Chapter 60: Qiu Xuan finally discovered that the money was wrong! Seven taels of silver became nine...
When the gate opened, Qiu Xuan saw her grandmother's face full of worry.
It has been nine days since the last time Zong Mu saw Zong Xiao, and she has been thinking about him all these days.
"You're only thinking about this family now that the New Year is almost here, aren't you?" Zong Xiao's mother raised her hand and slapped him on the back. Fortunately, she slapped the left side, avoiding Zong Xiao's wound.
"Mom, I was delayed in selling the wolf skins. You see, I came back quickly after I finished selling them." Zong Xiao said as he moved aside to let Zong Yang and the others who were still sitting in the carriage at the back show their faces.
The two of them knew the clan mother and had to call her aunt when they saw her.
Zong Yang was the first to speak: "Yes, Auntie, we rushed back here. If we delay any longer, we won't be able to come back for the New Year."
The clan mother only complained a few words, she was not really angry with them.
She wiped her face and said to them, "You guys will cook when you go back home, why not eat at my house at noon? I've made some buns for you, so you can have as much as you want."
Zong Jiabao grinned and waved his hand to refuse: "No, Auntie, we still have to clean up the house. Let's wait until after the New Year and come to pay you New Year's greetings."
The grandmother kept them there twice, and only gave up when she saw that they really didn't come in.
Zong Yang and Zong Jiabao are both children from the Zong family compound. Although they have no blood relationship with them, they still have the surname Zong.
The clan mother said, "That's fine. Auntie will be waiting for you at home this year. You can't leave without eating."
While they were talking, other people in the family came out one after another.
Zong Anji pounced over, and if Zong Xiao hadn't dodged to the side, he would have been knocked away.
"Brother, why are you hiding?" Zong Anji missed and turned back, saying, "I've been thinking about you these days. Let me take a closer look to see if you're hurt."
Zong Xiao was very disgusted and signaled him with his eyes to stop talking nonsense and quickly move the things off the mule cart.
They bought a lot of New Year's goods this time, and it was just right that they were sharing some of them at home this afternoon.
Qiu Xuan was also afraid that he would touch Zong Xiao's wound, which had not healed yet and could not be touched.
"It's windy outside, let's go inside and talk." Qiu Xuan walked to Zong Xiao's right side and went into the yard with him.
As for the things on the mule cart, Zong Anji moved them all down.
"Wow. There are candy dumplings!" Huai Xue sat at the table, staring at Zong Anji with her dark eyes as he took out something.
There seemed to be endless things in the backpack. Every time Zong Anji took out something, Huaixue would praise it.
The clan mother made them some tea and couldn't help saying, "You too, why did you buy so many things? Hunting in the mountains isn't easy, so you have to save the money you earn."
Zong Xiao picked up the cup with his left hand and took a sip of tea. He smiled and replied, "The purpose of making money is to have a good New Year. Besides, these didn't cost much."
Zong Xiao earned thirty-three taels from hunting. After deducting eight taels for medical treatment and two taels for shopping, he still had twenty-three taels in his hand.
He wanted to give all this money to Qiu Xuan.
"You make the money, so you decide. Mother can't argue with you." The grandmother stood up and stopped chatting with them in the house. "I'll go check the fire. The buns should be almost cooked."
Qiu Xuan knew that Zong's mother had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Although she said so, in fact, every word she said was out of concern for Zong Xiao. She smiled and moved aside, helping everyone to distribute the things, without interrupting at all.
"Second Aunt, what is this?" Huaixue picked up a furry peach blossom hairpin and asked curiously, "Why does this peach look so real?"
After saying that, she even leaned in closer and sniffed it.
This was something Qiu Xuan bought specifically for Huai Xue. She said it was a velvet flower hairpin. The stall was crowded with people and the business was booming.
She thought Huaixue would like them, so she bought her a pair.
"This is a velvet flower hairpin, which goes perfectly with your pink jacket." Qiu Xuan placed it next to her little girl, the color really suited her.
Qiu Yu bent down and rummaged through the basket for a long time before finally finding another item. This time, she not only bought peaches, but also a peony-shaped hairpin, which she bought for Yueyang.
