Chapter 15

Fan Jin’s mind was filled with confusion.

Like sacks of grain that seemed fuller than usual;

Like how a soup made with only five eggs yielded more than one made with over ten;

And then, there was Shuiqing’s plan to buy fatty pork the next day to make lard rice for the children, but their family didn’t have any money, did they?

He followed behind Shuiqing, the two walking away from the children until they stopped at a secluded spot.

Shuiqing looked at Fan Jin, his face full of confusion yet quiet and obedient, and she couldn’t help but notice how gentle his nature was.

Like a docile young bride.

She looked at the tall and gentle man and asked, “Do you want to live a good life? A life where you eat well and have enough to drink.”

Fan Jin’s mouth slightly opened, and after a moment of contemplation, he replied solemnly, “I’ll go to the city tomorrow to take on some more work. Supporting you and the children won’t be a problem. I’m not skilled at building thatched houses, but I’ve calculated that hiring labor costs twenty-five wen per day. I can earn fifty-three wen a day copying books, so in three to five days, we should have enough money to hire someone to build three thatched houses. In the future, when I live in the library, I’ll copy books at night and save the extra money to provide dowries for Yanqiu and Xinghui, arrange marriages for Jiang, He, and Hu, and it shouldn’t be a problem. The harvest from the fields will ensure our sustenance. So, don’t worry too much, and don’t do anything illegal.”

Shuiqing was taken aback by his words.

She hadn’t expected the supposedly inflexible bookworm described by his mother to consider so many things!

But she needed a partner to live a good life together, not for him to stay up all night copying books alone to support the family.

Besides, with the money he earned from copying books, providing dowries for his daughters and arranging marriages for his sons, it was just enough to make ends meet.

She asked, “So, as long as it’s not breaking the law, it’s okay?”

Fan Jin raised his lowered head, his eyes filled with confusion as he looked at Shuiqing.

Why was Shuiqing’s focus so different?

He sincerely replied, “Yes, as long as it doesn’t break the law, it’s okay.”

But then he worried, wouldn’t it harm others?

But seeing the clear and candid expression on Shuiqing’s face, he realized he had been overly suspicious.

Shuiqing must trust him to have called him here to discuss this matter!

How could he unjustly doubt her without evidence?

Shuiqing watched as Fan Jin’s fair face turned into one of guilt and unease.

Was this person too innocent? His emotions were written all over his face.

Previously, when he negotiated the division of property with his mother and Sun Jinhua, he had been calm and composed, ensuring the process went smoothly and securing the share he wanted.

She reassured him, “Don’t worry. It’s neither breaking the law nor harming others; I just need your cooperation.”

Fan Jin’s fair face turned slightly red with embarrassment at his own suspicions.

He asked softly, “What can I do? And is this why we have extra grain and eggs?”

Shuiqing nodded, “After I hit my head, I don’t know if it was divine intervention, but I obtained something new that allows me to exchange goods for food;

But it’s not free; I need to give something in exchange.

The grain and eggs were exchanged for mushrooms that Yanqiu picked.”

Fan Jin was stunned. He had considered many possibilities, but he hadn’t thought of this one.

However, it was true, just as Shuiqing had said. It didn’t break the law, nor did it harm others.

“Even things from the divine can’t be given away for free. It’s fair to exchange goods. But bamboo mushrooms don’t have much value. How much grain can you exchange for a pound of mushrooms?”

In the city, a pound of bamboo mushrooms sold for three wen, barely enough to buy a pound of black noodles.

Even the divine couldn’t afford to operate at a loss, right?

Shuiqing was highly appreciative of Fan Jin’s acceptance and his sense of proportion.

Knowing that it didn’t harm others, she relaxed and didn’t ask further about the usage, only caring about their livelihood.

“The price of bamboo mushrooms and skirt mushrooms is different.”

Fan Jin nodded in agreement.

Just like pork, different parts have different prices, let alone different types of mushrooms.

“Even among bamboo mushrooms, the price varies between open and unopened ones.”

Fan Jin still nodded in agreement.

Even for the same part of pork, the price varies between fat and lean; old mushrooms with open caps versus young ones without, the open ones were probably unwanted, and who knows how much the unopened ones could exchange for.

Shuiqing didn’t mention prices but compromised on what could be exchanged for food: “If we calculate based on open bamboo mushrooms, you can get about eighty pounds of rice for a pound; flour is a bit more expensive, you can get about fifty or sixty pounds.”

Fan Jin was astonished, his mouth gradually opening wider.

After a long while, he finally reacted, dumbfoundedly exclaiming, “Indeed, it’s a gift from the divine.”

He had been mistaken before. He thought exchanging goods for food was fair.

But it wasn’t. It was extremely unfair for the divine.

He looked at Shuiqing, closing his mouth that had opened in surprise, and earnestly advised her, “Shuiqing, this is a good divine being. Since he gave you these things, he must approve of you. Don’t tell anyone else, okay? Innocent people might get falsely accused. Also, the five children are still young. In case they accidentally leak it out, let’s not tell them for now.”

Shuiqing naturally understood this principle.

If it weren’t for the fact that women couldn’t easily go out or it wasn’t convenient for her to go to the city in ancient times, plus he was trustworthy and their interests were aligned, would she have chosen him to cover for her?

However, she still responded earnestly to Fan Jin’s advice, “You can rest assured.”

Fan Jin muttered a quiet “okay.”

He wasn’t very reassured.

But worrying without any use other than to stress her out wasn’t helpful. What he could and should do was to help her cover up.

“What do you think I can do?”

Shuiqing explained to him in detail what she needed him to do.

When the two returned to their original spot, they saw Fan Jiang and Fan He, the two children, heating water in a sandpot.

The hot water was poured into a wooden tub and mixed with spring water, allowing the youngest, Fan Hu, to wash up first.

It was already the end of August, and although the sun was scorching at noon, mornings, evenings, and nights were exceptionally cool.

Taking a bath with ice-cold spring water was easy to catch a cold, and the hot water from the sandpot was limited, making it difficult to take a full bath. They could only wipe their bodies first.

Shuiqing saw that the three children were organized and capable, so she didn’t have to worry.

It would be better once they bought a large iron pot.

She looked at her two daughters, Yanqiu and Xinghui, who were sorting out the evening’s harvest.

The chicken mushrooms with opened caps were sorted into one category, those without into another, and the bamboo mushrooms were neatly arranged, removing any leaves or twigs.

It looked like they were preparing to take them to the edge of the pond to wash.

Shuiqing and Fan Jin were surprised at the same time.

Fan Jin blurted out, “Yanqiu, Xinghui, what are you preparing to do?”

Fan Yanqiu heard her father’s question, looked up, and replied, “My sister and I are taking adFantage of the freshness of the mushrooms to wash them now. The cool breeze at night will dry them, and it won’t be a problem to sun-dry them tomorrow under the big sun.”

“There are stars tonight, so it’s bound to be sunny tomorrow. Mom and Dad, I estimate that we’ve picked about fifteen or sixteen pounds of mushrooms tonight.”

“Bamboo mushrooms and skirt mushrooms will last until October. My sister, little brother, and I will work hard to pick mushrooms. By winter, our family will have vegetables to eat.” Xinghui said cheerfully.

Shuiqing accurately heard “bamboo mushrooms and skirt mushrooms will last until October”!