Daily Life at the Teahouse in an Ancient World - Chapter 43
Chapter 43
As soon as Yin Sheng and Lu Dahai saw the look on Shen Qing’s face, they realized they had said the wrong thing. They quickly jumped off the oxcart and went home separately.
Shen Qing drove the cart to the teahouse.
Xiao Wanling had just taken down the paper seals on the doors of Han’s Pastry Shop and the teahouse and was putting up a notice recruiting female workers.
The village women crowded around out of curiosity. “Madam Xiao, what’s written on that?”
Xiao Wanling turned and announced loudly, “The shop is hiring three women. One to help deliver tea and pastries; she must know how to drive an oxcart. One to clean and wipe down tables. One to handle grinding flour and chopping vegetables.”
She had already planned to hire three specific people: Sister-in-law Lu, Aunt Wu, and Jiang Ting!
Sister-in-law Lu squeezed out from the crowd. “I can clean tables! I can do any kind of work!” Her family really needed the money. At this point, if Lu Dahai wasn’t giving away their household goods, she’d already be thankful.
Jiang Ting, upon hearing that Madam Xiao’s shop was hiring, ran toward the teahouse as fast as she could, afraid she’d miss the opportunity. She was still gasping for air when she arrived. “Me! I can drive an oxcart! I’m strong too!”
Seeing Jiang Ting step forward, Xue Cui also pushed her way through the crowd. “Me too. I want to earn some money to help the household.”
Jiang Ting originally didn’t want to pay attention to Xue Cui, but she couldn’t help scolding her. “You just had a miscarriage. Shouldn’t you be resting at home?” If something happened, wouldn’t the blame fall on Madam Xiao?
Noticing that Aunt Wu hadn’t shown up, Xiao Wanling said, “Sister-in-law Lu and Jiang Ting, let’s do a three-day trial first. If everything works out, you’ll be hired.”
Sister-in-law Lu and Jiang Ting grabbed each other’s hands and smiled joyfully.
Now that it was winter, there wasn’t much work on the tea hills or among the mulberry trees. Life at home was difficult. Madam Xiao had really helped them out. They were grateful and started cleaning tables and sweeping the floor without being told.
Gu Yaofang nervously tugged at her clothes, then looked at Xiao Wanling and mustered her courage. “I’d like to try too. If it doesn’t work out, you don’t have to pay me.” With so many mouths to feed at home and Old Lady Liu constantly venting her anger on her, she just wanted a way out.
Xiao Wanling thought for a moment. “Alright. You can try too.”
Gu Yaofang quickly lifted her skirt and went inside to start working.
Xiao Wanling turned to the back of the crowd and saw Shen Qing standing there. He’d been there for a while already.
Yin Sheng and Lu Dahai rushed over and said something to Shen Qing, who furrowed his brows and turned to leave.
After finishing the work arrangements at the shop, Xiao Wanling was about to ride the oxcart home, but there was no cart to be seen beside the teahouse.
And Shen Qing was nowhere in sight.
Xiao Wanling figured he must be busy again tonight and wouldn’t return until late. Since she had nothing urgent, she helped clean the place. After the crowd dispersed and night fell, she locked the door and began teaching the women their daily tasks.
Gu Yaofang asked, “Madam Xiao, are you opening a restaurant too?”
Xiao Wanling nodded. “That’s right! There are over a hundred new households nearby. And with the market running daily, there’ll be no shortage of customers!”
Gu Yaofang fiddled with her sleeve and smiled. “You can brew tea and make pastries, and now you’ll be a chef too?”
Xiao Wanling: “Cooking is just a matter of understanding the principles. I enjoy making food!” Seeing guests smile after drinking her tea made her truly happy.
Seeing that it was getting late, Xiao Wanling told them to come back tomorrow to continue cleaning and organizing.
There were still many items to purchase. That night, Xiao Wanling lit a lamp and wrote up a list, planning to ask the farm supervisor to help run errands.
Shen Qing didn’t come home that night.
When Xiao Wanling woke up the next day and went to check the adjacent room, the bedding was neatly folded and still in the same place. She frowned in confusion. Could it be that another battle was about to begin?
The red beans had finished soaking. She used all her strength to make a batch of Snowy Red Bean Paste. Xiao Wanling placed a large porcelain bowl into an earthen pot and headed toward the training grounds where the men practiced.
The shouts of the soldiers echoed from afar. Standing on a hillside, Xiao Wanling could see the flat clearing where the men were practicing stances, all dressed in thin clothes, holding horse stances.
