Zhou Ye, who was the last one to enter the house, was also recalling the scene of Lin Shu getting off the carriage just now.
Her skin was like cream and white as snow, her face like a peach blossom, and her waist like a willow. She looked like she could neither carry anything on her shoulders nor lift anything with her hands—definitely not someone capable of hard labor. Such a woman belonged in the secluded inner chambers of a grand mansion.
At the thought that such a girl might live here permanently from now on, Zhou Ye felt a headache coming on.
This wasn’t someone coming to the Lin family to be a daughter; she was coming to be an “ancestor.” Uncle Lin and Aunt He would have to serve her like a goddess.
Lin Shu had a sweet tongue and soon had Lin Dashan and He Guixiang beaming with joy. However, after the initial excitement faded, their awkward reality became apparent.
At this hour, smoke was rising from the chimneys of every household, but He Guixiang was fretting over the family’s rice vat. The vat was full, but it was all coarse rice.
She had gone to town today to buy medicine for Xiaopu. That medicine was essential; as soon as it ran out, more had to be bought. After purchasing the medicine, she had only a few copper coins left in her pocket, so she had decided to buy some needles, thread, and sewing sundries.
If she had known her daughter was coming back, she would have bought a sheng of white rice.
White rice was refined rice with the chaff removed, while the villagers ate the coarse rice they grew themselves. The rice for this year had been planted for less than two months, so they were still eating the stock stored from last year.
“Husband, our daughter has just returned. I’m afraid she won’t be used to the coarse rice at home. We’ve saved up ten eggs, and I was originally thinking of taking them to the market next time to sell. How about I take them to the Village Chief’s house and ask to exchange them for half a dou of refined rice?”
In these times, eggs were a rare commodity. Sold at the market, one could fetch five wen; ten eggs meant fifty wen. However, refined rice at the grain shop was also expensive, costing ten wen per sheng. A dou cost a hundred wen, so ten eggs could only be exchanged for half a dou of refined rice.
Lin Dashan remained silent for a long while before nodding. “Go ahead and exchange them. The medicine we bought this time will last for half a month. I’ll find a way to save up for the next batch of medicine money.”
Zhou Ye happened to hear this as he passed by the kitchen. He said to them, “Uncle, Aunt, don’t worry about Xiaopu’s medicine money. I’ll head into the mountains again to find some mountain goods to sell in town.”
the mountains he spoke of were not the hills behind Tianshui Village, but the deep mountains three li away. The villagers of Tianshui Village rarely went into the deep mountains; if they did, they mostly stayed on the outskirts to chop firewood or gather mushrooms.
But while others didn’t dare to go, Zhou Ye did. Years ago, when he led his large family to escape the famine, he had crossed countless mountains. Spending ten days or half a month in the deep forest was no problem for him.
“Ah Ye, there are many poisonous snakes and fierce beasts in the deep mountains. You should go less often.” He Guixiang knew of his skills, but she now looked upon Zhou Ye as half a son and didn’t want him to come to any harm.
Thinking of Lin Shu, who had just returned, He Guixiang’s mind became active again. She knew better than anyone what kind of man was best for a country woman to marry: he had to have strength and be able to endure hardship. Forget Tianshui Village; in all the surrounding villages, you couldn’t find anyone stronger than Zhou Ye.
Originally, she had intended for this boy, Zhou Ye, to be for Ah Yao, but now…
She just didn’t know what her daughter thought, or if she would look down on a rough man like Zhou Ye.
Lin Dashan was stubborn by nature, but he was truly impressed by this outsider. “I don’t know how to say soft words. Do as you see fit; if you have the spare energy, go, but prioritize your own safety above all else. I’m still counting on you to help plow those few acres of our family’s land.”
Other families’ fields required endless weeding and seedling care during this month, but he and Zhou Ye had cleared all the weeds from their fields in just two days. Firstly, their family didn’t have much land—only five acres. Secondly, both he and Zhou Ye worked quickly. For the next few days, both of them could relax a bit. After resting for a day, Lin Dashan could go to town to find some day labor and earn a few dozen copper coins.
“Uncle and Aunt, don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.” Just as Zhou Ye finished speaking, his stomach gave a loud growl, and a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face.
“Look at me, just talking and delaying the cooking. We already got back late today. I’ll go wash the rice now and boil a pot of porridge on the stove,” He Guixiang said cheerfully. She didn’t mind at all that Zhou Ye ate a lot, because the work he did alone was worth three men.
Nine out of ten households in Tianshui Village lived in thatched huts plastered with mud, so the stoves were not inside the kitchens. Instead, they were built in the outdoor courtyard with a simple shed to keep out the rain. Once the coarse rice porridge was simmering on the outdoor stove, He Guixiang carried a basket of eggs to Village Chief Zhang’s house.
The Village Chief’s family was a prominent household in the village. If one were to think of a family with surplus refined rice, they would immediately think of his home.
After He Guixiang left, Lin Dashan and Zhou Ye didn’t stay idle. One chopped chicken feed to feed the chickens, and the other went to the courtyard to split firewood.
