Chapter 45: Going to the New Year Market

No matter how cute the rabbits were, Zhao Mengcheng skinned them as soon as he brought them home. He hung two to air-dry, gave one to Uncle Yang for a treat, and once the pelts were processed, all four of them would have hats to wear.

Zhao Mengcheng had originally worried that Zhao Xin would be reluctant to see them go, but the little girl didn’t even blink. Instead, she counted on her fingers and said, “One braised, one steamed.”

“Rabbit meat is too lean; it doesn’t taste good steamed,” Zhao Mengcheng said with a laugh.

Zhao Xin nodded and solemnly adjusted her menu. “Then let’s have it spicy stir-fried. The spicy stir-fry Daddy made today was delicious.”

“Alright,” he agreed.

After a long day of work, the three little ones had napped in the afternoon, but now that they had eaten, they were starting to doze off again.

Zhao Mengcheng shooed them toward the bedroom. Zhao Xin couldn’t hold out any longer; her little head tilted over at the dining table, and she fell asleep right against the surface. He had no choice but to carry her directly into the room.

Zhao Chun clamored at first that he wasn’t tired and wanted to talk to his father, but the moment his head hit the pillow, he was snoring away without even a transition.

The speed of it was enough to make one laugh.

“Why aren’t you asleep yet?” Zhao Mengcheng asked, patting Zhao Mao’s little head.

Zhao Mao took his hand. “Dad, I’ll help you keep the secret.”

Zhao Mengcheng raised an eyebrow slightly and playfully scratched the boy’s nose. “Thank you, Ah Mao. This is our little secret between father and son.”

Zhao Mao immediately brightened up and nodded vigorously. “It’s a secret only the two of us know. I won’t even tell Big Brother or Little Sister.”

Zhao Mengcheng tucked him in, and the child soon fell asleep with a smile lingering on his lips.

After leaving the children’s room, Zhao Mengcheng didn’t feel sleepy at all. Since his Mental Power had recovered, his energy levels far exceeded those of an ordinary person. Today’s level of physical activity was nothing to him.

He had intended to tidy up and head to bed, but his Mental Power suddenly became active.

Zhao Mengcheng’s expression shifted slightly. With quick reflexes, he shut the window, blocking the White Snake that was about to poke its head inside.

Having been shut out, the White Snake was stunned. It persistently tapped on the window, acting as if it wouldn’t stop until he opened the door.

Zhao Mengcheng pinched the bridge of his nose and simply opened the back door to walk out. “What are you here for again? I have nothing for you. Go away, hurry up.”

The White Snake swayed its massive head, intending to act cute. Unfortunately, its enormous body, cold scales, and sharp, vertical yellow pupils didn’t look cute at all.

Seeing an even more unfriendly aura radiating from Zhao Mengcheng, the White Snake quickly flicked its tail, revealing the gifts it had brought.

Looking at the dozens of fat, hopping rabbits, Zhao Mengcheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

The fat rabbits had been trembling while coiled in the snake’s tail, but now that they were released, they charged like tigers out of a cage. They headed straight for the vegetable garden, grabbing the greens and crunching away.

If Zhao Mengcheng hadn’t been quick enough to snatch them up, the garden would have been ruined in moments.

“Take your rabbits and get out of here. Go, go, go.” Zhao Mengcheng threw the rabbits back toward it.

The White Snake’s eyes widened, looking as if it were accusing him of being unreasonable. It had brought mice and he didn’t want them; now it brought rabbits and he still didn’t want them.

Seeing that reasoning was impossible, Zhao Mengcheng beckoned the White Snake over.

The White Snake misunderstood. It happily lowered its head, waiting for the man’s gift.

Instead of the euphoric feeling it expected, it was met with a merciless slap. A crisp smack echoed through the air.

The White Snake bared its teeth in anger, its fangs glinting as it lunged toward Zhao Mengcheng. It seemed ready to use force since the soft approach hadn’t worked.

