Chapter 7
The rain finally stopped in the evening.
Ye Jia fed a handful of corn to the chicks and was looking over the land at the back of the yard. The Zhou family didn't own any land, so their food came from the grain store in town.
Because they were short of money, they rarely bought meat, eggs, or vegetables, and ate porridge with pickles every day. In the afternoon, when Ye Jia had nothing to do, she opened the jar of pickles. The taste was terrible. If she weren't so poor, Ye Jia would have thrown the two jars away. She soaked the vegetables in water, and later, they were not so salty. She took some time to reprocess the vegetables.
I was busy until the evening when I saw a large empty space in Zhou's backyard.
When one is truly impoverished, one can lower their boundaries. Ye Jia, who used to dislike the elderly in the neighborhood for pulling up flowers and plants to plant vegetables, is now considering whether to make use of the empty space in the backyard. For example, turning it over and planting some edible vegetables. Yu Shi returned in the evening. Ye Jia turned around and saw her passing by the yard and called out to her. Yu Shi responded, went into the house, sat down, and sighed.
It turned out that it was Aunt Liu from the same village who had called her that morning. The two of them happily went to the town together to ask the owner of the embroidery shop for payment.
After a day of grinding away in the embroidery room, Yu Shi received her wages, but she had offended her employer. The employer had lost money on the sales trip, and didn't want so many people in the embroidery room. Yu Shi took almost a tael of silver from her trip, but lost the job.
"How are we going to live from now on?" Yu Shi really didn't have any tears to cry. It wasn't that she didn't want to give her employer a chance to breathe. The family simply had no money. "Without a livelihood, our family of four will really starve!"
Ye Jia said calmly, "We have rice and grain at home, so we can last for three months."
"What about three months from now?" Yu was actually filled with regret. If she had known this would happen, she shouldn't have made this trip. But now, she couldn't beg them to let her go back to work. The boss had made a firm decision, leaving no room for negotiation.
She kept on crying, and Ye Jia didn't know how to comfort her. He went to the kitchen and brought back some shredded radish pancakes for Yu Shi to eat.
Yu shook her head, lowered her head, wiped her tears and said she couldn't eat.
Ye Jia sighed and turned back to the house.
That night, the Zhou family was completely silent. Mrs. Yu had no time to bother with Ruijie. Ruijie was young and ignorant, and when her grandmother told her to follow her aunt, she followed Ye Jia around. Ye Jia heated up a few pancakes for Ruijie and made do with them. Then, she turned around and brought Zhou Jingchen a bowl of porridge. Zhou Jingchen sat back on the bed, probably having heard Mrs. Yu's words outside, for he looked grave.
One of his legs was still broken, and the wound on his forehead hadn't healed. His time out that afternoon had drained his strength, and now he couldn't move. But when he looked up at Ye Jia, his eyes were shimmering with a deep, dark light.
His heart skipped a beat, and Ye Jia lowered his eyes and said only one sentence: "Tomorrow you stay at home and look after Sister Rui. I'm going to town."
After saying that, she turned around and left the east room.
The gazes from behind her were fixed on her, but Ye Jia didn't notice anything. Yu Shi tossed and turned at night, but Ye Jia ignored her. She rolled over and fell asleep, and before dawn the next day, she packed a backpack and grabbed an umbrella and went out.
When he left, Mrs. Yu was still asleep. She had been tossing and turning until three o'clock last night and fell asleep only at daybreak. Ye Jia walked into the yard and found a person standing by the window of the east room. Zhou Jingchen was looking at something and looked over when he heard the noise. Their eyes met and Ye Jia was stunned for a moment. It was just right for him to tell him that if he could get up, he should remember to feed the chickens in the kitchen. If he couldn't get up, he should call Rui Jie'er.
"I saved it." He didn't know how long he stood by the window, his voice was as clear as the collision of jade and stone, very clear.
Ye Jia resisted the urge to rub his ears, opened the gate and left with a dull expression.
Without the rain, many more shops in the town were open. Ye Jia was pleasantly surprised to discover that a small place like Libei Town actually had a tile market. However, since it was still early, the market was not open. Instead, many vendors from who knows where gathered at the market, carrying goods and herding sheep.
There was an open space, and a row of deer stalks were built to block it. Two burly men were guarding the door, and a gong was hung next to it.
