Chapter Ninety-One Considerations

Days flowed like the muddy river, carrying the desolation of autumn, and quietly slipped into early winter.

The mud brought by the floods was gradually smoothed out through daily labor and reconstruction.

The shop's business, like a cabbage that grows tenaciously in winter, is becoming increasingly pleasing.

They are very busy. They have to get up before dawn to make the first batch of broth, prepare ingredients, cut and serve customers. They are often busy until the sun is setting. Sometimes they simply stay in the shop all night to avoid the trouble of going back and forth.

The kitchen is filled with smoke all day long, and the rich aroma of braised food has become the most eye-catching signboard along the riverbank.

Needless to say, regular customers like Lao Liu also became frequent visitors, as did Aunt Wu and others they knew from the charity hall, who brought along many fellow villagers.

The money box, filled with gleaming copper coins and glittering silver coins, visibly grew richer day by day.

After closing that day, he carefully counted the money and was pleasantly surprised to find that, after deducting daily expenses and the money for buying new earthenware pots, the savings in the box were almost equal to the money that his cousin Zhang Liuji had generously subsidized when he first opened the shop.

The flood destroyed the family and diluted many things, but this money remained firmly in his heart.

She deliberately chose a day when Xiong Zixiang was home and Zhang Liuji was also taking a rare break. Together with Xiong Zixiang, they carried half a bag of newly bought tea powder to Zhang Dahe's house.

In the courtyard, the early winter sun was still quite warm.

Li Xiulan was holding Xiao Nan'er, sitting on a stone stool in the sun, while Xiao Nan'er was reading a storybook.

Zhang Liuji was outside the east wing, holding a long bamboo pole, poking ash into the kang (heated brick bed) opening.

With firewood burning in the stove, he would occasionally stop and ask into the house, "Second Uncle, is the kang (heated brick bed) warmer? Clean up the ashes, and try making the fire a little bigger!"

Zhang Dashan's reply came from inside the house: "I'm feeling better! My feet aren't so cold anymore!"

Xiong Zixiang and his companion entered the courtyard.

"Sister-in-law, please keep Brother Ji." Xiao Xin greeted her with a smile, handing the tea powder to Li Xiulan: "It's freshly ground, keep it to soak the cakes."

Li Xiulan took the bag, weighed it in her hand, and said with a smile, "You always think about this. Sit down for a while. Second Uncle said his legs hurt, and Liu Ji said he'd clean out the ashes and burn them on the kang (heated brick bed) to warm his legs."

I glanced at Zhang Liuji's busy back, then turned to the door.

“Dad’s leg problem is old; it flares up every winter. Tomorrow I’ll go to the West Market to get him some medicinal wine to warm him up, and then I’ll have him put on some black plaster; I heard that kind is effective.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Dashan poked his head out of the house, his voice tinged with urgency: "Pay attention! Yes, buy those black plasters. Wang Laowu used them last time and said they were quite effective. Bring me back a couple!"

"Yes, Father!" Xiaoli replied.

Xiong Zixiang nodded in agreement: "Yes, buy a few more for Dad to keep on hand."

He noticed that Zhang Liuji hadn't gone inside the house, but was still in the courtyard. As Zhang Liuji put down his bamboo pole and brushed the soot off his clothes, he took out a heavy little cloth bag and handed it to him.

"Brother Liu Ji, the shop is making money, this is the first dividend. We were able to get the land deed to the shop thanks to your money back then."

Zhang Liuji was taken aback. He looked at the cloth bag and his brows immediately furrowed.

He didn't even glance at the thing being handed to him, bent down to pick up the shovel from the ground, and his tone wasn't very friendly.

"What are you doing? Take it back. We agreed that it was a contribution. If the shop is doing well, that's because you put in the most effort, working hard from dawn till dusk to earn your money. I only contributed some fixed capital, what's that? You also pay Xiulan's wages, and you give Xiaonan'er a lot of things every day. You can't calculate it like this! Profit sharing? What profit sharing!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, gripping the shovel handle tightly in his hand.

Li Xiulan also stood up and chimed in.

