Affected by the disaster, Siyang grew colder day by day. Although charcoal was no longer as scarce as before, the freezing weather and thick snow kept people huddled at home, unwilling to venture out. The streets were nearly empty, with only snow shovelers braving the cold. Under these circumstances, business in the city was dismal.
As the twelfth lunar month approached, there was none of the usual festive atmosphere of previous years. Few people were preparing for the New Year, and businesses across all industries seemed to have entered a winter of their own.
Everything was becoming more expensive. Even common vegetables like cabbage and radishes, which were once cheap at the market, had risen by one or two copper coins. It wasn’t that the villagers were trying to take advantage of each other, but the heavy snow and freezing temperatures made it difficult to harvest vegetables. Many crops had frozen to death, so price increases were inevitable.
Shopkeepers and clerks complained incessantly. Apart from grain and charcoal shops, everyone’s business was struggling. Life was hard for everyone.
Since the cold set in, the Zhang family’s guesthouse had seen little business. With the snow, they only received a few guests a day.
The tea shed, however, was still doing alright. The snowy weather made travel difficult, so the surrounding villagers relied more on the tea shed for daily necessities like firewood, rice, oil, vinegar, and tea. The tea shed also sold charcoal. While the villagers of Jijiu Village had stockpiled charcoal, many other villages hadn’t.
Previously, going to the city didn’t guarantee them could buy charcoal, but now the tea shed was close by and its prices weren’t higher than the city’s. Everyone preferred to go there.
Although business was still being conducted, it was far from its previous peak. They mainly sold sundries, and few people came to eat meals.
Even though their previous businesses weren’t making much money, just like other merchants, Zhang Fangyuan’s foresight had made his charcoal business like a single branch stands out. The profits from the charcoal business alone were enough to support the entire family.
[一枝独秀 (yī zhī dú xiù): lit. A single branch stands out; fig. To stand out prominently among others.]
Xu He couldn’t help but feel grateful for Zhang Fangyuan’s decision-making. If they hadn’t done the opposite back then (chose to stockpile charcoal instead of grain), they would surely be worrying like the other merchants in the city.
After the warehouse had been open for about ten days, and the hired clerks had become proficient, the couple stopped going to the city every day to oversee things.
Every day, the warehouse opened at chenshi (7-9 AM) and closed at sishi (9-11 AM). Once people figured out the schedule, they came on time.
Zhang Fangyuan went to the city once a day, mainly to carry the day’s earnings home for his wife to count.
Most of the common folk paid in copper coins, so they earned a box of copper coins almost every day. Zhang Fangyuan didn’t bother exchanging the copper coins for silver or banknotes at the money exchange first. He simply brought them home as they were.
Xu He genuinely enjoyed counting money. At first, he would happily and patiently count every single copper coin in the box.
He would string them together in bundles of one hundred or one thousand, spending half an hour to an hour without feeling annoyed. But as the days went by, and with such a large box of copper coins to count every day, ranging from twenty or thirty taels to over a hundred taels, it became a massive task.
Now, the house was filled with several boxes of copper coins. Even though Xu He loved money, he was surprised to find that his enthusiasm for counting money had gradually waned.
However, in the past couple of days, he had rediscovered the joy of counting money. He had initially planned to ask Zhang Fangyuan to exchange the copper coins for silver before bringing them home, but he decided against it.
"One, two, three…"
Outside, the snow lay thick and white. Two servants were sweeping the courtyard, while the warm room was heated by the best smokeless charcoal. Xu He sat with a child on each side, a mountain of copper coins piled on the table. As he counted, he took the opportunity to teach the children how to count money, repeating the process over and over.
The teaching method was highly practical. Not only did it expose the children to the currency used in daily life, but it also solved Xu He’s problem of having to count the money himself.
Little Ruili was fascinated the first time he saw so many copper coins. He grabbed a handful in his left hand and another in his right, mumbling along with Xu He. His learning ability was quite good, and he quickly learned to count to ten. However, his attention span was short, and he soon fell asleep on the edge of the table.
Ruijin had already learned to count to ten long ago. Now, with Xu He’s guidance, he made rapid progress. After a few days of teaching, he could count to fifty.
With his strong learning ability and genuine interest, Ruijin could sit with Xu He and count an entire box of coins, finishing the task before stopping.
When Zhang Fangyuan returned home, Little Ruili had already "fallen in battle," snoring on the soft couch, his cheek pressed red against the cushion.
"Done, done!"
Although Ruijin was much more composed than Little Ruili, even he had limited patience and endurance. After finally finishing the counting, he jumped up and down on the stool. But when he saw his father bringing in another familiar box, the light in his eyes dimmed.
Xu He laughed at his reaction and picked him up: "Alright, that’s enough for today. We’ll count what Big Daddy brought tomorrow."
Ruijin, feeling a bit embarrassed at being seen through, buried his face in Xu He’s chest and nuzzled him.
Zhang Fangyuan put down the box and chuckled: "Our Ruijin is already treating money like dirt at such a young age. Seeing so many copper coins doesn’t even make him happy."
Aww cute babies 🥺🥺🥺
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update!! /