Ch 51: Reborn to Raise My Husband

As night fell, a breeze picked up.

It rattled the window lattices, but the room didn’t cool down—instead, it grew even more stifling.

Xiao Yuanbao wore a sleeveless soft cotton vest, and his trousers only reached his knees, loose and wide.

He had bathed earlier, and wearing such relaxed clothing gave him a moment of cool relief.

But the air felt as if it had been boiled. The longer he stayed inside, the hotter it became.

He sprawled out on the bamboo mat with arms stretched wide. One or two mosquitoes buzzed somewhere in the net, having escaped his swatting. Their whining only made the stuffiness worse.

The room was filled with the scent of mugwort smoke, yet it did little to bring peace.

Xiao Yuanbao grabbed a palm fan and fanned himself for a while, the breeze giving him a bit of comfort.

But then, out of nowhere, Madam Qiao’s words from earlier came to mind, and his face flushed red all over again.

He flipped over with a loud rustle, lying on his side facing the wall, as if afraid someone might see his embarrassment.

Madam Qiao was truly awful—how could she say something like that?

Tossing and turning in the hot, oppressive summer night, unable to sleep, Xiao Yuanbao finally sat up on his bed inside the mosquito net.

He glanced at the window, left open for the breeze. He could hear the wind rustling outside and faintly see a soft glow—it must be moonlight.

He lifted the net and rolled out of bed.

In the dark, he groped his way to the table and gulped down over half a cup of mint water, easing the heat in his chest.

He opened the door, and sure enough, a breeze met him outside—it was much cooler than indoors.

The moon, a little past its full phase, still hung bright and clear. It looked like tomorrow would be another sunny day.

Xiao Yuanbao stood under the eaves staring at the moon. He had heard the academy exam was strict—once inside the exam hall, candidates couldn’t come out.

That meant tonight, his brother would be sleeping in the exam compound. He’d never seen what the testing rooms looked like, but Qi Beinan had once described them and even sketched a diagram.

A tiny turtle-shell-shaped hut, spending the night in that, especially in this heat—just the thought made one feel miserable.

Xiao Yuanbao let out a faint breath of hot air.

He turned back to the house, but instead of going to his own room, he somehow found himself at Qi Beinan’s door.

The breeze had pushed it slightly open, and he reached out to nudge it wider.

The room inside was pitch black, quiet and still.

No one had stayed there for over ten days. There was no mugwort burning to repel bugs, and only a faint scent of ink lingered.

Back when the room was in use, pushing the door open would reveal that upright figure seated at the window desk—either flipping through books or writing with full focus and a stern expression. Whenever Xiao Yuanbao tried to sneak off, he’d always be called over to read and write.

He gently closed the door again.

He’d opened this door in the morning, and again at night—and both times it was empty. It felt… unfamiliar.

He returned to his own room and closed his eyes.

That night, he had bizarre, chaotic dreams.

…

The next morning, Xiao Yuanbao was in the kitchen cooking string bean porridge. The long beans were at their crispiest and sweetest this time of year, and when added to rice porridge, they gave a tender yet crunchy bite.

Because of the heat, he cooked the porridge early and set it on the well to cool, so that by the time Father and Big Brother Tian Ken came back, they could eat it right away.

After putting in the rice, he opened a jar, scooped out some brined string beans that had lost their raw green edge, and a bowl of pickled bulb onions.

He finely chopped both the pickled and fresh beans together, added some minced pork, and stir-fried them—it was the perfect side to porridge.

He popped one of the pickled bulbs into his mouth. It crunched delightfully.

Pickled at the beginning of the month, they were small, but just the right level of tangy and crisp now.

“Bao Ge’er, have you eaten breakfast yet?”

Xiao Yuanbao heard a voice from the courtyard and peeked out the kitchen window—it was Fang Jie’er.

He hurried out to greet her.

“I’m cooking porridge now. Fang Jie’er, stay and have a bowl—I just took out some pickled bulbs to go with it.”

“Just hearing you say pickled bulbs is making my mouth water.”

