Zhan Chun

Kapitel 42

Xiao Yuan pointed to the swallow hairpin on her head and smiled, "Thank you for your kindness, but I will only wear this." The lady did not wear any of the many gold and silver ornaments, but only the swallow hairpin he gave her. Cheng Mutian was overjoyed and lowered his head to kiss her lips. However, before he could touch her lips, he heard her say, "If you really love me, why not let me dress up as a maid and ride in a sedan chair to the building, so that I can see some scenery along the way."

Cheng Mutian's face instantly moved half a foot away, and he said decisively, "Don't even think about it." Having finally gotten a chance to go out, Xiao Yuan was unwilling to let it go so easily. She hugged his arm and pleaded, "Let them carry the sedan chair. I'll pretend to be a maid and help carry the sedan chair. No one will recognize me."

"Girl, girl," Mu Tian thought, his youthful heart fluttering with longing. Too shy to enter through the gate, he finally mustered the courage to climb over the wall to see her, only to find Madam Jiang whipping her back with a thorny branch. He assumed she was a maid, and though he pleaded with Madam Jiang for her forgiveness, he refused to see her again. Cheng Fu, puzzled, asked him, "Wouldn't it have been easier to climb over the wall for a maid?" He replied, "I don't take concubines, and her status means she can never be my wife. Why bother with her?" Though he said this, his heart remained restless. He thought of her while doing things, while eating, and even in his dreams. He had to suppress his impulses and not see her, a situation that kept him sullen for almost half a year.

Cheng Mutian's thoughts were in turmoil. He couldn't help but tighten his grip on Xiaoyuan's hand and mutter to himself, "Luckily, Cheng Fu was quick-witted and found out for me that you're not a maid." Xiaoyuan, unaware of his inner thoughts, found it all incomprehensible and thought he was rigid and inflexible. She pulled her hand away, turned her back, and ignored him.

Unexpectedly, just before leaving, Ah Xiu brought over a set of clothes for a stewardess, laughing incessantly: "Young Master dressed up as Cheng Fu and asked me to bring this to Young Madam." Xiao Yuan was overjoyed, changed into the clothes herself, tied her hair into a neat bun, looked at Ah Xiu again, and asked with a smile: "Young Master wants me to dress up as you?" Ah Xiu smiled and said: "Young Master is as cautious as Young Madam. I don't know what reason he found, but he let Master and Madam go ahead, and even asked Cheng Fu and me to dress up as you to ride in the sedan chair." Xiao Yuan curtsied to her, said thank you, and then ordered Sister-in-law Yu and Madam Sun to take Wu Ge to the building first, so that Wu Ge wouldn't call for his mother halfway and reveal the truth.

Once everything was arranged, the "Young Master Cheng" and "Young Mistress Cheng" got into their sedan chairs, followed by only a few people. Besides a few servants to guard against thieves, there were only "Cheng Fu" and his wife, along with their three maids. Although the entourage was small, they were pretending to be poor, so the lineup was acceptable. Xiao Yuan looked at Cheng Mutian beside her. To make Cheng Fu's appearance more convincing, he had deliberately worn a thick-soled shoe to avoid revealing his limp. Her heart warmed and her eyes welled up with tears. She quietly hooked her finger around his and whispered, "Such a small group, you must have arranged it specially. Thank you for your thoughtfulness."

At this emotional moment, Cheng Mutian quickly shook off her hand, maintaining a safe distance from her, before speaking in a low voice to rebuke her: "Even if you're pretending to be a servant, you still have to follow the rules, or you'll still get into the sedan chair." Xiaoyuan believed that her husband was capable of such a thing, so she quickly put her gratitude in her heart, imitated him by suppressing her smile, and kept her eyes straight ahead.

Although the Song Dynasty wasn't as open as the Tang Dynasty, it was still relatively so. There were quite a few women doing business, browsing markets, and even visiting gardens. Xiao Yuan hadn't been to the streets for many years, and at first she was a little reserved. But after a while, seeing so many women on the street and no one paying any attention to her, she finally mustered her courage and slightly turned her head to look at the scenery along the street. Bamboo flowers, pearl and jade headdresses, brightly colored gold-embroidered hats... everything sold by the roadside was something she could find at home, except for the large number of people.

Seeing the disappointment on her face, Cheng Mutian chuckled softly, "This is Imperial Street. The poor are dazzled by the sights, while the rich find nothing to see." Suddenly, a magnificent flower-themed restaurant appeared ahead. Countless women in glamorous makeup gathered at the second-floor railing, waving handkerchiefs made of thin gauze and smiling coquettishly. Xiao Yuan pointed to the building and said, "That looks nice. I'm tired from walking, so why don't we go and rest?"

Chapter 122 Pretending to be Poor (Part 2)

Mu Tian looked at the building she was pointing at and quickly stepped in front of her to block her view, saying, "The building we're going to is the old house you lived in before you got married. It's not far away. Let's wait until we get there before we rest."

Xiao Yuan persisted: "I saw a beautiful woman upstairs who looks like Lü Niang. Let's go find her and have a drink."