Shen Qing stood at the front of the group, feet apart in a half squat, punching with powerful arms. The others followed his every movement.
Yin Sheng caught a glimpse of a red figure on the hillside. Turning his head, he saw Madam Xiao holding a ceramic pot and turning to leave. He winked at Shen Qing.
Shen Qing glanced at him suspiciously, then followed his line of sight—catching a glimpse of Xiao Wanling’s departing figure. The sullen look he had worn for days finally lifted into a smile. He quickly ran toward the hillside. “Keep practicing!”
Laughter erupted behind him. Yin Sheng teased, “If we’d known Madam Xiao could cheer him up that fast, we’d have invited her earlier!”
As Xiao Wanling descended the hill, she heard hurried footsteps behind her. A strong arm wrapped around her waist, and a slightly sweaty face pressed against hers. She frowned and turned her head to dodge. “I made your favorite dish. Eat it while it’s hot.”
Shen Qing let go and grinned widely. With no table in sight, he squatted on the ground, picked up the porcelain bowl, took a bite of the snowy-white dumpling, and his eyes lit up. Sure enough, it was his favorite. “So… you’re not mad at me anymore?”
“Huh?” Xiao Wanling pulled out his teapot. “I thought you were just too busy to sleep or eat. Turns out, you thought I was angry?” She found it both amusing and odd. “Why didn’t you just ask me?”
Shen Qing looked down sheepishly and pulled a coin pouch from his waistband. “This is for you.”
He’d been busy these past few days earning silver, planning to give it to her once he’d saved enough. He also thought of how the Prince of Qi had called for the punishment of the Prince of Jin, who was known for his arrogance and ambition. The Prince of Jin had agreed to go to war in exchange for merits and rewards. Shen Qing wanted to go; after all, all his training had been for this moment.
But he decided to wait a bit before telling her. That night, Yin Sheng invited him to drink and pulled Xiao Wanling along.
When Lu Dahai saw Xiao Wanling, he quickly stood up and thanked her. “Sister-in-law, thank you for arranging work for my wife.”
Xiao Wanling responded with little warmth, “It was the right thing to do.” If Lu Dahai hadn’t been so quick to give away their food and meat whenever someone cried or complained, Sister-in-law Lu wouldn’t be in such a hard place now.
Yin Sheng poured a cup of wine and placed it in front of Xiao Wanling. “Sister-in-law, you and Deputy General Shen are a perfect match—both so capable! Are there any more sisters in your maiden family? Then introduce them to me.”
That single sentence made both Xiao Wanling and Shen Qing’s faces change.
Shen Qing turned and shoved a cup into Yin Sheng’s hand. “You’ve had too much to drink!”
Yin Sheng replied, “Ah, I’m drunk. Sister-in-law, don’t take it seriously.” He quickly downed three more cups and sat back down. “Let’s eat, let’s eat!”
After a few drinks, his mouth started running again. “Deputy General Shen, you’ve got the strength of ten men. You bashed that enemy commander’s head in like a smashed melon. You’re definitely going to be a general this time!”
Shen Qing immediately looked at Xiao Wanling for her reaction. She picked up a piece of meat but couldn’t bring herself to eat it.
Lu Dahai kicked Yin Sheng hard under the table. Yin Sheng winced and drank a few more cups. “Sister-in-law, why aren’t you drinking?”
Xiao Wanling lifted her cup. “I can’t drink alcohol.”
Yin Sheng sensed he had killed the mood and stopped talking. The others weren’t familiar with Xiao Wanling, so they shifted to chatting with Shen Qing about battlefield matters.
Xiao Wanling wasn’t interested. She got up and excused herself. Shen Qing stood and walked her home. Neither of them spoke on the way.
At the gate, Shen Qing saw the grapevines had spread over the trellis. “We’ll be able to eat grapes from our own yard next year!”
Xiao Wanling said, “Yeah. Are you going?”
Shen Qing thought for a while. “No.” He wanted to earn military merit before, but he just wanted to help her and protect her so that those who wanted to harm her would be afraid.
Xiao Wanling half believed him. “Really?”
Shen Qing nodded firmly and said, “I want more Snowy Red Bean Paste. Teach me how to make it!”
There was still half a jar of red bean paste left. Xiao Wanling taught Shen Qing how to beat egg whites using a handful of chopsticks.
Shen Qing had strength and talent—he whisked so fast the chopsticks were a blur. In just a few minutes, the foam was so stiff that the chopsticks stood upright.
