The entire morning, He Xiaoya had been restless, even her sweeping lacked its usual spirit. She was worried. They spent so much on capital; what if they couldn’t sell it and lost everything?
“Big Sister-in-law, we’re back!”
Wang Xiaosi rushed into the house like a gust of wind, clutching three jin of pork belly.
“How was it? Did you sell it all?”
“We sold out ages ago!” Wang Xiaosi said, beaming with joy. “Big Sister-in-law, guess how much money we made?”
“Tell me! You’re killing me with suspense!”
“Three hundred and twenty-five wen!”
Heavens!
He Xiaoya felt her heart leap into her throat. If they could make this much every day, they would never have to live a hard life again. Her own family would no longer look down on Dazhuang, and they wouldn’t stop her from going back home to visit. Thinking of this, He Xiaoya’s nose stung, and her eyes reddened.
“Big Sister-in-law,” Wang Xiaosi asked, “why are you crying?”
“It’s nothing,” He Xiaoya said, wiping away her tears. “Where are Mother and the others?”
“They’re right behind me, they’ll be here soon,” Wang Xiaosi said, handing her the pork belly. “Mother said we’re having red-braised pork tonight.”
He Xiaoya’s tears threatened to fall again. In an ordinary family, people would only buy a piece of meat this size for the New Year… Ever since the day Er Dan’s engagement was broken, Mother seemed like a different person. Though she was still a bit cold, she had never scolded her again, she provided them with good food, and she had even found a way to earn so much money. As her daughter-in-law, she vowed she would be filial and take good care of their home.
Before long, Li Yao and the others arrived home. After a quick lunch, the family plunged back into their busy routine. Since they had more supplies today, they had to divide the braising process into two pots, but everyone was highly motivated by the profits, and they finished everything well before dusk.
“I’m going to make the red-braised pork,” Li Yao said after a short rest. “Xiaoya, come and learn.”
“Yes, Mother.”
She washed the meat in warm water, cut it into small cubes, blanched them, and drained them. She heated the wok, poured in some oil, and stir-fried the meat until the fat rendered and the surface turned golden. She added water, salt, ginger slices, scallions, star anise, cinnamon, a touch of sugar for flavor, and soy sauce for color, then brought it to a boil before lowering the heat to simmer for forty minutes.
As she lifted the lid, a rich, meaty aroma flooded the room. The meat had become soft and tender; it was a vibrant, glistening red, shimmering and trembling—the color was brilliant, and it looked like it would melt the moment it touched one’s tongue.
He Xiaoya was stunned. As long as she had lived, she had never seen red-braised pork that looked or smelled this incredible!
With the money earned and the luxury of red-braised pork, the family’s dinner was the happiest they had ever shared.
After dinner, Dazhuang pulled the cart over to the old family estate.
“Grandmother, I’m here to return the cart.”
“Why don’t you need it anymore?” Granny Wang asked.
“Need you ask?” The third sister-in-law, Shen, chimed in immediately, her voice dripping with schadenfreude. “Business isn’t that easy to do. They must not have sold anything and lost all their money.”
“Bah! Nothing good ever comes out of your mouth! Can’t you say anything pleasant?”
“I’m just stating the facts…”
Granny Wang glared at her. “You dare talk back? Do you want a beating, you lazy thing? Get back to chopping grass!”
Shen pursed her lips and went back to work.
Granny Wang looked at Dazhuang and sighed inwardly. Though she didn’t get along with her eldest daughter-in-law and often called her ungrateful, she had secretly hoped the business would succeed. But now that they were returning the cart, she assumed it truly hadn’t sold.
“Let her take a loss; it’ll stop her from being so restless,” Granny Wang said. “Dazhuang, if you’re really out of grain, I have some buckwheat flour here. Take it back to tide you over for a few days.”
“It’s not like that, Grandmother,” Dazhuang quickly clarified. “We sold out today!”
“Huh?” Granny Wang blinked, stunned. “Sold out?”
“Yes! I only came to return the cart because we bought a new one.”
“Then… then… Did you make any money?”
“We did.”
