Mu Simiao wasn’t very clear about the value of ancient Field Deeds, but she didn’t want to be shortchanged either. She took the Field Deed back from the man: “Thank you, shopkeeper.”
She didn’t say it explicitly, but anyone could tell she wanted to compare prices from different shops.
“Hey, don’t go to other places,” the shopkeeper raised his hand to stop her and started tapping the abacus again, “At most one tael and eight hundred wen. Take it or leave it.”
It seemed this was the highest price. Mu Simiao retracted her steps, leaned back against the window, and handed over the Field Deed: “That works perfectly. Thank you, shopkeeper.”
While fetching the silver, the shopkeeper glanced at Mu Simiao. Such a fair-faced Nügongzi, how did someone else get to her first?
“Nügongzi, this Field Deed probably doesn’t bear your name, does it?” the shopkeeper suddenly asked. Mu Simiao, unaware of any implications, honestly replied, “No, it’s from a family member.”
Mu Simiao fanned herself with her palm and lifted her sleeve to wipe away the light sweat.
“Family member” – the term she used was quite telling. The shopkeeper placed the silver in front of her, “Take care not to lose it.”
After thanking him, Mu Simiao prepared to leave but suddenly remembered something. She turned back to look at the shopkeeper: “Shopkeeper, do you know where I can buy vegetable seeds?”
It was rare to see a woman out buying vegetable seeds. The shopkeeper gave her a deep look but ultimately pointed her in the right direction.
With the heavy money pouch in her hand, Mu Simiao finally felt somewhat at ease. She entered the seed shop and glanced at the names of the seeds on the shelves, but she wasn’t familiar with what to plant this season and still needed to ask the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper handed her a piece of paper filled with all the seasonal vegetable seeds for her to choose from. After careful selection, Mu Simiao spent 30 wen to buy seeds for cabbage, turnip, and celery.
It would take a long time for the seeds to mature after planting. Mu Simiao went to a food shop and bought one jin of mixed flour, one liang of rice grains, and half a chicken, spending one hundred wen in total.
The door hinge cost an additional two wen.
As dusk gradually fell, shops along the street began closing up. With her hands full of purchases, Mu Simiao curiously looked at the street stalls. A white jade hairpin caught her eye.
For some reason, the moment she saw it, she felt it suited Qi Yuze perfectly. She walked to the stall, picked up the hairpin, and examined it carefully. It was carved with a lotus flower, its elegant demeanor truly reminiscent of Qi Yuze.
“Excuse me, how much for this hairpin?”
The grandmother who was slowly packing up her stall glanced at her and replied indifferently, “One hundred wen.”
Hearing the price, Mu Simiao nearly dropped the hairpin. It was so expensive – all the food she had bought only cost one hundred wen. Staring intently at the hairpin, she tried to bargain with the stall owner: “Owner, look, this style is outdated. How about I draw you a few unique designs, and you sell me this hairpin for cheaper?”
Already irritated by poor business, the stall owner thought Mu Simiao was causing trouble and was about to shoo her away when she took the paper and ink nearby and casually sketched a few designs that appeared on the paper.
Mu Simiao explained to her: “The hairpin head should be made of hollow gold wire forming a golden phoenix, and the pin body can be carved with phoenix feathers winding down to the tail.”
The Gold Phoenix Hairpin from the Qing Dynasty – Mu Simiao had seen it in a museum before. Exquisitely crafted, one didn’t need to guess to know the craftsmanship must be extremely complex.
The stall owner could tell its difficulty at a glance and immediately handed the jade hairpin to Mu Simiao. “Might Nügongzi have time to supervise the crafting process?”
Mu Simiao pondered briefly without responding. The stall owner instantly understood her meaning and tentatively raised a finger. “Ten coppers per day.”
“Deal.” As long as there was silver involved, Mu Simiao wasn’t picky. If the stall owner wanted more hairpin designs later, she’d make sure to charge a pretty penny—her mind was filled with modern hairpin styles.
“Then tomorrow at the hour of the Goat, I’ll be waiting here for Nügongzi.” The stall owner beamed, clutching the design Mu Simiao had drawn as if it were a treasure.
Mu Simiao acknowledged and reached for her coin purse, but the stall owner pressed down on her hand. “Consider this hairpin a gift for Nügongzi’s husband. Please accept it.”
Though surprised by her observational skills, Mu Simiao didn’t want to refuse such courtesy. She withdrew her hand, grasped the jade hairpin, and waved. “Thank you.”
After two round trips, though her clothes had dried in the night breeze, Mu Simiao’s legs were utterly exhausted.
She pushed open the door, set her purchases on the table, and freed her hands to pour two cups of cold water, downing them in one go.
Qi Yuze, who had been embroidering by the bed, hurried over and watched Mu Simiao with flustered uncertainty.
The teacups were too small. Only after five or six cups did Mu Simiao exhale in satisfaction. Noticing his bewildered expression, she chuckled softly and produced the hairpin from her sleeve.
Qi Yuze’s eyes flickered between the hairpin and Mu Simiao before he hesitantly pointed at himself. “For… for this humble one?”
It seemed her original self had never given Qi Yuze any gifts. Mu Simiao nodded but withdrew her hand. “If you don’t like it, forget it.”
The jade hairpin was snatched from her grasp. Qi Yuze lowered his gaze with a faint smile, the tips of his ears tinged pink as he murmured, “I like it.”
