Chapter 76: Support

After the autumn harvest was done, the pork business at the stall picked up considerably.

Farmers needed to switch jobs after the harvest; a few familiar families would help each other out—one day you help harvest their grain, the next day they’d come help with yours.

This way of swapping labor sped up the harvest, and no wages were paid, but the family whose field was being harvested had to provide meals for the day.

Though no wages were paid, the meals had to be decent. When everyone is doing hard work, if you serve just plain vegetables and boiled water, people would say you’re stingy—and then who’d want to exchange work with you again?

Not to mention dishes with chicken or goose, you at least had to prepare a few pounds of fresh meat for some richness and flavor.

During the autumn harvest, neighbors came by every day with orders: the Zhang family wanted three pounds of pork and a pig’s liver, the Li family requested a set of pig lungs and two blocks of pig’s blood.

Kang He and Fan Jing went out to slaughter pigs and returned to the village, staying up all night to distribute the pork to the families who had placed orders. Just from the village, they managed to sell off thirty to forty pounds of meat.

Families closer to the village, finding the city too far and time-consuming, also ordered pork from the Fan family. Kang He would drive the cart to deliver it back to the village, sometimes bringing along salt and sauces for those busy with fieldwork and unable to go into town.

The farmers were grateful and preferred buying pork from the Fan family.

After the harvest, the farmers had some extra money, and the pork business boomed. Households spent more than usual, and those willing to eat meat increased.

Besides, with the clear autumn weather, the festival season brought plenty of guests and business invitations both inside and outside the city.

Any event or gathering required buying meat. On some days, Kang He sold as many as two fat pigs in a single exchange, with many families booking their pork from him.

One afternoon, Kang He was leisurely slicing a large bowl of pork with an even ratio of lean and fat. He mixed in salt, pepper, and spice powder, blending it evenly.

He took a clean, washed casing and, along with Chen Sanfang, began making sausages at the shop’s door.

“The fresh meat and pepper powder smell so good, even the raw stuff looks delicious,” Chen Sanfang said, sniffing the mixture that masked the pork’s gaminess with a spicy aroma.

The freshly stuffed sausages would be smoked with pine needles in the courtyard, allowing them to keep for a long time. During festivals, they could be enjoyed as a treat, and having a plate to serve guests was far from shabby.

Kang He said, “I made a batch with fresh meat and malt sugar to make a sweet sausage. Also chopped up some short pig ribs, about a finger shorter than usual, marinated them with spices, and stuffed them into casings to make rib sausages.”

“Your variety is always the most impressive. Just hearing about it makes my mouth water.”

Fan Jing, idly watching, offered to help, but the two didn’t let him, fearing that if he smelled the meat for too long, he’d feel unwell.

He went to the stove in the back to boil some water and brewed a pot of tea, stepping outside to hear the chatter just as He Xiaoqiu arrived.

“When did you get here?” Kang He asked.

He Xiaoqiu greeted Kang He and Chen Sanfang as he walked into the shop.

He came often enough to know his way around.

“I brought some handkerchiefs my mother made, delivered them to the cloth shop. The chrysanthemums are blooming beautifully this month; there were new chrysanthemum-patterned clothes and handkerchiefs, and the shop urged me to make a few and bring them over.”

Hearing this, Chen Sanfang tilted his head and went inside.

“He Xiaoqiu, your mother is still making embroidery?”

“Yeah. Running the soy sauce stall makes money, and I told her to stop, worried she’d ruin her eyesight. Dad’s medicine costs are enough already. But she enjoys sewing—it passes the time. I just tell her to do less and rest.”

“Your mother’s skills are so good, very capable.”

He Xiaoqiu smiled, “She’s always happy when women praise her.”

Then he took out a round basket and showed it to Fan Jing.

“When you have time, I’ll make a few small clothes. You tell me if they look good.”

Fan Jing saw He Xiaoqiu lift the basket lid. Inside were a few tiny clothes, no bigger than little beans, made of very soft fabric.

“I just cut the patterns, and the little tigers, rabbits, flowers, and leaves embroidered on them were all done by my mother.”

“That’s quite a lot of clothes. How can they wear them all?”

