From Granny Liu’s words, it appeared that men truly held low status in this era—even one’s own mother could speak of Zuo Xiao Fu Di without hesitation.
“No thank you, Granny Liu. My husband and I are deeply devoted to each other. I don’t wish to create additional conflicts.” Though Mu Simiao didn’t explicitly state it, both knew perfectly well who the “conflict” referred to.
Hearing Granny Liu fall silent, Mu Simiao bid her farewell, pulled the cart back to the courtyard, and unloaded all the goods. Qi Yuze hurried over anxiously, and together they moved everything to the kitchen, leaving three wooden buckets on the ground.
Mu Simiao had originally intended to use the buckets for cold noodles, but now it seemed they could first transport water to the fields. She drew water from the well to fill all three buckets, loaded them onto the cart, and called out to Qi Yuze: “I’m going to finish the pond. You and Yue’er stay home—no need to come.”
“Oh right, I bought six chicks at the market today. They’re in that bamboo basket. When you’re done, use the branches outside the courtyard to fence off an area to raise them.”
Qi Yuze was organizing the account books and merely glanced up at Mu Simiao upon hearing this. He gave a perfunctory nod before returning to his bookkeeping.
Yue’er was sleeping peacefully against the baby carriage. Mu Simiao carried her to bed and tucked her in with a blanket. Stepping outside, she shook her head helplessly at the sight of Qi Yuze’s focused expression.
To prevent water from seeping into the soil, Mu Simiao had bought two meters of waterproof cloth at the market and laid it inside the dug pit. Then she poured the three freshly filled buckets of water into it.
The buckets weren’t large, and with some water having spilled, even less remained. By the time Mu Simiao finished filling the pond, the sun had already set in the west and the temperature had dropped.
Watching the fish swimming in the pond, Mu Simiao set down the bucket and lay back on the patch of weeds nearby, gazing up at the sky. The cool breeze felt refreshing against her skin, stirring memories of her childhood living with her grandmother in the countryside.
The gentle wind dissipated her weariness. Mu Simiao rose from the ground and pushed the cart home, where she found Qi Yuze tossing the chicks from the bamboo basket into the enclosed area.
Hearing the gate open, Qi Yuze excitedly ran to her side, pointing at the chicken coop to show Mu Simiao his handiwork: “Mu Niang, how does this look?”
The wooden branches and wall formed a semicircular enclosure that appeared quite presentable, though the gaps between the branches were somewhat wide. Mu Simiao praised him first, then adjusted them herself: “The spaces in between are a bit large. We don’t want the chicks getting stuck.”
After making the adjustments, Mu Simiao had Qi Yuze toss a handful of feed inside while she went to the kitchen to clean the grass carp she’d bought that afternoon.
She fetched a bucket of water from the well, carried the fish outside the courtyard, and scaled it with a knife. Using scissors, she removed the fins and tail, then cut open the belly to extract the innards. After rinsing everything with well water, she brought it back to the kitchen, cut the fish into chunks, and diced half a block of tofu into small pieces. She also prepared scallion segments and ginger slices.
Besides the soup, they would need some staple food. She poured out some flour, kneaded it into dough with water, pinched off a portion, and rolled it into a strip with a rolling pin before setting it aside.
She heated oil in a wok until hot, then added the fish chunks. Once both sides were golden brown, she tossed in the scallions and ginger slices. Lacking cooking wine to remove the fishy odor, Mu Simiao added some cinnamon bark instead. She poured pre-boiled hot water into the wok and let it simmer over high heat.
When the soup to be simmered came to a boil and the fish broth gradually turned milky white with an increasingly rich aroma, she added the sliced tofu. At the same time, the freshly pulled dough cakes had finished fermenting and were placed one by one against the inner side of the pot by Mu Simiao.
To prevent them from being soaked in the fish soup, Mu Simiao positioned the cakes higher up. She slowed her fire-tending, maintaining a medium heat, and added hot water after the fish broth boiled.
After several rounds of simmering, the soup was finally ready. Mu Simiao lifted the lid, waited for the steam to dissipate, and gazed at the pot of Grass Carp and Tofu Soup.
The broth and tofu had nearly merged into one. With the cinnamon counteracting any fishy odor, the fish carried no unpleasant smell—only a rich, savory fragrance. The milky-white broth swirled as she stirred, releasing its aroma in all directions.
Mu Simiao picked up a spoon to taste it and nodded in satisfaction. The next moment, a little glutton appeared beside her. Qi Yuze stood by the stove, his eyes fixed on the soup in the pot, and cautiously asked, “Mu Niang, what cuisine is this?”
“Just a homely dish taught by an elder in my family,” Mu Simiao replied as she washed three bowls. Just as she was about to ladle the soup, Qi Yuze suddenly spoke up, “I’ve never heard Sister Mu Xiao mention such an old recipe in your family.”
“The elder valued me highly and passed it down only to me. No one else knows about it. After I mastered the recipe, it was burned, leaving no trace behind,” Mu Simiao fabricated effortlessly. Though unsure whether Qi Yuze believed her, she now knew she wasn’t the only woman in the family—she had an older sister named Mu Xiao.
“I haven’t been in touch with my sister lately. Do you know what she’s been up to?”
Mu Simiao hadn’t concerned herself with family matters in previous days, and since they had already separated households, it was natural she wouldn’t keep tabs on her sister’s whereabouts.
Qi Yuze picked up a bowl and answered casually, “Sister went to Jingcheng a month ago to take this year’s Imperial Examination.”
