“Papa, how much are they worth? Is this going to be enough?” I ask while turning the gold cake back and forth.
My whole family is sitting on Kang with a little table in the middle. Papa and Niang took the inside side, while Jinu and Ponu sitting cross from each other. I don’t like to sit on my heels, so I just sit outside with my two legs hanging over the Kang.
“It is more than enough. Not only we can pay off our debt for the lake property, we will even have extra for a good saving.” Niang says. Like any married woman, she has been staying inside the room during the visit from General Wei. But I am sure she heard everything we have said.
“All right.” I nod and hand the gold cake to Ponu, who is studying the other one as well.
“Niang and Papa, I have something in my mind for a while now.” Jinu says. He has never been the vocal one in this household. Sometimes I feel like he is a smaller version of Papa: mature, hardworking and very responsible.
“Speak out then. “ Papa takes a sip of mums tea I just made. I collect flowers, spread them thin over the flat bamboo containers and dry them under the sun. I use them for drinking, for cooking, or just for their nice fragrance. Someday when I collect enough, I will make myself some nice essential oil, or even perfume.
“I know we have a lot of things planned: duck farm and fish farm. In addition, we have our fields we have to attend. But all of these works take a long time to see the result. Last time, after I took some jellos as a gift to my Shifu at blacksmith shop, so many people have been asking me where to buy it.” Jinu says. “I have been thinking to lease a storefront in town and open our own shop for jellos, mooncakes, and any other desserts Shiaonu has been playing with. I did not said anything because of the upfront money we will need. But now, with the money from General Wei, I believe we can have our own store. ”
“I don’t want to do it.” It just snapped out.
Tying down to a store is the last thing I want. With General Wei’s visit, I start to think that I should step out my safety zone a little and explore Han Empire. Living in the real world with the knowledge from future history books should give me some good advantage points. I will not interfere or meddling historical significant events, but I can watch every event like a quiet bystander. Just like meeting with General Wei. Without me, there might be another family make the desserts for the banquet. No history has ever recorded such events. As for the mooncake and jello, nobody was ever really sure when they have been created. It’s not like you get online, watch youtube, and voila, everything you just created can be spread all over the world. By the time every one in China knows how to make mooncake or jello, I am sure it will be evolved to different shape or form. Why do I need to worry about when, where or who really created mooncake or jello? They might even die out after a while. It is not uncommon to see the extinguished culture, extinguished race, or the extinguished Atlantis. Why can’t I watch live history unfolding in front of me? I might even write a book recording what I know.
“Why don’t you want to do it? Shiaonu.” Niang asks me.
I look at Jinu, who is apparently surprised by my quick response. “I like to try new things, but I don’t want to repeat the same things day after day.” Internally I actually know it is a good idea to open a store. But I need to do something more. “And I want to learn how to read and write.”
“She cannot even sit still too long.” Ponu chuckles. “She gets bored quickly once she figured things out. You cannot expect her doing same things every day.”
Everyone knows Ponu knows me best. We have spent lots of time together.
“But I really believe it will bring us a lot of income.” Jinu insists.
It gets quiet for a while, then Niang quietly opens her mouth. “I have seen how Shiaonu made the jellos and mooncakes, I think I will be able to make them now. I do not mind making them every day.”
“Really, Niang, you really do not mind doing it every day?” I ask her. If I can teach Niang how to make bakery goods, we can really make it into a good business.
“I weave every day, cook every day, clean every day and wash your clothes every day. Have you ever heard I complain? “Niang gives me the look.
“Niang, “I pour the mums tea to her cup. “You know I am the most impatient person in the world. I just don’t want to drag you into doing something you don’t like.”
“I might not be able to think of new recipes.” Niang smiles. “But I can follow the recipes very well. I know you do not want to tie to a store day after day. But I do not mind at all. And we need the income. You all have reached the age to get married soon. We need to start preparing for them.”
Ugh….Getting married? I am only fourteen in this world. I am sure she is only referring my two brothers, especially Jinu.
“Niang, please.” I say while other two are silent. “We are all too young to get married.”
“Opening a store is a good idea.” Papa cuts in before Niang can say anything more. “If General Wei thought it worth the serving to Emperor and Empress on Royal Banquet, we should be able to find enough people to buy them.” As always, Papa sees the opportunity.
“Oh, Papa,” I say to him. “I am thinking of some great ideas on how we can promote our store. We should carve our store name on every serving container. So when we really open our store, everybody will know we are the one provide the food on Royal Banquet. I am sure we will have a blast.”
Papa shakes his head. “You were just against the idea of having a store, now you are thinking how to promote it.”
Jinu laughs too. “Shiaonu is full of ideas. And I think it’s a good one. But do you know what name to use for our store?”
“Xiao Xiao Dian Xin, how do you like that?” It means little Dim Sum. Dim Sum is not just those small bamboo contained dishes on the rolling cart in restaurant in China Town. It actually means small-sized food so delicious that they can caress your heart gently.
“That sounds different than any shop names I know. And it’s easy to remember.” Ponu laughs.
Papa, Niang and Jinu nod too. So we have a name for our store now.
