Chapter Forty-Two

After finally managing to coax Zhou Qiang away, Mu Jin and Zhou Si looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Mu Jin wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes, "It seems that Fourth Brother will be sad for a while."

Zhou Si shook her head, feeling a little sorry for him, but mostly amused.

"Fourth Brother is too proud of himself. Now that he has met Zhaoran, there are probably not many boys who can catch his eye."

Mu Jin took the vegetable seeds and sighed with a smile, "Then we can only rely on Mother."

Between the designated vegetable plots, Hibiscus left passageways for watering and harvesting vegetables. She scattered the seeds and carefully watered them again.

When we were clearing the land, we dug out a lot of stones.

Mu Lingyun used a cart to transport the pebbles to the side of the vegetable garden and helped pave the passageway between the garden plots.

Once it's set up, even if you accidentally spill water on the walkway when watering the plants, your feet won't get dirty easily.

As the weather grew hotter, Mu Lingyun's forehead was covered in sweat from her busy schedule.

Zhou Si felt sorry for him and took out a handkerchief to gently wipe his wound.

Mu Lingyun paused, and the two looked at each other with flushed faces, their eyes filled with tender affection.

Not wanting to linger in front of them, Mu Jin noticed it was getting late, so she picked up the wooden bucket, which was almost empty, and hurried back to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Because Mu Lingyun was there, the family finished eating the steamed buns last night. Mu Jin scooped up a spoonful of refined flour, mixed in a spoonful of dark flour, and steamed a pot of soft, large steamed buns.

Mu Lingyun gave her a rabbit, but Mu Jin didn't know how to skin it, so she called him over, and he cleaned the rabbit and stewed a pot of rabbit meat.

Smoke curled from every chimney in Mujia Village, but Wen Zhaoran still hadn't returned. Mu Jin knew he must have stayed at the Mujia family's house for dinner again.

The aroma of rabbit meat wafted through the air. After stewing for more than half an hour, the meat was tender and flavorful. Before serving, Mu Jin sprinkled some chopped garlic sprouts on top to enhance the flavor.

I scooped out a large bowlful and saved it for Zhou Lin and Wen Zhaoran to eat that evening. I covered it with a cloth to prevent it from getting dusty.

Mu Lingyun washed his hands and laughed, "All the meat I brought has gone back into my stomach."

Mu Jin smiled and said, "Brother Lingyun, you've worked hard these past two days. Eat more. If you hadn't brought meat, Si'er and I wouldn't even be able to smell it."

Mu Lingyun took the chopsticks Zhou Si handed her, secretly deciding to send two more pheasants in a couple of days, as her fiancé was still a bit thin.

In the afternoon, the path through the vegetable garden was half-paved. Because of Mu Jin's instructions, Zhou Lin was afraid of delaying things, so he told Steward Zhao and returned home half an hour earlier than usual.

When Mu Jin saw him return, she called him back to his room to wash up and change into clean clothes. The two then went to the Mu family home together.

People are in high spirits when they have a happy occasion. Mu Laoqi and Zhou Ling were full of energy. When they saw that Mu Jin had given them a wolf-hair brush, they were quite satisfied.

"Second brother, I wish you success in passing the imperial examination and achieving your goal of passing with flying colors."

Mu Jin handed over the wooden box with a smile.

Mu Zhou smiled and said, "Thank you, elder brother."

Mu Bai pouted, crossed her arms, and looked extremely aggrieved.

He snorted, "Big brother, you're just like Dad and the others, all you know is to buy things for second brother, humph, you've completely forgotten about me."

Mu Jin didn't indulge him. "You should also pass the imperial examination and become a student. I'll give you a good one in return."

Mu Bai immediately pouted so much her lips could hold an oil bottle, "Big brother, you're so mean."

Mu Jin smiled and asked Zhou Ling, "Father, I heard from my second brother that he's going to study in town. Which academy is he going to?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling could not hide her smugness.

"Qingwu Academy was recommended by the county magistrate of our town through a letter to the academy's director."

