Chapter 115: How Did the Bamboo Ware Sell?
Old Man Sui propped his body up and bowed toward the empty air.
“Ancestors protect us, ancestors protect us. My grandson ate a wonderful meal today!”
Grandmother Sui’s heart also completely eased up. It didn’t matter if the bamboo crates and baskets were gone; at the very least, her grandson had eaten a whole bowl of meat, along with two eggs fried in generous amounts of oil and three large bowls of rice.
It was far better than the wild greens, radishes, and yam bean rice they had at home.
Both elders were happy for A-Feng, and by unspoken agreement, they didn’t ask too many questions.
A-Feng, however, looked at Old Man Sui and Grandmother Sui, a bright spark in his eyes. “Grandfather, Grandmother, why aren’t you asking me how the bamboo ware sold?”
Old Man Sui chuckled. “It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter…”
How well could they have sold? Normally, selling two or three a day was considered pretty good, and five or six was an event that only happened on a major market day.
A-Feng had left the house carrying so much bamboo ware and returned empty-handed; what else could have happened? He had probably just lost them along the way.
It couldn’t possibly be that they were all sold out, right?
Thinking this way, Old Man Sui spoke his thoughts aloud: “It doesn’t matter if the bamboo ware is lost. We have plenty of bamboo on our mountain anyway; Grandfather will just make some more… At any rate, it’s better than crossing paths with that pack of thugs and ruffians in town, having your goods stolen, and taking a beating to boot.”
The fact that A-Feng had returned with a beaming smile and not a single scratch on his body was already more than enough to satisfy the two elders.
As for the bamboo ware—to put it bluntly, the bamboo was cut from the mountain and only cost them a bit of physical effort. But what was physical effort worth? If it was lost, they would just make more.
A-Feng’s eyes widened. “Grandfather, how can you look down on me like that! I told you to rest well and nurse your injury; I was absolutely going to sell the bamboo ware!”
A-Feng pulled the machete from his lower back, proving himself: “I sold every single piece of bamboo ware! I traded them for a machete!”
Old Man Sui wove bamboo for a living, so their household used machetes constantly.
The moment Old Man Sui and Grandmother Sui looked at it, they knew this machete was a premium item.
“Heavens! This is a machete made of refined iron! It’s so bright and polished!”
Picking up one of the stalks of bamboo Old Man Sui had set by the heated brick bed, A-Feng split it right down with a single stroke. “Look, Grandfather! Look how sharp it is!”
Staring at the machete, the two elders each picked it up to test it out.
It was an absolute masterpiece of an item.
Old Man Sui braced both hands on either side of his body, straining to bend his waist as low as possible. “Thank you, ancestors! Thank you, ancestors!”
Grandmother Sui was utterly rooted to the spot, only managing to speak after a long pause, “So there truly are times when the ancestors of your Sui family manifest their spirits!”
Old Man Sui ran his hands over the machete, unable to put it down, but he also felt a trace of worry. “A machete this excellent must be worth at least three taels of silver. Those bamboo wares of ours couldn’t possibly fetch such a price.”
The prices A-Feng had given were their standard household rates, but in actual practice, selling them always involved a round of bartering. They usually had to lower the price by three to five copper coins before anyone would buy.
A-Feng nodded, agreeing with his grandfather’s logic. However, having listened to Lin Sanniang’s guidance, he knew how to manage both sides, so he said, “The young mistress of the manor has a kind heart. She said she would calculate the machete at only two taels of silver for me. Since I didn’t bring enough bamboo ware, she told me to bring more tomorrow.”
“You can still go tomorrow?”
“The ancestors of our Sui family can manifest their spirits twice?”
The two elders spoke simultaneously, both deeply astonished.
A-Feng nodded vigorously. “Yes! Grandfather, Grandmother, help me take stock. Are there any extra bamboo wares left at home? Tomorrow I need to bring one thousand two hundred copper coins’ worth of bamboo ware.”
Grandmother Sui said hurriedly, “Yes, yes, we have plenty! After your grandfather injured his leg, he refused to idle around and wove bamboo ware at home every single day. He even finished a few more today.”
A-Feng said admiringly, “Grandfather’s hands are much faster than mine.”
