Jiang Ran knew that this brother of hers wasn’t blindly filial the way Madam Yun and Jiang Chuanli were. He had even taken control of the family’s money, specifically to prevent Madam Yun and Jiang Chuanli from continuing to support the old household and the eldest branch.
Still, she truly hadn’t expected Jiang Song to tell her not to mention earning money when they got home.
Jiang Ran hadn’t wanted to tell anyone anyway, but to be safe, she asked again, “Not even Father and Mother?”
Jiang Song’s expression turned complicated.
“No. If they know, they might accidentally let it slip. Then Grandfather and Grandmother will definitely have something to say. And Eldest Aunt and the others will probably want a share too.”
Jiang Song didn’t want to see that happen.
Although the family had split apart, they still lived in the same place. If people saw that Jiang Ran could make money selling things by herself, then today she would tell them, and tomorrow a whole crowd would insist on following her. Before long, everyone would be mixed together again, and they would say that Jiang Ran was young and did less work. In the end, the third branch wouldn’t even get a sip of the soup.
Keeping it from Madam Yun and Jiang Chuanli was a last resort.
If they had truly put their own children first, why would Jiang Song hide things from them?
In the past, Jiang Song often resented his parents.
Why didn’t they ever stand on his side and his sister’s side?
After working hard in the fields and finally earning some money, they had to contribute to the eldest brother’s education and Fifth Uncle’s education. Then there were the two elders to support.
After all these years, they had only managed to save five taels of silver, and most of that had come from the recent family division.
Yet after selling the wheat and buying rice seeds and seedlings, they still had three taels left.
Jiang Song felt chilled to the heart.
But they were still his parents, and he couldn’t simply abandon them.
He instructed his sister, “Just say you earned enough to buy some meat. You need to complain about how tired and difficult it was. Understand?”
Jiang Ran lowered her head.
“I really am tired. I can barely lift my arms right now.”
The more she complained, the less likely Jiang Song would be to take her money.
Jiang Song frowned deeply.
His lips moved as though he wanted to persuade her not to go anymore.
Jiang Ran immediately said, “But I’ve already thought of a solution. There’s a kind auntie next to my stall. Her surname is Zhao. She said I can leave the cart at her house. Then I won’t have to push such a heavy cart back and forth every day.”
Jiang Song was cautious.
“Why would she let you leave your cart at her house?”
Jiang Ran replied, “Auntie Zhao sells flatbreads. Her business isn’t very good. I gave her an idea and suggested she try selling sweet cakes instead.”
Only then did Jiang Song nod.
Afraid he wouldn’t believe her, Jiang Ran even showed him the flatbread.
“This is what Auntie Zhao gave me. I still have a lot to do when I get home today. Brother, could you make me two small stools? Then customers can sit while they eat.”
There was a small open area behind the stall.
Today’s customers had all stood there while eating.
Jiang Ran also needed to prepare vinegar and chili oil. Anyone who felt the noodles lacked flavor could add more.
When frying the minced pork, she would use less zhuyu pepper and vinegar this time, though she couldn’t leave them out entirely. The noodles simply didn’t taste good unless they had that sour and spicy flavor.
Jiang Song agreed readily.
“Alright.”
He pushed the cart home.
To him, it wasn’t heavy at all.
But for his little sister, it definitely was.
He needed to finish planting the rice quickly so he could help her.
Now that she had made money, they could eventually buy an iron wok. Once he joined her at the stall, the family would have another source of income.
Otherwise, while his sister worked alone, he would feel too ashamed to spend any of the money she earned.
His sister could go out by herself and make money.
He couldn’t afford to be useless.
The sun had only just set when the siblings returned to the estate.
Someone spotted them immediately.
Madam Lin walked over while looking them up and down.
“Jiang Ran, where did you go today? I didn’t see you all day. What’s with the cart? A wok and a stove too? Don’t tell me you’ve started setting up a food stall like everyone else.”
After an entire day of work, Jiang Ran looked like a wilted blade of grass scorched by the sun.
Her voice was weak and feeble.
“Eldest Aunt, I made some food and took it out to sell.”
Madam Lin gave an exaggerated cry of surprise.
“Well, isn’t the sun rising in the west today? You actually thought of making something to sell. What did you make? Was business good? Did you earn any money?”
This time, Jiang Ran acted as though she had some confidence.
“Of course I earned something.”
She lifted the lid of the wooden bucket, revealing the meat wrapped in lotus leaves inside.
“Eldest Aunt, don’t underestimate me. I earned enough money to buy meat for tomorrow’s cooking. There’ll even be a little left for the family to eat.”
Jiang Song’s heart tightened.
But after seeing Madam Lin’s expression, he relaxed again.
Madam Lin looked completely unimpressed.
