In the early morning, the dew was heavy. Kang He got up at dawn and went to the fields to pick a handful of Sichuan Pepper greens. Spring had come quickly—after a few bouts of cold rain, the sun shone day after day, and the weather grew hotter with each passing day.
On his way back to the courtyard, the two servant girls had just let out the chickens and ducks.
There were now eight ducks and six chickens at home, all crowding around the newly filled troughs of rice bran, quacking and clucking noisily.
The rabbits in the Ru Peng were growing big as well. They had been weaned off milk and were happily munching on vegetable leaves.
The whole pen was fluffy and soft, making anyone who saw them want to reach out and touch. But with so many rabbits in the Ru Peng, they pooped and peed constantly. Even though the two servant girls cleaned up diligently, there was still a lingering smell on them, so no one really wanted to hold and play with the rabbits anymore.
Kang He washed the vegetable leaves clean, took them into the kitchen, chopped them up, and added them to the porridge. This morning, they would have porridge and steamed buns.
Meanwhile, Chen Shi opened a jar and took out five Salted Duck Eggs, boiled them, cut them in half, and arranged them on a plate.
Kang He looked at the freshly pickled Salted Duck Eggs. With a single slice through the shell, golden, oily yolk flowed down the blade, making one’s mouth water.
He tried half an egg—the Salted Duck Egg was not only oily but had just the right balance of saltiness.
“Sanlang, how’s the taste?”
Kang He nodded. These Salted Duck Eggs were rare—the yolk was sandy and melted in the mouth with a fragrant, lingering taste. Paired with plain porridge, it was simply delicious. “Shen Fulang’s skills are truly impressive! Niang, you really know how to find good people!”
Chen Shi was delighted by Kang He’s praise. “Shen Fulang’s skills—anyone who loves Salted Duck Egg will say it’s good. If you like them, you’ll only like them more after trying these!”
The next day, Kang He and Chen Sanfang packed up twenty jin of Steamed Bean Curd, thirty Salted Duck Eggs, and six jars of Honey, totaling about five jin.
Back in the Village, Kang He went to the neighboring village’s pottery kiln to buy some large jars. After washing and drying them, he portioned the honey into the jars.
The largest jars could hold a full jin, then there were half-jin jars, and the smallest held about two liang.
The two servant girls, Zhen and Qiao, had to prepare fodder for the livestock and poultry at home. Chun Yue always had endless chores in the fields. Fan Jing followed his father to the fields as well, so only Kang He and Chen Shi headed to the County Town to sell their goods.
“Zhao Shifu, wait a moment.”
The two of them reached the Official Road at the edge of the Village and happened to see an ox cart parked by the roadside.
Chen Shi, delighted, fished out four copper coins from her clothes and said to Kang He, who was carrying a heavy load behind her, “Let’s take the cart into town.”
Kang He agreed at once.
“We’re just a mother-in-law and son-in-law.”
Chen Shi handed the copper coins to Zhao Shifu, who was checking the wheels. Kang He placed his basket onto the cart.
Zhao Shifu glanced at the basket and said, “With so much stuff, you’ll have to pay extra.”
“It’s just some Steamed Bean Curd and about a dozen Salted Duck Eggs. We’re taking them to town to see if we can exchange them for a little money for oil and candles.”
As she spoke, Chen Shi took out another copper coin and handed it to Zhao Shifu.
She couldn’t help but mutter inwardly—she’d hoped that since they were from the same Village, maybe they could save a coin. Normally, a ride on the ox cart cost two coins per person, but if you brought heavy goods, you had to pay an extra coin. She thought Zhao Si was at least a bit reasonable and might let them off.
But not only did he not let them off, he even thought it wasn’t enough.
“Your basket is so big, it takes up space and is heavy. I still need to pick up more passengers later. If you two want to bring all this, it’s seven coins.”
“Seven coins!”
Chen Shi’s eyes widened. “That’s too much! Bringing goods only costs one extra coin, two if it’s really heavy. You’re asking for three! No other ox cart charges as much as you!”