With two girls at home, Zhen’er and Qiao’er, and Chen Sanfang also making clothes, he still hadn’t started. He thought that when Kang He stopped making him help with slaughtering, he’d have more free time to make several pieces; he already had a pile of more than a dozen.

He Xiaoqiu said, “Don’t think it’s too many. Kids change their clothes every day, and when they’re little, they often spit up. Clothes need to be changed frequently.”

Hearing their lively conversation, Kang He, with greasy hands, also came over to take a look.

The tiger’s head embroidered on the little bellyband was vivid and lifelike—not frightening like a real tiger, but plump and round. A child wearing it would look irresistibly cute.

“Well-made, the older kids can wear the smaller clothes after they grow out of them.”

He Xiaoqiu chuckled, and Fan Jing glanced at Kang He, ignoring him, then began packing up the small clothes.

Outside, Chen Sanfang happily said, “Sanlang’s words aren’t wrong.”

After a short while, He Xiaoqiu left.

Chen Sanfang also liked the boy a lot, seeing that he was diligent, capable, and had a good temperament—only it was a pity he’d met so much bad luck.

Before leaving, he gave He Xiaoqiu a jar of honey as a gift.

Fan Jing just stepped down from the counter to take it home, but when he turned back, he saw a bag of salt and a jar of sauce still sitting on the table.

“Brother, you were so focused on refusing Chen Sanfang’s honey, you left these behind.”

“Not far away,” Fan Jing said, grabbing the items and leaving the shop.

Kang He asked if he wanted to go along, but he waved him off.

He Xiaoqiu, walking up the main street, suddenly remembered he’d left some things at Fan Jing’s shop. Since he still needed sauce for the soy products, he turned back to get them.

Then he noticed a thin, shifty-eyed man lurking by the alley shops, seemingly watching him.

His head tightened in alarm, so he quickly pulled up his headscarf and walked briskly toward the other end of the market street.

When he glanced back, he realized the man was still following him closely—there was no doubt the man was indeed tailing him.

His throat tightened as he broke into a jog, aiming to slip into an ironworks shop. Looking back once more, the man was gone.

“Hey! Hey! Let go of me!”

Fan Jing grabbed the man’s collar from behind and dragged him into a narrow alley.

“Why are you following people?”

The shifty-eyed man struggled, choking from the collar being pressed tight, thinking he’d been caught by a big, tough man.

Once the collar was loosened, he timidly begged for mercy, then caught sight of a younger man and suddenly turned fierce.

“I’m not following anyone to report to you! Who the hell are you?”

Fan Jing’s eyes turned cold. He wasn’t the kind to waste words with street thugs. He reached for the knife at his waist.

The man saw Fan Jing’s stern face, strong grip, and the knife he carried, and immediately grew fearful.

“Good man, I won’t dare again. Don’t pull out your weapon.”

Fan Jing snapped coldly, “If I see you doing this again, next time it won’t be so easy on you.”

The man nodded quickly and slunk away.

Fan Jing put away his knife and stepped out of the alley.

There stood He Xiaoqiu, looking dazed and still peeking out from the ironworks.

Fan Jing walked up to him.

“Did you manage to chase him away?”

He Xiaoqiu immediately spotted Fan Jing coming toward him, relaxed a bit, and quickly ran over.

Fan Jing handed him the items, nodding slightly.

He noticed the boy’s face was a little pale.

At a nearby sweet soup stall, they sat at the table in front of the shop. Fan Jing pushed a bowl of sweet soup toward He Xiaoqiu.

Incidents like this were not new. The city was crowded with officials, loafers, and street thugs.

He Xiaoqiu delivered soy products into the city frequently now. He’d been followed a few times before, though nothing serious had happened, but the fear was real.

“Do you know why those petty thugs don’t dare to bother me, but always follow you?”

He Xiaoqiu took a spoonful of the sweet soup. The sweet taste eased his earlier fear.

He looked at Fan Jing and said, “Because you’re a butcher? Everyone knows butchers are tough and not to be trifled with.”

Fan Jing replied, “I don’t advertise that I’m a butcher, so no one knows. But even if they don’t know what I do, just by seeing me often, they figure I’m not easy to mess with.”

