Pastoral Splendor

The sun gradually rose to its zenith, its rays so intense that it was hard to open one's eyes. Everything was blindingly white, and even the grass on the ground seemed to have softened, its vibrant leaves lying flat on the ground as if it had no strength to stretch out.

Sihua returned carrying a basket, looking somewhat dejected. Yanying glanced at her basket, which was barely full, unlike the basket that had been piled high with fruit when she left a couple of days earlier.

"What's wrong, Sihua?" Yan Ying smiled and took the bamboo basket from her hands. "Why are you so listless?"

Sihua pouted and said, "There are people everywhere on the mountain. Even in places where only one or two bamboo stalks grow, there are people loitering around! A couple of days ago, I could easily dig up a whole basketful, but today..." She pointed to the bamboo basket, "There are even more people! Wuhua only dug up a small half-basketful and is still working hard on the mountain!"

Yan Ying smiled and started peeling the bamboo shoots, while comforting Si Hua: "I told you a long time ago not to go up the mountain to dig. We have enough bamboo shoots. If we dig up any more, I can only make dried bamboo shoots."

“Making dried bamboo shoots is also a way to make money.” Sihua squatted down and started peeling bamboo shoots. Layers of grayish-green bamboo shoots grew around her, like a thin membrane. When the sunlight shone on them, they seemed to become transparent, and you could see the soil surface.

"Why hasn't anyone brought bamboo shoots to sell today?" Yan Ying frowned. "Is it because so many people are digging them that it's difficult to even fill a basket?"

Sihua nodded: "That's right? For the past two days, someone has been delivering bamboo shoots over in no time. Today..." Her eyes looked towards the door, and a look of surprise appeared on her face: "Third Sister, someone's here! Someone's here!"

The butcher's wife walked in with her daughter, Erni. Both of them carried a bamboo basket on their arms, and a group of villagers from Xiaojia Village followed behind them, all with smiles on their faces and eager expressions in their eyes.

As soon as she entered, the butcher's wife put down her bamboo basket, shook her arms, and exclaimed, "Oh dear, I'm exhausted!"

Erni walked up to Yanying and pointed to the basket of bamboo shoots: "Sanhua, how can you be so heartless?"

"Black?" Yan Ying looked at Er Ni, somewhat bewildered: "Er Ni, what did you say?" It's ridiculous. She didn't force her to dig, and just because she's tired from working, she says she's black-hearted? If she doesn't want to work hard, she can just stay home and lie down!

"You buy our bamboo shoots for two copper coins a pound, but sell them for one tael of silver a jar!" Erni pointed her plump finger at Yanying, angrily accusing her: "Do you think we don't know?"

It seems the manager of Ruyi Restaurant came over, was spotted, and stopped to ask the price... But who set this price of one tael of silver per jar? Yan Ying was a little puzzled; how could her pickled bamboo shoots be sold so cheaply?

The villagers following behind were also shocked: "There's such a thing?" They all joined Erni in shouting: "Sanhua, you did a bad job. You can sell it for one or two taels of silver a jar, but you only gave us two copper coins a pound!"

The butcher's wife glanced at Yan Ying smugly, one hand on her arm and the other waving it around: "San Hua, why don't you raise the price a bit? Twenty copper coins a pound, not expensive, right?"

Yan Ying was somewhat amused and exasperated. Twenty copper coins a pound for bamboo shoots in their shells? Was she doing charity work? Her family was so poor; she had to work hard to earn money first, so she could have the leisure to help the people of Xiaojia Village live a better life. She glanced at the butcher's wife and pouted, "Auntie, this is the price I can offer. If you don't want it, there's nothing I can do."

"You don't want it?" The butcher's wife jumped up, staring at Yan Ying with her dead fish eyes: "How can you not take it? I went to the mountains to dig bamboo shoots for you, Xiao Sanhua, you can't be so heartless!"

“Auntie, did I tell you that I insisted you dig bamboo shoots for me? It’s voluntary. I set the price at two copper coins a pound. If you don’t want to sell, that’s fine. I didn’t force you. Besides,” Yan Ying bent down and picked a small bamboo shoot from the butcher’s wife’s bamboo basket, “Auntie, look at this. It’s not a bamboo shoot at all. It’s clearly the father of a bamboo shoot!”

