After the gambling house incident, Shen Qingyue deliberately arranged for two lackeys to keep watch on every move the place made.
For seven straight days, the gambling house showed no activity at all.
Had the storm really just blown over like that?
Were the two owners of the gambling den really so magnanimous?
While keeping an eye on the place, Shen Qingyue also racked her brains over how to earn money to get by.
Scarcity made things valuable. The glass cups had already been sold once—selling them again so soon wasn’t wise. Even if she could make money, it would easily arouse suspicion.
Hunting pheasants and rabbits in the mountains didn’t bring much profit, and going after ferocious beasts was far too eye-catching.
She needed to find a suitable way to make money…
Just then, Liu Cuihua walked out of the kitchen and instructed her, “Qingyue, we’ve run out of sugar at home. When you go to the county town, buy some on the way back.”
Shen Qingyue’s thoughts stirred, and an idea immediately formed.
There were plenty of things in ancient times that could be used to make sugar.
She remembered that cogongrass roots would work.
Once processed, the sugar could be sold directly or used to make pastries—sweet cakes, mung-bean cakes, glutinous rice balls, and the like.
Shen Qingyue was a woman of action. After finishing her meal, she went to the woodshed, lifted a basket, and called out to Shen Er’ya, “Come on—go up the mountain with your brother to dig grass roots.”
Shen Er’ya didn’t hesitate. She set aside what she was doing and followed. After walking a short distance, she asked in confusion, “What are we digging grass roots for? Feeding the chickens?”
Two days earlier, Liu Cuihua had bought a rooster and a hen from the village chief’s family and was hoping every day for them to lay eggs.
Thinking Shen Qingyue didn’t understand poultry, Shen Er’ya smiled and reminded him, “Eating grass roots won’t make them lay eggs—you have to catch bugs for them.”
Shen Qingyue corrected her, “Not for feeding chickens. We’re using them to make sugar.”
“Grass roots can make sugar?” Shen Er’ya’s whole face screamed disbelief. “Brother, you’re joking, right?”
Shen Qingyue didn’t explain much. “You’ll see when the time comes.”
Shen Er’ya was very familiar with the surrounding hills and knew exactly which slopes had grass roots. Soon, they found a good spot and each dug a full basket.
On their way back to the village, they happened to be seen by villagers resting at the entrance.
Once Shen Qingyue had gone far enough— the villagers began whispering among themselves:
“Didn’t Gou Dan hunt a wild boar some time ago? He should’ve sold it for a few copper coins—how did they end up so poor they’re digging grass roots?”
“What else could it be? Either Gou Dan spent it all eating, drinking, and having fun, or Shen Dabiao gambled it away.”
“That’s not right—I heard the Shen family bought an ox cart. Don’t know if it’s true, though.”
“With Gou Dan and Shen Dabiao, those two wastrels, how could the Shen family afford an ox cart? Your news is fake. They’ve fallen so low they’re digging grass roots—must be that the family’s out of grain, so poor they can’t even keep the pot boiling.”
“The Shen family doesn’t have a single good person. Serves them right that they can’t save money—if they starve to death, they brought it on themselves!”
Hunter Chen, who had once been saved by Shen Qingyue and had always kept it in his heart, immediately stiffened his neck and argued back, “Search your consciences! A few days ago Gou Dan sold you pork at twenty-two copper coins a jin—was that not righteous enough?”
“The Shen family is so poor they can only eat grass roots now!”
“If you’re not going to help, then stop making sarcastic remarks here!”
Niu Dazhu slammed his hoe down and said in a rough voice, “Hunter Chen! Have you forgotten how the Shen family used to bully the villagers?”
“The year before last, my mother fell to the ground. Gou Dan saw her—not only did he not help her up, he even cursed at her to get lost, calling her a dying old woman!”
“Luckily a kind neighbor helped her back home.”
As soon as Madam He heard this, she slapped her thigh angrily. “Gou Dan really isn’t anything! Last year my little Bao was only three. He wasn’t steady on his feet and accidentally bumped into him—Gou Dan immediately smacked the kid on the backside!
