Chapter 62

Ye Jia's scented soap was delivered to the Cheng family at the end of December. It happened to snow heavily that day, but luckily, Dongxiang Town wasn't far from Libei Town. Mules travel quickly, so Ajiu had a proper attitude this time, naturally leaving early and returning early. Manager Zhang had a deep impression of Ajiu. Mainly because he had come with Ye Jia that day, and given Ye Jia's relationship with Young Master Cheng, it was hard not to leave a deep impression on Manager Zhang.

They sent over 3,500 pieces of fragrant soap, and since they had enough ingredients, they made a few more. Manager Zhang naturally accepted the entire order. The Cheng family's reputation in the five Western Regions was enough to consume the goods brought by the caravan, and there was no problem of it not being able to sell.

"Why didn't Boss Ye come this time?"

After winter, Cheng Feng had returned from his escort mission and was now resting at home. Cheng Feng was already nineteen years old, having reached adulthood after the Lunar New Year. The Cheng family's old man wanted to arrange a marriage for him, but the boy was stubborn and refused to agree. He had his eyes fixed on the third daughter of the Ye family, even though she was married. After inspecting the batch of fragrant soap, Manager Zhang looked at Ah Jiu with a smile and couldn't help asking about Ye Jia.

Ah Jiu knew about this and smiled when she heard it, "My sister has other things to do. She caught a cold a while ago and is feeling a little unwell. She's recuperating at home now. She didn't come in person today to help with the delivery of goods. Before the escort departs next spring, my sister will come again to discuss the price of the fragrant soap with the steward."

"Of course. This batch of scented soap seems to smell better than last time?" Manager Zhang was just testing the waters. While warriors weren't as particular as scholars, the question was fine. Since she was a married woman, they still had to be tactful.

"Manager Zhang has a good eye. This time, they've specially changed to high-quality raw materials." Ajiu nodded. Although he knew what was going on, he wouldn't say anything about the ingredients of the fragrant soap. "This time, my sister wanted to provide the Cheng family with a better source of goods and live up to the reputation of the Cheng family business. She went to great lengths to find good products. The fragrance was also carefully blended. Most people who don't know the quality of the goods probably won't be able to smell it. I heard from my sister that this is some kind of exotic fragrance, with a front and back blend. I'm a rough man and I don't understand much. Manager Zhang, give it a smell. Doesn't this fragrance look much more upscale?"

"Top and bottom notes? What kind of fragrance is that?" Manager Zhang wasn't one to be fooled. The scent was strange, but after sniffing it a few times, it was incredibly deep and subtle. Nowadays, there's no such thing as a top and bottom note; it's just that the aroma is layered, naturally giving it a more upscale feel.

"It doesn't smell like sandalwood, nor does it smell like agarwood." Manager Zhang picked up a piece and sniffed it. "Instead, it has an indescribable lingering feeling..."

Ah Jiu's words were all nonsense, but this batch of scented soaps was indeed scented. It wasn't any particularly expensive spices, though. Yu had put a lot of effort into creating the fragrance. With some free time in the winter, she had the energy to think up some new ideas.

There's no need to elaborate on the details here. Ajiu would certainly say something nice to gild his own wares: "You've asked me about this. To be honest, Manager Zhang, I'm a rough man. I've never used precious items like soap, let alone spices."

"That's true." How could a rough man understand spices? Manager Zhang still couldn't find the correct names for spices.

The two exchanged a few pleasantries, and Manager Zhang didn't keep Ajiu. He asked the servant to go to the accounting office to get a box of silver coins for Ajiu, and then accepted the goods.

Ye Jia's cooperation with the Cheng family was based on commission, so naturally, he didn't have to pay the full price for the goods. However, business couldn't be done without proof. To maintain trust and peace of mind for both parties, the Cheng family had to pay a certain amount of cash as a deposit after receiving the goods.

Ajiu brought back a box of silver that day. It was a small box of silver, with a total of three hundred taels.

It has to be said that the gap between the rich and the poor in the northwest is a huge chasm.