Cheng Mutian was startled and quickly looked back. He saw a huge golden signboard on the building, which almost dazzled his eyes. It read: "Huayue Tower". He then realized that his wife was teasing him on purpose. He blushed instantly, afraid that she would come up with some other trick. He quickly pointed to the watchtower in the distance and acted as a temporary tour guide: "Do you remember the fire that burned down your old house? That's the fire lookout tower. Wherever there was smoke or fire, the sentries on the tower would raise a flag to warn of the fire. At night, they would hang a lantern as a signal. If the fire started south of Chaotian Gate, there would be three flags; if it started north of the city, there would be two flags; and outside the city, there would be only one flag."

Seeing that he was no longer rushing on his own, Xiao Yuan was overjoyed. She pointed east and west and asked him questions, feeling that the scenery before her eyes had become vivid and interesting. On the Imperial Street, there were colorful pavilions and gates, shops with lush flowers and bamboo, teahouses with flower stands and unique pine trees, selling exotic teas and soups all year round, and adding snow-infused plum blossom wine in the summer... As you walk to the end of the street, the scenery changes again, with noodle shops, vegetarian and meat shops, rice shops, butcher shops, shops selling fish and preserved foods... It's dazzling.

Cheng Mutian was a little embarrassed at first, but after pointing out to his wife for a while and seeing her smiling face, he became more enthusiastic and explained in detail: "Since Emperor Gaozong moved south, the clothing and headwear of all kinds of people, including scholars, farmers, artisans and merchants, have different ranks. People who wear hats and vests are from incense shops, while pawnshop managers wear headscarves and black shirts with corner belts; the merchants in the market each have their own clothes and headscarves, so you can tell what kind of business they do by their clothes and headwear."

Turning into a small alley, there were no large shops, only small vendors selling general merchandise and food. They carried water, oil, copper and ironware, sold household items, stationery, and various kinds of hemp thread. There were also vendors hawking children's toys, household chores, and various kinds of children's food along the street. It was just a small alley where poor people lived, but the variety of goods sold was beyond the couple's expectations.

Cheng Mutian stopped in front of the stall selling various children's items and discussed with Xiaoyuan about bringing back some small sesame candy for Wu Ge. Xiaoyuan saw that although the stall was small, the plates, boxes and utensils inside were new, clean and exquisite, so she weighed out two catties each of small sesame candy and iron sesame candy, and also grabbed a few kinds of beans, and said with a smile, "We'll weigh out more so that everyone can try it."

After buying food, it took another fifteen minutes or so to reach their new residence. Xiao Yuan rubbed her legs and laughed, "It's a good thing I have big feet, otherwise I wouldn't have the good fortune to have this gentleman accompany me to see the scenery." Suddenly, a commotion came from both buildings at the beginning and end. She exchanged a glance with Cheng Mutian, and they hurriedly ran upstairs to change their clothes, then hurriedly went downstairs together, heading to the two buildings at opposite ends.

Xiao Yuan was led by a maid to the door of Qian Fu’s room. Xiao Tongqian, who had already heard the news, came out to greet her and said, “Madam thinks the room is too small and wants Aunt Ding to stay in the servants’ room.” It turned out to be a dispute between her father-in-law’s wives and concubines. Xiao Yuan turned to slip away, but was stopped by the sharp-eyed Madam Qian: “Daughter-in-law, I don’t have enough room for Aunt Ding. You can take her there instead.”

Is this the kind of thing a mother-in-law would say to her daughter-in-law? Xiao Tongqian was startled, while Xiao Yuan felt a pang of sadness. The kind Madam Qian who used to pretend to be amiable was gone forever. Living as a widow with no hope of having children had tormented her to the point of being somewhat unbalanced, and she couldn't help but think things through as she spoke.

Qian Ren noticed that both of them looked strange. He then realized he had misspoke and quickly covered up his embarrassment by scolding Aunt Ding: "Sharing a room with Xiao Tongqian isn't unfair to you. Look at my eldest sister's concubines. Three of them share a room." Xiao Yuan laughed: "No wonder it's so noisy in my eldest sister's building. So that's the reason. I'll go take a look, lest our relatives say we didn't divide the rooms fairly."

Madam Qian was embarrassed. Naturally, she had no objections. Seeing her nod, Xiao Yuan quickly withdrew, sighed, and headed towards the second building. A-Yun asked, "Isn't the young mistress going to see Eldest Sister?" Xiao Yuan smiled, "Is there anything in the Jin family that Eldest Sister can't handle? Why should I go? Second Brother can go and make a brief appearance; that's enough." Unexpectedly, this time she wasn't right. Before she even stepped onto the stairs, a maid from the Jin family came to invite her, saying that Eldest Sister Cheng had encountered trouble.

