Chapter 31

Li Qinghe had never been either, but Zhou Chengkang had, and the man who sold her the fish fry had mentioned it too. "By carriage, about two days."
The girl's shoulders sagged; she wasn't ready to give up. "Is there a carriage from the town to the county seat?"
"There usually aren't, but you can hire a carriage yourself." As she said this, Li Qinghe glanced unobtrusively at the girl's clothing, plain garments from Third Aunt. She remembered that when they'd brought her back she had worn a single simple robe, clean and without jewelry; there was probably nothing hidden away.
Put simply, there was no silver. That meant she couldn't go. Besides, if she really left she ought to repay Third Aunt for the medicine and the chicken broth. For a peasant household, those were not small expenses.
"I see." The girl's voice fell. She asked again, "Does anyone in town buy embroidery?"
"Yes, Zhang's cloth shop in town takes embroidery." Li Qinghe noticed the calluses on the girl's hands and added, "Some of the more delicate pieces fetch high prices."
The girl's eyes brightened. "Thank you." Then she remembered something. "My name is Yu, Yu Yan."
Third Aunt came out of the house holding a dark bowl of medicine, smiling. "Qinghe, you've already fed the fish and come back so soon?"
"Qinghe?" Yu Yan asked, puzzled. "What's your family name?"
Li Qinghe smiled. "My surname is Li. Many people in Wang Village are Li."
They had delayed so long the sun was already setting. She had just put the quilt out to air and needed to bring it in before the autumn dew settled on it. "I have to head back. My home is right here," Li Qinghe said, pointing to her yard. "If you have time, you can come by and talk."
On her way home she saw Zhao Wanwan peering out from the yard gate. When she returned Wanwan asked softly, "Did she really wake up?"
Li Qinghe answered casually, "Yes, she did. Looks like she'll be all right."
"Judging by her looks, could she have been secretly sold?" Zhao Wanwan followed behind. "Old folks in the village say the principal wives in big families sometimes quietly sell off the daughters of concubines. Could she be one of those... If that's true, Third Aunt and her family really hit the jackpot."
She had a lot of theories.
Li Qinghe went straight to the backyard to take in the quilt and stitched it back up in her room. Winters were harsh; without a thick quilt she couldn't manage. This one had been sent to her a couple of years ago by Mrs. Xu.
It was late and the sunlight was gone. Li Qinghe left the door ajar to keep a little light without straining her eyes. Zhao Wanwan came in again and stood by to help straighten things. "Sister, when is your wedding?"
Li Qinghe replied offhand, "We only just became betrothed; it's still early. At least not until next year."
Zhao Wanwan sighed. "I wish it could be sooner. You know about my match, if it doesn't go through I always feel uneasy. If they call off the engagement..."
Li Qinghe didn't want to get drawn into it and pretended to concentrate on mending the quilt. After a while Wanwan said, "Imagine if I had five taels of silver, how wonderful that would be."
To outsiders it looked like Li Qinghe had bought land and then fish fry, so people assumed she wasn't short of silver and that perhaps Mrs. Xu had helped her. No one knew she had shown the elder woman how to make the cakes, nor that she'd earned a few taels she hadn't spent. Even those who had seen her making cakes at the bun shop later assumed she was just a day laborer the elder woman had hired; they wouldn't think she was the one who had come up with the recipe.
So when Zhao Wanwan spoke like that, she wasn't asking for Li Qinghe's money. She probably wanted her to help persuade Li Fu.
After all these days Li Qinghe didn't know what went on behind closed doors, but at least in her presence she hadn't seen Madam Qian and Zhao Wanwan pressuring Li Fu anymore.
Everyone was busy tidying their fields; those with time were cutting wood to prepare for winter. Li Qinghe stayed busy too. She planned to hire people to fence off a plot, raise chickens next spring, and open another patch to plant grain. If she did nothing, the land would truly lie wasted. Besides, having bought the wasteland meant it was tax-exempt for the first three years; after that they'd charge half the usual grain tax for seven years, and after ten years it would be taxed like ordinary land. If she left it uncultivated, she might later not be able to produce enough grain to meet the taxes.
So she needed to hire people, she and Zhou Chengkang couldn't do much by themselves.
No matter how she thought about it, it seemed best to ask her eldest uncle's family for help, or have them find a few more hands. Mrs. Liu could do the cooking, at worst they'd pay her wages. That would be the simplest solution. At home, Madam Qian couldn't be relied on.
So early the next morning she went to Li Xingwang's house. The whole family was up. After Li Qinghe explained her plan, Mrs. Liu agreed immediately. "Bring the grain and I'll prepare it for you."
Li Xingwang scolded, "We have grain at home, what grain do you mean?"
Li Qinghe hurried to say, "That's different, one thing at a time. If my eldest uncle's family is willing to work, that's already a huge help. I can't expect you to have to subsidize everything yourselves."
When she said that, Granny Liu, whose expression had been stiff, relaxed considerably and replied readily, "If your aunt is helping you, then I won't have to pay wages, you just look after the meals."
