Chapter Forty-Seven

After finishing the work in Zhoulin Town, the kitchen at home was repaired, dried in the shade, and ready to be used.

While Zhou Lin was delivering vegetables to town early this morning, Mu Jin asked him to buy about ten pounds of lamb chops and offal.

When the family first separated, they had no money and couldn't even invite Musheng and the others who had helped them to have a meal.

So he thought he would take advantage of the warm stove and invite the Mu Mian couple, the Mu Nianjun couple, and Mu Lingyun over for a good meal.

A few white clouds floated in the azure sky, and a gentle breeze blew by; it was a perfect day for entertaining guests.

Zhou Lin had just returned from town when Mu Jin soaked the lamb chops and offal in water to remove the blood, making the stewed lamb white and less fishy.

When they arrived, Mu Jin had already started stewing the mutton, and the aroma of the meat filled the courtyard, making it incredibly tempting.

Mu Nianjun strolled around the courtyard, a hint of satisfaction on his face.

The yard was clean and tidy, with plenty of spring vegetables planted. The kitchen was well-organized, looking neat and clean, and it increasingly resembled a home for everyday life.

The old peach tree is lush and leafy, its flowers bloom and fall, turning into dust and fertilizer, revealing tender green peaches covered in fuzz.

Mumian stood under the tree and said happily, "This peach tree will surely bear a lot of peaches this year."

Mu Jin smiled and said, "This peach tree was planted by my great-grandfather A Lin. It's very old and bears more fruit than other trees."

"Speaking of which, I ran into your mother-in-law when she came to collect peaches last year. She even gave me a few. They were sweet and juicy, and tasted better than the peaches from my own trees."

As Mu Mian spoke, she seemed to be craving fruit, as she hadn't eaten much fruit all winter.

Hibiscus smiled, her eyes crinkling as she looked up at the peach tree laden with fruit.

"This peach tree is mine now. When it bears fruit, come here and eat as much as you like."

"You said it yourself, I'll eat them later, don't feel bad about it, I might have eaten some fruit," Mu Mian teased.

Hibiscus patted him on the shoulder and said, "If you're so capable, eat all the fruit on this whole peach tree and see if I don't even blink."

Mu Nianjun watched the two of them bickering and smiled. Even after getting married, they were still like children, enjoying their banter.

Seeing that it was getting late, Mu Jin stopped accompanying Mu Nianjun for a stroll and went back to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Braised pork belly, pheasant stewed with hazel mushrooms, stir-fried vegetables with tofu, and a large bowl of lamb rib and offal soup.

One dish after another was served on the table, leaving Mu Sheng speechless with astonishment.

"How can this be so lavish? It's like celebrating the New Year."

Mu Nianjun retorted, "We're all family, why be so polite? It must have cost a fortune to prepare so much meat and vegetables."

Mu Jin smiled and said, "It's not much. We can't be careless when it comes to heating the stove. Even if we didn't invite Brother Nianjun and the others, we still had to buy it."

As he spoke, he ladled out several bowls of mutton offal soup and handed them to Mu Nianjun, saying, "Everyone, drink up quickly, the mutton offal soup won't taste good when it gets cold."

Upon hearing this, the group stopped being polite and began eating while chatting and laughing.

When the mutton and braised pork are stewed long enough, they become tender and flavorful. The mutton falls off the bone with just a slight bite, and the braised pork melts in your mouth, fragrant but not greasy.

Stir-fried greens with tofu is spicy and flavorful, perfect with rice. The stewed pheasant with hazel mushrooms is even more delicious and fragrant, with the chicken being very chewy.

Having already smelled the aroma, the little night owl wagged its tail and crawled under the table, got a lamb bone, and happily gnawed on it.

Everyone ate to their heart's content, emptying the bowls and cleaning the plates completely.

"Has everyone eaten enough?" Mu Jin asked with a smile.

Mu Sheng rubbed his stomach and immediately burped upon hearing this.

"I'm full."

Everyone chuckled; the burp sounded like a full burp.

The group chatted for a while longer, but then, with lots of chores to do at home, they didn't stay long at Mulan's place and went home.

