Chapter Seven
The mornings in the dead of winter are the coldest. After making breakfast, Mu Jin went home with Zhou Lin.
Knowing that Mu Jin was coming back today, Mu Bai got up early in the morning and waited in the courtyard, which made Zhou Ling's teeth ache.
She poked his forehead and said, "No matter how much I call you in the morning, you won't get up, but today I don't even need to call you. You're just as close to your older brother as you are?"
Mu Bai said crisply, "My elder brother treats me very well too."
Zhou Ling sighed deeply. He truly felt that compared to Mu Bai, Mu Jin was his real son. How could he have given birth to such an empty-headed son?
"Big brother!"
Before Zhou Ling could continue to reprimand him, Mu Bai sprang out and grabbed Mu Jin, who had just entered the room, refusing to let go.
Zhou Lin followed behind, carrying the gifts, and watched the two brothers hugging each other with a smile.
Mu Jin patted Mu Bai's head. To be honest, she really missed him after not seeing him for a few days.
During the quiet winter days, the Mu family didn't go out. The whole family chatted together in the main room for a while before Zhou Ling went to the kitchen to cook.
Since Mu Jin is a guest now, it would be awkward to ask him to cook. It would be disrespectful to Mu Laoqi, and Zhou Ling would inevitably get a beating again. Cooking is much easier than getting beaten up.
Mu Jin didn't just sit there idly, as that wouldn't be right, so she went with Mu Bai to the kitchen to help Zhou Ling start a fire.
Mu Bai chirped on, "Big brother, are you doing well at the Zhou family?"
Zhou Ling chuckled softly. He had heard the gossip in the village these past two days, and even he had to admire Mu Jin's clever methods. How could a man with such a cunning mind not have a good life?
Mu Jin smiled and nodded. "Very good."
Mu Bai seemed relieved. "That's good, big brother. You don't know, my second brother and I have already agreed that if you don't have a good time after your wedding, we'll go back to the Zhou family with you and support you."
The boy's voice was clear and pure, which warmed Mu Jin's heart. Her stepfather had really given her two good younger brothers. Because of them, she wouldn't fall out with him.
The newlywed returned to his parents' home, and the Mu family prepared a rather sumptuous lunch. Mu Laoqi had asked Mu Zhou to buy pork yesterday, and today he asked Zhou Linghong to cook it to entertain his brother-in-law.
Mu Jin didn't stand on ceremony and quickly put two large pieces on Zhou Lin's plate, then smiled and put one piece on each of Mu Laoqi and Zhou Ling's plates.
“Ah Lin is still a little reserved since he just came to our house. We’re all family. Your father specially made braised pork for you. If you don’t eat more, wouldn’t it be a waste of your father’s and your father’s good intentions?”
Mu Jin glanced at Zhou Lin, who wasn't putting his chopsticks into the braised pork dish, then picked up another piece for him and said with a slight reproach.
In front of outsiders, Mu Laoqi always liked to put on airs and act generously. Upon hearing this, he adopted the demeanor of the head of the family and said, "Jin-ge'er is right. We're all family, so don't be so polite."
Zhou Lin was an honest man, and he was really afraid that Zhou Ling and the others would be angry when he heard this. So he focused on eating the braised pork. He ate more than half of the big bowl of braised pork and praised Zhou Ling at the end, "Mom, the braised pork you made is delicious."
The Mu family members were dumbfounded. Mu Zhou thought to himself, "Is this brother-in-law an idiot?"
Zhou Ling coughed lightly, gritted her teeth, and said, "I thought your Zhou family was doing alright, so why do you act like you've never eaten meat before? It's fine at home, but when you visit other people's homes, you can't act like this, only picking out meat to eat. It'll make you a laughing stock."
“Mom and Dad, my fourth brother is studying hard, so all the meat in the house is reserved for our parents and him. Today, Mom and Dad specially made meat for me. It was a token of my appreciation, and I was afraid of offending you and making you angry, so I ate a little more. But don’t worry, Mom and Dad, I understand how things are done in other people’s homes,” Zhou Lin said somewhat embarrassedly.
Zhou Lin's sincerity left the eloquent Zhou Ling speechless. "I understand... I understand is good."
Mu Jin chuckled inwardly. This simpleton was doing something foolish, yet it left her usually shrewd father speechless, unsure of what to say to him.
