Chapter 20 The Seven Sisters Festival
The Li family was at Xuandu Temple. They donated five taels of silver and another five taels. Li's mother and second brother also brought a statue of a deity home, which cost another five taels of silver. Not counting the money given by the little Taoist boy at the gate when he handed incense, they spent fifteen taels of silver at Xuandu Temple all at once.
Finding inner peace is no ordinary matter, and Li San Niang once again got back on track to making money.
Although Li Sanniang didn't have to pay for it, she still felt bad about it.
Tasks need to be completed, systems need to be upgraded, children need to be raised, and money needs to be earned!
After the Li family of four had their questions answered and obtained the statue of the deity, they rode home in a donkey cart. However, in the room where the abbot of Xuandu Temple was answering questions for believers, a Taoist priest with wrinkled skin and white hair walked out from behind a screen that the worshippers did not notice.
"Guangxi, what do you think of that woman's appearance?"
“Master, like the saint, you are a kind person with upright eyebrows and bright eyes, and your body is filled with the golden light of merit.”
"It seems that the Tang Dynasty's fortunes are not declining but rather increasing, and its reign will be long-lasting."
The Li family was unaware of these things. Upon returning home excitedly, Li's mother hurriedly instructed her second brother to clear out a spacious area next to the altar in the side hall next to the main hall, where the tablets of Li's father and biological parents were enshrined. They carefully cleaned the walls and soon set up the statues of the deities they had brought back.
Brother Li was very efficient; he quickly cleaned up and respectfully hung up the statue of the deity.
Finally, led by Li's father, they first offered incense to the statue of the deity, and then to the memorial tablets of Li's father's parents, and that was the end of it.
As soon as Sister-in-law Li came out of the house, she told Father Li that the four little ones had gone to her parents' house to practice martial arts and would probably not return until evening. The ten large characters that Father Li had punished each of them for fighting were also written and placed in the main hall.
At noon, Sister-in-law Li specially prepared a vegetarian meal, while Sister-in-law Li Er, who was still in her postpartum period, ate a meal with fish soup and eggs.
I had just finished eating when the rain, which hadn't fallen all morning despite the overcast sky, suddenly started pouring down.
Fortunately, Sister-in-law Li had noticed the bad weather that morning and had already taken in the dried medicinal herbs with her young apprentices.
Just as the family was about to chat for a bit, the young shop assistant Li Gui, carrying an umbrella, led Mr. Zhou from next door over to their door.
"Dr. Li, I apologize for my intrusion."
As he spoke, Master Zhou bowed to Li's father.
Father Li quickly got up to return the greeting. Seeing that Master Zhou had something to discuss, Father Li stayed behind. After his wife served tea, Father Li, his mother, and his third wife took Little Dewdrop and went to his wife's room to see Little Wulang.
"Mr. Zhou, you flatter me. We've been neighbors for many years. Please take a seat and have some tea."
After exchanging pleasantries among adults for a while, Master Zhou finally got to the point, "We've been neighbors for years, and I won't beat around the bush with Doctor Li. There's a rumor going around that your third wife saved the life of the young master of the Dali Temple's Junior Minister. Is that true or false?"
Mr. Li swallowed his tea and thought to himself, "Ah, two or three days have passed, and these gossip rumors have finally reached my ears."
Mr. Li put down his teacup, cleared his throat, and replied with a proud expression, "Haha, where did you hear that, Master Zhou? It is indeed true. My third wife just happened to save the young master of the Qian family."
"Dr. Li is humble. Great teachers produce great students. Third Sister has been studying medicine under Dr. Li for many years, and her medical skills have become more and more refined."
I remember that when Third Sister was seven or eight years old, she followed you to see patients in the front hall. She was really skilled.
That's perfect. I'll just be frank. My eldest son wants to return to his hometown, and I, an old man, also want to return to my roots. After running this shop in Chang'an for so long, my family plans to reserve the front storefront and a few side rooms in the back, and then sell the rest.
"Old Wang has already bought the western half. Is Dr. Li interested in the eastern half?"
Upon hearing this, Li Erxiong couldn't hide the joy on his face. He glanced at his father and asked, "Master Zhou, how much is it?"
