BYBOTE Chapter 50: The Tiger That Deserved a Beating

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Once an idea took root, the mind opened up to even more possibilities. Xi Yanqing was that kind of person—he dared to think, and he dared to act. He wouldn’t procrastinate.

Just days after thinking about popsicles and lamb, he went to find Chen Huazhang and asked him to make some molds. He sketched a few designs, and Luo Fei, excited about the popsicles, helped refine them.

While Chen Huazhang was working on the molds, Xi Yanqing and Luo Fei talked to him about their ideas. Since Chen Huazhang had traveled more than them, they wanted to know where they could find ice cellars.

In ancient northern China, winter ice was plentiful, but in summer, only the wealthy could afford it. Ice was usually harvested during the coldest days and stored in ice cellars for summer use, but building one was a major undertaking, something ordinary people couldn’t afford.

“I know there’s an ice cellar in town,” Chen Huazhang said. “It’s owned by the Zhou family. They’re the wealthiest family in Songlin Town, and they sell ice to various businesses every year. Why do you ask?”

“I want to build an ice cellar too. Do you know if the Zhou family’s ice is all harvested in midwinter, or do they make some themselves?”

"It must have been harvested in the coldest days of winter. How could one make ice at home?" Chen Huazhang thought for a moment. "Are you saying we store water in a pond and wait for it to freeze when it gets cold enough?"

"No, it's made using saltpeter," Xi Yanqing explained. He remembered that in ancient times, ice was initially stored in winter for use in summer. Later, when people mined saltpeter to make gunpowder, they discovered that it absorbed a lot of heat when dissolved in water, which led to the development of saltpeter ice-making. This technique should have emerged around the Tang Dynasty. However, since the dynasty they were currently in had no historical records, he wasn't sure whether saltpeter was known here or how it was being used. Since his past self had been in the military, he was certain that gunpowder had not yet been discovered.

"I've never heard of that," Chen Huazhang thought for a while. "How exactly does this saltpeter ice-making work?"

"You just put the saltpeter into water, and the water slowly freezes. But I only heard about this before, so I'm not sure if it really works," Xi Yanqing said with a smile. "Alright then, once you have time to help me finish these molds, I'll take Erbao home first."

"Alright, then I won't ask you to stay for a meal. Our eating habits don’t match anyway." Chen Huazhang had been eating vegetarian food for several days now, and his mouth was craving something different, but there was nothing he could do. "Oh, should I make more of those ice cream sticks?"

"Yes, the more, the better," Xi Yanqing said, already planning ahead. He figured he could try selling them. The tenant who rented his shop had opened a pastry shop—if things didn’t work out, he could see if they could help sell the ice creams there, offering them a share of the profits.

"I wonder if the ones at home have frozen yet. The weather is a bit warm today," Luo Fei said as he looked at the sun while walking with Xi Yanqing. "I feel like I can't go a day without eating one."

"But you can't eat too many. I let you have one the other day because you were really craving it, but from now on, one every three days at most," Xi Yanqing said seriously. "Ice cream is cold, and eating too much isn't good, especially now that there's a little one on the way. You need to be careful, for both the baby and yourself."

"I know," Luo Fei pouted. "It's strange, though. We're both expecting kids, but Han Xu is always cold, while I'm always hot. Are we sure I'm pregnant and not experiencing some sort of energy deviation?" Han Xu was already showing a baby bump, and his plum blossom mark was getting darker. Luo Fei, on the other hand, hadn't changed much—except that he could eat and sleep a lot.

"Who knows? You’ve been practicing evil martial arts with me for so many days..." Xi Yanqing teased with a laugh. "Maybe we should get Doctor Liang to check again?"

"Get lost!" Luo Fei was not interested in the hassle—he had other things to focus on.

Luo Fei felt that the current frozen treats, made by freezing sweet milk with dried fruit, were more like milk bars than actual ice cream. If he wanted to make real ice cream, he needed to experiment further. He knew that many ice creams contained eggs and condensed milk. He had no idea how to make condensed milk, but he could try adding eggs to milk and freezing it to see what happened.

Since Luo Fei got pregnant, their household had never run out of eggs or meat. Especially after they caught that wild boar, they hadn't needed to buy meat for days. Luo Fei could eat as much as he wanted. He hadn’t been eating many eggs, though—mostly, he boiled them for Xi Yanqing.

Tomorrow, he wouldn’t boil eggs for Xi Yanqing. He would make fish stew instead and save two eggs for his experiment.

