The bright sun warmed the road. After quickly delivering five sets of clothes worth one hundred thousand, the mother and her two children went out with money in their pockets.
Because she had found work, Yu Chun felt relaxed. Cao Rong was happy. Seeing them happy, Cao Fang grinned from ear to ear.
When they reached the food street, Yu Chun took out ten copper coins and handed them to Cao Rong to buy a portion of sliced mixed cold cuts. Then they sat down at a wonton stall at the corner of a bluestone alley.
They watched as the vendor skillfully dropped meat filling into thin wrappers, pinched and tossed them—wontons flipping in the pot like little golden fish. The steaming chicken broth, mixed with the scent of scallions, was irresistible.
“Boss, two bowls of wontons!”
“What did you say, honored guest?”
“Mother, let me,” Cao Rong smiled helplessly. “Shopkeeper, how much are your wontons?”
“What a clever and handsome young lad. Three coins per bowl—two bowls will be enough for the three of you!”
“Alright!” Yu Chun smiled awkwardly, not noticing Cao Rong’s familiarity. “Your business seems good, still open at this hour!”
“These days are unsettled. Fewer people come to eat wontons. My whole family depends on this stall—we have no choice but to keep working.”
Only then did Yu Chun look closely at the vendor. He appeared in his forties, dressed in coarse clothes—just an ordinary passerby.
Yet his stove was spotless, his cloth clean, and he even used a steamer to sanitize bowls. His movements were efficient and neat—he didn’t seem like a typical street vendor.
Was competition this intense? Could Yu Chun’s father really find work? And her mother?
“You… shopkeeper, haven’t you always done this?”
“Madam has a keen eye. My family has run food businesses in Chang’an for generations. Our ancestral home is in Weizhou, Hedong. Last month, Hedong urgently levied taxes and grain. The county officer forced a loan of five hundred strings of cash. I had no choice but to sell my shop and send money home. Now I can only rely on this skill to feed my family.”
“It’s hard for everyone.”
The wontons rolled in the boiling pot. Their jade-like wrappers revealed pink meat inside. A sprinkle of scallions, a ladle of hot bone broth, and a couple drops of sesame oil—the aroma rose instantly.
“Madam, your wontons are ready.”
The vendor placed two pairs of chopsticks on the bowls and brought them over.
“A Rong, can you eat by yourself?”
“Yes, Mother, I can.”
“Thank you.” Taking the extra bowl the vendor gave, Yu Chun fed Cao Fang a little. Only then did she notice a small string of silver-white beads in Cao Fang’s mouth, tied with a red cord—clearly valuable, likely a waist ornament.
It had been hidden in her padded coat earlier.
“A Rong, what’s this your sister has?”
Cao Rong sniffed and looked at her innocently. “A pretty auntie gave it to her. I said we shouldn’t take it, but she said she had many and that it could save her life. She said it’s a secret between her and my sister.”
“Huh?”
Wasn’t that the owner of Hongyan House?
“How did you meet that pretty auntie?”
“We were walking in that courtyard. Sister ran off and climbed into her room. A fierce uncle tried to stop her, but the auntie said she was just a child, about the same age as her daughter. She carried Cao Fang, and when my sister called her ‘Ayi,’ she gave her this. She also praised me as a good brother, gave us pastries, and brought us to find you.”
Cao Rong’s eyes shifted—he was clearly hiding something.
Having studied childcare and education, Yu Chun knew how to handle it.
“So you and your sister have a little secret now. But next time, you must tell Mother. If we accept something valuable, even if we’re poor, we should repay it someday—even a handmade flower is fine. Remember that.”
“Yes, I remember!”
“Hurry and eat. We still need to go home and cook for your father and grandparents—they’ve been tired all day.”
Relieved, Cao Rong buried his head in eating.
Silver seemed rare in this era, worth about a string of cash. Three coins for a bowl of wontons—these six little beads could save a life in critical moments.
Thinking of Cao Jie, Yu Chun couldn’t help but remind him again.
“Since it’s your secret, let’s hide it. When you get the chance, you must repay that lady properly.”
“Yes, yes!”
Cao Rong nodded vigorously.
Yu Chun exchanged the item from Cao Fang with wontons—and was shocked.
The six small beads were as heavy as a large apple. Clearly not silver—this had to be gold.
Only gold had such density.
This wasn’t hollow gold like in later times—it was solid. She didn’t know how much it was worth.
Before she could think further, Cao Fang began fussing. Yu Chun quickly put the chain into the basket at her feet, fed the baby, finished the remaining wontons, thanked the vendor, and headed home.
Perhaps she could ask about running a stall in the future. If things became unbearable, she might have to sell food herself—but that would be after the war.
In today’s Chang’an, food was as precious as gold.
“What are you doing?”
Life was full of surprises.
She had just been thinking about food, only to find Cao Jie loading their grain onto a cart.
As Cao Jie had once said, the original Yu Chun must have anticipated war—their household had a huge stockpile.
Beside their main room was a hidden compartment. Beneath stone slabs in a narrow passage was a concealed cellar. Inside were ten large jars filled with unhulled wheat—at least two thousand jin.
Grain worth less than three strings of cash had now multiplied in value.
There were also dried vegetables and sweet potatoes Yu Chun had prepared.
Even one or two years of famine wouldn’t starve them.
Another cellar near the kitchen stored fresh sweet potatoes, cabbages, and corn. The cupboards held wheat and dried sweet potatoes.
“Mother and the others went to buy grain today. One dou has risen to two hundred coins. Mother knows we have plenty, so she asked us to lend them some. They’ll repay us after next year’s harvest.”
“You told them about all our stored grain? When you bought it, didn’t you tell them to buy some?” Yu Chun stared coldly at him, anger boiling like lava.
“You’ve always been stingy. I only have one brother. In times of chaos, we need to stick together to survive.” Cao Jie’s smile faded, his face turning cold.
“And what about your mother? Don’t you care? You only care about your own family!”
“My family? My father brought a cart full of grain! They listened to me. But your parents? I nearly died, and they gave me just two or three sweet potatoes! Why can your nephew eat luxury snacks while my children can only watch? Whose children are these?!”
“You only compare yourself to others! Why don’t you marry into a rich family then? Go! Get out now—get out!”
Cao Jie shoved her toward the door, pushing her and the children outside with force. Cao Fang fell and cried loudly. Yu Chun checked Cao Rong, whose leg had twisted painfully, his face pale but silent.
‘Not my husband. Not my husband. Not my husband—’
Breathe in—breathe out—
“Cao! You heartless beast! My sister married you with virtue, built everything with you from nothing, and this is how you treat her? Are you even human?”
“Ah Xiao, don’t speak nonsense,” Yu Chun’s father pulled him back, then turned to Cao Jie with a placating smile. “If she’s wrong, just scold her—why hit her? These are your own children. Isn’t this shameful?”
“I didn’t! She was being unreasonable!” Seeing the children’s condition, Cao Jie felt some regret.
After shouting, he retreated into the kitchen and sat down.
“Ah Xiao, take A Rong to check his leg—it might be broken.”
Hearing this, Cao Jie took out money from his pouch and handed it over. Yu Xiao refused, but Yu Chun’s father accepted it and stuffed it into his hand.
“Go quickly. The child comes first.”
Only then did Yu Xiao reluctantly carry the child toward the clinic they had seen earlier.