Chapter 21:- Delivering the Jacket to Little Brother

 

Who would’ve thought that Ma Baisheng, instead of being outraged, let out a sigh of admiration. “Only 158 wen? Little lady, your sweet soup is priced so fairly!”

Xu Shuyue smiled modestly. “Just trying to make an honest living.”

She wasn’t surprised by Ma Baisheng’s words, but Madam Wei and the others stood there dumbfounded. They never imagined a day would come when they’d hear someone call sweet soup—costing 20–30 wen to make and sold at five times the price—“fairly priced.”

Eldest Brother Liang murmured in confusion, “Then what would an ‘unfair price’ look like for this sweet soup?”

Qi Ansheng shook his head thoughtfully. He’d seen enough in his years to know that food prices could vary greatly depending on location and demand.

This comparison suddenly made Madam Wei feel a lot more confident about her own small price increases. She turned back to bargain with the general store owner, Master Zhang, with a bit more boldness.

“Shopkeeper Zhang, you also know how it’s been snowing for days without sunshine. We couldn’t dry fruit properly in the sun, so it was my daughter-in-law’s ingenuity that made this batch possible. If you’re serious about buying, I’ll give you an honest price.”

Before they left home, the dried fruits had been weighed carefully. They still had over five jin of apple slices and slightly more than three jin of pear slices, as no customers had purchased them yet.

Madam Wei thought for a moment and then said softly, “Two taels of silver, and it’s all yours. That’s the lowest price I can offer, Shopkeeper Zhang.”

Shopkeeper Zhang, short on candied fruits and other delicacies for year-end gifting, was immediately tempted. The dried fruit tasted almost as good as candied fruit, but the price was far lower. He wasn’t about to pass up such a good deal.

After haggling back and forth, they finally reached a firm agreement. Shopkeeper Zhang smiled and said, “Alright, two taels it is. Let’s not waste time; pack it up for me.”

Madam Wei’s face lit up with joy. Since Shopkeeper Zhang wanted everything, there was no need to repack the fruit. She quickly wrapped it all up with the cloth spread on the table and called Eldest Brother Liang to deliver both the dried fruit and the candied fruit to the general store on the next street.

With that, the dried fruit inventory was entirely sold out. The remaining small stash at home was reserved for their family during the New Year and didn’t count. Receiving two taels of silver all at once filled Madam Wei’s heart with joy.

Meanwhile, over at Xu Shuyue’s side, thanks to Ma Baisheng and the two ladies, most of the candied fruit was gone, and the snow fungus and pear soup had been reduced to half a bucket. It was undoubtedly a successful day.

Madam Wei sighed, “Even if this sweet soup is delicious, it doesn’t fill you up. For over 100 wen, we could sell more than 30 big meat buns in the town market!”

At the moment, there were no customers at the stall, so Xu Shuyue finally took a breather. Hearing Madam Wei’s comment, she chuckled and said, “That’s because the people buying sweet soup aren’t looking to fill their stomachs. For them, a meat bun is nothing special. They just have the money to spare and don’t mind indulging a bit.”

“If we ever reach a point where we don’t lack food or clothes, we’d also think about treating ourselves to something nice every once in a while.”

Madam Wei found the idea unimaginable and sighed wistfully, “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of meat buns in this lifetime.”

“Mother, remember those words of yours,” Xu Shuyue teased lightly.

After all, Daoist Master Chuyun had predicted her wealth would come true. When the time came, Madam Wei shouldn’t regret eating so much meat that she couldn’t stand it anymore.

Xu Shuyue’s lips curled into a smile, her almond-shaped eyes crinkling into crescents that sparkled like spring blossoms. The radiance of her expression was like the bloom of peach blossoms, captivating and vivid.

From a distance, inside a horse-drawn carriage, Zhao Sheng lifted the curtain slightly and gazed sideways. That radiant smile imprinted itself in his mind like an indelible mark.

The attendant noticed his young master fall silent mid-conversation and called out curiously, “Young Master?”

Zhao Sheng snapped out of it, rubbing his brow. The attendant, concerned, asked, “Young Master, is your headache acting up again?”

He moved to massage Zhao Sheng’s temples, but Zhao Sheng raised a hand to stop him. “No need.”

Then, changing the subject, Zhao Sheng asked, “That young lady… what is she selling? I’ve never seen such things before.”

The attendant followed his gaze out the window, letting out a surprised exclamation. He scratched his head, admitting, “Young Master, I’ve no idea what those are either. They seem to be some sort of food. Would you like me to buy some for you to try?”

