The Fan family was overjoyed upon hearing that Fan Jing was going to have a child.
By the first month of the following year, it would be exactly two years since the two got married. Although it seemed like only a year and a half had passed, Kangzi had come to the Fan family in the autumn months, and the two had been living together even before their marriage.
Both of them were young and healthy, so it wouldn’t be strange if after two or three years of marriage they had no children.
Even though everyone knew having a child was only natural, they were still very happy to receive the definite news.
Chen Sanfang kept reminding Fan Jing to take care of himself, while Father Fan happily popped the cork on a wine jar and started drinking.
The two little girls were excited too, saying they wanted to make clothes for their little nephew.
Fan Jing wasn’t used to having the whole family so eagerly surrounding him. After saying a few words to keep them company, he slipped back into his room.
It was Kangzi who patiently explained to the family the month of the child’s conception and what Doctor Zhu had said.
“All right, all right, the whole family is looking forward to you two having a child. But since this year we’re busy with business, it wouldn’t be right to add more worries for you two,” Chen Sanfang said.
She thought for a moment and added, “The old hen at home can no longer be sold, it needs to be slaughtered and stewed for Eldest Brother. The doctor said a good body still needs proper nourishment.”
Father Fan agreed, “Now that Eldest Brother is pregnant, I suppose he’ll have to take a break from the work he usually does with his hands.”
Kangzi said, “Let’s make some plans and discuss with Dajing.”
After talking for quite a while, during dinner Kangzi went to call Fan Jing. He found his brother lying on the bed facing the wall, curled up on his side, unresponsive to calls, seemingly asleep.
Seeing this, Kangzi quietly slipped out of the room.
After the door closed, a moment later, Fan Jing turned over and lay flat again.
He stared clearly at the bed canopy, unable to resist touching his flat belly.
The doctor hadn’t said he had a child, which would have been one thing, but now that he knew the truth, he felt that nothing would be the same going forward.
His heart grew cautious; he had to think about this matter—whether sitting or standing, it consumed his thoughts.
He felt a strange mix of emotions. He was used to a rougher way of life, but now with a child on the way, he knew he had to protect the little one carefully. For a time, he had to be more careful, which felt very unfamiliar.
After a while, Kangzi opened the door and came back in, bringing food.
Fan Jing was lost in thought. Hearing the door open, he turned over, catching Kangzi looking right at him.
Kangzi noticed and set the food on the table before going over to coax him upright.
Fan Jing sat up, his hair in a messy tangle. Kangzi smoothed it down, crouched to put on his shoes.
“Tonight, Mother made your favorite fragrant stir-fried shredded pork. Give it a try—you’ll think it tastes great.”
Fan Jing took chopsticks, picked up meat and ate with rice. Kangzi sat across from him, watching as he finished a bowl before asking, “Well, aren’t you happy about having a child?”
“No,” Fan Jing said, then helped himself to another bowl.
“If not, why pretend to be asleep in the room and not get up to eat? Are you being all delicate now?”
Fan Jing glanced at Kangzi, then stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth to stop him from calling him delicate.
He emphasized, “I’m just not used to it.”
Kangzi laughed, swallowing the meat whole. “Neither am I. I’ve never been a father before.”
He grasped Fan Jing’s hand, “Don’t you worry, I’ll do my best to learn how to be a good husband and a good father, to take care of you and the child. No matter how delicate you are, I’ll take care of you. I’ll happily take care of you.”
Fan Jing said, “I’m not what you say—I can slaughter pigs just as well.”
Kangzi furrowed his brow. “With a child on the way, isn’t slaughtering pigs too exhausting? What if you slip and the pig kicks or hits you?”
“No way. I know how to be careful. I’ve slaughtered so many pigs before—never once did one kick me,” Fan Jing said. “If I didn’t do this, who else would?”
Kangzi said, “Even if you don’t slaughter pigs, you can still run the shop. For pig slaughtering, we can hire a butcher to help. The cost is just the fee for the butcher. Business is important, but nothing is more important than the child!”
