Chapter 49: Why Don’t You Go Too
“Uncle Zheng, I’m here!” Wen Yao called out from a distance.
Butcher Zheng was still serving a customer at his stall. When he saw her, he quickly sliced the meat for the customer, packed it up, and sent them off. Only then did he turn to Wen Yao, who was now standing right in front of the stall. “Yao girl, what brings you here today? I was just about to pack up and deliver meat to your father this afternoon.”
Wen Yao was already picking over the meat on his chopping block. Butcher Zheng chuckled when he saw that. “The meat for your family is at home. I didn’t bring it here.”
Before he could finish his sentence, Wen Yao had already pointed to a piece of pork tenderloin. “Uncle Zheng, I’ll take this one.”
She knew the meat he set aside for their family was usually pork belly, pig heads, intestines, and stomach. But she had just decided, on the spot, to make guo bao rou (crispy sweet and sour pork) for Wen Jun to bring to Dr. Jin and the others tomorrow. That’s what sparked her interest when she spotted the tenderloin.
“Alrighty.” Butcher Zheng swiftly weighed it, tied it up neatly, and tucked it into her basket. “I’ll tally the cost with your father later.”
The Wen family always ordered in bulk, and consistently too. Right now, meat prices for them were already down to ten wen per jin, regardless of cut.
Wen Yao thanked him and also mentioned that she would be preparing dishes for her aunt’s family in a few days. She asked him to set aside extra pig intestines.
Butcher Zheng agreed. Wen Yao thanked him again, strolled around to pick up some vegetables, and finally headed to the docks to find Wen Xiuyi and the others.
By the time she got there, the lunchtime rush had passed. Only a few people remained seated at the stall, resting. Behind the stall, Wen Xiuyi was teaching Wen Nong how to read. Liuzi was tagging along, freeloading.
Seeing Wen Nong scowling so hard it could crush a fly, Wen Yao called out to rescue him.
“Dad, Dad—”
Wen Xiuyi heard his daughter’s voice and immediately set the book down to welcome her. Wen Nong let out a huge sigh of relief and followed.
“Where’s your brother?” Wen Xiuyi looked around but didn’t see Wen Jun.
Wen Yao put down her basket and said, “Dr. Jin accepted him. I left him at Jishi Hall. He’ll come find us around dusk. I bought Da Tou some writing supplies, and I got some food so we can celebrate Jun-ge’s new apprenticeship tonight.”
Wen Xiuyi lifted the cloth over the basket, peeked at the meat and vegetables inside, then covered it again. “Did you eat lunch? If not, I’ll make you something.”
“Haven’t eaten—just had a flatbread. Dad, I want braised pork fried rice,” Wen Yao said, placing her order.
Wen Xiuyi immediately tied on his apron. Wen Nong sensibly went to light the fire. Soon, a fragrant bowl of fried rice with braised pork was served on the table.
Wen Yao took one bite—every grain was distinct. Her father’s cooking was really reaching new heights.
“Dad, your cooking is just…” she said between mouthfuls, giving him a big thumbs-up.
Wen Nong looked puzzled. “Uncle, what does that mean? The thumbs-up?”
Wen Xiuyi explained, “Your cousin’s saying I’m awesome. The thumb is the biggest finger, so holding it up means something is really great.”
Wen Nong scratched his head. That… sort of made sense? But something still felt off.
Before he could dwell on it, Wen Xiuyi pointed at the book’s text, “Let’s stop here today. Go grab a stick and practice writing these six characters in the dirt out back.”
Wen Nong was internally crushed, but facing his uncle’s stern gaze, he didn’t dare protest. He reluctantly picked up a stick and headed out to write. Liuzi happily followed, grabbing one for himself.
Wen Xiuyi didn’t stop them. He turned to Wen Yao, “Tell me, how did the apprenticeship go?”
Professor Wen had full confidence in his son. With his medical talent, no doctor would refuse him. Taking Wen Jun as a disciple was like picking up a gem for free.
Wen Yao glanced around. No one was nearby, and Wen Nong and Liuzi were a good distance away, so she lowered her voice. “Dad, the ceremony today was really simple. Too plain. I think you and Jun-ge should go to the Jin household yourselves with a proper apprenticeship gift. That would be more formal and respectful.”
She leaned in, voice even lower. “More importantly, we need to confirm if Dr. Jin is really Jin Xiuyi’s grandfather. And we should take a look at Jin Xiuyi now—if he’s already showing signs of becoming a delusional love-struck fool, we’ve gotta act early.”
Giving up his career and reputation for a woman? Pfft. Pathetic.
Wen Xiuyi nodded. Yes, they really should check that out.
“Did you buy the apprenticeship gift yet?” he asked.
Wen Yao pouted and shook her head. “Buy what? The good stuff’s way too expensive. We can’t afford it. The cheap stuff’s too embarrassing. Let’s go home and brainstorm—see if we can… source something from there.” She winked at her dad.
Wen Xiuyi instantly got it. “Smart. We’ll discuss it with your brother tonight.”
And with that, the father-daughter team reached an agreement.
That afternoon, Butcher Zheng came to deliver meat. Wen Xiuyi pulled out his ledger, recorded the quantity and cost, and both men signed it. The transaction was done.
Payment would be settled at the end of the month—an arrangement they had agreed upon.
As the sun set, Wen Jun arrived, carrying a medical text Dr. Jin had given him. “Master said to bring this home and start reading,” he said.
Wen Xiuyi nodded, encouraging, “Study hard. Our Xiao Jun is going to be a master of both Chinese and Western medicine.”
Wen Jun nodded. “I won’t let you or Wen Yao down.”
Wen Yao grinned. “Don’t forget our Da Tou.”
Wen Jun smiled gently, like a spring breeze. “And Da Tou too.”
Seeing his son so full of spirit, Wen Xiuyi finally felt at ease. He clapped his hands, “Let’s go home and share the good news with your grandparents. Yao-yao can whip up something delicious, and we’ll have a little celebration tonight!”
“Got it!” Everyone cheered and quickly packed up to head home, brimming with joy.
Along the way, Wen Nong kept pestering Wen Jun, full of curiosity about what he did at Jishi Hall. Wen Yao teased, “Wen Nong-ge, how about we have Jun-ge ask Dr. Jin to take you as a disciple too?”
Wen Jun played along. “Yeah, we could be apprentice brothers.”
Wen Nong turned pale and waved his hands frantically. “No no no, I’m happy learning fried rice from Uncle.” He’d heard from Wen Jun that there were over a hundred types of medicinal herbs in that cabinet, and you had to memorize their names, effects, appearance, even taste. A single mistake in grabbing the wrong herb could kill someone.
He could barely handle Three Character Classic. How could he memorize all that?
The siblings burst out laughing.
After dropping their things off at home, they all headed to the old house.
Dinner hadn’t been served yet. Li-shi and Cai-shi were still busy in the kitchen, though it looked like they were almost done.
If it had been in the past, this would’ve been the time when Madam Luo wouldn’t let Wen Xiuyi’s family step through the door—but today was no ordinary day.