Zhao Mengcheng narrowed his eyes. In the next instant, tentacles of Mental Power spread out like he had six arms. Each slap landed squarely on the White Snake’s forehead, beating it until it was dizzy and disoriented.

After the beating, the White Snake immediately behaved. Remembering the fear of being dominated, it no longer bared its teeth. It simply prostrated itself on the ground and let out a pitiful, mournful sound.

“Cunning creature.”

Zhao Mengcheng wasn’t actually angry. He showed rare patience as he explained, “That energy is good, but too much of it will kill you. Today was the limit.”

He made a gesture. “If you keep eating it, you’ll go ‘bang’ and explode. You’ll be blown to pieces with nothing left. Do you understand?”

The White Snake clearly didn’t understand. It leaned against him mournfully, its desire to act spoiled plain to see.

It rounded up the rabbits that had scattered and tried to shove them into Zhao Mengcheng’s arms again.

Zhao Mengcheng was helpless. With so many rabbits, it seemed like every rabbit on the mountain was in the White Snake’s possession. He had no idea where it usually kept them.

“I don’t want your rabbits, and I have nothing to feed you. Go back now.”

Patting the White Snake’s head, Zhao Mengcheng warned, “It’s winter now. You should be hibernating. Don’t wander around, or you might get caught and skinned.”

The White Snake still refused to leave, acting as if it wouldn’t give up until its goal was met.

Zhao Mengcheng narrowed his eyes. “Then I have no choice.”

In the next moment, a sharp spike of Mental Power pierced the White Snake. It writhed on the ground in pain, finally realizing that Zhao Mengcheng was truly angry. This time, it didn’t try to give him rabbits or act cute. It turned and fled dejectedly.

Zhao Mengcheng raised an eyebrow. “You wouldn’t listen to reason; you just had to take a beating.”

Looking back, the White Snake had fled without taking the rabbits. The dozen or so rabbits didn’t know the meaning of fear and started running toward his vegetable garden again.

Zhao Mengcheng quickly gathered them up, feeling a bit troubled.

If he kept them, he feared the White Snake would shamelessly keep coming back for food. If he didn’t, it would be a waste.

“One of them is even pregnant. That snake really has no standards.” Zhao Mengcheng felt the belly of one. Even in the dead of winter, one of the female rabbits was carrying young.

He couldn’t kill them now, so he made another trip up the mountain to release them.

While he was on the mountain, he sensed the White Snake lurking nearby, but since it didn’t show itself to cause trouble, he ignored it.

Little did he know that as soon as he left, the White Snake slithered out and resentfully swallowed the pile of rabbits. It seemed to blame them for being useless, which had led to it being beaten for no reason.

Zhao Mengcheng didn’t have time to worry about the drama between the snake and the rabbits. He was very busy these days.

The colder it got, the fewer vegetables were available, which meant the Tofu business in their village was booming. Furthermore, as the end of the year approached, every household wanted to eat something good, even if times were tough.

Zhao Mengcheng woke up early every day to buy Tofu from Wang Ming’s house next door. He processed it into Dried Tofu, Fermented Tofu, and Tofu Skin. By the time he finished his work, the day was gone.

Business was good and the income was high. The villagers, who had just paid their taxes and were feeling anxious, were eager for any business. Every household wanted to stay up all night making Tofu.

Only Zhao Mengcheng found the work too tedious. Even with He Shuiqing’s help, he still had to lend a hand and couldn’t get away for the entire day.

He grew impatient with revolving his whole day around Dried Tofu. He was already planning to hand this business over to someone else and think of something else for himself.

For example, he could buy a shop in town. Then he could simply purchase Tofu and Dried Tofu from Qingshan Village to sell there. He would only need to hire someone to mind the shop.

Zhao Mengcheng calculated his savings. As long as he didn’t buy a shop that was too large or in too busy an area, he should have enough silver.

