Chapter 40: Preparing New Year Goods

Chapter 40: New Year Shopping

Starting on the twentieth day of the twelfth lunar month, Yongle Town would hold its big market. During this time, people from Daoxiang Village gradually made their way to town to stock up on New Year goods.

The Yan family went on the twenty-third day of the twelfth month. They had an ox and a cart at home, so early that morning, Yan Wangchun and Yan Fuqiu hitched the ox to the cart.

Their courtyard walls were tall, so even with everyone out today, they didn't have to worry about burglars. Still, to be on the safe side, each household carefully stashed away their little savings.

Wen Xi hugged the money box and paced around the room. Usually, when it only held some loose silver and copper coins, he treasured it dearly. Now that there was nearly twenty taels of silver in the money box, he was this close to setting up an altar for it.

Yan Fengan watched him lock the money box in the cabinet one moment, then pull it out and shove it under the bed the next. He couldn't help but laugh: "Want me to chisel a hole in the floor so you can bury that box?"

Wen Xi knew he was teasing him, so he smiled shyly and asked, "Where do you think is the best place to hide the silver?"

He was joking, but Yan Fengan was actually giving it some real thought: "Don't put all your eggs in one basket—same goes for silver. How about we keep the copper coins in the money box, and stash the whole ingots and loose silver in the sleeves of clothes we don't usually wear? When we get back, we can take them out and pool them together."

That way, even if something goes wrong, they'd lose as little as possible.

It really was a good idea. The moment Yan Fengan finished talking, Wen Xi got to work. He tucked the five-tael ingot into the clothes at the bottom of the cabinet, set aside two taels of loose silver for the market trip, and put the rest in the desk drawer, covering it with a book.

As for the few hundred copper coins, he split them between the money box and under the pillow.

Yan Fengan stood off to the side, watching him dart around the room like a squirrel hoarding food, and couldn't help the smile tugging at his lips.

No matter the moment, Wen Xi's boyish antics never failed to win him over.

Once the money was stashed, Wen Xi's nerves settled a little. He let out a long breath. "Okay, now I can finally relax."

Everyone in the house was nearly ready to go. Before they headed out, Chen Lanfang popped next door to Granny Wang's place to let her know. First, to ask if they needed anything picked up from town, and second, to ask if they'd keep an eye on the house.

Granny Wang had already gotten her New Year goods yesterday. She didn't need anything—except a pair of couplets.

She asked with a smile, "Lanfang, your Sanlang hasn't written couplets for the villagers in years. Is he writing them this year? He's so well-read and his calligraphy is beautiful. If he writes them, I won't have to go all the way to town to buy any."

The real draw was the price. Bring your own red paper and Yan Sanlang only charged three wen for ink and brush. Use his paper and it was six wen—half what you'd pay in town.

Farming families didn't make money easily, so saving even a few wen was worth it.

Granny Wang had a big voice, and Yan Fengan answered from inside: "He'll write them. We're picking up a stack of red paper in town today. Just come by and see me later."

"Oh, good." Granny Wang's smile widened. "I'll go tell Huzi's ma and Niuniu's grandma too, so they don't waste their money going to town."

The ox cart rumbled slowly out of the village and onto the main road. Aside from the men of the family, Wen Xi and the others all rode on the cart.

The town was different this time of year. On normal days, you'd have to go to the proper market district to buy anything. But these days, temporary stalls lined both sides of the road, and the streets were packed with people.

There were vendors selling New Year prints, sugar melons, door gods and the Kitchen God, plus incense, candles, and spirit money. These were all hallmarks of the New Year, and just looking at them made you feel festive.

Off in the distance, acrobats were performing, and the crowd would clap and cheer, then toss out a few copper coins as tips when the act was done.

Suddenly, a frantic cry cut through the crowd: "Oh no, my money pouch is gone..."

The cry was quickly swallowed up by the noise around them. Chen Lanfang warned them, "Everyone keep a close eye on your money. Wan Niang, Jin Geer—hold the kids' hands tight and don't let them out of your sight for a second."

Around the New Year, the town drew all sorts of people, and thieves and kidnappers lurked in the crowd, waiting to take advantage. Losing money was just a matter of sulking for a while, but if a child was snatched, you'd regret it for the rest of your life.

Hearing that, He Jin and the others pulled their kids in closer.

Before they hit the market, Chen Lanfang had Yan Fengan write out a shopping list. They'd brought the ox cart this time, hoping to buy everything they needed for the New Year in one go, so they wouldn't have to make another trip if they couldn't carry it all.

