Chapter 8: Nourishing My Cousin's Body
Pei Wu probably didn't know how much eggs cost and took too many.
Jiang Ru drank her porridge, looked at the few copper coins on the table, and reached out to take them. She held up the coins and said, "I'll buy you the rest next time."
Pei Wu remained noncommittal.
The next day, Jiang Ru got up a little earlier than usual. She quietly pushed open the door and met Pei Wu's eyes, who was sitting in the courtyard.
Jiang Ru looked up at the still gray sky and asked in surprise, "You're up so early?"
Pei Wu nodded: "I'm afraid you'll run away first."
So he was afraid Jiang Ru would go to the fields alone. Jiang Ru fell silent. It was the first time she had seen someone so eager to work. She was speechless: "You should rest."
If Pei Wu faints in the mountains, she won't be able to carry him home.
After hearing Jiang Ru's concerns, Pei Wu argued vehemently, "Yesterday was just an accident."
Seeing that Jiang Ru didn't believe him, he paused for a moment: "In any case, I'm going to be with you no matter what."
It was tough on him, dragging his sick body to go out with Jiang Ru. Jiang Ru had no choice but to reluctantly bring Pei Wu along to prevent him from getting into trouble again. She even steamed two big steamed buns for Pei Wu.
Pei Wu's symptoms suggest a deficiency of qi and blood, and he needs to supplement his carbohydrate intake.
Having learned from yesterday's experience, the two were already quite skilled and had finished turning over the remaining land before noon.
The two of them each held a large steamed bun and ate it. The buns were made of coarse grains, so they weren't soft and definitely not tasty; they could only barely fill their stomachs.
After lunch, the two took their tools and went home. Thinking about going to the market the next day, Jiang Ru made a task list for herself.
Summer has arrived, which is the best time to plant millet.
At this time, many crops had not yet been introduced to the Great Xia, and the people mostly cultivated crops that could fill their stomachs and were not risky. Jiang Ru thought so too, so there were not many crops that could be grown.
In addition to seeds, she also needs to buy some vegetable seeds to grow some vegetables in the yard, just in case.
As Jiang Ru pondered this, she turned to Pei Wu and asked, "Why don't you come with me tomorrow?"
She never considered the possibility that Pei Wu might refuse when she asked the question. To her surprise, Pei Wu did the exact opposite of what she said, replying without hesitation, "I'm not going."
Jiang Ru didn't hear him clearly at first, and took a few more steps forward before realizing that he meant he wasn't going. She stopped abruptly, still a little confused: "You're not going?"
Pei Wu nodded, and fearing that Jiang Ru might overthink it, he added, "I can't go."
At first, Jiang Ru only felt that Pei Wu was too stubborn, but now she was numb to him. There were many rules in ancient times, and Pei Wu was the most strict of them.
Jiang Ru used to be very adept at going out alone, but now that Pei Wu wasn't coming with her, she wasn't quite used to it. She kicked at the roadside grass in frustration and said, "If you're not going, am I supposed to go alone?"
Pei Wu quickly replied, "I'll ask Aunt Zhang to take you. She knows exactly where to find good seeds, and you can also buy some things you like."
Jiang Ru was annoyed by his words and covered her ears.
Seeing her actions, Pei Wu also stopped talking. He remained silent and followed Jiang Ru without uttering a word.
After a long wait, a voice came softly from behind: "It won't be like this again."
This might be a long time coming, and besides, his voice was too soft for Jiang Ru to hear.
After dinner, Pei Wu went out for a while. Jiang Ru guessed that he might have gone to see Aunt Zhang. She didn't ask Pei Wu and silently ran back to her room.
About fifteen minutes later, the courtyard gate creaked open. Pei Wu walked very lightly, and Jiang Ru only knew that he had entered the gate. Then there was a slight sound, and soon after, the door to Pei Wu's room was gently pulled open, and he entered the room.
The two rooms were separated by the main hall, so Jiang Ru couldn't hear what he was saying. Once the door was closed, Jiang Ru lost her only means of eavesdropping.
She had been getting enough sleep these past few days, and since it was early and she wasn't sleepy yet, Jiang Ru got up and reviewed the characters she had learned that day.
If only they had books and pens, a bad pen is worse than a good memory, but unfortunately paper and ink were too expensive in ancient times, and they simply couldn't afford them.
