Chapter 65

Ye Jia didn't know when Zhou Jingchen came back that night, but he didn't come back before she fell asleep.

The wind blew hard, and snow fell all night. With the kang (kang) heated inside, they weren't afraid of the cold. It must be said that Ye Jia's act of spreading the kang provided the family with a comfortable winter's passage. That winter, Yu Shi's bone aches, which had plagued her for three years when the weather turned cold, were completely gone. She ate well, slept soundly, and felt increasingly energetic. She looked even more beautiful.

Yu's beauty was truly stunning. Even when she was grimy and dusty, Ye Jia had already thought her charming. Now, with her fair and plump complexion, it was clear she was Zhou Jingchen's biological mother. Only a woman of her stature could have given birth to a child like Zhou Jingchen. As her beauty grew, she rarely went out. Yu was very cautious in this regard, avoiding going out to avoid causing trouble.

Rui Jie'er grew taller like a bamboo joint. Now she was tall enough to be as tall as Ye Jia's waist when she stood up.

Yu Shi now taught her to read when she had nothing else to do. Children in the Zhou family all started learning at age three, and began reading at four or five. Previously, Rui Jie'er had been kept from learning due to financial constraints, but it wasn't really a delay; after all, Rui Jie'er was only four years old after the Lunar New Year.

Since teaching people to read and write is important, teaching one is also important. The brothers Sun Jun and Sun Cheng followed Rui Jie'er every day, so Yu Shi simply brought the two children with her to teach them.

Old Man Sun was very grateful for this. No one in his family could read, so for his grandson to learn a few words was a big deal.

There wasn't much to do in winter, except for gathering firewood. Yu Shi had nothing to do anyway, so she thought teaching the children to read and write would be a good way to pass the time. The schoolwork wasn't heavy; they only learned ten large characters a day. They studied during the day, and in the evenings, when they had free time, they would test their teaching.

I taught Sun Jun the characters, and he memorized them after just three or four repetitions. The two younger children proved more difficult to teach. Perhaps it was because they were too young; they were fickle and couldn't sit still. Ye Jia opened her eyes and found no one around. She could only hear the sounds of children reading. Rui Jieer was giggling, and Sun Jun would occasionally guide her with strokes.

She rubbed her dizzy head and sat up from the kang.

The kang was still warm, and the room was cozy. She was the only one in the room at this hour, and the pillows beside her were neatly arranged. Ye Jia seriously suspected that Zhou Jingchen had not returned last night, otherwise why would it be as if no one had slept there?

I put on a coat, got off the kang, and opened the window. The snow outside had piled up halfway up the door. A slender figure stood in the snow, like an ink painting.

The door was half-open. Ye Jia walked to the dressing table and gathered her loose hair behind her to tie it into a low ponytail.

Only when she stood in front of the mirror did she realize something was wrong. Her neck and collarbone were covered in bruises, a truly alarming sight. With that thought in mind, she quickly turned around and untied the string of her dress. Sure enough, there was a dark tooth mark on the tip of her neck where she'd been bitten. Ye Jia's face was swirling with bruises. She hadn't expected her skin to bruise so easily.

It didn't hurt, so she quickly went to the cupboard and took out a thick scarf.

After getting dressed and about to go out to wash up, I noticed a wooden bucket next to the washstand. It was half full of water, still warm to the touch. Remembering that Zhou Jingchen was on leave recently and might have to stay home until the beginning of spring, I raised my eyebrows.

Someone fetched water, so what did he do? Ye Jia washed up in the warm water in the house and came out dressed neatly.

After leaving the house, no one was in sight. Yu held a copy of the Three Character Classic at the gate, pointing to the characters and teaching them to read. Sun Jun squatted outside the gate, tracing in the snow with a small branch in his hand. Although some strokes were misplaced, he ultimately wrote the characters correctly.

"Jia Niang, are you up?" Yu heard the door to the east room open and looked up with a smile. "Breakfast is heating up on the stove."

Ye Jia nodded, turned around and walked out of the house.

Yu looked at Ye Jia's back in surprise as she hurriedly disappeared into the corner. She didn't even notice the child shaking her arm. She muttered, "What's this kid doing wearing such a big scarf at home?"

