CH 11

The dough had been kneaded and the soup had been made, but now the dough soup wasn’t only for Mo Yan. Mo Ling added a pot of water and made it into a stew so they didn’t have to eat thin congee for lunch that day.

Mrs. Liang regretted breaking a perfectly good bowl, so she picked up the two halves and put them away. She was planning on fixing the bowl later on.

When the dough soup was ready, Mo Ling took a hearty bowl to Mo Yan, who was still resting in bed. She hadn’t fallen asleep and heard everything they said.

“Sister, was I mum’s real daughter? Was I actually adopted?”

“Of course you’re not adopted! I was with her when she gave birth to you, and I was the one who named you! Don’t think that your real parents are rich and will come back to look for you when you get older!”

The word “Yan” had connotations of ‘home’, ‘the hearth’ and more. Mo Ling had never read a book and only knew a few words, but she chose a good name for her sister.

Mo Yan didn’t have much of an appetite and only drank a little of the dough soup before giving it back to Mo Ling.

Mo Ling sighed sadly and said while refusing the bowl of dough soup, “If you can’t even eat this, how can you grow healthily?”

Mo Yan pushed the bowl towards her again, “Sis, you should eat! We don’t often get to eat white dough.”

Mo Ling accepted the bowl and said as she ate, “Who did you think would eat your leftovers?”

The members of the Mo family argued day and night, but in the end it boils down to having a lack of money!

“We have to find a way to make money. We can’t live like this.”

“That’s easier said than done. How do we make money?”

Mo Yan quickly racked her brain for ideas. How do you make money when you’re in a village in ancient China aside from farming and husbandry?

Apart from the fields owned by each household, there were large plains of alkali soil outside the village. There were also a lot of plants growing near the pond.

She thought of the dandelion, which had medicinal properties and could be sold. There might be some other herbs besides this one she could sell as well. And if she wanted to learn about medicinal herbs, the best to do was to ask Mr. Cao.

“Sis, I’ll go and thank the young Mr. Cao later!”

“Then go, but only after the school is over! It will be cooler by then, so you won’t risk getting heat stroke again.”

Mo Yan thought of her ducklings, got up and ran towards the pond. The ducklings were hunting for food in the grass under the willow tree in pairs.

Lu Junming wasn’t there, and had presumably gone back home for lunch.

The ducklings already knew where their homes were and would go home when it was dark without any supervision necessary.

There were many dandelions by the pond. Mo Yan plucked some, wondering whether they could be sold or not. I’d have to ask Mr. Cao to know for sure.

She was sitting under the willow tree thinking when a bunch of red wildflowers were handed towards her. She looked up and saw Lu Junming smiling at her, “Why didn’t you come to the pond this morning?”

Today he didn’t bring a fishing rod to the pond, but a bunch of flowers. [1]

“I went to the field. I probably won’t come every day from now on.”

“Why?”

“The ducks can find the way to their own homes on their own now. I don’t have to watch them every day, and I have to find a way to make money anyways.”

“Will you still tell stories in the evening?”

“Yes. I’m not strong enough to work in the fields, but if I can earn some food by telling stories, I’m still helping out.”

“Then I’ll go and listen!”

Mo Yan took the bouquet and held it up, “It’s very pretty. You really have artistic talent!”

“What’s that?”

“It means you’re clever.”

There was a moment of silence before Mo Yan Yan suddenly said, “I’m sorry, Lu Junming!”

Lu Junming knew she was apologising about what happened last night.

“It’s nothing, he was telling the truth. I’m just a…”

“Shut up!” Mo Yan stopped him, “You are Lu Junming. It doesn’t matter who your parents are, you’re still Lu Junming in my eyes!”

When Mrs. Liang noticed that Mo Yan had gone to the pond again, she went to the point of the home closest to the pond and shouted, “Mo Yan, where did you go? Why are you running around when you’re sick! Come back immediately!”

Mo Yan stood up and walked back. Lu Junming asked from behind, “Are you sick?”

“No, I just got heat stroke. I’m all better now,” she replied as she ran back.

When she arrived, Mrs. Liang was looking at her aggressively with her arms crossed, “Why were you running around for no reason!”

“I went to check on the ducks.”

“The ducks already know how to go back home on their own, so there’s no need to check on them. Don’t go to the pond again anytime soon.”

Mo Yan didn’t dare talk back to her and went into the courtyard. Her sister had gone to the fields again. Mrs. Liang sat down under the shade of the acacia tree in the courtyard, still working on the shoe soles.

“I’ve troubled young Mr. Cao today. I want to go and thank him,” Mo Yan said.

When she heard that Mo Yan was going to the Cao’s, Mrs. Liang agreed readily, “Sure, but change into clean clothes before you go.”

Mo Yan went to change her clothes. Although they were still simple linen clothes, they had fewer folds and she looked much sharper.

She was about to leave the house when she was stopped by Mrs. Liang, “When you want to thank someone, you have to give them a gift.”

After saying that, she put down the soles she was working on and went to the kitchen to grab a clay jar. Inside the clay jar were the salted eggs she had made.

Instead of using a handkerchief, she grabbed a small wicker basket and put the salted eggs into it. Then she put two more in there, and after a moment’s hesitation, two more after that.

Mo Yan was so shocked that her eyes widened, “So many?”

“The Cao family is very wealthy and they won’t care about these insignificant things, but you still have to show your appreciation!”

She handed the small wicker basket to Mo Yan, “Be careful, they’re still raw and might break. Tell Madam Cao that they should be steamed before eating!”

Mo Yan carefully went to the Cao family. She saw a few people on the way, who smiled and said nothing when they saw her going there.

The Cao family’s house was much grander than the Mo’s. Their gates were painted black and the road from the gate to the north house was made of azure bricks. To the north were five brick houses with wide stairs at the entrance, all painted azure.

To the west were two barns without doors, one had a work horse and an ox inside, while the other had a large cart and some farm equipment.

And to the east are two rooms. One was the kitchen and the other was the grainery.

The main gate was open, so Mo Yan walked in. Ms. Li, the Cao family’s servant, was drying the clothes in the courtyard. When she saw Mo Yan carefully carrying a small wicker basket inside, she asked, “Yan’er, why are you being so careful?”

“I have salted eggs with me. I came to thank young Mr. Cao for his help this morning.”

Mr. Cao had already returned from his clinic. When he heard her speak, he came out of his consultation room and said, “I’ve talked to Zhang’er and his mother. I’ll take your pulse again to see if anything’s wrong.”

Mo Yan handed the small basket to Ms. Li, “These salted eggs are still raw, so you should steam them first. They taste really good!”

She followed Mr. Cao into the consultation room, where he took her pulse.

Mr. Cao was a refined man who was extremely kind and never raised his voice. It was no wonder that he had raised a child like Cao Zhang.

After taking her pulse, Mr. Cao smiled faintly, “You’re all right. However, your body’s too weak and you need long term care to be healthy.”

The problem was, how could they afford long-term care?

Post-edit notes: Money. The problem is always money. I really hope Mo Yan thinks of more ways to get rich soon.

[1] More romantic development. This is going to be good.