LGSLAW : Chapter 63 – Qingming

Although Miao He felt a sense of satisfaction regarding the fate of the Miao family on behalf of the original owner, the reality was different.

The truth was that the Miao family had been severely extorted by Min Chun.

After the disgraceful incident at the banquet and having their reputation ruined, the Miao family realized that Min Chun had indeed stolen from them. They still wanted to put all the blame on Min Chun so that Miao Yuan wouldn’t have to admit to premarital misconduct. Maintaining a clean reputation was crucial for his future scholarly pursuits.

However, this required Min Chun’s cooperation in keeping silent.

Min Chun presented them with two options: divorce with the Miao family paying sixty taels of silver as compensation, ensuring his future since it would be difficult for him to remarry well; or they could continue with the marriage, though Min Chun preferred Miao Yuan’s handsome looks over the rough and burly farmers. If neither option was chosen, Min Chun threatened to spill everything, creating a scandal.

But sixty taels meant almost emptying the Miao family’s savings accumulated from their tofu business. Choosing the first option would save face but lose wealth. The second option would preserve wealth but leave them a laughingstock.

Miao Jue was caught between his love for money and his concern for reputation.
Lin Xue, seeing his indecisiveness, knelt down and wept, arguing that the money from the tofu recipe was because of Miao Yuan and that supporting him now would allow the business to continue flourishing. Besides, Min Chun had already shown his untrustworthy nature. What if he repeated his behavior? Miao Yuan’s reputation would be irreparably damaged. She glared hatefully at Min Chun.

Min Chun, tired of waiting for Miao Yuan’s stance, coldly laughed, “The tofu recipe? I taught Miao Yuan how to make it. You’ve made money off my recipes, and now you want to deny it? Fine, give me the money, and I’ll leave.”

Lin Xue was shocked, “What are you saying!? The recipe was Miao Yuan’s!” She turned to her son, who could only lower his head in silence.

Min Chun turned to Miao Jue, “Old Master, what do you say? I’m losing patience.”

This was the first time Miao Jue saw Min Chun so fearless, completely different from his previously quiet, docile demeanor. He immediately connected the dots. “You, you must have planned this all along!?”

Min Chun folded his arms, “I don’t understand what the Old Master is saying. I only know someone wanted to hedge their bets, and I’m not willing to be that bet. Now that you’re kicked by the horse, what does it have to do with me?”

Miao Jue Yuan, flushed with anger, pointed a trembling finger at him, “You, you! All this trouble today is because of a shameless ger like you! Our family has always been clean, never involved in such disgrace, and you still have the face to talk!!”

“Hah, and your fine grandson cooperated, didn’t he?”

At this point, any further discussion was impossible.

A few days later, Min Chun smoothly collected sixty taels and left with his mother.

With money in hand, Min Chun felt unstoppable.

However, he overlooked the simmering anger and shame beneath his mother’s face.

***

Afterward, the village buzzed with rumors for a while.

They said Miao Yuan ultimately divorced and that Chun and his mother were kicked out of the teacher’s house.

They also said Chun was frequently seen in town, and no one knew what he was up to.

Perhaps knowing his reputation was ruined in the village, he sought a victim in town?

But one shouldn’t live like this. Some gossips went to his mother to argue.

Around the time of Qingming, the green plum harvest season arrived.

After a few bouts of cold spring rain, the weather gradually warmed up. The fruit trees on the back hill sprouted green buds and leaves. Miao He initially worried that their excellent growth might arouse suspicion, but seeing Second Aunt Yang’s lack of concern during her visits reassured him.

The green plum trees, although not many, were heavily laden with large, round fruits thanks to the fertile soil. Harvesting all the plums would take dozens of large baskets.

However, since eating raw plums could be dangerous, they had to be processed. Miao He didn’t want to waste the high-quality plums from the fertile(magic) soil, so he had Yang Dalang take a basket to consult with the tea house’s manager and the pastry chef.

They decided on two methods. The first was pickled crunchy plums. After harvesting, the plums would be salted, washed, soaked to remove bitterness, dried, and then twice pickled with sugar. A few days later, they would be crisp, sweet, sour, and beautifully green.

These plums could be sold as snacks in the tea house. Any unsold plums could be turned into plum vinegar, which would keep for a year. This was the best way to use surplus plums.

Due to the complex process, they hired temporary workers: Aunt Lin, Aunt Liu, Aunt Ma, Aunt Yu, and Aunt Fang (Chen Rong was pregnant and couldn’t help). They were paid twenty coins a day to help with harvesting, washing, soaking, and pickling. The work was done in the new longhouse built in winter, which served as a rudimentary fruit processing workshop.

