Qin Sang went to the blacksmith shop once more.
There were too few usable farm tools at home; Qin Sang didn't want to farm, but rather wanted more weapons.
Knives were impossible to buy; they were controlled weapons. Not only was private forging forbidden, but purchases also required qualification and registration with the county yamen. Civilians were not allowed to buy them, and if they were caught or reported, they would be thrown into prison.
Qin Sang asked for two hoes, two sickles, and also bought a medicine grinder.
Qin Sang also wanted to buy a small stone mill and a water vat. She also needed to add some pots, bowls, ladles, and basins to the household. When she asked the old man, he said no one in town was more familiar with the area than him. He led her there, and they were soon bought.
She went to the general store and bought some long-lasting pastries and Sesame Balls. As she was about to leave town, she originally wanted to buy two catties of meat to take back, but the weather was too hot, and the meat stall had closed early. Butcher Qian, the second son-in-law, was nowhere to be seen.
She had twelve taels of silver and three hundred copper coins left on her.
Qin Sang gave the old man two Sesame Balls and ate one herself. It wasn't very sweet, but it was very fragrant.
Taking a sip of water, Qin Sang sat on the ox cart and chatted with the old man along the way, so she didn't feel the sun was particularly scorching...
At the house at the end of Tianjia Village, while Qin Sang was away, Zhou Dahua led Eldest Girl and Tian Sijin in their work, not daring to slack off even a little.
Eldest Girl was responsible for drying, Zhou Dahua for chopping, and Tian Sijin for moving the leftover mugwort stalks outside to dry for firewood.
Zhao Huan sat in the drafty part of the room, holding a Palm-leaf Fan. She fanned herself while complaining that the damned weather was so hot it made her dizzy.
"Third Sister-in-law, can you stop complaining? We're working and don't have any breeze, yet we aren't saying anything. Your constant nagging makes me feel even hotter," Tian Sijin spoke up.
Zhao Huan waved her Palm-leaf Fan and said leisurely:
"Si Jin, isn't it because I'm carrying your nephew in my belly? That's why I'm more sensitive to the heat. Isn't it time to make lunch? Is it Eldest Sister-in-law's turn or yours, Si Jin? Neither of you is moving. Don't tell me last night's meal of dry rice already finished off the little grain we had left."
Zhou Dahua raised her sleeve to wipe the rain-like sweat from her forehead and whispered:
"There isn't much grain left. I estimate it'll only last about five days. It's my fault for not watching Eldest Girl well. I... I'll cook less later. I ate too much last night and still haven't quite digested it, so I won't eat lunch today."
Eldest Girl, whose small face was flushed from drying mugwort leaves outside, walked in and heard her mother say this. She also said timidly and softly:
"I'm not hungry either, Mother. I won't eat lunch either."
Zhou Dahua touched Eldest Girl's head with heartache.
Zhao Huan said indifferently:
"I don't care if you eat or not, but I'm hungry. The work is almost done. Eldest Sister-in-law, go cook. You can't let me and the child in my belly go hungry, right?"
Tian Sijin looked at the backs of her eldest sister-in-law and her daughter as they walked out with their heads bowed, feeling somewhat indignant:
"Third Sister-in-law, Eldest Sister-in-law isn't even eating, yet you're making her cook? We've been busy all morning and haven't had a drop of water. Can't you even cook a meal, Third Sister-in-law?"
The hand Zhao Huan used to wave the Palm-leaf Fan paused for a moment, then resumed. Her voice, matching the frequency of the fan, was slow:
"Sigh, Grandma has always favored Little Five the most. Now that Little Five needs money, if she doesn't sell Eldest Girl, she might be planning to sell you. After all, Eldest Girl is still so small and won't fetch much money. But you're different, Si Jin. You're eleven this year, a big girl. I heard many masters in the city like to buy young girls to raise. Someone like you would fetch a high price."
Tian Sijin was both anxious and afraid. She threw down the mugwort stalks in her hand, her eyes wide:
"What did you say? Didn't Grandma say she was going to town today to sell mugwort leaves? Maybe she'll get some money. Grandma never said she was going to sell me. Grandma won't sell me; I'm her daughter."
