stingy landlady

Chapter 13 Sprouts

"Dad, how much does it cost per acre to buy land? I heard that wasteland is cheap, so why don't we buy more wasteland?" Guizhi asked.

"First-class farmland costs three taels of silver per mu, and second-class farmland costs two taels of silver per mu. Wasteland costs 300 wen per mu, with a three-year tax exemption. Although wasteland is cheap, it takes several years to cultivate the land, and where would we find so much fertilizer! Even after it's fully cultivated, there's not much harvest, and we still have to pay taxes. It's not worth the manpower and resources." Dazhu had been farming for many years and had done his research.

“Our family can afford ten acres of prime land! Parents, let’s buy a plot of land!” Daya also advised.

Guizhi longs for barren land—it's cheap! Buying dozens, even hundreds, of acres wouldn't cost much! But reality is harsh: first-class farmland yields a harvest in the same year, but what can you use to nourish barren land? There's no fertilizer.

After discussing it, everyone agreed to buy a plot of land.

The next afternoon, when Lao Si was hauling firewood to the courtyard at the east end of the village, Da Zhu and the three Gui Zhi sisters also arrived in an oxcart with things they had bought from town. Although Da Ya and Er Ya knew of the house and courtyard, it was their first time inside. They looked around with great interest and curiosity. Gui Zhi carried some firewood into the outer room and lit both the north and south kang (heated brick beds), and put water in the pot. The well was in the outer room, so water was readily available. However, because the kang hadn't been heated for quite some time, a thick plume of smoke billowed out. The smoke stung everyone, and they all ran outside. After quite some time, they noticed smoke coming from the chimney, and the smoke inside had dissipated, indicating that the kang was working properly and the ventilation was working.

The group wasn't in a hurry; they slowly carried things into the house. They unloaded firewood and carried it to the stove. With more people around, the long-empty courtyard and house were filled with the warmth of cooking.

That evening, after much deliberation, Dazhu brought a box of frozen pears he had bought during the day to the old house. "Dad, Mom. I bought some frozen pears today, I'm bringing you a box. Mom, go and warm up a few before you eat them."

"Don't waste money. Earning money isn't easy! You're out early and back late all day. Wear more clothes when it's cold! You don't want to catch a cold!" The old lady muttered as she sat on the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Yes, yes! I know, Mother. Is Fifth Brother still studying?" Dazhu replied, then looked at the fifth brother, Wang Yiyun, who was sitting on the north kang reading a book.

"Big brother's here. Have you eaten? I'm preparing for my next exam next year, so I'll study more and do more research," the fifth brother replied.

"Fifth Brother knows more about exams! He'll help with whatever you need, as long as it's within his power," Dazhu said honestly, then turned to the old man.

"Dad, I feel like the cows haven't eaten much tonight! Why don't you come with me to take a look?"

"Oh? Let's go, let's go take a look now. The cow can't go without eating grass!" The old man quickly put on his shoes and got out of bed.

"Mother, you should rest early! Fifth brother, I won't disturb you from reading! Father and I are going to check on the cattle." Dazhu said as he walked out with the old man.

The two arrived at the cowshed and found that the cows were all normal.

"Dad, I have something to discuss with you. With your extensive knowledge, I'd appreciate your advice." Dazhu said apologetically, "It's not easy to talk about this in the house. Actually, I'm planning to buy a plot of land. Dad, could you take a look when you have time?"

The old man remained calm: "Buying land is a good thing. Dazhu, you can't manage buying so much land all by yourself!"

"Dad, we've discussed it. If we get too busy, we'll hire people. Having land gives us peace of mind!" Dazhu explained.

"Buying land is a good thing! Land is our foundation, and we must never forget our roots." The old man nodded in agreement.

"When it's busy, we can't plant everything, so hiring a few people to help is no big deal. We'll make all the money back by the autumn harvest!" The old man took a puff of his cigarette and continued.

"I'll go ask the village chief tomorrow which plots of land are for sale, preferably a whole lot so it's easier to manage. A place with water would be even better and more convenient. I'll go ask tomorrow. You should go home and get some sleep! You must be tired every day!"

Dazhu was relieved and went back to rest without mentioning it again. After returning to his room, the old man also casually brushed off the old woman with a few words.

