Chapter 41

As soon as the rooster crowed in the morning, Mu Jin got up, dressed, and nudged Zhou Lin, who was still fast asleep beside her.

Her voice was still a little hoarse from waking up early, "Ah Lin, get up. We need to go early today; we still have to pick some bok choy."

Zhou Lin mumbled something, turned over, and hugged Mu Jin's waist as if she were being affectionate.

"Take another half-moment nap."

Mu Jin chuckled; ever since they separated, this guy had become even more childish.

After putting on her coat, Mu Jin removed the stiff, firm arm from her waist.

"Then you sleep a little longer, I'll go to the kitchen and make breakfast first."

After Mu Jin left the room, Zhou Lin's sleepiness dissipated a bit. He lay down for a while longer, then got up, dressed, and went to help Mu Jin with her chores.

Zhou Si and Wen Zhaoran both knew that if the rice noodle shop bought the bok choy today, their family's life would be more stable in the future.

Because the two of them fought off their sleepiness and got up early, by the time Mu Jin finished making breakfast, they had already picked about ten pounds of small green vegetables.

"Si'er, Zhaoran, come and have breakfast first."

Mu Jin called out from the kitchen: coarse flour pancakes with pickled vegetables. After they finished eating, they didn't even have time to wash their bowls before rushing to the vegetable garden to dig out some small green vegetables.

Zhou Lin went to the river to fetch a bucket of water and carefully washed the picked vegetables.

As the sun was about to rise, the couple picked up the washed bok choy, covered it with a burlap sack, and prepared to head to town.

"Si'er, the vegetable garden at home was almost turned over yesterday. Today, you can water it first, and when I come back, I'll plant the vegetables."

Zhou Si nodded, watching Mu Jin and Zhou Lin's departing figures. Only after the two had gone far away did he carefully close the courtyard gate and bolt it.

The spring morning was still a bit chilly. Mu Jin tightened her collar and, without realizing it, quickened her pace.

The couple entered the town just as the gates opened, queuing up to do so.

The people in front were mostly villagers from villages around Qingshui Town. They brought spring vegetables grown at home and came to town early in the morning to exchange them for some money while they were still fresh.

When Mu Jin arrived, the rice noodle shop was not yet open, so he asked Zhou Lin to put down the small green vegetables he was carrying.

She said softly, "Go to the Zhao residence first, don't be late. I'll wait here for a while."

The sun was still high and the sky was not yet fully bright. Zhou Lin was a little worried and shook his head.

"I'll wait with you for a while. It won't be too late for me to go when it gets light."

Only a few shops were open on the street, not as lively as a vegetable market. The crowd was sparse and the place was deserted.

Mu Jin looked around, not daring to be presumptuous. She and Zhou Lin placed the bamboo basket at the shop entrance, put their hands in their sleeves, and stood quietly waiting for dawn.

Mu Jin sighed, "I won't come so early tomorrow."

Seeing that he had stopped traveling and looked even colder, Zhou Lin was about to move closer when he saw the rice noodle shop's waiter hurrying over with the shop's key in his hand.

"Young husband, why are you here so early?"

As luck would have it, it was the same waiter who served them when they were eating rice noodles at the rice noodle shop yesterday.

"I came a little earlier because I was afraid of delaying the shop's business," Mu Jin said with a smile.

As the shop assistant opened the shop door, he said, "I usually come around 7 a.m. to open the door and clean the tables and chairs. The head chef and the shopkeeper will come over later."

The door opened, and as I entered the shop, the wind stopped, and I immediately felt much warmer.

Mu Jin thought for a moment and said to Zhou Lin, "I'll wait here for a while. Once the shopkeeper arrives and collects the vegetables, I'll go back to the village. You go to the Zhao residence first."

“I’ll wait a little longer. Tomorrow I’ll bring fifty catties of green vegetables and deliver them myself, so I can get to know the shopkeeper.”

Mu Jin was taken aback. "You'll do it yourself?"