Mu Bai felt a little sorry for her brother-in-law. He rarely ate meat. She looked at Zhou Lin with pity and put another piece of braised pork on his plate.
"Brother-in-law, eat more. If you want meat in the future, come home and let your uncle cook it for you."
Zhou Ling glanced at her silly son and was speechless. She took a big bite of braised pork and thought for the ten thousandth time that she must have given birth to the wrong child back then.
Regardless, this homecoming was a joyous occasion, without any major mishaps.
Before leaving, Mu Jin said to Mu Laoqi, "Father, I told Father-in-law that the ginseng wine you have is the best for nourishing the body, but he didn't believe me. Today, could you pour me a bamboo tube so that Father-in-law can try it and not say that I'm exaggerating?"
Mu Laoqi felt completely refreshed after his meal today, thanks to Mu Jin's pats. "Go ahead, your father-in-law must have never had anything good to drink. Let him try it. I dare say you can't find a better wine than my ginseng wine in the village!"
Mu Jin smiled and gave Mu Bai a look, after which Mu Bai went back into the house to get the bamboo tube.
Zhou Ling was both angry and helpless, so she simply decided to avoid seeing it and went back to her room.
When they got home, Mu Jin gave the wine to Zhou Laosan. As soon as Zhou Laosan smelled it, he knew it was good wine. He quickly took a sip and his eyes became much more loving towards Mu Jin.
He said to Zhou Wushi, "Old woman, get me a plate of snacks to go with the wine. I must savor this fine wine."
Mu Jin smiled and, before Zhou Wushi could speak, said to Zhou Laosan, "Father, it's our homecoming today, and the dirty clothes in the house haven't been washed yet. I'll go to the river to wash them while the sun is shining."
Zhou Laosan nodded, becoming increasingly satisfied with Mujin. Previously, the villagers had gossiped about the family because the second son got married first, leaving the eldest son to be over twenty.
Since Mulan came to his house, fewer people have been gossiping about him. Even his old friends who used to have opinions about him are now talking to him. He's very happy about that.
Zhou Wu didn't say anything, but secretly glared at Mu Jin. Then, she smiled slightly, thinking that there was still a long way to go and she wouldn't argue with him about this short-term issue.
In the dead of winter, Zhou Lin felt sorry for her husband. She wanted to boil some water, but then she thought that if she wasted firewood, her mother would scold her. So she went with Mu Jin to the village well to help fetch water. The well water was warm, not as cold as the river water.
After Mu Jin finished washing the clothes, Zhou Lin helped hang them up to dry. When Zhou Wu Shi saw Zhou Lin sticking to Mu Jin like a tail, she got annoyed. After thinking about it, she held back and decided to teach Mu Jin a lesson when spring came.
After the couple finished their work, they returned to their somewhat drafty room. Mu Jin knew that Zhou Lin must really like her, and now she would directly mention her ideas to Zhou Lin.
“Husband, this house can’t keep out the heat. It’s so cold that we can’t stand it without lying in bed. If we catch a cold, we’ll suffer and have to spend money on medicine. Why don’t we take advantage of the market in town on the 20th of the twelfth lunar month and buy some new window paper to put up?”
Zhou Lin was a rough man, and he lived a rough life. Zhou Wu didn't want to bother with him. In addition, the man was young and strong, hot-tempered, and didn't mind the cold. She really didn't think about re-covering the window paper on the slightly drafty windows.
"It's my fault for not thinking of that. When we have dinner later, I'll tell my mother to give me the money, and I'll go buy it first thing tomorrow morning."
Mu Jin was speechless. This person really didn't leave her a single penny, and it would probably be hard to get the money back.
As expected, Zhou Lin had barely opened his mouth at dinner when Zhou Wu Shi choked him back.
"Your wedding has almost depleted the family's savings. Visiting relatives during the New Year and buying New Year's goods all cost money. Where would we find spare money to buy you window paper? We've managed all these years. Besides, there's only half a month left until spring. Just bear with it a little longer and it will get warmer."
Zhou Lin looked at Mu Jin helplessly, his eyes full of apology. He had indeed spent a lot of money on his wedding, and he really didn't know how to ask for more money.
Mu Jin placed the full bowl of brown rice porridge in front of Zhou Lin without saying a word.
