When Xia Tian heard someone at the door calling for the Shen family's wife, she froze for a moment before realizing they were calling for her.
I still need to get used to this new identity, she thought.
She walked quickly to the door and saw a woman of about twenty-three or twenty-four, sizing her up with a smile.
"You must be the new wife the Shen family just married, right? I live next door," the woman said, pointing behind her. "My husband's name is Liu Da Shan, and my surname is Yao. You can call me Sister-in-law Yao."
"Sister-in-law Yao," Xia Tian replied agreeably. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"I came to ask, a few days ago, your younger brother-in-law said he wanted some pickled vegetables and cabbage. Do you still want them?" Sister-in-law Yao asked, looking at Xia Tian with an expectant expression.
"Yes, yes, we do." Xia Tian figured that Shen Nian's younger brother must have ordered the vegetables from Sister-in-law Yao's family but had passed away suddenly before they could be delivered, which was why Sister-in-law Yao had come to ask.
In March, fresh vegetables had not yet grown in the fields, so the villagers still mostly ate the salted vegetables pickled during the winter.
It just so happened that they had no vegetables at home, and she had been thinking of buying some at the market on the next market day!
"Sister-in-law Yao, can I take a look first?" Xia Tian felt it was better to see them before deciding.
The climate of the place she was in now felt quite similar to the Lu region.
Although it was March, it was the third month of the lunar calendar, equivalent to April or May in modern times. She was worried some vegetables might not keep well.
"Of course, you can!" Sister-in-law Yao agreed joyfully.
Her family had plenty of pickled vegetables, and the new crops would be ready to eat in a few days. Selling some could help supplement their household income.
"In that case, Sister-in-law, please wait a moment." Xia Tian turned and said to Shen Nian, "Brother Shen, I'm going next door to Sister-in-law Yao's to take a look and buy some vegetables. I'll be right back."
Without waiting for Shen Nian's reply, she took Sister-in-law Yao's arm and went out the door. "Let's go, Sister-in-law."
Seeing Xia Tian's decisive and efficient manner, Sister-in-law Yao felt much more at ease. When the Shen family's younger brother was alive, he often bought things from her family and was always generous.
He had even asked her to take good care of his older brother!
The Shen family's younger brother had been incredibly good to his older brother. He said his brother had been in poor health since childhood. Before he passed, he even asked her to find a matchmaker to arrange a marriage for his brother, saying he couldn't bear the thought of his brother being all alone.
Sigh, what a good person. It's a pity his life was cut short!
Sister-in-law Yao sighed with emotion. She had come today to try her luck, wanting to ask if they still wanted the vegetables they had agreed on.
She also wanted to see what the new wife was like. She hadn't expected that the Shen family's younger brother had truly found a capable and straightforward wife for his older brother. Now, he should be able to rest in peace.
The two chatted as they arrived at Sister-in-law Yao's house. Two small children were playing in the courtyard, and a woman in her forties or fifties sat on the threshold, mending clothes.
Sister-in-law Yao introduced them to Xia Tian. "This is my mother-in-law, and those two children are my eldest and second eldest."
As she led Xia Tian inside, she explained to her mother-in-law, "Mother, this is the new wife of the Shen family's young man next door. I'm showing her our vegetables."
Xia Tian greeted her with a "Auntie," and Sister-in-law Yao's mother-in-law smiled. "Ah, good child. Go on."
Wasting no more time, Sister-in-law Yao led Xia Tian directly into a small room on the south side. Inside was a row of various jars and pots, all filled with different kinds of pickled vegetables.
Xia Tian looked at them one by one and asked for two heads of Suanbaicai, two Suanluobo, a large bowl of Huangdoujiang, a small jar of Duojiao, and two heads of fresh cabbage.
When she saw potatoes in a corner, she was pleasantly surprised and asked for five jin. She hadn't expected this dynasty to have potatoes. Then again, if they had chili peppers, what was impossible?
Seeing how much Xia Tian was buying, Sister-in-law Yao's face lit up with joy. "Shen family's wife, you can eat these with confidence. My mother-in-law's skill in pickling is second to none. Our pickled vegetables are the best in the village."
Xia Tian smiled and nodded. "Sister-in-law Yao, I'll take this much for now. When I run out, I'll come to you for more."
"Yes, yes, come find me anytime you run out," Sister-in-law Yao replied happily. Although it wasn't a lot of money, it was still income.
Together, they carried the items back and placed them in the kitchen. Xia Tian poured a bowl of water for Sister-in-law Yao, telling her to have a drink and sit for a moment while she went to get the money.
Only when she came out did she remember that she only had the single tael of silver from Grandma Xia and the seventeen copper coins from her mother. The vegetables had cost a total of twenty-nine coins, and she didn't have enough change.
She wondered if Shen Nian had any money on him.
Xia Tian saw that Shen Nian was no longer in the courtyard and had probably returned to the main room.
She went directly to the main room to find him. Upon entering, she saw him leaning against a stack of quilts, reading a book. She didn't beat around the bush. "Brother Shen, do you have any change? I bought some vegetables from Sister-in-law Yao, and I don't have enough."
Without a word, Shen Nian stood up, took a purse out of a chest on the kang, and handed it to Xia Tian.
Xia Tian took it and opened it to see it was full of copper coins, which was much more convenient.
She counted out twenty-nine coins, put the rest back in the purse, and instead of returning it to Shen Nian, she tucked it into her robes. "Brother Shen, I'll take all of this for household expenses." Then she walked straight out of the room.
Shen Nian watched Xia Tian's brisk, no-nonsense retreat, and the corners of his mouth curved up. She certainly wasn't one to stand on ceremony.
If Mu Yang were here…
Shen Nian shook his head and went back to his book.
Xia Tian handed the copper coins to Sister-in-law Yao, who accepted them gleefully. She counted them and tucked them into her robes. "Shen family's wife, if you need anything else in the future, just come find me!"
"Sister-in-law Yao, my name is Xia Tian. You can just call me by my name. I'll have to trouble you for your help in the future!" Xia Tian said warmly, taking Sister-in-law Yao's hand.
"But of course! I like your straightforwardness, little sister." Sister-in-law Yao was also a frank person and appreciated Xia Tian's decisive way of speaking and acting.
Xia Tian also felt a connection with Sister-in-law Yao. Neither of them was the dithering type. Besides, Sister-in-law Yao wasn't much older, so they could definitely interact more.
"Sister-in-law, where in the village do we fetch water?" She didn't know where the well was, and the water vat in the kitchen was running low.
"Our Liu Jia Village has two wells for drinking water. One is under the large willow tree near the village entrance, which is quite far. The other one is closer to us, south of the village chief's courtyard. There's a shed built over it, so it's easy to find."
Sister-in-law Yao explained carefully to Xia Tian, afraid she wouldn't be able to find it. "Do you know where the village chief's house is? It's that row of large tile-roofed houses in the middle of the village."
Xia Tian nodded. She had seen it when she passed through the village earlier—a very impressive row of large, tile-roofed houses.
"And where do we do laundry?" Xia Tian took the opportunity to ask while Sister-in-law Yao was there, to avoid being clueless later.
"Everyone washes clothes by the river. Just head east from here, it's not far," Sister-in-law Yao said, gesturing as she spoke.
After chatting for a while, Xia Tian walked Sister-in-law Yao to the door. "Sister-in-law, are you going up the mountain tomorrow? If you are, call me to go with you. We're running low on firewood at home."
"Sure!" Sister-in-law Yao agreed. "The wild vegetables on the mountain are growing well at this time of year. We can pick some to eat."