Husband, Let Me Touch Your Abs - Chapter 33

Chapter 33

 

A pig’s hock was completely devoured by the four of them, even the crispy bones were gnawed clean by the two children.

 

I have to say, wild boar meat is truly delicious, much better than the pork they had eaten before! Especially the layer of skin on the hock, which was sticky and chewy in the mouth.

 

Lu Yao let out a satisfied burp. So good! If only there were more pork available, but given the current price of pork, that’s a bit difficult—forty to fifty wen per pound, and a pound of pork could buy half a corn.

 

After the meal, Zhao Beichuan fed the donkey some hay, as the two prepared to go to the town to pick up a cart.

 

Lin Daman was pushing a cart to sell tofu, and Lu Yao asked him to inquire about which family in the village had just had lambs, to help buy some sheep milk.

 

The piglets they brought back yesterday were already crying out loudly from hunger.

 

Zhao Xiaonian hugged one of the piglets, saying sadly, “Sister-in-law, you guys come back soon, or the piglets will starve to death.”

 

“Don’t worry, they won’t starve. Just make sure you don’t play with them too much.”

 

Zhao Beichuan placed half a hock of pork on the donkey’s back, along with the pig’s head, securing it with rope, and took a knife and a scale.

 

“Lu Yao, are you ready?”

 

“Hey, coming.” Lu Yao came out with a backpack on his shoulders. Today, he had tied his hair back into a bun, wrapped it in a piece of light-colored linen, exposing a bit of his fair neck, which made him look even more handsome, like a tender green onion.

 

Zhao Beichuan stole a few glances at him, and when Lu Yao walked next to him, they both headed outside together.

 

Today was the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Zhongqiu Festival. It was one of the biggest festivals apart from the New Year, and many villagers were going to the market to buy things.

 

On the way, Lu Yao ran into quite a few acquaintances. These days, as he sold tofu, he had become familiar with many people. Everyone greeted him, calling him the Tofu Man.

 

This title made Lu Yao feel a bit embarrassed; at least it was tofu. If he sold pork, wouldn’t he be called the Pork Man?

 

“Tofu Man, are you going to the market to sell meat?” Behind them, Ding the Carpenter was driving a donkey cart past them. His family was one of the few in the village that raised donkeys.

 

“Yeah, Da Chuan hunted a wild boar on the mountain yesterday. We can’t eat it all, so we’re selling some.”

 

“Oh, it’s a wild boar! How much is it per pound?”

 

Lu Yao thought for a moment; the price in town was fifty wen per pound, so he decided to sell it a bit cheaper to make it easier to sell.

 

“Fifty wen to others, but Uncle Ding, I’ll sell it to you for forty-five wen per pound.”

 

Ding the Carpenter immediately stopped the cart. “Hey, give me two pounds! I want to treat my little grandson!”

 

“Okay.” Lu Yao led the donkey while Zhao Beichuan took the pork off, placed it on Ding the Carpenter’s cart, and cut off a piece of the fatty meat for him.

 

Lu Yao weighed it and said, “Two pounds and three taels, a total of one hundred and three wen. Just give me one hundred wen.”

 

Ding the Carpenter quickly opened the wooden box on his cart, pulled out a string of coins, and handed it to Lu Yao. “Tofu Man, you really know how to do business!”

 

As pedestrians on the road saw them stop to sell pork, they all came forward to ask about the prices.

 

Lu Yao quoted fifty wen uniformly. Some thought it was too expensive and walked away, while others hesitated and only bought half a pound. Lu Yao didn’t mind and let Zhao Beichuan cut the meat from the good parts for them. After selling five portions, they earned over two hundred wen, and the two continued on their way.

 

When they arrived in town, Lu Yao was once again amazed by the bustling scene. Today, there were especially many people at the market, jostling against each other, making it hard to move.

 

“Where should we sell the meat?” Lu Yao asked.

 

“Let’s get the cart first. Once we have it, we can set up a stall on it right away.”

