Chapter 101

It goes without saying who the visitor is.

Mu Jin stood up and smiled, "You must be the fourth brother's husband? Just as the rumors say, you're a very handsome man."

Bai Jin sized up Mu Jin, her expression extremely arrogant.

"I've met all my relatives, but I've never met my eldest brother before, so I came here to check on you. I hope I haven't bothered you."

"Please come in if I'm disturbing you."

Mu Jin opened the courtyard gate. "It's freezing cold. Fourth Brother should take good care of himself."

Upon hearing this, Bai Jin immediately clenched the handkerchief in her hand, and Zhou Qiang immediately gave Mu Jin a dissatisfied look.

After not seeing him for several days, Zhou Qiang had grown quite a bit taller, with a fair complexion and a scholarly air.

No wonder the villagers all say that Zhou Qiang is the most handsome man in the village. Now that he has grown up and learned to read and write, his appearance is even more handsome than before.

However, his character is terrible.

The two had just entered the door when Zhou Chuxue walked over, carrying a bag of pastries in her left hand and a sewing basket in her right.

Now, the courtyard was bustling with activity.

Zhou Qiang's former fiancé Bai Qiqiu, Zhou Chuxue who once carried his child, and his current legal wife Bai Jin.

Mu Jin secretly rubbed her forehead. This Zhou Qiang was really something. He knew Bai Qiqiu was staying at his house, so how dare he come along?

Before Bai Jin and Zhou Qiang met, Bai Jin's parents had already found out about the Zhou family's affairs.

However, the Zhou family kept quiet about Zhou Chuxue and Zhou Qiang's affair, and Zhou Fengnian admitted it.

What his parents found out was that Zhou Qiang's cousin had a second wife who was born in Yuemanlou.

The atmosphere in the courtyard froze for a moment. Mu Jin was both amused and exasperated; how did everyone end up here at the same time?

"Uncle, you've come at the perfect time. A few days ago, I sent over a bolt of fine cotton linen, which has just been dyed. I was just thinking of bringing it to you later."

Zhou Chuxue, as if she hadn't seen Zhou Qiang and Bai Jin, handed the pastries in her hand to Mu Jin.

“He told me yesterday, and I had to give him a long talk. This blue-printed cloth is something we can't afford to dye these days. I was thinking that if it hadn't been dyed yet, I could just dye it indigo, but I'm too late.”

Mu Jin smiled and said, "My uncle is the most caring person; others are envious."

Zhou Chuxue blushed instantly.

Mu Jin said to Bai Qiqiu, "Qiqiu, take your uncle to the dye shop and give him his piece of cloth."

After the two entered the dye house, they then greeted Zhou Qiang and Bai Jin.

"I don't have much to offer you, please don't mind. I'll go back inside and make you both a pot of tea."

Mu Jin brought out the jujube cakes he had made himself from inside the house and placed them on the table to the side.

Zhou Chuxue originally intended to come to Mujin to do some needlework and chat along the way.

Zhou Qiang was there, and he didn't want to stay any longer, so he took the cloth and went back.

Bai Jin glanced at Bai Qiqiu, who had just come out of the dye shop, and a hint of disdain appeared in her eyes.

He came with some hostility, but after seeing Bai Qiqiu, he realized he was nothing special and no longer took him seriously.

Zhou Qiang glanced at Zhou Chuxue's thin, receding figure, his gaze fixed on her flat stomach, lost in thought for a moment.

The courtyard was full of young men. Zhou Qiang withdrew his gaze and looked around.

"Is my elder brother not here?"

"He's been very busy lately and won't be back until noon."

Zhou Qiang nodded slightly and pulled Bai Jin to her feet.

"Brother, it's getting late. I need to go back to the teacher's place in town soon, so I'll head back now."

Mu Jin nodded. The two of them came empty-handed and left empty-handed, and he didn't ask them to take some jujube cakes back with them.

Bai Qiqiu looked at Mu Jin, speechless, and asked, "What are they doing here?"

Mu Jin smiled. She was only pretending to come to see him; her real purpose was to see Bai Qiqiu.