However, if he opened a shop, selling only soy products would be too monotonous. He needed to think of something else to add.

Zhao Mengcheng couldn’t decide what to sell for the moment, so he suppressed the thought, planning to wait until after the New Year.

The cotton on the hillside was soon harvested. It was all turned into cotton-padded jackets, Cotton-padded Quilts, and cotton mattresses. Every household became warm.

As the end of the year drew near, there was less farm work to do. The village idlers increased in number, often gathering under the trees at the village entrance to chat.

In the past, they would carry a bag of pumpkin seeds or a few potatoes and chestnuts, and they would build a fire to roast them.

Now that everyone was wearing new cotton-padded jackets, they didn’t want to build fires. It wasn’t that they weren’t warm enough, but they were afraid the fire would scorch their new clothes.

When Zhao Mengcheng walked past the village entrance, he often saw them sniffing back runny noses while saying, “These cotton jackets are much warmer than Reed Fluff. I’m not cold at all wearing this.”

One could only say that they knew their own comfort best.

“Mengcheng, we’re planning to go to town tomorrow for the New Year Market. Is your family going?” Liu Fengshou asked loudly when he saw him.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Mengcheng immediately nodded. “Yes.”

“Then what about your business? Are you stopping?” Liu Fengshou asked.

Zhao Mengcheng replied, “He Shuiqing and I will take turns. I’ll go tomorrow, and he’ll go the day after. It won’t be a problem.”

“That’s good. You can’t let the business fall behind,” Liu Fengshou said with a smile.

When Zhao Mengcheng went home and mentioned the market, the three little ones immediately became eager. One massaged his legs, another squeezed his shoulders, and the third insisted on bringing him water to wash his feet.

Enjoying the children’s attentiveness, Zhao Mengcheng asked with a smile, “Do you all want to come along?”

“Dad, can we?” Zhao Chun asked quickly.

There were always huge crowds at the New Year Market, so the villagers usually didn’t bring their children. They feared the trouble and the risk of children getting lost.

Zhao Mengcheng, however, was not afraid. “You can, but you must be obedient and not run off. Otherwise, if the kidnappers take you away, you’ll never see your old dad again.”

Zhao Chun nodded repeatedly. “I definitely won’t run off. I’ll also keep an eye on my brother and sister. Did you hear that? You two have to stay close to me and Dad. No running off.”

Zhao Mao looked at his older brother, feeling helpless. When had he ever run around aimlessly?

Zhao Xin, on the other hand, was purely delighted. “This is great! I’ve never been to a market fair before.”

After speaking, she began pestering Zhao Mao. “Second Brother, let’s bring our pocket money tomorrow. I want to buy a hair flower.”

Hearing this, Zhao Chun joined in. “Second Brother, give me some too. I want to buy something as well.”

Zhao Mengcheng gave the children pocket money every month. After several months, it had accumulated into a significant amount. He never interfered with this money, letting the children keep it themselves.

The three little ones usually stayed in the village and had nowhere to spend it. Furthermore, Zhao Mengcheng was generous, buying food and drinks every time he went to town, so their money had remained untouched.

Zhao Chun and Zhao Xin both entrusted their money to Zhao Mao for safekeeping. Zhao Mao kept it in a small wooden box and even used a tiny ledger to keep track of the accounts.

As for Zhao Mao, he had been the type to only take money in and never let it out since he was young.

At this moment, his small face crumpled in distress. “What is there to buy? Our family doesn’t lack food or clothes. You even have new clothes now, so why waste money?”

He even lectured his older brother and younger sister. “We’re just going to the New Year’s market to see the excitement. Don’t spend money recklessly.”

Zhao Xin refused to agree. “No, I want to buy something. That’s my money, why won’t you give it to me?”

“Yeah, why won’t you give it?” Zhao Chun echoed.

Zhao Mao also grew angry. “We agreed to save money. Now you want to spend it just as it’s piling up. Once the money is spent, it’s gone!”

