Chapter 78 - The two little mute girls combined...

Seeing Aunt Guizhi's appearance, the village head turned to Tian Xiang and asked, "Did they have a quarrel or did they fight?"

Before Tian Xiang could speak, Zhao Shi said, "Uncle Zheng, what couple doesn't have their ups and downs? It's not uncommon for them to argue and even fight."

"Was it only this once?" the village head asked.

Zhao also fell silent.

The village head said in a deep voice, "Isn't this going too far? You beat someone half to death and now you want to divorce them?"

"If you don't want this daughter-in-law anymore, I'll be your witness today. I'll write a divorce agreement, get it stamped, and that'll be the end of it."

Zhao took a deep breath and glared fiercely at Aunt Guizhi.

"We can sign the divorce papers, but we won't give up the children!"

Before Aunt Guizhi could speak, Lin Chuntao interrupted, "Auntie, your new daughter-in-law is right here. Aren't you going to ask her if she's willing to be a stepmother? Won't she be able to raise her own son well?"

When Lin Chuntao suddenly mentioned that woman, everyone looked over. The woman's face immediately turned red. Tian Xiang seemed to have come to his senses as well. He had said that he would get rid of the mute and the mute child, but he had not yet told Zhao Shi about it.

Zhao's family doesn't only have one grandson and granddaughter. The two children born to Lin Shuilian are just like their mother—they don't talk much and often use gestures, making it seem like there are three mute people in the family. Zhao has been quite annoyed by this lately.

It would be better if the Lin family could take her with them, but since the Lin family offered to take her, she was not happy about it.

He just wanted to manipulate Xu Guizhi. When people are emotional, they don't think about other people and things. This future daughter-in-law is plump and beautiful, with fair skin and pretty eyes. Most importantly, she speaks nicely. Her family is from the county town and owns a shop, which is richer than that mute's family!

Upon hearing Lin Chuntao's words, Zhao also looked over.

Everyone watched, waiting for the woman to speak. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, she looked at Lin Chuntao.

"You're being unreasonable, young lady. I'm not married yet; this is a matter between your two families. What does it have to do with me? Why ask me?"

Lin Chuntao laughed and said, "I was being presumptuous. You'll have to ask your future husband if he wants you to come in as a stepmother. Of course, you two must have discussed it, so it doesn't matter who decides."

Following Lin Chuntao's words, Zhao looked at Tian Xiang.

Tian Xiang took a deep breath, remembering what his lover had told him, "I'm not willing to raise someone else's son. I want to have a child of our own with you."

"Mother, those two little mute girls are theirs! From now on, they have nothing to do with our family!"

Tian Xiang spoke up, and Zhao glared at Lin Chuntao, but still agreed.

It went so smoothly that even Lin Chuntao was surprised, yet it still succeeded.

The village head wrote two copies of the divorce papers. Tian Xiang pressed his fingerprint on one of them. He then took out Lin Shuilian's household registration document. Since Lin Shuilian was not there, Aunt Guizhi and the others had to take it back to her to press her fingerprint on another document before sending it to the county town to get the official seal.

Since the other party agreed not to have two children, Aunt Guizhi stopped arguing about the medical expenses, took the divorce papers, and left.

After they left, Zhao was still cursing. When they left the village, Lin Chuntao heard people discussing it. She didn't expect that the first person to get a divorce in the village would be that mute. But the mute had two children. What kind of peaceful life could she have after leaving her husband's family and returning to her parents' home?

Aunt Guizhi thought to herself that from now on, her daughter would have a good life every day with her.

Back in the village, Aunt Guizhi thanked the villagers and said that Lin Shuilian would treat everyone to a meal when she recovered.

The villagers only have this much to worry about, and they don't need to eat that kind of food. Besides, everyone still feels sorry for Aunt Guizhi and the others. Lin Shan is mute, and so is Lin Shuilian. Now that Lin Shuilian has returned with two children, they still have a long way to go.

The divorce papers still needed to be stamped by the village head. Aunt Guizhi took them back and had Lin Shuilian put her fingerprint on them before rushing to send them to the village head. The sooner this matter was settled, the sooner she could have peace of mind.

