Li shi and Zhan Laoda paid no mind to the shrieking Xiao Yao shi. She only managed to gain an advantage with her words; looking at the villagers around, apart from Gui Hua Sao zi, who did not get along with Li shi, the others stood awkwardly to the side.
"Niece-in-law, look at my green peppers and cucumbers, they're best picked at this time," an aunt said with a smile, trying to smooth things over.
Besides the two rows of vegetable patches behind her house, her family also had three neat large rows on this hillside. The vegetables planted in March and April were already ready to eat.
"And mine too, sister, look at these eggplants and broad beans, they're so fresh and juicy. I come to the fields to water them before dawn every day," a woman next to her quickly chimed in, promoting her own vegetables.
Jin Lin Village had good weather and fertile farmland. This hillside was the village's vegetable patch. Some families had two to three rows, while others cultivated seven to eight.
Xiao Yao shi and Ma shi looked at the thriving green leafy vegetables, melons, and beans before them, which stood in stark contrast to Zhan family's vegetable patch not far away.
Without Li shi's care, the vegetable patch was overgrown with weeds, and the vegetables did not grow well. It was clear they had not been watered enough, and the cucumbers and eggplants were all wilted.
As Zhan Feiyu walked back to the village bathed in the glow of the sunset, Zhan Lao Er also arrived at the vegetable patch, but he was surrounded by the men from various households.
"Mother, what are you planting?" Zhan Feiyu walked over in a few steps. The young seedlings were planted so neatly, as if measured with a ruler.
Li shi was watering the newly planted seedlings as the sun began to set. She smiled and said, "It's all your favorites. Here are winter melon and pumpkin seedlings, at your feet are peas, and by the foot of the mountain, I've planted watermelons and cantaloupes. There will be enough for you to eat."
Before, at the Zhan family's home, Li shi had planted more, as she had to grow enough vegetables for the entire family of over ten people. Now, with only her and Zhan Feiyu, she had planted a small amount of their favorites.
"Mother, let me water them. You rest." Before Li shi could refuse, Zhan Feiyu took the gourd ladle from her hand, bent down, and poured half a ladle of water into each pit.
The village head looked at Zhan Feiyu, who was helping Li shi work not far away, with a look of relief. He thought that it was only because the old Zhan family favored the second and third branches that the main branch had become estranged.
Zhan Lao Er glanced over and then withdrew his gaze. He said to the village head, "I've already made arrangements with Taifu Restaurant. They want all kinds of vegetables. Cucumbers, lettuce, and eggplants will be five wen per jin, with thirty jin to be delivered daily. Green vegetables and cabbage will be three wen per jin, with fifty jin required daily, but they must be cleaned before being sent to my home."
"This is as it should be," the village head said with a stern expression, his sharp gaze falling on a few women who were always looking for a bargain. "No one should be short-sighted and put rotten, bad, or wilted vegetables in. If you lose your integrity and cut off this source of income, it will be too late to regret it!"
The women lowered their heads. Although unhappy, they did not dare to retort. At worst, they would keep the bad vegetables for themselves.
"Lao Er, I've agreed with my sister-in-law to collect my family's vegetables first," Gui Hua Sao zi quickly interjected, afraid that her vegetables would not sell.
After all, the amount of vegetables to be collected daily was fixed. If the east side's vegetables were collected, the west side's would certainly not be.
"Second brother, I've also agreed with second sister-in-law, and my family's vegetables should be collected first too," said a woman, smiling obsequiously. She was fortunate that she had listened to her mother-in-law's advice and given Xiao Yao shi twenty eggs.
The villagers suddenly became anxious and started talking at once, all wanting Zhan Lao Er to collect their vegetables.
Although the vegetables were cheap, only three to five wen per jin, looking at the cucumbers on display, picking a few would yield over twenty, which was more than ten jin. That would be thirty to fifty wen.
Coupled with other vegetables, they might sell for over a hundred wen a day, and a hundred wen in ten days was one tael of silver! Moreover, vegetables like cucumbers, after being picked today, could be harvested again in seven to eight days. This was all money!
Zhan Feiyu and Li shi were not people who meddled in others' affairs. Whether the old family was rich or poor, as long as they did not disturb them, mother and daughter would be fine.
Li shi carried the empty water bucket and smiled as she patted Zhan Feiyu's head. "Let's go back."
