Chapter 112 My Husband Washes My Feet
Du Wanchun led Aunt Zhou to the field.
The small hillside next to the field was indeed covered with trees bearing yellow fruit.
The tree of the yellow fruit is only about half a person tall, but it has lush branches and leaves, and is covered with yellow fruits.
Du Wanchun strode to the tree, picked a fruit, which was only about half the size of a fist. It smelled fragrant and the skin didn't look thick.
She wiped the dust off with her sleeve, took a bite, and found the flesh to be yellow and crisp, unlike a pear or a peach, more like a plum. It tasted astringent and not very tasty, but the aroma was rich and pleasant.
Aunt Zhou also picked a fruit, took a bite, and then spat it out. "This fruit is probably inedible; it's a natural ingredient for making incense."
Du Wanchun put the fruit in her hand into the basket and quickly said with a smile, "Mother, what are we waiting for? Let's pick them and make incense!"
Aunt Zhou nodded happily, "Let's pick a basketful to take back and see."
After saying that, he called Zhou Zhao over, "Zhao'er, bring the basket to fill with fruit!"
"Alright! Mom, I'm coming!" Zhou Zhao smiled as she stepped out of the vegetable garden, passed through a few trees, and arrived at the hillside.
Du Wanchun quickly picked a few fruits and put them into the basket behind Zhou Zhao.
The family picked the fruit very quickly, and in no time their baskets were full.
Zhou Zhao, carrying a basket on his back, walked ahead and went home first.
Du Wanchun was pregnant, so she walked slowly. Aunt Zhou walked slowly beside her, and on the way back, she picked some more flowers from the roadside.
After the fruit was brought home.
Aunt Zhou then called over Du Damei and Aunt Wang, who were busy in the incense room, and together they washed the fruit.
Making blended incense is much simpler than making perfume.
First, wash the fruit clean, then cut it open from the top and scoop out some of the pulp.
Then, mix sandalwood powder, agarwood powder, and the incense powder that Aunt Zhou herself prepared in the correct proportions, and pour them into the fruit.
After filling the fruit with the fruit, replace the cut-off head with the fruit.
After all the fruits are filled with the fragrant powder, they are put into a steamer to steam.
Aunt Zhou washed more than a hundred fruits and steamed them in about five large steamers.
After steaming, take it out to cool, then steam it again, repeating this process three times in total.
The three large stoves in the incense room were steaming in turn, filling the entire Zhou family home with fragrance.
By the time all the fruit was steamed, it was almost dark.
Du Wanchun helped stuff the face powder into the mouth.
Zhou Ruiyuan was busy chopping firewood and starting a fire, and from time to time he poured tea and served water to everyone.
By the time it got dark, the steamed fruit had cooled down.
Aunt Zhou then scooped out the fragrance powder and pulp from each fruit and put them into a large wooden basin to stir. While stirring, she also added some dried flowers. While the fragrance powder was still wet, she rolled it into small balls by hand and placed them on a piece of gauze to dry.
These dried balls are the fragrant pills that the shop usually sells.
However, the incense balls made with this recipe are different from the usual single sandalwood and agarwood balls; they are generally called blended incense balls.
Making these hand-rubbed incense balls is a huge undertaking.
Du Wanchun was seen helping to rub the cloth, and Zhou Zhao, Zhou Feng, and Zhou Ruiyuan arrived from behind.
There were seven or eight of us, and we kept playing until the moon was high in the sky.
Aunt Zhou straightened up, rubbed her back, and said to Du Wanchun, "Wanchun, you should go and rest. Your aunt and I will take care of the rest."
After Du Damei helped make incense at the Zhou family a few times, Aunt Zhou paid her and Aunt Wang a monthly wage, allowing them to work there long-term.
Now Du Damei earns a lot of money every month, and her bedridden mother-in-law no longer dares to neglect her.
Her husband passed on the family's kiln-firing skills to Zhou Ruiyuan, who then hired two workers to fire the kiln.
He usually had nothing to do, so he stayed home to take care of the children, which gave Du Damei more time to work for the Zhou family.
Du Damei washed her hands and smiled at Du Wanchun, saying, "Yes, Wanchun, you're pregnant, don't overwork yourself, go and rest first."
Du Wanchun slowly got up, looked at the prepared incense balls, felt relieved, and smiled, "I know, Mother, Aunt, I'll go inside now."
After she finished speaking, she slowly turned around and walked towards her own room.
It's true that the baby in her belly is here to repay a debt of gratitude; apart from some morning sickness at the beginning, she doesn't feel anything at all now.
Du Wanchun even doubted whether she was carrying a child.
She touched it with her hand and slowly walked into the house.
No sooner had they entered the house than Zhou Ruiyuan brought over a basin of water.
The water was still steaming.
Du Wanchun was surprised. "Husband, what's wrong?"
Zhou Ruiyuan placed the basin of water beside the bed, then picked her up and laid her down on the bed, gently kissing her forehead. "You've had a long day, let me soak your feet for you."
Du Wanchun raised her eyes, looking at him in surprise, "Husband... you..."
Before she could finish speaking, Zhou Ruiyuan had already taken off her shoes and socks and put her fair little feet into the water.
The water was at the perfect temperature, neither too hot nor too cold, and a few flower petals floated on it.
Du Wanchun was somewhat flattered and bent down to hold Zhou Ruiyuan's wrist, saying, "Never mind, husband, I'll wash it myself."
Zhou Ruiyuan's hands were very large, almost able to completely envelop her two small feet in his palms. He gently pressed the insteps of her feet with his fingertips and said softly, "Don't move. If you move again, I'll make sure I don't just wash your feet."
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