I Have A Store C22

Chapter 22: Exchanging Timber

Dachun’s house was located in a rather remote part of Zhoujia Village, nestled at the foot of a mountain. A straight log lay under the eaves, left there to dry naturally.

Laifu and his two siblings refused to go any further—this house had a dog.

Hearing the barking, Zhou Yimin was also surprised. In these times, even people had trouble finding enough to eat, so raising a dog seemed like an unnecessary burden.

The dog was thin but had a fierce look in its eyes.

A man peeked out from inside the house—his hair was a mess like a bird’s nest, he was unkempt, and there was even sleep in the corners of his eyes. This was Zhou Dachun. He was a generation younger than Zhou Yimin and had to address him as Sixteenth Uncle.

“Sixteenth Uncle? What brings you here?”

Zhou Dachun waved his hand to shoo away the black dog guarding the door.

A voice came from inside, scolding Zhou Dachun.

“Aren’t you going to invite your Sixteenth Uncle inside? No manners at all.”

Zhou Dachun, the bird’s nest-haired man, had no choice but to say, “Sixteenth Uncle, come in and have a seat.”

Zhou Yimin brought Laifu and his siblings inside, and what he saw surprised him. Half the house was filled with timber—someone unaware might have thought this family worked in logging.

Inside, besides the unkempt Zhou Dachun, there was also his father, Zhou Zhicheng, who was equally unkempt, sporting a scruffy beard. Additionally, there was Zhou Dachun’s younger brother, who looked quite tidy, standing out in contrast to the rest of the house.

This family consisted of just the three of them—their mother had passed away a few years ago.

“Yimin, sit. What brings you here?” Zhou Zhicheng asked.

“Brother Zhicheng, my family wants to build an extension on our house, but we’re short on beams. I heard you have timber, so I came to see if I could buy some from you,” Zhou Yimin said as he pulled out some cigarettes to share.

Zhou Dachun took the cigarette meant for his younger brother. “You don’t even smoke. Give it to me.”

“Hmm?”

His father let out a meaningful grunt.

Zhou Dachun had no choice but to hand the cigarette to his father, looking somewhat disgruntled.

Zhou Zhicheng, now satisfied, nodded.

“Hmm!”

Then he turned to Zhou Yimin and said, “We do have wood, and I can give you some. But we don’t want money.”

“What do you want, then?”

“Grain. Do you have any?” Zhou Zhicheng looked at Zhou Yimin with hopeful eyes.

He wasn’t asking for grain just to feed his own family.

Even though his wife had passed, he still took care of his in-laws. His father-in-law had no sons, and he had promised his wife before she died that he would look after her parents in their old age.

Moreover, he needed to prepare a dowry for Dachun’s future wife. They had already chosen a girl, and her family had made it clear they wanted grain as part of the marriage arrangement.

But in this season, when last year’s supplies were running low and the new harvest hadn’t come in yet, where was he supposed to get grain?

“What kind of grain do you need? Rice, flour, corn, potatoes, or sweet potatoes?” Zhou Yimin asked.

While grain was hard for most people to come by, for him, it was as easy as reaching into his pocket.

Hearing this, Zhou Zhicheng felt relieved. It made sense—after all, Zhou Yimin worked as a procurement officer at the steel plant, making it much easier for him to get grain. He had even managed to bring large amounts of sweet potatoes and potatoes to the village.

“Corn and potatoes will do! How many logs do you need? I’ll pick the best ones for you—guaranteed to be solid for beams.”

“Twelve beams, plus three extra thicker ones for doors and windows. If that’s not enough, I’ll come back for more,” Zhou Yimin replied.

He already knew exactly how much timber was needed, thanks to Zhou Zhimin’s advice earlier.

“No problem! Dachun and I will carry them over to your place later. As for the grain…”

Zhou Yimin was direct. “One log for ten jin of corn kernels or thirty jin of potatoes. Deal?”

He had checked—corn kernels at the store were five cents per jin.

“Deal! Then I’ll take 100 jin of corn and 150 jin of potatoes,” Zhou Zhicheng decided.

With that, he could take fifty jin of corn as part of the marriage negotiations—his future in-laws had specifically requested fifty jin of grain, cornmeal included. He’d grind twenty jin of corn into cornmeal and bring thirty jin of potatoes for his father-in-law’s household.

That would still leave him with thirty jin of corn and 120 jin of potatoes for his own family.

“I’ll deliver the grain to you tomorrow.”

