"Sister-in-law, look! There's a lot of good stuff in this carriage!"
Yang Lihua carried Zhuzhu and stepped forward. After just one glance, she instructed Tai Jiye, "Wait here and keep watch. I'll sneak back and get your eldest and second brothers to come help."
Tai Jiye quickly nodded.
Zhuzhu had no idea what her mother and third uncle were planning. She stretched out her little hands, reaching desperately for the box of pastries.
"Eat! Eat!"
Tai Jiye quickly grabbed two pieces of pastry and stuffed them into his niece's arms, laughing, "Zhuzhu, go home quickly. Third Uncle will bring you good things later."
Zhuzhu beamed with joy, her little white teeth gleaming.
Yang Lihua hurried forward, worried that cold air might get into her daughter's stomach when she opened her mouth to eat the pastry. Just as she was about to coax her, she saw her daughter's little hands gripping the pastries tightly.
In the Tai family courtyard, Third Master Tai and the others had already left.
Old Master Tai sat at the door, puffing on his empty pipe, his expression grim.
Tai Jizong and his wife, along with the boys, didn't dare offer words of comfort. They silently busied themselves with chores.
Tai Jizu, however, was worried that his wife and daughter hadn't returned yet. He kept going to the door to look out.
Finally, when he saw them coming back, he quickly opened the gate and took his daughter, complaining, "Why did you take so long? It's freezing outside. I was worried Zhuzhu might catch a chill."
But Zhuzhu kicked her chubby little legs, eager to get down.
Afraid of dropping his precious daughter, Tai Jizu quickly set her down.
Zhuzhu raised the pastry in her hand and ran toward Old Master Tai. "Grandpa, eat!"
Old Master Tai's tightly furrowed brows relaxed as his granddaughter hugged his leg. "Zhuzhu, you eat it. Grandpa's smoking…"
He stopped mid-sentence, then asked, "Where did you get this pastry?"
Yang Lihua had been coughing from the cold wind and only just recovered. She recounted the whole story.
The entire family immediately grew excited, all eyes turning to Old Master Tai.
Old Master Tai thought for a moment, then said, "Eldest, Second, and the boys, carry the baskets on your backs. If anyone asks, say you're going to gather firewood and look for something to eat.
"If there are large items that are hard to bring back, bury them in the snow first and retrieve them at night."
"Yes, Father!" Tai Jizu quickly led his younger brother and the boys to prepare, then hurried out the door.
Tai Jiye's feet were numb from the cold. When he finally saw his brothers and nephews coming, he quickly led them to empty the carriage.
The entire carriage body couldn't be taken away, so the family pushed snow over it, covering it thoroughly.
Fortunately, the weather was bitterly cold, and every household in the village was struggling—two bowls of thin porridge a day, not enough to fill their stomachs or ward off the cold.
Anyone who could stay indoors absolutely would not go outside.
No one would discover that the Tai family had quietly come into a "small fortune"!
When darkness fell completely, Old Master Tai personally led his sons and grandsons out to dismantle the carriage body and bring it back.
Tai Jiye had done odd jobs every year and had learned some carpentry, owning a few tools. This time, they proved invaluable.
But even so, the whole family sat in the main room around the brazier, shivering for quite a while before they stopped trembling.
Tai Jizu couldn't help asking, "Wife, can we use everything we brought back?"
"Yes, yes!" Yang Lihua said.
She and Liu Dongniang had already inventoried everything, and the two sisters-in-law were delighted.
Wealthy families naturally prepared thoroughly for winter travel.
All the good things from the carriage had been taken, but the remaining odds and ends were still a pleasant surprise.
The carriage was lined with a thick mattress made of eight-jin cotton padding, covered with a ten-jin cotton quilt, wrapped in a seven or eight-tenths-new fine cloth cover.
There were also four large, square bolster pillows, sewn from blue fine cotton and stuffed full of cotton.