Zhan Lao Er, who was standing by the roadside, also waved his hand, signaling the clamoring villagers to quiet down. "Everyone, don't argue. The village head, the elders, and I have all discussed it. Every ten households will form a group, and they will take turns sending vegetables to my home."
Some families had many melons, while others had many green and white vegetables. Fortunately, the vegetable patches were all concentrated on this hillside. After the village head and elders had a general look, they divided them up. This way, it ensured that everyone's vegetables could be sold, but without them fighting over it.
The village head also announced loudly, "Everyone come to me later. I will announce the names. Regardless of whether you have quarreled or argued before, don't let money slip away. Clean the vegetables before the Chen Shi (7-9 AM) every day, weigh them, and send them to the old Zhan family. Then you can divide the money amongst yourselves. The payment for the vegetables will be settled daily."
The villagers, who had been rushing, quieted down after understanding. This grouping was also fair. With over a hundred households in the village, excluding families like Li shi who did not sell vegetables, it was divided into ten groups. Every ten days, the harvested vegetables would grow and be ready for the second harvest.
"Eldest sister-in-law, you are also a good hand at growing vegetables. Why not open a few more rows? My husband and I will still collect the vegetables you grow," Xiao Yao shi said, raising her chin proudly, looking down condescendingly at Li shi and Zhan Feiyu as they walked over.
"No need," Li shi refused.
Xiao Yao shi could not stand Li shi's indifferent attitude the most. Her smile froze, and her voice became a little sharper. "Eldest sister-in-law, if you don't earn money yourself, do you expect to rely on the gifts from those high officials and noblemen to support Xiao Yu's studies? If this gets out, it will damage the reputation of scholars. Isn't it said that one should not eat food that is begged for?"
Zhan Feiyu suppressed a smile and held Li shi's hand as they walked forward. "Mother, let's go back."
Seeing the mother and daughter leave just like that, Xiao Yao shi's face contorted with anger. But even if she could lead the villagers to earn money, the village and the clan valued Zhan Feiyu, that dead girl, the most. They were all waiting for her to participate in the county examination next February!
"Mother, if the old family causes trouble, you can reveal that the youngest daughter of Taifu Restaurant is not mentally sound," Zhan Feiyu had initially thought of minding their own business.
But now that the old family had a turnaround, if they really earned money in the future, they would only become more arrogant.
Li shi was taken aback and said hesitantly, "Isn't that a bit inappropriate? We can't ruin a young lady's reputation."
Zhan Dalang was only thirteen years old now. Even if he was engaged, he would have to wait a few years to get married. The Xie family's youngest daughter was not mentally sound, and this was the Xie family's business. Revealing it now would ruin the young girl's reputation.
Zhan Feiyu lowered her head, concealing the coldness in her eyes. "Mother, as long as they don't go too far, you won't tell everyone in the village. But mentioning this matter will prevent the second branch from finding fault, at least giving us some peace and quiet."
In the end, selling a child for glory was the second branch, Zhan Dalang's own parents.
Li shi thought about it and agreed. "Alright, Mother remembers."
...
In May, the hibiscus flowers are charmingly bright, and the green willows hang heavy with rain. New silks of five colors are wrapped around the horn of the zongzi, served on a golden plate, with a painted silk fan depicting a pair of phoenixes.
On the Dragon Boat Festival, the air was filled with the fragrance of zongzi leaves. Every household had two bunches of mugwort placed at their doorstep. The private school was also closed for a day, but Zhan Feiyu still went to the school on time.
Study.
"Teacher, are you alright?" Zhan Feiyu looked at the pale-faced Lin Fuzi and quickly put down her book to go over. "Teacher, should I call for a doctor?"
Lin Fuzi sat down and said indifferently, "It's nothing, just a slight headache. The symptoms today are much lighter than yesterday."
"Then, is my senior brother feeling any better?" Seeing that Lin Fuzi was in good spirits, Zhan Feiyu was more concerned about the frail Lin Xiuyuan.
However, Wang shi was constantly thinking about arranging an engagement between Zhan Feiyu and Lin Xiuyuan, which made her afraid to visit him for fear that Wang shi would overthink it and strengthen her resolve to have them engaged.
"Xiuyuan took his medicine and is not in any serious condition. He will be fine after resting for two more days." Before coming to the study, Lin Fuzi had just visited Lin Xiuyuan. The night before last, father and son had discussed articles until midnight, and as a result, both caught a cold.
After Zhan Feiyu completed a new essay, Lin Fuzi drank a cup of strong tea to refresh himself and analyzed the shortcomings and deficiencies in Zhan Feiyu's essay for her.
