RMCF: Chapter 45

 

Chapter 45

Zhang Fangyuan was stuck at the meat market until just past the Wu hour (11am) am. He hurriedly picked up the meal he had heated up at the restaurant, intending to check on Xu He's progress for the day.

But just as he stepped out, before he’d even had a chance to head over there, he saw Xu He returning with his basket on his back.

“Hungry?”

Zhang Fangyuan went to take the basket from Xu He's shoulder. Lifting it, he found it light. “Oh, sold quite a lot ah?”

Xu He let him take the basket and reached for the food container. The two seamlessly exchanged burdens. Xu He's shoulders felt light, and his heart even lighter. The warmth of the lunch box seeped into his palm. “Sold out completely.”

“That fast!” Zhang Fangyuan's eyes lit up. “This is way quicker than selling pork!”

Xu He just smiled, not responding to his excited words.

“Hungry. Let's eat.”

Zhang Fangyuan chuckled and quickly caught up with Xu He's steps. They returned to the stall, stored the basket behind it, and covered the remaining meat with a piece of white gauze. They left the meat market together to eat at a pavilion outside.

As the weather got hotter, the meat market became increasingly unbearable for eating. Butchers all scurried outside. Those who lived nearby would go home for lunch if business was slow, leaving their stalls empty, unafraid anyone would dare take anything.

Places like the vegetable market might have thieves bold enough to snatch something, but no thief would dare enter the meat market. A bunch of butchers with knives and cleavers—who knew if their hands would still be attached if they started something?

They headed for lunch early and managed to snag a small table in the pavilion. Xu He saw Zhang Fangyuan lay out the food but didn't rush to eat himself. Instead, he started counting money.

The heavy bag felt much lighter once emptied. He bent his head, counting coin by coin. Altogether, there was four hundred and eighty wen.

Xu He did the math. Subtracting the costs for the stall, oil paper, seasoning, and the meat itself—about one hundred seventy or eighty wen—left about three hundred wen in profit!

Even though he wasn't one to show much emotion, Xu He smiled at this. He had actually earned so much money in one day! When selling vegetables before, a good day brought in only a few dozen wen. This was many times more.

It truly was a case of high investment leading to high returns.

Xu He decided to invest a bit more when he got home! Wait, but they needed to purchase livestock to afford these things. He instinctively turned his head, and Zhang Fangyuan's chopsticks, holding a piece of cabbage, nearly poked him in the face.

“Careful!”

Xu He opened his mouth and ate the cabbage. “There's still half a pig's head at home, but not much else to spice tonight. Buying offal from other stalls would be too expensive.”

“Right! We bought the offal at the live pig price, so the profit should be even more than three hundred wen!”

Zhang Fangyuan saw his spouse was completely absorbed in making money and not paying attention to eating. He tucked the money back into Xu He's pouch. “Eat first. There's still other meat at the stall that can be spiced. We'll pick it out after eating, okay?”

Xu He nodded, finally picking up his chopsticks. Lunch was simple: a serving of bok choy, and some of the pickled bamboo shoots, chili, and radish Xu He had made earlier, brought along to eat with the rice. Zhang Fangyuan crunched on a piece of pickled radish, then leaned toward Xu He. “Chef Xu made some money today, shouldn't this humble’s wages be increased too?”

“Hmm?” Hearing this, the bright gleam of profit in Xu He's eyes instantly dimmed, replaced by caution. “A raise for what? Something you want to buy?”

Zhang Fangyuan didn’t really intended to ask for money; he just wanted to make a small request while the other was happy. He was about to speak, when unexpectedly Xu He thought for a moment and said seriously, “Okay, next time you need to buy something, I'll give you an extra five wen. You can spend them however you like.”

“…“

Even begging on the street could make ten wen on a good day.

And looking at Xu He's earnest little face, clearly showing magnanimity and understanding, Zhang Fangyuan found himself at a loss for words.

“What's wrong? Too little?”

Zhang Fangyuan immediately forced a smile. “How could that be! I'm more than happy.” What married man could freely dispose of a full five wen like himself!

“Actually, whether the allowance increases or not doesn't really matter. I have food, clothes, and a roof over my head. The important thing is to buy whatever the household requires. Shouldn't we buy…” Zhang Fangyuan leaned in again and blinked.

Xu He's chewing paused slightly. He naturally knew what Zhang Fangyuan wanted to buy. Having earned money today, he was indeed more patient and generous than usual. “How much?”

Zhang Fangyuan raised an eyebrow and held up five fingers.

Xu He's eyes widened. That item was clearly beyond his knowledge. Although he didn't know the market price, he knew it couldn't be just five wen. Even the little porcelain bottle it came in cost more than that.

But fifty wen was really too expensive. How could ordinary families afford that? No wonder some families were reluctant to marry a ger; there was actually this hidden reason.

“So expensive?”

Zhang Fangyuan coughed dryly. “You could go buy it instead.”

“It’s not what I meant. Just take it from the meat sales money.”

What did he know about that stuff? He couldn't tell good from bad, and a ger couldn't go running into brothels—what would people think? Besides, that place was full of shady characters; he wouldn't even know where to find the seller. “Just buy one this time.”

Seeing Xu He agree, Zhang Fangyuan hadn't even had time to feel pleased before he couldn't help exclaiming, “Why?!”

Xu He got agitated too. “Buying several at once would waste a whole day's earnings!”