Sihua covered her mouth and laughed, "He'll be a grandfather soon!"

The butcher's wife blushed and said, "Xiao Sanhua, are you going to raise the price or not? If you don't, I won't sell them anymore, and I'll tell all the villagers how much you sold them for per jar! Then everyone will make their own pickled bamboo shoots to sell, and no one will sell their bamboo shoots to you!"

Several middle-aged women behind her hesitated before asking, "Can it really sell for one or two taels of silver per jar?"

The butcher's wife wiped her shiny hands and nodded repeatedly: "We're all neighbors, would I lie to you? You can go ask Mrs. Xiao Laifu, she's planning to make pickled bamboo shoots herself."

She wavered for a few moments, whispered a few words to herself, and slowly walked out of the courtyard with her basket. Several others echoed the butcher's wife, saying, "Sanhua, why don't you raise the price a little? Twenty copper coins a pound, fifteen would be fine too!" The butcher's wife chuckled, "Xiao family's third daughter, don't overeat. It's better to spit some out!"

Yan Ying saw that the people in the courtyard were shouting that they would not sell anymore, and just smiled slightly: "I will only offer two copper coins. If you fellow villagers think it is too little, there is nothing I can do. You can take it and make pickled bamboo shoots to sell yourselves. I will not stop you."

"Sanhua!" Aunt Xiao came out of the house carrying Qihua, looking a little nervous. "It's hard for the villagers to make money, so why don't you raise the price a bit!" Three taels of silver for a jar of pickled bamboo shoots, and her own third daughter buying bamboo shoots for two copper coins a pound—that's too stingy. Let's make money together!

Yan Ying looked back at Aunt Xiao, feeling like she was about to vomit blood. Was her kind-hearted mother planning to become the merciful Guanyin Bodhisattva? The reason why her pickled bamboo shoots could sell for three taels of silver a jar was not only because of her good skills, but also mainly because of her relationship with Xu Yixuan. How come her mother thought that selling pickled bamboo shoots was almost as easy as drinking porridge?

Right now, she's the only one selling pickled bamboo shoots. Now, all the villagers know that pickled bamboo shoots are profitable, so everyone is making them. Pickled bamboo shoots are everywhere in Yuzhou City. The price of pickled bamboo shoots might drop, and it's uncertain whether she'll be able to sell her stored pickled bamboo shoots for a good price then.

Hearing Aunt Xiao speak, the butcher's wife became even more prejudiced. She puffed out her cheeks, looking exactly like a frog: "Xiao Sanhua, your mother told you to raise the price, didn't you hear her?"

Yan Ying smiled and said, "Since my mother has spoken, I'll raise the price a little. How about three copper coins a pound?"

"Three copper coins? You're giving this to a beggar?" The butcher's wife craned her neck and yelled at Aunt Xiao, "Look at how heartless your third daughter is! She only raised the price by one copper coin! Do you know how hard it is for us to go out into the mountains to find bamboo shoots? And this is all she's worth?"

"Yes, yes!" Several older women behind them complained, "Three copper coins a pound is really outrageous. How could the third daughter of the Xiao family be so heartless!"

Hearing the whispers around her, Aunt Xiao's face flushed red. She glanced at Yan Ying and sighed, "Yan Ying, digging bamboo shoots is really hard work, you see..." Before she could finish, Si Hua, ever observant, stepped forward and helped Aunt Xiao up, saying, "Oh dear, Mother, why don't you go inside and rest? The sun is so strong outside, why did you come out? It's almost noon, we should start cooking!"

Yan Ying suppressed a laugh and glanced at the group of middle-aged women surrounding her. She nodded and said, "I know you've all worked hard, but making money is really not easy! Just because you make pickled bamboo shoots doesn't mean you can sell them. If you can't sell them, I'll lose money! If you think the price I'm offering is too low, fine, go find someone who can offer a higher price, or make your own pickled bamboo shoots. I won't stop you! Three copper coins a pound. If you want to sell, sell; if you don't want to sell, just leave. Our door isn't locked!"

Several middle-aged women, hearing Yan Ying's resolute words, began to waver. They pulled the people next to them aside and said, "Although we've earned fifty or sixty coins every day these past two days, it's still far too little compared to one or two taels of silver!"

