WSMTATMC C11

Chapter 11

“Nai, I want to eat meat! I want to eat meat!” a child’s sharp wail carried into the room.

Chen Xi’s expression darkened, and he shot a glare at his eldest son, motioning for him to go deal with his brat.

Chen Dashun immediately jumped up and ran outside. Moments later came the sound of pa-pa smacks, followed by the boy’s bawling cries.

Wang Ying set down his chopsticks and barked, “Don’t hit the child! He’s so small — what does he understand? There’s plenty of chicken here; Qingyun and I can’t finish it ourselves. Give them a few pieces.”

Chen Dashun froze, unsure how to proceed. Chen Xi’s heart softened for his grandsons and waved. “Have your wife get a bowl and take a couple of pieces back for them. No need to keep shaming us in front of guests.”

“Yes.” Dashun’s wife hurried off cheerfully to fetch a bowl and pick up some meat.

When she saw the chicken, her eyes nearly dropped out of her head. Out of respect for her father-in-law, she didn’t dare choose the best cuts — only took a head, feet, and some neck pieces.

Though the Chens were stewards, their life was only a little better than the other villagers’; meat was a rarity saved for New Year, and the adults and children alike lacked oil in their diet.

“Take both drumsticks,” Wang Ying added, “and give them to the children.”

“Thank you, Master! Thank you!” The young woman beamed, snatched up the drumsticks, and dashed out.

Chen Xi’s face flushed red with embarrassment. “Let the Young Master forgive us — the children are shallow-eyed, they can’t help drooling when they smell meat.”

“That’s nothing to be ashamed of. Grown-ups who go long without oil in their food get cravings too.”

Chen Xi hadn’t expected the new son-in-law to be so understanding, and his opinion of him improved further.

After lunch, he warmly offered to take Wang Ying to see the fields — just what Wang Ying wanted as well, to check on crop growth.

Chen Qingyun, unable to bear the hot sun, stayed at the Chen house with Tian Mama. Wang Ying went out with Chen Xi and his three sons.

The steward’s family lived in the village; the fields lay beyond. Walking out, they met many people along the road. Each stopped to greet them, and on hearing Wang Ying was the master’s young husband, they became so excited they scarcely knew what to say.

Chen Xi, worried the villagers might accidentally offend, shooed them back, forbidding them from following too closely.

“This plot here belongs to my family — you can see the seedlings already sprouting,” he explained. Like other villagers, his whole family worked the land, except they didn’t owe rent to the manor and thus lived more comfortably.

Wang Ying stepped carefully into the furrow, bent, and plucked a stalk of millet to examine.

“These seedlings are too dense — it’ll stunt their growth. The space between each plant should be about half a foot. And here, see the white powder on the leaves? Likely powdery mildew. If you don’t thin them out soon, it’ll affect the heading stage.”

Powdery mildew is a common plant disease caused mainly by fungal infection. It often comes when summer’s air is hot and humid, and overly dense crops block ventilation.

“For treatment, mix two liang¹ of sulphur with fifty jin² of water, stir well, and spray the leaves.”

“Young Master… you also know farming?”

“I know a bit.”

Chen Xi nodded slowly, half-dubious. He’d farmed for over forty years and had never heard such things, so he couldn’t bring himself to fully believe it.

Wang Ying didn’t insist. For now, everything he said was “words on paper.” Unless he produced actual results, the manor workers would not be convinced.

Farther on, they reached a clear stream, knee-deep, where naked-bottomed children splashed about catching fish and shrimp.

This was truly a pleasant place, with both water and hills. Once Chen Qingyan’s health recovered, Wang Ying thought, they could move here to live — almost like retiring to the countryside.

“After you harvest this millet, set aside a plot for me — three to five mu³ is enough. I’ll come to plant it myself.”

“Of course. I’ll keep it for you,” Chen Xi readily agreed. Though he had no idea what the Young Master intended, he seemed a kind and easy man to get along with.

Back at the house, two Chen children had gathered some fruit from somewhere to give to Qingyun.

“Sister, try this — it’s so sweet!”

Yang quickly came over and shooed her grandsons away. “Go play outside. Do pardon the children, Second Miss — they don’t know any better.”

“It’s fine,” Qingyun said. She was still a child herself, prone to playfulness. “Let me try that fruit.”

The little girl’s eyes curved in delight and, like a treasure offering, dumped her handful of red fruit into Qingyun’s palm.

In the village, they called it “red shanding” — in later times, a type of cherry. Without artificial breeding, the fruit was sparse, but the flavour was much like modern cherries: sweet-tart and juicy.

She ate a few, then decided to save the rest for her sister-in-law to taste.

Nearby, Tian Mama cleared her throat. “Miss Qingyun, what do you think the Young Master is up to?”

“What do you mean?”

“Going all the way to the manor for no reason. Doesn’t he mind tiring himself out?”

