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Li Jiaojiao walked along the path, but suddenly, she stopped, turned around, and ran back toward the place where the ginseng had been found.
“Jiaojiao, what’s wrong?” Li Zimo, surprised, quickly chased after her.
Li Jiaojiao rushed back to the spot where the ginseng had been dug up and knelt on the ground, looking for something.
Then, she slid down the slope, continuing to search, “Nothing! Why is there nothing here?”
Li Zimo was puzzled. “Jiaojiao, what are you looking for?”
Li Jiaojiao froze for a moment and replied, “I… I don’t know…”
She just felt an empty space in her heart. Besides the ginseng, there was something else, something even more important that she should have found right here!
“I just feel… like I lost something very important…” she muttered.
Li Zimo sighed gently, his eyes soft. “Let’s look together.”
The siblings searched up and down the steep slope. In the end, all they found were stones and weeds. There was nothing valuable.
Li Jiaojiao felt a sense of confusion and emptiness in her heart, but she had no choice but to give up.
In the town of Dashu:
Yan Fang and Ye Huan’er were anxiously pacing at their stall.
“I think we should go to the county and report this to the authorities,” Yan Fang said.
Aunt Pang comforted her. “Don’t worry, Auntie. Didn’t Old Chen, the butcher, say he saw the little girl selling spicy soup leaving on your village’s ox cart?”
Ye Huan’er added, “Old Chen and Uncle Bajin are good friends. He wouldn’t have mistaken it. Mother must have gone after her, it’ll be fine.”
Just then, there was a shout from a distance.
They looked up and saw Ye Bajin driving the ox cart over. Ye Caiping, Ye Jin’er, and Ye Daquan were on the cart.
“Grandma, it’s Mother and Sister! I told you, Mother would definitely find Sister!” Ye Huan’er exclaimed excitedly.
The ox cart stopped in front of the stall, and as soon as they got off, Yan Fang quickly rushed up, grabbing Ye Jin’er’s ear.
“Where did you run off to, you little brat?”
“Ow… that hurts!” Ye Jin’er yelped.
“Disappearing without a word, you really have gone too far!”
“Grandma, I know I was wrong…” Ye Jin’er’s voice trembled as she was being scolded, having her ear pulled and her arm twisted.
Ye Caiping stood with her arms crossed, watching from the side. This girl needed to learn a lesson.
Ye Bajin, utterly confused, was unsure what was going on.
Earlier, when he was about to take the villagers to the neighboring village, Ye Jin’er suddenly rushed up to him, saying she had urgent business and needed to go home early.
After sending the villagers off, he was about to head to the town to pick up Ye Caiping, only to see her and her sibling, along with Ye Jin’er, walking toward the town.
Once Yan Fang had finished scolding, she released Ye Jin’er’s ear and arm, then demanded, “Speak up, what’s going on?”
Ye Jin’er looked at Ye Caiping, who nodded at her, prompting her to speak up.
“I… no one in the town would lend me a place… and when I saw Uncle Bajin was about to leave for the village, I thought I might as well just go home,” she explained, her face turning bright red.
On the way down the mountain, Ye Caiping had already discussed with Jin’er and Daquan that they wouldn’t mention the ginseng matter, and they’d come up with some other excuse instead. After all, the value of the ginseng was too high, and seeing such wealth slip away would make anyone unhappy.
It was enough that they were feeling upset about it, without having to make Yan Fang worry too.
“Borrow a place? For what?” Ye Bajin scratched his head, clearly baffled.
Yan Fang, still processing the situation, was caught off guard. Ye Huan’er leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Sister couldn’t find a place to relieve herself, and she was desperate. She couldn’t just go anywhere, so she decided to go home.”
Yan Fang was stunned for a moment before she reached out and gently touched Ye Jin’er’s ear, her face softening with concern, “Why didn’t you say so earlier? You got a beating for nothing.”
Ye Jin’er’s face flushed even more, as though it could burst from the embarrassment.
Ye Bajin scratched his head for a while, still puzzled, but then shrugged it off and laughed, “Daquan, let’s move the stuff.”
Daquan nodded, and the two men started to work.
Ye Caiping handed a string of coins to Aunt Pang, saying, “Thank you so much, otherwise my mother and Huan’er would have been frantic. I really appreciate you taking all this time.”