“When I got home and pulled down Bao’s pants to look, the handprint was red and swollen—it didn’t fade for three whole days!
“The child cried until his voice went hoarse. Is that something a human would do?”
Aunt Zhang also stepped forward to accuse him. “There’s something even more infuriating! My chicken just pecked a few bites of vegetables from his plot, and he directly slaughtered it and boiled a huge pot of soup!
“I went to demand an explanation, and what did he do? Right in front of me, he fished the chicken out of the pot and ate every last bit!
“That was the only hen in my family that laid eggs!”
The villagers grew more and more agitated.
Old Man Yang wiped the corner of his eyes as he complained:
“Everyone knows my Wangcai is well-behaved. That rotten Gou Dan tricked him with a bone into running around the village three full laps, until Wangcai was panting like a bellows!
“And then guess what? He turned around and tossed the bone to that mangy dog from Old Wang’s family next door!
“Wangcai got so angry he fell sick!”
Second Rascal also came to add fuel to the fire. “And our Xiao Qiang—”
Hunter Chen didn’t want to keep listening to the villagers listing the Shen family’s misdeeds and cut in, “The Shen family is so poor they’re eating grass roots now. If nobody lends a hand, the whole family might starve to death. We’re all from the same village—if you won’t help, then at least say less.”
…
Not long after Shen Qingyue returned home, before the grass roots had even been washed clean, someone knocked on the courtyard gate.
Hunter Chen came in carrying two sacks of grain.
His steps were slower than an ordinary person’s—it was obvious the injuries he’d suffered on the mountain last time hadn’t fully healed.
With a simple, honest smile on his face, he held out the grain sacks with both hands. “Qingyue, thanks again for saving me last time. I happen to have some surplus grain at home, so I brought you some.”
He remembered Shen Qingyue saying she didn’t like being called Gou Dan, so he used her name.
Shen Qingyue swept her gaze over the sacks—each looked to be about five jin, close to ten jin in total. In a time of famine, grain was precious, and most households barely had any to spare.
She pushed the sacks back. “It was nothing—no need to bring a gift specially.”
Hunter Chen grew anxious and blurted out what was on his mind: “Your family’s so poor you’re eating grass roots—hurry and take them!”
Shen Qingyue was full of question marks for a second, then reacted and laughed. “Hunter Chen, you’ve misunderstood. The grass roots have another use—we’re not eating them directly.”
In Hunter Chen’s understanding, grass roots and elm bark were things people used to stave off hunger in famine years. Seeing the Shen family digging them meant they had no grain left at all.
He thought Shen Qingyue was too embarrassed to accept his grain and was deliberately making excuses to refuse.
Touched, he simply put the sacks on the table and said sincerely, “You must take this grain. If it’s not enough, come find me again.”
With that, he didn’t wait for her to explain and turned to leave.
Hunter Chen had barely gone— when Xu Sanlang stepped in right after him, also holding a sack of grain. It was much smaller, only about three jin or so.
Seeing his intention, Shen Qingyue said earnestly, “I really don’t need you all to bring grain.”
“This is what you gave my family last time. I’m just returning it.”
Xu Sanlang said only that one line, set down the sack, and left.
Looking at the three sacks of grain, Shen Qingyue spread her hands helplessly. “I already said no—yet they insisted on bringing it.”
Liu Cuihua walked over, opened one sack, and peeked inside. When she saw the coarse rice and millet, her voice choked with emotion.
“This is the first time our Shen family has ever received anything given by the villagers.”
“In the past, when we didn’t have a single mouthful of grain, not one person in the whole village helped us.”
“Now, just because they think we’re eating grass roots, they’re all rushing to bring us grain!”
She looked at Shen Qingyue proudly. “My child is truly amazing!”
At the same time, a wave of regret rose in her heart.
If only Qingyue were a man.
But she just had to be a woman!
Who knew when she would finally be able to take off her male disguise and return to being her true self…