Chapter 26

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Shen Xingyi stole several glances at his son, feigning a cough before leaning into the stoic Shen Dalang, his voice shrouded in curiosity, “Son, what kind of business are you running with your young wife? Her father gave me more than 900 wen.”

Shen Dalang cast a cool glance at his father, responding in a frosty tone, “I don’t accept this marriage.”

Shen Xingyi chuckled awkwardly, his voice booming, “You seem to treat her quite well. Aren’t you waiting to accompany her somewhere tomorrow? What’s there not to accept?”

“I’m not waiting for her,” Shen Dalang retorted, his voice icy. After a few scrapes of his empty bowl on the table, he left it there, turning to retreat back to his room.

Would he actually wait for her to go up the mountain? To invite trouble?

At first light tomorrow, he decided, he would ascend the mountain and spend the day hunting.

Shen Dalang, resolute in his plans, was roused from sleep the next day by the pattering of rain. Lighting an oil lamp, he picked up a book and settled down to read at the table.

Shen Xingyi, after securing the ox-cart, flung open the door, hollering, “It’s raining heavily outside. I’ll take you to the county.”

Shen Dalang, hearing the drumming rain outside, furrowed his brows, sparing his father a glance, “Let’s have breakfast first.”

Shen Xingyi mumbled under his breath, “Didn’t we used to eat in the town? Why am I suddenly making breakfast today?”

Shen Dalang caught his father’s grumbling clearly.

Adjusting the wick of the lamp for better light, Shen Dalang proceeded to study the text in his hands.

Shen Dalang had an excellent memory, allowing him to memorize the texts after a read or two. His father was even quicker in preparing meals. By the time Shen Dalang was on his third text, a bowl of leftover porridge was set before him.

After breakfast, Shen Xingyi, slipping into his raincoat, hurried Shen Dalang.

Holding the book, Shen Dalang pivoted sideways in his seat and replied, “I’ll go once I’ve finished memorizing this book.”

Eyeing the thick book in his son’s hands, Shen Xingyi had a sudden realization. He sprawled onto the table, his eyes wide like copper bells, “You didn’t…”

Shen Dalang’s grip on his book tightened as he fixed his gaze on his father. His father suddenly bellowed, “You didn’t have a falling out with your tutor, did you?”

He relaxed his grip, shooting his father a contemptuous look, replying, “Of course not.”

“Why not? Previously, you’d rush to the county town to seek guidance from your tutor, even in the dead of night when it rained. But today, you’re insisting on having breakfast and studying. Isn’t it clear you’re avoiding going to the county town for studies?”

With this, Shen Xingyi leaped to his feet, his arms flailing in the air. “Ah, my son, I’ve been waiting for this day for ages! If we stop studying, you can come back to take over my meat selling business!”

Picturing his son taking care of the meat stall in the future and himself savoring wine in the county town, Shen Xingyi’s heart swelled with joy. His voice grew louder as he said, “Without the distraction of studying, we could save up to twenty taels of silver annually. A few more years, and you could marry the Chen girl.”

Visibly excited, Shen Xingyi leaned into Shen Dalang, his fists clenched and thumbs bobbing up and down in a triumphant gesture. A mischievous smile danced on his lips as he said, “Imagine, you could have even more sons then…

Oh? Ha! Hilarious!”

Shen Dalang, however, remained silent.

In a brotherly fashion, Shen Xingyi gave Shen Dalang’s shoulder a hearty pat, saying, “It’s crucial to keep the family business alive!”

The book was abruptly closed. Rising to his feet, Shen Dalang addressed his father, “Let’s go.”

Shen Xingyi’s laughter abruptly ceased.

..

Chen Xiaosang was roused from her sleep by the noise from outside.

The events of the previous day filled her thoughts as she quickly got dressed and rushed outside.

Upon reaching the main room, she was taken aback to see over a dozen people bustling around.

