Chapter 72 Tao Erniu Changes Her Name to Real Daughter Plum Blossom

The news of schistosomiasis did not have a significant impact on the Yao family's courtyard. If there was any change, it was probably that the Yao family went from drinking well water directly to boiling it before drinking it.

Yao Xiaoyu, who went to the public water station to buy water under Tao Xiaoxiao's name, had nothing to do with these trivial matters. She was listening to Tao Jingu regretting that he was not quick enough and had not seized the business opportunity.

Tao Jingu is Tao Erniu. She changed her name because she was afraid of hunger and poverty. Her name contains the character for gold, so she won't lack money, and the character for grain, so she won't go hungry. It may seem a bit vulgar compared to jade and pearls, but it gives her peace of mind.

“If you clean out the thin bamboo branches, a small bundle can sell for a copper coin!”

She was referring to the new issue of the Novel Daily about the real and fake heiresses—when Master Du realized something was wrong, he took out silver dollars to express his gratitude for saving his life. Feeling embarrassed, the woman gave the culprit a good spanking, leaving his buttocks swollen.

Because this storyline extensively described the advantage of using bamboo sticks to discipline children, causing only superficial pain without leaving scars, bamboo sticks became a fashionable item after the newspaper published the story. Even the children's swear words changed from "cat three dogs four kings five Zhao six" to "May you be a little fish in your next life!"

Tao Jingu regretted it deeply. The trend came and went quickly. She wasn't the only shrewd merchant in Shanghai, and the market was limited. She just realized it a little late, so she could only reluctantly give up this income.

"How much money can you earn if you participate this time?"

Yao Xiaoyu listened quietly until Tao Jingu finished complaining before asking a serious question. Tao Jingu was startled by Yao Xiaoyu's expression, thought for a moment, and then said:

"It must be at least one or two silver dollars."

Hiring people to cut bamboo is a cost, and if you're in a hurry, you'll have to pay extra. She's a middleman who makes a profit from the price difference, so the price can't be too high. If she can sell them all, she can at least get a silver dollar in the next few days!

How much money do you earn in a month now?

Yao Xiaoyu asked very directly, and Tao Jingu didn't try to fool her:

"There must be at least a hundred silver dollars."

Tao Jingu had already established herself in the wholesale business and had many people from Taojia Village working under her. Her parents were kept under strict surveillance by the villagers and could no longer cause her any trouble.

"If you can't give me a number, I'll assume you earn a hundred silver dollars a month, no more, no less. Is that wrong?"

Yao Xiaoyu looked at Tao Jingu, who shook his head.

"One hundred yuan a month, at least three yuan a day. Can you earn three yuan a day by spending the time on the bamboo stick?"

Yao Xiaoyu used to hate giving advice the most, always feeling it was too paternalistic. So, apart from the initial help, she didn't give Tao Jingu any suggestions. But a couple of days ago, she saw an old woman with white hair selling bamboo branches. The branches were about the same length as her, with the excess parts removed, and they were even thicker than her waist. She sold them all for just over ten copper coins.

But the old lady was content. She couldn't compete with others in scavenging, but she could find some bamboo branches in the wild. Selling them today would earn her enough money to live a few more days.

"I……"

Tao Jingu was speechless. Yao Xiaoyu's prompting made her realize that the money she earned from manipulating bamboo branches was extremely meager compared to her current income.

But for some reason, even though it was the right choice for her not to participate, the thought of the money that Zhuzhi could earn made her heart ache like it was being stabbed. Yet, she couldn't accept giving up her income from these few days.

Tao Jingu looked at Yao Xiaoyu in fear, wanting to speak but feeling tongue-tied, and in the end only a string of tears fell.

"fine."

Yao Xiaoyu handed Tao Jingu a handkerchief and waited for her to calm down before slowly speaking to her.

Tao Jingu's situation is similar in modern times. The most classic example is that elderly people who are not in bad economic condition are keen on scavenging. It seems to be a thrifty way to supplement their household income, but in fact it is an insatiable demand for resources.

Yao Xiaoyu once read a quote: Human society is stratified. Those who are already well-fed should not take away the garbage that the hungry use to maintain their basic needs.

They want to earn any kind of money, and they will do anything to make it. Even the smallest profit is a loss if they don't get it, and they will rush to get even the smallest reward.

We want mung beans, soybeans, peanuts, and watermelons.

But this shouldn't be the case.

"...If you encounter this situation again, tell yourself that you can only choose one of the two types of money to earn, rather than being able to get both with effort."

Yao Xiaoyu didn't have any good ideas, and she didn't know if her words would have any impact, but saying them was better than not saying them at all. She hoped that Tao Jingu would become rich and powerful, but she also hoped that she wouldn't block the path to survival for the poor.

If you have the ability to make big money, go to the business world and make a fortune every day. Don't compete with people who can't even survive for a few coins.

"A bowl of wontons in chili oil, with lots of chili peppers."

The stall owner was very skilled, and the chili peppers were incredibly potent. Each wonton looked like a burning ember, so spicy that Yao Xiaoyu's tongue went numb and her eyes streamed down her face. She sat in the rickshaw, eating the wind with her mouth open. After returning home, she ate half a watermelon that had been chilled in the cellar in the room upstairs where there was ice, before sitting down at the table to continue writing the story of Plum Blossom.

Mei Hua'er is the name given to their daughter by Mei's parents.

...

Following Master Du's instructions, the search party arrived at the village entrance the next day.

At that time, population mobility was not high, and the girl grew up under the watchful eyes of the villagers. The investigators did not have much trouble figuring out the girl's growth trajectory.

