Two days later, A-Mian got up early in the morning.
She was rustling around the house, like a little mouse looking for oil to eat.
After putting on her undergarments and skirt, Ah Mian found that neither of them were made of bright or shiny materials. Because of her tall stature, they were all a bit too short, revealing her wrists and ankles.
She busily made breakfast, swept the yard with a broom, and tied her hair up next to the water vat.
He then dashed to the woodshed, claiming to feed Ah Dou, but actually he was collecting the fifty-nine copper coins and hiding them in his clothes.
Meng Chijian took the bowls and chopsticks. In the morning, they ate sesame flatbread, spicy radish, and stir-fried spinach with shredded pork. As usual, a bowl of boiled goat milk was placed on Lu Amian's seat.
"Wash your hands and come eat!"
Lu Amian came running over in a flash, excitedly telling Meng Jing what kind of chicks she wanted to buy.
"You know how to choose? And you can tell the gender?"
"Yes!" Lu Amian said proudly. "You have to look at their eyes. If their eyes are bright and energetic, they can definitely be raised. If their eyes are droopy and they look listless, they may not survive for more than a few days."
"Yeah?"
It wasn't Meng Jing who spoke, but Meng Chijian.
He solemnly pinched Ah Mian's chin and looked very seriously into her eyes.
Lu Amian blinked twice, then quickly turned her head away, feeling inexplicably scared.
His eyes were like a deep swamp; if a passerby were to stumble into them, they would likely be swallowed whole.
Lu Amian wondered to herself, "Could he be a monster that eats human hearts?"
She immediately fell silent and diligently finished two flatbreads and seven or eight slices of pork. Seeing that she was being picky, the monster put more food into her bowl.
After Ah Mian finished eating and drinking most of her milk, her fear vanished.
With a full stomach and emboldened, he took Ah Dou and headed into the city.
When they arrived at the market, passersby all looked at Meng Chijian—why was this blacksmith out in broad daylight, instead of at his shop, but at the market?
Not only that, but he was also carrying two vegetable baskets, which contained an unknown amount of odds and ends of vegetables and fruits.
Ah Mian was curious about everything. First, she watched her aunt kill fish for a while. The aunt used the knife with great skill, slicing the fish into thin slices that were so thin you could see your reflection in them with just a light stroke.
Then she wanted to see "a legendary bird that can talk," but her aunt told her that it wasn't available at the vegetable market, only at the flower and bird market.
"Sister A-Mian, aren't we going to buy chicks?" Meng Jing quickly said.
She slapped her forehead and headed towards the old man who sold chicks.
A lazy old hen is lying down next to a bamboo basket covered with a cloth. When you lift the cloth, you can see that it is full of fluffy chicks.
They were all chirping, which was very cute.
"We'll buy six."
So A-Mian picked it up. She was indeed quite skilled. First, she looked at the wings and eyes, then she held the chick upside down by its two feet.
"In this way, the one that's clucking is the hen, and the one that's trying to peck is the rooster."
That's how they chose three roosters and three hens.
Just as she was about to leave, Ah Mian noticed a tiny, very thin chick in the corner, being trampled by the other chicks and clearly about to die.
"It's just that it was born weak and was bullied by its brothers and sisters. Look how soft and weak it is..." The old man noticed her gaze. "If you want this one, it'll only cost you five coins."
Ah Mian thought for a moment and nodded.
That cost sixty-five coins.
I went to buy vegetable seeds again, which cost fifteen coins.
The two wanted to go shopping, but Meng Chijian forbade them and told them to just follow him.
Lu Amian looked around aimlessly the whole way, and was still bored when he was dragged to the entrance of the clinic.
If you want to prescribe medicine for the old lady, why bring them here?
The clinic looked very prestigious from the outside, with a gilded plaque hanging above the door and the bricks and tiles being of the finest quality. Inside, there were various objects made of mahogany, and the people coming and going all seemed to be from wealthy families.
Lu Amian held a basket of chicks and dared not go in.
Meng Chijian grabbed her sleeve and pulled her inside.
"Brother Meng!"
The doctor behind the screen was also somewhat surprised, "What brings you here today?"
Lu Amian mustered her courage to go and see. The doctor was a man in his early twenties with a smile on his lips. He looked very gentle and had the air of a gentleman.
—If you ignore the fact that he was sitting in a wooden wheelchair.
"What, you're not welcome? Wen Qiao, you've been cooped up in this shop all day..."
"Of course not."
As they were catching up, Ah Mian opened her mouth and looked up at the rows of small medicine cabinets.
"And this is...?"
"Doctor, how do you get the herbs from the top row?"
The two spoke at the same time. The doctor named Wen Qiao was taken aback, then laughed, "I have my own apprentices and servants who can help me."
Seeing that she was still studying the small drawers—she didn't dare to touch them, but just stared blankly—Wen Qiao whispered, "This must be the wife you married."
"..." Meng Chijian sighed, "I know, it shouldn't have been like this. Back then, I led you brothers, talking about returning home in glory and making great achievements. Later, the eldest brother left, and the fourth brother and Tieshi were gone too. In the end, only the two of us came back and have survived until now."
“Brother Meng, why do you think like this?! I’ve been wondering why you’ve been unwilling to get married…” Wen Qiao’s face turned cold. “I’m a doctor, and I’ve seen hundreds of times more life and death than you have. I’ll give you a piece of medical advice: the living should do what the living do.”
Meng Chijian remained silent.
"Is your headache acting up again? Or is it that nightmare?"
“No, I didn’t call you here to see me today.” Meng Chijian gestured to her with his eyes, “Take a look at that little…little one. She’s reached marriageable age. She lives a normal life, but she seems to behave and act differently from ordinary people. Take a look at her.”
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