A vendor selling stove candy hollered at the top of his lungs, "Sugar melons! Get your sugar melons... Sweet and sticky sugar melons to glue the Kitchen God's mouth shut, so he only says good things and no bad..."

Today was the day to send off the Kitchen God, so Chen Lanfang called the vendor over and bought two catties.

The smell of sugar-roasted chestnuts drifted over in waves. Knowing Wen Xi had never tried them, Yan Fengan didn't even ask the price—he just had the vendor bag up a catty.

Freshly roasted chestnuts had the thinnest shells. Yan Fengan peeled one and held the golden, plump nut up to Wen Xi's lips. Only after Wen Xi blushed and opened his mouth did he pop it in.

"Is it good?"

The chestnut was soft, sweet, and still a little hot. The warmth spread down his throat and settled in his chest.

With his mouth full, he couldn't answer, so he peeled one for Yan Fengan to try too.

These little snacks weren't enough to fill anyone up. They hadn't eaten at home that morning, planning to grab something fresh in town instead.

The breakfast stalls had just about everything these days: noodles, meat pies, eight-treasure porridge, savory mixed stew, and wontons. Everyone in the Yan family picked their own favorite breakfast.

Wen Xi deliberately ordered something different from Yan Fengan. Yan Fengan got the mixed stew and a crispy meat pie, while Wen Xi went for a bowl of clear wonton soup.

The two of them liked to share and feed each other while they ate, so ordering different things meant they got to taste two different dishes.

For most people, traditional festivals were happy, lively times. But in the past, they'd had nothing to do with Wen Xi. The bustle of the streets wasn't for him, and neither was the good food. Now, standing in the middle of the busy market with the Yan family, he finally understood what people meant by the warmth of everyday life.

Every family had to pay respects to their ancestors during the New Year. After checking out the food stalls, Yan Shichang bought incense, candles, and spirit money for the graves, plus firecrackers for the holiday.

The butcher's stall was packed. Families who normally couldn't bear to splurge on meat turned generous around the New Year, buying pig trotters by the piece and picking out several catties of pork belly.

There was a butcher back in Daoxiang Village who slaughtered pigs for a living. Yan Shichang had already worked out a price with him ahead of time. On the twenty-seventh, the butcher would set aside half a pig for him, and he could just go pick it up.

Chen Lanfang squeezed through the crowd at the pork stall and bought five pig ears. Over the New Year, the men in the family all liked to have a few drinks, and braised pig ears made the perfect snack to go with their liquor.

By the time they'd worked their way down the street, most of the list was done. The few remaining items needed to be picked out inside actual shops. With the streets so crowded, the ox cart was blocking traffic. Yan Shichang lifted the two grandkids onto the cart and, with Chen Lanfang, led it out of the market, letting their sons and daughters-in-law—who rarely got out—keep browsing on their own.

With the older folks gone, the younger ones loosened up. Spotting a stall selling scented balm and hair oil, He Jin waved Li Wan and Wen Xi over. He unscrewed a little pink jar, scooped out a dab with his pinky, and rubbed it on the back of his hand to smell it.

A fresh, pleasant scent hit his nose. He Jin glanced around, and seeing the three brothers hadn't followed, said, "I use this balm all the time. The scent is light, not too strong, and it lasts a long time. You two want some?"

Li Wan gave it a sniff, liked it, and picked out two other jars with different scents.

He Jin turned to Wen Xi. "Xiao Xi, you give it a try too."

Wen Xi leaned in and smelled each one in turn. The lotus was too faint, the pear blossom tent scent too powdery, but the wintersweet and jade tree blossom were just right. "These two," he said.

He Jin nodded and had the stall owner wrap up all the jars they'd picked.

The stall owner wrapped them up in no time. After He Jin paid, he handed Wen Xi and Li Wan the balms they'd each chosen.

Li Wan didn't stand on ceremony either. She took them with a smile and said, "Thanks for treating us, Xiao Jin."

Wen Xi wasn't in the habit of using scented balm. He'd thought he was just helping He Jin pick some out, so when He Jin handed him a jar, he instinctively pushed it back. "I don't need this..."

He Jin shoved the balm into his hand. "What do you mean you don't need it? We're married men now—we should still take care of ourselves. Even if we can't compete with those city gents who slather on powder and wear gold and silver, a little balm never hurts."

Li Wan chimed in, "That's right, Xiao Xi. A little balm every now and then—it just makes you happy to smell it, doesn't it?"

He Jin said with a sly grin, "If you dress yourself up all neat and fragrant, won't Third Brother be even happier?"

Wen Xi mumbled shyly, "He wouldn't care about such things."