“Just think about how heavy and space-consuming your stuff is. And Chen Niang’s family is doing so well, buying land and doing business. Why be so stingy with us poor folks, not even willing to pay a bit extra?”
Zhao Shifu said, “If you think it’s expensive, take someone else’s cart.”
“Bah, just because you have an ox cart, Zhao Si!”
Chen Sanfang was instantly annoyed and no longer polite. “If you’re so poor you can’t even cook, you might as well go beg for coins at the city gate with a broken jar. That’d be more respectable than cheating people here! We’d rather walk to town than ride your cart!”
With that, Chen Shi took her basket down.
Kang He, hearing Chen Shi’s words, also hoisted the basket back onto his back. He could tell this man simply didn’t want to give them a ride and was just making excuses.
Zhao Si snorted coldly. “Sit if you want, don’t if you don’t—I’ll have it easier without you.”
“Easier, huh? Afraid people will take up space. Chen Niang, Brother Kang, come on up.”
Just then, the sound of cart wheels came from behind. Turning around, they saw Xu Yang driving an ox cart their way.
Chen Sanfang was delighted and walked over.
“Da Yang, you’re going to town too?”
“Yeah, I’m heading to town to buy some spring seeds.”
Xu Yang stopped the cart and jumped down to help Kang He move their things.
Together, they loaded everything onto the cart.
Afterward, Chen Shi climbed onto the ox cart.
As they passed Zhao Si at the intersection,
“He didn’t even try to overcharge—what’s gotten into folks these days, is everyone really doing that well?”
After they’d gone about a hundred meters, Xu Yang laughed.
Chen Sanfang said, “Your Uncle Zhao has made a lot of money driving that cart all these years. His family has an eight-room blue-tile house—how could he not be doing well? He’s related to the Xiangzhang, and since our family doesn’t get along with them, he’s probably trying to help the Xiangzhang give us a hard time.”
Xu Yang knew there had been trouble between the Fan Family and Chen Yushun. He hadn’t been in the Village during the whole Sun Dasheng incident, so he only learned about it later. He’d guessed something was up from Kang He’s words that day. As someone who’d been out in the world, he could read between the lines.
After asking around, he understood what had happened between the Fan Family and Chen Yushun. That day, he realized Kang He was someone with substance.
He’d known the Fan Family Second Branch was once quite poor. He’d grown up with Fan Xin and was more familiar with their situation than anyone else in the Village. Since Kang He had joined the family, it hadn’t been long, yet they’d bought a donkey and land, and things were looking up. He didn’t believe this had nothing to do with Kang He’s planning.
Such a person was bound to achieve great things for the Fan Family.
Xu Yang had decided to settle down in the Village and knew he needed connections—going it alone in the countryside or even in the township rarely worked.
He had his eye on Kang He and wanted to befriend him, but hadn’t found the chance yet.
Now, hearing Chen Shi’s words, he joked, “When it’s time to choose a new Xiangzhang, I’ll run for it. If Fan Ershu votes for me, maybe Chen Niang won’t have to be bullied anymore. What do you say, Chen Niang?”
Chen Sanfang didn’t think much of Xu Yang’s words, just took it as a younger man trying to cheer her up, and laughed, “You sure have a sweet tongue, always could talk since you were little. If you became Xiangzhang, I’d be burning incense in thanks!”
Xu Yang just smiled and turned to Kang He. “What about you, Brother Kang? Would you vote for me?”
Kang He’s brows moved slightly. He could see that Xu Yang was half-joking, half-serious, and was surprised at how highly he was regarded.
He smiled but didn’t answer directly, only saying, “Can in-laws vote?”
“Fan Ershu and Chen Niang dote on you, Brother Kang. If Ershu votes, it’s really your opinion that matters.”
Chen Sanfang knew they were speaking in riddles and said, “Da Yang, you’re not quite right—our family won’t let Sanlang run things.”
Kang He laughed, “We’ll just listen to Da Jing.”
Xu Yang said, “That works—Da Jing and I have been friends since we were kids.”
They chatted and joked until they reached the County Town.