A copper stove the size of a small clay pot—charcoal could be burned underneath, and tea could be brewed on top. It was carved with intricate hollowed-out patterns, quite exquisite.
In the storage compartment beneath the carriage were ten jin of white rice, five jin of millet, and a jar of shredded meat floss—likely ingredients the family had prepared to make quick meals for their children on the road.
There were also five or six jin of high-quality silver-thread charcoal, a nearly new rabbit-fur hand muff, and two boxes of crushed pastries!
To a wealthy family, these were simple items that could be casually discarded.
But to the Tai family in their current circumstances, they were rare treasures and a precious windfall!
Zhuzhu was overjoyed, wiggling her chubby little body, burrowing in and out of the bedding.
Seeing her family come inside, she grew even more excited.
These past two nights, every time she woke up, her mother had covered her with the quilt, afraid she'd be cold.
But Mama got cold too!
These quilts were so warm—much thicker than the ones at home!
All soft cotton!
Mama could make a big padded coat and wear it to stay warm!
She strained to pull at the quilt, trying to drape it over her mother.
But how could she possibly move it? Her little face flushed red from the effort, and the quilt barely shifted two inches. Finally, she plopped down onto the edge of the kang, landing on her bottom!
Zhuzhu rubbed her sore little butt, turned to look at her mother with big, watery eyes, and whined softly, "It hurts!"
Everyone burst out laughing. Forgetting the pile of things on the kang, they hurried over to comfort the little dumpling.
"Zhuzhu, don't hurt—big brother will help you!"
"Zhuzhu, don't cry—Grandpa will hit it for you!"
"Come here, Mama will hold you!"
Zhuzhu threw herself into her mother's arms, then looked at the family and laughed, kicking her little legs.
Yang Lihua gently kissed her daughter's forehead, her heart melting into a pool of honey as she praised, "Mother's Zhuzhu is so filial!"
Then she asked the Old Master, "Father, that rabbit-fur hand muff is just the right size. I'd like to take it apart and make a little vest for Zhuzhu."
The Old Master naturally agreed enthusiastically, instructing, "You're the mistress of the household—handle these matters as you see fit."
Yang Lihua glanced at her sister-in-law and saw that Liu Dongniang didn't seem to mind at all.
So she began to speak, since she already had a clear picture from sorting everything earlier.
"Alright, the bedding and cushions together can yield nearly twenty catties of cotton when taken apart. I plan to refurbish everyone's padded jackets and trousers with this good cotton.
"Also, if we iron out those quilt covers, we can make three decent garments. The children's father and Second and Third Brother are always out and about, so they shouldn't be dressed too shabbily. If there's cotton left over, we'll replace Father's quilt as well."
Everyone nodded, but the Old Master waved his hand. "My quilt is warm enough—give it to Yongning instead. That child always coughs from the cold at night!"
Tai Yongning shook his head vigorously, trying to refuse, but the Old Master pressed him down.
"Be obedient. If you catch a chill and fall ill, the family will have to call a doctor and buy medicine!"
Only then did Tai Yongning fall silent, a hint of guilt on his face, because his leg already caused the family no small amount of trouble on a daily basis.
Yang Lihua then picked through the brass brazier and the silver-thread charcoal, pushing them in front of Tai Jiye.
"When Third Brother returns to the city, take these two things and sell them. The silver you get, keep it for the family's spring planting expenses."
Tai Jiye's eyes lit up brightly, and he nodded eagerly.
It wasn't that he intended to pocket the money—he was simply naturally interested in trade. So he thumped his chest firmly.
"Sister-in-law, don't worry. Leave this to me—I guarantee I'll get a good price!"
The Old Master shot his son a glare but ultimately didn't bring up the gambling matter again.
The remaining pastries, white rice, millet, and such were all gathered together.
The little boys stared at them longingly, unable to stop themselves from swallowing.
Today's update, here you go~~