Chapter Twenty-Eight
For several days in a row, no one from the Zhou family came to cause trouble, and Mu Jin had a much quieter time.
The bamboo was dried, coated with wood lacquer, and laid out in the yard, creating a rather spectacular sight.
There are about ten lacquer trees growing in the woods, and the lacquer on the bamboo was made from wood harvested last year.
With a wave of his hand, Mu Qiang told Zhou Lin to take it and use it.
Zhou Lin originally intended to pay him in silver, or even just write an IOU, but Mu Heng refused to pay, saying he would just make as much as needed this year.
"It'll be ready to use tomorrow." Mu Jin held the bowl in one hand and bent down to touch it with the other. It was dry.
"I'll ask my master for two days off this afternoon," Zhou Lin replied, taking a sip of brown rice porridge.
Mu Jin nodded, finished the last mouthful of brown rice porridge in the bowl, and put the bowl back in the kitchen.
Early the next morning, the family of three ate breakfast and got up early.
Mu Lingyun heard Zhou Si mention it yesterday, and this morning, Mu Mian, Mu Lingqiao, and he all came over early to help.
Mu Jin didn't want to call anyone; she had so many favors to repay that she didn't know how she was going to pay them back.
But since they've already come, sending them back would only damage our relationship.
I guess I'll just have to pay it back slowly later.
The bed and wardrobe in the bedroom had to be moved out and placed in the yard first.
Mu Jin spread the bedding and clothes from the chest and cabinet directly on the bed to air them out.
After measuring out the house, the men carefully cut the bamboo into equal heights in the yard.
The guys carried the chopped bamboo to the bedroom doorway.
The group was working up a good mood when suddenly a cow mooed from the doorway.
"Already working on it? I'm just in time." Mu Sheng walked in with a smile.
"Brother-in-law, what brings you here at this hour? Is something wrong with Brother Nianjun?"
Mu Jin wiped her hands, looking somewhat anxious, and hurriedly asked Mu Sheng.
Mu Sheng waved his hand, "Your Nianjun is doing well. If something happened to him, would I still be able to laugh?"
Mu Jin breathed a sigh of relief; she had truly let her concern cloud her judgment.
“Your brother Nianjun was saying that your bamboo should be dried by now. He went to town and just got back, so he asked me to come and check on it. The kids are making a fuss at home, so he can’t leave. He’ll probably have to come over after the kids go to sleep.”
Mu Jin didn't tell anyone about laying the roof tiles this time, thinking that the whole family could finish it in a couple of days.
Unexpectedly, the person who cares about you doesn't even need you to say a word.
A warm feeling seemed to flow through Mu Jin's heart. Without being polite to Mu Sheng, she said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, brother-in-law."
Many hands make light work, and by noon, Mu Jin and Zhou Lin's bedroom was more than half-finished.
"We'll head back now and come back after lunch."
Mu Sheng pulled out a tiny bamboo splinter from his finger without batting an eye. Years of farm work had given him calluses, so it didn't hurt much, just a little itchy.
After washing their hands in the kitchen, Mumian and the others prepared to go back.
Mu Jin quickly stopped them, "Brother-in-law, you've helped us so much, how can you not eat at home?"
Mu Sheng waved his hand and said, "It's no big deal. When you have more money, I'll definitely not stand on ceremony with you two and cook a big pot of braised pork so your brother-in-law can eat his fill."
Mu Mian chimed in, "Yes, with such a close relationship, let's not stand on ceremony. I'm going to eat a whole braised fish then."
Mu Jin's eyes glistened, and she nodded emphatically, saying with a slightly nasal tone, "Okay, then there will definitely be plenty of white rice, white steamed buns, and meat."
Zhou Lin took everything in, stepped forward, put his arm around Mu Jin's shoulder, and said softly, "Ah Jin, I'll take some time these days to make some wood carvings and exchange them for some money in town."
Mu Jin nodded, then perked up and said, "Okay, it's time to make lunch. We'll be busy this afternoon."
After lunch, Mu Sheng and the others arrived shortly after. By the time the sun was setting, the floor of Zhou Si's house was paved, and only the walls remained to be finished. It wouldn't be long before the walls were completed.
As she helped move the bed and chests into the room, Mu Mian smiled and said, "I was hoping to finish it today."
Zhou Lin said gently, "There's only a little left. I'll be able to finish by tomorrow morning. Thank you all. Tomorrow, you all need to focus on your family matters. Another day, A-Jin and I will treat everyone to a meal."
Now that spring has arrived, everyone has so much to do, and we are already very grateful that they could come and help out for a day.
Mu Sheng was surprised. He had known Zhou Lin since they were old friends, and he had never seen him like this before.
He patted Zhou Lin on the shoulder, "You're becoming more and more like a man in charge."
Zhou Si watched from the sidelines, her eyes filled with the gratification of an elder looking at a younger generation.
Mu Jin, watching from the side, couldn't help but twitch at the corner of her mouth. The way her mother looked at her like she was her grown son was really giving her goosebumps.
Zhou Lin felt somewhat embarrassed by what he said.
After seeing Mu Mian and the others out the door, Mu Jin rubbed her shoulders and sighed, "Finally, we're almost done with our work."
After dinner, I opened the door and returned to the newly renovated house. I lit the oil lamp and found that I liked the hibiscus more and more as I looked at it.
"It's so clean. I'll lay a layer of this when I build a new house tomorrow."
Zhou Lin smiled and said, "In a few days, the wardrobe will be ready to be moved home. It will look even better once it's placed there."
After tidying up, Mu Jin burrowed into the quilt, poked half her head out, and said in a muffled voice, "After learning how to make wardrobes, hurry up and clear out the wasteland."