“We work so hard and worry so much only so that the child can live better and teach the child to suffer less in the future. If we only think about making money now, and don’t rest when we should, that would be putting the cart before the horse.”
Fan Jing fell silent, looking at Kangzi.
“Kangzi, I don’t want to become unable to do anything just because there’s a child, sitting idly all day, eating and sleeping with nothing to do… I can’t live like that.”
Seeing the faint sadness in Fan Jing’s eyes, Kangzi softened his tone. “I’m sorry. I thought too much on my own and didn’t consider how you felt.”
He said, “Don’t be angry alone. If there’s anything you don’t like, just say it out loud. We’ll work things out slowly together.”
“I’m not angry. When it comes to work with my hands, I will protect the child well.”
Fan Jing was no longer a child himself. He would be the child’s father in the future and wouldn’t be so reckless.
He relented, “Alright, when the child is young, I won’t work much, but when the child grows, I’ll do as you say.”
“But no matter what, now that we have a child, even if you used to slaughter pigs and sell meat, you can’t work as hard as before.”
“The shop also sells braised meat now, which is busy and complicated. I’ll have Mother go into town to watch the shop, so we can both take some pressure off.”
Fan Jing nodded, but he had other worries. “If she goes to watch the shop, Father might be too busy with the work in the fields to manage alone.”
“I thought of that too.”
Chen Sanfang hadn’t been going to town much lately, only helping out when she had time, mostly to assist Father Fan with fieldwork and making kelp noodles.
In short, neither the city nor home life was easy. To ease the burden, hiring help was necessary—either for the shop or for the household.
“Hiring help for the shop requires someone who knows how to call out and keep things running smoothly. Such helpers are not easy to find. Mother used to sell kelp tofu in the city very well, and customers often asked about her when they came to buy kelp tofu. Having her as the shop assistant would be better than any hired hand.”
“If she’s busy in the city, then we should hire a farmhand at home, someone to help with the fields—cutting grass, feeding pigs… those who can work hard are not hard to find. It’s better to pay a little less than the city workers.”
Kangzi asked Fan Jing, “What do you think?”
Fan Jing thought for a while. Without help at home, Father Fan would be overwhelmed, and Kangzi would have to manage the fieldwork too.
Hiring a farmhand would be good, so he agreed.
Kangzi smiled, “Then tomorrow I’ll talk to Father and Mother, tell them to find a strong, healthy worker to come here. We can negotiate the wages well.”
“Our house isn’t good. When summer comes with strong winds and heavy rain, it needs proper repairs. We can’t have the child born and still have to suffer getting rained on at home.”
Kangzi glanced at the roof. He had originally planned to save more money to build a new green-tiled house, a dozen or so rooms so the whole family could live comfortably, without cold winters or leaky summers.
But building a big house required a hundred or so strings of cash upfront, and without that kind of money saved, it was hard to dare start.
Now that there was a child on the way, they couldn’t wait to save more. Still, they had some funds to improve the living conditions.
“We’ll follow the earlier plan—replace the thatched roof with tiles, pave the dirt floor with stone bricks, and live here for now. When we earn more money, we can make further improvements.”
Fan Jing said, “Replacing tiles and laying bricks will cost quite a bit. We still need to hire workers. How much money do we have on hand?”
Kangzi took out the money box and sorted through the large silver coins and cash. After several months of business, adding the money they already had, they had saved over fifty strings of cash.
Hiring a strong man on a year-long contract would cost five or six strings.
Given the size of the house, buying bricks and tiles and hiring workers would require about thirty strings in advance.
Fan Jing reminded, “This month is June, and in two months we’ll have to pay the shop rent again.”
When they last paid the rent, they only had to pay for half a year, but this time it would be for a full year.
One string per month, twelve months would be fourteen strings and four coins.
Kangzi carefully calculated the accounts. It hurt a bit looking at the money on hand.
If they started the repairs now, the money would be gone fast.
