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In just a couple of days, it would be market day. Wanqing was debating whether to join in the excitement. She hadn’t made up her mind yet, so she decided to take a walk in the courtyard.
As soon as she stepped outside, she saw her father, Lin Heng, weaving bamboo products. Surrounded by bundles of bamboo, Wanqing suddenly remembered the inconvenience of eating porridge without a proper spoon. She asked Lin Heng if he could make some soup spoons, but he advised her that wood was better for spoons and that bamboo was more suitable for chopsticks. Hearing this, Wanqing had no choice but to give up on the idea.
After taking only a few steps, another thought crossed her mind—since they were talking about wood, she thought about a bathtub. She asked Lin Heng, “Father, is there a carpenter in our village?”
“Yes, Zhang Laosan is a carpenter,” Lin Heng replied.
“Then, Father, can you buy a bathtub? That way, we can soak in a proper bath.”
“Sure, I’ll talk to him later and get one,” Lin Heng agreed readily.
“Father, also buy a table, some stools, and a wooden barrel for storing grain.”
Wanqing felt that there were far too many things their household needed. They didn’t even have a proper dining table, just a low kang table. The family always ate sitting on the kang (heated brick bed). Now that they had money, it was time to purchase some essential household items.
She made a list in her mind: one Eight Immortals table with four stools, two small benches, a bathtub, and a large wooden barrel for storing flour.
Like a diligent housekeeper, Wanqing made her requests to Lin Heng and asked about the prices.
She wasn’t very familiar with the market prices in this era—only after visiting the county town did she gain a rough understanding of essentials like firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea. However, she was clueless about the cost of furniture and other household items.
Lin Heng told her that prices varied from place to place. In their village, Zhang Laosan charged 500 wen for a set that included a table and six stools.
Wanqing did some quick calculations. Their household savings totaled 20 taels of silver. As for loose change, she had personally earned 167 wen, and Lin Heng’s income wasn’t much—only about 15 wen per day. Even in a full month, he wouldn’t earn more than 500 wen, and they still needed to buy food. This meant they would have to break one of the 20-tael silver ingots.
Wanqing herself didn’t mind breaking the ingot, but Li Shi (her mother) was reluctant. No matter what, she refused to exchange their four silver ingots into smaller denominations.
Ever since earning some silver, Wanqing no longer wanted to eat the coarse, dark grains they had before. She longed for white rice and fine flour, but Li Shi was dead set against it. “Peasants don’t eat white rice and fine flour—that’s for rich folks,” she insisted.
Wanqing couldn’t win against Li Shi and had no choice but to continue eating the rough, throat-scratching black bread. The frustrating part was that no one else in the family found it unpleasant—only she did.
Feeling helpless, she considered selling another recipe just to afford white rice and flour. Maybe Shopkeeper He would be interested in her braised pork recipe?
“Father, I want to go to the county town tomorrow.” Wanqing couldn’t resist her craving for white rice and decided to make the trip.
“There’s a big market in two days. If you need something, buy it there,” Lin Heng suggested.
“I’ve been to the county town—I can’t bring myself to settle for the town market anymore. I still prefer the county town,” Wanqing admitted honestly, pouting.
Her father, Lin Heng, was delighted. His daughter rarely acted so close to him, and since he was in a good mood, he agreed to her request without hesitation.
Wanqing looked at her easygoing father and thought that his love for his daughter was no less than that of modern parents.
People often said that ancient societies favored sons over daughters, but she hadn’t experienced that in her own family. On the contrary, because of her weak constitution, she had been pampered since childhood. No wonder the original owner of this body had been so attached to her parents.
Since most of the necessary household items were now accounted for, Wanqing decided that her next earnings would go toward clothing and bedding.
It was already late September in the Da Qian Dynasty, and though October hadn’t arrived yet, the temperature was dropping fast. Despite wearing a padded jacket, Wanqing still felt cold. She longed for cotton-padded clothes and pants, but the family had no cotton, and buying cotton would be a significant expense. She wasn’t sure if Li Shi would agree to it.
Li Shi wasn’t stingy—she was just like any other ordinary woman in this world, managing household expenses frugally. With so many financial needs pressing down on them, she likely believed that cold weather could simply be endured by staying indoors.
But Wanqing couldn’t take it. She wasn’t sure if the Da Qian Dynasty was in the north or northwest, but one thing was certain—it wasn’t the warm south she was familiar with. She simply couldn’t bear the cold!
She wanted to buy cotton to make warm clothes and quilts. The blankets at home had already turned stiff and provided little warmth.
“Mother, let’s buy some fabric and make new clothes for everyone,” Wanqing suggested.
Li Shi was sewing a shoe sole when she saw Wanqing come to her after talking to her father. Smiling, she teased, “So, you’ve made your rounds with your father, and now it’s my turn?”
“Haha, what are you talking about, Mother? It’s just that winter is coming, and now that we have some money, we have food and drink, but we still need warm clothes. I don’t want to freeze to death, Mother!”
“Pfft! Nonsense! Don’t say such unlucky things, child. When the market comes, I’ll make a set for you and your siblings.”
“Let’s make new clothes for everyone, including you and Father.”
