Mr. Jing and His Little Husband

After drying the plums, Jing Yi decided to go to the dock tomorrow and set up the stall to start the business.

Upon hearing this, Jing’s father hurriedly pulled out the cart from the firewood room to see where it needed repairs.

Fortunately, this cart was too old, and no one wanted to buy it when they were short of money back then, or else it probably wouldn’t have been kept.

Now, they reinforced the cart with a few new planks and checked the wheels. It seemed to be running quite smoothly. He thought about taking turns with his eldest son to push the cart tomorrow, so that his son wouldn’t be exhausted.

Jing Yi also searched the firewood room for utensils and found only two wooden barrels that could be used as containers. He went with his father to the carpenter’s house in the east of the village to buy wooden barrels.

Luckily, the carpenter hadn’t had much work recently and still had some stock. Jing Yi considered the size of the cart and bought two large wooden barrels. It was just right for three kinds of drinks, while the small barrel would be used for chilled cakes.

He also realized that they didn’t have enough bowls at home, so he bought twenty bamboo tubes to be used as cups. Bamboo tubes were more convenient than bowls and were also resistant to falling.

With this, they spent several dozen wen. The large wooden barrels cost thirty wen each, and the small bamboo tubes were cheap, costing only one wen each. Being neighbors, the carpenter was fair-minded, and when villagers went to buy from him, he gave them the lowest price. Except for a few shameless troublemakers in the village, almost no one would haggle.

With everything prepared, the family went to bed early today. They would need to wake up early tomorrow to boil soup and brew tea.

The next day, before dawn, Jing Yi opened his eyes and heard slight movements in the courtyard, as well as people whispering.

He heard that his parents had already gotten up, so he quickly put on his clothes and went outside. After washing up, when he arrived in the courtyard, he found that his parents had already cooked mung bean soup and were cooling it in a basin.

In ancient times, it was difficult to accurately tell the time when it was dark. In the city, there were night watches, morning bells, and official water clocks. But in the countryside, it wasn’t so convenient. Anyway, Jing Yi mostly relied on his internal clock at night and estimated the time in the morning by looking at the sun and listening to the rooster. He roughly knew the time.

Just as he was washing up, a rooster crowed in the backyard, and there was a hint of red in the east. Jing Yi estimated that it was almost the end of the third watch, which was around four in the morning.

His parents probably got up around three o’clock, so he hurriedly joined them in their busy morning routine. There was only one stove in the house, and in winter, they also had a small stove in the main room for warmth. It was quite inconvenient. The small stove had weak firepower and couldn’t be of much help, at most, it could be used to heat up breakfast or boil hot water.

Jing’s mother quickly used the large stove to cook sour plum soup, Jing’s father used the small stove to heat up breakfast, and Jing Yi went to check the cart again. Then he poured the mung bean soup into the barrels and loaded them onto the cart. He also cleaned and loaded the bowls, bamboo tubes, and other utensils they would need.

After more than half an hour, the sky was already bright, and it was estimated to be almost six o’clock.

The sour plum soup was ready, Jing’s father and Jing Yi had finished breakfast, so Jing Yi urged his mother to have breakfast quickly. He went to the large stove to brew tea. The tea brewed quickly. After the water boiled, he put the tea leaves in and rolled them three or four times.

Today, they gave up on making chilled cakes. Jing Yi didn’t calculate it properly. First, the stove was not enough. They had to repeat the boiling process in one stove, which severely delayed their time, and they didn’t have time to make chilled cakes. Second, he realized that they didn’t have any containers to hold the chilled cakes. He needed to find some oil paper or pick some bamboo leaves. Finally, he had to take the empty barrel and find a place to get some clean water to wash the used bowls and bamboo tubes. Otherwise, people who paid attention to hygiene wouldn’t buy their products.

The tea couldn’t wait to cool down, so they directly loaded it into the barrels and onto the cart.

With everything ready, Jing Yi thought of telling his parents that they should set off immediately.

When he turned his head, he saw his father pushing the cart with a determined look on his face. His left eye said “must,” and his right eye said “together.” Jing Yi thought for a moment that even though they had to consider that person in charge, they were doing their own business openly and honestly.

Moreover, there were many forces at the dock, and even if it was a small probability, if they encountered any trouble, it would be better to have a few forces working together.

As he was thinking, Jing Yi said to his mother, “Mother, we’re leaving. You can go back to sleep for a while. I guess they still need to sleep a bit longer.”

Jing’s father also instructed Jing’s mother, “Yes, go lie down again. Don’t wait for us to have lunch. We might not be back until late. The three of you should have a good meal at noon and not compromise. Eat something nice.”

“Alright, I understand. You two hurry and leave,” Jing’s mother said, worried, as she helped push the cart out of the house. Unable to resist, she added, “Don’t rush on the road. Be careful when you get to town. Buy something good for lunch in town.”

It wasn’t until she saw the father and son walk far away that she returned to the courtyard and closed the gate. The only ones left in the house were the old, weak, and young, and they would open it again at noon.

Jing’s mother didn’t feel at ease going back to sleep, so she continued arranging things and cleaning up in the courtyard.

Her mind was in a turmoil. As soon as they left, she started worrying. She was afraid the goods wouldn’t sell and worried about encountering trouble. Her mind was restless, and she couldn’t find peace.

As they walked, the father and son pushed the cart along the small road in the village. It was early in the morning, and there were not many people on the road. They took a detour from the east side of the village and headed directly to the main road.

