Kang He held his rice bowl and headed into the house.
Fan Jing sat at the small table by the bed, rubbing hemp thread between his hands, as if nothing had happened. @Endless good stories, all at Jinjiang Literature City
“What’s wrong? You’re eating so little?”
Kang He went over and asked him.
Fan Jing answered, “I’m full.”
Kang He snorted—he knew exactly how much Fan Jing usually ate.
Setting down his bowl and chopsticks, Kang He reached out and touched Fan Jing’s belly. “Let me see how full you really are.”
He got a light slap from Fan Jing and shrank back, saying, “It’s flat—how could you possibly be full?”
Fan Jing shot him a sidelong glance.
Kang He leaned in closer. “You’re not eating or drinking tea—don’t tell me you’re pregnant?”
He’d meant it as a joke, but when he thought about it, they’d gotten married at the end of last month, and now it was April. Kang He couldn’t even remember how many times they’d done that sort of thing, and they hadn’t been careful to avoid pregnancy.
Both of them were young and healthy—it wasn’t impossible.
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Kang He even started to get a little excited; the joy of becoming a father for the first time gradually swept over him.
Fan Jing noticed the corners of the man’s mouth stretching wider and wider, his brow twitching. At this rate, Kang He would probably start imagining what the child should be called. He cut him off, saying, “There’s nothing like that.”
Kang He saw Fan Jing being stubborn and frowned disapprovingly. “How do you know it’s not?”
Fan Jing replied, “I keep track.”
“You’ve never been pregnant before, what could you possibly know?”
Kang He grabbed Fan Jing’s arm. “Let me take a look!”
He’d only ever felt pulses a few times when following the village doctor around as a kid, but he remembered what a healthy pulse felt like—smooth and even, like beads on a string.
Fan Jing let him fuss, allowing Kang He to hold his arm.
After feeling for a while, Kang He looked up at Fan Jing, their eyes meeting. “My medical skills aren’t great—I can’t really tell.”
Fan Jing pulled his arm back. “I told you, there’s nothing.”
“How can you be so sure?”
Fan Jing said, “I saw when Niang was pregnant with Juner.”
Kang He understood then. Fan Jing wasn’t much older than Juner; when his mother was pregnant with Juner, Fan Jing would have been about six—old enough to remember.
But Kang He was still a little unconvinced. “Is it the same for men as for women?”
“A little different, but Niang told me about it. I remember.”
Fan Jing answered lightly.
Kang He fell silent. @Endless good stories, all at Jinjiang Literature City
Fan Jing hadn’t expected Kang He to think he might be pregnant. Seeing Kang He go quiet, probably disappointed, he said, “There’ll be a time for that in the future.”
Hearing this, Kang He realized Fan Jing had misunderstood and laughed. “Of course I know. We’ve got plenty of days ahead—just got married at the end of last month, it hasn’t been long. No need to rush.”
He took Fan Jing’s hand. “I just thought you might be missing your mother.”
During the Qingming Festival, Fan Jing had bought incense and paper money, and had taken Kang He to visit his mother’s grave.
Fan Jing shook his head. He wasn’t the type to get sentimental, and he didn’t allow himself to be that way, so he rarely dwelled on it.
“If there’s nothing, then eat a bit more. You’ve worked hard all day and barely ate at noon.”
Kang He picked up his rice bowl, trying to coax Fan Jing into eating some more.
Fan Jing turned his head away, a bit awkward. “Toothache.”
Kang He was startled. “Toothache? You’re not eating because your tooth hurts?!”
So that’s why he’d been off for a couple of days. But seeing Fan Jing hurt so much he couldn’t eat, Kang He grew anxious. “Where does it hurt? Let me see.”
Fan Jing pointed to the spot below the corner of his mouth.
Kang He had him open his mouth, brought over a candle, and looked carefully. The gums were already red and swollen.
“You should’ve said something earlier.”
Kang He gently lifted Fan Jing’s chin, frowning tightly. “When did it start hurting?”
“Not long ago.”
Fan Jing was a little uncomfortable with all this fuss. He didn’t think a toothache was a big deal—he’d just bear with it and it would pass.
