Chapter 10: Going to the Market
Jiang Song’an was remarkably capable.
From the first to the fifth day of the lunar month, he tidied up every part of the house that needed repair and even built a bathtub for Yuan Yao. The chicken and duck coops in the courtyard were already completed. Not only did he turn over the vegetable garden from end to end, but he also brought back some leaf mold. He even helped Yuan Yao chop all the firewood needed for the remaining half-month.
The entire courtyard exuded an atmosphere of living life to the fullest.
Early on the fifth day, the whole family gathered, ready to head to the market!
The three sisters had been extremely excited since last night. Yuan Shuang, the most composed among them, was also visibly joyful. Meanwhile, Yuan Yao was dressing in her room; listening to the cheerful laughter outside, she felt a mix of happiness and melancholy. After all, during their more than year-long stay in Shenmu Town, they had rarely ventured into the streets.
Before marrying Jiang Song’an, Yuan Yao had actually lived with a distant aunt surnamed Wang. She had turned to her aunt out of sheer desperation back then. At that time, she was filled with fear and dread, harboring a strong sense of rejection toward this place, which consequently made her three younger sisters increasingly timid and silent. It was only half a year later, when her aunt subtly hinted that they should become self-reliant, that Yuan Yao finally summoned the courage to start going out onto the streets.
The first time she went out on the street, she unexpectedly ran into Jiang Song’an.
She still vividly remembered how he had beaten up those hooligans back then; it was also the first time she realized that a man’s strength could be so immense, truly terrifying.
“Eldest Sister, Eldest Sister?”
Yuan Shuang pulled her out of her reverie. Yuan Yao’s lips curved upward. “Is everything packed?”
“All done! Brother-in-law says we can go!”
Yuan Yao nodded. “Very well, let’s go.”
Today she wore a pair of ear pendants: slender silver threads dangling with yellow jade beads the size of rice grains. It was one of her favorite pieces of jewelry, usually too precious to wear openly. This alone showed just how happy Yuan Yao truly felt. The moment she stepped outside, Jiang Song’an noticed the change immediately. His gaze lingered on her for a few extra moments, burning with intensity.
Yuan Yao pretended not to notice. Having gathered everything they needed, she prepared to head out. Today, they planned to go into town to buy vegetable seeds, chicks, ducklings, and a few other miscellaneous items; they would decide what else to get as they wandered along.
As the gate of the Jiang family courtyard swung open and Yuan Yao stepped out, the gate of the neighboring Liu household opened as well.
Hongmei looked slightly surprised to see the entire family heading out together. She approached and greeted them, “Off to the market?”
Yuan Yao nodded politely. Hongmei remarked, “This is the first market day since the New Year. Why not buy more? Is such a small basket enough?”
Hong Mei regretted her words the moment they left her lips. Oh no, how could someone of his status carry a large bamboo basket like ordinary farm women? She had spoken out of turn.
Yet Yuan Yao gave it no second thought and smiled, saying, “Jiang Song’an is going too.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Song’an emerged. Indeed, everyone’s attention turned to him. Seeing Hong Mei, he greeted her with, “Sister-in-law.”
Hong Mei laughed and said, “That’s wonderful, that’s wonderful. I’ll head off first then; I need to go to the clinic before the queue gets too long.”
“Alright, take your time, sister-in-law.”
As Hongmei walked away, she let out a sigh of relief. She didn’t quite know why, but being around that young mistress always made her heart race. Privately, some women in Shenmu Town referred to Yuan Yao as “young mistress.” Although Hongmei had never used the title herself, deep down she likely thought of Yuan Yao the same way. And then there was the way she called out “Jiang Song’an”—what proper wife would ever address her own husband by his full name? It was truly strange…
Had this been the Yuan Yao from her previous life, she might not have noticed Hongmei’s thoughts at all. But after spending so much time dealing with shrewd people in Chang’an City, she had learned to read expressions well. After a moment’s reflection, she understood exactly what was on Hongmei’s mind. Yet she merely smiled and said nothing; she simply didn’t care.
The entire Jiang family slowly made their way toward the marketplace.
The market in Shenmu Town consists of just two streets, where villagers from the surrounding areas gather to buy, sell, or barter goods. Both sides of the streets are lined with all kinds of stalls. Without any fixed management, each vendor sets up their own space: the less particular ones simply place a stool beside their carrying pole, while those a bit more particular construct a table out of wooden planks. As for those with thriving businesses, they directly set up a wooden bed, neatly arranging all sorts of merchandise upon it.