Aunt Pang waved her hand, eyes narrowed in mock irritation, “Don’t mention it! Helping neighbors is what we should do. You giving me money doesn’t feel right. If anything, I should thank you! Otherwise, my business wouldn’t be doing so well.”
Ye Caiping didn’t continue stuffing money into her hand and laughed. “How about this: I’ll treat you to a meal instead.”
“Deal!”
The plump auntie’s husband walked over. “We have some things to do later, so we won’t sit down for a full meal. A simple bowl of plain noodles will do.”
Ye Caiping nodded. She was both hungry and tired, eager to quickly eat something and then head home to rest.
“Mother…” At this moment, Ye Huan’er tugged at her sleeve, her small face flushed. “Can… can we have wontons?”
Ye Caiping was taken aback, her face full of affection. “Of course, we can have wontons. Sister, is that alright?”
“Of course!”
Ye Jin’er’s eyes lit up.
Ye Huan’er grinned widely, overjoyed. She and her sister had never had wontons before.
Their grandmother used to scold them, saying that wontons were a precious delicacy, and they, being “unworthy” children, didn’t deserve to eat them.
Whenever they went into town, they could only watch others eating them with envy.
Ye Caiping turned to call for Ye Bajin to join them. Ye Bajin, with his simple smile, happily agreed.
The group of eight went to the wonton stall.
Because there were so many of them, they had to take two tables. Ye Caiping and her group sat at one, while plump auntie and her husband, along with Ye Bajin, sat at the other.
The wonton stall’s owner glanced at Ye Caiping. “Are you the ones selling spicy soup at the front?”
“Yes.”
The owner looked a bit annoyed. Since the spicy soup had started being sold, fewer people came for wontons.
But seeing eight people sitting down neatly, she couldn’t help but feel a bit pleased. “How many will you have? Small bowls are five copper, large ones are eight. With noodles, it’s one copper extra.”
“Give the table over there one large bowl per person, with noodles for everyone.”
“We’ll have one large bowl each here.”
Soon, the wontons were served. The large portions only had ten wontons per bowl, and the filling was scant, but the wrappers were thin and smooth, with a decent taste.
Yan Fang quietly muttered, “Not as good as our spicy soup.”
Ye Caiping gave her a playful glare.
Jin’er and Huan’er also thought the wontons weren’t as good as their spicy soup, but they still ate with contented faces.
The wontons they were once unworthy of eating were now on their table.
…
After the meal, the group returned to the Ye family house, only to find that the ground was covered with tapioca chips.
The moisture had dried up, suggesting they had been drying in the sun all morning.
The elders from the first and second branch had just finished their meal and were resting in the main room.
“Little sister, why are you so late? The food is still warm in the kitchen. I’ll bring it out for you.” Ye Erquan quickly stood up from his chair, speaking with enthusiasm.
“No need,” Ye Caiping replied. “We sold later than usual today and grabbed a quick bite in town.”
With that, she headed to her room.
Yan Fang sat down in the main room and immediately felt too tired to move.
Du Shi quickly brought her tea and water, showing her filial devotion.
Ye Caiping walked out of her room again, holding a string of coins and handing it to Yan Fang. “Mother, this is your wages.”
“You child…” Yan Fang gave her a mild scolding. “Is it really that urgent? You should rest first. It’s fine to give it later when you’re feeling more settled.”
Ye Caiping smiled without responding.
Du Shi’s eyes brightened, and she became even more attentive to Yan Fang, even massaging her legs. She had married a son but was relying on the elderly mother-in-law for support.
Yan Fang smiled contentedly, proud of her daughter’s increasing filial piety.
“Big sister-in-law,” Ye Caiping suddenly called out, “Open your hand.”
Du Shi, puzzled, stretched out her hand.
Ye Caiping placed something into it.
Du Shi was taken aback for a moment, then looked more closely— it was a silver ingot, worth one tael!
Note:
Characters
Other Characters:
Heigou – Ate poisonous roots
Heigou’s mother
Doctor Zhao
Zhao Facai – Neighbor
Village Head Ye- Sometimes Ye Lizheng (Lizheng is a title that refers to Village Head/Chief)
Ye Bajin – Village Head’s Son
Fubao – Village Head’s Grandson
Tie Niu and Zhuzi – two women who helped Caiping
Ye Bajin – Son of Ye Lijeng
Liu Decai
Places:
Qinghe Village: FL’s Village
Li Family Village
Great Zhou Dynasty