“Besides, you were the ones who asked me to keep it safe. Now you’re saying I shouldn’t manage it. So, should I manage it or not?”

“If I give you money every time you want to spend it, and you spend it every few days, the money will be gone in no time. What’s the point of me keeping a ledger then?”

“Didn’t you say yourselves that you couldn’t control your spending, which is why you gave it to me to manage together? You even told me not to take it out easily. Those were your words, so why are you going back on them now?”

Under this triple barrage of questions, Zhao Chun and Zhao Xin were both stunned.

Zhao Chun scratched the back of his head. He felt that his younger brother’s words seemed to make sense, but something felt wrong. He struggled for a long time but couldn’t find the words to respond.

Zhao Xin, however, puffed out her cheeks and threw herself into Zhao Mengcheng’s arms, crying, “Dad, Second Brother won’t give me any money to spend.”

Zhao Mao became anxious. “Little Sister, how can you slander me like that? I’m managing it to help you. How can you be so ungrateful?”

He looked expectantly at Zhao Mengcheng, hoping he would step in to settle the matter fairly.

Zhao Mengcheng also found it quite a headache. As time passed, the true natures of the three little ones were becoming apparent.

Zhao Chun did things without much regard for the consequences. To put it kindly, he was bold because of his skills and acted with loyalty. To put it bluntly, he was a reckless youth who didn’t know the gravity of situations.

Zhao Mao had many thoughts. He was very sensitive to people’s emotions and could always be the first to notice Zhao Mengcheng’s moods. If he wanted to, there was no one he couldn’t please. His biggest problem was that he was like a Pixiu¹, things that reached him only went in and never came out. He was extremely stingy.

Zhao Xin had been pampered for a long time and had developed a bit of a temper. She always wanted her two brothers to give in to her, and if they didn’t, she would complain. The little girl knew very well that Zhao Mengcheng doted on her, and she acted quite spoiled in front of him.

Zhao Mengcheng spoke up. “I am only responsible for giving the money. How it is spent and who manages it are decisions you made yourselves. Since it was your own decision, I cannot interfere now.”

“But Second Brother won’t listen to me,” Zhao Xin huffed.

She could see that her father was unwilling to get involved.

Zhao Mao, however, felt as if he had received support. “Since you let me manage the money, you have to listen to me. Otherwise, take the money back and never let me manage it again.”

Zhao Xin looked completely displeased. “But you can’t refuse to give us even a single Wen.”

Zhao Chun suddenly spoke with a serious expression. “Second Brother, I know you mean well and are afraid we’ll waste the money. But it’s almost the New Year now. We’ve saved money all year, so we should spend a little.”

“Dad said before that money is earned to be spent. If you just save it and never spend it, then what’s the point of the money?”

He repeated the words Zhao Mengcheng had once said, his serious face bearing a slight resemblance to Zhao Mengcheng’s. “So, you have to give us a little to spend and save the rest for emergencies.”

Hearing this, Zhao Mao suddenly went quiet. After thinking it over, he ran into the room and brought out his wooden box.

Zhao Mengcheng gave each child one Wen every day, which amounted to thirty Wen a month. They had saved for several months without spending, so the wooden box was heavy with copper coins.

Once opened, the box full of copper coins made Zhao Xin gasp. “I have so much money!”

“It’s not all yours. It belongs to me and Big Brother too,” Zhao Mao explained.

Zhao Xin nodded vigorously and then asked, “Second Brother, then how much money are you going to give me to spend?”

The little girl only thought about getting some money to spend, completely forgetting that it was originally her money anyway.

Zhao Mao took out three copper coins. When he looked up, he saw the displeased gazes of his older brother and younger sister.

He glanced at Zhao Mengcheng beside him, gritted his teeth, and pushed out a few more. “Ten Wen for each person. A pound of meat only costs ten Wen. That should be enough, right?”

This was the price even after the cost of pork had risen.

