Chapter 46: The Hair Flower

“Daddy, I want that.” Zhao Xin stared at a small stall not far away, unable to move.

It was a stall selling miscellaneous goods, covered in a colorful array of items that looked very festive.

Zhao Mengcheng pulled his daughter over. “Which one do you like?”

The vendor greeted them warmly. “Take a look, little girl. Don’t be fooled by my small stall; these goods are all brought from Fengzhou Prefecture. They’re the most fashionable items around.”

“Look at how bright this hair flower is. It looks just like a real flower. Even the young ladies from wealthy families are scrambling to get them.”

Zhao Mengcheng looked down. The reds and greens were indeed bright, but they looked obviously fake at a glance. Their only merit was the vivid color.

Zhao Xin wasn’t as picky as her father. She looked left and right, eventually holding a red flower in her left hand and a yellow one in her right. Both were so beautiful that she couldn’t bear to put either down.

Seeing that she liked them, the vendor praised her with a smile. “This little girl is so pretty; she’ll look even better wearing a flower. Look at the craftsmanship. It’s only twelve Wen per flower.”

“Twelve Wen!” Zhao Mao tugged hard on his sister’s sleeve. “That’s too expensive. It’s enough to buy several Tanghulu.”

“But I don’t want to eat Tanghulu. I want a hair flower.” Zhao Xin refused to leave.

The vendor said, “How about this? If you buy both, I’ll charge you ten Wen per flower. That’s a discount of two Wen. What do you think?”

He was certain Zhao Mengcheng was the one in charge, so he looked at him and said, “Your daughter is so lovely. It would be a pity not to buy a flower for her to wear.”

Zhao Mengcheng raised an eyebrow and looked down at Zhao Xin. “What do you think, Xin’er? You only brought ten Wen today. If you spend it now, you won’t have any left later.”

Zhao Mao tried to persuade his sister. “Let’s look around more. What if there are even prettier ones later?”

“I want this one.” Zhao Xin pursed her lips and put down the yellow flower. “I want this one, but I only have ten Wen.”

The vendor remained smiling but said, “That won’t do. If you only buy one, it’s twelve Wen.”

Zhao Xin’s eyes darted around. She looked at her father, who was smiling and saying nothing. Then she looked at her eldest brother. Zhao Chun’s mind had already wandered off, and he urged her, “Are you done yet? There seems to be a monkey show over there. Let’s go watch.”

Zhao Xin puffed out her cheeks, and finally, her gaze landed on Zhao Mao.

Zhao Mao sighed. Just as he was about to take those two Wen from his pocket, Zhao Mengcheng pressed his hand down and shook his head.

Zhao Mao immediately went silent.

Zhao Xin looked around and saw no one responding. She wanted it desperately, but she still put the hair flower down. “Then forget it. I only have ten Wen.”

After saying that, she closed her eyes, afraid she wouldn’t be able to let go, and turned to throw herself into her father’s arms to leave.

“Hey, don’t go! Ten Wen it is. I’ll count it as my first sale of the day¹,” the vendor called out hastily.

Zhao Xin snapped her head up. “Really? Only ten Wen?”

The vendor had already wrapped the hair flower. “I’ll give it to you cheap for the first sale. Take it. If it weren’t for how bright and pretty you are, little girl, I wouldn’t be willing to sell it so cheap.”

Zhao Xin was instantly delighted. She ran back happily and spent all of her only ten Wen in one go, receiving the hair flower in exchange.

“Dad, put it on for me,” Zhao Xin shouted, jumping and skipping.

Zhao Mengcheng smiled slightly and leaned down to put it on for her.

When he first traveled to this world, he didn’t know how to tie a young girl’s hair. Zhao Xin’s hair had always been handled by Auntie Wang next door. Later, Zhao Xin learned herself, and every morning she would use hair ties to make two little buns.

After tucking the hair flower into the right side, Zhao Mengcheng praised her, “It is quite bright.”

Zhao Xin reached up to touch it happily. The hair flower was expensive and about half the size of a child’s face. Set against the large red flower, the little girl’s face truly looked as lovely as a peach blossom.

