Ye Zheng gave Uncle Li a long, meaningful look. You must be dreaming, old man.
I came up with this recipe myself. Whether I make money from it or not, it belongs to my family. Why on earth would I hand it over to you?
But rather than refuse outright, he turned toward the rice growing in the fields and began asking unrelated questions in a leisurely voice.
For example, “Uncle, how much rice do you harvest from a field of one-sixth of an acre?”
Or, “Uncle, how many harvests do you get in a year?”
And, “How much water does it need?”
The original owner had known these things, and the answers were in his inherited memories. Ye Zheng was just checking, since the original owner hadn't paid much attention to farming, and he was afraid his recollections might be inaccurate.
Old Li was eager to pry the shrimp recipe out of him, so he answered everything, in great detail and with tremendous enthusiasm.
He really was an experienced farmer. He filled in numerous gaps in Ye Zheng's knowledge and made Ye Zheng even more certain that this was the same rice he knew from his old world—the kind that yielded better harvests when cultivated in flooded paddies!
Having confirmed that, Ye Zheng felt even happier. Seeing that his parents had finished eating and were drinking water, he dusted off his backside and stood up. “Uncle Li, come eat at our house sometime when you're free. I'll make shrimp for you!”
With that, he headed toward his family's field.
Old Li: “…”
Wait a moment. Hadn't he been trying to wheedle out a shrimp recipe? Why did it feel as though that boy had wheedled all sorts of farming knowledge out of him instead? What a loss!
And whoever had called that boy timid and simple? He was as cunning as they came!
On the way home, carrying two empty bowls, Ye Zheng was in an exceptionally cheerful mood.
He'd established at least two things during this outing, which had been the purpose of his visit.
The first was about rice cultivation.
The second was that ordinary villagers of this era could enjoy the taste of his cooked crayfish.
He wasn't necessarily going to start a crayfish business, but if he wanted to make money later, they were one possibility. Of course, if he thought of something more convenient, he'd choose that instead. Ancient times had neither refrigerators nor modern methods of preservation, and food businesses could easily run into hygiene problems.
Ye Zheng was happily imagining the future when Yun Qing suddenly caught his arm.
Before Ye Zheng could ask what was wrong, a broken bowl came flying out of a dilapidated thatched cottage in front of them and shattered on the ground. If Yun Qing hadn't pulled him back, it might have struck his head. After finally gaining a second life, he had nearly lost it again to a broken bowl! Furious, Ye Zheng glared at the cottage and rolled up his sleeves, ready to settle accounts with its owner.
But before he could charge inside and start shouting, a thin man came running out in tears, startling him.
The man was all skin and bones, his hair disheveled, his clothes caked with grease and filth. His exposed skin was covered in bloody scratches and swollen bruises. He clung to a large tree outside the cottage and sobbed as though his heart were breaking. A little child in ragged clothes followed him out, hugged the man's leg, and bawled, while an old man's roars and the sound of smashing objects rang from inside.
The scene was, well, rather difficult to describe. Ye Zheng hesitated.
…They looked miserable. Perhaps he should just let the matter go.
As they continued home, Ye Zheng kept glancing back. Yun Qing thought he was still upset about nearly being struck, so after a moment's thought, he explained the situation.
The man who'd run out was a ger named Liu Dengcao, nicknamed Cao. The little child was his son. The man shouting inside was his biological father, Liu Laoshi.
“His own father? From the way he was beating him, I thought it was a stepfather or a father-in-law,” Ye Zheng remarked.
Yun Qing looked helpless, too. After considering for a moment, he told Ye Zheng about Cao's family.
Cao's mother had died young, and his father was a gambler who owed a great deal of money. Several years ago, when Cao had just turned sixteen, his father married him off to Li the mason from a neighboring village in exchange for a bride price of twenty taels of silver.
Li the mason was a widower, a violent man who liked beating his spouse. Rumor had it that he'd beaten his previous wife to death. But Cao knew none of that. Believing marriage would free him from his gambling father, he went happily to his new home—only to discover he'd leapt from one pit of suffering into another. He spent five years married to Li and five years being abused. Fortunately, he bore Li a son, and for the child's sake, Li stopped short of beating him to death.
Then one night, Li the mason went out drinking and gambling and fell into a ditch in the dark, killing himself. Cao thought he was finally free. Instead, Li's elder brother and sister-in-law produced an IOU for fifty taels, complete with Li's thumbprint, and demanded repayment. Cao had no way to pay, so they declared that debts had to be settled, threw him and his son out, and seized Li's house.
With nowhere else to turn, Cao took his child back to his father's home. He'd expected his father to refuse him, but the man surprisingly agreed to take them in. It wasn't until later that Cao realized his father had wicked intentions and was eagerly waiting to sell him off again. This time was even more outrageous. He'd found a blind, lame old man of sixty-seven, already with one foot in the grave. Cao was only twenty-five and naturally refused. So his father beat him every day, saying he'd continue until Cao agreed to marry.