Luo Fei took some milk and cracked an egg, wondering whether he should cook the egg first. But would a cooked egg still freeze into ice cream? So, he whisked one egg and mixed it into hot milk with sugar before pouring it into molds for freezing. For the other egg, he initially thought of putting it back, but since there was still some milk left in the pot, he cracked it too. To explore different results, he separated the egg white and yolk, mixing them into different portions of the milk. Since he didn’t have extra molds, he poured them into small bowls to freeze.

Xi Yanqing didn’t mind Luo Fei’s experiments. Staying at home all day could get boring, and making ice cream was at least better than sewing, which strained the eyes and neck. As for the milk—if they ran out, they could always buy more.

Luo Fei was quite invested in this. Once he finished preparing everything, he had Xi Yanqing take them outside to freeze, and they would check the results later.

There was no need to mark the three different ice creams since their color differences made them easily distinguishable. Now, all that was left was to wait.

After placing the ice creams in a good spot, Xi Yanqing returned. "Tomorrow, I'm planning to visit Shi Shi to ask about the saltpeter ice-making. He’s well-traveled and might know where to find a saltpeter mine. If not, we’ll have to figure something out ourselves."

Luo Fei didn’t know much about saltpeter ice-making—what he did know was that they had been running at a loss for some time. Ever since the autumn harvest ended, Xi Yanqing hadn’t been able to go to the mountains to collect medicinal herbs, and Luo Fei, due to the pregnancy, had been forbidden from taking on embroidery work for Ruyi Embroidery House. He could still sew small things for the baby, but he wasn’t allowed to take official commissions for now.

But they couldn't just sit around and watch their savings dwindle.

"How about you stop by Ruyi Embroidery House while you're in town and bring back some work for me?" Luo Fei suggested. "Since we have time on our hands anyway..."

"Use that time to rest or experiment with ice cream instead. Also, have you finished making the baby’s clothes? If not, you can work on that too. Just don’t overwork yourself," Xi Yanqing reassured him. "Don’t worry—we can live for another year and a half on just one or two taels of silver a month. You won’t be short on money."

"It’s not about the money," Luo Fei muttered, leaning against Xi Yanqing. "Making money is good, but I just want something to do. I’m so bored! The baby’s clothes were finished ages ago. They’re so tiny, I can make several pieces in a day. I even prepared all the diapers."

Before winter, his daily routine included cooking, feeding the chickens, watering vegetables, cleaning the yard, and doing laundry. By the time he finished, it was already time to make lunch—there was never a free moment. Back then, he often felt exhausted, but now that he was used to being busy, he found idleness unbearable. Now, all he did was cook; Xi Yanqing handled everything else, leaving him with an overwhelming amount of free time.

"Then… I’ll bring you something easy to embroider?" Xi Yanqing suggested, realizing that life here had no distractions like TV or newspapers. Even books were scarce.

"Doesn't matter what it is, just bring me the ones that pay the most!" Luo Fei declared. "For me, all embroidery is the same difficulty anyway."

"Alright, I’ll take a look tomorrow," Xi Yanqing said, pinching Luo Fei’s chin.

"What? Do I have a double chin now?" Luo Fei quickly touched his face.

"Not yet," Xi Yanqing examined him. "You could still eat a bit more."

"If I eat any more, I’ll turn into a pig," Luo Fei grumbled, lying down with his head on Xi Yanqing’s lap. "Oh, by the way, how’s the business going for the people who rented our shop?"

"Not bad. It’s a new store, and they’re selling fresh treats, so there’s been a lot of interest. When I went to buy you candied hawthorn the other day, I saw people lining up outside."

Just then, a voice called from outside.

"Xi-ge, are you home?"

"Here!" Xi Yanqing responded and patted Luo Fei. "It should be Jing Rong."

The person arriving outside was indeed Jing Rong. Unlike Luo Yong and Xi Yanqing, who were both tall and robust, Jing Rong was a lean man, standing at around 1.8 meters tall. When Luo Fei and Xi Yanqing stepped outside, they saw Jing Rong leading two sheep behind him—one slightly plump and the other thinner.

"Xi-ge, long time no see." Jing Rong had already heard from Luo Yong that Xi Yanqing was married. He glanced at Luo Fei. "So, this must be my Qi-ge?"

"Yes, his name is Luo Fei," Xi Yanqing confirmed. "He's even a year younger than you."

"A year younger is still Qi-ge." Jing Rong clasped his hands in greeting toward Luo Fei. "Qi-ge, nice to meet you. You can just call me Jing Rong."

"Brother Jing Rong, nice to meet you too."

