Chapter Ninety-Five
Mu Jin and Zhou Lin returned home before dark, and the whole courtyard was filled with the aroma of stewed mutton.
The mutton from northern Xinjiang is tender and not gamey, and it costs about ten coins more per kilogram than the mutton raised by villagers themselves, almost half the price.
When the mutton is stewed long enough, it melts in your mouth. Dipped in the sauce that Wen Zhaoran personally prepared, it is so fragrant that it makes your eyes water.
"The mutton in northern Xinjiang tastes better than the mutton here."
Zhou Lin sighed, then quickly drank a mouthful of the bright mutton offal soup, feeling incredibly comforted.
Thinking of the price of the mutton, Mu Jin sighed and laughed, "You get what you pay for. No wonder it's so expensive. We're just lucky to have Zhao Ran's help today."
Normally, he would never be willing to eat such expensive meat.
Wen Zhaoran was holding a long lamb rib in his hand, gnawing on it with relish, his hands and mouth covered in oil.
Hearing this, he swallowed a large mouthful of mutton and laughed, "Brother, if you like it, we can have it once a month."
Mu Jin hurriedly waved her hand, "Good things are fine to eat occasionally to satisfy your appetite, but how can you eat like this? How can we live like this?"
Wen Zhaoran originally wanted to say that he had money, but the money to buy mutton was just a drop in the ocean for him.
But thinking that Mu Jin disliked his wasteful spending, he kept quiet.
The whole family ate to their hearts' content; this life was truly like that of gods.
There was still about a pound of mutton and mutton soup left in the basin.
Mu Jin said, "We'll heat up the rest and eat it tomorrow morning."
Early the next morning, Mu Mian brought the embroidered mandarin ducks with intertwined necks that Zhou Si had given him and came to Mu Jin's place.
"Si'er's skills are becoming more and more exquisite."
Mu Jin took it, gently touched it, and sighed.
Mu Mian smiled and said, "My father also praised him for his skillful hands. Speaking of which, Qi Qiu hasn't returned yet?"
Mu Jin gently shook her head. "It should be around mid-November."
"It's been a while since I've seen him, and I really miss him."
Wen Zhaoran nodded in agreement, "With Qi Qiu gone, there's no one to take me around to play anymore."
Mu Mian gently tapped his little nose and joked, "Why are you still so playful? You're a young man who's engaged and about to get married."
Wen Zhaoran sat down on the burlap slab that Mu Jin had laid out on the ground to sew the wedding quilt.
She smiled, not minding Mu Mian's teasing at all.
Living in the village for so long, sometimes when I went out with Mu Jin, Qi Qiu, or Mu Bai and Mu Zhou, I would inevitably be teased by the women and men I knew in the village.
At first, I would feel embarrassed, but after being told off so many times, I've now practiced until I can do it without blushing or feeling flustered.
Mu Jin and Mu Mian sewed a quilt together. Although Wen Zhaoran had learned some needlework skills during this period, she was still not very good at it.
Since it was a wedding quilt being sewn, they naturally dared not interfere or cause trouble.
He simply sat to the side, eating walnut cake and chatting with the two of them, feeling relaxed and at ease.
At noon, Wen Zhaoran bought two catties of mutton for Mu Mian and brought it home.
He knew that Mu Jin wouldn't use his things to curry favor or exchange them for personal connections.
But earlier, I stewed the leftover mutton from yesterday, and when Mumian arrived, she must have smelled it.
Although Mu Mian didn't feel anything in her heart, meat was extremely precious, and her husband was a hunter, so they never lacked meat to eat.
But Wen Zhaoran thought that Mu Jin and Mu Mian were, after all, close friends, like brothers.
Although he paid for the meat, Mu Mian was unaware of it.
Wen Zhaoran didn't want Mu Mian Ge to have any grudges with his older brother. He wasn't a petty person. Besides, he had previously eaten wild chickens and rabbits that Mu Mian Ge's husband had caught and sent to his home.
Mu Mian and her older brother are childhood friends.
Since Zhou Si and he were still sisters-in-law, he was naturally happy to give her some meat.