“We only pay the rent in July. This month, with the new braised meat stall, business is better than before. We should be able to make seven or eight strings a month. I plan that with the braised meat stall, we can earn more. If all goes well, by the end of July we’ll have enough to pay the rent.”
“Let’s not worry about the money for now. The money we have will be enough to improve the house and hire workers, and the rest for other expenses.”
Fan Jing agreed. For now, that was the only way.
They had earned quite a bit over the last two years, and although there wasn’t much money readily available, at least what they spent was tangible and not wasted.
After tallying the accounts for a while, both felt a bit tired. They washed up and lay down on the bed.
The breeze blowing outside was cooler than the stuffy room, though there were more mosquitoes. If not for the bugs, it would be more comfortable to sleep outside on a mat.
Though hot, Kangzi snuggled close to Fan Jing, holding him and taking the chance to touch his belly.
He had wanted to do that for a while but hadn’t had the chance.
“It really seems to be bulging a little.”
Kangzi looked at Fan Jing in surprise.
Fan Jing felt a bit itchy where Kangzi touched his belly and moved to avoid it.
“That’s just because I just ate and am full.”
“How do you know it’s a full stomach and not the baby?”
Kangzi tried to touch again.
“I felt before dinner; the belly was still flat then. It can’t have grown that much in just an hour.”
Kangzi: “……..”
Fan Jing closed his eyes, unusually unbothered by the heat, leaning on Kangzi’s shoulder. “I’m going to sleep.”
Kangzi smiled, picked up the fan by the pillow, “Alright~ I’ll fan you for a while.”
The next day, Kangzi shared his plans with Father Fan and Mother Chen. Neither objected.
Father Fan set about finding a reliable farmhand nearby, and Chen Sanfang went to town to watch the shop.
Chen Sanfang was good at business, and with her help, Kangzi and Fan Jing felt much more at ease.
Later in the afternoon, as business quieted, Kangzi took the opportunity to visit a brick kiln, comparing prices and checking the work, planning to have Father Fan help finalize the deal.
On his way back, he bumped into a clerk from Zou Fulang’s shop.
“Boss Kang, I was just talking about coming to your shop to look for you. It’s so hot today; where were you cooling off, walking by the riverbank?”
Kangzi chuckled, then asked, “What business do you need me for?”
“My boss said business is slow at the shop now, so you should be free. He wants to invite you for a cup of tea.”
Kangzi suspected it was about money and thought, ‘They must really be short.’ He laughed, “Zou Fulang’s good tea, I’ll definitely come for a cup.”
“My good brother, you’re really able to sit still. It’s so hot today. Back when business was booming, I had to tell the boss to stop pestering me.”
When Zou Fulang saw Kangzi, he served good tea and brought out a bunch of lychees soaked in water and a bunch of purple grapes.
Kangzi ate a lychee. It was really sweet, cool and juicy. “Where did these lychees come from? They taste great.”
Zou Fulang, a stout man, wiped his sweat with a fan. Seeing Kangzi enjoy the fruit, he said, “My brother sent these from Fucheng. If you like them, I’ll send you two bunches home.”
Kangzi smiled, “I can’t just come empty-handed and take such good things.”
Zou Fulang said, “You’re not empty-handed. You sent over those big stewed geese before. That was a real treat.”
They chatted a bit before Kangzi said, “You know, I started a small shop early this year to do some business. This summer the pork business has been going well; I haven’t had time for anything else.”
“Pork business makes money? What about that good deal before?”
Zou Fulang teased, “You’re capable, but you don’t know how to plan.”
“I’m just a country boy with a blunt mind, not clever enough to handle things well. Luck was with me before, so I made some capital. Now that I’ve started a small shop, it’s just because I’m too stupid to think straight,” Kangzi said.
He asked Zou Fulang, “What do you want from me this time?”
Zou Fulang was a sharp businessman. He had heard about the medicinal candle’s quality. Who wouldn’t be tempted?
For more than a year, he had seen that except for his own family’s supply, there really was none like it elsewhere. The county believed it was their family’s unique craft.
Recently, several merchants had come asking him to sell some of those medicinal candles.
