On the tenth day after arriving at the Qin family home, rain began to fall from the sky.
At daybreak, threads of rain as fine as ox hair drifted down in a scattered veil. Within less than half an hour the rainfall grew heavier. White streams of water joined into lines that hung from the eaves and splashed onto the bluestone slabs in the courtyard, producing a layered rhythm of dripping sounds.
A pale bluish mist floated lightly among the mountains, winding through the treetops. It slowly spread along the black roof ridges, mingling with the cooking smoke rising from the chimney before drifting farther away.
Whenever it rained, the temperature in the mountains dropped sharply. Jian Jia pulled her clothes closer around herself and poured a cup of hot tea. The bamboo cup had not been made long ago, and when hot water was poured into it, the fragrance of fresh bamboo immediately spread into the air.
Holding the cup, she stepped over the tall threshold and came beneath the corridor outside the west wing. After placing the cup on a small square table, she moved a little stool over and sat down steadily.
On the side of the table against the wall stood a pale celadon vase with a blooming gardenia branch inserted into it. The rich scent of gardenia blended with the warm bamboo fragrance, drifting faintly into her nose as the moist air seeped beneath the eaves with the gentle mountain breeze. Jian Jia stretched out both arms and gave a long, satisfying stretch, her expression relaxed and content.
At moments like this, she felt extremely grateful that she had tidied up the Qin household during the past few days. The courtyard and corridor had regained their original appearance, and a single glance now felt refreshing and open.
Through the curtain of rain, Jian Jia looked toward the east wing. Qin Lang was sitting by the window practicing calligraphy. Through the several gardenia blossoms blooming brightly outside, she could see the brush in his hand moving lightly, the brush handle almost vertical against the tabletop.
Her gaze slid over Qin Lang’s serious and focused face, and a thought suddenly crossed her mind.
No matter how gifted Lang’er might be, staying indoors all day practicing calligraphy and repeatedly reading those few books that were nearly worn to pieces would not help him much. Perhaps it would be better to find a learned tutor to guide him in his studies.
When Qin Yi returned, she would ask his opinion.
Jian Jia withdrew her gaze and lifted her teacup for a light sip. After setting it down again, her eyes fell on the unfinished little device on the table.
While cleaning the house a few days earlier, she had discovered several old-fashioned woodworking tools. She had no idea which elder of the Qin family had left them behind. In her previous life, her grandfather had been a carpenter, and growing up under his influence, she was very familiar with such tools. She carefully wiped the dust from them and dragged them out from the dark depths of the cupboard.
In her previous life she had lived in an era where technology and information advanced at incredible speed. People pursued efficiency and convenience, creating many appliances and machines that saved time and effort.
Since arriving in the Great Jing, what Jian Jia missed most were those household appliances that could completely free her hands and save her time.
At the top of the list was the washing machine, because what troubled her most now was washing clothes.
Most clothing worn by the common people of Great Jing was made of cotton or linen. These loose garments absorbed water and became incredibly heavy, and every time she washed clothes she felt as if half her life had been squeezed out of her.
Having been given a second chance at life, Jian Jia had long figured things out. She would not exhaust herself the way she had in her previous life. As long as conditions allowed it, she would never treat herself poorly.
Although her knowledge was limited and she could not create anything earth shattering, with a bit of effort she could still make some small inventions to save herself labor.
For example, the little device before her.
At first glance it was simply two wooden frames supporting two round wooden rollers. However, if she turned the handle on one side, the two rollers would rotate together. When wet clothes were fed between the rollers, turning the handle would press the rollers together and squeeze the water out of the fabric.
Jian Jia called it a dehydrator. She believed that after a few more adjustments, once she finished washing clothes in the future, she would no longer have to twist them dry with all her strength.
Just as she loosened the frame to adjust the spacing, General’s bark sounded from outside the gate.
Qin Lang immediately set down his brush and hurried out of the room.
“Elder sister-in-law, Elder Brother has come back.”
Qin Yi had been up in the mountains for quite some time now. Judging by the hour, he should indeed be returning soon. Jian Jia had discovered that Qin Yi was an excellent hunter. Whenever he went into the mountains, he never returned empty-handed. But today the rain was heavy, so she wondered whether he had managed to catch anything.
Seeing Qin Lang stride quickly toward the south gate, Jian Jia also set aside what she was doing. She casually grabbed two large towels from the corridor and followed behind him at a leisurely pace.
The outside of the Qin family gate had also changed greatly.
When Jian Jia had first arrived, the thatch in the courtyard had grown taller than a person. Only later did she learn that Qin Yi had planted that grass specifically to feed Junjun. The grass could be harvested twice a year, and Qin Yi had cut the latest batch a few days ago. For the rest of the year, Junjun would not need to worry about feed.
With the grass cleared away, the spacious courtyard finally revealed its true appearance.
It was wide in the north and narrow in the south. The northern side bordered the Qin family house, while ditches ran along both the eastern and western sides. Outside the bamboo fence to the south lay the road leading out of the mountains. Except for the north side, the other three sides were surrounded by bamboo fencing. The fence had stood there for many years and was already decaying.
Once the weather cleared, Jian Jia planned to pull out the old fence with Qin Yi and replace it with a new one.
The wide courtyard covered nearly two mu of land. Before, the household had consisted only of the Qin brothers, and Qin Yi had been too busy to care for the yard, so he had planted grass there instead. Now that there was another person in the family, Jian Jia wanted to tidy up the courtyard and plant flowers and vegetables.
