Chapter 151

After the wheat harvest, Mu Jin felt that the days passed even faster.

Lin Huzi was energetic. Ever since the village school was built, he would go to the school to learn to read whenever he had free time.

Now I can write my own name and understand the account books.

Zhou Lin entrusted him with the entire task of collecting household debts, and increased his monthly salary by two qian of silver.

Lin Huzi had a good intention. He told Qi Qiu that he had opened a class in the village school for boys and girls to read and write. Now that he had saved some money, he sent Lin Nuo and Wang Li there together.

Lin Nuo cherished this hard-won opportunity to learn to read. After studying for an hour in the village, she would practice writing on the ground with a twig whenever she had free time at home.

Although Wang Li wasn't as fond of learning as him, Lin Huzi wondered if it was just his imagination, but ever since Wang Li went to the village to learn to read, he had lost his former childlike nature.

The young man has become more composed.

Lin Huzi couldn't help but have some expectations; slowly, Wang Li might be able to learn to grow up.

Although he liked Wang Li's innocent and naive appearance, if he could grow up a bit more, not to the point of being an adult, but to be like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy who could take care of himself, he could rest assured at home while he was busy working outside.

Everything was going well for Lin Huzi, and Lin Youyu was naturally not going to fall behind.

The two farmhands in the family worked with great effort to learn to read and write, and they worked harder than the other.

Zhou Lin saw this and raised wages where appropriate, and assigned tasks to those who needed them.

Lin Nuo has grown up quite a bit and has become increasingly pretty.

Although there were no elders in his family, Lin Huzi was a capable man, which was evident to everyone in the village.

A few families couldn't help but have some ideas.

Lin Huzi is now working as a long-term laborer at Zhou Lin's house, and he receives a monthly salary of about one tael.

This is better than working in a shop in town; it's closer to home, and I can take care of my family.

If he could become related to him by marriage, and considering Lin Nuo's feelings, if the Zhou family were to hire temporary workers, he, as the brother-in-law, would certainly think more about his brother-in-law.

Many villagers share this sentiment. In Lin Huzi's pepper garden, the grass has been trampled flat by matchmakers who come to propose marriage these days.

Lin Huzi knew he was getting the marriage proposal because of his employer. In his eyes, the family that came to propose marriage was one that was well-fed and clothed in the village.

As the saying goes, the eldest brother is like a father, and the eldest sister-in-law is like a mother. Wang Li and Lin Nuo are like brothers, but it is still impossible for him to handle Lin Nuo's marriage.

As the eldest brother, he naturally had to put more thought into it.

He and Lin Nuo had relied on each other since childhood, so if he agreed, Lin Nuo would probably agree as well.

After sending off the matchmaker, Lin Huzi made up his mind that once Lin Nuo finished school, he would talk to him about the marriage proposal, as it was time to find a suitable family to marry into.

Mu Jin had heard some of the commotion at the pepper garden.

Over the years, Lin Nuo has helped her family a lot. When she finds fresh wild fruits, such as chestnuts and walnuts, she always makes sure to send some home.

They gathered firewood and cut pig feed in the mountains and brought it to my house without asking for a single copper coin.

Although Mu Jin didn't treat him like a biological younger brother, he was still a close younger brother to her.

Therefore, he quickly mentioned it to Zhou Lin, asking him to go back to town next time, tidy up the shop, and buy a silver hairpin so that when Lin Nuo gets married, it can be used as a dowry for him.

Lin Nuo was unaware that Mu Jin had prepared a silver hairpin as part of his dowry. As he and Wang Lixiang returned home, their eldest brother, who had heard the commotion, called them over.

"Big brother, what's wrong?"

Lin Nuo looked at Lin Huzi with confusion, while Wang Li, drinking the cold water she had just poured into her bowl, also stared at him with wide eyes.

Lin Huzi touched his nose, about to speak, but then felt a little embarrassed.

He coughed lightly. "Just now, Mu Mei came by."

Lin Nuo understood, her brows furrowing slightly. "Which family's man did he mention?"

Lin Huzi took the water bowl from Wang Li and drank the remaining cold water in one gulp.

Wang Li puffed out her cheeks angrily, "I want to drink more!"

Lin Huzi patted his head. "I'll pour it for you later, with brown sugar."

Wang Li's cheeks finally deflated.

Lin Huzi then turned to Lin Nuo and said, "I'm not trying to rush you out. You know, several matchmakers have come to visit several times these days, but I haven't agreed to any of them. But this time, the man the matchmaker mentioned, I really think is quite good! However, whether or not to settle down depends on your wishes."

Over the years, Lin Huzi had never seen Lin Nuo get close to any of the men in the village who were his age.

It's really impossible to tell which type he actually likes.

"Tell your older brother what kind of man you like. If this one doesn't suit me, I'll tell him what you said when the matchmaker comes back, and ask him to keep an eye out for me."

Lin Nuo's eyes flickered, her face flushed, and her voice was as low as a mosquito's buzz, "Like Master Lin."

Although Lin Nuo's voice was low, Lin Huzi was listening intently. He never expected to hear such shocking words, and he almost vomited the water he had just drunk.

"What did you say?!"

Lin Huzi growled, "Master Lin only has Master Jin in his heart. He's not someone you can covet. Master Jin has treated us well, Nuo-ge'er, we can't repay kindness with enmity!"

Lin Nuo blushed and glared at Lin Huzi, feeling both ashamed and annoyed.

