Chapter 29 Xiao Wu Wants to Leave
With the fishpond matter settled, Zhou Mujiao discussed the fashion model issue with Zhao Yunjing.
Zhao Yunjing didn't understand what a 'model' was, but he was quick to learn. Zhou Mujiao explained that they were for displaying clothes, so he spent only half a day making three or four simple bamboo figures out of bamboo, and he polished every detail until they were round and smooth to ensure they wouldn't damage the clothes.
Zhou Mujiao hung the clothes up, and they actually looked quite presentable.
When the last set of clothes was finished, Uncle Zhao was able to get out of bed.
He was very thin and small. Because he had been bedridden for many years, his hands and feet had a slight atrophy, which made it look like one foot was longer than the other. However, he was very clean, his fingers were flat, and his hair was neat and tidy, which showed that Aunt Zhao took good care of him.
The Zhao family children surrounded the Zhao couple, sometimes crying and sometimes laughing. Although Zhao Yunjing didn't show his joy like Shiba and the others, he still had a smile on his lips.
Under the lamplight, the family's tears and smiles were both beautiful.
Zhou Mujiao pulled Xiao Wu up and quietly went outside. The two sat together, shoulder to shoulder, looking at the sky.
The night sky is vast. There is no moon tonight, but it is filled with stars, twinkling like human eyes.
"Sister, I'm all better now, let's go." The little boy's face was full of determination. "Xiao Wu wants to go back to our own home."
However, they had no home, no lights on in their home, and no loving parents under the lights. In this world, there were only the two of them, relying on each other for survival.
Zhou Mujiao hummed in agreement and patted his big head: "So, where does Xiao Wu want to settle our home?"
Xiao Wu thought for a moment, then pointed to the path to the left of the Zhao family's house: "Over there! In the woods! There's plenty of food in the woods, including pheasants, wild boars, and mushrooms. We can find food as soon as we open the door, we definitely won't starve!"
After thinking for a moment, she waved her hand and said, "No, no! If it's just the two of us living here, Grandma will definitely bring my older brother and uncle to take our things! Sister, let's settle down here!"
She was referring to the open space next to the Zhao family's house: "Brother Zhao is so amazing! Our house is right next to theirs, and Grandma doesn't dare to come up here! When I'm as big as Brother Zhao and can protect my older sister, we'll move down the mountain! There are fields and land down there, and we can grow our own crops and vegetables. Our lives will definitely get better and better! Older sister, Xiao Wu will definitely be very powerful in the future!"
Zhou Mujiao was touched, but couldn't help teasing, "But if Xiao Wu takes care of his elder sister, he won't be able to become a great general."
Between the general and his elder sister, Xiao Wu resolutely chose his elder sister: "I want to be with my elder sister, I don't need to be the general!"
"No, if Xiao Wu doesn't become a great general, your older sister will still be bullied. Only when Xiao Wu becomes a great general will your older sister not be bullied."
"Can Sister come with Xiao Wu?" The little boy raised his hand. "I can definitely take good care of Sister and become a great general!"
"Okay, I'll go with you."
Their hands were clasped tightly together, and their hearts were close together as well.
Behind them, Zhao Yunjing stood silently for the same length of time that Zhou Mujiao and her brother had been gazing at the stars.
After all the clothes were finished, Aunt Zhao used the leftover scraps to make more than a dozen pairs of shoe uppers. She was very skilled at handicrafts and was generous with her thread, so her stitches were dense and neat. Every time Zhou Mujiao saw them, she would marvel at how they were works of art.
I had promised Xiao Wu and Shi Ba that I would bring them along when I went to the county this time, but I wasn't sure what was going on with Boss Ma, so I broke my promise for now.
Eighteen and Xiao Wu stood at opposite ends, looking at Zhou Mujiao with pleading eyes, looking pitiful like two abandoned puppies. Luckily, Zhou Mujiao was strong-willed, otherwise she would have softened and taken them along.