Mu Jin and Zhou Si cleaned up the dishes and put them in the cupboard.

"Big brother, we probably can't keep too much of the venison that Mian and the others sent. Shall we eat it tonight?"

Zhou Si placed the venison on the cutting board and smelled Mu Jin's breath.

Today, both Mu Jin and Zhou Lin's families were having a fire at their homes, and neither family came empty-handed.

Mu Nianjun brought over a bolt of cloth; the Mu hunter's family had just hunted a deer and sent over a deer leg.

Mu Jin glanced at the venison on the cutting board and was also a little worried. "I ate mutton today, and if I eat venison tonight, I'm afraid I'll get a sore throat."

"Then let's leave it for tomorrow and eat it. It should last for a day or two," Zhou thought for a moment and said.

Mu Jin nodded. "Then let's leave it for now."

He never imagined that one day he would have to worry about having too much meat.

Zhou Lin took a small broom and carefully swept the kitchen floor.

Since the day he delivered steamed buns and was rejected by Zhou Wushi, he hasn't mentioned sending anything to the Zhou family for a long time.

Mu Jin was naturally pleased to see this happen.

"Don't we need to go to Uncle Heng's place today?"

Zhou Lin smiled and said, "I'm going to town to have furniture made tomorrow, so the craftsman said I should rest at home today."

Mu Jin's eyebrows curved slightly. Zhou Lin had told him about this when he returned yesterday.

When the daughter of a wealthy family in town got married, the family steward went to the Zhao family residence to deliver the wedding invitation.

Steward Zhao knew that his family needed to make more furniture as part of the dowry, and they were in a hurry. However, they didn't have enough carpenters at home, so they were afraid they wouldn't be able to finish making it in time.

They planned to hire one or two more carpenters, so they mentioned it to Zhou Lin.

Out of respect for Steward Zhao, Steward Qian took a look at Zhou Lin and Mu Heng at work. Seeing that the two were quick and efficient, he was satisfied.

He went back and mentioned it to his master. With his daughter's wedding date approaching, Qian Fuhu naturally nodded in agreement.

Mu Jin was delighted. Zhou Lin was a skilled carpenter, and word would spread quickly. She would never have to worry about finding work again.

"Then you should rest well at home. Tomorrow you should go to the Qian family and do some hard work."

Zhou Lin shook his head. "It hasn't rained these past few days. I'll go fetch water and water the land."

He can't stay idle; he's used to farm work and doesn't find it tiring.

Unable to dissuade him, Mu Jin followed him to the riverbank carrying the bucket.

"Brothers, you've come to fetch water too."

As soon as I arrived at the riverbank, I heard a clear, melodious voice.

Mu Jin was surprised, "Qi Qiu? Didn't you go to town to accompany your fourth brother to study?"

Everyone in the village knows about this. They mostly say that Bai Qiqiu really likes Zhou Qiang, and he follows him around like a shadow.

A few days ago, Zhou Wushi and Zhou Laosan were often the butt of jokes, which made them stay home a lot these past few days.

Bai Qiqiu waved his hand, "He had nowhere to stay, so I came back."

This was the first time Zhou Lin had met his fourth brother. Judging from his temperament, he seemed to be a straightforward person.

However, his appearance is a bit too rugged.

"Is this my eldest brother?"

As Zhou Lin was lost in thought, he heard Bai Qiqiu calling his name.

Mu Jin gently nudged him, and Zhou Lin quickly nodded, "Ah, yes, that's me."

Bai Qiqiu grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. "Big brother, your family must own quite a lot of land. I'll come and help you once I'm done with my work."

Zhou Lin quickly waved his hand, "No...no need."

"We're all family, no need to be so polite."

Bai Qiqiu laughed, then picked up the two buckets of water with both hands and left.

Mu Jin stared in disbelief. "Qi Qiu, he's quite energetic."

He was used to farm work and could only carry one bucket of water at a time.

Zhou Lin sighed, "My fourth brother has already left home to go back to the teacher's place. It seems he didn't take a liking to him. I wonder if it will work out."