Kang He was a little helpless with him, knowing Fan Jing’s temperament—he never complained or called attention to any pain or illness.
If he’d said something earlier, Kang He could have brought medicine from the City in the afternoon. Now his gums were swollen from the pain.
Even if he’d spoken up in the afternoon, Kang He could have gone out and dug up some herbs to help with the pain. But Fan Jing insisted on saying nothing, to the point that he couldn’t even eat, making Kang He frustrated.
Kang He let go of his hand, a little angry. “There’s no medicine for toothache at home, so just suffer through it.”
Hearing Kang He’s tone, Fan Jing fell silent, his eyes drifting elsewhere, avoiding Kang He’s gaze.
Seeing this, Kang He grew even more irritated. “Then I’ll go eat by myself, since you can handle it anyway.”
Fan Jing suddenly grabbed onto Kang He’s sleeve, looking up at him. “Who told you to keep giving me pastries and candied fruit?”
“So now you’re blaming me?”
Fan Jing said, “I won’t eat them anymore.”
Hearing this, Kang He sat back down. “That winter melon candy is so sweet it hurts your teeth. You eat half a pack a day—how can your teeth handle it?”
“You’re not a kid anymore, but you still have no self-control. Eat a little less from now on.”
After saying that, he leaned in and kissed the spot below Fan Jing’s mouth where his tooth hurt. “I’ll bring you some warm salt water to rinse your mouth, and put a cold cloth on it. Later, I’ll go to the pharmacy and get you some medicine. It’ll stop hurting soon.”
Fan Jing lowered his gaze and murmured an “mm,” letting Kang He go get the salt water.
His tooth really hurt.
At night, Fan Jing rinsed his mouth with warm salt water, and Kang He put a cloth on it for him. It didn’t hurt as much after that.
Kang He told him about Xu Yang taking him and Chen Shi into the City earlier that day. “I think he really wants to compete for the position of Xiangzhang.”
The Xu Family was a wealthy and influential family in the village. Xu Yang was the only son, educated, and had seen the world outside. Other than being a bit young, he was more than qualified to be Xiangzhang.
Kang He said, “I think he wants to win our family over.”
Fan Jing looked at Kang He. “Why would he want to win us over? Fan Xin used to study at their Shuxue, so maybe there was some connection, but what do we have now that he’d want?”
“Maybe he’s taken a liking to me,” Kang He joked to Fan Jing.
Fan Jing knew Kang He was joking, but he actually thought there might be something to it.
He knew Kang He wanted his opinion. “Xu Yang isn’t a bad person. If he can get along with big brother, he can’t be that bad.” This was implying that Fan Xin was a bit naïve.
Kang He nodded. “I don’t really want to join any factions—I just want to live our life steadily. No need to fight for those things.”
“But that Chen Yushun is always making trouble for our family. As long as he’s in that position, he’ll cause us endless trouble. We need to get him out so our family can have some peace.”
Kang He thought carefully. He felt this was a good opportunity—Xu Yang might not succeed, but if they joined his side, with the Xu Family’s status in the village, even Chen Yushun would have to be wary.
They could never get along with Chen Yushun anyway, so this was their only option.
Fan Jing responded with a soft “mm.” He understood, but wasn’t good at scheming.
People from the mountains didn’t interact much with others—their thoughts were simpler and they didn’t like to complicate things.
If they’d been clever at scheming, their family wouldn’t have been so marginalized in the village, with no one taking them seriously.
Fan Jing felt that, in these matters, he could completely rely on Kang He. “Just do as you see fit—the family will listen to you.”
The next day, Kang He packed up the eight jin of honey Zou Fulang wanted, and also took the forty remaining Pickled Duck from home, planning to sell them in the City.
Yesterday, the Steamed Bean Curd hadn’t sold well, and neither had the Pickled Duck. Chen Shi was a bit down, so she hadn’t made any more Steamed Bean Curd this morning.
Other than those given away or eaten at home, there were still about ten jin left—she didn’t dare make any more for now.
