The System Wanted Me to Be a Landlady (GL) - Chapter 10: Buying Mat Grass

Chapter 10: Buying Mat Grass

When Song Yuyan dove into the grass market, the Baoen Temple in the southeast of Mingzhou City echoed with the voice of a master lecturing on Buddhist teachings.

The traveler who knocked on the iron plaque yesterday had come from far away to hear the temple’s head, “Master Fazhi” — Zhili, preach the Dharma.

Zhili’s title, “Master Fazhi,” was granted by the imperial court, showing his high status and position.

He was originally the head of Qianfu Temple on Siming Mountain, but too many monks came to learn from him, and Qianfu Temple couldn’t hold them all, so he moved to Baoen Temple to preach and lecture.

After hearing Zhili’s explanation, the traveler suddenly recalled the image he saw above the Song family yesterday. He asked Zhili, “Master Zhili, why does a petty thief have golden light protecting them?”

Zhili thought for a moment and said, “Good deeds in a past life build great merit. The golden light you saw might be that merit.”

The traveler asked again, “But if they did good in their past life and have merit, why are they a petty thief in this life?”

This question didn’t stump Zhili. He gave an explanation from Buddhist scriptures, adding his own insights, and the traveler’s doubts were finally cleared. It was the first time he saw someone with golden light protection, so his trust and understanding of Buddha and the Dharma deepened.

Zhili was quite interested in the person the traveler mentioned. Learning they were in Xingxian Ward of Cixi County, he noted it down.

____

Now, speaking of Song Yuyan, she wandered through the grass market. Two vendors sold small bundles of mat grass, and one vendor’s grass wasn’t processed — no sun-drying or storing.

After comparing three vendors, she ruled them out and found one with larger bundles that were properly processed.

The seller was a young man with dark skin, clearly used to farm work.

Seeing Song Yuyan approach, he held out his hand, “Pay first. No money, no fooling around here.”

Song Yuyan thought about his words and felt he might know the original owner, but she couldn’t find any memory of this boy. She asked, “How much for a bundle?”

“Mat grass is four wen, white hemp fiber is three wen, yellow and green hemp fiber are two wen.”

Song Yuyan winced. This vendor’s mat grass was plentiful, and two bundles should be enough, but the white hemp fiber was expensive. A finished mat sold for only eighteen wen, and the materials took up most of that, plus labor and time costs…

Oh well, she didn’t have time to gather free mat grass from the marshes!

As she was about to pay, a voice rang out, “Two bundles of mat grass and one bundle of white hemp fiber, ten wen!”

She turned and recognized the person from her memories. Without hesitation, she called, “Shi She, this is your family’s stall?”

“Of course!”

This boy, Shi She, was two years older than the original owner. He was a friend, though they rarely met, maybe once or twice a year. Still, they got along well each time, which was quite remarkable.

Song Yuyan realized not all the original owner’s friends were bad. At least Shi She was a warm, cheerful, and hardworking farm boy.

“Big brother!” the younger boy said, looking at Shi She with dissatisfaction.

Shi She gave him a calming glance and asked Song Yuyan, “Hey, why are you buying grass?”

“To weave mats.”

Shi She said, “You know how to weave? Is this a whim, or are you serious about it?”

He clearly knew the original owner’s laziness. Song Yuyan felt a bit embarrassed and said, “I’m serious about doing it properly.”

“Then buy from me in the future. I can give you a discount.”

Song Yuyan agreed, seeing no need to check other stalls since Shi She’s grass was well-processed, saving her some effort.

After buying the grass, Shi She threw in some edging material for free. Her day’s earnings of one wen were gone.

To weave mats, the best tool was a “reed,” a square board over a meter long with slits arranged in a line. It was used to thread white hemp fiber. By pulling the handle, the fibers would separate, allowing the mat grass to be woven through and pressed firmly with the reed.

Luckily, Song Yuyan remembered the Song family had one. Otherwise, she’d need to save for tools or use less efficient hand-weaving.

Most women and children she saw chose hand-weaving because their men earned enough to support the family. They weren’t in a rush and didn’t plan to produce in bulk.

