SLH | Chapter 33

Husband, Don’t Be Mad

“Is it also herbs?” Liu Xiaomei asked curiously.

Song Tingzhu nodded, “I was chatting with Doctor Fang about the price of herbs before, and he mentioned that properly processed honeysuckle flowers can sell for four to five wen per liang.”

Liu Xiaomei was shocked, her mouth agape.

“These few trees can at least dry out to two jin of flowers. If one liang is four copper coins, then two jin would be eighty wen, which is more than what Second Brother earns in two days of work in town!”

During summer, there’s no shortage of men working in town, so the wages are a bit low, with the highest being thirty-five wen a day, and meals aren’t included. These few honeysuckle trees can sell for so much money. If only we could find a few more trees!

The little girl’s thoughts were written all over her face, and Song Tingzhu saw it and smiled, “It’s precisely because they’re rare that they’re more expensive than other herbs. We’re lucky to have found a few.”

“Alright, should we pick them now?” Liu Xiaomei was eager, and Xu Xiaoman had already rolled up her sleeves, ready to get to work.

“No rush.” Song Tingzhu stopped them, “Honeysuckle flowers are best when the upper part is swollen but not yet open, and they’re a greenish-white color. Remember to separate them from the fully bloomed ones when picking.”

“Got it, brother-in-law,” Liu Xiaomei and Xu Xiaoman said in unison, then grabbed their bamboo baskets and headed straight for the honeysuckle trees a few steps away.

Xia Ge’er, being small, couldn’t reach, so he stood under the tree picking up fallen petals and carefully placing them in his little bamboo basket.

The fallen petals have little medicinal effect, and the clinic wouldn’t accept them, but seeing the little guy so serious, Song Tingzhu let him be. He’d just say they sold for a couple of copper coins and make the young one happy for days.

After about half an hour, the three of them finished picking the flowers from the four trees. They were so excited that they didn’t realize the sun had completely set, and in about fifteen minutes, it would be dusk.

“Oh no, my parents told me to cook dinner before they left. I’m going to be late!” Xu Xiaoman quickly shouldered the bamboo basket, “Brother-in-law, Xiaomei, I’ll head back first. See you tomorrow!”

With that, he ran along the mountain path out of the woods.

Liu Xiaomei waved goodbye to her friend and then turned to say, “Brother-in-law, let’s head back too. Mom and Dad must be worried.”

“Alright.”

Song Tingzhu held Xia Ge’er’s hand, and the three of them hadn’t walked for more than a quarter of an hour when they saw a familiar tall figure approaching from ahead.

Xia Ge’er’s eyes lit up, and he shook Song Tingzhu’s arm, “It’s Uncle!”

“Second Brother came to pick us up.” Liu Xiaomei sped up a bit, and just as she was about to call out to her second brother, she saw him pass her by and head straight for her brother-in-law.

Liu Xiaomei pouted, picked up Xia Ge’er, who was tilting his head in curiosity, and quickly descended the mountain.

Xia Ge’er turned his head, “Auntie, wait for Uncle and Uncle-in-law.”

“No need to wait. Your uncle and uncle-in-law are going to have a private chat.”

Liu Xiaomei quickened her pace, and Xia Ge’er bounced up and down in her arms, worried he might fall, so he wrapped his arms around his aunt’s neck and asked, “Can’t they talk at home?”

Liu Xiaomei looked mysterious, “Silly Xia Ge’er, it’s different. You’ll understand when you grow up.”

“Oh.”

Xia Ge’er, half-understanding, turned to look at the two small black dots that were his uncle and uncle-in-law, and asked worriedly, “It’s getting dark. Will they run into a big tiger?”

“They won’t. We’ve already left the deep mountain, and even if they do, with your uncle there, he can knock that tiger down with one punch.”

Xia Ge’er’s eyes sparkled at the thought, and he chirped away with questions, which Liu Xiaomei answered patiently.

Meanwhile, Song Tingzhu’s bamboo basket was taken by the man, who also didn’t let him carry the hoe. As it was getting dark, he was worried Song Tingzhu might trip, so he held his wrist firmly and walked steadily down the mountain.

Song Tingzhu glanced at their joined hands, feeling very secure, and with a smile, he told his husband about the good news of finding valuable honeysuckle trees, but he left out the part about getting lost in the deep mountain.

However, Liu Hu wasn’t easily fooled. Seeing that they weren’t taking the usual path down the mountain, he knew they must have gotten lost. Liu Xiaomei was too familiar with the back mountain to get lost, so there was only one possibility.

“You went into the deep mountain?”

Song Tingzhu paused, then replied, “We got distracted while picking herbs and realized we were in the deep mountain, so we came back immediately.”

Seeing the man’s thick eyebrows furrowed, he mimicked Xia Ge’er’s way of lightly shaking his husband’s arm and softened his voice, “Husband, don’t be mad. I promise there won’t be a next time, okay?”

His tone was almost coquettish, and Liu Hu paused for a moment, then tightened his grip on his wife’s hand.

Knowing his husband had relented, Song Tingzhu smiled and said cheerfully, “Xiaomei and I found some fresh bamboo shoots on the mountain. When we get back, let’s ask Mom to stir-fry some bamboo shoot rabbit meat and make a spicy rabbit dish so Mom and Dad can try the prefectural city’s flavors.”

He quickened his pace to walk alongside his husband.

“It’s hot, and even if we keep the meat in well water, it won’t last long. Why not have a feast tonight and enjoy it all at once?”

Liu Hu agreed, and the couple walked hand in hand down the mountain, drawing compliments from several women sitting outside cooling off, all praising their good relationship.

