“Ruan ge’er, you must be joking,” Matchmaker Liu said in her sharp voice. “Do you know how much silver it costs to buy a man? And what able-bodied man would willingly become a live-in husband for a farming family? Don’t waste your money or yourself, Ruan ge’er.”
It wasn’t that Matchmaker Liu looked down on Ruan Su. It was just that buying a strong and healthy man from the human traffickers cost at least sixteen taels of silver, and that was on the low end. If you wanted one with good looks, the price would be even higher.
Though she had heard that since Ruan Su’s arrival, the Ruan family’s situation had improved somewhat, they still didn’t seem like they could casually produce ten or twenty taels of silver.
“No need to worry about that, Aunt Liu,” Ruan Su said slowly, issuing a polite dismissal. “It’s already noon, and you know our family is small and busy. We really can’t entertain you today. The weather is nice, so you can pick a couple of hibiscus flowers on your way back. They’ll make your house smell wonderful.”
Matchmaker Liu was about to continue persuading him, but seeing that Ruan Su had already opened the wooden gate and was waiting to see her off, she pursed her lips and reluctantly headed toward the door, muttering under her breath, “This ge’er has lost his mind. I’ll come back tomorrow to talk some sense into you.”
Ruan Su smiled slightly, saying nothing more.
Matchmaker Liu waved her handkerchief angrily as she left. Zhou Mei, standing by the hall door, watched the brightly dressed figure disappear into the distance before turning to Ruan Su, who was tidying up a basket inside. “I heard you telling Sister Liu you wanted to buy someone to be a live-in husband. Is that true?”
“I was just fooling Aunt Liu. Did you believe it too?” Ruan Su replied with a grin, carrying out a money jar. “Where’s Dad? Is he out harvesting rice?”
It was the rice-harvesting season in Jinguan City. Ruan Jian had mentioned yesterday that he would start cutting the rice. Ruan Su had planned to help him, but Ruan Jian insisted that making money was more important.
After all, the chestnut season was limited, and people in Jinguan City were fond of them right now. If they didn’t seize the opportunity to earn money now, then when?
Ruan Su found the reasoning somewhat convincing.
Zhou Mei half-closed the hall door and leaned in. “Yes, I was just about to make lunch to take to him when Sister Liu suddenly came by.”
She paused, hesitating. “Ruan ge’er, the family Sister Liu mentioned seems decent. Why don’t you go and meet them?”
“Mom, I’ve told you not to worry about these things. I have a plan,” Ruan Su said, shaking the money jar with a smug look. “Listen, I made quite a bit today.”
The sound of copper coins clinking in the clay jar made Zhou Mei laugh along with him. “I know you’re capable, but you’re always focused on making money. I’m afraid it might hold you back.”
“How could it hold me back?” Ruan Su said, his mouth opening wide like a fragrant pancake. “Once I’ve saved enough silver, we’ll build a house with blue bricks and tiles. Then we can have any kind of husband we want. Besides, with the money in my hands, he can do whatever I say. Isn’t that better than being constrained in someone else’s home?”
“I can’t argue with you,” Zhou Mei laughed. “As long as you have a plan.”
Ruan Su nodded. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’m going to do the accounts now. You steam the cured pork and slice it thin. I’ll stir-fry it later. Dad’s been working hard in the fields and needs to eat more meat. Besides, I landed a big order today, so we can celebrate a little.”
“Alright.”
Zhou Mei, smiling, went to the kitchen to prepare.
Ruan Su carried the clay jar into the room, pouring the silver fragments and copper coins onto the bed and slowly counting them. “After deducting the one tael deposit, I spent 330 wen on flour and glutinous rice flour. The jar has 439 wen left, so I earned a total of 769 wen. After subtracting costs, rent, and cart fees, the profit is 368 wen.”
“That’s great.”
Ruan Su opened the cabinet with a key and took out a black cloth money pouch. Inside were about ten taels of silver and some loose copper coins.
Looking at the money inside, Ruan Su sighed and calculated in his mind: renting a shop in the West Market costs two taels a month, and the rule in Jinguan City is to rent for at least a year, which means twenty-four taels. Registering at the Market Supervisory Office and greasing palms would cost at least another tael.
Besides that, there would be expenses for renovating the shop, hiring staff, and finding suppliers for raw materials. All this would require even more money.
“I’ll save up a bit more. Once I have fifty taels, I’ll rent a shop in the West Market,” Ruan Su muttered, gathering the silver in his palm. “Making money is really tough.”
Last winter, Ruan Su carried a basket around Jinguan City, selling sanzi and glutinous rice sticks. These snacks were easy to store and popular among travelers as dry rations, so business was decent.
