Chapter 50 — Tormented by Da Baozi Again
“Have a look—does this contract meet your approval?”
Before long, Shopkeeper Zhang placed the newly drafted agreement before him. It was largely the same as yesterday’s, with the addition of the increased monthly supply and the revised clause of one tael per jin. Ling Jingxuan skimmed it, then accepted the seal and pressed his fingerprint upon it. With that, their partnership was formally established.
“Since matters are settled, I shall not impose further. The restaurant is quite busy.”
The shopkeeper took out yesterday’s contract and tore it up in front of Ling Jingxuan before carefully storing the new one away. He made a move as if to depart.
“Jingpeng? Jingpeng?”
Only then did Ling Jingxuan belatedly notice that his younger brother seemed to have wandered off in spirit. A glance at the bundle of silver still clutched foolishly to his chest made him both amused and exasperated.
It was merely one hundred taels—was it truly worth such stupefaction?
“Jingpeng? Jingpeng??”
“Ah? Brother, you called me?”
Shoving him a little, Ling Jingpeng finally came back to himself. Yet the bright eyes that were usually so alert were clouded with confusion.
Ling Jingxuan shook his head helplessly. “The shopkeeper is leaving. Take the assistants to the cellar and move the jam.”
“Oh—right. Then this is for you!”
The dazed look vanished instantly. His face flushed scarlet. He hastily stuffed the bundle of silver back into his brother’s hands and fled outside. The two assistants standing behind the shopkeeper followed him.
Ling Jingxuan smiled faintly. “My apologies, Shopkeeper. My younger brother has not seen much of the world. He lost his composure a little.”
Still, he fared better than the little buns. If he had dropped flat on his backside like one of them, that would truly have been mortifying.
“No matter, no matter. Young men only need experience. Ah—Brother Ling, you may not have heard yet. Yesterday an outbreak of plague occurred at Ping’an Hall in town. The county magistrate rushed over overnight with the constables. It is said the village where the child came from has already been sealed off. Fortunately, Ping’an Hall produced both preventative and treatment prescriptions immediately, and the disease has not spread.
“You would do well to fetch a few doses of medicine for prevention.
“And there is more—the magistrate also brought news of conscription. Something has happened at the front lines. The court has decided to levy troops temporarily. Any household with more than two able-bodied men between fourteen and thirty-five must send one. I heard you have two younger brothers. It would be wise to prepare in advance. The official notice will likely reach the villages soon.”
When the shopkeeper spoke of the plague, Ling Jingxuan listened with mild distraction. But at the word “conscription,” his brows knitted sharply.
As for himself, he did not qualify. But Jingpeng was in danger.
Given how little the Ling family valued their branch family—and after yesterday’s incident—once the levy came down, would they not push Jingpeng forward without hesitation?
Damn it. Why now of all times? In an age of cold steel and arrows, joining the army was scarcely different from courting death.
“However, there is no need to worry too much,” the shopkeeper continued, unaware of the faint killing intent that had flickered in Ling Jingxuan’s eyes. “If one truly does not wish to send a family member, twenty taels of silver will suffice.”
The empire was perpetually at war. The treasury ran thin; military funds were always tight. Silver was as valuable as soldiers.
The murderous chill in Ling Jingxuan’s gaze receded as swiftly as it had appeared. He cupped his fists in gratitude, a faint smile already returning to his face.
“My thanks for informing me, Brother Zhang.”
In this world, there were rarely matters that were wholly good or wholly ill. Conscription—perhaps it might prove an opportunity rather than a calamity.
“You are too courteous, Brother Ling. I only mentioned it in passing.”
From the shift in address alone, one could tell their relationship had grown closer. Shopkeeper Zhang was pleased. For reasons he could not quite articulate, he genuinely favored this young man whom others scorned. A strange intuition told him—this youth was no creature destined to remain trapped in shallow waters.
Ling Jingxuan rose. “I have little worthy of thanks, but these are mushrooms I gathered in the mountains myself. Please take some back with you.”
He fetched a worn bamboo tray from a nearby cabinet. The mushrooms they had gathered yesterday had been soaked overnight in water from the Crescent Spring and left to dry. Even now, they looked fresh.
