Chapter 102
After finishing up Bai Qiqiu's wedding preparations, Mu Jinsong felt much better.
Wen Zhaoran took a liking to the Laba porridge that Mu Jin cooked on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, and would often pester Mu Jin to cook a pot of it.
Ever since their conversation on the day of the third-day return visit, Bai Qiqiu has never mentioned his intimate moments with Mu Zhaoye again.
It seems to be healed.
Mu Jin felt extremely embarrassed whenever she thought about it.
I didn't hear Zhao Ran's composure.
He shook his head and started cooking the Laba porridge that Wen Zhaoran wanted to drink. Steam rose from the pot, and the kitchen gradually warmed up.
Before we knew it, it was the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month. Early in the morning, the whole family got up to prepare for the market and stock up on New Year's goods.
Hibiscus has collected quite a few winnowing baskets and hampers woven from sorghum stalks these days.
We're taking them all to town to sell today.
Mu Zhou took a break and picked up Wen Zhaoran early in the morning.
The carpenter's shop closed yesterday after finishing its work before the Lunar New Year, and will not reopen until after the Lantern Festival.
Zhou Lin finally had some free time, so he helped carry the things onto Mu Zhaoye's mule cart. The group of people chatted and laughed as they headed towards the town.
On the way, they came across Muling Bridge. This man, who was usually stern and cold-faced, was visibly happy today.
"Brother Lingqiao, where is Mian'er?"
Upon hearing the name Mu Mian, Mu Lingqiao's eyebrows immediately curved into a smile.
"He wasn't feeling well, so his uncle didn't let him go out; he's resting at home."
Mu Jin immediately understood; in the village, if a woman was pregnant before the due date, she usually wouldn't tell anyone.
Mu Jin pretended not to know and smiled at Mu Lingqiao.
I was also happy for the cotton tree.
He has been married to Mu Lingqiao for almost two years now. Although Uncle Mu doesn't say it, he must be anxious.
Now, the burden on Mu Mian's shoulders can finally be lifted.
Zhou Lin didn't understand the cryptic conversation between the two, and sat steadily in front, shielding Mu Jin from the cold wind.
As the New Year approaches, the town is bustling with people, and the cries of vendors hawking their wares echo along the streets.
Some shops in town have already closed and gone home to prepare for the Chinese New Year, while others remain open, hoping to make one last profit before the holiday.
Mu Jin unloaded the baskets and winnowing trays from the cart and arranged them neatly.
Bai Qiqiu hauled a large bucket of fish and started hawking them next to Mu Jin.
"My dear husband, Lin boy, it's been a long time. How have you been?"
Butler Zhao stood with his hands clasped behind his back, a kind smile on his face, still looking as plump as ever.
Mu Jin immediately smiled broadly, "All is well. Just look at Steward Zhao, and I know that your days are full of blessings, and everything goes smoothly and as you wish."
Butler Zhao's eyes narrowed into slits with a smile. "You made all of this?"
Mu Jin nodded gently, "I had nothing to do in winter, so I wove some to earn some money for expenses."
Upon hearing this, Steward Zhao picked up a small basket and examined it closely.
“They are quite exquisite and have various designs. I’ll keep them all. It just so happens to be the New Year, so I’ll replace the old baskets in the mansion and the old winnowing baskets in the estate.”
Mu Jin's eyes were full of joy. "Every time I meet Steward Zhao, it's always a good thing. You are truly a great benefactor to me and A Lin. I can't get enough of seeing you every day."
Butler Zhao laughed heartily, "Even if it means bothering this old man."
Mu Jin chuckled, "How could that be? Ah Lin and I are looking forward to it every day."
Zhou Lin wasn't as eloquent as her husband, so she just smiled at Steward Zhao and quickly helped put away the large and small baskets and winnowing baskets, and helped the servants of the Zhao household carry them onto the cart.
"It's been many days since I've seen you come to the manor. Yesterday, the old lady asked about you. When you have some free time, go and visit the old lady."
Mu Jin hurriedly smiled and said, "Thank you for remembering, Madam. I was planning to bring New Year's gifts to visit you and Steward Zhao after the New Year."
"New Year's gifts don't matter. What makes her happy is chatting with the old lady and relieving her boredom."
"I didn't know, but now that I know the old lady misses me, I must go to her house to see her."
Mu Jin knew that it was probably just a casual remark from Old Madam Zhao, and she probably hadn't taken it to heart.
But he couldn't be indifferent; given this opportunity, he naturally wanted to make the most of it.
Butler Zhao nodded in satisfaction. Seeing that Bai Qiqiu and Mu Jin had come together, he also bought out the whole bucket of fish.
The vendors sitting next to them couldn't hide their envy and jealousy; it was evident in their eyes.
Mu Jin didn't care about anything else. After getting everything ready, she quickly took Zhou Lin to a shop that specialized in buying things from the northern frontier and bought a gift.
Ten catties of mutton, two packs of milk cake, two packs of raisins, and dried persimmons.
Of the money he earned from selling baskets, only sixty coins remained.
It's customary to bring something when visiting someone's home. Although Old Madam Zhao has plenty of food and wouldn't care about what they brought, it's still important to show your appreciation.
Bai Qiqiu and Mu Zhaoye didn't go with them; the two of them went to buy New Year's goods first.
Unable to enter the inner courtyard, Zhou Lin stayed in the pavilion where Mu Jin had been waiting for him, waiting for Mu Jin to finish her conversation with Old Madam Zhao and come out.
The withered lotus leaves in the pond were removed, and the water surface was covered with a thick layer of ice and a finger's width of snow.
The mansion was no longer as lush and vibrant as it was in summer; it was rather deserted.