Uncle Zhao, leaning on his cane, stood by the door: "Yun Jing, today is market day, there will be a lot of people. You have to protect A Jiao and make sure she doesn't get pushed away. A Jiao, stay close to Yun Jing. Come back when we're done."
"Uncle Zhao, I understand."
Eighteen made a bell and hung it around the ox's neck. Now, as the oxcart moved, the bell jingled, sounding very pleasant. When the cart reached the halfway point down the hillside, Zhou Mujiao looked back and saw the children still standing there, lost in thought. She felt a lump in her throat.
She had lived a tense life for over twenty years. When she came to ancient times, she no longer had to attend endless meetings or attend treacherous dinner parties. She could sleep until she naturally woke up every day. This relaxation became an addiction, turning into indulgence. She just drifted through each day, never putting her heart into her career, and didn't recruit any helpers or followers. She was really quite useless.
Zhao Yunjing said in a deep voice, "I will definitely bring them along next time."
Zhou Mujiao nodded and said, "Brother Zhao, we each have two or three thousand taels now. What are your plans for the future?"
Without thinking, Zhao Yunjing said, "First, cure my father's leg and my mother's illness, then plant all the fields in the house. When spring comes tomorrow, send Chuliu and Chujiu to the private school to learn to read. Also, take good care of Shiba."
After thinking for a moment, he added, "Build a few new houses. With houses, it will be easier to find a spouse after the sixth or ninth day of the lunar month."
“Brother Zhao, you already have several thousand taels of silver. Haven’t you thought about buying a small house in the county? It will be more convenient for them to go to and from school on the sixth and ninth days of the lunar month.”
“What will happen to our family’s farmland if we move to the county?” Zhao Yunjing didn’t even consider it. “My parents have lived in the mountains their whole lives. It would be too difficult for them to suddenly move to a different place.”
"oh."
Zhao Yunjing recalled her conversation with Xiao Wu last night. He pursed his lips and asked, "What about you? Do you want to move to the county?"
"There is such a plan, but not now. Xiao Wu is still too young, and I'm too weak; I'd be a sitting duck if I went out." Zhou Mu chuckled. "Alright, let's go, let's make some money first!"
The oxcart traveled along the bumpy village road and soon arrived at the center of the village. Chen Xiuxiu's house was just ahead. Zhou Mujiao noticed that Zhao Yunjing was nervous again.
It seems Chen Xiuxiu left a deep impression on him.
Having passed the Chen family without incident, Zhao Yunjing breathed a sigh of relief and continued on his way when he suddenly heard someone shouting for help ahead.
A woman was crying by the roadside, holding a baby, while an older woman was shouting, "Help! Help! Someone please save my little one, waaaaah..."
There was only one house there, and the nearest neighbor was over a hundred meters away, so no one heard them. When they saw Zhao Yunjing and his group driving an oxcart, they were like gods. They immediately grabbed their children and tried to stop the cart: "Help! My little baby is sick, please save him!"
Zhou Mujiao immediately noticed the child's unusual behavior. His eyes were rolling back, his throat was making hoarse noises, and he was even trying to clear his throat with his hand.
This is clearly a foreign object stuck in the trachea!
"What did he swallow?"
"One, just one pebble!" The young woman burst into tears. "I can't get it out! I can't get it out! We need to go to Huichuntang! Take us to Huichuntang! I'll kneel down and beg you!"
"It's too late."
Zhou Mujiao immediately took the child from the woman's arms and performed the Heimlich maneuver. Zhao Yunjing watched silently from the side, imitating the movements, ready to step in at any time. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law covered their mouths, not daring to speak or cry, for fear of affecting Zhou Mujiao.
After a dozen or so times, the stone was spat out of the child's mouth.
The child recovered and cried while coughing, and the young woman cried along with him.
The old woman beside him cried as she thanked him and even knelt down to kowtow. Zhao Yunjing quickly jumped out of the car and helped her up, saying, "It's good that the child is alright. Get up quickly."
The old woman wiped away her tears and finally saw Zhao Yunjing's face clearly. Her expression immediately changed: "You, you are that unlucky guy from the Zhao family!"
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