Chapter 56
A gentle breeze caressed their faces as Zhou Lin and Mu Heng drove the oxcart ahead, while Mu Jin and Wen Zhaoran sat on the cart, gently supporting three bamboo baskets.
The group chatted and laughed, their voices drifting through the woods.
Wen Zhaoran insisted on going with them early this morning to town to buy wedding gifts for Zhou Si and to take a look at the wooden boats along the way.
"Uncle Heng, speaking of which, it's been a long time since I've seen Brother Yunqian. He said he couldn't get away during the recent kitchen heating season. How come you're so busy?"
Mu Jin was afraid of bumping or damaging the freshly picked cucumbers and green beans in the bamboo basket, so she held them tightly with her hands.
Mu Heng laughed heartily as he led the way. He had been working at the Zhao residence these past few days and was eating better than he did at home. He was radiant and full of energy.
With a hint of joy in her voice, she said, "Your brother Yunqian and his wife are pregnant. A while ago, when they were just over two months along, they didn't tell anyone. Because they were both young, they didn't think about it at first. They accidentally caught a cold, and Yunqian took leave and took care of them day and night for a while. Lang'er really couldn't be without him during that time."
"Are you feeling any better, brother?"
"Alright, alright, Yunqian brought him home a couple of days ago, and your uncle is taking care of him."
Mu Jin smiled and said, "That's truly a joyous occasion."
Mu Heng grinned from ear to ear. His eldest son and Lin Lang had been married for two or three years, but there had been no news of anything happening.
Even though he and his husband had never spoken to the two of them in person, they were extremely anxious and worried.
They even sought out unorthodox remedies, subtly trying to persuade the young couple to try them, but Mu Yunqian refused.
Now that his eldest grandson has found a home, he and his husband are overjoyed.
"You two should hurry up too, so that the two kids can be born one after the other and become childhood playmates."
Mu Jin chuckled. Yesterday, she was urged by the elders of the Zhou family, and today Master Zhou Lin brought it up again.
He patted his belly. Now that the family was receiving copper coins every day, asking for one wasn't out of the question.
However, it is indeed more difficult for boys to conceive than girls, so it is best to just go with the flow.
Before they knew it, they had arrived in town. The oxcart stopped in front of the rice noodle shop, and Zhou Lin and Mu Heng worked together to gently unload the bamboo basket.
"My little husband, it's been a long time."
Hearing the commotion, the rice noodle shop owner came out of the shop with a big smile on his face.
Mu Jin smiled and said, "I've been busy with family matters and haven't been able to find the time. How have you been, shopkeeper?"
The rice noodle shop owner smiled and nodded.
"These are the vegetables you ordered. They were just picked this morning. Take a look."
The rice noodle shop owner leaned over and glanced at the cucumbers; they had prickly tips on top, and the green beans looked crisp and tender at first glance.
"I feel at ease doing business with you."
After saying that, he waved and called two workers over to carry the vegetables inside.
After the contract was signed, Mu Jin and Zhou Lin didn't stay long. They put the contract in their pockets, got up, said goodbye to the rice noodle shop owner, and left the shop.
Zhou Lin and Mu Heng rushed to the Zhao residence, while Mu Jin accompanied Wen Zhaoran to a jewelry shop to buy a congratulatory gift for Zhou Si.
Mu Jin didn't have much money, not even enough to buy the cheapest silver jewelry in the shop. After thinking it over, she went to Mu Nianjun's shop and ordered a bolt of cotton cloth.
In a few days, we'll bring the cotton fabric back and let Zhou Si choose her favorite color to have it dyed at the dye shop.
In the village, if a woman or man in a family is to receive a piece of cotton cloth as a dowry, that's already considered quite generous.
The more money one has, the more money one spends on makeup.
As soon as Wen Zhaoran entered the shop, she took a fancy to a silver hairpin with a ruyi design and a pair of bracelets engraved with cloud patterns.