Li Shi continued working as she softly said, “Next year, I’ll definitely make a new set. This year, we’ve just split from the family, and there are too many expenses.”
Wanqing understood that money was tight. She was doing her best to earn, but making money wasn’t easy. Even as someone from the modern era with a ‘golden finger,’ she couldn’t just turn everything into gold overnight!
Things had to progress step by step, food had to be eaten bite by bite, and money had to be earned little by little—there was no rushing it.
She reassured Li Shi, “Mother, don’t worry. If we can earn 20 taels this year, we’ll earn 200 taels next year. By then, we’ll buy land and become landlords!”
Wanqing’s words always had a way of lifting her family’s spirits. Becoming landlords? That was something Li Shi and her daughter Wanru never dared to dream of. To them, simply having enough food and warm clothes was already a blessing.
That night, it was once again Wanqing’s time to ‘brainwash’ the family—talking about making new clothes, buying land, and becoming landlords. They debated enthusiastically late into the night.
Wanqing wanted to instill hope in her family, setting goals one by one and striving to achieve them!
Her parents and brothers were honest and simple people. Their only aim was to have enough to eat and wear. But Wanqing was not from ancient times—she understood that in this era, natural disasters and human calamities were frequent, and no one knew what might happen tomorrow.
However, there was one thing she did know—tomorrow, she was going to the county town!
She planned to visit Doctor Su and personally cook him a delicious dish of braised pork. Last time, she hadn’t delivered the fatty intestines herself and hadn’t met him in person. This time, she wanted to properly express her gratitude.
She understood the principle of repaying even the smallest favor generously. Besides, in this era, maintaining a good relationship with a doctor could never go wrong!
Speaking of Doctor Su, Lin Heng and Madam Li were deeply grateful to him. Madam Li’s health had improved significantly, and she looked much better.
Lin Heng insisted on personally thanking Doctor Su, so what was initially a trip for Wanqing and Zhiwen became a group of three.
At first, Zhiwen wanted to back out since their father was going, but Wanqing insisted that he come along.
She believed that as the eldest son of the family, Zhiwen should go out and experience the world more. Interacting with shrewd businessmen like Shopkeeper He would help him develop social skills and a better understanding of the world. Wanqing was not going to miss this chance to take Zhiwen to the county town.
The three of them set off together.
With their father, Lin Heng, present, Zhiwen felt relaxed, and Wanqing was in high spirits. She chatted with her father along the way, asking if he had been to the county town before and when. Their lively conversation made the journey pass quickly, and before they knew it, they had arrived.
As soon as they entered the county town, their first stop was the butcher’s shop to buy three jin of pork. Then, they headed toFumanlou restaurant.
The moment they arrived, the restaurant’s errand boy recognized Wanqing and her brother and immediately ran to inform Shopkeeper He.
Shopkeeper He had long regarded Wanqing as a lucky charm for his business. He even set his tea aside and got up to welcome her enthusiastically, “Oh! Miss Wanqing is here!”
Lin Heng, seeing the grand and elegant decor of Fumanlou, felt hesitant to step inside. He hadn’t expected his daughter to be so well-received. Watching how naturally his children interacted with the shopkeeper, he was a little surprised.
Wanqing took her father’s hand and led him inside. Then, she introduced him to Shopkeeper He, “This is my father. He brought us here to shop today. Father, this is Shopkeeper He of Fumanlou.”
Lin Heng immediately cupped his hands respectfully, “Shopkeeper He, it’s an honor to meet you. I am Lin Heng. Thank you so much for looking after my daughter. I am truly grateful.”
Upon realizing that this was the same Shopkeeper He who had given Wanqing twenty taels of silver, Lin Heng felt even more appreciative.
Shopkeeper He studied Lin Heng—though he was a man from the countryside, he was tall and well-mannered, without the timid demeanor of a rural folk. No wonder he had raised such outstanding children.
“So you are Miss Wanqing’s father! Welcome, welcome! Please, come in and have a seat,” he said warmly, leading them to a table in the main hall.
As they settled in, Wanqing casually asked, “How’s business lately, Shopkeeper He?”
This was a topic that got Shopkeeper He excited. “Great! Thanks to your recipes, Miss Wanqing, Fumanlou has been attracting more and more customers!”
“In that case, how about I give you another recipe—for braised pork?” she offered.
“Really? That would be fantastic! Of course, I’d love that!”
Shopkeeper He was overjoyed. Turning to Lin Heng, he remarked, “Brother Lin, your daughter is truly remarkable—so clever and talented. You are a blessed man!”
After writing down the recipe, Shopkeeper He handed Wanqing fifteen taels of silver, which she discreetly tucked into her sleeve and stored away in her space.
She then suggested that since she was going to cook braised pork for Doctor Su, he could send a chef to watch and learn the process firsthand. That way, if there were any questions, they could be answered immediately.
Shopkeeper He agreed and sent Chef Ding to observe and learn.
When the dish was ready, Shopkeeper He could barely contain his excitement. He eagerly picked up his chopsticks and, upon seeing Wanqing nod in approval, took a bite.
His face lit up with delight! The dish had a bright red color, was tender yet not greasy—truly an excellent dish!
With the braised pork packed up, Wanqing set off for Baohetang clinic to deliver it to Doctor Su.