Chapter 41

Pei Weixuan left the town and headed west.

Outside the town, there was a bamboo forest. It was not on the main road, relatively secluded, and few people passed by. He went there to find someone.

The bamboo forest was quite large, and Huo Ye hid within it.

Entering the bamboo forest, Pei Weixuan saw some spring bamboo shoots emerging from the ground.

Seeing these shoots, Pei Weixuan instinctively felt it was a pity. If it were an ordinary day, he could dig up these bamboo shoots, and Yuniang could turn them into delicious dishes.

Thinking of this, Pei Weixuan paused for a moment, then shook off the thought and headed deeper into the bamboo forest.

In the depths of the bamboo forest, he saw a few people crouching under a thick bamboo tree.

It was Huo Ye and his group. Besides Huo Ye, a few other Black Armor Guards, all dressed in coarse cloth, looking like ordinary commoners, around thirty years old.

Hearing the sound, Huo Ye turned and saw the young master.

As the young master approached, Huo Ye caught a very strong aroma of pancakes and a unique meat scent from him.

“Young Master, it smells so good.”

They had been crouching in the bamboo forest all night and morning without having breakfast. Huo Ye couldn’t help but swallow at the smell.

Pei Weixuan thought for a moment, then opened his bundle and took out an oil paper package, handing it to them. “Sauced pancakes and dried pork, eat up.”

Huo Ye and the others opened the oil paper. Inside were sauced pancakes, already cut and brushed with sauce, and another package contained dried pork, coated with sesame seeds and other seasonings, about the thickness of a finger.

They didn’t hesitate and grabbed the sauced pancakes to eat. The pancakes were still warm, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with a rich, savory sauce. They had never tasted such delicious pancakes.

They also grabbed a spicy, savory, and meaty piece of dried pork, which became more flavorful with each chew.

Huo Ye hadn’t expected the young master to bring such delicious food.

“Young Master, this is really delicious. Where did you buy it?”

“Yuniang made it,” Pei Weixuan replied calmly.

Huo Ye was stunned. Yuniang? The second daughter of the Marquis of Dechang’s household? A poor girl indeed.

Huo Ye didn’t ask further. After they had eaten their fill, they finished the sauced pancakes, but they didn’t eat too much of the dried pork, wanting to leave more for the young master since his wife made it.

After eating, Huo Ye wiped his mouth and asked, “Young Master, where are we going now?”

Pei Weixuan asked, “Where are the others?”

Huo Ye replied, “They’re hiding in the mountains on both sides of the canal.”

They had even become water bandits and formed a small merchant caravan…

“Let’s go find them first.”

Huo Ye couldn’t help but ask, “Young Master, what will we do after that? How can we fight our way to the capital without money or soldiers?”

Pei Weixuan didn’t answer, looking instead towards the distant sea. Yuniang had said that across the sea, there were people living there, with crops yielding thousands of jin per mu and many things that the Great Sheng Dynasty had never seen. If there were people across the sea, there would also be many small islands. The islands near the sea would be easier to hide on than the mainland. Even if the court attacked, it wouldn’t be easy…

And there were those things from overseas…

But all of this required ships and money.

Pei Weixuan looked towards the canal and said, “Let’s go. First, we’ll find the others. Once we have everyone, we’ll figure out how to get some ships and money.”

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Xu Qinyu didn’t stay sad for long after Fourth Brother left; she had to focus on making money.

With Fourth Brother gone, no one was to help her clean fish and prepare the intestines, so Madam Wen hadn’t been working with Ning Jie’er on making bags. Ning Jie’er did the needlework alone, while Madam Wen helped Xu Qinyu with the fish and intestines.

But Madam Wen, being a woman, wasn’t as strong as Fourth Brother when it came to pounding fish paste.

Xu Qinyu still planned to hire a helper. For now, she didn’t have anyone in mind, but she needed someone strong, hardworking, and able to run errands.

