Chapter 43: Where Did Third Brother’s Tael of Silver Come From?!

The sixteen-year-old youth was dressed plainly, but his clothes were clean and neat—clearly a proper scholar.

Though not especially handsome, he had a refined and pleasant appearance. At the prime of his youth, the vigor of a young man was the best kind of charm.

Bai Tian greeted awkwardly, “Hey, Xiaoshu!”

Yes, Uncle Wang’s full name was… Wang Xiaoshu.

“Uh… Eldest Brother,” Wang Xiaoshu replied, his tone noticeably distant and cold.

Come on, he liked Juanjuan from next door, not the whole gang of scoundrels that made up her family.

“Want a steamed bun?” Bai Tian pointed toward the bun shop, asking with a sheepish grin.

After all, he had just boasted in front of his son that his boy would definitely surpass Wang Xiaoshu. Who knew if Wang Xiaoshu had overheard?

A little awkward, indeed.

“N-No thanks.”

Wang Xiaoshu smiled politely, clearly uncomfortable with this version of Bai Tian.

Uncle Wang leaned over and whispered to Juanjuan, “Your dad… he doesn’t drink anymore?”

Juanjuan mimicked Wang Xiaoshu’s careful tone, leaning in close to whisper back, “Little Uncle, Daddy, Mommy, and my brothers have all changed! They’re so nice to me now!”

“Look, they even brought me out for meat buns!”

Wang Xiaoshu: …Alright, he could hear the joy in the little one’s voice.

Still, he asked, just to be sure.

“You’re sure they’re not fattening you up with buns just to sell you off?”

Juanjuan blinked, then said confidently, “Nope! This is my second time in town!”

Only then did Wang Xiaoshu breathe a sigh of relief.

After chatting for a bit, Wang Xiaoshu handed Juanjuan a handwritten copy of the *Enlightenment Primer*.

“Go study with Da Chui. I’ve taught him the characters in here—he should remember them.”

“Okay!”

Juanjuan accepted it obediently.

“Brother Wang! There you are!”

A youthful voice called out from nearby.

Juanjuan looked over and saw two or three boys about the same age as Uncle Wang walking over together.

They must be his friends.

“Well, I’ll be off then.”

Seeing his companions arrive, Uncle Wang said his goodbyes to Juanjuan and the others.

As Uncle Wang walked off, Juanjuan could still hear their conversation drifting back.

“What were you guys up to?”

“We went to smell the flavors.”

“Smell the flavors?”

“You don’t know? Shiwei Restaurant has this secret roast meat dish—so good…”

Hearing the faint talk of roast meat, Bai Tian thought: 【Aaaah! I miss modern all-you-can-eat barbecue! Pork belly, fatty beef, black chicken rolls! And Old Eight’s secret sauce sliders!】

Juanjuan: …

But the child suddenly remembered what Third Brother had once “said” about barbecue seasoning.

So… barbecue seasoning is something you sprinkle on grilled meat?

Craving barbecue now, Bai Tian decisively bought a jin of pork belly before heading home.

Juanjuan eyed the meat and asked in a small, worried voice, “Daddy, are we only spending money and not earning any?”

Buying meat every few days like this—wouldn’t they run out of copper coins soon?

Bai Tian: …

【Isn’t living all about eating? The Engel coefficient means nothing in China!】

“Juanjuan, don’t worry. We changed our names—it’s all good luck now. Your brothers will find money.”

Bai Tian tried to coax her.

Bai Yunxing mercilessly exposed him: “Dad, I haven’t found any yet.”

Which was true. Eldest Brother had found a tael of gold in dog poop, Third Brother had somehow come across a tael of silver, and only he had found nothing so far.

Bai Tian: …

“No worries, maybe you’ll find some silver soon.”

Bai Tian had to comfort both his little daughter and his silver-less second son.

It wasn’t easy—carrying the pork, holding his daughter, and leading his second son as they walked a few steps forward.

Then they heard a breathless shout from behind: “Wait up!”

This time, Bai Tian clearly heard it. He turned around.

A young man in short work clothes came running over, panting heavily.

Bai Tian instinctively patted his pocket.

His coins were still there—nothing missing!

Then why was this guy rushing over and calling out to him?

The young man wiped the sweat from his brow and looked straight at Bai Yunxing.

“Kid, remember me? We met at Shiwei Restaurant last time.”

Bai Yunxing raised an eyebrow and replied, “Nope!”

The young man grew anxious, lowering his voice and trying to pull Bai Yunxing aside to talk.

But Bai Tian stepped in, shielding his second son behind him. “What do you want?”

“Oh no! I ran out of barbecue powder and haven’t been able to find the you anywhere. I wanted to buy more but had no idea how to get in touch with you!

The attendant lowered his voice, clearly afraid others might overhear. After all, that Barbecue Seasoning had come from this very family.

If Zhenxiu Restaurant caught wind of this and cut off their supply, that would be a serious problem.

Bai Tian, however, looked puzzled. “Barbecue Seasoning? We don’t sell anything like that. You must have the wrong people.”

“No way I’ve got it wrong. I might not be good at studying, but I never forget a face.”

“How about we head to the teahouse and talk this over properly?” the attendant suggested, signaling to someone nearby to go fetch Shopkeeper Liang.

But Bai Tian refused him outright. “No. We don’t have time. And that Barbecue Seasoning really didn’t come from us.”

“Come on, kid, think about it. Just three days ago, you came to our restaurant saying you had some secret ancestral Barbecue Seasoning. You sold it to us for a tael of silver!”

Bai Yunxing’s eyes narrowed.

Bai Tian also seemed to realize something.

Wait a minute.

A tael of silver. Three days ago. And looked just like the second son.

Bai Tian and Bai Yunxing: 【Third Brother!!】

Juanjuan: …
So now the whole family knew that Third Brother had swindled them out of a tael of silver.

And for the record, Juanjuan did *not* snitch!

“This really wasn’t us. We haven’t been to town in the past three days. We need to get going.”

The ox-cart they’d arranged to take them back to the village was leaving soon, and Bai Tian still had no idea what Third Brother had done. All he wanted now was to get home and ask him directly.

What exactly had he done? And where did that tael of silver come from?

Seeing that Bai Tian wasn’t budging and seemed genuinely clueless, the attendant had no choice but to step aside.

But in the shadows, he quickly sent a few people to follow them.

Bai Yunxing stayed close to his father, walking briskly. After a moment, he tugged at Bai Tian’s sleeve. “Dad, I think someone’s following us.”

Bai Tian clicked his tongue in irritation.

“Move. Faster. Who knows what that rascal’s gotten himself into now!”

Bai Yunxing nodded, then jogged ahead to lead the way.

By the time they reached the ox-cart, Bai Tian was feeling dizzy.

He had no idea how his second son had managed to weave them through winding alleys and crowded streets without getting lost, all while avoiding their pursuers.

Once they were seated in the cart, Bai Yunxing looked behind them. Only after confirming no one had followed did he finally relax.

But the ox-cart had barely made it out of town—

When someone stepped out to block their path.

———

The Engel coefficient measures the share of household income spent on food.

Higher coefficient = poorer living standard.

Lower coefficient = wealthier living standard.

Formula: Food expenditure ÷ Total expenditure × 100%.

Used as an indicator of poverty and living conditions.

He’s mocking the Engel coefficient, saying that if life is all about eating, then using it to measure living standards in China is meaningless.