"Exactly! Listen up, don't be shy, we're all family. Back then, everyone contributed money and effort. Liu Ji's share was a gift! If you bring up profit sharing again, I'll really get angry! Take it back!"

Observing Zhang Liuji's stern face and Li Xiulan's feigned anger yet concerned expression, she knew that insisting any further would seem estranged.

Feeling a warm glow inside, she could only put the cloth bag back into her sleeve pocket and smile helplessly.

"Okay, okay, I'll take this money for now and use it for the shop's public accounts. I'll use it when I need to buy big items for the shop later. When we settle the accounts at the end of the year, you can't refuse the dividends that are due to the shop owners."

Hearing her say that, Zhang Liuji's tense expression relaxed, and he smiled honestly again, nodding, "That's more like it."

Xiaozhu was a restless person. After leaving his uncle's house, he was still thinking about the shop's business that evening, so he put on Dazhuang's clothes and rushed back to the shop.

The stove was lit, and the aroma of braised food filled the air. She was busy until late at night, so she simply spent the night on the narrow wooden bed in the shop.

The shop closed for the next day, and I managed to get a good night's sleep, which was a rare treat.

After waking up, he spent half a day tidying up the shop, moving some of the spices and sauce jars that needed to be dried into the sun, taking stock of the missing bowls and plates, and repairing what needed to be repaired. He also went to the West Market to buy medicinal wine for treating leg pain and two black plasters.

After finishing all that, the sun was already setting when she hitched up the cart that Da Zhuang was pulling and hurried home.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, the yard was quiet, with only the whistling sound of the wind passing through the gaps in the fence.

He carefully wrapped his old cotton-padded coat tighter around himself, wondering where Xiong Zixiang had gone, when a series of dull "clanging" sounds came from the kitchen, interspersed with the "splashing" sound of water splashing.

She followed the sound and lifted the thick, coarse cloth curtain of the kitchen.

A strong smell of soapberry wafted over. Xiong Zixiang stood with his back to the door, his tall figure blocking a huge wooden basin. His sleeves were rolled up high above his elbows, revealing his muscular forearms.

He was silently dealing with a large wad of gray-blue coarse cloth sheet soaking in the basin, rubbing it violently with both hands. His movements were forceful, making the wooden basin clang and splashing water everywhere, soaking the small area at his feet.

The thick bed sheet was crumpled into a ball in his hands.

The stove was cold, not a single spark could be seen, and the entire kitchen was chilly, not much better than outside.

Observing his expression of deep resentment towards the bed sheet, and recalling that he had also stayed at the shop last night, it suddenly became clear that he was holding back his anger!

I couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Upon hearing the sound, Xiong Zixiang turned around abruptly, a few water droplets splashing on his face, his wet bangs sticking to his temples.

"You're back?" His voice was low and unreadable, but his hands didn't stop moving. Instead, he twisted the water even harder, causing it to gush down and soak his trouser legs.

Xiao Xin walked over and sat down on a small stool next to him: "Washing the sheets? It's freezing cold, and the water is freezing too. Why don't you make a fire and do it warmly by the fire?"

Xiong Zixiang didn't answer. He simply pressed the wet sheet into the basin, straightened up, and stared intently at her hands resting on her knees.

Those hands, with red and swollen knuckles and chilblains, looked painful.

He frowned deeply, then suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.

Caught off guard, he pulled me so hard I stumbled.

Xiong Zixiang's rough thumb pad rubbed heavily against the deepest crack on the back of her hand, the force of which made Liu Zhi hiss and gasp.

He stared at the wound: "Your hands are cracked from the cold, and you're still criticizing me?"

He shook off her hand, stopped looking at her, turned and strode to the woodpile, carrying back a bundle of dry, hard firewood, which he placed heavily beside the stove. He squatted down, brushed aside the cold ashes, added firewood, and used fire tongs to vigorously stir it to ignite it.

A burst of firelight suddenly illuminated his sharply defined profile. His lips were tightly pursed. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that Brother Zixiang was genuinely angry. How could he possibly appease him?

The flames greedily licked the dry firewood, crackling and popping, finally bringing a little warmth to the kitchen and dispelling some of the chill.

She rubbed her wrist, which he had pinched so hard, and watched his back as he walked away.