Zhao Sheng nodded slightly, his gaze lingering on Xu Shuyue as the attendant jumped down from the carriage. Assuming his master was only curious about the snacks, the attendant hurried over to the stall and bought two servings each of the candied fruit and the snow fungus pear soup.

The soup had cooled since the early morning, and the attendant, feeling the temperature of the bamboo cup, hesitated. “If I’d known it was cold, I wouldn’t have bought it,” he muttered regretfully.

Zhao Sheng stirred the soup with the slender bamboo skewer. The mixture, thick and full of ingredients, resisted the stir, almost breaking the skewer.

Seeing this, the attendant grew more resolute. He took the soup back and firmly said, “Young Master, your illness hasn’t fully recovered yet, and the physician advised against cold foods. If you really want to try it… let me warm it up in the kitchen when we return to the manor.”

Zhao Sheng shook his head helplessly, poking his attendant’s forehead with a faint smile. “Mother was right to send you along. You’ve got me completely under control.”

The attendant, grinning from ear to ear, was undeterred. He knocked on the carriage frame and signaled the driver to continue.

Although the soup remained untouched, Zhao Sheng did manage to sample the candied fruit. His throat wasn’t feeling great, so while he enjoyed the taste, he could only eat a little. The rest ended up in the attendant’s belly.

—

By noon, the Qi family’s stall had nearly sold out. The dried fruit and candied fruit were completely gone, and only a small amount of the pear soup remained. Xu Shuyue wasn’t one to be stingy and instructed Eldest Brother Liang and Second Brother Liang to bring out a couple of bamboo cups to divide the leftovers.

Hearing this, Eldest Brother Liang immediately shook his head and refused. “Sister-in-law, this isn’t right! This sweet soup is so expensive; giving it to us would be a waste!”

“What waste? Giving it to people isn’t wasting it,” Xu Shuyue replied firmly. Without waiting for further protests, she personally scooped out the last of the soup and handed it to the brothers. Clapping her hands, she cheerfully declared, “We’re done for the day!”

The brothers exchanged awkward looks, holding the bamboo cups stiffly.

Madam Wei, growing impatient, urged, “Hurry and drink it before it gets cold!”

Qi Ansheng chimed in as well, “Drink up, then collect your pay. Your aunt and I have other matters to tend to.”

Hearing that the couple still had things to do, Eldest Brother Liang and Second Brother Liang didn’t argue further. After downing their soup, they received fifty wen each.

Second Brother Liang frowned. “That’s too much.”

The initial agreement was twenty wen per person for the day.

“How is it too much?” Madam Wei, packing up the stall, dismissed their concerns. “It’s not too much. You’ve helped manage customers all morning and even ran deliveries. This is what you’ve earned.”

Not giving them a chance to refuse, Madam Wei added, “Alright, now that the work is done, your uncle and I need to deliver a padded jacket to Qingfeng. You two can decide whether to explore the county or head back to the village.”

Eldest Brother Liang quickly replied, “The county’s things are too expensive. Second Brother Liang and I don’t have much to buy, so we’ll head back.”

This response wasn’t surprising. Madam Wei reminded them to stay safe on the road. Parting ways, the brothers carried their straw bundles and wooden buckets back to the village.

With fewer burdens, the three Qi family members made their way to Qingfeng’s academy. Delivering the jacket was one reason, but they also wanted to share the news that Qi Siming was still alive.

Coincidentally, they arrived as Qingfeng’s class let out. Notified of their arrival, he met them at the academy gates.

Madam Wei handed him the bundle, gave a few reminders, and then passed him Qi Siming’s latest letter.

At first, Qingfeng assumed it was the same letter as before. But following Qi Ansheng’s prompting, he opened it and saw its contents.

Xu Shuyue watched as the eight-foot-tall man’s eyes reddened instantly. She bit her lip, thinking that perhaps she was the only one not eager for her “dead” husband to return.

Qi Qingfeng looked at Madam Wei and Qi Ansheng with a quivering voice. “Father, Mother… this letter… is it real?”

“It’s real,” Madam Wei confirmed tearfully. “Your elder brother sent it. He explained that the previous letter was a misunderstanding by his comrades who thought he had perished. But he’s alive and well—and has even been promoted to a commanding officer.”

Madam Wei hadn’t shared this detail publicly when reading the letter in the village. She didn’t want to provoke envy. And with the hundred-taels silver note enclosed, letting others know would only invite trouble during the New Year.