Chapter 51: Honey

“Chief Manager, there is one girl in this batch who is exceptionally striking. Her features and appearance are so remarkable that she stands out in any crowd. No man could see her and not be captivated.”

The managing matron spoke incessantly, clearly very confident in the girl under her charge.

The Chief Manager remained indifferent, casting a glance at her. “This time, we don’t want the most striking one. Go select five who look good but are clever and quick-witted. Most importantly, they must be fiercely loyal to our Wan Family.”

The matron was somewhat surprised. “Why is it different from usual?”

In previous years, when they sent people up, they always picked the best-looking ones first. As for loyalty, with their methods, were they really afraid they couldn’t control a little girl?

The Chief Manager grew impatient. “Just do as you’re told and handle the task well. Don’t ask too many questions.”

The matron quickly agreed. “Yes, this servant will go bring the girls here immediately.”

Having said that, she hurried back toward the small courtyard.

She was calculating which ones to choose. Zhao Xin’s name flashed through her mind, but she felt the girl’s appearance wasn’t striking enough. On the other hand, that other little girl was truly beautiful.

To her surprise, as soon as she reached the courtyard gate, she heard a constant ruckus inside. “What is all this shouting? Have you no sense of discipline?”

“Old Sister, you’ve finally arrived.” The woman responsible for supervising the girls ran over, her expression looking rather grim.

The matron frowned and asked, “What happened?”

Before the supervisor could respond, Zhao Xiaohua suddenly rushed out and fell to her knees with a thud. “Matron, I really didn’t do it on purpose.”

She sobbed uncontrollably, looking quite pitiful and aggrieved.

The supervisor rolled her eyes. “This little girl has too many schemes. Knowing that someone was coming to pick people today, she caused Xiao Tang to cut her face.”

Zhao Xiaohua cried out, “Matron, I just saw her walking slowly and kindly wanted to give her a hand. Who knew she would lose her footing and cut her face? I really didn’t do it on purpose.”

Whether it was intentional or not, both matrons knew the truth in their hearts.

The matron entered the room to check Xiao Tang’s face. Sure enough, she saw a large gash on her left cheek. It was bloody and looked certain to leave a scar.

A beauty that originally possessed skin like congealed jade¹ was now ruined.

Xiao Tang was naturally dull and timid. At this moment, she curled up in a corner without making a sound, no longer capable of attracting anyone’s attention.

The matron knitted her brows. “How could she fall like this at such a critical moment?”

Zhao Xiaohua followed her in and boldly grabbed the hem of her clothes. “Matron, it’s all my fault. Please forgive me this once. It was the Wan Family that gave me the chance to eat my fill and wear warm clothes. I am willing to serve you like an ox or a horse².”

The matron raised an eyebrow and carefully sized up Zhao Xiaohua.

Zhao Xiaohua’s looks couldn’t compare to Xiao Tang’s, but she wasn’t ugly. Her features were delicate, and crying like a pear blossom in the rain³ gave her a certain charm.

What was even rarer was that since this girl arrived at the Wan Family, she had been incredibly diligent and flattering. She was full of schemes, yet she seemed overflowingly grateful to the Wan Family.

The matron’s thoughts shifted, and she revealed a smile as warm as a spring breeze. “Don’t be afraid, Xiaohua. This matron knows you didn’t do it on purpose.”

Zhao Xiaohua broke into a smile full of gratitude. She knew she had made the right gamble this time.

When she left with the matron, Zhao Xiaohua smiled with smug satisfaction, as if she could already see herself rising rapidly and enjoying the glory of becoming an Empress.

In the end, the matron left with five young girls. As for the disfigured Xiao Tang, she remained curled in the corner, ignored by everyone.

In this courtyard, having lost her looks and lacking social skills, Xiao Tang was clearly worthless. No one would pay her any attention.

The watchful eyes that had been specifically kept on her because of her beauty had all vanished.

Late at night, the entire courtyard returned to that deathly silence.

