They got home at noon today. The Lu family thought they would be back in the afternoon and had already eaten. Without waiting, Lu Yunxing had already gone out to work, and Lu Yan had gone to the chicken coop and was not at home.
Qin Xiaozhou didn't mind and ate lunch casually while the steamed buns were still warm.
After lunch, Qin Xiaozhou took out the fabric she had bought and gave it to Wang Lan. "Grandma, I didn't know what colors you liked, so I just bought some common fabrics this time. Next time, tell me what you like, and I'll buy more." She then picked out a piece of fine cotton fabric. "This will be used to make a dress for Xiao Si. The rest will be used for us women to make undergarments. There are also these scraps of fabric, about two or three pounds. Take a look and make whatever you can."
"Oh!" Wang Lan touched the fine cotton cloth with affection. Xiao Si had never worn two decent outfits since birth, and she couldn't help but feel sad and her eyes reddened. "Good, good, good. You are the most successful one in our family. If you treat Xiao Si so well, he will definitely be filial to you when he grows up. Otherwise, I will break his legs."
Lu Yu stared at the scraps of cloth with shining eyes. Although they were small pieces, she had already thought of many ideas for using them. Moreover, the scraps came in many colors, which would make them beautiful for handkerchiefs, hair ties, or shoe uppers.
So he asked in a low voice, "Niece-in-law, are we all going to have these scraps of cloth?"
“You’re the only ones in the family who know how to sew, so naturally it’s for you.” Qin Xiaozhou took out the spices from the basket. “But at least each of you should have a new piece of clothing.”
Lu Yu nodded repeatedly, "Of course, niece-in-law, let me measure your shoulder width and arms, and I'll make you clothes right away."
Lu Yu understood the rule that whoever bought the fabric would be the first to have their work done.
Qin Xiaozhou looked at her own figure and reluctantly decided against it, saying, "Don't use it as my outer garment this time, maybe next time."
The Lu family members looked over in surprise. This was new fabric, and she had paid for it herself, yet she didn't want the clothes!
Qin Xiaozhou, feeling scrutinized, could only helplessly explain, "I'm on a diet, and I look different every few days. The speed at which you make clothes probably can't keep up with the speed at which I change."
She went into the kitchen and used spices to treat the pig offal. This stuff has a fishy smell if you don't use enough spices. She washed the rest with salt and let it air dry in a cool place. Since they couldn't finish it all at once, air drying would keep it better. Nobody buys pig offal.
Today is the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Although we can't go to the county town to celebrate, we still have to eat a good dinner. Lu Yan dug up some wild vegetables early and brought them back. She also showed Qin Xiaozhou two eggs, saying, "Sister-in-law, look, I found eggs in the chicken coop."
The weather is still cold, and the hens aren't laying eggs properly. They didn't lay any eggs when we changed their environment a couple of days ago, but they actually laid two today. Qin Xiaozhou took them and pinched Lu Yan's cheek. She's been raised for five or six days, but she still hasn't gained any weight. "Okay, I keep my word. Today, you and Xiao Si will each get a steamed egg."
Lu Yan jumped up happily, "Sister-in-law, I'm going to wash the wild vegetables."
Wang Lan took out some leftover wood ear mushrooms from last year and soaked them in a wooden basin, while Qin Xiaozhou also took out peanuts and soybeans to soak.
Wang Lan reminded her, "The soybeans need to be soaked overnight, otherwise we can't make tofu tonight."
"We're not making tofu," Qin Xiaozhou explained. "These two are for peanut soy milk. We'll soak them overnight, grind them finely with a stone mill tomorrow morning, and then boil them in water. We have a lot of kids at home, so drinking more soy milk and peanuts will help them stay healthy."
Wang Lan smiled, her face crinkling with wrinkles. "Okay, okay, I'll do whatever you say."
