Chapter 10When Yingniang woke up the next morning, Feng Li had already left. Mrs. Jiang gave her two small steamed buns to eat. The buns from Yunshui were different from those in Jinan—they were very soft, collapsing at the slightest squeeze, unlike the northern-style old dough buns that were layered and chewier.After breakfast, life as a child was rather dull and tedious. The adults all had work to do, so she could only wander about the house.From the back door, she heard the sound of a malt candy seller knocking his wares, his call having an amusing rhythm. Mrs. Jiang, who was washing clothes, looked up at her daughter and said, "Yingniang, would you like Mother to buy you a piece of malt candy?""Mother, I don't want any." Yingniang quickly shook her head. She wasn't really a child anymore, and the Feng family wasn't particularly wealthy. She wasn't fond of sweets anyway—why waste the money?Hearing her daughter decline, Mrs. Jiang muttered to herself, "Your father used to travel to Wuzhong every year to sell goods for those grain merchants, gone for months at a time. Last August, he went to Wuchang Prefecture for the autumn examination, though he didn't pass. But at least our family could be together for these few months. Who would have thought he'd go off to study again?"Yingniang thought to herself—Mother really can't bear to be apart from Father. This must be what it means to be husband and wife!At noon, Old Woman Feng brought over tea and food from the tavern. Old Mother Feng was saying to Mrs. Jiang, "A big merchant passing through on his way to Hankou just gave me two qian in tips. I'll give you one qian for you and the girl. It's not much, but you can buy some snacks for Ying-jie or use it for breakfast.""Mother, we have money of our own." Mrs. Jiang hurriedly declined.Old Woman Feng disliked such fussing: "Just take it. I'm not the type to hold the scales unevenly. When Dalang was young, our family was struggling, and he suffered along with us. It's not like now with Hege'er—we're better off, and he doesn't need to worry about household matters."Only then did Mrs. Jiang accept, and asked, "So business has been good for you today?""It's our own business—earning enough for fodder money is plenty." Old Woman Feng was thin and frail, unable to do heavy work, so a monthly turnover of six or seven taels of silver already satisfied her.When the mother and daughter didn't buy their own groceries, they ate whatever the tavern prepared. Today, there happened to be fried fish pieces. Mrs. Jiang picked out the bones for her daughter before giving them to her.After lunch, mother and daughter would usually take a nap. But this noon, someone knocked on the door—it was Cheng Qiqiao, the daughter-in-law of Aunt Hou.The Hou family had only started visiting after the marriage arrangements at Second Uncle Feng's household. Cheng Qiqiao had originally disliked Old Master Feng's family the most, finding them poor and shabby. She preferred to stay close to her maternal cousin Feng Qushui's side rather than acknowledge her own maternal uncle.Mrs. Jiang knew nothing of this. She only knew that when relatives came calling, they should be properly received. She specially took out tea leaves, poured hot water into a blue porcelain cup, and served it.Cheng Qiqiao herself had endured hardship growing up. From childhood, she had envied those who wore new clothes and new hats. Now that she had a daughter, she would rather cut back on her own expenses than let her daughter lack anything in food, clothing, or shelter.So she opened with, "The Brocade Workshop just got a new batch of silk—it's so soft, and it shimmers in the sunlight. I was thinking we could go buy some together, then have them embroider flowers on it. Buying together will surely get us a discount."Mrs. Jiang declined after hearing this. She first asked, "How much would it cost?""At least eight qian for a full set." Cheng Qiqiao didn't think it was expensive.Mrs. Jiang shook her head vigorously. "Never mind for my Ying-jie. She still has clothes to wear." The family wouldn't see any income until after mid-October this year, and that money was for repaying debts. She wouldn't spend on such unnecessary things.Seeing Mrs. Jiang disagree, Cheng Qiqiao felt it was pointless and left in a huff.Mrs. Jiang told Old Woman Feng about it: "I always think the child is still young—as long as she has enough clothes, that's fine."Old Mother Feng, who cared greatly about face, quickly said, "I have some fabric put away. Would you like to take it to make clothes for Yingniang?""No need. My husband told me that this year we should be frugal. We'll talk about it once times are better next year." Mrs. Jiang decided it was better to listen to her husband.Their family hadn't reached that stage yet—they absolutely couldn't spend lavishly.Seeing her daughter-in-law speak this way, Old Woman Feng smiled and said, "Being thrifty like that is proper household management. That Qiqiao from the Hou family spends money all day long, and her husband doesn't earn much. In the end, she probably has to rely on your aunt's family to subsidize her. We should live according to our station."That said, Old Woman Feng was very generous with her youngest son, sending half of her monthly earnings to him for expenses—a poor family raising a rich son.Aside from these domestic trifles, there was nothing major happening at home. Yingniang's days continued as before—eating, sleeping, and wandering around the courtyard. Mrs. Jiang mostly stayed home doing housework and rarely went out. Until one day, Second Uncle Feng took over a small shop and invited them over for a meal at its opening.Old Father Lian brought the young master of Official Cheng's family. The young master was a year or two older than Yingniang, dressed in a lake-blue robe embroidered with auspicious clouds, with a pair of glossy satin trousers beneath, a neck ring hanging on his chest, and rosy lips and white teeth—quite a handsome sight.Old Father Lian had taken a particular liking to this young master. He was skilled at making little trinkets and was an extremely amiable person. Whenever the young master threw a tantrum, Official Cheng would send his son over for Old Father Lian to look after.Cheng Qiqiao's daughter, Hou Xiu'er, was around six or seven years old and also adored Old Father Lian, pestering him to make her dough figurines.If Yingniang were truly a child, she probably would have liked him too. Unfortunately, she wasn't—she was Qiuyue from her past life, who didn't truly trust anyone, so she naturally kept her distance.Grandmother Lian brought out some homemade melon-seed candy for the children like Yingniang to eat. Yingniang only took a small piece, and Mrs. Lian remarked to Mrs. Jiang, "Your daughter is such a tiny thing, yet she's really quite quiet and refined."Mrs. Jiang handed her daughter a bowl of rice and said, "Indeed. Others say children are clingy and hard to soothe, but my Yingniang is very well-behaved and sensible."Just as she finished speaking, the young master of the Cheng family walked over, wanting to take Yingniang's little hand. He even pretended to be an adult and asked Mrs. Jiang, "How old is little sister? Does she have a nickname? I'd like to go play with her."Mrs. Jiang thought that her daughter usually spent most of her time with her and rarely played with children her own age, so she said, "Little sister was born on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. She's already two years old, and next year she'll be three. Since she was born in the Year of the Pig, her nickname is Zhuzhu. It's too late today—next time you can play with her, alright?"The young master of the Cheng family smiled cheerfully.Yingniang finished her rice, but because it was too spicy, she drank quite a bit of water and her belly felt bloated. She immediately said to Mrs. Jiang, "Mother, I need to pee.""Alright, Mother will take you there." Mrs. Jiang was worried her daughter might hold it in.The Lian family's outhouse was in front of the kitchen, a spot that happened to be in a dark corner. The mother and daughter groped their way along, afraid of falling in. After Yingniang finished her business and was about to stand up, she heard voices outside. Yingniang quickly covered Mrs. Jiang's mouth and whispered, "Mother, don't make a sound."Then they heard a man's voice outside say, "Brother Lian, I didn't expect to find you here. We've been recruiting troops and buying horses on Phoenix Tail Mountain—quite a lively affair. Back then, when you were framed by others, we helped you get your revenge. This time, we've come precisely to invite you up the mountain."

Yingniang