A new day began. Guizhi's family worked as usual in the morning, except they added an extra bag of soybeans to the oxcart. This was a discreet way of placing the soybeans near the new house. They had bought a lock yesterday, so they could safely leave their belongings there. The group didn't unload the cart; they busily added water to the two pots, lit the two stoves, and then headed to town. The firewood was short, fitting perfectly into the stove pits, and wouldn't burn outside, so they were confident it wouldn't catch fire.

When they returned in the afternoon, they all went to the new house to heat the kang (a traditional heated brick bed). The three sisters chatted and laughed as they picked soybeans in the room. Because they were all fresh soybeans from that year, they selected about five pounds of fresh, plump ones and soaked them in water overnight. During the day, while cooking, the three sisters asked Li Shi again in detail how to sprout beans. Li Shi didn't do it much, but she knew the process. Soaking the beans and watering them was actually very simple. But whether they grew well depended on luck.

When I checked back the next afternoon, I saw that the soybeans had been soaked and swelled up, looking slightly plump, which was just right!

Daya placed a clean old coarse cloth at the bottom of the small jar, which leaked water, to prevent the beans from spilling out. Erya poured the soaked soybeans into the jar, and Guizhi covered them with two clean cotton cloths to keep them out of the light, and then put a wooden board on top as a lid.

The three sisters weren't in a hurry to go home. They picked out another five pounds of soybeans to soak, planning to put them in a jar the next day. Since they were going to do business, they couldn't do without goods. Luckily, they had three containers, so there was no rush. They could just pick out some and repackage them each afternoon.

The three sisters rinsed the bean sprouts with cool water 1-2 times every afternoon to keep them moist.

That afternoon, when Dazhu returned home to unload the truck, the old man came over to help again. He looked around and saw that no one was around.

While unloading the truck, he said in a low voice, "I went to the village chief to ask, and I also took a few rounds around to look around. Some of the first-class farmland isn't contiguous; it's two or three mu here and three mu there, which is difficult to manage. But after the Li landlord family moved, they still have fifteen mu of land in our village. It's a contiguous plot, not sold piecemeal, and the location is quite good, with convenient water access. If it's not good, then we'll take this plot. The Li landlord family's land is well-maintained; they used to be willing to use fertilizer, but they moved far away and didn't want to come back to manage it, so they sold it. I think it's a good deal. What's your opinion?"

"Father, you must think it's good! Fifteen acres of land will cost forty-five taels of silver! Father, I only have forty taels available right now, I'm still short five taels! I don't have enough money right now, how about we wait until the New Year and save up enough money before we buy it?" Dazhu was a little troubled, he wanted to buy land but didn't have enough silver.

The old man pondered for a moment: "Can you save enough before the New Year? If so, I'll talk to your mother and ask her to lend it to you first. You can pay it back during the New Year. You know, after the New Year, the fifth son will go to school in town again, and he'll need the money."

The old man thought for a moment and then said, "Since you've found a good piece of land, don't wait until the New Year to buy it. If it's sold during that time, it won't be easy to find a suitable one. Go get the money now, and I'll go get it from your mother."

"Alright! Father, let my mother give me five taels of silver! I'll pay it back as soon as I've saved enough by the New Year."

Da Shuan went back to the house to get the silver from Li Shi. He briefly explained the situation, and Li Shi readily handed over all the silver. This included the money she had earned in the past few days, and the rest that she had given to Da Zhu but hadn't been able to spend. She counted it as forty-two taels and two hundred cash. She took the forty-two taels and put the remaining two hundred cash away.

Guizhi handed Dazhu a basket filled with several pounds of frozen pears, indicating that it should be given to the village chief's family. Li Shi then added two bags of newly purchased pastries to the basket.

The old man went inside and talked to the old woman for a while, then came out with some money and two bottles of wine. The two of them smiled at each other and went to the village chief's house.

"Dad, we need to give the village chief two taels of silver so he can help us with paperwork and taxes. We should get a little something for running errands! If we have a good relationship with him, he won't cause trouble for us behind our backs." Dazhu had been going to town every day lately, and he'd seen and heard a lot. He was also thinking that in business, harmony brings wealth, and that you need to offer people appropriate favors to get them to do things for you.