However, judging from that young man's temperament, he is not easy to deal with, and Zhou Wushi is in for a rough time.

"Why should I care what they do? Is your wedding dress ready? The wedding day will be here in the blink of an eye."

Bai Qiqiu's face immediately fell. "Sigh, brother, why do you have to say such nerve-wracking things on such a nice day?"

Mu Jin smiled and patted him, "Stop dawdling, hurry up and finish it so we don't run out of time later."

Helpless, Bai Qiqiu turned around, leaving Mu Jin with a very unhappy back view, and obediently went back to the house to make her wedding dress.

Mu Jin smiled and shook her head, then cleaned up the dining table in the yard.

Days passed by, and before they knew it, it was Bai Qiqiu's wedding day.

Mu Bai, Zhou Si, Mu Nianjun, and Mu Mian arrived at Mu Jin's place early to see Bai Qiqiu off at her wedding.

The room was full of young men, plus a very talkative girl, all chatting away, making it quite lively.

Zhou Lin, Mu Lingyun, Mu Lingqiao, and Mu Sheng were busy in the courtyard, waiting for the wedding procession.

Mu Sheng nudged Zhou Lin and whispered, "Are you going to be carrying your new husband out later?"

Zhou Lin waved his hand and laughed, "I'm not Qi Qiu's biological brother after all. In a little while, we can just have Zhao Ye carry him out."

Hearing this, Mu Lingyun smiled and said, "Big brother, you're more than a brother to me, even if you're not my biological brother. Even if you betray me, no one can say anything about it."

Bai Qiqiu's dowry was all provided by Mu Jin and Zhou Lin, as everyone who knew them knew.

It's no different from my own younger brother.

Before long, the aunts and uncles in the village who were on good terms with Mu Jin also came over to help.

The courtyard and the house were filled with the sounds of children's laughter and chatter, and people were coming and going, making it a lively place.

Bai Qiqiu held Xiao Weiwei in his arms, his palms sweating nervously.

As the sun began to set, the sounds of gongs, drums, and suonas filled the air outside; the groom had come to fetch his bride.

Zhou Lin and Mu Sheng blocked the door for a while, then opened it and let Mu Zhaoye in.

Behind him, Mu Zhaoye's cousin, beaming with joy, carried a basket of wedding candies and grabbed handfuls of them, scattering them among the villagers who came to offer their congratulations.

The basket of wedding candies was quickly snatched up.

Mu Zhaoye looked gentle as he took Bai Qiqiu's hand and carried him on his back.

Bai Qiqiu leaned on Mu Zhaoye's broad and strong shoulders, and for some reason, her heart, which had been pounding in her throat with tension, gradually calmed down.

Just as Mu Zhaoye carried Bai Qiqiu to the door, Xi Yi was grabbed by Ye Xiao, who used all his strength to pull them away.

Everyone burst into laughter. A dog that protects its owner is a good dog.

Mu Jin was both amused and exasperated. She and Wen Zhaoran coaxed Ye Xiao for a long time before he finally let go.

He grunted and sat obediently by the door, seeing Bai Qiqiu off.

Bai Qiqiu didn't want to cry, but she couldn't help hiding behind Mu Zhaoye and secretly her eyes reddened.

With an eight-person sedan chair and tall horses, Mu Zhaoye's wedding procession was the most solemn and luxurious in the village.

Last month, Zhou Qiang got married, and Zhou Qiang's wedding was completely overshadowed by Zhou Qiang's.

They gave Bai Qiqiu plenty of face.

The bridal sedan chair, along with two loads of dowry, gradually disappeared into the distance.

Mu Jin and Wen Zhaoran's eyes both reddened, feeling both joy for Bai Qiqiu and deep reluctance to part with him.

Night Owl chased after it for a couple of steps, then turned around and walked back to Hibiscus's side, glancing back every few steps.

Mu Zhaoye's mother, hiding in the crowd, looked at her son, who was riding a tall horse and full of vigor.

Overwhelmed with mixed feelings, he wiped away the tears of joy from the corners of his eyes and turned to leave.