"That's remarkable! Second brother, study hard, and you might even pass the imperial examination in two years."

Although Zhou Lin was a genuine farmer who toiled in the fields, he had heard Zhou Qiang mention it a few times before; it was the best academy in town.

Zhou Ling chuckled upon hearing this, "It's not that we can't say it, it's that we definitely can't. To this day, Qingwu Academy has never had a student who failed the county-level examination."

However, it was still a town academy. It was possible to become a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examination), but it would be difficult to become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination). In that case, Muzhou might have to go to the prefectural city to study.

However, that's all a long way off. Right now, Zhou Ling and Mu Laoqi are extremely satisfied with their children being able to enter Qingwu Academy.

Mu Jin chatted with Zhou Ling and the others for a while. Seeing that Zhou Ling was feeling unwell, she didn't stay for dinner at the Mu family's house and went home before dinner.

Wen Zhaoran returned with them. After spending these days together, seeing that Mu Zhou was about to go to town, she naturally felt a little reluctant to part with him.

However, it is unusual for a child groom or a married man to move into his wife's family home before marriage. It is somewhat unreasonable for Wen Zhaoran to move in now.

After returning home and having dinner, Mu Jin lit an oil lamp, carefully protecting it with one hand, and went back to the bedroom with Zhou Lin.

They took out the silver coins from the hidden compartment and, by the lamplight, carefully counted them.

“These past few days, I’ve gone to the Zhao residence a few times to sell wild vegetables. Combined with what you earned from carpentry, after deducting expenses, there’s still…”

After losing twice, Mu Jin's eyes were filled with laughter. "One tael and nine mace, plus eighty-two coins."

As he spoke, he put the eighty-two copper coins into his usual money bag and hid it under the mattress.

The rest were carefully sealed in the purse and placed in the hidden compartment.

A hint of a smile appeared in Zhou Lin's eyes. "There are still two taels of silver left. I'll have them in a few days."

Mu Jin smiled and said, "Have you forgotten the two taels of silver you borrowed from Si'er? You can return it to him as soon as you bring it back."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Lin sighed, "I thought these two taels of silver could buy us two new pots."

The pot we use at home now was given to us by Mu Bai, but Zhou Lin broke it in half later.

It's fine for stir-frying vegetables, but it's not very useful for steaming buns or similar things.

Zhou Lin had wanted to change the pot since he helped Mu Jin cook before; you could say he had wanted to change the pot for a long time.

Mu Jin lay down in bed, thinking, "Maybe next month I'll be able to get a new meal. Selling green vegetables can earn me about one or two taels of silver."

Zhou Lin lay down next to him, "I almost forgot, I can bring Xiao Qingcai myself tomorrow, the family can't do without you."

Hibiscus thought for a moment with a drowsy mind, her eyes misty, and nodded vaguely.

"Okay, in a while, the seedlings will be transplanted in the fields, and I reckon I won't be able to leave then."

Although Mujia Village is close to Qingshui Town, it still takes an hour to walk there and back, and the work in the fields can't wait for anyone.

It looks like it'll be time to weed again; just as Zhou Lin said, I can't get away.

Seeing that the oil lamp was still lit, Mu Jin nudged Zhou Lin, who had already closed his eyes and fallen asleep after nodding.

"Blow out the oil lamp, it's such a waste of oil."

Zhou Lin had been busy all day, and had gotten up early in the morning to pick vegetables, so she was already exhausted.

Mu Jin tried to push him up twice but couldn't. Helpless, she turned over and stepped over Zhou Lin, leaning out to blow out the oil lamp.

The room was plunged into darkness. Zhou Lin waved his hand and pulled Mu Jin into his arms.

"Ah Jin, don't move around. I'm too tired today, so I won't give it to you now. You can owe me for now. Go to sleep."

Mu Jin playfully punched him lightly, annoyed and embarrassed. "You bad boy, who wants him?!"

Early the next morning, Mu Jin didn't wake Zhou Lin this time. She got up quietly, not disturbing him much, and let him sleep a little longer.

