But then, a glimmer of optimism returned: she could find work in town, couldn't she? Even if nothing else came of it, being able to provide the children with two steamed buns a day would be enough.
Thinking of this, her mood improved considerably. *Forget it,* she decided, *I’ll worry about everything else after I’ve had a full meal.*
The family of six arrived at a noodle stall and asked the owner for a bowl of plain noodles each. A bowl of plain noodles cost two copper coins; with meat, it was four. Before long, six large bowls of plain noodles were placed before them. Shi'an picked up a strand of noodle to taste it; it was fragrant and had a good, firm texture.
Still, as someone accustomed to the diverse culinary delights of modern society, she couldn't help but miss the various toppings that usually accompanied noodles.
Su Yu noticed she was distracted and asked, "Xiaoya, why aren't you eating? Is it not good?"
"No, no... Daddy... the noodles are delicious... but there’s too much. I'm little and can't finish it all. Daddy, please take some into your bowl."
"I have enough, sweetheart. You eat yours."
"Daddy, I really mean it, I truly can't eat it all..." As she said this, Shi'an stood up—though it hardly made a difference, since she was so short—and raised her tiny hand to try and scoop noodles into Su Yu's bowl.
Fearing she would knock the bowl over, Deng quickly intervened: "Xiaoya, sit down. Let me help your father."
"Okay, thank you, Mother!"
After Deng moved some noodles to Su Yu's bowl, Su Xiaoya insisted that Deng take some for herself, too. Only then did she begin to eat heartily.
By now, her older sisters and brothers had nearly finished their own bowls and finally had the leisure to look up at them.
Su Xiaoya gave everyone a smile and then focused back on her meal. The stall owner was truly a decent man; the six bowls were very generous portions, enough that even an adult man like Su Yu felt unusually full.
Deng went to pay, and the owner said it came to twelve copper coins. Fortunately, she had exactly twelve on her, so she settled the bill. The family walked out onto the street, unsure of where to go next.
Drifting aimlessly, they soon found themselves in an area resembling a market. Listening to the conversations of the people around her, Shi'an gathered that the country she was now in was called the Great Wei, and it was the sixth year of the Zhenglong reign. *I wonder,* Shi'an thought, *is this the Wei after the Three Kingdoms? Is it the Northern Wei, or the Eastern or Western Wei?*
The common currency consisted mainly of copper coins and small bits of silver; one tael of silver was worth about a thousand copper coins, or one "guan." There were also "flying money" certificates, which could be exchanged for silver or copper at various banks. Generally, people used these for large transactions, but that was limited to the wealthy; the average person didn't have such savings and relied on loose silver and copper coins for daily life.
From what she had gathered so far, the prices were: a bolt of coarse cloth for a hundred coins, a catty of rice for five coins (flour was the same), a catty of sesame oil for twenty coins, two catties of greens for half a coin, a large meat bun for one coin, and two vegetable buns for half a coin.
She didn't know if her new parents had any silver left, but even if they did, it couldn't be much. Their first priority was to find a place to live, and then find a way to make money.
In her past life, she had been a professional, though after her parents divorced and remarried, she had ended up on her own. There was a silver lining to that—she spent the money she earned—but this was the first time she had ever worried about making a living, and in such an unfamiliar era, no less.
As the family walked further into a more desolate area, she heard her father say to her mother, "Let's find a place to settle down first."
"But, we don't have..."
"It’s alright. I’ll receive my teaching salary in half a month. We just need to hold out until then. We can't let everyone wander the streets. Look at Daya—she’s already eleven, practically a young woman now."
Deng could only nod. "Alright, I'll listen to you."
Su Daya spoke up: "Father, Mother, it’s actually okay... I..."
*You might be a young woman who dares to sleep on the streets, but I’m a little girl who definitely doesn't!* Shi'an tugged on her sister's hand and said, "Sister, let's listen to Father and Mother."
Su Shirong pointed to a sign nearby and asked, "Father, there are characters here. What do they say?"
Shi'an nearly blurted out the answer, but she held back. After all, she was just a little girl; it would be highly suspicious if she were literate. Look at Su Shirong—he seemed like a bright boy, yet even he couldn't read. How could "Su Xiaoya" possibly know?
Su Yu took a look and replied, "It's a notice for a house rental. Let me go knock and ask."
Su Yu knocked twice. A man in his forties or fifties emerged, looked the family up and down, and opened the door to ask, "What do you want?"
"We saw the rental notice on your door, and we were wondering..."
"You want to rent the house?"
"Yes."
"The house is a bit further in. There are three rooms and a small courtyard, but there’s no place to build a fire for cooking."
"Could we build a kitchen area in the courtyard ourselves?"
"I suppose you could. But I haven't finished—the house is in poor condition. Sigh... forget it. I’ll take you to see it. If you still want to rent it after seeing it, we’ll talk."
He led the Su family deeper into the alley to a house in the far corner and used a key to open the door.
It was indeed dilapidated. The courtyard was choked with weeds, and the front gate was so shaky it seemed a bit of force might cause it to collapse. There were three rooms, but they were coated in dust, with cobwebs and various stains covering the walls. There were also streaks where rainwater had seeped through, suggesting the roof leaked. In the courtyard, one could see the remnants of a stove that had long since collapsed. The only benefit was a well in the yard; it still had water, so they wouldn't have to worry about a water source.
Shi'an thought that if her parents had even a few taels of silver, they would surely turn their noses up at this place. However, she heard Su Yu ask the man, "Sir, how much is the rent for this place?"
"I’ll be honest with you: don't let its condition fool you, it used to be a very nice house. If my brother hadn't moved away and left it unattended, it wouldn't have ended up like this..."
"And you haven't been managing it, sir?"
"Manage it? My brother only returned at the start of the year to give me the key and tell me I could have it. But... I’ve been trying to rent it out for nearly a year, and you’re the first people to look inside and ask about the price."
Deng stepped forward and bowed slightly. "Sir, our family is quite poor. Please, name a price. If it's reasonable, we'll take it."
"Since you’re so sincere, I’ll rent it to you for one tael of silver a year. I tell you, this is the only house of its kind in Chen Family Lane."
Deng and Su Yu exchanged looks; their expressions made it clear it was too expensive. Shi'an understood now—the family truly was penniless. Su Yu started to explain: "Sir, this price..."
"Uncle, how about five hundred coins for half a year? Look, besides having to clean it all ourselves, we have to rebuild the place. When it rains outside, it rains inside, doesn't it? And there’s no stove, no pots, no pans—we can't just cook with our bare hands, can we? Please, Uncle, be reasonable."
It was Shi'an who spoke. She only stopped herself from adding that the house was so broken, she doubted anyone else would ever rent it besides her parents.
Since they were too poor and the house was too dilapidated, renting for half a year was the best plan. If they found something better later, it would be easy to move.