Thinking she meant herself, Qingyun tried to reassure her. “When Father was here, he visited the manor twice a year. Now the Young Master’s managing things, it’s only natural he’d look in.”

Tian scoffed. “Miss manages the household well enough — why let an outsider take over? Who knows if he might secretly send help to his own family…”

“He married my eldest brother; he’s family. How is he an outsider? You know our situation — we can barely make ends meet. If not for Sister-in-law stopping Second Uncle twice now, we’d already be penniless.”

“Second Miss…”

“These words aren’t to be repeated. If Sister-in-law heard, it would hurt his feelings.”

Tian curled her lips and said no more, but inwardly her resentment grew. This “white-eyed wolf” of a girl — after more than ten years of her service — was now siding with a son-in-law of mere half a month’s standing.

Qingyun had no idea of her thoughts, assuming only that the older woman disdained her sister-in-law’s humble origins.

In truth, she had thought the same at first — that her sister-in-law was an unrefined countryside ge’er. But over time, she realised he could read and speak with eloquence, not at all like the average farm boy.

What’s more, her brother’s health had been improving under his care. The family could only be grateful — not begrudge him.

By the time Wang Ying returned from the fields, he found the Chen courtyard full of people. These were tenant farmers from the manor, who’d come when they heard the master had arrived.

They brought offerings: mountain mushrooms, a few eggs, wild fruits, even handmade wicker baskets and brooms. None of it was costly, but it was given from the heart.

The Chen estate had never raised rents, and the tenants’ lives were far better than in nearby villages. It was said that at Huang Manor, people went hungry — selling sons and daughters was common.

Seeing the gifts were all modest, Wang Ying accepted them. Refusing might only make the givers uneasy.

Time was getting on, so he told Liuzi to harness the mule-cart to head back. Chen Xi made sure to send some earthworms as a remedy for the Eldest Young Master on their way out.

“Thanks, Steward.”

As they rode, Qingyun leaned from the window to watch. People of Chen Manor saw them off all the way to the village gates, standing long after they’d gone.

A peculiar feeling stirred in her. She remembered how, at home before, she’d discarded clothes she’d grown tired of, thrown away meals that displeased her.

Now she saw that what she refused to eat might be the finest fare to others; the clothes she disdained, they might never wear in a lifetime. She silently vowed never to waste again.

“Sister-in-law, try this,” she said, pulling the fruit the children had given her from her cloth bag. “It’s sweet and tart — delicious.”

“Why, cherries?”

“You know this fruit?”

“Yes. Cherries, also called jingtáo, are tasty but hard to grow. Best to transplant whole young trees from the mountains. If you like them, next time we’ll dig one up and plant it in the courtyard.”

“Really?!”

“Of course. Tell me any fruit you want — I’ll plant it for you.” He’d already cleared the flowerbeds in the rear court; beyond the vegetables, he wanted some fruit trees but hadn’t decided on varieties.

“I want persimmons, autumn pears — and oranges!”

“Oranges may be a problem. There’s a saying: ‘Oranges in the south are oranges; in the north they’re bitter trifoliate.’ They need warm, wet weather; here it’s too dry, and the winter cold would kill them.”

He wondered if they might grow in his experimental field. If so, he could have all manner of southern fruit in future.

“Wow — you know so much, Sister-in-law!”

Wang Ying smiled, ruffling her hair. The girl was truly endearing. In fact, all three of the Chen children were good stock. Their mother-in-law might be unfit to run the household, but she’d done well teaching her children.

On the return trip, the cart moved faster, reaching town before dark.

Before they even entered the courtyard, they saw Madam Li at the gate with the doorman, holding lanterns.

“Mother, why have you come out?” Qingyun waved from the cart, happy.

“It was so late, and you hadn’t come back — I was worried. Was the road safe?”

Wang Ying hopped down. “Safe — didn’t see a soul along the way.”

“That’s good, that’s good. Come in and wash up for supper.”

Inside, Wang Ying was surprised to see Chen Qingyan present, sitting in his wheelchair with a tense expression. Only when he saw Wang Ying and his sister did he relax.

“What brings you here?”

Chen Bo chuckled. “The young master was worried and had me—”

A cough from Chen Qingyan cut him off. “Chen Bo, take me back.”

“Yes.” Chen Bo was about to wheel him away when Wang Ying stopped him.

“Since you’ve come out, stay a while. We’ve brought plenty back from the manor.”

Chen Qingyan wanted to stay, but couldn’t say so directly; awkwardly, he muttered, “No need…”

Ignoring his protest, Wang Ying pushed him into the main hall.

notes:

1. Liang (两) – A traditional measure of weight, here ≈ 37 grams.
2. Jin (斤) – A traditional Chinese weight unit, here ≈ 0.5 kg.
3. Mu (亩) – Traditional land unit; 1 mu ≈ 666.7 m² or about 0.165 acre.