Chapter Twenty-Four
The once dilapidated courtyard was tidied up by Mu Jin and Zhou Si, and with the withered grass gone, it looked much more spacious.
Zhou Lin replaced the doors to the kitchen and the two bedrooms with new ones using the extra wooden planks given to him by Mu Heng.
Living at the foot of the mountain, Zhou Lin dared not be careless. He specially found a large willow tree and made a sturdy gate for it, then moved in.
The three of them hadn't had a moment's rest these past few days, but finally, their new home looked habitable.
“In a few days, have your older brother bring over a few chicks. We’ll go to the foot of the mountain later and cut some bamboo to fence off the vegetable patch in the yard, so they won’t peck out the seeds.”
Mu Jin washed the three bowls that Mu Mian had given them a couple of days ago, and said to Zhou Si, who was washing pots nearby.
Zhou Si nodded, wiped her hands, and went back into the house.
“Brother, we’re leaving with nothing. You and I probably haven’t saved much money yet. I have two taels of silver here. Take it and spend it. Consider it my payment for food.”
As Zhou Si spoke, he stuffed an old money pouch into Mu Jin's hand.
He and Zhou Lin were indeed short of money, so after thinking about it, they accepted the offer somewhat embarrassedly.
"Consider this money a loan from your elder brother and me. We'll pay you back when we have the money."
Zhou Si smiled and said, "Brother, you're being too polite. You and I have been taking care of my food and drink here, so we should pay for it."
Mu Jin retorted, "What are you saying? You're our younger brother. What's wrong with giving you something to eat? It's settled then."
The two taels of silver given by Zhou Si relieved Mu Jin and Zhou Lin's immediate crisis.
Yesterday, I watched as the amount of brown rice dwindled. The three of us eat at least a pound a day, and the fifty pounds we just bought will be gone in about a month.
Mu Jin was deeply troubled and was already thinking of going back to her parents' home to ask for help.
Now that he has the money, he will have Zhou Lin buy enough food for three months after the fifteenth of the month, and then he will feel more at ease.
Hibiscus put the silver into the hole dug under the newly dug bed, carefully hiding it, and then moved the bed back to its original place.
"Si'er, you stay home and watch the house. I'm going to the wood hunter's house. Tomorrow is the fifteenth. Let's make some glutinous rice balls to eat. On the last day of the New Year, let's eat something sweet so that we can have a sweet year. Wait for me to come back, and we'll go cut bamboo together."
Mu Jin took out twenty coins and said to Zhou Si in the courtyard.
Although they were short of money, they still had to spend the money they needed to spend. Everyone in the village believed in this, and Mu Jin was no exception. Even if each person ate one, it would be good.
The hunter family, thanks to the father and son's hunting, also owned about ten acres of land and lived a comfortable life.
There were three brick and tile houses, which served as the family's bedrooms, storage room, kitchen, and woodshed.
The house is U-shaped, with vegetable gardens and livestock and poultry in the back. The front yard has a path paved with pebbles, which looks clean, tidy and bright.
The layout is almost identical to the new home that Mu Jin just moved into, but the house is so much better than theirs.
Mu Jin felt envious, wondering when her own family would be able to live in such a nice house.
“Jin’er, I was just about to come find you. Do you want a dog? My two hunting dogs had six puppies last winter. We’ve already reserved three for someone else, and we were planning to keep the rest. But my uncle heard that you’ve moved here and thought that the foot of the mountain isn’t as safe as the village, so he asked me to bring one to your family.”
As soon as Mu Jin entered the hunter's house, Mu Mian pulled her to see the puppies that his hunting dog had given birth to.
At first glance, Mu Jin fell in love with it.
The three puppies in the doghouse were well-fed and plump. The puppies were over two months old, and they walked with a wobbly gait, looking utterly adorable.
Mu Jin really wanted one, but her expression was extremely conflicted. There wasn't enough food for her family to eat, so how could she afford to raise a dog?
The mother dog in the kennel had bright, shrewd eyes and seemed to be sizing up Hibiscus.
She lowered her head and nudged the fattest puppy, which was buried in her belly and biting at her with little milk, towards Hibiscus.
