Chapter 13: Old Yan Bought an Ox Cart!

The return trip was faster than the journey there.

Yan Lao’er didn’t dare to interject the whole way, only listening as his eldest niece was peppered with questions by Old Yan. With all the "zhi, hu, zhe, ye" classical particles, it sounded quite difficult, and the eldest niece was sweating, her answers far from fluent.

As a poor student, he felt very calm about such things.

If you don’t understand it, let it be.

Upon arriving home, Yan Lao’er unloaded the goods and went looking for his wife.

He had to go to Doctor Cui’s place to have his pulse checked; he had been fretting over it.

What was Li Xuemei doing?

She was airing things out with Daya, especially the cotton quilts, cotton-padded jackets, and mattresses used in winter. They couldn't be washed without water, but airing them out and giving them a good beating was still possible.

She was also checking for moth or rodent damage, doing some mending here and there.

She had figured it out: Daya couldn't be left idle. Whenever this child was idle, she would let her mind wander and get all sentimental.

It was better to give her some chores to keep her hands and feet busy.

The wheat at home was being harvested very quickly, transported back cartload by cartload. From time to time, they had to stop to greet people and pour bowls of water to quench their thirst. Once the people left, they would spread out the bundled wheat to dry thoroughly in the sun.

The two of them were flushed red and drenched in sweat under the scorching sun.

When Yan Lao’er found her, he saw Li Xuemei looking as if she had just been fished out of a steamer.

"I'll do it, I'll do it!"

His heart ached for her again. Her face had finally regained some youthfulness; she had to take care of it. How could she just let herself bake in the sun like that?

He snatched the wooden stick and began to beat the quilt with a *thwack-thwack-thwack*, sending clouds of dust billowing out.

Li Xuemei dodged the dust and punched him.

"Watch what you're doing!" It almost got in her eyes.

"Is there food for lunch?" Yan Lao’er asked quietly.

He was hungry! His big brother hadn't even suggested buying something to tide them over.

"It's made, it's in the pot." Li Xuemei found his hungry look amusing.

"What did you make?" He didn't want to get his hopes up, but he couldn't help it. What if it wasn't a coarse grain cake?

"It's a special treat today: we're having thin porridge."

As soon as Li Xuemei finished speaking, Yan Lao’er turned and ran. "I'll go take a look."

He really wasn't just being greedy; he just wanted to see what this ancient thin porridge looked like.

When he entered the kitchen and saw that pot of water, Yan Lao’er was shocked!

What is this?

Porridge?

No wonder his wife had to emphasize it was *thin* porridge; it was certainly thin enough.

Is this an enema?

"Dad!" His daughter’s listless voice came from behind him. "Can you move aside?"

Yan Yu could understand her father’s mood, because she felt the same way.

After sending her father and uncle off in the morning, she had started digging holes to find bugs, feeding them one by one. It got to the point where the hens at home would cluck as soon as they saw her coming, their little heads shaking in every direction, not knowing which eye to use to track her.

As she had hoped, the two hens she had targeted laid eggs. While Sister Daya was being called away by her mother to do chores, she managed to snag two warm, pungent eggs.

She trotted back to her room, hid one, and put the other in the basket where they kept the eggs in the kitchen.

With her plan successfully completed, Yan Yu continued the work she hadn't finished yesterday.

"Washing" her parents' clothes.

Rolling them in wood ash, pulling them out with her little hands, and shaking, shaking, shaking.

The dust fell away in a flurry.

Huh? It really didn't smell as bad!

Yan Yu got busy, treating all the clothes their family had changed out of the same way. Although there weren't many pieces, piling them together gave her a great sense of accomplishment.

This was the natural laundry method of a farming family!

Just as she wanted to go out and continue socializing with the village children, an ominous feeling assaulted her little tummy.

Yan Yu scurried toward the outhouse on her little legs.

It had been several days; this was the first time she’d felt anything.

If it hadn't come, she would have thought she was sick.

Squatting in the pit, Yan Yu pushed with all her might.

But...

The food was too dry!

In the end, Yan Erya really used all her strength to stand up from the pit.

Her calves were trembling.

Coarse grain cake, you and I are mortal enemies!

What embarrassed her even more was the subsequent cleaning issue.

Bamboo strip or dried grass—take your pick.

If it were you, how would you choose?

Her mother was right; she had to seize the opportunity to solve the most urgent needs.

At this moment, Yan Yu was absolutely certain that toilet paper was their most, most, most urgent need—bar none.

After quietly telling her mother about her difficulties, Sister Daya acted as if they didn't need to save for the future anymore, pouring a whole pot of water to boil thin porridge.

Yan Yu gulped down a bowl. Although the rice flavor was faint, in this weather, drinking porridge—especially thin porridge—was quite pleasant.

But after a while, Yan Yu didn't think so anymore.

Drinking porridge really didn't fill the stomach!

She got hungry quickly and kept running to the outhouse.

And every trip to the outhouse was a battle for her.

She was outmatched; she had never won!

So, when she came to the kitchen again, Yan Yu was there to find her nemesis—the coarse grain cake.

Hearing her daughter’s experience, Yan Lao’er treated the two types of food with solemnity.

Coarse grain cakes and thin porridge...

I, your Emperor, grant you equal status!

Yan Lao’er also realized the importance of hygiene at this moment. After all, he was the one who had put the dried grass and leaves in there.

Li Xuemei was worried about her daughter and came over to check on her.

She first asked how she was feeling. Yan Yu said she was fine, it just seemed like she had been a bit "dry" lately. Li Xuemei sighed slightly. With such an unreasonable diet, let alone her daughter’s small body, even she, an adult, couldn't handle it. She didn't know whether to worry or be glad she didn't have to visit the outhouse constantly.

"By the way, help me look at this. What are these things? Let's not get them mixed up." Yan Lao’er took out the delivery list Old Yan had tossed to him.

"Brown rice, coarse salt, cotton, tung oil, hemp rope, iron pot, candles, ox cart..." Li Xuemei took it and read it item by item; the traditional characters were no problem for her.

When they reached "ox cart," the whole family widened their eyes and repeated, "Ox cart?"

"A four-year-old ox, four feet seven inches tall, five feet three inches long, with a cart frame. Twenty-eight taels of silver total." Yan Yu stood on tiptoe and read the words on the paper quickly.

"Hiss! An ox costs twenty-eight taels?" Yan Lao’er’s voice went up an octave.

To think he had been crushed by a twenty-tael gambling debt, and a single ox was worth even more than that.

"It’s not just the ox, it’s the cart too, all together for twenty-eight taels," Yan Yu explained. "The cart frame is hard to make; you have to use good wood, or it won't be strong enough. The wheels have to be polished by hand bit by bit, which is time-consuming and laborious. The size isn't just random either; it has to be customized to the ox's build. A cart frame takes a long time to finish. Besides, this ox is only four years old, just reaching adulthood, and can be used for a long time."

Yan Lao’er looked at his daughter and asked, "How do you know that?"

"Hehe!" Yan Yu snuck a glance at her mother. How else would she know? Reading books really did increase one's knowledge of strange things.

"Fifty taels, minus twenty-eight leaves twenty-two. No wonder we only bought cheap stuff," Yan Lao’er muttered.

The rice was brown, the salt was coarse...

Sigh!

Life is not easy; one can only sigh!

Old Yan: I’ve just recovered from a serious illness and am often tired. I need an ox cart. Buy, buy, buy.

Yan Lao’er: If we keep eating this coarsely, our family will completely bid farewell to the outhouse! [○｀Д○]

(End of chapter)