If it doesn’t work out, in a few days, she’ll post a notice at the door saying I’m looking for a helper. Nearby families with some free time can come and try. As long as they are hardworking and strong, it will be fine.

But Xu Qinyu was still a bit hesitant.

A few days later, early in the morning, Xu Qinyu braised the intestines. Butcher Tian came to pick up the braised intestines and delivered some offal. Not long after, Uncle He arrived with a donkey cart, delivering fish and milk before leaving.

There was no sugar or other spices at home, so Xu Qinyu planned to go out and buy some. She left Osmanthus Alley and headed towards the market on North Street.

Just as she reached an intersection, she ran into Wen Shuncheng, the child from the third branch of the Wen family. He seemed to have just returned from outside the town, where there was a path leading out of the town.

Wen Shuncheng was carrying a bag of things. He had gone out early in the morning to check his eel traps and had caught quite a few eels, about ten or so. This was a method he had come up with after much thought. He made several eel traps at home, put some bait inside, and set them in the fields or ponds every night. The next morning, he would check them and usually find a few eels, sometimes even ten or more.

Xu Qinyu saw him, and he saw her too.

Wen Shuncheng touched his nose and came over, calling out, “Fourth Sister-in-law.”

Xu Qinyu smiled, “What are you carrying?”

When she looked closely, she saw that it was a bag full of eels. She smiled and asked, “Eels? Where did you catch these eels?”

Wen Shuncheng pointed outside the town and said, “In the ditches, small ponds, and streams outside the town.”

As he spoke, he suddenly handed the bag of eels to Xu Qinyu. “These eels are for you, Fourth Sister-in-law.” His concubine-grandmother had told him that both his second aunt and Fourth Sister-in-law were good people. He didn’t mind earning a few dozen wen less a day. It was right to let Fourth Sister-in-law’s family try something fresh, and Madam Gui needed to nourish her body.

Xu Qinyu didn’t expect the child to suddenly give her a bag of eels. She did want to eat eels. Eels were great—high in protein, low in fat, with few bones and thick meat. Moreover, these were wild, making them even more nutritious. But she couldn’t just take the child’s things for free.

The third branch of the Wen family didn’t have an easy life. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have forced a twelve or thirteen-year-old child to catch eels outside the town to earn money. She intended to take out a string of coins from her pocket. A string of coins was a hundred wen. She wasn’t sure about the price of these eels, but she estimated it shouldn’t exceed ten wen per jin. People here didn’t like eating things from rivers and ponds because of the strong earthy taste.

Seeing her take out money, Wen Shuncheng immediately ran away.

Xu Qinyu was stunned for a moment. This child… She suddenly thought of something and quickly called out, “Cheng Ge’er, don’t run. Come back. I have something to discuss with you.”

Wen Shuncheng stopped but still seemed skeptical, probably thinking she would trick him into returning to give him money.

Xu Qinyu couldn’t help but laugh and waved him over. “Come back. I really have something to discuss with you.”

This child had a good heart. Madam Gui always praised the children of the third branch. The third branch also had a concubine-born daughter, Wen Yuntao, who was about the same age as Wen Yunling and had a gentle and kind personality.

Wen Shuncheng finally turned back. “Fourth Sister-in-law, what’s the matter?”

Xu Qinyu said, “Your Fourth Brother has gone to join a merchant caravan, and there’s no one at home to help me with the work. I need help with cleaning fish, preparing intestines, pounding fish paste, and running errands. Would you like to work for me? I’ll pay you one string of coins a month. You can still go out of town to catch eels in your free time and keep the money you earn. How about it? Of course, there’s one condition: you can’t tell your grandparents or the people in the first and second branches of the Wen family about this job.”

Wen Shuncheng grinned and said, “Why would I tell them? I never talk to them.”

Xu Qinyu couldn’t help but laugh. “So, Cheng Ge’er, do you agree?”

Wen Shuncheng nodded vigorously. “I agree.”