Xiao Yuan exclaimed in surprise, "The Jin family has disobedient concubines?" The maid shook her head repeatedly. It turned out that this building had three floors, with only three rooms on each floor. The bottom floor was used as servants' quarters; Sister Cheng, pitying Ji Liu Niang's unborn child, though she threatened to have her live in the servants' quarters, ultimately couldn't bear it. She moved Ji Liu Niang and the other seven concubines to the third floor, three to a room; one room on the second floor was allocated to Madam Jin, one to Sister Cheng herself, and the remaining room was used for miscellaneous items. Xiao Yuan understood immediately upon hearing this description. Eight concubines in three rooms, three to a room, and the remaining room also had two people. How was Jin Jiu Shao supposed to find them to spend the night? Sister Cheng had truly come up with a brilliant idea. Using the only empty room for other purposes. Wasn't this forcing Jin Jiu Shao to go to her room every night? She suppressed a laugh and asked the maid, "But your young master wants to clear out the room used for miscellaneous items, but your young mistress won't allow it?"

The maid nodded and said, "Not only is it forbidden, but our young mistress has always had a quick temper. She only hit the young master a few times. That's nothing. When at home, she doesn't hit him every day. But she didn't expect that the apartment building is not like the mansion. The walls are not soundproof. The mistress heard the young master crying in pain from next door. She was both angry and heartbroken, so she said she wanted to divorce the young mistress..."

Once the word "rest" was uttered, it was no longer a matter of the Jin family. Before she could finish speaking, Xiao Yuan hurriedly ordered someone to inform Master Cheng and then asked her to lead the way to the Jin family's residence.

In a room on the second floor of the third building, Madam Jin was embracing Jin Jiu Shao and crying and scolding Sister Cheng: "Our Jiu'er's father died early, and I raised him with great difficulty. Did you come here to beat and scold him?" She was crying sadly when she suddenly heard a servant announce that the young mistress of the Cheng family had arrived. She looked up and first mocked Cheng Mutian: "No wonder you never say a word. It turns out that the Cheng family is all run by women. Eldest sister is a family heir." She then turned to Xiao Yuan: "I just heard that when you were at home, your eldest sister often beat and scolded my son. She only kept it from me. My poor Jiu'er, I haven't even been able to flick a fingernail of his finger all these years."

Xiao Yuan overheard her sarcastic remarks about Cheng Mutian at the door. Her anger surged, but she couldn't help feeling sorry for Sister Cheng. No wonder she had a fiery temper. This Madam Jin was even worse than Madam Qian. If she didn't have a fiery temper, she would probably have been devoured until there were no bones left.

She wanted to say that if the eldest sister was divorced, the Cheng family would no longer take care of the Jin family's business. However, when she saw Cheng Mutian shake his head slightly at her, she understood that such words should be left to Master Cheng. No matter how much they suffered, they were still juniors and could not argue with their elders. Just as she was about to imitate Cheng Mutian and keep her eyes down, she suddenly saw Jin Jiu Shao winking at them. So she pulled Cheng Mutian aside and quietly slipped out.

A moment later, Ninth Young Master came out, bowing and smiling apologetically, "I'm sorry to have disturbed you, my brother-in-law and aunt. It's all my fault. My mother was just angry for a moment. She'll be fine after she's cried herself out. You should go back and rest." Xiao Yuan didn't like him to begin with, and now she was even angrier. She said angrily, "Just angry for a moment? Your mother kept saying she wanted to divorce my eldest sister."

Jin Jiu Shao said, "These are just angry words, they don't count. My concubines still need my elder sister to manage them, how could I bear to divorce her?"

Although Cheng Mutian was not the eldest sister, if she were to be divorced, it would be a disgrace to the entire Cheng family. So he asked, "If that's the case, why didn't you say so to my face just now?" Jin Jiu Shao bowed deeply again: "My mother has a temper. The more I try to persuade her, the worse it gets. Otherwise, she'll accuse me of favoring my wife. Don't worry, brother-in-law, my eldest sister is firmly in her position as the legal wife. No one can touch her."

Having received confirmation that his eldest sister wouldn't be divorced, Cheng Mutian didn't ask any further questions and left. He met Master Cheng downstairs and relayed Jin Jiushao's words, telling him to put his mind at ease. He then returned to his room to continue mediating the conflict between Madam Qian and Aunt Ding.

Xiao Yuan was still upset, but her eldest sister was still in her room being scolded by Madam Jin and couldn't get away. So she went back and put the sesame candy and beans she had bought on the way into a plate and ordered someone to invite her over for tea.

Madam Xu Jin wanted to make sure her Jin family couldn't do without the Cheng family, so she soon released Sister Cheng and even brought a box of glutinous rice balls. Sister Cheng was domineering in front of her husband and concubines, but she didn't dare to speak ill of her mother-in-law. Before Xiao Yuan could ask, she laughed and said, "I hit her son, so it's only right that she complains a bit. Hitting someone hurts, but scolding me doesn't. In fact, I'm the one who profited."

These words were amusing, and Xiao Yuan was about to burst out laughing when she noticed that the woman's eyes were red as if she had been crying. She quickly suppressed her laughter, picked out a salted bean for her, and said, "You were too careless. Next time you hit him, remember to close the door. If that doesn't work, gag him so your mother-in-law can't hear." Sister Cheng was amused by her words and a hint of pride appeared on her face. She said, "That room where we pile up miscellaneous items is still not cleared out."

