than ordinary boiled eggs.
Jiang Ran cooked twenty eggs.
Fifteen were fully cooked, while five were boiled for a shorter time so the yolks would remain soft and slightly runny.
Many vendors sold tea eggs on the streets. If she wanted to sell more than they did, she needed to think of ways to stand out.
Since it was her first day selling them, Jiang Ran didn’t dare make too many. If they didn’t sell, she and Jiang Song would have to eat them all.
The next day.
The sky was still dark.
The two siblings left even earlier than usual.
Jiang Ran carried almost nothing besides the breakfast she planned to eat.
Jiang Song, on the other hand, had a wooden bucket hanging from each end of his shoulder pole. A basket was strapped to his back, holding bok choy, seasonings, and the chives they had cut for Auntie Zhao.
Somehow, he walked steadily without spilling anything.
There was also a basket hanging from his neck against his chest, containing a jar of tea eggs.
Jiang Ran wanted to carry something, but Jiang Song refused to let her.
When she had gone alone before, it had only been because there was no other choice. Now that he was here, there was no reason for his younger sister to carry anything.
With the two of them together, there was no need to fear the dark road.
The moon still hung in the sky, and the moonlight flowed like water.
The farmstead gradually faded into the distance behind them.
As the sky slowly brightened, the outline of Bianjing gradually appeared before their eyes.
Many people were entering the city.
Once inside, there were even more people.
Jiang Song wasn’t quite used to it. This was different from the farmstead and different even from the city he remembered from before.
He stayed close behind Jiang Ran the entire time.
When they reached the stall, Jiang Ran said to Auntie Zhao, “Auntie, this is my brother, Jiang Song.”
Jiang Song handed over the chives they had brought for her.
Auntie Zhao felt embarrassed seeing how much there was.
“Thank you.”
Jiang Ran said, “It’s no big deal. If you like them, I’ll bring more.”
Auntie Zhao looked at the bundle of chives. They were exceptionally good—tender leaves so fresh they seemed ready to drip water.
“That would be wonderful. Then I won’t have to worry about buying vegetables anymore.”
Jiang Ran began setting up the stall.
Jiang Song had never done this kind of work before, but he was observant and always looked for ways to help.
After seeing Jiang Ran arrange everything, he immediately moved to pick up the bucket and fetch water.
Jiang Ran said, “I’ll go get the water. Brother, add the tea eggs to the price board.”