Chapter 9: Establishing a Female Household

Qiao Nian emptied the basket of Prunella vulgaris and began sorting through it with Ping’an, picking out the wild vegetables that had gotten mixed in. They removed the roots and yellowing leaves, then rinsed everything clean in preparation for lunch.

Qiao Nian stepped into the kitchen, chopped the washed wild vegetables into fine pieces, and coated them in a thick layer of gray flour. Taking a handful, she shaped them into small, round steamed buns and placed them on a steaming rack to rest.

Ping’an, as usual, was in charge of tending the fire. By the time the water in the pot started boiling, Qiao Nian had finished shaping the vegetable buns. The meal wasn’t large—just enough for three people. These wild vegetable buns were best eaten hot; once cold, they turned tough, so she hadn’t made many, just enough to fill a single layer of the steamer.

After covering the pot with a lid, she reminded Ping’an to watch the fire carefully, then went to the backyard to pick some scallions.

The Qiao family’s backyard wasn’t big and didn’t house any livestock or poultry. It only had a small vegetable patch—enough to meet their daily needs. Most of the vegetables were just starting to sprout, but a row of scallions by the wall was already lush and green, pleasing to the eye.

Qiao Nian walked over and pulled up a handful. As she returned to the front yard, she saw Hua Guixiang coming back with a basket strapped to her back.

“Nai, you’re back from town. Are you tired? Let me carry that for you—take a rest,” Qiao Nian said warmly, reaching out to take the basket off her back. But Hua Guixiang turned slightly, avoiding her hands.

Ping’an had heard the commotion and came out of the kitchen. “Nai, you’re back!”

Hua Guixiang carried the basket straight into the house, smiling as she responded to them. “Nai’s not tired. I rode the Village Chief’s ox cart both ways. Have you two eaten yet? Nai brought you meat buns.”

As she spoke, she began pulling things out of the basket: a small bundle of coarse salt, two jin of pork lard, and an oil-paper package containing two large meat buns. The basket itself was clearly brand new.

Then she pulled out a pristine household registration document from her sleeve and said, “Nian Nian, this is our new household registration. Ping’an is still young, so Nai spent a bit more silver to have the county office register us as a female-headed household. Once Ping’an grows up, we can change it back.”

The Beishun Dynasty allowed women to establish female-headed households, and the policies were relatively lenient. As long as one could pay the required silver and have someone like the Village Chief, the local official, or a titled scholar act as guarantor, the county office wouldn’t make things difficult.

Once a woman was registered as head of a household, she had full authority over all household matters. However, a female-headed household had to pay an additional five hundred wen in annual head tax. And since most women eventually married into other families, few people chose this option—unless they were widows or orphaned girls. As long as they had a guarantor, they could support a household on their own.

Qiao Nian accepted the new household registration, her heart full of emotion. She knew Hua Guixiang had done this to prevent the second branch of the family from meddling in her affairs again. As long as she was officially the head of household, no one else could make decisions about her marriage.

She glanced at Ping’an beside her. Would he be upset about the household being registered under a woman’s name? But when she saw the joy written all over the boy’s face, with no hint of reluctance or complaint, she finally felt at ease.

“Nai, thank you. From now on, I’ll take good care of this home and make sure you and Ping’an live good lives.” It was Qiao Nian’s heartfelt promise to them.

Hua Guixiang smiled with grandmotherly affection, reaching out to gently stroke Qiao Nian’s head. “Nai believes in you. But don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Nai has lived most of her life already—whether the days are good or bad, it doesn’t matter. I just want the two of you to grow up safe and sound.”

She knew well how hard a woman’s life could be—whether in her husband’s family or her natal one.

Though setting up a female-headed household felt a bit unfair to her young grandson, once he grew up, he could change it back or register a new household of his own. It wouldn’t hinder anything. Right now, with one elder and two children at home, if they didn’t establish a female household, she truly feared that the second branch might try to sell off her obedient granddaughter.

Even though the family had been split, blood ties remained. As the elders of Qiao Nian and Ping’an, the second branch couldn’t be openly defied—at least not on the surface.

But once a female household was registered, the authority of the household head became significant. Without Qiao Nian’s own consent, no one else could interfere in her marriage arrangements.

Besides, Hua Guixiang could see that her granddaughter had truly grown after all they had been through. She was no longer the same girl who spent her days wallowing in sorrow. Hua Guixiang felt entirely at ease handing the household over to her.

From now on, no matter how they chose to live, the gossip in the village would lessen, and their reputation would stay intact.

Hua Guixiang told Qiao Nian to keep the household registration in a safe place. The household was now hers to manage. No matter what life had in store—good or bad—as long as the three of them stayed together, there would be no hurdle they couldn’t overcome.

Qiao Nian nodded, her heart swelling with emotion. In that moment, she seemed to see her grandmother from her previous life overlapping with the one standing before her now—both trusted her unconditionally, both loved her deeply.

Ping’an took the new household registration from Qiao Nian and flipped through it carefully several times. His face was all smiles, glowing with happiness. Their family now had its own independent registration, and they no longer had to fear being bullied by the second branch.

He didn’t care in the slightest that it was a female household. As far as he was concerned, the head of the household was still his A-Jie—the person he cherished most in the world. All he wanted now was to grow up quickly so he could take on the family’s responsibilities and protect A-Jie and Grandmother from ever being mistreated again.

After a short chat, Hua Guixiang put the small bundle of salt into the cupboard, then carried the pork fat and meat buns into the kitchen.

Qiao Nian turned back to her room and stored the household registration in her space. She knew she’d need it wherever she went in the future—it had to be kept safe.

When she returned to the kitchen, the wild vegetable buns had already been brought out, and the meat buns were being steamed in the pot. Once they were warmed up, they could eat. As for rendering the pork lard, they’d do that after the meal.

In the meantime, Qiao Nian quickly whipped up a dipping sauce—wild scallions, chili peppers, and a splash of vinegar. While the others weren’t paying attention, she snuck in a bit of five-spice powder and chicken bouillon, hoping it would enhance the flavor.

There was no helping it—this was all they had at home. She couldn’t just pull ingredients out of thin air. For now, they’d make do. Tomorrow, when they went to town, she’d stock up. After that, it wouldn’t be so suspicious to bring out items from her space.

When it was time to eat, the three of them pushed the two meat buns back and forth, insisting the others eat them. In the end, Qiao Nian and Ping’an each gave a portion to Hua Guixiang, forcing her to eat. They wouldn’t buy her excuse that she had already eaten in town. After all, Grandmother had been frugal for decades—would she really spend money on a meat bun for herself?

Who was she trying to fool?

Today, she’d gone to town to handle the household registration and had bought both salt and pork lard—items that cost quite a bit. By now, she’d likely spent nearly all the silver she had left. That’s probably why she only bought two meat buns.

After the meal, Qiao Nian asked Hua Guixiang to rest while she and Ping’an stayed in the kitchen—one tending the fire, the other rendering the pork lard. The two jin of pork fat turned into a full jar of golden lard on the counter, with more than half a bowl of crispy lard bits left over. Ping’an popped them into his mouth one after another, savoring them with such delight that even his eyebrows lifted in joy.