Chapter 10: My whole body is practically burning up.
The three children ran very fast, but tripped and fell on the road. They abandoned the pheasants and rabbits, got up and ran, crying loudly. Zhou Mujiao felt that the situation was serious and didn't care about these things anymore, so she took off running after them.
As they got closer, they could see that the person standing in front of the Zhao family's gate was a middle-aged woman. She was wearing a dark blue coarse cloth dress, and she was facing them with her hands clasped together, seemingly smiling.
Zhou Mujiao sped up, quickly overtaking the 18th, 6th, and 9th. As she approached the door, she vaguely heard the 18th calling from behind, "Mother!"
mother?
Zhou Mujiao paused, and Zhao Yunjing's voice came from ahead: "Mother, why did you come out?!"
She hadn't misheard; the middle-aged woman was Zhao Yunjing's mother, Aunt Zhao.
Zhou Mujiao turned around and picked up Shiba, who had fallen again: "Be careful on the road."
Eighteen cried, snot bubbles streaming down her face: "Sister! My mom can get out of bed! She can get out of bed! She'll get better if she eats well, sister didn't lie to me, waaaaah..."
It's so heartbreaking!
Zhou Mujiao gently patted her back: "Then you must eat your fill at every meal from now on, Shiba."
"Can an 18-year-old eat his fill every day?"
"Can."
The three children, one adult and three children, returned to the front of the Zhao family's house. The three children surrounded Aunt Zhao, crying and laughing. Aunt Zhao patted each of their heads, her eyes reddening. Finally, she looked at Zhou Mujiao.
Zhou Mujiao said gracefully, "Aunt Zhao, I am Zhou Liuya, you can also call me Ajiao. Thank you for taking me in."
Aunt Zhao took her hand and patted it gently: "I heard from Yun Jing that your father is Wen Chu?"
"Yes, Aunt Zhao."
"You're so beautiful, just like your mother." Aunt Zhao recalled some past events and sighed. She wiped her eyes and said, "Since you're here, make the Zhao family your own home and stay here without worry. We may be poor, but with Yun Jing here, those people down the mountain won't dare to bully you."
"Then Xiao Wu and I thank you, Auntie."
She was beautiful, had a clear voice, a bright smile, and a graceful demeanor. The more Aunt Zhao looked at her, the more she liked her. She thought to herself that if Shi Ba could have Zhou Mu Jiao's temperament when she grew up, she would definitely be able to find a very good marriage partner.
Just as she was about to ask about Xiao Wu's situation, her eyes suddenly widened, and she instinctively pulled Zhou Mujiao back into the house: "There's a wild boar!"
Two wild boars were approaching the Zhao family's house. The one in front, uninjured, was walking with a particularly brisk pace, while the one behind, with a broken leg, was running alongside with an uneven gait, snorting and puffing out its breath, its excitement visibly palpable.
Zhou Mujiao grabbed Aunt Zhao's hand and said, "Auntie, it's alright. These two pigs are a bit slow; they don't bite."
Eighteen nodded and said, "Mom, they were so much fun! I rode on a pig just now, and the pig carried me back!"
“Yes, Mother, these two pigs are stupid and won’t hurt anyone,” Chu Jiu added.
On the sixth day, he also spoke: "Big brother jumped in front of them, but they didn't move. Big brother tied them up in two moves, and sister used a branch to drive them back. Eighteen was even sitting on its back."
The two sons spoke at length, clearly and logically, but Aunt Zhao didn't notice, because her mind was completely captivated by Zhou Mujiao.
Zhou Mujiao drove the two pigs to an open space and made them lie down. Then she and Zhao Yunjing went to collect the things that had been left on the road, and the three children also went to help.
Before long, the Zhao family's open space was filled with things, and Aunt Zhao's mouth was agape.
Eighteen pointed to the whole basket of eggs on his back and boasted to his mother, "Mom! These are what Eighteen found! He and I picked them up together on the sixth and ninth of the lunar month!"
"A pheasant! My sister caught it! Just like that! Whoosh! She caught it!"
"Rabbit! It ran into me by itself! Just like that! Bang! It bumped into my sister's leg!"