When the shop assistant saw a wealthy young man enter, he quickly put on a smile and said, "Young master, you have excellent taste. This ruyi hairpin and these cloud-patterned auspicious bracelets belong to the sons and daughters of wealthy families in town and are their favorites."
"How much silver?"
Wen Zhaoran is wealthy and powerful; judging from his appearance, he is someone who is not short of money.
The shop assistant was much more attentive, saying, "Young man, it'll be fifteen taels of silver in total."
Mu Jin didn't want to get involved in Wen Zhaoran's spending of money, but when she heard it was fifteen taels of silver, her heart trembled.
Five taels of silver is enough for a family in the village to live comfortably for a year.
He grabbed Wen Zhaoran's hand as she reached for her purse, saying, "Zhaoran, I know you mean well for Si'er, but this is too expensive. I'm afraid Si'er won't accept it."
Having lived in Mujia Village for so many days, Wen Zhaoran had witnessed Mu Jin and Zhou Lin's couple struggling to make ends meet, experiencing the simple pleasures of life.
“Brother, I’ve bought them all. I’ll give the Ruyi hairpin to Si Ge, and this cloud-patterned bracelet will be a gift for Qi Qiu Ge when he gets married.”
Upon hearing this, Mu Jin let go of her hand. Although it was still a bit expensive, it wasn't like there weren't people in the village who would add silver ornaments to their dowry. The hunter Mu's family was well-off, so he figured they could afford to return the favor.
Since they were running out of oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar at home, Mu Jin went to the shop to buy some and then hurriedly went to Qingwu Academy with Wen Zhaoran.
Qingwu Academy truly lives up to its reputation as the largest academy in town, nestled in a secluded corner, occupying a prime location amidst the mountains and forests.
The academy features pavilions and towers, gardens bursting with flowers, and courtyards arranged in a harmonious and orderly fashion, with blue bricks and tiles, creating an impressive atmosphere.
As Mu Jin entered the academy with its servants, she resembled Grandma Liu visiting the Grand View Garden.
I had to sigh inwardly at everything I saw, everything seemed so luxurious, and I walked very carefully, afraid of breaking something and not being able to afford to pay for it.
When the wooden boat was called over, Hibiscus waited to the side, not in the middle, so as not to delay the young couple from expressing their feelings.
His eyes swept around the academy, and he sighed at the clean and tidy brick houses, wondering when he would be able to live there.
Wen Zhaoran didn't chat with Mu Zhou for long. After finishing her conversation, she reluctantly left the academy.
On the way back, Wen Zhaoran walked briskly.
"Big brother, I've spoken to Mu Zhou and asked him to keep an eye out for Qi Qiu's unmarried classmates."
Mu Jin smiled and said, "You seem quite interested in this."
Wen Zhaoran said matter-of-factly, "I ruined Qi Qiu's marriage, so I should compensate him with a good one."
Mu Jin shook her head helplessly. After thinking about it carefully, she realized that Wen Zhaoran's idea was good. Perhaps he could really find a good man for Bai Qiqiu.
When the two returned home, they saw Wen Zhaoran looking very happy.
Zhou Si smiled and asked, "The handkerchief has been sent out?"
Wen Zhaoran nodded heavily. "Muzhou even praised my dexterity, saying he had never seen such a beautiful handkerchief before. It seems I have quite a talent for embroidery."
Zhou Si chuckled; she looked nothing like her previous timid and hesitant self.
Mu Jin thought of the embroidered handkerchief that Wen Zhaoran had shown him before—it looked neither like a chicken nor a duck—and shook her head with a smile.
They were truly blinded by affection.
"It laid an egg!"
As soon as Mu Jin walked into the pigsty, she heard a gasp from the chicken coop.
Bai Qiqiu rushed out holding a warm, somewhat small egg.
"Our chicken laid an egg! After raising it for so long, we've finally gotten one egg."
Wen Zhaoran and Zhou Si surrounded them, their eyes gleaming and mouths watering as they looked at the eggs in Bai Qiqiu's hand.
