In the afternoon, Zhulan really feared snakes and didn’t go up the mountain. In ancient times, the forests were full of snakes, catching you off guard. After the lush growth of grass and trees in summer, she stopped going even to the riverbank, lacking the courage to venture up the mountain.
Lady Li and Lady Zhao followed up the mountain, where there were plenty of wild vegetables, especially ferns that could be dried and eaten in winter. Zhulan gestured to gather more to store, at least to have a greater variety of vegetables in winter.
Last year, she and Zhou Shuren had come in autumn, and they didn’t store many ferns at home. Later, when they went to buy some at a general store in the county town, they couldn’t find any. Ferns, if not prepared well, taste bitter, and many cannot bear the bitterness. The wealthy families in the county didn’t lack for ferns, and rural households usually picked them themselves, so the general stores didn’t sell them.
This year, Zhulan was determined to store more, and she also wanted to collect some of the ferns dried by the villagers. When she was in college, she really enjoyed eating spicy mixed vegetables, and soaked ferns tasted great when mixed with spices.
Next door, someone moved in, and aside from the woman who benefited from it, not a single girl went over there. The morning bustle lasted only a short while, and in the afternoon, there was not a trace of movement.
Zhulan, with her two daughters, picked and dried vegetables in the courtyard, chatting and laughing, their voices clearly heard by the next-door neighbors.
Wang Ru sat on a specially made long bench, and as she listened to the laughter next door, her expression grew uglier. Even the house she was originally satisfied with now seemed distasteful, and just the thought of the silver spent on it pained her heart. Initially, Zheng’s asking price was a hundred silver taels, but after Wang Ru said she wouldn’t buy, it was reduced to sixty, on top of which came the Wang family’s old house that had just been purchased. Repairing the courtyard took another thirty taels, and with over two more spent at the Qian family, almost ninety silver taels were gone.
Shi Qing had just delivered fifty silver taels for half a month’s allowance. Adding to what she already had, she held one hundred twenty silver taels, but after subtracting the ninety, and considering the money spent on a dog and the benefit money given to her two sisters, she was left with just over twenty-two silver taels.
Wang Xin had been holding back her anger all morning, and only in the afternoon did she regain her composure, suddenly remembering something she had forgotten. She hastily went to find Wang Ru, "Third Sister, the day for Master Shi to send the silver has passed."
In Zhou’s house, as Zhulan was turning over the ferns under the rack by the wall, she heard everything loud and clear, silently counting the days and realizing that indeed the appointed day had passed. She knew that Shi Qing was annoyed with Wang Ru; it was a lesson for her, and Zhulan didn’t think it was only about cutting off the silver.
Wang Ru realized in shock that indeed, the day had come and gone, and now she had only twenty taels in her hand. She felt panicked.
Wang Xin looked closely at Wang Ru, her heart skipping a beat. She had just been fantasizing about the struggles of a young lady—surely the silver hadn’t been cut off? "Third Sister, should we write and ask?"
Wang Ru quickly regained her composure, scornful of Shi Qing in her heart. He couldn’t control her, so he wanted to teach her a lesson. She still had resources in her hand; let’s see who would outlast the other. "It’s okay; it will be sent after a few days."
Wang Rong stood under the eaves, looking at her sister with a sinking heart. She had thought her weak sister was the kindest person, but now her sister seemed so much like Mrs. Sun. With an ironic laugh, she turned back into the house.
Zhulan, hearing no more commotion from across the way, then left with Xue Han.
Having finished the tasks in the yard, Xue Mei swept the courtyard clean, then wiped her hands after setting aside the broom, "Mother, big brother and second brother are helping me gather firewood. I’m going to buy some meat and a fish to bring back, so we can have a better meal tonight."
Zhulan thought for a moment, "Also get two blocks of tofu on the way back. It’ll be nice to make a wild vegetable and tofu soup for dinner."
She seldom ate wild vegetables in modern times, especially the uncontaminated, purely green wild ones that were hard to come by in the city. In ancient times, once wild vegetables were available, she finally bid farewell to the days without greens and grew fond of them. The family made a variety of dishes with the wild vegetables: shepherd’s purse dumplings, wild vegetable buns, cold dishes, stir-fried dishes, all sorts imaginable. Even eating them with dipping sauce was delicious.
Zhulan’s favorite was the wild vegetable and tofu soup—it was so fresh!
Xue Mei took note, "Okay."
Zhulan returned to the house with her little daughter, pouring herself a cup of tea, "Tell me, what do you think Shi Qing will do to teach Wang Ru a lesson?"
She really took every opportunity to educate her children. Today, it was just that Lady Zhao and Lady Li weren’t home to miss out on the lesson.
Xue Han also poured herself a cup of tea, smiling with her eyes curved, "If I were Shi Qing, the first step would be to cut off the silver coins, the second step to leave Wang Ru without any silver, and the third step to push her to a point where she has to come to him, thereby gaining even more of what he wants."
Her mother had never hidden Wang Ru’s circumstances from her, and since she had always been under her mother’s tutelage and guidance, her perspective was never short-sighted. She also learned to think about issues from a long-term view and to consider them from different angles.
Zhulan was truly pleased with her daughter, "Then tell me, how does Master Shi make sure Wang Ru runs out of silver?"