“I’ll just wait for my husband to rise to great success.” Zhou Xing said as she tucked the comb into the front pocket of her clothes so she could use it anytime.
Three thousand strands of worry—impossible to cut, impossible to untangle.
She had originally planned to trim her hair, but she didn’t even have scissors.
Right, once they had money, they still needed to buy scissors.
“Here, have something to eat.” Zhou Xing handed him the buns she bought in the county town. “I saved some for the little ones. You eat this one.”
Xie Yuan took it. Seeing that she also took one and started eating, he only then began.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten a meat bun. After biting into it, he said, “Not bad, but not as good as yesterday’s lard pork buns. Those were better.”
“Really?” Zhou Xing took a big bite and chewed. She still thought the meat bun was better.
After eating, they rested briefly before heading home in one go.
“Sister Ah Xing! Brother Xie, you’re back?” Ah Shan was playing under a tree with the two children.
When the couple came closer, they saw the three of them poking into an ant nest.
Truly, children lived in a world adults couldn’t understand.
“Where’s your mother?” Zhou Xing asked, glancing around the yard.
“My mother went to the Flowing River market. Today the Liu family butcher stall opened,” Ah Shan replied. “Did you go to the county today?”
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity. She thought if Sister Ah Xing wanted to go to the county, why not bring her? Going with Brother Xie, that “wooden block,” couldn’t be that interesting.
But her mother had warned her not to interfere. The couple rarely had time alone together.
In her view, although Brother Xie was a scholar and good-looking, Sister Ah Xing was even better.
Scholars couldn’t carry loads or do heavy work, and even hunting required others’ help. No sense of security at all.
Xie Yuan merely glanced at her, and Ah Shan immediately quieted down. She had always been a little afraid of him.
Although he looked refined, his words could turn black into white and white into black. She could never argue with him.
“Yes, we went to the county. Thank you for helping take care of the children.” Zhou Xing handed her two pieces of walnut pastries.
Reciprocity was only proper.
“I can’t take this,” Ah Shan quickly refused. “Bring it back for the kids!”
But the sweet smell already drifted out from the paper wrapping.
“That won’t do. If you keep refusing, I’ll feel too embarrassed to ask for your help next time,” Zhou Xing said. “Right, husband?”
Ah Shan still hesitated, but Xie Yuan spoke, “Since your sister-in-law gave it to you, just take it.”
In the end, she accepted reluctantly.
Back at home, the children followed Zhou Xing into the kitchen, excited upon hearing about the pastries.
“You two are always sticking with your aunt now,” Xie Yuan said helplessly.
He didn’t know when it started, but the children no longer clung to him. Instead, they surrounded his wife constantly.
“Young Master, do you need help lighting the fire?” Xiao Zong asked.
He glanced at his uncle, then decisively chose his aunt. The pastries clearly had more appeal.
Xiao Yao quickly said, “I’m a fire-lighting expert! Aunt likes me best!”
Zhou Xing laughed. “Alright, both of you go eat the pastries. Lunch will be meat buns—I’ll heat them up.”
“Meat buns? Really?” The two children cheered.
Xie Yuan felt a faint sourness in his heart. These children had not been this happy for a long time.
In the kitchen, Zhou Xing boiled a pot of purple perilla water, then added jam and a little honey.
“Where did this honey come from? Is there more?” she asked.
It was brought back by Xie Yuan from the mountains; he had been stung several times.
“We’ll look again next time,” he said.
“Can you bring back the hive too? Beeswax can be used for lip balm and face cream,” Zhou Xing added.
“I understand,” Xie Yuan replied.
Although he had never heard of these uses, it made sense that women cared about beauty.
“In the future, I’ll draw a crossbow design for you,” Zhou Xing said.
“I’ll go find Tie Niu in the afternoon,” Xie Yuan replied.
“Also, don’t forget—I still want to buy a cast iron pot next time we go to town.”
“Alright,” he agreed.
“By the way, when are you going into the mountains? I’ll prepare some realgar powder and food for you.”
Xie Yuan nodded.