Chapter 124
As the rooster crowed at dawn, Mu Jin slowly opened her sleepy eyes.
Touching the other side of the bed, it was already a bit cool, indicating that Zhou Lin had been up for some time.
Mu Jin stretched gently, and the little peach in her belly gave her a light kick, causing a small bump to appear on her stomach.
Mu Jin smiled and gently touched her belly. "Little Peach, you're awake too?"
In response to Mu Jin, Xiao Taozi delivered a series of double kicks.
Hibiscus gently poked the raised bump, and Little Peach immediately withdrew what she couldn't tell was her hand or foot.
After playing with the little peach in her belly for a while, Mu Jin got up, dressed, and opened the tightly closed window.
An autumn breeze suddenly swept in, bringing a touch of coolness. Mu Jin sat on the stool, watched the autumn scenery in the mountains for a while, combed her hair, and then got up and went out of the house.
Mu Bai was used to living with Wen Zhaoran, and she slept with him yesterday.
Since getting engaged to the Liu family, Zhou Ling has stopped controlling him as strictly as before.
Yesterday, taking advantage of Mu Jin's move, I carried over a month's worth of his food rations in a small bundle.
Seeing Mu Jin get up, his eyes immediately lit up. "Big brother, I cooked white rice porridge for breakfast and kept it warm for you in the kitchen. It was made by your husband. He just went to town."
Mu Jin sighed inwardly. She had thought she would have a hard time sleeping in the new house, but she slept soundly until she woke up so late.
A slight smile played on her lips. "How did Bai'er sleep last night?"
"That's wonderful! Second Brother's house faces a maple forest in the mountains. It's so beautiful."
Mu Jin smiled, then, not seeing Wen Zhaoran and Wang Li, asked, "Where are your second brother and Li-ge'er?"
"They went up the mountain with Brother Qi Qiu. Brother Qi Qiu said that before it got too cold, they would go into the mountains to find more dye. So Second Brother took Li Ge with them."
Mu Jin nodded, and after washing up, she went to the kitchen to eat breakfast.
"Master Dong...Master Dong."
"Tiger? What happened to you? And Nuo-ge'er, why is your face so dirty?"
Lin Nuo often played with Wang Li and spent a lot of time with Mu Jin, and became quite close to the boys in Mu Jin's family.
Upon hearing Mu Jin's question, it seemed as if she had found a pillar of support. Immediately, her face was filled with grievance, and her eyes sparkled as if they were brimming with tears.
“Brother Jin, the thatch on the roof of my thatched house has been blown away by the wind.”
Lin Huzi said apologetically, "Master, I would like to ask for a day off to go back and fix the roof, otherwise no one can stay here tonight."
Mu Jin frowned, thought for a moment and said, "Alright, go ahead. If the roof beams are not sturdy enough, it's better to replace them as soon as possible. Buy some new thatch and repair them again, so that we can live in them more peacefully during the snowy winter this year."
Lin Huzi quickly thanked him, "I know, thank you very much, boss."
After saying that, he led Lin Nuo home.
During this period, while working for Zhou Lin, Lin Huzi and Lin Nuo ate much better, and they visibly grew taller.
With the wages he earned, Lin Huzi bought Lin Nuo a bolt of cloth and ten catties of cotton to make a new quilt and cotton clothes so that she could stay warm in winter. He saved the rest.
He could still afford to pay for the house repairs.
Mu Bai glanced at the two figures as they left. "Brother, aren't there two empty rooms in the back of the house? Why don't you let them move in first? It would be more convenient for them to do chores."
Mu Jin shook her head. "Hu Zi and Nuo Ge'er are both strong-willed. They grew up together since they were little. If we give them a liter of rice, they'll give us a peck. Giving them too much will only add to their worries. I'm afraid even if I had said something, Hu Zi wouldn't have agreed. Staying at our house, I guess it wouldn't be convenient for them to eat, and they might feel awkward about it."
