"Third Brother, it's you? It's A-Mian's turn to make breakfast today...you..." Meng Jing hesitated.
Meng Chijian paused and said, "She's very sleepy, don't wake her up."
"I don't need to wake her up. You made so much delicious food, and A-Mian woke up as soon as she smelled the aroma."
Early this morning, there was a main dish of stewed potatoes and cured pork ribs, and a stir-fried winter melon on the small table. The staple food was egg pancakes and porridge.
Meng Jing looked at Meng Chijian's back with a puzzled expression, feeling that he was acting very strangely, as his temper seemed unusually good today.
"Honestly, they usually don't allow us to eat in our rooms, saying it will attract rats... How come it's okay for Ah Mian?"
A head peeked out from under the covers in the room, fast asleep. Ah Mian's eyes were closed, her eyelashes clearly visible, slightly curled upwards.
Meng Chijian put down the tray and gently took out one of her hands. There were still some faint red marks on her wrist, which he estimated would disappear by the afternoon.
He checked her hands and feet and was about to wake her when, unexpectedly, the person on the bed kicked him.
Undeterred by the danger, Meng Chijian grabbed the man's ankle and said, "You've learned to pretend to be asleep."
When Ah Mian's sneak attack failed, she said angrily, "I told you to stop last night, why didn't you stop?"
At first, she enjoyed the pleasure a couple of times and was quite happy. However, even when she got sleepy, the man still wouldn't let her go.
Meng Chijian believed that although A Mian looked as tough and resilient as a weed, she was actually very delicate and only cared about her own happiness. If you angered her, she would show her claws.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Let's eat."
Meng Chijian set out the bowls and chopsticks. A-Mian saw that he was acting all serious and not looking to the side, and she really wanted to tease him.
But filling your stomach is the most important thing to do first.
He put a few pieces of cured pork ribs into her bowl, and she ate them with relish, like a greedy cat.
Because of the long absence, the academy has scheduled the day off for today, and classes will resume tomorrow.
After lunch, A-Mian took a nap, and then got up at noon to herd the donkeys.
In just a short while, many new rumors and gossips emerged in the village.
"Where did you hear that? The Meng family married a shrew!"
"Absolutely, I saw it with my own eyes. Meng San had a scratch on his face, it must have been from his wife."
"Tsk tsk tsk."
"If you ask me, they've been married for over a year, and A-Mian's belly still hasn't shown any signs of pregnancy. She's still so stubborn. It must be because Meng San is useless."
The main character in their conversation, Ah Mian, was sitting in the branches of a tree, chewing on a blade of grass, lost in thought.
She touched her stomach, wondering if she would be pregnant this time.
"Ah Dou, if I have children in the future, you'll only be second in rank, just like your mother used to be. Will you be angry?"
Adou flicked its tail, looking completely unconcerned.
After finishing her grazing, Ah Mian decided to go to the city to make some preparations.
She went to the money shop with ease and spent an hour working with the shopkeeper on the abacus.
"One up, two up, three down, five down, four down, five down, six down, six down, six down, six down, six down, six down..." Ah Mian chanted, already quite proficient.
"Huh?" She spotted a familiar face – Lu Weiwei, looking travel-worn. Her belly was slightly protruding, a simple wooden hairpin adorned her hair, and she carried a bundle as she walked straight into a cloth shop.
Shopkeeper Ye played with the conch shell (given to him by A-Mian) for a while. Seeing A-Mian's curiosity, he casually explained, "If you want to earn some copper coins, you can do this job. Weave cloth, make headscarves, handkerchiefs and the like. It's hard work. A plain handkerchief can be sold to a cloth shop for five coins."
Lu Weiwei brought ten handkerchiefs and five headscarves this time. Because she was not very skilled at using the Zhang family's loom, she had been making these for more than half a month, and sometimes her back ached from sitting for so long.
The headscarves cost eight coins each, and she sold them for ninety coins this time. She thanked the shop assistant and asked him many questions with a smile.
Only then did he slowly walk, his steps uneven.
Ah Mian's needlework was terrible (the real reason being that she disliked doing slow-moving tasks), so she didn't respond to his words, but just stared blankly at the departing figure.
Girls, that's how they grow up.
*
Back at the blacksmith's shop, Meng Chijian dressed very warmly for the first time while working, constantly wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.
"Why aren't you resting at home when you finally get a day off?"
A-Mian's face was solemn, especially after seeing Lu Weiwei working with her pregnant belly. She couldn't help but feel a sense of shared sorrow and solemnly announced, "I'm pregnant."
Clang.
It was the hammer that fell to the ground.
"So fast? Are you... are you feeling unwell?" Meng Chijian was unusually flustered and extremely annoyed.
They had a fight earlier, and he lost his temper last night. Right now, nothing is prepared!
Amian shook her head, her voice even more tragic: "I've decided to give birth to this child, even if it means a very hard life in the future."
Fortunately, she had already saved up more than nine taels of silver, although she knew that this amount of money was not enough for her to open a shop and raise her children.
Meng Chijian felt dizzy and, after a long while, said, "It's still early, let's not tell anyone else yet."
He gave Ah Mian detailed instructions, telling her not to climb trees for the next few months and not to get into fights. He was still a little worried, so he decided to have Xiao Jing watch over Ah Mian when he got back.
Bamboo cradles, small wooden beds, and rocking chairs can be made now, but the smell needs to dissipate as soon as possible to avoid running out of time when they are ready to be made.
Ah Mian's mother left early, and her own mother's eyesight has deteriorated. She will definitely need to find someone to take care of Ah Mian in the future.
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