She was only focused on looking pretty, but Zhao Mao was behind her, deep in thought. “So it could be sold for ten Wen. But the vendor asked for twelve. Sister, if we had bargained more, maybe we could have bought it for eight Wen.”

Zhao Xin hummed, “Ten Wen is ten Wen. I have ten Wen.”

Zhao Chun couldn’t wait any longer and was about to bolt. “Dad, I’m going to see the monkey show first.”

As a result, he hadn’t run more than a few steps before Zhao Mengcheng grabbed him by the collar. “What did we say before leaving the house?”

Zhao Chun immediately behaved. “Stay with Dad, no running around.”

“And someone said they would help me watch their younger siblings. What happened?” Zhao Mengcheng huffed.

Zhao Chun scratched the back of his head sheepishly and circled around his younger brother and sister. “You guys hurry up. Otherwise, the good spots will be taken by others.”

After finally coaxing them to the crowded area, they squeezed in only for Zhao Chun to be stunned. “It’s not a monkey show.”

It wasn’t a monkey show at all. Inside, several boys and girls were kneeling with straw tucked into their hair, indicating they were for sale.

The children were skin and bones, looking incredibly pitiful. They huddled together as the slave trader shouted loudly, “Seven or eight-year-old children! Take them home and they can work. Only three taels of silver each. Three taels can’t buy an ox or a horse, but it can buy a child for decades.”

The three children had never seen such a scene. Those children knelt on the ground while people around them picked and chose. Some even pried open their mouths to check their teeth, just like when they had bought the donkey.

Zhao Chun shivered in fear and quickly squeezed his way out.

“Dad, let’s go.” He felt uneasy all over.

Zhao Mengcheng glanced inside but said nothing, leading the three children to continue browsing the market.

“Why did their parents sell them?” Zhao Chun wasn’t a sentimental child, but he couldn’t help thinking back to the scene just now.

Zhao Mao answered, “Why else? Their families couldn’t survive. They had no choice but to sell their sons and daughters.”

“Was Cousin Xiaohua sold like that too?” Zhao Xin suddenly asked.

None of the three little ones liked Zhao Xiaohua, but the thought of her being sold with a piece of straw in her hair made them feel uncomfortable.

Zhao Mengcheng didn’t answer. He just patted their foreheads. “Do you still want to look around? If not, we’ll head back early.”

“I want to look!” Zhao Chun didn’t want to go back yet.

He was like a restless monkey, never stopping for a moment. There were many shops along the way, but none managed to catch his eye.

Finally, Zhao Mengcheng couldn’t help but ask, “Chun, what exactly do you want to buy?”

Zhao Chun said hesitantly, “I want to buy a sword.”

“Big Brother, why are you buying a sword? You don’t even know how to use one.” Zhao Mao rolled his eyes at him.

Zhao Chun argued, “I don’t know now, but won’t I learn if I practice after buying it? Dad said he’d send me to the Escort Agency after the New Year to practice martial arts. I’ll definitely learn it then. This is called buying an umbrella before it rains.”

“That’s called being prepared for a rainy day,” Zhao Mao corrected.

Zhao Chun waved his hand. “The meaning is the same anyway. I just want a precious sword of my own.”

Zhao Mengcheng laughed. “A truly precious sword is worth a fortune. It’s not something ten Wen can buy. Even an ordinary iron sword would cost at least ten taels of silver.”

Zhao Chun was stunned. Ten taels of silver. All his money combined wouldn’t be enough.

Zhao Mao was still doing the math for him. “Brother, if you get one Wen of pocket money every day, you’ll save three hundred and sixty Wen in a year. In ten years, that’s three thousand six hundred Wen. You’ll have to save for thirty years to afford a sword.”

If Zhao Chun had a tail, it would be dragging on the ground right now. He looked like a plant withered by frost.

Literature was for the poor, but martial arts were for the rich. On the surface, the Great Zhou emphasized literature over martial arts, but in reality, if a family was struggling, practicing martial arts was even harder than studying.

This was mainly because those who practiced martial arts ate a lot. If their nutrition couldn’t keep up, their bodies would break down from the training. Furthermore, the weapons they used were expensive, far beyond what ordinary people could afford.