“If you just wrap a headscarf around your face, and pretend not to notice when they glance your way, but keep a steady gaze, it’s easy to provoke trouble.”

He Xiaoqiu heard this and felt a warm glow in his chest. He knew Fan Jing was right.

“I can’t be as fierce as you.”

“You don’t need to be like me. Just act like a regular tough guy in the market,” Fan Jing said quietly, then shared stories of Sun Sansheng back in the mountains.

Sun Sansheng was shameless and often broke rules. If he sensed any fear from even the worst men, they’d immediately take advantage.

The more ill-intentioned the people, the tougher you had to act. You have to make the bad guys know you’re strong. Even if you can’t beat them, at least you can teach them a lesson.

Constant fear only encourages bullies; it makes them bolder.

He Xiaoqiu was surprised to learn Fan Jing had also faced bad situations.

He softly comforted him.

“I won’t dwell on the past. Especially since the grass over those old graves is already waist-high.”

Fan Jing said, “Let the past be past. Don’t let future days be full of suffering too.”

He Xiaoqiu nodded.

“Well then, I’ll start carrying a knife on my waist, so I look scary.”

Fan Jing asked, “You know how to use a knife?”

He Xiaoqiu honestly shook his head.

Fan Jing opened his mouth to say that carrying a knife you can’t use won’t scare anyone, and might even cause trouble—but he didn’t want to argue, which could backfire.

Still, he thought maybe He Xiaoqiu really did need it.

Even in the hot summer, He Xiaoqiu always wore a headscarf—not because he liked it, but because he relied on it.

As a boy, with his old hunter father dead, he was suddenly alone in the mountains, clutching his bow even while sleeping at night.

Fan Jing paused, then said, “I’ll see you out of the city, and tomorrow I’ll get you a knife.”

He Xiaoqiu’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

Fan Jing accompanied He Xiaoqiu to the city gate, watching him get on a donkey cart and then headed back.

But he didn’t return to the shop. Instead, he went to an ironworks, picked through the selections, and finally chose a knife.

When he felt in his pocket to pay, he realized he only had a few coins—nowhere near enough—so he went back to the shop to ask Kang He for money.

“You should always carry some silver on you, just in case you need to pay. You never listen,” Kang He scolded.

Kang He had been wondering why Fan Jing took so long.

He gave him the coins to settle the bill, and Fan Jing took the knife back.

Since Fan Jing married Kang He, he’d handed over all the money management to Kang He.

He seldom bought anything himself; Kang He was much more thoughtful, so Fan Jing left the shopping to him.

In less than half an hour, Kang He returned with the new knife.

He asked, “Why did you suddenly decide to buy such a delicate kitchen knife?”

The handle was sturdy, the blade slightly dull, and it came with a leather sheath.

Though refined, it wasn’t exactly imposing.

Fan Jing said, “It’s for Xiaoqiu.”

Kang He was surprised. “Is his birthday coming up? Why give him a gift now? That might not be a good omen.”

Fan Jing said, “He wanted it. And it suits him.”

Kang He frowned. “If there’s no gang behind him, he deserves a lesson!”

Fan Jing thought that kind of thing was beyond the authorities. The best anyone could do was encourage the local idle thugs to find honest work, so they wouldn’t cause trouble.

The next morning, He Xiaoqiu came to the shop with fresh soy products.

Kang He and Fan Jing almost didn’t recognize him—he had no headscarf on for the first time.

He had a pair of almond-shaped eyes, fair skin, rosy lips, and white teeth—a handsome, delicate appearance.

Chen Sanfang was surprised too, exclaiming and pulling He Xiaoqiu in for a good look, praising his good looks.

He Xiaoqiu, unused to being without the headscarf, was shy, and Chen Sanfang’s compliments made his cheeks flush even more.

But Fan Jing was calm, just glancing at him a few times without saying much. Then he took out the knife he had promised He Xiaoqiu the day before.

He Xiaoqiu held the knife and asked hesitantly, “A kitchen… kitchen knife?”

Fan Jing said, “It’s handy to use and pretty intimidating.”

“Anything is just a tool. If you want to scare people, you have to have the right spirit yourself.”