"Of course he would." He Jin looked like he knew it all: "Men are all alike. The eldest brother looks honest enough, doesn't he? Ask your sister-in-law if he cares."

Li Wan covered her mouth and giggled, drawling, "No matter how honest he is... he's still a man."

In the past, Wen Xi wouldn't have understood such talk no matter how hard he tried. Now, even if he pretended not to, his red ears had already given him away.

After what his two sisters-in-law said, he clutched the scented ointment tightly and no longer refused. He murmured vaguely, "Thank you, Brother Jin."

On the other side, the three Yan brothers walked into the jewelry shop together. Before coming, Yan Wangchun and Yan Fuqiu had already discussed that this year they would definitely buy a nice, hefty silver bangle for each of their wives.

Li Wan and He Jin were both exceptionally good wives. In recent years, outsiders thought the Yan family was doing well, but in reality, they had been scraping by.

The whole family had been saving money to support Yan Fengan's schooling, putting his needs first. When Li Wan married into the family, the household wasn't well-off, and they only gave two taels of silver as a bride price, along with some fabric for new clothes. Silver hairpins and bangles were given too, but that was seven or eight years ago, and those had long since gone out of style.

He Jin didn't fare much better than Li Wan. He was reluctant to wear the silver bangle Yan Fuqiu had given him at their wedding on ordinary days. A person who cared so much about appearances and saving face, he wore cheap wooden hairpins and bangles all day, proudly showing them off everywhere, saying Yan Fuqiu had made them by hand.

Yan Fuqiu seemed carefree and cheerful on the surface, but deep down, it stung. When he had begged He Jin to marry him, he'd promised him a good life...

However, he and Yan Wangchun never held any of this against Yan Fengan. Lingyun Academy attracted most of the wealthy sons from the entire county. These people spent money lavishly without restraint, wearing and eating things that farming families could never dream of. Spending all day with this crowd, it was hard not to feel envious and tempted to keep up with them.

Third Brother's personality had changed so much over the years; it was hard not to think it was influenced by the people around him.

Besides, their parents hadn't shown complete favoritism. Yesterday, their mother had given him and his eldest brother five taels each, saying the money came from Third Brother's writing. Over the years, the two older brothers' families had sacrificed a lot for him, so it was time for him, as the younger brother, to show his gratitude.

Even the eldest brother, who was usually steady and quiet, grinned from ear to ear. After leaving their parents' room, the two of them discussed using the money to buy jewelry for their wives.

In the jewelry shop, plain silver bangles cost only two taels a pair. If they wanted patterned ones or ones with hollow-carved designs, a pair would cost five taels. Other, more intricate designs cost even more.

Yan Wangchun pointed at the hollow-carved silver bangles and said to his two brothers, "These look exquisite and beautiful. With the silver we have, we can buy two pairs—one for Mother, one for Xiao Wan, one for Xiao Jin, and one for Xiao Xi, so each of them gets one."

Yan Fuqiu agreed: "These two hollow-carved ones go to Mother and our sister-in-law, and the simple patterned ones to Xiao Jin and Xiao Xi. Third Brother, what do you think?"

When they entered the jewelry shop, the two older brothers had already told him about the ten taels. In the past, Yan Fengan would have felt embarrassed and wouldn't want them to spend so much, but since this money was earned by him, he could spend it without feeling guilty.

It wouldn't do for everyone in the family to have silver bangles except his own husband, right? So he didn't stand on ceremony with his brothers. The three of them happily had the shopkeeper wrap up the bangles, planning to surprise their spouses at home.

They had bought almost everything, leaving only the red paper for couplets. After reuniting with Wen Xi and the others, they went to the town's stationery shop.

Yan Fengan had shopped there before and knew the shopkeeper a little. Knowing he was a scholar, the shopkeeper, upon hearing Yan Fengan wanted to buy paper for couplets, boldly asked for two pairs—one for his home and one for the shop.

Since they were all from the same town, Yan Fengan couldn't very well refuse. Once the shopkeeper had prepared the writing tools, Yan Fengan stood by the table, thought for a moment, and began to write.

The stationery shop owner was different from ordinary merchants. The shop couplet couldn't be simple wishes for wealth; it had to match the setting without being too tacky.

For the first line, Yan Fengan wrote: "The fragrance of a thousand books carries auspicious air."

Second line: "Spring fills the hall, intoxicating the years."

Horizontal scroll: "Know spring, savor beauty."

As for the one for home, it was simpler—just needed to bring good luck and blessings.

"First line: The old year brings a few more joys. Second line: The new year rises another level. Horizontal scroll: Bid farewell to the old, welcome the new."