Zhao Mengcheng said with a smile, “An iron sword is too heavy; you can’t use it yet. When we get back, I can make you a wooden sword first. Once you’re strong enough in the future, I’ll buy you an iron one.”

“Really?” Zhao Chun’s spirits immediately lifted.

Zhao Mengcheng nodded. “Buying a weapon for a martial artist is the same as buying books for a scholar. This is not an expense to be spared.”

He looked at the other two children. “When you need anything for your studies, just tell me.”

“That’s great!” Zhao Chun circled his father happily. “Dad, then I don’t want to buy anything else. Let’s hurry home.”

He was only thinking about going home to make the wooden sword.

Zhao Mengcheng held him still. “Stop spinning. You’re making me dizzy.”

Zhao Chun stopped, looking sheepish.

Zhao Mengcheng said, “A-Mao hasn’t bought anything yet. Let’s keep looking. I still need to buy some New Year goods later.”

Zhao Mao hesitated. “Dad, I don’t have anything I want to buy.”

“Then let’s buy the New Year goods first. Speak up if you see anything you like,” Zhao Mengcheng said.

With that, Zhao Mengcheng waved his hand and began a shopping spree. Anything he saw that was fresh or interesting, he bought. Especially food. Soon, both the adult and the children had their hands full.

Zhao Chun walked over to his brother and whispered, “Dad loves spending money so much. Why don’t you stop him? You only know how to nag me and our sister.”

But Zhao Mao said, “Everything Dad buys is useful or edible. Our family can use it. Besides, he earned all the money. He can spend it however he wants.”

Zhao Chun immediately fell silent.

Zhao Xin sidled up to her eldest brother and asked in a low voice, “Big Brother, are you really not buying anything?”

“Not buying. I only want the wooden sword,” Zhao Chun replied.

Zhao Xin immediately said, “Then can you give me the money? I want to buy that yellow hair flower too.”

“Third Sister, you already have one hair flower. Why do you want to buy an identical one?” Zhao Mao felt his sister was being unreasonable.

Zhao Xin pouted. “How are they the same? One is red and the other is yellow. They are clearly completely different.”

“Except for the color, everything else is the same.” Zhao Mao clearly could not understand.

“Then you ate yesterday, so why do you need to eat today? Isn’t the food the same?” Zhao Xin said angrily.

Seeing that they were about to start a fight, Zhao Chun immediately pulled out his ten Wen. “Here, take it. Stop arguing. If Dad hears you later, he’ll be angry.”

He then comforted his younger brother, “It’s just ten Wen. If Third Sister likes it, let her buy it. Put it on my tab.”

Zhao Mao was very angry. “It’s not a matter of ten Wen. It’s that Third Sister can’t keep money in her hands. Look at her, she has no sense of how she spends money at all.”

“Anyway, we brought the money out, so if it’s spent, it’s spent.” Zhao Chun did not think much of it.

Zhao Mao felt there was no talking to these two siblings. He trotted off to catch up with Zhao Mengcheng, preferring to do hard labor for his father.

Zhao Mengcheng was currently buying red paper. There were pre-cut window flowers and Spring Festival couplets² for sale at the market, but Zhao Mengcheng looked at them and felt he could write them himself. He bought the red paper directly to take back, as he had plenty of brushes and ink at home.

Seeing Zhao Mao’s little face puffed up with anger and his eyes practically spitting fire, Zhao Mengcheng raised an eyebrow and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Zhao Mao really wanted to scold his big brother and little sister, but he held back and only said, “I’m helping Dad carry things.”

How could Zhao Mengcheng not know about the squabble between the three little ones? He glanced at the two who looked nervous and handed the red paper bundle to Zhao Mao with a smile.

Zhao Chun pulled his sister along to catch up. Seeing that his brother had not told on them, he breathed a sigh of relief. Then he turned back to advise his sister, “You already have a red one, why must you buy another? Can’t you buy something to eat instead?”

“I want that yellow one. I’ll alternate between the two flowers,” Zhao Xin insisted.

