Chapter 5 Selling Eggs: Isn't this a blank market?
This instantaneous reaction was so real that Yao Ruyi couldn't help but laugh.
She thought it tasted good, and Grandpa Yao liked it too, so it seemed like she made it quite well. This gave her some confidence.
Seeing that Grandpa Yao was eating with relish, she got up and went back to the kitchen to steam rice. After thinking for a moment, she stuck her head out and comforted him, "Grandpa, be good. When I earn money tomorrow, I'll buy you some meat, but not mutton. We'll fry some crispy pork. It'll be cheaper, hehe."
"So stingy!" Yao Qizhao snorted, then ate the sesame seed cake with the egg.
A sun-warmed breeze whistled through the courtyard, ruffling Yao Qizhao's disheveled white hair. Bathed in the setting sun, his eyes squinted slightly, his expression relaxed, somewhat like a lazy old cat with its fur standing on end.
Yao Ruyi started steaming the rice. When the coal briquettes in the kitchen were almost burned out, she quickly came out to grab another one. Seeing this, she lit the fire and went back into the house to get a wooden comb to comb Grandpa Yao's hair.
He had been bedridden for many days and hadn't tidied himself up; his hair was all tangled.
She combed his hair straight, carefully tied it into a topknot, and then bound it with a cloth. He had just finished eating the biscuit, and his cheeks were covered with crumbs without him even noticing. Yao Ruyi brought water to wipe his face and wash his hands, then scooped out a fingertip of mutton fat ointment and applied it to his forehead, cheeks, nose, and chin, before spreading it evenly all over his face with her large hands, making the old man howl in pain.
"Nonsense! You have no manners!"
"Alright, alright, all done." Yao Ruyi grinned, then shook the crumbs off his clothes, thinking to herself that she should sew a bib for Grandpa Yao to wear later.
"You can bask in the sun while I go cook."
Yao Qizhao was now no different from a child; his anger flared up and subsided quickly, and he forgot things in the blink of an eye. Seeing Yao Ruyi's diligence, he squinted and praised, "Hmm, you're quite capable, this new cook. What's your name? How old are you?"
Well, she's become a cook again.
"Call me if you need anything. The chamber pot is in the back. Remember to hold onto the wall and walk slowly if you need to relieve yourself." Whether it's a cook or a wet nurse, as long as he's happy, that's all that matters. As a child raised by her maternal grandmother, Yao Ruyi naturally felt close to Grandpa Yao, who doted on his granddaughter.
She shrugged and went back to the kitchen to get busy.
At first, she was inevitably a bit flustered. She wasn't actually very good at cooking; the dishes she knew were all taught to her by her grandmother, and they were all simple home-style dishes. She had been sick since she was thirteen, and after surgery and chemotherapy, she had a brief recovery. At that time, it was her grandmother who was in poor health, often experiencing dizziness, and in severe cases, sudden fainting spells. The doctor said it was due to overwork, a deformed cervical spine compressing nerves, leading to insufficient blood supply to the brain.
You need to rest more.
So during those years, Yao Ruyi took on all the housework. Her grandmother also started teaching her how to cook, how to buy goods, and how to keep accounts. The small shop was also handed over to her to manage. Yao Ruyi was still immature at that time, and even became rebellious because of her illness and fear of the future. The more her grandmother tried to teach her, the more she would throw a tantrum and refuse to learn. She was often scolded by her impatient grandmother and would hide in her room and cry.
She knew that her grandmother was terrified that she wouldn't be able to take care of herself if she passed away one day. But it was precisely because she knew this that she felt even more fearful. At that time, like the original owner of this body, she had also thought that if her loved ones were gone, she would have no attachments in this world, so it would be better to go with them.
To raise money for her medical treatment, her grandmother had already sold the old house, but she didn't sell the small shop until the very last moment. She knew that her grandmother hadn't even considered her uncles; she wanted to leave the small shop to her.
"Once you recover, you can keep this little shop; at least you'll have a way to make a living."
Unfortunately, she still lost to cancer.
However, there's nothing to be sad about now.
Grandma was right, she wanted to live, and she was determined to live!
Perhaps God felt he owed her something in her past life, so in this life He made her take the place of "Yao Ruyi" in this life, hoping she could have a healthy body and live a good life? Although the original owner looked thin, she actually had a very good constitution, as evidenced by her rapid recovery after being poisoned by coal.
