Chapter 28: Jinwan wants to recruit Mr. Little Fish as his son-in-law.
Do you want to use mosquito coils?
Yao Xiaoyu asked, and everyone who was disgusted by the ugly mosquito coil shook their heads. She then took two mosquito coil rings and placed them by the fire, using the heat from cooking to dry them as quickly as possible.
Air-dried mosquito coils are the most effective, but she didn't want to wait any longer.
That night, Yao Xiaoyu had a rare good night's sleep.
Days passed by like flowing water. Manuscripts were delivered to the newspaper office one by one, and silver dollars entered the Yao family one by one. Mr. Xiaoyu's reputation grew louder and louder, and Ding Xian's story spread throughout Shanghai with more and more newspapers being printed.
"It is said that nowadays, families with daughters will subscribe to a newspaper with Ding Xian's story."
Zhou Chunhua gossiped enthusiastically with Yao Xiaoyu. Her granddaughter, unaware at home, had overheard several girls talking about wanting to marry Mr. Xiaoyu when they grew up on her way to work.
"Why?"
Yao Xiaoyu was somewhat curious. It wasn't yet time for ideological liberation; her article would actually be categorized as "inappropriate reading." Her parents' lack of objection was already a sign of open-mindedness, and their encouragement...
"It seems that a family's daughter bought a newspaper and discovered that the family she married into was using the exact same tricks as Ding Xian's in-laws. After the news spread, many families were afraid that their daughters would also encounter such cunning, so they bought newspapers for their daughters to learn from."
Yao Xiaoyu's eyes widened, and after confirming that Zhou Chunhua was not joking, she was completely stunned:
"I really just wrote it randomly!"
The plot of being slapped in the face has been written to death in modern times. She just changed the time and background. If you have to say what effort she put in, it's that she put a lot of effort into the writing to make the story seem particularly realistic.
“I know, but the girl’s situation was just a coincidence.”
Zhou Chunhua also felt it was a strange coincidence—her childhood sweetheart and her unfaithful husband only wanted the dowry. Apart from the time, place, and people being wrong, the rest of the match was almost 100%. Otherwise, the silly girl wouldn't have been able to break down on the spot.
The girl has now returned home with the divorce papers. It is said that the newspaper that wrote about Ding Xian teaching her in-laws a lesson was directly invited into the ancestral hall. The family even said that their daughter was able to escape her suffering because of Ding Xian's story, and if Mr. Xiaoyu would be so kind as to visit their humble home, they would be very grateful.
The promise of a generous reward is not just empty words. You see, the girl's parents used to run a money exchange a few years ago. In recent years, they've partnered with foreigners and turned the money exchange into a bank. They have mountains of gold and seas of silver flowing through their hands. Pearls are as cheap as dirt and jade as iron—that's a true description of their business! [1]
"However, everyone in the neighborhood says that they admire Mr. Xiaoyu's talent and want to take him as their son-in-law."
At this point, Zhou Chunhua finally couldn't hold back her laughter.
Yao Xiaoyu: ...
***
"Are these ribs fresh?"
Yao Xiaoyu touched the pork with her fingertip, and the small dent she made was quickly covered up.
"It must be fresh; I slaughtered the pig before dawn."
The butcher patted his chest and assured Yao Xiaoyu that the young girl had little experience, but Zhou Chunhua, who followed behind her, was no pushover. Moreover, this Yao family girl was a money-making machine; every time she stopped in front of his stall, she would give him several silver coins, but she always chose to come when no one was around.
"I'll take both the spare ribs from here and the ones from here."
Yao Xiaoyu gestured to the position of the ribs. Today was a happy occasion, and she was going to be generous at the meat stall—she wanted both of the two large racks of ribs that hadn't been sold yet!
"Little fish..."
Zhou Chunhua frowned, as if she wanted to say something, but Yao Xiaoyu glanced at the basket on her back, and Zhou Chunhua stopped talking.
The granddaughter had just given the family a large sum of silver dollars, and no matter how many ribs they bought, it couldn't compare to the iron pot that they had saved up for so long to bring back.
Oh well, Xiaoyu doesn't have much money anyway, so she might as well spend it.
"You want both?"
Although he knew about the Yao family girl's extravagant spending, the butcher still confirmed it again.
"Yes, but only the ribs, nothing else, plus a piece of fatty meat."
Compared to the braised pork belly that her body prefers, Yao Xiaoyu prefers this kind of spare rib with only one big bone. However, this kind of cut is not worthwhile in the eyes of the Yao family. It was only because she bought the iron pot today that Yao Xiaoyu decided to splurge a little.
"It definitely won't be taken from anywhere else."
The butcher readily agreed, quickly separating the spine and other bones from the ribs, and even thoughtfully asked Yao Xiaoyu if she wanted him to chop them into pieces.
"Just chop it horizontally a few times."
Zhou Chunhua spoke up, and the butcher, who had originally planned to take the opportunity to add some meat and make more money, immediately wilted.
Yao Xiaoyu: ...
That's why she used to dislike buying groceries outside of supermarkets; she just couldn't compete, she really couldn't.
The iron pot that entered the Yao family's house received a grand welcoming ceremony—first, a whole piece of pigskin was used to wipe the inside of the pot, then it was washed with clean water, and then two bowls of lard were rendered from large pieces of fatty meat to thoroughly coat the pot before all the cut ribs were put into the pot to make a whole basin of meat dishes.
"Isn't it braised pork today?"
Yao Xiaoli looked at the palm-sized ribs with some curiosity. Before, when they didn't have an iron pot at home, Yao Xiaoyu would always buy pure meat suitable for stewing after receiving her writing fees. Yao Xiaoli had already equated braised pork with Yao Xiaoyu going out.