"I have one too?" Yueyang took the hairpin in surprise, his eyes full of unconcealable love.
Before she got married, she was the only girl in the family. Her family spoiled her and would buy her all the new things in the town before the New Year.
But this year she married into the Zong family and could only go back after the New Year, so she had not received any gifts from her family yet.
Qiu Xuan treated her as her younger sister, so naturally she was not stingy with the money.
She said, "Everyone has it. Everyone has it."
There was a table full of food, and she spent a little while dividing it up, until everyone had a handful in their arms.
No matter whether it is for daily use or food, no one is left out.
When the clan mother came in with the buns, she saw that the table that had been full was now empty.
She put the things in the middle, clapped her hands and said, "You divided it up pretty quickly. Thanks to your second brother and sister-in-law."
"Thank you, thank you." Zong Anji said happily as he held the new slingshot in his pocket, "I was just in need of this, so my second brother bought it for me. It's perfect for hunting rabbits after the New Year."
The mother took a look at the little thing and gave Zong Anji a blank look, saying, "You're already an adult, and you still like this."
But when I heard that he wanted to use this to hunt rabbits, it seemed like he was going to do something serious.
The meat buns are made of beans, pork, and lard. They taste so delicious when you chew them.
Huaixue was so young and she ate two, not to mention others.
"Don't you like the taste?" Seeing that Zong Xiao had only eaten two, the mother frowned, "If you don't like it, I'll make you another bowl of noodles."
Zong Xiao explained, "It's delicious. I ate it in town on my way back, and I'm not too hungry now."
"Did you really eat it?" Zong Anji touched his arm and motioned him to look to the right.
Qiu Xuan swallowed the last bite of the bun in her mouth and picked up another one.
If Zong Anji is not mistaken, this should be the fourth one!
Zong Xiao's eyebrows curved: "She had nothing to eat in town at that time."
The grandmother was suspicious, but since her son had said so, she was embarrassed to continue asking in front of the whole family.
She thought about asking Qiu Xuan alone after dinner. After all, Qiu Xuan would not lie to her.
After the meal, before she could even open her mouth to ask him to stay, Qiu Xuan hurried home.
"Mom, we won't come over for dinner tonight. We've been busy running around town these past two days, and our clothes are all smelly." Qiu Xuan put on the backpack, took Zong Xiao's hand and was about to go out.
The grandmother didn't keep them, but before she left, she stuffed a basket of steamed buns into their mouths. With the buns, they could just cook some porridge in the evening. "Okay, okay, remember to come over tomorrow."
The sound of a door closing was heard behind her, and Qiu Xuan's tense body relaxed instantly.
She took out the key and unlocked the door, muttering, "I've never lied before, but I've already lied to my mother twice about you."
"Never lied?" Zong Xiao seemed to have thought of something and couldn't help laughing.
Qiu Xuan helped him into the yard. Without any delay, she took him straight into the house.
"What are you laughing at? Did I say something wrong?" Qiu Xuan helped the man onto a stool and said, "Sit here for a while. I'll clean up the house first."
I haven't lived here for a few days and there's no hot water at home.
Qiu Xuan took off her backpack and hurried to the kitchen without taking out the things inside.
She lit a fire to boil water and added firewood to the kang in the house.
Zong Xiao's wounds needed to be treated with medicine three times a day. It was already past noon, so it was time to change the medicine.
"It's cold in the room. After you apply the medicine, you can lie down on the kang." Qiu Xuan took out the gauze and medicinal wine and placed them on the table one by one.
Although she had applied medicine to him several times, Qiu Xuan still felt pain every time she saw the wound.
"If mother saw your injury, she would cry." Qiu Xuan actually cried secretly twice, but Zong Xiao didn't know about it. She cried alone in the yard.
"Have you cried too?" Zong Xiao tilted his head slightly, and the two of them were face to face, very close, as if whoever moved a little closer could kiss.
"No, why am I crying?" Qiu Xuan tied his underwear and then helped him onto the kang.
There were still a lot of things waiting for her to do at home, and Qiu Xuan had no time to stay in the house with him.
Just as she had said to her mother at that time, she hadn't taken a shower for several days and had to take a shower no matter what. And Zong Xiao, needless to say, had to take a shower too.
