The 17th of every month is market day.

On the 16th day of the month, Dad Chen and his son Chen Yuping usually go to the town to buy ingredients. They also plan to settle the household registration for the child, bring home this month’s fruit powder, purchase some essentials for the baby, and finally buy some daily necessities that the family is missing.

With so many things to do, it’s clear they won’t be back home by noon.

Before setting off, they prepared lunch for themselves: two cold dishes and a pot of soup simmering on the stove. They had Liu Guixiang check on it occasionally. They would eat it with shrimp paste steamed buns, so lunch was covered.

Dazhuang was a very well-behaved and quiet child. At just two years old, he was easy to take care of, and particularly low-maintenance.

Liu Guixiang mentioned that leaving Dazhuang at home would be fine since he could play with Qiaoniu and wouldn’t delay her.

Plus, with the additional child, she really didn’t have the energy to manage everything.

Thus, Dazhuang went to town with Dad Chen and his son.

They hitched a ride on a village cart, but on the way back, since there were still many tasks left to do, Chen Yuping and his father had to miss the free cart.

By the time they finished their errands and bought everything they needed, it was already late afternoon. They had a bowl of chicken soup wontons at a stall. The skins were thin, the meat fresh, and at five wen for ten, they were quite filling.

“When I was a kid, this wonton stall was right at the end of the alley. In the blink of an eye, decades have passed, and it’s still here, with the same light and delicious flavor. Don’t be fooled by the small stall with just two low tables, business is booming, supporting a family of eight. Now, it’s run by their eldest son.”

Chen Yuping casually asked, “Don’t the other sons feel jealous?”

“What’s there to be jealous about? Except for the eldest son, the others have all been sent off to be apprentices, and when they divided the family, they were given plenty of money.”

“The old stall owners really thought things through.”

“In business, you have to be thorough. They don’t even have a storefront, just a stall in the alley, and after decades it’s still thriving in the hands of their son, which shows they’re clever,” Dad Chen said, tapping his head and smiling. “They’re such smart people.”

Without a cart to ride back, the father and son had to walk home.

They strolled under the shade of trees, chatting slowly, and before they knew it, they arrived at the village entrance.

“Uncle Chen, did you just come back from town?” A neighbor greeted them with a smile.

Dad Chen responded amiably.

“Why didn’t you rent a cart? Luckily, the sun isn’t too hot today.” He paused and glanced at the sleeping child. “Is this the child that Ping ger brought back from the mountains? He’s been well taken care of, his little face is starting to look chubby.”

“No one comes to Kuzhu Village and it’s just the two of us. Renting a cart wouldn’t be worth it.” Speaking of the child, Dad Chen laughed, “This little one is easy to take care of. Today we settled his registration, and from now on he’ll be our family’s Cao ger. No more saying he’s a foundling.”

His tone was gentle, and the neighbor didn’t get upset, nodding in agreement.

Not far along, they ran into several young men who were staring intently at Chen Yuping.

“Isn’t Ping ger selling braised pig intestines tomorrow?”

“Yes, I bought ten portions of pig intestines all at once. Tomorrow there will be plenty.” This was a bit heavy, so Chen Yuping had asked someone from the village to help bring it home earlier.

“Ten portions isn’t enough, I guess I need to go over early to secure some.”

“Ping ger, have you thought of any new dishes? I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“Don’t laugh, but I dreamed about it yesterday. I imagined Ping ger had come up with an unprecedentedly cheap new dish, three skewers for one wen.”

Chen Yuping just laughed. “That really was a dream. I was planning to make braised pig intestines, but unfortunately didn’t buy a ox. If you know who’s selling one, please let me know.”

“Buying an ox isn’t easy, it’s all about luck.”

“Ping ger, I’ll keep an eye out for you. If there’s good news, can you send me some food? It doesn’t matter what kind, as long as it’s made by you.”

“Sure thing.”

This talk somehow spread throughout the village.

Those coming to buy food would always ask if it was true.

Some even came specifically to ask, wanting to know if it was genuine.

Of course, it was true.

