They had left early, and it was only just past the early morning hours (chen time) when they were on their way home.
On the road, they even ran into a bullock cart, and Old Wang, who was driving, warmly greeted them.
At the Yan family home, everyone was sitting in the courtyard, waiting for the young couple, Yan Zihao and Lu Qingran. Yan Silang and Yan Zimeng, the twin five-year-olds, occasionally ran to the gate to peek outside.
“Father! Mother! Big brother and sister-in-law are back!” The twins shouted excitedly when they spotted Yan Zihao and Lu Qingran in the distance.
The family’s situation was still tight. Though they said they would eat it themselves if the mushrooms didn’t sell, deep down, they hoped to earn some money. Hearing the twins’ shout, Yan Ziyi quickly jumped up and ran toward the gate.
“Big brother, did they buy it?”
Watching the anxious boy, Lu Qingran sighed silently.
Ah, at this age, in modern times he’d still be a middle school kid, but here in the past, he’s already worrying about making a living.
Under Yan Ziyi’s tense and eager gaze, Yan Zihao nodded.
“Father! Mother! It sold, it sold!” Yan Ziyi shouted.
Upon hearing this, Yan Father and Mother were visibly excited.
“Zihao, the tavern really bought it?” Yan Mother still found it hard to believe and repeated the question to Yan Zihao.
“Really, Mother! Thirty wen per jin! Here’s today’s earnings. We spent 14 wen on breakfast, and the rest is all here. Please take it,” Yan Zihao said, pulling out a string of copper coins from his pocket and handing them to Yan Mother.
Yan Mother tried to refuse, but Yan Zihao said, “Mother, Qingran and I have discussed it. You take this money. Once the fields are settled, we’ll repair the house. Things will only get better from here.”
“Good, good, good! Qingran is a good girl. Our Yan family is lucky to have married you!” Yan Mother’s eyes glistened with tears. Yan Ziyi and Yan Zimeng, being slightly older, also felt grateful to Lu Qingran and silently vowed to treat their sister-in-law well.
Lu Qingran smiled, “Mother, being part of this family is my blessing too.”
“Good, good, good!” Yan Mother repeated, truly satisfied with her daughter-in-law.
The Yan family originally only had one bamboo basket and a single carrying basket. Yesterday, Yan Father had woven two bamboo baskets. Hearing they were going mushroom picking today, he quickly made a small carrying basket early this morning.
After putting away the money from Yan Zihao, the whole family set off for the mountain, even Yan Silang and Yan Zimeng, the five-year-old twins.
The mountain was full of chicken mushrooms. Villagers usually avoided picking them, so it was a windfall for the Yan family. Within just over an hour, their baskets and carrying baskets were filled.
Seeing more clusters of mushrooms further up the mountain, nobody wanted to go down.
“Father! Mother! Let’s head back first. The villagers won’t touch these mushrooms anyway—they’re all ours. We’ve already picked so many. After lunch, we can come back to pick more,” Lu Qingran suggested.
Yan Mother agreed. With that, the family hurried down the mountain.
Since the heavy rain, the weather had been excellent.
After more than a day, the ground had dried, and the descent was no longer slippery.
Returning to the Yan family home, it was already mid-noon (second quarter of wu time). Lu Qingran originally planned for Yan Zihao and his brother to eat first before delivering the mushrooms to the Futian Tavern in town. But Yan Ziyi couldn’t wait and argued:
“Big brother, it’s noon. Everyone in the village is at home having lunch. Carrying this many mushrooms, it’s safe—they won’t see us. We should go quickly and return quickly.”
Understanding his younger brother’s thoughts, Yan Zihao didn’t argue. After discussing with Lu Qingran and Yan Mother, the two brothers carried their haul quickly toward town.
The Futian Tavern was packed at noon.
As soon as they entered, they saw several tables already serving chicken mushroom soup and chicken mushroom stir-fry. Their eyes lit up.
“Oh! You’re here! The mushrooms you sent early this morning are almost sold out. I was worried and forgot to ask where you live! Did you bring a lot this time?” the plump shopkeeper asked excitedly from behind the counter.
“Quite a lot, all freshly picked,” Yan Zihao replied.
“Good!”
This batch of chicken mushrooms was nearly 60 jin. Holding almost two taels of silver in their hands, Yan Ziyi was still in shock. It was only the second time in his life he’d seen so much money, and the first time holding it. Carefully, he handed it to Yan Zihao, looking around to ensure nobody was coveting it.
“Ziyi, are you hungry? Want something to eat?” Yan Zihao asked.
“No, Big brother. Mother surely left food for us. We’ll eat when we get back,” Yan Ziyi replied.
Seeing this, Yan Zihao smiled. Previously, when selling ginseng, Lu Qingran had given him one tael of silver in copper coins. After buying some essentials, plenty remained, and Lu Qingran told him to keep it for later.
Yan Zihao went to a nearby bun stall, bought two meat buns, and handed them to Yan Ziyi. “Have a snack first. We’re going to buy a jin of meat to take home.”
“Big brother, we just ate meat the day before yesterday,” Yan Ziyi reminded him.
Yan Zihao understood. The family had been poor, barely eating meat all year, but now they had a way to earn. He wanted them to eat well, especially since his little wife was too thin.
Because of the hot weather, they didn’t buy much meat—just one jin. Then the brothers began their return journey.
It was noon, the sun high and bright, radiating golden light. Walking back to the village, their foreheads were dotted with sweat, some rolling down their cheeks. Yet Yan Ziyi felt no fatigue; he walked energetically, full of vigor.
Knowing the mushrooms would sell, Yan Mother and the others no longer worried. After lunch, everyone returned to their rooms to rest, waiting for Yan Zihao and Yan Ziyi to return before heading back up the mountain.
Yan Zihao and Yan Ziyi arrived home at the third quarter of the late afternoon (wei time). The house was quiet, with only Yan Father sitting under the eaves, quietly weaving a basket.
“Zihao, Ziyi, you’re back,” Yan Father said.
Yan Zihao didn’t see anyone else and assumed Lu Qingran had gone up the mountain. “Father, have they gone up?” he asked.
“No, they’re resting inside! You two hurry and wash up for lunch!” Yan Father replied.
Lunch, prepared by Lu Qingran, was chicken mushroom stir-fried with greens and served over brown rice, plenty of oil and flavor.
After finishing, Yan Zihao went inside, gently approaching Lu Qingran, who was sleeping soundly on the bed, and placed a light kiss on her forehead.