Chapter 89

There are now two taels of gold and forty-five taels of silver in the secret compartment of the house, enough to build two brick houses.

Under the mattress, there were two taels of silver and eight hundred and thirty coins saved for household expenses.

If they save for another two months or so, Bai Qiqiu's dowry and New Year's money will be enough.

Mu Jin finished counting the money bag with satisfaction and put it away.

"The blankets are warm, come and go to sleep."

Zhou Lin shifted in the blankets, making room for Mu Jin in the warmest spot.

Mu Jin smiled gently, blew out the oil lamp, lowered the bed curtains, and tucked them under the mattress.

I snuggled into bed and let out a comfortable sigh.

Because of the bed curtains hanging on the bed, which formed a small area, I slept very soundly. Even after summer, the hibiscus was not taken down.

They also got another bolt of fine linen, dyed it purple, and used it to make two bed curtains, which they washed and used alternately.

The couple snuggled together and gradually drifted off into a sweet dream.

The next day, at dawn, Mu Jin struggled to get out of bed once again.

It takes immense courage to get out of a warm bed every winter.

Zhou Lin used to wake up earlier than him, but in the nearly one year since the family separated, he has gradually developed a habit of preferring to stay in bed longer.

Mu Jin sat up and got dressed. A bit of cold air got into the bedding, and Zhou Lin turned over and buried his head under the covers again.

Mu Jin smiled, thinking that he must have been very tired from working all day, so she didn't wake him up.

I quietly got out of bed and went to the kitchen to make breakfast.

I washed five or six large red dates, threw them into the pot, and stir-fried a plate of shredded radish and Chinese cabbage.

The simple farm-style meal tasted especially delicious because Mu Jin was generous with the use of lard.

After having breakfast, Zhou Lin went to work on the wooden beams.

During this period, taking advantage of the thin ice and the river full of broken ice, Bai Qiqiu would go fishing in the river with Mu Zhaoye every day.

They'd be busy all morning, and only in the afternoon would they get to work on the dyeing workshop.

Only Mu Jin and Wen Zhaoran remained at home.

When the sun came out, Mu Jin brought out the dyed cloth from the dye house and hung it out to dry.

Inside, a large piece of bright red cotton cloth stood out prominently.

That was a bolt of cotton cloth that Mu Jin had specially reserved for Bai Qiqiu, to be used for her wedding dress and quilt.

After feeding the poultry and livestock and cleaning the yard, Mu Jin finally had a moment to sit in the yard and start weaving baskets.

Bai Qiqiu will be getting married in a little over two months, and the wedding quilt that will accompany her dowry will be sewn in a couple of days.

"Jin-ge'er, are you home?"

A soft voice came from behind, and it sounded very familiar.

Mu Jin got up, walked over, and opened the courtyard gate. "Uh..."

Standing outside the door was the boy who had a grudge against Zhou Qiang, but was ultimately taken back by Zhou Fengnian.

For a moment, Mu Jin didn't know how to address him. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Uncle, what brings you here?"

As she led him into the courtyard, Mu Jin felt somewhat awkward calling the boy, who was even younger than her, "uncle."

Zhou Chuxue handed the rather exquisite basket she was carrying to Mu Jin.

He smiled and said, "These are some snacks I made, local delicacies from Nanfu City. If you don't mind, please try them."

Mu Jin smiled and said, "How could you say I dislike you? Thank you, Uncle."

Wen Zhaoran glanced at Zhou Chuxue and was taken aback. It turned out to be the boy who had played music with him at the Moonlit Pavilion.

The two were in the building and seemed to have a good relationship.

Zhou Chuxue turned to look at Wen Zhaoran, and surprisingly felt a slight sense of familiarity.

She shook her head slightly. How could such a handsome young man from a respectable family have gotten to know him?

"These days I've been busy repairing the house, I should have come to visit sooner."

Zhou Chuxue is as cunning as a beehive. After staying in the village for so long, she has gotten along very well with her neighbors.

Because of his background, the women and husband who disdained to talk to him would occasionally visit his home, doing needlework and chatting.

After secretly and openly inquiring about the Zhou family's affairs, it became clear that Zhou Lin, who had separated from the Zhou family in the third year of the Zhou family, and his husband were the most worthwhile to get to know.

Zhou Chuxue has decided to live a good life with Zhou Fengnian in the village. For the sake of the family's future livelihood, it would be beneficial to maintain good relations with Zhou Lin and the others.

Remembering that he was pregnant, Mu Jin put the basket into the kitchen and brought him a stool.

"Uncle, please sit down."

Zhou Chuxue smiled. "Weaving baskets?"

Mu Jin nodded and glanced at Wen Zhaoran.

Wen Zhaoran didn't dare to speak, but just smiled at Zhou Chuxue before going to her own room.

"He's timid and easily gets shy around strangers, so please don't blame him, Uncle."

Zhou Chuxue smiled and gently shook her head, then picked up the soaked sorghum stalks and helped Mu Jin weave them.

"Did your uncle do this kind of work before?"

Zhou Chuxue nodded. "It's been a long, long time. My family was poor. There were eight or nine brothers and sisters in the family. There weren't many jobs that could earn money. My uncle and I could only make a living by weaving baskets."

As he spoke, his hands moved nimbly, and what he made looked even more exquisite than what Mu Jin had made.

Mu Jin understood perfectly; it was probably another case of the family selling their son, who had lost money, to pay for his son's marriage.

Zhou Chuxue chatted with Mu Jin for a while, then wove a small basket to hold the eggs. Seeing that it was getting late, she got up and prepared to go home.

