Xiao Heran fell asleep at night, but the room was stuffy and hot in the summer.
He Zifeng propped his head up with one hand and fanned his son with the other. The little guy was sleeping soundly, lying on the pillow, his long eyelashes fluttering with his breath.
Qiu Yu looked at He Zifeng. They were able to move out like it was a dream come true. Honestly, the thought of He Tong having such filthy thoughts about him made Qiu Yu feel nauseous. Even if they lived in worse conditions, moving out would give her peace of mind.
Their child is their bottom line. Watching the little one grow up little by little fills their hearts with endless tenderness.
"Are you going to work when the town comes to recruit workers tomorrow?" Qiu Yu asked.
The town comes to recruit workers every year around this time, since there are still two months until the autumn harvest. Farmers are idle anyway, so they go and do odd jobs. If they're lucky, they can earn an ounce of silver; if they're unlucky, they can still get three or four hundred coins.
He Zifeng was physically strong, and since he had been the family's breadwinner since childhood, foremen always wanted him to work.
He Donglai used to stop him from leaving, saying that no one would fetch water or chop firewood at home. He did more work than he would work outside, but no one paid him a single penny.
Things are different now. He's a free man now, and he can go wherever he wants.
He Zifeng looked at Qiu Yu through the candlelight, a gentle smile appearing on his lips that he himself didn't even notice, and said, "If you beg me, I won't go."
Qiu Yu was somewhat embarrassed and annoyed: "Go or don't go, it's up to you."
He Zifeng said, "I won't go yet." He had just made an enemy of Wan Hai, and who knew if Wan Hai would try to sabotage him behind his back? Staying at home would allow him to protect Qiu Yu and the children.
It was already late at night. Qiu Yu asked, "What are you thinking about?" It had been a long time since the two of them had whispered to each other like this in the middle of the night. It felt a bit like when they first got married.
He Zifeng said, "I want to earn some money so I can send our son to school in the future." Ten taels of silver won't last long. They don't even have land. They have to spend money on food and clothing, let alone send their child to school. His elder brother and Xu Li are wealthy in the He family. It costs about ten taels a year to support their son's education. They said they would send He Xiaobao to school after he turns five.
Wan Hai was single-mindedly focused on his son's success so that he could improve his family's fortunes!
He Zifeng didn't expect his son to become a great scholar; he just wanted him to be able to read a few characters and understand the principles of being a good person, which would benefit him in the future.
He Zifeng looked at his son's sleeping profile and gently brushed the hair stuck to his face.
Qiu Yu also wanted to send her children to school. Why was it that her He Dabao, He Erbao, and He Xiaobao could go to school, while her Ranran could only gather firewood? Young men could also participate in the imperial examinations; she'd heard that the prime minister's son was even an official in the court, no different from any other man.
Qiu Yu thought about it and sighed, "But education costs money." It's no small sum; every student spends their entire fortune on it. It often takes several laborers tightening their belts to support one student. They only have two people, and their family can't help them.
He Zifeng said, "If only we had a shop." He had longed to own a shop in the county since he was a child. A prosperous shop could be passed down for three generations, and his son could live off the rent alone. After sighing, he saw that Qiu Yu was still looking worried and said, "I'll go up the mountain tomorrow and see if there's anything good there."
Last time, he picked mushrooms and sold them to the mountain runners, earning over twenty copper coins. But mushrooms aren't the only good stuff in the mountains; there are many other valuable things. If he could find even a single wild ginseng root, he'd be rich. This time, he planned to sell them in the county himself, offering even higher prices than the mountain runners.
Qiu Yu said, "I'll go with you. I know the mountain well." His father was a hunter, and he grew up in the mountains.
He Zifeng said, "If you leave too, Ranran will be scared." This little brat has never been away from her parents before.
He Zifeng saw that Qiu Yu still looked worried and said, "Alright, go to sleep." Then he got out of bed and extinguished the oil lamp.
...
The next day, when Xiao Heran woke up, he found that both of his fathers were gone. His younger father had cleaned the house thoroughly, inside and out. The house was much cleaner now. Qiu Yu said, "There are vegetable dumplings in the pot."
"Hmm." Xiao Heran went to the kitchen, took a small stool, stood on it, lifted the pot lid, took out a vegetable dumpling, and started eating it.
The wild vegetable filling was slightly bitter, and the coarse grains were rough on the throat; even delicate adults couldn't eat it, but his baby ate it with gusto. He sat on a small stool, completely absorbed. After finishing, he ran out to wash his hands, then held out his small, white hands to Qiu Yu, saying, "Daddy, I'm done eating." He looked like he wanted praise.
