Chapter 31 Chapter 31 (Revised) I was treated coldly when I first came to visit...
The stall remained open until dark. Lanterns hung on all four corners of the cart, their lights reflecting off the colorful flags, casting a multicolored glow. The pot of duck and mutton offal was completely empty. Since there weren't many people around, everyone had a bowl of soup to finish off the remaining ingredients, saving them the trouble of having to cook again when they got home.
After we finished eating, it was almost the second watch of the night. Sure enough, soon we heard the sound of the night watchman beating gongs and gongs.
After closing the stall, they swept the dirt on the ground, put all the pots and pans and other miscellaneous items into the cart, and put the tables and chairs on the cart. Jiang Shi and A Zhong pushed the cart together, while Baozhu locked the money box and held it in her arms.
The lamp on the cart could barely illuminate the street. It was already night, and there was only a crescent moon in the sky. There were still a few lights on here and there on the street. They were all vendors who came out to do business at night and were reluctant to go home in order to make more money.
Several people went home together under the light of the lamp.
Baorong and Axiu sold the remaining paintings in the afternoon and went back. Chu's family was busy at home, and the eldest brother was afraid that he would not be able to take care of it if he stayed at home, so he went back early to help Madam Xu with the work.
Madam Xu only rested for a few days. She had an appointment with someone to go house-hunting on the sixth day of the New Year. Things to do from the sixth day onwards were scheduled until the end of the first lunar month. Although she was very busy, she felt more at ease when she had work to do. If she had nothing to do one day, she would be restless.
After finishing today's work, Baozhu counted the money when she got home. She had made a total of more than 6,200 coins in the day. She spent more than 1,000 coins on ingredients such as vermicelli, duck offal and spices, and made a net profit of about 5 strings of coins.
After counting, Baozhu was a little surprised. Although she took advantage of the crowds during the New Year holiday to make some money, she didn't expect to earn as much as five strings of cash. Many people left impatiently because there were too many people at the stall and there was no seat. If there were a place to sit, more diners would definitely stay.
I gave Ah Zhong and Jiang Shi three hundred coins each, and the rest was put into this month's account.
My eldest brother said earlier that since we already have two stalls and we are not short of money, why don’t we settle the money and split the business.
He thought he was taking advantage of Baozhu. The stall at Zhouqiao made more money than the one at the wharf. It was all Baozhu's hard work to get the stall, and all the ideas were from Baozhu. All he had was a bit of strength, so how could he have the nerve to take advantage of his sister for free?
He told Baozhu that he would give her the stall in Zhouqiao and he would set up another stall at the pier later.
But Baozhu refused outright. She only gave a rough idea. Her elder brother was able to make all the meals, and it would be an exaggeration to say that it was all her credit. Besides, the most important thing for a small stall like this is the taste.
Seeing Baozhu's serious refusal, Pei's eldest son didn't mention it anymore.
After eating noodles in the morning on the first and second days of the New Year, Baozhu and A Zhong Jiang Shi pushed the cart to Zhouqiao Street again. Today, my aunt's family is coming back, so they have to eat at home at noon. My father has to cook in the restaurant, so the task of entertaining the guests falls on my eldest and second brothers.
Now that the Zhen family has moved to Bian Jing, the relatives are all together, and my aunt's complexion has improved a lot. During the New Year, baskets of gifts were sent to the Zhen family. Today, in addition to the festival gifts, she also brought half a pig and a live sheep.
This dynasty favored sheep over pigs, and officials of a certain rank considered pigs unworthy of formal occasions. Baozhu initially found this statement amusing. Pork is so delicious, not smelling pungent or fishy, and can be prepared to perfection in any way, whether stir-fried, braised, deep-fried, or boiled. Yet, to highlight their social status, they resorted to disparaging remarks about pigs.
Unfortunately, she has little influence and cannot speak up for the pigs.
During the festival, pork in Bianjing was only fifty or sixty wen, while the price of mutton skyrocketed, reaching three or four hundred wen per jin, a staggeringly high price. The wealthy naturally only ate meat, considering offal as filthy. Sheep traders were eager to profit as much as possible, eager to have someone buy their offal. Although Baozhu's stall only used offal, the soup base was made from mutton bones, which at least had a hint of mutton flavor, making it an extremely popular seller.
Originally, we only ordered two sets of mutton offal per day, but yesterday I specifically asked my eldest brother to talk to someone and they have to deliver three sets per day from now on.
When Baozhu came back from her stall at night, she saw the lamb her aunt had sent tied up in the yard. Baorong was squatting in the yard feeding it hay, and there was a circle of bean-sized sheep droppings under the sheep's feet.