Mu Mian hurriedly waved her hand with a smile and said, "This is too expensive. I can't take it. My uncle will definitely scold me when I get home. It's really not necessary."
Wen Zhaoran shoved the hemp rope used to tie the mutton into his hand, saying, "Brother Mian, just keep it. We have more at home."
Mu Mian glanced at Mu Jin, saw him smiling to the side, and didn't try to stop him.
Unable to refuse, he finally accepted it with a smile.
After Mu Mian left home, Mu Jin glanced at Wen Zhaoran, feeling incredibly comforted.
"What do you want to eat for lunch? I'll make it for you."
For those close to you, words are unnecessary; just keep them in your heart and remember Wen Zhaoran's kindness.
Everything is understood without words; actions speak louder than words.
Two wedding quilts, one bright red and the other lotus root color, were finally finished after three or four days of work.
The hibiscus, having been moved to the courtyard to dry until it was soft and fluffy, was then placed in the two dowry chests that Zhou Lin had prepared for Bai Qiqiu during his spare time, in Bai Qiqiu's room.
With the chests and cabinets closed, Mu Jin breathed a sigh of relief, finally managing to get her dowry sorted out.
When farmers get married, their dowries are not as generous as those of people in towns.
Afterwards, he would make a sewing basket, put Bai Qiqiu's clothes, as well as the betrothal gifts from Mu Zhaoye, including cloth and silver, into it, and then everything would be complete.
Mu Jin used a cloth to wipe away the dust that had settled on the dowry chests and cabinets.
When Bai Qiqiu returns, it will be about a month before they get married.
Thinking about it carefully, Mu Jin really did feel a little reluctant to part with it.
Just as I was thinking this, I heard a wooden voice coming from the courtyard.
"Big brother! Second brother!" He called out, but no one answered. He muttered, "Aren't they home? Why isn't the gate properly closed?"
Mu Jin came out of Bai Qiqiu's room, saw the bundle on his shoulder, and sighed with a smile, "Did my father allow you to stay here with me?"
Mu Bai nodded with a smile.
After Zhou Ling finished her postpartum confinement, he finally had some free time. Not long after the full moon celebration, he came to Mu Jin's place with a bundle and a bag of flour.
Judging from their appearance, they plan to stay for a while.
It's no wonder that Mu Bai didn't want to stay at home whenever she had free time. Not only was she forced to learn embroidery every day, but Mu Zhou was often at the academy, and she didn't have any brothers or sisters at home to play with.
A boy in his early teens is at the age when he's most playful.
Mu Jin has a friend named Wen Zhaoran, who is not much older than her. When Bai Qiqiu was around, he would often take him to the river to fish and play, which made him happier than staying at home.
"Big brother, the flour that my stepfather ground yesterday is what I brought."
As Mu Bai spoke, he walked to the kitchen and put the about ten kilograms of flour he was carrying on the dining table.
Mu Jin smiled and said, "Come on, stay at my brother's house. You don't need to bring your own food. Besides, even if you stay for a month or two, how much can you eat?"
Mu Bai was dressed warmly in thick cotton clothes, and as he walked, sweat broke out on the tip of his nose.
“Brother, you’re married now, and I’m your own brother, so you certainly don’t mind having more mouths to feed. Your wife is also very kind and wouldn’t mind either. But I can’t just take advantage of your relationship and come to your house to eat and drink for free all the time. I’m guessing I haven’t brought enough.”
Mu Jin chuckled. It had been a while since she'd seen him, and the young boy, though only a few years old, had already learned some social skills.
Thinking that the bag of noodles belonged to Mu Laoqi and Zhou Ling, Mu Jin thought it wouldn't hurt to take it, so she put it in the cupboard.
Mu Bai smiled and said, "Big brother, I'll go to second brother's room to put my bundle down."
Mu Jin nodded, finished tidying up the kitchen, and then hurried to the dye shop.
These past two days, the dye shop has received two more bolts of cotton cloth to be dyed indigo. We need to hurry up and finish dyeing them.
