Chapter Ninety-Four
Mu Jin laid out the lining of the quilt, and Zhou Si helped to carefully spread the fluffed cotton on top.
"Brother, I've been at home these past few days and I've embroidered a pattern of mandarin ducks playing in the water. I'll hurry up tonight and bring it over tomorrow to sew onto the quilt cover."
Mu Jin smiled and said, "When Qi Qiu comes back and sees this, I don't know how happy he will be."
Zhou Si smiled gently, "I don't have much to offer, except for my embroidery skills."
The two had been busy all morning, and Zhou Si, preoccupied with other matters, didn't stay for lunch at Mu Jin's place, but hurried home.
Wen Zhaoran, feeling utterly bored, took another nap in bed, only to be woken up by Mu Jin when she felt dizzy and lightheaded.
He said in a hoarse voice, "Brother, I'm sleepy."
As she spoke, she turned over and covered her head with the blanket.
Mu Jin sighed helplessly, "Stop sleeping! You've been sleeping for so long. Are you not going to sleep tonight? Get up and have lunch. Come with me for a walk later and we'll buy a couple of pieces of tofu."
Wen Zhaoran buried herself in the blankets, seemingly oblivious to what was happening.
Mu Jin tried to pull at the blankets that Wen Zhaoran had stuffed tightly around her, but couldn't budge them.
He chuckled and said, "Really not going to eat it? I made your favorite braised pork and cabbage with vermicelli today. Your brother-in-law bought it when he came back today. You really don't want to eat it? Sigh, what a waste of such good pork belly."
Wen Zhaoran suddenly sat up from under the covers. "Big brother, I'm getting up now."
Mu Jin chuckled, and while he was getting dressed, she got up and left, closing the door behind her.
This morning, while working, Zhou Lin kept thinking about Zhou Si.
It just so happened that Mu Heng's neighbor was slaughtering a pig today. Zhou Lin had saved up quite a bit of pocket money, so he bought three catties of pork, gave two catties to Zhou Si, and went to see him on the way.
Seeing that he looked alright, I was finally relieved.
My husband always has the best way.
Braised pork with cabbage and glass noodles is a delicious and fragrant dish that my family loves to eat in winter.
Wen Zhaoran was even more extreme; he didn't like the most fragrant pork in the dish, but preferred the springy vermicelli that was coated with meat broth.
After a satisfying meal, Wen Zhaoran let out a soft burp.
"Wait a minute, my master and I are going to town to deliver the boxes and cabinets we've made. Is there anything you need us to take?"
Mu Jin put the bowls and chopsticks into the hot water in the pot, and thought about it carefully after hearing this.
My family hasn't been to town in a long time, so we actually have some things we need to buy.
"We're almost out of salt. If the price of soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar is right, buy another jar. Buy a jar of liquor. We have about ten duck eggs left at home. I'm thinking of pickling two more jars of vegetables and another jar of salted duck eggs this year. Buy about twenty more duck eggs. If you come back early, go to Gujia Village and buy three jars."
Wen Zhaoran warmed herself by the pottery stove and hurriedly said, "Brother-in-law, I also have something I need you to bring back."
Zhou Lin smiled. "What is it?"
"Buy ten catties of mutton and two catties of mutton offal, and I'll go back inside and get you the money."
Mu Jin and Zhou Lin: "…………"
"Ten catties? Zhaoran, that's too much. There are only three people in the family, we can't finish it."
Wen Zhaoran stood up, her fair hands warm from the fire.
“Not much, brother. I haven’t had mutton in a long time and I really crave it. Besides, it’s cold today and it can be stored for a while. Brother-in-law, go to that shop in town that specializes in selling things from northern Xinjiang. Although it’s expensive there, it doesn’t have much of a muttony smell, and the mutton is tender.”
As Wen Zhaoran spoke, he hurriedly left the kitchen, fearing that Mu Jin would shake her head and refuse to buy.