Zhao Xin had no idea about the cost of things. Hearing that ten Wen could buy a pound of meat, she nodded frantically. “Enough, enough! It’s definitely enough to spend.”

After taking the money, she shouted joyfully, “Thank you, Second Brother! You’re the best, Second Brother!”

She completely forgot about the argument from earlier. Her second brother was once again her favorite.

Zhao Chun was also satisfied. Knowing his younger brother’s stinginess, he knew he wouldn’t get any more, so he quickly tucked away the ten Wen.

Seeing them take the money, Zhao Mao wanted to close the box.

Zhao Mengcheng coughed. “Amao, you haven’t taken your ten Wen yet.”

“I don’t need to spend money. We have everything at home.” Zhao Mao felt he had nothing to buy. No one in the village lived like them, eating meat and white rice every day and having enough to eat at every meal.

He even felt that his older brother and younger sister were too immature for wanting to spend money.

Zhao Mengcheng felt helpless. “Just take it. If you see something you like, buy it. If not, bring it back.”

He had thought Zhao Mao was only stingy toward his siblings, but now he saw the child was even stingier toward himself. Zhao Mengcheng always wanted to correct this trait, as his principle was that one should never mistreat oneself, regardless of who else they might mistreat.

Only then did Zhao Mao keep ten copper coins for himself, firmly believing that there was no way he would end up spending them.

The next day at the crack of dawn, there was movement outside. Liu Fengshou had come specifically to call Zhao Mengcheng to head out together.

The Wang Family next door wasn’t going. They still wanted to do their Tofu business and couldn’t bear to lose the time.

Zhao Mengcheng led the donkey cart and drove it himself, letting the three children sit on the cart as they traveled slowly.

Most people in the village didn’t raise large livestock. Aside from the Old Village Chief and Liu Fengshou’s family who drove ox carts, everyone else relied on their own two legs.

Zhao Mengcheng and Liu Fengshou called several elderly villagers to sit on the carts. There was nothing to be done for the others, as there wasn’t enough room, and they were too embarrassed to compete with the elderly and children for seats.

Seeing this, they were filled with envy. “It’s really good to have a donkey at home. It can do work and pull a cart.”

“But this thing needs fodder, and you have to give it extra meals from time to time. Raising one is too much trouble,” someone sighed.

Zhao Mengcheng also said, “It won’t have any strength if it only eats grass. However, our village makes Tofu and has bean dregs. Bean dregs make excellent feed.”

“Bean dregs can be made into cakes for people to eat. Feeding them to a donkey is a waste,” the villagers said, living their lives with great care.

Compared to a donkey, they were more interested in buying an ox like Liu Fengshou’s family. An ox was better since it could also work in the fields.

However, rural families didn’t dare to spend their spare cash freely. Instead of buying an ox, they were more willing to buy land directly.

The Old Village Chief puffed on his dry tobacco and said with a smile, “This year is all thanks to Mengcheng. We’re all wearing cotton-padded jackets and staying warm. If we save up the silver we’ve spared, it might just be enough to buy an ox.”

Hearing this, the others all laughed and offered their praise.

The three little ones couldn’t stay still, leaning against Zhao Mengcheng and looking around. However, in this freezing weather, the sides of the road were just patches of withered yellow, offering no real scenery.

“Don’t catch a cold from the wind. Hide behind me,” Zhao Mengcheng instructed when he saw their small faces were flushed red from the cold.

Zhao Xin was the most afraid of the cold and immediately shrunk behind him to hide. She loved leaning against her father like this, as it made her feel warm all over.

Zhao Chun and Zhao Mao didn’t fight her for the spot, sitting on the cart’s shafts on either side.

Zhao Chun faced the wind without any fear. “Dad, I’m not cold. I’ll help you drive the cart.”

“Then watch and learn. I’ll rest for a bit.” Seeing his eagerness, Zhao Mengcheng simply handed him the reins.

