RCAC chapter 6

Qiao Shen, eager to make a fortune, shared his thoughts with Qi Shuo.

“We can make the taro balls at night, so in the morning we just cook them with red beans. I’ll sell them in the nearby alley, two trips in the morning, two trips in the afternoon. It’s not exhausting, and it could be good exercise.”

Qi Shuo thought about whether it could work. They had all the ingredients at home, which was in Shouyun Village, more than ten miles outside Dongshoulan Town. His parents were both farmers, and with high-yield sweet potatoes and pumpkins, every rural household had too much to eat themselves, often feeding the leftovers to pigs.

Red beans can also be bartered for in the village; the only things that need to be bought with money are starch and sugar.

“Let’s just give it a try first. If it’s too tiring, I’ll think of another way,” Qiao Shen blinked his eyes, pleading with Qi Shuo.

Qiao Shen’s pupils were dark and shiny, his eyes clearly defined like a pair of deer eyes, making him seem gentle and soft. Seeing him like this, Qi Shuo agreed.

“Just a little, don’t overwork yourself. Changle is still young, right at the mischievous age, so we can’t just focus on business and neglect him.”

“No, I’ll just sell around the nearby alley, not too much. Changle needs exercise too, I’ll take him for more walks so he can walk steadily.” When Qiao Shen heard Qi Shuo agreed, he happily hugged Xiao Changle, who was obediently eating the cake, and planted a kiss on his forehead.

Seeing Xiao Changle pouting and munching on the rice cake with his tiny milk teeth, Qiao Shen was so charmed that he kept giving him kiss after kiss.

At first, Xiao Changle smiled and let himself be kissed and hugged, but after four or five kisses, he couldn’t help wriggling, annoyed that Daddy kept disturbing him while he was eating his cake.

Qi Shuo considered that Qiao Shen is at home every day and can’t lift with his hands or carry on his shoulders, so he decided to make him a small wooden wheel cart.

After discussing with Qiao Shen, who, with his knowledge of modern technology, provided a rough sketch idea, an improved version of the little cart was under construction.

By the next day, after a day of hard work, Qi Shuo had finished the little cart.

The little cart is basically modeled after those small carts that older ladies use at the market to carry their groceries. It has two sturdy rods supported on two enlarged wooden wheels, with a thick board at the bottom to hold a wooden bucket. Behind the bucket, there’s a small space where a shelf can be set up to put things like spoons, money boxes, and so on.

That night, Qiao Shen happily tried out the small cart, placing a wooden bucket filled with water on it. With about two-thirds of the water filled, it neither spilled nor was difficult to push.

On the third day, Qi Shuo took Qiao Shen on the ox cart back to Shouyun Village to visit relatives.

The old man driving the ox cart was a farmer from Shouyun Village. Every three to five days, he would come to Dong Town to deliver vegetables to some restaurants to sell for money.

Back in the earlier years, Qi Shuo was still an apprentice carpenter. Because he lived in town, he helped the village arrange this business deal. Many households in Shouyun Village grew different kinds of vegetables, which were then collected by the old man and taken to town to sell to restaurants.

Through this connection, the old man would also give Qi Shuo some vegetables when he went to town, and since the trip was on the way, Qi Shuo’s family would occasionally hitch a ride back to the village on the old man’s ox cart, letting the old man earn a few extra copper coins.

On the way, Qiao Shen looked around at the scenery of the ancient countryside and occasionally chatted a bit with the old man. After a bit of wandering, they finally arrived at Shouyun Village. The village is backed by mountains, and a small river flows through it endlessly toward the front. Shouyun Village is truly a gem nestled between mountains and water, with fresh air that clears the mind.

After paying the fare and saying goodbye to the old man, Qi Shuo carried Xiao Changle and led Qiao Shen toward their home.

Back in the day, Qi’s father built the house at the edge of the village for convenience when expanding, so when Qi Shuo was little, it was hard for him to find friends to play with. Luckily, once he got a bit older, he went to the county town as an apprentice, stopped being so playful, and that was the end of it.

Rural life is simple and down-to-earth. Occasionally, if a courtyard gate is wide open and the homeowners are sitting outside enjoying the breeze, anyone passing by will be met with a warm greeting. When the villagers saw Qi Shuo coming back with his husband and child, they all enthusiastically came out to chat.

Qi Shuo was like the ideal kid in the eyes of the villagers of Shouyun. Even when he was little, he went to the county town to make a living. At a young age, he already bought a courtyard in the county and opened a shop. The villagers liked to use Qi Shuo as an example when teaching their own kids.

“Qi Er, is business going well in town?”

Qi Shuo held Xiao Changle, pausing to reply, “So-so, just enough to get by.”

Qi Shuo responded to the villagers who came out to greet him. When others invited him, he returned the invitation, and only then did he say goodbye to the villagers and head back to the Qi family home.

Besides Qi Shuo’s father and mother, the Qi household also included his older brother Qi Yan and his family. Qi Yan’s eldest son was a ger’er named Xiao Changxi, twelve years old; the younger son was a boy named Xiao Changan, who was nine.

Qi’s mother was sitting in the yard making shoe soles. Even though it was noon, most of the villagers were still busy working in the fields, and Qi’s father and eldest brother Qi Shuo’s family were still out there too.

Qi’s mother happily welcomed her youngest son’s family, holding Xiao Changle in her arms and not letting go.

She offered watermelon slices and her own roasted pumpkin seeds to Qiao Shen. Watching Xiao Changle hold a small piece of watermelon while eating, Qi’s mother carefully asked, “Still not talking? Have you asked the doctor?”

