Ye Yunniang was not pleased, but she would not argue with Cai Damei's decision.
Ye Yunniang was the one cooking. She made a slight adjustment to the proportions for the steamed buns, using less cornmeal and taro flour and a bit more wheat flour.
Each time, she would put different vegetables inside the buns.
These vegetables were all ones Ye Yunniang rushed to buy early in the morning at the market.
As she walked to the mouth of the alley carrying her basket, she was stopped by Niu Dajiao.
"Mrs. Ye, shopping for vegetables? What did you buy?" Niu Dajiao said, reaching out to rummage through the basket hanging on Ye Yunniang's arm.
"Don't go through other people's things." Ye Yunniang stepped back, avoiding the reaching hand.
"Mrs. Ye, your family is really doing well. You can still go buy vegetables. Not like us, who can only gnaw on dry steamed buns with cold water every day." Niu Dajiao sighed.
Ye Yunniang ignored her and moved to leave from the side.
Niu Dajiao had finally managed to stop Ye Yunniang and was unwilling to let her go.
"Mrs. Ye, you have the kindest heart. Lend me some grain. Save my grandson." Niu Dajiao stated her purpose.
"No grain to lend." Ye Yunniang refused.
"Your family has money for meat and dried scallops, how could you have no grain? I won't ask for much, just 200 catties."
200 catties! Ye Yunniang gave a speechless laugh.
"Niu Dajiao, don't force me to get physical."
As she spoke, Ye Yunniang reached her hand into the basket she was carrying.
Niu Dajiao followed Ye Yunniang's hand and saw the sickle inside the basket.
She retreated, "You... if you won't lend it, you won't lend it. What are you doing with a knife?"
Looking at the sickle in Ye Yunniang's hand, Niu Dajiao's dead memories stirred.
Niu Dajiao swiftly ran towards her own courtyard, deftly closing the gate.
Ye Yunniang stared at the Ma family gate for a moment, then gripped the sickle and walked home.
At her doorstep, she ran into Hongyan, who was walking from the end of the alley carrying a child.
The little boy saw Ye Yunniang and let out an "ah" sound.
"Hello, Tuantuan." Ye Yunniang put away the sickle and reached out to touch little Ma Tuantuan's cheek.
To raise a child so plump and rosy during a famine, Hongyan and Ma the Miser must be taking very good care of him.
Tuantuan rubbed his little cheek against Ye Yunniang's hand, giggling happily.
"Come sit at my place for a while." Ye Yunniang invited.
"Alright. My arms are getting a bit tired from carrying him." Hongyan, holding Tuantuan, followed Ye Yunniang inside.
Ye Yunniang had Hongyan sit in the main room while she went to the kitchen to fetch tea.
"It's cold, have a cup of hot tea to warm up." Ye Yunniang reached out and took Tuantuan, holding him in her own arms.
Hongyan picked up the cup and took a big sip.
"Yesterday I saw Niu Dajiao talking to Liang Maimiao. I vaguely heard your name mentioned. You should be careful."
"You're a bit late."
Hongyan was taken aback. "Late? Has Niu Dajiao already approached you?"
Ye Yunniang told Hongyan about how Niu Dajiao had stopped her at the alley entrance to borrow grain.
"She's starving? Serves her right. Short-sighted, selling the family's grain." Hongyan's tone was full of disdain when mentioning Niu Dajiao.
"Selling?" Ye Yunniang was very surprised. Nowadays, grain was as precious as life.
"Some families don't have enough grain to eat, while others have more than they can finish. They sell privately, a catty costing 5 to 10 coppers more than at the grain shops." Hongyan didn't mention that when she first heard about it, she had also been tempted to sell a little.
Ma the Miser had dissuaded her, telling her to think more of the children.
"Niu Dajiao has a loose tongue. If she knows your family has grain, it's the same as this whole area knowing.
Those petty thieves might try to sneak over some night. You should be more vigilant at night.
Put more mousetraps behind the courtyard wall and gate. Also get some chili powder, to throw at people..." Hongyan shared some tricks she had used in the past.
"Alright, I'll go buy some tomorrow." Ye Yunniang listened carefully to what Hongyan said.
"I'm glad you don't mind my random suggestions."
After Hongyan got together with Ma the Miser,
Ye Yunniang's attitude towards Hongyan had always been normal, neither pitying nor curiously prying.