But hearing Grandmother Sui bring up Old Man Sui’s leg injury, A-Feng finally remembered. He hurriedly fished out a small bamboo tube from his chest pocket.
“Grandfather, Grandmother, the young mistress also bestowed medicine! She said she couldn’t help if the leg was completely snapped, but this medicinal powder can stop bleeding, disperse bruising, and alleviate swelling and pain. It can be applied topically or taken orally.”
Old Man Sui had fallen and injured his leg. The physician said he had damaged the bone, but fortunately, the bone wasn’t broken; there was just an open wound.
Upon hearing the description earlier, Jian Xingxia had deduced it was likely a hairline fracture. Compared to a clean break, a hairline fracture was much easier to manage. Since the physician said it wasn’t severe, the extent of the fracture was probably relatively minor.
Hearing A-Feng mention that the injured leg remained swollen and that Old Man Sui would wake up from the pain at night, Jian Xingxia reviewed the proprietary Chinese medicines she had purchased and felt that Yunnan Baiyao would be the most reliable option for the bruising and swelling caused by a hairline fracture.
So she chose this for him.
A-Feng had no idea how effective the powder would be; it all depended on whether his grandfather was willing to try it.
Old Man Sui agreed without a second thought. “Medicine bestowed by the ancestors must absolutely be used!”
People of their generation held a far more intense level of faith in gods, buddhas, and ancestors than a young lad like A-Feng. Originally, they might have only harbored a thirty percent belief, but after seeing the pig trotter bones, machete, and medicinal powder A-Feng brought back, that thirty percent quickly multiplied to seventy, eighty, or ninety percent.
Grandmother Sui repeatedly gave thanks for the ancestors’ protection and immediately set to work with A-Feng, sprinkling the medicinal powder onto Old Man Sui’s swollen, purple-bruised leg.
Old Man Sui said cheerfully, “It truly feels like it doesn’t hurt as much anymore.”
A-Feng was stuck between tears and laughter. “Grandfather, no matter how excellent a medicine is, it doesn’t take effect instantaneously like that.”
Grandfather was clearly just teasing him!
But before long, Grandmother Sui noticed a change. “It seems to have actually taken effect!”
“Huh?” A-Feng was surprised, quickly looking toward Old Man Sui’s leg. “There’s no change at all!”
“Not the leg, your grandfather’s hand!” Grandmother Sui cried out.
Old Man Sui and A-Feng immediately looked down. While testing the machete just now, Old Man Sui had gotten overexcited and accidentally nicked his hand, drawing blood. He had kept quiet because he didn’t want A-Feng to worry, but Grandmother Sui had seen it all. She had rolled her eyes at him, and while applying the medicine, she had casually smeared the leftover powder on her fingers onto Old Man Sui’s hand.
As a result, in just this brief moment, the wound on Old Man Sui’s hand had stopped bleeding completely!
A-Feng yelled in frustration, “Grandfather! Why didn’t you say anything when you hurt your hand!”
Old Man Sui chuckled. “For those of us who work with bamboo, nicking a hand is a daily occurrence. A-Feng, don’t make such a big fuss out of nothing.”
On the side, Grandmother Sui began thanking the ancestors all over again. “This medicine is wonderful, this medicine works! Thank the ancestors!”
A-Feng felt entirely helpless. The young mistress of the manor had explicitly stated that she wasn’t the Sui family’s ancestor. However, looking at his grandparents’ expressions, even if he said it, they wouldn’t believe him anyway.
A-Feng simply shut his mouth and set to work with Grandmother Sui, taking stock of the bamboo ware they would bring to the manor tomorrow.
“We can bring more bamboo crates and baskets. The young mistress said she needs them to hold things.”
“I noticed they use wooden benches and wooden chairs over there. Let me bring a few bamboo chairs for the young mistress to try out.”
“Oh, right, and bamboo chests. I didn’t see any, but today I vaguely overheard the young mistress and Lady Lin saying something like, ‘We’ll place the guests’ luggage chests right here when the time comes.’ It seems chests will be needed…”
A-Feng recounted everything he had seen and heard, and Grandmother Sui and Old Man Sui fetched the items one by one according to his words.
“Don’t leave the chests empty either. Pack the small bamboo saucers, bamboo plates, and fruit baskets your grandfather made inside, along with small brooms, straining ladles, and the like…”