Ye Jia didn't hear these words, but they made Zhou Jingchen, who was sweeping snow outside, freeze for a moment.

He swept the path from the entrance to the courtyard with a large broom, then turned back. Standing outside for a moment, a layer of snow had settled on his shoulders. His brows were clear and relaxed, his expression calm and gentle. He didn't follow Ye Jia's example and wear a large scarf, mainly because he didn't have one. But anyone with eyes could see the small, subtle tooth mark on his Adam's apple.

Yu hadn't seen her son early in the morning. Suddenly, a shadow fell over her and she saw him when she looked up.

Zhou Jingchen coughed, calmly placed the broom at the door, and turned to go into the house.

Yu stared at his back and narrowed her eyes.

Her eyes flickered between the closed door of the east room and the corner where Ye Jia was no longer visible. Suddenly, as if she understood something, she grinned. Delighted, she announced, "Learn ten more characters today! If you don't learn them all, you won't have dinner tonight!"

Rui Jie'er was trying to shirk the exam, but when her grandmother said this, she started howling.

When the weather gets cold, your breath forms frost. Ye Jia hurried out of the front room, leaving a trail of messy footprints on the ground. She arrived in the back kitchen, chilled by the wind. Ye Wumei and Ye Simei were already huddled under the stove.

A few months later, the children were as fair and tender as steamed buns made with fermented dough. The twins inherited their parents' good looks, as if they were made from pure white flour. It was freezing cold, and Ye Simei didn't want to leave them indoors, so she carried them behind the stove. The room was still a bit chilly without a heated kang, but the stove, with a fire burning all day and night, kept it naturally warm.

"Sister, what do you want to eat in the morning?" Although the steamed buns were warming on the stove, if Ye Jia wanted to eat something else, Ye Wumei would be happy to make it for her.

"Just something to eat." It would be New Year's Eve in a dozen days, and the fragrant soap had already been delivered. Ye Jia had been idle for two days and couldn't rest, so he wanted to tinker with something. Seeing his fourth and fifth sisters, he naturally remembered what he had talked about yesterday, "Let's see if we can make some wine today."

"Winemaking? That would require extra grain."

Although Ye Simei had never brewed wine, she had seen others do so. In those days, winemaking was all done with grain, and the family had land, so they would only use the surplus after the family had enough to eat to make wine. It wasn't that the Zhou family didn't have land, but rather that food was scarce during the winter.

"When I'm done eating, I'll go check in the cellar."

The last remaining jar of wine at home was drunk yesterday. Now that the family is under Yu's care, they occasionally drink a little wine. Now that it's gone, it's natural to want to get some back. Ye Jia thought about it, finished the steamed bun in a few bites, and went to the cellar.

The cellar was stocked with food, gradually brought home since winter began, and it had now piled up into a small mountain. It was all grain, with the ground flour and mixed grains stored on top of the moisture-proof straw. Besides these, there were also three large bags of rice from Jiangnan. Because Ye Jia loved rice, Yu had specially arranged for it to be bought, costing her a good portion of her pocket money.

It must be said that meeting the Yu family was a blessing in disguise for Ye Jia when he traveled to this world.

There was enough food, and the cellar was stocked with enough to last until next year. Ye Jia walked around the yard, feeling it was quite empty. Perhaps he could spend some time decorating it next year. In his past life, he'd often seen people returning to the mountains and decorating their yards like paradises. This month, the Zhou family seemed to have the conditions.

After a moment's thought, she recalled the requirements for brewing wine. Not only did she need the materials, but she also needed a vessel to brew it.

Ye Jia had seen a documentary about this in his previous life, just watching it in his spare time. After all, wine is simply an alcoholic beverage produced through microbial fermentation.

Winemaking has a history in every country. Globally, grain-based winemaking can be roughly divided into two main categories: one involves germinating grains, using enzymes produced during germination to saccharify the raw material into sugars, which are then converted into alcohol by yeast. The other involves using moldy grains to make koji (drinking yeast), which uses enzymes contained in the koji to ferment the saccharides into alcohol. Ancient Chinese wines were mostly brewed using koji, which was readily available in tile markets. However, during heavy snow, tile markets are closed, making it impossible to buy them.

In fact, it is not difficult to make koji. There are many kinds of koji according to the different raw materials.