Mu Jin looked at Wen Zhaoran, who was rushing out of the kitchen door in a hurry, and shook her head with a smile.
"It seems that the men in the northern frontier all love to eat beef and mutton. Qi Qiu is no exception. A while ago, when he didn't go to the capital, he asked Brother Zhaoye to inquire where he could buy beef."
“I talked to Zhaoye before. In the northern border region, most families raise cattle and sheep, unlike here, where there are more pig farmers.”
Mu Jin thought for a moment, and realized that beef and mutton were indeed tastier than pork. She stood up and said with a smile, "I'll go back to my room and get you some money. If the meat is good, I'll buy more."
Zhou Lin nodded.
The winter sun feels warm on the skin, unlike the scorching heat of summer.
The snow that had been swept away piled up on both sides of the village road, melting and then freezing again, glistening, unlike the soft snow that had just fallen.
The top layer of snow felt hard to the touch; when you poked it, it left a round hole, just like poking through thin ice.
After buying tofu, Mu Jin took Wen Zhaoran home and started working on the wedding quilt they hadn't finished that morning.
The sun was setting in the west, but Zhou Si was nowhere to be seen.
When Zhou Lin returned home in the afterglow of the setting sun, Zhou Si had not yet come home.
Mu Jin helped carry the things from the cart home; the basket was heavy with mutton, a very generous portion.
When Wen Zhaoran saw the mutton, his eyes lit up.
Mu Jin chuckled and cut off five jin (2.5 kg) of the fruit, making several cuts and soaking it in water.
He wiped his hands and said, "Let it soak for half an hour. While it's soaking, let's wash the lamb offal."
Wen Zhaoran nodded with a smile.
Mu Jin smiled gently and carefully placed the oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and duck eggs that Zhou Lin had bought back into the cupboard.
He then poured half a basin of cold water into the wooden tub.
Stewing mutton is the easiest thing to do. Zhou Lin even bought spices from the shop that are specially used for stewing mutton in northern Xinjiang. He threw them in and simmered them with the mutton over low heat.
The aroma wafted from the pot, and Wen Zhaoran sniffed and sighed, "This is the smell, it smells wonderful."
Mu Jin put the pot lid back on, sighed and said with a smile, "You watch the fire, I'm going out for a bit."
Seeing this, Zhou Lin stood up and asked, "Where are we going? It's getting dark."
"Si'er didn't come this afternoon. I was worried something might have happened, so I went to check on her."
"I'll go with you."
Mu Jin nodded. With the owl at home and the gate closed, Wen Zhaoran should be fine staying home alone for a while.
Since Mu Jin married into the Zhou family, Zhou Si has contributed significantly to everything, from dividing the family property to dealing with Zhou Wu Shi.
Although he had his own ulterior motives, he treated Zhou Lin well, both in terms of his actions and his intentions.
Mu Jin felt grateful for his kindness and treated him like a younger brother.
Now that Zhou Si has run into trouble, he certainly can't just sit idly by.
Carrying a bag of crispy walnuts that Mu Jin had made a while ago, she went to Mu Liehu's house with Zhou Lin.
When Mu Jin and Zhou Lin arrived, the Mu family was preparing to have dinner.
Upon seeing the two arrive, Uncle Mu exclaimed in surprise, "Big brother, big brother, what brings you here at this hour?"
Mu Jin smiled gently, "I stir-fried some walnuts and was thinking of sending some over for Uncle Mu and you to try."
Uncle Mu chuckled and said, "You silly child, keep such good stuff for your own family. We don't lack anything. Lin just brought us two jin of meat at noon, and we haven't finished it yet."
Mu Jin handed over the crispy walnuts in her hand, saying, "These walnuts were picked from the mountains in the autumn, Uncle Mu, please don't find them unappetizing."
Uncle Mu smiled, his eyes sharp and discerning, knowing that the two had come to find Zhou Si.
"I'm overjoyed, there's no question of disliking it. Come to think of it, this is actually my favorite."