Fang Jie’er laughed, “But I’ve got no luck today—I’ve got to rush into town. I’m meeting with one of the ladies I often do hair for. It’s so hot, and those fancy city ladies have gotten their hands on ice—they’re throwing an ice banquet to cool off.”

“City folks really know how to enjoy life. Unlike us in the village—cooling off with some well water is already a treat.”

“Isn’t that the truth,” said Fang Jie’er. “This year’s heat is outrageous. Ice drinks in the city are twice as expensive as last year. Even those big palm-leaf fans made from bamboo that used to cost two copper coins now go for four or five.”

Xiao Yuanbao hadn’t gone to town since taking Qi Beinan there for the exam. Hearing how expensive everything was now made him click his tongue. “How ridiculous.”

“Last winter was cold, and even when spring came it didn’t warm up quickly—no one in or outside the city was prepared. Then it suddenly turned hot. The big households in the city didn’t stockpile much ice, and even those who did found it melting fast in this year’s heat. With so little left, of course everything that cools you down got pricier.”

Fang Jie’er, who moved between wealthy households, knew a lot.

She sighed, “Life’s not easy in the city, but it’s just as hard outside it. The heat’s dried out the fields—no rain for the crops. They’re withering yellow and won’t give much yield.”

“Not just ice—vegetables and fruit have all gone up in price. Come harvest season, I’m afraid even grain will be more expensive too.”

Fang Jie’er’s eyes lit up when she saw the large pile of long string beans in the wooden basin. “Oh my, how are the beans from your place growing so well?”

“Look how long and thick they are—just from the look, you can tell they’re sweet. I’ve been learning my craft and haven’t spent much time in the fields. Mother and Fang Ge’er said this year the vegetables at home aren’t just few in number, they’re not growing big either. The melons start growing and just wither halfway.”

“I saw the vegetables my teacher bought and thought she was just picking the cheap ones, but she told me those were already the best selections from the morning market.”

Xiao Yuanbao widened his eyes. He’d been helping out in the fields lately and noticed that their crops and vegetables looked better than most others in the village.

They all knew why that was.

But he hadn’t realized the vegetable market in the city was doing so poorly too.

He said, “If the vegetables in the city are that bad, and our family’s harvest is decent this year, we could pick some to sell.”

Fang Jie’er brightened. “That’s a good idea. If we’ve got good veggies this year, selling them is sure to bring in some money!”

“Then I’d better go to town and take a good look at the prices so I can report back to my father.”

“Oh dear, look at me, just chatting away and nearly forgetting something important.”

Fang Jie’er pulled a note from her sleeve. “This is from Second Young Master of the Ming family—he asked me to give this to you. I got home late yesterday and was exhausted, so I didn’t come by. I brought it over this morning—hope I’m not too late?”

Xiao Yuanbao opened the invitation and glanced at it. “Not too late. Xin Ge’er invited me to visit his house in a few days. He said he wants to treat me to some iced drinks. There’s still time.”

“Bao Ge’er, look at you—befriending Second Young Master Ming.”

Fang Jie’er said, “And now he’s invited you over twice.”

Xiao Yuanbao smiled. “He has a good nature. Doesn’t mind we’re village folks.”

“That’s true. The Ming family may be merchants, but they’re much easier to get along with than some of those snooty official families.”

Fang Jie’er added, “Have a good time in town with Second Young Master Ming then. I won’t keep chatting—I’ve got to head to the village entrance to catch a ride. If I go too late, the sun will be blazing and those ox-cart drivers won’t want to go.”

“Alright, Fang Jie’er, take care on the road.”

Xiao Yuanbao happily put the invitation away, finished preparing breakfast, and went inside to tidy up.

When Xiao Hu and Tian Ken came back from the fields and sat down to eat, he told them about the upcoming visit to the city.

Xiao Yuanbao made a trip into the county. He hadn’t been in town for a while, and once there, he was surprised at how expensive fruits and vegetables had become.

It was summer—typically the season for an abundance of produce like cucumbers, string beans, leeks, spinach, cabbages, loofahs, eggplants… this was normally a plentiful time.