Xiao Yuan had just picked a round bean, which rolled to the ground. She wanted to laugh, but then she remembered the purpose of piling up the clutter in the room and felt embarrassed. So she pretended to look down for the bean and hid her head under the table to laugh her heart out.

She had just straightened up from under the table when a maid came to report a rumor: Madam Qian refused to share a room with Concubine Ding, and Concubine Ding, in a fit of anger, moved her bedding into Master Cheng's room. Master Cheng said it was against the rules, but he didn't send anyone to kick her out, which made Madam Qian so angry she almost fell over.

Sister Cheng was overjoyed to see her stepmother in distress. She packed a bag of sesame candy and beans, got up to say goodbye, and said she was going back to comfort Jin Jiu Shao.

Cailian saw her to the door, then turned back and said with a smile, "We've been here all this time, busy with other people's affairs, but we haven't even had time to arrange our own rooms."

Xiao Yuan smiled helplessly: "Who told me to be the housekeeper?" After saying that, she called Cheng Mutian and they went to see the nine rooms upstairs and downstairs together.

Chapter 123 Morning in the Slums

The building also had three rooms on each floor. The first floor had two rooms for servants and a kitchen; the third floor had two rooms filled with trunks and chests by Madam Qian, leaving only one room. Xiao Yuan wanted Sister-in-law Yu to bring Wu Ge to live with them on the second floor. Cheng Mutian remembered the cause of the Jin family dispute, raised his hand and knocked on the not-so-thick wooden wall, shaking his head and saying, "It's not soundproof. Let Wu Ge live upstairs." Xiao Yuan didn't understand at first and said, "Although Wu Ge is naughty, he doesn't like to make trouble. He won't disturb your sleep." Cheng Mutian looked left and right and saw that the servants were not there. He locked the door, hugged her, and pushed her down on the bed: "He's afraid we'll disturb him."

It was dusk, and the sky was not yet completely dark. Xiao Yuan, her heart pounding, chatted with him for a while, then laughed and said, "No wonder you left two rooms on the second floor empty, forcing Cai Lian and the others to move to the first floor, and your son to the third floor." Cheng Mutian pointed to the small river outside the window and laughed as well, "You chose this building well. Apart from the Jin family in front, there's no one else around."

"I'm not as impatient as you, thinking about that kind of thing as soon as the door is closed." Xiao Yuan gently pinched his lower body, then hugged him tightly and fell into a deep sleep together.

At the fourth watch of the night, as the morning bells rang in various temples, Cheng Mutian was awakened by a shout of "The sky is clear and bright." He listened to the sound of the wooden fish coming from the street and gently shook Xiaoyuan: "Wife, what is this?" Xiaoyuan rubbed her sleepy eyes and vaguely felt that her husband was a time traveler: "This is a monk from out of town announcing the dawn. The weather must be fine outside today, so he is announcing 'The sky is clear and bright.'"

Cheng Mutian listened with great interest for a while and then laughed, “I was wondering why those wandering monks would come to our shop to beg for alms every month on the first and second of the month, and during festivals. It turns out they are helping the shopkeeper and his staff get up early. It’s a pity that I have always lived in a secluded house and this is the first time I have ever heard it with my own ears.”

After saying this, he got up and put on his clothes. Under Xiao Yuan's astonished gaze, he wandered around outside for a moment, then hurriedly ran back: "Wife, where is the outhouse?" Xiao Yuan then put away her surprised expression, patted her chest and said: "I was wondering why you were sleepwalking after waking up. It turns out you were looking for a place to go." After saying that, she pointed to the next room: "Poor people don't have latrines. I was afraid of the smell, so I told them to put the chamber pot in the next room."

Cheng Mutian rushed next door, finished using the blue-and-white porcelain chamber pot with a lid, and ran back, pinching his nose. Xiao Yuan said anxiously, "Wife, send someone to empty the chamber pot! It stinks!" Xiao Yuan laughed and pulled him onto the bed, saying, "The 'Qingjiao Tou' who collects the remnants of grains probably hasn't arrived yet. Just bear with it; the maids will come up to fetch it later." Cheng Mutian wanted nothing more than to kick the chamber pot downstairs, and asked suspiciously, "Hasn't it arrived? Could it be that they've missed our house? Why don't we send the maids to fetch another one?" Xiao Yuan laughed, "Those 'Qingjiao Tou's' each have their own customers; if you send someone else, you'll only cause a fight."

Fighting over these stinky things? Cheng Mutian didn't believe it. Xiao Yuan explained, "'Qingjiaotou' collects manure and delivers it to farmers in the countryside as fertilizer. Since it can be exchanged for money, they naturally won't allow others to steal their business." This was a different kind of life that Cheng Mutian had never heard of before. He sat up and slowly dressed, saying, "We still have an empty room for a chamber pot. How can Dad stand it when he doesn't even have an empty room?" Xiao Yuan got off the bed, rummaged through the pile of messy clothes on the floor, found his belt, and handed it to him, saying, "That's easy to solve. There's some empty land nearby, which is also part of the old house land. Tell my aunt, and we'll build a simple outhouse."