Xiao Wanling rolled the red bean filling into balls, coated them in egg white foam, and gently fried them over low heat. As the snowy red bean paste dumplings floated up, Shen Qing couldn’t wait. “Is it ready yet?”
Xiao Wanling told him to wait. She scooped the dumplings out once they were golden.
Shen Qing didn’t wait for them to cool. He blew on one and took a bite. “Delicious!”
Xiao Wanling: “I’ll teach you to read.” She remembered the military strategy book she had bought for him from the town.
Shen Qing washed his hands and opened the book, recognizing only a few words per page. He tucked the book into his chest, then pulled out a white jade hairpin, similar in quality to the one he wore. Carefully, he helped fasten it into Xiao Wanling’s hair.
She loved it very much. Shen Qing really had good taste!
“Something’s wrong!” Someone shouted from outside. “Deputy General Shen! Agricultural Officer Xiao!”
Shen Qing and Xiao Wanling exchanged a glance and stepped outside. It was Aunt Wu’s daughter-in-law, crying so hard she couldn’t catch her breath. She turned frantically toward Qishan Village. “It’s bad! My useless husband is going to beat my mother-in-law to death!”
This sort of matter should be brought to the village head. But Aunt Wu’s daughter-in-law was never good at handling things. Thinking of how close Aunt Wu was with Xiao Wanling and how Deputy General Shen could intimidate her husband, she had run straight to them.
[TL’s Note: For any further confusion regarding the Wu Family relations, Aunt Wu’s biological son is presumed dead, missing, or absent. The daughter-in-law remained in the household, probably for the sake of the child (Wu Ge’er). She later remarried or let a man into the house, now referred to as the Wu family’s live-in son-in-law, but he is not blood-related.
Xiao Wanling said, “I’ll go take a look.” Aunt Wu had helped her a lot when she first arrived.
Shen Qing grabbed her hand. “Let’s go together.”
Aunt Wu’s daughter-in-law wiped her tears. “He lies in bed drinking all day. My mother-in-law only said a few words to him, and he started beating her. When I tried to stop him, he hit me and the child too!”
Hearing that he even hit the child, Shen Qing clenched his fists.
When they arrived outside the Wu family courtyard, they could hear cries from both adults and children.
The Wu family’s son-in-law shouted, “Divorce me? You’ve got it backwards! Who do you think you are, old hag, meddling in my household’s affairs?!”
The grandson of the Wu family ran out from the house, his face sunken from hunger, wearing only thin clothes, with a swollen cheek like he’d been stung. He cried loudly, “You’re not my father! Get out!”
The son-in-law chased after him and cursed, “You little bastard!” He raised his hand to strike again.
Shen Qing appeared, grabbed his wrist, and twisted hard. The man screamed like a pig being slaughtered.
Once Shen Qing let go, the man’s wrist dangled limply. Shen Qing punched him in the face. The man fell to the ground, a tooth flying out. “Help! Help!” Shen Qing didn’t stop. He kept punching him squarely in the mouth.
Aunt Wu hugged her grandson and covered his eyes. She told her daughter-in-law, “You have to stand up for yourself. You can’t live like this anymore! He lies around eating and drinking, complains about the food, and doesn’t hand over a single cent. What are we keeping him around for, to worship?”
Neighbors came running at the noise. They had told the daughter-in-law many times to get the village head and write a divorce agreement, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it.
Now the Wu family’s son-in-law lay motionless on the ground. Xiao Wanling tugged Shen Qing’s sleeve, and the two went to fetch the village head.
The village head came in a hurry. “Divorce him? There’s no legal grounds for that!”
When the son-in-law heard the word “divorce,” he looked at the Wu family with murderous eyes, seeing it as a deep humiliation.
Aunt Wu’s daughter-in-law was terrified by that glare. She knelt before the village head. “Please help me. I can’t go on like this!”
The village head thought for a while and said, “Take him away.” Two textile workers just returned home. You two go and take their place. Send Wu-ge’er to study with the teacher in town. A war’s about to break out anyway—I’ll report your husband’s name for recruitment!”
That very night, Aunt Wu and her daughter-in-law left Qishan Village. Wu-ge’er was sent to the school in town. On the surface, everything had been settled.
Shen Qing said, “Once he’s on the battlefield, he’ll be dead. Don’t worry.”
Xiao Wanling replied, “I’m more afraid he’ll desert.”
TL’s Food Notes:
Snowy Red Bean Paste dumplings:
Storyteller Cupcake's Words
Hello, I am Cupcake. Please ping or DM me on Discord if you find any translation mistakes. If you like this series, please give it a rating or review.