Chapter 14: An Appealing Livelihood

The oxcart back to Yongyang Village carried more passengers than the journey to town.

Everyone’s bamboo baskets were overflowing, mostly with winter preparations.

A tuft of cotton peeked out from one basket. Su Yi’an glanced at it, and the woman quickly pressed it back down.

Cotton, primarily sourced from the Lingnan region, was expensive. Villagers guarded their purchases closely, fearing someone might snatch a handful.

Su Yi’an withdrew her gaze, her mind already churning with ways to earn more money.

These two trips to town had already cost three hundred copper coins. Mother He’s situation was even worse; she likely had barely a few dozen coins left.

With no steady income, repaying their debts seemed impossible, let alone affording cotton for winter clothing.

Su Yi’an couldn’t help but recall the twenty taels of silver she had stored at the bank.

If only I had brought it with me, she thought. Now, returning to the prefectural city would be even more difficult.

The oxcart finally rumbled back into Yongyang Village.

“We’re back early today—it’s not even noon yet!” Yun Niang hopped down first and reached out to help Su Yi’an.

The other passengers on the oxcart glanced at Su Yi’an before quickly averting their eyes.

Su Yi’an paid two copper coins and replied with a smile, “Exactly! If we walked both ways, we’d be late and exhausted.”

After the three of them disembarked, the women on the oxcart instinctively huddled together.

“How did the He Family’s daughter-in-law become so close to the hunter’s family in just a few days?” Fourth Sister-in-law’s eyes gleamed with gossip.

“The hunter did speak up for her on her wedding day. Maybe that’s why.”

“Besides, their families live close—one at the foot of the mountain, the other halfway up.”

“Proximity has nothing to do with it. They’re just trying to curry favor with the new bride because she’s from town. As if marrying into the He Family will bring her any good.”

A harsh voice cut through their conversation from behind. The women turned to see Grandma Lu, clad in a patched old coat and carrying a basket of wild vegetables, glaring fiercely into the distance.

“…Maybe,” Fourth Sister-in-law muttered, exchanging a meaningful look with the others. They murmured in agreement before quietly dispersing.

If the First Branch of the He Family was the second most disliked household in Yongyang Village, Grandma Lu of the Lu Family was undoubtedly the most despised.

Grandma Lu’s bitterness stemmed from her failed attempt years ago to marry her granddaughter to Zhuang Shan, the hunter. Everyone knew hunters earned good money, and with Zhuang Shan having no elders or siblings, his earnings would largely benefit his wife’s family.

That had been Grandma Lu’s plan, but it backfired. Her family was poor, with three grandsons and one granddaughter to support. To secure marriages for her grandsons, the old woman had taken it upon herself to arrange a bride exchange for her youngest granddaughter.

Yongyang Village had never seen such a bride exchange before, and the villagers looked down on the Lu Family’s actions. In recent years, they avoided contact with them whenever possible, lest the old woman set her sights on their daughters—her family still had two unmarried grandsons to worry about!

Mother He was grinding peppercorns with a stone in front of her house.

Doctor Wang had repeatedly emphasized that she must grind the peppercorns into powder and add them to the medicinal broth.

The substance had a pungent, spicy aroma. Mother He shifted sideways as she worked, afraid the powder would irritate her throat.

“Grandma, why isn’t Young Aunt back yet?” He Xingchen asked, his head bent over as he traced characters on the ground with a twig. “She promised to make something delicious when she returned.”

Mother He paused, unsure how to tell the six-year-old that his young aunt might never come back. Children didn’t understand such things; perhaps he would forget in a few days.

Just like with Old Master He’s passing. Xingchen had cried then, but now he no longer asked about him.

“How are those big characters coming along?” Mother He changed the subject.

Times were hard. They couldn’t afford brushes, ink, or paper anymore. If Xingchen wanted to practice writing, he had to use a twig on the ground.

He Xingchen’s little mouth drooped, his mood darkening. “Grandma, I don’t want to study anymore.”

“After winter, Grandma will buy you some paper,” Mother He said, assuming he disliked writing on the ground.

He Xingchen shook his head, finished the last square of the nine-grid he had drawn on the ground, and dropped the twig.

He didn’t want to study. Studying led nowhere.

His grandfather, a scholar, had still ended up in prison. His father, also a scholar, had lost his leg. And his second uncle… well, he had nearly lost his life.

There was no point in studying. He never wanted to read another book again.

“No more paper, Grandma. I really don’t want to write anymore.”

Mother He’s expression darkened. She set down the stone brick she was holding, wiped her hands, and prepared to scold He Xingchen when a cheerful voice called out:

“Let me see who doesn’t want to write anymore.”