But this year, whether brought in by nearby farmers or sold by stallholders within the city, the vegetables looked poor.

Cucumbers and loofahs were small and oddly shaped. Spinach and water shield had tiny, bug-eaten leaves.

None of the stalls had vegetables that looked good. Farmers kept splashing water on them to make them look fresh.

In past years, produce like this wouldn’t even attract a second glance. City folk would just pick and choose until someone was forced to sell it cheap. But now? People were scrambling to buy.

“Uncle, how much for your eggplants?”

Xiao Yuanbao stopped at one stall to ask. The eggplants weren’t very purple—their bottoms were still green, but the skins were taut, indicating they were freshly picked.

“Six copper per jin.”

Xiao Yuanbao’s eyes went wide. “Uncle, don’t think you can fool me just because I look young! Even if eggplants are rare this summer, they’re still in season—how could they cost this much?”

The straw-hat-wearing old man said, “Young man, I’m not trying to cheat you. You should go ask the other stalls—some of them are asking eight coins!”

“These eggplants were picked fresh this morning. I carried two baskets into town, and I’ve only got a few jin left. If I didn’t have to hurry back to the fields, I wouldn’t be selling them so cheap.”

Xiao Yuanbao clicked his tongue. “Last year even the best eggplants only sold for four copper coins. Now even the ‘cheap’ ones are going for six?”

And they still looked strange, though he didn’t dare say that aloud.

The old man said, “You haven’t noticed the drought this year? The fields are dry and lack nutrients—veggies are struggling to grow. The fact that we’ve got anything to bring into town at all is lucky. Who has the right to be picky?”

“Are you buying or not? If not, don’t hold up my business.”

Xiao Yuanbao saw the old man wasn’t easy to talk to, so he said no more and moved on to other stalls to check prices.

After asking around, he realized the old man hadn’t been lying. No one else had eggplants cheaper than his.

The better-looking ones were selling for ten copper coins per jin.

And not just eggplants—lots of vegetables were up by two or three copper coins compared to last year.

Xiao Yuanbao was astonished. At that price, how could poorer families afford to eat? Last year pork was only a bit more expensive than this.

A measure of rice only cost about ten coins—and that could feed a whole family for several meals.

At least farm families grew their own vegetables and could eat what they harvested.

But city folks without fields—those who relied on labor or business to get by—were in for hard times. Prices were high, and there was no way around buying.

Xiao Yuanbao left the vegetable market and headed over to the meat market.

Just as he expected, meat prices had gone up as well—pork was already over fifteen copper coins per jin, nearing twenty.

Livestock, after all, grew on grain and vegetables. With produce prices rising, how could the animals that ate them not rise in price too?

Xiao Yuanbao quietly gave thanks that late last year, when a family in the village slaughtered a pig, his household bought half of it—dozens of jin—and had smoked it over the stove.

If pork prices stayed fierce this year, at least they could eat less fresh meat and use the smoked meat to offset the richness.

When he returned home, he told Xiao Hu and Tian Ken all about the vegetable and meat prices in town.

Although Xiao Hu had spent much of the past few years up in the mountains, since settling down in the village, even if he wasn’t as familiar with produce prices as full-time farmers, he still had a general sense of things.

Hearing that the city’s vegetable prices had risen this much, even he was surprised.

They’d had one dry sunny day after another lately, and Qi Beinan had mentioned earlier that vegetables and grains would likely get more expensive this year. Still, now that it had truly come to pass, it was shocking.

Xiao Yuanbao sat at the table with his hands folded, his eyes shining. “Father, the vegetables at home have been taken care of so well by Big Brother Tian Ken. If we pick some and bring them into the city—even if we sell them at a high price, people will still fight over them. Why don’t we gather some to sell?”

Xiao Hu nodded. “The eggplants, spinach, string beans—all are growing well. Originally, I was thinking we’d use this year’s bounty to raise a few piglets. But looking at things now, selling vegetables will bring faster returns.”

“We’ve got a cow at home anyway. Transporting the vegetables to town won’t be a problem.”

