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The sun dipped behind the western hills, casting the sky in hues of fiery orange and soft pink.
At the entrance of the house, Zhiqin and Zhiyuan stood on tiptoes, anxiously scanning the distant road. When they finally spotted two familiar figures approaching, they cheered, “Big brother and sister are back!”
As soon as Zhiwen and Wanqing stepped through the gate, they were met with an enthusiastic welcome. The two younger brothers jumped and hollered around them, their excitement overflowing.
Meanwhile, inside the house, Madam Li had spent the entire day on edge. Her heart had been heavy with worry—what if something happened to them on the long journey? But now that they were home safe, she finally let out a breath of relief.
Zhiwen carried his back basket into the house and started unloading its contents one by one.
When Madam Li saw the neatly stacked white rice, brown rice, and white flour, her eyes widened in shock. “Why did you buy so much grain?”
“There’s more, Mother.” Zhiwen grinned and pointed at Wanqing’s basket, suddenly taking great pride in their purchases—even though, just hours ago, he had been agonizing over the cost.
Wanqing emptied her basket, explaining as she went:
Item after item piled up, leaving everyone—except Zhiwen—completely dumbfounded.
Then, Wanqing lifted a ceramic jar and added, “Inside here are pig intestines and a big bone, all to help Mother recover.”
Finally, she clapped her hands together as if just remembering something. “Oh! And these—white flour buns! One for everyone!”
Tears welled up in Madam Li’s eyes.
She wasn’t sure if she was moved by her daughter’s filial piety, distressed over the large sum of money spent, or both. In a choked voice, she protested, “I’m already feeling much better. There’s no need to spend so much money on such expensive things. Families like ours don’t eat such luxuries…”
Wanqing, unfazed, reassured her with a smile. “Mother, don’t worry. It wasn’t that expensive. Do you know how much money we made today?”
She pulled out the coin pouch, turned it over, and let the copper coins spill onto the table with a crisp clatter.
The entire family gasped in astonishment.
Wow! So much money!
The two younger brothers let out excited yelps.
Wanqing nodded, adding, “And this is after we spent some on all these things.”
Her eldest sister, Wanru, was in disbelief. “How much did you sell the wild mushrooms and rabbits for?”
Wanqing smirked playfully. “Take a guess!”
Wanru, too impatient for games, turned to Zhiwen instead.
Zhiwen glanced at Wanqing hesitantly.
Seeing her shrug indifferently, he took that as permission and recounted the day’s events. The entire family listened in awe as he described the transaction.
After counting the earnings, Madam Li carefully placed the money into their savings jar. Watching the coins accumulate, she felt a deep sense of hope—life was finally starting to look better.
With the grain stored away, Wanqing carried the ceramic jar containing the big bone and pig intestines into the kitchen.
Her eldest sister, Wanru, was just about to start cooking dinner when Wanqing handed her the bone. “Sister, wash this while I clean the intestines.”
Wanru wrinkled her nose at the pig intestines but said nothing—after all, Wanqing had earned the money and was the one washing the smelly offal.
Wanqing grabbed a handful of plant ash to scrub the intestines clean. She had originally wanted to use flour—a much better method—but knowing how frugal her elder sister was, she decided against it.
Wanru, meanwhile, put the bone into a pot, filled it with water, and set it on the fire to simmer into a broth.
By the time Lin Heng returned home, the kitchen was filled with the rich aroma of stewed meat.
The two younger brothers were already drooling, stomachs growling in anticipation.
This dinner… smelled way too delicious!
Tonight’s soup was especially rich and flavorful. The broth, simmered from pork bones, was enhanced with wild mushrooms and fresh greens, making it exceptionally fragrant.
The white flour buns, reheated and soft, served as the perfect accompaniment to the meal. Even though they were simple vegetable-filled buns, in a rural household like theirs, white flour was a rare treat—something usually reserved for the New Year’s feast.
As the family gathered around the wooden dining table, they talked excitedly about the day’s events—the successful sale of the wild rabbits, the amount they had earned, and the grains and provisions they had brought home.
Lin Heng, the head of the household, was left utterly stunned. His son and daughter had managed to earn 350 wen in just one trip!
That was far more than what he made from working odd jobs!
Pride filled his chest as he looked at Zhiwen. His eldest son had truly grown up—leading his younger sister on such a long journey to town and negotiating such a good price for the rabbits.
Lin Heng patted his son’s shoulder and said sincerely, “I haven’t been to town many times myself, but you two handled everything so well. Selling the rabbits at such a high price—you did a great job. It must’ve been an exhausting day.”
Wanqing immediately chimed in with her signature sweet talk, “Dad, we’re not tired at all. You’re the one who works the hardest!”
Then, without missing a beat, she proposed, “Father, can you build us another small stove? One stove just isn’t enough! I even bought a new clay pot today just for stewing soups.”
Lin Heng thought for a moment before nodding. “Alright.”
He had originally built only one stove in a hurry when their family split from the relatives, but with their household expanding its food supply, having another stove made sense.
Lin Heng was a man of action—right after dinner, he wasted no time and went straight to work, mixing clay and bricks to build the new stove.
Meanwhile, Zhiqin and Zhiyuan eagerly surrounded Wanqing, bombarding her with endless questions about town life.
Wanqing, overwhelmed by their enthusiasm, finally said, “Alright, alright! I’ll take you there one day so you can see it for yourselves.”
That promise sent the two younger brothers over the moon with excitement.