Returning to Song Village during the hottest part of the day, Second Song was sprawled on a bamboo chair. Seeing the group of one adult and three children return, he immediately stood up and began to berate them.
"Why are you only coming back now?"
"I chopped firewood all morning, came home and there wasn't even a hot meal. Are we all supposed to starve to death and not eat?"
Second Aunt Song placed the basket on the table as if it were a treasure. She needed to hurry and make the clothes; she didn't want to be caught wearing old clothes the next time she ran into the families of Oldest Song or Third Song.
"Jinzhao and Eldest Sister-in-law insisted on eating out, even Mother agreed. What could I do?"
Second Song's brows furrowed tightly. "Did you bring anything back for me?"
"No, the wontons would have turned to mush by the time we got back."
She turned and instructed Song Laidi, "Go cook a bowl of congee for your father."
Second Song felt a sour taste in his heart; he was the only one who didn't get to eat the wontons. "You sure were willing to spend, four bowls of wontons cost thirty-two coppers."
Second Aunt Song sat down to explain. "No, I only ordered two bowls."
Second Song's face visibly stiffened. "Didn't Laidi and the others eat?" They couldn't have just stood there watching.
With Mother and Jinzhao's family there, it would have been rather embarrassing.
Second Aunt Song, thinking about the bargain she got that day, felt quite pleased.
"They shared two. Later, Jinzhao treated them to sweet water. They even had sugar-coated haws earlier. Good thing I took them along, otherwise we wouldn't have gotten a thing."
Second Song blinked, momentarily dazed. "Truly generous."
Second Aunt Song gave a slight nod. Yes, generous, but also terribly wasteful with money.
She certainly couldn't raise her daughters to be like that.
After autumn began, Song Jinzhao started taking Song Qiming to the riverbank to gather firewood. Autumn on the frontier was brief, lasting only a month.
They had to gather enough firewood for the winter within that month.
Not long after the two returned from the riverbank and were resting under the eaves, Oldest Song and Second Song arrived dragging a cartload of firewood.
Second Song carried the wood into the yard to stack it in the woodshed, saying, "Leave the firewood to me and your uncle. You all rest well at home."
When you've accepted someone's kindness, you feel obliged. A bit of firewood didn't cost any money, so he was willing to put in the effort.
Oldest Song silently moved the wood.
His words sounded nice, but if Father hadn't gone to call him, you'd wait eight lifetimes for him to offer help on his own.
Song Jinzhao didn't refuse their goodwill. It would free up more time to stock up on winter vegetables.
The original owner's mother hadn't planted many vegetables in the yard to begin with. When building the new house, almost all the vegetables had been pulled up and eaten, leaving only the leeks and radishes in the corner untouched.
They dug up the radishes and stored them in the cellar. They couldn't eat only radishes in winter, and there weren't enough anyway, so she also bought cabbage and winter melon from the village.
It was a pity there were no potatoes or sweet potatoes here. Otherwise, eating a steaming hot roasted sweet potato while staying warm by the fire during heavy snow would have been incredibly cozy.
Without cotton, they had to lay woven grass mats on the kang, or they'd freeze to death in the sub-zero temperatures of winter.
The weather gradually turned colder, the wind raising shivers on the skin.
Looking at the vegetables stored in the cellar and the pounded rice in the west room, Song Jinzhao took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
At Song Lahuang's house.
Aunt Lahuang, seeing Song Jinzhao arrive, hurried out from the house.
"The chicken coop is out back, I'll take you there."
The chicken coop next to the sheep pen was already built. Song Jinzhao had come today to buy a hen.
The household's egg consumption was too high, having to buy them from the village every time. It was simpler to just raise a hen for eggs.
"These are all new chickens hatched this summer. They lay eggs every day, sometimes even two." Aunt Lahuang introduced them, standing by the chicken coop.