Yan Fengan wrote with practiced ease and finished the couplet in no time. Setting aside the content, his calligraphy alone was a joy to behold.

The paper shop owner was also the eager type. Before the ink was even dry, he had someone paste the couplet on the door.

"I'm lucky to have a piece of calligraphy from Scholar Yan. It's truly an honor for my shop. How much should I pay you?"

Since the shop had provided the paper, ink, and brushes, Yan Fengan was too embarrassed to charge.

"You're too kind, shopkeeper. These two couplets are my gift to you."

"How could that be?" Thinking that Yan Fengan had come to buy paper, the shopkeeper said, "Then the red paper is on me—no charge."

In this way, they built a bit of a rapport without either side feeling taken advantage of.

Yan Fengan didn't decline and clasped his hands in a gesture of thanks: "Thank you, shopkeeper."

As the two were talking in the shop, a ruckus broke out outside.

"Oh, who wrote those couplets for the shopkeeper? The calligraphy is really good."

"Indeed, pasting those up is quite impressive—much better than what Third Liu writes."

Speaking of Third Liu, everyone's blood boiled.

"That Third Liu is getting greedier by the day. Last year, a couplet cost only ten coppers, but this year he's raised it to fifteen, and he still expects us to bring our own red paper. I've never seen such a way of doing business."

"Well, who else in town writes couplets? A young scholar came before, but that scoundrel Third Liu claimed the man was stealing his business, smashed his stall, and scared the scholar away. He never dared come back."

"That son of a bitch. He's in the east market, the other guy was in the west market—so far apart, what business was it of his?"

"Forget it. I'm not buying his paper. I'd rather go without couplets this year than put up with his crap."

Yan Wangchun and Yan Fuqiu were often in town and had long heard of this Third Liu.

This guy, relying on being the only couplet writer in town, charged high prices and had a terrible attitude. On top of that, he was a bully—if anyone dared compete with him, he'd smash their stall.

Most people in this trade were young, timid scholars; few dared to confront him directly.

Their family's couplets were always written by Yan Fengan and brought back from the city; otherwise, they'd have to put up with Third Liu's bullying too.

Yan Fuqiu couldn't stand bullies who had no skill but threw their weight around. He sneered at the crowd: "My brother is a scholar—what does Third Liu have to compare with him? His calligraphy isn't even as good as what my third brother could write with his feet, and he dares charge fifteen coppers? Why doesn't he just rob people?"

Hearing this, someone nearby immediately chimed in: "So it's written by a scholar, no wonder it's so good. May I ask, where is your brother?"

Yan Fuqiu pointed into the shop: "Right there, isn't that him?"

Everyone's gaze fell on Yan Fengan, their eyes lit up with eager anticipation.

"Oh my, the scholar not only writes well but is handsome too. With him around, we're in luck. Scholar's calligraphy on the door brings blessings and good fortune—maybe our kids studying at home can pass the exam like him. Scholar, write a few for us too."

A few people were fine, but with this many, it wasn't something he could just do.

Yan Fengan glanced at his second brother, who had been bragging on his behalf. Yan Fuqiu immediately got the hint and said, "Can't do it. There are people in the village waiting for my brother. They've already paid and are waiting for him to buy paper and write."

"Don't say that. We'll pay too. With calligraphy like the scholar's, I'd gladly pay fifteen coppers." The middle-aged man finished speaking and immediately counted out fifteen copper coins from his sleeve.

Others followed suit and pulled out their money too.

The paper shop owner glanced at the troubled Yan Fengan and said, "These are honest folks who just want a few couplets for good luck during the New Year. That Third Liu's price gouging is truly despicable. Why not do them a favor, Scholar Yan?"

Yan Wangchun asked, "Third Brother, what do you think?"

Yan Fengan had already made up his mind: "Since you all trust me, I won't decline. I've got things to take care of at home today, so I can't linger here. I'll write your couplets when I return, and tomorrow at this hour, you can pick them up here at Shopkeeper Zhou's. As for the price, no need for fifteen wen—red paper included, ten wen will do."

Fifteen wen for a couplet was already a high price; selling them to the villagers at that rate would simply be taking advantage of them.

Of course, he couldn't price them too low either—his couplets were of good quality, and pricing them too cheaply would be undervaluing his own labor.

Ten wen was the optimal price.

The crowd all started shouting they wanted to pay upfront, but Yan Fengan, too lazy to keep track of names, declined to take the money.

With the demand for couplets so high these days, even if these folks flaked on him, he had no worry about selling them elsewhere.