She wasn't upset that Granny Liu was reluctant to chip in for grain; after all, no one was obliged to subsidize a niece they hadn't seen much in years. Affection is earned, and out of respect for the two elders she was even willing to let Granny Liu have the upper hand.
After coming back from the back she took the silver intending to go to town to buy grain. Now that she was engaged to Zhou Chengkang, naturally she'd go with him; his carriage was fast and buying grain meant she wouldn't have to carry it herself.
Today wasn't market day, so there shouldn't be many heading to town, but just as they left the village entrance they saw a girl walking slowly by the roadside.
As they drew closer, it turned out to be Yu Yan.
She looked a little wan and pale; seeing the carriage she hurriedly waved. When she recognized Li Qinghe at the front of the carriage she smiled and said, "Qinghe, could you give me a lift?" Then she added, "I'll pay you, just on credit."
After seeing Zhao Wanwan and Madam Qian's tactic of retreating to advance, which led others to take the initiative, this girl's plainspoken admission that she had no money seemed all the more charming. The carriage stopped and she was helped in.
The carriage reached the town quickly; fifteen minutes later it was already stopped at the town entrance. Li Qinghe pointed out the way to her, then went with Zhou Chengkang to buy grain. After buying the grain, they passed Auntie's bun shop and bought a few buns; there were also some of the flatbreads she'd made earlier. Li Qinghe laughed and asked, "How's business now?"
Auntie shook her head with a smile. "It's all right on market days, but we barely sell any on ordinary days. I just help out by making them." She lowered her voice. "It's that I'm stingy with the ingredients, fine flour and rice are so expensive."
Only then did Li Qinghe notice that she'd already switched from white rice to millet, no wonder... But Auntie had been in business for years, so Li Qinghe didn't try to lecture her; she knew her own situation.
Remembering that Mrs. Xu had run back to ask about her engagement, Li Qinghe bought some pastries and went to the cloth shop.
The cloth shop was as usual; Mrs. Xu was still in the backyard watching the child practice his characters. She was quite pleased to see Li Qinghe. "Take the pastries home, we don't lack snacks here. Just come by often and visit me; that's enough."
She then lowered her voice and spoke of Zhao Wanwan's marriage matter. "The Hu family had already agreed with the people in Liu Village, but then Zhao Tianfu went to the Hu household and caused a scene. Only then did the Hu family and son not dare change their minds; they sent a matchmaker over to make a preliminary agreement. A lot of people in town know about it."
That was news to Li Qinghe. She suddenly remembered how Madam Qian had slipped out that morning to meet Zhao Tianfu, most likely over this match.
Madam Xu snorted. "I wonder what your father would think if he knew the woman he's set his heart on is still in contact with Wanwan's father."
If he found out, there'd surely be a scene. Don't be fooled by Li Fu's usual indulgence toward Madam Qian, he hates to see her cry, but when his temper flares he can be fierce. And with Zhao Wanwan in the middle of the two families, cutting off ties isn't realistic.
Li Qinghe asked suspiciously, "The Hu family started out with such a grand stance, the first time they came they wanted my pond, then when they came for the preliminary match they even demanded five taels as bride price." That lofty "you discuss it among yourselves" doesn't sound like a family bowing to pressure.
Madam Xu sneered, "Daring to set their sights on you, I'll tear her apart myself! Bride price, my foot. There won't be any of that. With Zhao Tianfu making such a fuss, even if the Hu family doesn't want to, they'll have to dutifully marry their daughter off to him."
She remembered something and asked, "Did anyone mention that if he becomes a xiucai they might register the land under the Hu boy's name later on?"
Li Qinghe fell silent.
Seeing her expression, Madam Xu's face grew cold. "Madam Qian is shrewd, if they register the land under his name, then he'll be the son-in-law. If Li Fu kicks the bucket, who in the Li family would go ask him for the land? And if he really becomes a xiucai, who would dare? You're your father's only child; the bulk of the family's land and houses should belong to you! Handing it over to Zhao Wanwan, aren't they afraid of choking on it?"
Sure enough, the older ones are craftier; she thinks ahead like that.
But that was really far-fetched, Hu Yanxi isn't even a pupil yet; becoming a xiucai is still a long way off.
Before Li Qinghe left, Madam Xu stuffed a bolt of cloth into her hands. "Take this, make a few clothes for Chengkang. Since he'll be working in the fields, make him a couple extra sets." She muttered, "I don't know what's so good about farming in the countryside; don't get too tanned."
She came out carrying a bolt of cloth from the back and saw Yu Yan at the counter flipping through a booklet. The shop assistant beside her, with a solemn face, kept reminding her to be careful and kept asking, "Do you even know how to embroider?"
Yu Yan was already a bit annoyed but held herself back. She pointed at several intricate patterns and inquired about the price, waiting for the assistant to fetch the fabric. Seeing Li Qinghe come out, she hurriedly called, "Qinghe, wait for me, I'll be quick. Could you give me a lift?" She added, "Once I finish embroidering these patterns I'll definitely give you the silver."
Li Qinghe glanced at the patterns in the booklet, there weren't many people in this town who could do them. If she really could embroider, she ought to make a good income.