 

The two headed straight for the carpenter’s shop. When they arrived, they handed over the wooden plaque they had left earlier, and soon someone pushed over the newly made wooden cart.

 

The new wooden cart was coated with tung oil and looked shiny and bright, much nicer than the one they had borrowed from the Qin family! Lu Yao couldn’t help but sigh as he touched the wooden cart; no matter the era, a man’s love for carts never changes.

 

In his previous life, the first vehicle he bought was an electric car. Although it wasn’t expensive, it was very convenient to use. Unfortunately, while the car didn’t get scrapped, he did.

 

Zhao Beichuan bent down to inspect the wheels and the yoke, confirming there were no defects before completing the transaction with the carpenter’s shop.

 

Having a cart was not enough; they also needed a full set of donkey harnesses, which were sold here as well.

 

A regular hemp harness cost sixty wen per set. Although it was cheap, it wouldn’t last long, wearing out in about a year. There was also a high-end one that was made with leather, durable and waterproof, but it was several times more expensive.

 

A good horse deserves a good saddle. Although their big flower was not a horse, it didn’t look bad either. Lu Yao spent two hundred and seventy wen on a leather harness, putting it on the donkey, and their donkey cart was ready.

 

Zhao Beichuan helped him onto the cart, and they loaded the pork onto it. The two drove the cart slowly towards the market.

 

“Selling pork, fresh wild boar meat—delicious and fatty!” Lu Yao called out, his clear voice instantly attracting the attention of the people around.

 

“Old man, do you want to buy pork? Fresh wild boar meat!”

 

An elderly man, unable to resist the inquiry, walked over to take a look. Upon confirming it was indeed wild boar meat, he asked about the price, “How much are you selling it for?”

 

“Fifty wen per pound, the same as ordinary pork, but our wild boar meat tastes different—delicious and tender. If you don’t believe me, buy a piece to try!”

 

The old man hesitated for a moment, pointing to a piece of fatty meat and said, “Give me a pound of that, I want the fatty part.”

 

“Okay!”

 

Zhao Beichuan skillfully cut the meat. Although he had never sold pork before, he was quite precise, with the weight fluctuating only by two or three taels.

 

Just as the old man left, a woman in a thin cloth dress approached. She walked up and looked at the pork, saying, “Young man, cut me five pounds of meat.”

 

“Okay, please wait a moment.”

 

Zhao Beichuan quickly cut a large piece of meat, and Lu Yao weighed it, saying, “Five pounds and three taels. The total is two hundred and sixty-five wen, but since you’re buying a lot, you can just give me two hundred and sixty wen.”

 

The woman chuckled, “You’re quite the businessman, young man. Where did you hunt this wild boar?”

 

Zhao Beichuan replied, “In the big mountains to the south. Regular folks don’t dare go there; it’s easy to get lost.”

 

Not long after, a man walked over with a package, and the couple seemed to be married. The man counted out the money and handed it to Lu Yao, then picked up the meat, and they left the stall.

 

The wild boar meat was selling quickly. After a busy autumn, everyone was exhausted, but today was a festival, and people were willing to spend money to buy a piece of meat to reward themselves.

 

By the end, Lu Yao counted the money until his hands felt weak—really weak—because the copper coins were too heavy. A string of coins weighed eight pounds, and they had sold over three strings by the end of the morning.

 

In the end, a little bit of meat and the pig’s head were bought by a woman selling radishes nearby, and all the pork was sold out.

 

Looking at the heavy bag of copper coins, Lu Yao exclaimed excitedly, “Let’s go buy some things!”

 

No matter the era, shopping always fills people with passion!

 

Sitting in the cart, Lu Yao looked around, and whenever he saw something for sale, he had Zhao Beichuan drive the cart over to take a look.

 

The small vendors, with shoulder poles, wove through the crowd, calling out, “Rouge and face powder—needle and thread packs—hair flowers and combs—smoking pipes and pots—”

 

Lu Yao squeezed through and grabbed a vendor, “I’ll take a fine-toothed comb.”

 

“Do you want it made of peach wood or ebony?”