Xiao Tang, curled in the corner, moved. She quickly slipped out of the room and with precise aim found a dog hole⁴ hidden in the backyard. The hole was small, but large enough for a thin child of about five years old to crawl through.

It wasn’t until the food was distributed the next day that the supervisor discovered Xiao Tang was missing.

After searching the entire courtyard and finding no one, the supervisor didn’t dare hide it and reported it to the matron.

The matron frowned, and after a moment’s thought, decided to suppress the matter. “Anyway, that girl’s face is ruined. The doctor said even if it heals, there will be a scar. She’s worthless now.”

“If this gets out, we’ll all be held responsible. It’s better to just say she died of a fever. That’ll be cleaner.”

Just like that, Xiao Tang vanished from the Wan Family villa. Even the little girls in her room didn’t care. Aside from Zhao Xiaohua, no one would remember this girl who had outstanding looks but had barely spoken since being brought in.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

With the six opening firecrackers⁵, the start of the New Year was announced.

The Zhao Family’s first meal of the New Year was soup rice cakes⁶. The rice cakes were cooked until soft and chewy, then stir-fried with pickled vegetables, tofu, and minced meat. It had a unique and delicious flavor.

Each child was given a large bowl. The three little ones held their bowls and ate heartily.

Zhao Chun finished his in one go, not even sparing the broth. After letting out a burp, he said, “Dad, these soup rice cakes are delicious. Let’s eat them like this every year from now on.”

“Alright, every New Year’s Day⁷ from now on, Dad will make them for you,” Zhao Mengcheng promised with a smile.

Zhao Mao also thought it was delicious, especially with the minced meat making it even more fragrant. Every bite was filled with a savory, salty taste.

Zhao Mengcheng’s cooking skills weren’t exceptionally great, but he was generous with the ingredients. The rice cakes were stir-fried directly in lard. In these times when oil was scarce, the fragrance was enough to keep anyone from stopping.

Zhao Xin ate a bit slower. Fearing her two brothers wouldn’t wait for her, she shouted while eating, “Wait for me!”

“We’ll wait for you. Eat slowly, don’t choke,” Zhao Mengcheng advised.

The little girl only then felt more at ease, slowing her pace slightly.

On New Year’s Day, according to the custom in Qingshan Village, people went out to give New Year greetings. The Zhao Family currently had no relatives. Once the children finished eating, Zhao Mengcheng took them to kowtow to the village elders and then returned.

But the three little ones refused to come back, wanting to go around with the village children to give greetings.

Zhao Mengcheng naturally wouldn’t stop them, letting them run off with the crowd of children.

In these times, every household struggled. One wouldn’t get red envelopes⁸ or candy for New Year greetings. However, every family would prepare some snacks like pumpkin seeds or peanuts, grabbing a handful for each child who came to the door.

Zhao Mengcheng had also prepared some. Not just pumpkin seeds and peanuts, but also candy, though not much. Everyone who came to the door could get one piece to sweeten their mouth.

It wasn’t that he was stingy, but even the wealthiest families in the village only did this much. Giving more wouldn’t be appropriate.

Just one piece of candy drew the village children in droves, each fearing they might not get their share.

Some of the impatient ones stuffed the candy into their mouths as soon as they got it. The sweet taste could make a child happy for an entire day.

Other children hid it to take home, intending to save it and eat it slowly. Licking it once a day, it could last through the whole New Year.

Leading his younger siblings, Zhao Chun quickly made a round of the village. The pockets of their new cotton-padded clothes were stuffed full of pumpkin seeds.

“Brother Chun, we’re going to your eldest uncle’s house. Are you coming?” a child asked.

Zhao Chun’s brow furrowed. “That’s not my uncle. We’ve already severed ties.”

“Then are you going to Zhao Laoda’s house?” the child pressed.

Zhao Chun waved his hand. “I’m not going. I’m going home. Mao, Xin, let’s go.”

Zhao Mao and Zhao Xin naturally wouldn’t follow either, heading back with their small steps.

The children left behind thought about it and still couldn’t bear to miss out on the snacks from that house. They ran over hand-in-hand.