A couple of days later, for some reason, the rumor got distorted, saying that anyone who told Ping ger about someone willing to sell a cow could eat all the delicious food at the stall for free, without paying, as much as they wanted.

This was clearly unreliable. Most people knew not to trust such talk, but a few still came with a hint of hope, shamelessly asking.

“I never said that,” Chen Yuping replied coldly and seriously. “I want to buy a sturdy ox that can work the fields. If someone hears of an ox for sale, let me know so I can verify it. If it’s true, I’ll send them some food. As for what and how much, I’ll decide.”

By evening, the house was tidied up inside and out. As dusk fell, a gentle night breeze blew in. It was a rare moment of peace, and the Chen family sat outside enjoying the cool air.

Dad Chen grumbled, “If this reaches someone with thin skin, they might get cheated. Who started this rumor? If I find out, I’ll give them a beating.”

“It really is annoying,” Chen Yuanqiu added, equally upset.

“If we knew who spread it, it wouldn’t be hard to find out, we could just ask a few people,” Father Chen said, a glint of coldness in his eyes.

Chen Yuping said, “No need to waste energy on such people, they won’t get away with it anyway.”

Kuzhu Village isn’t very big compared to the nearby Shen Village. It’s not small either, as it has a decent number of residents compared to surrounding villages. While not all families are wealthy, they can at least have enough to eat and wear, living relatively stable lives.

Finding out who was spreading the rumors in the village wouldn’t be easy, especially since it wasn’t clear whether they had malicious intent or were just overly eager to eat the tasty food from the stall. There’s a big difference between the two.

The Chen family set up a stall at home, and not only did the business succeed, it thrived. If someone says no one is jealous or secretly envious, that’s definitely false. Being in the spotlight, it’s best to keep a low profile regarding these trivial matters.

As the 17th market day approached, there was still no sign of purchasing an ox.

Chen Yuping sighed, even with money, he couldn’t spend it.

It seemed the braised pig intestines would have to be postponed again. With more and more inquiries coming in, he couldn’t help but think of new dishes.

Chen Yuping pondered all night and then fixated on the eggs in the jar.

Eggs sell for two for one wen in town.

They have twelve chickens at home: one rooster and the rest hens, yielding nine or ten eggs daily which is not a small amount.

Instead of selling them cheap in town, he decided to make five-spice tea eggs, selling them for one wen each, which had decent profit margins.

With that thought, Chen Yuping got to work. They had tea at home, made from their own smoked tea. Father Chen smoked occasionally, but not too much. However, he had to have a bowl of strong tea daily—half tea, half water. If he missed it one day, he’d get inexplicably irritable.

To ensure daily strong tea, the Chen family set aside some land in a hilly area to plant several tea trees. Now, those trees had grown for over ten years, and the smoked tea they made was authentic.

“Father, I want to discuss something with you.”

Father Chen raised his eyebrows. “What is it?” He felt uneasy, sensing something was off with his youngest son.

“Can I have some of your smoked tea?”

“If you want it, just take some to brew.”

“Father, what I mean is I want a bowl of smoked tea every day.” Chen Yuping pulled out a bowl he had hidden behind him.

This bowl contained about one and a bit taels of tea, enough for two bowls of strong tea.

Dad Chen widened his eyes in surprise, straightened his back, and looked at his son: “Every day?”

“Yes, every day.”

“My whole bag of tea won’t be enough for you, it’ll be another six months before new tea comes in!” His tone and demeanor suggested he almost wanted to label his son as unfilial.

Dad Chen chuckled from the side. “If Ping ger wants to do it, let him. Don’t worry about it. There’s still some old tea left from last year, and this year’s new tea is even more plentiful, so there’ll definitely be leftovers. He just has a habit of cherishing food, an old habit he won’t change.”

“He wants a bowl every day!” Dad Chen turned his face away, grumbling, “That’s enough for me to brew for two days!!!”

“I’ll just try it out first, not putting in so much, to see if the flavor comes out. Maybe one bowl can last for two days.”

Father Chen frowned, and reluctantly said: “Fine, if you want to use it, go ahead.” He stood up with his hands behind his back and soon returned with a bowl of strong tea, drinking it carefully as if he might never get another chance.