Su Yi’an approached the house with a bamboo basket on her back. Before she could reach the door, He Xingchen came running and threw himself against her legs.

“Young Aunt, you’re back!” the boy exclaimed happily.

Mother He turned toward the voice, her eyes widening in surprise. She stood frozen for a moment before recovering.

Su Yi’an, her hands still dirty from handling the chickens, resisted the urge to pat He Xingchen’s head. “Let me take off this basket first,” she said with a smile. “There are chickens inside.”

Mother He hurried forward to help Su Yi’an remove the heavy basket. The three hens were surprisingly heavy, but thankfully, the oxcart ride hadn’t strained Su Yi’an’s shoulders too much. She massaged her shoulders briefly to relieve the ache.

“Mother, where should we keep these chickens?” Su Yi’an asked. They had bought the chickens, but she had forgotten they didn’t have a coop.

“We’ll keep them inside for now,” Mother He said. “After lunch, I’ll go up the mountain to gather some stones and build them a coop.”

He Xingchen peeked into the bamboo basket. “Grandma, I want to go too.”

He Xingchen would have been better off staying silent. His words reminded Mother He of what had just happened.

This child said he doesn’t want to study anymore.

Mother He’s expression turned stern, her voice hardening. “You’re not going anywhere. Stay here and practice your writing. You can go when your handwriting is as good as your second uncle’s.”

Seeing He Xingchen’s eyes begin to water, Su Yi’an quickly intervened. “Let me see what you’ve written today, Xingchen.”

He Xingchen wiped his eyes with his sleeve and reluctantly led Su Yi’an to the side of the house.

There, drawn on the ground, was a nine-square grid, each square containing a character.

Su Yi’an couldn’t recognize the characters, but judging by their shapes, they were indeed rather sloppy.

“Why are you writing inside the squares?” Su Yi’an asked, a thought forming in her mind as she looked at the grid.

“Because his characters are too big!” He Ningwen chimed in, holding his bamboo water container as he approached. “Second Brother made him write in small squares. If a character goes outside the lines, he has to rewrite it. Second Brother’s handwriting is so beautiful! Your writing looks like a dog’s paw prints, He Xingchen!”

Hearing this, He Xingchen stomped the characters in the nine-square grid into oblivion.

“You’re angry and don’t want to write anymore just because your handwriting is ugly?” Su Yi’an observed the ruined grid, her eyes narrowing slightly.

When the boy didn’t respond, she continued, “Or is it because you think studying is pointless, so you’ve given up on it altogether?”

He Xingchen froze, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly as if she had struck a nerve. Finally, he slumped down at Su Yi’an’s feet in defeat.

Su Yi’an offered no comfort. Though only six years old, He Xingchen understood far more than his age suggested. Rather than offering hollow reassurances, she preferred to speak plainly.

As for whether he chose to continue studying, that was his decision.

“The tragedy in your family wasn’t caused by studying,” Su Yi’an said after a pause. “Some things are destined to happen, no matter what we do. Everyone wants to pass the imperial examinations—do you know why?”

“To become officials, of course.”

Su Yi’an nodded. “And what can officials do?”

“Help the people.”

“Anything else?”

He Xingchen furrowed his brow, thinking hard but unable to answer.

“They can also protect their families,” Su Yi’an added. “Have you ever seen a bully dare to harass someone at the yamen?”

He Xingchen’s eyes lit up with sudden understanding.

The words were rough, but the logic was sound. In their current situation, this was the most encouraging thing he could hear.

Su Yi’an asked, “Still writing?”

He Xingchen picked up a branch, answering her with action.

Su Yi’an gazed at the nine-square grid on the ground, a livestream video she had watched before resurfacing in her mind.

She had been unable to stop watching that video, losing herself in it for hours.

On the way back from town, she had pondered how to attract customers to a business. Now, she had an idea.

Enticing rewards and repeated bets.

Take this nine-square grid, for example. Three layers, three squares per layer, totaling nine squares.

They could build an opaque box filled with identical wooden blocks, each carved with auspicious characters.

Players could participate for a few coins, starting with nine chances—nine wooden blocks. They would simply reach into the box, draw one block at a time, and place them sequentially on the grid.

Before each round, players could wish for a specific character. If a drawn block matched their wish, they would earn another chance to draw and place a block.

Similarly, if two identical characters appeared on the grid, forming a “match,” they would also earn an extra draw.

But the real draw lay in the grand prize: if any horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line on the grid formed a set of three identical characters, the player would gain five additional chances!

Su Yi’an smiled at the thought. “A little gambling for fun,” she mused. This business was sure to attract customers.