Mu Jin had no reservations about his background, and chatting with him was much more comfortable than with many other villagers.

Zhou Chuxue speaks to people in a human language and to ghosts in a ghost language.

When chatting with Mulan, after a few words, he understood Mulan's personality and stopped talking about money, only chatting about everyday things.

Compared to other villagers who would chat endlessly about pigs and houses upon arriving at Zhou Lin's house, Mu Jin felt much more at ease chatting with Zhou Chuxue.

"By the way, Jin-ge'er, your cousin gave me a new name, Zhou Chuxue. It snowed in the village not long after I arrived, and I like it very much."

From now on, there will be no more Ling Ge'er in this world, only Zhou Chuxue.

Mu Jin smiled and said, "It's a nice name."

Zhou Chuxue smiled, revealing a pair of cute little tiger teeth.

Mu Jin saw him off and sighed inwardly. Zhou Lin's cousin, Zhou Fengnian, was truly blessed to have married such a clever and witty young man.

He turned and went back into the courtyard. Wen Zhaoran heard the noise and came out of the house.

"Brother, he and I know each other very well in the building, I'm afraid that if I open my mouth I'll give away the secret."

Upon hearing this, Mu Jin's face turned somewhat serious. "From now on, don't speak in front of him. Just pretend you're shy and timid."

One should always be wary of others. Zhou Chuxue seems like a decent person now, but the human heart is the most unfathomable thing, so it's best to be cautious.

Now that Mu Jin and Mu Zhou have been exposed, neither of them has the ability to protect Wen Zhaoran.

Wen Zhaoran nodded gently and sighed, "He is also a pitiful person."

Mu Jin sat down and gently placed the basket that Zhou Chuxue had woven aside.

I patted him gently. In this world, there are mostly pitiful people, especially young men.

"Brother! Go quickly and check the riverbank!"

Mu Jin and Wen Zhaoran had barely sat down to weave baskets when Bai Qiqiu rushed over in a panic.

"What's wrong?"

Bai Qiqiu took a breath. He had met Zhou Chuxue and Zhou Fengnian when he went to town with Wen Zhaoye.

"My eldest brother's husband's cousin's newlywed son has gotten into trouble."

Mu Jin hurriedly put down the sorghum stalks in her hand, got up, and followed Bai Qiqiu to the riverbank.

Wen Zhaoran got up and jogged over as well.

When Mu Jin and the others arrived, Mu Zhaoye had tied up a struggling man with a fishing net soaked in the icy river water of winter.

He was still spewing profanities.

"A whore who's ridden by a thousand men and slept with by ten thousand, what are you pretending to be, a chaste and virtuous man? Bah!"

Bai Qiqiu, unable to bear it any longer, stepped forward and kicked him hard.

Shut your stinking mouth!

The man was kicked by Bai Qiqiu and curled up in pain.

Mu Jin gently helped Zhou Chuxue up, "Uncle, are you alright?"

Blood was seeping from Zhou Chuxue's forehead, gradually blurring her vision.

Something seemed to be flowing out of his stomach, and the pain made his little face scrunch up, unable to speak.

Neither Bai Qiqiu nor Mu Zhaoye dared to move him to Doctor Mu's place. He would cry out in pain whenever they touched him, for fear of damaging his bones.

Mu Zhaoye's cousin went to call Doctor Mu, and Zhou Fengnian was also called over from home by the men who fished with Mu Zhaoye.

When Mu Jin saw him arrive, she stood up and made way for him.

With an apologetic tone, she said, "Uncle, I'm sorry, I should have taken you home."

Zhou Fengnian gently put his arm around Zhou Chuxue's shoulder and shook his head slightly.

Doctor Mu first used acupuncture to stop the bleeding from Zhou Chuxue's body, then applied herbal medicine to the blood on her forehead, and sighed deeply.

"My life has been saved, but the baby in my belly is probably... I'll take good care of myself when I get back, and I'll definitely have another baby in the future."

Zhou Chuxue fainted from the pain and didn't hear those cruel words.

Bai Qiqiu said, "Uncle Fengnian, there's nothing between you and that shameless man. Mu Zhaoye and I had just landed our nets to catch some fish when we heard cries for help not far away. When we rushed over, that scoundrel was chasing after you. You were probably thinking of taking him down with you, so you crashed straight into a tree. We were too late, I'm sorry."

The others echoed, fearing that Zhou Fengnian might misunderstand and think that Zhou Chuxue had lost her chastity.

Zhou Fengnian still shook his head. If he cared about these things, he wouldn't have let Zhou Chuxue into the house.

He said in a hoarse voice, "If it weren't for you all, Chu Xue would probably be dead here."

He gently picked up Zhou Chuxue; her thick cotton trousers were soaked with glaring bloodstains.

"Dr. Mu, please prescribe the medicine. I'll go get it in a bit."

He stood up and said to Mu Zhaoye, "Zhaoye, please keep an eye on him."

When an honest person gets angry, they can be even more frightening than those men who are already short-tempered.

The man bound by the fishing net cursed, "Pah! You've been played by so many men, and you're the only one who treats me like a treasure! Zhou Fengnian, I'm your brother who grew up with you. You're going to disregard our years of brotherhood for some cheap bastard?!"

Zhou Fengnian paused, and Zhou Chuxue in his arms groaned in pain. His heart tightened, and he quickly escorted him home.

Enraged, Bai Qiqiu picked up a piece of dead wood from the side and struck him hard in the mouth.

"His mouth was full of vomit."