The truly wealthy could easily spend hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, while the lower classes struggled to even afford food and clothing, fearing their families wouldn't survive the winter. Without the "more work, more pay" distribution system and comprehensive taxation system of later generations, it was truly a case of drought for those who thirst, and flood for those who flood. Ye Jia took a deep breath, realizing that only those with more resources could thrive.

She just sighed for a moment and delivered the goods to the Cheng family as agreed. Everyone relaxed for the next half month.

After a busy year, even the strongest get tired. Ye Jia was tired too, but as the leader, she couldn't complain. She thought about giving her family their wages at the end of the year, and also giving them a "year-end bonus."

After taking the deposit back into the house, Yu gathered her family together to clean up and have a happy New Year.

Although Ye Wumei didn't know what her sister meant by the "year-end bonus", she was happy to be given money.

Old Man Sun's home was in Zhangjiaqiao, but he had no plans to return since his wife passed away. Old Man Sun would definitely spend the New Year at the Zhou family's this year. Of his two grandsons, Sun Jun would be seven years old next New Year. In ancient times, seven was the age when people were supposed to herd cattle and help with household chores. The Zhou family didn't have any cattle for them to herd, but Old Man Sun had already taught him how to work. Perhaps because people matured earlier in ancient times, Sun Jun now acted like a little adult. The younger one didn't know anything yet, so he just did whatever his older brother told him to do.

Having accomplished such a significant task and received the deposit, Ye Jia was delighted. Therefore, everyone in the family received a small reward, except for Lin Zeyu, who had been brought to Yu's care since returning from Luntai.

Yu was actually a very forgiving person, but she could be quite ruthless when it came to punishing servants.

Yu's method of disciplining people was quite direct. If they didn't understand the rules, they wouldn't be allowed to eat, starving them until they became obedient.

Lin Zeyu was much more diligent now. He no longer dared to be so inactive and lazy as before. Perhaps because he knew that even though the Zhou family was not wealthy, they were not easy to manipulate, he became much more honest.

Knowing that Ye Jia disliked him, he didn't dare approach Ye Jia anymore. Ye Wumei and Ye Simei had always been at odds with their elder sister, and Lin Zeyu couldn't curry favor with Ye Wumei. He could only follow Old Man Sun and do rough work, sweeping snow, chopping wood, collecting firewood, and making fires.

He was indeed intelligent, learning everything quickly. He understood the rules and principles, having learned to read and write under the master's eldest grandson. He pretended to be ignorant, even though he knew the truth. In reality, he could read and write, and even use an abacus. He simply saw the good nature of the Zhou family and took advantage of them. As long as his cunning was suppressed, he would do his job.

Yu had originally thought that Ye Jia needed a servant, as his business would grow and he would need help from a literate person. Seeing that Lin Zeyu was indeed intelligent, she asked Ye Jia to see if he could be of use.

"Don't worry, it's only been less than two months. How can you tell if it's going to be good or bad? Don't worry, Mom. I have it all figured out." Ye Jia knew she'd need more people once her business expanded, and one person couldn't handle everything. But her workshop wasn't even up and running yet. "It's true we need to plan for the future sooner rather than later, but there's no need to do it this early. If things really don't work out, I can hire someone capable from outside at a significant expense."

Yu was just making a suggestion, not a request.

Most of the stewards of aristocratic families were born into a family. It was the same at the Jing Palace. The two skilled maids who assisted the housekeeper Yu were all hired from outside, and none of the servants above the second rank were hired from outsiders; they were all born into the family. Naturally, Yu favored slaves with indentures.

"That's fine," Yu was not the type to give orders, "as long as Jia Niang knows what's going on."

Ye Jia didn't really care about Lin Zeyu. New Year's Day was just a fortnight away, and it was time for the family to start preparing. This was Ye Jia's first New Year in this world, and she hoped to have a good experience.

There are still vegetables stored in the cellar at home, but not much meat is saved.