After saving up some money, Ruan Su returned the capital to Ruan Jian and, in July of this year, developed the clay oven. With chestnuts in season in August, he rented a stall in the West Market to sell chestnut cakes, and profits began to rise.
Ruan Su had transmigrated. A year and a half ago, he was the owner of a Chinese dessert shop. One rainy night, he slipped and, somehow, woke up in the middle of a vast mountain range.
He survived by foraging for mushrooms for two days before encountering a ragged, bearded “wild man.” The two relied on each other for a month until the “wild man” suddenly disappeared. Just as Ruan Su was about to give up searching, he stumbled upon the way out of the mountains.
Penniless and destitute, Ruan Su met Zhou Mei, who was collecting wood ear mushrooms. He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt from before his transmigration, with a coat given by the “wild man” draped over it. His appearance was pitiful.
Feeling sorry for him, Zhou Mei took him home. After learning that Ruan Su had no parents or place to go, she discussed with Ruan Jian and they decided to adopt him.
It was then that Ruan Su realized he had transmigrated to a country that didn’t exist in history: Great Yu. This country had three genders: men, women, and ge’er. Ge’er had a red mole on their foreheads and could bear children.
Even though he was originally gay, he couldn’t help but be shocked.
Ruan Su: …
When registering at the government office, Ruan Su repeatedly explained that he was a man and that the red mole on his forehead was something he was born with. Ruan Jian and Zhou Mei insisted, “Yes, ge’er are born with red moles!”
Under their bemused gazes, Ruan Su was unceremoniously registered as a ge’er by the government officials. To avoid delaying Ruan Su’s marriage, Ruan Jian even reported his age as sixteen instead of twenty-two.
Ruan Su: Ha.
Subtracting six from twenty-two, is it?
Taking a deep breath, Ruan Su resigned himself to being a sixteen-year-old ge’er.
Ruan Jian and Zhou Mei had been married for twenty years without children. Ruan Jian’s parents died early, and he had a limp from a childhood accident with a hunting trap that never healed properly, though it wasn’t very noticeable.
Zhou Mei had been mistreated by her stepmother as a child, which left her with health issues. After marrying into the Ruan family, Ruan Jian cherished her and didn’t let her do heavy work. She spent her days taking care of the household, doing embroidery, and occasionally selling mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, or vegetables from their garden.
Ruan Jian had no other siblings, and the Ruan family’s landholdings were modest, with ten mu of paddy fields and fifteen mu of dry fields, barely enough for the two of them to make ends meet.
Though the Ruan family wasn’t wealthy, when Ruan Su proposed making a business of frying sanzi and glutinous rice sticks, Ruan Jian asked if he was confident. The next day, he gave Ruan Su two taels of silver.
Ruan Su often felt that perhaps the heavens were compensating him for being an orphan in his previous life by giving him such kind parents after transmigrating. He was very grateful for this.
Thinking about Ruan Jian working hard in the fields with his limp, Ruan Su frowned and muttered softly, “If only we could buy someone to help.”
After stringing together a hundred wen, Ruan Su put the remaining copper coins into the money pouch, locked the cabinet, and hurried to the kitchen.
“The cured pork is sliced and ready. I’ll go pick some chives. They taste great when stir-fried together.”
Handing a hundred wen to Zhou Mei, Ruan Su ran to the vegetable patch behind the house to gather chives. It was getting late, so he had to hurry.
Looking at the copper coins in her hand, Zhou Mei smiled and went inside to put the money away.
～
Pouring sesame oil into the hot pan, Ruan Su waited for the smoke to dissipate before deftly tossing in minced ginger, chopped scallions, and Sichuan peppercorns. Then he added a spoonful of fermented black beans, stirring until the aroma was released, before adding the sliced cured pork.
The cured pork in Great Yu was quite dry and had to be steamed before it could be sliced. As the spatula pressed down on the pork, the pan crackled and popped. Once the pork was slightly dried, Ruan Su added the chives and poured a bit of yellow wine along the edge of the pan, stir-frying over high heat.
The cured pork was already salty, so there was no need for additional salt. As the aroma of the roasted pork fat wafted through the air, Ruan Su smiled and quickly scooped the dish into a clay bowl.
“The smell is making me dizzy,” Zhou Mei praised. “Your dad might eat five bowls of rice today.”
Ruan Su laughed. “Hahaha, then I’ll serve him more rice later.”
With that, Ruan Su also stir-fried some eggs and cabbage, balancing the meal with both meat and vegetables. Ever since he started earning money, he had been trying to improve the family’s meals.
“Mom, you eat first. I’ll take the food to Dad.”
After scooping the rice, Ruan Su placed the stir-fried chives and cured pork, along with the eggs, into a bowl. He put the stir-fried cabbage on top of the rice and poured the rice soup into a jar. Then he placed everything into a basket and walked briskly towards the rice fields.