The weather in April wasn’t too hot yet, so they stored the remaining Steamed Bean Curd in a friend’s well to keep it fresh.
Kang He took the ten jin of Steamed Bean Curd to the City to sell.
Chen Sanfang didn’t go with him today. It had rained last night, so she wanted to plant the eggplant seedlings while the soil was still moist.
There was also a lot of work in Fan Father’s fields—he might not be able to handle it all alone.
Chen Sanfang actually wanted to go, but planting seedlings was best done in the morning, and so was going to the City to sell. Once the market closed in the afternoon, there would be fewer buyers.
Seeing this, Kang He gave her a new task.
“Niang, when you have some free time later, make the Steamed Bean Curd into Ruo Tou Vermicelli. It takes more work, but it’ll be worth it.”
Chen Sanfang didn’t quite understand—she’d seen Kang He make fern and kudzu starch before.
With both girls helping, it had taken them two or three days to finish, and she still remembered how exhausting it was.
“Why do it this way?”
“The weather’s getting warmer, and people want lighter dishes. Everyone likes to stew Steamed Bean Curd, but if we change it up and make it into vermicelli, people can eat it cold, like with tofu, or mix it into salads. Maybe more people will buy it.”
Kang He said, “Let’s try it out. If it still doesn’t sell, we’ll go back to selling tofu blocks. But if it works, we make a profit.”
Chen Sanfang thought it made sense. After all, once the field work was done in the morning, there wasn’t much else to do. Better to work for some extra money than sit idle.
“Alright, Niang will do as you say. I’ll get Juner and Qiao’er to help me, and we’ll just make a small batch to try first. It won’t take much effort.”
Kang He agreed and, after giving instructions, went to the City with Fan Jing.
Upon reaching the County Town, they first went to Zou Fulang’s shop, where they delivered the full eight jin of honey. After checking the weight, they received two strings and four hundred coins.
Counting the fifteen hundred coins from yesterday, it wasn’t a wasted trip—they’d earned three strings and nine hundred coins.
Unexpectedly, when settling accounts, Zou Fulang generously added a hundred coins to round up the amount. “Next time you have good honey, bring it here first.”
Zou Fulang saw the honey was of excellent quality, and hearing that Kang He had beehives in the mountains, was already thinking about future business.
Kang He was happy to keep up the relationship. “We should be able to harvest more honey before winter. Once it’s ready, I’ll bring it to you first, whether you want it or not, just to let you have a look.”
Since they’d made so much, Kang He gifted five pairs of Pickled Duck and two pieces of Steamed Bean Curd to Zou Fulang.
He’d noticed yesterday that Zou Fulang was a refined man and might not care for their rustic products.
But whether someone appreciates them or not is one thing—whether you offer them or not is another.
“Take these ten Pickled Duck to the back kitchen and boil them for everyone to have a snack.”
Sure enough, as soon as Kang He and Fan Jing left, Zou Fulang had the goods distributed.
“Add the Steamed Bean Curd to today’s meal too.”
The shop assistants were delighted with their generous boss and happily agreed.
“This young man is thoughtful—he really knows how to build relationships.”
“With boss treating them so well, of course they’ll want to repay him.”
After that, the assistants boiled the Pickled Duck and shared them with everyone.
When they peeled the Pickled Duck, golden oil oozed out. The assistants quickly took a bite—it was unexpectedly savory and delicious.
Everyone in the shop loved it and asked where they could buy more.
The assistant who had been instructed by Zou Fulang left two Pickled Duck for the boss upstairs, saying they tasted great and that he should try them.
Zou Fulang, busy with his abacus, told them to just leave them there.
After finishing his work, he looked at the plate of Pickled Duck. He was a bit hungry, so he took one to try.
His family ate Pickled Duck too—it wasn’t a matter of status. He just preferred the ones sold at the shop in the Water Lane.
He was particular—first cracking the shell at the tip, opening a small hole, then digging out the contents with a silver spoon.
He didn’t care for the outer layer of egg white, only the salty yolk. Just a few bites and the taste was exquisite.
He ended up eating both Pickled Duck, whites and all.