Seeing that Li Erxiong had already inquired about the price, Li's father didn't say anything more.
"This is a large courtyard on the east side. Although there is no well in the courtyard, if you don't mind the trouble, you can pay to dig one yourself. After all, the pomegranate trees in the courtyard are growing quite well, so there must be groundwater."
This half of the yard is also close to your backyard. You can connect directly to this yard by simply making a hole in the west wall of your house.
Over the years, we have lived here carefully and repaired it every year. We are sure that the house will last another ten or twenty years without any problems.
"My sincere offer is three thousand taels. If you agree, we can go to the Ministry of Revenue tomorrow to register the deed!"
Upon hearing Master Zhou's asking price of three thousand taels, Brother Li's heart trembled, thinking that he could not possibly buy it.
Although Master Zhou's asking price was a bit high, Li Erlang estimated that Master Zhou's half of the courtyard could be sold for two thousand five or six hundred taels of silver. However, if Master Zhou wanted to sell it for a higher price, he only needed to find a broker. There were wealthy merchants from Jiangnan who were eager to settle in Chang'an and were not short of five or six hundred taels of silver.
Li Erxiong didn't say anything more, observing his father's attitude to decide whether to make the purchase.
"Mr. Zhou, we've been neighbors for many years, do you think this is feasible?"
You're going back to your hometown. I remember that Master Zhou's hometown is in Jin. Although it's not far from Chang'an, it's not close either.
"Our herbal medicine shop has prepared enough medicine for fifty people for Master Zhou, from colds and diarrhea to hemostatic and wound-healing medicine, plus a ten-year-old ginseng root. Would it be acceptable for Master Zhou to sell this half of his courtyard to my Li family for two thousand five hundred taels?"
A single ginseng root could be worth three or four hundred taels of silver, but ginseng is rare and a life-saving substance, so it's hard to say whether Master Zhou lost money or the Li family gained.
Master Zhou was indeed straightforward; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to leave Shanxi and build such a large business. He nodded and agreed immediately.
"Alright, I've taken advantage of Dr. Li. We'll find a caravan to return to our hometown early next month, and Dr. Li can complete the transaction with me before the end of this month."
In response to Master Zhou's question, Li's father and second brother recounted how Li's third sister had saved Qian Xiaolang before they parted ways, each bowing to the other.
Li Erxiong, beaming with joy, went to tell his mother and the others the good news. After searching around, he found that all five women, including Xiao Wulang, were in his room.
After excitedly sharing the good news with everyone, Brother Li Er reluctantly returned to the medicine cabinet.
“That’s good. I’ve been to Master Zhou’s house once. His youngest daughter-in-law wasn’t feeling well and asked me to give her a massage. The house is quite tidy, and there are two very old pomegranate trees that are growing quite well.”
Li's mother bit off the thread of the menstrual belt she had just finished sewing with her teeth, and said to Li San Niang and the others with a big smile.
"Hey, Mother, why did you bite it off with your teeth? There are small scissors here. If you always use your teeth, why did you buy these small scissors from the peddler? Wouldn't that be a waste of money?"
"You, you know, you know, you won't bite next time. You want a better menstrual belt, but you can't make it yourself, so you just drag your sister-in-law to make it for you."
"Hehe, Mother, I'm learning it right now. Right, Sister-in-law? Look, I've already learned the closing stitch technique you taught me."
Sister-in-law Li smiled but didn't say anything, watching Li San Niang and her daughter banter.
It's rare for someone to be proficient in everything. A person's energy and time are limited. Once you've spent time and energy on one thing, it's difficult to spend that energy on doing other things well.
For example, Li San Niang, who should have learned needlework and cooking when she was young, ended up learning medicine from her father, seeing patients and writing prescriptions. Only after getting married did she gradually learn to manage accounts and take care of the food and drink in her own courtyard, but she still didn't know much about needlework and cooking.
Just like now, to make a menstrual belt with a kapok base, she still needs the help of Li's mother and sister-in-law. She learned acupuncture from Sister-in-law Li for a few days and her fingers were full of needle marks. Sister-in-law Li felt sorry for her and simply told her not to do it, saying that she would do it for her when she had time, so that Li San Niang would not have to torment her delicate fingers.