“I’ve checked, the doctor said everything’s normal. It’s fine, now he’s practicing speaking every day.” Qi Shuo quickly reassured his mother, worried that Qiao Shen might be overly suspicious. He knew his mother didn’t blame Qiao Shen, so he quickly changed the subject: “Mom, are there many sweet potatoes and pumpkins left at home?”

Qiao Shen, munching on pumpkin seeds, didn’t think much of it. He jokingly called out ‘Grandma’ to Xiao Changle, who made a couple of sounds and kept nibbling on his watermelon in small bites.

When Qi’s mother saw Qiao Shen being so natural and composed, she breathed a sigh of relief and, no longer speaking so cautiously, said, “There’s plenty, take more with you this time.”

The few of them sat in the courtyard, watching Xiao Changle toddle around, touching this and stepping on that, chatting and talking about daily life.

When the sun was no longer strong and most of the people from the fields were heading home, Qi’s mother went back to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Qiao Shen also felt awkward just sitting there, so he hurried into the kitchen to help Qi’s mother. She told him to go sit and rest, but he felt too embarrassed to agree.

When Qiao Shen was chopping vegetables, Xiao Changle came in, clinging to Qiao Shen’s leg, acting cute and mischievous, wanting to be held. There was no choice; only then, shamelessly, did he listen to Mother Qi and carried Xiao Changle out of the kitchen.

Carrying Xiao Changle into the yard, Qiao Shen tapped his finger on Changle’s head: “Always causing trouble. You don’t have to do anything all day, and you won’t even let your dad do anything.”

Xiao Changle looked confused: “Huh?”

Meanwhile, Qi Shuo kept his mother company for a while. After Mother Qi started cooking, he went out to the field, thinking it would be good to help finish up some work.

Qiao Shen carried Xiao Changle around the yard. In the corner of the yard, Qi’s mother had planted some chili peppers, tomatoes, and other vegetables.

Some of the tomatoes were already red. Xiao Changle wriggled down to the ground and, wobbling unsteadily, went to pick a tomato. He grabbed a half-red, still green tomato and tried to pull it into his arms.

Qiao Shen mumbled, “You really don’t know what’s good. The ripe red ones are hanging over there, and you go for the green one.”

He grabbed Xiao Changle’s tiny little hand and moved it to a fully ripe tomato. Xiao Changle, unable to pull it off, just held onto the tomato and leaned in to bite it.

Qiao Shen couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time as he rescued the tomato from Xiao Changle’s mouth, picked it properly, and then led Xiao Changle into the kitchen to wash it with water.

Qi’s mother saw Xiao Changle nibbling on a tomato, hands busy, and smiled as she spoke, “Is it tasty, Changle? Grandma even saved some seeds. Let Daddy take them home and plant them for you, how about that?”

“Grandma’s asking you, Changle. Say… Grandma~, say… tasty~” Qiao Shen just grabbed a stool and sat with Xiao Changle at the doorway.

He gently rubbed Changle’s soft hair, then said to Qi’s mother, “If there are extra seeds, Mom, give me some tomorrow and I’ll take them home to plant.”

“Ah, seeds aren’t that many, but if you don’t mind the trouble, I can pack a few for you to take home and plant,” Qi’s mother replied while chopping the cured meat.

So Qiao Shen picked out some seeds for tomatoes, chili peppers, and cabbage, among other vegetables. He also asked about the things to watch out for when planting these vegetables, planning to plant them in the backyard near the well for easy watering.

In the kitchen, Qi’s mother was stir-frying, while Qiao Shen tended to Xiao Changle and stoked the fire for her, adding some wood whenever she needed a bigger flame.

By the time the dishes were almost ready, everyone who had been in the fields had returned home.

For dinner, the whole family set up tables in the yard and ate together in a lively, bustling atmosphere. The men even started drinking a bit of homemade rice wine from the village, which wasn’t very strong.

Once the kids had mostly finished eating, nine-year-old Changan went over to Qiao Shen, reached out, and touched Xiao Changle’s soft arm. Qiao Shen ruffled Changan’s hair, put Xiao Changle down, and let Changan take him off to play.

After finishing the meal, the whole family sat in the yard chatting. Qi Shuo talked about his plan to sell snacks in the county town.

“So, on this trip back, I want to buy some sweet potatoes and pumpkins from home,” Qiao Shen chimed in.

Qi’s father agreed wholeheartedly, “Why talk about buying or not buying? Just take them and sell them first.”

He was a rural man who didn’t quite understand business. His second son had helped out the family a lot over the years, and he wasn’t asking for anything fancy. As his father, how could he not support him?

They chatted a bit more about the family’s matters, and Qi Mother got up to tidy the kitchen before it got completely dark. The eldest sister-in-law got up to prepare the bedroom for Qiao Shen’s family for the night, and Qiao Shen also went to help.

The men sat in the yard, enjoying the cool, occasionally glancing at the children playing happily.

In the yard, sheets and quilt covers were hanging out to dry, and Xiao Changle crawled around, playing hide-and-seek with his older brother, laughing heartily.

By the time it got completely dark, the adults who had worked in the fields all day were exhausted and went back to their rooms to rest. Qi Shuo filled a basin of water, and Qiao Shen washed his and Xiao Changle’s hands and feet, then went to bed.

By the time Qi Shuo finished pouring the water and returned to the room, the big one and the little one were already asleep.

The last oil lamp in the yard went out, and the whole village was in pitch darkness as everyone drifted off to sleep.​

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