Ye Jia couldn't help but stare at the three sheep at home. Ewes give birth to lambs in October, something Ye Jia hadn't known before. This was the first time she learned that sheep take five or six months to conceive, and only give birth to two at a time. It was truly an eye-opener. When she first bought the two sheep, she'd assumed they'd give birth to a single litter, just like chickens and ducklings...

"Aunt, don't eat it." Rui Jie'er was frightened by the way Ye Jia looked at the sheep, "Our family still needs to drink its milk..."

"No, no," Ye Jia rubbed her head and looked at the chicken coop in the corner with regret. These chickens were bought after moving to Dongxiang Town. They can lay eggs in three months. With the care of the old man Sun and his grandson, each one is so fat that it can't fly. The amount of eggs laid by a dozen hens is amazing. Since they started laying eggs, the Zhou family has not gone to the town to buy eggs. "It should be enough to kill two or three for the New Year."

"If it's really not enough, let's go to the sheep seller's house." Yu was watching from the side. Now she almost understood Ye Jia's thoughts. "We don't have a big family. Buying half a sheep will be enough to eat."

Fourth Sister Ye laughed and said, "If you can't buy mutton, you can ask Ajiu to go to the mountains and get some game."

"Don't take the risk of hunting game. It's so cold, and the mountains are covered with snow. Do you really trust him to go out into the mountains alone to hunt for game? Besides, it's not all meat. It's not enough to just eat meat. We have to try something else..." These days, unless you can build a greenhouse for vegetarian food, in ancient times, you could only eat cabbage, radish and pickled cabbage. "Oh, by the way, mother, is my husband back?"

"Of course I have to come back for the New Year." No matter where you are, you have to come back for the New Year.

Ye Jia nodded: "Okay, ask my husband to go catch some fish."

Zhou Jingchen heard Ye Jia's words the moment he returned. He was followed by Liu Yuan, who was desperately trying to get a free meal, and Sun Yushan, who had come to the Zhou family home on a rare day off to visit his father and nephew. In mid-December, Oghuz led his troops back to their base. Sailik had been escorted to Luntai, and the Turks had been driven out of Libei Town. Now, how to negotiate with the Turks depended on the response of the Protectorate.

The Shen Hai case remained unresolved, not because there was no evidence, nor because Ogus was afraid of the Shen family. Rather, both sides did not want to see the discovery of the Zengqing Mine leaked, and both wanted to monopolize it. Both sides tacitly concealed the matter.

The focus of the conflict between the two factions was no longer on saving Shen Hai's life, but on how to drive the other side out without exposing the Zengqing Mine. It must be said that the Shen family truly disregarded Oguz. A foreigner from a white family, he brazenly used his family's influence to suppress the local officials. It was only thanks to Oguz's arrival that his foundation was unstable. Otherwise, how could the Shen family have been so presumptuous?

Putting this matter aside, Zhou Jingchen can breathe a sigh of relief when Ughuz returns.

"Fishing? Where can I find any fish?" Before he could finish his words, Liu Yuan popped his head out from beside him. "There's no lake nearby... Oh, sister-in-law, are you still thinking about the fish in the small lake behind the training forest at our base?"

"Can't I just think about it?" Ye Jia had been there several times. The lake was very deep and there were fish in it.

"It's not that I can't think about it... I just didn't expect that you, my sister-in-law, would actually think about it. Speaking of which, apart from Yun An being pretentious and going there to wash clothes, not many people go there on weekdays. No one thinks there are fish there either." Liu Yuan looked at Ye Jia as if he had seen a fellow traveler. He had met so many people, but only Ye Jia thought of food when he saw the lake. "My sister-in-law, can you cook fish?"

Ye Jia knew how to cook fish, of course. She could make braised fish, pickled fish, and fish head tofu. But she hadn't eaten much since coming here.

Seeing Ye Jia nod, Liu Yuan immediately became excited. He had already made up his mind to eat at Zhou's house today, so he might as well eat fish today. They also had more than ten days of rest, and Liu Yuan was alone and had nothing to do: "Okay, let's go fishing!"