Zhou Lin nodded. "Fifty pounds of bok choy isn't heavy. I can carry it by myself, which will save you the trouble of running back and forth."

The main reason is that he is worried about Mu Jin going back alone, even in broad daylight.

Mu Jin didn't speak; they would discuss this matter in detail when Zhou Lin came home today.

The shop assistant didn't dare to accept the money directly, so he just told the two of them to sit and wait a while while he busied himself wiping the table and chairs with a rag.

Fortunately, the shopkeeper arrived soon after and carefully examined the small green vegetables that Mu Jin had brought.

The item was still covered in water droplets, indicating it had been thoroughly cleaned. It was clear that the person had gotten up early and put in a lot of effort, and their satisfaction was undisguised.

"Xiao Ding, from now on, just accept the green vegetables that this young husband sends over."

Upon hearing this, the waiter named Xiao Ding nodded quickly, "Yes, boss."

There was nothing wrong with the bok choy, and the shopkeeper promptly handed over the money—fifty coins, enough for many meals of meat.

Mu Jin smiled and said, "Thank you, shopkeeper."

He didn't say much else, just assured me that it would be enough to do it once, and the rest would depend on his actions.

Earning the trust of a rice noodle shop owner through actions is more effective than making a million guarantees.

After leaving the shop, Zhou Lin carefully instructed, "Take the main road, the official road. Don't take shortcuts to save time. If there are oxcarts going back at the town gate, take one."

Mujia Village is not far from Qingshui Town. A ride in an oxcart costs one coin. I just received fifty coins for vegetables, so a ride won't hurt.

However, at this time, most of the people coming to the town are from the village, and there are few oxcarts returning to the village.

Mu Jin nodded upon hearing this. "I understand. Don't worry, you forgot I brought some brambles with me when I came."

Zhou Lin's lunch is now provided by the Zhao family, as he doesn't go home for lunch.

Before leaving, Mu Jin gave her a few more careful instructions, "Don't forget what we said last night, that we're going to my parents' house today, so try to come back early this afternoon."

Zhou Lin nodded helplessly, still thinking of him. She sighed and entered the Zhao residence, turning back every few steps.

Mu Jin wasn't too worried about herself; it was just getting light and the streets were bustling with people.

Shops on the street gradually opened. After thinking for a moment, Mu Jin went into a bookstore, intending to choose a calligraphy brush for Mu Zhou.

The shop assistant approached the first customer with great enthusiasm, "Sir, what would you like to buy? Let me introduce it to you."

Mu Jin shook her head, circled around the calligraphy brush shop, and chose one engraved with a single leaf boat.

How much is this calligraphy brush?

The shopkeeper smiled broadly, "Sir, you have a good eye. This pen has a cherry wood handle and is a wolf hair pen. Many scholars use this kind. It's one coin and thirty coins."

Upon hearing this, Mu Jin felt a pang of pain for a moment, "It might be cheaper."

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "You look unfamiliar. Do you have a scholar in your family? You can go back and ask. This is already a very reasonable price."

Mu Jin smiled and said, "I do have a younger brother who just passed the imperial examination. I was thinking of giving him a pen to celebrate, but I never expected it to be so expensive."

Back when they were at home, Zhou Ling took care of all the writing materials Mu Zhou needed for studying. Mu Jin had no idea that supporting a scholar could be so expensive.

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper, who was calculating on the abacus behind the counter, looked up and smiled, saying, "Young man, I'll give you a discount of ten coins to establish a good relationship. If you ever send your children to school, remember to patronize my shop often."

Mu Jin smiled. This shopkeeper was quite far ahead of his time, already planning for the business of his unborn child.

"Of course, thank you very much, shopkeeper."

Looking at the copper coins she had given away, Mu Jin felt a pang of heartache. The vegetables she had sold for the past two days had been sold for nothing again. But she still gritted her teeth and bought the pen.

The shopkeeper put the pen into a wooden box, handed it to Mu Jin, and said with a smile, "I wish my little brother-in-law a speedy success in passing the imperial examinations and becoming a scholar, and a prosperous official career."

