Cao Yushi had been busy in the fields.
After coming home, she washed her hands and face, then packed up the big, spotless bowl she had cleaned on the stove, getting ready to return the empty bowl to Cao Wen.
A big bowl of meaty soup had given the three of them a rare, satisfying meal.
In times like these, having a relative willing to send meat was truly thoughtful.
Previously, Cao Yushi had been displeased with her eldest nephew.
The two of them hadn’t gotten along, but now that this nephew was thinking of their family, and since it’s hard to refuse kindness after eating someone’s food, she figured this was a good opportunity to return the bowl and visit.
This way, people would know she, as an aunt, was grateful.
She couldn’t go empty-handed either.
Cao Yushi scooped four Yeyadan from the rice jar—ones she’d been reluctant to eat—and placed them in the bowl, wrapping it with a cloth before heading to Cao Wen’s place.
When she reached the yard outside Cao Wen’s house and was about to call out, she hadn’t yet spoken when she heard two voices coming from inside.
It sounded like a woman and a man.
The man’s voice was a bit young and hoarse.
Cao Yushi didn’t interact with Cao Wen often, but she knew that wasn’t his voice.
Cao Yushi didn’t think too much of it—maybe someone from the Qian Family had come over.
Instinctively, she hid the bowl behind her and was about to listen more closely when the voices in the house quieted, making it impossible to hear.
For a moment, she wondered if her ears were playing tricks on her.
Had she heard wrong?
“Big Aunt, what brings you here? Come in and have a seat.”
Suddenly, a voice sounded behind her, startling Cao Yushi, who’d been listening intently.
She turned to see Cao Wen, finally letting out a breath and patting her chest.
“Ah Wen, you’re back. I was wondering who it was. You nearly scared me to death.”
Cao Wen chuckled, “Is there something you needed, Big Aunt?”
Cao Yushi remembered why she’d come, but felt a bit uneasy.
She glanced at the yard, then pulled Cao Wen aside and said in a low voice, “I brought yesterday’s bowl back. Just now, I thought I heard people talking in your house from outside the gate. I thought you were home.”
Cao Wen raised an eyebrow, “Ayan and Aunt were at home.”
Cao Yushi wasn’t sure if Cao Wen understood her meaning, but since they’d never been especially close, she worried that gossiping would make her seem like a busybody.
She left it at that.
“All right, here, take your bowl back. I need to hurry home and get back to the fields. Your uncle has such a soft heart—whenever the neighbors need something, he’s always called over, so he can’t look after things at home. You should come visit when you have time.”
Cao Wen replied, “Sure.”
Watching Cao Yushi leave, Cao Wen glanced into the house, bowl in hand.
His brows furrowed slightly, and he strode inside, scanning the room cautiously.
With his sharp senses, he could tell there were no signs of outsiders having visited.
Just as he was pondering why Yushi had said what she did, Lu Lingbi came out to greet him.
“Ah Wen, you’re back.”
“How did today’s mountain goods sell?”
Cao Wen saw Lu Lingbi looking calm as usual.
He accepted the cup of tea she handed him and smiled, “Sold really well! The maids sent by the restaurants and big households were all fighting to buy them. I didn’t even have to quote a price—they bid against each other themselves.”
“Where’s Ayan? Is she up yet?”
“She’s up, over at the kitchen.”
Cao Wen looked toward the kitchen, took a big gulp of tea, and planned to finish it before going to find Xu Duoyan.
He suddenly grimaced, “Why is this tea so bitter?”
Lu Lingbi laughed, “It’s Kuding Tea from the mountains. It tastes bitter at first, but it leaves a sweet aftertaste and helps you feel refreshed in the heat.”
Hearing this, Cao Wen’s eyes brightened.
He quickly raised his empty cup, “Then, Aunt, pour me another cup and let it cool.”
Lu Lingbi took the cup, “All right.”
Cao Wen then hurried off to the kitchen.
He asked, “Still working with that peppermint—what are you making with it?”
Cao Wen set the bowl on the stove and saw Xu Duoyan still fussing with last night’s clay jar.
As he unwrapped the cloth around the bowl, four green-shelled duck eggs appeared.
Cao Wen was surprised and took them out, “Big Aunt really is thoughtful, still remembered to send us these eggs, even though their own days are tight.”
Xu Duoyan looked over and, in such difficult times, felt a warmth in her heart at how people still thought of each other.
“It’s a kind gesture.”
“Let’s pick some locust flowers and make locust flower eggs for dinner.”
Cao Wen remembered seeing locust trees on the way back, with fresh clusters hanging down, just right for picking and making a seasonal dish.
Thinking of the fresh taste, after so many days of stewed dishes, Cao Wen suddenly craved it.
Xu Duoyan looked at him, puzzled, “How do you fry them?”
Cao Wen paused, suddenly remembering that they didn’t even have a wok for stir-frying, nor oil or seasonings.
His excitement faded as quickly as it came.
He thought, when there’s free time, he’d have to visit the Tiejiangpu.
“It’s nothing, I was just talking.”
After that, Cao Wen took out a bulging pouch of coins from his pocket and handed it to Xu Duoyan.
All the mountain goods from yesterday had sold out.
Junjun fetched about five hundred wen per jin, but since there were so many buyers today, Cao Wen, seeing their sincerity, split the goods among them.
Selling by the piece meant more people could buy.
Each Junjun weighed about two or three liang, and he sold them for one or two hundred wen each.
All together, he made over two taels of silver—two taels and two hundred wen, to be exact.
