Song Yong inspected the carts filled with last year’s harvest. Seeing the plump, high-quality silkworm cocoons lifted his spirits. "This batch is truly excellent. The trip to Siyang was worth it."
"Everyone says last year’s cocoons are indeed very good," Zhang Fangyuan remarked.
Song Yong held the silk cocoons as if they were treasures. Receiving such a large quantity at once was a relief.
He calculated the price for Zhang Fangyuan at 100 copper coins per catty, meaning Zhang Fangyuan could earn 40 copper coins per catty from every catty of silk cocoons in the hands of the villagers. Although the profit per catty wasn’t much, with three to four hundred catties of silk cocoons, he could still earn more than ten thousand copper coins in one go.
"Now that summer has arrived, I originally planned to return to Siyang in the autumn. But this year, there are still many places I haven’t visited. If the journey takes too long, I might not make it back to Siyang in the second half of the year," Song Yong explained.
"In that case, I’ll have to come back next year. I'm telling you this in advance so you can plan accordingly. If I really can’t make it, I’ll definitely send a letter to inform you."
Zhang Fangyuan nodded. "Okay, we’ll rely on your letters for updates."
After Song Yong busied himself delivering the latest summer cloths he brought to the cloth shops that had placed orders, he hurried off to the next town. Before he left, Zhang Fangyuan gave him some local dishes from the tea shed, which were very popular among traveling merchants. These dishes were made by Xu He.
Such food was especially useful for merchants on long journeys.
Song Yong thanked Zhang Fangyuan and set off again.
After emptying the warehouse containing the silk cocoons, Xu He breathed a sigh of relief, feeling relieved of a burden that had been weighing on his mind.
Now he could focus entirely on preparing for Xiao E’s wedding. Although most of the work for a wedding falls on the groom’s family, the bride’s family still had to host a banquet and entertain guests, which meant preparing a banquet.
Xu He decided to personally cook a feast to host guests. At the end of June, the Zhang family was bustling with activity again. For most of the day, the sound of firecrackers crackled nonstop, not long after they finished here, the sound of firecrackers started up again in Tangjia village.
The wedding procession stretched in a long, lively line, creating a festive atmosphere.
Ruili sat on his father’s shoulders, watching the many people dressed in red. He didn’t understand what "getting married" meant, but he could tell that everyone was very happy.
However, his older brother remained his usual self, not particularly fond of noisy scenes. He toddled on his short legs into Xiao E’s room.
Xiao E asked if he had come to see her one last time because he couldn’t bear to see her get married. She was so moved, even her makeup couldn’t stop her from crying.
Ruijin, however, replied seriously, "I only came here because Auntie’s room is the quietest."
"..."
Xiao E wiped her tears, grabbed Ruijin, and spanked his buttocks. "I’ve held you so many times, and you have no conscience at all."
Ruijin said, "Auntie’s new home is very close, in Tangjia village, where there are lots of big watermelons. Xiaoli loves big watermelons, so we’ll come visit you often."
Xiao E laughed again.
Looking at Ruijin’s round, peach-like face, fair with a hint of pink, he was undeniably adorable. Yet, his expression was so serious, like a little adult, which made him look funny. She couldn’t help but kiss him on both cheeks. After all, it wouldn’t be so easy to kiss him like this in the future.
Ruijin ran out of Xiao E’s room with two lipstick marks on his cheeks. He thought the noisy outside was better, at least there was no aunt there who insisted on kissing his face.
Xiao E was sent off in a bridal sedan chair amidst the sound of gongs and drums. The Zhang family’s festivities didn’t diminish, and soon the banquet began.
A summer celebration had started at the Zhang family, but unexpectedly, it also ended there. After the height of summer, the villagers fell into anxiety, as no one had the heart to host any more events.
Many families in the village had earned money last year, so when it came time to pay taxes after the spring planting, they did so cheerfully. The county officials quickly collected the taxes and left the village, as few families needed to borrow money.
After finishing their work, the villagers returned to the Zhang family’s land to clear the remaining wasteland.
The Zhang family’s land was fully cleared during the dog days of summer, when the heat was unbearable. The newly dug soil would dry out and become hard enough to hurt one’s feet by midday.
[Dog days of summer: This refers to the hottest period of summer. It usually occurs between mid-July and mid-August. The term "dog days" is used because the heat is so intense that even dogs lie low to avoid the sun]
Ruijin and Ruili loved to play outside, but this year, the summer heat was as intense as the usual dog days. By the time the real dog days arrived, the ground felt like it was burning under the scorching sun. Stepping into the shade provided little relief, as the sunburn would set in almost immediately.
The two children had delicate skin, so Xu He didn’t allow them to go out and play. Surprisingly, even the usually mischievous Ruili obeyed this year, staying indoors with his brother. They lay on a cool mat by a large open window, enjoying the cool air.
Xu He wanted to give the children some cold drinks, but the winter last year was warm and few households stored ice. This year, ice was prohibitively expensive, so the family rarely used it. Instead, they relied on fans and placed large basins of well water by the windows to cool the air.
When Zhang Fangyuan returned home, drenched in sweat, he felt a wave of coolness as he entered the children’s room, as if stepping into a deep, cool well. However, the two children, who had been staying in the cool room all along, felt their father was like a ball of fire. Even from a distance, they could feel the heat radiating from him. When he reached out to them, both children, barefoot, scurried to the edge of the mat, refusing to be held.
Xu He brought a bowl of cool tea, and Zhang Fangyuan, not insisting on teasing the children, drank it all in one gulp. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he plopped down on a nearby chair and said, "The rice fields in the village have dried up. The villagers are diverting water from the river to irrigate the fields and fish ponds. If it doesn’t rain soon, the crops will wither. I watched for a while and lent a hand."
"I'm afraid we might be facing a drought this year."
Zhang Fangyuan said, "If there’s really a drought, things will get tough. Life will become harder, and business at our tea stall won’t be good either. The river water isn’t as plentiful as in previous years, but it hasn’t dried up completely. We should be able to irrigate the village’s rice fields and get through this, though it will take more effort. Fields on higher ground can’t be reached by the water flow, so we’ll have to carry water manually. It’s going to be hard."
He then added with some relief, "Luckily, we didn’t rush to plant crops on our land this year. If we had hurriedly planted on unfertile soil and then faced this weather, the crops would have been ruined."
Xu He agreed with this sentiment.
Zhang Fangyuan glanced at the two children, who were much less lively than usual due to the heat, and said, "Tomorrow morning, I’ll go to the pharmacy in town to get some heat-clearing herbs. We’ll brew a soup for Ruijin and Ruili to drink, so they don’t get heatstroke."
[Heat-clearing herbs (清热草药): In traditional Chinese medicine, certain herbs are believed to cool the body and prevent heat-related illnesses like heatstroke. These are often brewed into soups or teas during hot weather]
"Good idea."
When Zhang Fangyuan went to town the next day, he also gathered news from neighboring counties.
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