The puppy, who hadn't gotten any milk and was being disliked by its mother, wiggled its chubby bottom and whimpered twice.
Mu Mian laughed as she watched, "Zhui Feng wants to give you Night Owl to raise."
Mu Jin chuckled, suspecting that Zhui Feng was disgusted by the little owl who was already so big and still wanted to nurse.
"Your hunting dog has such a grand name."
"It was all named by my younger brother-in-law. So, what do you think, little owl?"
Looking at the round, black puppy in front of her, whose ears hadn't yet stood up, Mu Jin nodded in agreement.
"How could I not like such an adorable puppy? But you know my family situation. If Night Owl comes with me, he'll probably suffer."
Mumian waved her hand, "Isn't your husband learning carpentry? It's only hard for a while. Besides, it's still small and can't eat too much right now. Let me tell you, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If you raise it any longer, my uncle will be even less willing to give it away. If you want to raise such a fine-looking dog, it will cost a lot of money to buy one."
Mokuro is arguably the dog lover in the family. Of the three puppies that were two months old, if he gave one away, Mokuro would secretly shed a tear.
This prompted the hunter to wave his hand dismissively, saying that he wouldn't send the rest away, and the owls and their companions stayed behind.
Mu Fulang was generous this time because he knew Mu Jin and Zhou Lin's character; he sent the dog home to be raised, as it wouldn't be able to endure the hardship.
Of course, the most important thing is for his youngest son.
Mu Jin had planned to wait until Zhui Feng had another baby next year before having another one, but unexpectedly, Little Night Owl came running over with his short legs and rubbed against his leg.
………
"Brother, you went to buy glutinous rice flour, but you brought back a puppy instead."
Zhou Si's tone was full of surprise. She had intended to take the glutinous rice flour from Mu Jin's hand, but her hand moved on its own and she hugged Ye Xiao into her arms, touching him affectionately.
Mu Jin rubbed his forehead. He had struggled and thought it over, but he couldn't resist the little owl's cuteness and adorableness.
"It was a gift from the Wood Hunter family. It's called Night Owl, a nice name, so we won't change it."
Zhou Siyu smiled as she played with the little black dog in her arms, completely forgetting to talk to Mu Jin.
"Little night owl, little night owl, sleep with me tonight."
Mu Jin chuckled, shook her head, and put the glutinous rice flour and sugar into the kitchen.
This little night owl is incredibly bold. Arriving at its new home and separated from its mother, it shows no fear whatsoever, frolicking around the yard and surveying the territory it will now be protecting.
But she's also very clingy. When Mu Jin and Zhou Si went to cut bamboo, she had to follow behind, never leaving their side.
Zhou Si held on tightly, unwilling to let go, and didn't even bother to cut the bamboo.
The dog was small but perceptive. When it saw Mulan cut down the bamboo and grab a thin bamboo pole with her little mouth, it wanted to help pull it home.
He fell flat on his backside, which made Mu Jin and Zhou Si laugh.
"You're a small dog with big eyes; even when you grow up, you won't be able to do this."
Hibiscus gently poked the little owl's head, and the puppy whimpered twice as if it was dissatisfied.
With the little night owl's company, even the most tedious tasks became a little more interesting.
When Zhou Lin returned from Mu Heng's house, he learned that there was a new member in the family.
He also loves dogs, and his eyes visibly lit up when he saw the little owl.
After realizing it was their own puppy, they picked it up, weighed it in their hands, and said with a smile, "It's quite chubby."
Not minding the weight, I held the little owl and played with it for a while.
Mu Jin shook her head, thinking, "They're brothers, they express their affection the same way. Once they pick him up, they won't let go."
At lunchtime, because there was no dog bowl, Little Owl ate his food on a broken wooden board, and Hibiscus fed him water by cupping it in her hands.
There's no other way; we only have three bowls at home, just enough for the people.
Zhou Lin frowned slightly. When he returned that afternoon, he dug out two wooden dog bowls for Little Night Owl.
The little owl wagged its tail and ate happily in its dog bowl, clearly enjoying its new bowl.