Then he turned to Tian Ken and added with praise, “The good harvest this year is all thanks to Xiao Tian.”

Tian Ken was delighted. It wasn’t often that Xiao Hu praised anyone. Embarrassed, he said, “Truthfully, I just tended the vegetables the same way I did last year. It’s just that everyone else’s didn’t grow well this year, so ours looked better by comparison.”

“Don’t be so modest, Big Brother Tian. You’ve worked so hard in the field—we all saw it every day under the same roof.”

Xiao Yuanbao grinned. “It’s your credit, no question!”

Tian Ken scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly.

Once vegetables were ripe, they couldn’t be left too long. If they aged, they could still be used to feed livestock and poultry, but they wouldn’t be suitable for sale.

So that very afternoon, Xiao Hu went to the carpenter’s house to borrow a cart and brought it home. He tied it with sturdy hemp rope and hitched up the old ox.

As the sun slanted westward, Xiao Yuanbao and Tian Ken each shouldered a basket and headed to the jujube field on the other side of the village.

That patch of dry land was planted with cabbages, radishes, and cucumbers—all vegetables that were abundant in the summer and usually sold cheap.

Tian Ken not only knew how to grow vegetables but also understood farmers’ temperaments.

The jujube field was far from the Xiao house but close to the main road. Many people who liked to take advantage would steal veggies if they saw no one around and the plants growing well.

This one would steal a handful, that one a couple melons, and in no time, a whole field’s worth would be gone.

So aside from making regular rounds there, Tian Ken had suggested to Xiao Hu that the cheaper, commonly grown vegetables like radish, cucumber, and cabbage be planted in the far fields, while the pricier ones like eggplant, loofah, and spinach be grown closer to home—easier to guard from thieves.

Xiao Hu wasn’t the careful type and usually didn’t pay much attention to these things, but he admitted it made sense and agreed to the plan.

As it turned out, Tian Ken’s work really paid off. The fields were thriving—and sure enough, someone had started stealing.

That day, Xiao Yuanbao and Tian Ken were harvesting from the closer fields. No one had checked the jujube field.

Four radish plots near the roadside had been dug up, two cabbage patches were missing, and although the cucumbers growing on trellises didn’t show obvious signs, passersby likely plucked them to quench their thirst.

Xiao Yuanbao walked along the roadside cucumber patch and saw barely any ripe ones left on the edges—clearly someone had picked them.

If he hadn’t gone to the city and seen the current vegetable prices, he wouldn’t have cared so much.

But now that he knew how valuable the veggies were, his heart ached.

At today’s prices, even stolen cucumbers could fetch a dozen copper coins.

He looked at a long, thick cucumber about the size of his forearm—straight and green, tinged with yellow.

He grabbed the vine and plucked one, rubbed off the small spines with his sleeve, then snapped it cleanly in two.

He handed one half to Tian Ken and kept the other to eat raw. Juicy, tender seeds, and sweet.

His eyes curved into a smile. “Now this is a good cucumber.”

After they finished eating, they took advantage of the setting sun to avoid the worst of the heat. One cut radishes and cabbages, the other picked cucumbers. They ran back home with two loads.

Later, Xiao Hu came out with a basket and gathered more vegetables—this time from the closer field: eggplants, loofahs, and spinach.

That evening, Xiao Yuanbao went to the Fang household to borrow two pairs of large baskets for packing vegetables.

The next morning, before dawn, the whole family got up to load the vegetables into baskets and crates.

They sprinkled them with cool well water, covered them with a mat, and set out with the ox pulling the cart toward the county.

By the time they arrived, the morning market had just begun.

The three of them had rushed out without even eating breakfast. Once they found a spot, they each had a bowl of noodles to build up their strength, then got to selling.

“Fresh, high-quality vegetables here! Sweet melons, crisp greens—first come, first served, gone in a flash!”

Tian Ken had sold vegetables before, so doing it again was nothing difficult for him.

He stood tall on the cart, and wherever the crowd was thickest, he shouted in that direction.

The ox cart was parked right at the entrance of the vegetable market. At his call, townsfolk came following the voice to buy vegetables.