Pei Wu did have paper and ink. It wasn't that he was stingy, but Jiang Ru was just a beginner and didn't need them yet. Just like modern elementary school students learning to write, they had to use pencils before they could use pens.
Moreover, she couldn't bear the embarrassment of making Jiang Ru write a messy mess of characters.
Jiang Ru has a good memory. She has memorized almost all of the characters Pei Wu taught her these past few days. If she learns a little more, it will be enough for her even after she leaves Pei Wu.
After a while of random thoughts, Jiang Ru's eyelids grew heavier and heavier until she finally fell into a deep sleep.
Jiang Ru slept so soundly that she woke up late the next day.
It takes half an hour to walk from here to the nearest market, so people have to leave early, otherwise there won't be any good things left.
Pei Wu was afraid of keeping people waiting, and seeing that the time was almost up and there was still no movement from Jiang Ru's room, he had no choice but to knock on the door.
There were three knocks on the door, and Jiang Ru was awakened by the sound, opening her eyes in a daze.
There were no clocks in ancient times, and it took her a long time to get used to them. When she first transmigrated, she would often reach for her phone, a habit that lasted for several months. Later, she would still occasionally put her hand in her pocket unconsciously, but not as often.
Much later, she gradually learned to judge the time by observing things like sunrise and shadows.
The sky outside was not yet fully bright, so the light that shone into the room could not illuminate the enclosed space very well. Jiang Ru guessed that it was around six o'clock in the morning, approximately the hour of Mao (5-7 AM).
Jiang Ru sat up in bed and heard Pei Wu calling her softly from outside. He asked Jiang Ru, "Cousin, are you awake?"
Jiang Ru responded and got out of bed.
Because she was going out, she changed into a ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), a pink jacket, and a light yellow skirt, looking both beautiful and playful.
After she transmigrated from her previous life, she pieced together a rough understanding from the villagers and relatives. Her original parents treated her very well, but because they never had a son, they were gossiped about a lot, so they moved away.
Unfortunately, the entire family of three died the day before Jiang Ru transmigrated. Later, the authorities discovered that they had mistakenly ingested poisonous herbs.
Jiang Ru opened the door, and Pei Wu had already retreated back into the courtyard. Seeing Jiang Ru come over, he stepped forward and handed her a money bag: "The money in here should be enough for you to buy seeds. You can use the rest of the money yourself."
Jiang Ru opened the money pouch and glanced inside. There were about a hundred coins, more than enough to buy some seeds.
Fearing that Jiang Ru wouldn't accept it, Pei Wu pushed the money bag forward further: "Take it."
Jiang Ru originally wanted to decline, but Pei Wu seemed to have seen through her thoughts and immediately urged, "Aunt Zhang should be here soon. If you don't accept it, she'll have to wait."
In fact, given Pei Wu's personality, if Jiang Ru didn't accept it, he really couldn't do anything about it. After all, he was most averse to physical contact, so he naturally couldn't force her to accept it.
Jiang Ru bought the seeds to plan for their future, so she accepted the money bag.
In the past, Pei Wu would always stay far away from her when she washed up, but today, he did not avoid her. Instead, he kept talking to her, telling her to be careful, to stay close to Auntie Zhang, and not to talk to strangers.
Jiang Ru didn't have time to chat with him right now. She gave a perfunctory reply, quickly washed up, wiped the water off her face, and looked out into the courtyard.
Aunt Zhang arrived at their door just then. She was with Zhang Xingjun, and beside her was a woman of about the same age as her, who was holding a girl's hand.
Jiang Ru knew this girl; she often attended classes. Zhang Xingjun used to like pulling her braids, and Pei Wu had even reprimanded her for it.
The little girl obediently held her mother's hand, staring intently at Jiang Ru. She was pretty and charming, and Jiang Ru liked her too, especially when she sweetly called her "sister," which made everyone even happier.
Jiang Ru quickly tied her hair into two buns and hurried over.
As she left the hospital, she glanced back. Pei Wu was standing quietly in the courtyard watching her. Noticing her turn around, Pei Wu paused for a moment, then waved to her, signaling Jiang Ru to hurry up and leave.
Not only that, Aunt Zhang knew that she wanted to buy seeds, so she also brought her donkey. After all, the mountain road was too far, and it was difficult for people to carry so much stuff, let alone a young girl like Jiang Ru.