Zhou Lin looked at it for a while, then said to Mu Jin, "The master has been helping with the work these past few days, and the two new beds will be delivered home tomorrow. The new wardrobe will take a while longer, as I'm not yet familiar with it."
Mu Jin gently stroked the dog's head and smiled, saying, "There's no rush for a wardrobe. We don't have many things at home, and the chests and cabinets I brought with me as part of my dowry are enough."
Zhou Si added, "Brother, I'm not in a hurry. I have enough chests and cabinets."
As night fell, under the gentle glow of the moon, Zhou Lin helped Mu Jin and Zhou Si finish fencing off the vegetable garden they hadn't yet completed.
A suitable opening was left, and a small bamboo door was made for easy entry and exit.
Early the next morning, Mu Jin got up and rolled about ten glutinous rice balls. She shared two with Zhou Lin and the others, and asked Zhou Lin to take the rest to Mu Heng and the others to try.
Although there weren't many, they were still sweets, so they were quite precious.
Zhou Si squinted as she ate, and after finishing one, she was reluctant to eat the next, cherishing it dearly.
Although Zhou Lin remained expressionless, it was clear that he liked it too; it was the first time he had ever eaten something made of sugar since he was a child.
The remaining one was intended for Mulan, but her husband pushed it back.
“I have some. This year, we’ll each have two glutinous rice balls for the Lantern Festival. Next year, let’s work hard and make dozens of them, until we can’t eat them all.”
With a smile in his eyes, Zhou Lin picked up the remaining few glutinous rice balls and hurried out the door.
As the sun rose higher, Mu Jin fed the little night owl, thought for a moment, and then took Zhou Si back to the Zhou family home.
The Zhou family's breakfast today was much more lavish than Mu Jin's, with steamed buns, pickled vegetables, and leftover cured meat from the New Year all stir-fried.
On the last day of the New Year holiday, Zhou Qiang was going to town the next day. Zhou Wushi gritted her teeth and slaughtered a chicken. It seemed that she wanted to eat all the meat in the house before Zhou Qiang left.
When Mu Jin and Zhou Si arrived, Zhou Wu was scalding a chicken and plucking its feathers at the courtyard gate.
Seeing the two approach, he showed no joy and pressed the chicken further into the basin.
"Why are you here? Now that the family has separated, each family should live its own life. Your father and I have nothing to do here, so you don't need to come."
Mu Jin smiled and said, "Mother, isn't this the Lantern Festival? Although we've separated our households, we're still family. We should come back together for a reunion."
Zhou Wu was afraid that Mu Jin and the others would take a bite out of her. "Now that the family has separated, we are two separate families. It's not a big deal, so there's no need to come back. Besides, who comes back to see their parents empty-handed?"
"Mother, we have nothing at home, and even if we wanted to, we couldn't. The brown rice that Brother Nianjun sent us is almost gone."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Wushi showed no pity for Zhou Lin and his family, only disgust for their coming to beg for food.
"Whose fault is that? I'm busy here. You guys go back and don't come home unless it's absolutely necessary."
Zhou Wushi had already made up her mind that when she sent Zhou Qiang to town, she would go to the embroidery shop and talk to the manager. She would then tell him that the money Zhou Si earned from selling handkerchiefs there would be recorded monthly and given to her directly.
Because Mu Heng deliberately kept it a secret, no one in the families who knew that Zhou Lin had become his apprentice and learned carpentry from him knew, except for his own family members, and Zhou Wu's wife was also unaware of it.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have told them to stop coming to their house to freeload; they'd already been eyeing the money Zhou Lin hadn't yet received.
Mu Jin smiled and said, "Alright, I'll listen to Mother over there. I won't bother you and Father unless it's something important."
"Don't come even if you have something to do."
Zhou Si looked rather unwell. On the way back, she asked, puzzled, "Big brother, since Father and Mother don't like us, why bother going up to them and making them dislike us?"
Mu Jin smiled and greeted a villager passing by, replying, "Today is a festival, after all, it wouldn't be right not to go and see them."
Zhou Si was quick-witted and immediately understood. Having passed by so many houses and encountered so many villagers along the way, and with Zhou's neighbors peeking in from the sidelines just now, it was understandable that they would visit Zhou's house less often in the future.
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