Chapter 53

Xiao Wanling poured the freshly fried crispy noodles into the wok. Shen Qing picked up the spatula and quickly stir-fried them. “You take a break!”

He poured all the seasoned crispy noodles into a bamboo tray that had been greased with cooking oil. Xiao Wanling spread a thin layer of walnuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, and raisins on top. After letting it cool a bit, Shen Qing used a rolling pin to cut it into long bars.

He couldn’t wait to take a bite. His eyes lit up as he picked up a plate, placed it by the table, and ate the Sachima with a big smile on his face. “Wanling, you’re so good to me!”

Xiao Wanling replied, “Hmm! You learn everything after just one try! Were you a chef in your past life?”

When Shen Qing heard that, he bent down and kissed her on the cheek. Then he wiped it with a handkerchief, kissed the other side, and wiped it again. Seeing that Xiao Wanling didn’t scold him, he secretly giggled.

Xiao Wanling didn’t bother to argue with him. She was feeling lazier by the day and had no energy to fuss, especially after eating, when sleepiness hit hard.

Shen Qing tightened her cloak around her and pulled a letter from the cabinet, slipping it into his chest.

He stepped outside, where a servant from the Prince of Jin’s manor approached. Shen Qing handed him the letter.

The servant took it and rode swiftly back to the Prince of Jin’s residence. He handed the letter over with both hands. The prince, dressed in a black robe embroidered with dragon patterns, opened the two letters, scanned them briefly, and sneered, “Tell Madam Ji to stay in the capital and rest properly!”

The servant acknowledged the command and went off to carry it out.

“Guards,” the prince called.

A guard standing at the door stepped in. The prince instructed, “Go to Qishan Village. Whatever Director Xiao needs, prepare everything for her.” Word had it that Director Xiao’s greenhouse had successfully grown chili peppers, potatoes, and fresh ginger—even in winter!

Cartloads of tung oil cloth and seeds were delivered to Qishan Village. The farm supervisor, seeing the large quantity of tung oil cloth and hearing that it was sent by the prince, pressed his hands together and bowed toward the distance. “Thank you, Your Highness!”

Previously, he had used burlap and straw to build a greenhouse. The vegetables had only just sprouted two leaves. But with this much tung oil cloth, they could build many greenhouses. He didn’t want to waste any of it, so he quickly went to find Xiao Wanling to ask her to draw a plan for the greenhouse.

Xiao Wanling casually picked up a charred tree branch and drew on the ground. “Make it semi-circular. It can be wider and longer. Fix the tung oil cloth in the middle and pull both sides open with rope.”

The supervisor asked about how to fire clay pots. Xiao Wanling told him they were made with red clay, with holes poked in the bottom for drainage. The supervisor nodded and went to instruct the workers to build the greenhouse frames.

When Xiao Wanling returned home, the tung oil cloth over the greenhouse in the courtyard had been lowered. The vegetable seedlings were growing well, and many little chili peppers had already formed. The corn was half as tall as a person. If spring came tomorrow, she might be able to eat corn soon. She was already imagining all the ways she could cook it.

Baby ginger was drying on a bamboo tray. Slices of potato were also drying. Strings of freshly harvested garlic hung on the wall. Red lanterns dangled from the eaves, giving the place a festive, New Year’s vibe.

Shen Qing came in carrying two baby yellow calves, planning to put them inside the greenhouse.

Xiao Wanling watched from the side. “Don’t let them eat my vegetables!” She kept an eye on him as he put the calves into the cattle shed.

Then the two hens Shen Qing had caught jumped out of their cage and rushed toward the fresh green vegetable patch.

Xiao Wanling shouted nervously, “Shen Qing!”

Cluck, cluck—

The two yellow hens with black spots were caught under a basket. Shen Qing tossed them back into the cage and said to Xiao Wanling, “Don’t get so nervous. You might scare the baby inside your belly!”

Xiao Wanling scolded, “Go rebuild the cattle shed and chicken coop!”

She didn’t want her crops destroyed. Did he know how hard it was to find corn seeds?