Jing Yi held the cart and had a rope tied around his shoulder, which saved some effort. Jing’s father pushed from behind, and with their cooperation, they didn’t feel too tired.

While walking, they discussed the prices of the soups and cold teas. However, although Jing’s father had worked in town before, he was just a knowledgeable rural man. Now that it was his eldest son’s idea, he would naturally listen to him.

Beforehand, Jing Yi investigated the prices. In the market in town, cold tea was one wen per bowl, and sweet water was two wen per bowl. Sweet water was made by boiling coarse sugar with water.

However, the customers in the market were ordinary people who didn’t buy much. They might only earn a small amount of money in a day. Jing Yi was going to the dock, where the customer base wasn’t fixed. Therefore, it was best to keep the prices economical. Sour plum soup was a fresh item, so the price could be higher.

They decided on one wen per bowl for the cold tea as well. Although the main ingredients of mung bean soup were mung beans and coarse sugar, its sweetness couldn’t compare to sweet water, so it would be sold for two wen per bowl.

Finally, the sour plum soup was a bit tricky. Although the smoked plums and licorice were collected from the mountains, Jing Yi knew it was best to include them in the cost calculation based on market prices. Otherwise, if there were any unexpected changes and they needed to buy raw materials, it would be difficult to raise the prices later.

After careful consideration, they decided to sell the sour plum soup for five wen per bowl.

Jing Yi was confident about this pricing. He didn’t think it was too expensive. The standard of living in town was naturally different from the village, and people spent money differently.

A fresh and delicious novelty naturally attracted people’s attention. Before any other families figured out how to make sour plum soup, he would be the exclusive seller.

Indeed, Jing’s father became even more worried after hearing the price, but he didn’t show it. He didn’t want to dampen the morale of their own family before they even started.

They had a peaceful journey without any incidents. Midway, Jing’s father took over and pulled the cart for a while, allowing Jing Yi to rest his shoulders. Due to pulling the cart, they arrived about fifteen minutes later than usual. Jing Yi led his father directly to the dock.

By now, the dock was bustling with activity. People who were doing business or working as laborers had been busy for a while. However, Jing Yi’s family wasn’t in a hurry. They were selling thirst-quenching cold teas and soups, which would sell better when the weather got hot and people got tired.

If they arrived late at the market on the dock, they wouldn’t find a good spot.

Jing Yi had already found a good spot beforehand. It was not far from the dock, and it was on the main road leading into town. There was a big willow tree nearby, providing shade when the weather turned hot.

He noticed that every day, there was a man in his thirties accompanied by two boys around ten years old selling things in that spot. The man looked refreshing and handsome, and the two boys were rare twins who had a delicate appearance and young bodies that showed signs of growing tall and straight.

They didn’t sell the same things every day. Sometimes it was eggs and vegetables from their home, sometimes it was dried chestnuts and hazelnuts they had picked in the mountains. Jing Yi even saw them selling embroidered products, but most of the time they sold game like wild chickens and rabbits.

What was even more important was that Jing Yi observed that they set up their stall early in the morning and closed it around ten o’clock, which was about mid-morning. So when he bought mountain fruits last time, he had a chat with the man.

Although the flow of people near this stall was not as dense as the one right next to the dock, it was fortunate that the surrounding area was spacious and far from the seafood stalls near the dock, so it didn’t have that fishy smell.

Jing Yi asked the man if they could take over the stall every day, occupying the spot for them until Jing Yi’s family arrived. In return, he would pay them two wen per day as a help fee.

The man, surnamed Lin, had a kind face and spoke in a gentle manner. Unexpectedly, he readily agreed after a moment of consideration.

So today, as soon as Jing Yi and his father appeared, Lin, the man from the Lin family, greeted them, saying, “The young lad from the Jing family has arrived. This must be the eldest brother from the Jing family. You’ve come at just the right time. We’ve just finished selling. Xiao Jiang, Xiao Shan, quickly help Uncle Jing and Big Brother Jing unload the cart.”

As soon as Lin finished speaking, the twin boys immediately walked over to help. Despite their young age, they were very efficient in their work, especially the one called Xiao Jiang, who appeared particularly steady and reliable.

Jing Yi couldn’t help but sigh and think that Xiao An, their household helper, needed further education. Every now and then, they had to take him out for a stroll and let him see the world, instead of him acting like a mischievous monkey all the time.

Although Jing’s father wondered why the men from the Lin family didn’t come out to set up their stall, he knew it was important to maintain a certain level of distance when interacting with others. So he didn’t ask the question. In case he touched upon their sensitive topic, it would be difficult to handle the situation.

Once Jing Yi’s stall was set up properly, Lin, accompanied by his two sons and carrying two empty baskets, went home. Before leaving, Jing Yi settled the two wen fee for the day.

The family’s cart was placed horizontally under the tree, and the three large barrels on the cart were placed on the ground in front of it. A straw mat was placed between the ground and the barrels to keep them clean and dust-free. This not only ensured cleanliness and hygiene but also allowed everyone to clearly see what was being sold in the barrels.

In front of the cart, there was a bamboo basket containing a large ladle for serving the soup, clean bowls, and bamboo tubes. At the back, there was a place for people to sit and rest when they got tired.

After arranging the items, Jing Yi went to the nearby communal well and fetched a small bucket of clean water.

With everything prepared, Jing Yi didn’t rush to call out to customers. He took four empty bamboo tubes and filled them with sour plum soup, then carried them to the dock’s management office.