The Imperial Examination? It seemed Mu Xiao intended to pursue a political career. The ancient civil exams were far more challenging than modern college entrance tests, but ultimately, it had little to do with Mu Simiao.
She responded softly without pressing for details, instead taking the bowl from his hands and serving him a portion of Grass Carp and Tofu Soup. She then peeled off a cake and handed it to him, saying, “You eat first. After you finish, feed Yue’er.”
With the meal already in his hands, Qi Yuze complied. They sat together in the courtyard, and after taking a sip of soup, Mu Simiao sighed contentedly before asking Qi Yuze about the account records: “Is there anything you find unclear? You can ask me.”
Thinking she wanted to review them, Qi Yuze immediately set down his chopsticks, turned, went inside, and brought out the account book, handing it to her.
Since he had already brought it out, Mu Simiao took it and opened to the title page. Neat, elegant clerical script met her eyes—it didn’t look like the handwriting of someone who only recognized a few characters.
The page following the title contained recorded purchase details and expenses, with every income and expenditure clearly noted. Qi Yuze had genuinely impressed Mu Simiao.
“It’s recorded very clearly,” Mu Simiao said, closing the account book and complimenting his handwriting as well, “Your penmanship is quite good, too.”
Qi Yuze flushed at her praise and could only hide his embarrassment by burying his head in his meal. Just then, crying from the inner room sounded like a summons. The moment it started, Qi Yuze set down his bowl and chopsticks, strode inside, and soon emerged carrying Yue’er.
The pancake was too hard for Yue’er to eat, so Mu Simiao boiled an egg and had Qi Yuze feed it to her along with some fish broth. After half a bowl of soup, Yue’er smacked her lips and sat in her stroller, waving her arms excitedly. Only then did he have time to finish his meal.
After the meal, Qi Yuze washed pots and bowls in the kitchen, while Mu Simiao worked on a wooden chair using leftover boards from the previous day, occasionally pausing to play with Yue’er.
While testing the sturdiness of the chair, Mu Simiao heard the water stop and instinctively turned her head. She saw Qi Yuze with his hair loose, peeking out from the bathroom doorway. Her gaze fell on his exposed legs, and she froze for a moment before shifting her attention to his flushed face. “Why aren’t you properly dressed?”
Qi Yuze hung his head, his voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum. “This servant forgot to bring his xieku.”
In ancient times, undergarments were equivalent to modern underwear. Mu Simiao’s expression froze momentarily but quickly returned to normal. She left the wooden chair, fearing Qi Yuze might catch a chill, and hurried into the room to grab the xieku before rushing back to the bathroom.
Qi Yuze had already retreated into the bathroom. Mu Simiao stood outside, holding out the clothes. “Here.”
Cool fingers wrapped around her wrist, sending a shiver through Mu Simiao’s body. She tightened her grip on the clothes and urged, “Hurry and put them on before you catch a cold.”
Upon hearing her words, Qi Yuze finally uttered an “oh,” released her wrist, took the xieku, and emerged blushing a few seconds later.
Yue’er was fussing. Mu Simiao patted her back but to no avail. It was only when Qi Yuze took her that Yue’er gradually quieted down, closing her eyes and sleeping peacefully in his arms.
After he carried the child into the inner room, Mu Simiao took her clothes and went to bathe.
The next day, after breakfast, Mu Simiao and Qi Yuze kneaded dough and rolled noodles together. After boiling them, they chilled the noodles in cold water and poured them into two wooden buckets. In another bucket, she used leftover waterproof cloth from the previous day to cover it and poured in the prepared sauce.
Today’s ingredients were slightly more abundant than the previous two days, but it was also more labor-intensive. By the time Mu Simiao pulled the cart to the stall, her shoulders were sore. She let out a heavy sigh, reminiscing about the days with electric scooters.
“Sister Mu, you’re here.” Liu Haoxuan had arrived early as usual. He came forward, took the cart from Mu Simiao, and arranged everything neatly.
His movements were as efficient as always, and he didn’t mention Granny Liu’s proposal to exchange his wages for design drawings, so Mu Simiao assumed he was unwilling.
However, when she straightened her clothes and turned to look at Liu Haoxuan’s expression, she noticed something was off.
He was fidgeting with his fingers, his gaze occasionally drifting toward her. Mu Simiao found his obviously hesitant demeanor uncomfortable and finally glanced at him before speaking. “If you have something to say, just say it.”
Liu Haoxuan pursed his lips, his head lowering further. “Mother told me something yesterday…”
As expected, what was bound to come had arrived. But Mu Simiao continued playing dumb. “What is it?”
“Sister…” Liu Haoxuan cooed, leaning toward Mu Simiao. But seeing her genuinely clueless expression, he continued, “Mother said she wants to use my wages to exchange for the hairpin design drawings.”
It seemed Liu Haoxuan knew better than to overstep—he didn’t voice the latter part of the request aloud.
But Mu Simiao couldn’t accept it. Her gaze fixed intently on Liu Haoxuan’s eyes, her tone grave. “Are you truly willing to make this exchange with me?”
Liu Haoxuan nodded eagerly, afraid Mu Simiao would refuse the next moment. “I am willing.”
“But I don’t agree.” Mu Simiao shook her head, trying to make him see reason. “Regardless of gender, what you earn through your own labor should be yours to decide. Even your mother has no right to distribute it for you.”
Liu Haoxuan was utterly confused by her words, his bewilderment clearly written on his face. “But Mu Jiejie, I truly am willing.”
She then took a deep breath, as if having made a significant decision. “If sister is willing, I’d rather forgo these wages. I only wish to serve Mu Jiejie properly…”