Hongyan liked Ye Yunniang's attitude, and when she encountered areas where she could help, she wasn't stingy with her advice.
After seeing Hongyan off, Ye Yunniang found a whetstone and began sharpening the sickle by the well.
"Yunniang, why are you sharpening the sickle?" Granny Xu walked in carrying buckets on a shoulder pole.
The weather was dry, and the water level in the well had dropped severely.
The Xu family ran a business and used a lot of water. When the water in their own well wasn't enough, they would come to the Li family to fetch some.
"To dig for wild vegetables in the outskirts. The family's grain is running low, need to dig some wild greens or something to mix in when eating."
"Your family has no grain left?"
"Not much." Ye Yunniang continued sharpening the knife.
"My family has a stall to run, so we stocked up a bit more. I can spare a bag for you." Granny Xu calculated. The Li family women let them come fetch water every day for free. Sparing a bag of grain was the least they could do.
"No need. People are already trying to borrow grain from my family. If I take from the Xu family, they'll probably block my door." Ye Yunniang politely refused.
"Who's asking to borrow grain from you?"
"Niu Dajiao. Said my family was braising meat and cooking dried scallops a few days ago. Must have plenty of grain at home." Ye Yunniang kept her head down sharpening the knife and didn't see the change in Granny Xu's expression.
That evening, Ye Yunniang told the family about the incident with Niu Dajiao, warning them to be careful.
The next day when going to buy vegetables, Ye Yunniang made a special trip to the blacksmith's shop and bought over twenty mousetraps.
They needed to be placed in both the front and back courtyards.
"You're placing them too close to the wall. If a thief jumps down, he won't step on them." Tong Mo stood behind Ye Yunniang, offering a reminder.
"Pingping is back." Ye Yunniang stood up and headed to the front courtyard.
That heartless man Bao Min had actually sent Pingping to Changxiang County, under the jurisdiction of Jiangcheng, to audit accounts.
Thinking of her own child, so young and running around outside, Ye Yunniang's heart ached.
"No, Pingping isn't back. He arrived in Changxiang County, ate some delicious food, thought of you all, bought two baskets and had me deliver them back."
Tong Mo's words filled Ye Yunniang with disappointment.
"You go look at the goods. I'll handle this here. I guarantee not a single thief will get into the courtyard." Tong Mo took over the mousetraps.
Ye Yunniang went to the front courtyard. In the main room were two large baskets.
One basket contained dried red dates, walnuts, and chestnuts. The other held dried mushrooms, dried vegetables, and such.
Ye Yunniang remembered mentioning before that she wanted to eat dried red dates, walnuts, and chestnuts, but couldn't find any to buy.
Her three sons, each more thoughtful than the last, filled Ye Yunniang's heart with contentment.
She went to the kitchen, fetched a fruit plate, filled it with some of the goods, and took it to Courtyard No. 3.
Cai Damei was in the courtyard with Shuyi.
"Mother, Pingping had someone deliver dried red dates, walnuts, and chestnuts. They all taste good, have a try."
"Are the mousetraps set?"
"Tong Mo is setting them. Should we put a couple in this courtyard, Mother?"
"With a twenty-foot-high wall, besides Luo Xin, no one else could climb over it."
To prevent people from discovering the secret of Courtyard No. 3, during the renovation, Bao Min had specifically built a twenty-foot-high wall, isolating Courtyard No. 3 from the outside world.
The residents of Wanxia Alley only knew that an uncle and nephew lived in Courtyard No. 3, and recently there had been the sound of a child crying, but nothing else was clear.
Ye Yunniang thought it made sense and reached out to take Bao Shuyi, holding her in her arms.
Bao Shuyi was almost ten months old and had grown six teeth, top and bottom. She couldn't stand seeing others eat.
The moment she saw it, she wanted some.
Just like now, seeing Cai Damei eating walnuts, she reached out her hands, going "ah, ah, ah..." wanting some.
Ye Yunniang tried to persuade her she couldn't eat them, but she wouldn't listen and kept demanding. If she didn't get any, she would wail loudly.
Cai Damei paid no attention and continued eating the walnuts.
The crying quickly attracted Bao Min, who was busy in the study.
"Shuyi, why are you crying?"