Chen Sanfang tried to pay Xu Yang for the ride, but he refused. He still had money on him and was supposed to pay Kang He for the honey, but after thinking for a moment, he decided to pay next time when he visited the Fan Family.
“This Da Yang really is a good person. Even though his family is so well off, he’s never looked down on us for being poor.”
Watching the ox cart leave, Chen Sanfang put the coins back in her pocket and whispered to Kang He.
Then, remembering Zhao Si’s attitude, she grumbled, “From now on, even if we have to walk to town, I’m never riding Zhao Si’s cart again.”
Kang He said, “Once our donkey grows up, we’ll build our own cart. Then we won’t have to spend money asking favors to go to town.”
Hearing this, Chen Sanfang was hopeful again. “I’ll tell your father when we get home. When it’s time to build the cart, we’ll have Wang the Carpenter make it—he can use the money he’s saved from selling fertilizer. He’s made some money lately, but as soon as he has it, he spends it on wine, walking around with a swagger, proud as can be.”
Kang He laughed and agreed.
As they chatted, they spread out their stall.
Chen Shi was already experienced, and she began hawking their goods at the top of her lungs.
Kang He joined in, taking turns with her so their throats wouldn’t get sore.
“Haven’t seen you in a while.”
A regular customer heard their calls, carrying a basket as she came over to chat with Chen Shi.
“It’s busy in the fields during spring, can’t come every day. Shao Niang, are you here for Steamed Bean Curd to make a fragrant stew?”
The woman surnamed Shao lifted the basket for Chen Shi to see. Inside was a square of black tofu.
“My daughter-in-law was craving this, so I bought some from the He Jia tofu shop.”
“She’s about six months along now, right?”
Chen Sanfang saw she’d already bought some and didn’t mind, still chatting warmly.
“You have a good memory. Her belly’s getting bigger every day. The Da Fu says it looks like a boy!”
“Who has better fortune than you! Just wait for your grandchild to show you filial piety!”
Shao Niang laughed happily.
She’d meant to buy something else, but noticed that besides the Steamed Bean Curd under a clean gauze cloth, there were also some jars and Salted Duck Eggs, so she asked what they were.
“Homemade Salted Duck Eggs, and over there, my brother and son-in-law brought back honey from the mountains.”
Kang He quickly brought out the honey and opened a jar for her to smell.
“Oh, it really does have a floral fragrance—it smells sweet already.”
Kang He took a bamboo stick, dipped it in the honey, and offered it to her. “Please try it, Niang.”
“Such a precious thing, how could I just taste it?”
“If it were someone else, we wouldn’t let them try it so easily. But you’re an old customer—of course you can taste it, even if you don’t buy, it’s good to try something new.”
Encouraged, the woman tasted the honey and found her whole mouth filled with sweetness.
She said, “It really is delicious—much richer and more fragrant than the kind they sell in the shop.”
Chen Shi said, “Ours is pure, with no adulteration. That’s why it’s so good.”
Shao Niang nodded. Some shops loved to mix in fake stuff to fool people. She’d heard Zou Fulang say he’d bought honey several times but never found any good.
Thinking of this, she told Chen Shi, “By the bridge, the third big shop on the right, the Lamp and Candle Shop—the owner’s Zou Banlang, he loves honey. If you’re not afraid of the trouble, you could ask him. If the honey’s good, he’ll definitely buy it.”
Shao Niang liked this mother-in-law and son-in-law pair. Although she couldn’t bear to spend so much on honey herself, she was happy to put in a good word for them.
Kang He and Chen Shi thanked her with smiles, and gave her two Salted Duck Eggs to try. She left happily.
The sun was getting hotter, glaring down on the stone-paved street. Kang He said, “Niang, I’ll go ask around. You watch the stall.”
Chen Shi agreed.
Kang He carried a jar of honey to the address Shao Niang had given him.
The Lamp and Candle Shop was big, two stories tall. Kang He had never been there before.
At the door, he saw two or three clerks inside, but didn’t see Zou Banlang.
If he went in directly, not to buy but to sell, he might get thrown out. And if he made it obvious he knew about Zou Banlang’s love of honey, it would be clear someone had told him.
