| TBBOTOF | 348
After lunch, Wei Dong hitched the cart, and the two of them set out.
Aunt Wu finished washing the dishes and sweeping the floor in the kitchen. When she came out, she saw Uncle Liu resting in the long corridor and greeted him, "Uncle Liu, what are you up to?"
"I just watered the vegetable garden, but I think I got a bit of gas stuck. My stomach feels uncomfortable." Uncle Liu pressed his stomach with both hands. "It's nothing serious, I'll be fine after resting for a bit."
"If you're not feeling well, you should go inside and lie down. I'll get you some hot water to drink." Seeing that his face was looking pale, Aunt Wu became a little anxious.
Just then, Xu Ze came out of the west-side room and immediately noticed that Uncle Liu didn't seem well.
He turned back into the room and said to Wei Xi, who was reading a medical book, "Uncle Liu seems to be sick. Brother Xi, come take a look at him."
Wei Xi put down his book and stood up, quickly walking out. "Where is he?" he asked, but he had already spotted Uncle Liu sitting in the corridor.
"Xiao Xi, come quickly and take a look. He was fine when we were eating just now," Aunt Wu called out anxiously as soon as she saw Wei Xi.
Wei Xi strode over, took Uncle Liu's pulse, and after a while, said, "It's nothing serious. Just drink some hot water and let the gas pass. In the future, try to rest a little after eating before doing any work."
Uncle Liu thanked him, and Aunt Wu let out a sigh of relief.
The two had always gotten along well, so when they saw that Uncle Liu wasn't feeling well, Aunt Wu was very worried. If anything happened to their health, they would lose their jobs as farmhands.
Wei Xi thought for a moment, then went back and wrote a prescription for a tonic. He took it to Old Wen for a look, and after confirming there were no issues, he handed the prescription to Xu Ze. "Ze’er, take this to get three doses of medicine for them. Uncle Liu's body is quite weak—probably because he never fully recovered after working in the past."
"Does it cost money?" Xu Ze glanced at the prescription and then looked up at him.
Wei Xi was momentarily stunned before smiling and shaking his head. "No. It's not like these are rare herbs, we grow plenty in our own medicinal fields."
"But they can't keep drinking it for free," Xu Ze disagreed, huffing lightly. "Growing medicinal herbs isn't easy either."
"Just three doses, it’s not much. Tell them that if they feel better after drinking it and want to continue, they can buy it with copper coins," Wei Xi said.
Seeing Xu Ze puffing his cheeks adorably, he couldn't resist reaching out and pinching them.
Xu Ze froze, his face instantly turning bright red. His eyes darted around nervously, and clutching the prescription, he spun around and bolted. "I-I-I'll go right now!"
Old Wen chuckled as he sipped his tea, watching the two of them with amusement. Seeing Xu Ze run off, he teased, “Xiao Xi has grown up too.”
Wei Xi: “……” His face suddenly felt hot.
He coughed lightly and turned back to the table, picking up his medical book, yet after a long time, he hadn't read a single word.
Old Wen's eyes were full of warmth. He had watched these children grow up, especially Wei Xi and Xu Ze, who had followed him in studying medicine.
Xu Ze was a bit slower, while Wei Xi had later caught up and surpassed him. Wei Xi was quick-witted and learned fast, likely because he had taken medicine from a young age. His grasp of medicinal dosages was particularly precise.
Thinking about the children's ages, Old Wen's smile deepened. Noticing that Wei Xi was sitting there, obviously distracted, he spoke up, “You’re fifteen this year, right?”
Wei Xi looked up and nodded. “Yes, I’ll be sixteen in two months.” He still hadn’t grasped Old Wen’s meaning.
“Sixteen is old enough to take a wife.” Old Wen stroked his beard and laughed as he watched Wei Xi’s neck and face slowly turn red. “You and Ze’er grew up together and both like working with herbs. If you have feelings for him, say so early, and let your brother help you arrange a marriage proposal.”
Wei Xi's face was burning red as he unconsciously scratched his neck.
His blood felt like it was boiling, heat rising to his forehead, making him sweat.
He was nervous.
Seeing him like this, Elder Wen didn't say much more, simply thinking that once Tang Xu and his wife returned, he would give them a little reminder.
The mule cart arrived in town. Wei Dong hopped down from the driver's seat, leading the mule forward at a slow pace.
Tang Xu stepped out from the carriage, wearing a gauze hat.
