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墨書 Inktalez
The village chief floated out of the county office, feeling a bit dazed, and drifted back to Aoyama Village. All the villagers who heard the chief relay the magistrate's words were equally dazed, including Scholar Guan. He had received the magistrate's assurance that he would be recommended to the Educational Commissioner, giving him a great chance of being listed in the next Provincial Examination.
The villagers were overjoyed, and the entire village came together to prepare a splendid offering to express their gratitude to their Ancestors. Not only they, but even people from neighboring villages rushed to the Aoyama Village shrine to burn incense in thanks. For a time, Aoyama Village was bustling with activity.
Seeing the hopeful smiles on everyone's faces, Li Zhoule and Wen Zixia felt an overwhelming sense of pride and happiness. Thinking about how all of this was a blessing from Hanno, Li Zhoule waited for the villagers' emotions to settle before seeking out several skilled embroidery aunties in the village.
“Aunt Manchong!” Li Zhoule called gently as he entered the yard of Full Granary's home.
Hearing his voice, Aunt Manchong came out from inside: “Zhou Le is here? Come in!”
Aunt Manchong happily led Li Zhoule into the house. He felt a weight on his leg and looked down to see a child hugging him. He smiled and bent down to pick up the Child.
“Sister, sister,” the little one called out slowly.
“Good boy,” Li Zhoule said, rubbing the Child's cheek. He turned to Aunt Manchong and said, “The Child can walk and talk now. You've taken good care of him; he's a bit chubbier than in winter.”
Aunt Manchong expressed her gratitude: “I must thank you for that porridge you made that night, as well as for the food you brought later. This child drank the meat porridge and gained some strength; that's how he survived that illness.”
Li Zhoule replied, “That's just fate smiling upon good people. Don't worry, Auntie; this child will surely have blessings in the future. You just need to enjoy your good fortune then.”
Aunt Manchong laughed: “Then I’ll hold you to your good words.”
She led Li Zhoule to sit down in her house while he placed the Child on the bed. The Child wobbled over to pick up a toy—a wooden carved horse and a cloth tiger—left lying there and began to play by himself.
“Zhou Le, what do you need from Auntie? Just say it; I will definitely help you,” Aunt Manchong assumed Li Zhoule had encountered some trouble and quickly patted her chest in assurance.
Li Zhoule smiled: “Auntie, I'm doing well; I don't need any help. I'm here because I've found a way to make some money and want you to join us…”
"Making money?" Aunt Manchong's eyes lit up. "What kind of money-making scheme do you have in mind?"
Li Zhoule began to explain the excuse he had come up with while discussing it with Wen Zixia and the others. "Well, I happened to meet Sun Beizhi, the Keeper of Wei An Pawnshop. A friend of Sun Shopkeeper has opened an Embroidered Workshop and is looking to buy embroidered goods from skilled artisans to sell in the capital. I thought about the embroidery skills of the women in our village; they are quite good. Why not take on this job? It would allow us to earn some extra money for meat at home."
Aunt Manchong was immediately intrigued. She considered her own embroidery skills to be quite good, as she often sold handkerchiefs at the local market or in the county town for some extra cash. She asked, "Is the price they offer fair? How much do they pay for each piece?"
Li Zhoule replied, "They pay fifteen Copper Coins for an Embroidered Handkerchief. If the piece is larger and more intricate, they pay even more."
"That's seven Copper Coins more than what the Embroidered Workshop in the county pays!" Aunt Manchong exclaimed in disbelief. The cost of making an Embroidered Handkerchief was five Copper Coins, and the county workshop only offered eight Copper Coins for them, leaving her with just three Copper Coins as labor cost. At most, she could earn thirty or forty Wen Qian a month. Now, with an extra seven Copper Coins per handkerchief, she could earn over a hundred Wen Qian a month! Ah! She had to take this job.
"Zhou Le, where is that Embroidered Workshop? I just finished several handkerchiefs and plan to take them there tomorrow to exchange for money."
Li Zhoule smiled and said, "Auntie, there's no need to rush; this is a long-term opportunity. Besides, that Embroidered Workshop isn't in the county town. The Boss entrusted Sun Shopkeeper, who then entrusted me with it. You can bring your finished handkerchiefs directly to my house. You don't need to worry about payment; Sun Shopkeeper has given me enough money to cover everyone's labor costs."