The old man remained noncommittal. His son was grown up, had his own ideas, and could earn money to buy cattle and land, which made him happy.

After waiting for five days, the bean sprouts in the first small vat had gradually grown. When the bean sprouts reached the appropriate length, it meant they were ready to be harvested.

Guizhi filled a pot with bean sprouts, covered it with a cloth, so it was impossible to tell what they were. When she got home, she showed them to her family. Li exclaimed, "Wow! These bean sprouts are so long! They're wonderful! None of them are rotten!" She ran her hands over them, repeatedly saying, "Good, good, good!"

"How much is left? We'll take it to sell tomorrow morning!" Er Ya said excitedly.

"Wow! Third Sister, these bean sprouts are so good, how much should we sell them for?" Daya asked in a low voice.

"This is our first time making this, so we only used five catties of soybeans. We estimate that it will yield twenty or thirty catties of bean sprouts. Our bean sprouts look good, how about five copper coins per catty? Is that too expensive? If it is, we can lower the price a bit more?" Guizhi looked at everyone.

"It's only five coins a pound, and there aren't many to begin with. Things are valued for their scarcity! Besides, where can you find such good bean sprouts?" Er Ya said without being greedy.

They tentatively set a price for the bean sprouts and agreed to take them all to town to sell the next day. Everyone was a little excited, as if the anxiety they felt the first time they went to sell food had returned.

That evening, a sound came from the old house. Zhao spoke first: "Father, Mother, it's almost New Year's, and the children in the family should buy new clothes. Erzhu and I need to get new clothes too."

"Hmm! Make a set for Erzhu and Erbao each, alter your old clothes for Taozhi, and make Dabao's a little smaller for Erbao. This year's expenses have been too high, so let's save where we can and just make do with what we have!" the old lady replied.

“Mother, the fourth brother and his family all got new clothes for their wedding. Father and Mother also got new clothes. After the eldest brother and sister-in-law separated the family property, they all got new clothes. Why do Erzhu and I have to make do? Erzhu has worked hard all year!” Zhao felt it was unfair.

“You had new clothes when you first got married! The clothes your father and I wore were made from the fabric your older brother and sister-in-law gave us. You said it yourself, your older brother and sister-in-law have separated their businesses, and we can't control how they spend their own money.” The old lady was also angry.

"You troublemaker! Before the family split up, when did your eldest brother and sister-in-law, Da Ya and Er Ya, ever wear new clothes for the New Year? The older ones had to alter their clothes to fit the younger ones. Only you two, relying on having a son, demand food and clothing! This year's expenses are high, and when we asked you to make do, you complain and complain about everything!"

"Our parents are biased! Where did my eldest brother and sister-in-law get so much money? They bought cattle and houses. They even bought the house at the east end of the village. They've been heating the kang (a traditional heated bed) there every day these past few days! The chimney is always puffing smoke, and everyone in the village sees them coming and going all day long! If our parents didn't help them out, how could they make money? Just by selling that little bit of food?" Zhao was truly indignant.

"I don't have any spare money to help them. Now that we've separated, I don't care what the eldest son does. He doesn't do anything immoral, so what he buys is none of our business!" the old lady retorted.

"Mother is holding onto the money, and we don't even know if she'll give it to us! They're making money selling boxed lunches, why don't Father and Mother let me and Erzhu go too! Anyway, everyone has new clothes, so it won't make a difference if we have a few more." Zhao said recklessly.

"No! Erzhu, take your wife back! If you want new clothes, go earn the money yourself!" The old lady ignored Zhao Shi and called her second son directly.

While Zhao was crying and demanding money to buy clothes for her family, the fifth son, Wang Yiyun, couldn't bear to read anymore and slowly walked out. He felt that as the youngest, he spent the most money on his education each year and was rarely at home, so he didn't feel comfortable trying to persuade her.

It was too cold outside, and there was nowhere to go. The eldest brother's oil lamp was lit. It was the fifth brother's first time visiting Dazhu's house since the family division, and he called out from outside, "Is eldest brother home?"

Dazhu heard someone calling him, went outside to see, and exclaimed, "Oh! What a rare guest! Fifth Brother, what brings you here? Come in!"

"It's too noisy at the old house, so I can't read. I came out for a walk. I thought my older brother was home, so I came to check on him," the fifth brother said honestly.