She only remembered the simplest kind of koji, wheat koji. The ingredients were simple: barley, wheat, and, to a lesser extent, peas. The preparation was also simple: first, grind the ingredients, moisten them with water, then pile them together, add water, and continue stirring. Once they were shaped into the desired size, they were placed in the koji workshop to cultivate. Frequent turning and treading were necessary, and once the koji was ready, it was stored.

The quality of koji is generally influenced by two factors: the composition of the raw materials and the temperature at which it is incubated. Generally speaking, temperature influences the alcohol content of the resulting liquor. High-temperature koji produces a stronger, more aromatic liquor. Medium-low temperature koji produces a lower alcohol content and a lighter aroma.

Generally, home brewers buy ready-made koji. Making koji takes a long time, with large koji requiring at least a month. Small koji, on the other hand, can be made faster, taking only six or seven days. However, small koji is unique to southern China. The raw materials are difficult to obtain, requiring glutinous rice or japonica rice soaked in polygonum leaves or hemp flowers, then kneaded into a rice ball.

Polygonum aviculare is unique to the south and can't be found in the northwest. Hops do exist, though; they should be available at herbal medicine shops. If hops could be mass-produced, Ye Jia would even consider reselling them in beer. I wonder if people these days are used to drinking beer?

Putting down the bowl, she went to find Old Man Sun and asked him to go to the herbal medicine shop on the street to take a look. If she could buy koji, she would naturally buy ready-made koji. If not, she would make her own. It was best to buy whatever was available.

Old Man Sun nodded after hearing this and said, "Don't worry, Boss. I do know a few old restaurants. I'll go ask them. The herbal medicine shop is always open. Go around to the back of the alley, and that's where the old doctors live."

After the tile market closed, most of the liquor shops on the street also closed. But at this time, the shops and stores were not far from each other. Once you were familiar with the streets and knew where the shops were, you could still buy things. Besides, what Ye Jia wanted to buy was not in short supply. For example, liquor stores brewed several large vats at a time. They could store it in the cellar for years. Even if you went to buy it in winter, there would still be some.

Old man Sun felt uncomfortable staying in the house, so he put on his felt hat and drove out in his ox cart.

Ye Jia tightened her scarf and hugged Xiao Ba for a while. Then Ye Simei started talking about Ajiu. Ajiu had been running around since winter, often coming back in the middle of the night covered in injuries. Ye Simei was worried that he had met with harm, but she couldn't find out. This matter had been weighing on Ye Simei's mind for a long time, and she couldn't help but come to Ye Jia to talk about it.

"Sister, what on earth is Ajiu busy with out there?" Ye Simei had never lacked money since marrying Ajiu, and her food and clothing were much better than before at home. Ajiu didn't have much property. Although she would go hunting with others for furs in the winter, most of the time she didn't have a proper livelihood.

"It's so cold and snowy, most people don't go out. What kind of work can he possibly do?"

Ye Jia couldn't say for sure. Even Ye Simei, her partner, didn't know, so how could Ye Jia know?

Seeing Ye Jia shaking her head, Ye Simei sighed: "Ajiu, please don't do anything wrong..."

"It's unlikely he's done anything wrong. He's no longer alone, so he'll naturally be more cautious. After all, even if he cares about himself, he has to consider you and the two children." Ye Jia consoled him, "If you're truly worried, why not ask him in person?"

Ye Simei pondered for a long time, feeling worried.

Ye Jia considered the people around her who could be used, and besides Ajiu, there really wasn't anyone else. They were all women, and while she could guarantee she could endure hardship, it wasn't realistic for the others to leave. Besides, she couldn't leave, after all, with so much to do at home, and she couldn't just abandon the family business for this matter. After much deliberation, she felt that Zhou Jingchen was the one who had to do it.

Zhou Jingchen might have someone who could be used. If so, she would see if she could lend him out.

Thinking about this in his mind, Ye Jia patted his knees and stood up again.

When she returned to the front room, Yu had already called the children inside to play. The books were put away, and Yu herself was sitting at the doorway, sewing clothes with a basket in her hand. Ye Jia walked over and glanced into the main room, but saw that Zhou Jingchen was not there.