In Cheng Mutian's eyes, a latrine without a courtyard was no different from an open-air one, and it would be better to use a chamber pot. So he shook his head and said, "Forget it, we're not staying here long, let's just make do. If we build a latrine, you and your stepmother won't be able to go there." Xiaoyuan naturally understood his thoughts and smiled, "I've thought about it for a while. Let's call the craftsmen to build a courtyard wall around the three buildings where we live. That way, the women can go down and walk around. Otherwise, if we stay upstairs every day, we'll probably get moldy."

Cheng Tian was delighted and said, "Excellent! I hadn't thought of that before." He put on his shoes and was about to go out to find a craftsman when Xiao Yuan quickly stopped him, saying, "What's the rush? Just leave it to Cheng Fu. Let's have breakfast." Cheng Mutian still wanted to get up, saying, "Then I'll go ask Cai Lian to bring it up. They live on the first floor; you won't hear them if you call from inside." Xiao Yuan held his hand and smiled, "Second Brother, I remember going to the morning market when I was a child." Cheng Mutian thought she was going to leave, and his brows furrowed. Xiao Yuan quickly said, "I heard that in the mornings, some large restaurants send people with carts and carrying poles to sell Er Chen Tang (a traditional Chinese medicine), which is excellent for drying dampness and clearing phlegm. Let's buy some for Father."

Cheng Mutian smiled knowingly. He pinched her nose: "Why are you beating around the bush with me? Did you pick up this bad habit from Third Sister?" Xiao Yuan knelt on the bed and hugged his waist. She said shyly, "I was afraid you wouldn't eat the food sold at the street stalls."

Cheng Mutian leaned down and kissed her slightly flushed face. He turned and went downstairs to find breakfast. He only saw that the roadside stalls were selling fried broth, dumplings, and small steamed cakes. He thought the variety was too limited, and worried that his wife might be hungry, so he bought a little of everything and rushed upstairs, telling her to have something to eat first. Then he rushed downstairs to the morning market and bought a bunch of snacks, including fried pork intestines, lamb and goose soup, blood offal soup, bean cakes, steamed cakes, rice cakes, and ice cream. He then followed her home.

Xiao Yuan saw that he had bought quite a lot of land and breakfast. She quickly called the maids to send a portion each to Master Cheng and Madam Qian in the front plot and to the Jin family in the back plot. Cheng Mutian personally fed Wu Ge a bowl of bean porridge. Wu Ge, however, reached out his little hand to grab an ice cream. Xiao Yuan broke off a small piece and handed it to him, saying, "It's made of glutinous rice. You can't eat too much." Cheng Mutian looked around the room. Only Sister-in-law Yu was left. He said, "We brought too few people with us. I'm afraid we won't have enough manpower."

Xiao Yuan said, "There are people, but nowhere to live. What can be done? Those guards and underworld workers all make them rent houses in the neighborhood." Cheng Mutian picked up a bowl of fried pork intestines, looked at it, and tossed it aside, saying, "Made from pig intestines. Who would eat this?" He then picked up a bowl of lamb and goose meat, looked at it, and tossed it aside in the same way, saying, "The food is good, but it's offal. Who would eat this?"

Xiao Yuan tapped her chopsticks and said, "You still say I'm beating around the bush? What do you want to say? Just tell me the truth." Seeing his mother scolding his father, Wu Ge clapped his hands happily and said, "Speak, speak." Cheng Mutian blushed, quickly grabbed a piece of cake and stuffed it into his hand, then called Sister-in-law Yu to take him out to play before speaking to Xiao Yuan, "I'm afraid your stepmother is not well taken care of. I know you are not comfortable in front of her, but when you are away from home, we children still need to do our best."

Xiao Yuan broke off a piece of sesame seed cake for him and soaked it in the bean porridge, smiling, "I thought it was something difficult, but it turns out it's this. It's only right to be filial to your parents. After breakfast, I'll go and serve my stepmother." Cheng Mutian stirred the bean porridge with the sesame seed cake and said in a low voice, "I'm not trying to make things difficult for you, I just don't want to give people something to say. I won't go out today, I'll just stay home and wait. If your stepmother beats or scolds you, remember to secretly send someone to inform me, and I'll come to your rescue." Xiao Yuan sighed, "In that case, your stepmother is also a pitiful person. We are much more fortunate than her. Let's just bear with it if we can."

After finishing breakfast, she had just washed her hands and was about to go out when Sister Cheng arrived first. As soon as she entered, she complained that the toilet stank and the breakfast was unpalatable. Xiao Yuan covered her mouth and asked with a smile, "How is my husband?" Sister Cheng blushed, a rare occurrence for her, and said shyly, "Only this is acceptable."

The two whispered a few words to each other, then burst into laughter, startling the little girl who was carrying a chamber pot past the door.

When Sister Cheng heard that Xiao Yuan was going to serve her mother, she went with her to pay her respects. She sympathized with her and said, "My mother-in-law is the best. Although she favors her son, she only eats vegetarian food and chants Buddhist scriptures all day long. She doesn't want me to serve her. She says that I have a bad temper and she is afraid that I will offend the Bodhisattva."

