Free Web NovelChapter 38: Chapter 38: Roasted Beans
「More than ten days later, around noon.」
Ms. Chen was roasting soybeans at home, a tempting aroma wafting out from the courtyard.
Fang Cheng paced hesitantly at the kitchen door before finally making up his mind and stepping inside.
Watching Ms. Chen roast the soybeans, Fang Cheng opened his mouth and stammered,
"Mom, I... I want to give the Fuquan family some... some grain! Just—just one sack."
"What? You want to give our grain to someone else? A whole sack?" Ms. Chen’s voice instantly rose. She spun around to face Fang Cheng, a look of pure astonishment on her face.
"Th-then half a sack."
Ms. Chen’s shout made Fang Cheng jump. On any other day, he would have simply complied. Whatever his mother said, went, and he never dared to argue.
But the thought of Yingzi from the Fuquan family going hungry gave him the courage to press on, his words still halting.
Hearing this, Ms. Chen’s first thought was that her eldest had grown bold enough to defy her.
She was about to teach him a lesson he wouldn’t forget, but she quickly realized something was different about her eldest son today.
Her eldest had always been an honest, dutiful boy who never had a mind of his own.
He was the type to do whatever he was told, a quiet soul who wouldn’t take a step unless someone pointed the way.
And today he was asking to give grain away to an outsider?
In times like these, especially this month after paying the grain tax, many village families who were already struggling to make ends meet had started skipping meals.
People had already started stripping bark from trees and foraging for wild greens.
That made the grain they had at home all the more precious. Who knew if the government would impose more levies or raise taxes again?
Ms. Chen was like a hawk guarding its kill, determined not to let anyone get their hands on her family’s grain.
So why would her eldest son be thinking of giving grain away?
"Tell me, why do you want to give grain to Mr. Fuquan?" Ms. Chen asked, her curiosity piqued.
Fang Cheng took a deep breath, finally mustering up the courage to speak.
"I... I don’t want Ying... Yingzi to go hungry."
The words had barely left his mouth when the spatula slipped from Ms. Chen’s hand and clattered into the wok.
A moment later, it clicked. ’Yingzi... that’s Liu Fuquan’s daughter. She’s pretty enough, but a bit frail. Can’t do heavy labor. What the city folk would call a delicate beauty.’
That was why, when she’d been looking for a match for her eldest, she had never even considered Yingzi.
’What good is a pretty face? It can’t put food on the table.’
’If she can’t work, their life together would be hard.’
But to think her own son had now taken a fancy to the girl—so much so that he wanted to give her grain!
’They say a son is a son ’til he gets a wife, but this one hasn’t even walked through the door yet, and he’s already like this.’
"Mom, I think my brother has fallen for Yingzi. Haven’t you been wanting a grandson for a while now?"
Fang Yue’s voice piped up. He had just gotten home and overheard his brother’s confession. He understood immediately: Fang Cheng had a crush on Yingzi.
Aside from being a bit frail, Liu Yingzi was pretty and had a nice personality. She was actually a good match for his older brother.
"Go on, go on! What are you standing there gawking for? Hurry up and go!" Hearing this, Ms. Chen immediately shooed Fang Cheng out of the kitchen as if he were a stray duck. freeweɓnøvel.com
But for all her sharp words, when it came to her son’s happiness, Ms. Chen was very generous. As Fang Cheng was leaving the kitchen, she scooped up some of the freshly roasted soybeans and handed them to him.
"Never mind half a sack. Take a whole one. And bring these roasted soybeans with you."
After sending Fang Cheng on his way, Ms. Chen turned her full attention to Fang Yue.
"Zhi’Er, come and try some of Mom’s roasted soybeans."
"Anything you make is delicious, Mom."
Fang Yue grabbed a few soybeans, tossed them into his mouth, and began to eat them. CRUNCH. CRUNCH.
In his past life, he never would have eaten something like roasted soybeans.
But now, he savored them. The rich, nutty aroma filled his mouth as he crunched down.
"Alright, out with it," she said. "What did you come here for, Zhi’Er? Don’t tell me you also want to give grain to someone."
A mother knows her own children. If Zhi’Er had nothing on his mind, he wouldn’t have sought her out at this hour.
"I can’t hide anything from you, Mom. I’m planning to go to the county town in a couple of days."
Fang Yue then told Ms. Chen about his plan to travel to the county town and take the examination for Martial Scholar.
"What? You’re going to test for Martial Scholar? And you’re going to Xiahe County Town all by yourself?"
"No, that’s too dangerous. Far too dangerous."
Ms. Chen’s immediate reaction was to refuse.
Even though Zhi’Er had been learning martial arts from Fang Hu and was now skilled enough to hunt fierce beasts, in a mother’s heart, no matter how capable he was, he was still just a child.
The thought of him traveling so far alone was unsettling.
Still, she couldn’t stand in the way of his future.
She relented, adding, "Are you sure you’ll be alright on your own? You have to be careful on the road."
"Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll be fine."
Fang Yue patted his chest in assurance. He had actually been to Xiahe County Town a few times over the past year. Although he had always gone with Fang Hu, he was already familiar with the route.
Even if he went alone, he wouldn’t have any trouble.
"Don’t be in such a hurry to leave. Take some soybeans." Seeing that he was about to go, Ms. Chen stuffed several handfuls into his pockets.
She stuffed nearly all the remaining soybeans into his pockets.
If there had been any more room, she probably would have given him the entire batch.
Outside, Fang Yue saw a few of the neighbors’ children playing not far off.
Widow Yu’s daughter, Nu, was watching them from a distance.
Perhaps because of her family’s situation, no children her age played with Nu. She could only watch the others wistfully as they played.
Just then, Nu spotted Fang Yue.
She saw him eating the roasted soybeans, and the rich aroma made the little girl stare, her mouth watering.
"Nu. Here, take these and eat them slowly." Fang Yue grabbed a handful of the soybeans and stuffed them into the pocket of her small clothes.
Nu hesitated, a little flustered. She quickly tried to give them back to him, shaking her head. "My mom said I’m not allowed to take things from other people."
"Brother Yue isn’t a stranger. If I give them to you, you should take them." Fang Yue didn’t give her a chance to refuse.
He felt he had to give them to Nu, if only because of that title: "Brother Yue."
After all, compared to the other villagers who casually called him "Little Zhi," both Widow Yu and her daughter Nu always treated him with respect.
"Thank you, Brother Yue!"
Seeing this, Nu—being a child, after all, and unable to resist the tempting aroma—hopped with joy and impatiently popped one into her mouth.
CRUNCH!
As the soybean broke apart in her mouth, the little girl’s bright, dark eyes narrowed in bliss, completely lost in the nutty flavor.
