Chapter 36: Going to the Market
With the help of their uncles and aunts, they no longer had to rush to make tofu.
Also, since there was a marketplace tomorrow, many farmers would go, which meant villagers selling tofu in the surrounding villages might have poor business. So, Zhao Dong told them this afternoon that, starting tomorrow, they wouldn’t wholesale tofu to villagers, other than those from distant villages. Thus, they didn’t have to stay up late preparing tonight.
After splitting the money, Zhao Dong and his two brothers-in-law carried the purchased soybeans into the west room. Afterward, Grandfather’s family prepared to leave. While waiting for Zhao Dong and Sun Mei, Zhao Guifen asked about Zhao Zhitong’s apprenticeship.
Upon hearing Sun Mei talk about buying a piece of meat to make a knee pad, Zhao Guifen slapped her thigh and said, "Luckily I asked about this, or you would have indeed been impolite."
Sun Mei looked puzzled. "Mother, what’s wrong? Can’t we give the knee pad?"
Zhao Guifen said, "It’s not that you can’t give a knee pad. But when apprenticing, a disciple should give the Six Etiquettes Bundle to the Teacher. The Six Etiquettes include celery, lotus seeds, red beans, dates, longan, and dried lean meat strips. Celery symbolizes diligence and love for learning, lotus seeds symbolize bitter-hearted education, red beans represent good fortune, dates stand for early high achievement, longan signifies perfect accomplishments, and dried lean meat strips convey the disciple’s intentions."
Upon hearing her mother’s words, Sun Mei’s eyes widened. "I never knew there were so many things to consider."
Zhao Guifen laughed. "Well, there’s a marketplace tomorrow, so we can have your husband buy everything. As for the knee pad, you can make it and give it to the Teacher as a festival gift."
Sun Mei kept nodding. It’s so lucky Mother asked, she thought. Otherwise, we really would have been rude and made ourselves a laughingstock.
So, after sending off Grandfather’s family, Sun Mei immediately told Zhao Dong about it.
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