novelSusiti Chapter 18 Managing the household affairs, my wife's insight is truly remarkable!
Chapter 18 Managing the household affairs, my wife's insight is truly remarkable!
September of the third year of Baoda reign of the Southern Yu Kingdom
With the new house completed and the summer heat subsiding, Li Xuan welcomed Feng Daoji's daughter, Niaoniao, into his home from Qingquan Village. Feng Daoji preferred a low-key affair, while Li Xuan lacked the means for extravagance. Therefore, the wedding was both understated and lively. Li Xuan set up twenty tables in the newly built courtyard to entertain relatives, friends, and fellow villagers who came to witness the ceremony.
Feng Niaoniao and Li Xuan are the same age, with Feng Niaoniao even being a few months older. The two do indeed know each other.
In Feng Niaoniao's limited life, the only men she spent a significant amount of time with besides her father and brother were Li Xuan. Li Xuan was in a similar situation, even worse off, as he had no sisters and only Li Ji was still alive among his cousins.
Therefore, Feng Niaoniao had no objection to marrying Li Xuan. Li Xuan had even less objection to marrying Feng Niaoniao. Li Xuan wouldn't hesitate to make a move just because they were too familiar with each other—such thinking was too advanced and unsuitable for the values of the people of Yu today.
The lively wedding banquet was held in the front yard. Since everyone was a relative and lived in the countryside, there weren't many formalities. The seating for men and women was roughly divided, but the tables were still set up in one place.
Feng Niaoniao's main bridal chamber was separated from the front yard by a wall, but she could faintly hear the noise from the front yard. She removed the bridal veil. This was a veil used only in ancient aristocratic families, a light veil that covered her from head to toe. Feng Niaoniao put it away carefully, observing Li Xuan's new residence, which would later become her home, with curious eyes.
I visited this place once when I was little, but my memories of it are hazy. Back then, Li Xuan's parents were still alive, and the family was well-off, owning houses in both Guangling City and Li Family Town. Li Xuan and Feng Niaoniao mostly played in those places. Although this was where Li Xuan's grandparents lived, it was far from Guangling City, and at the time, only a few tenant farmers helped maintain the place.
A while later, Li Xuan staggered in from outside, clearly having been thoroughly plied with alcohol by his relatives. Feng Niaoniao, without any hesitation, stepped forward and helped him sit down. Li Xuan mumbled, "Sister Niaoniao, they were the ones who forced me to drink. I didn't want to drink so much. Let me take off your veil. Oh, where's the veil? If you don't have one, that's fine. I have Niaoniao."
Feng Niaoniao blushed, amused, and poured him a bowl of tea, saying, "Don't fall asleep, we haven't done the hair-binding ceremony yet."
Li Xuan gave an "oh," untied her turban, and let her hair down. Feng Niaoniao also untied a section of her hair. The two of them used scissors wrapped with red string to cut off a section of their hair, tightly tied them together with the red string, and put them into a lucky bag. Feng Niaoniao carefully placed the lucky bag into a lacquer box.
Then, the two looked at each other awkwardly. After a while, Li Xuan took the initiative to step forward, took Feng Niaoniao's hand, and said, "Sister Niaoniao, let's rest."
Feng Niaoniao blushed and remained silent, following Li Xuan's lead as she stepped onto the bed.
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After Feng Niaoniao entered the family, she had no maternal or paternal relatives to serve. Every day, she only needed to pray before the ancestral tablets of Li Xuan's parents as a form of greeting. As for burning incense? That was only done during festivals. At other times, she would at most burn some hand-processed mugwort as a formality.
Entering the profession in September and reaping the rewards in October, Feng Niaoniao faces her first major test after joining the profession.
The Book of Songs, in the poem "July" from the "Airs of Bin," records: "Salts are brought to the southern fields, and the field supervisor is delighted." This means that the wife brought food to the fields, supervising the farmers and praising their diligence. Therefore, organizing the autumn harvest was a very important duty of the matriarch.