Even without the help of modern medicine, her recovery from carbon monoxide poisoning and subsequent coma to such a level of mobility after only a dozen days is a world apart from her previous frail and broken body.
Yao Ruyi scolded herself for being pretentious, glanced at the sky, and, under Grandpa Yao's bewildered gaze, moved like an ant carrying food. First, she moved the charcoal stove and the pot of tea eggs to the eaves of the house, then she went back and pushed Grandpa Yao under the porch. She also found him a book to pass the time, then moved a small stool and a stack of oil paper before sitting down by the door, panting.
She used a paper cutter to cut the oil paper into small pieces, folded them into funnel shapes, and neatly placed them aside, feeling a little nervous as she waited for the students of the Imperial Academy to leave school.
I wonder if anyone will buy this snack?
After cutting the oil paper, she gently stirred the brine in the earthenware jar with a spoon. The coal briquettes in the small charcoal stove were burning red-hot, with a layer of silvery-gray on the outside and orange-red sparks burning inside. The brine, which had cooled down, boiled again, and the aroma of the tea eggs that had settled quickly lingered in the alley.
Just then, the long, drawn-out school bell rang.
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Bianjing (Kaifeng) had two official schools: the Imperial Academy (Guozijian) and the Biyong Academy (Biyong Shuyuan). However, the layout of the Imperial Academy differed greatly from that of the Biyong Academy in the outer city, being divided into north and south sections. The north section, known as the Lecture Hall Street, housed the students' study of the "Six Arts and Nine Classics," and included a drill ground, a football field, and a series of dormitories—essentially the teaching area. The south section, on the other hand, consisted entirely of gray-tiled, interconnected dormitories and dining halls for the students, roughly analogous to the dormitories of later universities.
There was a narrow alley, about ten feet wide, sandwiched in the middle; this was the alley where the Yao family lived.
As soon as the school bell rang to signal the end of the semester, the students of the Imperial College would surge out of the school gates like a swarm of carp from the Yellow River, and this alley was the only way to get from the school hall, the dining hall, and back to their dormitories.
The Imperial College had more than 3,000 teachers and students.
Logically, such a bustling area should have long since been transformed into a lively food street, with wonton stalls and baking ovens, much like a modern university town. Unfortunately, because the alley was enclosed within the outer wall of the Imperial College, it was guarded by soldiers at both ends, preventing outsiders from approaching. As for the families living in the alley—mostly officials serving in the Imperial College with children studying there—they couldn't openly engage in commerce, and their high salaries made them disdainful of such small businesses.
After all, among the officials in this area, those as honest and upright as Grandpa Yao were the exceptions. Even those in government offices with a little bit of illicit income would have money delivered to them while they were at home, let alone those in the Imperial Academy. Why would officials bother with such hard labor? Therefore, in the original owner's memory, there were only three shops in the entire alley: the woodblock printing shop run by Master Meng, the tailor shop run by Madam Cheng, and the Liu family bookstore run by a relative of Registrar Liu.
Nobody wanted to do the kind of small, trivial business that Yao Ruyi had chosen.
This is why the houses in this alley are so valuable.
This allowed Yao Ruyi to gain an unfair advantage for nothing.
Isn't this a blank market?
As soon as she heard the bell ring, she straightened her back, eager to get started. Her left hand gripped the bamboo strainer used for scooping tea eggs, her right hand rested on a double-eared earthenware jar, and her large, round almond-shaped eyes stared intently at the vermilion gate of the Imperial College, where people were gradually pouring out.
Yao Ruyi didn't think doing business was shameful. People were starving, so why bother with the moral integrity of scholars? If they didn't come up with a solution, when would they ever pay off this debt of over 500 guan? Anyway, the Yao family grandfather and grandson had been criticized so much over the years, they weren't afraid of having more topics of gossip.
In particular, with limited medical care these days, Grandpa Yao's illness will take a long time to heal, and he probably won't recover so quickly. According to what Clerk Liu said, Grandpa Yao probably won't be able to become an official, so he might as well just put aside his pride and go into business.
Besides, these tea eggs are just the opening act.
Yao Ruyi looked back at her family's mottled ebony door. There was a large square window in the wall behind her, which led to the Yao family's small storeroom where they stored miscellaneous items.
