Chapter 19: Sensibility

“Don’t push your luck!” Shao Diandian scowled and tugged the blanket over the three little ones.

The plan for sneaky kisses was a failure.

The three little ones closed their eyes regretfully and obediently fell silent.

Children who play happily also fall asleep quickly; soon, the bed was filled with the steady, synchronized sound of their soft breathing.

Shao Diandian propped her chin on her hand, watching the three little ones sleep soundly. She didn’t even know what it felt like to have a mother’s company, yet somehow she had become a makeshift mother to others.

Some people, having been caught in the rain, long to hold an umbrella for others.

But some inherit the coldness of their parents.

...

Late into the night, the father and son finally dragged their weary bodies home, dusty and disheveled.

Once home, Old Shao buried himself in his room without even having dinner.

Shao Diandian ladled a bowl of meat broth with rice and handed it to Shao Erdan. “Where were you all today? What’s wrong with Dad?”

The first thing Shao Kang did upon returning was to call for his daughter repeatedly—something was clearly very wrong tonight.

Shao Erdan took the bowl and sipped quietly. “Uncle Cheng passed away, five days ago. Dad only heard the news today and rushed there, but the funeral was already over.”

“Who’s Uncle Cheng?” Shao Diandian asked.

Shao Erdan sighed. “He was one of Dad’s brothers, used to escort caravans with Dad several times. His legs weren’t agile, so he stopped doing it and has been doing odd jobs in town for years. Life was hard for him. When Dad was prosperous, many flattered him, but when Dad quit, only Uncle Cheng still kept in touch. You don’t remember, right? When you were seven and seriously ill, with no money for the clinic, it was Uncle Cheng who sold the old ox at home so you could afford treatment.”

That was when Shao Daya was seven and Shao Erdan was five. She was so gravely ill, burning with fever and delirious—only Shao Erdan remembered their family’s despair and how Uncle Cheng’s timely help brought new life.

While Zhang Dao, another escort partner, was a traitor, Uncle Cheng was a man of loyalty and deep feeling.

No wonder Old Shao was so heartbroken.

Shao Erdan was also troubled. “In recent years, the Cheng family borrowed heavily to pay for Uncle Cheng’s treatment. With him gone, only orphans, a widow, and an elderly mother remain. Not only can they not repay the debt, they can barely survive.”

--

The room was unlit. Shao Kang sat blankly in his chair.

Suddenly, the door was knocked on. “Dad, it’s me. Are you asleep? I’m coming in.”

Without waiting for refusal, Shao Diandian entered, carrying a bowl of soup with rice.

She didn’t light a lamp; the dim candlelight from the main hall cast a faint glow, barely revealing Shao Kang’s despondency.

He didn’t want to appear too broken in front of his daughter, so he said normally, “I’m not hungry.”

Shao Diandian handed him a slip of paper. “Take this.”

Shao Kang asked, “What is it?”

“It’s an IOU,” Shao Diandian said.

Shao Kang looked puzzled.

She took his hand and placed the IOU in his palm. “Liu Tongsheng still owes fifteen taels. When he repays, take the money and give it to the Cheng family.”

Shao Kang suddenly looked up, stunned, staring at his big, chubby daughter.

Shao Diandian withdrew her hand and sat on the stool beside him. “If it’s not enough, I have another four taels here.”

“That’s—enough...” Shao Kang’s throat tightened with emotion.

“All three of us can work and earn money. We’ll manage somehow,” Shao Diandian said, not very skilled at comforting, unsure if her words could soothe Old Shao’s heart.

“I won’t buy those cosmetics anymore, and I won’t eat Jing Ji’s pastries either. We’ll keep expenses low. I remember we have some land. When Wei Ting recovers, let him farm it, and we’ll have our own grain. That’ll save us some money.”

“See, it should be enough, right?” she said, calculating carefully.

Shao Kang’s throat ached so much he couldn’t speak.

For the loss of a dear brother and for his daughter’s maturity.

Shao Diandian pressed on: “Dad, let’s run an honest business from now on. No more cheating the villagers, okay?”

--

The next morning, Shao Diandian summoned all her willpower to drag herself from the warm bed.

It was easy to say last night, but in truth, she wasn’t so optimistic.

Losing fifteen taels at once was like adding snow to an already destitute household.

It was true that three people worked, but there were also seven mouths to feed—and every one of them was a glutton... except for the severely injured Wei Ting.

Even when he recovered, he might still be a big eater; after all, the three little ones had huge appetites, and their father’s must be no less.

“Luckily, I bought ingredients yesterday. I already planned to go do business today, so there’s no need to panic.”

Shao Diandian opened the cupboard and took out a large bowl filled with dough.

In ancient times, without yeast, fermentation relied on old dough or fermentation starter. She used old dough.

The fermentation time varied according to activity and temperature. Generally, the more active the old dough and the higher the temperature, the easier it fermented.

Summer took about two hours; winter four.

She usually kneaded the dough before sleep, so it would be nearly fermented by morning.

While waiting for the dough to rise, Shao Diandian cooked red beans and mung beans in two pots, soaked preserved mustard greens, and took out the braised pork belly.

She planned to make flaky pastries, which required a layer of oil dough.

Making oil dough was not difficult: fresh egg yolk mixed with lard and white flour, rested and rolled out, became the oil dough.

A layer of dough wrapped around a layer of oil dough made the pastries tender and flaky.

She made three fillings: red bean, mung bean, and preserved mustard greens.

When the fillings ran out, she had some leftover dough, so on a whim, she made a few pastries filled with pork intestines and brown sugar.

“Sis... what tasty things are you making again?”

Shao Erdan was woken by a full bladder, went to the outhouse, and was lured by the aroma into the kitchen.

Still half-asleep, he grabbed a pastry and bit into it—

“Hot!” Shao Diandian warned.

“Ow!” Shao Erdan’s mouth blistered.

Now fully awake and his tongue swelling, it didn’t stop him from enjoying his sister’s pastries.

“Sis, your pastries taste better than Jing Ji’s osmanthus cakes!”

He had the brown sugar ones, where the sugar had fully melted, sweet with a hint of lard’s crispness—delicious beyond words.

Shao Diandian let him try one of each flavor.

“Are you full?”

“Almost.”

“Then get ready; it’s time to work.”

Shao Erdan looked puzzled. “What work?”

...

Fifteen minutes later, the siblings set off to town carrying baskets.

“Sis, where are we selling? At the market?” Shao Erdan asked.

Most people might feel shy or hesitant on their first business outing.

But Shao Erdan was naturally thick-skinned; hesitation was not in his nature!

“No, not the market,” Shao Diandian said.

Curious, Shao Erdan asked, “Then where?”