Chapter 7 – Sister-in-Law Yao

Xia Tian heard someone calling “Shen family’s daughter-in-law” at the door. She paused for a moment before realizing it was calling her.

She thought to herself, “This new identity, I’ll need to get used to it.”

Quickly walking to the door, she saw a woman, probably in her early twenties or so, smiling as she sized her up.

“You must be the new daughter-in-law of the Shen family, right? I live in the house next door,” the woman said, pointing behind her. “I’m the head of the house, Liu Dashan. My last name is Yao, you can call me Sister-in-Law Yao.”

“Sister-in-Law Yao,” Xia Tian said with a friendly smile, “What can I do for you?”

“I just came to ask, a few days ago, your brother-in-law mentioned pickling some vegetables and cabbage. Do you still want some?” Sister-in-Law Yao asked, looking at Xia Tian expectantly.

“Yes, yes!” Xia Tian thought that maybe Shen Nian’s younger brother had ordered the vegetables from Sister-in-Law Yao’s family but hadn’t had the chance to deliver them before he suddenly left. That’s probably why Sister-in-Law Yao had come to ask.

In March, fresh vegetables hadn’t yet been harvested, and the villagers mostly ate pickled vegetables from the winter.

It was just the right time; she didn’t have any vegetables at home and was planning to buy some at the market when she went.

“Sister-in-Law Yao, may I go take a look?” Xia Tian felt it was better to check first.

The climate here seemed quite similar to that of the Lu region.

Although it was March, according to the lunar calendar, it was more like the modern months of April or May, so some vegetables might not last long.

“Sure, go ahead!” Sister-in-Law Yao replied happily.

Her family had a lot of pickled vegetables, and they would be ready to eat in just a few days. Selling some could help supplement the household.

“Alright, Sister-in-Law, please wait for me,” Xia Tian said, and then called to Shen Nian, “Shen Dage, I’m going next door to Sister-in-Law Yao’s to check out some vegetables. I’ll be back soon.”

Without waiting for Shen Nian’s response, she pulled Sister-in-Law Yao out the door. “Let’s go, Sister-in-Law.”

Sister-in-Law Yao looked at Xia Tian’s decisive manner and felt reassured. Shen’s younger brother often came to buy things from their family, and he was generous.

He had also asked her to take care of his brother!

Shen’s younger brother had been very good to his brother. He had even asked her to find a matchmaker for him before he passed away, worried that his brother would be left lonely and without a wife.

Ah, what a good person he was. Unfortunately, he didn’t live long!

Sister-in-Law Yao sighed. Today, she was just taking a chance, asking if the vegetables were still needed.

And, by the way, checking how the new daughter-in-law was doing. She didn’t expect that Shen’s younger brother had indeed found his brother such a straightforward and capable wife, so now she could feel at ease.

As they chatted, they arrived at Sister-in-Law Yao’s house. Two small children, around four or five years old, were playing in the yard. A woman in her fifties was sitting on the doorstep, sewing clothes.

Sister-in-Law Yao introduced her to Xia Tian. “This is my mother-in-law, and those two kids are my oldest and second.”

As they walked inside, Sister-in-Law Yao explained, “Mother, this is the new daughter-in-law from the Shen family next door. I’m taking her to check out our vegetables.”

Xia Tian greeted her with a “Hello, Aunty,” and Sister-in-Law Yao’s mother-in-law smiled. “Ah, good child, go ahead.”

Without further delay, Sister-in-Law Yao led Xia Tian to the small room in the back, where a row of jars filled with various pickled vegetables stood.

Xia Tian looked them over one by one, picking two heads of sour cabbage, two heads of sour radish, a large bowl of yellow soybean paste, a small jar of chopped chili peppers, and two heads of fresh cabbage. She was surprised to find potatoes in the corner, so she asked for five jin of them. It was unexpected to see potatoes in this era, but since there were chili peppers, what else was impossible?

Sister-in-Law Yao was pleased to see that Xia Tian had taken quite a lot. “Shen’s daughter-in-law, don’t worry about eating. My mother-in-law is an expert in pickling vegetables. Our pickles are the best in the village.”

Xia Tian smiled and nodded. “Sister-in-Law Yao, I’ll take this for now, and I’ll come back for more when we run out.”

“Ah, anytime! Just come find me when you need more,” Sister-in-Law Yao happily agreed. Though the money wasn’t much, it was still an income.

They carried the items back home and placed them in the kitchen. Xia Tian poured Sister-in-Law Yao a cup of water, letting her sit and rest while she went to get the money.

When she came out, she realized that she only had the silver coins from the old lady Xia had given her and the seventeen copper coins her mother had given her. The vegetables had cost a total of nineteen copper coins, and she didn’t have enough change.

She wondered if Shen Nian had any money on him.

Not seeing him in the yard, she figured he might be upstairs.

She went up to the room to find him, entered, and saw him lying on the bed reading. She didn’t beat around the bush. “Shen Dage, do you have any change? I bought some vegetables from Sister-in-Law Yao, but I don’t have enough.”

Without saying a word, Shen Nian stood up and took out a small purse from a chest on the bed. He handed it to Xia Tian.

She took it, opened it, and saw it was full of copper coins, which was very convenient.

She counted out nineteen copper coins, put the rest back in the purse, and tucked it into her chest. “Shen Dage, I’ll take this as household expenses,” she said, then left the room.

Shen Nian watched her leave without any hesitation, his lips curling into a slight smile. She was quite straightforward.

If Mu Yang were here…

Shen Nian shook his head and continued reading.

Xia Tian handed the copper coins to Sister-in-Law Yao, who eagerly took them, counted them, and put them away in her chest. “Shen’s daughter-in-law, if you ever need anything, just come find me!”

“Sister-in-Law Yao, my name is Xia Tian. You can just call me by my name. I’ll be bothering you again in the future!” Xia Tian smiled and held her hand affectionately.

“Of course! I like a straightforward girl like you,” Sister-in-Law Yao said happily. She was also a quick and decisive person, so she appreciated Xia Tian’s directness.

Xia Tian felt that she had good rapport with Sister-in-Law Yao. Neither of them were difficult people, and Sister-in-Law Yao wasn’t too old, so they could continue to interact more in the future.

“Sister-in-Law, where do we get water from in the village?” she asked, since she didn’t know where the water source was, and the water tank in the kitchen was almost empty.

“There are two wells in Liujia Village. One is by the big willow tree at the village entrance, but it’s a bit far. The other is closer, at the south side of the village head’s yard. There’s a shed there, very easy to find,” Sister-in-Law Yao explained, making sure Xia Tian would know where to go. “Do you know the village head’s house? It’s the row of big tile-roofed houses in the middle of the village.”

Xia Tian nodded. She had seen the big tile-roofed houses when passing through the village earlier. They looked quite impressive.

“Where do people wash clothes?” Xia Tian asked, taking the chance to ask while Sister-in-Law Yao was there, so she wouldn’t be confused later.

“Everyone goes to the river to wash clothes. It’s not far from here, just east of the village entrance,” Sister-in-Law Yao explained while gesturing.

After chatting for a while, Xia Tian saw Sister-in-Law Yao off. “Sister-in-Law, are you going to the mountains tomorrow? If you are, let me know. We’re running low on firewood at home.”

“Okay!” Sister-in-Law Yao agreed. “The wild vegetables on the mountain are growing well now, we can pick some to eat.”