Chapter 31: A Little Guilt, But Not Much
Wen Xiuyi felt as though he’d been granted amnesty and quickly called out to his children, “Xiao Jun, Yao Yao, Da Tou, let’s go home now—don’t disturb your grandparents’ rest.”
Heaven knew that if he stayed a minute longer, his social anxiety would flare up.
In his past life, he’d only had one sibling—a younger sister who stayed with their parents in the countryside. They only saw each other during New Year’s. His cousins were plenty, but whenever they met, it was always the same questions: “How’s it going at the Agricultural Research Institute?” or “Can you arrange jobs for our kids?”
Arrange jobs? He couldn’t even secure stable work for his own son and daughter. If it weren’t for them being so competent themselves, they’d probably be out in the cold somewhere.
Compared to socializing with relatives, Professor Wen had always preferred burying himself in the lab at the agricultural institute.
The family of four practically fled the old house—though, more accurately, it was only Professor Wen who was escaping. The other three seemed a little reluctant to leave.
Back home, the three of them got straight to work again, prepping for the next day’s stall. Da Tou obediently sat nearby, keeping them company.
The rice was soaked, the braised meats packed into barrels. Only after everything was ready did Wen Xiuyi sit down and gulp a large mouthful of water. “Yao Yao, how should we price the braised meat?”
The braising broth could be reused, so the cost was mostly up-front. Pig head meat was ten wen per jin, and the intestines? A whole bucket for just fifteen wen. No matter what they priced it at, they’d be turning a profit.
Most people at the docks were laborers or traveling merchants—rarely would anyone be buying groceries there. So the braised dishes were most likely to be bought by workers. If the prices were too high, people wouldn’t buy. But pricing too low wasn’t great either.
“Pig head meat and pig ears can be twenty wen per jin. We can use this small plate—ten wen for a portion. As for intestines, we can go cheaper, ten wen a jin. Dried tofu, one wen a piece. If someone wants to try it out or add a side to their fried rice, one wen isn’t too much,” Wen Yao said.
At these prices, they’d be earning a 50% profit. If it were priced any higher, even she would feel guilty.
Given what Wen Xiuyi had seen of the prices at the docks these past few days, this pricing wasn’t high. It also matched the pricing standard they’d already established.
With that, the prices were set. Wen Xiuyi yawned and made a beeline for bed.
The siblings knew how exhausted he was after a full day’s work, so they handled the rest of the cleanup and went off to bed themselves.
After tucking in Da Tou, Wen Yao was just about to lie down when the little radish head suddenly sat up straight and stared at her.
She nearly jumped out of her skin.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
Da Tou pouted and held out his hand, his eyes full of grievance.
Wen Yao scratched her head, completely lost. “You want something? What is it?”
Da Tou gave a quiet little “Ah,” and pushed his hand forward.
It took Wen Yao a moment to catch on. She smacked her forehead. “Oh! You mean the candy I promised you?”
Da Tou nodded seriously.
Wen Yao had completely forgotten, but looking at the hopeful gleam in his eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to say no.
“Okay then. Close your eyes—I’ll show you a magic trick,” she said.
Da Tou tilted his head in confusion but obediently shut his eyes. His small palm remained open, waiting.
Once she confirmed he wasn’t peeking, Wen Yao tiptoed to the cabinet and made a show of rummaging through it. In truth, she quickly placed an order in her spatial system for a pack of White Rabbit milk candies.
She even ordered a sheet of antique-style wax paper and used it to rewrap the candies. Then she returned to the bed and placed two candies into Da Tou’s palm. “All done! You can open your eyes now.”
Da Tou felt something in his hand and slowly opened his eyes. He carefully lifted his palm and stared curiously at the oddly wrapped candies.
He looked at the candy, then tilted his head at Wen Yao in puzzlement.
Wen Yao picked up one to demonstrate. “Like this—you unwrap it, and there’s candy inside. But you can’t eat it now. It’s bedtime. Eat candy before sleep and your teeth will rot.”
Da Tou stared wide-eyed as she peeled the wrapper to reveal the white candy inside, then rewrapped it right in front of him.
“Ah ah!” he cried anxiously, nearly speaking.
But no matter how much he protested or pouted, Wen Yao stood firm. Eventually, the little radish head had to lie down obediently.
But he refused to let Wen Yao take the candy away. He tucked it under his pillow where he could keep a hand on it at all times.
He’d already decided—he’d eat it first thing at dawn.
Sure enough, when Wen Yao got up before sunrise to steam rice, she found Da Tou still fast asleep, clutching his two candies tightly. She mischievously tried to take one, but to her surprise, she couldn’t budge it.
Not wanting to wake him, she gave up and went to the kitchen to start steaming rice. Then she dozed off behind the stove.
By the time the sky brightened, Wen Jun and Wen Xiuyi had risen too. The three of them packed everything into barrels and loaded them onto the cart.
Da Tou got up with unusual energy that morning. After dressing himself, he rushed into the kitchen. The first thing he did was run up to Wen Yao, holding up the candies with a bright-eyed look.
Wen Yao couldn’t help but laugh and finally unwrapped one and popped it into his mouth.
“Be sure to rinse your mouth after!” she reminded him.
The moment Da Tou tasted the milk candy, his eyes lit up. He jumped up and down in delight, completely ignoring Wen Yao’s instructions.
Wen Xiuyi, curious, asked what she’d given Da Tou. Wen Yao sneakily handed over three more candies—one for each of them.
That familiar White Rabbit taste brought back memories. Even Wen Xiuyi, who had never liked sweets before, was almost moved to tears.
Being able to eat White Rabbit candy in this era—what a joy.
“Don’t give him too much. You either. There’s no dentist here to fix your teeth,” Wen Xiuyi warned, wiping the corners of his mouth. It couldn’t be helped—White Rabbit candies made people drool.
After the sweet treat, father and sons got ready to head out. As they were pushing the cart out the door, they ran into Wen Xiuzhu and Wen Xiuqing, both carrying bamboo baskets on their backs.
“Where are you two headed?” Wen Xiuyi asked.
Wen Xiuzhu replied, “Old Third and I are going to the city to sell stuff. Mother told us to check if you needed help—we can go together.”
“Oh…” Wen Xiuyi muttered. He remembered how, back in the day, the family would sell eggs or dried goods in the city to raise money for his schooling.
Looking at his two brothers—tanned and worn, completely unlike him despite being younger—his guilt only deepened.
Wen Xiuyi nudged Wen Jun. “Go help your second and third uncles load their baskets onto the cart. With them helping push, you can just walk alongside.”
The two brothers laughed and tossed their baskets onto the cart. One of them took Wen Jun’s place pushing; the other walked beside the cart, steadying the load.
They even teased, “Xiao Jun, take it easy. We’re here now. If your legs get tired, just hop in the cart—we’ll push you along too.”
Wen Jun’s mouth twitched as he waved his hands in protest. “No, no, I can walk just fine.”