Ye Zheng was so furious that his fists clenched. What a despicable father!
But Cao, too—was he really going to let anyone who wanted to beat him do so? Couldn't he fight back? If he couldn't win with his fists, grab a hoe, a knife, a brick—whatever came to hand. Fighting back with a weapon was better than simply letting yourself be beaten. After all, this ancient society hardly operated under fair, equal laws. What good would crying accomplish?
“If I were him, I'd make sure anyone who made my life miserable suffered in return, even if I had to risk my life to do it.” Ye Zheng's fists tightened until his knuckles cracked.
Yun Qing looked at him and thought how much he'd changed. Though he hadn't spent time with Ah Zheng before, he'd heard enough village gossip to know how miserably the boy had lived at home. Seeing him think like this now made Yun Qing happy for him.
“Ah Zheng has made great progress,” Yun Qing said approvingly, patting his head.
Only then did Ye Zheng remember that the original owner had been a notorious doormat, too. His declaration didn't sound terribly convincing coming from him.
Still, he explained, “I've already come close to dying once. Without you saving me, Qing, I'd have lost my life. Even if I don't stand up for myself, I can't waste the life you saved. Don't worry. From now on, I'll live this life for you, and I won't let anyone bully me again.”
Instead of looking pleased, Yun Qing corrected him. “Ah Zheng, your life should be lived for your own sake.”
Ye Zheng immediately puffed out his cheeks and pretended to be offended. “What? If I live for Qing, does that mean Qing won't treat me well? I don't care! I've already decided to cling to you for this entire lifetime. You have to swear you'll love me and cherish me forever!”
Yun Qing: “…”
Ye Zheng refused to let the matter drop. “Swear it!”
Yun Qing's ears turned scarlet. Although he was embarrassed, he raised one hand and said earnestly in a clear, slightly resonant voice, “I, Yun Qing, swear to treat Ye Zheng well and cherish him for the rest of my life… Are you reassured now?”
Ye Zheng nodded eagerly. Of course he was! He copied Yun Qing and raised a hand to make his own vow. “Before Heaven above and Earth below, I, Ye Zheng, hereby swear to treat Yun Qing well for all my days, to love and respect him, to share his concerns and regard his worries as my own. May I win one person's heart and never part from him until our hair turns white. If I break this oath, may lightning strike me, may Heaven and Earth destroy me, may there be no place for me in the world—”
Before he could finish, Yun Qing clapped a hand over his mouth. He was deeply moved but also thoroughly angry. “Don't put curses on yourself like that!”
Ye Zheng chuckled. “Why worry? All I have to do is keep my promise. I haven't finished yet. If I break this oath, may I be reborn as a giant turtle lying upside down on its back, just so Yun Qing can kick me around for fun!”
As he spoke, his warm breath repeatedly brushed Yun Qing's palm. It made Yun Qing both helpless and amused, while waves of warmth coursed through his heart. His little husband was just too endearing. How could anyone not adore him?
At Ye Zheng's insistence, they walked home holding hands.
People of this era tended to be reserved in matters of affection. This was Yun Qing's first time doing something so openly intimate in public, something others might even call shameless. Yet he didn't feel the least discomfort. What did other people's opinions matter? If the person beside him was happy, there was nothing he wouldn't do.
By the time they reached the courtyard, Ye Zheng's legs felt weak. His body hadn't fully recovered, and he'd overexerted himself today.
Yun Qing wanted to take him back to his room to rest. But what was good about that lonely room? Ye Zheng would much rather remain in the courtyard and watch Yun Qing bustle about.
“I don't want to go inside. It's boring alone. I'll sit here and watch you work, Qing. That way we can keep each other company.”
Seeing that he really didn't need to lie down, Yun Qing settled him on the stone stool in the courtyard to rest.
For years, Yun Qing had worked alone. His parents couldn't be at his side all the time, of course. He'd thought being watched while he worked might be uncomfortable, but instead it felt wonderful. So wonderful, in fact, that he felt as though he were floating, as if nothing bad could happen anywhere in the world.
That afternoon, Yun Qing wove baskets as usual.
He wouldn't let Ye Zheng touch the bamboo strips, so Ye Zheng obediently watched and chatted with him from time to time. Later he spotted a few pieces of wood in the corner, picked them up, and began playing with them.
One wove baskets while the other fiddled with bits of wood. Warm sunshine filled the courtyard, and everything felt peaceful and unhurried.
When the sun began to sink, Yun Qing put aside his work and swept the courtyard. Ye Zheng abandoned his wood pieces and suggested catching more crayfish for dinner. Yun Qing immediately agreed.
