Lu Amian said she was going for a walk in the backyard, but she actually went straight to the woodshed.
She slipped into a corner, pulled out two loose pieces of firewood, and reached inside to find nine copper coins wrapped in a small handkerchief.
This was the only savings Ah Mian had brought from home.
She checked to make sure the money was still in its original place before returning to the backyard.
That night, she thought Meng Chijian wouldn't sleep there, so she leisurely fetched water to wash her feet, put on her coat, and lay on the quilt, biting off some of her dry, yellow hair ends.
However, the door was pushed open.
Meng Chijian came in carrying a large roll of cotton quilts, and Lu Amian immediately sat up obediently with her head down.
He didn't explain what he did last night, he just spread the quilt next to the bed.
Lu Amian was a little afraid of him, so she ran to fetch water for him.
She had intended to help him wash, but was stopped as soon as she squatted down. Meng Chijian said, "What are you doing? Go to sleep."
Lu Amian had no choice but to crawl under the covers.
"Why is your head under the covers too?"
Lu Amian sighed helplessly. Why was this person so nagging? He had to control her meals and her sleep.
"It's warmer this way."
Meng Chijian added, "I'll make you a hot water bottle in a couple of days."
A hot water bottle is a round pot made of copper or tin, with a cloth bag covering it. It's filled with boiling water and placed in the bed to keep you warm all night. But these things aren't cheap, and Lu Amian wasn't the type to take things from others for free, so she simply said, "I don't need it."
The nights were still a bit chilly in early spring, and Lu Amian buried her head in her sleep.
A little while later, another blanket was put over him.
She curled up and quickly fell asleep.
The next day it was Lu Amian's turn to make breakfast.
However, when she woke up, the bed next to her was empty.
She quickly washed up and went to the kitchen, where Meng Chijian was already starting the fire. Breakfast was simple; as usual, he cooked rice. Then he made two dishes: stir-fried pumpkin and scallion pancakes.
After finishing their meal, the family members went about their own business.
Meng Chijian was on his way to work when he stopped as he passed by the basket placed in the corner.
When he came back last night, it was already dark, and he couldn't see clearly. It wasn't until he saw them during the day that he realized these stones were indeed ordinary stones. He picked up a few and examined them closely.
Meng Jing leaned closer and asked, "Brother, what's wrong with these stones?"
“Hmm,” he turned it over a couple of times, then nodded, “It’s ore.”
He glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw Ah Mian, who was washing dishes, eavesdropping.
"What kind of ore is it? What's it used for?"
Meng's family were blacksmiths by trade, so they knew a bit about these things. Meng Chijian was also somewhat surprised after recognizing them. "This is 'earthy yellow,' officially called yellow ochre; this is 'azurite,' officially called blue copper ore; and the white one is 'mica'... These stones must have been washed down from the mountain by the water. Lu Amian, you can play at the foot of the mountain, but you're not allowed to go into the mountains by yourself, understand?"
Caught eavesdropping, Lu Amian blushed and whispered, "I know."
Meng Jing then asked, "Are these stones valuable? Can they be sold for money?"
"You can't sell them directly like this."
Lu Amian thought so too; what fool would spend money to buy stones?
"However, these stones can all be made into pigments. If they are ground into powder, they might be able to sell to art dealers when they come to buy raw materials."
"Really?!"
Meng Chijian nodded, "I can bring a few pieces to the shop today and have them ground into powder for you."
Ah Mian looked at him with sparkling eyes, and the latter was taken aback and looked away.
During the day, Meng's mother suggested that she go to the village entrance to chat with people. According to Meng Jing, before her eyesight deteriorated, she loved to gossip with people, but in recent years there have been no happy events, and whenever she goes out, she is questioned by people with ill intentions.
After a while, she stopped liking to go out.
Meng Jing was delighted that he suddenly suggested going out again.
Staying at home all the time can be incredibly boring.
Meng Jing took her mother to the village entrance, where a large group of elderly people who couldn't work and chatted all day long gathered.
After returning, he happily took Ah Mian out together.
"You stay home and watch the house, we're going to do the laundry," A-Mian instructed A-Dou, then picked up the wooden basin.
There is an unwritten rule in Qingshan Village that people are only allowed to wash their clothes downstream.
When Lu Amian arrived, there were already quite a few women there, and Meng Jing whispered some gossip to her.
The neighbor's daughter likes so-and-so, the neighbor's auntie is a terrible quarrelmaker...
Few people talk to Lu Amian so much, so she quickly let it go in one ear and out the other, burying herself in washing. Meng Jing didn't mind; she loved to talk and was too lazy to listen to others. Meeting someone like Lu Amian, who was naturally quiet, was even more enjoyable.
Lu Amian now has to wash not only her own clothes, but also Meng Chijian's.
The clothes were all very large, including outer robes and inner garments.
She was rubbing her sleeves when suddenly bursts of laughter came from behind her.
"The bride is doing laundry!"
"Young lady, you're already married, you should be ashamed!"
It turned out to be a group of village children, teenagers with snot running down their faces, making a fuss.
"Get out! You bunch of brats!" Meng Jing splashed half a basin of water at them.
The children screamed and scattered.
She turned her head and saw that Lu Amian's face showed no shame or anger. "Aren't you angry at all?"
“No way,” Lu Amian scratched her head, “They just want you to pay attention to them and play with them.”
She washed the clothes and wrung them dry.
Ah Mian has a strong grip, even for a woman, and she managed to wring Meng Jing's clothes dry.
Meng Jing was still deep in thought; this new sister-in-law was quite special.
It wasn't strange, but rather special, unlike anyone she had ever met.
"I'm going to herd the donkey later and collect stones. Do you want to come?"
"good."
This time when she went to the foot of the mountain again, A-Mian specifically wanted to pick up stones with some color inside, but she couldn't find many after looking around.
Meng Jing yawned lazily on the grass, then suddenly had a bright idea: "Hey? Let me take you to my brother's blacksmith shop!"
Now?
"Yes, that's a good opportunity for us to go and buy some things we need for the house!"
"Isn't it too far?"
Meng Jing shook her head, "Our village isn't far from the town. It usually takes me half an hour to walk there. We can ride A Dou there much faster."
"Okay, let's go take a look, and while we're at it, let's check on my stones." She was still thinking about that.
Meng Jing wasn't very heavy, so she sat in front of Lu Amian.
The two rode a donkey together. A-Mian took a wooden stick and carried it on her back, and they marched into the city with great pride and high spirits.
What does a blacksmith's shop look like?
If you find tears in your clothes while washing them, should you buy some needles and thread?
And another thing, she wants to raise chickens so that she can not only eat the eggs herself, but also sell them in town.
Would he agree to do that?
Because it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, Lu Amian didn't bring a single copper coin with her this time.
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