While everyone in the family was busy, Lin Shu was surveying her new home.
The walls were made of bundled thatch, but they were packed very tightly, with a thick layer of mud plastered on the outside. At first glance, the walls looked more like earthen walls mixed with thatch. The four corners and the roof were supported by wooden frames, and a thick layer of thatch covered the roof, letting in no wind at all. it was sturdier than she had imagined.
The furnishings inside were simple. In the main hall, there was only a semi-old square wooden table and two long benches. One bench had a “lame” leg that had been repaired with a bamboo tube; it sat steadily, though it looked somewhat mismatched.
On the side wall, two sets of straw raincoats hung side-by-side, each topped with a woven bamboo hat. Other than that, there was nothing else—it was as clean as her own pockets.
On either side of the main hall was a doorway leading to a bedroom. As Lin Shu’s gaze passed the doorway on the left, she suddenly met a pair of eyes.
The owner of the eyes seemed startled and, with a shwoosh, pulled her half-poked-out head back in.
After a moment, half a tiny head poked out quietly again.
Unexpectedly, Lin Shu’s gaze remained on the same spot, not moving at all. It met the other girl’s eyes perfectly, causing the latter’s eyes to widen suddenly.
“Little sister, what are you hiding for? Do I look so ugly that I can’t be seen?” Lin Shu blinked at her.
Lin Xiaopu was nine years old this year, but due to a congenital weakness she had carried from the womb, she looked only about as big as a normal seven-year-old. Her little face was thin, which made her eyes appear black and large.
Hearing this, she stiffened her little face and shook her head very quickly, as if afraid that if she shook it too slowly, Lin Shu would misunderstand.
“Then give me a compliment and say I’m pretty,” Lin Shu teased, pushing her luck with a grin.
Lin Xiaopu opened her mouth, then closed it, repeating this several times. Under Lin Shu’s expectant gaze, she whispered softly, “Big Sister is pretty.”
In Tianshui Village, people liked to use the prefix “A” for names to show affection. Lin Shu followed the local custom and quickly changed her way of speaking. “Oh! Little sister’s mouth is so sweet. Later, Big Sister will make some candy for you to eat!”
Lin Xiaopu looked at her, her large eyes blinking twice, shining brightly.
Lin Shu’s heart softened. Even while she was such a skinny little thing, she was so cute. When she managed to put some meat on those cheeks, wouldn’t she be so adorable that Lin Shu’s heart would tremble?
Feeding plan: added to the notebook!
Lin Xiaopu was shy around strangers, but Lin Shu managed to coax her into saying a lot, finding out everything she could.
For instance, the Lin family’s relatives. Her father’s generation had three brothers. Her father was the second. The eldest uncle’s family had three sons; the eldest son had just married this year, and his wife was already pregnant—they had the largest population. The third uncle’s family had only one son, three years older than Xiaopu.
Old Father Lin had passed away early, and for many years, the old woman had run the household alone. While she was alive, she favored the eldest son’s family. Three years ago, when she was nearing her end, she decided to split the family property. There were twenty acres of land in total; the eldest son’s family received a full ten acres, seven of which were paddy fields. Of the remaining ten acres, her father and the third uncle each received five. Not only that, the old woman left the ancestral house to the eldest uncle’s family; her father and the third uncle only received two strings of coins to settle their own households.
And this was only the result of the female lead arguing logically and forcefully.
For a family of low-level farmers who couldn’t save even a few copper coins in a year, two strings of coins seemed like a lot. But they had to build a new house and purchase pots, pans, and other necessities, and they had a “little medicine jar” in the house; the money didn’t last long at all.
Fortunately, the female lead, Lin Yao, was capable. She had learned embroidery well; by selling embroidered handkerchiefs and purses in town, she could earn a significant income. Moreover, she was very shrewd and calculating. Before the family split, she had been cautious and hadn’t handed over all the money she earned to the family pool. Over time, she had actually saved a tidy sum.
After the family split, their lives had actually improved. Her father, who was once foolishly filial, had also woken up because of the grandmother’s blatant favoritism before her death.
Later, because Lin Dashan felt a lingering sense of resentment, he used a bag of coarse grain to buy Zhou Ye, who was escaping the famine. His intention was obvious: he had no son, but he could find a matrilocal son-in-law!
As soon as Zhou Ye entered the household, the family gained a laborer, and their lives became much more comfortable than before. If not for Lin Xiaopu’s periodic medicine costs, the family’s life would have been very prosperous long ago.
Lin Shu craned her neck and stole a glance at the sturdy man splitting firewood in the courtyard. She whispered, “So Brother Ah Ye has only been with the family for less than three years? He doesn’t look like someone who would let himself starve to death. How did he end up selling himself to the family?”
Firewood was piled in a corner of the courtyard. Zhou Ye’s sleeves were rolled up, his movements clean and efficient as he split the wood. The veins on his arms throbbed with his movements, full of wild strength. With one strike of the axe, the thick wood split smoothly in two.