Chapter 136
"You're about four months along, and I can almost feel the baby moving. You two shouldn't tell me you don't know you're pregnant, right?"
The people in the courtyard: "…………"
Seeing their bewildered expressions, Dr. Mu knew exactly what they didn't know.
"You young couples are just like that, so ignorant."
Mu Zhaoye snapped out of her daze, grabbed Doctor Mu, and asked anxiously, "Doctor Mu, is my husband's baby alright? He was just wading through the water fishing, did he catch a cold?"
Doctor Mu smiled and said, "It's alright. Your husband and the baby in your belly are both fine. Qiu-ge'er is strong and healthy, even better than some young men who are not pregnant. However, you should not have sex too frequently."
Bai Qiqiu blushed. He and Mu Zhaoye had indeed been somewhat unrestrained these days, eager to have a child to keep Xiao Taozi company.
"Dr. Mu, why don't I feel anything at all? When my older brother was pregnant with Xiao Taozi, he vomited for a long time."
Doctor Mu shook his head. "How can Jin'er compare to you? If he had half your blood and energy, he wouldn't have suffered so much back then."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Lin hurriedly said, "Dr. Mu, now that you're here, please take another look at A-Jin and see how her recovery is going."
Dr. Mu nodded gently and placed his hand on the wrist that Mu Jin had extended.
He stroked his beard. "You've rested well, but your qi and blood are still a bit weak. Just eat more foods that nourish your qi and blood."
After listening, Zhou Lin glanced at Mu Jin and said, "It seems we still need to drink chicken soup for a while longer."
Mu Jin pulled her arm back and sighed inwardly. "Fine, I'll drink it. Who told him to not even have half of Qi Qiu's blood and energy?"
Bai Qiqiu was both surprised and relieved. The thought of fooling around with Mu Zhaoye until late at night last night sent chills down her spine.
Mu Zhaoye was no less frightened; his forehead was covered in sweat, but he was extremely relieved.
The couple exchanged a glance, and Mu Zhaoye secretly touched Bai Qiqiu's belly, whispering, "Our baby has suffered these past few days."
Bai Qiqiu glared at him and said in a low voice, "It's a good thing I'm healthy. Otherwise, your Mu family's eldest grandson would probably be ruined by you. Let's see if you dare to torment me like you did last night."
Mu Zhaoye shook his head repeatedly, feeling a wave of fear just thinking about it.
How could he dare? He couldn't bear the consequences if the little darling in his husband's belly threw a tantrum.
After calming down, the couple looked up and saw that Mu Jin, Wen Zhaoran and Mu Bai, and Wang Li were all staring at them.
Dr. Mu has already been sent home by Zhou Lin.
Wen Zhaoran looked at the two of them with a complicated expression, "Brother Qi Qiu, you really have a big heart!"
Mu Jin chimed in, "We should be careful. We just went into the water; what if we catch a cold?"
Bai Qiqiu sighed, "Brother, you're still criticizing me. If you hadn't fainted from exhaustion when you were pregnant with Xiaotaozi, you probably wouldn't have known either."
Mu Jin was taken aback, then stood up and gently patted his head, "You're still picking on your older brother."
Wen Zhaoran laughed and said, "You two are evenly matched, so don't make the older brother laugh at the younger one."
Mu Jin and Bai Qiqiu both looked at him and said, "We'll see what you're made of then. Don't make us pay for this."
Wen Zhaoran pouted, "I don't have an older brother. Qi Qiu and you guys are so silly."
However, since there is no elder in the family who has given birth before to help look after the children, and the newlyweds have little experience, it is understandable that this situation would occur.
"There's not much work to do at the dye shop these days, so you should go home and rest."
As Mu Jin spoke, she took out two pounds of pork from the cupboard, saying, "I'll go back and make some good food, so my nephew won't go hungry."
Bai Qiqiu smiled and was about to reach out to take it when Mu Zhaoye snatched it away.
"I'll take it, let's go."
As he spoke, he helped Bai Qiqiu walk out of the kitchen, and bent down when they reached the courtyard gate.
“I’ll carry you across.”
Bai Qiqiu gently patted him, "Dr. Mu said I'm perfectly healthy. It's just a few steps. There's no need for you to carry me. You're being too fussy."
Mu Zhaoye remained bent over, saying, "Even the best body can't withstand all that torment. Be good."
Mu Jin advised, "Brother Zhao Ye is right. Doctor Mu said you are in good health, but he didn't tell you to take advantage of your good health and do reckless things."
Helpless, Bai Qiqiu climbed onto Mu Zhaoye's back and said, "Be careful not to drop me."
He snorted again, "I've risen in status because of my son. In the past, when have you ever carried me on your back?"
Mu Zhaoye waded steadily through the water and took a few steps forward.
"Don't wrong me. During the heavy snow in winter, you were so cold at home that you didn't want to put your feet on the ground, so I carried you a lot."
Bai Qiqiu slapped him again, "You must have been exhausted, right? You remember it so clearly."
Mu Zhaoye chuckled and shook his head, "Even if I carry you until I'm sixty or seventy, it won't tire me out."
Bai Qiqiu chuckled and said, "Come on, you'll be lucky if you don't end up lying down and I have to serve you by then."
Mu Jin stood at the door watching them walk away, finding it strangely amusing to see the two flirting.
Zhou Lin felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. Being able to work from home and take care of the family was truly the best thing ever.
Mu Jin turned around, took Little Peach from the cradle, and carried her back to the house to sleep.