“As for the wood ear fungus, the restaurants bought it all at one hundred forty wen per jin, for a total of about four hundred wen.”
Xu Duoyan knew mountain delicacies were always valuable, especially edible Junjun.
She felt a bit regretful for missing the market, but just hearing the good price Cao Wen got made her happy.
“We picked the Santajun together, so let’s split it evenly. The wood ear fungus was mostly picked by you, so that’s all yours.”
Cao Wen counted out one tael and five hundred wen for her.
Xu Duoyan naturally didn’t take that much.
Even though they picked the Junjun together, Cao Wen could have gone alone, and today he’d made the trip to town himself.
In the end, she only took one tael of silver.
Seeing her resolve, Cao Wen didn’t insist, “When the huajiao and jiangzi are ripe in the mountains in a few days, let’s go together.”
Xu Duoyan nodded, then raised her chin, signaling for Cao Wen to hold out his hand.
Cao Wen was puzzled but did as she asked.
Xu Duoyan took a small porcelain bottle and dabbed some on his wrist.
A cool, refreshing sensation seeped into his veins, and the air was filled with a crisp peppermint scent.
“If you get bitten by mosquitoes, you can apply it to the spot. It also works as a mosquito repellent.”
With that, Xu Duoyan handed the porcelain bottle to Cao Wen.
He quickly accepted it, sniffed it, and asked, “Is this Peppermint Oil?”
Xu Duoyan nodded.
Cao Wen happily closed the lid and carefully put it in his pocket, then grinned like a fool, “Did you make this just for me?”
Xu Duoyan smiled, then brought out a box neatly filled with more than a dozen identical porcelain bottles.
Cao Wen: ………………
“I heard the first round of the Tongseng Exam is in August this year. It’s already June. The scholars must be studying hard in the heat. Peppermint Oil is refreshing—if we sell it at the Shuyuan entrance, I bet there’ll be buyers.”
Xu Duoyan raised her eyebrows, looked at Cao Wen, and asked, “Want to go together?”
Cao Wen’s eyes lit up, his heart blooming with joy, “You want me to go with you?”
Xu Duoyan nodded, “Let’s go together. We can see the scholars.”
Cao Wen’s face fell, and he muttered, “A bunch of little Tongseng, just snot-nosed kids. What’s there to see?”
Seeing Cao Wen’s sulky face, Xu Duoyan felt inexplicably cheerful.
He shrugged, “Don’t go if you don’t want to.”
In the afternoon, Xu Duoyan planned to gather more old peppermint to make Peppermint Oil, and Cao Wen wanted to go to the mountains too.
There wasn’t much to harvest this time.
Actually, there would be more in the deeper mountains, but peppermint could be gathered nearby.
Cao Wen decided to return the hunter’s tools and cut two bundles of bamboo to take home.
They only had two baskets and sieves at home, both old and worn.
Since they often needed to go to the mountains, they’d need more baskets.
Sometimes, the mountain goods needed to be dried, which required sieves.
These things were useful, so it was best to prepare extras.
There were plenty for sale in town, but each basket or sieve cost twenty or thirty wen—it was cheaper to cut bamboo and make them at home during the hot midday.
Most farming families could do this, the only difference being the quality of the weaving.
Cao Wen had experience making these things, so he could handle it himself.
He came back early in the afternoon and started shaving and splitting bamboo strips in the yard.
After Xu Duoyan came back, she put on a straw hat and went to look for more materials for Peppermint Oil.
Cao Wen didn’t know much about it, so he didn’t go with her.
Cao Wen sat under the eaves of the main room, fiddling with bamboo strips, and saw Lu Lingbi sorting wild pheasant feathers Xu Duoyan had collected earlier—she seemed to be making a shuttlecock with needle and thread.
With nothing to do, Cao Wen asked: “Aunt, has Ayan always been unable to speak?”
Lu Lingbi paused, “Why do you suddenly ask?”
“It’s nothing, just curious.
She’s always been quiet, and I’ve never asked about her past.”
Lu Lingbi thought for a moment, then said, “She was fine as a child. Later, after her father had an accident, she was deeply shocked and spoke less. Then came the war, and she was frightened many times, which led to how she is now.”
She recited the half-true, half-false story she’d told others over the years.
After finishing, Lu Lingbi sighed—not to make it more convincing, but because she was suddenly tired of lying, especially to a good kid like Cao Wen.
But after hearing this, Cao Wen put down his work, his eyes shining, “If it’s not congenital, maybe it can be cured. I’ve seen people who lost their voices later in life get treated and speak again.”
Lu Lingbi’s back stiffened, not knowing what to say.
“We should find a good Daifu, or take Ayan for a consultation.”
“If…if she could be cured, that would be wonderful. But I’m afraid if we give her hope and it doesn’t work, she’ll be heartbroken.”
Lu Lingbi took a deep breath.
But Cao Wen was enthusiastic, “It’s fine. I’ll ask around more in town. If I hear of a Daifu who can treat loss of speech, I’ll let Ayan know. That way, we’ll have a better chance.”
Lu Lingbi looked at the earnest Cao Wen, feeling complicated—she couldn’t say no, but also couldn’t agree.
She gave a dry laugh, “Living here with Ayan is already imposing on you. How can I trouble you further?”
“What’s the trouble? Since we’re living under the same roof, we ought to look out for each other.”
Cao Wen said, “Aunt, don’t tell Ayan yet. If there’s news, I’ll talk to you first.”