Yuan Shuang, Yuan Qi, and Yuan Li rarely ventured into town, so they were utterly dazzled by the sights. Yuan Yao, however, retained some composure; glancing at Jiang Song’an, she asked, “Should we buy vegetable seeds first?”
Vegetable seeds are light and easy to carry, whereas chicks and ducklings would be far more cumbersome to transport; surely those should be purchased last.
Jiang Song’an nodded in agreement. “Yes, then we’ll buy grain. We won’t purchase the chicks here; we’ll look for them when we head out of town.”
This puzzled Yuan Yao, and true to her nature, she immediately asked for clarification. Jiang Song’an smiled and explained, “The ones sold here aren’t very good. To buy chicks, you need to search along the village roads. Those hatched by farming households are superior—authentic, raised on insects. Some vendors in town specialize in selling chicks, but theirs aren’t free-range.”
Yuan Yao suddenly realized it was indeed true; even in Chang’an City, people preferred free-range chickens over those from farms. She glanced at Jiang Song’an a few more times. This man knew so much; in her previous life, he had actually given up raising chickens all because of her.
Thinking about it now, she felt truly foolish. Yuan Yao bit her tongue lightly.
She bought over a dozen varieties of vegetable seeds: amaranth, garlic chives, garland chrysanthemum, lettuce, radishes, and more. Since she wasn’t sure which would thrive, she bought a little of each. Fortunately, seeds were cheap; the total cost came to less than ten wen.
While purchasing the vegetable seeds, Yuan Yao noticed flower seeds nearby. In her previous life, after luckily establishing a successful business selling scented powders, what she paid closest attention to was fresh flowers for every season.
Peach blossoms, apricot blossoms, winter jasmine, azaleas, spring orchids, and white pear flowers are all excellent for making fragrant powder. Unfortunately, with vegetables in short supply at home, who has the leisure to cultivate flowers? Moreover, flower seeds are more expensive than vegetable seeds and require meticulous care. Never mind, never mind.
Moreover, the Jiang family’s plot of land could hardly withstand any further折腾; if only they had some fields.
Ah! Fields!
Why did Jiang Song’an have no fields? Although he had arrived as a refugee, he must certainly possess household registration documents. There were plenty of vacant fields around Shenmu Town; bribing the village head a little to allocate two mu would not be difficult at all. Yuan Yao glanced at Jiang Song’an, realizing she truly did not know him very well; many matters from her previous life had been overlooked by her.
Yuan Yao temporarily suppressed the doubts in her heart and continued wandering through the market with him. By now, the marketplace was gradually filling with people, and many passersby began greeting Jiang Song’an. It was quite normal for him to know so many people after living in Shenmu Town for so long, which did not surprise Yuan Yao. However, these acquaintances were greatly surprised; usually, after exchanging greetings and catching sight of Yuan Yao, their eyes instantly widened in astonishment.
He could neither walk nor speak, standing frozen in place as he stared blankly at Yuan Yao. Before Yuan Yao could say anything, Jiang Song’an grew displeased; he stepped sideways to shield her behind him, casting an unfriendly glare at the man.
Only then did the man opposite suddenly snap back to his senses. Hastily forcing a smile, he said, “This must be my sister-in-law, right? Greetings, sister-in-law… It’s our first meeting… Please forgive my rudeness…”
Yuan Yao glanced at Jiang Song’an and suddenly felt like laughing.
Jiang Song’an asked the other person a few questions about market conditions; after exchanging a few words, the whole family continued onward.
“Were you just asking about grain prices?” Yuan Yao asked curiously.
Jiang Song’an: “Yes, I suspect grain prices are about to rise.”
In the north, a snow disaster has surely frozen countless plants to death. With such strange weather this year, grain prices could skyrocket at any moment.
Yuan Yao pressed her lips together and said nothing. She knew all too well whether grain prices had risen; she clearly remembered that by early spring of that year, even old grain had climbed to fifteen wen per jin. She had nearly forgotten this matter. Seeing it now, relying on purchased food was never a long-term solution; they needed their own fields.
While calculating in her mind, Yuan Yao finished buying all the necessary items for the household with Jiang Song’an.
Glancing back at the three sisters, she noticed their hands were unexpectedly full. Each held a skewer of candied hawthorns, eating them with great care—a treat Jiang Song’an had insisted on buying for them just moments ago. In their other arms, they cradled eggs, holding them against their chests with extreme caution.
