CH 8.1

To celebrate my freedom from isolation, I will be updating five chapters today. Enjoy! 2/5

Digging wells was not easy in this era. The deeper the well, the more bricks need to be laid around the well wall to make it smooth, so the cost is very high. The entire Xianhe Village only has two wells, one at the east end of the village and one at the west end of the last row. The Yu family is located in the middle of the village, making it quite inconvenient for them to fetch water from either side. Therefore, since Yu Dameng returned home, he has been the one doing this strenuous task. 

At this time, there were many people gossiping outside. Because the Yu family was the only blacksmith in the village, and Yu Laoda had the title of a scholar, the people in the village had to give some face to the Yu family. When they saw him, they couldn’t help but ask, “Dameng, are you going to fetch water?”  

Yu Dameng had always been clumsy with words and didn’t know how to respond to others. Every time, he could only nod or hum.  

Yu Laoer seemed to be waiting for him today, and because of past events, he felt a bit uneasy when he saw Yu Dameng. “Third brother.”  

Yu Dameng heard someone calling him, so he put down his carrying pole and turned his head to see that it was his second brother, Yu Laoer. He then called out, “Second brother.”  

In fact, when he first returned home, Yu Laoer invited him to a feast at home. Although they hadn’t seen each other for six years, they were still brothers after all. Yu Dameng quickly became familiar with Yu Laoer again, but he didn’t know why his older brother didn’t seem as casual as before when he saw him.  

It’s probably because their parents still couldn’t forgive their second brother for insisting on marrying his second sister-in-law back then. When their eldest brother returns home this time, they must let him come up with a solution so that the family can reconcile and be at peace. 

Yu Laoer felt embarrassed about what he was about to say, but his wife had been nagging him, so he had to muster up the courage to speak.  

Yu Dameng still noticed that he might have something to say, so he asked, “What’s wrong, second brother?”  

Yu Laoer opened his mouth, feeling a tightness in his throat, “Your sister-in-law heard that someone said our family is selling steamed cakes.” 

“Well, it was done by Yuan Ge’er.” When Yu Dameng thought of Qiao Yuan, he grinned foolishly. Yuan Ge’er really wasn’t angry with him anymore. This morning, he even wore the clothes that Yu Dameng had bought for him, which were a beautiful shade of green.  

The younger brother he used to play with in the past has now settled down and became an adult. Yu Laoer’s nose felt sour and he said, “I was thinking about whether I could sell some steamed cakes outside. After all, our village has a limited population, and I won’t be able to sell many here.”  

There are many people in Yunshui County, and many of them are hawkers who specialize in different types of goods. Some specialize in selling oil, salt, sauce, and vinegar, while others specialize in selling cosmetics like rouge and powder, and others specialize in selling needles, thread, and toys.  

Among them, selling food is the most profitable. When he walked around selling goods, he had seen a hawker selling sprinkles. With just one shout in the slightly affluent alley, the goods could basically be sold out.  

Sister Qiao, also known as Yu’s second sister-in-law, heard from Mrs. Zhang when she visited that the Yu family was selling steamed cakes, so she urged Yu Laoer to go and ask about it. Due to what happened in the past, he was embarrassed and unwilling to do so, which led to an argument between the two.  

“Marrying me makes you unable to hold your head up high?”  

“It’s not like we’re taking advantage of them. We can go pick up the goods, give them the money they deserve, and that would be it. Why can’t we do that?”  

For two days, there was chaos in the house with chickens flying and dogs jumping around1鸡飞狗跳 (jī fēi gǒu tiào) – This phrase literally means “chickens fly and dogs jump,” but it is used to describe a chaotic or disorderly situation., and this led to the events of today.  

After thinking about it, Yu Dameng felt that this matter was feasible, and that Yuan Ge’er, the little money lover, could earn more money and be happier. “Then I will go back and talk to Yuan Ge’er. Second Brother will have to come over early tomorrow morning. Yuan Ge’er needs to prepare the ingredients for making steamed cakes in the morning. You can discuss and see how to handle this matter.”  

Yu Laoer smiled and nodded in agreement, then the two brothers exchanged a few more casual words before heading home separately. 