He hadn’t agreed. The merchants didn’t know the whole story and thought he was a big shot. They kept raising prices and asking again, unaware that he also had to rely on a craftsman to get the goods.
Zou Fulang couldn’t figure out if the candle-making skill was really with Kangzi or his craftsman. This summer, he’d been waiting for Kangzi to come find him and make money from this business, but Kangzi had gotten so caught up with the pork shop that he was the one who couldn’t sit still.
“I’m telling you honestly, brother, the medicinal candle business isn’t bad. But sometimes there’s stock, sometimes none. Even though they can sell at high prices, if the shop isn’t open, it’s hard to make big money.”
“If you can get me a stable supply, I’ll surely reward you well.”
Kangzi said, “I’m glad the candle business is good. But getting stable stock might be hard. The craftsman isn’t specialized in this business, though he has some clever tricks.”
Zou Fulang’s eyes lit up. “Will he agree to pass the skill to others?”
Kangzi knew this was the real concern and looked troubled. “I haven’t dared ask him.”
Zou Fulang picked a big lychee and offered it to Kangzi, “Good brother, you go ask. If you can get his skill, it’ll be good for all of us.”
“We won’t make him suffer. We’ll pay a hefty price for the technique, or if he has any needs, we’ll handle those properly. Since he’s not specialized in this trade, if he gets enough money at once, wouldn’t he rather take a break and make the candles when he wants?”
He added, “If you can close the deal, I’ll give you a spacious new shop, enough for pork, dry goods, and with a courtyard for boiling water and cooking. Three or four people could live there easily.”
“I know Fulang is generous, but I don’t dare have you agree right away. His temper’s odd—good at times, but terrible when riled. We’ve been friends for a long time. Fulang means well, and I want to help. I’m willing to go with you.”
Kangzi said, testing the waters, “Just saying we want to buy his skill isn’t enough. I have a figure in mind. Having a price makes it easier to negotiate.”
Zou Fulang held up two fingers. “Talk around this number.”
He wanted to negotiate himself, but the business had to go through Kangzi. If he revealed anything, he wouldn’t know where to find this kind of craftsman.
Also, the candle’s unique fragrance from mugwort, without smoke, was a mystery. After telling his own craftsmen to figure it out for more than half a year, they only managed to produce fragrant but harshly smoky candles that stung the eyes.
There was no choice but to beg for help, or else they wouldn’t dare risk so much money on this.
“I’ve got it down. I’ll find the craftsman soon and report back.”
Zou Fulang was glad Kangzi didn’t refuse, and said yes repeatedly.
After a little more talk, Kangzi returned carrying a basket filled with grapes and lychees.
Back at the shop, Chen Sanfang was dozing off in front of the counter with a fan, and Fan Jing was cooling off by the riverbank breeze.
Seeing Kangzi back, Fan Jing asked why he had been gone so long.
Kangzi set a stool beside Fan Jing and sat by the riverbank, handing him lychees and telling him about being summoned by Zou Fulang.
Fan Jing went back to eating lychees, feeling their juicy sweetness. After three in a row, he found them delicious but felt like something sour. He asked Kangzi for the purple-skinned grapes.
Kangzi gave him grapes to eat. They were sweet but not as much as the lychees, with a slight tartness that suited Fan Jing’s current mood.
“He’s so generous, sending you grapes and lychees. These good fruits are rare in the market.”
“He’s got big plans and wants to ask me for a favor. These fruits are nothing.”
Only Fan Jing knew about Kangzi’s work with medicinal candles, so Kangzi told him about Zou Fulang’s interest in the candle-making technique.
Fan Jing furrowed his brow slightly. “He’s willing to pay that much?”
“Not really. I heard some of the candles sold in his shop fetch several strings of cash. Though our crude candles are different and need more processing, they’re still expensive.”
Kangzi said, “If he gets the technique, I don’t know how much profit he’d make. Two hundred strings is nothing.”
Fan Jing asked, “What’s your plan then?”
