Mr. Jing and His Little Husband

“There is sheep milk! On the outskirts of the village to the west, at Uncle Meng’s house, they raise a group of sheep. They have sheep milk every day, and they used to sell it in town, but it didn’t sell well because the milk has a peculiar smell,” said Father Jing eagerly as soon as he heard something he knew.

“Mother, we also have red dates at home. Why don’t we let your father go to Uncle Meng’s house first and if everything goes well, we’ll use sheep milk. If not, we can use red dates. It’s already late today, so tomorrow after setting up the stall, you two can go,” Mother Jing quickly arranged.

The next day came in the blink of an eye. After breakfast, Jing Yi followed Father Jing to Uncle Meng’s house. They could reach Uncle Meng’s house by taking a small path on the outskirts of the village to the north. Along the way, Father Jing talked about Uncle Meng’s situation.

Uncle Meng’s real name is Meng Zhuang, and his name is basically reflective of his appearance—he is tall and strong. Uncle Meng and his family fled here when he was a child. Their hometown was on the grasslands in the northwest of the Great Source Dynasty. They belonged to a nomadic ethnic group that relied mainly on grazing. At their peak, their family owned over a hundred sheep.

It is said that when Uncle Meng was eight years old, in the winter, as soon as winter arrived, it started snowing continuously for nearly a month in the northern provinces of the Great Source Dynasty. Although the court made efforts to rescue and assist the affected areas, sending people to manage the snow disaster, console the victims, and distribute food and money to the severely affected towns, in the face of ruthless nature, many efforts were in vain.

The most severely affected towns had snow piled up higher than a person’s height, and by the time the relief army cleared the way, it was nearly impossible to find a survivor in any village. Countless people froze or starved to death in other areas.

The worst part was that it seemed as if heaven had only granted everyone a moment to catch their breath, and after a few days, the snow started falling again. Those who were still alive couldn’t see any hope, so they desperately fled the northern provinces, risking their lives with their families.

Uncle Meng’s family settled in Xiwan Village during this time. It was a family of four—Uncle Meng’s parents, younger brother, and supposedly a younger sister who died from the cold while escaping.

Therefore, even after the northwestern provinces gradually recovered and resumed their normal lives, Uncle Meng’s family did not return. They did not want to relive the path that had buried their younger sister.

However, Uncle Meng’s father, Old Meng, was quite nostalgic for the days of being a herdsman and enjoyed talking about the grasslands with others. Riding a horse and galloping freely on the green grassland, wielding a whip, herding the sheep, and humming cheerful tunes. Eating meat heartily and drinking wine, for them, food was more precious than grains.

After settling in Xiwan Village, the court gave each of the affected families one or two taels of relief silver. Old Meng saved two taels for emergencies and used three taels to buy a lamb, thus returning to the old occupation of raising and grazing sheep.

Sheep meat was already expensive, and with three taels of silver, they could only buy five lambs. In ancient times, there was no specialized feed, so they would raise them for at least ten months before selling them for a decent price.

Therefore, the first few years were very tough for the Meng family. Later, when they managed to raise the sheep, many people on the plains didn’t like the strong smell of mutton, and they didn’t have time to figure out how to get rid of the smell. Pork, on the other hand, was only about ten wen per jin, while mutton cost fifty wen per jin, almost as expensive as beef.

The upscale restaurants in town could handle it well, but the poor commoners didn’t have a way to sell meat there. So now, Uncle Meng’s flock consisted of approximately thirty sheep.

Although they had quite a few sheep, not many could be sold for meat each year. So, when the Meng family had free time, the men would do some casual labor to earn some extra money. They lived a frugal life.

As they spoke, Jing Yi and the others arrived at Uncle Meng’s house. Since Old Meng and Meng Granny were still alive, Uncle Meng and his younger brother hadn’t split their households.

Uncle Meng had a family of five. The eldest son was a 20-year-old young man who had just married, and there was a younger brother of fourteen. Uncle Meng’s younger brother had a family of three, and their son was also a young boy of fifteen.

Although they were poor, their family was harmonious, and they lived relatively content lives. Uncle Meng’s younger brother was honest and straightforward, so Uncle Meng made most of the decisions at home.

Father Jing was a straightforward person and quickly explained the purpose of their visit: “Big Brother Meng, we have a small business in town and need some sheep milk. Do you sell sheep milk here?”

“We sell it! We have five lactating ewes in the house right now, and they produce quite a bit of sheep milk every day. This bucket contains about five jin of milk. Just give ten wen, and it’s yours. The only thing is, the milk has a distinct smell that not many people like,” said Meng Zhuang, happy that sheep milk could be sold, but he was also straightforward about the milk’s characteristics.

“Ah, indeed, it does have a slight smell, but sheep milk is a good thing. We cook it to nourish our children on the grasslands,” Old Meng interjected, feeling frustrated that their good stuff had gone unrecognized for so long.

“Indeed, both cow’s milk and sheep’s milk are nutritious. Drinking them strengthens the bones,” added Jing Yi. “Can we come to collect the milk around three o’clock in the afternoon?”

After hearing the price Uncle Meng quoted, Jing Yi thought it was reasonable. It seemed that the Great Source Dynasty had not developed the dairy industry much, and it was quite different from the ancient noble milk he had learned about in his previous life.