Xiao Ling had a sudden inspiration and said, "Fourth Sister is all grown up now, and she has a wet nurse to take care of her. Her stepmother has nothing to do all day long. Why don't you let her join your mother-in-law in believing in the Bodhisattva?" Sister Cheng nodded and smiled, "Okay, I'll help you persuade her."

Many people in the Song Dynasty believed in Buddhism. Madam Qian was bored and wanted to discuss with Madam Jin how to discipline her daughter-in-law. So she readily accepted her stepdaughter's suggestion and asked Xiao Tongqian to make a small gold Buddha as a gift. Led by Sister Cheng's personal maid, she went to find Madam Jin to learn about Buddhism.

As soon as she left, she clasped her hands together and thanked Sister Cheng: "Today I didn't have to follow the rules in front of my mother-in-law, thank you so much." Sister Cheng walked to the window and used the embroidered curtain to look at the street scene. She said nonchalantly, "What's this? You have big feet, at least. When I first entered the Jin family, I walked on my bound feet as if I were walking on the edge of a knife. I still had to stand in front of my mother-in-law for half a day. Later, our family got involved with Erlang's business, and things got a little better."

It turns out being a daughter-in-law is tough. Xiao Yuan sighed inwardly, walked over to her, pointed to the courtyard wall that had just been started being built, and said, "Let's build a high wall so we can go down and walk around when we get tired of sitting. We can also build three outhouses in the yard, one for each building, okay?"

Sister Cheng smiled and said, "Excellent." After thinking for a moment, she worried, "The open space next to the building is large, so we can only build a small one; besides, we live on the second floor, so it's inconvenient to get up at night, and we have to use a chamber pot." Xiao Yuan glanced at her, "Isn't there an empty room next to your room? Would it be okay to put a chamber pot there if you don't pile up any clutter?"

Sister Cheng burst into laughter, "Yes, yes, very similar!" She clapped her hands and laughed all the way downstairs to call for someone to move the clutter. Jin Jiu Shao was eating breakfast when he saw that she had cleared out the storage room next door. Overjoyed, he dropped the steamed bun he had only half-eaten and ran out to thank her. However, he had only finished half of his bow when two concubines carried over a large chamber pot and, under Sister Cheng's direction, placed it neatly in the center of the empty room. His face immediately turned red and white, but he couldn't take back his half-finished bow, so he could only bow deeply. Sister Cheng asked curiously, "Why did you bow to me, sir?" Jin Jiu Shao replied, "Thank you, madam, for relieving me of my worries."

Chapter 124 Pork

After the eldest sister finished arranging the toilet room, the maid and servant came to do something, but she was just as busy as she was asking Xiaoyuan: "Do we still have to buy water to drink? It's already the beginning of autumn, how come there are still mosquitoes?" Xiaoyuan asked in surprise: "There are many saltwater wells in Lin'an. The water we drink is all bought. Didn't you know that? There are dense buildings and a large population here. It's normal to have mosquitoes. Just use incense to smother them."

Sister Cheng said, "There aren't enough rooms, so I didn't bring the housekeeper. How would I know about something as trivial as buying water? Besides, it's already past the beginning of autumn, and I didn't expect there to still be mosquitoes here, so I didn't bring any incense." Xiao Yuan took out a bundle of incense wrapped in coarse paper and gave it to her, saying, "This is mosquito coil. It's filled with dried duckweed powder and realgar powder. Poor people use this to repel mosquitoes, and it's very effective. There are porters selling water in the street carrying buckets, and there are also boats selling water on the river behind. For other uses, you can just have someone fetch water from the river."

Sister Cheng was reluctant to use the poor man's mosquito coils and was about to complain with a bitter face when she suddenly remembered that living a poor life here gave her the opportunity to spend every night with her husband. So she put on a smile and went back to her room happily to smoke out the mosquitoes.

As noon approached, the cook who had gone to buy meat and vegetables for the Cheng family returned empty-handed. She stumbled upstairs and tearfully complained to Xiao Yuan, "Young Madam, I went to buy mutton, goose, and duck this morning, but a constable stopped me and asked if I was the cook from the Cheng family. A few other constables were also muttering, 'The Cheng family isn't impoverished, so how come they still have money to buy mutton?' I was terrified and didn't dare tell the truth. I just made up a few things, but those constables wouldn't believe me and followed me all the way back. I didn't even dare to buy any vegetables before coming back to report."

Xiao Yuan hurriedly asked, "Did you shake them off?" The cook shook her head with a mournful face. Cai Lian looked out the side window and said, "There really are government officials on the street, grabbing people and asking them questions." A Yun scolded the cook, "What an idiot! She doesn't even know to shake them off before coming back."

When the news reached Qian Fu's ears, he also blamed the cook for being too stupid. Xiao Yuan defended herself, saying, "She's just someone who cooks and tends the fire, so she's not very clever." What she meant was that the cook was in charge of the important matter of what goes into the mouth, so it was better for her to be honest and trustworthy.

