TATSD Chapter 70

As the Mid-Autumn Festival approached, more and more customers came to the shop to buy mooncakes. The Zhang family bakery’s demand for mooncakes also increased, leading to a situation where supply couldn’t meet the growing demand.

Even so, after the last batch of mooncakes was picked up by the Zhang family’s workers, Ji Wei settled the wages, dismissed the workers, and even gave each of them four different flavored snow-skin mooncakes, wishing them good preparation for the festival.

Whether they were longtime employees or newly hired, they all expressed immense gratitude towards Ji Wei. Each one left with a big smile as if they would have worshipped him if they could.

By the time the afternoon rolled around, Ji Wei finished counting the items in the shop, locked the doors, and planned to head home. He had barely taken two steps when he was approached by a few eager customers looking to buy mooncakes.

When they heard Ji Wei had closed the shop for the day, they were disappointed and pleaded for him to sell just a little more.

However, Ji Wei was a man of principle. Once he said the shop was closed, it was closed. He wasn’t going to overwork himself. After politely declining and bidding them farewell, he whistled his way back to West Alley.

As he was about to turn the corner onto North Street, he caught sight of a nearby jewelry shop, known for its exquisite trinkets. Inside, several young men and women browsed in small groups, about five or six of them.

With tomorrow being the Mid-Autumn Festival, and having been busy with the shop recently, Ji Wei realized he had somewhat neglected Liu Yimian.

He entered the jewelry shop, intending to buy a small gift.

The shop wasn’t large, and with a few people inside, it already felt crowded. Not wanting to squeeze in with the others, Ji Wei stood to the side and gave the place a glance, but nothing stood out to him. He decided to ask the shopkeeper directly.

“Do you have anything suitable for a boy of about fifteen or sixteen?” Ji Wei figured the shopkeeper, who knew the inventory best, could recommend something.

The shopkeeper asked about the boy’s interests, to which Ji Wei responded that he was a scholar. The shopkeeper smiled knowingly and brought out a box lined with soft padding.

The red lacquered wooden box was intricately carved, and inside was a rich green jade pendant in the shape of a ruyi. The jade was of excellent quality, with a deep, vibrant color that gleamed against the black cushion, making it quite striking.

“This ruyi jade pendant has been blessed by a high monk, offering protection and warding off disasters. Since the young master is a scholar, this would be useful during exams. As they say, jade nourishes the wearer, and the wearer nourishes the jade. After wearing it for a while, the jade takes on a spiritual quality,” the shopkeeper rambled on, piling on the praise.

But Ji Wei wasn’t paying much attention.

He rubbed the pendant between his fingers. It felt warm and smooth, and when held up to the light, it had a clear, flowing translucence. It was indeed high quality. As for whether it had been blessed, Ji Wei wasn’t particularly concerned.

“How much?” he asked.

“This is the finest jade we have in the shop. It’s worth two taels of silver. What do you think?” The shopkeeper glanced nervously at Ji Wei, worried he might find it too expensive.

Other young customers had come in before, loved the piece, but balked at the price. No matter how valuable the jade, it was hard for the shopkeeper to keep it unsold for so long.

The shopkeeper wasn’t sure if Ji Wei would buy it, but it never hurts to cast a wide net. Maybe he’d get lucky this time.

To his surprise, Ji Wei quickly pulled out his money pouch, leaving the shopkeeper momentarily stunned. It wasn’t until Ji Wei tossed the silver onto the counter and grabbed the box to leave that the shopkeeper snapped out of it, calling out to him.

“Is there something else?” Ji Wei turned, frowning at the shopkeeper.

With tomorrow being the Mid-Autumn Festival and no food at home yet, Ji Wei was in a hurry to get to East Street to buy supplies. He didn’t have time to dawdle.

“Oh, no, nothing like that. I just wanted to offer you a small gift. Would you like it?” The shopkeeper wiped the sweat from his brow, feeling a bit intimidated by this generous customer who seemed to have such a stern air about him.