Ye Jia stood outside and waited for a while, and saw that these people were crowded behind the Luzhai in Wa City waiting.
Some of these vendors were from the countryside, others were from outside. They sold grain, homegrown vegetables, fish, and meat. Ye Jia spotted several curly-haired vendors among them. It was still early, their loads were at their feet, and there was no one selling food on the street. Those who brought dry food squatted on the ground, munching on dry biscuits. Those who didn't brought any savory snacks drooled at the sight of others enjoying themselves.
Ye Jia's heart moved, and he went to look around. There wasn't a single cooked food being sold there. By chance, he overheard a man with a curly beard, his eyes green with hunger, speaking in rather unauthentic Dayan Mandarin, buying some pancakes from a dark-faced old man selling sheep nearby.
The old man baked the pancakes himself. They were probably fresh out of the oven; a scorching aroma wafted through the air. "Ten cents each, two for fifteen cents."
Ye Jia's ears perked up at the price. She kept glancing at the pancake, which was about the same size as a sesame seed bun. It was about half the size of a shredded radish pancake. He dared to ask for ten coins. The curly-bearded man next to him must have been really hungry. He gritted his teeth and took out fifteen coins: "Give me two."
Ye Jia's heart immediately began to beat. She walked around again and saw many people buying cakes on the spur of the moment. They paid ten or five cents, and they were very generous.
A gust of cold wind sent a shiver through Ye Jia. She rubbed her hands. The sturdy man guarding the gate struck a gong, and the Deer Village opened. Small vendors filed in, carrying their goods. A shepherd was at the rear. Ye Jia glimpsed a ewe, her udders bulging. She followed him and asked the old man if he had any goat's milk for sale.
These days, ordinary people don't drink goat or cow milk. Those who raise sheep may drink it a few times, but they find the taste fishy and pungent. They don't drink much. This is the first time a shepherd has encountered someone who doesn't buy sheep, but only wants goat milk.
The old man seemed to have some Western blood, with a dark red face and deep features. "How much do you want?"
"Give me half a bucket." Ye Jia knew there were many ways to use goat's milk, but she wasn't a professional chef and didn't know how to make it. If she asked for too much, it would go bad. Since she couldn't afford meat, she could drink some milk to replenish herself.
"Ten cents!" The old man had never sold goat milk before, but this was his first time selling it, so he boldly shouted, "I'll give you a bucket."
"No, no." A whole bucket was too much to drink, and Ye Jia only wanted half a bucket.
"If you don't want a bucket, then I won't sell it to you." The old man probably saw that Ye Jia really wanted it. Seeing that she didn't leave after he offered her ten cents, he had a clue in his heart.
Ye Jia wasn't bothered by the extra ten or five cents. The old man's pushy attitude was truly irritating. After a long conversation, he insisted that if he got used to it, he'd come back to buy more. Only then did the old man hesitantly agree. He placed a wooden basin under the ewe's belly and quickly filled half the basin. Ye Jia squatted to the side, watching, and casually asked him how much he had to pay to set up shop there.
The old man agreed as he worked. After a while, Ye Jia figured out that he only needed to pay ten coins to set up a stall. The location depended on luck; whatever spot he got was his, and it changed daily.
Six coins bought half a basin of fresh goat milk, and Ye Jia went to buy a small bucket: "Will you come again tomorrow?"
"If you don't come tomorrow, come the day after tomorrow."
Ye Jia ran through the crowd carrying a small bucket of goat milk. It was not heavy to carry. But her arms hurt after carrying it for a long time. She thought about it and went to the town again. From the front to the back, there were indeed more than one store selling food in the town. But she could count them on one hand, about three. The store near the tavern specialized in meat, braised mutton, and braised beef. Ye Jia knew that people were not allowed to eat beef in ancient times, but she didn't expect that a small store would sell beef.
When Ye Jia went over to ask, she learned that a pound of raw beef cost eighty wen, and a pound of raw mutton was fifty wen. Cooked beef was even more expensive, with braised beef in soy sauce selling for one and a half wen per pound. Despite the high prices, this shop was doing quite well. When Ye Jia asked, he always said they were out of meat and would come back tomorrow. One of the other two shops was an inn. It was an inn that also sold food. The only one that sold food exclusively made naan and noodles. A naan was five wen, and a bowl of noodles was ten wen.