Li Xuan arrived at the fields with his new wife, where the farmers were already preparing to leave. It's worth noting that the retainers who owned land were on leave during this period, as Li Xuan had sent them home to help.
As landowners, Li Xuan and Feng Niaoniao stood on either side, offering sacrifices to the gods of the land and praying for a bountiful autumn harvest. The couple led the way in a celebratory dance, which was then joined by the other villagers. From the fields beyond, songs and ballads echoed, praising the gods' generosity and the ancestors' blessings.
After the dance, Li Xuan and Feng Niaoniao each took a sickle from the offering table, turned to the villagers, and announced, "The auspicious time has arrived, let's begin!"
The farmers cheered, "Let's start harvesting!"
Li Xuan had rented out all the fields, so he and Li Chang had no land to cultivate themselves. Their most important task was actually to bring out the foot-operated threshing machine two days later, once the rice was dried, to help each household thresh it. That was when the machines never stopped, with everyone taking turns to work against the clock to finish the threshing. The matriarch had to play an organizing role, ensuring that no household was wasting time and that no one could be unavailable when it was their turn.
After finishing his tasks, Li Xuan said to his wife, "Sister Niaoniao, you stay home and keep an eye on things. Chang Ge and I are going to help the villagers harvest rice."
Feng Niaoniao found it strange and asked, "Xiaoxuan, why are you helping other people harvest rice? Is there an agreement?"
Li Xuan nodded: "That's right. We help out every year during the busy farming season whenever there are elderly people living alone or sick people in the village."
Feng Niaoniao asked in surprise, "A widowed family with land? Why don't you invest in acquiring it and we'll support them for the rest of their lives?"
Li Xuan was startled and quickly pulled his wife aside, saying, "Niao Niao, everyone has difficult times. There's no need to be so calculating. If we invest in the merger, our neighbors will become masters and servants, and we won't be able to maintain our neighborly relations."
Feng Niaoniao frowned and said, "Xiao Xuan, I won't stop you from doing good deeds. But you should focus your energy on doing great things and not let womanly sentimentality waste your energy. I'm not that kind of wicked person. Farming is hard for them. If we buy their land, they will have some resources. We can send them some grain every month, and we can support them for twenty years. Isn't that also doing good deeds?"
Li Xuan said in a low voice, "Everyone has a sense of shame. To reap without sowing is the most shameful thing. Without a male laborer in the family, we are already living in fear of being exploited and left without offspring. Even if Niao Niao has good intentions, others will misunderstand us and be suspicious of us. Those widows and orphans will feel even more humiliated. We don't even have a few acres of land, why should we bear this infamy? We live in the countryside, we can't just stand at the village entrance every day hoping for some great responsibility to fall from the sky. It's better to do good things for the surrounding area, gain a good reputation, and build a village community where everyone helps and trusts each other. That way, in case of an emergency, everyone will be able to help each other."
Feng Niaoniao was a little confused: "Although I haven't been in charge of the household for long, I know that Xiao Xuan handles hundreds or thousands of strings of cash every year. She no longer lives with the villagers, so why does she still need their help?"
Li Xuan cautioned, "Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it; this is a profound warning that must be heeded. In the city, there's the chaos of the King of Qi. In the countryside, there's the scourge of river bandits. Here, not only are there river bandits, but sometimes even sea pirates come to kill us. If the village community can't unite as one, things will often end in disaster. Taking care of the elderly and weak is only one aspect of village community mutual assistance; the other is sharing both good and bad fortune. Think about it, my wife. If we buy the land of the widowed and orphaned and take them in to care for them, what if something bad happens and they die? We'll have no way to explain ourselves. Why bother?"
Feng Niaoniao exclaimed in alarm, "There are even river bandits! And sea pirates! It's all my fault, my lord. You're right, you must go quickly. I'll think of a way to take care of the villagers."