The village head is not like the village head of Lin Village; he is her uncle, a relative.

Having helped out today, she felt she needed to bring something with her when she visited again. She didn't have anything presentable to give as a gift, and suddenly remembered the sauce Lin Chuntao made. She decided to go and buy some from Lin Chuntao, so she grabbed a jar and went.

When Lin Chuntao heard that the jar was to be given to the village head, she scooped some out for Aunt Guizhi. Aunt Guizhi offered her money, but she refused, as the jar wasn't big and wouldn't cost much.

She wouldn't accept it even if Aunt Guizhi refused, so she simply threw the strung-up copper coins into Lin Chunxing's arms.

"Chunxing, keep this safe."

Lin Chunxing took the copper coin and chased after her, but Aunt Guizhi had already gone far away. Lin Chuntao looked at her and said, "Then put it away."

After taking the sauce home, Aunt Guizhi scooped out a peck of flour, caught a chicken, tied it up, and put it in her basket before heading to the village head's house.

At this time, many people who love to join in the fun were talking about this matter in the courtyard of the village head's house.

Most of the comments were about why Aunt Guizhi and her husband wanted to divorce. How could a mute girl with two children possibly get married in the future?

The village head listened to their chatter and actually had similar thoughts. He even thought that Tian Xiang was a useless man. His mute wife wanted a divorce, and he even gave away his two children.

If this useless son were his, he'd break his legs. He can't even keep his wife and children; he's utterly useless.

But as the village head, he needs to be fair to gain the respect of the people.

Whether the Tian family kept the child or the Lin family took the child away was irrelevant to him. Today, all the people from the Lin and Tian families knew was to curse, argue, and pull each other's hair.

Lin Chuntao, however, left a deep impression on him.

He hadn't initially thought Lin Chuntao was clever; before he even realized it, Lin Chuntao had already seen that Tian Xiang was being manipulated by that strange woman and directly exposed her. This forced Tian Xiang to side with that woman and abandon his two children.

What a useless thing!

Before the people in the village head's courtyard had even dispersed, Aunt Guizhi arrived.

Looking at the contents of her basket, the village head's wife smiled broadly, and the village head became even more polite.

Aunt Guizhi said, "Uncle Zheng, you've really gone to a lot of trouble."

The village head took the divorce papers with his fingerprint on them and said to Aunt Guizhi, "It's too late for today. Come and pick up the divorce papers tomorrow at noon."

Aunt Guizhi thanked her again.

She didn't linger; she left her things behind, picked up her basket, and left.

The village head's wife looked at the white noodles and the chicken, then put them away. She then looked at the sauce in the jar, first frowning slightly, but when she picked it up and brought it close, she smelled a lingering fragrance.

"Oh, this sauce smells really good. Let's cook a pot of potatoes and have some."

As he spoke, he put down the sauce jar and went to wash and boil the potatoes.

As the potatoes were almost cooked, everyone got up to leave, but the village head's wife quickly stopped them: "Eat a potato before you go. I cooked a whole pot, why are you all running away? This lady Xu just brought a jar of sauce, you can try some."

She left behind the person.

After waiting for the potatoes to cook, everyone started eating. The first bite of the sauce was so delicious that they exclaimed, "Wow, did you buy this sauce from Chai's Sauce Shop? It smells so good!"

The village head's wife frowned as she looked at the jar; it didn't belong to the Chai family.

She had bought Chai's sauce before, but it wasn't this delicious.

"Could it be that the Chai family has come up with a new sauce?" the village head said after taking a bite. Others chimed in, "Possibly."

The Jiang family's sauce isn't cheap; this jar looks like it weighs several pounds. Add the chicken and noodles, and it'll cost at least two hundred coins.

The villagers ate two potatoes and then stopped, but their eyes remained on the bowl of sauce. Good heavens, this sauce is so delicious! With this sauce, they could eat at least a dozen or twenty potatoes.

As they were leaving, they were thinking that they should definitely go to the county town to buy some more another day.

