The day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, the county town was bustling with activity.
It seemed that people from nearby villages all took this day to head to the county town to purchase everything needed for the next day’s Mid-Autumn celebrations. Food, daily necessities—everyone was rushing to complete their shopping on this day.
Yu Li looked at the lively scenes in the streets and alleys, which were even busier than usual, and found it all very novel.
The shops on both sides of the street were filled with goods, and people came and went, their baskets or bamboo backpacks packed with items. It gave her an even stronger sense of how much the people of this world valued festivals.
Even the poorest people would scrape together a bit of money during the holidays to buy some festive food and enjoy a proper meal.
Yu Jin carefully avoided the crowded flow of people and pointed to a pastry shop ahead, saying, “Big sister, I heard people say the mooncakes from this shop are delicious. Let’s hurry over before they sell out.”
After her business at the docks had stabilized, she became familiar with the local vendors around her, and this was what they had told her.
Hearing this, Yu Li decided they would go there to buy mooncakes.
She took her younger sister’s hand and headed toward the pastry shop.
There were many people buying mooncakes and pastries at the shop, and the place was packed.
Yu Li, relying on her strength, parted the crowd like Moses parting the sea. People instinctively moved aside, clearing a path for the sisters.
Yu Jin: “…”
Seeing the bewildered expressions of those pushed to the side, Yu Jin’s face turned slightly red, but she couldn’t help laughing.
Having a strong sister was truly great—no need to squeeze through the crowd.
When the two of them left the pastry shop, their bamboo backpacks were filled with an assortment of mooncakes and pastries.
Naturally, Yu Li bought more, as she wanted to enjoy them herself.
Mooncakes were an essential food for the Mid-Autumn Festival, and there were all kinds of fillings available. She wanted to try each kind, so she bought them all.
Yu Jin didn’t buy as much, only one mooncake for each family member.
Although she was now earning some money from her business, she needed to save it. She planned to save enough money to build a house and move away from the Yu family compound, to avoid living too close to their grandmother, Old Madam Yu, and risk another incident like when Yu Zhu got hurt.
Since it was impossible for everyone to get along harmoniously, it was better to stay far away—out of sight, out of mind.
After buying mooncakes, they went on to purchase sugar cakes and fresh fruits.
Shanping County, located in the southernmost region of the Great Qing Dynasty, had a warm climate. Every autumn, a variety of fruits would ripen. The villagers would pick their homegrown fruits and bring them to the county town to sell.
Yu Li bought pears, jujubes, peaches, and other fruits.
These peaches, which ripened in autumn, were crisp and somewhat sour.
By the time the two sisters had finished shopping, their bamboo backpacks were fully loaded, and Yu Li was even carrying an extra basket in her hand. They then made their way to the butcher’s shop.
Liu Shi was waiting for them at the butcher’s shop.
When they arrived, they saw Liu Shi and Zhang Fu cleaning the courtyard.
Liu Shi was a diligent and capable woman. Knowing that Zhang Fu, the butcher, had been taking good care of her two daughters—selling the offal to her younger daughter at a low price—she felt deeply grateful.
The first time she came to the butcher’s shop and saw Yu Li cleaning the courtyard, she rolled up her sleeves and helped out without hesitation.
Afterward, every time she came over, she would help with the chores.
Seeing them return with their baskets full, Zhang Fu asked with a smile, “What did you all buy?”
Yu Li replied, “I bought many kinds of mooncakes. Brother Zhang, you and Yaoping should have a taste.”
As she spoke, she set down her bamboo basket and took out some of the mooncakes they had just bought, handing them to Zhang Fu and Zhang Yaoping.
Zhang Fu wiped his hands clean and took a meat-filled mooncake. While eating, he said, “Li Niang, why did you buy so many kinds of mooncakes? Other than the meat-filled ones, I think the rest aren’t tasty at all.”
The meat-filled mooncakes were savory, which he preferred.
Zhang Yaoping picked a sweet one and countered, “Seventh Uncle, you’re wrong. The peanut and sesame-filled ones are the best. Meat-filled mooncakes are no good.”
Zhang Fu waved his hand at him, “Shoo, shoo, you kids don’t understand anything. Sweet mooncakes are no good!”
“You’re the one who doesn’t understand. You only like savory ones, but eating too much salty food isn’t good for you.”
“Hey, meat is so delicious. What’s wrong with liking savory flavors? And eating too many sweet things might ruin your teeth.”
Yu Jin pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh. She hadn’t expected the two of them to argue over whether mooncakes should be sweet or savory.
Liu Shi, seeing her eldest daughter hand her a mooncake as well, was somewhat taken aback by the gesture.
She couldn’t bear to eat it all and only broke off a small piece to taste. Then, she shared some with her younger daughter and wrapped the rest in oil paper, planning to take it home for her two younger daughters.
After eating the mooncakes, everyone chatted for a bit before finishing cleaning up the courtyard. Yu Li, Yu Jin, and Liu Shi prepared to leave.
Zhang Fu said to Yu Li, “Li Niang, tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival. We’ll need to slaughter pigs in the morning, and I’ll have to trouble you to come and help.”
During the festival, more people came to buy meat. Even the poorest would grit their teeth and buy a little meat to add to their meals, so they needed to slaughter two more pigs to meet the demand.
Yu Li agreed, saying she understood and would come by tomorrow.
The three of them left the butcher’s shop and, after leaving the town, went to take a mule cart back to the village.
Yu Jin had bought quite a lot of things today, and if they carried everything home themselves, it would be too exhausting. So they decided to take a mule cart back to the village.