Li Xuan found his wife's panicked expression amusing. It wasn't surprising that city girls hadn't encountered thieves or robbers. He laughed and said, "The key to caring for someone is sincerity and reciprocity. Even if I have great ambitions, the villages around me are not peaceful. What wise ruler would value me? My wife, you should stay home and prepare some wheat and bean soup with a little salt, so that our farmers don't get sick. I'm off."
Feng Niaoniao watched Li Xuan and Li Chang's footsteps gradually disappear into the distance, and said to Ying'er who was approaching from behind, "I thought the place where Brother Xuan was was a paradise, far away from the world, but I didn't expect it to be full of knowledge. Let's go, men, go to the fields, we'll go to the kitchen. Brother Xuan is right, we need to prepare enough food and water, we can't let everyone suffer. This is my first time overseeing the autumn harvest."
Ying'er smiled and said to her mistress, "With Young Master Xuan's help, you will definitely succeed."
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In the days that followed, Li Xuan, Li Chang, and two of their retainers, Li Keshuang and Li Xiang, who did not own any land, were all busy on the front lines of the busy farming season.
Feng Niaoniao, along with Li Yuantu and Ying'er, prepared clean food and water and looked after the livestock and poultry. They also took the opportunity to explore every aspect of the village, gaining a more detailed understanding of this village nestled in a river branch.
As Feng Niaoniao walked, she said to Li Yuantu, "Uncle Li, from what I've seen these past few days, most of the men in the village have no other income besides farming. Because they need to be constantly on guard against bandits, the men dare not go too far from the village. For the women, besides farm work and housework, the only way to earn money is by spinning and weaving, isn't that right?"
Li Yuantu nodded: "What you say is true, Madam. It's only natural for men to farm and women to weave. In peaceful years, men can find work in towns or even county seats during the off-season. Women can make a living by spinning and weaving at home. But now the world is in chaos, and bandits are everywhere. Even when we're transporting salt, we can only deal with the larger waterway forces. We have to fight those countless small thieves and bandits; otherwise, we simply can't afford to deal with them."
Oh, I digress. Because of the threat of bandits, the men dared not lay down their weapons at any time, nor dared they leave the village to work elsewhere. Instead, the women were made to work in the fields and take on some of the men's work. With the women in the fields, cloth production decreased, making life very difficult.
Feng Niaoniao thought for a moment and said, "Xiaoxuan said that mutual assistance within the village is the only way to survive in this world. But I feel that simply helping each other out, doing what we can, will never solve the problem. I'm thinking, if we could find an industry that can be done in the village, and then transport the produce by boat to Guangling or even Jinling to sell, wouldn't that unite everyone as one?"
Li Yuantu coughed lightly and reminded her, "Madam, you're talking about salt refining, right? That requires the whole village to harvest and dry reeds to store as fuel. Xuan-ge does it every year. We have an endless supply of reeds, and when we harvest reeds, we can also find fish, turtles, bird eggs, snakes, and the like. But as you know, Madam, salt refining requires a lot of fuel and wood ash, and that's what limits our annual production; we've never been able to increase it."
Feng Niaoniao asked in surprise, "I see that the reeds around the village are very dense. If we harvest some every day, how can we lack fuel? Aren't reeds just wood ash when burned?"
Li Yuantu glanced around and said softly, "The reason our place is so secluded is because of this endless reed marshland. If it is over-logged and this barrier is lost, government troops or bandits can easily break in, making it impossible to defend against, unlike now where there is only one waterway connecting the inside and outside. Unfortunately, reeds are not resistant to fire; if they are burned all year round, the reed marshland could disappear without a trace in just over a year."
Feng Niaoniao let out a sigh of relief: "There are indeed tricks to everything. No wonder Xiao Xuan has the skill of refining salt but his business is still not very big. However, the business I'm thinking of is not refining salt, so don't worry, Uncle Li."
