“Second Brother, can you handle brewing the wine on your own?”
Zhao Feng was mulling over something else in her mind—one person’s strength was small, but a group’s strength was immense.
“What’s there I can’t handle? You really think that tavern was propped up by Second Uncle? It was me and Dad who did all the work. I’ve been learning for years now, and Dad says I’m ready to strike out on my own. As long as I keep a steady hand, there’s no problem.”
Zhao Yi had that confidence. He’d been taught hands-on, working diligently alongside for over a decade, starting at age five. Apart from school, it was all brewing. Once he stopped schooling, he focused entirely on brewing and working. After Grandpa passed, he was the one brewing, with his father supervising from the sidelines without interfering—all so he could become a master sooner.
“Good, I understand. The grain Second Uncle gave us won’t last a year anyway. Here’s what—tomorrow, when you have time, get the grain going and start brewing. I’ll buy the supplies.”
Zhao Feng had a plan in mind.
“What are you up to now?”
Fifth Grandpa shot her a glance.
“I’ll tell you once I’ve sold it and made money. No point talking about it without the funds.”
Zhao Feng shook her head, refusing to say.
“She’s full of ideas. Let her do her thing.”
Mrs. Xu had confidence in her daughter—whenever she set her mind to something, she always came back with something, never empty-handed.
Zhao Feng ran to her brother’s room, grabbed paper and brush, and scribbled away, writing out two lists.
Fifth Grandpa picked them up and saw they were names of medicinal herbs she needed, written in a beautiful, elegant small regular script—absolutely stunning. Just that handwriting alone was something to be proud of; her schooling hadn’t been wasted.
“Mmm, Feng’er’s handwriting is truly lovely.”
He handed the lists to Huzi. “When you have time, go to the back mountain and gather these for her. What were you planning to make again?”
“Face cream for women to rub on their skin. I’ll sell it for money.”
“You can really make that work?”
“I can. Xiu’er, remember the face cream I made for you? Wasn’t it good?”
Zhao Xiu nodded. “It worked great. The scent was light and pleasant. My face never broke out with that rash again. Mother, Feng’er is incredibly skilled. Remember when Sister Peony got engaged and her in-laws gave her a jar of face cream?”
“Of course I remember. Her mother bragged about it all over the village—how could I forget?”
Mrs. Qian curled her lip.
“Sister Peony let us use a tiny bit, and I thought it wasn’t as good as what Feng’er makes. It was greasy and wouldn’t spread. I haven’t seen many fine things, but Feng’er’s stuff is far better than Sister Peony’s. That’s definitely something we can sell.”
Zhao Xiu had great faith in Zhao Feng. All the girls of her generation in the village thought well of her and got along with her. The two of them were closest friends—after Feng’er learned to read, she taught them characters and arithmetic, though unfortunately she herself was a slow learner.
“If that’s the case, it can sell.”
Aunt Li nodded too.
“Why didn’t you ever sell it before?”
Mrs. Xu suddenly realized her daughter had secrets too.
Zhao Feng gave a wry smile. “Why would I? Any money I made would just be taken by Grandmother and given to Second Uncle and Third Brother. What would our family get out of it? I’m not stupid. Making this stuff requires fire, and every time I did it, Grandmother would scold for ages and even hit people. Not worth it.”
She’d made it once, to give as a gift to her girlfriends as a token of friendship. If she’d given money, her grandmother would have raised the roof. So she had to find her own way—there were plenty of herbs in the mountains, so she’d gather some and tinker with them herself. Her friends liked it, and she didn’t lose face.
Mrs. Xu pressed her lips together. “It’s my fault for being useless.”
“Mother, don’t say that. I keep telling you, splitting from the family was a good thing. Think about it—no one will hit or scold us anymore. Whether we live well or poorly is up to us. Isn’t that wonderful?”
Zhao Feng smiled.
“We’ve split already. What else can I do?”
Mrs. Xu could only go along with her son. Privately, she didn’t want her children to suffer either. Even when her husband was alive, there was no fairness to be had. Now that he was gone, no one was protecting them. Splitting the family was probably the right call.
“That old woman really is…”
Fifth Grandpa sighed. To make a child resent her so deeply—she truly didn’t know what she was doing.
“When Grandpa was alive, she held back somewhat. But once Grandpa passed, Grandmother didn’t even want me to go to school, and she’d take her anger out on Mother at every turn. She only stopped when Dad threatened to split the family. In the end, Feng’er couldn’t continue her studies, and Dad was furious about it for a long time.”
Zhao Bin spoke up to explain. Even now, thinking about it, he still felt guilty toward his sister. The family clearly had money to pay for her schooling, but they found excuses to stop her—saying Zhao Ran wasn’t studying either. But that was because Zhao Ran was lazy and couldn’t handle the hard work. Why should Feng’er have to give up just because of her?
“People say a family with an elder is like having a treasure. If she could be like other grandmothers—even if she favored the others a little—we’d accept it. But she wouldn’t let my sister study, beat her, and ransacked her room looking for money. That’s what she did.”
Zhao Yi’s face was full of indignation.
“How could anyone do such a thing?”
Aunt Li frowned too. Boys were tough, but daughters were different—you couldn’t just raise a hand to them, at most a scolding. Those who favored one child and made the other work extra, or even hit them, were rare in Zhaojia Village.
“Enough. Whatever else you need for that stuff, write it down and I’ll go buy it for you. You young folks don’t know where the cheapest places are.”
Fifth Grandpa’s heart ached for the children.
“Then help me take a look and give me your opinion. You don’t need to pay—I have money. When my grandfather was sick, he secretly gave me a bit of money, and I’ve been hiding it away, never willing to spend it. I can also earn a little from copying books. Once I buy it, I’ll teach Xiu’er to do it together, and later she can earn some pocket money too.”
“Really, Feng’er? I can learn it.”
Xiu’er got excited the moment she heard this, her eyes lighting up.
Mrs. Qian tugged at her daughter’s sleeve. “Your sister Feng’er is having a hard time right now—why are you fighting her over this?”
“Auntie, I’m happy to teach Xiu’er, and I really do need her help. This thing isn’t complicated, it just requires care. She can learn it. But before learning this, she needs to learn arithmetic. Have you memorized the multiplication table yet? Have you practiced your writing? What about the sand tray?”
Xiu’er shrank her head back. “I’ll practice tomorrow. I was busy today and didn’t get around to it.”
“You must learn it. Otherwise, you won’t even be able to keep accounts straight when dealing with people. A skill you learn is yours for life—it won’t do you wrong.”
Zhao Feng genuinely cared for her young friend. A girl who could read, write, and do arithmetic could marry into a good family anywhere around here.
“If you’re going to learn, then learn seriously. It’s for your own good—no slacking off.”
Mrs. Qian gave her daughter a pat.
No wonder all the uncles and aunties in the village liked the girl Feng’er—she knew how to take care of people and treated you with genuine sincerity. Her temper was just a bit sharp, that was all. Over the years, she and her brother had been teaching the village children to read and do arithmetic, without a single break.
“Ow, fine, I’ll learn, alright? No hitting!”
Xiu’er rubbed the sore spot on the back of her head and shot her mother a disgruntled glare.
“Don’t follow the example of those kids who lack perseverance. When someone teaches you the right path, you put in real effort and study hard. Do you know how much a month of tuition costs? Those children don’t appreciate it, but you can’t be like that.”
Mrs. Qian warned her daughter.
“I know.”
Xiu’er pouted, while Zhao Feng pressed her lips together and stifled a laugh.