____

Seeing the time was about right, she put her things in the storage room and went out to work.

Song Yuban and Song Yuzhuan saw her return with mat grass. Song Yuzhuan hesitated and said, “Second brother, you’re out of grass, and your mat isn’t finished. Why not ask big brother for some?”

Song Yuban was tempted but snorted, “I have hands and feet. I’ll cut some by the river!”

“But big brother said not to go out. There are kidnappers.”

Song Yuban brushed it off, “It’s broad daylight, nothing will happen!”

So, he grabbed the family’s only sickle and ran out, heading to the river west of the county.

At that moment, Tang Zhi was by the river, carrying water to irrigate vegetables. She saw him heading to a spot thick with weeds, thought for a moment, and followed.

The grass usable for mats was all picked clean. Song Yuban finally found some rush grass, but it was very close to the river, where the soil was soft. One step in, and mud covered his feet.

Song Yuban lost his balance and nearly fell into the river. Luckily, Tang Zhi, quick on her feet, used her carrying pole to pull him back. Coming to his senses, his face turned pale with fright.

Tang Zhi, seeing him like this, was annoyed, “Why did you come here? Didn’t that rascal Song Yuyan tell you not to come to this side?”

Song Yuban pressed his lips shut, silent. Tang Zhi was both angry and pitying his state. She pulled him away from the river and asked, “Where’s Song Yuyan?”

“He went out.”

Tang Zhi recalled Song Yuyan saying she’d be working as a shill for a couple of days, so she dropped the matter.

She asked again, “Why did you come here alone?”

“To cut grass. I don’t have enough.”

Tang Zhi knew Song Yuban would gather some mat grass to weave pads for household use. Since Song Yuyan was unreliable, often leaving the two kids with barely enough food, Song Yuban planned to rely on himself.

But he learned halfway, so his weaving wasn’t great, and the price he got was low. Tang Zhi had helped him sell a few times, and sometimes people gave an extra wen for her brother’s sake.

“How much more do you need?” Tang Zhi asked.

Song Yuban counted on his fingers, “About ten stalks.”

“Just that? Come to my house, I’ll give you some!” Tang Zhi pulled him along. “Don’t come here alone again, got it? You left Bing’er alone at home. What if she’s scared? What if a thief comes—”

She paused.

Then she remembered the Song family already had a thief. Why would another thief bother coming?

____

Song Yuyan turned and sneezed. Aunt Fierce glanced at her, silently praising her for not sneezing on the dough.

“Not used to kneading dough, huh?” Aunt Fierce asked.

“…I’ll get used to it quickly,” Song Yuyan said.

Aunt Fierce looked at her again, thinking this answer was surprisingly pleasant. When did she get so good with words?

The dough was for northern-style food. Since Mingzhou had both foreign and northern-southern merchants, catering to both tastes widened business opportunities.

When the time was about right, Aunt Fierce gave Song Yuyan some food to take back for the two little radish heads. Song Yuyan was about to say some heartfelt thanks, but Aunt Fierce shooed her out like autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves.

She returned home feeling lighter, but when she saw Tang Zhi scolding the two little radish heads, who looked wilted, she was stunned.

“What’s going on?” She looked at Tang Zhi, then at the two kids.

Tang Zhi explained how Song Yuban nearly fell into the river. Hearing this, Song Yuyan’s expression turned serious. She said, “You’re absolutely right to scold him.”

Then she crouched to eye level with the kids and said earnestly, “Since your sister Tang has already spoken, I won’t repeat it. But I’ve let go of the past. I’ll treat you as my real brother and sister, and I hope one day you’ll truly see me as your big, big brother. So, I hope you’ll listen to what I tell you.”

Tang Zhi glanced at Song Yuyan, impressed. The words were touching, but she wondered how much the kids would take in.

Song Yuzhuan blinked and nodded, “Big brother, I’ll listen.”

Song Yuban wasn’t swayed by her words. He said, “Don’t lecture me. Mother said you’re a jinx. Father died because of you, and Mother was scared of you, so she remarried and abandoned us!”

Tang Zhi was slightly shocked. Song Yuyan stared at him, silent.