“We’ve come to give New Year greetings to Uncle and Auntie. We wish you a long life and a happy family reunion.”

As soon as the few children entered, they kowtowed quite sincerely.

Zhao Laoda had a gloomy expression. Seeing them enter, his lips curled slightly. “Good, good, good. Kowtow once more for Uncle.”

The children looked at each other and kowtowed again.

In any other house, if they were asked to kowtow more, the prepared snacks would certainly be more plentiful. The children were quite willing.

To their surprise, Zhao Laoda just smiled and said, “You’re all good children. Now that you’ve kowtowed, go back. Don’t wander around outside.”

The children were all dumbfounded.

“Where are our seeds?” a five or six-year-old child couldn’t help but ask.

Zhao Laoda remained silent.

Zhao Dasao came out of the room and shouted at the top of her lungs, “Oh my, why are you asking for rewards just for kowtowing to your elders? That’s far too mercenary. You shouldn’t be like this at such a young age!”

The children’s faces flushed red. The oldest one said indignantly, “How can your family be so stingy? We’re never coming back again!”

Having said that, he pulled the other children and left.

Zhao Laoda’s face darkened. “Why didn’t you just give them some pumpkin seeds to send them off? Will it sound good if this gets out?”

“Pumpkin seeds? Our family is about to run out of food. Where am I supposed to get pumpkin seeds for them?” Zhao Dasao was also fuming inside.

Zhao Laoda said with a stiff face, “It’s the New Year, why are you acting so crazy?”

“I’m acting crazy? Fine, Zhao Laoda, so you’re the good guy and I’m the villain, is that it? If you can produce them, I wouldn’t say a word if you gave them copper coins!”

Seeing that the couple was about to start a fight, Zhao Mancang finally came out of the room. “Dad, Mom, don’t argue during the New Year. I still need to study.”

Hearing this, the couple fell silent.

In their current situation, all their hopes were pinned on Zhao Mancang. As long as their son could pass the imperial examinations, all their current difficulties would be resolved.

The children who left Zhao Laoda’s house were furious, cursing, “I’ve never seen such stingy people. They have nothing to give yet they made us kowtow an extra time.”

“No wonder Mom and Dad said his family is stingy. They didn’t even give a single bean for the New Year greetings.”

Even the poorest families in the village would give a handful of roasted soybeans when people came to their door to kowtow for the New Year. Yet Zhao Laoda’s family was so bad they didn’t even offer a cup of water.

Several children returned home huffing with anger. Once they told the story, the villagers also felt indignant and looked down on Zhao Laoda’s family even more.

Zhao Chun pulled his younger siblings back home and first emptied all the snacks from his cotton-padded clothes pockets.

When the three children’s snacks were gathered together, they formed a pile that covered half the table.

“Dad, don’t you like melon seeds the most? You can have them all,” Zhao Chun said with a wave of his hand.

Zhao Mengcheng chuckled, tasted one, and evaluated, “The flavor is quite good. You all eat too. I can’t finish this many by myself.”

The three little ones climbed onto stools, and the four of them sat around the table eating slowly.

The variety of snacks given by the villagers was quite large. Besides the common pumpkin seeds, peanuts, and soybeans, there were also kidney beans and peas. Zhao Mengcheng even discovered pine nuts, chestnuts, and almonds.

It wasn’t easy to prepare a pot of those last three, as it required a lot of effort.

“Dad, I’ll peel pine nuts for you.” Seeing him eat two pine nuts in a row, Zhao Mao immediately decided he liked them.

Zhao Mengcheng watched happily. When the boy had peeled a dozen or so, Zhao Mengcheng grabbed them and stuffed the whole handful into his mouth. The fragrant taste, coupled with the child’s filial piety, made them taste exceptionally good.

Not to be outdone, Zhao Chun said, “Dad, I’ll peel melon seeds for you.”

Zhao Xin then said, “I’ll peel almonds for Daddy.”

