Cai Damei shook her head. Sending rice and flour wasn't suitable. After thinking, she said, "Weigh out 20 catties of taro flour and send 10 catties of soybeans to the Zhou family. Your aunt is particularly good at sprouting beans. Tell her these 10 catties of beans aren't free. She needs to return us 20 catties of bean sprouts."
"Will just giving these be enough? Should we take some dried vegetables too? There's also a piece of cured meat in the kitchen; we can cut some to take." Ye Yunniang felt giving only taro flour was a bit little.
"Mmm, you decide."
"Alright."
Ye Yunniang got up and went to the cellar. First, from the left room, she weighed out 20 catties of taro flour and 10 catties of soybeans. Then she went to the right room and packed two catties of dried vegetables. Thinking of Cai Xiaomei's pale face, she grabbed two handfuls of red dates and put them into the carrying basket.
Finally, she entered the kitchen, took down the cured meat hanging from the rafters, and with a knife, cut half of it off lengthwise, wrapped it in oiled paper, and stuffed it into the basket.
Ye Yunniang took advantage of there being no one at the alley entrance and hurried with quick steps to the Zhou house.
"Auntie." Zhou Lingling was somewhat surprised to see Ye Yunniang.
"Your grandaunt asked me to bring some things for your grandmother," Ye Yunniang said, walking towards the backyard. In the backyard, she took out the taro flour, soybeans, dried vegetables, the packet of red dates, and the cured meat from her basket.
Cai Xiaomei's eyes were first drawn to the cured meat—it couldn't be helped, their family hadn't seen any meat in a month.
"I cured this meat using the method Auntie taught me. Taste it and see if the flavor is right?"
Cai Damei brought it closer and smelled it. "It's better than what your mother used to make."
"Compared to my mother, I still have a long way to go," Ye Yunniang said, opening the bag of soybeans. "Auntie, mother said this clearly. For these 10 catties of soybeans, she wants 20 catties of bean sprouts back."
Cai Xiaomei examined the soybeans in the bag carefully. "The beans are plump and full. I estimate one catty can yield about four and a half catties of sprouts."
"Perfect, Auntie can sell bean sprouts again," Ye Yunniang said with a smile.
"You're as clever as your elder sister," Cai Xiaomei also smiled, looking at the soybeans with nostalgia. "Back in the day, the first business your uncle and I did in Jiangcheng was selling bean sprouts. To sprout them well, I didn't dare sleep soundly; I'd doze for a bit and then have to go check the vats, inspecting how they were sprouting.
Your uncle would fill two large baskets with bean sprouts before dawn and hawk them along the streets. In the bitter cold of winter, he was afraid the sprouts would freeze. So he'd take off his own padded jacket and cover the baskets with it.
Ended up freezing himself, with snot running down his nose.
That's how the two of us slowly saved up bit by bit, until we could open a grocery store.
Once the store was up and running, I told your uncle, for the rest of this life, we'll do anything but the work of selling bean sprouts."
Cai Damei laughed heartily, tears streaming down her face continuously.
"Grandma, don't cry. Teach me how to sprout beans, and I'll do it," Zhou Lingling took out a handkerchief to wipe Cai Xiaomei's tears.
"I'll fetch water," Zhou Yan raised his small hand and spoke.
"Alright, alright, alright, let's sprout beans," Cai Xiaomei felt warmed by her granddaughter and grandson's thoughtfulness.
Gurgle, gurgle... The rumbling sound interrupted this tender moment between grandmother and grandchildren.
"Lingling, I'll teach you how to make cornbread buns," Ye Yunniang said, getting up and carrying the taro flour to the kitchen.
"Okay," Zhou Lingling followed behind.
Ye Yunniang taught Zhou Lingling step by step how to make the cornbread buns and steamed them.
She soaked the dried vegetables in hot water until soft, chopped them up, and diced a bit of the cured meat. She wiped a little oil in the bottom of the wok and stir-fried the dried vegetables with the cured meat dice.
She took a chopstickful of the stir-fried dried vegetables and cured meat and stuffed it into a cornbread bun.
With meat, vegetables, and cornbread buns, the Zhou family ate with their heads down, not looking up.