He thought about asking for more from the kitchen, but didn’t say anything. Instead, he sent someone to find the honey sellers and buy twenty more Pickled Duck.
But they hadn’t left an address, so the assistant had to search the streets for them.
He himself wanted to buy more for his family to try. With the weather warming up, people would eat more Pickled Duck.
Kang He and Fan Jing set up their stall at the same place as yesterday. Not long after, people started coming over.
“Are you the ones selling Pickled Duck?”
Kang He brought out the Pickled Duck. “Yes, we sold some here yesterday.”
“Oh, I thought you wouldn’t come today. I tried your Pickled Duck yesterday—it was delicious. When I came back to buy more, you’d already sold out.”
“Give me three pairs.”
“I want two pairs too!”
Kang He noticed a lot of people coming to buy Pickled Duck. It seemed yesterday’s free samples hadn’t gone to waste.
He hadn’t expected so many people, but word must have gotten around—everyone wanted to try their tasty Pickled Duck.
But they only had thirty left. He wanted to sell to more people so more could taste it.
He called out, “These Pickled Duck are just right—eat them soon, don’t keep them too long. If you wait, they’ll get too salty and won’t taste as good!”
“You’re an honest seller. Can I buy three pairs for the price of two?”
“Of course! Just come back for more next time after you finish them.”
Kang He was busy hawking, and Fan Jing quickly helped collect money and pick out ducks for people.
In less than half an hour, all thirty Pickled Duck were sold. Those who came later missed out.
“Hey, brother, I finally found you two! I searched two whole streets—you’re on the bridge today!”
Kang He was about to pack up and take Fan Jing to the clinic, but with so many people buying Pickled Duck, even the Steamed Bean Curd had almost sold out.
Only two pieces were left, which he planned to give to the Liang Lady’s family.
Just then, a man arrived, panting for breath.
Kang He recognized him as an assistant from Zou Fulang’s shop. Seeing the man sweating and in a hurry, Kang He wondered if something had gone wrong with the honey. He’d already handed over the goods and received payment—he wasn’t giving any refunds.
“What’s the matter? Did Zou Fulang have any instructions?”
“Our boss said your Pickled Duck tasted great and wants to buy twenty more from you two.”
The assistant saw there weren’t many customers and said, “Give us a good price, and I’ll tell the other assistants about your Pickled Duck too.”
Kang He smiled, lifting the basket and shaking it upside down. “Thanks, brother, I’d love to give you a good price, but you’re a bit late. I’ve already sold out.”
The assistant was surprised. “Not even one left?”
“If there was even one, I’d have given it to you.”
“Do you have more at home? Like with the honey, you could bring some more to our shop.”
The assistant tried to negotiate. “Even thirty or forty would be fine. Bring more—we don’t want you to make a trip for nothing.”
Kang He said, “Zou Fulang is a generous man. If he wanted two, I’d bring them over just for him. But I’m afraid he won’t want to wait—the new Pickled Duck at home have all been sold out these past two days. If you want more, it’ll be another twenty days.”
The assistant sighed to himself—he really was too late.
But the Pickled Duck was delicious, and everyone liked it.
Kang He said, “If I’m not here, sometimes my mother comes to sell. If you’re willing to wait, I can bring more in twenty days. No need to decide now—just let us know later.”
The assistant agreed, saying he’d ask his boss about reserving Pickled Duck in twenty days.
After he left, Kang He smiled at Fan Jing. “Looks like our five pairs of Pickled Duck weren’t given in vain—he came right back to buy more. Too bad Niang isn’t here today—she’d be so happy.”
“Yesterday, I cut up ten Pickled Duck for people to try, and she was so upset about it.”
Fan Jing thought Kang He’s mind was like a beehive—full of ideas. If it weren’t for his initiative, they’d never have gotten the business going.
“Just have her pickle all the Pickled Duck at home—she’ll be just as happy.”
Kang He agreed, planning to trouble Shen Fulang again.
The two of them then went to the clinic for medicine. Kang He went to the Qingfang Zhu Ping Pharmacy, the first pharmacy he’d ever visited when coming down from the mountains.