Zhang Fangyuan swallowed a breath, his face not reddening nor his heart racing. “But buying more is cheaper. Two saves three wen, four saves eight wen!”

Xu He wavered slightly.

“We're going to use them anyway. Buying in bulk saves money and time from multiple trips. Though they're open for business, if we go too often and they memorize our faces, they'll gossip behind our backs, right?” Zhang Fangyuan pressed his advantage, then played his trump card. “Maybe you should go after all! I'm not good at bargaining. If you go, you might get it even cheaper.”

The tips of Xu He's ears turned red. He quickly said, “Forget it. I- I can't buy everything. You'll get better at bargaining with practice. You decide.”

“Alright then.” Zhang Fangyuan accepted the mission. “Don't blame me if I overpay.”

Xu He nodded. He glanced around while holding his rice bowl. Seeing no one nearby, and no one paying them any attention, he relaxed and finished his meal.

After eating, Zhang Fangyuan returned to the stall in high spirits. But Xu He, instead of savoring the joy of earning money, seemed a bit deflated. Back at the stall, he commandeered Zhang Fangyuan's lounge chair.

The chair looked cramped when Zhang Fangyuan sat in it, but spacious with Xu He—he could almost take a nap.

“Not many customers now. I'm going out for a bit. Be right back.”

Afraid Xu He might change his mind, Zhang Fangyuan grabbed some money as soon as they returned and hurried off. Xu He half-closed his eyes, pretending not to know where he was going. “Go ahead.”

Watching him leave, Xu He picked up the fan and waved away flies. He made a mental note to bring some dried mugwort tomorrow to burn—it would repel insects and mask the smell. He also inspected the remaining meat at the stall. The fatty and streaky pork had sold well today; the offal was still there: small intestines, liver, kidneys…

Xu He figured only the small intestines could be spiced; the rest wouldn't do. Then his eyes landed on the pork trotters, tail, and tongue. He could also spice the spare ribs…

The vegetables had sold well today too. Since he was changing up the spiced meat flavors, he might as well change the vegetables too.

The first batch of cowpeas in the village had already grown. Pale green, long, and slender, they were at their crispiest—perfect for lightly sun drying to make sour pickled cowpeas, or for stir-fries and rice porridge.

But the beans were young. Village families would begrudge picking them before they fully matured.

Their family's cowpeas had been planted a bit late. They'd been staked and were still flowering and setting pods, not even half as thick as a pinky finger. Even if he was willing to pick them, they hadn't developed the proper flavor yet.

No matter. He could pay to pick some from a family whose cowpeas were ready. He was sure villagers would be happy to oblige. Also, today's spring bamboo shoots could be replaced with square-stemmed bamboo shoots. The small, thin ones tasted even better when spiced than spring bamboo shoots. They had a few jin at home, so no need to search for those.

It was just a pity there were no fresh wood ear mushrooms. Several customers today had said they were delicious. He'd have to use the dried wood ears he had saved at home, soak them first and then use.

Knowing he'd have more to prepare for tomorrow's stall satisfied him. He secretly hoped they could go home early to begin spicing.

Usually, he was the one urging Zhang Fangyuan to stay longer at the stall. Today, when the sun dipped behind the Qingyao Peak, he was the one urging them to leave. To sweeten the deal, he even promised Zhang Fangyuan that if they encountered an old man selling fish on the road out of town, they'd buy one to take home.

And they'd use the leftover crispy pickled radish from lunch to cook the fish. Xu He agreed to that too.

As they drove the cart back to the village, sunset colored half the sky. A gentle evening breeze blew. Zhang Fangyuan propped his feet up, loosely holding the reins, idly anticipating the evening's culinary delights.

“Why does the village seem livelier than usual today?”

Hearing this, Zhang Fangyuan craned his neck. True, the Hu family yard at the village entrance was noisy and chaotic.

"Go take a look?"

Xu He wasn't one for gawking, but the cart had to pass by their house anyway.

As the horse trotted past, Zhang Fangyuan spotted the official with a knife tucked into his waistband. He didn't need to go closer to know what was happening. “Tax collectors are here.”

“Which household? Go home and prepare! Time to pay the poll tax and corvée tax!”

Before they could even speak, the official hailed them.

"Corvée tax and poll tax together this year?"

Zhang Fangyuan asked from the cart.

The yamen runner looked Zhang Fangyuan up and down, somewhat displeased with his attitude of not getting off the cart to speak with proper respect. He said sternly, “That’s the imperial decree. Do you think such matters need to be explained to the likes of you? When told to prepare, you prepare. What's with all the questions?!”

Zhang Fangyuan wasn't exactly good-tempered either. He turned his head, ready to snap back, but Xu He grabbed his wrist. “Understood, Officer. We'll head back now and prepare the silver for the taxes.”

Only then did the runner show slight satisfaction. “Go on, then. When the time comes, the amount due and the number of persons for corvée labor are all recorded here.”

***

T/N

we’re finally seeing more of the 'controlling fulang' mentioned in the title x) 

for all these taxes, I’m not sure how exactly they work either, just know that: the poll tax was a monetary payment levied on individuals (set amount per person,...), contrary to the land tax which was usually paid in grain; the corvee tax on the other hand required men to work for the state which may include military service, but you could be exempted by paying a fee,... it will be explained in the next chapter tho

 

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