BYBOTE Chapter 49: Blueberry Milk Ice Cream

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Xi Yanqing was feeling quite frustrated, but the more he thought about it, the funnier it seemed. He had heard before that pregnancy could significantly change a person’s appetite, emotions, and personality, but he never expected that Luo Fei would be affected like this.

If it weren’t for Luo Fei’s current condition, Xi Yanqing would have "dealt with him on the spot." But for now, he could only wait.

The next day, the government officials came to collect taxes, so the villagers of Huaping Village had to bring their due contributions to the threshing ground.

Xi Yanqing had already measured the grain and soybeans, shouldered the load, and said, “I’m heading out first. Stay safe at home. I’ll be back as soon as I’m done.”

Luo Fei pulled Xi Yanqing’s head down and gave him a firm kiss. “Go ahead! I’ll make something delicious for you when you return.”

Xi Yanqing ruffled Luo Fei’s hair, made sure the door was locked before leaving, and then set off.

After butchering the wild boar yesterday, Xi Yanqing kept a hind leg, a front leg, a rack of ribs, a tenderloin, and a large slab of pork belly. He also saved the boar’s heart. The rest was mostly divided between Han Yang’s family and the Luo family. As for Luo Yong, he initially received a front leg, but when he took it to the Liang family, he ended up bringing it back because the elderly couple there had weak teeth and had long stopped eating meat. Since Luo Yong didn’t know how to cook, Luo Fei figured he would make some extra dishes and send over some tender pieces for the elderly couple. As for Luo Yong, he could just invite him over to eat together.

Luo Fei took out the pork belly. Wild boar meat was leaner than domestic pork, which suited his taste just fine. He cut the large slab of meat into strips about five or six centimeters wide, ending up with nine strips. He kept one for himself and divided the remaining eight into two portions. For one portion, he rubbed salt and Sichuan peppercorns into the meat for a while, then neatly arranged the strips in a large porcelain bowl to marinate before smoking them later. For the other portion, he took out a bowl of fermented soybean paste, mixed in some extra salt to enhance the flavor, and evenly coated the meat strips. He then placed them in another bowl to marinate. This method of curing meat with soybean paste wasn’t common in the market. Luo Fei had only tasted it before at a classmate’s home. It seemed to be more popular in the north, and when sliced and stir-fried with green beans, it had a uniquely delicious aroma.

If this task had been left to Han Xu, he would probably have been overwhelmed, but Luo Fei was enjoying himself.

After preparing the cured meat, Luo Fei took out the ribs and blanched them in boiling water before braising them. He added extra garlic and seasoned them a bit more heavily with salt. Since they didn’t have a refrigerator, the lighter the seasoning, the quicker the food would spoil. Although the weather outside was getting cooler, it still wasn’t cold enough to fully preserve food. Luo Fei figured that while the cured meat could last for months, the ribs and tenderloin needed to be eaten soon.

Some people had suggested selling some of the pork to make some money, but Luo Fei refused. He and Xi Yanqing had a mutual understanding and chose to gift a pig leg and a portion of ribs to the Shi family instead. They didn’t go personally but had Luo Yi take them on his way to school this morning.

After all, the wild boar was an unexpected gain, and Luo Fei and Xi Yanqing weren’t stingy when it came to showing gratitude to those who had helped them.

Luo Fei plated the braised ribs and steamed some rice, ready for Xi Yanqing’s return.

Meanwhile, at the threshing ground, Xi Yanqing was waiting in line. He should have been up next to pay taxes, but something amusing happened that caused the whole line to come to a standstill.

“Young man, are you saying that Zhang Yangfan’s family also needs to pay land tax?” The speaker was the village head. Every year, the head of Huaping Village would oversee tax collection alongside a government official, recording the grain yields before arranging for tax payments on a designated day. The official in charge of tax collection this year was a man named Cheng Guangzhao, who was newly assigned to this task.

“Yes, sir.” Cheng Guangzhao confirmed, double-checking the taxpayer list he had received from higher authorities. “Zhang Yangfan’s family is also required to pay taxes. Why is there no tax amount listed for him in your records?”

“But… but Zhang Yangfan is a scholar! He hasn’t had to pay taxes all these years.”