"Yes, yes, it's really too little." Someone glared at Yan Ying and said, "That third daughter of the Xiao family is really stubborn. Didn't you hear her mother saying she wants to raise the price even more?"

Yan Ying ignored the group and squatted down to continue peeling bamboo shoots. She didn't have the time to argue with them. She already had enough pickled bamboo shoots. If she collected more, she could just dry them. She was doing a good deed for the villagers and wanted them to make more money, but they didn't appreciate her kindness.

Seeing Yan Ying's calm and composed demeanor, the butcher's wife stomped her foot in anger: "Xiao Sanhua, you're so smug! I'll see you cry one day, when you can't even sell your pickled bamboo shoots, and you'll be in big trouble!" She grabbed Erni: "Come on, come on, let's go back and make our own pickled bamboo shoots!"

Seeing that the butcher's wife had left, the group of people who had followed her also withdrew: "Who doesn't know how to make pickled vegetables? The third daughter of the Xiao family acted all high and mighty, as if she was the only one who knew how to make this pickled bamboo shoots!"

"That's right!" The sharp-tongued old woman, who had been hiding at the back of the crowd, spat angrily when she saw that Yan Ying refused to raise the price: "Heartless wretch! No wonder her family line has ended! I bet if they have another child, it will be a girl, and their family will only get poorer and poorer!"

Yan Ying raised her head and gave Si Jin an cold glance. Si Jin trembled all over and quickly walked forward with her basket, not daring to look back at Xiao Lao Da's courtyard: "Xiao family's third daughter, that eye of yours is really sharp. It looks like a knife to me!"

The crowd dispersed, leaving only the Peach Blossom and Plum Blossom sisters in the courtyard: "Sister Sanhua, we'll sell you the ones we dug up."

Yan Ying smiled slightly: "Okay."

Peach Blossom and Plum Blossom weren't fools. Their families were so poor they couldn't even afford to eat, let alone have extra money to buy jars for making pickled bamboo shoots. They'd rather sell them to themselves and get a good amount of money. Yan Ying felt a pang of sympathy for the two sisters, calculated it to be three copper coins a pound, and gave each of them an extra ten copper coins: "Save them yourselves, slowly build up your dowry!" Those who are loyal to you should be rewarded well; they might come in very handy later.

The two looked up and glanced at Yan Ying with surprise: "Thank you, Sister Sanhua!"

Chapter Forty-Five: Perseverance

As dusk settled, Xiaojia Village gradually came alive. People returned from working in the fields, and children ran and chased each other under the big tree at the village entrance, startling the birds in the woods. The birds flapped their wings and flew up into the sky with a whoosh, casting faint shadows on the ground, bathed in the warm golden-red glow of the setting sun.

Aunt Xiao sat by the stove, gazing at the flickering flames in the firebox, her brows slightly furrowed. Liu Hua, who was squatting under the stove tending the fire, looked at her and softly said, "Mother, don't worry, Third Sister is right!"

Sihua nimbly chopped the vegetables without uttering a sound. Aunt Xiao had been sullen all afternoon, all because of that butcher's wife's commotion today. Everyone's eyes were only on that few coins, as if they were afraid that her family would make too much money. What a dream! Twenty copper coins a pound of bamboo shoots, and she had the nerve to ask for more? If she were the third sister, she wouldn't give a single copper coin more!

"Fourth Flower, what I say doesn't matter anymore. You all only listen to Third Flower now." Aunt Xiao reached out and patted Seventh Flower. Looking at her dark, bright eyes, she felt a pang of sadness. Her daughters had grown up and each of them had their own ideas. When she spoke, none of them took her words seriously.

“Mother, we’re not disobeying you.” Sihua chopped the vegetables, poured a ladle of water into the pot, scrubbed it a few times with a brush, and poured the dirty water out: “They were just being unreasonable, Third Sister did the right thing.”

Seeing that Sihua was very insistent, Aunt Xiao didn't say anything more. She thought to herself that when Xiao Laoda returned, they would work together to persuade her daughters, who were blinded by greed. Earning money was fine, but maintaining good neighborly relations was also important. Since Sanhua could easily earn a large sum of money, why not let the neighbors benefit as well? It was a simple matter of lending a hand. After all, they were all from the same village, and they would see each other all the time; it wouldn't be good to ruin their relationships.