Back in the house, Zhou Jingchen was sitting by the window grinding ink. Hearing the noise, he looked up at Ye Jia.

Ye Jia felt a bit awkward when she saw him again after waking up so early in the morning and not seeing him. But seeing how he didn't seem to care, Ye Jia felt that she was being too coy.

So he collected his thoughts, walked over and sat down opposite him.

Zhou Jingchen was writing a letter, to whom he was not sure, but he was writing very quickly. He did not care if Ye Jia saw what he was writing, and Ye Jia was also very willing to show her awareness and not peek, silently observing him. After Zhou Jingchen had finally finished writing three letters with great speed and put down Zhongshujun with his sleeve, she raised her eyes and looked at him.

The light from the window shone in, illuminating half of his face, while the other half was hidden in shadow. His long eyelashes let in the light from the window, leaving a flickering spot in his eyes. "Are you spying on me writing a letter?"

"No." Ye Jia was surprised. "How could I see it clearly when I'm upside down?"

"Oh." Zhou Jingchen nodded and smoothed his sleeves, then picked up the pen on the table, dipped it in ink, and began writing again. After writing a few words, he suddenly stopped and frowned, "Is this how Zhihe's strokes are written?"

Ye Jia was stunned for a moment, his eyes drifting over: "No, didn't you write it correctly just now?"

Zhou Jingchen raised his head and looked at her, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

Ye Jia: “…”

...this cunning man.

Ye Jia looked at him speechlessly. Wasn't it just a letter? What's wrong with just taking a look?!

Their eyes met, and Ye Jia told him about Ye Qinghe with an expressionless face.

"If you can find someone to ask about this, go ahead and find out." She had wanted to tell him that last night, but she had forgotten about it because of the drunken incident. She only remembered it now.

Zhou Jingchen put aside his playful attitude and became serious. He hadn't heard Yu mention this before, so he paused for a moment and said, "I'll ask someone about it."

Speaking of which, when Libei Town was attacked, many of the villages under it suffered. Yejiazhuang, being a village further northwest, was naturally the first to be hit. The Ye family was safe this time, naturally because Zhou Jingchen had privately sent a message to someone to take special care of them. In his previous life, he hadn't treated Ye Jia as his wife, so he could ignore the life and death of this family, but not in this life.

"Little brother will be fine." Because they had specially hired someone to look after them before the turmoil, Zhou Jingchen was naturally aware of their situation. "Relax."

Zhou Jingchen said it so confidently that Ye Jia nodded.

Zhou Jingchen lowered his head and was about to write when he saw the person sitting in front of him hadn't left yet. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "?"

"One more thing," Ye Jia held her lips and coughed lightly. The man was dressed neatly and his hair was combed meticulously. But as soon as she lowered her head, she could see the mark on his neck. She felt a little embarrassed: "That..."

"Say whatever you want to say."

"Next spring, I'll need a trustworthy person to accompany the Cheng family to the Western Regions." Ye Jiayan briefly explained the general situation. "Originally, I wanted Ajiu, but the variables of a single candidate are too great. If Ajiu has other problems, I won't have the manpower to take over."

Before he could finish his words, Zhou Jingchen paused while writing: "You want to go by yourself?"

"If there's really no one else, then no one else can go except me."

Zhou Jingchen frowned.

After a moment, he lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, "Don't be so foolish. Although the large-scale horse bandits on the road to the Western Regions have been eliminated, it doesn't mean that there is no danger. Small gangs of horse bandits and some Western Region foreigners with ulterior motives are still rampant. The road is rugged, with dust, deserts, mountains and rivers, and wild beasts are rampant. Even if there is no one to take over, don't even think about it."

Ye Jia: “…”

"Ajiu will go." Zhou Jingchen put down his pen with a click, stroked his Adam's apple and said, "Around the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, he will be free. I asked him to help with some things during this period. He will go to Luntai in two days, so it will only take three or four days."

Ye Jia hadn't expected Zhou Jingchen to be involved in this. "Ajiu has been missing for so long, is this your doing?"

"Huh?" Zhou Jingchen was stunned for a moment, then smiled, "Yes, it's me."

Ye Jia wanted to ask what you wanted him to do, but then he thought it was probably about the base.

