Chapter 20: Lantern Festival
The wind had picked up again outside today. Jiang Song’an pulled Yuan Yao into the inner room. Only then did the three sisters finally dare to come out: “Brother-in-law… have they left?”
“Let’s go! It’s settled, you all can go play!”
Yuan Shuang let out a deep sigh of relief and glanced at Yuan Yao, who smiled in return. “Ah Shuang, take your younger sister back to the room first; I need to speak with your brother-in-law alone for a while.”
Yuan Shuang nodded obediently and took Yuan Qi and Yuan Li out.
Jiang Song’an asked, “What’s wrong? Did something scare you?”
Yuan Yao shook her head at him. “Is this the plan you came up with?”
Jiang Song’an pulled her down to sit beside him. “More or less. Dealing with scoundrels like that requires a few tricks. Have you gone soft-hearted?”
Yuan Yao continued shaking her head. “Why should I go soft-hearted for them? No one went soft-hearted for me back then. Even if you hadn’t sent those people, they would sooner or later have been caught by that creditor anyway.”
“That’s exactly it.” Jiang Song’an brushed the hair from her forehead. “I’ll go to the county town in a day or two to find out who this Ma Laosan is and make some inquiries. In all likelihood, they won’t bother you again.”
Yuan Yao studied him for a moment longer before asking, “Those burly men seemed to know you. Why did they call you ‘Second Brother’?”
Jiang Song’an hadn’t expected her to have overheard that. He paused briefly, then suddenly smiled. “It’s just a form of address; everyone in Qingshan County calls me that.”
Yuan Yao gazed at him for a while before simply humming in acknowledgment.
She realized, truly, how little she knew about Jiang Song’an.
In her previous life, their year-plus of marriage was muddled and confused, yet she knew this man truly possessed some remarkable talents.
That was why her heart now felt so deeply at ease.
“Alright, you’ve been worrying and haven’t slept well these past couple of days; go rest for a while.”
Yuan Yao shook her head: “I previously promised to get the fermented bean curd ready properly, so I must start organizing things. I also need to visit Grandma Liu and Aunt Dou to express my gratitude.”
Jiang Song’an replied, “I’ll go; you just rest.” 5②4久〇8192
Yuan Yao’s delicate face had grown thinner over the past few days, making her look quite haggard. Seeing his determination, she said nothing more.
Jiang Song’an indeed went out as expected. Things were fine with Aunt Dou; he merely stayed a little longer at the Liu household.
Upon hearing this, Grandma Liu showed no surprise: “I knew you could handle it.”
Jiang Song’an smiled modestly: “Grandma, you flatter me; these are just minor tricks.”
“In these troubled times, one needs some cunning to protect their family. Little An, it’s not that I’m scolding you, but when you insisted on marrying her, you should have considered this: four orphaned girls…”
“I know, Grandma. Wasn’t my own family just like that? We’ve had plenty of troubles too. It doesn’t matter; as long as she lives well with me, none of this is a problem.”
Grandma Liu nodded, a faint smile of comfort gracing her lips: “I can see you love her. She’s also a good child. Previously, she sent over some eggs, saying they were in exchange for the jar. Just the day before yesterday, she gave Hongmei a string of cash. Did she think this old woman was confused?”
Jiang Song’an awkwardly rubbed his nose: “Then I’ll be off, Grandma?”
“Take the meat back. Also, I’ve noticed refugees arriving one after another in increasing numbers. Yangzhou Prefecture is a good place; for now, it can still produce grain. Xiao An, you know what I mean by this.”
Jiang Song’an’s expression gradually turned serious: “They will not return.”
Granny Liu sighed: “Very well, as long as you understand. I have watched you slowly build a better life for yourself; I only speak out of concern for you…”
“Mm, thank you, Grandma.”
–
Another day passed, and life finally returned to tranquility.
Seeing that the Lantern Festival had not gone well, Yuan Yao made her plans early in the morning: she shook out the yuanxiao for the family, swept the small courtyard inside and out until it was spotless, and sprinkled it all with pomelo water to ward off evil spirits.
Once these tasks were done, she set about cooking the yuanxiao.
Jiang Song’an had left early in the morning; just as Yuan Yao’s yuanxiao came fresh out of the pot, he returned home.
Yuan Yao hurried forward to meet him. “How did it go?”
Jiang Song’an had gone out today to inquire about Du Yuan’s creditor, and upon his return, he was carrying quite a few pastries in his hand. It seemed he and Yuan Yao had been thinking along the same lines.
The story is fascinating,” Jiang Song’an said. “We’ll discuss it slowly over dinner.
Glancing at Yuan Shuang, who had already approached, Yuan Yao reluctantly set aside her curiosity. At the dinner table, she served everyone a bowl of yuanxiao—plump and white.
“There’s a lucky charm inside these yuanxiao; whoever eats it will have good fortune this year.”
At these words, the three sisters grew excited, eating faster than before, eager to find the lucky prize.
Yuan Yao also served a bowl to Jiang Song’an. Seeing his relaxed and confident demeanor, she roughly guessed what was happening. Still, knowing it wasn’t proper to discuss this in front of the children, she held back her question.
“I found the lucky coin!!!”
Yuan Li looked up excitedly, and sure enough, there was a copper coin hidden inside her tangyuan. Yuan Yao smiled and said, “Excellent! Our little Li has great luck this year! Keep this coin.”
Yuan Li was overjoyed and immediately rushed to wash it by the water basin, forgetting all about finishing the rest of her tangyuan. Meanwhile, Yuan Qi and Yuan Shuang wore envious expressions, but soon they too cried out excitedly in unison: “I found one too!!”
Yuan Yao smiled again and said, “Wonderful! Keep them both.”