The terrain in the Shu region was varied, with fields appearing like terraced steps from the foot of the mountain to the top. Each step was divided into irregular shapes by ditches and ridges.
When the wind blew, the rice stalks on the mountainside would ripple like waves, rolling layer by layer from top to bottom.
At the end of August, the midday sun was still scorching. Ruan Jian was bent over, swiftly cutting the rice with a sickle. His pants were loosely rolled up to his calves, and he was barefoot. Even though his feet were covered in mud, the difference in his right foot was noticeable as he moved.
There were many people harvesting rice at this time. Most families had three or four men, or even seven or eight if they had a large household. But Ruan Jian was alone in his field.
“Ruan Da, hasn’t your wife brought you lunch yet?” Old Man Luo, sitting on the ridge above, took a big bite of his meal and laughed. “Why don’t you eat with us?”
Old Man Luo’s eldest son, Luo Da, and his second son, Luo Yong, sat beside him. Luo Yong chimed in, “Uncle Ruan, why don’t you join us for a bite?”
Ruan Jian shook his head, about to say something, when he heard Ruan Su’s clear voice, “Dad, I’ve brought lunch. Are you hungry?”
Luo Yong’s face suddenly turned red, and he quickly shoveled two mouthfuls of rice into his mouth, falling silent.
Dragging his muddy legs ashore, Ruan Jian said in a muffled voice, “You’re back early today?”
“Yes, I met a generous customer who bought all my leftover cakes,” Ruan Su replied, taking out a bowl. It was a large earthenware bowl filled with tightly packed white rice, topped with green cabbage.
Even before opening the basket, Ruan Jian could smell the aroma of the oil. Despite being prepared, he was still surprised to see a full bowl of stir-fried chives and cured pork, along with scrambled eggs.
He knew Ruan Su must have done well today; otherwise, they wouldn’t have both meat and eggs.
Old Man Luo also caught a whiff of the aroma and curiously asked, “What did Ruan ge’er cook? It smells amazing.”
“It’s stir-fried chives and cured pork. Uncle Luo, have a taste.”
Ruan Su whispered to Ruan Jian, “Uncle Luo’s family often helps us. Dad, you should eat with them.”
Ruan Jian nodded. Old Man Luo’s wife, Li Guihua, often invited Zhou Mei to pick mushrooms in the mountains. Seeing that their days weren’t easy, Old Man Luo occasionally asked Luo Yong to deliver firewood to the Ruan family.
Seeing Ruan Jian silently carrying the food up to the ridge, Ruan Su chuckled and had to call out, “Uncle Luo, try my cooking. My dad doesn’t talk much, so please bear with him.”
Old Man Luo laughed, “Hey, you’re right. Your dad is the type who wouldn’t say a word even if you hit him with a stick.”
Ruan Su smiled, picked up the sickle Ruan Jian had left behind, took off his cloth shoes, and rolled up his pants, ready to head into the field. But then he heard Ruan Jian say, “Don’t go into the field. You still have other work to do this afternoon.”
“It’s not urgent.” With his feet sinking into the soft mud, Ruan Su said softly, “I’ll just cut for a bit. There’s not much to do this afternoon, so take your time eating.”
“Ruan ge’er is so filial.” Old Man Luo bit into a piece of cured pork, the rich flavor bursting in his mouth. It was perfectly seasoned and delicious.
He smacked his lips and praised, “Ruan ge’er, with your skills, you could easily find work as a cook in any restaurant in the city.”
Ruan Jian silently shoveled a large mouthful of rice into his mouth, eating without responding.
Meanwhile, after leaving the Ruan family, Matchmaker Liu didn’t even stop for lunch. She hurriedly took a bullock cart into Jinguan City. Finding an inn, she was led by a waiter to a room. She knocked on the door, and once she heard a response from inside, she quickly entered and said, “Second Young Master Qin, the Ruan family’s ge’er refused.”
A man sat by the Eight Immortals table, with a high nose and thin lips, his phoenix eyes carrying a hint of frost. He was very handsome. Hearing Matchmaker Liu’s words, he frowned and asked, “Why? Was the betrothal gift too modest?”
“No,” Matchmaker Liu said, sneaking a glance at his expression and smiling awkwardly. “The Ruan family’s ge’er said he wants to buy a man from the traffickers to be a live-in husband.”
“A live-in husband?”
The man repeated softly, a thoughtful look crossing his eyes. The room suddenly fell into an uncomfortable silence.
Author’s Note:
Ruan Su: Sigh, no one understands. I was born with a red mole. How can I be a ge’er?
Qin Yunxiao: Buying a live-in husband, huh~