"No need for formalities, come inside quickly." Xi Yanqing stepped aside to let him in. "You actually brought sheep?"

"Of course. Luo Yong mentioned that Qi-ge is pregnant, and you were looking for dairy sheep. I happened to have some, so I brought two along as a belated wedding gift for you and Qi-ge. I missed the wedding, after all." Jing Rong was slightly more cheerful than Luo Yong, speaking in a bright and lively manner. "If not for these two sheep, I could have arrived a day earlier. Since they both have lambs, I had to walk them slowly."

"Should we give them some water?" Luo Fei looked at the sheep, surprisingly not showing his usual excitement. Lately, he'd been eating meat at almost every meal and was getting a bit tired of it. Meat no longer tempted him as much, but fresh sheep milk... now that was interesting.

"They must be thirsty. I set out in the morning from the town and have been walking ever since." Jing Rong sighed, recalling the effort it took to bring the sheep back safely. "Xi-ge, could you get them some water?"

"Sure." Xi Yanqing fetched some warm water.

The three of them watched the sheep drink before letting them roam in the courtyard. Then, they went inside to chat. As it turned out, Jing Rong’s mother had passed away while he was serving in the army. His family had sent him a letter during her illness, but his father’s favored concubine had secretly hidden it. As a result, he never got to see his mother one last time. There had been no war at the time, and given their general's temperament, he surely would have been granted leave to visit.

Jing Rong resented his family for this and held an even deeper grudge against that concubine. But with his mother gone, she had been promoted to the legal wife, and his status in the family declined. If not for his unwillingness to let the stepmother take sole control of the ranch his mother had worked so hard to build, he would have left home long ago.

Now, although he received only a small share, it was better than nothing. His only regret was that his fiancée had broken off their engagement when he left the family. He had asked if she wanted to leave with him, but she refused and later got engaged to his half-brother.

Jing Rong didn’t blame her. Everyone had their own struggles. He simply accepted it as fate.

Since he had already left home, he had no intention of going back. The world was vast—surely he could find another wife somewhere.

Warming his hands with a cup of tea, Jing Rong remarked, "I took a good look on my way here, and this really is a great place. No wonder Luo Yong didn’t want to leave. Raising sheep requires a place with lush greenery. Even though it's all frozen over now, I can tell that come spring, the land will be rich in water and grass. It’s practically calling for me to raise sheep here."

"Are you serious?" Xi Yanqing asked.

Jing Rong nodded. "Of course. I'll explore the nearby villages tomorrow. If I don’t find a better place, I’ll stay here. I have no real family left—Xi-ge, Qi-ge, and Luo Yong are as close as family to me now." A home filled with conflict was no home at all. Even his own father never stood up for him, so why should he return?

"In that case, you should stay. I expect Luo Yong will be building a house here come spring. According to the laws of Yuqing Kingdom, if a person builds a house in a village and registers the land in their name, they can receive land allotments in that village. If you want to settle down, why not build near him? You could be neighbors."

"Exactly! That’s what I told him!" Jing Rong grinned. "I’ll check out the area tomorrow, but I think this is it. Life with you guys is much more enjoyable—I don’t want to go back to all that scheming and backstabbing."

Since Jing Rong was leaving the next day, Xi Yanqing and Luo Fei let him stay the night. The small house’s kang bed was already heated, so he would stay warm.

The only issue was the two sheep. They had no proper shelter for the night, and Luo Fei was worried they'd fall sick from the cold, so he moved them into the kitchen.

Fortunately, the sheep were docile and didn’t cause trouble.

The next morning, snowflakes drifted down again. After breakfast, Jing Rong headed out, and Xi Yanqing left for town, taking Luo Fei’s freshly frozen ice pops with him. He also dropped the sheep and Luo Fei off at the Luo family’s house since he would be gone until nightfall and didn’t want Luo Fei to be home alone.

Luo Fei sat in his mother’s room, watching Li Yuehua silently patching clothes. "Mom, where’s big brother?"

Li Yuehua replied, "Your Han-ge’s corn storage was about to collapse, so your brother and father went to help repair it. Oh, by the way, Erbao..." She suddenly put down her needle and thread. "That Luo boy—is he gone?"

Luo Fei glanced at Luo Ru, who was kneading dough in the kitchen. "Yeah, he went to Huangtan Town."

"Will he come back?" Li Yuehua asked.

Luo Fei sneaked another glance at Luo Ru, noticing that she wasn’t completely unresponsive. He replied, "I don’t know. If he settles down well there, he might not. He hasn't put down roots here, so he could leave anytime."