Wang Lan's granddaughter-in-law is a picky eater and can come up with all sorts of food ideas. However, she takes good care of the children, and the adults and elderly also benefit from it. In the past few days, Wang Lan has felt much better, all thanks to her granddaughter-in-law for taking such good care of their family.
Pig's trotters were stewing in the stove, along with stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots and a soup of pork cracklings and wild vegetables. Rice was specially cooked today, and even rice porridge was a luxury. A large plate of it was ladled out and placed in the kitchen. As soon as Lu Yunxing came back, he drank a bowl. "Ah! It's so warm. I went to the entrance of Qingzhugou and built a pool with stones. A month later, when the weather warms up, the ducks can go into the water too."
Qin Xiaozhou placed a bowl and chopsticks on the table. "Dinner's ready."
Speaking of the duck pen at the entrance of Qingzhugou, she thought for a moment, "Cut more bamboo at the entrance and build a big pond so that it can get sunshine and grow aquatic plants, which will help the ducks grow better."
Lu Yunxing laughed, "Sister-in-law, my brother thinks so too. He said we could build a big pond there, and maybe even raise fish and shrimp."
After dinner, the Lu family warmed themselves by the fire in the kitchen. Wang Lan and Lu Yu cut fabric and made clothes. Lu Yunxing couldn't sit still and had to go watch the ducks and chicks to feel at ease. Lu Yan also went there, checking on them seven or eight times a day. Lu Yunfeng took two catties of fatty pork to the village chief's house.
The news of Lu's new wife killing a wild boar the day before yesterday has been all over the village. Everyone is saying that she is a demon, a rakshasa, who can kill a wild boar all by herself, which is terrifying.
The child who cries at night is immediately frightened into going to sleep quietly once the parents say that if the child keeps crying, they will be sent to the Lu family.
The village chief also heard about these words and only said to Lu Yunfeng, "Your wife is capable. Don't listen to the nonsense from those people in the village. Living a good life is the most important thing."
Wang Hui patted Lu Yunfeng on the shoulder to comfort him. He was the village chief's grandson and the same age as Lu Yunfeng. The two had studied together for a few years and were friends.
Lu Yunfeng laughed and said, "Don't worry, I'm a grown man, I'm not pretentious."
His wife has a temper, but she's a good person at heart and treats the family well. He doesn't feel wronged and won't give Qin Xiaozhou a hard time because of the rumors in the village. He's seen what kind of person Qin Xiaozhou is these past few days. In fact, she's better than many people in the village and has a lot of courage!
Wang Hui watched Lu Yunfeng walk away and sighed, "We took the exam together two years ago and agreed to take it again next year, but now he hasn't touched a book for two whole years. I guess he won't take it again."
Scholars held a high social status, while farmers earned only two or three taels of silver a year, making education a luxury. The village chief insisted that his children study, as was the case with the Lu family in the past. Although they never achieved official rank, all the men in the family were literate. Now, the village chief shook his head regretfully, perhaps this was just fate.
Lu Yunfeng went to Lijiaba again to invite Doctor Li to his home for treatment. Doctor Li visited Lu's home more than ten times a year and was already very familiar with the place.
Lu Yan stood in the courtyard, quietly wiping away her tears. Qin Xiaozhou patted her head, found a jar, rinsed a bowl of rice, and cooked it on a small stove. He then scooped out a small piece of braised pig intestine from a large pot and said, "Have a piece to try."
"Wow, this is delicious." Lu Yan chewed a couple of times and exhaled a breath of hot air. "Sister-in-law, your cooking is really good."
"Two more pieces, please."
Lu Yan glanced quietly out of the kitchen and said, "Sister-in-law, we can't eat anymore, Grandma will be unhappy."
"What's wrong with eating a couple of pieces of meat?" Qin Xiaozhou blew on it to cool it down and stuffed it into his mouth. "People need to eat well to have the energy to work. Let's boil this pig intestine a little longer and then go check on the chickens and ducks."
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