Together with Zhou Si and Wen Zhaoran, the three of them picked the bok choy they were going to take to town today.

Zhou Lin got up, ate breakfast, and Mu Jin had already washed the bok choy.

When Zhou Lin carried it on his back, his tall and strong body swayed slightly; fifty pounds was still quite heavy.

Mu Jin saw him off before returning to the kitchen to eat breakfast with Zhou Si and Wen Zhaoran.

After feeding the chickens and ducks, Mu Jin and Zhou Si carried hoes and went to the fields to weed.

With the gate open, they could see any movement from inside the house from the fields. So Wen Zhaoran stayed home to water the vegetable garden.

I hadn't tended to the fields for a while, and they'd really grown a lot of weeds.

Some of them are even edible purslane, dandelion, and shepherd's purse.

Mu Jin and Zhou Sichu and their group then gathered the weeds they had dug up and put them back in the field.

These weeds are incredibly tenacious; even if they are uprooted by a little rain, some of them can still revive.

It's better to pile it all up at the edge of the field, pick out the edible parts, and prevent the weeds from reviving in the field.

After watering the vegetable garden at home, Wen Zhaoran, who had gotten used to running around with Mu Zhou and Mu Bai these past few days, couldn't stay idle at home, so she picked up a hoe and strolled out.

"Brother, now that we've finished watering, let me help you weed."

Upon hearing this, Mu Jin quickly waved her hand, "No, you can't do this job. How about this, you go home and get a basket, and pick out the edible wild vegetables from the pile of weeds at the edge of the field."

He was afraid that Wen Zhaoran would dig up all the cotton he had worked so hard to grow with a single hoe.

Zhou Si, who was closest to the edge of the field, walked up to Wen Zhaoran and asked, "This is dandelion, that's purslane, and this is shepherd's purse. Do you recognize them?"

Wen Zhaoran waved her hand, "My older brother taught me how to pick wild vegetables when we went to the foot of the mountain before, so I know how."

Zhou Si nodded upon hearing this and instructed, "Take your time picking, and be careful not to pick up any weeds."

After saying that, he went back to the fields to get busy.

After the two men had hoeed two rows, they looked up in surprise to find several men about the same age as Zhou Qiang standing in front of Wen Zhaoran.

Carrying a hoe, he muttered something to Wen Zhaoran.

Mu Jin's face turned cold, and she strode forward, demanding, "What are you all doing?!"

The men who were infatuated with Wen Zhaoran's beauty were brought back to their senses by the roar and gave Mu Jin an embarrassed smile.

Wen Zhaoran laughed and said, "Big brother, they said they came to help. They were just asking me what I was doing. They said they were going to help us hoe the ground."

Upon hearing this, Mu Jin sighed and rubbed her forehead, quite speechless. She waved her hand and said, "We don't need you. We can handle the work."

The men were flustered for a moment, but then calmed down.

"Brother Lin, we're the best at weeding. Don't worry, we just want to help, we won't take any money from you."

Mu Jin sighed helplessly, "Have you finished your chores at home? Do your parents know you've come to my house to do chores?"

Several men nodded vigorously, "They know, Brother Lin, don't worry."

Mu Jin sighed, "What's the point?"

Seeing that they had already stepped into the field, they would probably be unhappy if we didn't let them work.

He instructed, "Be careful not to damage the seedlings."

"Don't worry, Brother Lin."

As he spoke, he picked up the hoe and began to swing it around, occasionally stealing a glance at Wen Zhaoran.

Zhaoran, look at me. Only a strong and powerful man like me is worthy of you. That pretty boy Muzhou is no match for me!

As Mu Jin looked at them, she seemed to hear the cries from their hearts.

With this kind of behavior, what's there to misunderstand? They're trying to steal his second brother's girlfriend from him.

This man with his peacock-like display of skill is truly remarkable. What would have taken Zhou Si and Mu Jin two or three days to complete, he finished in just one morning.

Mu Jin really didn't know what to say.