“Brother, what are you thinking! I mean, a reliable man like Master Lin, who can support his family and is devoted to his husband. Not to mention that the Lin family doesn't even look down on me, even though Brother Jin treats me like a younger brother, I can't do something so shameless. Am I such a heartless brother?!”

Lin Huzi realized he had misunderstood his younger brother and immediately breathed a huge sigh of relief.

With a forced smile, he said, "I misunderstood, but what you just said almost scared me to death."

Lin Nuo glared at him, "Which man were you talking about today, Mu Mei?"

Lin Huzi snapped out of his reverie and laughed, “A man like Mr. Lin is someone all the young men and women in our village want to marry. The family the matchmaker brought today is someone I know. It’s the youngest son of the Wang family. I went to town with him to look for short-term work before. Although his family’s circumstances are not as good as the other families who came to propose marriage, he is hardworking and reliable, someone you can entrust with your life.”

Hearing this, Lin Nuo blushed and said, "Brother, if you think it's good, you can meet him."

Lin Huzi grinned and said, "Then I'll go back to the matchmaker. Pick a good day, and you two can meet and see each other."

Lin Nuo nodded slightly, a little shyly.

About ten days later, when Mu Jin heard about Lin Nuo's marriage again, he had already made an engagement with the youngest son of the Wang family.

With one worry gone, Lin Huzi was in high spirits during that period, always walking with a spring in his step, full of energy.

Mu Jin smiled. It seemed that the silver hairpin Zhou Lin had just bought would be given away in a few days.

With the peppercorns harvested from the pepper garden, the family is busy again.

In the backyard, wheat that had just been harvested and threshed was still drying.

Listening to Zhou Yaoyao, Mu Weiji, and Mu Zining reading aloud in their clear voices inside the room, Mu Jin's eyes crinkled into a smile.

In the afternoon, Bai Qiqiu took the three children to the riverbank.

Today, Mu Zhaoye's cousin and his friends went fishing with nets. Bai Qiqiu was thinking about Zhou Yaoyao falling into the water, so while Mu Zhaoye had some free time, he took them to the river and asked Mu Zhaoye to teach them how to swim.

Better safe than sorry. If one day Mujia Village is flooded, or someone accidentally falls into the river, at least learning to swim will give them a better chance of survival.

Mu Jin was well aware of Bai Qiqiu's good intentions, and therefore did not stop him.

When Mu Zhaoye isn't smiling, his serious expression is quite intimidating.

Of all her uncles, Zhou Yaoyao was most afraid of Mu Zhaoye.

Because Mu Zhaoye taught them how to swim, he studied the most diligently, not daring to slack off at all, for fear that Mu Zhaoye would yell at him.

After finishing her chores at home, Mu Jin and Wen Zhaoran walked over hand in hand.

When they arrived, Zhou Yaoyao was kicking her little legs, while Bai Qiqiu followed at a distance, swimming quite skillfully.

Upon seeing Mu Jin arrive, Bai Qiqiu smiled and said, "Taozi has learned the fastest and best. Look, she can already swim by herself for a while."

Mu Jin looked at Zhou Yaoyao splashing in the river with her eyes crinkling. Apart from studying, he was the fastest learner of everything else.

However, swimming also depends on talent. Some people can learn to swim on their own just by being thrown into the water, while others can't learn no matter how much you teach them.

Just like Mu Zining, who struggled for an hour or two before his father let go and he immediately sank into the river.

Mu Zhaoye's face was as black as ink. He had taught two of his three children, but his own son just couldn't learn no matter how hard he tried.

After Mu Zining choked on another mouthful of river water, Mu Zhaoye raised his right hand, tucked him under his armpit, and lifted him ashore.

Bai Qiqiu was both amused and exasperated. "Both Mu Zhaoye and I are excellent swimmers, so how did we end up with a child who can't swim?!"

Mu Jin chuckled and shook her head, "Neither Lin Ge nor I can swim, but Tao Zi swims like a fish in the river."

Wen Zhaoran laughed so hard she almost couldn't stand up straight, gently wiping away the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes.

"The dragon has nine sons, each different from the other. Perhaps the pumpkin just doesn't have a place where you two can swim."

Bai Qiqiu said to Pumpkin, whose little face was puffed up, "From now on, when you encounter water, you should walk around it and not wander to the riverbank."

Mu Zining's face scrunched up like a pleated bun, and she huffed angrily, "I don't want to learn to swim!"

Bai Qiqiu nodded happily, "Yes, it's not that you can't learn it, but that you don't want to learn it."

If it weren't for the overflowing envy in Mu Zining's eyes as he looked at Zhou Yaoyao and Mu Weiji in the river, he, as their father, would have actually pretended to believe it.

Seeing his stepfather's disbelieving and perfunctory expression, Mu Zining angrily turned around and ran home.

Bai Qiqiu said helplessly, "Big brother, I'll go back first and change the brat's clothes."

Even though it's summer now, wearing wet clothes can easily lead to catching a cold.

Mu Jin and Wen Zhaoran suppressed their laughter, afraid that if the two of them laughed out loud, Little Pumpkin would be so angry that he would turn into a big fat pumpkin.

"Okay, hurry up and go. There's fish stew at home at noon. Bring the pumpkin with you, and I'll make his favorite eggplant stew with fish."

Bai Qiqiu smiled and nodded, then turned to chase after Mu Zining, who had almost disappeared in a flash.