Aunt Manchong was overjoyed upon hearing this. "That's wonderful! I won't have to walk twenty miles just to sell a few handkerchiefs for some coins anymore. Zhou Le, your family truly is a lucky star for our village. The improvements in our village's life must be due to the good fortune you bring."
Li Zhoule quickly waved his hands. "Auntie, please don't say that. The changes in our village's life are thanks to our ancestors' blessings, not our doing."
Aunt Manchong laughed heartily. "Blessings from ancestors are one thing, but your contributions cannot be overlooked either. When you and Zixia get married, I will organize a grand wedding for you with everyone in the village."
Li Zhoule's cheeks flushed bright red at this remark, and without further delay, he hurriedly took his leave from Aunt Manchong's house.
He visited over ten households consecutively, each one teasing him until his face remained flushed throughout. Finally, after leaving the last house, Li Zhoule let out a sigh of relief. Walking along the muddy road of the village, he felt the spring breeze gently brushing against him, bringing with it the fragrance of fresh grass. Spotting some lush wild vegetables by the roadside and fields, he crouched down to gather them—shepherd's purse, bracken fern, dandelion... There were many varieties of spring wild vegetables. Without a basket, he picked enough bracken fern for a dish before heading home.
Li Yishu and Wen Ziyu had just returned from gathering firewood and ran off to chat with Hanno in the storage room. After a while, both children came running out joyfully, each carrying a basket as they rushed outside.
Li Zhoule called out to them, "It's almost time for dinner! What are you two up to?"
Li Yishu stopped and said, "Sister Han, we have plenty of wild vegetables here. If you want some, we can go pick some for you."
Upon hearing Hanno's request, Li Zhoule did not stop them. He replied, "Then hurry up and go. The sooner you finish picking, the sooner you can come back. Ziyu, you can have dinner at our house tonight."
"Okay," Wen Ziyu responded and ran off with Li Yishu.
There were so many edible wild vegetables in spring: wild garlic, purslane, plantain, dandelion, noodle vegetable, gray vegetable, malan head, water celery, bitter herb, Balloon Flower... They grew abundantly in the fields. These were nature's gifts; at this time of year, the fields had just been sown, and many families without food relied on these wild vegetables to fill their stomachs until the crops matured.
The two boys did not run far and soon gathered a good amount of wild vegetables near the Li Family's home. They even caught a few yellow eels and loaches to put in their basket. Both loaches and yellow eels were common in ancient fields but were often avoided as people considered them pests. Thanks to Elder Brother Li's efforts, the villagers learned that these two were not only delicious but also very nutritious. What kind of nutrition? The eldest son of the Li Family was known for promoting healthy and strong food. As a result, people from Aoyama Village occasionally caught loaches and eels to improve their meals. Initially, Elder Brother Li taught them several cooking methods, but the wisdom of the farmers' wives proved boundless as they developed various ways to prepare these dishes.
In less than half an hour, the two boys returned with a basket of wild vegetables and a cage full of loaches and yellow eels for the Li Family. They had woven the cage from grass they found along the way; though it wasn't pretty, it was quite sturdy.
Li Zhoule had already set the table for dinner. When he saw them return, he called them over to eat. The two boys devoured their meals quickly; in no time at all, they finished two bowls of rice before dragging their bamboo basket into the storage room.
"There’s no more noodles!" Seeing the bottom of the white Porcelain Jar, both boys felt a bit disheartened. However, they diligently wrote a letter and placed both baskets of wild vegetables and the cage of loaches and yellow eels into the Porcelain Jar. After watching these items disappear inside, they clapped their hands and left the storage room.
...
Hanno was overjoyed when he saw the two baskets of wild vegetables and a cage full of loaches and yellow eels. Where else could one find such fresh wild vegetables? And pure wild yellow eels and loaches? What a treat!
For dinner, they had dumplings filled with shepherd's purse and pork, accompanied by cold wild vegetable salad—so delicious that they couldn't stop eating. Holding his round belly, Hanno noticed that there were almost no wild vegetables left in the baskets and marveled at how resourceful ancient children were to pack them so tightly.
"I'll send some over to your Second Aunt tomorrow," Mom Han said. "Wild vegetables don't stay fresh for long; their taste diminishes. I'll take some to give away too."
Hanno replied, "I'll take what's left to my shop. With such good wild vegetables, I can't let them go for cheap."
"Mom Han said, 'This is really good. Where did you get it? Your uncle and the others don't have such good wild vegetables.'