Zhou Jingchen had barely stepped into the house when he opened his mouth, so he naturally wouldn't go: "I don't know how to swim, so you two can go."

As soon as he said this, Ye Jia's eyes became strange.

Ye Jia would never forget the incident of Zhou Jingchen covering his face with his underpants. How could he lie without thinking? Of course, she didn't expose him outright. Especially when Liu Yuan folded his arms and tutted, mocking Zhou Jingchen with a sarcastic, yet unconcealed, smug tone, saying there were things Zhou Jingchen couldn't do. Ye Jia remained silent.

"No one is perfect, everyone has shortcomings." Zhou Jingchen didn't care about it. "Since you are good at swimming, I'll leave this to you."

Liu Yuan laughed for a while, and actually took Sun Yushan away.

He was truly greedy. This was a rare opportunity to improve his food, so naturally he had to do his best to eat well. Sun Yushan was good-tempered and had no complaints about being dragged out. He wasn't as shameless as Liu Yuan when it came to freeloading, so he thought he'd catch some fish and bring it over as a gift.

As soon as the two of them left, Zhou Jingchen met Ye Jia's meaningful gaze.

He wasn't embarrassed, he touched his nose and laughed: "Are there any snacks at home? I'm hungry."

There were no snacks at home, but even if he was hungry, he still had to get something to eat. Normally, if anyone asked for food, Ye Wumei would heat up the stove and cook it quickly. But every time Zhou Jingchen asked for food, she would just sit there, as if deaf, and ask Ye Jia to make it for him herself. Speaking of which, only Yu Shi noticed this little detail of Ye Wumei's; Ye Jia herself was unaware of it.

Yu Shi also had a genuine fondness for Ye Wumei because of this little gesture. This little girl wasn't particularly bright, but she knew her limits better than anyone else in many things. With such a good sense of propriety, she was always endearing.

Ye Jia rolled her eyes at Zhou Jingchen and headed to the kitchen: "Husband, come here and light the fire for me."

Zhou Jingchen was still wearing thick armor, and he didn't even bother to take it off before following. Yu glanced at the two people who were heading to the kitchen one after the other and called everyone else away. They were well fed and warm, and didn't need snacks, so why were they hiding in the kitchen?

"Old Sun, it's almost time to go to Wusutu's house and see if you can buy half a sheep." Yu instructed one person to go and then looked at the others. Ye Wumei came over with her eyes downcast. "Auntie, I'll go with Uncle Sun. We haven't fried New Year's goods yet, so it's time to do some. I wonder if the fruit vendors in town still have any, I'll go over and see."

Yu smiled and said, "Let Old Sun go. It's so cold, so don't follow. Go inside and warm yourself by the fire."

Ye Wumei glanced at Yu and nodded: "Then I will go to Fourth Sister's room to hug Xiao Ba."

Xiao Ba is the green-eyed twin born to Ye Simei.

Perhaps because her own name was Jiu, Jiu gave both children numbers. The older one with green eyes was named Zhengzhi, with a nickname of Xiaoba. The younger one was named Yuchuan, with a nickname of Xiaoqi. Zhou Jingchen had chosen both children's names, and the nicknames were Jiu's own personal choice. They sounded strange at first, but after calling them more often, they started to flow. They were both simple and catchy.

As she said that, Ye Wumei pulled Ye Simei back to the room at the back.

"Ah?" Ye Simei was grabbed by her as soon as she came out. She looked at Yu blankly and followed Ye Wumei back. "Xiao Qi just went to bed."

"Then I'll go see him too. It's been a long time since Auntie hugged them."

Although she didn't understand why, Ye Simei went along with her wishes.

Ye Jia, unaware of the people outside, was in the back kitchen dicing carrots. She also broke some corn kernels, diced some meat, cracked an egg, and heated up some oil to make a stir-fry for Zhou Jingchen. There weren't many snacks at home, but they did have some leftover mixed-grain rice, which was quite delicious when fried in oil. Zhou Jingchen squatted behind the stove, slowly adding firewood.