Her nose practically pointed toward the sky as she picked up the meat.
“That’s all?”
Running a stall required capital. The third branch had always been frugal. They still needed supplies for tomorrow, so naturally they had only bought enough meat for the family to eat.
Jiang Ran nodded.
During the days she’d spent here, the eldest branch ate meat regularly. Madam Lin definitely wouldn’t think much of a single jin of pork.
If Madam Lin had lifted the lid herself and Jiang Ran had merely said she hadn’t earned much, Madam Lin might have guessed business was actually decent.
But because Jiang Ran had proudly opened the lid herself and seemed so satisfied, Madam Lin immediately looked down on it.
How much money could that possibly be?
Such a small-minded attitude.
Madam Lin laughed.
“So you’re saying you pushed a cart all the way to the capital, worked the entire day, pushed it all the way back, and only earned enough for half a jin of pork?”
Jiang Ran hurriedly explained, “Eldest Aunt, that’s not true. Our family only needs about two liang of meat for a meal. This is already quite a lot. My brother and my parents work hard in the fields. We can finally eat some meat.”
Madam Lin burst out laughing.
Was this child actually foolish?
She was this happy over such a tiny amount.
Jiang Ran had achieved her goal and stopped talking.
Rather than running around telling everyone she hadn’t earned much money, it was better to let Madam Lin discover it herself.
Once Madam Lin knew, everyone else would know too.
Jiang Ran put on a bewildered and helpless expression.
Madam Lin sighed, tired from laughing.
She genuinely thought Jiang Ran from the third branch was pitifully stupid.
If her own daughter became a maid, even starting as a third-class maid, she could earn half a tael of silver a month and wouldn’t need to run around working this hard.
Madam Lin put the lid back on the bucket.
“Alright, alright. Hurry home. Your parents have worked hard in the fields. Cook the meat for them. What a filial daughter you are. Be sure to go again tomorrow.”
Jiang Ran called out helplessly, “Brother…”
Jiang Song clenched his fists and pressed his lips together tightly, looking equally aggrieved.
He knew that arguing now would ruin everything they had accomplished.
He simply said, “Xiao Ran, let’s go home.”
After returning home, Jiang Song still had to go back to the fields to transplant rice seedlings.
Madam Yun stayed behind to prepare dinner.
Jiang Ran handed her the small portion of meat they had set aside.
“Mother, let’s cook this tonight.”
She had actually wanted to cook it herself because she worried Madam Yun would ruin the meat.
But she was simply too exhausted.
She wasn’t made of iron.
Now that she had finally made it home, she wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed and never move again.
She still had to prepare supplies for tomorrow, so she left the cooking to Madam Yun.
Even so, Jiang Ran stayed nearby and watched.
There wasn’t much meat to begin with.
She couldn’t let Madam Yun offer any of it to Madam Liu and Old Master Jiang again.
Night gradually fell.
Jiang Song and Jiang Chuanli returned from the fields.
When Jiang Chuanli smelled the delicious aroma, he looked surprised.
He hadn’t expected Jiang Ran to actually come back with money.
Jiang Ran set out the bowls and chopsticks.
“Let’s eat.”
At the dinner table, Jiang Song said, “You only earned this little. It’s not worth making the trip. Don’t go again tomorrow.”
Still acting?
Jiang Ran played along.
“But earning enough for a jin of meat is still earning money. Farming is exhausting right now. Eating a little meat helps. I don’t mind being a bit tired.”
The stiff expressions on Madam Yun and Jiang Chuanli’s faces softened slightly.
Even so, they still said nothing.
Jiang Song placed two slices of meat into his sister’s bowl.
“Eat.”
Jiang Ran hadn’t cooked this dish herself.
She had watched Madam Yun make it.
The meat was sliced thinly, and the fat was first rendered out before the vegetables were added.
The fat turned crispy, while the vegetables absorbed all the oil.
It wasn’t like the boiled meat dishes they ate during the wheat harvest.
When people lacked oil and fat in their diets, Madam Yun and the others loved eating fatty meat. Rendering out the fat seemed wasteful to them.
But prepared that way, the meat and vegetables remained separate.
At least this dish felt like a proper meal.
There were mantou and flatbreads as staples. Jiang Ran split open a mantou, stuffed vegetables inside, and ate happily.
After all, she was exhausted and hungry.
Anything tasted good under those circumstances.
Looking at Madam Yun and Jiang Chuanli, they were eating so eagerly that they barely lifted their heads.
After dinner, Jiang Song and Jiang Chuanli returned to the fields and continued transplanting seedlings in the dark.
The weather had been clear for several days. It didn’t look as though rain would come tomorrow, so they could only carry water themselves to irrigate the fields.
Madam Yun still had to cook pig feed and feed the chickens and ducks.
