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Before bed, Madam Li said to Lin Heng, “Dear, in the blink of an eye, the children have grown up. Zhiwen is already fifteen—it’s time to start thinking about his marriage.”
“Yes, just yesterday, this seemed impossible to even consider. We had just split from the family, and life was tough. But things are different now—Qing’er has earned so much money. Next year, we can build a new house, and arranging Zhiwen’s marriage will be much easier.”
“Do you think what Qing’er said is true? That she really learned how to cook from a dream?” Lin Heng was still a bit bewildered.
“What else could it be? Where else would she have learned it? Regardless of whether it’s true or not, Qing’er is our daughter. Our job is to protect her.”
“Hmm, it’s hard to believe. Our Qing’er is so amazing—she’s made so much money. I’ve never seen this much silver in my whole life.”
“Me neither,” Madam Li softly agreed.
Listening in on the conversation, Wanqing: …
Building a new house needed to be put on the agenda immediately. This thatched house was terrible—it didn’t block sound at all! Lying in bed, she could hear her parents’ conversation word for word.
She also wondered if the mystical spring water had some kind of body-refining effect. Every time she soaked in it, she felt incredibly light—almost like she could float. Her hearing had also become sharper, allowing her to pick up on sounds from all around.
This mystical spring water was truly a treasure. Maybe she should let her family soak in it too—would it bring them miraculous effects?
Early in the morning, Madam Li was making flatbreads while Wanru helped cook porridge. Wanqing secretly prepared a special treat for her mother—she grabbed a handful of white rice and a few red dates to make a nourishing porridge.
Ever since Wanqing first bought red dates and white rice, Wanru had made it a habit to get up early every morning to cook porridge for their mother. Madam Li had initially refused to eat it, but over time, she had grown to look forward to it, believing it would help her recover. She could feel herself getting healthier and figured she could stop eating red dates once they ran out.
She also made a few grain cakes for Lin Heng to take with him for lunch. After breakfast, Lin Heng headed to town.
Zhiwen and Zhiqin went up the mountain as usual, but Wanqing decided to take the day off. With twenty taels of silver in hand, the family could get through the winter comfortably. There was no need for her to tire herself out by going into the mountains every day.
Zhiqin called her several times, but when he saw that she wasn’t coming, he was utterly disappointed! He mumbled to himself, “If I can’t catch wild rabbits, then there’ll be no wild rabbit meat to eat.”
Wanqing burst into laughter. “No wild rabbits, but we have pork! When you two come back, I’ll make braised pork for you!”
“Braised pork? Yes!” As expected of a child, his mood instantly brightened. The two brothers happily headed out.
The five pounds of meat they bought the day before had barely been touched, just a little used for wonton filling. Wanqing planned to make braised pork and salt-cure the rest so it would last through the cold days.
Madam Li set aside a piece of meat for Wanqing while cutting the fat off the rest to render lard. The oil would be stored in a jar for cooking, and the leftover cracklings could be stewed with cabbage and radish.
Elder sister Wanru busied herself washing radishes. Besides braised pork, Wanqing also planned to pickle some radish strips. The family had a good stock of radishes—some brought by their uncle, others gifted by kind neighbors in the village.
Wanqing was tired of eating cabbage and radish every day. She wanted to make sauerkraut and pickled radish to add some variety to their meals.
She cut the radishes into strips, mixed them with salt, and packed them into jars. For the cabbage, she briefly rinsed it in water before salting and storing it in jars. She didn’t make too much—just enough to test the results first.
Once everything was done, she stretched in the courtyard to relax, just in time to see her father, Lin Heng, returning home.
“Dad, why are you back so early?”
“There was no work available today, so I came back.”
Lin Heng’s jobs in town were temporary. If he couldn’t find work in the morning, chances were slim for the rest of the day. Since there was plenty to do at home, he decided not to linger in town.
At home, he kept himself busy weaving baskets. His woven baskets were great for holding vegetables—larger ones for fruits, smaller ones for peanuts and melon seeds. Before long, the house was filled with bamboo products, which were especially appreciated by Madam Li and Wanru. The kitchen always needed more storage solutions.
By midday, the sun was shining brightly when Zhiwen and Zhiqin returned. Each carried a bundle of firewood on their back. As soon as they stepped into the courtyard, they were hit by the rich aroma of braised pork bubbling in the pot.