Qiu Xuan thought that after he woke up, she would let him sit in the wooden barrel. Although his shoulders could not be exposed to water, the rest of his body could be scrubbed. At most, she would help him.
It's not like she hasn't seen his physique before. She has seen it eight hundred times every day when applying medicine.
Once she started working, Qiu Xuan never stopped.
The livestock at home needed to be fed, as well as the three rabbits. I don't know how my grandmother and the others have been feeding them these past few days, but Qiu Xuan felt that they had gained a lot of weight since she left.
If we didn't want them to give birth to little rabbits, their bodies would be enough to make braised rabbit meat.
In the room, Zong Xiao had no desire to sleep at all.
The medicine on his wound only made it more painful. He couldn't even lie down comfortably, let alone sleep.
He used his left hand to support himself and half sat up. After the pain subsided, he slowly got off the kang.
Both purses were in the backpack. Zong Xiao took out the one containing twenty-three taels. He had wanted to give it to Qiu Xuan for a long time. When they were in the town, Qiu Xuan said that it was not safe for her to carry it by herself. Now that she is back home, she should be able to take it.
Zong Xiao sat by the kang and waited until it was dark.
When Qiu Xuan entered the room again and saw his appearance, she thought he had already slept.
"Why didn't you call me when you woke up?" Qiu Xuan placed the hot water bottle next to his legs and said, "Are you hungry? If you are, eat some buns first. I've boiled water in the kitchen. You can take a bath after dinner."
"I'll listen to you." Zong Xiao also felt that the smell on his body was not stinky, but a bloody smell.
Qiu Xuan wiped his hands with a cloth, then stuffed the meat bun into his left hand.
"Fortunately, we're eating buns today. If we had used chopsticks, I don't know how you could have hidden it from Mom."
Zong Xiao took the meat bun and handed her the purse.
"Now that we're home, you can accept it, right?"
Qiu Xuan was startled. "Why are you giving it to me again? What's the difference between you taking it and me taking it? It's all family money anyway."
Zong Xiao thought, there is of course a difference. Once I give it to you, it will be your money in the future, and you can take the money with you if you leave.
However, he just thought about these words in his heart and didn't dare to say them out loud, for fear that the person would really leave if he said them.
"Forget it, since you asked me to keep it, I'll keep it first." Qiu Xuan put the purse next to the pillow. There was too much money in the purse to be placed in a wooden box. If a thief came in, the money would surely be found.
Seeing her accept it, Zong Xiao felt relieved instantly.
With this money, she can at least live peacefully in the capital for half a year.
Zong Xiao has had a poor appetite recently. He finished the meat bun in his hand and couldn't eat anymore.
He slowly stood up and said to Qiu Xuan, "I'm going to go wash up now. If I don't, I'll smell."
"Okay, I'll get you some water."
The wooden tub for bathing was placed in the next room, which was empty and quite spacious.
Qiu Xuan added water into the pot and felt the water temperature was about right before letting the person sit down.
"Shall I rub it for you?" She said seriously, standing next to the wooden barrel with a cloth in her hand.
"...No, I can do it myself." Zong Xiao's lower body was wrapped in cloth, with only his shoulders exposed, but he still felt a little uncomfortable.
"Okay, call me when you're done. I'll go back to the room and tidy up the kang."
After saying that, Qiu Xuan walked out and considerately closed the door for him.
After the kang was heated for an entire afternoon, the room became warm.
Qiu Xuan took off her shoes and socks and climbed onto the kang. She thought she had to hide the silver and money well, at least to prevent thieves from finding it.
She remembered that she had hidden money under the quilt, seven taels of silver, and with the money given by Zong Xiao, it was just the right amount.
Following her memory, she lifted the quilt and saw the coarse cloth that had been stuffed into the pit.
She fiddled with it for a long time and finally pulled it out.
The white silver rolled onto the kang, and Qiu Xuan picked them up one by one.
But as she was picking up the coins, she suddenly realized that the amount of silver was not right.
She had clearly hidden seven taels of silver at that time, how come it has become nine taels now!
Where did these extra two taels of silver come from?
Did the silver grow by itself?
But how can money produce money?
No, no, no! This is not right!
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