"'First respect the clothes, then respect the person.' This saying is not advisable in dealing with people, but as a teacher, I think it can be used to judge an essay. The characters and literary flair are the clothes of an essay. If your clothes are tattered, who would be willing to delve into the meaning and philosophy hidden in your text?"
Zhan Feiyu nodded in agreement. In the imperial examinations, there were thousands of papers. Even if the handwriting was messy, the examiner might directly discard the paper.
As for her own writing lacking literary flair, even if the content was good, it would look dry at first glance. If it were a pragmatic examiner, it would be fine, but if it were someone who liked elegant literary style, they might also discard it.
"As for your calligraphy, just practice copying the models daily," Lin Fuzi said, looking at the neat and square Taige style on the paper. Although it was an examination font, it already showed character.
"Then, Teacher, how should I improve my literary flair?" Zhan Feiyu humbly asked. The literary flair of an essay, like poetic talent, was her weakness.
"Your time in learning is short. You read the Four Books and Five Classics and learned Neo-Confucianism, all for the imperial examinations. But there are countless books in the world. Among them, Han fu emphasizes rhetoric and allusions, pursuing parallelism and musicality." Lin Fuzi handed Zhan Feiyu a collection of Han fu from the bookshelf.
"You already have the Book of Songs and the Songs of Chu. This book contains classic long fu, mainly in four-character and six-character lines. The rhetoric is ornate, emphasizing tonal patterns and rhyming throughout. It is also known as the orthodox fu style. However, it often uses difficult characters in the sentences, so you should not read it too quickly." Lin Fuzi's eyes held a trace of reluctance and nostalgia.
This collection of Han fu was a gift from Lin Fuzi's close friend in his younger days. His friend came from a scholarly family, and Lin Fuzi also had lofty ambitions, but in the end, he became a teacher in a rural private school.
Zhan Feiyu took the book with both hands and thanked him solemnly. "Yes, Teacher."
During the lunch break, Zhan Feiyu looked at Old Uncle Dong and said in a low voice, "Is my teacher's wife making zongzi?"
"Yes, Teacher Lin and Young Master Yuan caught a cold a couple of days ago. Madam was busy taking care of them and didn't have time to make zongzi. She just went to the kitchen with Grandma Lu," Old Uncle Dong said with a smile.
Old Uncle Dong was a servant in the Lin family. Three years ago, father and daughter were bought from the registry by Wang shi. If Wang shi had not been kind, her adopted daughter would have been sold to some unsavory place.
"I see, thank you, Uncle Dong." Zhan Feiyu breathed a sigh of relief and then walked towards the backyard.
Wang Linlang, who had just come out of the room, frowned, then walked forward to block Zhan Feiyu. "Brother Xiuyuan has already taken his medicine and is asleep. Sister Zhan, please don't go in and disturb him."
Lin Fuzi and Lin Xiuyuan fell ill at the same time. Wang shi was overwhelmed. Fortunately, although Wang Linlang was young, she was very meticulous and thoughtful in taking care of people. So, Wang shi took care of Lin Fuzi, while Wang Linlang looked after Lin Xiuyuan. Grandma Lu was responsible for three meals a day and decocting medicine.
"Miss Wang, I am only a student of the teacher, and in your words, a fellow student and junior sister of Brother Xiuyuan." Zhan Feiyu stated her position. She was not afraid of this scheming young girl, Wang Linlang, but there was no need to waste time and energy on her.
As for Wang Linlang's desire to marry Lin Xiuyuan, not to mention that Wang shi would not agree, Lin Fuzi would also not agree. At first, Zhan Feiyu was still hesitant. Without any evidence, she could not speak ill of Wang Linlang to Lin Fuzi.
However, Zhan Feiyu was worried that the Lin family, all three of them, were kind-hearted. Even their teacher's wife, Wang shi, was only a bit proud and sharp. The three of them combined probably had less cunning than a twelve-year-old girl like Wang Linlang.
On the other hand, Lin Fuzi noticed her absentmindedness during class and almost used the disciplinary ruler.
Fearing a beating, Zhan Feiyu immediately spilled everything like a bamboo tube pouring beans. "Teacher, I have met Miss Wang Liu several times, and she is hostile towards me. She seems to intend to marry my senior brother."
"What?" Lin Fuzi was stunned for a moment, truly shocked by these words.