“This…” Cheng Guangzhao examined the list again and confirmed Zhang Yangfan’s name. “Sir, are you sure you’re not mistaken?”

“I can’t be mistaken. If you don’t believe me, ask the other villagers. Everyone knows Zhang Yangfan is a scholar.”

“Yes, he really is a scholar,” someone chimed in.

“Then, please send someone to his house and have his family come verify this,” Cheng Guangzhao said, signaling the line to continue moving.

Seeing the situation unfold, the village head quickly sent his grandson to run the errand, wanting to handle the matter properly.

The boy, around ten years old, was fast and disappeared in a flash. Soon, he reached Zhang’s house. “Aunt Qin! Aunt Qin, is anyone home?”

Qin Guizhi quickly came out. “Oh, isn’t this Xiaozhu? What do you need, dear?”

Qin Guizhi’s expression was already unpleasant. She had planned to go to the threshing ground early to show off the fact that her family didn’t have to pay taxes, hoping to make others envious. However, her son had stopped her from going, which left her sulking all morning.

Xiaozhu said, “Aunt Qin, the official says your family needs to pay taxes this year. He wants someone to go over and confirm.”

Qin Guizhi shouted, “That’s impossible! My son is a scholar—why should we pay taxes?”

Inside the house, Zhang Yangfan’s heart sank, his face turning ashen.

But Qin Guizhi didn’t care. She stormed off with Xiaozhu to the threshing ground, shouting as soon as she arrived, “Who says we have to pay land tax? My son is a scholar! Why should we pay?”

Cheng Guangzhao frowned at the commotion. “Are you Zhang Yangfan’s family?”

Qin Guizhi’s face was flushed with anger. “I’m his mother! My son is a scholar—everyone around here knows it! Why should we pay taxes? This is ridiculous!”

Her family owned dozens of acres of land, and they had even hired extra farmhands this year. After the incident with Jiang Baining and Zhang Sheng, she had been so furious that she had stayed in bed for days, unable to work, which meant they had spent even more money on hired labor. They had always relied on their tax-exempt status to justify such expenses. If they had to start paying taxes, it would be a huge financial burden. Unlike others, their tax rate would be much higher due to the size of their landholdings.

Cheng Guangzhao himself was puzzled. He was newly appointed and had never visited Huaping Village before, nor had he met Zhang Yangfan. But seeing the villagers’ reactions, it didn’t seem like they were lying. So, he called over one of his assistants who was inspecting the grain. “Yun Jie, take my horse and ride back quickly to clarify this matter with the authorities.”

The assistant, Yun Jie, swiftly departed. Since this was their first time collecting taxes in Huaping Village, they had been assigned to prevent corruption by regularly rotating tax officials.

Cheng Guangzhao didn’t want to delay the process, so he told Qin Guizhi to wait while he continued collecting taxes from the other villagers. Most villagers already knew their due amount, so they had brought the right amount of grain. As long as the quality was verified and there was no tampering, they could complete their tax payments and leave.

Xi Yanqing’s turn finally came after about half an hour. He had already checked the other villagers’ grain, so he knew his would pass as well. He had deliberately brought the less premium batch, saving the best rice for Luo Fei’s meals.

After the registrar finished recording the quantity submitted by Xi Yanqing, he took back his bag, patted the dust off his clothes, and was about to leave when he suddenly heard Luo Fei’s voice not far away:

"Qing-ge!"

Luo Fei actually came, and beside him was Han Xu.

Han Xu had been at his maternal home. Upon hearing the commotion next door, he went to chat with Luo Fei. After some chatting, the two couldn’t sit still and decided to come over for a look. And so, here they were.

Xi Yanqing quickly walked over. "Why did you come out? Isn’t it cold?"

Luo Fei smiled and said, "Came to see the excitement. If we wait until it snows in a few days, it'll be even harder to go out for a walk."

Xi Yanqing thought that was true and let Luo Fei have his way. Just as it happened, Han Yang was still in line, so they gathered together and chatted.

It took a long time to walk to town, but riding a horse was a different story. Xi Yanqing and Han Yang hadn't talked for long when the person called Yun Jie rode back on his horse. In front of everyone, he reported to Cheng Guangzhao, "Brother Cheng, the tax office said that the one called Zhang Yangfan cheated in the exams this year and was expelled by the examiner. His scholar status was revoked, and he is banned from taking the imperial exams in the future. So, starting this year, his family must pay taxes."