This was the best meal they’d had since splitting from the family—meat that was usually only eaten during the New Year.
Everyone, young and old, stared eagerly at the food. Even Wanqing couldn’t help but swallow a few times. She had eaten all kinds of delicacies in her past life, yet now, she was reduced to drooling over a simple meat dish.
She mocked herself for it, but her mouth was watering too much to control.
At the dining table, despite their hunger, everyone remained disciplined. No one touched their chopsticks until Madam Li spoke.
Perhaps because this was their first time eating meat in a long time, Madam Li took it seriously and gave a long speech, emphasizing that it was all thanks to Wanqing’s efforts. “Qing’er, why don’t you say a few words too?”
Wanqing was speechless. Why did this feel like a modern award acceptance speech?
Still, she didn’t refuse. “It’s nothing, really. We’re family—we share hardships and joys together. From now on, I’ll be responsible for making money, Mom and Sister can focus on staying beautiful, my little brothers will bring honor to our ancestors, and Dad and Brother will become landlords managing thousands of acres of farmland!”
“Bringing honor to our ancestors?” Zhiqin, hearing his assigned role, was confused. “How do I do that?”
“Yes! Bringing honor to our ancestors! That means you have to study hard, pass the imperial exams, and bring glory to our family!”
“Study?!” Zhiqin exclaimed in shock.
“That’s right.”
Ever since Wanqing started earning money, she had been considering her younger brothers’ education. Zhiqin was already eight years old—the perfect age to start schooling. In the past, the family couldn’t afford it, but now that they had money, it was time to make education a priority.
She turned to Lin Heng and said, “Dad, before, we didn’t have the silver to send my brother to school. But now that we do, let’s have Zhiqin start studying. Zhiyuan is still young—he can start next year.”
Lin Heng was surprised by Wanqing’s proposal. His daughter was thinking much further ahead than he was. As a father, he hadn’t even considered this yet.
“Qing’er, you have great foresight. I can’t compare.”
“Dad, you’re the head of the household. You’ve had too many things to worry about, that’s all.” Hearing her father’s words, Wanqing felt he wasn’t old-fashioned at all—he had an open mind.
Lin Heng had indeed been too busy working to think deeply about how to manage the sudden influx of money.
“Dad, let’s talk about our family’s plans.”
“What kind of plans?” Lin Heng was puzzled. Not just him—everyone in the family was confused. What was there to plan? Wasn’t it just about earning money and saving it?
Wanqing spoke seriously to everyone. “We only have twenty taels of silver, but there are many things we need to do, so we must plan carefully. I’ve already thought about it. Right now, the two most important things are, first, sending Zhiqin to school after the New Year, and second, building a house. These two things must happen next year—they are our goals.”
Wanqing wasn’t sure how much education and construction cost in the Da Qian Dynasty, but Lin Heng knew. He quickly calculated in his mind: the annual tuition, excluding stationery costs, was about five taels of silver. Building a four-room house would require roughly ten taels.
He made the decision: “Don’t worry, we’ll definitely build the house next year. As for Zhiqin’s schooling…”
He paused for a moment.
Everyone held their breath, especially Zhiqin, who stared at his father without blinking.
Lin Heng smiled slightly. “Of course, that won’t be a problem either.”
“Wow!” Everyone’s eyes widened with joy. A new house and education—what exciting prospects! Their family’s dreams would come true next year!
Fueled by enthusiasm, they enjoyed their meal even more.
Wanqing continued to encourage them, saying that there were still three months until the New Year. She planned to earn more money during this time so the whole family could celebrate the New Year happily!
Zhiyuan raised both hands in agreement.
Zhiwen and Wanru also expressed their support.
Zhiqin’s eyes were filled with admiration—his second sister was truly amazing!
Madam Li’s eyes welled up with tears, while Lin Heng felt a bit ashamed. Was this really their daughter? How had she become so capable?
Wanqing’s ambitions were undeniably inspiring. The family’s once-limited perspective had now expanded beyond mere survival. They were now thinking about education and imperial examinations—their outlook had broadened, and their aspirations had grown.
Thus began Wanqing’s journey of leading her family to wealth and prosperity in ancient times…