At night, after washing up.  

Qiao Yuan sat on the bed and air-dried his hair, wearing only an undershirt. His chest and back were damp from his hair. He was carefree and unconcerned, counting coins. “Five hundred and ninety-seven, five hundred and ninety-eight.” 

These days, he could sell one or two baskets every day. Ever since they bought that rooster, Lin Cuifen wouldn’t let him contribute any money towards their expenses. So, he had been saving up the money, and now he had almost six qian21 liang (tael) = 10 qian = 1000 wen; 1 qian = 100 wen. 

Qiao Yuan proudly showed off to Yu Dameng, ‘I only need two more wen, and I’ll have 6 qian!’ 

He had solidified his image as a little money-grubber. 

Yu Dameng couldn’t help but laugh. Seeing Qiao Yuan’s wet hair dripping onto his clothes, he found it hard to watch and found a dry cotton towel to dry his hair. “Next time, wash during the day instead of at night.” 

Qiao Yuan chuckled twice and obediently let Yu Dameng play with his hair.  

Yu Dameng brought up the topic and said, “When I was fetching water, I ran into my second brother. He wants to sell steamed cakes, do you think it’s a good idea?”  

Naturally, that’s doable. This way, he can transition from being a retailer to a supplier and increase his sales significantly. However, when he thought about Yu Laoer’s relationship with his parents, Qiao Yuan became a bit uncertain and asked, “Do your parents agree with this?”  

“They should. It also hasn’t been easy for Second Brother these years. I think my parents are also feeling uneasy in their hearts.” 

At first, Qiao Yuan warned himself to avoid discussing these matters. But after these few days of getting along, he had become a part of the Yu family. Unconsciously, he began to think from the perspective of Yu Dameng’s husband, and he didn’t even realize this change himself. “Why did father and mother separate the eldest and second brother?” he asked.  

“At that time, Second Brother wanted to marry Second Sister-in-law, but father and mother didn’t agree because she was a widow with a child. Second Brother insisted on marrying her, but our parents were afraid it would affect Big Brother’s studies, so they separated them.”  

It was similar to what Qiao Yuan guessed. In feudal society, if a young man wanted to marry a widow with a child, it would inevitably attract gossip. According to the principle that “a family shares both joys and sorrows,” it wasn’t a problem for Old Man Yu and Lin Cuifen to separate the two brothers. 

However, if it was really just because of this reason, it wouldn’t explain why they hadn’t had any contact for seven years. Based on his understanding of the Yu family’s parents in the past few days, he probably only held a grudge for a while and gradually accepted it. 

Qiao Yuan felt that this matter was not as simple as Yu Dameng had said, but he could tell that Yu Dameng really wanted to reconcile Yu Laoer with his parents. Well, let him handle this matter.  

So, Qiao Yuan felt even more at ease with Yu Dameng at his beck and call, “While you’re at it, could you also help me comb my hair?”  

He sat with a lazy posture, and his whole body seemed to be about to collapse into Yu Daming’s arms.  

Yu Dameng blushed and responded with a warm heart, “Um.”  

……  

During breakfast, Yu Dameng and Qiao Yuan told Old Man Yu and Lin Cuifen about this matter. 

After a moment of silence, Old Man Yu said, “If this benefits your business of selling steamed cakes, then do it. There’s no need to sacrifice your own profits for the sake of family harmony.”  

Qiao Yuan briefly explained his cooperation method with Yu Laoer and concluded, “Small profits but quick turnover, some profit can still be made.”  

Old Man Yu nodded, but he didn’t touch the rest of his food and went outside. 

The atmosphere at the table became momentarily tense. 

Lin Cuifen hurriedly said to Qiao Yuan, ” Your father isn’t giving you a hard time. He’s just feeling uncomfortable.”  

Qiao Yuan nodded to show understanding and didn’t take it to heart.  

Yu Dameng looked at his little husband’s submissive appearance with a lowered head, and muttered discontentedly in a low voice, “Why is father like this.”  

Qiao Yuan picked up a pastry and stuffed it into Yu Dameng’s mouth, saying “Eat your food!”  

The whole table burst into laughter again.   

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