The little girl worked very carefully, even peeling off the thin skin on the outside of the almond. “Eat, Daddy.”

Seeing this, Zhao Chun and Zhao Mao felt they were being outshone and immediately worked even harder.

At first, Zhao Mengcheng enjoyed the children’s attentiveness, but later he couldn’t take any more. He quickly stopped them. “Enough. If I eat any more, I’ll develop internal heat⁹. Let’s take a break.”

“Then whenever Dad wants to eat them, I’ll peel them for you,” Zhao Mao said immediately.

Zhao Mengcheng reached out and ruffled his hair. “Alright, I’ll let my son know when I want to eat them.”

“Dad, Dad, there’s me too! I can peel them too!” Zhao Xin immediately jumped off her stool and leaned against Zhao Mengcheng.

Zhao Mengcheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Is this some kind of wonderful job that you’re all competing for it?”

The three little ones just giggled, thinking that helping their father surely counted as a good thing.

Eating too many roasted goods caused internal heat, especially since they hadn’t just been eating roasted snacks lately, but also grilled, pan-fried, and deep-fried foods.

After eating another pile on the morning of the first day of the New Year, blisters began to appear on the corners of the three children’s mouths by noon. Their throats felt sore, and they all looked quite listless.

Zhao Mengcheng was amused and exasperated as he patted their three heads. “Wait here.”

With that, he got up and went into the kitchen. When he came back out, he was carrying four bowls of honey water. “Drink slowly to soothe your throats. Don’t eat any more roasted snacks for the next two days. Eat more green vegetables, and you’ll be better in a couple of days.”

It was also his fault. He liked eating those things himself and hadn’t considered that the children’s constitutions were weaker and couldn’t handle eating like that constantly.

“It’s sweet?” Zhao Xin asked in surprise after taking a sip.

After Zhao Mao finished drinking, he said, “It’s different from white sugar sweet soup or brown sugar sweet soup. It tastes even better than sweet soup.”

Zhao Chun asked directly, “Dad, what is this?”

“Honey water.” If it hadn’t been for this bout of internal heat, Zhao Mengcheng would have forgotten about this small jar of honey.

He had bought it on a whim while attending the New Year market. The price was much more expensive than brown sugar.

Zhao Xin sipped it loudly. “So this is honey. It’s really delicious.”

Zhao Mengcheng didn’t neglect himself either. Whatever the children had, he had too. To be honest, the honey of this era was particularly rich and mellow. Although the price was a bit high, its advantage was that it was pure and original, with no need to worry about adulteration.

Once the honey water went down, his throat was instantly moisturized, and the symptoms of internal heat eased significantly.

A thought flashed through Zhao Mengcheng’s mind. Perhaps he could raise a hive of bees. That way, he could drink as much as he wanted in the future without having to spend money to buy it.

Zhao Chun quickly finished his and his eyes darted around. “Dad, is there always honey inside a beehive?”

As soon as the boy shifted, Zhao Mengcheng knew what he was plotting. “Wild bees are very venomous. Don’t provoke them easily, or you could die from the stings.”

He wasn’t joking. The venom of wild bees was strong. A few dozen of them could take a person’s life. Zhao Mengcheng was afraid the boy wouldn’t know his limits.

Zhao Chun fell silent immediately.

Zhao Mengcheng patted the back of his head. “Did you hear me?”

“I heard you. I definitely won’t provoke them easily,” Zhao Chun promised quickly.

Zhao Mengcheng raised an eyebrow. “Not even ‘not easily.’ You mustn’t do it at all.”

Zhao Chun slumped his head. “Alright.”

His eyes darted around as he quickly changed the subject. “Dad, when are we going to see Grandpa?”

The question caught Zhao Mengcheng off guard for a moment.

Zhao Mao looked up at him. “Before, Mom always went back to her parents’ home on the second day of the New Year. Are we still going on the second day this year?”

Zhao Mengcheng wasn’t the original owner, after all, and only now remembered that Liu Yunniang also had a family.