Madam Qian couldn't stand her taking a place and insisted on selling the cook. Xiao Yuan had no choice but to pretend to call the slave trader and order someone to send the cook to her estate in the mountains, where she would be settled with the four bureaus and six departments that had gone there before.

Madam Qian was satisfied with selling the cook who had gone with her daughter-in-law, while Xiao Yuan could only smile bitterly: "Without a cook, who will cook lunch?" Madam Qian looked at the building behind her and couldn't hide her envy, saying, "I heard from Madam Jin that your family didn't bring a cook this time at all. All the kitchen work is being done by her son's concubines."

Xiao Yuan was used to her behavior and didn't even bother to change her expression. She pulled Aunt Ding over and said, "We have concubines in our family too, let her do it." She then squatted down and asked Fourth Sister, "What would Fourth Sister like to eat? Tell your sister-in-law and auntie to make it for you."

At first, Ding Niang looked reluctant, but she felt better after being asked about Fourth Sister's preferences. She smiled at Madam Qian and said, "I've learned a few dishes at home, and Master said they were all good." Before Madam Qian could respond, she curtsied and withdrew. She removed her hairpins and jewelry, changed her clothes, rolled up her sleeves, and went to the kitchen, intending to prepare the dishes that Fourth Sister liked. However, when she lifted the bamboo basket, she found only a few green vegetables and not even a piece of meat. She hurriedly ran upstairs to inquire.

Master Cheng walked to the window facing the street and looked out. He said, "Our family is being watched by the officials. I'm afraid we won't be able to buy mutton, goose, duck, or chicken for a while. Even fish, we should buy as little as possible." Aunt Ding asked in surprise, "Then what will we eat?" Madam Qian twirled the small Buddhist beads that Madam Jin had given her. She smiled and said, "We'll just eat vegetables. That's fine."

These past few days she's been eating with Madam Jin. Naturally, there's no concern about whether there's meat or not. But Little Fourth Sister is at a crucial stage of growth. How can she only eat vegetables? Aunt Ding glared at her resentfully and said, "She's not my biological daughter after all. She just doesn't care." Madam Qian still cherishes Little Fourth Sister. She hadn't expected this earlier. Her face flushed, and she retorted, "Where have I treated her badly? At home, she always had the finest food and clothes. Now it's my fault for not being able to buy groceries."

Master Cheng didn't care what his fourth wife ate. But he thought of his precious grandson and hurriedly asked Xiao Yuan, "Wife, is there any way to buy some meat?"

Xiao Yuan hadn't eaten lunch yet. She was already full and fuming. She wished she could let them eat vegetarian food every day. But Master Cheng genuinely cared about Wu Ge and couldn't refuse him. So he had to muster his spirits and reply, "Let's eat pork. There's a woman named Sister Liu over there who cooks excellent pork. Let's invite her to help Aunt Ding. Also, there are often small boats selling fish and shrimp on the river behind. Let's buy some and fry them. It'll be very good for the children. We can also ask the estate to send some chickens. They don't spoil easily. We can steam a few every day to nourish them."

Master Cheng hesitated, "Fish, shrimp, and chicken are good, but isn't pork only for servants?" Madam Qian also questioned, "The books say that pork is poisonous, and that pork from the south is the most prized." Aunt Ding retorted, "Madam is a vegetarian. If it's poisonous, it's us who will suffer."

Master Cheng wouldn't allow his concubines to talk back to his wife in front of others. He glared at her and said to Xiao Yuan, "Wife, we don't eat pork. Please invite that Sister Liu to cook for the servants." Madam Qian

Aunt Ding threw the Buddhist beads onto the table and said with dissatisfaction, "Where is there a place that needs someone to cook for you?" Xiao Yuan had other plans in mind, so she quickly pulled Aunt Ding aside, and the two of them quietly withdrew, leaving Madam Qian to be dealt with by Master Cheng.

Aunt Ding thought that Xiao Yuan was also biased towards her, so she curtsied and thanked her for finding help for her. She then asked, "What does Brother Wu like to eat? I'll make it for him." Xiao Yuan smiled and said, "Even a clever wife can't cook without rice. Let me send someone to buy vegetables." She called Cheng Fu and ordered him to buy pork. She also sent someone to the village to get chicken eggs and to the river to buy fish and shrimp.

Unfortunately, the villa was far from the city and we couldn't make it in time for lunch; the small boats selling vegetables on the river only appeared in the early morning, and we couldn't buy any fish or shrimp; so at lunchtime, apart from a few dishes prepared by Aunt Ding, we only had two plates of pork cooked by Sister Liu.

Cheng Mutian held Wu Ge in one arm and chopsticks in the other. He pointed to the dishes of side dishes and asked Xiao Yuan, "Are you sure you want Aunt Ding to cook?" Xiao Yuan called Sister Liu over and said with a smile, "This is Sister Liu. She was the one who cooked for us when my aunt and I lived in the apartment a few years ago."

