In the courtyard.
Xie Muqing was sitting under the osmanthus tree. A gentle breeze blew by, and the faint fragrance of osmanthus blossoms drifted into Lin Yan's nostrils.
It should have been a peaceful and serene scene.
But right next to him sat a beautiful, unfamiliar woman, whispering something to him.
She suddenly found the scene in front of her a bit offensive...
What a scumbag!!!
Just a few days ago, he and Lin Xinghua were deeply in love, but now, after only a few days, he's hooked up with another girl!
He really is a spoiled brat.
He has a lot of bad habits!
Not wanting to look at the two anymore, Lin Yan silently turned around and led the carriage into the courtyard.
Hearing the noise, Xie Muqing seemed to sway slightly, quickly creating distance between himself and the woman, and pushed his wheelchair over.
"Father, Mother, you're back."
After carrying his wife and children out of the carriage, Lin Zhenghong realized there was a strange woman in his house. Somewhat displeased, he asked her:
"Hey, son-in-law, do we have guests? And who is this young lady?"
Xie Muqing didn't expect them to return at this time.
Although he was a little flustered, he quickly came up with an explanation.
He slowly lowered his proud head.
A barely audible sound came from his throat; if you listened carefully, you could even hear a sob.
"Father, Mother, this is Miss Wang, the daughter of Magistrate Wang. She's here today to 'check on' how I'm doing..."
Lin Zhenghong had already learned from his daughter about the county magistrate's deliberate "arranged marriage" with Xie Muqing, following orders from his superiors.
Seeing his pitiful appearance, he instantly understood what he meant.
They said they were visiting.
But it would be more accurate to say it's surveillance.
In the blink of an eye, his attitude towards Xie Muqing changed drastically. He sighed with sympathy and then looked at Wang Hui.
"I see... Would Miss Wang like to stay for dinner?"
"No, it's still early, I have to go back to the county office. Thank you for your hospitality, sir and madam."
Before leaving, Wang Hui's gaze secretly met Xie Muqing's.
He nodded slightly before riding away.
Before long, everything in the carriage was moved into the house.
Lin Yan then dismantled the carriage to let the two horses relax and also fed them.
The misunderstanding has been cleared up.
Lin Yan was a little embarrassed; she thought Xie Muqing was still acting strangely even though he had a broken leg.
It turns out she was being petty...
"Xie Muqing, what do you think of these boots? You can wear them once your knees are healed. These boots are very warm with lots of fleece inside. Winters in the Northwest are much colder than in Beijing, so keeping your feet warm will be good for your knees."
Xie Muqing solemnly accepted the boots with both hands; this was the first time a woman had ever given him boots…
The fabrics he was wearing were not very fine, a world apart from what he used to wear in the Marquis's mansion.
But he knew.
These boots aren't cheap either, but the inner lining is so warm to the touch.
He couldn't wait to pick one up and compare it to his feet. It looked a little big, but with lots of fluff inside, it should fit him perfectly.
"Thank you, I like it very much."
"I'm glad you like it. I also bought some fabric and cotton, so I'll make you a warm cotton long coat/cloak. We're having dumplings tonight, I'm going to help out in the kitchen."
Thirty catties of pork fat were rendered into a large pot of oil. While her parents went to make dumplings, Lin Yan tried making hot pot base in the kitchen.
She scooped up a large pot of water, brought it to a boil, poured in the red chilies, cooked them until soft, and then took them out to cool.
Lin Muyan was helping to start the fire, and the smell of boiling chili peppers made him cough incessantly.
"Cough cough, big sister, it's so spicy!"
"Little brother, if you find it too spicy, you can go out and play first. I can start the fire myself."
"It's alright, big sister, I'm fine."
Afraid of being kicked out, Lin Muyan continued to tend the fire as if nothing was wrong. Seeing his serious expression, Lin Yan shook her head and smiled helplessly.
After scooping out the boiling water used to boil the chili peppers, chopping them up and pouring them into a bowl, she added onions, celery, scallions, and cilantro to the lard to fry in that order.
After frying and taking it out, she continued to add minced ginger, soaked Erjingtiao peppers, and fermented bean paste bought from Aunt Wang. Then she added cooked chopped chili peppers, stir-fried them, and then added rock sugar, fermented glutinous rice, minced garlic, soaked Sichuan peppercorns, and spices soaked in wine. After stir-frying for a few minutes, she added an appropriate amount of wine, stirred it a few more times, and then turned off the heat. The spicy hot pot base was ready.
It's cold at night now.
The cooked hot pot broth should be left in the pot overnight and can be frozen tomorrow.
"Alright, little brother, let's go make dumplings too. We'll have hot pot tomorrow."
The hour of Xu (7-9 PM).
The family was finally able to eat hot dumplings, and now, thanks to their embroidery skills, the Xie family's life is slowly getting better.
Although a monthly income of less than two ounces is a bit low for such a large family, at least it's enough to have enough to eat.
Therefore, Lin Yan didn't plan to send dumplings over. Instead, she suggested that they come over for a meal together after she moved into her new house.
After dinner, it finally got dark.
Lin Yan carried four bolts of cloth, five catties of pork, and a suitable amount of fruits and snacks to the next room and knocked on the door.
Xie Rui opened the door.
He looked like he had just come back from the fields, his clothes covered in mud.
"Aunt Lin... Sister-in-law, is something the matter?"
Realizing that the person in front of him had already married his cousin, he promptly changed his form of address.
He awkwardly straightened his soiled clothes.
"These are the cotton cloth and some food I bought in town today. Winters in the Northwest are much colder than in your capital. This cotton cloth is for you to make quilt covers and coats to keep warm. The cotton and quilts will be delivered to you in ten days."
"I can't accept this..."
“Your brother has married into my family, and I haven’t given him a single penny yet. Consider this as a betrothal gift.”
Just then, Madam Xie heard the commotion and came out of the east room.
Seeing her figure, Lin Yan felt rather embarrassed. She interrupted Xie Rui's refusal, handed him the things, and hurriedly left.
"Rui'er, who's outside?"
"Madam, my cousin-in-law has brought us some cotton cloth to make some warm coats. The cotton and ten quilts will be delivered in ten days."
Because Lin Yan left in a hurry, Madam Xie only caught a glimpse of a piece of clothing. Looking at the fabric and pastries, she sighed softly:
"She's thoughtful."
After returning home, Lin Yan was about to wash up when she heard a loud wolf howl!
Then came a series of wolf howls, growing ever closer.
She felt a chill run down her spine.
Both her family and the Xie family lived at the foot of the mountain, so they would be the first to suffer when the wolves came down the mountain!
But why would the wolf pack come down from the mountain for no reason?
It's not winter now.
It's impossible for a wolf pack to fail to hunt for food, and generally speaking, even if wolves come down from the mountain, there wouldn't be that many of them.
Judging from the howling of those wolves, there are at least several dozen of them!
But the strangest thing is...
The pack of wolves came down the mountain and, surprisingly, bypassed both families, heading straight for the center of the village!
Then, several familiar, agonizing screams echoed throughout the village...
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