Jiang Ru walked over to Aunt Zhang and greeted her. Aunt Zhang then introduced her to the woman standing next to her.
The woman's surname was Li, so she was called Aunt Li. Her daughter, Jiang Ru, was known by her full name, Zhao Jing.
Jiang Ru patted Zhao Jing's head, and the little girl smiled shyly at her before hiding behind her mother.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the group set off on their journey to the countryside.
The mountain road is difficult to walk on. The winding road is always covered with stones of all sizes. On rainy days, there are occasional landslides, with huge rocks blocking the middle of the road and hindering pedestrians.
There is a main road leading to the village and a smaller path. The smaller path is shorter, but more difficult to walk.
Jiang Ru stumbled upon a small path by accident. The path was overgrown with weeds and never got any sun. The grass blades were always covered in dew. When Jiang Ru walked along it, her trouser legs were soaked and covered in mud.
Since they were going to the countryside, they wore the clean clothes they usually wear when they go out, so they didn't take the side roads. The main roads were more circuitous, so they had to quicken their pace.
Zhang Xingjun was a restless person. He rushed to the front, kicking pebbles randomly while laughing loudly.
He wanted to find someone to play with, so he kicked a pebble to Jiang Ru. Jiang Ru was wearing embroidered shoes, and the pebble under her feet was dirty. She didn't want to play with Zhang Xingjun.
Seeing that Jiang Ru ignored her, Zhang Xingjun changed her target and kicked the pebble to Zhao Jing. Zhao Jing glanced at Zhang Xingjun with her wet eyes, lowered her head, and silently stepped over the pebble.
Zhang Xingjun was furious and shouted unhappily, "I knew I shouldn't have gone out with you guys. You guys don't play with me. I'm going to find Wang Hu."
Wang Hu is a little boy who has a very good relationship with Zhang Xingjun, and he is just as mischievous as Zhang Xingjun.
Zhang Xingjun vented his dissatisfaction, but soon received a threatening look from Aunt Zhang. He immediately shrank back timidly, muttered something unintelligible, and ran off again.
Children this age are full of energy. He ran around and complained that Jiang Ru and the others were too slow.
Actually, it was already very fast. The journey that usually takes half an hour was completed in almost 15 minutes less than before.
The Guilin Township area has more than a dozen villages, and the market is quite lively. Vendors come and go, loudly hawking their wares, and selling a wide variety of goods that can basically meet all daily needs.
Aunt Zhang took Jiang Ru to buy seeds and vegetable seeds. They were going to buy some vegetables at another place, so they asked Jiang Ru if she wanted to come along.
Jiang Ru wanted to wander around by herself, so she parted ways with them and agreed to meet again at 1-3 PM.
The market in Jinzhou was similar to that in Shuzhou. Jiang Ru strolled around, checking the location of all the stalls, and bought herself a sesame seed cake.
She left in a hurry this morning without eating anything and walked a long way up the mountain, so she was already very hungry.
A sesame seed cake costs three coins. The crust is crispy and crunchy. It's flavorful and much tastier than steamed buns.
Jiang Ru wolfed down a sesame seed cake, feeling choked, so she drank a bowl of beverage. After eating and drinking her fill, Jiang Ru started shopping according to the list she had made in her mind the night before.
She first went to buy some maltose candy, which was prepared for Pei Wu. Whenever he fainted in the future, Jiang Ru could put some candy in his mouth to keep him alive.
Besides this, Jiang Ru also needs to buy some food. She drinks porridge every day, and now she feels like vomiting whenever she sees porridge.
Vegetables were expensive, so Jiang Ru just picked out a few and bought some. She also bought eggs, since she and Pei Wu were both at an age where they needed to grow and needed to supplement their protein intake.
Finally, there's the meat.
Jiang Ru had already decided to buy some meat to take home. Pei Wu hadn't eaten meat for too long, so it wasn't good for him to have too much to eat. She put the meat into the porridge to give him some nutrition first.
After buying everything, Jiang Ru packed up her shopping basket and felt hungry again.
Fortunately, Pei Wu still had enough money, so Jiang Ru went and bought a few more pieces of sweet cake. She ate half of them and gave the other half to Pei Wu.
A note from the author:
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