Chapter 142: Mid-Autumn Festival Gifts

On the morning of the fifteenth of August, Gu Chengyong took Jiaoyan with him to the town to buy supplies. The town was brimming with festive spirit; people from various villages had gathered, some to shop, others to sell different kinds of food, creating a lively atmosphere.

Gu Chengyong led Jiaoyan to a pastry shop where he purchased four pounds of mooncakes along with several other pastries. Then, he bought tea, wine, meat, and other essentials before finally finishing their errands.

The father and daughter then went to the school where Wentao and his brothers studied. They found Old Master Zhou and the tutor who usually taught Wenping and the others. Gu Chengyong had prepared two gifts for the festival, which he presented to the two teachers. In those times, it was customary for students to offer tokens of respect to their teachers during the three major festivals. The teachers accepted the gifts with gratitude, neither refusing nor overly thanking them.

Gu Chengyong inquired about the performance of Wentao and his two brothers at school. The tutor praised all three children, especially Wenzhi and Wentao, who were diligent in their studies. Wenping was slightly behind but still doing well. Having gained a clear understanding of his sons’ progress, Gu Chengyong bid the teachers farewell and left with Jiaoyan.

During the festival, one had to prepare some good food at home. The mooncakes sent by the Qi family had been shared around, leaving only a pound remaining, so Gu Chengyong bought a few more pounds. He also planned to send a gift to Miao Suwen’s family, and of course, some for their own home. In those days, mooncakes were a rare delicacy.

Jiaoyan wandered around, looking but finding nothing she particularly wanted to eat. Although their life was not as comfortable as when they lived in Jiangnan, Gu Chengyong and his wife never neglected their children. Their meals were decent, and Gu Chengyong occasionally went hunting, so Jiaoyan didn’t crave meat much. Fruit was also not lacking; the Qi family and other villagers often sent her some. The market sold mostly these same fruits, nothing unusual. After several rounds, Jiaoyan grew bored and said she wanted to go home.

Gu Chengyong, fond of his child, thought for a moment and bought a few packets of pastries from the shop. "Here, save these for if anyone gets hungry tonight." Children growing quickly often got hungry even after a full meal; having some snacks to fill their stomachs was helpful.

With the pastries purchased, the two of them headed back. As soon as they got home, Shao Yuan arrived carrying a large bundle of goods. "Master, Mistress, it’s the festival; my mother asked me to bring some festive food."

“Look at this! I was just about to ask Jiaoyan to come to your house, and here you are before she could even get ready. Why are you bringing so much? Save some for yourselves,” Madam Feng said, a little embarrassed.

“Mistress, please don’t let Jiaoyan send gifts to my house anymore. Today, our table is piled high with things. My mother worries about how to eat it all, so she asked me to deliver more here,” Shao Yuan said, clearly troubled.

Miao Suwen sometimes didn’t charge for her medical treatments, and people, feeling grateful, would send gifts during festivals. That morning, Miao Suwen had received more than a dozen such presents. Though Miao Suwen initially didn’t keep them, some families left the items and left quickly. This worried her; so many gifts, how long could they be eaten? She asked Shao Yuan to send more to the Gu household.

Hearing this, Jiaoyan couldn’t help but laugh. The Mid-Autumn Festival was a major event, deeply cherished by the common folk. Those who owed favors would send gifts at this time. Miao Suwen, known for healing and kindness, was naturally respected, and sending gifts was a token of everyone’s goodwill.

Jiaoyan looked back at her mother and laughed, “Mother, maybe we shouldn’t send mooncakes to my master’s house this year. If we send them, the master might just send some back to us.”

Madam Feng understood and smiled, shaking her head. “How about this: this afternoon, when we make dumplings, we invite your master, as well as Axi and the others, to come and eat together?”

Jiaoyan’s eyes brightened. That was a good idea. They hadn’t eaten dumplings in a long while—since the time her aunt married and made dumplings, she hadn’t gotten to eat many. “That’s great! I was just wondering what to eat,” Jiaoyan happily agreed.

They still had leftover meat from the Qi family’s gift yesterday—five pounds in total, two of which were given to the east courtyard, leaving three pounds. Madam Feng, thinking it was rare to make dumplings, decided to add more meat. She sent Wenxiu to buy two more pounds from the town. With many people at home, too little meat would make the meal less enjoyable.

While Madam Feng prepared to make dumplings, Jiaoyan, feeling bored at home, went with Shao Yuan to the Miao household. Recently, Jiaoyan had been busy and had visited less often.