Zhao Chun had driven a donkey at home before, and he handled it quite well once he started, showing a fair bit of talent.

On the other side, the Old Village Chief watched and laughed. “Chun is sturdy and works efficiently. He’ll definitely be a fine young man in the future.”

Zhao Chun’s smile grew even wider, and even the cold wind blowing into his mouth couldn’t dampen his enthusiasm.

The Qingshan Village convoy slowly reached the town. The city gates were already open, with a few scattered people lining up to enter.

Zhao Mengcheng had been busy with cotton and Dried Tofu and hadn’t visited for a while. Looking at the scene, he was surprised. “Shouldn’t the New Year’s market be the busiest time? Why aren’t there many people?”

The Old Village Chief also furrowed his brows. “Let’s go into the city and see.”

They hadn’t arrived too early. Logically, this should be the busiest time of the year in town, with people from all the surrounding villages coming for the market.

In previous years, the New Year market in Shanghe Town would last for ten days. Every day was a sea of people, and many shopkeepers could earn two months’ worth of income during this period.

Once they entered the town, the desolation became even more apparent.

Zhao Mengcheng had originally worried that the crowds would be so thick his children might get lost, but the streets were not even full.

“Uncle, please keep an eye on the children for a moment. I’m going over to ask around,” Zhao Mengcheng said as he spotted Zhang Dahu.

The Old Village Chief readily agreed, simply moving over to sit on the Zhao Family donkey cart to watch the kids.

Having not seen him for a long time, Zhang Dahu was as warm as ever. He patted Zhao Mengcheng on the shoulder and said, “It really has been a while.”

Zhao Mengcheng exchanged a few pleasantries with a smile before asking, “Brother Zhang, has the New Year market not started yet? Why does it seem so empty?”

Zhang Dahu’s smile faded slightly. “Many villages in Qinghe Town suffered disasters. There was quite a mess during the tax collection a while back. It would be strange if there were many people in town.”

Zhao Mengcheng was startled. “What kind of mess?”

“The areas further south were hit a bit harder. They said they truly had no surplus grain and couldn’t produce any silver. What else could be done? The County Magistrate cannot waive taxes on behalf of the Emperor, so he could only follow the rules and take people away for corvée labor.”

Zhang Dahu’s expression was grim. “That is the standard practice, but who knew that all the people sent for corvée labor to Fengzhou this year would fail to return?”

“What!” Zhao Mengcheng was shocked.

“Shh,” Zhang Dahu pressed a hand down to quiet him. “I am only telling this to you, so do not go spreading it around. Lord Huang is currently at his wit’s end. Since the New Year is approaching, he is suppressing the news for now.”

Zhao Mengcheng frowned deeply. “How could it be so serious?”

“Who says it isn’t? If one or two had died, it might be one thing, but hundreds went, and in the end, they all…”

Zhang Dahu knew this was a difficult topic and changed the subject. “Fearing a riot, people are being sent to watch them now. To be honest, aside from your village, almost every other village has had some trouble. With no grain at home and no money in hand, the common folk have no heart to celebrate the New Year.”

Patting Zhao Mengcheng on the shoulder, Zhang Dahu forced a small smile. “Go buy your things. If you have spare money, buy a bit more to help make this New Year market a little livelier.”

When Zhao Mengcheng returned, he did not mention the matter of the corvée labor. He only said, “The other villages have suffered disasters to varying degrees. I fear life will be difficult this year.”

The Old Village Chief understood immediately. He sighed and said, “Let’s go. Buy what needs to be bought. We will meet back here in two hours to head home together.”

The group went their separate ways.

The three little ones were oblivious to the gloom, stretching their necks to peer into the marketplace.

Since moving around with the donkey cart was inconvenient, Zhao Mengcheng simply spent a few Wen to store it. Only then did he lead the three children inside.

As soon as they entered, Zhao Xin could no longer move her feet.

Translator’s Notes