He Xiaoqiu found this made sense.

Having worked at the stove so often, he certainly knew how to use a kitchen knife.

This knife was wider than the usual small knives carried on one’s person. Just pulling it out was enough to scare people.

For someone like him, who lacked martial skills, not being able to wield the knife well actually made it more intimidating.

He happily strapped the knife to his waist.

Going out without the scarf felt like going as a thief. People looked at him uneasily, and his heart pounded constantly.

If things went well, others would watch him nervously, and he would instinctively reach for the knife—then they’d quickly look away.

For the first few days, He Xiaoqiu was still uncomfortable, but he forced himself to get used to it.

After a while, the fear gradually faded.

One day, while counting the soy stall’s September earnings at the shop, he was happily preparing to take a share home when he saw two hated faces approaching from afar.

The Lei couple had come back to their home.

Since the families cut ties, He Xiaoqiu hadn’t seen the two in a long time.

Suddenly seeing familiar faces at the doorstep stirred all sorts of memories in his mind, making his head spin and his legs weak.

“Hey, Xiaoqiu’s back!”

His mother tried to chase the two away but couldn’t curse them.

Angry as she was, all she could manage were short gasps.

The Lei couple acted deaf, pretending not to hear.

He Xiaoqiu’s father came out to curse, but the Lei couple said, “Brother He, you’re looking better. Your voice has much more energy.”

“Now that your family is doing better, the business is back on track, and Brother He can get up and walk by himself, even Xiaoqiu has taken off his headscarf, looking like a man.”

Lei Lei glanced at He Xiaoqiu with a venomous tone.

“Only in our Lei family, after marrying Brother Xiaoqiu, did we see such a steady, kind kid fall into gambling and lose his life…”

He wiped his eyes as he spoke.

He Xiaoqiu’s father cursed loudly, “Shameless! How dare you show your face here and slander our family? Get out of my house!”

Lei Lei’s father said, “After all, we’re relatives by marriage. Brother He, you’re too cold-hearted.”

“Who said we’re relatives? We broke it off long ago!”

He Xiaoqiu’s father, furious, his face red, coughed violently.

“Don’t come here again to cause trouble… cough, cough, cough…”

Seeing this, He Xiaoqiu quickly went forward to massage his father’s chest.

He realized that the Lei couple hadn’t come to cause trouble on purpose.

Before, when his father was sick in bed and the business was down, the Lei family had quietly disappeared.

Now seeing them trying to crawl out of their own misfortune, unwilling to see He Xiaoqiu’s family do well, they wanted to stress his father into illness again.

He shouted at the two, “Are you going to get lost or not?!”

Lei Lei, seeing He Xiaoqiu red-eyed and shouting, knew the boy’s nature well.

He was like a timid rabbit—clever but gentle.

When angry, he showed no fear and even acted high and mighty, lecturing them.

“Xiaoqiu, we came to see your parents. If they say something unpleasant, it’s understandable; we’re all peers. But you’re a junior—why speak so disrespectfully?”

“Looks like you’ve forgotten the past and even your own Lei Xiao’an completely. You’re already lining up a new marriage partner, yet you dare to be rude to your elders? If you’re stubborn, no family will want you.”

He Xiaoqiu was disgusted by their words.

“Whether I marry again or not, it’s none of your business to gossip!”

Lei Lei’s father spoke earnestly.

“If Xiao’an hadn’t cared about you and the child, how could he have fallen into that gambling trap and lost his life?”

“Our family doesn’t think badly of you. Xiao’an was wrong not to hit you. But tell me, how much of a good man are you? When your husband was in trouble, you refused to help. Do you even consider him family?”

“If you ask me, Xiao’an had a good temper. Even when he was angry and struck you, other men’s drunken fights often hurt their wives. Only our family tolerated you. If you don’t want to remember, fine, but why be so fierce?”

He Xiaoqiu trembled with anger.

To this day, they still shamelessly blamed him for their misfortunes—Xiao’an’s ruin by gambling, loss of the family fortune, and death.

A man who hit a pregnant wife, was he kind? Tolerant? Who was really tolerating whom?

If he didn’t make them understand his strength today, he’d be harassed for the rest of his life.