Zhao Chun could not do anything with either of his siblings. He could only scratch his head in frustration, finally saying, “Sigh, I’m the eldest brother. You have to listen to me.”

Zhao Xin puffed out her cheeks, turned her head away sharply, and covered her ears tightly.

Zhao Chun could not talk sense into her, so he went back to Zhao Mao. “Second Brother, don’t make everyone unhappy over ten Wen. This was our pocket money to begin with, so just don’t worry about it.”

Zhao Mao glanced at him. “I’ll give the money back to you when we get home. I won’t care about it anymore in the future.”

“Hey, that’s not what I meant.” Zhao Chun grew anxious.

Zhao Xin was small, but she had a big temper. “If you won’t care, then don’t. I can manage it myself.”

Zhao Mao gave her a cold look. “Then it’s settled.”

Zhao Xin was a little afraid of her second brother’s gaze, but she still tilted her nose up, looking very defiant.

When they passed the hair flower stall on the way back, Zhao Xin immediately ran over and bought the yellow hair flower she had been longing for. She even gave her second brother a loud huff to express her dissatisfaction.

Zhao Mengcheng saw the conflict between the three children, but since they had not brought the trouble to him, he did not interfere.

Soon, Zhao Mengcheng had bought everything he needed. Only then did he look at Zhao Mao. “A-Mao, have you decided what you want to buy?”

He thought Zhao Mao would still shake his head, but unexpectedly, the boy spoke up. “I’ve decided.”

“Dad, wait for me a moment.”

After saying this, Zhao Mao ran into a nearby shop. When he came out again, he was carrying a small bag.

“What did you buy?” Zhao Chun asked curiously.

Zhao Mao ignored him, stood on his tiptoes, and stuffed one into Zhao Mengcheng’s mouth. “Dad, try this.”

“Milk beans?” Zhao Mengcheng was a bit surprised. In his mouth was a fermented yogurt bean. The taste was very authentic, with a strong milky flavor.

Zhao Mao stuffed one into his own mouth as well and said with a smile, “I spotted these earlier. They’re really expensive. Ten Wen only buys a few of them.”

Zhao Chun licked his lips, really wanting to ask his brother for one to taste. Usually, he would have just asked, but they had just argued today, and he found it hard to speak up.

Zhao Xin clearly felt the same way, pursing her lips and remaining silent.

Since they did not speak, Zhao Mengcheng acted as if he had not noticed. He even praised them. “The taste is indeed quite good. Come on, let’s go home.”

Zhao Xin was dumbfounded. Usually, when they encountered something delicious, Zhao Mengcheng would always buy more to keep at home so they could eat whenever they wanted. But today, it was as if he had forgotten. He just gave a compliment and left.

Once on the donkey cart, Zhao Xin was still sulking with her second brother. She intentionally sat in Zhao Mengcheng’s lap and kept asking, “Daddy, do I look good wearing the hair flowers?”

Zhao Mengcheng looked at her with a bright red hair flower on one side and a bright yellow one on the other. There was no sense of aesthetics to speak of. He only praised, “Vibrant.”

Zhao Xin looked at Zhao Mao with delight.

Zhao Mao ignored her. He just opened the small bag and stuffed another one into his mouth. “Dad, do you want another?”

“Dad’s had enough. Keep them for yourself to eat slowly.” Zhao Mengcheng cooperated perfectly.

“I want to eat them with Dad. They taste best when shared,” Zhao Mao said as he held a milk bean to his father’s lips.

Zhao Mengcheng took a bite and commented, “It really is a nice treat to have once in a while.”

Zhao Chun shuffled over to his brother’s side and said with a grin, “A-Mao, how about you give me one?”

Zhao Mao usually never fought with his elder brother or younger sister for food, but now he tucked the bag into his chest. “No. If you want to eat them, buy them yourself.”

How could Zhao Chun have any money? All his money had been spent on his sister’s hair flower.

“Oh, what’s wrong with these three kids? They’re like little fighting chicks.” The Old Village Chief nearby also noticed something was wrong.

Zhao Mengcheng only said, “Just playing around.”

