Mo Sang – CH 284

Chapter 284. Let Me Show You What I’m Made Of

The next morning, Li Sangrou arrived very early.

The proprietress of the small food stall saw Li Sangrou and exclaimed, “Eh!” before smiling.

“Little girl, you really came! Have a seat. Our chief’s braised pig’s head is said to be the best in town.”

“I will cut half a pig’s head for you, add some braised large intestine and lung slices, and a generous amount of green garlic. How about a bowl of braised pork noodles?”

“Do not rush; sit and wait a bit. We will have some Erguotou noodles,” the proprietress rattled off a string of words without a single pause.

“I’ve already eaten. I came to talk to you, Auntie,” Li Sangrou said, squatting down next to the proprietress, taking a handful of green garlic, and skillfully peeling off the outer layer of yellowed leaves covered in mud.

“Oh dear, you cannot!” The proprietress was also peeling green garlic, her hands covered in mud, making it difficult to work, so she could only sigh.

“Auntie, do not be so polite. When I am done with this, I’d like to talk to you for a bit, and maybe you can give me some pointers,” Li Sangrou said, her eyes lowered as she worked tirelessly.

“What is it? Tell me now!” the shopkeeper’s wife laughed heartily.

“It’s about the same as when you were young, Auntie. Let’s talk later,” Li Sangrou said, her eyes still lowered, her words muffled, looking shy and hesitant.

“Oh!” The shopkeeper’s wife stopped mid-sentence. “Then let’s talk properly later. This little girl is so pretty. I will not say anymore; I am busy now. We will talk properly later.”

Li Sangrou and the shopkeeper’s wife peeled some green garlic together, and Li Sangrou followed the shopkeeper’s wife, helping to serve noodles to each table, clearing away dishes and wiping tables, her movements as practiced and efficient as if she were in her own shop.

A familiar customer, seeing Li Sangrou bustling around the shopkeeper’s wife, asked who Li Sangrou was. Li Sangrou smiled shyly, lowering her eyes, but did not answer.

Then they asked the shopkeeper’s wife, who laughed and half-jokingly said, “She calls me ‘Auntie,’ and you ask who she is.”

Most of the business at the small eatery catered to merchants traveling to and from Shichui Town, who sold vegetables, fresh fish, chicken, and duck; a smaller portion of the business served locals.

These merchants arrived in Shichui Town before dawn and began selecting and purchasing goods at the crack of day. Once everything was bought and ready, just as the sun rose, they would eat a hearty meal at the eatery and then rush back by cart or boat to sell their wares.

Those traveling a little further would buy their goods the afternoon before, transport them back overnight, and sell them the next morning. However, the vegetables, fish, and shrimp from these trips were not as fresh and delicious as those picked and caught that very morning.

The residents of Shichui Town, and those from nearby areas, naturally went to buy vegetables early in the morning.

However, compared to the vendors, the townspeople waited until it was fully light so they could see clearly and carefully select their produce before going out to buy.

After buying their vegetables, those who lived far away, or those with extra money, mostly preferred to find a familiar small eatery, ordering a plate of braised offal or freshly cooked tender fish and shrimp, a bowl of porridge, or a bowl of noodles.

They were busy until the sun was high in the sky, having dealt with one of the two major waves of activity in their day.

With only one or two customers left in the eatery, the proprietress breathed a sigh of relief, directed her husband to cut a plate of braised offal, and then took out the half-eaten pig’s head, sliced ​​it, and placed it on a small table outside. She then brewed a pot of tea and sat down to talk with Li Sangrou.

Li Sangrou tasted a few slices of pig’s head but did not eat any more, sipping her tea and talking with the proprietress.

“This girl, she’s about the same age as me when I was young. When I was young, I only had one thing on my mind!

This…” The shopkeeper’s wife leaned closer, lowering her voice, “Is it this important matter too?”

“Yes.” Li Sangrou lowered her eyes, giving a vague “hmm.”

“Then what happened?” The shopkeeper’s wife clicked her tongue with pity. “From what I heard yesterday, it seemed like Father and Brother were in quite a bit of pain.”

“Yes, it is not about Father and Brother.” Li Sangrou lowered her eyes, her finger tracing circles along the rim of the cup.

“Then what happened?” The shopkeeper’s wife asked curiously.

“He’s very good to me, but his family’s social standing is too high.” Li Sangrou’s voice was very low.