Hanno chuckled, 'Well, I run a hot pot restaurant, so I naturally have my sources. Whether it's wild vegetables or yellow eels and loaches, they're all completely wild. Their nutritional value is much better than farmed ones. They sold it to me because we have a good relationship. Let's eat yellow eel first, then we'll have loach.'
Han Dad chimed in, 'Buy two blocks of tofu to make Mantis Shrimp Tofu.'
'Sure thing.' Hanno jumped up and ran to the kitchen, putting all the loaches into a basin, adding clean water and a little salt. Once they spit out all the dirt and impurities from their bellies, she could make Mantis Shrimp Tofu. Mantis Shrimp Tofu is a famous dish, also known as Han Palace Hidden Beauty or Jade Clay. The name sounds beautiful, but it's essentially loaches hiding in tofu. She poured the loaches into a pot with soft tofu and heated it up, adding chopped green onions, MSG, ginger, and other seasonings before covering the pot. The loaches were forced to burrow into the tofu to hide from the steam, and when the soup boiled, they would all be cooked inside the tofu, leaving only their tails sticking out. It was called Mantis Shrimp Tofu as a way for people to belittle Dong Zhuo, comparing the loaches to the cunning Dong Zhuo. The loaches desperately sought refuge in the hot soup but ultimately couldn't escape their fate of being cooked, just like Dong Zhuo himself who fell victim to Diao Chan's beauty scheme.
After handling the loaches, Hanno glanced at another basin containing yellow eels and began to think of several ways to prepare them. These yellow eels were still alive; however, Hanno wasn't like most girls who would be afraid of killing them. This tough girl took on all the tasks of slaughtering chickens and fish at home—Mom Han was a Buddhist who didn't believe in killing, and Han Dad's skills in handling ingredients were not trusted by Mom Han.
Suddenly, her phone rang. Hanno picked it up and saw an unfamiliar number. After a moment's hesitation, she pressed the answer button.
'Hello? Who is this?'
'Sister-in-law, it's Zhang Mingqiao.' A slightly unfamiliar voice came through the phone, but as soon as she heard that name, Hanno recalled his appearance. Zhang Mingqiao was Wei Feng's teammate and part of a special forces unit. She had met him when dealing with matters related to Wei Feng.
Hanno's voice softened. 'Oh, it's Mingqiao! What can I do for you?'
Although her fiancé was missing due to a mission, Hanno didn't blame the special forces; instead, she held great respect for them—especially for her fiancé's teammates. When she left with Wei Feng's belongings, she had given them her phone number so that these respectable individuals could contact her if they faced any difficulties. However, these people were proud and preferred to solve their problems on their own without bothering others. So when Zhang Mingqiao took the initiative to call her this time, she feared he must be facing some serious trouble.
'Um...' Zhang Mingqiao hesitated for a moment before stating his purpose. 'Sister-in-law, could you lend me some money?'
'No problem.' Hanno readily agreed without asking why. 'How much do you need?'
Zhang Mingqiao replied cautiously, 'Three hundred thousand. Is that okay?'"
Three hundred thousand is not a small amount. Hanno had used all her savings to buy a house and start a business, and she didn't want to touch Wei Feng's pension. At the moment, she really didn't have that much money. However, Hanno agreed without hesitation, "Sure, just give me your bank account number."
Zhang Mingqiao let out a sigh of relief and said gratefully, "Sister-in-law, thank you so much."
Hanno replied, "You are Wei Feng's good brother. Now that he is gone, I will take care of you in his place."
Zhang Mingqiao sighed, "Brother Feng had great taste."
Hanno smiled silently. When Wei Feng was alive, he often boasted about her to his teammates, making them envious and jealous, which earned her a high popularity among them. Therefore, even though Wei Feng was no longer around, his teammates would think of her when they faced difficulties. They regarded her as one of their own.
Hanno continued, "I'll transfer fifty thousand to you now, and I'll send the rest in three days."
"Thank you for your trouble, sister-in-law." Zhang Mingqiao understood that such a large sum of money couldn't be easily taken out by an ordinary person; it would definitely require some time to arrange.
"It's no trouble at all." Hanno hung up the phone and went back to grab her coat. "Mom and Dad, I'm going out for a bit."
"Go ahead, have fun," Mom Han waved her hand. "Enjoy yourself."
She thought her daughter was going out to hang out with friends and wholeheartedly approved. Staying at home wasn't any good; getting to know more people outside might lead to finding someone special and developing a romantic relationship.
Hanno understood Mom Han's thoughts well; she chuckled softly and stepped out the door.
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