She opened the window while cleaning this morning and immediately made a plan in her mind: if she cleaned up these two rooms, made the hole in the wall bigger and brighter, put up shelves and set up a window panel, wouldn't it be a ready-made small shop window?
We'll order two narrow wooden cabinets to be made on the steps under the window and set them up there. We can also use them to store seasonal fruits and vegetables for sale. However, we need connections to get fresh fruits and vegetables. We need to get good ones at low prices, and these things spoil quickly, so we can't rush to sell them until we have a stable customer base.
Once the shop is open, the courtyard gate should be kept wide open so that customers can come and go easily. She's not afraid of being associated with men outside the shop, which would be considered adultery! Anyone who looks down on her because of that isn't a good person.
Oh dear, there's not even a hint of a convenience store yet. I'll take it one step at a time... I'll take it one step at a time... The more she thought about it, the more engrossed she became.
——
Inside the Imperial College.
As soon as the bell rang, the pageboys and servants who had been idly chatting on the steps of the first and second quarters jumped up and hurried inside to serve their masters. Before long, they led out a number of young men dressed in fine clothes.
The Imperial College and the Biyong Academy had different ways of dividing the dormitories. The Biyong Academy had only been established for about ten years. Because it admitted students from commoner families, the number of students who passed the entrance examination was divided into different dormitories according to their ranking. Monthly examinations were also held, and the last-place students were eliminated. Talent and learning were the most important factors.
The Imperial College, which had been established for over seventy years, appeared much more corrupt. Because the Imperial College restricted enrollment to children of officials of the seventh rank or above, it had always assigned dormitories based on birth status, with only children of powerful and high-ranking officials able to study in the top-tier dormitories.
Therefore, only at the entrances of the Jia and Yi schools would a large number of powerful servants gather every day.
Long after the bell tolled, Geng Hao finally stepped out of the gate of the Jiashe dormitory with a gloomy expression.
Behind him followed not only several servants, but also two clever and close companions who had grown up with him since childhood. One of them, carrying a book box and chessboard, was named Geng Niu, and the other, carrying a bow, arrows, and a ball, was named Geng Ma. These two seemed to be twins, identical in weight, height, and even the moles on their faces were the same, one on the left and one on the right.
"Brother, the carriage is all ready. Aren't we going home today?" Geng Niu, who had a mole on his left cheek, raised his face, glanced at his young master's very unhappy face, and asked cautiously, "Should I still have Geng Yang rush to Uncle's house today?"
Geng Hao was tall and had a sour face. His eyes, which were already fierce with the whites of his eyes showing, looked even fiercer now. As he walked, he said coldly, "I'm not going back, and I'm not going to my uncle's house either."
"Then...where are we going?" Gengma, who had a mole on his right cheek, asked nervously, his mind racing.
"I'm going to Zhengzhou for a few days, so I won't be going to school."
Geng Niu and Geng Ma both froze, but seeing Geng Hao's murderous look, they didn't dare to persuade him further. They could only exchange a glance and quickly coaxed him with smiles, "What are you going to Zhengzhou for? It's been so cold these past two days. Hao-ge'er doesn't want to see that woman. Why don't we go stay at the manor instead?"
Geng Hao's face darkened further, and he said decisively, "We'll go to Zhengzhou, to Yunmeng Mountain for hot springs!" After saying that, he glanced at Geng Niu and Geng Ma's bitter faces and snorted coldly, "I know what you're thinking, just go home and tell them! You! Geng Ma! Go back and tell my father that as long as that filthy woman is still in the house, I will never go home!"
The servant being pointed at said with a mournful face, "Brother, I am Geng Niu."
Geng Hao choked. The two looked so alike that he still couldn't tell them apart after all these years.
He waved his hand impatiently and casually: "Whoever you are, just deliver the message. That woman from the Deng family must be divorced and sent away. She wants to be my mother? Bah! She doesn't deserve it! This family is either her or me! And her pig-headed son, if he dares to step into my Geng family's door again, I'll break his legs! You tell her to see if I dare!"
He grew angrier and angrier as he spoke, and by the end, Geng Hao's face was completely red and his chest was heaving violently.
Geng Niu and Geng Ma quickly took out a pill for him, then patted his back and chest, feeling quite sorry for Geng Hao.
