The three brothers bought some sweets at the market to bring home for the kids and hurried back.
Once home, they rushed inside to count the money.
With a clatter, all the coins from the money bag spilled onto the table.
Old Madam Su squinted her eyes in delight at the large pile of copper coins before her.
After counting, they totaled 440 wen—not including the 15 wen they had spent at the market and the 20 wen paid in taxes.
This meant that today’s total earnings came to 475 wen.
Old Master Su calculated for a while and frowned. Something didn’t add up.
“A six-wen per jin fish, and that big one was only 58 jin… that should only be a little over 300 wen. How did it become 475 wen?”
Su Erlang chuckled. “Father, you don’t understand— brother Sanlang doesn’t just sell at six wen. He adjusts the price depending on the buyer. The wealthy pay nine or ten wen, and only the poor ones pay six.”
Old Madam Su patted her third son on the shoulder, clearly pleased.
“You got your cleverness from me,” she said, teasingly glancing at Old Master Su.
Everyone stared at the money in amazement. These were simple villagers who barely made enough to survive off the land. A yearly harvest of less than a tael of silver, leaving only a few hundred wen after expenses—it was a remarkable sum.
Su Erlang was itching with excitement, wishing he could go catch a few more fish right away.
But since it was their little niece who had taken brother Sanlang along, he hadn’t even seen the event himself and wanted to witness it firsthand.
He eagerly asked his brother Sanlang, “Brother, are we going again tomorrow?”
“Whether we go or not depends on your niece,” Brother Su Sanlang replied. “Without our little treasure, we wouldn’t even catch a single shrimp.”
Everyone burst into laughter.
“Don’t get your hopes up. Even if she could get you more fish, it’ll have to wait. We’ll see at the next big market day.”
Old Master Su was worried that his reckless sons might pester their niece, Fu Bao, to go fishing again.
If it weren’t a market day, any mishap could be fatal, and the fish would only end up pickled—a shame indeed.
Their market days were the first and fifteenth of every month. Other days, the town had buyers too, but not nearly as many as on the main market days.
“Father, in a while we’ll need to prepare New Year goods. Then we can catch some fish to sell.”
Old Madam Su, always fond of money, eagerly thought about selling fish near the New Year, when prices would be high—especially to wealthy buyers who couldn’t do without fish for the celebrations.
Su Sanlang handed the strung coins to Old Madam Su, who was in charge of the money.
Since it was their little treasure who had helped catch the fish, Old Madam Su decided she deserved a share. Thinking further, the sons rarely had savings, so it was a good opportunity to give each family a small allowance.
Selling just one fish had earned them three to four hundred wen—a sum equal to half a year’s earnings.
Each family received 50 wen, and Old Madam Su set aside another 50 wen for their little treasure.
The rest she brought inside and stored safely.
The three brothers felt slightly embarrassed, especially the first and second, since they had contributed little and just gone to sell the fish.
Their mother had given 50 wen, which they felt they hardly deserved.
Knowing it was their little niece who had actually caught the fish made them even more embarrassed.
The two brothers counted out ten wen and handed it to brother Su Sanlang.
“The big fish was for our little treasure. Without her, we couldn’t have caught such a large one. Use this ten wen to buy her some sweets.”
Brother Su Sanlang scratched his head. Since it was meant for their little treasure, he couldn’t refuse.
“Thanks, brothers. I’ll accept it on her behalf and give it to her later.”
After tucking the coins into his pocket, Brother Su Sanlang went into his house and saw his wife making shoes.
He crept in and whispered, “Hey, honey.”
The sudden voice startled Tao Xiu, making her jump. “You scoundrel! Must you always sneak up like that? If you scare our little treasure, I swear I’ll—”
Su Sanlang shamelessly leaned closer. “Come on, I didn’t! Our little girl saw me as soon as I came in.”
Tao Xiu turned toward the bed and saw their little daughter smiling brightly at them. Her cheeks flushed instantly. She hurriedly pushed Su Sanlang aside. “She’s still here! Go—go sit somewhere else.”
Su Sanlang pulled out the coins from his pocket and handed them to her.
“Where did all this money come from?” she asked.
“Oh, it must be from selling the fish. Mother gave it to me—surely I didn’t just find it lying around.”
Tao Xiu was surprised. Her mother-in-law was usually so frugal, yet today she had given such a generous sum. But then again, it was thanks to mother’s thriftiness over the years that they had managed to survive the hard times.
Su Sanlang then handed another 20 wen to their little daughter, who was sitting on the bed with a book.
“This is money from your eldest and second uncle to buy you sweets. Ten wen each, so here’s 20.”
Little Su Muyao realized it must have been Grandma who divided it. The uncles felt a bit embarrassed, so they let her have ten wen each.
She looked at her father. “Father, aren’t you giving me ten wen too?”
Su Sanlang gave a dramatic turn. “What? You want your father’s money too? Poor me! Your mother manages all the money; I don’t even have any on hand.”
He fixed his gaze on the coins in her hands. Seeing this, Su Muyao quickly put the 20 wen into her little satchel.
“Fine, keep it. But don’t even think about stealing a child’s money! That’s unethical.”
Su Sanlang rolled his eyes. “Who cares? You’re so stingy.” With that, he left the room.
Old Master Su saw his son Su Sanlang exit and called him over.
Su Sanlang hurried to the main hall. “Father, why?”
“Tomorrow, take your wife to town and buy two sets of clothes for our little Fu Bao. The weather’s getting colder.”
“All right, Father, got it.”
“Don’t be stingy. I’ll have your mother give you a bit extra. Take her with you, buy her whatever she wants, but keep a close eye on her—don’t let her wander off.”
“Don’t worry, Father. I’ll keep her in my arms the whole time. No one’s taking her away.”
Just then, the sound of drums and gongs rang outside. The village chief’s son was gathering the villagers.
“What’s happening now?”
Old Master Su immediately understood—it must be about announcing that their little treasure would help the villagers identify medicinal herbs.
“Village Chief, we’re coming too! And little Fu Bao—hold her carefully.”
Su Muyao, immersed in reading her books, had been flipping through novels about time-traveling to ancient times and using recipes to build wealth. She was thrilled at having brought so many books and recipes—it was a brilliant move.
Lost in her thoughts, she suddenly heard her father calling from the doorway.
“Father?”
“Hurry, put on your shoes. I’m taking you to see the village chief.”
“All right!”
Su Muyao jumped off the bed, slipped on her little cotton shoes, and dashed out.
Brother Su Sanlang scooped up their little daughter and carried her toward the door.