 

“How much is it?”

 

“Peach wood is five wen, ebony is seven wen.”

 

“I’ll take the peach wood one.” Lu Yao took out five coins from his bag and handed them over.

 

The lice on his head just wouldn’t go away, so Lu Yao decided to take some time to comb everyone’s hair at home.

 

“Do you want rouge and face powder? They all come from the south, and they smell wonderful when applied to the face.”

 

Lu Yao waved his hand but noticed some pretty hair flowers tied with red silk. “How much for a pair of those?”

 

“Ten wen for a pair.”

 

That price was a bit high, but thinking that a foot of silk cost sixty wen, it was acceptable. He spent ten wen to buy them, figuring they would look great on Xiaonian.

 

“Freshly made round cakes, sweet and delicious—hey!” This round cake was probably the precursor to mooncakes, made with gray flour, palm-sized, and filled with roasted sesame and sugar. A small piece cost ten wen.

 

Lu Yao thought that was a bit excessive; it would be better to buy some sugar and make his own, as the filling would surely be more generous than what they put in.

 

“Fresh cabbage—crisp and juicy, radishes like pears—let’s trade for something spicy!” Lu Yao stopped in front of a vegetable stall.

 

This year, the vegetable plot in the backyard was flooded, and later they replanted some cabbage, but it didn’t grow big. They had picked the tender leaves and eaten them.

 

Now that the weather was cool, it was too late to plant vegetables. Lu Yao planned to buy some cabbage to take home, ferment a barrel of sauerkraut for winter.

 

After asking about the prices, he found out that cabbage was sold per head for three wen each, with each head weighing about three or four pounds. Lu Yao bought fifty heads of cabbage in one go, and the radishes were one wen each. Since they didn’t look great, he only bought twenty, loading them onto the cart to take back.

 

Passing in front of the vegetable stall, they came to a row of shops. When he used to have no money, Lu Yao wouldn’t dare enter, but now that his wallet was full, he naturally wanted to go in and take a look.

 

The first shop was a butcher’s, with freshly slaughtered pigs hanging at the entrance, alongside various cuts of meat. Since he couldn’t finish the pork at home, Lu Yao didn’t pay much attention and went directly to the next shop.

 

The second shop was a winery, with seven or eight large black earthen jars inside. The owner of the wine shop was lying on a straw mat nearby, snoring loudly.

 

Lu Yao intended to buy some yellow wine to use for stewing meat in the evening.

 

“Hey, wake up! I want to buy some wine.”

 

“Ah, coming, coming.” The owner groggily turned over and sat up, taking a while to wake up.

 

“What kind of wine do you want?”

 

“The most common yellow wine, give me a small jar.”

 

The owner picked up an empty jar nearby and filled it with two scoops of yellow wine. “Sixty-five wen.”

 

Lu Yao counted the money and handed it to him, saying, “Next time, if I bring my own jar, can you give me a discount?”

 

“I can give you a discount of ten wen.”

 

Alright, this wine was indeed quite expensive.

 

Next to the winery was a salt shop, where Lu Yao bought five pounds of salt for pickling vegetables and sauerkraut.

 

Further ahead was a fabric shop. The last time he came, he only bought a few feet of coarse cloth. This time, Lu Yao planned to buy some fine cloth and cotton to make cotton clothes for a few people.

 

As soon as he entered, he ran into a familiar face—Xu Dengke.

 

“Ayao, you’re here to buy fabric too?”

 

Lu Yao rolled his eyes; why was this person so persistent?

 

Xu Dengke leaned closer and whispered, “The last thing you told me to do, I’ve taken care of it. Sure enough, someone came to find me and asked me to stir up trouble in your village. They even gave me three hundred wen!”

 

“Oh.” Lu Yao ignored him and asked the shop assistant how much the fine cotton fabric was.

 

The assistant brought out four rolls of different colored fine cotton fabric. “They’re all thirty wen per foot, and if you buy a whole roll, it’s cheaper at two guan and six qian per roll.” One roll is one hundred feet.