Kangzi hadn’t intended to sell the candle technique. He thought of making a few candles to sell in Zou Fulang’s shop now and then, making a little money, and once the family business was stable, he’d try to bring in a craftsman to develop the business.
The medicinal candle business would definitely earn more than the pork shop.
He hadn’t focused on the candle business because he lacked a skilled craftsman. Making fancy candles required skill; his crude technique could only sell novelty candles, not fine ones. Ordinary candle users found them too expensive, wealthy clients thought them ungainly and refused to buy. Skilled craftsmen had to be hired.
Hiring skilled craftsmen meant high wages and high costs for beeswax, which was hard to obtain. The Thin family couldn’t afford that.
Also, candle-making was unique; unlike pig slaughtering and meat selling, where apprenticeships were easy, this trade required specific secret techniques. Craftsmen would be jealous and unwilling to teach outsiders.
If the candle business took off, it would be a fat target, attracting greedy craftsmen trying to steal secrets.
After weighing all this, Kangzi decided not to develop the candle business himself. Making money was one thing, but sustainability was key.
Now the Zou family wanted the technique. Kangzi could dodge the question but was tempted to give the skill to Zou Fulang.
If they tried to develop the candle business themselves, who knew how long it would take? Meanwhile, they did need the money.
“It’s your skill; do what you think is best,” Fan Jing said. “But if you’re reluctant, I don’t want us to sell the technique. We’re not yet desperate.”
He thought that like a farming family forced to sell land in hard times, reluctant but necessary to get by.
The main branch was already planning to sell two acres after the autumn harvest to raise money for Xiangxiu’s marriage.
Kangzi said, “I’m not reluctant. I just want to get some more profit. Don’t worry; I’ll handle this properly.”
After a few days, Kangzi went to tell Zou Fulang the skill wouldn’t be sold.
“That guy is stubborn and foolish,” Zou Fulang said. “He says selling the skill would be losing his livelihood, like life’s impossible. So unlucky.”
Kangzi took out a box of candles. “But he is considerate; he gave me forty pairs of candles to make up for it.”
Zou Fulang wasn’t pleased. He wanted the technique, not just a box of candles. Disappointed, yet he still needed the candles. He paid the old price, but Kangzi only gave twenty-five strings.
“Good brother, you run back to him and say the price is negotiable. Ask him to think it over.”
Kangzi looked troubled. “I’m afraid if I go again, he’ll get angry and refuse to give me candles ever again.”
“We’re sincere. He won’t get mad.”
Zou Fulang had a clerk bring out several more boxes to give to Kangzi to deliver to the craftsman.
Kangzi couldn’t refuse and agreed to go again.
At home, opening the boxes, he found two jars of candied fruit and nuts, and four bolts of fine cloth.
After a while, Zou Fulang came by to press again. Kangzi didn’t reply.
Two more days passed, and Kangzi happily went to tell Zou Fulang, “After much talk, he’s loosened up a bit. But he still thinks the price is too low. He wants this much.”
Kangzi showed two fingers, then eight.
“Don’t blame me for being a poor negotiator. Before, you told me the number, but I didn’t say it all. I started low and added bit by bit. He still wouldn’t accept.”
Zou Fulang was glad to see the price move, though it exceeded his expectations.
Two hundred strings had suddenly risen to two hundred eighty—a significant sum.
He could afford it, but spending such a large amount at once was still unpleasant, unlike small parties where ten or twenty strings don’t hurt.
Seeing this, Kangzi said, “If Fulang thinks it’s too high, I’ll tell him again. But he won’t agree to anything else. I can only bring back what he originally said.”
“Don’t rush. Let’s discuss it at home first.”
Kangzi said, “The man isn’t well-educated, but after our repeated requests, he probably realizes the skill’s value. If we don’t get it and someone else does, that’d be bad.”
“You hold him off for a few days; I’ll give you an answer.”
Kangzi nodded.
There was no need for three days. The next day the craftsman couldn’t sit still and came to the pork shop, telling Kangzi to get the technique ready.