The ground had not yet been deeply turned. Under the heavy rain, muddy water carved winding channels through the soil, flowing toward the low area by the courtyard gate.
General came charging down the mountain path, his entire body soaked. Splashing through the muddy water, he wagged his tail and ran toward Jian Jia and Qin Lang.
Seeing the large dog rushing over, Jian Jia stepped forward and pointed to the side of the corridor.
“Go shake off the water there.”
Even though General clearly missed his little master dearly, he obediently stood where Jian Jia indicated. The dog planted his paws firmly, then tensed his neck and body. With a loud pulu-lu, the fur that had been plastered against his body sprang outward, puffing up like a hedgehog’s spikes.
A large patch of water splashed against the wall. Fortunately Jian Jia and the others were standing far away, otherwise they would certainly have been drenched.
Only then did Jian Jia step forward and quickly wipe General down with the dry towel. After roughly drying him off, her gaze passed through the bamboo fence toward the western mountain path.
A tall figure was slowly approaching through the curtain of rain.
Qin Yi wore a straw raincoat, his steps steady. Perhaps because the path had become muddy from the rain, or perhaps because of the prey slung over his shoulder, his footsteps sounded particularly heavy today.
Qin Lang raised both hands above his brows and squinted, trying to see Qin Yi more clearly.
Suddenly his eyes widened in shock.
“Elder Brother is carrying a pig!”
“A pig?”
The rain obstructed Jian Jia’s vision, so she narrowed her eyes the same way Qin Lang did and looked carefully. Qin Yi’s head tilted slightly to the left while a black animal rested across his right shoulder. The creature was nearly four chi long, its limbs hanging down as its belly pressed against Qin Yi’s shoulder.
Judging from its outline, it was indeed a pig, and not a small one either. It was a wild boar.
Jian Jia felt both astonished and impressed.
“Qin Yi is really amazing…”
She remembered that during her university days, wild boars had once appeared on campus. During that time the security guards had been on high alert, and the school had issued a special notice advising students not to walk alone after classes. She had once seen a wild boar from a distance, and its fierce and savage appearance had left a deep impression on her.
In her mind, wild boars were ferocious beasts.
Yet Qin Yi had carried such a beast on his shoulder.
Hunter Qin truly was a real man.
Qin Yi moved quickly and soon reached the courtyard. Seeing his family coming to greet him, the corners of his lips lifted slightly.
“Good luck today. I ran into it as soon as I entered the mountain.”
After speaking, he casually tossed the wild boar beneath the corridor and removed his straw raincoat, hanging it outside the eaves.
Dripping pig blood had stained half the raincoat a deep red. As the rain washed over it, a red trail of diluted blood flowed downward, and the metallic scent of blood spread through the air. The sight was rather startling.
Jian Jia handed him a clean large towel.
Qin Yi paused for a moment before taking it and carefully wiping his face. The soft towel carried a faint fragrance that washed away the bloody smell filling his nose. Holding the towel in both hands, he brought it beneath his nose and inhaled deeply.
The scent was like jasmine, yet faintly mixed with the fragrance of gardenia.
Glancing sideways, he noticed the gardenia blossom pinned in Jian Jia’s hair. The white petals layered one upon another, with pale yellow stamens faintly visible. Qin Yi could not help looking at it a moment longer. It was the first time he realized that a gardenia placed in dark hair could appear so graceful and lively.
Meanwhile, Jian Jia and Qin Lang were crouched beside the wild boar. Seeing such a large pig for the first time, the two of them whispered excitedly to each other, letting out soft exclamations.
The black wild boar lay collapsed on the corridor floor, blood slowly seeping from the wound on its neck.
It was Jian Jia’s first time observing a wild boar up close. Compared with domestic pigs, the wild boar’s body was leaner and more muscular. There was only a single wound on its neck. Qin Yi had killed it with one strike.
Jian Jia inhaled sharply and looked toward the dagger at Qin Yi’s waist. As she stared absentmindedly at the two dark red drops of pig blood on the blade, she suddenly sensed from the corner of her eye that Qin Yi seemed to be looking at her.
When she turned to look, Qin Yi was calmly wiping his hands.
Rain poured outside, and even with the protection of the raincoat, much of his clothing was still wet. Jian Jia considered for a moment before speaking.
“Why not go take a bath and change clothes first? Even if you’re going to town, there’s no need to rush.”
Qin Yi lowered his head slightly and glanced at her. Folding the towel neatly, he spoke in a deep voice.
“This pig will stay for us to eat.”
The wild boar had been born in the spring of this year and had grown for four or five months. Its meat would be especially tender now. If he sold it outside, he could certainly earn a hundred or two copper coins, but compared with that small sum of money, Qin Yi preferred letting his family enjoy something they could rarely eat elsewhere.
Jian Jia froze for a moment, then broke into an excited smile.
“Really? Then I won’t be polite.”
Embarrassing as it was to admit, although Jian Jia was a young woman, she was an unapologetic meat lover. Before transmigrating, she needed a substantial meat dish with every meal. By substantial, she meant real chunks of meat that released rich juices with every bite. In her eyes, those thin slivers of meat stir fried with vegetables barely counted as anything more than garnish.
Since coming to the Qin household, she had been able to eat her fill at every meal, but she still craved meat.
Just last night she had even dreamed of glossy braised pork simmered in rich sauce.
Qin Yi looked steadily at Jian Jia and suddenly smiled.
“Of course. When have I ever lied to you?”
Jian Jia clenched her fists excitedly.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to put it to very good use!”
Braised pork, steamed pork belly, sweet and sour ribs… here I come!