"Di-divide the family?" Xia Yang was so shocked he could barely form the words.
How could they divide the family while their grandparents were still alive?
"Branches grow when trees get big. I was just asking casually."
Seeing Xia Yang's reaction, Xia Tian knew he had never considered this question before.
Ancient people had strong family values, usually living together as one large clan. They would only consider dividing the family when the elders passed away or when brothers couldn't get along.
Having already said many things that didn't conform to current norms today, Xia Tian didn't continue the topic.
All that talking had made her mouth dry. She returned to the kitchen and drank two bowls of water before feeling better.
With nothing else to do, Xia Yang prepared to leave.
Xia Tian initially wanted to give Xia Yang something to take back, but then she remembered the family wasn't divided yet. Even if she gave him something, her younger siblings wouldn't get to eat it, so she decided against it.
She would bring things for Xia Yue and her younger siblings herself on Xia Yang's wedding day.
The next day happened to be market day. Xia Tian planned to go to town to buy a gift for her new sister-in-law.
She would also buy some treats and toys for Xia Yue, Xia Shi, and Xia Chen.
When Shen Nian learned she was going to town to buy things for her family, he gave Xia Tian another money pouch during breakfast.
Xia Tian's eyes lit up as she thanked him sincerely, "Thank you, Brother Shen."
Since she wasn't earning money yet, she could only use Shen Nian's for now. She considered it a loan that she would repay once she started earning.
"Don't mention it." Though Shen Nian's face remained expressionless, his tone was gentle.
Xia Tian felt she was getting along with Shen Nian more naturally recently. He didn't speak as coldly as before!
Occasionally, she could even catch him smiling, though it was just a slight upward curve of his lips.
When she reached town, Xia Tian went directly to Jinxiu Cloth Shop.
This was the largest cloth shop in Qingquan Town, mainly serving the surrounding villagers. It had the most extensive and complete selection of fabrics!
Most importantly, their prices were fair and the clerks were enthusiastic.
Xia Tian had visited the shop before when she came to town, but only to look around without buying anything.
The shop clerks still enthusiastically introduced various fabrics to her, without any snobbishness, making her feel very comfortable.
Entering the shop, she saw many villagers from surrounding areas already buying fabric.
There were many clerks in the shop, each busy with their work. Xia Tian went directly to the coarse cloth section, where the most people were gathered.
When a clerk became available, he immediately greeted Xia Tian warmly, "Customer, what color would you like? Our shop has the most complete selection of fabric colors."
"Five feet each of this deep red and that date red, and eight feet of that dark blue."
Coarse cloth cost eight wen per foot. Without bargaining, Xia Tian pointed to the colors and had the clerk measure, wrap, and pack them into her back basket.
Then she moved to the cotton cloth section. Cotton cloth was more expensive at thirteen wen per foot. She directly bought eight feet of white cotton cloth to make undergarments for Shen Nian when she returned home.
When she was doing laundry the day before yesterday, she noticed bloodstains on Shen Nian's undergarments, though she didn't know when they got there.
After buying the fabrics, Xia Tian noticed the clerk who had helped her wasn't too busy anymore. She approached him and asked quietly, "Clerk, does your shop sell fabric scraps?"
Since Jinxiu Cloth Shop sold not only fabrics but also ready-made clothes, they should have fabric scraps. Buying some to make layered soles or mend clothes would be good.
Seeing that Xia Tian had just bought quite a lot of fabric, the clerk wanted to maintain good relations. "Please wait a moment, I'll go ask the shopkeeper."
Xia Tian expressed her thanks and waited a moment before the clerk came out and directly led her to the corner of the tailoring area.
Pointing at two large bags on the ground, he asked her, "These are the only two bags left. How many do you want? Let me be clear first—our fabric scraps can only be taken by the whole bag, and you can't open them to pick and choose."
"How much for one bag?" Xia Tian asked.
"Fifteen wen," the clerk replied.
Xia Tian saw that one bag was about the size of her back basket. She lifted it and found it quite tightly packed. She directly took out fifteen wen and handed it to the clerk. "I'll take one bag."
The clerk accepted the money, and Xia Tian carried the bag out of the fabric shop.
With so many people around, it wasn't convenient to put it in her Space, so she simply carried it in one hand.