So Kang He simply hawked his honey loudly out on the street, especially when passing the shop, then continued on.
Sure enough, before he’d gone far, a window opened on the second floor of the shop.
“Hey, peddler, bring your honey up here for a look.”
Kang He went inside with his honey.
“What kind of honey is this?”
Zou Fulang was dressed richly, in silk, with three rings on his plump fingers.
He sniffed the jar, seeming satisfied, and asked Kang He.
“It’s hundred-flower honey from our own hives. We also have locust blossom honey, but I didn’t bring it today.”
“Let me try it to see if it’s genuine.”
Kang He produced a bamboo stick, but Zou Banlang refused to use it, disdaining its rusticity. He had a clerk fetch a long-handled, fine silver spoon.
He took a spoonful—sweet, with a hint of tartness, and a tickle in the throat as he swallowed.
A true connoisseur could tell at once: “This is good honey. How much?”
Kang He didn’t name a high price—there was no tricking a businessman like this. “Three hundred coins a jar—this one’s a full jin.”
Zou Fulang thought the price low, but who would complain about paying for quality?
He asked, “Just this jar? You mentioned locust blossom honey—how much do you have in total?”
Kang He replied, “There’s five jin at the stall. We have more at home.”
“I’ll take everything you have at the stall.”
Zou Fulang was generous—five jin would be enough for eating and making sweets, and good honey in a fancy porcelain jar would make a fine gift.
He asked again, “Is the honey at home just as good?”
“All the jars come from the same batch. I guarantee this jar tastes just like the rest.”
Kang He said, “You seem like a straightforward person. If you like my honey, I’ll bring the rest from home and let you taste every jar.”
Zou Fulang nodded. “That’s reassuring.”
He paid Kang He three hundred coins for the first jar, then Kang He fetched the remaining four jin and received another two hundred coins.
They agreed Kang He would deliver the remaining eight jin of honey to the shop tomorrow, and settle the rest of the payment then.
With the money in his pocket, Kang He returned to the stall. Chen Sanfang was delighted to hear that all five jin of honey had sold to a single customer, and that even the honey at home had been ordered. She could hardly stop grinning.
“It really is true—one satisfied customer brings another. From now on, I’ll have to treat everyone at our stall even more kindly, just in case they bring us big customers.”
Kang He smiled, “Niang, just be yourself. Be tough when you need to, be kind when you should. If you’re too soft, people take advantage. Too tough, and they won’t want to deal with you.”
“That’s true! I’ll just do as I always have.”
As they talked, someone came to ask about the Salted Duck Eggs. Chen Shi quoted three coins each, boasting of their oily, sandy yolks.
But the customer just asked and left.
An hour passed, the sun climbed higher, and they’d sold four blocks of Steamed Bean Curd and three pairs of Salted Duck Eggs.
The hotter the weather, the better the Steamed Bean Curd sold—much better than in winter.
Kang He thought about it—people who bought Steamed Bean Curd often stewed it with meat or Duck. When it was hot and fresh, it warmed the heart in winter, so people loved it.
But in hot weather, people preferred lighter dishes, and stews were less popular than in cold winter.
So, it was normal for it to sell better in cold weather.
But by season, Salted Duck Eggs should sell best now.
Yet, as he walked back from the bridge, he saw many more stalls selling Salted Duck Eggs than Steamed Bean Curd.
With so many sellers, even if there were more buyers, fewer would come to their stall.
Kang He thought for a moment, picked out four Salted Duck Eggs, and took them to a nearby noodle stall. He paid two coins and asked the stall owner to boil the eggs for him.
Chen Shi thought Kang He was hungry and wanted to eat some Salted Duck Eggs.
But when the eggs were brought back, Kang He cut them all open, sliced them as thinly as possible, and arranged them on a plate.
Chen Shi realized he wasn’t eating them himself, but offering samples for people to try. She couldn’t help but feel a pang. “Oh dear, if you let people taste for free, how many can we sell?”
She’d never even cooked one per person for the family, and now they were giving them away for free. She felt it was wasteful.
