Rebirth: Not Being a Waste - Chapter 55

Lin Family Inn is always in a somewhat lukewarm state in Anping County. There are guests, but not many. The money earned is enough to cover their livelihood, but not much beyond that.

Today, they hang a new sign on the door, which piques everyone’s curiosity. It reads: “Lin Family Inn now offers a new dish called ‘Ants Climbing a Tree.’ Limited to 30 servings per day due to high demand.”

Who would eat ants? People have heard that in the southern mountainous regions, some people eat grasshoppers, cicadas, centipedes, and scorpions, but most think it’s a joke. Why would anyone eat such things unless they are starving or facing a famine?

Now, in their county, someone is actually offering to eat ants. Naturally, this becomes a topic of conversation. Some people say it must be a very limited portion, since ants are so small—how many nests would it take to gather enough? Others speculate, isn’t there something about trees? What does the tree have to do with it?

There are various opinions, but no one dares to order the dish. After all, who hasn’t eaten ants by accident when they crawl on your food? Paying for it on purpose seems absurd—unless, of course, the person has something wrong with their head!

But then, a man dressed like a rich young master staggers in. He orders the dish immediately and boldly declares that if he isn’t satisfied, he will make trouble for the innkeeper.

Everyone holds their breath, worried that this might be the first time Lin Family Inn has to deal with a difficult customer.

The innkeeper, however, remains calm. He takes the order and asks the waiter to fetch the dish. A short while later, a plate arrives. It looks dark and resembles something made of ants.

The young master, sensing the fragrance, stirs the dish with his chopsticks. Although he usually enjoys novelty, eating a dish with something resembling a swarm of ants is still a challenge.

In addition to common ingredients like minced meat, chopped green onions, ginger, and garlic, there are rough, slippery strands on the plate. The young master, unfamiliar with the dish, thinks it must be something strange, but the smell is enticing. He figures the innkeeper wouldn’t dare to poison him in front of everyone, so he picks up a bite with his chopsticks and puts it in his mouth.

The moment the dish touches his tongue, a burst of savory sauce fills his mouth. The texture is smooth and flavorful, with a slight spiciness that contrasts beautifully with the meat and noodles. He chews thoughtfully and then immediately asks, “Bring me two steamed buns.”

The steamed buns, soft and fluffy, are perfect alongside the dish. The young master devours them quickly, feeling surprisingly full with just the one dish and two buns. Usually, a meal for him consists of four or five dishes and a pot of wine.

To hide his embarrassment, he calls the waiter over and asks, “What’s the deal with this ‘Ants Climbing a Tree’? There are no ants and no trees. Are you fooling me?”

Lin Dongdong, noticing the sauce left on the young master’s mouth, can’t help but feel a bit smug. But he smiles and explains, “Master, there’s a reason for the name. The meat particles are small, and the thick noodles get mixed in with them. When you pick it up, it does look like ants climbing a tree.”

The young master, understanding now, nods. “So that’s how it is. This noodle is rare. Why don’t you sell it elsewhere?”

“You’re right,” Lin Dongdong replies quickly. “This noodle was learned by a relative from afar. We’re the only ones in the area who sell it. If you want to try it, you’ll have to come to us.”

The young master doesn’t ask any more questions. What else can he do? He pays the bill and leaves, feeling satisfied. Thirty wen for a meal is reasonable; usually, such a meal costs at least one or two hundred wen. He can’t spend less, or people will think his family is struggling.

Once one person buys the dish, others follow suit. By the afternoon, all thirty servings of “Ants Climbing a Tree” are sold out. Those who come after are told it’s no longer available. Everyone realizes that the limited quantity is no joke.

Those who miss out decide they’ll come earlier the next day to try the dish. Thirty wen isn’t too much for something new, especially when everyone else has already tried it. It’s better than feeling left out.

Of course, those who can afford it are the ones who feel this way. For those with less, spending thirty wen on something new is a luxury. They hesitate before even spending three wen on a bowl of plain noodles, let alone a dish like this.

When Zhang Shu and his family return after closing their stalls, Lin Dongdong runs up to him, excited. “Brother Zhang Shu, we sold out! My Father says he needs ten kilograms every day!”

“Good!” Zhang Shu replies. This is exactly what he hopes for. If he can make money from dried vermicelli, he won’t have to set up a stall. Although the work is profitable, it’s also tiring. Jin’er has been getting thinner, and he isn’t eating well.

On top of that, his grandparents are nearing seventy. If something happens to them while he’s away, he’ll regret it for the rest of his life.