Jiang Ran thought that although Madam Yun and Jiang Chuanli were still the same as before, the household was finally beginning to get back on track.
She watered the family’s vegetable patch before returning to her room to prepare tomorrow’s supplies.
There were still many dried strings of zhuyu peppers hanging from the beams and under the eaves.
This era didn’t have chili peppers, so people used zhuyu peppers and Sichuan peppercorns instead. Ground together with salt, they made excellent spicy oil seasoning.
Jiang Ran had prepared plenty of zhuyu seeds and placed them in old cotton batting to germinate.
She hoped the family’s supply would last until autumn. By then, new peppers would be ready.
With so much land to manage, Jiang Ran didn’t want to spend a single unnecessary coin.
By the time she finished preparing everything, Jiang Song still hadn’t returned.
Completely exhausted, she went straight to bed.
Early the next morning, she found two small stools already sitting on the cart.
When she asked Madam Yun about them, she learned that Jiang Song had gone back to the fields again.
Jiang Ran had already gotten up very early.
She went into the kitchen to prepare today’s ingredients.
The butcher had chopped the bones before she brought them home. After blanching them, she could simmer them slowly into broth.
It didn’t even require the main wok. A clay pot would do.
She minced the jin of pork and stir-fried it until fragrant, seasoning it with vinegar and zhuyu peppers to create a sour and spicy flavor.
This batch was milder than yesterday’s.
The vinegar and chili oil had already been packed into jars.
Once the bone broth finished simmering, she could leave.
She sat on a small stool outside the kitchen waiting for the broth.
One hand held a fire poker while the other propped up her chin.
She watched the pitch-black sky slowly brighten.
When daylight finally arrived, Jiang Song and Jiang Chuanli returned from outside.
Jiang Ran poured the bone broth into the cleaned wooden bucket and wrapped cotton around it for insulation.
As usual, Jiang Song packed breakfast for her and escorted her to the entrance of the estate.
Today he didn’t tell her to come back if she couldn’t sell everything.
Instead, he said, “We bought meat yesterday. No need to buy more today.”
Jiang Ran nodded.
“Alright, Brother. You can head back now.”
The second trip was much easier than the first.
Jiang Ran wanted to get there early and worried that Auntie Zhao might not be able to hold a good spot by herself.
She quickened her pace and arrived in the capital more than fifteen minutes earlier than she had yesterday.
As she walked along the street, she searched for Auntie Zhao.
After reaching a point more than halfway down the long street, she finally saw Auntie Zhao waving at her.
Today, Auntie Zhao had brought her son.
When Jiang Ran arrived, she had her son push away the second cart so Jiang Ran could take the spot.
She had arrived nearly half an hour earlier than Jiang Ran.
Excitedly, she said, “I sold two sweet cakes already!”
After Jiang Ran left yesterday, Auntie Zhao saw that business was poor and packed up as well.
Once home, she followed Jiang Ran’s instructions and started making sweet cakes.
She kneaded dough, prepared brown sugar filling, wrapped it inside, and fried the cakes.
The process was simple.
She wrapped the filling inside a piece of dough like making a bun, sealed it, flattened it with a rolling pin, and fried it in a pan.
When both sides turned golden brown and the cakes were nearly cooked, she removed them from the pan.
The cakes were round and plump. Because they were made with fermented dough, they looked especially large, round, and puffed up.
She didn’t know whether they would taste good.
After they cooled slightly, she took a bite.
The outside had cooled, but the sugar filling inside was still hot.
It burned her tongue badly.
Yet she didn’t care about the pain.
All she could think about was how fragrant, sweet, and delicious the cakes were.
The crust was crispy and soft, while reddish-brown sugar syrup oozed out.
Just as Jiang Ran had described.
Auntie Zhao had saved two cakes for Jiang Ran.
“Eat these for breakfast.”
Jiang Ran refused.
But Auntie Zhao insisted, so Jiang Ran finally accepted one.
Sugar was expensive.
A jin of sugar cost nearly one hundred copper coins. A single sweet cake was worth four or five copper coins.
There was no way she could shamelessly take two.
Auntie Zhao looked radiant.
“I’ll fry another one for you at noon. They’re not as good once they cool down. Hurry and get ready. Hurry and start selling. We’ve got a much better location today.”
When business was bad, Auntie Zhao had been lazy and unmotivated.
Now she wanted nothing more than to sell quickly and make sure this excellent location didn’t go to waste.
Jiang Ran set down the sweet cake, fetched two buckets of water, quickly mixed the rice batter, and started washing bowls.
Before she had even finished washing them, her first customer arrived.
It wasn’t a stranger.
It was the third customer from yesterday.
The one who hadn’t coughed once and had still complained that the noodles weren’t spicy enough.