Since Mantou and Wotou’s necks were still weak, and they couldn’t be carried around, Miao He didn’t want to leave them in the house with Second Aunt and spend all his time outside. So, as the supervisor, he mostly tended to the babies and prepared snacks and tea for the workers, similar to when he was pregnant.

The aunts were delighted. They had heard that working at Dalang’s house meant good food, and this time proved it true! Some even wanted to buy extra for their children, which Miao He didn’t mind, giving them a few sweet potatoes or yams as neighborly gestures.

One day, the first batch of pickled plums was ready. Miao He eagerly opened the jar.

Having never made such snacks before, he was extremely curious about the taste.

He picked a plum, glistening and moist from the sugar water, and bit into it! The firm, crisp flesh had a “crunch” to it. The sweet and sour flavor, combined with the rich plum aroma, was delicious, making Miao He sigh with satisfaction and quickly finish the plum.

Even Mantou and Wotou, lying nearby, widened their eyes and moved their mouths as if they could smell the sweet and sour fragrance, getting restless.

After stuffing a plum into Yang Dalang’s mouth, Miao He mischievously placed a plum near the babies’ noses. Their little noses twitched immediately.

“Could they really smell it?” Miao He wondered.

Before Yang Dalang could answer, Mantou opened his mouth wide and bit the plum! Startled, Miao He pulled back.

The taste made Mantou’s eyes widen, and he began squirming, recognizing the deliciousness, and started crying. His brother, Wotou, also became restless and began crying. They couldn’t be pacified.

“These kids, they’re going to be foodies,” Miao He, now facing the consequences of his actions, laughed helplessly.

In the end, Yang Dalang used his ultimate move, holding both babies in his arms. They seemed to like being held together and quieted down. Only Yang Dalang could hold them steadily like this, making it the ultimate trick to soothe them.

 

Watching Yang Dalang hold the babies always warmed Miao He’s heart. Yang Dalang, holding the babies, looked so reliable and gentle.

Miao He approached with more plums.

He stuffed another plum into Yang Dalang’s mouth, smiling. “You soothe them, and I’ll soothe you.”

Yang Dalang turned and responded, “That’s not how you soothe.”

Miao He was puzzled, then realized Yang Dalang was staring at his lips.

His face turned red.

But Yang Dalang kept looking and leaned closer.

Blushing, Miao He finally leaned in for a kiss.

Gentle, cherished, and sweet.

Just like every time before, it made Miao He dizzy.

***

The pickled plums were quickly approved by Manager Jin, who immediately ordered ten jars!

Before Manager Jin could place additional orders, Miao He suggested selling pickled plum gift boxes like they had done with the cooling cakes. This would help build their brand loyalty and promote the tea house.

When people took home or gifted a box of pickled plums, they would remember where they got them from and might spread the word. Manager Jin agreed to this mutually beneficial idea.

The packaging required some thought. Using porcelain jars would increase costs, but it was necessary to sell the plums with the syrup for the best flavor.

Would the town’s high-end market be able to afford these snack plums? Seeing Miao He hug the money jar and hesitate for days, Yang Dalang made the decision and ordered fifty small jars, costing ten taels of silver, which made Miao He wince.

But when the finished product arrived, with plums packed in beautiful small jars, sealed tightly with oiled paper and marked with their family’s logo seal for tamper evidence and preservation, Miao He’s heartache lessened. He eagerly asked, “How much can we sell these for?”

After calculating the cost of sugar, labor, jars, and oiled paper, it was nearly five jiao of silver per jar. They compared it to the tea house’s pricing and realized they could sell them for eight jiao of silver!

Selling all fifty jars would earn fifteen taels of silver! It didn’t seem like much, but it was only the first batch of green plums. They could harvest two or three more times before the weather got too hot.

While Miao He was happily calculating profits, the doorbell rang, and the dogs started barking.

Yang Dalang patted Miao He’s head and went to greet the visitors.

He returned with some unexpected guests: Elder Qu, Xu Ming, and an unfamiliar young man.

Xu Ming had grown a bit taller in the past year, but his large eyes and youthful face still looked immature to Miao He. The older young man beside him, who resembled Xu Ming, had a unique, refined, and gentle demeanor.

Elder Qu introduced them with a smile, “Long time no see, He Ge’er. This is Xu Ming’s older brother, Xu Huan. They recently bought the mountain next to yours and asked me to formally introduce them.”

Xu Ming greeted seriously, “Hello, He Ge’er. Since we’re neighbors now, my brother and I wanted to say hello. Sorry for the disturbance.”

…Just moved next door?

Miao He thought to himself, “If you weren’t eyeing the pickled plums on the table while saying that, I might have believed you.”

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