After finishing their meal quietly, they returned to the icy bedroom. Mu Jin silently scooped up a basin of hot water and soaked Zhou Lin's feet. He washed himself up briefly, then lay down in the cold bed, closed his eyes, and remained silent, as if he were asleep.
Zhou Lin felt panicked and distressed. After a moment of helplessness, he said, "Ah Jin, I'll go to town tomorrow to see if there are any jobs available. Once I earn some money, I'll buy new window paper."
Mu Jin buried her face in the quilt. Speaking of which, this soft and warm quilt was one of the few dowry items she brought back. Zhou Lin's original quilt was no longer warm. This Zhou family really only cares about Zhou Lin and sucks his blood.
Seeing that Mu Jin still ignored him, Zhou Lin became a little anxious. "Ah Jin, I will definitely be able to buy the window paper by tomorrow. Don't be angry. The family is supporting my fourth brother's studies, and with my wedding, things are indeed a bit rushed."
Mu Jin buried herself in the quilt and sighed. It seemed that if she wanted to separate from the family and live independently, she would have to let Zhou Lin see her mother-in-law's true colors and force him to do something.
A muffled voice came from under the covers: "That's enough. Just like Mother said, you can bear it. In the dead of winter, you shouldn't go out to work. It's so cold. I feel sorry for you even if others don't."
Zhou Lin breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Mu Jin was paying attention to him, and quickly said, "I'm not tired. In the past, when the family was short of money in winter, I would go to town to work. Working would warm me up."
Mu Jin angrily threw off the covers, her face flushed slightly from the heat. She glared at him with her beautiful eyes, unusually angry, and said, "I said you're not allowed to go, and that's final! How can you be so ungrateful?!"
Zhou Lin felt a little upset after what was said, but Mu Jin, who was very good at reading people, didn't try to comfort him.
"If you don't care about yourself, then go ahead and do it. Never mind what I said."
As she was about to pull the blanket back over her head, she was stopped by a pair of large, calloused hands. Zhou Lin said, "I'm not going. Don't be angry."
Mu Jin retorted angrily, "If you weren't my husband, I wouldn't care whether you live or die!"
Zhou Lin quickly hugged him to warm him up, saying, "I know I'm stupid and foolish, and I don't know what's good for me. Many people in the village say that about me."
Hearing this, Mu Jin felt a pang of heartache. She rubbed his big head and thought for a moment before saying, "I think we can take the little wooden trinket you gave me to the town fair and try to sell it. Maybe we can get some money for it."
Zhou Lin paused for a moment, then said somewhat uncertainly, "I just did it all myself. My mother scolded me for it, saying that no one would want the things I carved, that it was a waste of time, and that I probably wouldn't be able to sell them."
Of all the people Zhou Lin knew, only the husband in her arms carefully kept the little trinkets he had given her.
Mu Jin leaned against Zhou Lin, tugging at his hair, "How will you know if you don't try? I really like it. Do you have any left over? It might be too late to make it now."
To be honest, Zhou Lin's wood carvings are much rougher than those of carpenters, but if the price is set lower, they should still be able to sell.
Zhou Lin nodded. "When I used to rest in the fields, I would pick up a piece of wood and carve it. Some of them looked alright, so I kept them."
"Then let's try it tomorrow, but we have to keep it a secret from Mother. If she finds out, she'll say I'm being silly again."
"If I really sell it and use the money to buy window paper, how should I tell her? If Mother finds out that I'm hiding money, she'll probably be even angrier."
Mu Jin played with Zhou Lin's hair for a while, then thought for a moment and said, "Tell me about the money I brought from my mother's home. Speaking of which, doesn't your good brother Mu Sheng go to town every time there's a market? Why don't you ask him to help sell it? That way, the villagers won't see it and it will get back to my mother, causing unnecessary trouble."
Seeing that her husband's body had warmed up a bit, Zhou Lin hugged him tighter. "He is going. I will go to find him first thing tomorrow morning."
As her body warmed up, Mu Jin gradually became sleepy, her voice tinged with drowsiness as she said, "Okay, make sure Mother doesn't find out."
If Zhou Wushi found out that even wood carvings she didn't like could earn money, Zhou Lin would really have a hard time getting any rest in the future.
When he's not working in the fields, he probably has to carve wood at home all the time. Even if he doesn't earn much, it's still money.
In a daze, when Mu Jin thought of the person beside her working tirelessly day and night, a slight pang of pain rose in her heart.
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