The four little ones returned from Li Dasao's parents' house in the evening after being thoroughly disciplined, all looking dejected. Even Li Silang was too tired to greet his little dewdrop, who had come to welcome Xiao Huang.
Li San Niang smiled at Li Da Sao, her gloating expression making even the good-natured Li Da Sao want to imitate her mother and tap her forehead with a finger.
After yesterday's torrential rain, the weather has become even hotter. Sister-in-law Li is picking mung beans, thinking of making another pot of mung bean soup today to cool her down and relieve the summer heat.
After all, early this morning, Brother Li Er took the four little ones, who were exhausted from yesterday, on a donkey cart to Li Ersao's family home in the countryside to collect medicinal herbs. When they returned in the evening, the four little ones would probably be exhausted and listless again.
Little Dewdrop, being good-natured, stayed here with Sister-in-law Li, helping to pick mung beans. It was hot, and even Little Yellow stayed in its nest under the jujube tree, not moving an inch.
Li San Niang, however, was packing up the pills, patches, and pre-assigned medicine packets with her mother.
Yes, ever since yesterday, when Li's father and Master Zhou discussed buying half of Master Zhou's courtyard, it was first Li's second brother who was busy with the young apprentices preparing fifty portions of various medicinal herbs with different effects. Today, since Li's second brother is not here, Li's third sister and Li's mother are busy with the preparations.
After noon, when everyone in the Li family had eaten and was about to take a nap, Li's father returned under the scorching sun.
Li's father was busy all morning. He first counted the silver and took the household registration certificate to visit Master Zhou next door. After checking the house and finding no major problems, he went to the Ministry of Revenue to complete the transaction and sign the deed. He then treated Master Zhou to a meal at Junyoulai Restaurant and told him that the promised fifty medicine packets were already being prepared and would be delivered along with the ginseng in a few days, ensuring that it would not delay Master Zhou's journey back to his hometown.
After Jun came back and drank some more wine, Li's father handed the house deed to Li's mother, drank a bowl of mung bean soup to cool off, and then went back to his room to lie down. He estimated that he wouldn't be able to get up and sit in court until the afternoon.
Originally, Li's father was supposed to get up and sit in court in the afternoon, but instead, he called Li San Niang to the Ministry of Revenue to transfer the property. It was Li San Niang who used the thousand taels of silver to buy the small courtyard where she and Xiao Luzhu'er now lived.
Li San Niang now owns two house deeds!
In the evening, the four little ones, who had been busy all day, returned from the countryside with Brother Li. They were all exhausted and had no energy.
Li San Niang thought that Brother Li's method of punishment was quite good, much better than parents who only yelled at and beat their children.
The next day was the Qixi Festival, and Sister-in-law Li bought flour in advance, planning to make Qiaoguo (a type of pastry) at home.
It's basically a luxurious dish made by adding oil and eggs, kneading the dough, letting it rise, placing it in a special mold to imprint various auspicious patterns, and then frying it in oil in a pan.
During festivals, the East and West Markets are the liveliest places in Chang'an. But on such festivals, Brother Li would definitely have to work overtime and wouldn't be back until very late. The Four Little Ones' Academy does not have holidays on such festivals.
At home, Li's father and second brother were seeing patients and dispensing medicine, respectively. Li's second sister-in-law was still in her postpartum period taking care of her son, Xiao Wulang. Li's eldest sister-in-law had to manage the family's food and drink. Li's mother hadn't been delivering babies recently, as she was staying home to take care of Li's second sister-in-law during her postpartum period.
Li San Niang's health was still good after her miscarriage, but she was still taking the medicine prescribed by her father to nourish her body. She only went out when she had to. The rest of the time she stayed at home with Lu Zhu'er.
Dewdrop stayed home with Little Yellow.
So, this group of more than ten people could only gather in the courtyard after dinner, set out incense and candles, pray to the Weaver Girl, make a wish, eat Qiaoguo (a type of pastry), chat, and enjoy the cool evening air.
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