Wang Qing's house was in complete chaos, but Li Zhen's house was peaceful. She returned carrying a large bamboo basket, which was full of grain, oil, rice, and flour.
Li Zhen's mother-in-law was flustered, holding the new clothes with great anxiety. "Son, why did you buy so many things? You didn't steal anything from the Lu family, did you? You can't do that! We're not afraid of being poor, but we can't do such a thing."
The new clothes were clearly made of silk, and the bright sky-blue color made them look very luxurious.
Li Zhen held the clothes up against her youngest daughter. "They fit perfectly, Mother. Don't worry, this fabric was given to me by Manager Qin. The fabric got a snag during transport. It was just a tiny little snag, but Manager Qin is very careful with these things. She wouldn't sell anything that wasn't good enough. It would be a waste to throw it away, so she decided that we can take a share of the remaining scraps of fabric in the embroidery shop and these defective pieces ourselves."
He added, "Manager Qin is good to me, so I will never do anything bad. From now on, I will work hard for her to repay her."
Hearing this, Li Zhen's mother-in-law became happy. The three of them went to cook together, chatting about village affairs, mainly about which family's daughter was betrothed to whom, and which family had quarreled.
After finishing her meal, Li Zhen changed her daughter into new clothes and gave the money left over from selling rice and flour to her mother-in-law. "Mother, I have enough to eat, wear, and drink at the embroidery shop. I can earn more than one tael a month now. You and Xiao Yao'er should eat well at home and not starve yourselves."
“Your mourning period will be over in a month, my son. You need to think about your own future.” Li Zhen’s mother-in-law wiped away her tears and did not ask for the money. “Keep it safe and save up for your dowry. Your youngest daughter is still young. I will stay with her until she grows up and gets married before I can close my eyes in peace.”
Li Zhen stroked her daughter's head, but her heart was filled with anxiety. There were only a few months left until the end of the year, when the government would arrange marriages again. She wondered what the situation would be like then.
For ordinary families, killing a chicken for the Mid-Autumn Festival dinner is already a luxury, but Lu Yunxing killed chickens and ducks early in the morning. Lunch was also very sumptuous, with chicken, duck, fish and meat. The whole family was together, which was rare. The large round table was full. Lu Yan had not been back to the village for many days and missed her friends there. After finishing her meal, she put down her bowl and said, "Mom, I want to go play after I finish eating. Just for half an hour."
Zhao Fang wasn't a strict mother, so how could she refuse? "Take Jinxiu with you. Everyone in the village is busy in the autumn. You can play for a while and then come back. Don't delay other people's work."
Children in the village are expected to work as soon as they can walk; there's no time for play during the busy autumn harvest.
Lu Yan sighed and could only wait for Qin Jinxiu. Qin Jinxiu quickly finished her meal and followed her. Qin Xiaozhou was eating stewed goose, her mind filled with food. "Grandma, later we'll send a rabbit to the village chief's house and Uncle Dahe's house." After thinking for a moment, she added, "Let's send two chickens and ducks to the Li family too."
“This—” Wang Lan was speechless.
Lu Yu lowered his head, seemingly wanting to say something but ultimately said nothing.
Lu Yunfeng made the decision, "I'll go deliver it later. We should discuss the wedding arrangements properly; dragging it out won't do."
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