Zhao Huan continued to wave her fan and speak sarcastically:
"If mugwort leaves could really be exchanged for silver, would they grow all over the mountains? Grandma said she was going to sell Eldest Girl last time, and Eldest Girl almost got lost. If she told you in advance she was planning to sell you, what if you ran away too?"
"You are Grandma's daughter, that's true, but can you be more important than Little Five?"
"Si Jin, if you go to the city to live a good life, don't forget to give the family a hand then."
After hearing this, Tian Sijin felt a severe chill all over her body despite the bright sun.
She had heard of families in the village who sold their daughters. They said that once sold, you were no longer a person but livestock, for others to pick and choose. Whether you lived or died was just a matter of someone else's word.
She didn't want to be sold. Tian Sijin's mind was filled with this thought, and she instinctively ran outside.
"Where are you going?" Mrs. Zhao asked.
Tian Sijin's eyes were full of terror. She looked back and said:
"I'm going to the village entrance to see if Grandma has returned from town." After saying that, she bolted.
Mrs. Zhao saw her terrified look and gave a light sneer: "Daring to find fault with me, you're just spoiled."
...
At the foot of the mountain, Tian Dazhuang was bent over working, while Tian Sangui was dodging the sun on a rock under the shade of a tree nearby. If Tian Dazhuang straightened up to wipe his sweat, Tian Sangui would hurriedly bend over and make the half-person-high mugwort in front of him rustle loudly.
After more than half a day, a small mountain of mugwort had piled up behind Tian Dazhuang, while the mugwort behind Tian Sangui wasn't even as high as the rock.
Only when the sun became truly unbearable did the two decide to carry it back home.
"Big Brother is really amazing, cutting so much. You definitely can't carry all this. I have less here; let me help you carry some."
Tian Sangui kindly took a bundle of the mugwort Tian Dazhuang had cut and moved it to his own pile. Tian Dazhuang said gratefully:
"Thank you, Third Brother. Let's go, hurry home. It'll be bad if we get heatstroke later."
Tian Sangui agreed, looked at his current bundle which wasn't much smaller than his brother's, and then shouldered it to follow Tian Dazhuang.
When Qin Sang returned to Tianjia Village on the ox cart, it was almost noon. At this time, the sun was at its hottest, and no one in the village was outside. Generally, they were at home for a midday nap and would continue working after lunch. So, no one saw Qin Sang return to the village with a fully loaded ox cart.
Reaching the house, Old Man Xu called the ox cart to a stop and helped Qin Sang move the things.
The two daughters-in-law and Eldest Girl, who came out upon hearing the commotion, were stunned. The two brothers, each carrying a large bundle of mugwort on their backs as they reached the door, also looked as if they had been struck by lightning when they saw the ox cart full of items; none of them moved.
"What are you still standing there for? Can't you see Uncle Xu is getting on in years? Hurry over and move these things." Qin Sang was also exhausted from the sun. She carried a twenty-catty bag of wheat into the house.
Rebuked, Tian Dazhuang hurriedly threw the mugwort on his back against the base of the wall and stepped forward, lifting a sack of flour and a sack of rice with each hand.
Tian Sigui's mouth opened and closed:
"Mother, are all these things ours?"
Mrs. Zhao leaned in close to Qin Sang, her Palm-leaf Fan waving rapidly:
"Mother, how much silver did the mugwort sell for? To buy so many things."
Qin Sang stopped and glared at her. Mrs. Zhao immediately shut her mouth, then looked back at the white flour and rice her eldest brother-in-law was carrying in, her heart blossoming with joy.
Mrs. Zhou pulled Eldest Girl to move things as well. Each carried a twenty-catty cloth bag. Eldest Girl was only five years old, yet she didn't seem to struggle at all when carrying the items; instead, it seemed like she could carry as many as were given. Grandma had money to buy grain now, so she probably wouldn't sell her anymore.