In just a few months, the life of the third Song family branch had undergone a dramatic change. Thinking about how she had once gone to their door demanding repayment for two taels of silver made Aunt Lahuang feel somewhat awkward.
Song Shixue pointed at a hen with yellow feathers and a large belly. "Elder Sister, this one."
Mother had said this kind of chicken lays eggs well.
Song Jinzhao, holding Song Anhao, didn't enter the coop to catch a chicken. "Each of you pick three. The extra two we'll kill and eat in winter."
Song Qiming and Song Shixue both nodded.
Since Elder Sister didn't go hunting in the mountains, if they didn't buy chickens, they wouldn't have any to eat.
Six plump hens were placed into a cage by Aunt Lahuang, and the siblings carried the cage home.
Finally, they wouldn't have to buy eggs anymore, and any extra could be sold for money.
The autumn wind grew increasingly cold, signaling the approach of winter.
Song Jinzhao sat on the kang in the main room, holding a medical book, occasionally glancing at the siblings practicing their calligraphy.
"Qiming, Elder Sister wants you to attend a private school in the city next year."
Song Qiming was slightly taken aback, then asked, "Why go to the city to study? Can't Elder Sister teach me?"
Song Jinzhao put down the medical book and patiently explained, "Elder Sister wants you to take the imperial examinations and become an official in the future."
"Like Gao Li? His grandfather wants him to become a high official."
Song Jinzhao gave a slight nod and motioned for Song Qiming to put down his brush and come over.
"If you can pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, our family's land won't be subject to grain taxes anymore. If there's corvée labor again, we won't have to go. Studying to enter officialdom is the best way to change one's fate."
Song Qiming suddenly understood. If not for the corvée labor, Father wouldn't have died.
If he didn't take the imperial exams, would he end up like Father? Even Anhao might when she grows up.
But...
He thought for a long time before speaking. "When Gao Li goes to study in the city, he's not home during the day. If I go study, there will be no one left to help Elder Sister with the work."
His younger siblings needed looking after. He couldn't just do nothing.
Song Jinzhao raised an eyebrow. "If you can pass the highest imperial exams and become a court official, you could buy many servants to take care of me and Shixue."
Song Shixue quickly looked up. "Like Master Zhao?" Lying at home doing nothing, yet grain is delivered to your door.
Song Jinzhao said with a smile, "If your brother can pass the highest exams, life would be a thousand times more comfortable than Master Zhao's."
The common people do not contend with officials—this saying holds true at any time, especially in feudal times.
Song Qiming looked down at the neat, square characters on the table. He quite liked studying; it was interesting.
"I'm willing to take the exams. I must become a high official, so you and Elder Sister can live a good life."
Song Jinzhao looked into his pure eyes and felt a twinge of inexplicable guilt.
Ancient scholars always talked about serving the court. Was aiming to become an official just to make money too utilitarian?
She quickly shook her head. What was she thinking?
Serving the court and making money as an official weren't mutually exclusive, as long as one didn't engage in corruption or accept bribes.
"Once spring comes next year, Elder Sister will go to the city to find out which private school has the most learned teacher."
"In the meantime, practice your characters well at home, memorize the 'Thousand Character Classic' and 'Three Character Classic' until they roll off your tongue. Otherwise, if the teacher tests you and you can't answer, and he refuses to accept you, it'll be over."
Song Qiming nodded vigorously, immediately picking up his brush to practice, his expression more serious and earnest than before.
"Shixue, weren't you interested in these medical books? Starting today, Elder Sister will teach you medicine. You can become a doctor in the future."
Since no one believed her medical skills were superb enough to heal and save people, she'd start by taking on an apprentice. The knowledge in her head shouldn't go to waste.
A gleam of light shone in Song Shixue's innocent eyes. "Like the village barefoot doctor?"
Song Jinzhao handed "The Compendium of Herbs" to her. "If you can master this, you'll become even more skilled than the village's barefoot doctor."