Mu Jin put the wooden bucket into the river and asked, "What do you think of Qi Qiu?"

Zhou Lin laughed and said, "I think he's a good eldest brother, but I don't think he's very useful. He'll only be useful if the fourth brother takes a liking to him."

As they talked, they filled the water tank and quickly lifted it out of the field.

A ladle of water can only irrigate one or two seedlings; watering is truly a laborious task.

Bai Qiqiu kept his word and actually came over in the afternoon to help the two of them water the plants.

He was strong, so he and Zhou Lin went to the river to fetch water, while Mu Jin and Zhou Si watered the fields. They finished their work much faster.

As the sun was setting, Hibiscus stretched her aching back.

"Qi Qiu, we're eating at home today."

Bai Qiqiu didn't stand on ceremony with Mu Jin, "Okay, big brother, I'll be there shortly after I return the wooden bucket to Aunt Mu."

Mu Jin smiled and said, "Si'er, cut two catties of venison later to nourish Qi Qiu."

"Alright, eldest brother, this fourth brother is really good at farm work. He's strong, almost as strong as you."

Mu Jin smiled, finished sprinkling the last ladle of water, and carried the wooden bucket home.

When Bai Qiqiu arrived, Mu Jin had just started heating oil in a wok, preparing to stir-fry vegetables.

"Big brother, big brother, third brother, Zhaoran."

After obediently calling out to each person, she diligently wiped the cutting board after cutting the meat.

When the food was served, Bai Qiqiu said happily, "There's even meat. Thank you for your hospitality, elder brother."

Mu Jin picked up a piece of venison for him, saying, "Eat more. You haven't been eating well these past few days in the village, have you? Come here more often, and I'll cook you something delicious."

Bai Qiqiu smiled and said, "Village Chief Mu gave me a few kilograms of grain when I came, so I have food at home."

Mu Jin and Zhou Lin had come from nothing, so they knew how difficult it must be for a single man to live alone.

Seeing how satisfied he was with his food, Mu Jin felt a pang of sadness.

"Are you doing well at your place?"

Bai Qiqiu swallowed the steamed bun in his mouth. "It's alright when it doesn't rain, but when it rains, it pours outside and drizzles inside. There's no dry place. But it hasn't rained these past few days, so it's still habitable."

Wen Zhaoran's eyes reddened as he listened. Although he had suffered hardships, he had never lived in a leaky house before.

Of the group, he was the kindest-hearted and couldn't help but say, "Brother, how about letting Brother Qi Qiu stay at our house? I'll pay for his food and clothing."

Upon hearing this, Mu Jin glanced at Zhou Lin.

Zhou Lin smiled and said, "Ah Jin, I'll listen to whatever you say."

Bai Qiqiu put down his chopsticks, and after a moment of silence, he took out a worn-out money pouch.

"Big...Big brother, big brother, you don't need Zhaoran to help me pay. I have silver, one tael and three mace plus fifty coins, I'll give it all to you, and I'll give you what I earn in the future too."

After Wen Zhaoran finished speaking, his mind was filled with a whirlwind of emotions.

He didn't want to bother Zhou Lin and the others, but during his time in Mujia Village, there were always some slovenly men loitering in front of his house.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have clung to Zhou Qiang and refused to budge. He just wanted a fiancé so that those people would behave themselves.

No matter how strong he is, he is still afraid.

Unexpectedly, perhaps Zhou Wushi and the others did not want to acknowledge him as their son-in-law, and everyone in the village knew about it.

Having no powerful backers, the man lingering in front of his house was not scared away.

He had been living in constant fear these past few days. He couldn't get along with Zhou Qiang, so staying with Mu Jin would be a good option.

Mu Jin sighed and returned the money pouch to Bai Qiqiu.

Although Bai Qiqiu was disappointed, he still managed to force a smile.

"Big brother, it's alright. I'm strong. I was just feeling a bit lonely living alone. It's more lively with you guys. I'll come over more often during the day to chat with you guys."

Zhou Siting felt a pang of sadness for a moment, and together with Wen Zhaoran, they looked at Mu Jin with pleading eyes.