The women were all friendly, so Song Tingzhu greeted them with a smile, and the two returned to the courtyard.

Hearing footsteps, Liu Xiaomei poked her head out from the kitchen, smiling, “Second Brother, Brother-in-law, if you came back any later, I’d have finished frying the rabbit.”

Song Tingzhu was used to the little girl’s teasing, but being caught holding hands with his husband made his ears turn a bit red.

He withdrew his hand and pretended to be annoyed, “When you find a husband, I’ll have a good talk with him.”

Liu Xiaomei puffed up her cheeks, “Brother-in-law is so petty. I just saw you holding hands, and you’re already telling on me.”

Song Tingzhu couldn’t help but laugh.

After Liu Hu helped draw a bucket of water, Song Tingzhu washed the herbs they had dug up today while asking Xiaomei, “Why haven’t I seen Mom and Sister-in-law?”

“Brother Peng is getting married in a couple of days, so Auntie came to ask Mom and Sister-in-law for help. They’ll be back a bit late.”

“Let’s wait for them to come back before cooking then.”

“That’s what Dad said. I’ll prepare everything, so when Mom and Sister-in-law get home, we can start cooking.”

Song Tingzhu nodded.

After the Liu brothers finished chopping wood and cleaning the duck and chicken coops, they sat on small stools to help wash the herbs.

The family squatted and sat in the courtyard, chatting while they worked.

They had accumulated quite a few dried herbs at home, and once these were dried, they planned to sell everything in town.

They still had enough grain after the wheat harvest, and after paying the summer taxes, if there was any surplus, they’d pay off the five taels of silver borrowed from Landlord Zhang. It was uncomfortable for Mengzi to owe that debt.

With Ruan Xiulian not around, Liu Dad, the head of the household, spoke up.

The younger ones nodded, and Xia Ge’er bobbed his head along.

Liu Xiaomei said, “I’ve embroidered quite a few handkerchiefs and pouches, but I haven’t taken them to sell yet. This time, I should be able to sell them for at least forty or fifty wen.”

“Xiaomei, keep the money you earn for yourself. The same goes for Hu and Tingzhu. You and Mengzi only need to give your mom two hundred wen a month for household expenses.”

Liu Dasheng could still earn money and had some savings. Life wasn’t easy for the young couple, and they could pay back the debt.

But Song Tingzhu said, “Dad, the money was borrowed to marry me. It’s not right for you and Mom to help pay it back. My husband and I are still young, and we can always earn more money.”

He raised the spicy mint in his hand, half-jokingly, “You and Mom don’t have to worry about money. Before long, our family will have a tavern, and you can just sit behind the counter and count the money.”

Liu Meng trusted his younger brother and brother-in-law, but they’d been talking about making money for a month, and there was no sign of it. He couldn’t help but ask, “Brother-in-law, aren’t you going to brew wine? It’s almost autumn, and you haven’t started yet. When winter comes, people stay in, and there won’t be much business in town.”

“It’s better to brew wine in winter,” Song Tingzhu explained with a smile. “In winter, the temperature is low, so even if you store it for a long time, you don’t have to worry about the grains spoiling. If it’s brewed well, by spring, the wine that’s been aged all winter will taste even better.”

In Lianxi Town, few households brewed wine. Most families brewed a sweet rice wine to drink during festivals, but it wasn’t very strong and didn’t sell well. Song Tingzhu wanted to brew the kind of distilled spirits sold in the prefectural city and Kyoto.

Brewing distilled spirits required special equipment, and what he had asked Tian Le to make was a small version of a wine still. He wasn’t sure if it would work, and if not, it would need further improvement.

The family saw his confidence and remembered that the Song family had made their fortune in the liquor business. As a member of the Song family, Song Tingzhu should have no problem brewing wine.

In reality, while the Song family was indeed in the liquor business, when it came to brewing, the Liu family was far superior. The Liu family was the family of Song Tingzhu’s mother, Liu Yueyin.

After his mother married into the Song family, they had gradually set up a distillery, but the taste was far inferior to that brewed by his grandfather, Liu Yongfeng.

“Mom, Sister-in-law, you’re finally back.”

Song Tingzhu was lost in thought and only came back to his senses when Xiaomei called out.

Ruan Xiulian took a sip of tea to wet her throat and said, “Your aunt found a good match for Brother Peng. It turns out that Ling girl is still a distant relative of ours.”

Liu Dasheng said, “Is it Liu Yan’s daughter?”

“Yes, it’s her.”

“That girl is a good one. If Brother Peng marries Liu Ling’er, their life will surely be smooth.”

Ruan Xiulian smiled, “Exactly, that’s what I told Sixth Sister.”

“By the way, Tingzhu, your Sixth Aunt wants to invite you to help with the ceremony. She asked me to ask if you’re free.”

“I’m free. Even if Sixth Aunt didn’t ask, I would have offered,” Song Tingzhu said with a smile and took the initiative to ask, “Has anyone been found to write the wedding characters? If not, I can write a few and some couplets for the occasion to add some festivity.”

“I hadn’t thought of that, but I suppose they haven’t had time. Everyone’s been busy in the fields lately, so there’s been no time to go to town to find someone to write.”

Song Tingzhu nodded, “I’ll write them tomorrow morning, and then I’ll trouble Sister-in-law to take them to Sixth Aunt.”

Tang Chunxing waved her hand, “No trouble at all. I have to go to the Cai family to exchange tofu anyway, so it’s on the way.”

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Author’s Note: Wait for me, I already have two thousand words saved up, and I’ll definitely update with over 5000 words tomorrow!

[Throwing flowers][Throwing flowers][Throwing flowers]