He clenched his fists tightly, the fear and hatred inside turning into power.

“You love coming to mess around at the He family. I told you to leave. Since you can’t or won’t leave, why not lose your hands and feet here?”

With that, He Xiaoqiu suddenly drew the cold glinting kitchen knife from his waist and charged at the Lei couple.

They never expected He Xiaoqiu to wield a knife.

Seeing the cold blade flashing, they knew it wasn’t a toy but a real knife.

They screamed in terror and leapt back nearly twenty feet.

“Your boy has truly gone mad! Wielding a knife against elders!”

The Lei couple, used to He Xiaoqiu’s usual gentleness, had never seen this fierce side.

They ran away shouting curses, “If anything happens to me, I’ll have you locked up in jail!”

“He’ll have you see blood first!” He Xiaoqiu shouted back.

The couple fled He’s home, terrified of the boy’s harsh words and blade.

They cried and shouted, “Kill me! Kill me if you dare!”

He Xiaoqiu’s parents were frightened too. They had never seen their son like this.

They rushed outside worried, fearing real trouble.

Farmers in the fields saw the commotion and were startled, dropping their taro roots.

He Xiaoqiu chased the two down the village path, but the older men couldn’t run fast.

He got tired and stopped.

“Is that really Xiaoqiu?!”

Farmers recognized the knife-wielding He Xiaoqiu on the village road and were shocked.

Everyone knew He Xiaoqiu’s usually gentle and kind nature—no one dared provoke him. Now he was brandishing a knife.

“They came looking for trouble again. Those two are never peaceful. The He family has a sick and a mute, and they still want to bully. The families are divorced, not even related.”

“That’s true.”

“But He Xiaoqiu’s gotten fierce, working with that butcher in town. His temper has really changed!”

He Xiaoqiu knew the farmers were gossiping about him.

He wasn’t afraid of their whispers; compared to being fierce, he feared being called cowardly even more.

After this incident, he straightened his back.

One day soon, he would no longer cower before others, but make them fear him instead.

In October, the osmanthus flowers bloomed fragrantly in the city.

A young, barely thirty-year-old scholar recently passed the imperial exam in the west of the city, stirring excitement.

Many families queued to get invitations to visit him.

He was seen as a rising star; gentry wanted to connect, merchants sought patronage.

After all, commoners bore heavy taxes, and merchants dealing in tea, porcelain, and silk were even more burdened.

One day, a casual acquaintance who was well-connected boasted about the new scholar’s influence and asked Kang He if he wanted an invitation.

“In winter, the scholar is hosting a banquet. Many people will attend—merchants and farmers alike. I have an invite; if you want it, give me a price.”

Kang He laughed and shared a bag of roasted chestnuts with the acquaintance.

“They’ll be serving abalone at the scholar’s place—three strings of coins! That’s too expensive.”

The acquaintance clicked his tongue.

“Thirty coins?!”

Kang He laughed, “You really think highly of me.”

“That’s the scholar’s house. How many scholars are there in the county? Especially one so young. He’ll probably have a good official position soon.”

Kang He listened, amused.

“The scholar won’t know me. No matter how much silver I throw in, what’s the point?”

“Getting in means getting noticed. If you get a chance, you might speak to him. It’s a path forward.”

“You go, maybe you’ll get lucky. If not, no chance at all.”

Kang He smiled. “Everyone’s hustling for profit. If the scholar looks down on me, what do I have to offer? I’m just a commoner showing up with a warm face. No one will care.”

The acquaintance said Kang He was naive, but many came to him for invites because he knew how to deal with people.

Kang He just listened quietly and gave him a pork bone.

Fan Jing came out of the shop and took a short nap in the small room.

Now that he was married to Kang He and no longer worked in slaughtering, they hired another butcher who didn’t deal in pork sales to help with the killing.

Kang He sat down with Fan Jing and told some idle gossip.

He said, “No wonder Big Sister-in-law insisted on sending Brother Xin to study. Those who pass the exams really have bright futures.”

Fan Jing said, “Only a few pass, but those who do are really fortunate.”

Kang He laughed and rubbed Fan Jing’s belly.

“Next time, we’ll send the baby to study too.”