"A-Lin, come up here for a moment."
"What's wrong?"
Mu Jin gently placed Xiao Taozi on the small bed and said softly, "Qi Qiu is pregnant. The work at the dye house is heavy. Making dyes, dyeing cloth, and washing cloth are all strenuous tasks. Later, Brother Zhaoye will probably not want Qi Qiu to continue working at the dye house and will want him to stay at home to rest during his pregnancy."
"You want to take over the dyeing business?"
Mu Jin nodded and then shook her head. "Zhao Ran and I don't have the strength of Qi Qiu. For example, batik involves coloring, fixing, and washing the wax. It takes three to five rounds of washing and dyeing, which is very tiring. I can let Zhao Ran draw the pattern with charcoal, but I can't do the dyeing by myself."
"Then hire two or three temporary workers?"
"Most of the villages in Qingshui Town have been affected by the disaster, so there probably aren't many families who are willing to spend spare money on dyeing patterns. Simple dyeing should still keep them busy."
Zhou Lin nodded, "If you're too busy, please ask someone for help. Don't overwork yourself."
Mu Jin smiled and said, "One of the things I want to discuss with you is the dye house."
Zhou Lin sat down next to Mu Jin. "Is there anything else?"
"Last autumn, Li Ge'er and Nuo Ge'er found two pepper trees in the mountains. These peppers are a good thing. They can be used as spices in sachets, cooked, and made spicy and fragrant. They can also be used as medicine, entering the lungs to dispel cold and entering the spleen to remove dampness. Long ago, there was already the poem 'I regard you as a sachet, and you give me a handful of peppers.' Nowadays, during the Flower Festival, men and women still give peppers to express their feelings."
Zhou Lin nodded blankly, "Sichuan peppercorns have many uses."
Mu Jin smiled and said, "I made some plans before the New Year. If we want to improve our family's livelihood, growing Sichuan pepper is a good business."
"That works, but where will we plant them? And if we plant too many, where will we sell them?"
“I’ve thought about it. The Zhao family has spice shops, pharmacies, and embroidery workshops that can all buy them. As for the land, including Qi Qiu’s one mu, we’ll keep three mu of the better land out of the family’s six mu, and plant the remaining three mu with pepper trees.”
Zhou Lin said helplessly, "It's a wonder you can still think of so much even with such a big belly. Doctor Mu told you to rest, but you really didn't take it to heart at all."
Mu Jin glared at him, "You stay cooped up in the house all day and won't even let me think about things. You're really domineering."
"I'm just worried about your health."
Zhou Lin defended himself, saying, "Once the floodwaters recede, I'll go to town to look for pepper trees."
Mu Jin smiled and thought for a moment before saying, "Let Li Ge take you to those two trees on the mountain. There might be some small pepper seedlings there. When it gets warmer, dig up the seedlings and plant them first, keeping them away from people. The big trees are in the mountains, so don't disturb them, lest they won't bear fruit next year."
Zhou Lin nodded, "I remember the price of Sichuan pepper in town, seven or eight qian of silver. If it is successfully planted, it can really bring in a lot of silver."
"When you go to town, go and find Manager Liu. See if he has any books that teach you how to grow Sichuan pepper. Planting three acres of Sichuan pepper trees will probably cost a lot of money."
How much silver does the family have left?
Mu Jin smiled and said, "Not counting the two taels of gold, the family has saved more than eighty-five taels of silver, which should be enough."
Zhou Lin thought for a moment. He could earn money. With spring arriving and the weather warming up, he could plant spring vegetables, and his chickens and ducks would start laying eggs. Even if he didn't have any money left at home, he could manage.
Mu Jin added, “Hu Zi and You Yu are both honest and hardworking men. Why not hire them as farmhands? These three acres of pepper trees will definitely attract attention. To avoid repeating the mistakes of the vegetable garden, we should fence them off. Hu Zi might be able to stay in the pepper garden at night. It would be better if someone watched over it.”
Zhou Lin nodded, "I'll go find them tomorrow."
The couple were both the type to act on their impulses, so when the floodwaters receded and the weather became warmer, Zhou Lin went to town.
Mu Jin didn't keep the fact that she wanted to plant Sichuan pepper trees a secret from her close relatives.
However, these Sichuan pepper seedlings take three to five years to bear fruit and yield a harvest.
The initial investment was considerable. Bai Qiqiu had Mu Zhaoye find the village chief, Mu Zhaoye, to obtain a land deed for three mu of wasteland in the backyard of their house, and then planted three mu of Sichuan pepper.
Here in Mujin, as the weather was just getting warmer and everyone was busy with spring plowing, they hired men from families with little land to help them build walls around their courtyards.
The courtyard was enclosed by high walls made of yellow mud and straw.
When Zhou Wushi found out about this, she was both anxious and itchy.
What's urgent is that the money in the hibiscus flower is Zhou Lin's money, which is like cutting flesh off her body.
She still feels that Zhou Lin is still angry with her, rather than completely severing his mother-son relationship and becoming estranged from her.
Because Zhou Wushi still cared about the money in Zhou Lin's purse, thinking that it should all belong to her, just like before the family was divided and there was no vegetable garden.
What bothered her was that, seeing Zhou Lin and Mu Jin's lives becoming increasingly prosperous, she also wanted Zhou Ming to benefit from it.
Since returning from town before the Lunar New Year, his second son has, for some reason, never mentioned going back to the Zhao family mansion in town to work again.
Lately, Zhou Wushi has been feeling very uneasy and anxious.
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