She then went to the street to buy some pastries for her younger brother and sister, and picked out a pair of hair ornaments each for Xia Yue, Xia Chen, and her new sister-in-law.
For Xia Shi, she bought a Bagua Lock, which he could both play with and use to exercise his hands-on skills and thinking abilities.
Passing by the meat stall, she bought half a kilogram of pork belly. Next to it, a villager happened to be selling vegetables, so she also bought a bunch of leeks and two large cabbages, planning to make dumplings at home.
Seeing that it was still early and she had finished her shopping, Xia Tian decided not to wait for Uncle Liu San's ox cart and walked home directly.
When she arrived home, Shen Nian was lying in a recliner under the tree, reading a book.
"Brother Shen, I'm back! Let's make dumplings for lunch!" Xia Tian set her back basket on the ground, took out the pork belly, and waved it at Shen Nian.
"Mm," Shen Nian glanced at the meat in Xia Tian's hand, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Xia Tian first brought the meat and vegetables to the kitchen.
Carrying the bag of fabric scraps and her back basket, she placed them next to the table under the large tree, then poured herself a cup of water using a teacup.
Turning to Shen Nian, she asked, "Brother Shen, have you felt unwell anywhere these past few days?"
Shen Nian frowned slightly and looked at Xia Tian. "What's wrong?"
Had she noticed something?
"When I was washing clothes, I saw bloodstains on the chest area of your inner robe, so I thought you…" Xia Tian hesitated but asked anyway.
She was worried that Shen Nian's condition might have relapsed.
Shen Nian breathed an inward sigh of relief and paused for a moment before saying, "No. I accidentally cut my finger the other day and might have gotten some blood on it."
These days, Shen Nian had felt the energy in his Dantian growing increasingly pure and strong.
Two nights ago, while forcibly circulating his energy, he unexpectedly suffered a backlash from his internal force. At that moment, he felt a rush of metallic sweetness in his throat—perhaps that was when he accidentally stained his clothes.
He hadn't expected the young girl to be so observant.
"That's good to hear. Is your finger okay? Let me see?" Xia Tian leaned closer.
"It's fine now," Shen Nian subtly retracted his hand into his sleeve.
"Oh! Then be careful when you're weaving things. At night, keep the dagger a bit farther away when you sleep so you don't accidentally cut yourself."
Xia Tian sat back down. Several times while tidying the room, she had noticed the bamboo-splitting dagger placed right beside Shen Nian's pillow.
Shen Nian relaxed his fingers slightly and nodded. "Alright."
He had managed to get through that.
"Then I'll go cook," Xia Tian said, standing up and returning to the kitchen.
Shen Nian watched as Xia Tian entered the kitchen, then picked up his book again. He didn't turn a page for a long time. "I wonder when Mu Feng will manage to find this place?"
"Brother Shen, what filling would you like? Leek? Or cabbage?" Xia Tian leaned her head out of the window, her voice clear and bright.
Shen Nian snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Xia Tian, who was smiling at him from the kitchen window. His voice lifted slightly. "Either is fine."
"Alright, then I'll make some of both," Xia Tian turned back to prepare the fillings.
Soon, the sounds of chopping meat and vegetables could be heard from the kitchen.
After preparing the filling and letting the dough rest, Xia Tian brought out the cutting board and placed it on the table in the courtyard. She then moved the table from Shen Nian’s room outside as well, setting them side by side.
She went to the kitchen to fetch the kitchen knife, mixing bowl, fillings, rolling pin, and other utensils, arranging them on the table. She also brought out a bamboo steamer lid.
"Brother Shen, let me teach you how to make dumplings!" Xia Tian said with a cheerful smile, looking at Shen Nian.
"Alright," Shen Nian replied, setting down his book and rising to wash his hands.
Xia Tian rolled out a few dumpling wrappers and picked one up to demonstrate how to wrap them. "See, isn’t it simple?"
Shen Nian nodded, picked up a wrapper, and began wrapping. To his surprise, his first attempt turned out quite decent.
Xia Tian gave him a thumbs-up. "Brother Shen, you’re amazing!"
A slight smile tugged at the corner of Shen Nian’s lips.
Xia Tian rolled out the wrappers while Shen Nian wrapped the dumplings, and soon, they had filled the entire bamboo lid. Xia Tian had prepared three types of fillings today: leek and egg, cabbage and pork, and pickled cabbage with pork.