It turned out this was an old acquaintance, someone placed in the kitchen to keep Ding's aunt in check. Cheng Mutian understood immediately and pointed to a plate, asking, "Is this pork?" Sister Liu smiled and said, "This is roasted pork kidney, made by rubbing coarse salt on the bottom of the pan and frying it." Cheng Mutian then pointed to a plate of bright red meat and said, "This must be pork." Sister Liu nodded and said, "This is steamed pork, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed, then drizzled with apricot syrup after it's cooked. It's delicious, young master, please try some."

Cheng Mutian finally recognized the dish and was very happy. He took a bite and found it to be incredibly fragrant and tender, even more delicious than mutton. Seeing Wu Ge staring at him expectantly, he quickly picked up some steamed minced meat and fed it to him, saying "Reward." Xiao Yuan told A Cai to bring money to Sister Liu and told her not to tell anyone else that they had eaten pork before letting her go.

Cheng Mutian laughed, "You're putting on a good show of poverty, but it's just cheap pork. Are you afraid it will reach the ears of the officials?" Xiaoyuan ate several mouthfuls of steamed pork before saying, "I'm being unfilial. Father forbids us from eating pork, so I had Sister Liu secretly bring these plates up." Seeing her eating so quickly, Cheng Mutian was both amused and exasperated, "Wait a minute. When you wanted to eat pig's blood at home, I secretly got it for you. Now you know you're being unfilial."

Xiao Yuan stuffed a piece of kidney into his mouth and said, "It's better to keep it a secret, lest Father blames us for feeding Brother Wu pork, which is not presentable." In fact, Cheng Mutian deeply agreed that pork was a food only lowly people ate, but he looked at the table and saw that there were only side dishes besides pork. He couldn't let Brother Wu eat vegetarian food, so he nodded and said, "It's fine for me to eat it a few times, but we'll change it when we have other dishes."

They were enjoying their meal when Sister Cheng came to complain again. As she lifted the curtain, she said, "It's all side dishes. Anyone who didn't know better would think I'd become a nun—" Before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly smelled the aroma of meat. Looking at the table, she saw two plates of meat she didn't recognize and exclaimed in surprise, "You've been hiding in your room eating all by yourself?"

Cheng Tian tapped his chopsticks heavily and said coldly, "You are a member of the Jin family, this is the Cheng family. What do you mean by eating alone?" Xiao Yuan was afraid that Sister Cheng would tell Master Cheng about them eating pork, so she quickly nudged Cheng Mutian's foot under the table, ordered someone to add a bowl and chopsticks, and personally invited Sister Cheng to sit down, saying with a smile, "This is pork. We kept it a secret because Father forbade us to eat it."

Cheng Mutian had a sullen face. Sister Cheng didn't dare to eat, so she pushed her bowl and chopsticks aside and whispered to Xiaoyuan, "Eating pork is not proper, but we're pretending to be poor, so we can't care about that. You can take some over for me, just keep it from Father and Stepmother." Xiaoyuan nodded with a smirk and instructed her, "You also need to keep it from your mother-in-law, lest she let it slip when she's chanting scriptures with Stepmother."

Sister Cheng responded softly, gave her another hug, turned and went downstairs to her room to wait for the meat. Xiao Yuan told A Cai to inform Sister Liu to prepare several other pork dishes, pack them in airtight food boxes, and deliver them to Jin Jiu Shao and Sister Cheng.

In the following days, chickens from the village were delivered, and fish and shrimp from the river were bought, making the dishes on the table more abundant. However, Xiao Yuan and Sister Cheng still had one or two plates of pork dishes on their table. Although Cheng Mutian always complained that this was against the rules, he didn't seem to eat less. Master Cheng was kept in the dark by everyone and ate only light dishes every day. Although it was hard, his diabetes was greatly relieved because of the simple meals, which was an unexpected benefit. Aunt Ding had eaten pork before and was not subject to those taboos. She often secretly took some pork to eat with Xiao Si Niang behind Madam Qian's back.

Only Madam Qian, who ate vegetarian meals with Madam Jin for several days, was not used to eating vegetarian food. Gradually, she became pale and even fainted from time to time, which made everyone worry for her.

Chapter 125 First Birthday Gift

The courtyard wall surrounding the three buildings was quickly completed, and three small blue-tiled houses were finished. The houses belonging to Master Cheng and Cheng Mutian had few people, making them very convenient to use. However, the Jin family had many concubines, and they often quarreled over who should go first.

That day, Wu Ge was celebrating his first birthday. Cheng San Niang, accompanied by Gan Shier, arrived for the banquet. As they approached the second building, they saw a large group of women rushing downstairs, crowding around a small room and bickering over who should go in first, occasionally pushing and shoving. Seeing the couple staring in disbelief, Cai Lian quickly explained, "That's a makeshift outhouse; those are the concubines of the eldest sister's household." Cheng San Niang understood. Looking around, she noticed two more identical rooms and asked, "Why aren't those two empty?" Cai Lian laughed, "They're not in a hurry; they're just vying to see who's more favored." Gan Shier seized the opportunity to advise Cheng San Niang, "My lady, what's the point of making a show of it? Bringing concubines home only creates chaos."