As night fell, an oil lamp was lit in the bedroom. Zhou Lin paced around the bedroom a few times, which made Mu Jin's eyes hurt.
"Stop turning around. What's wrong with you these past two days? You seem restless."
Mu Jin frowned slightly, wondering if something had happened again at the Zhou family's old residence.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Lin paused, hesitated, and then took out a wooden box from his pocket.
Mu Jin looked at Zhou Lin with a puzzled expression. "What's this?"
A faint blush rose on Zhou Lin's wheat-colored face. "You...you open it and take a look."
Hibiscus gently took the wooden box, and her heart began to beat faster.
The box was opened, and inside was a six-strand silver bracelet that gleamed with silver light.
“I…I thought this bracelet was pretty and would suit you. The shopkeeper said it was made using a technique that came from the south, so…I bought it.”
Hibiscus's eyes gleamed faintly in the light of the oil lamp.
“I am so happy, my husband. I have envied others countless times since I was a child. Now, I have my own.”
Zhou Lin's eyebrows curved slightly. "Put it on and see."
Hibiscus took the silver bracelet out of the box and gently put it on her wrist.
Mu Jin has slender wrists and fair skin; she looks truly beautiful.
"The shopkeeper is right, you really look good in it."
Mu Jin glanced at him with a playful smile, her eyes brimming with affection.
The two lingered for a while, and Mu Jin looked at the silver bracelet on her hand again and again, as if she couldn't get enough of looking at it.
"To be honest, I'm overjoyed when you give me something, so why did you hesitate for two days before giving it to me?"
The strong, powerful arm that was wrapped around Mu Jin's slender waist froze for a moment.
Zhou Lin guiltily looked away from Mu Jin's gentle gaze.
Mu Jin nudged him, "Tell me, have you been doing something bad behind my back?"
Zhou Lin coughed lightly and quickly shook his head.
"How could I dare? It's just... I'm afraid you'll accuse me of hiding my own money and get angry with me again."
Upon hearing this, Mu Jin immediately stood up, narrowed her eyes, and said, "I hadn't thought of that until you mentioned it. This silver bracelet probably costs one or two taels of silver. Even if you saved all the money Yueyue gave you, you probably couldn't afford it. Where did you get the money?"
Zhou Lin quickly sat up. "I didn't do anything wrong. The money to buy the bracelet came from carving wood in my spare time, which I sold to make it. I've been saving it up for more than half a year."
Mu Jin secretly breathed a sigh of relief and gently leaned against his shoulder.
Her eyes shifted slightly, and she said softly, "I misunderstood you, my husband. Please don't blame me. I was so happy that you saved up money to buy me jewelry. But I was afraid that you were hiding something from me. Between husband and wife, the worst thing is to hide something from each other, otherwise the hearts will slowly drift apart."
Zhou Lin gently put her arm around his shoulder, "I know, I won't do it again."
Mu Jin shook her head. "As long as it's not spent on other boys, and they secretly hide some money for me, I'll be happy."
Zhou Lin said gently, "What other kind of boy did you come from?"
Mu Jin's eyes gleamed with cunning. "You mean that boy next door who grew up with you?"
Zhou Lin looked helpless. "They're already engaged. Why are you still thinking about it? Ever since you told me, apart from my brothers, I've kept my distance from other brothers, whether they're married or not.
Mu Jin poked his chest, "My husband is so good, I'm a little scared."
Zhou Lin chuckled, knowing that his husband was joking with him again, but still said seriously, "In this life, being able to marry you is my greatest fortune. Not to mention that no other men or women have taken a liking to me, even if they do in the future, I will never have anyone else in my heart."
Mu Jin chuckled, her eyes softening, and snuggled closer to Zhou Lin; he believed her.
"So, how much silver did you make selling wood carvings?"
"Two ounces and three mace, plus fifty coins," Zhou Lin replied honestly, not daring to conceal a single copper coin.
How much silver did you spend on these six braided silver bracelets?
"Two taels and one mace."
"I gave you the money at the beginning of the month, so tomorrow give me the remaining two qian of silver for household expenses."
Zhou Lin nodded in agreement.
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