After traveling for a few more days, Feng Niaoniao, in the name of her new bride, sent some gifts to each family. They were all practical and inexpensive items. As expected, everyone reciprocated with some inexpensive gifts. Through these exchanges, Feng Niaoniao became familiar with the women of each family and gradually discovered many of their previously hidden talents.
"Paper cutting? I know how to do paper cutting. When I was at my parents' house, I learned to cut paper figures from my mother. I think back then, some wealthy families would even come to buy them."
"Making lanterns? My husband did it in the city. We both know how to do scissors. We even took on jobs in the city before, but it was inconvenient to travel back and forth. One year, a fire broke out in the city, and our old employer went bankrupt."
During the conversation, Feng Niaoniao took note of everyone's various talents. At dinner, she discussed with Li Xuan: "Xiao Xuan, I've thought about what you said carefully these past few days. I think your village's mutual assistance system is good, but not good enough. Relying solely on mutual assistance might be enough to deal with petty thieves."
When a real bandit comes, it will be difficult for everyone to put up a fight, and the village may immediately fall apart. Their families are small, so if they run away, they can just run away. The bandits won't occupy the village and stay there. It may be painful, but they can come back after a while.
Our family is large and prosperous; how can we just run away? Therefore, for our peace and security, we must find a way to instill in everyone the determination to resist to the end.
Li Xuan looked at Feng Niaoniao in surprise. So his wife was still thinking about this? Actually, he had deliberately exaggerated the threat when talking about the bandits that day. The bandits in the countryside weren't soldiers; they were terrified of dying. Everyone knew that Li Xuan's side was tough and difficult to deal with.
They had previously gathered about a hundred men to plunder, but Li Yuantu shot six or seven of them dead with a single arrow each, causing them to collapse and flee. They never tried to plunder again. Therefore, the river bandits were not the biggest threat.
Compared to river bandits, natural disasters are far more deadly, such as floods and droughts, which occur every few years. Only by working together can we better survive.
Li Xuan asked curiously, "Sister Niaoniao, you must have a way, right?"
Feng Niaoniao revealed her plan: "After the emperor of Jinling ascended the throne, the government was mostly controlled by the Five Evils. In order to make it look peaceful, a grand lantern festival was held in Jinling last year and this year. The exquisite lanterns were worth ten, a hundred, or even more strings of cash. It is said that the royal lanterns were made by a thousand craftsmen for more than twenty days, and the materials were extremely luxurious, costing 100,000 strings of cash."
Li Xuan gasped, "So extravagant? This is insane! So Sister Niaoniao means to make lamps? But we've never made lamps before."
Feng Niaoniao glanced at Li Xuan smugly and said with a smile, "Every family in the village has their own crafts. All that's needed for lamps is bamboo for the frame and paper for the cover. The real skill lies in the design and patterns. We can buy high-quality lamp paper from Guangling, paint landscapes, auspicious clouds, fertile fields, pine trees, bamboo, plum blossoms, and other things, and then add appropriate regulated poems. You see, good lamps are for the upper class to enjoy, but the upper class wouldn't make them. No matter how skilled the craftsmen are, they don't understand poetry. If we can seize this opportunity..."
Li Xuan suddenly realized, but then became worried: "My husband and I work so hard painting and writing inscriptions, how many pieces can we possibly make? I'm afraid it won't be enough to share with the whole village."
Feng Niaoniao said irritably, "We only need to make sets of twelve, twenty-four, and thirty-six lanterns. The other villagers are skilled at bamboo weaving and paper cutting, so they can naturally decorate the lanterns with paper-cut patterns. If you bribe the people in the palace to include them in the procurement, you'll definitely make a fortune. With a reputation in the palace, we can sell some of our produce to merchants in Jinling, which is a way out."
Li Xuan was very tempted. As long as he could frequently travel to Jinling, he could actually do some business in the salt trade as well. Hehe. Thinking of this, he decisively said, "I'll do as you say, my wife. I'll go find Uncle Li Hua tomorrow to purchase silk fabrics, dyes, and the finest lamp paper."