The sheep was not big, and they had originally planned to kill it and roast it today. However, Baorong felt sorry for it and stopped them.
The sheep didn't know that it had escaped a disaster. When it heard the noise, it looked up at Baozhu, with a puzzled look in its little eyes. Baozhu clapped its hands and lowered its head to nibble on the hay in her hand.
Baorong looked up and saw that it was his elder sister. He threw the hay in his hand to the ground.
"Sister, you're back! Auntie made clothes and jewelry for us. She said that all the ladies in Bianjing will have to make clothes for the Moon Flower Festival next year. If you want to make it in a few days, you won't be able to get a spot."
The dress was picked out by Xiangfu, and Baorong had already hung it up in the house for her. It was the fashionable style in Beijing, with the cuffs and collar ironed neatly.
There was a cloisonné enamel wooden box on the table. Even the jewelry box was made very delicately. The outside of the box was decorated with flower and bird patterns, and the three small words "Rong Cui Fang" were engraved on the buckle.
This was a well-known, time-honored shop in Bianjing, specializing in pearls and jadeite. It was rumored that the owner was a royal relative. Baozhu opened the box and saw a hairpin inside. The jadeite on the top was of excellent quality, smooth and mellow texture.
The two sisters received the same item. "My aunt said she bought a piece of fine stone directly from Rongcuifang and asked the craftsmen there to make jewelry. My mother and grandmother both have it."
Baorong waited until she had enjoyed herself enough, then came back with a gift for Lady Yu, and asked Baozhu if she wanted anything else.
In addition to six kinds of snacks, the gift also included two jars of wine, both wrapped in silk. These alone cost eight strings of cash. Even in Bian Jing, the standard of this gift was considered quite good.
"Have you found out what Lady Jade's preferences are?"
Bao Rong shook her head. "I only know that she's divorced her husband and is now living alone in the Junyi Street area. I don't know anything about her. It's really hard to see her."
Madam Gu said many good things on her behalf, and only then did Madam Yu agree to meet her.
A'niang said that the houses in the Junyi Street area were in short supply and were close to the government office, so most of the dignitaries lived there. When Baozhu heard that they lived there, she felt she had no idea where to start. They must have plenty of money, and she was afraid that they would not appreciate any jewelry she gave them.
Not knowing what the other person likes, if they give the wrong gift, it would be offensive. The two sisters looked at each other and had no idea what to do, so they just went first and saw what was going on.
The next day, the eldest brother went out early with A Zhong and others to set up the stall. Today was a good day for her. Everyone in the family was out and it was quiet. It was still dark, so Baozhu stayed in bed for a while longer.
She closed her eyes and fell asleep. She didn't know how long it had been before she heard the bleating of sheep outside. Her sleepiness faded away and she got up from the bed. Baorong had already finished her work and was feeding the sheep in the yard. He was going to call her after he was done.
After washing up, they each ate a bowl of porridge. After eating, they chewed some tea leaves and rinsed their mouths before changing their clothes.
They were going to Junyi Street, so it was not appropriate to wear the same clothes as usual. So the two sisters found the best clothes in the bottom of the box and ironed them yesterday. They put them on one by one and also picked out some jewelry that was not out of date.
After they were dressed and looked at each other, they took the gifts and went to the entrance of the alley to hire a carriage to go to the inner city.
Madam Gu had something to do and couldn't come, so she had already pointed out the place to Baorong. After arriving at Junyi Street and crossing an alley, she found herself at Madam Yu's residence. Afraid that no one from inside could hear her, she rang the copper ring on the door. She knocked once but no one answered, so she knocked again. Only then did she hear someone answering from inside. Baozhu and Baorong then stepped back a little and waited.
The person who opened the door was a rather tall maid. Baozhu was tall, but she had to look up slightly to see her. She was wearing an apron, her sleeves tied tightly, and her face was expressionless. She asked, "Who are you from?"
"It's from the Zhen family. They came to visit today. Madam Gu has already told your wife about it."
After hearing this, the maid opened the door and led the two in. Since it was not appropriate to look around when visiting someone else's house, Baozhu straightened her expression and walked forward through the screen wall.
There was a small area on both sides of the gravel road where a lot of Polygonum multiflorum was planted. Baozhu secretly wondered if this lady had a cat.
The three of them walked forward and entered another door. It was a two-story house. There were no flowers or plants in the inner courtyard, but there were a lot of tools placed in the middle of the courtyard.