The girl was the eldest daughter of the Mei family in the village, named Mei Hua'er. She had a younger brother who was seven years younger than her, named Mei Shang, which was taken from the family's hope that he would grow up healthy and without injury. This younger brother was the chubby boy who was the culprit that day.

As for why the plum blossom's appearance is a combination of Master Du and Madam Du, that has to do with that heavy rain.

More than a decade ago, when Madam Du was pregnant, she took her maids and servants to a temple to fulfill a vow. On the way back, they encountered bandits who came out to rob people in the heavy rain. The people around her tried to distract them, and Madam Du ran to a half-collapsed, hidden temple to take shelter. There was another person in the temple, who was Mei's mother, who had returned from her parents' home and was taking shelter from the rain there.

Don't ask why she went up the mountain and back to her parents' home while heavily pregnant, or how the two of them happened to meet at the temple, or why the bandits came out to rob people in the rain. Mei's father wasn't worried about his pregnant wife or any other illogical questions. Anyway, that's how it happened.

Madam Du and Madam Mei both felt cold. Thinking of the babies in their wombs, they huddled together for warmth. No one knows who went into labor first, but both of them experienced miscarriage. After a struggle, they gave birth to three children around the same time. It was probably around that time that Mei Hua'er and Du Wushuang were switched at birth.

Madam Du in the temple gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. The younger sister, Du Wushuang, was spoiled and mischievous from a young age, and the whole family doted on her as she grew up.

Old Master Du was reluctant to part with his beloved daughter whom he had raised since she was a baby, and he also felt that Mei Hua, who grew up in the village, must have suffered a lot of injustices. He burst into tears. The investigator was too embarrassed to interrupt him. After Old Master Du had cried his heart out, he slowly said that although Mei Hua's food and clothing were a bit lacking, she actually lived a pretty comfortable life.

Master Du glared at his younger brother for a long time, and finally angrily asked him to explain the details. The simple-minded younger brother didn't notice anything wrong at all. He just told Master Du what was going on.

This story begins when Madam Du bid farewell to Madam Mei. Madam Du felt it was fate that she and Madam Mei gave birth at the same time, so she gave her two ten-tael silver ingots. Because Madam Mei had given birth to a daughter, and fearing she might mistreat the child, Madam Du deliberately added a sentence when handing over the second ingot:

"The girl is beautiful, so please give her ten more taels of silver."

What does twenty taels of silver mean?

In a good year, a large family of farmers could only save a few taels of silver. If Mei's mother and father could save three taels of silver a year without relying on help, that would be an extraordinary achievement. Twenty taels of silver was the amount that the young couple would have to save over seven years if everything went smoothly.

But when is everything ever smooth sailing? Floods, droughts, locust plagues, and epidemics come and go in turn. It's rare for the heavens to grant a few extra bushels of grain, but that's either used to raise taxes to support the officials or to save lives for the Taiping rebels. Even when the weather is favorable, man-made disasters, for once, don't cause any trouble, and the grain stores are all smiles as they wait—

"The harvest has been good this year, and this price is already a sign of your kindness, sir. It can't be more than a penny higher!"

Not for sale?

How will you pay your taxes? These days, the government only accepts pure silver!

Madam Mei was just an ordinary peasant woman who valued her son more than her daughter, but she wouldn't abandon her son just because she had a daughter. At most, she would give the best things to her son first. But Madam Du's words, and the two ingots of silver, shattered Madam Mei's preconceived notions completely, leaving only one thought in her mind:

"This daughter is a lucky star!"

Looking at the two large silver ingots that Mei's mother brought back, Mei's father nodded vigorously. Because of this money, Mei's mother had a full forty-day postpartum period, and Mei Hua'er received the most meticulous care during her most vulnerable years. The silver ingots were exchanged for the deeds to two acres of land. Whenever Mei's father wanted to get angry with Mei Hua'er, he would lose his temper when he saw the lush green fields.

Five or six years later, after the luck of the lucky star had faded, Mei's mother, who had only blossomed but not borne fruit, was being mocked by crickets. Mei Hua'er then picked up the young woman who had been mocking her mother and threw her away, shocking the entire village: the young woman was not tall and did not look fat, but she was lifted up by a six-year-old child... Could this be the reincarnation of Xiang Yu?

When Mei's father returned from the fields, he didn't believe it at first, until he found that everyone was saying the same thing. He went back to test it out with some skepticism—his daughter had a lot of strength!

In a village where people make a living by farming, strong laborers are very precious. After thinking for half the night, Mei's father finally decided to raise Mei Hua'er as his son and find a husband for his daughter in the future. He originally wanted to change Mei Hua'er's name to Mei Shu (Plum Tree) because the flowers would be gone after the season, but the tree could take root. However, Mei Hua'er was used to calling her by her own name, so she didn't change it.

Mother Mei had no objection to the marriage proposal. She felt insecure without a son, even with her lucky daughter and the land bought with silver ingots. She always felt like she was suspended in mid-air, unable to land. Now that her daughter could find a husband, she was relieved!

With both of Mei's parents' consent, Mei Hua'er became the eldest grandson of the Mei family, rising from being a "spilled water" (a metaphor for being abandoned) to the pillar of the family. Her treatment and influence increased significantly. Knowing how easy life was for men in this world, Mei Hua'er had no intention of being unwilling.

People tend to hold on to things more the more they give. Mei Hua'er was raised as the eldest son to take care of her in her old age for several years, and the family got used to her being in charge. The birth of her younger brother did not affect her status. In fact, because she was good at heavy work, she was the one who picked out the best things in the house, besides her father. Her mother taught her younger brother to sew and mend clothes for her.

Master Du: ...

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Author's Note: I thought about the section on resource plunder for a long time. On one hand, I felt it was didactic, and on the other hand, I felt the metaphors were inappropriate, but I still wrote it anyway.

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