"What?!" Qin Guizhi was dumbfounded. "This—this is impossible! My son never told me anything about this! You must have made a mistake!"

"Auntie, why are you being so unreasonable? The record is clear, and we didn't make any mistake. You have to follow the regulations and pay your taxes," Cheng Guangzhao said. He then turned to his colleague, thanked him for his hard work, and instructed the village elder, "Sir, please send someone to the Zhang family again to find someone responsible. We must collect all the village’s taxes before nightfall. If we delay, our superiors will hold us accountable."

"Alright, alright." The village elder quickly called his grandson over. "Xiao Zhuzi, run to the Zhang family again and bring Zhang Yangfan here."

"Oh heavens! This is going to be the death of me!" Qin Guizhi collapsed to the ground, wailing. "What did I do to deserve this? Wuuu wuuu…"

"Crying won’t help. You should hurry up and prepare for the tax payment," the registrar scolded her.

"I won’t pay!" Qin Guizhi suddenly stood up. "My son never told me this, so I don’t believe a word of it! I need to go home and ask him myself!" Pushing past the people around her, she stormed back home. She refused to believe it—how could her son have cheated?! Had all her years of hard work been for nothing?!

"Tsk tsk tsk, what a dramatic performance," Luo Fei commented from six or seven meters away. "Qing-ge, shall we head back too?"

"Sure. I’m surprised you don’t want to stay and watch the show," Xi Yanqing said, a little amused. "Besides, I’m getting hungry."

"Gurururu…" Luo Fei’s stomach growled. "Heh, looks like my little tiger and little donkey are hungry too."

Hand in hand, the couple headed home. As they passed by Zhang Yangfan’s house, they saw Xiao Zhuzi still knocking on the door, but no one inside responded.

Then, Qin Guizhi arrived and shoved the door open with force. "Zhang Yangfan! Tell me, why do we have to pay taxes this year?!"

Zhang Yangfan seemed annoyed. He muttered, "Mom, can you stop bringing this up? Just pay it already!"

Qin Guizhi nearly fainted in anger. "You ungrateful brat! So it's true—you really cheated?! And you expect me to just pay without question? Do you even know how much we have to pay?!"

Families with more than three but fewer than ten acres of land had to pay ten percent of their harvest. Those with ten to twenty acres paid twelve percent. Those with thirty to fifty acres paid fifteen percent. And their family… had to pay fifteen percent!

Zhang Yangfan stayed silent.

Still locked outside, Xiao Zhuzi shouted persistently, "Aunt Qin! Please bring Brother Zhang to the grain storage! My grandpa and the others are still waiting!"

Qin Guizhi yelled back, "I’m not going! I refuse to be humiliated like this! If they want the tax, they can come collect it at my door!"

Zhang Yangfan immediately objected, "That won’t do!"

If they came to his house to collect the tax, wouldn’t that be even more embarrassing for him?!

Zhang Yangfan and Qin Guizhi continued arguing.

Luo Fei and Xi Yanqing listened for a moment before Luo Fei called out to Xiao Zhuzi, "Xiao Zhuzi, I don’t think they’ll come out. You’d better go tell your grandpa instead of waiting here."

Xiao Zhuzi, clearly frustrated, turned to Luo Fei. "Got it, Second Brother Bao!" Then, he huffed and ran off.

Luo Fei watched him run. "Wow, he’s fast. When will I be able to run like that again?"

Xi Yanqing glanced at Luo Fei’s belly. "Next year. Once our child is born and you’ve recovered, you’ll be able to."

Luo Fei had always been lively, so having to be extra careful lately made him feel stifled. But he knew he had to wait until next year to move freely again.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yangfan had been about to come out when he heard Luo Fei’s name. He never expected to hear that Luo Fei and Xi Yanqing were having a child!

Qin Guizhi had deliberately kept this from Zhang Yangfan, afraid that he would resent her or dwell on Luo Fei. But now, he knew.