Shen Qing used bamboo to build the cattle shed, enclosing three sides and leaving one side for a door. For the chicken coop, he made a small bamboo house covered with straw and placed straw nests inside. This way, Xiao Wanling could eat fresh eggs daily, and once the calves grew up, they could have fresh milk too.

Thinking further, he caught two geese, remembering Xiao Wanling was afraid of snakes.

While Shen Qing worked, he moved a table and chairs outside so Xiao Wanling could sit nearby and read military books.

After reading for a while, Xiao Wanling grew sleepy and tossed the book aside. She thought, for the next few months, it would be enough to just sell sour plum soup and red date longan ginger tea. The popcorn made from foxtail millet was popular. She could also make it with corn or rice.

The method could vary. The rice needed to be husked, then clean river sand was heated in a pot. The rice was added and stir-fried until it popped. Then the sand was sifted out using a fine mesh strainer.

Next was the syrup. Water and sugar were boiled with lemon until it turned red and thick.

Xiao Wanling started boiling the syrup. Shen Qing, holding the spatula, peeked into the pot. “Are you making Sachima again?”

“It’s tasty, but it doesn’t last long.”

Xiao Wanling replied, “I’m making puffed rice candy. For the New Year. Remember the method and make more!”

Shen Qing smacked his lips. “It’s so complicated. You better help me keep an eye on it!”

Xiao Wanling supervised from the side, telling him to lift a bit of the syrup with chopsticks and drop it in cold water to test it. Once the syrup hardened in the water, it was ready. Then he added the popped rice and stirred everything evenly.

Shen Qing had already eaten all the preserved fruits at home; only sesame was left. Xiao Wanling grabbed two handfuls of sesame and sprinkled them in. After that, Shen Qing could handle the rest, so she sat and watched.

Shen Qing scooped the puffed rice candy into a bamboo tray and tried to cut it.

Xiao Wanling stopped him. “Press it down more with the rolling pin. This isn’t like Sachima—it won’t fall apart so easily, so you can press it tighter!”

Shen Qing did as told. Once the candy cooled a bit, he cut it into small pieces. After tasting one, he said it was delicious.

Xiao Wanling had expected that. Shen Qing loved sweets. “Take the rice candy and the recipe to Madam Zhang. Also buy a carriage and bring back some grain while you’re at it!”

Shen Qing rode into town and completed everything Xiao Wanling had asked. Then he walked into a fabric shop to pick clothes for her, leaving with big bags in hand.

Just then, a dirty-faced woman stopped passersby, asking, “Have you seen Li Yao and his family of three?”

Shen Qing glanced at her, feeling she looked familiar, but didn’t want to get involved, so he hurried back and drove away in the carriage.

Li Mo was taken away by a stranger. The Li family of four were reunited but looked even more disheveled after a day in prison.

The person who freed them said, “Go apologize to Madam Xiao. Don’t even think of leaving until she forgives you, even if it kills you.”

Then he threw a bundle at them and left.

Faced with such a powerful person, the Li family exchanged glances, picked up the bundle, and changed into clean clothes at a nearby spot.

The man appeared again, sitting on a carriage. “Get on.”

Nervously, the Li family helped each other climb into the carriage. There were steamed buns and water inside. They quickly ate and were then dropped off at Qishan Village.

As soon as they got off, the carriage turned and left. The Li family looked around warily, afraid someone was watching, then headed toward the market.

Jin Jiaran appeared on horseback and stopped the carriage. “Did Madam Ji send you?”

The man instantly dropped his haughty attitude and respectfully replied, “It was Madam Jin.”

Jin Jiaran’s eyes widened. “Isn’t that the same as Madam Ji? What did she tell you to do?”

His half-sister treated Madam Ji like a master.

The man remained silent until Jin Jiaran left, then breathed a sigh of relief.

Jin Jiaran reached home, jumped off his horse, and rushed inside to find his father. “Father! Madam Ji has lost her mind trying to win favor. She’s already on bad terms with the Prince of Jin.”

She was targeting Madam Xiao. It would be a shame to send her to the palace.