The crayfish in Xishan Village had clearly enjoyed an easy existence for far too long. They were ridiculously simple to catch. In no time, they caught another half-basketful. Yun Qing stopped once he judged that there were enough for a meal.
When Father Yun and Mother Yun returned carrying their tools, the entire courtyard was filled with the wonderful aroma they'd smelled at noon.
Luckily, the Yun family's courtyard stood some distance from the neighboring homes. Otherwise, everyone nearby might have lost their appetite for their own dinners.
That evening, besides crayfish, Ye Zheng made a dish of lotus root slices stir-fried over high heat. The whole family ate with repeated nods of approval.
At first, the Yun parents had thought it disgraceful for a man to enter the kitchen. But after this meal, neither of them mentioned it again.
What was wrong with a man cooking? Weren't all the great chefs in the town's restaurants men? And didn't each of them enjoy considerable respect wherever he went?
Only at dinner did the parents finally see what the “shrimp” they'd eaten at noon actually looked like. They were those very river crayfish everyone despised! At first they had a bit of a mental block. But the basin's fragrance kept drifting into their noses, and their tongues remembered how delicious it had been. They quickly stopped worrying. They hadn't known at noon and had eaten with such pleasure, so what was the point of fussing now? Better to enjoy it while it was hot!
Ye Zheng was pleased with himself, too. Culinary skills here were still largely at the stage of tossing everything into a pot of water, boiling it with a little salt and oil, and eating it as it was. Seasonings and accompaniments were extremely limited. How could such a cuisine possibly withstand the impact of modern cooking techniques?
So Ye Zheng took the opportunity to raise an idea at the dinner table: he wanted to set up a stall in town to sell food.
Madam Luo was startled. As a rural woman, she'd visited the town only a handful of times in her life. Her few early visits had been with her parents when they went to buy things for her dowry. Father Yun had taken her twice after their marriage, but she hadn't been back since.
In her eyes, townspeople were wealthy and worldly. Doing business in town and dealing with those people sounded terribly difficult.
Ye Zheng reassured her. “Mom, I'm not opening a shop. I'd just prepare some snacks and take them to town to sell. Don't Dad and Qing often go there to sell pheasants, rabbits, and other game?”
Madam Luo still didn't think it was workable. Selling wild game and selling cooked food were different things, weren't they? Wealthy townspeople had such particular tastes. Would they really enjoy country cooking?
Ye Zheng turned to Father Yun. “Dad, you've seen a great deal of the world. What do you think?”
Father Yun smacked his lips and replied fairly, “It certainly tastes good. I've eaten in town several times and never tasted anything quite like it.”
Ye Zheng then turned to Yun Qing. “And what do you think, Qing?”
Instead of answering, Yun Qing suggested, “We have several baskets we've woven over the past few days that need to be sold in town. When I take them, I'll bring you along so you can see the town for yourself.”
Naturally, Ye Zheng agreed. Since thinking of the business idea, he'd been planning a visit. For one thing, they needed more seasoning than they had at home. For another, he wanted to assess the quality of the street food sold in this era.
And so the trip to town was settled.
But there was something else he had to do first.
Another day passed. After getting up early and practicing the Eight Brocades several times, Ye Zheng felt energetic and clearheaded. Yun Qing had gone to work in the fields with his parents at noon, so Ye Zheng latched the courtyard gate behind him and strolled toward the west side of the village.
The uncles and aunts in the west of the village hadn't seen him for days. They were more welcoming than usual, though their interest was clearly tinged with an appetite for gossip. “Young Zheng, you're back?”
“Heard you're going to marry the Yun boy?”
“You look taller and sturdier. Seems the Yun family is treating you well.”
“Come back to visit your brother and sister-in-law, did you, Zheng?”
Ye Zheng smiled broadly and greeted each person with perfect ease. “That's right, Uncle Shuisheng. It's been a few days, and you're looking younger already.”
“Ah Tu's mother, you must come to the wedding feast when Qing and I marry. Everyone here should come. Don't forget to bring the children. The more people, the merrier.”
“Dad and Mom are such good-tempered, kind people. They couldn't be more agreeable, and Qing treats me wonderfully.”
“Oh, right. Is my brother at home? I have something to discuss with him.”
One of the aunts replied, “Haven't seen Eldest Ye, but your sister-in-law is home. You can tell her whatever you need to say.”
Having learned what he wanted, Ye Zheng waved and walked away.
As soon as he turned his back, the whispering began. “What's got into Zheng? Didn't he use to be so quiet? When did he learn to greet people?”
“It's true! He actually said so many sentences at once, and every one of them came out clearly.”
“But something about the way he's acting feels strange.”
“I'm telling you, there's something going on!”
“Come on, let's follow. I want to hear what he has to say!”
Wearing expressions of eager anticipation, the aunts and grandmothers hurried after him. Some even ran ahead at breakneck speed, presumably to alert the Ye family that he was coming.