 

The four colors were indigo, stone green, earth gray, and deep brown. The dyeing technology in ancient times was quite limited, and most colors were made from plants, resulting in very dull and simple shades. Of course, there were also bright colors, but those were reserved for expensive fabrics, and ordinary people couldn’t afford to wear them.

 

Although both the fine and coarse fabrics were made of cotton, they felt completely different to the touch. The fine fabric was soft and warm, while the coarse fabric felt rough and prickly.

 

Lu Yao bought both types—fine for the lining and coarse for the outer layer, spending a total of seven hundred wen.

 

“Do you have any cotton?”

 

“Yes, yes, yes. We just got a shipment of cotton from the Western Region, one hundred and fifty wen per pound.”

 

Lu Yao had never made cotton clothes before. “How much cotton do I need to make a full set of clothes?”

 

“That depends on how thick you want it. Generally, adult cotton clothes weigh six or eight taels, or a pound.”

 

Lu Yao estimated that for the two kids, about four pounds of cotton would be enough if he made it thicker. Reluctantly, he took out six hundred wen and said, “I’ll take four pounds of cotton.”

 

The assistant quickly took the money and went to fetch the cotton.

 

Xu Dengke, standing nearby, stared wide-eyed. “Ayao, have you struck it rich?”

 

“Don’t call me Ayao anymore; my husband is waiting outside. This money is all from him selling wild boar meat.”

 

Xu Dengke swallowed hard. “Your husband is… pretty impressive.”

 

Lu Yao nodded. “Yes, he’s very capable. He also has a bad temper. Last time someone in the village angered him, he broke their arm.”

 

“Ha, well, I have something to do, so I’ll be leaving now.” Xu Dengke quickly left the fabric shop, seemingly eager to escape.

 

At the door, he saw Zhao Beichuan sitting on the donkey cart. With his sturdy build and fierce appearance, he looked like someone not to be trifled with. Xu Dengke was too scared to think about Lu Yao, afraid that if he annoyed this man, he’d get beaten up.

 

Lu Yao came out of the fabric shop with the cloth and cotton, and Zhao Beichuan quickly stepped forward to take them.

 

“This cotton and cloth are too expensive! I spent over a guan of money!”

 

Zhao Beichuan laughed. “We don’t grow cotton or hemp here; it’s all brought in from other places, so the prices are naturally much higher. My mother told me that when they were in their hometown, every family wove cloth, and a roll only cost six qian.”

 

This was the first time Lu Yao heard him mention his past. “Where’s your hometown?”

 

“Qingzhou, Jiuyuan County, Tianma Town, Zhao Village.” He remembered this place well, as his father had mentioned it many times before he passed away.

 

Lu Yao said, “I don’t know how far Qingzhou is from here. Do you still have relatives there? We should visit someday.”

 

Zhao Beichuan took it as casual talk and didn’t think much of it.

 

After leaving the fabric shop, the two went to the medicine shop. They still had some plaster at home, but with the cold weather approaching, it was wise to buy more to save trips.

 

Rabbit skins need to be tanned with alum, and they sold that in the pharmacy. There were also white cardamom and cinnamon, both commonly used in traditional medicine and as spices for stewing meat. Lu Yao spent over a hundred wen to buy some of each.

 

As they passed by the iron shop, Lu Yao went in to ask about the price of iron pots. Although clay pots were cheaper, they were always less convenient than iron pots.

 

After inquiring, he found out that a small twenty-inch iron pot cost three guan—almost the price of half a donkey! Shocked, Lu Yao hurriedly stepped back out.

 

Having bought everything, the sky was getting dark, and the two of them pulled their cart full of goods toward home.

 

Last night, Lu Yao had stayed up all night cleaning the pig and hadn’t slept at all, so he felt a bit drowsy and leaned back against the cotton to doze off.

 

Zhao Beichuan glanced back at him and slowed the pace of the donkey.

 

The evening glow painted both of them, with green and yellow grass and trees lining the road. The donkey cart bumped along the uneven dirt road, swaying to an ancient and long melody.