At the Miao home, Axi and Alu were both there, resting for the festival. "Brother Axi, Brother Alu, my mother is making dumplings this afternoon, so please come over to eat," Jiaoyan told them quickly.

“Sure, we’ll come,” Axi replied readily.

Jiaoyan stepped inside and saw Miao Suwen fretting over a table piled with food. “Master, why so much food? Good heavens, how long will it take to eat all this?”

“You haven’t seen the backyard yet—there are several chickens. Those can be kept, but what to do with all these mooncakes? There are only a few people in the house; we can’t live on mooncakes alone,” Miao Suwen said, clearly worried.

“Master, don’t worry. There are families in our village struggling to get by. Why not have Brother Shao pick a few households to send some gifts to?” Jiaoyan suggested with a smile.

No place is without rich and poor, and Qingshan Village was no exception. Many families lived difficult lives and might not afford festival treats. Jiaoyan thought that if Miao Suwen couldn’t manage all the gifts, it would be best to share them around.

Miao Suwen brightened for a moment but then shook her head. “No, if we send them out, people might try to return the favors. It’s not good to owe such debts; they might refuse to accept.”

Jiaoyan thought it over and agreed. “Then I’ll ask Grandpa Qi to help. If he sends the gifts, no one can complain.” With that, she dashed off.

Soon, Qi Changwen followed behind her. “Great-niece, I heard from your mother. You have a kind heart. When people send gifts, it’s a token of their goodwill. But if you think it’s too much to handle, I can help distribute them. What do you think?”

Miao Suwen smiled. “It’s wonderful that Uncle Qi can help. These are all good things. If I keep them and don’t eat them, they’ll spoil. It would be best to share them.”

Promptly, Miao Suwen set aside a few pounds of mooncakes and pastries from the table and let Qi Changwen take the rest. Qi Changwen gathered several young men from the village and, with their help, distributed the mooncakes and other treats to seven or eight struggling households.

The families who received gifts expressed their heartfelt thanks to Qi Changwen and Miao Suwen. Qi Changwen waved them off, saying, “It’s the festival. Miao Lang has a kind heart, wanting everyone to enjoy themselves. Keep some mooncakes for yourselves, and there’s no need to send more to the Miao household. They lack nothing. If the Miao family ever needs help with anything, we won’t forget to lend a hand.”

With the treats distributed, Miao Suwen felt relieved. Piling up so many mooncakes that couldn’t be eaten was a waste. Sharing them allowed everyone to partake and kept the festive spirit alive.

“Master, my mother said we’re making dumplings this afternoon and invited you all to come eat. I just told Brother Axi—don’t forget!” Jiaoyan reminded Miao Suwen again.

“Of course! Making dumplings together is lively. By the way, do you have vegetables? Let’s go to the garden and pick some, or what else will we use for the filling?” Miao Suwen was pleased. The Miao and Gu families were like one, and celebrating together was a joyful thing.

Jiaoyan realized her family had no vegetable garden, and the old lady’s garden might not allow them to pick. Never mind, they could get some vegetables from her master’s garden. After all, they had been eating from her garden all summer; one more time wouldn’t hurt.

The teacher and disciple, along with Ruyun and Ruyue, went to the back garden, looking around unsure which vegetables to choose. At that time, the cabbage wasn’t fully grown and wasn’t tasty. The radishes were small, and green beans and eggplants didn’t make good dumpling fillings. What could they use? Celery?

“Master, let’s use mustard greens tops. If you blanch them with boiling water, they make the best dumpling filling. Also, some celery. Isn’t there some big chili pepper over there? Celery with chili is delicious too,” Jiaoyan quickly suggested.

To be honest, Miao Suwen wasn’t very familiar with northern vegetables, especially mustard green tops. She hadn’t thought to use them in dumplings. “Will that work?” she asked, pointing toward the mustard greens.

“It will, Master. Don’t worry.” Jiaoyan smiled and went into the field, beginning to strip the mustard green tops.

Mustard greens were typically used for pickling, and the leaves—what Jiaoyan called mustard green tops—looked somewhat like radish leaves but were smaller and more delicate. Since it wasn’t yet the season to harvest the whole plant, they had to pick only the outer leaves to use.

The leaves had tiny translucent thorns, and with Jiaoyan’s small, tender hands, she was soon pricked on the back of her hand, causing an itchy sting.