Chapter 126

With Wang Li's matter settled, Zhou Fengnian and Zhou Chuxue finally felt relieved.

Neither of them had any special skills to make a lot of money. A few days ago, when they were talking about Wang Li, they were worried about the late marriage tax he would have to pay every year after he turned eighteen.

If Zhou Chuxue felt no dissatisfaction, then that would definitely be a lie.

After her husband passed away, she should have moved on with her life as usual, like a stranger gone from the past.

Carrying Wang Li, who is so naive and inexperienced, would probably make it difficult for her to get married, and she has no blood relation with Zhou Fengnian now.

Zhou Chuxue understands the friendship between Zhou Fengnian and the Wang family's son. Having seen too many heartless men, she finds his loyalty a rare quality.

However, the family is not wealthy. The two of them earn enough to support Wang Li's food and clothing now, but when they have their own children, they will be unable to do so even if they want to.

Now things are much better. Wang Li can earn money on his own, which really saves them a lot of trouble.

They were incredibly grateful to Bai Qiqiu and Mu Jin. Zhou Chuxue didn't have any other skills, so she had Zhou Fengnian buy fine cotton cloth from town and quickly made several sets of clothes for Mu Jin's unborn child before the age of two.

The first snow of early winter fell, covering everything in a silvery white blanket.

When it was time to rent the Qian family's courtyard, Young Master Liu, accompanied by two or three servants, quickly moved in.

Mu Jin was truly surprised that he actually came.

Unfortunately, Young Master Liu couldn't bear the hardship. It was cold, and the Qian family's house didn't have a heating system. After staying for about ten days, he took Mu Bai with him to stroll around the village before heading back home.

“Brother, didn’t you see how spoiled he is? He’s even more pampered than me. He’s covered in three layers of brocade quilts and three layers of blankets. He’s acting like a rich young master. He doesn’t have a bit of a manly demeanor.”

Mu Bai was forced by Zhou Ling to reluctantly accompany Liu Chengye for a few days, holding her nose.

Aside from bickering, Liu Xiao Gongzi's daily life was subjected to countless glares from Mu Bai.

The porridge should be fine and soft, with a rich aroma. There should be six or seven dishes for breakfast, ten or so for lunch, and several for dinner. In addition to being delicious and visually appealing, it must also be presented beautifully. Otherwise, it won't catch the eye of Young Master Liu, and he won't eat a single bite.

Burn incense when you get up early, and burn incense when you go to bed late. Your clothes will smell even better than the white wood.

She would complain of being tired, cold, and hungry after walking just a few steps. One minute she wanted to eat the new pastries from Tianzhai, and the next she wanted to eat freshly roasted duck. She was so demanding.

Thank goodness we got back to town, otherwise, Mu Bai might have given him a beating.

Mu Jin smiled and said, "He was originally a rich young master."

Mu Bai looked disgusted. "I regret nodding in. If I marry him, it'll be like I've gotten a son who's older than me. I'll have to do whatever he wants. He's like a three-year-old."

Mu Jin was both amused and exasperated. "They have servants at home, so they don't need you to serve them. Besides, men are naturally more mature than young masters and ladies. The young master of the Liu family was spoiled growing up and hasn't experienced much hardship. It's only natural that he's a bit delicate."

"When will he grow up and understand things?"

"After getting married and becoming a father?"

Even Mu Jin wasn't sure.

Mu Bai buried his face in the table and sighed deeply. He was even younger than him.

Mu Jin smiled and took out a bag of pastries from the cabinet for him. "Coconut milk pastries, just arrived from Nanfu City. Your brother-in-law bought them for me yesterday when he went to town to deliver furniture."

Upon hearing this, Mu Bai immediately stopped being listless, took a piece without ceremony, took a bite, and his eyes lit up.

"It's delicious. I've never tasted this before."

Mu Jin smiled and said, "If it tastes good, eat more."

As he spoke, he took one piece as well, and pushed the rest toward him.

The snow fell for two or three days in a row, and the rooftops were covered with a thick layer of snow.

The yard is paved with bluestone slabs, which makes it easy to sweep. With one sweep, the snow that fell yesterday is swept to the side, revealing the clean bluestone slabs underneath.

Wang Li and Mu Bai got up early in the morning, ate breakfast, and then, as if having a great time, built two snowmen on either side of the courtyard gate. One of the snowmen was holding a stick, looking like two door gods.

The weather was freezing cold, and the cloth that had just been hung out to dry was covered with a layer of ice, making it feel hard to the touch.

Hibiscus cannot withstand the cold, so it wears three layers inside and three layers outside, making itself round and plump.

Over the past six months, Zhou Lin has spent most of his saved allowance on buying chickens and ducks for Mu Jin.

Last month, after receiving my monthly allowance, I bought a hot water bottle for Mulan.

Zhou Lin found it very convenient to work at home, and to make it more comfortable for Mu Jin to read storybooks, he had two rocking chairs placed in the main room.

After two or three days of snow, the sky cleared up today and the sun was shining brightly.

Zhou Lin then moved the rocking chair out for Mu Jin and placed it in the yard.

There was a small table next to it, on which sat a plate of pomegranates that Mu Nianjun had sent a few days ago, a pot of hot tea, and a packet of pastries.

Hibiscus lay in a rocking chair, basking in the sun, peeling a pomegranate, sipping tea, and occasionally taking a bite of a small snack. He was the most content person in the whole house.

Zhou Lin shoveled the snow outside the yard and piled it all up in the wheat field not far from the back gate.

This snow is a good thing. When the crops sprout in the spring, the water they need mostly comes from the snow accumulated during the winter.

The entire yard, except for the snow on the roof and the peach trees, was shoveled into the field in the middle of the morning.

