Font Size:
Chen Dabao thought of Chen Jue and Hu Cuicui, who were frightened and fled by his mother, and laughed. He also longed for the scene where he could take his mother out to play whenever he wanted. Chuckling, he said, “Yeah, once Mom gets better, no one will dare to bully her anymore.”
Before long, the little kid’s snoring could be heard.
Chen Feng, however, was utterly disappointed and blew out the small oil lamp. She thought, “Swallow, swallow, how can I make you come out… Money, money, how can I earn some more to get through this period…”
Chen Feng racked her brains and came up with an idea. In her past life, she had studied fashion design and occasionally made some small accessories, including fabric bracelets and fabric headpieces.
She had asked her mother about it, and she learned that the silk flowers of this era were exceptionally well-made, with a wide variety of styles and excellent workmanship. She acknowledged that she didn’t have the ability to surpass the local artisans.
When she “learned” to embroider with Mrs. Wang, she also asked about the various ways people in this era made decorative knots such as auspicious cloud knots, Chinese knots, Ruyi knots, Pan Chang knots, and many others. Many of these techniques she didn’t know. However, she hadn’t heard of a four-strand braid suitable for making bracelets. Combining a four-strand braid with Pan Chang and snake knots resulted in a three-dimensional, eye-catching, and beautiful bracelet or necklace. Many people in her past life liked to use this technique to make bracelets or necklaces.
As her hands were not very nimble now, she couldn’t make a lot to sell, and Wang didn’t have much time to make needlework kits either. So, she decided to make a bracelet and have Wang take it to the embroidery shop to sell it as a “design,” and whatever money the shop could offer would suffice to get through this period.
The next day, after lunch, Chen Feng went into the east room to make the bracelet. Her fingers were not very nimble, and it took her almost half an hour to make a yellow and blue alternating bracelet. She then had Wang sew three small flowers onto the bracelet. These flowers were used as embellishments for the needlework kits, and Mrs. Wang had made many of them to keep on hand.
“Wow, this bracelet is really exquisite. How did A’Feng learn to make this?” Mrs. Wang was amazed.
Chen Feng laughed off the compliment, “Mom taught me how to make Pan Chang and auspicious cloud knots, and after careful consideration, I came up with this technique.”
“Goodness, A’Feng really is blessed and very clever,” Mrs. Wang marveled, then said to Chen Ming, “Our embroidery shop has many decorative knots, and this is the first time I’ve seen this technique. The bracelets made with this method are beautiful. Adding these few little flowers as embellishments makes it even more attractive.”
Chen Ming chuckled as he listened, pinching his sparse beard.
Chen Feng then asked Mrs. Wang to take the bracelet to the embroidery shop in the county to sell it and to share the technique with them, earning some money to get through this period at home.
Mrs. Wang had been doing embroidery work for the Jinyun Embroidery Shop in the county. Taking these bracelets there to sell, the shopkeeper wouldn’t bargain too much.
Wang nodded happily, then made a thick cornmeal porridge for everyone after which they all had their fill. After the meal, Wang hurriedly set off for the county.
As soon as she left, the whole family anxiously awaited her return.
As the sun set in the west, Mrs. Wang returned home with a beaming smile. She said that the shopkeeper really liked the bracelet, claiming it to be the most unique one he had ever seen. He paid her eight hundred wen, which she used to clear the sixty wen owed for cloth, scraps, and embroidery threads, leaving her with over seven hundred wen. Additionally, she bought a pound of pork, twenty pounds of brown rice, and some special items like jujubes and lotus seeds specifically for Chen Ming.
The whole family was overjoyed, finally able to eat their fill again.
Chen Feng, however, couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Earning money in ancient times was not easy. Even though she sold a design, she didn’t manage to earn even a couple of silver coins.
On May 8th, the winter wheat in the fields began to be harvested. It was another year of a bountiful harvest, with Chen Ye and his son being skilled at farming, resulting in a high yield of over two hundred catties per mu of wheat.
The four mu of land from the second household was also cultivated by the main household, and after leaving forty percent for the second household, they paid sixty percent in rent. After deducting the taxes, the second household kept over one hundred catties of wheat for milling flour and sold the rest for more than two taels of coins. These were all matters handled by Chen Ye and his son every year. Meanwhile, there were plenty of wheat straw, filling up the backyard of the second household.
With this wheat straw, Lu and Dabao had an easier time, no longer needing to gather firewood every day.
The couple of taels earned could support a household for half a year if used sparingly. However, in Chen Ming’s household, it would only cover four months’ worth of medical fees and medicine costs. This was only possible because Chen Feng no longer needed to purchase medicine, otherwise, it would only be enough for three months of medication.
Finally, on May 20th, it was time for the main household to hand over the grain and money to the second household, as well as to discuss the next steps for the fields and house repairs.
Knowing that they were coming today, Mrs. Wang specifically bought a pound of meat, two pounds of the liquor Chen Ming liked, and prepared several delicious dishes. This time, the dishes were not stewed but stir-fried.
Originally, Chen Feng wanted to show off her cooking skills, but Mrs. Wang refused, saying that there were guests coming, and she was worried that Chen Feng might not cook the dishes well, leading to food wastage. So, she was tasked with tending the fire. The scent of the dishes being stir-fried and the sizzling sound made Chen Feng’s mouth water, but she managed to control herself and swallow her saliva.
Each time Mrs. Wang finished stir-frying a dish, she would use chopsticks to pick up a piece of meat for Lu and Dabao, asking with a smile, “How does it taste? Do we need to add some salt?”
Both little boys, with greasy mouths, earnestly replied, “It’s delicious, and it doesn’t need anything else.”
Mrs. Wang didn’t say much, just smiling and shaking her head.
Originally, Mrs. Wang had suggested buying some cloth to give to Mrs. Hu, but Chen Ming didn’t agree.
Chen Ming said, “We didn’t collect much rent from my eldest brother’s household. The way others rent our land is the same. Instead of spending money that way, it’s better to pull a few feet of fabric to make clothes for my mother or my eldest brother. Once she mentions it, we just give in, not knowing how much we have to give. We can’t compare to my third brother’s wealthy household, where they even had their courtyard renovated.” After a pause, he added, “Let’s just pull a few feet of coarse fabric for my eldest brother’s clothes. He works hard all year round.”
Chen Feng didn’t understand the meaning behind Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang’s conversation, but she could tell that although Chen Ming highly respected Chen Ye, he looked down on Mrs. Hu. After witnessing Mrs. Hu’s sour performance, she understood even more.
Before dinner, Grandma Chen, Chen Ye, Mrs. Hu, and Chen Gui all arrived, followed by the little one, Chen Dahua, trailing behind.
Mrs. Hu glanced at Chen Feng, who was tending the fire, and sneered, “They say A’Feng has grown more beautiful, and it’s true. But what’s the use of being beautiful? She can’t even earn a dowry for her family, raised for nothing over the past ten plus years.”
Chen Feng slowly replied, “Even though I can’t earn a dowry for my parents, I will definitely show them filial piety in the future, just like I do for my son.”
Mrs. Hu snorted and went into the west room.
Chen Ye first took out two taels and five hundred wen, the money from selling the grain. Then he took out four taels, which was used to buy an acre of land from the second household. They had previously borrowed one taels from the second household, and now they were returning four taels.
Mrs. Hu watched as Chen Ming took the more than six taels, feeling pained at heart. She thought to herself that Chen Ming and Wang were really miserly. With so much money, they didn’t even think of taking out some to show gratitude for their hard work throughout the year.