Mujia Village is very convenient, with each household having their own fields behind their houses, making planting and irrigation very easy.
Mu Jin and her family's house is located near the foot of the mountain, with the mountain behind it and a large open space in front of it.
Mu Jin plans to clear the land in front of the house. Although there are many stones, it is close to home and convenient to manage.
After tidying up Zhou Si's bedroom, Zhou Lin used the leftover bamboo to make a bamboo doghouse for Little Night Owl.
Inside, there was some leftover straw that Mu Sheng had sent earlier, which looked warmer than sleeping in the kitchen.
The little night owl seemed to like it very much, and that very night it wagged its little tail and burrowed inside.
Zhou Lin hurried as fast as he could, and two days later, he moved the willow wood wardrobe back home.
To reclaim wasteland in Mujia Village, you need to go to the village chief to mark the boundaries, and then go to the town government office to process the land deed.
According to the laws of the early Qing Dynasty, newly reclaimed land is exempt from taxation for three years, after which grain tax will be levied based on the harvest.
Because the land deed still needs to be processed as soon as possible, if it is not registered, there will be big trouble when the grain official comes to the village to collect grain tax. Not only will they be fined, but the land may also be confiscated.
Zhou Lin dared not delay, leaving a relatively wide village road in front of his house, wide enough for an oxcart to pass, and measured out five mu of land.
The village chief was Mu Jin's great-grandfather, and he had heard a few things about Zhou Lin and Mu Jin separating their families.
A while ago, I went to the foot of the mountain and asked Mu Jin. She said that things were going well and Zhou Lin was learning carpentry from Mu Heng. My worries eased a bit.
Now that he saw that the two of them wanted to clear wasteland and farm, he was very supportive. Early the next morning, he went to the county government office, asked the yamen runners to demarcate the area, and got the land deed done.
The imperial court was very supportive of land reclamation, and unlike land sales, the county government approved it very quickly.
Hibiscus held the thin land deed, glanced at it a few times, and seeing that there were no problems, carefully folded it and put it into the hidden compartment in the bed.
Clearing land is no easy task, and the wasteland at the foot of the mountain is full of rocks.
We didn't have any farm tools at home; we borrowed a hoe from a hunter to grow vegetables.
Clearing land now requires a lot of farming tools, and if we borrow tools from other people and break them, that would be bad.
Zhou Lin went home, intending to use the farm tools he had used before, but Zhou Wushi did not give them to him.
Mu Mian sold the farm tools she had previously borrowed from their family to them at a low price, for a hundred coins.
This avoided the embarrassment of clearing land by hand.
Mu Jin didn't waste the stones she picked up from the wasteland; she moved them to the yard so she could use them to pave the yard when she had time.
Zhou Wushi came twice recently, both times implying that Zhou Lin should come home to help with the spring planting.
Before Mu Jin could speak, Zhou Lin replied, "Mother, I'll go back to help once I've cleared the land."
The fields belonging to the hunters were not far from their own, and the whole family was busy in the fields, turning the soil.
Seeing Zhou Wushi coming over, Mu Mian was afraid that she was here to cause trouble again, so she shouted.
"Ah Jin, what's wrong?"
Zhou Wushi also cared about her reputation and didn't want to make a scene in front of outsiders and become a laughing stock.
All that was left was the message, "Come back early, your father and I are too busy."
After Zhou Wushi walked away, Mu Jin smiled at Zhou Lin and said softly, "Husband, I'm so happy to see that you didn't leave as soon as Mother called you and that you kept our family's affairs in mind."
Zhou Lin smiled, noticing that he was digging the ground faster.
He dug ahead, while Mu Jin and Zhou Si picked up the stones behind him, carrying them home basket after basket.
As tender shoots of grass sprout and all things gradually revive, the weeds in the yard surge forward, breaking through the soil.
"A-Lin, you go and continue digging the field. Si'er and I will tidy up the weeds in the yard. It's time to plant the spring vegetables."
Zhou Lin, carrying a hoe, nodded, munched on a dark-colored flatbread, and went out the door.
The little night owl looked at this and that, circled its tail once, and finally stayed home to keep Hibiscus company.
Zhou Si chuckled, "Big brother, this little guy is still most attached to you."
Mu Jin smiled and patted its little black head. "I probably fed it the most."
Zhou Si was both amused and exasperated. He had fed it quite a bit; this little night owl just liked pretty things.
He turned and went to the kitchen, taking out the vegetable seeds he had bought from under the cupboard.
I heard from older women and their husbands that fifty years ago, there weren't as many delicious dishes as there are now.
Fortunately, the late emperor expanded the territory and sent merchant ships to foreign lands, bringing back many good things.
There's no need to elaborate on cabbage, mustard greens, spinach, amaranth, chives, wild garlic, taro, eggplant, cucumber, and green beans. In recent years, we've also brought back tomatoes and sweet potatoes from other regions.
Zhou Sike loves eating these two raw; they're sweet and sour.
After sorting the vegetables into categories, Zhou Si helped turn over the vegetable garden again.
As the sun rose higher and higher, after planting the last vegetable patch, Hibiscus stretched her back, which had been bent over for a long time and was a little sore.
After closing the small bamboo gate to the vegetable garden, Mu Jin smiled and said, "Finally, one thing is done. Tomorrow or the day after, I'll see if there are any chicks or ducklings for sale. I'll raise about ten of them; it's been a long time since I've had eggs."
Zhou Si felt a little hungry after hearing this. He had only eaten this once or twice in town with his own money since he was a child, and he really did crave it.
As smoke rose from the chimney, Zhou Lin piled up the small stones he had dug up from the ground, so that Mu Jin and the others could collect them in the afternoon.
He straightened his back, looked at the smoke rising from his house in the distance, and a smile appeared on his lips.
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