With the deal settled, Zhou Yimin didn’t linger—he still had to find the village elder to ask for mud bricks.

After seeing Zhou Yimin and the kids off, Zhou Dachun rubbed his hands excitedly. “Dad! I’m going to see Xiaofang tomorrow.”

“What’s the rush? If she’s meant to be your wife, she won’t run away. First, make sure we get the corn and potatoes. I’ll go pick the timber—be ready to carry it over later.”

His younger brother chimed in, “Big Brother, you should get a haircut first.”

That comment was actually directed at their father, too.

Going to propose marriage looking like that?

“Right! Cut my hair tonight,” Zhou Dachun quickly agreed.

His younger brother added, “Dad, I think we should just bring Grandma and Grandpa to live with us. If we keep sending grain over, we’re basically just feeding Aunt’s family.”

Their grandfather had three daughters—his mother was the eldest, the second aunt had married far away and rarely visited, but the youngest aunt lived in the village and frequently came home to scrounge off their grandparents.

He had long since had enough of it.

Zhou Zhicheng frowned, tapping the armrest of his chair. He hesitated before saying, “I’ll discuss it with your grandparents.”

He knew what kind of person his sister-in-law was. When his wife was alive, she had constantly quarreled with her younger sister—sometimes even to the point of physical fights.

“What’s there to discuss? You know them well enough. They definitely won’t want to come here and be a burden on us.”

Zhou Zhicheng spread his hands. “Fine, then you go convince them.”

He gave up and simply tossed the task to his youngest son, who was always full of ideas.

…

Zhou Yimin pulled out three pieces of dragon’s beard candy and handed them to Laifu and his siblings.

“Hurry up and eat, don’t let anyone see.”

The three kids had never seen this kind of candy before—it looked delicious. They nodded eagerly like little chicks pecking at grain and quickly stuffed the candy into their mouths, glancing around as if they were sneaking a treat.

Dragon’s beard candy was delicate and pure white, with fine strands like a dragon’s whiskers.

Made from wheat starch and maltose, it had a smooth texture, a layered structure, and a rich taste—light yet sweet, melting in the mouth.

According to legend, Emperor Zhengde once discovered this candy while traveling among the common people. He was immediately enamored with its unique aroma and texture, so he had it brought back to the palace, naming it “Dragon’s Beard Candy” and designating it as a royal delicacy. It later spread to the general public and became a beloved treat.

However, some claimed that it only gained widespread fame during the Yongzheng era. The story went that during a grand Manchu-Han banquet, the imperial chef demonstrated his exquisite skills by pulling the sugar into countless fine strands, resembling a dragon’s whiskers. The emperor was so pleased that he granted the candy an official name: “Dragon’s Beard Pastry.”

“Big Brother, this candy is so good!” Laicai took a deep breath and sniffled, nearly sucking his own snot back up.

Zhou Yimin scolded, “Blow your nose properly from now on.”

This little rascal had no sense of hygiene.

“Oh! Big Brother, I get it.”

Laicai pinched his nose, blew hard, flicked the snot onto the ground, and then wiped his hands on the dirt.

Zhou Yimin quickly grabbed Laifang’s hand and walked away.

He couldn’t bear to watch anymore!

(End of Chapter)

—

—Emperor Zhengde (r. 1505–1521) was the 11th Ming emperor, known for his eccentricity, love of adventure, and neglect of state affairs. He indulged in personal pleasures, delegated power to corrupt eunuchs, and led military expeditions more for excitement than strategy. Despite occasional successes, his rule saw widespread corruption. He died young at 29, likely due to his excessive lifestyle.

—The Manchu-Han Banquet (满汉全席) was a grand feast in Qing Dynasty China, combining Manchu and Han Chinese culinary traditions. It featured an extravagant spread of 108 dishes, divided into multiple courses, including rare and luxurious ingredients like bear paws, bird’s nests, and shark fins. Originally served at imperial banquets, it symbolized unity between Manchu rulers and Han elites. Today, it is more of a cultural symbol rather than a common meal.

—Yongzheng (雍正) was the reign title of Emperor Yongzheng (1678–1735), the fifth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, ruling from 1722 to 1735. He was the son of Emperor Kangxi and the father of Emperor Qianlong. Known for his strict and efficient governance, he implemented financial and administrative reforms, strengthened central authority, and worked to eliminate corruption. His reign was relatively short but laid the foundation for Qing prosperity under Qianlong.