There was less work to do in winter, so Zhou Lin didn't let Mu Youyu and Lin Huzi go home to rest. Now that there were many livestock and poultry at home, feeding and cleaning them was quite strenuous. Although Zhou Lin was at home, he was busy with the work in the shop and couldn't do without the two of them.

When Zhou Si arrived, Mu Jin was sipping coarse tea, watching Zhou Lin bustling around in the yard. After sweeping the snow, he went to the cellar in the vegetable garden outside the backyard and brought back two cabbages.

"Si'er, why are you here at this time?"

With her delicate features and slightly curved eyebrows, Mu Jin's face had become even more rounded recently, giving her the appearance of a wealthy young master.

"Brother, you seem to be enjoying yourself quite a bit."

Zhou Si smiled and, without any hesitation, moved another rocking chair from the main room.

Picking up a piece of pastry, she said softly, "This morning, there was a commotion at my parents' house. They even closed the gate to the courtyard. I didn't dare go there. When my neighbor's aunt came back, she went looking for me. Guess what? It's probably because my second brother went to the gambling den and lost twenty taels of silver."

Mu Jin paused in her teacup. "If that's really the case, how did it get out?"

Having lost twenty taels of silver in a bet, such a shameful thing, how could Zhou Laosan and Zhou Wushi possibly cause any further trouble?

Zhou Si shook his head. "The door was closed, but Mother's voice was too loud. The villagers outside only heard 'twenty taels.' Some villagers also said that they had met Second Brother at the entrance of the gambling den in town before. They guessed about 70% of the truth from their conversation."

Mu Jin gently shook her head. "This matter is just a rumor. Perhaps it's just money my second brother needs to bribe others."

Working for a wealthy family and climbing the ranks requires spending money; it's difficult without doing so.

It wasn't that Mu Jin trusted Zhou Ming's character too much, but Mu Jin had lived with the Zhou family for a while. Zhou Ming was a bit clever. Although he didn't show much respect to his elder brother, Zhou Lin, he was very cautious in his actions. Why would he go to the gambling den?

"No matter what, it will cost twenty taels of silver. I'm afraid our parents will come to plead poverty with my elder brother. I came here first to tell my elder brother, so that we can be prepared if our parents really come."

Mu Jin lowered her head gently, her eyebrows and eyes slightly furrowed.

"Thank you, Si'er."

Zhou Si waved her hand, "I know that Mother destroyed my eldest brother's vegetable garden, so I'm afraid she won't come to ask for money, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

Mu Jin smiled. If Zhou Wushi were a shy woman, she wouldn't have come to the housewarming banquet.

Although he disliked the Zhou family, he didn't want anything to happen to them. He hoped they could live peacefully and uneventfully, without disturbing each other, each going their own way.

Now that Qichao governs the world with kindness, filial piety, and propriety, it's good that things haven't escalated to the county government. But if Zhou Wushi is really pushed to the limit and decides to throw caution to the wind, she might file a lawsuit and send Zhou Lin to the county government, which would likely be difficult to resolve.

It's possible that his and A-Lin's children, because of their father's reputation for being unfilial, will have difficulty passing the imperial examinations.

However, with Zhou Qiang, a scholar, around, Zhou Wushi and Zhou Laosan will be more restrained.

If Zhou Wu really comes over, considering Zhou Qiang's reputation, she probably won't dare to make a scene.

With Zhou Qiang around, Mu Jin can still keep the Zhou family under control.

Unexpectedly, after Zhou Si returned home, the family had lunch and waited all afternoon, but no one from the Zhou family came.

The next day, when I heard about Zhou Ming's matter again, it seemed to have been resolved.

Zhou Ming is still working in town, while his second wife's son is left in the village to learn manners from Zhou Wu Shi. This time, he wasn't taken to town.

Mu Jin was completely baffled, but since the Zhou family wasn't causing trouble, he was happy to have some peace and quiet.

Later, Zhou Chuxue came to check on Wang Li and Mu Jin. After hearing what he said, Mu Jin realized why Zhou Wu Shi hadn't come.

She said, half-laughing and half-crying, "Are you afraid that I'll go around making a fuss and stop my fourth brother from studying and passing the imperial examinations? Mother thinks too highly of me."

Zhou Chuxue sighed, "Your cousin was also called home yesterday. The whole family was counting on Zhou Qiang to change their social status. At first, your third sister-in-law refused to give any money, but then your eldest uncle stepped in, and the entire Zhou family took out one tael of silver. Only then did your third brother take out five taels of silver. Your second brother made up the rest himself."

Mu Jin asked in surprise, "Why hasn't anyone come looking for A-Lin?"

"Everyone in the family knows about what happened to Third Sister-in-law. She was afraid you would blurt it out in a fit of anger, so she didn't want you to know about it at all. She didn't even call Si'er home."

"Mother has always favored my fourth brother."

"Although the matter of the vegetable garden was not spread outside, and people were giving Third Sister-in-law face, your grandparents went to Third Brother's place when they heard the news that day, and scolded Third Sister-in-law, thinking that she would restrain herself a bit."

Mu Jin smiled. The incident with the vegetable garden had chilled Zhou Lin's heart. Now, he only knew about the Zhou family's affairs from others, and he wouldn't get involved unless he was called.

If it happened again, Zhou Lin probably wouldn't acknowledge her as his mother anymore.

He was actually happy to see it happen.

"Although my grandparents are old, they are still quite sensible."

Zhou Chuxue smiled but remained silent.

Mu Jin wasn't the type to stand up for herself when bullied. After the incident with the damaged vegetable garden, Zhou Lin stopped thinking about Zhou Wu Shi and Zhou Lao San, which could be considered a blessing in disguise. He decided not to hold it against her for the time being.

If she provokes him again, he will inevitably target her most beloved son, making her suffer as well.