Mu Bai nodded as if he understood, "A few days ago, Nuo Ge'er was picking dried fruit and mushrooms very diligently, saying that he wanted to stock up on enough food for him and his brother to get through the winter."
Mu Jin smiled and said, "Speaking of which, I still have more than half a sack of chestnuts left from the chestnuts I collected a few days ago. I'll make chestnut cakes later."
Mu Bai clapped his hands, "Great! I love the chestnut cake that Big Brother makes the most. I'll help peel it later."
Mu Jin smiled and nodded gently.
Time flies by in an instant, like autumn leaves swept away by the wind.
Before they knew it, it was time for Zhou Lin and Mu Jin to hold their housewarming banquet.
Having just finished the autumn harvest and winter wheat sowing, the villagers are currently enjoying a period of leisure.
A large group of villagers arrived, from near and far, good and bad friends; most of the villagers came.
Zhou Lin didn't go out of his way to invite her, but Zhou Wu's wife shamelessly came over with Zhou Laosan.
I thought I'd get a seat at the head table and be the envy of the villagers.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Lin barely paid any attention to the two of them.
Let alone sitting at the main table, it's better to be closer to the villagers.
Zhou Laosan's face immediately turned cold. "Didn't you see your mother and I are here?!"
Mu Jin gets extremely annoyed whenever she sees Zhou Wu Shi. If it weren't for the fact that he planted several more vegetable plots at the Qian family's house, he wouldn't be able to make up for the half-acre of vegetables that were ruined.
Although he had taken money from the person who damaged his vegetable garden and ended up making more money, he was still angry.
Relying on the fact that many people in the village knew about the bad things Zhou Wushi had done, Mu Jin turned around and went to Mu Nianjun's place.
Zhou Wu was furious. "Look at him! Does he even respect his mother-in-law?!"
A soft chuckle came from the side.
"What are you laughing at?!" Zhou Wu glared at the woman, embarrassed and annoyed.
"What are you laughing at? Laughing at someone for having a big face? You're such a disrespectful mother, sneaking into your own son's vegetable garden and you still have the nerve to come to his housewarming party?!"
Zhou Wu's face grew increasingly grim, but she forced herself to say, "What nonsense are you spouting? I've already said I didn't do it! A-Lin is my own son, a piece of flesh that fell from my womb. How could I do something so cruel to my own son?!"
As she spoke, her eyes reddened, and she looked wronged and extremely aggrieved.
Some of the villagers who came to the housewarming banquet, unaware of the situation, softened considerably upon seeing this.
"That's true. What mother would treat her own son like that? Only a stepmother would do that."
Zhou Wu's face looked as if she had been slapped, and Zhou Laosan's expression also became increasingly gloomy.
"Hmph, what you said is exactly what I don't understand the most. If it weren't for the fact that Lin looks a bit like his mother, I would really think that Lin was adopted."
“Shen Dajia, you’ve just married into our village, there are many things you don’t know.”
"When Lin is at home, he's not even as good as the family's old ox. He's so skinny, it's heartbreaking to see him like that."
Mu Jin listened intently to their words, inwardly scoffing.
As the saying goes, fortunes change, and now that his family has prospered, more people are speaking up for his son, A-Lin.
"Jin'er, are the doors to the wooden house and the storeroom properly closed?"
Mu Jin nodded. "Brother Nianjun, everything is locked up. Places they shouldn't go are all sealed off tightly. Bai'er and Wang Li are watching the well and vegetable garden. Lin Nuo and Hu Zi are in the backyard. Yu is watching the pigsty and poultry."
It's always good to be cautious. His family has been in the limelight today, so there are bound to be some envious and jealous people. It's best to be careful.
No sooner had he finished speaking than a woman said, "Jin-ge'er, why can't you open your wooden house? It's the only house in our village that can be opened. Let us go up and take a look."
“Auntie, the wooden building is where my family lives, so it’s not convenient for outsiders to go in. Please understand.”
After Mu Jin said this, most people gave up their plans. Those who still wanted to go in were glared at by Mu Zhaoye as soon as they opened their mouths, and they also gave up their plans.