Second-grade elementary school students are not very educated and cannot distinguish between roasting and stewing in the kitchen.
"Let's try something different today."
As Yao Xiaoyu held her rice and looked at the familiar color of the braised pork ribs, she thought about how she would say goodbye to all kinds of steamed dishes, and felt as if the sky had brightened up.
The cook's skills were average, but the ribs were very fresh, and she was generous with the seasonings. With just a little bit of force, the entire smooth bone could be pulled out. Yao Xiaoyu first used chopsticks, but then felt it wasn't enough. Taking advantage of the fact that they were all family members and she didn't need to worry about appearances, she simply used her hands.
With her mouth opening and closing, and her hands gripping the ribs like she was eating skewers, Yao Xiaoyu let the delicious meat juices burst between her lips and tongue. She chewed and swallowed with gusto, thoroughly enjoying her meal.
Yao Xiaoli, who was struggling to eat the ribs with chopsticks, watched with envy. Seeing that her family didn't have much of an opinion on her sister's method, she also tried changing her eating tool from bamboo chopsticks to her hands. One bite opened up a whole new world for her.
A bowl of pork ribs was placed on the table. It should have been a happy day, but Yao Xiaoli's hands were greasy from eating the ribs. When she tried to grab the bowl, it slipped and knocked the bowl off the table, leaving a chip.
"Crack!"
Everyone froze, all six pairs of eyes focused on the crack in the porcelain bowl, and Yao Xiaoli's face turned pale instantly.
"It's alright, everything will be fine."
Yao Xiaoyu smoothed things over, and the air began to move again. Zhou Chunhua gestured with the notch in the bowl, somewhat unsure of its size.
Is it even an inch?
The nails used for mending bowls are priced by the inch. Generally, there is one nail at each end and one nail in the middle, and the price is calculated based on the number of nails used.
"Prepare a few more copper coins."
Wenrou sighed gently. With Yao Xiaoyu around, the family's situation had improved a lot. However, apart from being generous with food, Yao Xiaoyu lived a rather haphazard life in other aspects. There were only a few bowls in the family, and it was really heartbreaking to see them break.
"I remember Liu, the bowl mender, was pretty good at it..."
In this era, craftsmen were usually referred to by their profession plus their surname. For example, the famous Li the Brusher and Zhang the Clay Figurine Maker. Liu the Bowl Mender was the name given to a bowl mender with the surname Liu. However, he was not only good at mending bowls, but also skilled at repairing pots, pans, earthenware jars, and large vats. As long as they were not completely broken and the craftsman was willing to pay, he could repair them perfectly. [2]
Wenrou and Zhou Chunhua discussed which bowl mender had good skills and fair prices. Yao Xiaoyu listened with great interest and even looked forward to tomorrow. She had never seen the skill of mending pots and bowls when she was watching videos in modern times!
The next day, Zhou Chunhua got up earlier than usual. After eating a couple of mouthfuls of porridge, she hurriedly went out: the bowl mender would be out soliciting business, and if Zhou Chunhua left late, the bowl would be delayed for another day after the bowl mender left.
The Yao family only had two more bowls than people, but the spare bowl was filled with lard and couldn't be used. Since the bowl couldn't be repaired today, Yao Xiaoli would have to eat from a plate. It would affect her image, but more importantly, a plate was really inconvenient for drinking porridge.
Yao Tianrui went to work, and Yao Xiaoli went to school. The family quickly went from a lively group of six to three. Yao Xiaoyu was pondering whether to read the newspaper or start writing when there was a knock on the door.
The bowl mender that Zhou Chunhua found has arrived.
Yao Xiaoyu didn't hesitate to skip today's update and started observing how the bowl mender worked—
Sitting on a small stool, Mr. Liu padded his knees with a cloth, put the broken porcelain bowl back together, used wire rings to hold it open, and then began to drill holes in the fragments and the porcelain bowl.
The drilling tool resembled a bow for playing the erhu (a two-stringed bowed instrument). The drill bit was a tiny, shiny object that emitted a slight buzzing sound. Yao Xiaoyu watched with curiosity, and Master Liu didn't hide anything from her:
"This is diamond, it's very hard."
Master Liu wasn't worried about Yao Xiaoyu stealing his business. Don't underestimate the small amount of diamond; it's incredibly valuable. Besides, repairing pots and bowls requires skill. If she could truly learn his craft just by watching, then there was even less to worry about.
Someone with that skill could earn more money doing any odd job than being a bowl mender.
Yao Xiaoyu was unaware of Master Liu's ulterior motives; she was already stunned by the material of the drill bit.
Some people may not be familiar with diamonds, but they are also known as diamonds, and even a tiny one is very valuable.
Four holes were drilled with clear oil, and Master Liu quickly used a staple-like tool to reconnect the broken parts. Then he applied a layer of white plaster and scraped off the excess plaster. The bowl was finished, but the crack in the chip was very conspicuous and looked rather disharmonious.
But these are minor issues; the most important thing is that it works.
Wenrou paid the money, and then Master Liu packed up his things and left the yard.
"Cooking pots, basins, and big vats—"
As the somewhat familiar shouts faded into the distance, Yao Xiaoyu looked at the repaired porcelain bowl and several ideas popped into her head.
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Author's note: [1] Pearls are like dirt, jade is like iron: This is adapted from Dream of the Red Chamber [Pearls are like dirt, gold is like iron]. I deliberately modified it so as not to overlap with the previous "golden mountains and silver seas".
[2] Brush Li and Clay Figure Zhang are from Feng Jicai's "Extraordinary People in Ordinary World".
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