“Of course, you can come tomorrow. I’ll have it prepared for you in advance,” Uncle Meng replied.

“Okay, thank you, Uncle Meng. Here are ten wen for tomorrow,” Jing Yi said, taking out ten copper coins and giving them to Uncle Meng once everything was settled.

“You, kid, don’t be so formal within the village. Pay when you take the milk,” Uncle Meng’s face turned serious as he scolded Jing Yi, telling him not to be so distant.

After bidding farewell to the Meng family, Jing Yi and his father hurried back home.

They had secured the most difficult ingredient for their new product and needed to inform Mother Jing. Tomorrow afternoon, they would try making it at home. If the taste was good, they could start selling it three days later. It was a perfect opportunity to promote it at the stall during these three days.

They also needed to find a way to remove the gamey smell of the sheep’s milk. Jing Yi remembered that adding some almonds while boiling the milk could eliminate the smell. However, he hadn’t tried it before, so it seemed they would have to give it a try tomorrow.

The next day, they closed their stall. Jing Yi felt a bit down as summer hadn’t arrived yet.

Indeed, their visit to the town that day was accidental; otherwise, he wouldn’t come to the town so often. Moreover, during the shift change, he didn’t get a chance to talk to Dongshan, that little guy. Well, there would be plenty of time in the future.

Sighing, he pushed the cart with his father and went to the town’s pharmacy to buy fennel seeds and almonds. Facing the puzzled gaze of the pharmacy apprentice, he casually made up a reason and thought it would be better to buy the necessary ingredients from different pharmacies in the future.

After buying the items, they returned home and found that Mother Jing had already soaked the rice and glutinous rice in advance.

Father Jing and Jing Yi had just returned after more than an hour, so they needed to rest a bit. The whole family sat under the shade of a wall to cool off and plan their work for later.

Mother Jing was in charge of making chilled rice cakes, Jing Yi would make tea eggs, and Father Jing, along with the two little ones, would assist wherever needed. Fortunately, they had two stoves at home, so they could work simultaneously.

After a good rest, Father Jing went to Uncle Meng’s house and bought the sheep’s milk. Mother Jing began her first attempt at making chilled rice cakes and red date rice cakes.

The rice and glutinous rice had already been soaked for over an hour and were ready to be used. They took advantage of this time to prepare other things. First, they boiled the sheep’s milk and ground the almonds they bought in town. They added the almond powder and a suitable amount of sugar to the boiling milk, being careful not to cook it for too long. After a few boils, they could pour it out.

The whole courtyard was filled with the rich and sweet aroma of milk, attracting the two little greedy cats, who gave up following Jing Yi and quickly ran into the kitchen.

“Mother, is this sheep’s milk? It smells so good,” Jing An said, swallowing saliva.

“Mother, the sheep’s milk you cooked must be delicious.” Although they hadn’t tasted it yet, Jing Shu had already given the sheep’s milk a full score in her heart, looking at Mother Jing with a smile.

Hearing the sweet words of the two little ones, Mother Jing couldn’t help but chuckle. Before she could say anything, she saw Jing Yi entering the kitchen with several bamboo tubes. She thought to herself that this good thing would certainly not escape the mouths of her eldest son and the rest of the family.

Now that they had money, Mother Jing had also regained her generous and cheerful nature. Without saying a word, she filled five bamboo tubes with sheep’s milk. Three tubes were given to her three sons, with a larger portion in each for the three children. The remaining two tubes were for her and Father Jing to taste. They couldn’t argue with the children over their share, and besides, the rest of the milk had to be used for making the chilled rice cakes.

Drinking the sweet sheep’s milk, Jing An and Jing Shu, the two little brothers, were delighted. There were hardly any tasty snacks in the countryside, and they had been longing for sugar-coated haws for a long time.

The sheep’s milk this time was sweetened and flavored with almonds, creating a multi-layered taste. It was fragrant and rich, with a refreshing undertone that intoxicated the senses.

Even Jing Yi couldn’t stop praising it. The taste and texture of this natural and pollution-free food were truly unmatched.

Thinking that this sheep’s milk not only tasted good but also provided nutritional benefits, they immediately decided that everyone in the family should have a glass every day. “Father, let’s buy two barrels of sheep’s milk starting tomorrow. We’ll cook it like this, and each person can have a glass every morning. It’s delicious and good for our health,” Jing Yi suggested.

Although Father Jing felt that he and his wife didn’t need to drink it every day, considering their prime years and not requiring as much nourishment, he didn’t want to dismiss Jing Yi’s filial piety. Moreover, their eldest son had a persuasive personality, so he gave up resistance and said, “Alright, from now on, I’ll buy two barrels. We’ll have sweet mouths every morning, and we’ll have more energy for work.”

Jing An and Jing Shu, whose ears were already perked up, heard this and immediately exclaimed that their big brother was amazing. This made Father Jing a little jealous, thinking to himself, “I’m also putting in effort here. If it weren’t for me buying it for you every day, what would you be drinking, you two little brats!”

After happily finishing the sheep’s milk, the family continued making the chilled rice cakes. Now that they knew the sweet and delightful taste of sheep’s milk, everyone was eagerly looking forward to the finished product of the chilled rice cakes.