5. Family History

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What was inside the purse are two gold cakes, which are gold ingots made in the cake shape. They are about the size of my palm and weight about 200 grams. It's my first time to see gold in Han. Usually, we use the copper coins which are in the shape of the circle. People carry them around by linking them together. Then there is silver, a rare item for my family, and gold cake, well, I don't believe my parents have ever seen them.

"Papa, how much are they worth? Is this going to be enough?" I ask.

All of us are sitting on Kang with a little table in the middle. Papa and Niang took the inside side, while Jinu and Ponu sitting across from each other. I don't like to sit on my heels, so I just sit outside with my two legs hanging over the Kang.

"It is more than enough. Not only we can pay off our debt for the lake property, we will even have extra for a good saving." Niang says. Like any married woman, she has been staying inside the room during the visit from General Wei. But I am sure she heard everything we have said.

"All right." I nod and hand the gold cake to Ponu, who is studying the other one as well.

"Niang and Papa, I have had something in my mind for a while now," Jinu says. He has never been the vocal one in this household. Sometimes I feel like he is a smaller version of Papa: mature, hardworking and very responsible.

"Speak out then. " Papa takes a sip of mums tea I just made. I collect flowers, spread them thinly over the flat bamboo containers and dry them under the sun. I use them for drinking, for cooking, or just for their nice fragrance. Someday when I collect enough, I will make myself some nice essential oil, or even perfume.

"I know we have a lot of things planned: duck farm and fish farm. In addition, we have our fields we have to attend. But all of these works take a long time to see the result. Last time, after I took some jellos as a gift to my Shifu at the blacksmith shop, so many people have been asking me where to buy it." Jinu says. "I have been thinking to lease a storefront in town and open our own shop for jellos, mooncakes, and any other desserts Shiaonu has been playing with. I did not say anything because of the upfront money we will need. But now, with the money from General Wei, I believe we can have our own store. "

"I don't want to do it." It just snapped out.

Tying down to a store is the last thing I want. With General Wei's visit, I start to think that I should step out my safety zone a little and explore Han Empire. Living in the real world with the knowledge from future history books should give me some good advantage points. I will not interfere or meddling historical significant events, but I can watch every event like a quiet bystander. Just like meeting with General Wei. Without me, there might be another family make the desserts for the banquet. No history has ever recorded such events. As for the mooncake and jello, nobody was ever really sure when they have been created. It's not like you get online, watch youtube, and voila, everything you just created can be spread all over the world. By the time everyone in China knows how to make mooncake or jello, I am sure it will be evolved to different shape or form. Why do I need to worry about when, where or who really created mooncake or jello? They might even die out after a while. It is not uncommon to see the extinguished culture, extinguished race, or the extinguished Atlantis. Why can't I watch live history unfolding in front of me? I might even write a book recording what I know.

"Why don't you want to do it? Shiaonu." Niang asks me.

I look at Jinu, who is apparently surprised by my quick response. "I like to try new things, but I don't want to repeat the same things day after day." Internally I actually know it is a good idea to open a store. But I need to do something more. "And I want to learn how to read and write."

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