Chapter 27: Encountering Expulsion

“They are very meticulous,” said Mother Gu, looking at the fine cotton cloth and coarse cloth, the latter being more durable for work.

She stared at the half a pig’s worth of meat with concern, and said, “The weather is hot, we can’t eat so much meat, and it will spoil if left too long.”

Su Wan thought about smoking the meat over a wood fire, but the weather was too hot, which isn’t ideal for smoking.

“Let’s divide the meat into several parts. Cut the pork belly into palm-sized cubes, blanch them in water, then fry them in oil to make braised pork belly.

The pork legs and ribs are placed in a basket, then hung them in the well to keep them cool, with the pork legs to be cooked for red-braised and the pork ribs for soup. As for the other meat, let’s make them into cured meat.”

Su Wan arranged the half a pig’s worth of meat and looked at the five or six hens with their legs tied, “Let’s raise them for laying eggs first.”

“Okay!” Mother Gu picked up a bucket of pork lard, and said “I’ll go to the kitchen to render the oil, and later we’ll use it to fry the pork belly.”

“There’s no rush for that, let’s deal with it after eating,” Su Wan said, then pulled Mother Gu into the house for a meal.

The few of them devoured the meal like a whirlwind, leaving nothing behind.

After that, Mother Gu went to render the lard, while Gu Huaizhi, Gu Baozhu, and Gu Jingyun moved things and then set up the chicken coop.

Su Wan will cut the pork well.

After busying herself until late into the night, she finally managed to process all the pork.

She rubbed her sore back as she walked out of the kitchen and saw Mother Gu washing dirty clothes by the well at the entrance.

A lamp was lit inside the house, casting a hazy light on Mother Gu, and revealed a sense of vicissitudes of life.

Su Wan’s heart softened, and she slowly walked over to Mother Gu then squatted down beside her.

Mother Gu turned her head, saw her, and said with a smile, “Wan Wan, go to sleep, I’ll be done soon.”

Her face, full of wrinkles and showing fatigue, and the concern in her eyes, brought warmth to Su Wan’s heart.

“Don’t take on such tiring work, it’s not only exhausting but also pays very little,” Su Wan said as she took out a purse from her sleeve and poured all the money onto the ground. “I went to town today and sold a recipe, earning fifteen taels of silver. I can support this family. You don’t have to work so hard, just tend to the fields at home.”

Mother Gu stared at the shiny silver money on the ground, and her eyes widened in astonishment.

Su Wan, while putting the money into the purse, counted: “You gave me eight hundred wen, Gu Huaizhi gave me two taels of silver, the villagers’ rent money totals three taels and six hundred wen, I earned one tael of silver for treating someone’s injury, and from selling recipe, I got fifteen taels. Altogether, that makes twenty-two taels and four hundred wen.

We spent two hundred and sixty wen on medicine and less than seven hundred wen on household items, so we still have over twenty-one taels of silver left.”

“A few taels of silver are enough for a household in our village to live on for a year. So this amount should last us for a while,” said Su Wan with a pursed smile, and she added, “I plan to send Jingyun to Xihe Academy tomorrow.”

Mother Gu, as if in a dream, suddenly heard Su Wan’s words and came to her senses, “How can that be? Xihe Academy is too expensive, keep the money you earned for yourself.”

“Do you consider me an outsider?” Su Wan asked, feeling downhearted.

“No, no, child, why would you think that?”

“In a family, do we still distinguish between ‘you’ and ‘me’?”

Mother Gu was at a loss for words.

“You and my younger siblings care for me, and I care for you all as well.” Su Wan took out ten taels of silver, and put the rest in Mother Gu’s hands, “If you consider me family, then don’t make such distinctions.” Having said that, she went inside to sleep.

Mother Gu clutched the money in her hand, as she watched Su Wan’s retreating figure with tears brimming in her eyes. Such a considerate child is truly precious.

——

Early the next day, Su Wan packed the cured meat and fried pork belly into a carrying basket, and took Gu Jingyun and Gu Baozhu to town.

Gu Jingyun and Gu Baozhu were especially excited, so they chattering nonstop.

Su Wan’s smile never left her face.

Upon reaching the town, Su Wan went straight to Xihe Academy to enroll Gu Jingyun first.

Xihe Academy is solemn and dignified, with a profound heritage.

On both sides of the entrance were couplets that read: “The Kingdom of Chu, the Home of Talents”

The characters are strong and bold, as if painted with iron and engraved with silver.

Su Wan saw that the main gate was closed, so she raised her hand and knocked on the door.

The gatekeeper opened the door and glanced at Su Wan and her siblings, who were dressed in coarse cloth, then frowned, and impatiently shooed them away, saying, “Go away, go away, Xihe Academy is not enrolling students now. If you want to study, come back for the exam next month.”

Before Su Wan could speak, the door slammed shut with a ‘bang.’

Su Wan’s expression darkened.

At that moment, a carriage came driving up and stopped beside her.

Doctor Zhou got off the carriage and saw Su Wan, and immediately, his anxious expression changed to a smile, “Young lady, are you bringing your brother to enroll in academy? It just so happens that Dean Lin is looking for you, come with me inside!”