Li Yuehua sighed, feeling it was a pity. She had always thought Luo Yong was a good young man.

Luo Ru kept kneading dough, though her mind seemed to wander.

Luo Fei chuckled. "Mom, Luo Yong asked me—if he finds a matchmaker to propose, will Sanbao be mad? If he really does send a matchmaker, would you and Dad agree?"

Li Yuehua said, "Your father and I both think well of him. But it depends on your sister. If she’s not willing, we wouldn’t force her."

At that moment, Luo Ru put down the basin and entered the room. "With how little water my second brother’s jar holds, he has to fetch water ten times! I could do it in two or three trips, but he needs ten—if I married him, I’d be frustrated to death!"

"You cheeky girl! You were eavesdropping?" Li Yuehua playfully pinched her daughter. "Since when do girls meddle in their own marriage affairs?"

"I just think he’s lazy!" Luo Ru huffed.

Luo Fei smirked. "He’s not lazy. Sanbao, he’s even stronger than Xi-ge. The reason he fetched water so many times that day was..." He trailed off. "Do you remember who was in the kitchen?"

"Just me and him."

"Exactly. So, who do you think he was looking at?" Luo Fei rested his chin on his hand, watching his sister’s cheeks turn red. "Figured it out?"

"I—I’m going to steam buns!" Luo Ru fled back to the kitchen. She planned to make steamed buns, but in her flustered state, she ended up making flower rolls instead.

"She still claims she doesn't care." Xi Yanqing chuckled when he came back from town and fetched Luo Fei. Luo Fei, hugging a warm flower roll, grinned mischievously. "Just let Luo Yong find a matchmaker when he returns."

"Mm. If this matter can be settled, then after a busy period, getting married next year would be quite good."

Although in his and Luo Fei’s view, getting married at seventeen seemed a bit early, in this place, there were girls who married as young as thirteen or fourteen. If a girl still hadn’t been engaged by seventeen, it would likely invite gossip.

"By the way, how did things go when you asked at the Shi residence today?" Luo Fei almost forgot about this matter. After all, Xi Yanqing had gone to town specifically to inquire about the saltpeter ice-making method.

"Brother Shi knows about saltpeter. Actually, I believe what he described is indeed saltpeter. Although he calls it 'tooth powder' and doesn’t know that it can be used to make ice, he did mention that it is also a medicinal ingredient. From his description, I’m quite certain we are talking about the same thing. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have any on hand right now. But he said that when he gets some, he’ll bring it over for us to see."

Xi Yanqing recalled his conversation earlier in the day, his expression filled with excitement. "However, he does have an ice cellar of his own. It’s not as large as the Zhou family’s, and since he mainly uses it for himself and a few friends, not many people know about it. I told him about my idea of making and selling ice cream, and he said it might be worth trying. If this works out, he’s willing to invest. As for saltpeter ice-making, we can’t let too many people know about it just yet, but we’ve already agreed—once he gets a letter from his friend and manages to bring some saltpeter ore over, we’ll confirm if it’s the same thing before discussing further. Honestly, if he realizes that saltpeter can be used to make ice, I doubt he’ll pass up on such a money-making opportunity."

In this era, storing ice required a lot of manpower and money. If there was access to saltpeter ore, ice could be made anytime, all year round—it would be incredibly convenient!

"Sounds promising!" Luo Fei reached out his hand. "Did you get my embroidery materials?"

"I did." Xi Yanqing looked slightly guilty for some reason. "I really did. But, wife, I haven’t had dinner yet. Can I eat something first?"

"Of course." Luo Fei helped Xi Yanqing take out his food. "Where did you put the materials?"

"In the cloth bundle I brought back." Xi Yanqing touched his nose.

"What is this?" Luo Fei opened the cloth bundle and saw some high-quality fabric, but when he looked at the embroidery patterns, something seemed off. After taking a closer look, he was completely dumbfounded.

"Xi Yanqing! You! I asked you to bring me embroidery materials, and this is what you got?!"

"Well, you did say to pick the ones that paid the most. Boss Lu said these would sell for the highest price." Xi Yanqing laughed so hard his shoulders shook. "Besides, don’t you think the two people in the picture look a lot like us?"

"Get lost! Have some shame, dammit!" Luo Fei swung the erotic embroidery pattern at Xi Yanqing with a loud smack, smack! How the hell was he supposed to stitch this?!

T/N: Please give support on my ko-fi page, it's a big help, thank you🌰🌰🌰