Aunt Zhao stared blankly at the chickens and eggs. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen these things. The Zhao family was too poor and too unlucky. It was lucky if they could have one meal a day. Occasionally, they could eat a few pieces of meat, which was a blessing from heaven.
Now there are chickens and eggs, rabbits and wild boars... Is Heaven trying to make up for everything it has owed the Zhao family over the past ten years?
After a busy noon, under the blazing sun, Zhou Mujiao's face was covered in sweat. She went inside to wash her hands and face, then glanced at Xiao Wu before coming out.
Apart from the two wild boars, Zhao Yunjing had already moved everything into the yard and put it away. When he saw Zhou Mujiao come out, he first handed her the ginseng: "This ginseng is worth a thousand taels. Keep it safe for future use, but remember not to let anyone else know about it."
Zhou Mujiao took it, looked at it, smelled it, and then put it back into Zhao Yunjing's arms: "Brother Zhao, it's safest to eat something so valuable. Doctor Li said that if there are good things like ginseng and lingzhi, Xiao Wu can live a few more years. Also, aren't Aunt Zhao and Uncle Zhao still sick? Shi Ba and the others aren't in good health either. Let's not sell this ginseng; we can eat it ourselves."
Before Zhao Yunjing could speak, Aunt Zhao objected: "How can you eat something so valuable? If you're worried about not being able to keep it safe, then you and Yunjing should go to Huichuntang tomorrow and sell it, and have them exchange it for silver notes. Ajiao, this money is what you and Xiaowu rely on."
"Money is something to rely on, but it's not the most important thing. Gillian believes that the most important thing to rely on is yourself. You can't buy good health with money. Having a healthy body is more important than anything else."
Zhou Mujiao smiled faintly, "As long as the green hills remain, there's no fear of running out of firewood. Ajiao is only fifteen years old, and Xiao Wu is only seven. They have a long life ahead of them. As long as they live well, they might be able to earn ten thousand taels, one hundred thousand taels, or even one million taels."
Zhao Yunjing looked on with admiration.
He never expected Zhou Mujiao to bring out the ginseng for everyone to eat together, and to think so far ahead!
Unable to describe his emotions, Zhao Yunjing felt his heart suddenly beat faster and his face flush. He put his right hand behind his back, clenched his fist, then relaxed it, and said in a deep voice, "Mother, listen to Ajiao."
Aunt Zhao thought Zhou Mujiao's words made sense, but that was a thousand taels of silver. If her family had a thousand taels of silver, they could probably eat their fill every day for the next few decades.
However, since Zhou Mujiao found the ginseng, she naturally had the right to dispose of it. Moreover, the Zhao family consisted entirely of the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled, so keeping the ginseng to stew and eat meant that the Zhao family actually benefited greatly.
More than a decade ago, the Zhao family received a favor from Zhou Mujiao's father, and now they are taking advantage of Zhou Mujiao again!
Aunt Zhao took Zhou Mujiao's hand and patted it gently: "Good child, thank you, Auntie."
There were ten pheasants, ten rabbits, and over a hundred eggs, as well as two wild boars. Zhao Yunjing and Zhou Mujiao discussed it for a while and decided to keep the pheasants and rabbits first, and slaughter and sell the injured wild boar. As for the eggs, each person could eat two a day, and they would finish them in a few days.
The wild boar was very large, estimated to weigh 300 jin (150 kg). The Zhao family lived more than ten li (5 kilometers) away from the county, and it would be time-consuming and laborious to carry it there by manpower alone.
Zhao Yunjing casually picked out a fat rabbit and a fat chicken: "I'll go to Doctor Li's house to borrow a cart."
"I'll go with you!"
The car was successfully borrowed, but Zhou Mujiao inevitably received a lot of teasing from Dr. Li. She was unfazed. She could remain calm even when someone pointed a gun at her head. What was Dr. Li compared to her?
Zhao Yunjing, on the other hand, not only felt his face burning, but his whole body was on fire, and his heart was pounding wildly. It took him a long time to calm down after he got back.
The next day, before dawn, Zhou Mujiao heard the commotion. She quickly tied her hair into a bun and ran out, saying, "Brother Zhao, I'll go with you!"
It was still dark, with only a pale white tinge on the horizon, making Zhou Mujiao's face look even more beautiful against that backdrop.
Zhao Yunjing lowered his head: "Mm."
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