“How’s your produce? Let us take a look~”

“Got any loofahs? Are they any good?”

Seeing the customers drawn in by Tian Ken, Xiao Yuanbao and Xiao Hu quickly lifted the mat covering the vegetables.

At once, the entire cart full of vegetables was revealed.

“Oh wow, that’s a lot of vegetables! And they look great too!”

Two housewives immediately gathered at the front of the cart.

There were baskets full of radishes and spinach, two large baskets each of eggplants and loofahs.

The cucumbers were most plentiful—three baskets of them—along with water shield, scallions, garlic sprouts… a bit of everything.

“These are really good vegetables! The radishes are smooth and white, all the size of a basin rim.”

“The spinach leaves are big and dense—I can’t even wrap one hand around them.”

“These eggplants are great—deep purple, and the skin is smooth too.”

Men, women, and gers—they all crowded around the cart, pressing in so much there was no space left.

Tian Ken quickly got down from the cart and called out, “All freshly picked this morning! Don’t push, everyone—there’s plenty for all!”

“How much? If our household can afford it, we only want the freshest and crispest!”

Xiao Yuanbao saw the chance and confidently called out higher prices: “Eggplants, eight copper coins! Loofahs, ten! Cabbage, three!”

At the prices, a few older customers up front twisted their lips, dropped their vegetables, and turned away.

But as soon as a few walked off, more from the back surged forward.

Those from wealthier households—high gates and big doors—were desperate for good vegetables. They’d been worried they couldn’t find any decent produce in the market.

Seeing such high-quality vegetables, they scrambled to buy. What’s more, Xiao Yuanbao’s prices weren’t even the highest in the market.

There were some unscrupulous sellers and farmers whose produce was worse and yet they shouted even higher prices—and refused to haggle too. It was outrageous.

Their cartload of vegetables sold out in just over an hour, not even reaching noon.

Many were still asking when they’d be back and whether they could deliver straight to their homes.

Xiao Yuanbao hadn’t planned on doing deliveries yet, but one older woman shoved some copper coins into his hand.

“Little Ge’er, I didn’t know about your stall today and came late—everything was gone. Your vegetables are good. Do me a favor, will you? The old master in my house has a birthday coming up, and we need fine vegetables to serve guests.”

Xiao Yuanbao asked, “So what kind of vegetables does Granny want? And how much?”

“What do you have?”

Xiao Yuanbao listed all the produce.

The old woman said, “Ten jin of eggplants, ten jin of loofahs, ten each of cabbage, radishes, and string beans, twenty jin of cucumbers. For the fancier greens—scallions, large scallions, celery—five jin each.”

Tian Ken, wiping sweat from his brow, said to Xiao Yuanbao, “We’ve still got those in the fields.”

Xiao Yuanbao agreed and went to borrow pen and paper from a nearby shop, wrote down the list, and noted the woman’s address.

“Little Ge’er, this is our first time doing business. You’d better follow through. No offense, but our old master’s a man of standing. If the vegetables you deliver aren’t good, I won’t accept them.”

Xiao Yuanbao replied, “Don’t worry, Granny. All from the same fields—whatever you saw today is exactly what you’ll get at your door.”

Satisfied, the old woman handed him a string of a hundred copper coins as a deposit.

Xiao Hu had just returned with a cup of water and, seeing Xiao Yuanbao already closing a deal, commented, “You’re really learning from your brother.”

Xiao Yuanbao tucked the coins into his pouch and proudly raised his chin. “Of course. Brother even taught me how to do the bookkeeping.”

Then—

Xiao Yuanbao handed the day’s earnings to Xiao Hu and told them to wait for him at the city gate.

He pulled two baskets of fresh vegetables from under the ox cart—vegetables in the city were expensive and of poor quality—so he planned to bring some over to Gui Jie’er’s house.

Both the pharmacy and the Bai household bought their vegetables.

Carrying the produce over, Xiao Yuanbao bumped into a few women and gers along the way, who stopped to ask him where he’d bought such good vegetables.

He told them where he’d be setting up the stall next time—and even gave them the time.

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