She had convinced him to marry Jiang Baining by saying Luo Fei would never bear children. But now, Jiang Baining had gotten pregnant with Zhang Sheng’s child and cheated on him, only to lose the baby. Meanwhile, Luo Fei was having Xi Yanqing’s child!

How ironic.

Zhang Yangfan felt a suffocating pressure in his chest, as if he was about to explode!

"Bang!" Overcome with emotion, he suddenly pushed the door open. His gaze was complex as he clenched his fists and stared at Luo Fei’s back. "Luo Fei…"

Luo Fei didn’t even turn around. "Qing-ge, I salted the cured meat this morning. Later, find a cool place to hang it up for me." He clung to Xi Yanqing’s arm. "Hey, hey! It’s snowing?!"

"It is. The first snow of the season," Xi Yanqing replied. "Strange, the weather was fine this morning."

"This year’s snow came early."

"Be careful, don’t slip," Xi Yanqing warned, supporting Luo Fei’s waist. "Are you cold?"

"No." Luo Fei playfully stuck out his tongue to catch a snowflake. The cool sensation made him quickly retract it.

By the time they got home, the snow had already stopped. Luo Fei had been hoping to build a snowman, but now it was impossible. With the sun out, the thin layer of snow melted quickly, so he had no choice but to stay indoors.

In the countryside, winter was mostly a time for staying in and waiting for spring. Some who had poor harvests went to town to find temporary work.

Xi Yanqing considered doing the same to earn some extra money, but with Luo Fei’s condition, he decided to stay home for now. Luo Fei was his priority.

That said, he couldn’t just sit idle for four months. He still hadn’t given up on building a house next year.

But how could he make money?

Just as Xi Yanqing was pondering this, Luo Fei suddenly gave him an idea.

"Qing-ge…" Luo Fei licked his lips. "Do you think I could freeze a block of ice by leaving a bowl of sugar water outside?"

"It might work at night, but during the day, it wouldn’t freeze completely. Are you craving ice cream?" Xi Yanqing chuckled.

"Mm. But we probably can’t make real ice cream, right? Do you know how?"

"I don’t." Xi Yanqing had eaten ice cream before but had no idea how to make it. However, he did know that making ice cream—especially creamy ones—required fresh milk.

He really needed to get a dairy cow or goat.

The baby would be born next year and would definitely need milk. But what if he couldn’t find a cow or goat when the time came? This was something that had to be prepared in advance.

Xi Yanqing went to look for Han Yang again, but Han Yang’s second uncle wasn’t there.

With no other options, Xi Yanqing went to town because there were no suitable dairy goats in the nearby villages. The few that were available were either already in use or had been producing milk for too long, which meant the milk wouldn’t be very nutritious.

In town, there were goats for sale—some were already pregnant, and others weren’t. Xi Yanqing calculated the timing and figured that a recently impregnated goat would be ideal. That way, the colostrum could be used for both the baby and Luo Fei. But the problem was, he didn’t know how to raise goats. Unlike chickens, ducks, or puppies, they weren’t easy to care for. If he didn’t take care of it properly, the money spent wouldn’t be the issue—what mattered was that the baby needed milk. He still hadn’t even brought the cattle back from his father-in-law’s place because raising large livestock required a lot of attention.

After searching all morning, he didn’t buy a goat, but he did buy some cow’s milk and goat’s milk for Luo Fei. When he returned, he didn’t go home immediately but instead went to Chen Huazhang’s place to get a small wooden tray. He carved a circular groove into it, smoothed it out, and cut a small notch for inserting popsicle sticks. After getting a few sticks, he finally went home.

Once home, he took advantage of Luo Fei’s nap to make homemade popsicles.

He boiled milk with sugar, poured it into the mold, and added a few dried blueberries. The blueberries were ones he had picked, and Luo Fei had dried them. Adding them at least made the popsicles look less plain.

He didn’t know how they would taste because he only had time to make one mold, so he didn’t get to try it himself.

He quietly finished everything at night, covered the mold, and put it outside to freeze. The nighttime temperature had been below freezing lately, so he figured they would set properly.

Xi Yanqing was determined to give his wife a perfectly intact popsicle.

The next day, after breakfast, Luo Fei sat by the kang (heated bed) sewing baby clothes. He didn’t mention the popsicles, but he kept drinking water frequently, as if he was feeling hot. However, when Xi Yanqing looked closely, he wasn’t sweating.