Qiu Yu said, "So good."
Xiao Heran is happy whenever he is praised.
Qiu Yu said, "Ranran, go out and play for a while."
Xiao Heran said, "I can help you with the work." Afraid that his little father wouldn't use him, he added, "I'm very strong."
Qiu Yu said, "Then can you help me wring out the rag?"
"Okay," the little one immediately agreed, his voice loud.
Qiu Yu looked up at the sky; it was almost noon. She wondered if He Zifeng would be back for lunch.
He Zifeng is still working on the mountain right now. He was lucky enough to find a patch of wild bracken and wild celery.
Wild vegetables are also categorized into high-end and low-end. Common vegetables like willow shoots, pigweed, and dandelion are fine for personal consumption, but they're not presentable enough to give as gifts. However, wild bracken and wild celery have unique flavors that are popular in the county and can fetch a good price.
He Zifeng picked nearly two hundred jin (approximately 100 kg) and put it in a basket before heading to the county town. During temple fairs or market days, oxcarts would be available to transport people. But normally, he had to walk.
The journey was long and arduous, and even reaching the county town was exhausting. He wanted the wild vegetables to be fresh, and he couldn't let them spoil under the scorching sun, so he took off his clothes and covered them with them. He borrowed a wooden cart from a neighbor and walked for over two hours under the blazing sun. His throat was parched, and the soles of his feet ached like they were being pricked with needles.
Fortunately, he finally arrived in the county. Having inherited his knowledge from his previous life, he was familiar with the local customs. He found a restaurant and asked, "Do you buy wild ferns and wild celery?" The restaurant owner was a foodie who often brought friends to eat. Although he didn't have many serious customers, they were discerning and always sought out the best.
Take this bracken fern for example. It's at its most tender and juicy when eaten this season. If you wait another half a month, it will become too old and lose its crisp texture.
Upon hearing this, the waiter quickly said, "I'll go ask the manager for you."
A moment later, the shopkeeper came out and looked at He Zifeng, saying, "Let me see." He then looked at them. The bracken and celery looked as if they had just been picked; when gently pinched, they were full of moisture.
The shopkeeper's face lit up with joy, and he said, "I'll take them all. Wild bracken is five coins a pound, and wild celery is three coins a pound." These two wild vegetables have a good flavor, and if we can't finish them, we can pickle them.
He figured there wouldn't be any left over; if his boss heard about the wild vegetables, he'd invite his friends over for a couple of meals. There wouldn't be much left. After weighing them, the bill came to 960 coins. For He Zifeng, that was a huge sum.
The shopkeeper said, "If you ever have anything rare or unusual, just send it here. You'll definitely get your money's worth." His boss's family is wealthy and owns several shops in big cities. He opened this shop to make friends. The shop looks unremarkable, and the cooks here are all hired from out of town.
The reason I offered such a high price this time was so that I would want him to deliver again next time.
He Zifeng agreed, and with the money he received, he went to the grain shop and bought twenty catties of wheat flour and twenty catties of refined rice. Each catty cost four coins. He spent one hundred and sixty coins.
He Zifeng bought a bolt of light blue fine cotton cloth, which cost him three hundred coins. He hid the remaining five hundred coins in his basket, making it impossible to tell, and took it home.
He hadn't felt anything on the way there, but the return journey was truly exhausting. He happened to run into a cowherd heading back, and since the cowherd was returning empty anyway, He Zifeng gave him five coins for a ride and helped him harness the cow to the cart. Their destination was very close; once the cart arrived, he'd only have to walk another quarter of an hour to get home.
When they got back, they saw two small rabbits, each about the size of a palm, by the roadside. They guessed that the big rabbit had been caught and eaten, so they left the little rabbits alone and took them back with He Zifeng in his arms.
They lived in the most remote part of the village, so no one could see them. From a distance, they could see Qiu Yu and Xiao He Ran working inside the fence. He Zifeng said, "Son, look what I brought you back!"
Upon hearing He Zifeng's words, Xiao Heran immediately ran out. Then, He Zifeng took out the two little gray rabbits that he had been carrying. Xiao Heran exclaimed with delight, "Rabbits!"
Qiu Yu came out too; only He Zifeng spoils his son like this. Even while out, he didn't forget to find a little rabbit for his son to play with.
He Zifeng handed the basket to Qiu Yu, who was also surprised. There was rice, flour, and cloth, all things her family needed. How much money must this have cost? Flipping further down, there were even 496 copper coins.
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