Chapter 83: It Looks Like a Good Business
The Li family had five siblings: Li Jinzhu, Li Yuzhu, and Li Yin Zhu, who woke up earlier than chickens every day since the day they were born.
Although Li Xuedong was pampered, this pampering did not include sleeping in, and besides, he had to attend morning school.
As for Li Xiaonan, she originally woke up earlier than chickens too, but ever since the preserved egg business started at home, with Eldest Sister and Second Sister leaving early and returning late every day, she started waking up later and later.
Li Yin Zhu woke up, rubbed her eyes, and entered the kitchen. She stared at the firelight in the stove for a moment before realizing where she was.
Their family now had Mei Jie!
“The hot water is ready, the tea is brewed, and the meal is almost done. I’ll pour you some tea,” Mei Jie said, quickly standing up from the stove.
“I don’t need hot water, and I don’t drink tea. Why haven’t you lit the lamp?” Li Yin Zhu realized, standing at the doorway, feeling a bit at a loss.
Mei Jie had finished all her chores; what should she do?
“No need to light the lamp; there’s fire in the stove, and it’s bright enough,” Mei Jie mixed a bowl of warm water and offered it to Li Yin Zhu with both hands. “You can brush your teeth first; the meal will be ready soon.”
“Put it here first. Mei Jie, you don’t need to mind me.” Li Yin Zhu took a thin piece of firewood from the stove and lit the lamp.
“We didn’t use to light lamps either. Eldest Sister thought it was a waste of oil. We only started lighting lamps after moving here. We didn’t feel it before, but now that we’ve lit the lamp, it’s really hard to see without it,” Li Yin Zhu said as she lit the lamp.
The kitchen instantly became bright, and the warm, yellowish light spilled into the courtyard.
Li Jinzhu, Li Yuzhu, and Li Xuedong also got up, taking their toothbrushes to brush their teeth and wash their faces.
Mei Jie mixed a small dish of shredded lettuce, sliced two of the salted eggs from yesterday, and then scooped out five boiled eggs. She lifted the lid and served five bowls of thick vegetable congee.
These were the dishes Li Jinzhu had ordered the previous night.
“The lettuce is a bit old,” Mei Jie said, pointing to a slightly pale pile of shredded lettuce, explaining with a worried heart.
Old Master Kuan had instructed her that Eldest Sister was frugal, so she hadn’t dared to cut off too much of the old root, as that part of the shredded lettuce was tough.
“It was too tender when I went home before the New Year; by the time I came back, it was old!” Li Yin Zhu peeked over and said with great distress.
“One less boiled egg,” Li Yuzhu said, looking at the five boiled eggs and smiling at Mei Jie.
“I don’t want to…”
“A Nan won’t wake up until dawn,” Li Yin Zhu placed a boiled egg in front of Mei Jie. “You eat it. These past few days, A Nan has found boiled eggs bland and wants them fried.”
“I also think fried ones are tastier,” Li Xuedong chimed in, sticking his head out. Meeting Li Yin Zhu’s sideways glance, he quickly added, “It’s not good to eat too much oil in the morning; these are the best.”
Li Jinzhu had to go buy eggs and needed to get an early start. Li Yuzhu had to walk for half an hour to reach the workshop outside the city. The two ate their meal in a hurry and quickly left.
Li Xuedong was going to accompany Eldest Uncle Li Wenliang to the warehouse to learn about picking goods and also needed to get an early start.
In a short while, only Li Yin Zhu and Mei Jie were left at home.
Mei Jie scooped out Li Xiaonan’s bowl of vegetable congee, kept it warm in the hot water at the bottom of the pot, and left a piece of firewood in the stove. She then left the kitchen and snatched the broom from Li Yin Zhu to sweep the courtyard.
Li Yin Zhu spun around and went to tidy up the vegetable garden in the backyard.
When the sky was fully bright, Li Xiaonan woke up, ate her meal, and looked at her Third Sister, suggesting they go out for a stroll.
Li Yin Zhu, having had her household chores taken by Mei Jie, was pacing around the courtyard with her hands on her hips, feeling restless. She immediately agreed happily and went out with Li Xiaonan.
Standing at the alley entrance, Li Yin Zhu pointed left and then right, asking, “Where should we go for a walk?”
“This way. Let’s go take a look at the cloth shop.”