Mu Jin smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words."

Having bought the gift, Mu Jin didn't linger any longer. As the sun slowly rose, she hurried home.

Zhou Si and Wen Zhaoran have finished turning the soil and are now planting vegetables.

When Mu Jin arrived home, there was a commotion in the yard, as if someone was fighting over a hoe and arguing incessantly.

Mu Jin hurriedly opened the courtyard gate, and seeing the scene before her, she sighed, feeling both amused and exasperated.

"This is my elder brother's house, and this is my elder brother's hoe. Why should I give it to you?!"

"This is my older brother's house, and besides, I'm helping my fiancé with chores, what business is it of yours?"

"Give me back my fiancé? Do you even deserve Zhaoran? He was picked up by my elder brother, he's a son of the Zhou family, he should be my fiancé!"

Upon hearing this, Mu Zhou was immediately enraged and lost his composure as a scholar. He declared that any man who coveted his husband deserved to be beaten.

Thinking about it, he rushed forward, seemingly ready to fight Zhou Qiang.

Startled, Mu Jin quickly put down the bamboo basket. Zhou Qiang was two or three years older than Mu Zhou; how could he possibly be a match for him?

If he were to accidentally injure his face, his career would be ruined.

"What are you doing? You're teenagers, yet you're acting like three or four-year-old kids?! Brother Lingyun, help me separate them."

Mu Jin stepped forward, pulled Zhou Qiang away, and gripped his arm tightly to prevent him from hitting her.

"Zhou'er, are you done with the chores at home? You seem so free now. You just passed the preliminary examination and you're already losing your footing? Go back and study!"

Mu Zhou glanced at Wen Zhaoran, looking aggrieved. "Brother, I'm going to study at the town academy in a couple of days. After I go to the academy, I won't see Zhaoran as often. My father promised me that I can come and see Zhaoran more often in the next couple of days."

Mu Jin stopped Zhou Qiang and said to Wen Zhaoran, "Zhaoran, take Zhou'er home and don't cause trouble here."

Wen Zhaoran nodded quickly, grabbed the wooden boat, and jogged back to the Mu family home.

Seeing this, Zhou Qiang wanted to follow after them, but Mu Lingyun stopped him.

Mu Jin sighed, "Fourth brother, you are a scholar, how can you do something so unbecoming of a scholar, coveting your in-laws' fiancé? If word gets out, will you still want to study?"

Zhou Qiang was stopped by Mu Lingyun and became furious, "Big brother, what does it matter if we give up studying if we can marry Zhaoran?!"

Tsk, another man blinded by lust.

Mu Jin sighed repeatedly. "The county magistrate knows about Zhou'er and Zhaoran's marriage. He even said he would come to their wedding banquet in two years. You've stopped studying for his sake, which has displeased the county magistrate. How can you expect to live peacefully in the village?"

"How could the magistrate possibly know this?"

Mu Jin shook her head. "Why would I lie to you about something like this? You're still young. Don't let lust cloud your judgment and ruin your future."

Zhou Qiang seemed to have lost all his strength. He sat down weakly on the bamboo stool and choked back tears as he complained about Mu Jin.

"Big...Big brother, you too, knowing that I haven't even been engaged yet, why did you arrange to marry Zhaoran off to your younger brother from your maternal family? Come to think of it, it's because I'm not close enough to him."

Mu Jin wanted to laugh, but she held back and patted his shoulder, saying, "I'll tell you something good later, big brother."

Zhou Qiang was so immersed in his grief that he ignored him.

Mu Jin, Zhou Si, and Mu Lingyun were struggling to hold back their laughter, their faces turning red from holding it in.

Zhou Si couldn't hold back any longer, turned her back to Zhou Qiang, and laughed in a hoarse voice.

Mu Jin shook her head. This person, who hadn't cried even after failing the preliminary examination, started crying because of Wen Zhaoran.