The villagers of Qingshan Village had all bought more or less New Year’s goods. Everyone was in high spirits, and no one paid attention to the minor conflict between the three children.

Someone even mentioned the matter of people being sold at the market. “No matter how hard things are at home, one shouldn’t sell children at this time. At least wait until after the New Year and let the child have one full meal before selling them.”

“I heard the accent didn’t sound like it was from around here. Maybe they’re from outside.”

Liu Bingkun interrupted them. “Why talk about that? Just now, someone asked me what I was wearing. I said cotton-padded clothes, but he didn’t even know what cotton-padded clothes were. He thought it was silk floss.”

“They all say we country folk are ignorant, but now they’re the ones who are ignorant, not even knowing what cotton-padded clothes are.”

Someone even said, “A shopkeeper just now even wanted to buy my cotton-padded clothes. I wouldn’t sell it.”

“I wouldn’t be able to bear selling it either. It’s so warm to use at night. Our family only got one set of cotton-padded clothes, one quilt, and one mattress in total. It’s not even enough for ourselves, so how could we sell it?”

Zhao Mengcheng listened from the side and mentioned, “Next year, we can plant the cotton seeds. There wasn’t enough cotton to go around this year, but with a harvest next year, we might even be able to sell it to outsiders.”

Upon hearing this, the Old Village Chief quickly pulled him aside to ask in detail how to go about it.

Zhao Mengcheng did not keep any secrets and explained in detail. Cotton did not need to be planted in paddy fields. It preferred sandy soil with plenty of sunlight and would not conflict with the planting of grain.

The Old Village Chief nodded repeatedly as he listened, clearly intending to take charge of this matter.

Back at the village, Zhao Xin couldn’t wait to jump off the cart and run toward a group of little girls. “Look! Are my hair flowers pretty?”

The two bright, large hair flowers immediately caught the attention of the group of girls, who all began to praise them.

Zhao Xin felt a great sense of vanity and forgot her grievance about not getting to eat the milk beans, happily circling among the children.

However, when she got home, the child was dumbfounded. Zhao Mao brought out the wooden box and divided the copper coins inside into three portions.

“From now on, we’ll each manage our own. No one should interfere with anyone else.”

Seeing that his brother was serious and angry, Zhao Chun quickly said, “I didn’t say I wouldn’t let you manage it. I’ll listen to you from now on, okay? Just keep holding onto it.”

This time, Zhao Mao was serious. “I don’t want to. I helped you keep it for a year for nothing and didn’t even get a thank you. If I say a few words to you, you complain that I’m controlling too much. I won’t do such a thankless task anymore.”

He directly closed his own little box. “Dad made this box for me. You aren’t allowed to put anything in it. Find your own way.”

Zhao Chun was a bit stunned. To this day, he could not understand why his brother was angry over ten Wen. Those ten Wen were given by him, not taken from his second brother.

Zhao Xin, however, was in a confrontational mood. “If I have to find my own way, I will. My room is big, I can put them under my pillow.”

After saying that, she walked away holding her copper coins, adding, “Who cares about your milk beans? I have so many copper coins that I can buy a whole pound to eat slowly. I’ll go buy them tomorrow, and when the time comes, I won’t give you any. I’ll make you cry from envy.”

Zhao Chun had no other choice and could only sullenly put away his own portion.

Just after putting it away, he asked, “Second Brother, then how much money do I have left?”

“Count it yourself.” Zhao Mao did not want to say a single word.

Zhao Chun could only count it himself. As he counted, his head began to ache. He simply gathered the copper coins into a bundle. “Anyway, it’s all going to be spent. It doesn’t matter how much. I might count it wrong, but the person collecting the money won’t count it wrong too.”

Stealing a glance at his brother, Zhao Chun still held hope in his heart. Maybe after a night’s sleep, his brother would not be angry tomorrow and would be willing to help him manage the money again.

“A-Chun, A-Mao, Xin’er, come out and help.”

Zhao Mengcheng called out from outside.

The three little ones were bickering on the sly, yet they maintained a facade of peace by unspoken agreement in front of their father.

Zhao Mengcheng pretended not to notice as he held up the newly written Spring Festival couplets. “How do they look?”