After saying that, he called out towards the kitchen, "Si'er, your older brother is here."
Zhou Si hurriedly came out of the kitchen.
Uncle Mu smiled and said, "You two chat, I'll go get you two cups of tea."
Mu Jin quickly waved her hand, "Uncle Mu, no need, we'll sit for a while and then head back."
"It's just a matter of adding some water."
As Uncle Mu spoke, he left the main room.
"Big brother, big brother, what brings you here?"
Seeing that he didn't look dejected, Mu Jin breathed a sigh of relief.
He said softly, "Have we talked things out?"
Zhou Si smiled and said, "To be honest, it's my fault. I was busy moving this afternoon and forgot to tell you, my brother. I made you worry."
"move place?!"
Zhou Si smiled and nodded, "I came back this afternoon and sincerely apologized to Brother Si. I also told Brother Lingyun about what I've been keeping on my mind these past few days."
Zhou Lin frowned slightly. "If that's the case, Uncle Mu didn't seem angry with you when I just saw him. Why are you moving?"
Zhou Si smiled and said, "Brother, don't be in a hurry, let me finish."
Mu Jin gently patted Zhou Lin's arm and pulled him to sit down again.
"This afternoon, the family split up. Dad and my stepfather are living with my eldest brother and the others. They bought a house in the village from a family that moved to town and gave it to me and Lingyun."
Today I only moved some things from the house to the new house. There are no new pots and pans there, and I'll have to stay here for a while.
"Dividing the family property?! How did the family split up?"
Zhou Si sighed and said with a smile, "Brother, the division of the family is a good thing for me. My eldest brother hunts and Lingyun is a butcher. The difference in their earnings is too great. Although Brother Si and the others haven't said anything yet, as time goes on, they will give more money to our uncle. They are eating from the same pot, and they may still feel dissatisfied."
Mu Jin nodded gently. "How were they divided?"
"The family's land wasn't divided up, but my uncle gave me extra money to buy pots, pans, and other utensils. He also gave me and Lingyun fifty taels of silver from the family, plus the house in the village. In short, Lingyun and I got a great deal."
Mu Jin frowned slightly. Although he didn't know how much silver the Mu family had, fifty taels of silver was a lot for any family, not to mention they also had a house in the village.
I wonder if the cotton tree will harbor resentment towards them.
Over the years, Mu Jin has not had many close friends. Before getting married, she only had Mu Mian and Mu Nianjun.
He cherished his friendship with the two of them very much.
"That's a good thing. You'll be busy setting up your new house tomorrow, so you probably won't have time to help. Just finish your own business first."
Zhou Si said apologetically, "I'll go as soon as I'm done with my work."
Mu Jin smiled and said, "Qi Qiu's wedding is still a while away, no rush."
As she spoke, she stood up. "Is Mian'er home? Is he free tomorrow?"
Zhou Si hurriedly said, "Yes, yes, big brother, I'll call Brother Mian over for you."
The relationship between Zhou Si and Mu Mian as sisters-in-law is quite delicate these days, though outwardly there's nothing so sordid about it.
"Jin'er, are you here to support Si'er?"
Mu Mian made a joke, but there wasn't much of a smile in her eyes.
Mu Jin sighed, caught between the two, feeling truly awkward.
"Mian'er, you know that's not what I meant."
Mu Mian chuckled and said, "It was just a joke. Si'er just told me that I'll be going over tomorrow at noon."
Mu Jin nodded, gave Zhou Lin a look, and pulled Mu Mian aside.
"Mian'er, tell me, are you angry about Si'er's matter today?"
Mu Mian gently shook her head. "I really can't say I'm angry. Speaking of which, it's good that we're separating. I thought that because of you, my relationship with Si'er wouldn't be too bad. But now that we're sisters-in-law, many other things have come into play. Distance makes things better than closeness. If we separate, we might get along even better."
Mu Jin secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had known Mu Mian for a long time, and he certainly didn't seem angry.
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