She could accept giving some to Shao Niang in return for introducing a big customer, but this…
Kang He patiently explained, “Our goods are better than others’. People need to know that before they’ll buy. There are so many stalls selling Salted Duck Eggs, and we’re new to this. If we don’t make this small sacrifice, we’ll never get the business.”
Chen Shi was reluctant, but since the Salted Duck Eggs weren’t selling well no matter how she hawked them, she agreed.
Once the eggs were cut, they offered samples to passersby.
Free food always draws a crowd, and soon people gathered around.
In no time, only two pieces of Salted Duck Egg were left on the plate.
Kang He kept introducing, “Homemade, oily Salted Duck Eggs—if you like them, remember our stall!”
Before long, the samples were gone, and they sold five more pairs.
Kang He went to boil another batch. In total, they gave away ten Salted Duck Eggs as samples. Out of thirty, plus two given as gifts, they sold eighteen that day, earning fifty-four coins.
There were still about ten jin of Steamed Bean Curd left.
Chen Sanfang was heartbroken over the ten eggs given away—every egg counted in a farming household.
But business had gone smoothly, and with the honey selling so well, she felt somewhat comforted.
She didn’t dwell on the Salted Duck Eggs, lest she annoy Kang He.
By the time they walked home, both were sweating.
Fan Jing was in the courtyard, washing the mud off his feet. He’d worked most of the day, his trouser legs rolled up high from the heat.
When he saw them return, he called out happily, “Niang and Brother-in-law, you were in town so long. Big Brother came back several times to check, and didn’t even eat two bowls of lunch.”
Kang He set down his basket and laughed, “Really?”
“If you don’t believe me, ask Big Brother. He only ate one bowl—usually it’s two or three. Second Sister tried to serve him more, but he wouldn’t eat.”
Chen Shi laughed, “You little rascal, exposing your brother’s secrets. Just wait, he’ll pull your pigtails for that.”
Kang He walked over to Fan Jing, scooped up some water and splashed it on his face, feeling instantly refreshed.
He looked at Fan Jing, who took the teasing in stride, carefully washing the mud from his feet. Kang He flicked some water at him with his finger.
Fan Jing’s brows twitched. He wiped the water from his mouth, tasted a bit of salt, and kicked Kang He.
Kang He splashed more water at him. Fan Jing grabbed him and held down his finger.
“Ow, ow, ow!”
Kang He begged for mercy, “I won’t splash anymore!”
Only then did Fan Jing let go.
Kang He rubbed his finger, seeing Fan Jing’s calm face, and said, “Looks like Qiao was lying—if you really only ate one bowl at lunch, where’d you get so much strength?”
Fan Jing glanced at Kang He’s finger, seeing it was fine—he hadn’t used much force, even though Kang He had shouted so loudly.
Kang He laughed and fetched a clean pair of straw sandals for Fan Jing.
Fan Jing slipped his wet feet in and asked, “Did the goods sell well?”
“Not bad—all your honey sold, half the Salted Duck Eggs gone, but the Steamed Bean Curd didn’t sell out.”
Fan Jing didn’t seem bothered, just nodded. The two went into the house together.
Since the Steamed Bean Curd couldn’t be kept long, Chen Shi sent two blocks to the main house and two to Shen Fulang.
When she went to the main house, Zhang Jingui was still lying on the bed. Usually, she loved to gossip, but now she barely went out.
She seemed deflated, still brooding over Fan Xin leaving for the County Exam.
Someone who loved to show off, but now had nothing to boast about, would rather stay home than risk being asked about family matters.
Chen Sanfang went to comfort her, telling her not to be so downcast.
Zhang Jingui clung to her hand and wept, praising her kindness for visiting and talking with her.
That night, Kang He cooked dinner, making Steamed Bean Curd for the family.
The food was rich and fragrant, and everyone ate heartily after a long day—except for Fan Jing, who barely ate anything.
Kang He tried to give him more, and he ate what was offered, but after finishing one bowl, he left the table.
The family all found it odd, not knowing what was wrong with him.
Is he preggy? Nice!