When Mu Jin spoke with Old Madam Zhao, she naturally had to be extremely careful.
One cannot be too obsequious to the powerful and wealthy, nor can one be completely without reverence. One must also rack one's brains from time to time to come up with a few witty remarks to amuse the old lady.
Old Madam Zhao took a sip of tea. "It's been a long time since I've seen you. Jin-ge'er is still as lovable as ever. I heard you opened a dye shop in the village?"
Mu Jin laughed and said, "I only provided the land; that dye shop belongs to one of my brothers."
"So that's how it is. A while ago, people in town started wearing blue-printed cotton clothes. I found out that the fabric actually came from the dye house in Mujia Village. Your brother is quite capable."
Mu Jin's mind raced. The Zhao family had shops everywhere, and could the dye house in town also belong to the Zhao family?
He and Qi Qiu opened a dye shop, which blocked the dye shop's business.
Thinking this, a layer of sweat gradually appeared on his palms.
He pondered for a moment and said, "Our family's dye shop is just a small one. We don't have much business on weekdays. It's only because Qi Qiu learned a new skill in the capital that we've been able to collect a few more bolts of cloth."
Old Madam Zhao, with her sharp eyes, naturally saw through what Mu Jin was thinking, and smiled gently.
"We happen to have a few bolts of silk at home, which we plan to use to make quilts. I really like the blue-and-white printed fabric. I was thinking of having Steward Zhao send someone to deliver it after the New Year. Since you're here, you can take it later. Once spring arrives, we'll dye it and send it over at the end of February."
Mu Jin breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed the dye shop in town didn't belong to the Zhao family.
Just as I was thinking of this, I heard a young man say, “Grandmother, we should have my father replace the manager of our dye shop. He’s clinging to the old ways of dyeing cloth and doesn’t know how to adapt. He’s not as lively as Jin’s little dye shop.”
Mu Jin's heart jumped again.
The sound of Old Madam Zhao gently setting down her teacup on the table seemed to strike Mu Jin's heart.
"Let's talk about this after the New Year. Liu'er, take Jin'er to get the cloth, and bring some of the newly made food from the kitchen back to Jin'er."
Standing to the side, Zhao Liu'er nodded, and Mu Jin rose to bow and bid farewell to Old Madam Zhao and the Zhao family matriarch.
Upon seeing Mu Jin leave the inner courtyard, he appeared distracted.
She smiled and comforted him, "Don't worry, my husband. The Zhao family is kind and benevolent. Just focus on running the family's dye shop."
Mu Jin smiled, picked up the cloth, carefully put it away, and carrying a large, heavy bag of food given to her by Zhao Liu'er, called Zhou Lin and went out.
Seeing his sullen expression, Zhou Lin asked with concern, "A-Jin, what's wrong?"
Mu Jin gently shook her head. The town was a mixed bag; it wasn't the place to talk business.
Pulling Zhou Lin along, they bought all the New Year's goods and then hurriedly went to the town gate to find Mu Zhaoye and Bai Qiqiu.
He used to be obsessed with climbing the social ladder by associating with influential people so that he could gain some benefits and have a better life.
It seems now that climbing the social ladder to a position of power is not so easy.
If you're not careful and say the wrong thing, you might not be able to survive in town.
I have to think about what I'm saying three times in my head, it's really exhausting.
But if you usually give gifts, it might not be good to suddenly stop.
After careful consideration, Mu Jin decided that she would only send some local gifts during festivals and avoid getting involved with the Zhao family as much as possible.
It's better to live a stable and peaceful life.
As the town gate receded into the distance, Mu Jin's tense tone immediately relaxed.
"Big brother, what's wrong?"
Since they were all on the same side, Mu Jin didn't hide anything and told them about it.
Bai Qiqiu gasped immediately.
Mu Zhaoye said in a deep voice, "It's fortunate that the Zhao family knows you. If it were another family, they would probably have come looking for trouble a while ago."
Running a small business in Qichao without anyone backing you up means you're constantly being bullied and suppressed by your competitors.
"It must be because a while ago, the weavers in the village dyed a lot of cloth and took it to town to sell, which attracted attention."
Mu Jin thought about it carefully. They had been busy in the village for the past few days and hadn't gone out, so this was the only way.
"Then what should we do? Close the dyehouse?"
Bai Qiqiu looked reluctant to leave. The thought that the dye house he and his elder brother had worked so hard to build could not be opened made him feel very sad.
Mu Jin glanced at the five bolts of silk beside her and gently shook her head.
"There's no need to shut them down. The Zhao family is more generous than the others, so they shouldn't try to suppress us."
As Mu Zhaoye said, it was fortunate that there was a conflict with the Zhao family's dye shop. These five bolts of silk were probably a reassurance from Old Madam Zhao to Mu Jin.
The Zhao family is large and powerful; they probably won't care about the small amount of business that Mu Jin and her group stole.
However, the dye houses in town will surely learn new techniques next year; the big dye houses have far more connections than they do.
In this way, they can't really steal much business from the town's dye houses.
Mu Zhaoye said from the side, "With me here, you can drive with peace of mind."
Bai Qiqiu immediately felt reassured. "I've been thinking of new tricks lately, and I'll try them all next year."
Mu Jin breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.
"Then you'd better think it over carefully. Our family's dye shop is counting on you."
Seeing that Mu Jin was much more relaxed, Zhou Lin felt a little more at ease as well.
He had thought that at worst, the dye shop would have to close down, and he was still able to support his family.
But this is a business that Mu Jin and her family love, so it would be better if it could continue operating as usual.
The warm sunshine shone on me all the way, making me feel cozy and comfortable.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com