“What?! Mushrooms?”
The shopkeeper snatched the tray in sudden excitement. With trembling fingers, he lifted one and inhaled its scent. After a long moment, he looked at Ling Jingxuan cautiously.
“You know how to distinguish mushrooms?”
“Yes,” Ling Jingxuan replied evenly. “Is that so strange?”
Ling Jingxuan blinked, faint puzzlement surfacing in his phoenix-shaped eyes. Strange? Even if he did not possess medical knowledge, would it truly be so difficult for an ordinary person to distinguish edible mushrooms?
“How could it not be?” Shopkeeper Zhang exclaimed. “Do you know how precious mushrooms are? In the capital, there is even a profession known as a mushroom appraiser. They are employed exclusively by major restaurants or noble households. And even they sometimes make mistakes, gathering poisonous varieties by accident. Every year, people lose their lives because of it. It is said the skill is passed down through generations—never taught to outsiders. How did you learn?”
Only then did Ling Jingxuan understand the source of his agitation. He also recalled that the first time he had gathered mushrooms, Little Bun had asked why he was picking something poisonous. At the time, he had assumed the child simply did not know mushrooms were edible. He had not realized there was more to it.
Heh… had he just stumbled upon yet another path to fortune?
“When I was young, I once encountered a barefoot traveling physician who wandered the four seas,” Ling Jingxuan replied smoothly. “While teaching me medicine, he also instructed me in distinguishing mushrooms.”
A convenient fabrication. No one would think to verify it.
“That explains it!” Shopkeeper Zhang laughed heartily, clapping him on the shoulder. “Brother Ling, your luck is truly enviable. In the future, if you gather more mushrooms, be sure to send them first to Xinyuan Restaurant. I promise you a fine price.”
As he spoke, he had already pulled a cloth from his sleeve and carefully wrapped every mushroom from the worn bamboo tray. A treasure, indeed.
“My thanks, Brother Zhang. It seems the jam has been loaded. Shall we take a look?”
Since it was not yet peak mushroom season, Ling Jingxuan did not elaborate further. With one hand folded behind his back, he gestured politely. The shopkeeper, cradling his precious bundle, followed in high spirits, satisfaction plain in his eyes.
With Ling Jingpeng and the assistants working together, the hundred jars of jam were soon moved. The fish were weighed as well—thirty-five in total, amounting to one hundred thirty jin. At ten copper coins per jin, the sum came to one thousand three hundred coins.
When the shopkeeper moved to pay, Ling Jingxuan waved it off, suggesting they settle accounts every ten days instead. Since it was to be a long-term arrangement, there was no need for daily reckoning. Shopkeeper Zhang readily agreed.
Once the carriages had departed, the brothers returned indoors. Before they could even step across the threshold, Ling Wen came running out, face flushed red, clutching the bundle of silver. Ling Wu followed close behind, equally bright-eyed with excitement.
“Daddy—Daddy! Is all this silver ours?”
The sight of his son’s unabashed greed made Ling Jingxuan chuckle. Leading them into the main hall, he sat them down before speaking at leisure.
“Yes. One hundred taels in total. Shopkeeper Zhang also signed a long-term contract with us. There will be more hundreds to come. Not only that—he has taken our fish as well. From now on, someone will come each morning to collect them. And the mushrooms Daddy gathered—he says they are finer than meat and worth even more. If we gather extra, we are to sell them to him. That gives our household another source of income. You ought to feel more at ease now, should you not?”
Ah—when one’s son loved silver so dearly, a father could only strive all the harder to earn it.
“Really?!” Ling Wen’s eyes lit up. “Then we shouldn’t eat the mushrooms ourselves anymore. Let’s keep them all to sell for silver!”
“Ha?” Ling Jingxuan’s forehead darkened, the corners of his mouth twitching. “Now listen, Xiao Wen. Mushrooms are the only truly nourishing thing in our meals. How can we sell them all?”
At this rate, how would he ever raise them into plump little buns?