The price of the mule cart was three copper coins per person—affordable for an occasional trip.
The owner of the mule cart was the third son of the village head.
The village head’s surname was Zhou, a prominent surname in Qingshi Village. Yu Jin and the others usually called the cart owner Third Uncle Zhou.
Last night, Yu Jin had gone to the village head’s house to arrange it, asking Third Uncle Zhou to wait for them around noon so they could take the cart back.
There were quite a few passengers on the mule cart. Several other villagers from Qingshi Village had also come to the county town to shop today. Their bamboo baskets were packed full and covered with cloth.
When the mother and daughters arrived, the others greeted them warmly.
“Oh, it’s you! What did you buy? Look at those baskets, they’re about to overflow!”
The speaker was Aunt Guihua, who had also come to the county town today.
To be fair, Old Madam Yu wasn’t entirely wrong in saying that Aunt Guihua was a bit lazy. She was both lazy and greedy, and she would always volunteer for easy errands like shopping in the county town.
In addition to that, she was a gossip who loved to meddle in others’ affairs. Anything that happened in the village always seemed to involve her.
As Aunt Guihua chattered, she reached out to lift the cloth covering Yu Jin’s basket, but her hand was stopped by another.
Yu Jin pulled Aunt Guihua’s hand away and said, “Aunt Guihua, I have a lot of stuff in here. Don’t open it randomly, or it’ll spill out.”
Although she was clearly rejected, Aunt Guihua didn’t take offense. With a cheerful smile, she said, “Jin Niang, I heard you’ve been selling mixed-grain rice meals in the county town recently. How’s business going? Can you teach your aunt a thing or two? I’d like to try my hand at a little business to earn some extra money for the family.”
Hearing this, everyone in the mule cart turned to look, some of them visibly intrigued.
Yu Jin’s mixed-grain rice meal business in the county town was no secret. The villagers had quickly found out about it.
Most people envied her; after all, who wouldn’t want to make money? But envy was one thing—few dared to follow suit. They were usually timid when they went to the county town, hesitant and fearful, let alone daring to start a business there. They lacked the nerve and the know-how.
Because of this, everyone thought Yu Jin was not only brave but also impressive.
It wasn’t just Yu Jin. Her sister Yu Li, who had found work butchering pigs in the county, was equally remarkable.
The two sisters were regular topics of conversation whenever villagers gathered.
These days, whenever the villagers chatted, they would talk about how capable the second branch daughters of the Yu family were, able to fend for themselves.
Of course, there were some who said the sisters from the second branch were restless and improper, running to the county town every day and rarely staying at home. But everyone knew those were just sour grapes.
Whenever someone made money, they were bound to be the subject of some jealous remarks—those who couldn’t earn just had to begrudge those who could.
“It’s nothing special,” Yu Jin said. “We make some money, but the expenses are high too. You know how it is. I sell mixed-grain rice balls, so I have to buy grain, meat, and seasonings. Plus, when I set up a stall at the early market in the county town, I have to pay fees to the dock manager. And every morning, we have to take a boat across… By the time you add it all up, we’re only left with a little hard-earned money.”
Hearing her break it down, the people in the cart felt like maybe it wasn’t as profitable as they’d imagined.
Hard-earned money like this didn’t seem much different from farming after all.
Aunt Guihua didn’t quite believe it. If they weren’t making much money, how could they buy so many things today? Surely, they had money to spend generously.
She turned to the quiet Liu Shi beside her and asked, “Sister Liu, you all must be earning quite a bit, right? I heard you sell out every day. That must mean you’re making good money.”
Liu Shi seemed a bit uneasy and quietly replied, “We don’t sell out every day…”
“Not selling out? That can’t be true.”
“It’s true. Whatever we don’t sell, we just bring back home and eat for lunch.”
“…”
Hearing Liu Shi’s explanation, everyone couldn’t help but sigh. As expected, mixed grains weren’t something county folks would take a liking to. If they couldn’t sell it all and had to bring it back home to eat themselves, what a waste that must be.
Villagers usually ate watery meals, stretching their grains with water to fill their bellies and save on food.
Mixed-grain rice balls were dry, and thinking about eating them every day at home made people feel pity.
Aunt Guihua grew frustrated at Liu Shi’s reserved and quiet nature.
She hated talking to people like her because no matter how much you said, they wouldn’t respond, leaving you feeling like you were performing a one-person play and unable to get any useful information.
Her gaze finally landed on Yu Li, who was sitting on the outer side of the mule cart. Aunt Guihua smiled and said, “Li Niang, how much do you earn in a month from butchering pigs in the county town?”
Seeing her direct her questioning to Yu Li, Yu Jin’s face darkened in annoyance.
Her older sister had a straightforward personality. Whenever someone asked her a question, she would answer politely. In Yu Jin’s eyes, her sister was the kindest girl in the world.
Aunt Guihua clearly knew this and was deliberately probing her sister for information.
Yu Li turned to look at Aunt Guihua and, sure enough, responded politely, “I don’t earn anything.”
“What?”
In an instant, everyone turned to look at her, their faces full of astonishment.
Why would she say she didn’t earn anything? Could it be that she butchered pigs and didn’t get paid?
Yu Li patiently explained, “Every day when I get paid, I spend it all, and it’s still not enough. I even need my mother-in-law and others to pitch in. So it’s really like I’m not earning anything—in fact, I’m spending more than I make.”
Everyone: “…”
Aunt Guihua was dumbfounded, never expecting that “not earning” meant this.
She couldn’t help but ask, “How are you spending it all? Why isn’t it enough?”