Zhao Yan walked into the courtyard and saw Madam Chen carrying firewood on her back, while the basket Zhao Yun carried was filled with wild vegetables. Although their faces were tanned a deep red from the sun, both were brimming with smiles. Zhao Yan found himself infected by their cheerfulness.
"Sanlang, you're back." Seeing Zhao Yan approach, Madam Chen wiped the sweat from her face; she looked relieved. She had been worried that Zhao Yan might struggle or lose his way during his first trip up the mountain, but thankfully, everything was fine.
"Mother, I just got back myself," Zhao Yan replied with a smile.
"Third Brother, look, we have eggs to eat tonight!" Zhao Yun said, carefully pushing aside the wild vegetables in her basket. As she cleared the greens to one side, Zhao Yan saw two eggs tucked away at the bottom.
"Where did these come from?" Zhao Yan asked. The eggs were small, but clean; they didn't look like wild bird eggs. But who would give their family eggs? In this place, eggs were a precious commodity; farm families usually saved them up to sell for cash at the markets. They were far too stingy to eat them themselves. So, who could have given them these?
Zhao Yun gave Zhao Yan a playful wink. "Mother and I ran into Goodwife Cao just now, and she gave them to us."
That explained it. Zhao Yan immediately recalled the woman he had met yesterday—the one with the round face and the constant smile; she seemed like a truly warm-hearted person.
"Sister Cao is a kind soul. Seeing our family in such difficulty, she was willing to lend a hand. You two must remember her kindness," Madam Chen reminded them. Zhao Yan and Zhao Yun both nodded, signifying that they had taken her words to heart.
In truth, Madam Chen hadn't wanted to accept the eggs. Eggs were so valuable—using them for food instead of selling them for cash felt like such a waste! The thought alone made her heart ache. But Sister Cao’s words had touched her deeply.
"Don't decline them," Sister Cao had urged earnestly. "If you don't take these eggs, think about how long your family's food will last. If you won't think of yourself, you must think of Sanlang and Yun'er. They're just two eggs. Helping the children nourish their bodies is what matters most. Isn't that what we mothers want—for our children to live well?"
Madam Chen had taken those words to heart, realizing Sister Cao was acting out of genuine concern; it would have been rude to refuse any further. And so, the two eggs were brought home.
Madam Chen slowly unloaded the firewood. Zhao Yan stepped forward to help, only then realizing how heavy the load actually was. He spread the wood out in the courtyard to continue drying it; only well-dried firewood would burn efficiently.
Madam Chen had originally intended to chop wood to sell in town for grain money. But then she realized they didn't have a cart. Relying solely on manual labor, she could only carry three bundles at a time, and it took over an hour of hard walking to reach town. The time spent going back and forth would be entirely wasted. A bundle of firewood sold for one copper coin; even if she sold all three, she would only make three coins, and if they didn't sell at all, she would earn nothing. It wasn't winter, so demand wasn't high. It was a gamble that might end in a wasted effort.
New rice cost ten copper coins per dou, and old rice cost six. One dou would only last their family of four about five days. Selling firewood required Zhang Shi to go, which meant he couldn't spend that time hauling heavy cargo. Carrying three heavy loads could earn him a coin, and on a busy day, he could earn ten. That was much more profitable than selling wood. As for which was more exhausting, Madam Chen didn't consider it. There was no such thing as easy work, and any work that brought in money was worth the effort. That had always been her philosophy. Back at the Zhao Family home, she had worked from dawn till dusk and never seen a single coin, but now, every cent they earned went into their own pockets. By comparison, no matter how hard the labor was, Madam Chen felt happy.
The more she thought about it, the more she realized that selling firewood wasn't worth it. So, today, she had only gathered enough for their own immediate needs. Still, she could hoard it, and she planned to go out again tomorrow.
"Mother, Yun'er, look at what I harvested today." Zhao Yan pointed toward the medicinal herbs and persimmons resting by his door.
Madam Chen and Zhao Yun followed his gesture and saw the items. They recognized the persimmons, but they had no idea what the pile of weeds was.
"Third Brother, these persimmons aren't even ripe yet. Why did you pick them?" Zhao Yun hadn't eaten many persimmons in her life—only twice. Once when her mother had snuck one for her while gathering wood, and once when her grandmother had given her one. She remembered the taste—sweet, sweeter than anything else she had ever known. But she remembered them being red when they were ready to eat. Why would Third Brother bring home a pile of unripe ones? They couldn't be eaten.
"I picked them to make persimmon cakes. You have to use unripe ones for that; if they're ripe, you can't make them," Zhao Yan explained patiently.
"But... Sanlang, how did you suddenly learn how to make persimmon cakes?" Madam Chen knew Zhao Yan well; he had barely ever set foot in the kitchen. How could he suddenly know how to prepare food?
"Mother, back at the academy, a classmate shared some persimmon cakes with me. They were delicious, but too expensive for me to buy. I happened to find a book that explained the process, so I thought I’d give it a try," Zhao Yan explained calmly.
He had prepared this excuse from the very beginning. Thankfully, his acting was decent, and by attributing the knowledge to a book, he knew he could easily satisfy them, given the reverence they held for learning. As it turned out, Zhao Yan was right—Madam Chen believed him.
"If you want to make them, then do so. If you need any help, just tell me," she said. Believing her son, she couldn't help but offer a gentle reminder, fearing he might waste the ingredients due to his lack of experience.
"Third Brother, I want to make them too! I want to help! If we make them, can I have one?" Zhao Yun asked excitedly.
Zhao Yan smiled. "Of course you can. You can have as many as you like. But they won't be ready right away; you'll have to wait a while."
"Oh, and Mother, don't move that pile of herbs. I’ll deal with them in a moment." Fearing she might mistake them for weeds and toss them out, wasting his entire day's work, he quickly warned her. It was best to prevent such accidents early.
Madam Chen nodded out of habit. "Herbs? Did you learn about those from your books, too?"
"Yes, from the books. I intend to sell these for money. Once I’ve prepared them, I’ll take them to the apothecary to ask for a price and then sell them."
"Very well. When you go to sell them, have your father take you."
Madam Chen had only been to town once as a child, accompanied by her own parents. Later, when her mother fell ill, her father and eldest brother worked themselves to the bone to pay for treatment, and she had to manage all the household chores; the whole family had been running in circles. She hadn't been back since. After she married into the Zhao Family, going to her own parents' home was already difficult, let alone visiting town. She barely remembered what the town was like, only that it was crowded. Fortunately, when farm work was slow, her husband would go to town to haul cargo, so he could take Sanlang to the apothecary.
Zhao Yan was more than happy to agree. He had absolutely no idea which direction to head to find the town; having someone to lead the way was exactly what he needed.