“What’s the problem?” Ling Wen countered earnestly. “You said mushrooms are worth more than meat. We can use the silver from selling them to buy two piglets. Raise them until the New Year, then slaughter them for a proper feast!”
The boy spoke with impeccable logic.
Ling Jingxuan nearly felt the urge to knock his head against the wall. Why had he ever mentioned that mushrooms fetched a high price? Now their only halfway decent food would be sacrificed to commerce.
“Daddy! That’s a good idea!” Ling Wu chimed in eagerly. “Let’s buy piglets! Then we can eat slaughtered-pig stew!”
The two little buns paid no heed whatsoever to their father’s despair. The elder spoke with perfect logic and grave conviction; the younger clapped his hands and scampered about the room in delight.
Ling Jingxuan felt his strength drain away. He slumped forward onto the table.
One money-grubber. One glutton. Two little tyrants determined to torment their daddy—was that it?
Ling Jingpeng, who had been watching the entire scene unfold, laughed. “Actually, Big Brother, raising a couple of piglets isn’t a bad idea. We could also buy some chicks. When they grow, they’ll lay eggs. But Xiao Wen—” he added with mock sternness, “the eggs from our own hens are not to be sold. They’re for nourishing your bodies. Look at the two of you—thin as reeds. Even if you won’t think of yourself, at least think of your daddy and Xiao Wu.”
He understood his brother’s feelings. Truly.
Still… in the future, he absolutely would not let his own children spend too much time with Xiao Wen. This penny-pinching temperament was exhausting—even if it was undeniably amusing.
“I—I know,” Ling Wen muttered, cheeks flushing. Whether or not he had truly thought that far ahead, being exposed so directly made him blush all the same.
Ling Jingpeng burst out laughing, clutching his stomach as he doubled over. He would wager silver itself that if he had not spoken first, his nephew would absolutely have set his sights on those eggs.
Ling Wen shot his second uncle a fierce glare. Only then did he notice his father’s lifeless form draped across the table. Looking down at the gleaming silver in his hands—and recalling his own words just now—a flicker of guilt rose in his heart.
He stepped forward and tugged gently at Ling Jingxuan’s sleeve.
“Daddy… are you angry?”
“Hmm?” Ling Jingxuan straightened, turning to rest a hand on his son’s shoulder. “Not at all. Saving where we can isn’t wrong. But if we wish to prosper, it is better to increase income than merely cut expenses. Xiao Wen, do you remember what I told you? Before anything else, we must have healthy bodies.”
He gestured lightly toward them.
“Look at us—thin as skeletons. A little work leaves us gasping. Before, we had no silver. That was one thing. But now we are earning, and we will continue to earn. Shouldn’t we enrich our diet a little?”
If they continued living in misery for the sake of hoarding coins, what would be the meaning of earning at all?
Ling Wen tilted his head. His dark brows furrowed, relaxed, furrowed again—clearly weighing every word. After a long pause, he shut his eyes, drew a deep breath, and opened them with visible reluctance.
“Then… from now on we’ll buy white flour and rice. And sometimes… we can buy a bit of meat. Would that be acceptable?”
The words seemed torn from him, each one costing dearly.
Ling Jingxuan’s spirits lifted instantly.
“That’s the way!” he exclaimed warmly. “Not just meat—each of you should eat an egg every day. I’m even thinking of buying a dairy cow or a nanny goat from town. You’re already five, yet you look like children of three or four. Do you know how much that pains me?”
His voice softened.
“I am a physician. From now on, leave the matter of food to Daddy. Did I not say this before? I will raise you into plump little buns. Give me the chance.”
For Ling Wen to concede even this much was no small victory. Ling Jingxuan’s earlier gloom vanished entirely. He seized the opportunity to reclaim a portion of authority over the household.
After all, a frugal son was not without his merits—at the very least, he would never squander silver.
But as for nourishment… that, Ling Jingxuan would never compromise again.
oh ho. . . I smell trouble (๑•́ -•̀)
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Translator: LazyHermitGal
Author: LazyHermitGal
A Lazy Hermit Gal. A little support goes a long way! If you’d like to help me keep creating, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/lazyhermitgal
