17 Showing Off Strength

Qin Jin was somewhat surprised.

In truth, he bore no grudge against the He family; it was his own lack of foresight that was at fault. Even if the He family had pretended not to hear or see, he couldn’t have blamed them.

But he hadn’t expected the He family to proactively send over ten carts.

Each small cart cost one hundred wen; ten carts amounted to one thousand wen. Although this was the retail price, not the He family’s cost price, the carts were sturdy and finely made, and the raw materials and labor surely cost at least several dozen wen each.

Given the low handcrafted production rate, the small market of Dongyang County, and the carts’ durability, even if the He family made a profit, it would be modest and clear.

To have them willingly send ten carts was indeed very generous.

He thanked them warmly, handed some pea cakes to a few children, and politely declined He Hu’s offer to send the carts to Wuligou himself. After He Hu left, Qin Jin beckoned the steamed bun stall owner over.

This owner’s surname was Liu. He was broad-shouldered and stocky, with a face full of tough muscle, but in truth, he was kind-hearted. Liu’s youngest son, Liu Xiaojin, was only ten years old, but he accompanied his father daily at the stall and was skilled at rolling dough and making buns.

Qin Jin hoped Liu Xiaojin would make a trip to Wuligou to fetch his three older brothers.

He couldn’t push all ten carts back alone; he wanted Qin Bing and his two brothers to come help. By now, it was nearly noon, so even if Qin Bing, Qin Wen, and Qin Li hadn’t yet returned from the fields, they would soon.

Liu looked puzzled at this. Didn’t He Hu just offer to send the carts to Wuligou?

Qin Jin smiled and replied, “Brother Liu, I plan to divide these ten carts among my three older brothers. Since they’re their own carts, they should push them back themselves. They’re not busy right now, so I’ll have Xiaojin run this errand, and I’ll pay him five wen for the trouble.”

Hearing this, Liu sighed inwardly at Qin Jin’s generosity. With each cart priced at one hundred wen, he said, “No need to pay him. Just give him some pea cake. I’ll have him go right away.”

“Thank you, Brother Liu. Please send Xiaojin over, and I’ll tell him exactly where my house is,” Qin Jin replied gratefully.

When Liu Xiaojin arrived, Qin Jin gave him a two-liang pea cake and explained the location of the Qin family home. Clutching the cake excitedly, the boy set off.

Since business was slow at the bun stall, instead of standing around and exchanging glances with his father, it was better to happily munch on a pea cake and run the errand.

Qin Jin waited a good while, and only after all the pea cakes were sold did Liu Xiaojin return, accompanied by Qin Bing, Qin Wen, and Qin Li.

Along with them came Qin Bing’s two sons: Qin Fang and Qin Yuan.

The men had already heard Liu Xiaojin’s explanation. Seeing the brand-new carts, each of them beamed with delight, reluctant to let go.

Qin Fang was thirteen and Qin Yuan eleven, but the men of the Qin family were all tall. Although poor nutrition meant that a height over 1.7 meters was considered tall and 1.6 meters common, each of the Qin men stood above 1.8 meters.

Qin Yuan still looked somewhat youthful, but Qin Fang was nearly as tall as Qin Jin, resembling an adult.

The tall men gathered around the carts, chatting and laughing. Although their clothes were plain, they drew many admiring glances.

Once the novelty wore off, Qin Jin placed a backpack basket on one of the carts and called everyone to head back to the village.

The whole family pushed the carts home in lively, cheerful fashion.

At the village entrance, Qin Wen and Qin Li parted ways with Qin Jin and Qin Bing, as their homes lay in different directions.

Qin Jin and Qin Bing pushed the carts towards their own home. At the old courtyard gate, Qin Bing told Qin Fang and Qin Yuan to push the carts inside while he grabbed Qin Jin’s sleeve.

“Jin, maybe you should keep the money for the carts. Two hundred wen isn’t a small sum.”

His younger brother was generous, but as the eldest, Qin Bing felt it improper to accept such expensive carts for free. He and his brothers Qin Wen and Qin Li each had two carts; since their parents lived with him, he had an extra one, totaling three.

Qin Jin shook his head. “Big brother, I’ve always eaten and drunk at your expense, yet you never asked me to pay.”

“That’s not the same. It’s our own grain, so we can’t be short of food for you.”

“How is it any different? My younger brothers earned the carts, so wouldn’t they share with you two?”

Qin Bing laughed at this. “I can’t argue with you now.”

“Because I’m right,” Qin Jin grinned. “Big brother, if you’re not hungry, I certainly am. I’m going home to eat the meal Miao’er made.”

With that, he turned and left.

Qin Bing thought for a moment, then also headed home.

Ah, the little brother really has grown up.

When Qin Jin entered the house, he caught a glimpse of Qin Bing also going into the old courtyard and felt reassured.

Although he wasn’t the original person, since transmigrating, Qin Bing, Qin Wen, and Qin Li had treated him very well. Giving away a few carts was no trouble for them.

Besides, he relied on these three men.

His business was food-related, mostly serving rural households who had limited money. If they bought from him, other food stall owners would earn less.

His small business was flourishing, attracting many customers daily. The other long-term vendors didn’t say anything openly, but what they thought inside was unknown.

