One tael of silver is equivalent to one thousand coins.
Ah Mian remembers it so clearly because she asked about it many years ago.
At that time, her mother was very ill and would cough every night. She ran around asking for help, but the farmers and peasants were helpless.
Having no other option, she had to ask her best friend Zhang Yixing, who gave her a vague but all-powerful answer:
—It might have gotten cold.
It's cool at night, the quilt isn't warm enough, and drafts get in while you're sleeping.
Lu Amian asked if there was any way, and Zhang Yixing said that his family had hot water bottles, which were very expensive, costing one tael of silver, and that his family only had two.
This price is an astronomical figure for A-Mian; with that much money, she could have taken several more doses of medicine.
After her mother passed away, A-Mian never mentioned the matter again.
Suddenly, a hot water bottle was placed in front of her. She held it in her hands, turning it over and over to examine it closely, then opened the lid to observe its internal structure. She had only heard of this kind of thing before, and had never seen one in person.
"Won't it leak?"
Meng Chijian said, "If you hold it upside down, it will leak because the lid is not completely seamless. But this thing is made with a flat bottom, and when filled with water it becomes very heavy, so it won't tip over or leak."
"That's great," Lu Amian touched it again, "I'll take it to Xiao Jing right now!"
"Don't run, she has it. This is for you."
Lu Amian's eyes widened. After a moment, she quickly waved her hand, "This is too valuable, I don't want it."
She couldn't afford to pay him back, and she certainly couldn't afford to owe him any more money.
"Then just throw it away." Meng Chijian didn't waste any more words with her and bent down to make the bed.
Now, Lu Amian felt that holding the hot water bottle was just like holding a roasted sweet potato before—it was too hot to handle, yet she couldn't bear to throw it away.
"It's not as expensive as you think. This would indeed cost one or two taels of silver outside. But I made this myself. You can make the cloth covering it yourself tomorrow. It only cost a few tin ingots as raw materials, so it'll only cost around three hundred coins."
“Well…” Ah Mian really couldn’t bear to throw it away. “I will cherish it very much and I will absolutely, positively not damage it even a little bit! I will go find some scraps of cloth tomorrow and sew a cover for it!”
She figured she was just using it for a short time and wouldn't be taking it with her, so she shouldn't have to pay back the money.
"You played really well, there's even a pattern on the lid."
Meng Chijian paused for a moment, then gave a faint "hmm".
Lu Amian couldn't read, so she thought it was a pattern.
She excitedly filled the hot water bottle, placed it in the bed early, and then put away all the household items she had bought.
I lay down after finishing my work. The bed, which used to be so cold that I didn't even dare to put my feet down, was now warm and cozy.
Even the kneecaps were slightly warm from the heat.
After blowing out the candles, Ah Mian no longer needed to bury her head under the covers like before, as it was unbearably hot that way.
She turned over and whispered to Meng Chijian, who was lying flat on his back, "Thank you."
However, there was no response.
After a long while, Meng Chijian's somewhat stiff voice came through, "Go to sleep now and stop talking."
And so, A-Mian settled down and lived in the Meng family's home temporarily.
To be fair, the Meng family's life wasn't too difficult. Meng Chijian had no other faults, except that he was a bit too rule-bound.
For example, you can't touch his pillow when he sleeps, you can't mention things about his family in the past (especially his older brother), and things like that.
A-Mian wasn't one to pry into things, so she didn't bother to find out. The only thing that puzzled her was that Meng Chijian sometimes acted like a soldier in a military camp, always trying to control her, and his nagging was getting to her pointless.
There are dozens of rules, such as "Don't take money out of your clothes in front of others," "Don't play in the water in spring, and don't take off your shoes and socks to go into the river," and "A-Dou can eat unfamiliar fruits, but you may not be able to."
One time, A-Mian couldn't help but say, "Even my dad isn't as nagging as you."
Meng Chijian had never heard such a comment from anyone before. Meng Jing heard it too, and immediately spat out a mouthful of water, laughing for the full time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
Most of the time, Ah Mian was very obedient, at least on the surface, so she lived a very peaceful life.
About half a month later, Meng Chijian made another tin can and would take a can of goat milk with him every day when he returned home.
This stuff has a strong muttony smell and a fishy smell. When A-Mian heard that he actually spent ten coins to buy it, she cried out that she had been ripped off and would go to that shop tomorrow to settle the score and get her money back. Meng Jing also said that the money would have been better spent on buying candy for the two of them every day.
But Meng Chijian ignored it all. He went into the kitchen and, following the boss's recipe, boiled the goat milk two or three times with a ratio of one bowl of water to one bowl of goat milk. He also added a little bit of crushed sugar. This way, he made two large bowls, each the size of a large blue porcelain bowl!
Now nobody says they overpaid by buying it for ten coins.
Amian went to try it, but still shook her head, "It doesn't taste good."
“I met a guy who had been shot twice in the shoulder and chest. After the arrows were removed, he remained unconscious and seemed beyond saving. In the army… well, there was a doctor who fed him goat milk every day, and he miraculously pulled through.” Meng Chijian said with a half-smile, “So this bowl is all yours, even if it doesn’t taste good.”
He gave the remaining bowl to Meng Jing, took a few spoonfuls from it, and gave them to Meng's mother.
The elderly person also disliked the taste and only drank a few sips before stopping.
Meng Jing accepted it and gulped it down in a few mouthfuls.
Ah Mian secretly discussed with her, "Can I pour half for you?"
"No!" Meng Jing covered her bowl. Ever since their last argument, there had been some awkwardness between them. Meng Jing was angry that A Mian was still protecting her own family instead of being her closest family; A Mian was angry that she had complained to her, which was very disloyal.
Lu Amian held her breath and quickly gulped it down her throat, finishing the drink in no time.
"Ahhh!" She ran to the kitchen to rinse her mouth with water.
After finally recovering, she looked out of the kitchen and saw Meng Chijian already clearing away the dishes. The other bowls were nothing special, but in her own bowl, she saw that he had poured hot water into it and drunk a bowl of it.
Ah Mian peeked out, and he had already noticed. His expression remained unchanged, and he only said, "It would be a waste."
Lu Amian was a little embarrassed, "If this stuff really helps you grow, then you should be the one drinking it. From now on, I'll just drink what you've already drunk."
Meng Chijian mocked mercilessly, "We'll talk when you're as tall as my chin."
“…It’s not that I’m short,” Lu Amian explained softly, though she was about the same height as most of the young women in the village. “It’s that everyone in the Meng family is tall…”
Seeing him glare at her, she quickly said, "I know, I know, I'll drink goat milk every day!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
