CH 74

Zhong Cheng had come down periodically to reclaim farmland these past few days, and had already done five acres or so.

“Sis, when Zhong Cheng comes to deliver duck eggs again, give him the money he’s owed for reclaiming the farmland. We won’t need to reclaim any more this year, we won’t be able to take care of it anyways.”

Mo Ling knew he wouldn’t want any of the money, and didn’t know how to approach him about the topic. Mo Yan said, “If he refuses, tell him to find me. I have a good job for him, and he can earn money from it.”

“Where did you find a job opening? Where did you go this afternoon?”

“Just went out in the streets.”

She wouldn’t be able to explain this to others. As long as Mo Ling’s shop was profitable, she’d be content and satisfied.

“Sis, have you finished digging the vegetable cellar?”

“There’s still a bit left. If Zhong Cheng doesn’t come over tomorrow, I’ll add a roof to it and it’ll more or less be done.”

“Then we’ll go buy vegetables at the market.”

Even when Mrs. Liang wasn’t having coughing fits, her throat still felt sore and she could only eat half a bowl of congee. She didn’t dare eat too many salted vegetables either, in fear of the salt making her cough again.

“You can’t just put the vegetables in the cellar, you have to wash and dry them first. Also, during the winter, you have to keep the cellar closed at night, while leaving it open during the day so it can be aired out. You can’t slack off.”

Mo Yan said to Mo Ling, “Sis, you have to learn how to make salted vegetables. Mum’s body isn’t well during the winter, so this duty will have to be left to you. I’ll help if I can.”

“I’ve watched her make them so many times I’ve basically learnt all the steps. If there’s something I don’t understand, I’ll go ask her for guidance.”

Mrs. Liang looked at Mo Feng, who was eating as always, “Feng’er, you need to help out too. The vegetables are heavy, so you need to help transport them to the cellar.”

During winter, she could barely take care of herself, much less him. So during winter, Mo Feng was taken care of by Mo Ling; that was one of the reasons he was afraid of her.

Now Mo Ling had her business to worry about, she didn’t have the time to take care of him.

He made a resigned sound of acceptance.

The next morning, the Mo sisters went to the market bright and early. They didn’t call Mo Feng to help, and didn’t care if he went or not. He wouldn’t be of much help even if he went. [1]

The two had just opened up for the day when Zhong Cheng came over with his carriage. “Ling’er, Yan’er, I’ll go deal with the vegetable cellar after delivering all my wares. Don’t start working on it without me.”

After saying that, he left. There were lots of large sacks on his carriage, presumably filled with various grains.

Mo Ling muttered, “What is he up to today?”

“It doesn’t matter, as long as he isn’t up to no good.”

After roughly two hours, Zhong Cheng returned, with no sacks on his carriage.

Mo Yan couldn’t stop herself and asked, “What was in your carriage?”

He jumped out and replied, “Grains, but not just from my own family. Some people asked me to transport wheat back home so they could process it, others wanted me to exchange wheat for green beans, and one household wanted me to transport the millet they bought.”

“Brother Cheng, you’re really talented at transportation!”

Mo Ling said disparagingly, “He’s just doing unskilled labour.”

What do you know? In the future, working in the supply chain will be really profitable.

“Not all porters can make good money. Both the delivery speed and capability to keep the wares in good condition require a lot of skill!”

Zhong Cheng approved of Mo Yan’s words. “That’s right, do you think anyone with legs can become a porter? You also need brains; otherwise, if you get scammed, you’ll have to pay so much you can’t even afford to keep your pants.”

She added fuel to the stove before leaving the shop, “Brother Cheng, let’s go work on the vegetable cellar.”

“I can go by myself, you should keep an eye on your business with your sister.”

“It’s not busy, she can go look after it on her own. I have something important to talk to you about.”

Mo Ling thought she wanted to give Zhong Cheng his wages and handed over the purse, but she shook her head, “Sis, take care of the business, we’ll have lunch together later.”

Mo Ling rolled her eyes at her, “It’s my business, of course I’ll take care of it.”

Mo Yan and Zhong Cheng went to the courtyard, but the front door was too small, so he had to leave the carriage there.

“I think we should expand the front door.”

“There’s no rush. We shouldn’t make such large changes to the courtyard so soon after renting it, or they’ll be afraid we intend to keep the courtyard for good.”

He went to continue working on the vegetable cellar while she observed him on a stool.

Ms. Hua heard them from in the house, and came out to ask them if they wanted water. A ginger kitten came out behind her, purring. [2]

“You have a kitten now!”

Mo Yan ran over to pick it up, gently stroking its fur.

“We found it yesterday, isn’t it cute?”

“Very, take good care of it.”

The kitten liked being held by Mo Yan and snuggled up in her embrace. She sat down while still holding it.

“Brother Cheng, do you think you could manage a caravan?”

He straightened up, his head peeking out of the vegetable cellar, “Are there a lot of wares that need to be transported?”

“Yep!”

“How many, to where? What’s the pay?”

“It’s still to be confirmed, but I want you to find reliable people and carriages, able to leave at any time if necessary.”

Zhong Cheng said while excavating the vegetable cellar, “How did you know I wanted to organise a caravan? I’ve thought about this for a long time, and I have both the manpower and the resources. There just hasn’t been a stable source of wares, or a business who would want us to transport them.”

“If someone had a steady source of wares for you to transport, and they’d pay you based on the weight of the wares and distance travelled, would you be willing?”

“Of course. Both the livestock and men are idle at home during the winter, so no one would pass up an opportunity to earn money. I’ve asked around, and many young men at my village would be willing to join a caravan.”

“Then organise these people into one, and we’ll tell you to set off as soon as we have wares for you to transport. Your first destination will be the Upper Valley.”

“That’s roughly a hundred kilometres away. If we travelled through the night, that’d be a day, a day and a half tops. It won’t be an issue.”

“Great, I’ll tell you when to set off! We see each other pretty often anyways. Also, you don’t have to reclaim any more farmland, we won’t be able to take care of it.”

Ms. Hua had been listening. She didn’t know what a caravan was, but she heard Mo Yan say she wasn’t able to take care of farmland.

“Yan’er, I can help you take care of the farmland if you need me to!”

Mo Yan turned her head towards her, and she nodded, “I know how to farm, but my husband was unable to work in the fields, which was why we didn’t plant any crops.”

If they needed someone to take care of the medicinal herbs they were growing, she’d be a reliable option.

“Alright, I’ll call you if we need help during the spring.”

Post-translation notes: Quick reminder that italicised words are the thoughts of a character.

[1] That’s a pretty hurtful burn, but incredibly accurate. Mo Feng is useless.

[2] Cats are more adorable than dogs, and yes I’m absolutely biased.