Zhao Chun immediately shouted, “Father, your writing is amazing, truly wonderful.”

“What’s so good about it?” Zhao Mengcheng teased him with a smile.

Zhao Chun scratched his head. “I can’t read a single word, so it must be written very well and be extremely profound.”

Zhao Mengcheng was amused. “I told you to read more books, but your head is filled with nothing but martial arts.”

“A harmonious household brings a hundred blessings, a joyful family welcomes a thousand fortunes,” Zhao Mao recited.

Zhao Mengcheng was a bit surprised. None of the three children had officially started school yet. In their spare time, Zhao Mengcheng would lead them in reading the books left behind by the original owner, but he hadn’t expected Zhao Mao to recognize all the characters.

“Not a single word wrong.” Zhao Mengcheng walked outside. “I’ll paste them. You kids watch to see if they’re crooked.”

The paste was made from rice pulp and was still warm. As Zhao Chun watched, he couldn’t help but take a lick.

“It’s straight.” Zhao Mao reached out to help press it down. He turned back and glared at his older brother’s foolish behavior.

Zhao Mengcheng wrote two sets of Spring Festival couplets, one for the front gate and one for the main room.

Auntie Wang from next door saw them and praised him repeatedly. “Mengcheng, your handwriting is getting better and better. It looks so festive.”

She then asked, “Could you write two sets for my family as well? I just love your writing. Those scholars in town aren’t as good as you. I’ve already prepared the red paper at home.”

“It’s just a few strokes. Feel free to bring the red paper over,” Zhao Mengcheng agreed immediately.

Auntie Wang happily took the couplets back and pasted them up that very day. When the villagers saw them, they all thought they were excellent and came over one after another with red paper. One couldn’t come empty-handed when asking for couplets, so some brought green vegetables while others brought a couple of eggs. By the end of the day, the Zhao Family had no shortage of food.

By the time evening arrived, Zhao Mengcheng’s wrist was aching.

Zhao Mao helped massage it while looking at him with his head tilted.

“What’s on your mind?” Zhao Mengcheng asked.

Zhao Mao spoke up and asked, “Father, do you hope the three of us will be harmonious and love one another?”

Zhao Mengcheng laughed and pinched his cheek. “I hope for world peace.”

Zhao Mao was a bit stunned.

Zhao Mengcheng added, “Don’t let that little head of yours overthink things. Go to sleep early.”

Only then did Zhao Mao return to his room, thinking he must have misunderstood. If his father wanted them to stop arguing, he would have said so directly.

Zhao Chun rarely stayed awake, but he endured his sleepiness to wait for his younger brother. As soon as he saw him, he moved over to make room and said pleasingly, “Get in quickly. I’ve already warmed the bed for you.”

Zhao Mao kept a stiff face and let out a huff.

Zhao Chun wanted to say something, but he only saw the back of his brother’s head. He muttered to himself, “Why is everyone so temperamental? Being the eldest brother is too difficult.”

As it turned out, he fell fast asleep the moment he rolled over, without a care in the world.

Zhao Mao was still angry, but he eventually drifted off as he lay there.

At midnight, the boy suddenly snapped his eyes open. He looked at the person snoring loudly beside him and gritted his teeth.

Zhao Mao pinched Zhao Chun’s cheek hard and pulled. “I told you not to listen to me, I told you to mess around, I told you to be a smart-aleck, and you ended up getting yourself killed. You blockhead, you deserved to be torn apart by five horses³.”

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Translator’s Notes

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1. first sale of the day: In Chinese retail culture, the first sale of the day (开张, kāizhāng) is considered auspicious. Vendors may offer a discount to ensure this first transaction occurs smoothly, believing it brings good luck for the rest of the day’s business. ↩
2. Spring Festival couplets: Pairs of poetry lines written on red paper, pasted on doorframes to express good wishes for the Lunar New Year. ↩
3. torn apart by five horses: A reference to “五马分尸” (wǔ mǎ fēn shī), an ancient and brutal form of capital punishment where ropes attached to the victim’s head and limbs were pulled by five horses running in different directions. ↩