Xu Qinyu didn’t expect to find a helper so quickly. She smiled and said, “Alright, then come with me to buy some things first, and then we’ll go back to work.”

Wen Shuncheng was naturally willing. He took the bag of eels from Xu Qinyu and helped her carry them.

On the way, Xu Qinyu asked him about the price of the eels and found out they were only five wen per jin, quite cheap.

People here didn’t seem to like eating things from rivers and ponds, preferring chicken, duck, pork, lamb, or game.

After buying sugar, red sugar, and other spices and seasonings, Xu Qinyu and Wen Shuncheng returned to Osmanthus Alley.

Madam Gui was delighted to see Wen Shuncheng. “Cheng Ge’er, what brings you here?”

Wen Shuncheng scratched his head. “Hello, Aunt Gui. I came back with Fourth Sister-in-law. She asked me to help her with the work.”

Xu Qinyu explained to her family that she wanted Cheng Ge’er to help with the work and would pay him one string of coins a month. Everyone naturally agreed. With a helper, Madam Wen could focus on household chores and needlework.

Xu Qinyu immediately put Cheng Ge’er to work, teaching him how to scale and clean fish, and the little tricks for cleaning intestines without breaking the gallbladder.

Cheng Ge’er learned quickly. Although he wasn’t as strong as an adult, he was still quite strong for his age and could handle pounding fish paste without any issues.

With Cheng Ge’er’s help, Xu Qinyu made more milk custard and milk buns. The dough had been prepared the night before.

Cheng Ge’er hadn’t eaten breakfast and was drooling at the smell of the milk and sweetness. His stomach growled.

Hearing his stomach, Xu Qinyu couldn’t help but laugh. She took five milk buns and five milk custard buns from the pot and gave them to Cheng Ge’er to eat.

A growing boy could eat a lot. Cheng Ge’er was amazed at the first bite and quickly devoured the five milk buns and milk custard buns, still wanting more.

Cheng Ge’er stayed until dinner time, helping with various tasks. He didn’t want to go back, knowing there wasn’t much to do at home. He helped fetch water, wash dishes, and clean pots.

When Xu Qinyu started selling fish balls, braised fish, and fish head tofu stew, he helped with that too.

After selling the fish balls, Xu Qinyu killed the eels and made a stir-fried eel dish with ginger, garlic, and dried chili. The stir-fried eel was fragrant, crispy, and tender, filling the courtyard with a mouth-watering aroma.

Cheng Ge’er was entranced by the smell.

Xu Qinyu didn’t give him money for the eels. The seven or eight jin of eels made a lot of stir-fried eels. She packed half of it in a food box for Cheng Ge’er, along with ten milk buns and two bags of fish balls, for him to take home to Concubine Bai and the third branch to try.

The milk custard buns were sold to Xia’s and Officer Xu’s families, so none were left.

Cheng Ge’er carried the food box and milk buns home, feeling a bit dazed. When he got home, he sneaked in through the back door. Because of Concubine Gui’s illness, they couldn’t use the main entrance and had to use the side and back doors. The back door led to the third branch’s residence, which was more secluded. The first and second branches rarely came this way. He sneaked in as usual, making sure no one saw him.

Concubine Bai and the others had just finished dinner and returned to the third branch. Third branch Master, Wen Zixiao, had just arrived home and hadn’t had dinner yet. He was sitting in the hall, talking to the family.

Not seeing his eldest son, Wen Zixiao asked, “Where’s Cheng Ge’er?”

Concubine Bai replied, “Cheng Ge’er has been catching eels outside the town to sell. He usually comes back early, but he’s not back yet today.”

Wen Zixiao didn’t think much of it. Given the family’s recent troubles, it was time for his eldest son, who was almost thirteen, to grow up and start thinking about helping the family earn some money.

As they were talking, Wen Zixiao noticed his eldest son, Wen Shuncheng, sneaking into the courtyard through the hanging flower gate, bent over and tiptoeing like a little thief. He was carrying a food box in one hand and holding something else in his arms.