“So from now on, “I say to them all. “We should call our products Dian Xin. So everyone will know we are the one owns the creation of this kind of food.”
They all nod again.
“You need to think more items we can sell. We cannot just sell jellos and mooncakes.” Jinu says.
“Yes, brother. I have already thought about dozen things we can make. We can even make it bigger by combine the tea house and Dian Xing together. But that have to wait until our business really takes off. Then we can open the similar store at all major cities.”
Between Papa and Jinu, a business plan has been quickly drawn up. They decide to look for available store front right after we finish preparing for Royal Moon Banquet.
While they were planning, Niang and I cooked the dinner: three fish cooked in sweet and sour sauce, chopped lotus roots fried with diced chicken in brown sauce, a large plate of fried vegetable and a large bowl of tomato egg soup with chopped green onion. For Papa, since he likes to drink wine when Jinu comes home, I cooked him two salted egg, just like the way I told General Wei.
“Shiaonu,” Jinu says to me after he ate some fish. “You should actually open a restaurant instead.”
“No, please no, brother.” I whine. Everyone laughs.
“Shiaonu,” Papa asks. “I have never asked you. But since when you like to try all kind of new things now?”
“Oh, Papa.” I have this prepared for a long time. “Somehow my taste bud changed after I had high fever. So I tried different mix and different way of cooking, sometimes it turns out to be good, sometimes it turns out to be bad. Niang and Ponu had eaten a lot of my bad experiment.” When I started cooking, I had lots of failed contempt until I finally got a handle on the ingredients in this world.
Niang and Ponu are in agreement. “At first, her cooking was really bad. But she just got better, we just let her do whatever she wanted.”
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Papa did not touch this topic any more. “Jinu,” he says. “Your Niang is right. We need to prepare your wedding soon.”
“Papa,” Jinu says, “I am still just an apprentice, I cannot support a family yet.”
“But your fiancée your mother has arranged for you should reach the age soon.” Niang says, “We cannot keep her waiting.”
What? What have I missed here?
I try to pick up any clue from their conversation.
“We should be able to make some money soon.” Papa says. “And we still have our land to farm. She will not starve when she marries into our family. It’s not all on your shoulder.”
“Shiaonu.” Papa calls me after dinner. “Let Jinu and your Niang help you come up with a list of everything we need for Royal Banquet. If there is anything we need to get or buy, Jinu and I can go to the town early tomorrow morning. Let’s make sure we don’t spoil the opportunity.”
“Yes, Papa.” I give him a perfect salute.
Jinu amazes me with his organization skills. I tend to think everything at the same time, not systematically or sequentially. Just like cooking, I can never remember all the ingredients I need ahead of time, I only know I need it when I need it. Even Ponu sometimes complains about this. “Can’t you just think it ahead of time?” He always says that. But I just can’t.
Despite my unorderly descriptions and occasional distractions to something totally irrelevant, Jinu not only comes up with a list of items we need, but also the order of tasks we need to do. It’s not like he enters them in computer, or even put them down on a piece of paper, which has not invented yet until almost 100 years later, he has everything figured out in his brain.
“Jinu.” I make a blunt statement. “Being a blacksmith is really a waste of your time. You should find your true calling.”
“Shiaonu,” Jinu says. “Calling is for somebody like Emperor Wu or General Wei. For rest of us, we are all just try to make it through in this world. We live our lives day by day. Once an opportunity comes, like the one we just talked about, opening a store, we grab it and hope for the best. Not everybody has a calling.”
I thought I was the only one with such a gloomy outlook and try to coast along. “But if doing something else can make your happy, why not give it a try?”
He pauses a little, then smiles to me. “Of course I will do it. But it has to be the right time.”
Papa and Jinu are so alike. Their minds are open to new ideas. And they also have the courage and talent to make it happen. I have to say I am very lucky to be Shiaonu, who has been surrounded by such a good family.
“Jinu,” I am hesitated on what I am going to say. “Why did Niang say your Mother has arranged a marriage for you?”
“Oh, I have been engaged since I was born.” Jinu says it lightly.
Arranged marriage. I know it’s the tradition in China. But Jinu is not just any other Chinese, he is my brother.
“Do you like her?” I get distracted.
“I don’t know her at all.” He laughs. “After my mother died, I have not even heard from them at all.”
“What do you mean by after your mother died?” I finally get to ask my real question. “Isn’t Niang your mother?”
“Shiaonu, you should know Niang is Papa’s second wife.” He looks at me strangely, then he seems like remember something. “Your memory still has not come back yet?”
I shake my head. He sighs and pats me on my head. “Poor Shiaonu.” He says.” You have been doing so well, I thought you have been totally recovered. But still…”
He pauses then he continues. “When my mother passed away, I was only two years old. Papa married Niang three year later. She came to our village begging for food door by door. They got married and had you.”
“Then what about Ponu?” I ask.
He sighs again. “Ponu is Niang’s son. Niang’s hometown is in Shanxi. She was taken away by Xiongnu and gave birth to Ponu there. She later escaped back to Han. But Ponu stayed in Xiongnu with his dad until he was seven years old. Before his dad passed away, he sent Ponu back to Niang’s home town. Papa went there and retrieved Ponu back.”