Seeing this, Xi Yanqing brought over the small wooden box. “Open it and take a look.”

Luo Fei looked puzzled. “What is it? It looks like a little coffin.”

Xi Yanqing was exasperated by his unfiltered mouth. “Yep, there’s a tiny corpse inside. Go ahead and open it.”

Luo Fei didn’t believe him. When he opened the box, his eyes widened in surprise. “Ah! Popsicles?! Qing-ge, did you make these?!”

“Who else would’ve done it? Try it.”

Xi Yanqing pinched the stick and pulled out a popsicle. It had frozen quite hard, making it difficult to remove earlier, but now that it had softened a bit inside the house, it slid right out.

“You’re so talented!” Luo Fei took a bite. “Mmm, it’s delicious! Try some.”

“It’s pretty good,” Xi Yanqing admitted. It wasn’t as soft and creamy as modern ice cream, but it was definitely better than just frozen milk.

“Thank you, Qing-ge! This is amazing!” Luo Fei licked his lips, savoring every bit. “This was made with cow’s milk, right? Where did you get it?”

“I bought it in town. I originally planned to buy a dairy goat for you and the baby, but the best ones were already pregnant, and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to take care of them properly. There’s also a bottle of goat’s milk outside—I’ll heat some up for you later. The seller told me goat’s milk has a stronger taste than cow’s milk, so I don’t know if you’ll like it. If you don’t, we can consider getting a dairy cow instead.”

“A dairy cow?! Wow, Qing-ge, if you keep spoiling me like this, I’ll be sleeping on the roof next!” In most families, even buying a dairy goat was rare. If there was a nursing mother in the village who had enough milk, people would usually pay her to help feed the baby for the first four months before switching to rice soup. Buying a goat was already unusual, let alone a cow!

“I’ll just try the goat’s milk,” Luo Fei said. He had never had goat’s milk before—not in this life or his previous one.

Xi Yanqing heated the goat’s milk and brought it to Luo Fei. Luo Fei took a sip, then suddenly started gulping it down—one sip, then another, and another—until he finished the whole cup!

Luo Fei licked his lips. “What ‘strong taste’? This is delicious! It actually tastes better than cow’s milk.”

Xi Yanqing: “…”

Luo Fei wasn’t just saying that because goats were cheaper than cows—he genuinely found the goat’s milk tastier. Seeing this, Xi Yanqing realized they definitely needed to buy a goat. And not later—right now. If the baby was going to need milk, Luo Fei might as well start drinking it now too. Pregnant women needed calcium and folic acid, right? At least, that’s what all the commercials used to say…

So Xi Yanqing started looking for a dairy goat again.

That day, Luo Fei made some dumplings at home, and Xi Yanqing brought a few over to Doctor Liang and his wife. On the way back, he invited Luo Yong to join them for a meal.

Hearing that Xi Yanqing was still looking for a dairy goat, Luo Yong immediately said, “Forget searching. I’ll be heading to see Jingrong in a couple of days—I’ll just bring two back for you. He definitely has some.”

“You’re going to see Jingrong?” Xi Yanqing asked. “Why so suddenly?”

“Jingrong left his family. He got a few sheep in the split and took them with him. He’s in Huangtan Town right now. His family gave him a piece of land there, but he doesn’t plan to stay—he wants to find a better place.”

“When did this happen?”

“I just got the letter yesterday. I asked Doctor Liang to read it for me. Jingrong wants me to go help him for a while. The land he got was the worst part of his family’s property, and he doesn’t think he can make a living there, so he’s looking for a new place.”

“Why doesn’t he come check out this place?” Xi Yanqing joked.

“Hey, that’s actually what I was thinking! I’m planning to help him watch over things for a bit so he can come take a look. I think this place is great—we’ve got mountains and rivers.”

“Sounds good. I’m not in a huge rush for the goat, so let him come see if he likes it here. If he does, maybe we can all work on something together.” Xi Yanqing was already thinking about the possibilities—if they had sheep, could they open a lamb restaurant? Or maybe… start selling popsicles?

Even though it was cold now and popsicles wouldn’t sell well, what if they could produce them for summer?

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