In the center was a large table with a stack of solid wood boards on it. A woman, also wearing tied sleeves and an apron, was bending over and pushing the boards with a planer. Curled, fine shavings fell to the ground in pieces as she moved.
There was a thick pile of wood shavings on the ground. As Baozhu expected, this lady really did raise a cat slave.
—A long-haired white cat with blue eyes was rolling in the sawdust.
The maid who brought the two in waited until she stopped moving her hands before saying, "Madam, someone is here."
Lady Yu stopped what she was doing and placed the planer on the board. She showed no expression when she saw the two of them. She just said to the maid, "Go pour two cups of tea for the guests."
After saying this, she set another board and continued planing, while the maid led Baozhu and Zhurong to the main hall.
There were a few embroidered stools placed under the corridor. Perhaps it was warm there, so several cats in various patterns were sitting on the stools with their hands in their pockets.
There were few pieces of furniture in the main hall, but there were many wooden paintings. On the wall hung a long painting of a raccoon cat playing with butterflies. A closer look revealed that it was the same cat as the ones outside.
"After you finish your tea, you can leave. This gift is too valuable, my lady will not accept it."
It was obvious that this lady didn't want to say anything more to them. Baozhu hit a wall but didn't know why. She told this lady not to bother making tea and politely asked, "May I know your name, sister?"
"My wife called me Ah Chan." Ah Chan responded indifferently.
"Madam Yu...could you please explain clearly, sister?"
Ah Chan shook his head and said he didn't know. "If you want a painting, my wife has already said that she won't be selling paintings this year."
Bao Rong said anxiously, "I'm not asking for a painting, I want to learn painting. I came here just to ask Yu Niang for some advice."
Hearing her talk about learning painting, Ah Chan glanced at her and straightened his expression slightly, "My lady won't be seeing anyone today, please come back in a few days."
Baorong was dejected, but Baozhu immediately asked, "I wonder when my lady will have some free time?"
"Come back on the seventh day." She said, "My wife is concentrating on drawing and studying prints. She hasn't even left the house during the New Year."
Baorong felt hopeful again and handed the gift to Ah Chan, "Sister, please accept it. I'll come back on the seventh day!"
Ah Chan refused to accept it, but her expression softened considerably. Bao Rong and Zhu Rong were both grateful. Bao Rong noticed that she also had frostbite on her hands, so she took off her rabbit fur gloves.
"This is new, please don't dislike it, sister."
There were only the master and servant in the huge yard, and it was common for them to get frostbite on their hands. Even the wife didn't notice it, but the little girl saw it. When she handed over the gloves, Ah Chan saw that the little girl's hands were also frostbitten.
The rabbit fur gloves did not refuse any more. Ah Chan also hoped that there would be more people in the yard. Thinking of this, she said a few more words.
"My wife is impatient with the condescending attitude of those wealthy families. Judging from your clothes, she probably thinks you two are of the same kind, so she is giving you a cold shoulder. Don't take it to heart. Just wear casual clothes next time."
"Also, if you want to learn painting, just come by yourself next time. My wife doesn't like crowds."
Baorong was extremely grateful for the reminder, and seeing her like this made people feel even more sympathetic. Even after the two of them were escorted out by Ah Chan, Lady Yu was still carefully planing the wood with her head down, not even a thought about looking elsewhere.
"My wife has been concentrating on woodblock printing for the past two years. Most of her paintings are only available to the wealthy. Ordinary people can only buy some New Year paintings of door gods during the Spring Festival. The woodblock prints my wife made can be used as illustrations for vernacular novels or printed into picture albums. This way, the price is low and ordinary people can afford them."
Baorong was quite impressed by what he heard. Originally he just wanted to learn how to draw fish, insects and animals, but now he was even more curious about the prints.
When they came out and passed by Mu Tian Liao Cong, Baozhu asked, "Madam Yu likes Li Nu very much?"
Ah Chan nodded. "My wife is kind-hearted. Besides painting, she also raises cats. The white cat was bought from outside Xiangguo Temple, and the others were picked up."
After sending the two out, Baozhu thanked them again. Baorong clasped his hands in front of his chest, blinking his big eyes, "I'll come again on the seventh day of the New Year. Sister Achan, please remember to open the door for me."
When they came back, they didn't hire a carriage. Instead, the two sisters walked slowly towards home. After listening to Ah Chan's words, Baorong felt a bit more courageous and determined.
Baozhu rubbed her face,
"This lady likes the cat slave. She's usually busy and worried that she won't have time to prepare the cat slave's food. Go back and ask Big Brother to make some cat food. Bring it with you when you go on the seventh day. At least she won't ignore him like she did today."
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