They could only look longingly at the clean and tidy yard, feeling envious and jealous, yet helpless.
Mu Laoqi and Zhou Ling gave him a hen, which Mu Jin accepted. The Mu family's table was full, so she led the two of them to sit at a table with their acquaintance, Mu Mei.
Mu Mei grinned, his eyes practically disappearing from his grin. "Yes, I was the one who brought Lin and Jin together. They're so happy now. Oh, Ling is here. Sit down, sit here."
Zhou Ling smiled and sat down next to Mu Mei.
Mu Mei continued, "I used to think that marrying Jin Ge'er to Lin Xiaozi was like pushing him into a fire pit, but now I realize I was short-sighted. It's truly a good match."
Zhou Ling's expression remained unchanged as she smiled and said, "I've known for a long time that Lin is a good guy. He's hardworking and capable, and anyone who follows him will be fine."
"Yes, yes, I was just saying that you treat Jin-ge'er no worse than your own son, we can all see that."
"Speaking of which, the Zhou couple just arrived, but I haven't seen them lately. I wonder where they've gone to sit."
"They're really shameless."
Zhou Ling smiled but remained silent. Some things are better left unsaid to others; given the in-law relationship, he couldn't say anything unpleasant.
The food was served, a steaming bowl full of meat and vegetables, which the villagers enjoyed immensely, and the atmosphere became lively again.
Mu Jin glanced at them briefly. Zhou Laosan and Zhou Wushi were indeed shameless. Seeing that Mu Jin and Zhou Lin ignored them, they went to the Zhou family's table and sat down.
Mu Jin pursed his lips. On such a joyous day, he didn't want to cause trouble and would simply pretend that the two of them weren't there.
A housewarming party was a great success for both the guests and the hosts, but it left behind a mess.
Looking at the messy and dirty courtyard, Mu Jin's joy at moving into her new home faded considerably.
After seeing off the villagers who came to offer their congratulations, the Mu family and the Zhou family, as well as the uncles and aunts who came to help, they left.
They quickly started tidying up the yard.
Zhou Lin had Lin Huzi and Mu Youyu return the tableware and dishes that were due to be returned to each household.
They quickly drew about ten buckets of well water and cleaned the front yard, back yard, and kitchen three or five times before restoring the place to its former spotless state.
Exhausted, Mu Bai slumped onto the stone table under the peach tree and sighed, "Organizing a banquet is really tiring, brother. Next time, don't invite so many people."
Mu Jin said helplessly, "I also wanted to invite only our close relatives, but this move is a big event, and it's not good to kick people out once they're here."
The courtyard was spotless, and the wooden building was wiped clean again, looking brand new. Only then did Mu Jin feel much more at ease.
They kept about 20 jin of the remaining half of the pig for themselves, gave two jin each to the uncles and aunts who came to help, and distributed the rest to Mu Nianjun, Zhou Si, Mu Mian, and Bai Qiqiu to take back.
When villagers came to the housewarming banquet, they all brought gifts. Those who were closer to the family usually gave a dozen or so coins, while those who were farther away gave a few eggs or cabbage and radishes.
As always, Mu Nianjun sent a bolt of cloth. Zhou Si and Mu Mian went to the porcelain kiln in Gujia Village and fired ten bowls and ten plates, making everything perfect.
Mu Zhaoye and Bai Qiqiu presented a net of fish and ten pairs of exquisite lacquerware chopsticks.
Mu Heng and Uncle Mu thoughtfully gifted Mu Jin a small table. When it gets cold, she can put it on the bed and lie in bed copying books, which will keep her warm.
Zhou Chuxue and Zhou Fengnian gave her a porcelain basin and a bag of walnut shortbread that Zhou Chuxue made herself.
The hibiscus were carefully put away in the cupboard.
The housewarming banquet earned about eight or nine coins, but a small pile of cabbages and radishes ended up in the kitchen.
After a busy day, everyone was exhausted. As night fell and the oil lamps were blown out, the sound of people snoring from exhaustion filled the air.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com