He sifted through his memories and finally found traces of the original owner’s recollections. Liu Yunniang’s family lived in Laoshan Village, right next to Qingshan Village. It was about five li¹⁰ away. It wasn’t far, but the roads were all mountain paths, which were difficult to travel.

Laoshan Village was in a remote location and was even poorer than Qingshan Village. Liu Yunniang was the eldest child in her family, with a younger brother and sister below her.

When Liu Yunniang was still alive, the relationship between the two families was quite good, and they would visit each other during festivals. Zhao Mengcheng knew the Liu family was poor and hadn’t objected to Liu Yunniang occasionally helping her parents’ home.

Later, Liu Yunniang died after a fall. When the Liu family came to offer their condolences, they had cursed the original owner until he was covered in dog blood¹¹. They hadn’t visited again since Liu Yunniang’s funeral.

Zhao Mengcheng could understand. After all, their perfectly healthy daughter had suddenly died from a fall. It was normal for the Liu parents to harbor resentment toward the original owner.

After thinking it over, Zhao Mengcheng said, “Then we’ll still go tomorrow. We’ll prepare more gifts.”

They were the children’s grandparents and uncle, after all, and the Liu family hadn’t done anything to wrong them. They couldn’t just cut ties completely.

With this plan in mind, Zhao Mengcheng got up and began to pack the New Year gifts. Since it was the original owner’s in-laws, the gifts naturally couldn’t be too meager.

He took a basket of eggs, which was the most practical gift, a piece of cured meat, a jin of brown sugar, and a package of pastries. With these four items, it was just about enough.

Zhao Mao ran in and watched him, saying in a low voice, “Dad, if Grandpa and Grandma still scold you tomorrow, then we’ll just leave.”

Zhao Mengcheng knew what he was worried about and smiled. “We’ll see when we get there.”

Liu Yunniang had been gone for a year. No matter how heartbroken her parents were, they should have calmed down by now.

Furthermore, Zhao Mengcheng wasn’t the type to let himself be mistreated. If the children’s grandparents were willing to maintain a relationship, he would visit. If they weren’t interested, he had no desire to press his warm face against someone’s cold backside¹².

“Brother Zhao, I’ve brought Wu Mei to give you New Year greetings.” A familiar voice came from outside.

Zhao Mengcheng went out and saw that it was Cao Da and Cao Er who had brought Cao Wumei. He didn’t see anyone else.

Not only had they come, but they also brought many New Year gifts. As soon as they entered, Cao Da said, “We should have come this morning, but we were delayed by some business. Please don’t think me rude.”

“Not at all. I’m troubled that you traveled so far for this trip,” Zhao Mengcheng greeted them with a smile. Zhao Chun and Zhao Mao hurriedly went to brew tea.

Zhao Xin had already run over happily, reaching out to take Cao Wumei’s hand. “Sister, you’re here!”

“Ah!” To her surprise, Cao Wumei gave a startled cry and actually slapped her hand away.

Zhao Xin was startled and took a timid step back, her face full of confusion.

Cao Da quickly pulled his sister back. His expression was a bit strained, but he suppressed his temper and comforted her in a low voice, “Wu Mei, this is Xin’er. Have you forgotten? You two are good friends.”

Only then did Zhao Mengcheng notice that something was wrong with Cao Wumei. She kept hiding her head behind Cao Da and wouldn’t come out. She seemed entirely timid and fearful, completely different from her lively and generous self before the New Year.

Listening to her brother’s soft comfort, it took a long while before Cao Wumei poked her head out. Her large eyes were red as they landed on Zhao Xin, but she didn’t speak.

Cao Er forced a smile and pulled out a pouch, stuffing it into Zhao Xin’s hand. “Sister Xin’er, Wu Mei didn’t mean it. Don’t be angry with her, okay?”

Zhao Xin showed her a smile. “Sister, don’t you recognize me? We agreed to play together.”

The little girl simply thought Cao Wumei was being shy and hadn’t recognized her just now, so she didn’t hold a grudge.