Ye Jia bought a naan to try. It was just an ordinary naan. It tasted like pure grain and was quite filling.
After a quick walk around, Ye Jia had a clear idea. Without wasting any time, she turned around and went to the blacksmith's shop to ask him to make her a frying pan. The kind with a flat bottom, like the kind used to make pan-fried dumplings in later generations. Since she didn't have a good stove at home, she went to buy one.
After all this spending, she was left with only a few copper coins. Ye Jia was truly ruthless, willing to take such a course of action. With only a few copper coins left, she even called an oxcart and hauled the stove and goat milk back with it.
When I arrived at the door of my house, I sat on the swaying ox cart and saw Yu squatting by the well, drawing water.
He must have just woken up, and a worried look still hung on his face. Turning his head, he saw Ye Jia dragging back another large cart. He dropped the ladle and ran towards him. So early in the morning, Yu Shi regretted crying in front of Ye Jia yesterday. She was really afraid that if Ye Jia knew that the Zhou family had no future, she would completely dislike them and run to town to find that man. "Where did you come back from?"
Ye Jia carried the goat milk himself and asked the old man driving the cart to help unload the stove. He turned around and told Yu about his plan in a very fast voice.
Yu was shocked and uncertain when she heard this: "Can this business really be done? What if I lose money?"
In ancient times, the imperial court favored agriculture over commerce, with scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants held the lowest status and were looked down upon. Yu, born into a family of officials, had a lingering conviction, despite three years of exile. She hesitated, firstly because she felt a sense of inferiority towards merchants. Second, she felt, as the poet lamented, "The sound of the bells rings in the morning, and the journey brings me longing for home." Merchants' livelihoods were the most uncertain. She felt uncertain.
But Ye Jia had already bought the stove, was working on the pot, and would be ready in three days. He had already paid her, so she couldn't object. Muttering to herself that Ye Shi couldn't hold back, she still came over to help, and together they carried the stove back into the house.
Ye Jia ignored Yu's worried look and told her directly that he was short of money to buy food.
Yu Shi's hand was so bruised as she clutched the one ounce of silver she'd earned yesterday. She couldn't bear to part with it. Rui Jie'er came running from the kitchen, calling out to her aunt as she ran, "The chickens have been fed. Aunt, have some pancakes for breakfast!"
It seems to be really delicious. The children ate it yesterday and were looking forward to the cake in the morning.
Ye Jia didn't force her to take it. The original owner had a long criminal record. Every time she got the money, she would just go back to support her parents. Ye Jia was thinking about going to town to sell food. She would have to endure hardships in the future. She had to go to the tile market early to avoid missing the peak period. The second pot and stove were very heavy, so if business was good, they had to be made on site. Moving these things would require a car. Fortunately, Wangjia Village was not far from town, so it could be carried there with a little effort.
Although it is a bit hard, it is not too hard compared to other people who carry loads on their shoulders.
Thinking that Yu would not agree so quickly, Ye Jia went to the kitchen with the goat milk.
Since she had to work, she had to eat well. Otherwise, she wouldn't have the energy. Ye Jia deliberately added some sugar and boiled a pot of goat's milk. She pulled out a small bag of almonds from her pocket and threw some in to remove the fishy smell. Then she turned around and heated up a few more pancakes.
After drinking a large bowl of hot goat milk, Ye Jia felt her numb hands and feet warm up. She poured a bowl for the child. She was a little uncomfortable with it, but when Ye Jia asked her to, she drank obediently. After a few sips, she whispered to Ye Jia that it was delicious. As expected, children just love the taste of milk. When Ye Jia and the child came out after eating, Yu Shi was not in the yard.
Ye Jia thought about it and returned to the kitchen, filled a bowl of goat milk and sent it to the east room.
When the curtain was lifted, Yu was in the east room. Zhou Jingchen was trying to persuade her to agree to Ye Jia's request and give her the silver.
Yu hesitated to speak, but ultimately didn't mention Ye Jia's attempt to make money to supplement her mother's family. Her son had disliked Ye to begin with, and besides, he was afraid he would never have a grandson to hold in his arms.
Ye Jia raised her eyebrows and put the goat milk in Zhou Jingchen's hands: "Drink some goat milk, and when you're done, help me with my work. I'll have to rely on you to move the stove in the future."
Zhou Jingchen: “…”
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