Finally, Xiong Zixiang spoke up: "Look at you, why don't you sleep in the warm kang bed at home, but insist on sleeping in that drafty, dilapidated place in the shop, freezing over a small brazier!"

She crouched down beside him, getting closer: "Business at the shop has only just started to recover."

She spoke softly: "In winter, the business of hot soup and porridge is the easiest. It's such a pity to close up shop and hibernate at this time."

Xiong Zixiang paused in his stirring, letting out a muffled "hmm" as if to indicate that he had heard and was not objecting.

After a moment, he raised his head and looked at her with a deep gaze, but he was thinking of a solution for her: "How about you take turns with your sister and sister-in-law Xiulan? Each of you can go for two days, so you can take a break."

“The shop is making enough money to cover our expenses now. How about we hire someone? I don’t need them to be a great cook, just someone who can lend a hand and keep an eye on the heat. If you keep working like this, getting up early and working late, your health will break down sooner or later.”

Pay attention to his heavy gaze; there is genuine worry in it.

"This..." she hesitated, quickly weighing the costs and benefits of hiring someone in her mind, "Let me think about it some more."

Seeing that she had finally relented and was willing to consider it, Xiong Zixiang's tense jawline relaxed slightly.

It's late at night.

The wind outside was picking up, making the window curtains rustle loudly.

Xiong Zixiang added more firewood and burned the kang (a heated brick bed) for most of the day, making the whole house warm and cozy.

Xiong Zixiang was clearly exhausted, and with the pent-up emotions finally released, he fell into a deep sleep.

He lay on his side, one arm naturally resting on his waist. In the warm, cozy bed, he breathed evenly, his face serene.

She was paying attention but couldn't sleep; Xiong Zixiang's words from the daytime kept replaying in her mind. Rotation? Hiring someone? Which was more suitable?

The shop was just starting to do well, and hiring people was a considerable expense. The monthly wages and food expenses had to be covered by the profits.

But if I don't find someone to share the burden, working from dawn till dusk every day in the dead of winter, running back and forth, I really can't handle it. My sister-in-law and sister both have children, so how can they do this for me?

She turned over and looked at the peaceful profile of the person sleeping beside her, and that little bit of anxiety in her heart resurfaced.

Save more money... She closed her eyes, and some blurry images floated into her mind: what if she had children in the future, what if the elderly in the family got sick, or what if there was a disaster year... none of these things would require money.

Earn as much as you can now, even if it's tough and tiring, just grit your teeth and you'll get through it.

But Xiong Zixiang's words also echoed in my ears: What's the use of making a lot of money if you ruin your health?

Two conflicting thoughts were battling in her mind, keeping her wide awake.

The warm, cozy surface of the kang (heated brick bed) soothed my back, but it couldn't warm the turmoil in my heart.

She sighed softly, opened her eyes again, and stared at the dark ceiling.

Hiring someone...maybe I should really reconsider?

At least find someone to help out and share some of the heavy work.

She silently considered whether there were any suitable and trustworthy people in the village or at the dock.

The more she thought about it, the clearer she became, and the more she pondered it, the more she felt that Xiong Zixiang was being too comfortable as a hands-off manager.

Why can he sleep so soundly when he poses a difficult question?

Her pent-up anger resurfaced.

She subtly moved her arm, trying to move it away, but it was too heavy.

As soon as she moved, Xiong Zixiang seemed to sense it and hugged her even tighter, nuzzling his head against her shoulder and muttering something incoherent in his sleep.

"Hmm...cold..."

Be careful not to laugh or cry at his unconscious actions.

She took a deep breath, stretched out her fingers, and gently pinched Xiong Zixiang's nose.

Xiong Zixiang struggled to breathe, frowned, and finally opened his eyes groggily, staring blankly at Xiao Xin who was so close to him.

"What's wrong? Time to get up?"

"No." Xiaoshi withdrew her hand and said in a serious tone, "You almost pushed me against the wall."

Xiong Zixiang wasn't fully awake yet. He adjusted his position and mumbled indistinctly, "This way... it's not crowded anymore... go to sleep..." As soon as he finished speaking, his even breathing resumed.