Granny Wang cursed herself inwardly for even asking. Li Yao, that shrew of an eldest daughter-in-law—she was the kind of woman who would skin a stone if it meant getting half a copper coin out of it. Would she ever make a losing deal?
“If you made money, good, that means my grain will be safe,” Granny Wang said, her heart softening even as her tone remained sharp. “Go back and tell your mother: just because she’s got a few coins doesn’t mean she can go around tossing money away! Save it for Er Dan’s wedding! And another thing—stop sending so much to her own mother’s house!!!”
“Yes, Grandmother.”
Third sister-in-law Shen, who was still chopping grass nearby, felt a pang of jealousy. “Oh, look at you worrying so much. Big Sister-in-law makes all that money, and it’s hers. She’s not going to give you a single coin…”
“Are you looking for a beating today?” Granny Wang flared up instantly. “She’s raising four sons on her own; what do I need from her? You’re so sweet with your words, but how many coins have you ever given me?”
Shen had no choice but to bite her tongue, though she remained deeply indignant. Didn’t she hand over every cent her husband, the third brother, earned?
“Oh, and Grandmother,” Dazhuang said, pulling out ten copper coins. “Mother said this is for using the cart.”
“Why give money for borrowing something? Is she so rich she doesn’t know where to spend it?”
“Mother said we have to pay, otherwise it won’t be easy to borrow next time.”
Hearing that, Granny Wang felt a small spark of warmth. The eldest daughter-in-law had finally learned how to act like a decent person.
“Fine, I’ll take it.”
Still, she couldn’t help but feel that this daughter-in-law was somehow… different. In the past, never mind being generous with ten wen; she wouldn’t have been able to squeeze out even half a coin. Nevertheless, Granny Wang tucked the money away happily and shot a stern glare at Shen. Learn from this! Now that’s what I call being filial!
Over the next few days, Li Yao continued to accompany them to the market. After they closed up shop each day, she had the children count the money and tally the accounts themselves. Wang Er, who had studied, found the arithmetic easy. Under his guidance, Dazhuang and Wang Sisan could manage simple calculations, though they struggled once the numbers grew larger.
What surprised Li Yao was Wang Xiaosi. Despite his age and complete lack of prior education, he learned at an incredible speed. Within a few days, he was already performing simple multiplication. He was likely going to be the clever one of the bunch. As for Dazhuang and Wang Sisan, it was clear they lacked the aptitude for academics, so she would have to make other arrangements for them later.
“Mother, we made 750 wen today, 15 wen more than yesterday.”
“Write it down in the account book.”
“Already done.”
Keeping the accounts was Wang Er’s new task. Every cent of income, the cost of materials, and miscellaneous expenses were meticulously recorded on paper. This way, they could see exactly how much surplus cash they had at a glance. In just a few days, they had accumulated 3,000 wen in net profit. While it wasn’t as much as the herbs had brought in, it was a steady, flowing income—and most importantly, Dazhuang and the others could handle it, requiring little of Li Yao’s direct supervision.
The income brought a taste of success to the whole family, and they worked diligently from dawn till dusk. But by the sixth day, the customer traffic suddenly dropped significantly. Near midday, they still had about thirty bowls left.
“We have so much left—what are we going to do?”
“If only we’d made less today.”
Dazhuang was sweating with anxiety, unable to come up with a solution. If they waited until tomorrow, the quality would drop drastically.
Li Yao, however, remained calm. The novelty had worn off, and given the harsh famine, a drop in traffic was inevitable. She had anticipated this and already had a contingency plan.
“We’re moving,” Li Yao said. “It’s not too late yet. Let’s pack up and move to the entrance of the Academy.”
Wang Er’s heart skipped a beat. The Academy? Doesn’t that mean we might run into Young Uncle? And his classmates? And the tutor?
Recalling the humiliation he had endured at their hands, Wang Er felt a deep, visceral resistance; he couldn’t even bring himself to lift his feet. Seeing his expression shift, Li Yao knew exactly what was wrong, but she didn’t probe further. As a boy, he had to learn to face these things with courage himself.