"Okay, since you said so, I'm relieved." Ye Jia finished asking and was about to leave, but just as she took a step, she found her wrist was grabbed. She turned her head, and Zhou Jingchen lowered his eyes and didn't look at her.

Ye Jia looked down at the white fingers holding her wrist, then raised her head: "???"

Diandian usually stayed out of the house during the day. When she was little, she would stay inside. When she was a little older and could jump out the window, Diandian never stayed inside again. At dawn, she would jump out the window and run around all day. She would come back as soon as it got dark. At night, she would stay by Ye Jia's bedside, day after day.

With the sweet and soft beauty in his arms, Zhou Jingchen couldn't sleep well last night.

"Jia Niang," Zhou Jingchen was always the quickest to detect subtle changes in people's hearts. After a brief probing last night, he was absolutely certain that Ye Jia accepted him. If Diandian hadn't cut her off last night, Jia Niang would have been his. "Let's get married again."

Ye Jia was stunned.

Ye Jia: “!!!!”

Honestly, Ye Jia wasn't at all opposed to Zhou Jingchen's closeness; she knew it. Although it was often awkward, Ye Jia knew deep down that she was just too shy. When they were alone in the room, she wasn't so shy anymore. Zhou Jingchen had been holding onto her for so long, and to hear him say something like this was a bit shocking.

For some reason, my heart was beating faster: "...Why did you say that suddenly?"

Zhou Jingchen stared at her with a deep look in his eyes. "Our marriage was crude, and I wasn't home at the time. This is a great regret in my heart, and I've felt guilty for a long time, and it's very uncomfortable."

Ye Jia's heart skipped a beat and his eyelashes trembled.

"You know what I mean by this," Zhou Jingchen stood up, one hand slowly wrapping around her waist. He lowered his eyes to stare at Ye Jia's face, "The previous marriage is no longer valid. I hope that you and I can pray to heaven and earth and make a promise to be together forever."

Actually, although the original owner married Zhou Jingchen, she didn't actually have a wedding ceremony with him. Yu Shi brought the original owner back to the Ye family with a betrothal gift of thirty taels of silver, hired a matchmaker, and brought her back. There was no groom, no banquet, and they married according to the most simple rural customs, with a large rooster. After the wedding, Zhou Jingchen went to open up wasteland in the West Field and never returned.

Even after he was brought back, the original owner never went to the house to see Zhou Jingchen. Although there was a parental order and a matchmaker's words, it was actually neither fish nor fowl.

Zhou Jingchen didn't say it explicitly, but what he meant at this moment was to tell Ye Jia frankly that he knew that Ye Jia at this moment was not "Ye's".

"You, are you kidding me?"

"No, I'm very serious about this matter. I'll discuss the details with my mother." After Zhou Jingchen felt Ye Jia's thoughts, his attitude became somewhat aggressive and he couldn't help but say, "I hope you agree."

"Well, the wedding ceremony isn't that important. I don't really care..." Ye Jia's eyelashes fluttered violently, and she felt a tingling sensation on her scalp. She felt that it was okay to do something like that without getting married. She didn't really care about the ceremony. She glanced up at Zhou Jingchen, feeling that if she said this now, it would be like her intention to get something for free was clearly stated.

Zhou Jingchen blinked and looked at her, his face still calm, but with an inexplicable sense of aggrieved.

Ye Jia scratched her hair and said this mid-sentence: "...Of course, if we really have to get married again, it's not impossible. But there are so many things going on at home right now, and I don't have much free time to set aside for preparations."

"Nothing," Zhou Jingchen curled his lips, "Just agree to marry me."

Ye Jia: “…”

…

Ye Jia, having agreed to remarry him without a clear mind, sat in the main hall, completely bewildered. Didn't she just want Zhou Jingchen to find someone for some inquiries? How did it turn out like this?

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that he had been fooled. Suddenly, there was a noise outside the yard, and Old Man Sun came back with an ox cart.

"Boss, I've got the wine." Old Man Sun went to the tavern and bought four large jars of wine, along with some yeast. His felt hat was covered in snowflakes, his cheeks red from the cold, but he couldn't hide his smile. "I've also got the hops you wanted."

Ye Jia immediately stood up from the stool, tightened her clothes and walked out of the room: "Let me take a look."