Ye Yunniang was also given a bun. She took a bite and swallowed it without changing her expression.
Time truly changes a person. The first time she ate a cornbread bun mixed with half wheat flour, it hurt her throat. Now, she could eat ones without a bit of wheat flour mixed in without batting an eye.
Returning to Wanxia Alley from the Zhou house again, she ran into Qiongniang and the others coming back from Xiaofang Village.
From their tired and heavy expressions, it was clear they hadn't had a good harvest today.
"Yunniang, good thing you didn't go," Qiongniang leaned on Ye Yunniang's shoulder, resting.
They were truly exhausted today.
"Didn't find any wild vegetables?"
"Don't mention it," Qiongniang showed her basket to Ye Yunniang. At the bottom lay a few withered wild vegetables.
"There were more people digging for wild vegetables on the mountain than there were vegetables. This little bit was only found because Auntie Fang took us to a remote spot," Hongyan thought of the crowds everywhere on the mountain and shook her head.
"It's too tiring. Mom, let's not go next time," Daya hugged Chunxing's leg, her small face full of weariness.
"Mmm, we won't go," Chunxing had no desire to go through today's situation again.
"No wild vegetables to dig. Vegetables at the market are frighteningly expensive. How are we going to live from now on?" Qiongniang worried. Hongyan and Chunxing beside her sighed in agreement.
"There's always a way out. The court won't just watch us all starve to death."
Ye Yunniang had faith in the court, but the others weren't as optimistic as her.
"What are you all talking about? So lively?" Niu Dajiao walked out from the courtyard, came up to Chunxing, and yanked her basket, reaching in to rummage through it.
"Oh my, you went for a whole day and only dug up these few scraps. Not even worth the wear on your shoes," Niu Dajiao said disdainfully.
"If you dislike it, don't eat it," Chunxing forcefully pulled her basket back, very annoyed with Niu Dajiao who only ever used his mouth.
"I'm eating my son's share, not yours," Niu Dajiao was displeased with Chunxing's tone.
"My son's share is also mine," Chunxing said, taking Daya's hand and walking towards the courtyard, not wanting to waste another word on Niu Dajiao.
"That's nonsense! What's my son's is my son's!" Niu Dajiao shouted, chasing after Chunxing to argue it out clearly.
Seeing this, Ye Yunniang and the others shook their heads and each headed towards their own homes.
At her doorstep, Ye Yunniang encountered Liang Maimiao coming out of her house.
Ye Yunniang looked straight ahead, took out her key, unlocked the door, pushed it open, and went in.
Liang Maimiao watched Ye Yunniang enter the courtyard, clenching her hands.
Granny Xu, coming out from the courtyard, saw Liang Maimiao glaring darkly at the Li family's gate. She stepped forward and grabbed her arm.
"Are you thinking of causing trouble for Yunniang again? Your sister chose her own path. Don't blame others. You have a family now, with Dalei and Erlei to raise. Stop dwelling on such messy thoughts."
Granny Xu sighed, not understanding how her once perfectly fine daughter-in-law had become so twisted.
Ye Yunniang changed her clothes and went into the kitchen to busy herself with dinner.
She rinsed black rice and regular rice clean, put them in the pot, brought to a boil over high heat, then added red dates and dried longan, simmering over low heat for half an hour. She added a bit of brown sugar just before serving.
The soft, mushy, sweet, and fragrant longan and red date congee was ready.
She stir-fried the soaked dried vegetables with a bit of diced cured meat.
She divided the food into two portions, took one portion to Courtyard No. 3, and told Cai Damei about the visit to the Zhou family.
After listening, Cai Damei didn't ask further. She believed that with 10 catties of soybeans, Cai Xiaomei and Zhou Zhong would surely seize the opportunity to turn things around.
Ye Yunniang returned to her own courtyard. Li Pan and Li An were already back and were dishing out the food.
"Mother, wash your hands and eat."
"Alright," Ye Yunniang washed her hands clean and sat down.
She saw a full bowl of congee in front of herself, but only half a bowl each in front of her two sons.
"Why only half a bowl each? I made plenty of congee; there's enough."