With trembling fingers, the shopkeeper pulled out two matching ruyi knot bracelets, made of red thread woven with gold accents, and handed them to Ji Wei as a token of appreciation.

Ji Wei didn’t take a close look, simply tucking them into his pocket before leaving. He didn’t know that the bracelets were typically given to couples, not particularly expensive but made to match as a cute gesture.

On his way home, he swung by East Street, where he picked up the supplies he had ordered earlier that morning. Then, he made a quick detour to Aunt Zhou’s house.

Aunt Zhou kept chickens, usually selling eggs, but during festivals, she would slaughter one to save on buying meat.

When Ji Wei arrived at Aunt Zhou’s door, it was slightly ajar.

As an old acquaintance, he knocked twice but got no response, so he pushed the door open and stepped inside. Before he reached the house, Aunt Zhou’s sharp voice pierced through the walls.

“…And where did you get this? Don’t argue with me! I’m your mother—I’ve raised you for nineteen years, and I know when something’s not right!” Aunt Zhou was furious, twisting Zhao Hu’s ear as she scolded him, her face red with anger.

Zhao Hu stood with his head down, not daring to talk back. His broad, tall frame was turned away from the door, and he looked somewhat dejected.

Ji Wei watched them from outside for a moment, and seeing that their argument wasn’t about to end soon, he stepped forward and greeted them, temporarily halting the scolding.

“Ji Wei, you’re home early today,” Aunt Zhou quickly let go of Zhao Hu, put on a smile, and walked over to him.

“Yes, tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, so I let everyone go home early to rest. No need to work so hard.” Ji Wei glanced at the table, where Zhao Hu had placed the box of mooncakes and snow skin mooncakes he had brought, along with a plate of white tofu.

As for where the tofu came from, Ji Wei could guess it almost perfectly without asking.

Seeing Ji Wei’s gaze shift toward the tofu, Aunt Zhou shot Zhao Hu an awkward glare and quickly explained, “This tofu was sent by San Niang. When we were setting up the stall this morning, I mentioned that I hadn’t eaten tofu in a while, and unexpectedly, she brought some over in the afternoon. I don’t know what to say.”

Ji Wei just responded with a hum, not pursuing the topic further.

“I came to buy a chicken; that should be okay, right?”

“Do you want a rooster or a hen? There are about twenty in the yard; feel free to choose.” Aunt Zhou helped Ji Wei with the bag he was carrying, placing it on the table, and led him to the backyard to select a chicken.

The chickens raised at home had shiny feathers, and the roosters looked proud and robust.

Ji Wei chose a plump rooster with a full comb, asked Aunt Zhou to help tie it up, and politely declined her offer to help with the slaughter before returning home with several bags of goods.

Liu Yimian was usually busy studying. When she heard someone knock on the door, she quickly ran to open it, not expecting it to be Ji Wei. Her eyes sparkled with happiness.

“Why are you back so early today?”

Seeing the many things he was carrying, including a live chicken tied up, Liu Yimian hurriedly reached out to take them from him.

“It’s the Mid-Autumn Festival, so of course, we should have a break. It wouldn’t do to be so busy all the time; you must be lonely at home by yourself,” Ji Wei said, kicking the door shut with his foot and following Liu Yimian inside, sighing, “If only you could attend the county school, there would be many peers there to keep you company.”

He often got so caught up in his business that he neglected Liu Yimian, which he felt was not fair to her.

Mentioning the county school, Ji Wei asked a few questions about her studies.

Liu Yimian lit up at the chance to talk about her work, blushing with excitement as she told Ji Wei how Zhang Mingyuan praised her the day before.

“Zhang Xiucai praised you for being smart and eager to learn. That’s a good thing! Did he say anything else?”

Liu Yimian bit her lip, looking a bit conflicted as she replied, “He said that I read the Analects and the Book of Songs quite well, and if I can pass his test after the Mid-Autumn Festival, he will help me…” Her voice trailed off, showing a hint of uncertainty.