"It's been so long since I've tasted the flavor of eggs," Zhou Si sighed.
Hibiscus poured the pig feed into the trough. The three little spotted pigs seemed to have grown a bit more in the past few days.
After feeding the pigs, I saw the three people drooling over an egg. I found it quite amusing, but for some reason, I also felt a little sad.
"Stop looking at it, we'll just stir-fry it for dinner tonight."
Wen Zhaoran cheered, "Finally, I can have an egg!"
Mu Jin was speechless. She had been busy these days and had missed the chance to buy ten or so hibiscus from the village. Look how much the children were craving them.
I felt a little guilty.
When Zhou Lin returned home, a plate of fried tofu with eggs was laid out on the dining table, along with a slightly spicy sauce that smelled delicious.
Did you buy eggs in town today?
After washing his hands, Zhou Lin helped Mu Jin bring the food to the table.
"These are from our own chickens, so have a good taste later."
With just an egg and a plate of tofu, the group felt like they were eating a large meal, their faces beaming with satisfaction.
Mu Jin was both amused and exasperated. She thought that once the chickens at home laid eggs, she would keep them until they had satisfied their cravings, and then save them up to sell in town.
Once one hen in the house starts laying eggs, the other hen gradually follow suit.
This time, Mulan was lucky with the chicks she bought; there was only one rooster, and the rest were hens. Although it's just the beginning, she can already collect two or three eggs every day.
Mu Jin wasn't stingy; she made eggs for five or six days in a row, which finally satisfied everyone's cravings.
There was hardly any firewood left in the woodshed that Zhou Lin had collected earlier.
After lunch today, Mu Jin and Bai Qiqiu went to the foot of the mountain to collect firewood.
In summer, the wind blowing on your face is warm, but the forest is much cooler because of the dense trees.
It rained a couple of afternoons ago, and deep in the woods, Hibiscus saw quite a few mushrooms.
Perhaps no one from the village has ever been here before, for there is a patch of hazel mushrooms and pine mushrooms waiting to be picked.
Mu Jin's eyes lit up. "Qi Qiu, take this bundle of firewood back first, and bring the bamboo basket from home. I'll pick these mushrooms first."
Bai Qiqiu nodded, picked up the bundled firewood, and carried it home.
Mu Jin was quick-witted and nimble-fingered, afraid that someone else would come and snatch them away from him. Even if he sold these mushrooms in town, they would fetch several dozen coins.
He was so focused on picking mushrooms that he devoured them all, leaving not a single one behind, before finally stopping.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he quickly packed the mushrooms into the bamboo basket that Bai Qiqiu had just brought.
Bai Qiqiu laughed and said, "Brother, there are really a lot of mushrooms here."
"Let's search further into the forest; we might even find some rotten wood with long wood ear mushrooms."
"Brother, go and search. I'll come back to find you once I've gathered enough firewood."
Mu Jin nodded, picked up the large bamboo basket, and walked inside.
A soft rustling sound came from behind. Hibiscus turned over the grass and stared wide-eyed at a little white rabbit.
The person and the rabbit were stunned for a moment. Just as Mu Jin was about to reach out to catch it, the little white rabbit jumped two or three times and ran three feet away.
Mu Jin sighed and smiled, it seems that hunting is not easy.
After taking a few more steps forward, Mu Jin dared not venture any deeper, fearing she might encounter wild animals.
I found a stick and started patting the grass as I walked around. I ended up finding a mulberry grove.
Whether purple, red, or bluish-white, the colors are dazzling to the eye.
Mu Jin put down the bamboo basket and quickly picked the dark purple mulberries, her eyebrows curving into a smile.
With so many mulberries, the remaining half of the bamboo basket isn't enough. When Qi Qiu comes looking for them, we'll have to ask him to go home and bring another large basket.
It's still early today, so let's pick these mulberries and hurry to town to sell them; we can make quite a bit of money.
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