“High social standing? What kind of social standing do families like ours have? What do they do? Are there any scholars in their family?” The shopkeeper’s wife moved her chair closer to Li Sangrou.

“His family has military merits,” Li Sangrou mumbled.

“Oh!” The shopkeeper’s wife frowned. “Are they significant military merits? If they are, then they are from an official’s family!”

“They seem quite significant,” Li Sangrou sighed.

“Quite significant? Sigh, is he good to you? How good?” The shopkeeper’s wife frowned.

“Yes, very good,” Li Sangrou said, head down, her words muffled.

“Just being good is not enough. My aunt told me that before marriage, when you cannot see or touch a person, just catching a glimpse of them can make your heart pound for half a day.

You can only catch a glimpse or two, and you do not even get to talk to them often. It is all just longing, just wishful thinking. That kind of ‘good’ is not real.

But once you are married, face-to-face, it is a completely different story.

Even my honest husband once complained about me, saying that after marrying me, he thought I was not as pretty as before I married him.

I have a bad temper, so I retorted, saying that I did not look as good as I used to—not only ugly but also smelling bad! He did not dare say anything after that.

But, when it comes to officials, I tell you, rich people, officials, they are all very particular, but they really are quite good-looking.

Sigh, this matter—your father and brothers must know about it, right? What did they say?” The shopkeeper’s wife felt this was a huge problem as she spoke; she was not sure.

“My father thinks it is best to marry someone of equal social standing. Although it is said that one should raise one’s head high when marrying off a daughter, that head should not be raised too high.” Li Sangrou lowered her head, her fingers tracing the rim of her cup to the table.

“Your father is right, but before their family achieved military merit, were your two families a good match?” The shopkeeper’s wife agreed and then felt it could not be.

“It’s also because their family is of higher social standing,” Li Sangrou said softly.

“Then how did you two meet?” the shopkeeper’s wife asked curiously.

“I helped him, and that’s how we met,” Li Sangrou said without raising her eyelids.

“You helped him a lot; could you call it a favor?” the shopkeeper’s wife pressed.

“Yes.”

“So he’s repaying a favor? How big of a favor? He just thought you were pretty, and he wants to marry you to repay a favor? You helped him, and he says he wants to marry you?” The shopkeeper’s wife pursed her lips.

“I only helped him a little, and he helped me too, but he never said he’d marry me. It is just… sigh,” Li Sangrou sighed melancholically.

“You’ve taken a liking to him? He’s not bad-looking, but he has not explicitly said he wants to marry you. It is like he’s got feelings for you, but not quite?” The shopkeeper’s wife sounded a little disdainful.

“Well, it is not exactly that he’s not interested,” Li Sangrou said softly.

“Little girl, your auntie tells you I’ve lived most of my life; I’ve crossed more bridges than I’ve walked roads.

It’s not that he’s not interested; it is that he’s thinking about you. Seeing you, he seems interested, but whether he actually…

Auntie wants to know: Is that young man quite handsome?”

Seeing Li Sangrou reluctantly nod, the shopkeeper’s wife clicked her tongue.

“See, I guessed it!

Little girl, your auntie tells you, that young man comes from an official’s family, and they are rich, right? See, I guessed it again!

He’s rich, an official, and good-looking. Little girl, do not blame me for being blunt, but besides being pretty, what else do you have that makes you good enough for him? You probably cannot even read, can you?

Being good-looking is just better than average, not exactly stunning. Why would he even notice us?

Think about it, is it not?

Also, little girl, officials can take concubines, you know? I am telling you, maybe he wants you to be his concubine!

Little girl, I am telling you, you cannot be someone’s concubine!

This little girl, such a good child, but a bit naive.

Sigh, that’s true. When you are young, everyone dreams big things! But good things are just dreams; do not dwell on them. You have to be down-to-earth in real life!”

“Auntie, I think he was not lying to me.

Auntie, tell me, could that old Taoist priest you know do a divination for me?

I really…” Li Sangrou lowered her head, the last sentence unfinished, before she vanished.

“Ah, this girl!

Ah, I cannot blame you. Back then, the thought of not being able to marry our master was like a fire burning in oil; it was as if she could not live without him!

But that old Taoist priest, I have not seen him for two or three years.”

The shopkeeper’s wife frowned, thought for a moment, then leaned forward and said in a low voice, “Girl, I tell you, that old Taoist priest—alas, who knows what happened to him?

These days, the people living in that temple are not exactly good people. They come and go carrying knives. Even the little boys and girls have knives on them. They are right behind here; you can see them just by bending down.