"This thing is such a hassle."
"You don't need to wear it, no one would dare do anything." Wei Dong reached out and took the hat off his head, casually tossing it into the carriage. Then, without hesitation, he grabbed Tang Xu's hand.
Looking ahead, the road was bustling with people, many of them walking in pairs. But among them, only the two of them walked hand in hand, a tall and sturdy man leading his delicate, petite ger forward. Their presence naturally drew many curious glances.
"One look and you can tell they’re newlyweds, such a loving couple."
"What do you mean 'newlyweds'? That’s Wei Dong! Haven’t you seen him before? He used to be a hunter, a really skilled one too. I heard he even hunted a tiger once! Now he’s running a trading caravan with his husband and traveling to the provincial capital and making a lot of silver."
"How do you know all that?"
"My second uncle's youngest son's brother-in-law works as a guard for his caravan! He said all the goods they sell over there are made by his husband. Don’t underestimate him just because he’s a ger, he’s got incredible craftsmanship!"
"What do they sell?"
Wei Dong had sharp hearing and caught snippets of their conversation. He smiled slightly, glanced sideways at Tang Xu, and tightened his grip on their interlocked hands. Then he asked, "What’s there to be shy about?"
Tang Xu blinked in confusion, not quite understanding. "Shy about what?"
Then, as he realized what Wei Dong meant, he widened his eyes and glared. Puffing up indignantly, he huffed, "I’m not shy! What do I have to be shy about?!"
Of course, he absolutely wasn’t shy!
"Hurry up, hurry up, let’s find a candied figurine stall and buy one first."
"Didn’t you say you wanted a sugar figurine?"
"What sugar figurine? That thing melts too quickly after bringing it home. Er Bao just wants something sweet, does he even care about his teeth? If we buy a candied figurine, it won’t last long, but a regular figurine can be kept for a long time. If he wants something sweet, we’ll just get some dragon beard candy from the pastry shop. Two pieces per person, it’s sweet enough for him to be satisfied."
Wei Dong raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "I’m afraid he’s going to throw a fit when we get back."
"Let him throw a fit. If he makes a fuss, I won’t buy anything at all." Tang Xu snorted. "I’m his dad, do you think I’ll let that brat control me?"
Wei Dong nodded, not saying much more.
The town was bustling with people, even more so on market day. Vendors lined both sides of the road, and dried vegetable stalls were particularly common. These were vegetables that had been sun-dried for winter storage.
Now that fresh vegetables were sprouting in the fields again, people were selling off the extra dried ones to avoid them getting moldy in the rainy season and going to waste.
"How much for the eggs?" Tang Xu spotted an auntie selling eggs and called out.
"Three wen per egg, buy ten and I’ll throw in one for free," the auntie replied. When she looked up and saw Wei Dong, she was momentarily startled, thinking to herself that this man was truly tall and sturdy.
Tang Xu gave her a polite smile, then pulled Wei Dong forward. After they passed the egg stall, he lowered his voice and said, "The weather’s warming up, and chickens and ducks are laying again. Three wen per egg isn’t cheap."
"That’s the market price. Once it gets hotter, they’ll go down to two wen each, maybe even two for three wen in some places," Wei Dong replied.
He had been traveling far and wide these days and had seen plenty. Thinking about the prices in the provincial capital, he added, "Eggs are pricier in the larger cities, but they don’t store well, so we can’t transport them that far."
Tang Xu’s eyes lit up, an idea forming in his mind.
Fresh eggs were fragile, but century eggs weren’t. And salted duck eggs, even in the county, let alone the provincial capital—could sell for a high price. In winter, a single salted duck egg could go for over ten wen.
"When we get back, let’s clean out a couple of wine jars and start curing some salted eggs. I’ll also try making century eggs."
He had never made them before, but he knew the general process. He figured he’d give it a shot and see if he could pull it off.
Wei Dong knew his husband was always coming up with ideas, so he didn’t even ask what century eggs were. He just nodded and said, "Alright."
They strolled leisurely through the market. When Tang Xu spotted a figurine stall, he quickly pulled Wei Dong over. Just two stalls away was a sugar figurine vendor.
He checked out both before finally spending three wen on a rabbit-shaped sugar figurine. Taking a couple of licks, he then held it up to Wei Dong, offering him a taste. Smacking his lips, he commented, "Too sweet."