Geng Hao was the only legitimate son of Geng Zhongming, a high-ranking official of the second rank, known as the "Three Commissioners." The "Three Commissioners" of the Song Dynasty were in charge of all taxes and were called the "Prime Minister," holding a very prestigious position. Being born into such a family should have been a great blessing, but unfortunately, Geng Hao's mother died after giving birth to him, and he was raised by Geng Zhongming as both father and mother. Outsiders said that Prime Minister Geng refused to remarry because of his love for his son. However, at the beginning of the year, for some unknown reason, with many visiting cards and banquets during the first month of the lunar calendar, Geng Zhongming, at one banquet, took a liking to a woman presented by a clerk below him. He seemed bewitched and insisted on marrying her.
The key point is this woman; she's already in her thirties! She also has a son from her previous marriage who is only two years younger than Geng Hao!
It wasn't like the Geng family didn't have concubines; several respectable women from good families had even given birth to several younger siblings for Geng Hao. They had borne children for the Geng family but hadn't been promoted to the rank of principal wife. Yet, a woman who had married and given birth was suddenly going to become the head wife of the Geng family! Wasn't that a laughing stock? Geng Hao racked his brains but couldn't understand it. He had several big arguments with Geng Zhongming, but he couldn't sway Geng Zhongming's decision. The woman still entered the house with great fanfare.
On their wedding night, Geng Hao, without saying a word, grabbed two large lanterns, rushed up, and set the main house on fire. His father and stepmother were so frightened that they ran out in a sorry state, pulling up their belts and losing their shoes.
After that, he never went home again, and he hasn't since.
Geng Hao, panting, finally calmed down from his pent-up anger. Suddenly, he smelled a fragrance coming from either Geng Niu or Geng Ma's chest. He glanced at Geng Niu's chest and asked, "What are you two eating?"
Gengma was taken aback, then quickly pulled out a still-warm tea-braised chicken from his pocket and presented it eagerly: "When you were changing your clothes, I went out to tell the carriage to be prepared, and I bought this in the alley behind the back gate. It's quite interesting today; there's a very pretty young lady selling chicken, and quite a few students are buying them! I smelled the aroma, so I bought a few myself. This one hasn't been touched. Would Hao-ge want some?"
It was just chicken eggs. He hated eating chicken eggs the most. Fried ones were fine, but boiled ones were especially unpalatable. He always felt they smelled like farts when he peeled them open, and they were not tasty at all! Geng Hao pushed them away with disgust and walked away, saying, "I thought it was some kind of treasure. You can keep it for yourself!"
Geng Ma tucked the food back into his pocket, muttering under his breath as he chased after them, "It really is delicious."
As the sun set and dusk deepened, the scorching rays of the setting sun made the roof tiles of the Imperial College shimmer with golden light, and even the white walls were bathed in an orange-red hue, like molten gold. The shadows of the pillars cast thin lines like bowstrings on the walls. The Geng family, master and servant, walked along the long corridor past the entrance to the Bingzi Study Hall. Their long, slanted shadows fell on the walls and window frames, moving past Lin Weiming's eyes like swimming fish.
In the Bingzi Study Room, Lin Weiming watched helplessly as all the classmates from the other study rooms left.
He suppressed his hunger, held the book upright, and let out a silent, mournful sigh behind the pages.
Before him, Zhu Bing, a scholar of Confucian classics from their study, was still strutting about, reciting with great enthusiasm and fervor the famous passage from the Spring and Autumn Annals, "Zichan on Lenient and Severe Governance": "Lenientness tempers severity, and severity tempers lenientness; thus, governance is harmonious..."
He was about thirty-six or thirty-seven, but looked like he was in his forties. He was short and stout, and his body was wrapped in a moon-white satin long gown with a belt tightly tied around his waist, making him look like an over-fermented pancake. In addition, his name... earned him the nickname "Mr. Pancake" among this group of mischievous students.
Zhu Bing was completely absorbed in his book, reading aloud with spittle flying everywhere, seemingly oblivious to the dismissal bell. The students below were used to it, their faces expressionless—when had "Mr. Pancake's" class ever ended on time? It always went overtime!
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(sneaking)
(While readers are reading)
(Secretly giving each little angel's cheek a little rub)
(Stealthily)
(Satisfied)
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