The oil sizzles as you pour it in. First, beat the eggs in the oil. Sauté until halfway cooked, then serve. Add the desired diced carrots, corn kernels, and diced meat. Once they change color, add the rice and the half-cooked eggs, then stir-fry with salt and a little chili sauce. This dish comes together quickly, and the aroma permeates the air. The spicy flavor is so pungent it's sure to whet your appetite.

Zhou Jingchen stared at the slender figure swaying in the smoke, and his expression gradually softened.

After cooking a large pot of food, the two of them did not return to the house. Zhou Jingchen sat at the small table with his bowl in hand and ate.

Ye Jia didn't leave either, but sat down opposite him.

The main issue was that the wind was biting cold outside, while the kitchen stove was warm. The kang inside wasn't heated, so it wasn't as warm as the kitchen. Ye Jia's eyes fell on him honestly. Needless to say, there was nothing else to look at in this room except him. She was just casually examining him, but she didn't know if it was her imagination, but as she studied him...she felt that Zhou Jingchen looked a lot more handsome.

His hair was still the same, his face was still the same. The chilblains on his cheeks had healed and he hadn't gotten frostbite again. Ye Jia studied his features closely, unable to discern what had changed.

It felt like watching celebrities in her past life: after a while, she'd think they'd gotten better, but upon closer inspection, she couldn't tell what had changed. This person's face seemed much paler, and his hair was a little messy, but upon closer inspection, each strand was a touch charming. Suddenly, as Ye Jia watched, she felt a certain intimacy in his casual demeanor.

"Husband..."

"Hmm?" Zhou Jingchen knew she was looking at him, and raised his eyelids slightly.

Ye Jia's eyes couldn't help but fall on the hand holding the spoon. The back of his hand was smooth and white, and the annoying chilblains were gone. Ye Jia's eyes lit up, and hesitantly asked, "Have you had any minor adjustments recently?"

The spoon in Zhou Jingchen's hand hit the edge of the bowl with a click, and he raised an eyebrow: "...fine-tuning?"

"...No." Ye Jia waved his hands quickly, thinking it was impossible. "I'm just talking nonsense. Eat your meal and ignore me."

Zhou Jingchen fixed his gaze on her face for a moment, then lowered his head to continue eating quietly. His hand waved in front of Ye Jia's eyes as if for show. Even if Ye Jia was stupid, she could sense his deliberate intentions.

...Zhou Jingchen is a ruthless guy who will do anything to achieve his goals.

She silently retracted her unrestrained gaze, supported her chin with one hand, and turned her head to look out the door. Zhou Jingchen stared at the back of her head, and the corner of his mouth curled up almost imperceptibly.

He stopped showing off his peacock tail and ate his meal quietly.

After finishing a large bowl of rice, it was snowing outside. Ye Jia had completely experienced the heavy snowfall in winter. She would definitely not be unprepared at this time next year. Zhou Jingchen put down his spoon and wiped his mouth. Ye Jia glanced at his stomach. It was flat. After eating so much food, his abdomen was actually not bulging?

Lin Zeyu appeared out of nowhere and washed all the pots and pans obediently.

Zhou Jingchen glanced at him, and Lin Zeyu quickly lowered his head. This look of lowering his head and eyes was quite well-behaved.

Seeing it was almost time, Ye Jia patted her clothes and prepared to return to the house. As she reached the door, she heard the noises of Liu Yuan, Sun Yushan, and the others returning from the front yard. Yu Shi also emerged from the house and was talking to the two of them.

She walked over. Besides the two of them, two more people followed. One was a burly man of foreign descent. Ye Jia remembered him as Bazatu. The other was a stranger, someone she had never seen before. Somehow, these men had managed to catch two buckets full of fish. The lake was full of black carp and snakehead. Each one weighed about half a pound, and the meat of these wild fish was exceptionally delicious.

The two of them each carried a large bucket and dumped it onto the snow in the yard. The fish were still alive, jumping around. Ye Jia walked over quickly. The largest ones weighed two or three pounds, which seemed enough to last until next year.