An auntie close to her, pinched her small, saliva-stained face, and said with a chuckle, “Xiaosang, you’re looking lovely.”

The other auntie around her turned to look at her, touching her face, one of them said, “Did you drool in your sleep? Look at this mark.”

Pushing her way through the crowd, Chen Xiaosang didn’t stop until she clung to her mother’s leg.

“The little one’s feeling shy.”

“Ha! She’s so modest.”

Laughter erupted around them, leaving Xiaosang in a state of confusion.

Mrs. Li held Xiaosang close, smiling at the crowd, “Our little girl has been sheltered at home since she was young, she’s not used to strangers.”

“Sister-in-law, don’t worry about it. Xiaosang is such a darling, we would never hold anything against her.” Someone responded, prompting others to chime in agreement. All eyes, filled with curiosity, were on Chen Xiaosang.

Chen Xiaosang felt as if she was stepping into uncharted territory. She moved closer to Mrs. Li and whispered, “Mother, what’s happening here?”

Mrs. Li gestured towards the room filled with grain and explained, “Your father approached all the families early this morning, asking them to sell any surplus wheat to us. These are their contributions.”

Wheat was collected for the summer tax, and it was nearing the time for food purchases. Chen Xiaosang’s father had discussed with Mrs. Li the night before about buying wheat from the villagers at the price offered by the grain store, which would save money and spare the villagers a trip to town.

Chen Xiaosang observed her two sisters-in-law measuring grain with a wooden tool, each scoop roughly amounting to a liter.

Seeing the room filled with baskets of grain, Chen Xiaosang couldn’t help but express her concern, “This process seems too slow.”

The woman in the room burst into laughter. “We all pay our taxes this way. If not this way, then how else should we measure them?”

Chen Xiaosang pointed to the measuring scoop and proposed, “Why not use a scale? Weigh how much a liter is, then weigh a full basket. Deduct the weight of the basket, and you’ll know how many liters of grain there are.”

An older woman replied dismissively, “How could anyone make sense of that? Using the measuring scoop is much simpler.”

Most villagers had spent their lives tilling the fields, and arithmetic was not their forte. Even when they took their grain to sell at the town’s grain store, they would measure it beforehand using the scoop. They would have a rough idea of the weight, and once the grain store’s scale showed a similar weight, they would sell it.

Chen Xiaosang patted her chest confidently, “I can help you with the calculations. I’m good at it.”

Laughter erupted in the room. Someone pointed at Chen Xiaosang and joked, “Even us grown-ups can’t figure it out, and you, a six-year-old, can? Then we must have wasted all these years eating!”

Chen Xiaosang retorted, slightly miffed, “I’m good at calculations. When my dad goes to town to trade grain, I’m the one who does the math.”

“Your father sure has a big heart,” someone remarked.

“Baolai’s wife, you don’t spoil your child as much. Letting her do the calculations while selling stuff could lead to huge losses if she’s wrong. We don’t earn money easily, let’s not squander it.”

Mrs. Li smiled and responded, “We can’t let the child do the calculations on her own. Bao Lai can do it well. We’re just letting her have a little fun.”

That seemed to put everyone at ease. The attention of the crowd then returned to watching the actions of Dashu’s wife and Ershu’s wife, not wanting to miss a single moment.

With the slightly disgruntled Xiaosang in her arms, Mrs. Li squeezed through the crowd to the kitchen to help her freshen up. She gently tapped Xiaosang’s nose, asking, “Still not happy?”

“Why don’t they want to calculate using a scale weights?” Chen Xiaosang asked, puzzled. “It’s very convenient.”

Mrs. Li patiently explained, “Using the measuring scoop is a tradition passed down from our ancestors. Everyone knows how to do it, and it gives them peace of mind. Not many people understand the scale weight, and they’re afraid they might get shortchanged.”

That seemed straightforward. As long as one could multiply and divide, they could do it.

Upon this realization, Chen Xiaosang paused and scratched her head. Here, there was no concept of multiplication or division.

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