Chapter 12: Lin’s Tea Drink

“Mother!”

“How can this be? I originally wanted to keep you for lunch, but now you’re leaving without even having breakfast. I made plenty—have breakfast before you go!” Lin Guilan pulled Lin Pingyuan’s arm. “It won’t matter if Liu Laosan waits a little longer!”

Seeing Lin Pingyuan still looked hesitant, Jiang Qingshi spoke up: “Brother-in-law, have breakfast before leaving. Otherwise, Guilan will be upset all day! After eating, I’ll take you to town in the ox cart! That will be faster!”

Lin Pingyuan glanced at his sister, then at the wide-eyed baby Jiang Zhimiao in his arms, and finally nodded gently.

After breakfast, Jiang Qingshi went to see Lin Pingyuan off. Jiang Zhimiao, full and content, crawled around on the floor, also reluctant to see his uncle go.

Although his uncle was a rough man, his love and care for him were completely genuine, unlike the Jiang Family members who were all hypocritical. He saw that his mother also looked downcast, but she was someone who could never stay idle. Even so, her hands never stopped moving.

Soon Jiang Qingshi returned. Lin Guilan quickly wiped her hands and hurried over: “Husband, did you get my brother onto Liu Laosan’s cart? We didn’t make him late and upset Liu Laosan, did we?”

“Don’t worry,” Jiang Qingshi smiled gently. “The timing was perfect. It won’t delay your brother’s affairs.”

Lin Guilan looked complicated: “I know my brother cares for me most, always considering everything for me. I’m a married woman now, yet I still make my brother worry about me all day…”

Understanding her feelings, Jiang Qingshi embraced Lin Guilan: “Your brother is truly a good man. We just need to remember his kindness in our hearts.”

Lin Guilan nodded: “The more so, the more I must live well. Only by living properly can I deserve my brother’s efforts.”

Jiang Qingshi gently patted Lin Guilan’s back. Suddenly remembering something, she turned to look at him with hesitation in her eyes.

“Husband, did my brother say anything about you on the way? He’s always been blunt, though he means well. If he said anything inappropriate, please don’t blame him…”

“Wife, you think too poorly of your husband,” Jiang Qingshi laughed. “I’ve read many classics after all. If after reading so many books I still couldn’t tell good from bad, wouldn’t that mean I’ve been closing my ears and just building fantasies behind closed doors? Even if your brother had criticized me, it would have been justified. I wouldn’t fail to recognize good intentions.”

Lin Guilan awkwardly wiped her hands with her apron: “Husband, I didn’t mean that. I know you’re most upright and honorable. My brother just speaks harshly, but he has the kindest heart. With the ox cart and ice he brought, tomorrow I can take Miao Ge’er to set up our stall! Our life will surely get better and better!”

…

The next day, Lin Guilan indeed got up early and took Jiang Zhimiao to set up their stall.

Jiang Qingshi insisted that it was too hard for Lin Guilan to take Jiang Zhimiao to the stall, and that he should stay home with the child instead. Worried this would affect Jiang Qingshi’s studies, Lin Guilan quietly left food for him while he was still asleep in the morning, then took Jiang Zhimiao and slipped away.

Jiang Qingshi had been studying late into the night these past few days. To avoid disturbing Lin Guilan and their child’s rest, he slept in another room each night. Whenever Lin Guilan got up during the night, she’d see the oil lamp still burning in his room. Though it pained her to see him exhaust himself, she understood his determination to make something of himself and thus refrained from urging him to rest.

Jiang Zhimiao was still drowsy when his mother settled him into the ox cart. Lin Guilan, with her skillful hands, had made him a thick small round cushion. The child’s tiny frame curled up inside it, cozy and undisturbed by the bumps along the road—though the cushion’s appearance… bore an uncanny resemblance to a modern dog bed.

Pulling the reins, Lin Guilan smoothly made her way to the dock. It was still early, so she unloaded everything from the ox cart and deftly set up a small stall. Only then did she carry Jiang Zhimiao down, still nestled in his little cushion. Seeing his wide, curious eyes fixed on her, Lin Guilan couldn’t resist planting a kiss on his cheek.

“Be good, son. Mother needs to earn money and might not be able to tend to you much. You must behave.”

Jiang Zhimiao gazed at the kind, loving face so close to his, breathing in his mother’s gentle scent. Suddenly, a warm surge rushed through his mind, and the little child opened his mouth as broken syllables miraculously assembled themselves.

“Mother.”

Lin Guilan touched her ear in disbelief, wondering if she’d misheard.

He could speak!?

Jiang Zhimiao, both startled and delighted by his own ability, pressed on seeing his mother’s astonished expression.

“Mother!”

“My son, you can speak!” Lin Guilan finally confirmed what she’d heard. Overjoyed, she lifted Jiang Zhimiao high in her arms. “My son can call me mother!”

Jiang Zhimiao was equally thrilled. Controlling this toddler’s body was challenging—everything had to be learned from scratch. Now, at a year and a half old, he had finally managed speech. Seeing the joy in Lin Guilan’s eyes, he suddenly understood how every step a child takes holds extraordinary meaning for parents.

Forgetting her stall entirely, Lin Guilan held Jiang Zhimiao aloft and gleefully ran several circles around the small dock.

“My son can speak! My son can speak!”

At that hour, the dock hosted only an elderly woman selling Chinese yam beans. Witnessing Lin Guilan’s “mad” display, the woman said nothing but smiled and nodded as if she understood completely.

Lin Guilan cradled Jiang Zhimiao like a treasure, gazing down at him with tender affection.

“On the very first day I set up my stall, Miao Ge’er learned to speak! This must be a good omen. I knew our lives would keep getting better!”

Jiang Zhimiao also felt rather accomplished this time. He basked in his mother’s praise, his little face beaming with pride. After the initial excitement subsided, Lin Guilan remembered her responsibilities. Since her son had been so promising, she couldn’t fall behind as his mother. She briskly finished setting up the stall, arranged several blue-and-white porcelain bowls, and raised a flag bearing the bold characters: “Lin’s Tea Drink.”

This was also a strategy her husband had suggested. He said she needed her own unique feature and signature, something that would make people remember it instantly, and words were the easiest way to be remembered. Lin Guilan thought it over and found it reasonable. Besides, she had always listened to Jiang Qingshi. She originally wanted to ask Jiang Qingshi to help come up with a more elegant-sounding name, but Jiang Qingshi just looked at her with a gentle smile and said:

“Wife, this is your own stall. What kind of name you choose is up to you.”

Seeing the pleading look Lin Guilan gave him, Jiang Qingshi only slowly and leisurely replied in this manner.

“This is your hard work, and it should rightfully be your decision.”

Looking into Jiang Qingshi’s eyes, something suddenly became clear in Lin Guilan’s heart.

Yes, this was her own matter, and she should make the decision herself. Whether it sounded good or not didn’t matter, as long as she herself was happy with it.

Then let it be called Lin’s Tea Drink!

Her surname could also appear independently on the banner, not following behind her husband’s, fluttering gracefully in the strong wind.

Author’s Note:

Little Jiang: Finally said what I’ve always wanted to say [dog head]