"Sister-in-law, do you think this is enough?" Liu Yuan hadn't expected the fish in the lake to be so stupid. Perhaps it was because no one was eating them. They pried open a hole, took a net bag and scooped up a pile of fish. "If it's not enough, we brothers can go and get some more."

As he spoke, he seemed to have just remembered something. Scratching the back of his head, he smiled and said, "I ran into Bazatu and Chen Shiqing on the road. It just so happened that they had nowhere else to go, so they came together to have a meal. What do you think, sister-in-law?"

"Of course." Ye Jia hurriedly invited them to sit inside. "We've had enough fish. Let's all go sit inside."

Zhou Jingchen emerged from the kitchen a little later, following Ye Jia at a leisurely pace. He glanced at Liu Yuan when he heard them talking, but he didn't chase them away. Indeed, among these people, except for Bazatu and Sun Yushan, who were locals, Zhou Jingchen, Liu Yuan, and Chen Shiqing were all exiled. Zhou Jingchen, needless to say, was completely alone, as Liu Yuan and Chen Shiqing's families had all but disappeared.

When they weren't training at the base, they had nowhere to go during their rest days, especially during heavy snow.

Leading a few people to the main hall, Yu Shi hurriedly called Lin Zeyu over to clean up the fish. She then returned to her room and took out the snacks she had stored for Rui Jie'er to serve. The Sun family's children heard the noise and ran over, joining Lin Zeyu in putting the scattered fish back into the bucket. Ye Jia figured that they couldn't finish so many in one meal, so she simply let Lin Zeyu take the basin and keep it in water.

After giving the instructions, he glanced at the sky and realized it would be dinner time in another hour. Ye Jia went to Ye Simei's room to call her out, then went to the cellar to get some more food and started preparing dinner.

"Is there any wine at home?" Yu poked her head out from under the door. "It's getting cold, warm some wine for them."

"Maybe." Ye Jia wasn't sure. The family had been drinking more since winter. Since everyone was free and needed to stay warm in the cold, Yu Shi would encourage Ye Jia to drink whenever she had nothing else to do. Ye Jia hadn't had a drinking habit, but he'd developed one. He'd only have a few drinks, and the family wouldn't have enough left.

"I'll go and take a look."

Ye Wumei was a quick runner. The cellar at home was right next to the kitchen. She could just open the lid and lower a ladder down to get down. Ye Wumei was agile, so she ran over to take a look and came back up quickly. "There's still one jar left."

"Then I guess we'll have a bite this time, and there won't be any left next time." Yu smacked her lips, feeling a little reluctant.

Yu was just mumbling, and Ye Jia's heart skipped a beat as she listened. She figured since she had nothing to do at home, she might as well come up with something new. Speaking of winemaking, it didn't seem that difficult. Ye Jia had made wine and plum wine before. Thinking about it, brewing simple sorghum wine or multi-grain wine seemed pretty simple too. She was worried about being bored this winter, so why not give it a try?

"It's okay, just let them drink." At worst, the town's wine cellar is still open.

Yu opened her mouth, initially feeling a bit sorry, as she actually had a taste for wine. But then she glanced at Ye Jia, and in that split second her heart skipped a beat. Then the corners of her mouth curled up subtly, and she nodded repeatedly, "Never mind, never mind. It's rare for Yun An to have such good friends. No need to moan and groan over a jar of wine..."

"But Jia Niang, isn't it time to start cooking?" Yu looked at the sky and sighed, "It gets dark so early in winter..."

Ye Jia didn't know what she was sighing about, so she nodded: "It feels like the whole day has passed without doing anything."

"Isn't it?" Yu said, hinting, "In the blink of an eye, it was pitch dark."

The same words were repeated twice, but Ye Jia showed no reaction. However, Ye Simei, who was already married, blushed. She glanced at her oblivious sister and suddenly smiled.

Ye Wumei: “…” She seemed to understand something but also seemed not to understand.