Just to be safe, he declined He Hu’s generous offer today and had Liu Xiaojin fetch the three Qin brothers to show themselves at the city gate.

In this era, lower-class commoners couldn’t change social status, only numbers. Having many strong men made others wary.

The Qin men were not only numerous but tall and sturdy. Other vendors, even if harboring ill intentions, would most likely think twice after seeing them.

That was why he purposely brought Qin Bing and the others out to flex their muscles today.

Family ties with mutual benefit couldn’t be divided too precisely.

Thinking this, he looked up to see Ye Miao poking her head out of the kitchen. He couldn’t help but smile, “Come on over, Miao. Our family won’t lack carts from now on.”

Ye Miao had been carrying a bowl, scooping dishes from the pot. Hearing the sound of the cart wheels, he came to the kitchen door. Qin Jin handed the carts to his father, who had just returned from the fields.

Suddenly seeing three carts, his eyes widened, and he hurriedly asked why.

After hearing Qin Jin’s explanation, he rubbed his chin and furrowed his brow in thought. “Jin, how much money do you think the He family makes?”

To be so generous, they must earn quite a bit, right?

But this was his brother’s plan...

Qin Jin laughed at his expression and poked his forehead. “Don’t overthink it. They gave us eleven carts for free; we’re not losing much.”

“That’s still a loss,” Ye Miao muttered, taking a cart from Qin Jin.

“Losing is a blessing,” Qin Jin said.

Ye Miao clearly disagreed and was about to pout, but seeing Qin Jin watching him, he cleared his throat and smiled, “You’re right, Jin.”

“Lunch is ready—steamed noodles with green beans and stir-fried fried tofu skins. Go wash up. I’ll call Dad; he’s next door.”

With that, he ran off.

He was mistaken.

Qin Jin said it was his own lack of consideration and didn’t blame the He family. If he were to hold a grudge against the He family now, wouldn’t that be blaming his brother’s mistake?

Absolutely not.

His brother was right—making such practical carts was impressive!

When Ye Miao and Zhao Feng returned, Qin Jin had already served the meal and set the table.

Ye Miao chuckled silently. Other men in the village pushed all kitchen chores onto their wives or husbands, as if handling kitchen work made a man less of a man.

But his brother never shied away from it.

What a good husband.

Feeling joyful, he washed his hands and happily sat at the table.

***

At today’s meal was a new dish: spinach stir-fried with fried tofu skin.

Yesterday, when Qin Jin bought tofu pudding at Zhang Qi’s, he had deliberately purchased some soy milk and taught Ye Miao how to make fried tofu skin, also known as yuba.

It was a slow process: simmer the soy milk over low heat until a skin formed on the surface, then scoop it out, hang it on a string to dry, and repeat.

Qin Jin had once considered selling yuba but, in this all-handmade era, the slow production and long time required made him give up the idea.

He only planned to make some when he wanted to eat it himself.

Ye Miao and Zhao Feng were trying yuba for the first time. Its soft yet chewy texture amazed them. Soy milk could make such a delicacy—it was incredible.

Ye Miao looked at Qin Jin admiringly. “Jin, how about we buy a small stone mill? Then whenever we want, we can grind soybeans to make soy milk.”

“All right,” Qin Jin nodded.

Having a stone mill would indeed be more convenient, not only for soy milk but also for grinding rice slurry to make rice dishes.

After lunch, clouds drifted across the blue sky, quickly covering the sun. The sky darkened as the clouds thickened.

Looking up, Qin Jin frowned. Rain was good, but it meant no vending.

After hesitating, he went to the Zhang family.

Worried it would rain tomorrow, he decided to buy only one hundred wen worth of tofu pudding for the next day.

Sure enough, rain poured down heavily in the evening. By midnight, the heavy rain turned to a drizzle. Qin Jin and Zhao Feng braved the rain to bring the tofu pudding home.

Today, not only did they make less tofu pudding, but also fewer pea cakes—only four jin.

The next morning, rain still drizzled. Qin Jin carried his basket and umbrella to set up his stall at the city gate.

There were seventy to eighty percent fewer stalls than usual, and far fewer customers. Selling slowly until noon, he still had some tofu pudding and pea cakes left, so he packed up and returned home under his umbrella.

When he arrived, the drizzle had stopped.

Staring at the gloomy sky for a few seconds, he silently resolved that once he had earned enough money, he would definitely buy a small shop in the city.

How painful! Today he lost over a hundred wen in vain!

Just as he sat down at the table and was about to pick up his chopsticks, a voice called from the door: “Xiao Jin, are you home?”

He put down his chopsticks and came out of the kitchen to see Zhu Erhong already in the yard, followed by Qin An.

Qin An kept his head lowered, silent.

Qin Jin smiled, “Auntie, are you done with your work?”

“No need to water the crops after that rain, so An’er has some free time. Xiao Jin, you still mean what you said before, right?” Zhu Erhong fixed her eyes on Qin Jin but her peripheral gaze swept the entire courtyard.

This courtyard was ten years old; the kitchen walls were weathered and pitted.

Compared to her large house, it was far inferior.

But Qin Jin’s mind was sharp—he not only made food but also those carts! Word had it the Qin brothers pushed many carts back yesterday, each worth one hundred wen!

Though hesitant at first, she immediately sent An’er over.

She wanted to see exactly how Qin Jin was making his fortune!