“Good that you like it. Have you eaten dinner?” Mu Simiao leaned back in the chair, observing his evasive eyes before chiding, “Tell the truth.”
Qi Yuze had intended to lie but found Mu Simiao had anticipated it. He honestly shook his head.
The mixed flour she bought earlier immediately came in handy, but Mu Simiao was too tired. She handed him the flour and asked, “Do you know how to knead dough? Can you cook noodles?”
“Yes,” Qi Yuze nodded firmly.
“Good.” Mu Simiao waved him off. After he left, she closed her eyes to rest and unknowingly fell asleep. She only awoke when gentle pats on her shoulder made her slowly open her eyes to see Qi Yuze.
“Mu Niang, the meal is ready.”
Mu Simiao acknowledged, stood up to stretch, and walked refreshed toward the kitchen. Two bowls of noodles sat on the table. After washing her hands, she sat down and stared silently at the watery soup in her bowl.
“Um… this humble one accidentally added too much water. The dough ended up rather thin,” Qi Yuze admitted sheepishly, hanging his head as if he’d committed a grave error.
Mu Simiao sighed softly, noticing how Qi Yuze immediately tensed up. “Never mind. Noodle soup is fine too—helps with digestion.”
After finishing two bowls of noodle soup, Mu Simiao finally felt some substance in her stomach. She exhaled and gathered their bowls, but before she could rise, Qi Yuze took them from her. Watching his back as he washed the bowls, Mu Simiao felt a twinge of embarrassment.
From childhood until now, her family had always upheld the rule that whoever cooked wouldn’t wash dishes, and whoever washed dishes wouldn’t cook.
Since Qi Yuze had taken over the dishwashing task, she stood up and walked into the inner room, retrieving the vegetable seeds she had purchased earlier.
Using a shovel to dig several trenches in the cultivated soil, Mu Simiao crouched down, sprinkled seeds into each trench before covering them with soil. Then she took out a bowl, scooped water from a wooden bucket, and slowly poured it evenly over the seeded areas.
After completing everything, she returned to the inner room where Qi Yuze had already prepared cold water for her. After drinking it, she thanked him and informed him that she would be going out tomorrow afternoon.
“The hairpin maker at the market needs an assistant, paying ten coins daily. I’ll start working there from tomorrow.”
Though Mu Simiao suddenly showed initiative, Qi Yuze merely nodded in agreement without any intention to praise her. His demeanor suggested he was already accustomed to such statements from her.
Was this something the original host had done before? Mu Simiao couldn’t muster a smile, but explaining now would be less effective than taking action. She would prove herself to Qi Yuze.
On her first day without a phone, Mu Simiao realized she wasn’t particularly addicted to the internet. Playing games, binge-watching shows, and reading novels were merely pastimes born from idleness. If real life kept her occupied with various tasks, she naturally wouldn’t have time for her phone.
The day’s activities had exhausted her. After bathing, she climbed to the inner side of the bed, turned sideways and patted the little girl’s back. The child reached out to poke her cheek, making Mu Simiao chuckle at the gesture.
Holding the girl’s tiny finger, Mu Simiao recalled Qi Yuze calling her Yue’er that day.
Though she didn’t know the full name, she had to admit it was quite elegantly chosen. Yue’er grasped her pinky finger instead, smacking her lips while emitting fragmented syllables.
She was learning to speak.
Mu Simiao became intrigued. Gently swaying Yue’er’s finger, she slowly enunciated: “Repeat after me: mother… mo-ther…”
“Ma… a…”
It seemed she was still too young, and the word “mother” was quite challenging to pronounce. Simultaneously, Mu Simiao remembered something important.
As the child’s mother, Qi Yuze had never asked her to breastfeed Yue’er, instead feeding the child other food. Normally, breastmilk should be ideal for an infant this age.
Mu Simiao’s playful fingers paused. Using her free hand, she lifted her collar to peek inside her clothing, finding nothing unusual.
Blushing crimson, she lay flat on the bed. Just then the door creaked open, revealing Qi Yuze wearing a coarse outer robe. Perhaps having just bathed, his dark hair ends were damp as he slowly dried them.
Entering the room, he removed his outer robe to reveal fresh white undergarments beneath, the chest area slightly dampened with moisture. Mu Simiao’s pupils trembled briefly before she quickly averted her gaze.
See no evil, see no evil.
She tightly closed her eyes, forcibly suppressing thoughts of what she’d just witnessed. Deprived of sight, her hearing sharpened. She listened as Qi Yuze’s footsteps drew nearer, finally stopping beside the bed. The rustle of fabric sounded against the bedding, eventually settling near her ear.
“Good Yue’er, sleep well now. Don’t disturb your mother.” Qi Yuze’s soothing voice came from beside her, easing Mu Simiao’s tension. She turned over, facing away from the father and daughter as she opened her eyes.
Her movement as she turned over startled Qi Yuze. He held his breath and remained silent, only releasing a soft sigh of relief upon realizing Mu Simiao hadn’t woken up. Lowering his voice, he soothed the child, eventually humming an unfamiliar melody.
The life of this family of three felt so warm, making her wonder why the original host had subjected Qi Yuze to beatings and scoldings. Truly, the mindset of an abuser was beyond comprehension. With her eyes closed, Mu Simiao listened to Qi Yuze’s gentle voice and drifted into dreams together with Yue’er.