Such young boys and girls carrying knives—think about it, what kind of good people can they be?

And their chief, I never dared to talk to him much. Those eyes… Have you ever seen eyes with the whites all over them? That’s what he has. My husband says they are eagle eyes, fierce and menacing. The way he looks at people is so ruthless; it is terrifying!

Do not even think about those Taoist priests. Who knows… Sigh, things have only gotten a little better this year. In the past few years, there was war and chaos… Sigh. Do not bother searching; I am afraid you will not find them.”

“Auntie, what you are saying is quite frightening.” Li Sangrou looked terrified.

“What’s there to be afraid of for people like us? We are not officials; we are not rich. One more of us will not make a difference; one less of us will not make a difference. We have nothing to be afraid of.

As long as we stay away from trouble and do not get involved, we will be fine. If something really happens, sigh, that’s fate, destiny,” the shopkeeper’s wife said, sighing.

“Yes, my father says the same thing.

Auntie, what are eyes with the whites all over them? What’s an eagle eye?” Li Sangrou asked, both frightened and curious.

“An eagle eye is round,” the shopkeeper’s wife said, frowning, unsure how to describe it next.

“Like mine?” Li Sangrou pointed to her eyes.

“This girl,” the shopkeeper’s wife chuckled, “is called an almond eye, a world apart from an eagle eye.

Well, that’s hard to say!” the shopkeeper’s wife said, slamming her hand on the table. “Are you leaving tomorrow? If not, come again tomorrow, just as early as today.

Tomorrow, nine times out of ten, the chief will be coming over for some braised pork offal.

These people—they buy groceries every other day, very punctually. Mostly, the young boys and girls come by. Every five or seven days, the Boss comes over to eat our braised pork offal, eating a whole plateful each time.

He came last time…” the shopkeeper’s wife counted on her fingers, “…five or six days ago. He will most likely be here tomorrow.

If you are not leaving, come again tomorrow, and I will point it out to you.

Auntie tells you, if you encounter someone with ‘four white eyes’ (a trade-jargon for someone with piercing eyes), stay far away. The same goes for ‘eagle eyes’ (another trade-jargon for someone with sharp eyes). If you can avoid them, do so. If you can not, do not mess with them. If someone has both ‘eagle eyes’ and ‘four white eyes,’ then you have to be extra careful!” the shopkeeper’s wife instructed seriously.

“Alright!” Li Sangrou nodded quickly. “I wonder how Father and Brother are doing finding business. If they are not leaving tomorrow, I will come over first thing in the morning!”

“Little girl, Auntie tells you, that official’s family… sigh, never mind.” “Look at him, his family are officials, they are rich, and he’s handsome and good in every way. What does he think?

People and families are all pretty much the same.

My auntie told me there’s a family at the east end of our town…”

The shopkeeper’s wife launched into a long, rambling gossip, which Li Sangrou listened to with great interest.

She loved eating melon seeds and listening to gossip.

………………………………

The next day, a little earlier than the previous day, Li Sangrou arrived at the snack shop again.

The shopkeeper’s wife beamed and beckoned her behind the large stove, handing her a small bowl filled halfway with tender, white pig brains, drizzled with a layer of gravy.

“Eat it quickly; it is very nourishing.”

Li Sangrou took it, scooped up a spoonful, blew on it gently, and put it in her mouth.

“Is it delicious?” The shopkeeper’s wife looked closely at Li Sangrou, and seeing her enjoyment, she smiled.

After finishing half a bowl of pig brain, Li Sangrou followed behind the shopkeeper’s wife, washing vegetables, wiping bowls, serving dishes and noodles, and clearing tables.

The snack shop gradually filled up with customers.

A lean man of medium height, like an iron thorn, came from the market street.

Behind the man were about a dozen young men and women carrying vegetables and meat.

Li Sangrou glanced at the lean man briefly, then carefully took the bowl of noodles and carried it to a table by the window.

After serving the noodles, Li Sangrou tidied up the next table where the customers had just finished eating, picked up the dirty bowls and chopsticks, squatted down by the well, rinsed them clean, and set them aside.

The shopkeeper beckoned to her. “Ni’er, take this plate of braised pork over there.”

As Li Sangrou stepped forward to take the braised pork, the shopkeeper winked at her and pointed to the table with the lean man. “That’s the table. It is full; be careful.”

Li Sangrou nodded and carried the large plate of braised pork towards the lean man.