“Selling mung beans! Fresh mung beans for sale!”
Suddenly, the cry of a farmwoman caught Yuan Yao’s attention. She walked over and asked, “How much for the mung beans?”
“Five wen per jin.”
Not exactly cheap; about the same price as soybeans. Yet mung beans were far less popular than soybeans, simply because they weren’t filling enough. At best, they served to cool one down during the sweltering summer heat.
Yuan Yao had planned to make some mung bean cakes herself, but unsure of their marketability in Shenmu Town, she said, “Four wen then; we’ll buy a little.”
“Oh, young lady, my mung beans are all top quality—look, not a single blackened one!”
“I know, but while they sell well in summer, they’re harder to move now; five wen is indeed a bit steep.”
After Yuan Yao finished speaking with a smile, the old woman fell silent, then gritted her teeth and relented, “Alright, alright, how much do you want?”
Yuan Yao: “Three jin will do!”
She wanted to test the waters first and buy more later if it turned out well.
The woman worked swiftly, quickly weighing out the mung beans for Yuan Yao. Jiang Song’an reached for his purse to pay, but Yuan Yao stopped him, counting out fifteen coins herself and handing them over.
As they left the woman’s stall, Jiang Song’an suddenly smiled.
Yuan Yao: “What are you laughing at?”
Jiang Song’an: “It’s my first time seeing you haggle.”
In the past, whenever Yuan Yao went to the market, she would simply pay whatever price was quoted without ever bargaining. Now, she pressed her lips together, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
“Household expenses will be covered from this petty cash of mine; you keep your own money for yourself. Let’s keep our accounts clear so I can track exactly how much we spend each month.”
This clearly meant she was to take charge of the household; Jiang Song’an merely smiled and offered no rebuttal.
After strolling through two streets, the market tour was nearly complete when Yuan Li asked excitedly, “Can we buy the chicks now!”
He had known all along that these girls were fixated on this matter. Jiang Song’an nodded. “Yes, let’s go!”
Cheers erupted, and their steps quickened accordingly. Indeed, numerous farmers had set up makeshift stalls along the village road, selling eggs for one wen apiece—cheaper even than in town. After visiting just two stalls, they found the chicks: dozens of fluffy, pale-yellow baby chickens were huddled together in a crate, chirping “cheep, cheep, cheep.” The seller was an honest, simple-minded farmer.
Jiang Song’an wasted no words and went straight to inspect the goods. The three sisters eagerly crowded around, leaving Yuan Yao with nowhere to stand. She watched her mischievous younger sisters helplessly, just as she heard Jiang Song’an ask about the price.
“Eight wen each.”
The moment the old farmer spoke that price, the three sisters immediately fell silent.
Eight wen!
This is far too expensive!
Yuan Yao also frowned, but Jiang Song’an remained perfectly calm: “Eight wen for three.”
The three sisters widened their eyes, and the old farmer immediately bristled with indignation: “What! Not selling, not selling!”
Jiang Song’an replied, “These chicks have only just hatched a few days ago; whether they’ll even survive is still uncertain. How about eight wen for two?”
The old farmer moved his lips hesitantly: “No… no selling.”
Yuan Yao watched silently from the side, then suddenly said, “If you won’t sell, then forget it. Let’s go; I wasn’t that keen on having them anyway.”
Jiang Song’an and the three sisters were taken aback. Yuan Yao pressed her lips together and continued, “Raising chickens is such a hassle; these chicks look like they won’t survive anyway. Let’s go, let’s go.”
But just as Yuan Yao finished speaking, the old farmer perked up immediately. “Who says they won’t survive? These were laid by my best, most prolific hen! They will definitely live!”
Yuan Yao waved her hand. “Too expensive. We don’t want them.”
Having said that, she glanced at Jiang Song’an. He too had now realized the situation, stood up, and prepared to leave.
Seeing that they were truly about to leave, the old farmer panicked: “Hey, hey, come back! I’ll sell them for eight wen for two! Sold!”
Yuan Yao curved her lips into a faint smile.
..
While Yuan Shuang, Yuan Qi, and Yuan Li stood dazed, clutching a basket of chicks, Jiang Song’an suddenly leaned in close to Yuan Yao.
“Doesn’t this make us a case of one playing the good cop and the other the bad? They call it ‘husband leads, wife follows,’ don’t they?”
Yuan Yao pressed her lips together without speaking, yet quietly quickened her pace.