Mu Zhaoye got married without inviting Uncle Mu or his mother. The two only bowed to heaven and earth, and then Bai Qiqiu was led to the bridal chamber by Xi Momo.

Uncle Mu was so angry at home that he was trembling all over, but he was helpless.

As a father, he was even worse than the villagers; Mu Zhaoye didn't even let him have a bite of meat at the wedding banquet.

After the villagers had eaten and drunk their fill, the aunties and uncles who had come to help each received about a pound of meat. They beamed with joy and worked with great enthusiasm to clean up the yard and the dishes before heading home.

As night fell, on their wedding night, the red quilt fluttered in the breeze, and the red candles burned until dawn.

Mu Jin and Wen Zhaoran, longing for Bai Qiqiu, finally welcomed the day of his third-day homecoming.

Seeing Bai Qiqiu's rosy complexion, Mu Jin finally felt relieved.

Although she knew Mu Zhaoye was a good man, she still sided with Bai Qiqiu, fearing that he might be wronged.

The three brothers chatted idly inside the house, while Zhou Lin and Mu Zhaoye talked about the carpentry shop in the courtyard.

Bai Qiqiu's cheeks flushed slightly as he whispered to Mu Jin, "Brother, it's different from what you told me before. The first time was really painful; there was no comfort at all."

Mu Jin blushed immediately. Because there were no elders in her family, before Bai Qiqiu got married, Mu Jin thought it over and over again, and one day, she mustered up the courage to tell Bai Qiqiu about what happened in the bedroom.

He had intended to ask indirectly, but Bai Qiqiu had just said it so directly.

Wen Zhaoran took a bite of the osmanthus cake that Bai Qiqiu had brought back, and watched as the faces of the two people in front of her gradually turned as red as monkey bottoms.

Shaking his head, "Didn't my second brother-in-law come with me to deliver your booklet to Brother Qi Qiu?"

He was in the building and, through what he saw and heard, he had long known about the affair between the man and the young man.

I was also very curious.

When he fled, besides gold, silver and valuables, he also took several picture books that Yue Niangzi had specially taught him, saying they were for displaying as a talisman.

After getting to know Mu Jin, I suddenly remembered her a while ago and gave her a copy of her book.

At night, Mu Jin and Zhou Lin were both shy and eager to make a move.

Learning from the picture book makes sex between husband and wife much more interesting.

Bai Qiqiu nodded with a flushed face. It was better to learn from others' experiences; he didn't want to suffer for three days after just one trip.

"I learned it. Perhaps Mu Zhaoye is just too stupid, he..."

Inside the house, the three brothers chattered away, while in the yard, the two finished talking about the carpenter's shop in town.

After much hesitation, Mu Zhaoye, who didn't want to eat meat even once and prefer to be vegetarian for two or three days, still shamelessly asked Zhou Lin for advice.

Zhou Lin was shy, her face turning red again and again, but she eventually pulled Mu Zhaoye into the house and taught him something.

The three boys, their faces flushed from chatting, went out, only to find that Zhou Lin and Mu Zhaoye were not in the courtyard.

This time, Bai Qiqiu brought a lot of gifts: a jar of liquor, two packages of pastries, six jin of meat, and a large bag of sugar.

Hibiscus was in a good mood today, so she kneaded a bowl of fine dough and made a pot of dumplings with locust flower and pork filling.

They also slaughtered another rooster and stewed a whole pot of chicken.

Braised cabbage and pork with tofu and glass noodles, stir-fried shredded radish, braised pork belly, and a big bowl full of plump, white dumplings.

The lavish meal on the table showed how much Mu Jin and Zhou Lin valued Bai Qiqiu and Mu Zhaoye.

The family ate, slept, enjoyed chicken, drank and chatted happily, and were having a wonderful time.

After the three-day return visit to her parents' home, Bai Qiqiu spent most of her days at the dye house. Only after all the cloth she had collected before the New Year had been dyed did she spend more time at her own home.

Whether you're married or not, there's not much difference compared to when you're at home.