He knew a bit about medicine and liked to compare prices—this pharmacy was one of the best and cheapest in the City.
“Is Dr. Zhu not here today?”
Kang He saw a young man dispensing medicine, not the older doctor he’d seen before, so he asked.
“Master was picked up by a sedan chair from the east side of the City to treat the Jiang Yao’s daughter. She’s been unwell for a long time, and only my master can help her. Every ten days or so, the Tian Family comes to fetch him.”
Maybe wanting to show off Dr. Zhu’s skills, the young man chatted with Kang He for a bit.
Kang He praised Dr. Zhu as well.
Just then, an old lady came in looking for Dr. Zhu, probably to thank him—she brought a basket of eggs.
A while later, an old widower came in to settle his tab.
Seeing the young man so busy, Kang He didn’t interrupt anymore. He looked around and saw that Fan Jing, who had been waiting, had somehow come up behind him.
He cleared his throat. “I wanted to ask if your tooth is okay.”
Fan Jing ignored him.
Kang He leaned in and gently applied the external medicine to him.
Back at home, Kang He calculated that, aside from the honey, they’d earned eighty-five coins today.
Pickled Duck were two coins each—thirty sold for sixty coins, the rest came from selling Steamed Bean Curd.
Kang He gave the money to Chen Shi, since she was the one who’d organized the making of both products.
Chen Shi could hardly believe it. “Did it really sell so well?”
“If you don’t believe me, ask Da Jing—he saw it too.”
Kang He said, “The assistant from Zou Fulang’s shop came late and couldn’t buy any Pickled Duck. He left looking so disappointed. I told him he could place a reservation anytime.”
Chen Shi was delighted. “So yesterday’s samples weren’t wasted—it’s all thanks to your ideas. We’ve got dozens more ducks at home—let’s pickle them all. In summer, people eat even more Pickled Duck.”
“Whatever you say, Niang. But selling them all at once isn’t good—we need to pace ourselves so we always have some to sell. That way, business will be steadier.”
Kang He told Chen Shi, “Make smaller batches—sell them as they’re ready, and things will go more smoothly.”
“Yes, yes!”
Chen Shi agreed, refusing to take Kang He’s money. “You two are the ones selling—you keep the money.”
But Kang He insisted. “Our Pickled Duck sell well not just because we can talk people into it, but because Shen Fulang’s Pickled Duck are so good. Otherwise, no matter how much we talk, no one would buy.”
“We’ll need to ask Shen Fulang for help again. Even though we’ve given him things before, money is still better. If we keep asking for help, it wouldn’t be right. Let’s pay him properly—what do you think, Niang?”
Chen Sanfang thought about it. Shen Fulang’s family wasn’t well-off, and money was better than any other reward. If they kept asking for favors, it wouldn’t be right.
“Alright, I’ll talk to him and make it clear we’re hiring him for pay.”
Kang He nodded. “If we’re paying for labor, there’s a cost now. If you don’t take the money, you’ll have to pay out of pocket to pickle the ducks. And you spent money buying Sichuan Pepper too.”
Chen Sanfang agreed and stopped refusing.
She got excited and went off to find Shen Fulang to arrange for him to come and pickle more Pickled Duck. For a while, everyone stopped working on the Ruo Tou Vermicelli. @Endless good stories, all at Jinjiang Literature City
Kang He let her go and first boiled medicine with Fan Jing, then took on the remaining work himself.
He made some Ruo Tou Vermicelli, sliced scallions and vegetables, and mixed a big bowl at home for everyone to try that night.
But after Chen Shi left, she hadn’t come back even as it got dark.
Fan Father eyed the vermicelli on the table, thinking it would go well with wine. After a while, with Chen Shi still not back, he went outside to look for her.
Juner and Qiao’er were hungry too.
“Where has your mother gone off to? Chatting so much she forgot to come home—maybe she’s planning to stay over for a midnight snack.”
Fan Shoulin couldn’t wait any longer and grew worried. “I’ll go have a look.”
Just as he spoke, Chen Shi finally came back from outside.