Ji Wei put everything down, dragged a stool over, and sat down next to Liu Yimian, continuing to ask her questions.

Zhang Mingyuan came from a wealthy family and was a scholar himself, having studied at the county school. While studying there, he developed a close friendship with Shishan, and they still kept in touch through letters.

Yesterday, he had tested Liu Yimian with a few questions, and seeing her articulate and confident manner, he couldn’t help but praise her and promised to examine her progress in her studies after the Mid-Autumn Festival. If she passed, he would recommend her to the school principal.

With this scholar’s recommendation, it wouldn’t be too difficult for her to get into the county school.

However, Ji Wei had been busy, and since Liu Yimian was worried about not passing, he hadn’t mentioned it. Now that Ji Wei had asked, she decided not to hide it anymore.

“This is fantastic news! Why didn’t you tell me?” Ji Wei exclaimed, genuinely thrilled, even more excited than if he had made a fortune.

He jumped up from the stool and paced around Liu Yimian a few times, unable to contain his excitement.

Holding the chicken, Ji Wei walked over to the stove to grab a knife. Liu Yimian was startled and rushed over to stop him.

“What are you doing?”

“You have such great news; I should do something to celebrate. I’m going to kill this chicken to mark the occasion. Go get a bowl; I need to collect its blood.” The chicken’s feet were bound, and it was quiet to the knife, suddenly squawking in pain.

As Ji Wei chatted with Liu Yimian, he inadvertently almost let the chicken escape. Out of frustration, he tapped its head with the back of the knife, and it fainted.

“Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival; we can save it for then. Since it’s just one more day, there’s no rush to celebrate, right?” The last three words came out of Liu Yimian’s mouth softly, and Ji Wei felt relieved, instantly nodding in agreement.

“Alright, then we’ll celebrate tomorrow. I’ll give you the chicken legs and wings.”

Even so, Ji Wei still slaughtered the chicken, plucked its feathers, and drained its blood. He massaged the chicken meat with prepared sauce and stuffed ginger slices and green onions into its cavity before placing it in the well.

The next day, busy with the Mid-Autumn Festival preparations, they had dinner and took baths before heading to their room to rest.

Before blowing out the lamp, Ji Wei unbuckled his belt, suddenly remembering the jade pendant he had bought. After showering, he realized he didn’t know where he had placed it and began to worry.

That box had been left on the table when Liu Yimian locked the kitchen, and she had intended to ask Ji Wei about it in the bedroom but forgot. Hearing him searching for it, she quickly jumped out of bed, retrieved the box, and brought it to him.

“Did you secretly open it and take a look?” Ji Wei asked playfully, bringing the box close to him.

His breath brushed against her fingertips, creating a slightly warm and humid sensation.

“No, no! What is it?” Liu Yimian quickly shook her head, flustered as she denied it.

“It’s fine if you look. If you haven’t, you can see it now; it’s a little gift for you.” Ji Wei held one of Liu Yimian’s wrists, placing the small wooden box in her palm and urging her to open it.

Under Ji Wei’s expectant gaze, Liu Yimian opened the box and was instantly captivated by the emerald jade pendant. She couldn’t tear her eyes away and found herself speechless.

“What? Are you dumbfounded?” Ji Wei teased, flicking her forehead with his thumb and index finger, breaking her moment of delight. “Do you like it?”

Liu Yimian was so happy she couldn’t find the words, her face flushed as she nodded vigorously. After hesitating for a moment, she shyly lowered her head and softly asked, “Ji Ge, could you put it on for me?”

Ji Wei’s heart softened, and without thinking twice, he took the pendant, stepped forward, and wrapped his hands around Liu Yimian’s delicate neck, fastening the jade pendant necklace for her.

They were so close that when Liu Yimian slightly turned her head, she could see Ji Wei’s rosy lips. His gaze flickered, and she blushed, quickly turning her face away.