Not to mention that Zhan Feiyu was only eight years old, Wang Linlang was also a young girl who had not grown up in Lin Fuzi's eyes. Although Lin Fuzi did not interact with her much, in his opinion, she was a gentle and obedient junior, with some talent, knowing a bit of everything like zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, as well as needlework and cooking. However, she lacked the liveliness and playfulness of Zhan Feiyu.
Zhan Feiyu knew this would happen. She sighed with a knowing air, "Teacher, one should not have the intention to harm others, but one should guard against others. Don't you see how gentle and considerate Miss Wang is towards my senior brother?"
"Men and women do not sit together after the age of seven. Miss Wang, while interacting with my teacher's wife, always adheres to the rules, yet she actively seeks out my senior brother to talk to, with intimacy and concern in her words. Isn't this contradictory?" Zhan Feiyu, if she hadn't been afraid of stimulating her teacher, would have probably said: "Unsolicited kindness is often a trap!"
Lin Fuzi had not thought about it this way before. After all, Wang Linlang was just staying at the Lin family for a short while and would leave within a year at most. However, upon hearing Zhan Feiyu's reminder, Lin Fuzi also sensed something was amiss.
"Your teacher understands," Lin Fuzi said, looking at Zhan Feiyu, whose eyes were wide open and full of excitement. He raised his hand and tapped her forehead. "Your teacher's wife will not agree to this."
Logically speaking, this was Wang family's business, and it involved a junior like Wang Linlang. Lin Fuzi, as an elder, acted upright and pedantic, so he naturally could not gossip behind people's backs. But he couldn't help but be pestered by this girl, Zhan Feiyu.
Lin Fuzi revealed a little bit, but Zhan Feiyu had already imagined the whole process.
Wang Linlang was the sixth child in the Wang family, but she was not born to Madam Wang or Wang Gui's concubine. She was born to an outer chamber kept outside. Looking at Wang Linlang's outstanding appearance and her gentle and considerate demeanor,
Zhan Feiyu guessed with her toes that her mother was no ordinary outer chamber, but likely a courtesan. Her mother passed away a few years ago, and only then did Wang Gui bring her back to the Wang family. After being registered, she became Miss Wang Liu.
Not to mention the Wang family's merchant status, even if Wang Linlang was the daughter of an outer chamber, Lin Fuzi and Wang shi would not let her marry Lin Xiuyuan. Therefore, Zhan Feiyu's worries were unnecessary.
Of course, if Wang Linlang were not twelve years old but had already reached adulthood, there would be a need to worry about Wang Linlang making a private commitment or even climbing into bed. Now that she was too young, any scheme would be useless.
Returning to her thoughts from her memories, Zhan Feiyu ignored Wang Linlang in front of her. Instead, she glanced towards the room. Their voices were not quiet. Since her senior brother had not come out, he must have been asleep.
"Sister Zhan, since you have lofty aspirations, then do not interact too much with Brother Xiuyuan. After all, Sister Zhan, you are exceptionally talented. I worry that Brother Xiuyuan might develop other intentions, which would not only hurt Brother Xiuyuan but also make it difficult for Sister Zhan to get along with your uncle," Wang Linlang said in a gentle voice, with concern. However, her words were also reasonable.
"This is my business, and I don't need Miss Wang to worry about it." Zhan Feiyu glanced at Wang Linlang, who looked tired. After taking care of her senior brother for two days, she already had dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep.
On Wang Linlang's exposed hand, there was a blister from being scalded, likely from decocting medicine or pouring water.
And there were a few brown water stains on her white long dress, which clearly indicated splashes of medicinal liquid. This made people believe even more in her thoughtfulness in taking care of Lin Xiuyuan.
"Sister Zhan, do you dislike me?" Wang Linlang bit her red lips, looking as if she had suffered a great injustice, about to cry. Her words and actions were learned from her deceased mother. These were the methods used by outer chambers to compete for favor.
Zhan Feiyu ignored the feigning Wang Linlang. After thinking for a moment, she understood that she was using a ruse of self-inflicted suffering to make the teacher and teacher's wife see her thoughtfulness towards her senior brother. Unfortunately, with her status as the daughter of an outer chamber, no matter how hard she tried, it would be in vain.
"Sister Zhan, walk slowly." Seeing Zhan Feiyu turn and leave, Wang Linlang did not feel the joy of victory. Instead, she felt something was amiss. Unfortunately, she could not see through Zhan Feiyu, nor could she guess her thoughts.