After they left, the village head's wife said, "Let's go to the county town early tomorrow. I'll go for a stroll too. It's been a while since I've been to the county town. I didn't even know they produced such delicious sauce."

The village head nodded. Since Xu Guizhi had brought so many things, he should stamp the document back for her as soon as possible.

The next day, as dawn broke, Lin Chuntao emerged from the mountains, carrying a basket of purple-skinned green-headed mushrooms on her back and a bamboo basket of pine mushrooms in her hand.

Autumn is approaching, and dew rose in the mountains this morning. Her straw sandals and trouser legs were soaked by the brine, but fortunately the ground was dry, so it didn't affect her walking.

She left the mountain pass and walked through the field path, where many corn plants were planted on both sides. The corn stalks and leaves brushed against her cheeks, causing a slight stinging sensation.

She crossed the path and onto the main road. She washed the mud off her hands on the roadside grass with the dew, tidied herself up, and stood up with her basket on her back. Just as she stood up, she saw the village head and his wife walking towards her from not far away.

The two men saw her too, and Lin Chuntao decided not to leave first, but stood there waiting for them to approach.

"Grandpa and Grandma, are you going to the market?"

She was very polite today. Li Zheng is the second oldest in the Zheng family, and all the younger relatives she personally appointed addressed the elders as she did.

Ge had heard her husband mention Lin Chuntao last night, but she never expected to see her so early in the morning.

"It's you." Madam Ge said, looking Lin Chuntao up and down. Her straw sandals were soaked with dew. "Did you just come out of the mountains?"

Lin Chuntao nodded. "I'm going to the mountains to pick some mushrooms."

The village head looked at her basket and bamboo basket and saw that she had found quite a lot.

"Did you pick it up to sell at the market?"

"Yes, we don't have any other sources of income, so we're just hoping to earn whatever we can," Lin Chuntao said. Remembering that she had come to rent oxen to plant corn in May, Madam Ge asked with a smile, "How are your corn crops doing?"

Lin Chuntao said, "The seedlings are growing well, but I don't know if they will produce ears. If the corn doesn't produce ears, then it's a waste of planting them."

Mrs. Ge comforted him, "If the seedlings are growing well, there's definitely no problem with them forming buds. Have they bloomed yet?"

"It's open."

"Then there's no need to worry too much; there will definitely be corn buds, big or small."

Lin Chuntao agreed, and the three of them walked and talked.

Ge was also very talkative. She and Lin Chuntao had endless things to talk about along the way, from the chickens, ducks and pigs at home to the vegetables in the fields, then to making sauerkraut and pickled vegetables, and then to the chili peppers in the fields turning red and how they would chop some into sauce in a few days.

Although Lin Chuntao was young, he could keep up with everything. The two chatted all the way to the county town. The government office was not yet open. Ge wanted to go to the market, and the village head suggested they go for breakfast.

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Does Second Grandfather eat rice noodles? I set up a small rice noodle stall at the market."

Upon hearing this, Madam Ge looked at her in surprise. Lin Chuntao's explanation was still the same as picking mushrooms to sell. Madam Ge said, "You're quite the schemer, girl. How's business?"

"Well enough."

We met on the way and chatted the whole way. They said they were going to have breakfast, but you didn't say anything. It would be awkward if we ran into each other again at the market later.

Ms. Ge was curious about their stall, so she followed them. There were two tables next to the stall, and four or five people were sitting at the tables, enjoying their meal. The freshly cooked noodles were still steaming, and the aroma was so enticing that it made people smug.

Lin Chunxing recognized the village head and wondered why he had come with Lin Chuntao. However, she didn't show any confusion and just looked at him with a smile. Lin Chuntao said to her, "This is the village head, we call him Second Grandfather, and this is Second Grandmother."

Lin Chunxing nodded slightly and called out softly, "Second Grandfather and Second Grandmother."

Madam Ge asked, "Is this your sister?"

Lin Chuntao introduced, "This is my second younger sister."

Lin Chuntao went to put down the basket, and Lin Chunxing said politely, "Second Grandfather, you haven't had breakfast yet, have you? Please sit down for a while, I'll cook you two bowls."