Li Xiaonan had already asked Eldest Uncle how to get to the cloth shop.
The two walked and looked around. They walked for nearly an hour before entering the cloth shop.
It wasn’t even past the first lunar month, and more than half of the shops in the cloth market were still closed.
Li Yin Zhu followed Li Xiaonan, looking from shop to shop.
“What are you looking at?” Li Yin Zhu asked after following for a while, unable to figure out what Li Xiaonan was observing.
“Sister Zhi just bought a six-harness loom, and the cloth it weaves is both fine and soft, and beautiful,” Li Xiaonan said, stretching her neck to carefully examine the bolts of fine cloth on the counter.
Two shop assistants stood nearby, chatting idly.
With their extensive experience, they could tell at a glance that these two girls had neither money nor were they in charge of the household.
“You want to see a loom? The looms are over there,” Li Yin Zhu said, pulling Li Xiaonan towards the looms.
Behind a large area of looms of various sizes, harness boxes, and heddle frames, a woman around thirty years old was weaving.
Li Yin Zhu leaned closer to watch the woman weave.
The woman was using a large eight-harness loom. Her shuttle flew, her feet worked the pedals, and her hands and feet moved extremely quickly. She could still greet Li Yin Zhu, “Are you here to see the loom or the heddle frames? Are you weaving dowry cloth?”
Li Yin Zhu’s eyes were fixed on the woman’s rapidly moving feet. She was so engrossed that she didn’t hear the woman’s question.
“Sister-in-law, what pattern are you weaving?” Li Xiaonan walked around Li Yin Zhu and leaned in to look at a piece of fine cloth in front of the scroll.
“This is ‘Flowers Blooming with Wealth’,” the woman replied with a smile.
“This cloth is so fine and beautiful. Sister-in-law, what is this cloth for?” Li Xiaonan leaned in again to look at the constantly moving harness boxes.
“It’s for my daughter’s dowry.”
“Sister-in-law, you’re so young! You have a child? If I hadn’t seen your hair tied up, I would have thought you were about the same age as my Third Sister,” Li Xiaonan exclaimed in surprise.
The woman stopped weaving and burst out laughing. “You’re such a sweet talker! I’m over thirty. Is this your Third Sister? What are you two looking at? The loom or the heddle frames? I’ll give you a better price.”
“My Third Sister wants a loom as big as yours, but our house is too small to fit it,” Li Xiaonan sighed. “My future sister-in-law also has a loom like this, also for weaving dowry cloth. Sister-in-law, does dowry cloth have to be woven by oneself? Can’t it be bought?”
“Of course, it can be bought, but it’s too expensive and not cost-effective!” the woman said heartily and decisively. “There are also fewer patterns. Those who can afford this kind of fine cloth can also afford looms, heddle frames, and pattern books. Either you weave it yourself, or you ask someone to weave it for you; it’s cheaper and better.”
“Your Mandarin is very good, not like those people from the north with their stiff tongues. Where is your home from?”
“We just moved from Kunshan County to Pingjiang last year. My brother passed the Xiucai exam and is studying at the Prefectural School, so we live on Academy Street,” Li Xiaonan said with a sweet smile.
“Oh! Then you must be a scholarly family! How big is your place? Can this four-harness loom fit? This one is on consignment; it’s a truly good item. You can have it for seventy percent of the price, and I’ll even include a three-harness harness box.” The woman stood up and led the two to a four-harness loom in the corner.
Li Yin Zhu touched the smooth loom, unable to put it down.
“This loom is so smooth and beautiful, Sister-in-law. How many copper coins is this loom?” Li Yin Zhu asked, gathering her courage.
“You can have it for nine thousand copper coins,” the woman said with a smile.
Li Yin Zhu was startled.
“That three-harness harness box alone costs two thousand copper coins. How about this, I’ll also give you a thin three-harness pattern book. It’s a very good deal,” the woman said, standing on tiptoe to take down the pattern book and waving it in front of Li Yin Zhu.
“It’s too expensive; we can’t afford it,” Li Yin Zhu stared at the loom and took a few steps back.
“Thank you, Sister-in-law. We’ll go back and discuss it with Eldest Sister. Eldest Sister has the copper coins,” Li Xiaonan said, waving to the woman and pulling Li Yin Zhu outside.