Yuan Shuang immediately understood; she cast a grateful glance at her eldest sister. Only after the three sisters had left did Jiang Song’an ask, “Is there one in my bowl too?”
Yuan Yao pretended not to understand: “I don’t know. If you find one, consider yourself lucky.”
Jiang Song’an smiled without saying a word. Just then, Yuan Shuang and the others returned from the water basin: “Eldest Sister, you should eat quickly too! If you and Brother-in-law find the lucky token, it means our whole family will have smooth sailing this year!”
Yuan Shuang’s words struck a chord deep within Yuan Yao. She reached out to pat her second sister’s head. “Yes, it certainly will be so.”
After finishing the yuanxiao, the three sisters went out to play in the courtyard. Yuan Yao glanced at Jiang Song’an, who then slowly began to speak: “I’ve found out. That woman Pan is truly a formidable character. Back when they were in Tailin County, she got involved with some young gigolo. Somehow, he coaxed her into believing he was going to the prefectural city to take the imperial examinations, promising that once he passed, he would marry her and bring her into his household. Pan actually believed him and gave him all ten taels of silver the family had. That must be the same ten taels she falsely accused you of stealing.”
“Later, Pan became pregnant by that man, yet your uncle remained completely unaware. When the scholar returned, he continued spinning sweet lies to deceive Pan, so she gave him part of those twenty taels. That’s why she couldn’t repay the debt.”
Yuan Yao’s face turned deathly pale. “She… how could she dare…”
“And that’s not even the end of it. Your uncle, foolish as he is, still hadn’t realized what was happening even at this stage. Letting Pan talk him into trying business ventures like others, he lost the remaining ten-odd taels completely. From then on, they started dodging their debts. Dodging debts is like rolling a snowball; it just keeps growing bigger and bigger. Once they could no longer repay, they began running away. I previously misspoke when I said they left because of the snow disaster; in truth, they fled purely to escape their creditors.”
Yuan Yao was stunned: “Then what about Pan’s child…”
“Gone.” Jiang Song’an ate another yuanxiao and, as expected, bit into the lucky charm. Smiling, he showed it to Yuan Yao, but she was too preoccupied to pay it any mind. Instead, she sighed deeply, “And now what?”
Jiang Song’an replied, “The two of them couldn’t repay the debt. Ma Laosan has a quarry over at Chenjiaba, so they’ve gone there to work off what they owe. I heard they’re in debt for around eighty or a hundred taels; they’ll probably have to work there for seven or eight years.”
Yuan Yao fell silent.
“I actually thought…”
“You think what? That they’d get their arms and legs broken?” Jiang Song’an asked with a smile.
Yuan Yao’s face flushed; she didn’t admit it, yet indeed, that Ma Laosan sounded like no good person from the start, even hiring thugs… She had truly believed so…
“That man still has some capability; not long after arriving, he secured the quarry. Rest assured, Pan Shi and Du Yuan won’t starve over there, but they certainly won’t escape hardship. They’re watched closely in that place, which is also nearly a hundred li away from us. Even if they manage to flee the quarry, they’ll likely try to run far away and definitely won’t return.”
Only then did the heavy stone in Yuan Yao’s heart finally settle completely.
“Let’s put that matter behind us. Shall we talk about our plans instead?”
Yuan Yao looked at Jiang Song’an, puzzled. “Our plans?”
At this moment, Jiang Song’an finally shed his roguish demeanor and spoke seriously, “I’ve asked Aunt Dou. At first, I thought you were just dabbling, but if you’re truly serious about starting a business, I’ll rent a shop for you in town. How does that sound?”
Yuan Yao: “!”
“Are you crazy? Where would you get the money?”
Jiang Song’an smiled. “I don’t have cash on hand, but my face is still worth something. Since we’re renting, not buying, I can probably defer the rent for the first three months.”
“No way!” Yuan Yao rejected the idea without a second thought. Having just spoken about borrowing money from Pan Shi and Du Yuan, she couldn’t bear to hear those two words again.
“I don’t want to pretend to be wealthier than I am. Honestly, I see nothing wrong with having a stall; doesn’t Aunt Dou run one too? Shenmu Town is only so big. What’s so great about a shop? A stall is far more flexible. If there are many people here today, I can move elsewhere tomorrow.”
She spoke so logically and convincingly that she even made Jiang Song’an laugh.
“Are you really not going to take it?”
“No.” Yuan Yao’s tone was firm and resolute.
Jiang Song’an pondered for a moment, then sighed, “Alright then, how about we rent a stall? That should work, right? The village head can handle it; we’d be right next to Aunt Dou, so there’s no need to borrow space from anyone else.”
That did seem feasible.
Yuan Yao thought it over and asked, “How much does a stall cost?”
“There’s no fee for the stall itself. As I mentioned before regarding fixed stalls, you just pay the residence tax—three percent.”
Yuan Yao: “Done! I’m willing to pay!”
Jiang Song’an nodded. “All right, I’ll go see the village head this afternoon. Hand me the household register, and while I’m at it, I’ll ask about what to do regarding Xiao Qi and Xiao Li.”
Yuan Yao nodded hurriedly.
Just before stepping out, Jiang Song’an asked one last time, unwilling to give up: “Are you really sure you don’t want the shop? It’s safe there; you won’t get caught in the wind or rain.”
Yuan Yao stepped forward helplessly. Jiang Song’an was tall; when she looked up, she could nearly reach his chin. She reached out to straighten his collar and whispered gently, “I don’t want a shop in Shenmu Town. If you truly mean it, buy me one in the county seat someday. Shops there are far more valuable. Let’s save up first. Surely you don’t intend to live in this small town forever?”
Upon hearing these words, Jiang Song’an shuddered all over. He lifted his gaze to look at her, his eyes swirling with turbulent emotions.