Cao Da kept one arm around his sister to comfort her, afraid she would be triggered again and not daring to let go. He was about to speak when he heard Cao Wumei say in a low voice, “I remember you. We played house together.”

“Yes, that’s me! I have many hair flowers now. My dad bought them all for me. Do you want to see?” Nowadays, Zhao Xin loved showing her hair flowers to others, especially because she liked hearing people praise her for having such a good father.

Cao Da looked at his sister encouragingly but didn’t force her. “Sister, do you want to go see?”

Cao Wumei hesitated for a long time before finally taking a step forward.

Zhao Xin grabbed her hand and led her joyfully toward her own room. “They’re in my room. The two of us will go look; we won’t bring anyone else.”

She smiled like a little sun. Cao Wumei looked back at her eldest brother, and this time, she didn’t refuse.

Cao Da breathed a slight sigh of relief. “Brother Zhao, I’ve made a fool of myself before you.”

Zhao Mengcheng invited them to sit and drink tea before asking, “What happened? Wu Mei wasn’t this timid before.”

Cao Er’s expression darkened.

Cao Da sighed. “We only have ourselves to blame for thinking everything would be fine once we brought her back. Who knew those gossiping hags outside would have such loose tongues? They’re actually saying… saying that Wu Mei was violated.”

“What?” Zhao Mengcheng was also taken aback.

Before the new year, he had heard from Magistrate Huang that the remaining two girls had been rescued. He thought the matter had been settled.

Cao Er slammed the table. “It’s infuriating how those people can’t tell right from wrong. They’re out there destroying my sister’s reputation¹³. Wu Mei has been lively and full of smiles since she was a child, but now she doesn’t even dare to step out the door. She’s afraid of everyone she sees.”

What the two brothers couldn’t bring themselves to say was that by the time they realized what was happening, Cao Wumei had already heard quite a bit. She had become completely withdrawn while the rumors spread like wildfire.

The Cao brothers couldn’t swallow their anger and went to confront people at their homes, but with everyone saying the same thing, no matter how many brothers they had, they couldn’t silence every mouth.

Moreover, it wasn’t just outsiders; even their own wives at home thought the same way.

Because of this, the Cao family had several major arguments. Cao Da and Cao Er even threatened to divorce their wives, making the entire New Year period a restless mess.

Now, the wives didn’t dare speak of it, but their attitude toward Wu Mei was no longer the same. As a result, Wu Mei became increasingly insecure and despondent.

Seeing the sister they had doted on since childhood reduced to such a state, the Cao family was heartbroken, yet they were powerless to help.

Cao Wumei refused to see anyone, saying she was afraid of being mocked. Every day, she would only follow behind Mother Cao. She had transformed from a cheerful, chirping sparrow into a timid quail¹⁴.

Today, Cao Da had spent the entire morning persuading her before Cao Wumei finally found the courage to step outside.

With their sister in this state, Cao Da and his brothers felt their strength was useless. At this moment, they couldn’t hide their worried expressions.

Inside the room, Zhao Xin was like a happy little sparrow. “Look, Sister! This red hair flower is my favorite. My dad says I look the prettiest wearing it.”

“This yellow one is also pretty. Do you want to try it? I’ll help you put it on.”

Unable to resist her enthusiasm, Cao Wumei let her put it on and looked in the mirror. She managed a rare, faint smile. “It really is beautiful. Xin’er, your father truly dotes on you.”

“Of course! My dad is the person who loves me most in the whole world.”

Zhao Xin puffed out her little chest with pride, then comforted Cao Wumei. “But you don’t need to be too jealous. Your father and brothers dote on you too! I only have one father and two brothers, but you have four brothers. You still win in terms of numbers.”

Cao Wumei wanted to laugh, but for some reason, tears began to fall. Zhao Xin was startled and scrambled to comfort her.

“Sister, please don’t cry! Even though my dad loves me the most, you have a father and brothers who love you most too. There’s no need to cry.”

Cao Wumei sniffled. “My parents and brothers all love me, but I’ve brought shame upon them.”

Translator’s Notes