And Shen Qing wasn’t easy to deal with. His subordinates came looking for trouble every few days.

Old Master Jin replied calmly, “Let’s wait and see. Once the capital’s factions settle their disputes. Everyone can see that you’ve invested too much in Madam Xiao. But Shen Qing is clearly dead set on her.”

He pretended not to know about the trouble Jin Jiaran caused.

Jin Jiaran swallowed his words. “Yes, Father.”

****

The Li family walked into Qishan Village and nervously approached the tea shop. Xiao Wanling was collecting money. When she saw them, she glanced up and pretended not to see.

The four of them squeezed forward and were just about to kneel when Xiao Wanling suddenly asked, “The authorities let you go?”

Mother Li, thinking of their suffering in jail, shed a few tears. “A kind person paid to get us out.”

She gave a bitter smile and glanced around.

Xiao Wanling said coldly, “Don’t block my business. What do the Li family’s affairs have to do with the Xiao family?”

People arranged by Shen Qing stepped out from the crowd and drove the Li family away.

They didn’t leave. When they got hungry, they used money from their bundle to buy food and drink, keeping their eyes on the tea shop.

As more people noticed, some began to gossip. “That Xiao woman’s so heartless! Now that she’s made it big, she ignores the people who raised her. Without her parents, would she be here today?”

Lu Dahai and Yin Sheng appeared, each grabbing an arm and dragging the speaker away. Behind a house, they beat him soundly, tied him up with hemp rope, and said, “Let’s see what the authorities think!”

Then they rode off, tossing him onto a horse.

People who saw it whispered, “It was just a comment.” Is that illegal?”

Xue Cui chimed in, “Yeah! That Xiao woman’s always bossing people around, and now we can’t even say anything about her?”

Shen Qing walked up to the tea shop. The crowd instantly fell silent in fear.

Xue Cui quickly covered her face. She remembered her mother saying that Shen Qing even hit women; maybe he had hit Madam Xiao too. He really wasn’t so nice.

The tea shop was always competing with her. Her rice cakes hadn’t sold out again. Xue Cui picked them up and stuffed them into her basket to eat at home.

After seven days of rice cakes, Xue Zhengyang finally asked, “How’s business?”

Old Lady Liu smiled. “Great!”

Xue Cui forced a smile, not daring to speak. She only had two taels of silver left.

At this rate, she’d lose all her capital. She gritted her teeth and bought flour, red beans, and sugar to make red bean buns. She stopped setting up a stall and stayed home with Old Lady Liu, experimenting again and again, but the dough just wouldn’t rise.

Feeling sorry for the wasted money, she decided to try making vegetable rolls instead.

Gu Yaofang, at the pastry shop, complained, “Xue Cui is selling red bean buns and veggie rolls. What’s leftover at home is enough for days. Her buns come out yellow and wrinkly, and the filling is all watery!”

Thinking of eating failed batches every day, Xiao Wanling said, “You’ve had a hard time!”

Gu Yaofang replied, “I try to eat my fill here so I won’t have to eat at home!”

Aunt Wu laughed. “Still, Xue Cui’s got determination! Who knows, maybe she’ll succeed.”

Xiao Wanling suspected that Xue Cui would try to steal yeast, so she told them to lock all doors and windows before closing the shop. At night, no one was around. Only the general store and rice shop were occupied, since people didn’t want to walk all the way back to Xianhe Village.

Seeing firewood stacked behind the shop, Xiao Wanling didn’t feel at ease. She asked the patrol to help keep an eye on it.

Just as she stepped onto the road leading to Qishan Village, the Li family suddenly appeared. They were around during the day, then disappeared at night. Seeing Shen Qing following behind her, they froze in fear.

Shen Qing quickly walked to Xiao Wanling’s side. “I’ll go take care of them.”

Notes:

• • Tung oil cloth (桐油布): A waterproof fabric coated with tung oil, traditionally used in greenhouses or for weatherproofing.

Tl’s Food Notes:

sour plum soup:  

red date longan ginger tea:

Sachima puffed rice candy: