Chapter Twenty-Four: Waiting
Zhang listened attentively to her uncle's concerns and her aunt's concern, and felt a warmth in her heart.
She walked to the stove, picked up a ladle, scooped half a ladle of cold water for herself, gulped down a few mouthfuls, wiped her mouth, and spoke calmly yet with a resolute tone.
“Uncle, don’t worry. Life is something you have to live. Brother Xiong has a salary, I have a stall, and Sister Zijuan can help out too. If we all work together, we’ll make it alright. Besides,”
She paused, a sly smile appearing on her face.
“My stall selling tripe and lung soup at the dock still relies on Sister Zijuan to be the head chef! Her skills are no worse than yours!”
Li Xiulan was amused.
"You little rascal, you've got some big ideas! But it would be even better if Sister Zijuan could lend a hand!"
Zhang Liuji also came to his senses, picked up his chisel, and began to work on the piece of wood, as if he had found new motivation.
"Yes! Let's work together! Our family's life must get better and better! I also need to work harder on my college entrance exams!"
Zhang Dashan nodded, said nothing more, and turned to walk towards the stove.
"Alright, it's good that we've talked it out. Are you all hungry? You didn't have a proper lunch. Yi'er, come here, help Dad check if the braising liquid is ready. We'll cut some braised meat and heat up some steamed buns for dinner tonight."
"Hey, Dad's here."
Zhang Yili responded, walked to the stove, lifted the lid of the earthenware pot, and the rich aroma of the braising sauce instantly filled the air.
She picked up long chopsticks, stirred the braised food in the pot, then brought it closer to smell it, a satisfied look on her face.
"Yes, it's cooked just right, and the flavor is perfect."
The afterglow of the setting sun slanted through the window and into the kitchen, elongating the shadows of the busy father and daughter.
In the courtyard, Zhang Dahe lit his pipe again, Li Xiulan held Xiao Nan'er and hummed a song softly, while Zhang Liuji resumed the rhythmic sound of planing wood.
Today is the day for the county government's artisans to take their exams, and Zhang Liuji is going to take the exams.
Li Xiulan got up early and quickly steamed some mixed grain buns and cooked a pot of thick millet porridge.
She specially boiled two eggs for Zhang Liuji and put them in his cloth bag: "Take these with you. If the exam goes on for a long time at noon, have something to eat."
Looking at the dark circles under his wife's eyes, Zhang Liuji knew she must not have slept well last night. He felt both touched and a little guilty: "Okay, I know. Don't worry too much."
Zhang Yili finished packing up. Today, she had specially prepared extra goods, two large earthenware jars filled with heavy braised pork offal.
Because there was so much chili sauce made last time, apart from her father Zhang Dashan who loves spicy food, no one else could handle it.
On a whim, she decided to put some of the braised pork offal back into the pot and braise it again with the chili sauce, making several jars of bright red and spicy braised pork offal. Today was a good day to test the waters and see if she could open up new sales channels.
Zhang Dahe parked the borrowed oxcart at the gate of the courtyard.
Zhang Liuji carried his treasured toolbox on his back, filled with the tools he had painstakingly acquired through frugality; it was heavy.
Li Xiulan held Xiao Nan'er, who had just woken up and was still a little dazed, while Zhang Liuyi carefully lifted a can of spicy pork offal and put it in the car.
"Get on the bus! Everyone, hold on tight!" Zhang Dahe shouted.
The four of them squeezed onto the narrow oxcart, its wheels creaking as it rolled along the damp village road in the early morning, heading towards Anping Town.
Little Nan'er seemed to sense the unusual atmosphere and curiously looked around with her big eyes.
Zhang Liuji remained silent, his fingers unconsciously stroking the rough edges of the toolbox, his gaze fixed on the distant county government office, his expression one of obvious unease.
When they reached the west market entrance, the oxcart stopped.
Zhang Liuji was going to the county government examination hall alone.
"Brother Liu Ji!" Zhang Liu jumped out of the car and waved his fist at his cousin.
"Stay calm! Just practice like you would at home! You'll definitely succeed!"
Zhang Dahe patted his son on the shoulder, his tone carrying the honesty typical of a farmer.
"Don't panic, just do what you're supposed to do! Dad's waiting for you to come back so we can celebrate!"
Little Nan'er also imitated her aunt, babbling and waving her chubby little hands.
Li Xiulan, holding the child, walked up to Zhang Liuji.
She pulled a small, triangular yellow talisman from her bosom, tied with a red string, and stuffed it into Zhang Liuji's hand without a word. She then helped him tie the red string around his wrist.
“This is…?” Zhang Liuji looked at the bright red mark on his wrist, somewhat taken aback.
"I prayed at the local temple yesterday, hoping it would bring you good fortune."
Li Xiulan's voice was soft, carrying a hint of barely perceptible pleading.
“I know you don’t believe in these things… but… wear it, just to put my mind at ease.”
She looked up at her husband, her eyes filled with undisguised worry and anticipation.
Zhang Liuji looked at his wife's slightly red eyes, then at the thin red string on her wrist. He squeezed Li Xiulan's hand tightly, then gently pinched Xiao Nan'er's cheek. "Yes, I'll wear it. You... be careful too, there are a lot of people at the stall." After saying that, he took a deep breath, slung his toolbox over his shoulder, turned and joined the morning market crowd, striding towards the county government office.
Zhang Liuyi, Li Xiulan, and Xiao Nan'er watched his figure disappear around the street corner before turning their attention back to their tasks.
The stall was quickly set up. Two large jars of braised food were displayed. One jar contained traditional five-spice braised offal, while the other contained a new addition: bright red, oily, spicy pork offal. As soon as it appeared, it attracted the attention of passersby.
Zhang quickly and efficiently arranged the two earthenware jars and neatly put away the cutting board, scale, oil paper, and other items.
Li Xiulan then put away the small stools she had brought, preparing to greet the guests.
Little Nan'er was at an active age, twisting and turning behind the stall.
Li Xiulan had no choice but to place Xiao Nan'er right under her nose next to the stall, and gave her a small, clean piece of wood to play with. "Here, sit here and play, and help Mom watch the stall, okay? Don't let the bad guys steal our pigs!"
Little Nan'er seemed to understand but not quite, and replied in her childish voice, "Yes! Nan'er will watch the stall! And beat up the bad guys!"
He held the wooden block, sitting there upright like a little door god, his big, dark eyes scanning the passersby warily. His adorable appearance instantly attracted several women passing by, who couldn't help but stop and take a second look.
"Hey! Miss Zhang, I haven't seen you at your stall for days! I've been craving your food!"
An old customer, an old man surnamed Zhao, came over with a smile, but his eyes were immediately drawn to the bright red spicy pork offal in the pot. "Hey! What... what's this new thing? It looks pretty exciting."
Zhang Liuyi immediately greeted him with a smile: "Uncle Zhao, you're here! This is a newly made spicy pork offal dish, braised again with my dad's favorite chili sauce! It's very flavorful, perfect with drinks or rice! Would you like to try some?"
Old Zhao's mouth watered at the aroma, and seeing the bright red and tempting color, he waved his hand and said, "Try it! Cut me half a pound... no! Cut me eight ounces, and make it spicy! This old man loves strong flavors! Let's see if it's really as good as you say!"
"Alright! Please wait a moment!" Zhang Liuyi replied crisply, picked up a sharp knife, and deftly scooped out a thick pig heart from the red oily spicy pork offal pot. With a flash of the knife, the evenly sliced pig heart was neatly arranged on the oil paper, soaked in the bright red chili oil, looking very appealing.
Old Zhao eagerly grabbed a piece and popped it into his mouth. After chewing a few times, an expression of extreme enjoyment appeared on his face. "Delicious! Damn, it's really delicious, spicy enough, flavorful enough, and the chewiness is amazing! How much is it?"
"Same price as always, even the spicy one!" Zhang Yili said with a smile.
"Worth it, totally worth it!" Old Zhao paid the money readily, then picked up a piece and ate it as he walked away, not forgetting to turn back and shout, "Old Zhang's spicy pork offal is really good, delicious, everyone come and try it!"
Old Zhao's shout, coupled with the look of great enjoyment he was giving the food, immediately drew a crowd of onlookers, including several men who already loved spicy food and a few housewives who wanted a change of pace.
"Give me half a pound of pig's heart too! Spicy, please!"
"I want pig intestines! And lots of chili oil!"
"This pig liver looks good, let's try some spicy stuff!"
"That bright red color looks so appealing! Cut me some pig's head meat!"
The area in front of the stall was bustling with activity.
Zhang Yili and Li Xiulan were so busy they barely had time to breathe.
Zhang Yili was in charge of cutting, weighing, and introducing the products. His hands moved swiftly and steadily, the knife flashing across his body.
Li Xiulan was responsible for collecting money, giving change, and packing; she worked quickly and efficiently, and the teamwork was excellent.
Little Nan sat behind the stall, watching her aunt and mother bustling around, her little mouth slightly open, her big eyes full of surprise.
Not forgetting her duty, she called out in a childish voice to those approaching the stall, "Nan'er is watching." This amused everyone and added to the lively atmosphere.
As Zhang Liuli cut the pig intestines, he wiped the fine sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.
By the time the sun was high in the sky, just past noon, the two large earthenware pots of pork offal, including the generously portioned spicy pork offal, were already sold out.
The money box that Zhang Liuyi brought, which was originally empty, was now heavy, filled with gleaming gold coins, and the lid could hardly be closed.
The stall was tidied up neatly, and the money box was heavy in their arms. Zhang Yili and Li Xiulan couldn't care less about the joy of counting the money; their hearts were all on the county government office.
Little Nan'er seemed to sense her mother and aunt's anxiety. She was no longer as lively as when she arrived. Instead, she obediently lay on Li Xiulan's shoulder, her little hands unconsciously tugging at her mother's collar.
"Sister-in-law, don't worry, Brother Ji will definitely be fine!"
While Zhang Liuyi was comforting Li Xiulan, his eyes were fixed on the two heavy vermilion gates of the county government office, and his feet were pacing unconsciously.
As the sun began to set, the flow of people coming and going at the yamen gate gradually thinned out, but Zhang Liuji was nowhere to be seen.
Holding the child, Li Xiulan felt her heart pounding and her palms sweating.
She kept tiptoeing and peering around, muttering to herself unconsciously.
"Why isn't it out yet... It's been so long... Could it be... Could it be..." She dared not voice the ominous thoughts that followed, her face growing paler and paler.
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