As she spoke, she ladled soup into a small earthenware pot, added tomatoes, lifted the gauze on the winnowing basket, grabbed some noodles, and put them in as well, all in one smooth motion.

Ms. Ge asked, "How long have you been running this stall?"

Lin Chunxing replied, "Second Grandmother, we've only been setting up the stall for a month or so."

The soup in the earthenware pot had already boiled, wafting a rich aroma of meat. The village head glanced at the price list hanging on the bamboo rack: ten coins for a bowl of braised pork soup noodles, three coins for a braised egg, and five coins for two. In the short time they were there, several children came and bought two braised eggs for five coins each.

Eggs cost one copper coin each in the village. How did they manage to make them? They took them to the market and they became three copper coins each. Don't city people, who have money, care about one or two copper coins?

That's not necessarily true. They've sold eggs here before, and city folks always want you to give them a discount if the eggs are a little smaller. How could they not care about a penny or two?

Lin Chuntao carried the mushrooms inside, washed her hands and feet, and then came to the stall.

The rice noodles were almost cooked. Lin Chunxing added chives, and once the chives were cooked, she poured them into a bowl.

Lin Chuntao scooped a braised egg into a bowl and put it in, then invited the elderly couple to sit down and eat.

The elderly couple didn't stand on ceremony; the more they smelled the scent, the more familiar it seemed.

Ge and the village head said, "It seems like they put the sauce from yesterday in this noodle soup."

The village head nodded slightly, picked up a mouthful of noodles with his chopsticks, blew on it to make sure it wasn't too hot, and then put it in his mouth. How to describe the taste? It was much better than what the chefs in some restaurants in the county town made.

Their family earns a considerable income every year from renting cattle, and they have a surplus of money and grain.

Whenever they come to the county town, if they have time, they go to a mutton rice noodle shop and eat two bowls.

Ge felt that Lin Chuntao's soup noodles were even more flavorful, with small pieces of meat in them. When mixed with the noodles, they not only didn't have a fishy smell, but they were also quite fragrant.

And those braised eggs, after Ge ate them, she finally understood why they could sell for three coins each, they were so delicious.

Mrs. Ge exclaimed, "I had no idea this girl had such skill; it's amazing!"

The village head picked up his bowl, took a sip of soup, and nodded in agreement.

Mrs. Ge said, "Next time there's a celebration at home, let's ask her to cook."

After the elderly couple finished their noodles, Ge came over to give Lin Chuntao money, which Lin Chuntao naturally refused. After a long tug-of-war, Ge finally took the money back and said with a smile, "Come to our house for dinner next time."

Lin Chuntao smiled and agreed.

Then, Madam Ge asked about the sauce in the noodles: "Did you buy this sauce from Chai's Sauce Shop? It must have been expensive."

"No, Second Madam, I made this sauce myself."

"Ah?" Ge exclaimed in surprise, "I thought you bought this sauce from Chai's sauce shop. It's so delicious! Your aunt brought some over yesterday, and everyone who tried it said it was very good. They even said they wanted to come to the county town to buy it. Turns out, we don't need to come anymore. We can just buy it from you."

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "We'll be able to sell them in another month. Maybe we can even buy them from Chai Family Sauce Shop by then. We're making too few now, so we don't have any left to sell."

Even the village head looked at her in surprise.

It was getting brighter, and the sun had peeked out. Helan and Chunzi were at the meat stall. Ge Shi went to buy two catties of meat, picked it up, said goodbye to Lin Chuntao, and left.

Even after the elderly couple had walked away, Ms. Ge was still marveling that the sauce was made by such a young girl.

The village head didn't speak. There was only one soy sauce shop in the entire county, so Lin Chuntao's soy sauce recipe was probably lost. He sighed and watched the sun rise in the east.

"The government office should be open by now. I'll go and stamp it for her first."

Ge responded, and the two headed towards the yamen.

After getting the official seal stamped at the yamen and completing the household registration, Ge went to Chai's soy sauce shop to browse around. They couldn't find the kind of soy sauce they had at home. After visiting the soy sauce shop, she went to the cloth shop to buy some cloth, as well as some sugar and pastries before returning home.