Wei Dong chuckled. "It is pretty sweet." But if his husband gave it to him, even sour dates would taste sweet.
Tang Xu shot him a glance, took a couple more bites himself, then shoved it into Wei Dong’s hand. "Nope, too sweet, you eat it."
Wei Dong didn’t hesitate, biting the sugar figurine into pieces and chewing it down in a few bites. Then he waited as Tang Xu went to the figurine stall to order a few handcrafted clay figures.
Since he ordered several, and they were all intricate designs, they would take some time to finish. Instead of waiting around, Tang Xu left five wen as a deposit and said they’d come back later to pick them up.
Wei Dong then led Tang Xu toward the livestock market. Along the way, they occasionally saw people with blades of straw stuck in their hair, a silent sign that they were for sale as laborers. These individuals were dressed in ragged clothing, their faces sallow and thin, many of them dragging along family members.
Tang Xu frowned deeply at the sight.
There were quite a few others in the market looking to buy laborers, mostly wealthier townsfolk coming to purchase servants.
"How many should we get?" Tang Xu turned to ask Wei Dong.
"Let’s start with two," Wei Dong replied.
Tang Xu nodded, thinking they should at least find two sturdy ones who could handle labor.
But after scanning the crowd, he quickly realized that he had been too optimistic.
"Sigh, let’s just find two who look pleasing to the eye," he muttered, pursing his lips as he turned his gaze toward a group of people huddled together.
Among them, only one, the youngest-looking boy, had a blade of straw tucked into his hair, marking him as for sale.
Behind him, his parents each cradled an infant in their arms, while three other boys, around seven or eight years old, sat beside them. Their complexions were all waxy yellow and skinny.
"Excuse me," Tang Xu stepped forward and spoke. The whole family flinched at his voice, their faces filled with apprehension.
Tang Xu’s mouth twitched slightly before he forced a smile and asked, "Are you the one being sold?"
"Yes!" The scrawny boy scrambled to his feet, hurriedly slapping the dust off his clothes, only to make himself look even dirtier. "I-I’m for sale!"
The boy’s parents were filled with sorrow, their eyes fixed on their son, yet neither of them spoke a word.
Tang Xu asked, "You're selling yourself, what are your conditions?" He wasn’t sure if it was the right way to ask, but he figured he should at least get a price first.
"Ten taels of silver. I only ask for ten taels," the boy said.
Their family had fled famine, and though they had originally carried some savings, they were ambushed by mountain bandits. Not only did they lose their money and belongings, but his father was also beaten, leaving his leg crippled.
They had since been begging for food, surviving on scraps, until they finally made it to this town. Their original plan was to seek refuge with a distant great-aunt who had married far away, but they simply couldn't go any farther.
With no other choice, the boy decided to sell himself in exchange for money, so at least his family could survive.
Tang Xu listened to his story, then turned to his husband. "What do you think?"
Wei Dong sized the boy up before giving a nod. "Alright."
Tang Xu thought for a moment before stating, "Ten taels to buy you for labor. Food, clothing, and daily necessities will be provided, but there won’t be any extra wages. Do you agree with that?"
The boy immediately agreed, his voice full of determination. "I’ll do it!" He had encountered other weathly people before, but they all thought ten taels of silver was too expensive, so he had never had much luck.
Tang Xu nodded. "Wait here. I’ll go find someone to draft up a contract. We’ll need to seal it with our handprints and report it to the county office later. Your identity card will also need to be changed."
The boy nodded vigorously, his expression full of hope.
Tang Xu, however, couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy as he looked at the boy’s parents and his younger siblings. He took a deep breath and turned to Wei Dong. "The boy’s situation is so pitiful. I want to buy some dry food for them."
"Alright, we’ll do what you think is best."
When they went to buy the dry food, they also bought another boy. This one also cost ten taels of silver, but he was in his mid-teens, with older and younger siblings in his family.
"Father, I drew the shortest stick. I’ll sell myself." Chen Chunshan tossed the stick he had been holding onto the ground and turned to look at Tang Xu and Wei Dong. "Sir, I’m willing to sell."
Tang Xu sighed, not saying much more. "Alright, it’s settled. You’re the one."
They were all pitiable individuals, doing whatever they could to survive. It wasn’t easy for any of them.
2 Comments
Thank you for the chapter!
ReplyDeleteThis chapter started so cute bit got so sad at the end 😢
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update!
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