Chapter 31: This Poor?

Making meat sauce was time-consuming and labor-intensive. Yu Tingwan stood to the side, watching Hui Niang prepare everything meticulously. Once everything was ready, she carried a wooden stool to sit by the stove and lit the fire.

As the oil heated in the wok, a sizzle erupted. Hui Niang first rendered the shrimp oil, then added the shrimp meat to fry until crispy. She fished them out, diced them into uniform pieces, and moved on to preparing the black wood ear mushrooms. Even before the meat was processed, an enticing aroma had already filled the air.

Yu Tingwan worked diligently. When Hui Niang told her to add firewood, she did. When asked to lower the flame, she carefully used the long iron tongs to remove some logs. The firelight reflected off the tear-shaped mole at the corner of her eye, making the young girl’s features appear even more delicate.

While stirring with her spatula, Hui Niang struck up a conversation.

“Wan’er, how old are you now?”

“I’ll be eighteen after the New Year.”

“Oh my, that’s the age to start considering marriage.”

Yu Tingwan nodded earnestly in agreement.

Hui Niang had only asked casually and quickly changed the subject.

“This meat sauce—I learned it from my mother before I got married. Unfortunately, she passed away early, so I only learned a fraction of her skills.”

Only a fraction? Even with such remarkable results? Yu Tingwan couldn’t help but feel sad upon hearing these words.

She said softly: “My mother also passed away early.”

“She could embroider and sing. I learned a bit from her.”

Yu Tingwan rarely shared such things with others. The villagers avoided mentioning her mother, and when they did, it was never in a good light. But she always felt that Hui Niang was different. She fixed her gaze on Hui Niang, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.

Hui Niang paused her movements, speaking with surprise as she smiled at her, “So Wan’er knows embroidery! Not many people in the countryside know needlework beyond basic mending. With this skill, you needn’t worry about your future.”

Yu Tingwan’s eyes brightened.

Hui Niang continued, “You could embroider handkerchiefs and sell them to embroidery houses for some money. When you marry, your in-laws will think more highly of you.”

Yu Tingwan replied, “But my skills aren’t very good.”

“Don’t be so humble,” Hui Niang said.

Yu Tingwan wasn’t being modest at all. “I had no patience for it. My mother took pity and stopped teaching me.”

How could she not take pity? The delicate young girl had rarely known hardship. She would stand on tiptoe, raising her hand close to her mother’s eyes, deeply afraid her mother wouldn’t notice her bleeding fingertip from the needle prick.

She would even brazenly say:

«Mother, shouldn’t we stew a chicken today to nourish Yao’er?»

But now, she was no longer that naive little girl, and no one would indulge her anymore.

“Though I can sing,” Yu Tingwan added, her tone calm but with a trace of well-hidden pride. “Whenever I start singing, my father would immediately take out money, praising my voice and telling me to stop.”

Wei Zhao: … Couldn’t she tell that was sarcasm?

The aroma of meat sauce permeated the room. Hui Niang was covered in sweat from the heat when Yu Tingwan went to wash her hands and help pack the sauce into earthen jars.

Just then, Wei Shouzhong returned, dusted with snow and bringing a layer of cold air. He shook himself off outside before entering.

“Ah Lang,” he called out.

There was no response. Wei Shouzhong was used to it.

Hui Niang asked, “Have the arrangements for those outsiders been made?”

Wei Shouzhong stepped forward quickly. “That’s exactly what I wanted to tell you about.”

“The village chief initially planned to house three people with us, five with Old Man Qian, and the rest at Silly Gu’s place. But how could Old Man Qian agree? He immediately objected, saying he wasn’t short of money!”

The village head tried to persuade him nicely.

[Please help out. It’s freezing outside—it’s about saving lives.]

But Old Man Qian was stubborn and retorted, [Fine then, when they’re nearly frozen to death, come find me again, and I’ll see if I can save them.]

Now full of confidence, he added, [That Wei family boy was saved by me. If it weren’t for me, he’d have been long gone. That proves I have the skill.]

Wei Shouzhong, distracted by something on his mind, continued, “In the end, the village chief had no choice but to find others. But everything has been properly arranged.”

As he spoke, his gaze fell briefly on the dazed Wei Zhao nearby. An unreadable emotion flickered in his eyes, and showing concern about Yu Tingwan’s presence, he hesitated before saying, “Hui Niang, come outside with me.”

Hearing his tone, Hui Niang grew suspicious but told him to wait. After helping finish packing the meat sauce, she wiped her hands and followed him out.

Outside, Wei Shouzhong led Hui Niang to a corner and, without wasting words, spoke in a lowered voice. “Among these outsiders is a trader with five girls, all bought from the north to be sold in the south.”

In these times, poverty was rampant, and selling daughters for money was commonplace.

“Before reaching our Xilin Village, bandits targeted them and robbed the trader of everything. The girls have suffered terribly on the journey—each one emaciated, with several dying from illness. She wants to sell them off quickly now, for whatever she can get.”

Hearing this, Hui Niang held her breath. Understanding Wei Shouzhong’s meaning, she grabbed his arm. “How much silver?”

“One tael.”

Hui Niang’s eyes dimmed. Their family’s savings over these years, plus what they’d gotten from the main household, only amounted to five taels, and they still needed to save for medical visits to the county.

Her mind in turmoil, she said, “Let me think about it.”

Inside the kitchen, Yu Tingwan walked over to Wei Zhao. A shadow fell over his head, but he didn’t react.

Yu Tingwan couldn’t help asking, “Why are there stones and tiles in the basket?”

She still couldn’t understand! Seeing Wei Zhao’s silence, she pursed her lips and tentatively said, “You’ve spent so many years in the military camp, your skills must be good.”

Wei Zhao didn’t even look at her.

Yu Tingwan tried to negotiate kindly, “Next time when you throw things, could you aim more to the right? You always hit the same spot—it’s now deeper than the surrounding ground, about an arm’s length. It takes me ages to dig through the snow every time. I get tired too.”

Wei Zhao didn’t want to acknowledge her.

Yu Tingwan added, “Keep the medicine for yourself. I don’t need it.”

Seeing no anger from Wei Zhao, Yu Tingwan dismissed Old Man Qian’s earlier words and made another request.

“Could you at least make the throwing time regular?”

She wanted to eat warm eggs, after all.

Wei Zhao slowly raised his eyes, showing no emotion. He always seemed to carry an imposing presence, as if born with it. Yet being sickly somehow made him seem less threatening to others.

Yu Tingwan pursed her lips. “You throw those things of your own will—I haven’t stolen or robbed anything. Though I picked them up and ate them, I won’t pay you for them.”

“Even if you wanted payment, I don’t have any.”

“However, when I have money in the future, I…”

Before she could finish, Wei Zhao finally spoke. His words were unpleasant, even harsh to Yu Tingwan’s ears.

His voice was flat.

“This poor?”