I cannot believe what I have just heard. I had never thought my happy family with such a miserable past. I cannot imagine how horrified Niang must have been when she was taken away by Xiongnu’s raid; I cannot imagine how scared she must have felt when she gave birth to a baby in Xiongnu, and how much courage she had to have to escape and came back to Han. Niang, looks like any other woman in village, had such a heart-broken past.
And for Ponu, I have spent so much time with him. Not even a moment I thought of him as someone who has lived in Xiongnu until seven years old and then came back to Niang he barely knew. They all look so normal. No scars, no complains, no sadness, they just lived their lives like the way they should have always been. How strong they have to be to endure such a turbulent past, with an unknown future, and in such a harsh present.
Tears come to my eyes again. “I am so sorry hearing this. Why does everybody’s life has to have so many scars?”
Jinu wipes tears from me. “Just like what I have said, we are just normal people, trying to live through this world. We are actually very lucky. Emperor Wu and General Wei have provided us a safer world. The Xiongnu cannot raid us as frequent as before. For the past five years, General Wei has led and won all five major battles against Xiongnu. Hopefully no more women will be taken by Xiongnu and no more kids will be separated from their parents. As to our family, just because we all have lived through the turmoil, we value more on what we have now. As for you, not only you are the daughter to our parents, the sister to Ponu and me, most importantly, you are the one links us together in blood. Without you, we are just two broken families united. But with you, we become one. Ponu and I will never let anybody or anything hurt you, our little sister.”
Hearing Jinu’s words, I can’t do nothing but keep nodding while my tears running. I have not spent too much time with Jinu, but I always trust him and know he means everything he says.
“Jinu,” I say. “I will never let anything hurt our family.” They are in my blood as well, as well as in my brain and most importantly, as well as in my heart.”
He have a low laugh. “You have been very emotional today. Is there anything in your mind that bothers you?”
“Not anymore.” I shake my head. “Brother, thank you for telling me all these. I think I know what I am going to do now. Please don’t laugh at me on what I am going to say. I have believed for a long while that surviving in this world is enough for me. But now I start to see things differently. There might be a reason why I am here, why I became Shiaonu. There has to be a reason. It might very well be that I suppose to help our family to get into prosperity and see all of you live in a long and happy life.”
His expression clearly shows that he has lots of questions on what I have just said, but he decides to let them go. So he says to me. “It might very well be. All right then, let’s get some sleep. We have a lot of things to do tomorrow.”
After everyone goes to bed, I feel too awake and decide to sneak out for a night run. After all, the one I have been avoiding just found out who I am, where I live and called me a liar. There is no need to hide any more.
It has been quite an eventful day for me. Meeting General Wei Qing and his nephew, the future General Huo Qubing are the winning of super mega lottery. Although the latter despises me, I can still make it up for him. After all, how can he hold grudge against me after he chased me in dark and pointed his sword against me. Although we later had a good but air-headed conversation, that should not give him the right to my privacy. He did act like a gentleman when insisted on sending me home. But, he was the gentleman riding on the horse, while I ran behind. I know I should not bitch on this since I insisted running instead of riding along with him. But the image is funny.
Then later the decision of opening a new store and the revealing of family history, all of them have drained my emotions. But
my body still aches for running.
The more I think of everything happened around me, the more I believe there maybe a reason why I am here.
6 zhao yan
Everyone in my family has been working for the preparation of the Royal banquet.
The very next day, Papa and Jinu went to town early in the morning and got home with everything we need before noon. I love how they bought bamboo steamers as the serving containers. With just two days away, Papa won’t be able to make 100 wood boxes in time. So bamboo steamers are the perfect alternative. We then put clean lotus leaves at the bottom of each steamers. It gives a nice background for our mooncakes and jellos.
My two brothers made 100 bamboo tiles in domino size. Papa then asked somebody to write the store name on each bamboo tile. It is written in beautiful calligraphy. That is the way that I can think of to build brand recognition for our upcoming store.
A team of soldiers came to our house just when we finish the last piece in place. The trouble is that they did not bring any cart. With over 100 bamboo steams containing food inside, Papa had to rent a cattle cart again. In order to make sure everything will go smoothly, Papa and my two brothers went to Weiyang Palace as well, leaving Niang and I at home. I asked Ponu to tell me everything about the Palace.
Weiyang Palace is the central administration place as well as royal residential palace for Emperor Wu and Empress Wei. Other concubines, serving eunuchs and serving maidens also live there. It is said in the history book that the size of Weiyang Palace is seven times bigger than that of Forbidden City in Beijing. With that, I am sure Emperor Wu’s women are more than the swarming locusts. As the only fully functional male in the sea of women, Emperor Wu must have been a very busy and satisfied man. Certainly it comes with a drawback. The average life span for Chinese Emperors is less than forty years old. However Emperor Wu is the exception. According to history, he will live until he is almost seventy years old. Being Old and deteriorated, he will become so paranoid of be overthrown, he will kill his own son, crown prince Liu Ju, and will force the suicide upon his Empress of over thirty eight years.
My Soul is in the Sky Page 5