Out of the more than seventy kilograms of dried vermicelli, 20 kilograms are sold on the first day, and 18 kilograms on the second day. With the additional ten kilograms sold to Lin Family Inn, there are still more than 20 kilograms left. If he sells another ten kilograms to the inn tomorrow, only about twelve kilograms will remain. He can then close the stall in the afternoon and go back home.

The stall closes earlier than Zhang Shu expects because three large ships arrive at the river in quick succession. By the time the second ship’s passengers disembark, the sour and spicy vermicelli is sold out, and those still waiting are calling out that they want to try it.

It’s still early, so Zhang Shu isn’t in a hurry to head back. After returning the table according to the one-day rental, he asks Laiwang and He Yue if they want to shop, but they seem uninterested. He asks them to watch the stall and decides to take Li Mujin shopping along the river.

On one side, food vendors sell breakfast, while a little further down is a large open area where merchants unload their goods. The market opens about every five days, depending on the arrival of the big ships, but the timing is never fixed.

Big merchants don’t sell their goods here, as it would lower the prices. Instead, smaller vendors who travel with the boats, as well as boatmen who row their own boats, sell their goods directly to the public.

Li Mujin and Zhang Shu walk over and are amazed by the variety of rare seafood and goods from Nanhai County that are hard to find in their area. Their eyes are wide with wonder.

As they walk, Li Mujin hesitates to ask the prices, not wanting to seem as if he can’t afford them. He assumes that since these items are rare, they must be expensive.

Zhang Shu, however, is different. Having lived for forty or fifty more years, he’s used to items that seem expensive in this era but are relatively common in his time. As a result, he doesn’t share the same concerns.

Noticing Li Mujin’s reluctance to ask, Zhang Shu breaks the silence, “Jin’er, don’t you like anything here?”

Li Mujin looks at him in surprise. “Of course I like it, but I’m sure everything here is very expensive. I just want to take a look.”

Zhang Shu points to some items being carried by porters in the distance. “Did you see that? The real valuables are over there. Things here are still a bit cheaper than what you’d find in the town stores.”

It’s like buying directly from the manufacturer versus retail stores—the prices are different. Even though these vendors buy the goods at a cheaper price, the amount of profit they make still seems worth it.

Relieved, Li Mujin feels better. In fact, he has wanted to buy something earlier. He pulls Zhang Shu toward a stall selling dried shrimp and hesitates. “Excuse me, sir, how much for the dried shrimp in your bag?”

The vendor looks them over. Though they aren’t dressed in the finest clothes, they appear well-off enough, so he responds eagerly, “These dried shrimp are all caught from the sea—big and delicious! You can fry them or stew them in soup. They’re 70 wen per catty, and we also sell half a catty.”

Seventy wen per catty! Li Mujin hesitates. That seems expensive!

But Zhang Shu isn’t deterred. Since Li Mujin likes them, he’ll buy them, even if the price is 100 wen per catty.

He squats down and squeezes some dried shrimp from the bag. They’re firm and dry to the touch, and it seems they aren’t weighed down by moisture.

“Can I try one?” Zhang Shu asks.

The vendor is friendly. “Go ahead, try it. It’s fine. I don’t mind.”

Zhang Shu twists off the shrimp head, peels the shell, and hands the meat to Li Mujin. “How is it?”

Caught off guard, Li Mujin chews thoughtfully and then smiles. “Fresh! Sweet! Delicious!”

Seeing his satisfaction, Zhang Shu smiles. “Brother, I’ll take a pound.”

“Sure! I’ll give you a generous amount!” The vendor is pleased. Most people only buy a couple of taels, but now someone is buying a full pound, so he’s more than happy to give a little extra.

The shrimp are wrapped in a large piece of oil paper and tied up securely. True to his word, the vendor gives a little more than a pound—probably a half tael extra.

Since they’ve already made the purchase, Li Mujin pays without hesitation.

They then buy a bundle of kelp for soup, a large dried black fish that’s about half a person’s length, and half a pound of jujubes from the north.

There are bright red apples, so they buy a few to taste. They also get some dried longans from the south, as they’re said to be good for blood deficiency. Since Li Mujin often has cold hands and feet at night, it would be beneficial for him to eat some.

Lastly, they stop at a stall selling honey in small jars.

Li Mujin turns to Zhang Shu and says, “It’s good for the elderly to eat honey. Should we get some for your grandparents?” His father has brought honey home before, but he sent it to his mother’s family. His paternal grandparents passed away early, so they haven’t had the chance to enjoy it.

Zhang Shu smiles and nods. “You’re a better grandson than I am. If you say we should get it, then we’ll get it.”

Li Mujin gives him a playful shove. “Don’t say nonsense. I know you care about them!”

After purchasing the honey, they walk on. With so many bags, both big and small, in their hands, they have trouble carrying everything.