Chapter 137
Since becoming pregnant, Ji Qiuyue had been eating better than many in the village, so her milk was plentiful, allowing her to nurse the baby well.
Yet, Wei Lanxiang still worried it wasn’t enough, so she also bought old hens and pig trotters for her.
With so many mouths at home, if everyone took a bite or two, Ji Qiuyue would hardly get any. So, Lu Gu didn’t indulge, and even Shen Yan only occasionally drank half a bowl of soup.
But Shen Xuanqing remembered the doctor's words, Lu Gu’s constitution was weak and needed nourishment, so every few days, he would ladle a bowl of soup from the pot and give it to him.
Since Shen Xuanqing was the main breadwinner, and most of the silver in Wei Lanxiang’s hands came from him, she naturally didn’t say anything.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the baby was already ten days old. In two more days, it would be the Mid-Autumn Festival.
[The Mid-Autumn Festival is a Chinese holiday where families eat mooncakes, gaze at the moon, and celebrate unity]
Wei Lanxiang sat in front of the clay stove, fanning the flames with a palm-leaf fan. Inside the large earthen pot was a stew of pig trotters and soybeans, it was excellent for promoting lactation. Recently, she had taken charge of cooking, as Lu Gu, being young, had less experience with stews and dishes.
The high heat had already softened the pig trotters, and now it was just a matter of simmering them over low heat to produce a rich, fragrant broth.
She fanned herself with the palm-leaf fan and called toward the room, “Daqing.”
“Mother.” Shen Yaoqing emerged from the room.
“The Mid-Autumn Festival is in two days. Tomorrow, you and Erqing should go to town to buy some mooncakes, and also get three strings of meat to deliver to your uncles’ homes the day after.” Wei Lanxiang added, “This year, the family is busy, cutting grass and taking care of the baby, so we won’t make mooncakes ourselves. Remember to buy some for our own family too.”
[butchers hang large cuts of meat on hooks and use twine to tie portions for customers]
Shen Yaoqing actually had four uncles, but one had died of illness, leaving only three. He nodded and said, “Understood, Mother. I’ll go with Second Brother tomorrow.”
Just as they were speaking, Ji Qiuyue called from inside, “Daqing, bring the diaper quickly!”
He immediately stopped talking and hurried into the room to help. Newborns, aside from sleeping, only wake to nurse or relieve themselves, so diapers had to be changed frequently. The courtyard was filled with diapers and baby clothes hung out to dry.
Wei Lanxiang lifted the lid of the pot to check, added two thin sticks of firewood to the stove, then got up to scoop half a basin of water. When Shen Yaoqing came out, she casually washed the diaper. The weather this year was quite hot, and leaving soiled diapers piled up would attract flies.
Amid her busyness, she looked up and saw Zhou Yunzhi entering through the gate.
“Eldest Sister-in-law.” Wei Lanxiang smiled and said, “Come, have a seat.”
After hanging the diaper on the wooden rack, she brought a chair from the main room. Once Zhou Yunzhi had gone inside to see the baby, the two women sat together in the shade under the eaves. A breeze blew outside, making it quite pleasant.
“He’s already chubby at just ten days old.” Zhou Yunzhi grabbed three green autumn pears from a bowl.
Green autumn pears (青秋梨): Small, green-skinned pears picked from the mountains, crisp and sweet with a pear-like flavor]
Wei Lanxiang placed the bowl on the ground between them and took one for herself. Smiling, she said, “Exactly. Qiuyue’s milk is very good.”
Zhou Yunzhi ate while eyeing the earthen pot on the stove, sniffing the air. Finally, she asked, “Are you stewing pig trotters?”
Wei Lanxiang knew from her expression that she wanted some but simply replied, “Yes, to help Qiuyue’s milk flow. I bought just one.”
Seeing that Wei Lanxiang sat firmly without any intention of offering her a taste, Zhou Yunzhi pursed her lips and cursed inwardly, Stingy! She wasn’t even after the trotters, just the broth, which was just water anyway, worthless.
But despite her thoughts, she still shamelessly said, “You’ve switched to low heat. It must be almost done.”
“Not yet, it needs more time.” Unwilling to share, Wei Lanxiang changed the subject. “After summer, pork prices rose since it doesn’t spoil as easily. Even pig trotters cost a few more copper coins. I bought this one for Qiuyue to eat over a few days. Later, I’ll have to dilute the broth with water.”
“Earlier, Shen Yan said she wanted a bite. Eldest Sister-in-law, don’t you think children are so inconsiderate? At twelve years old, she’s still like this. Qiuyue is weak after childbirth and needs this to recover. Our situation isn’t great, and Shen Yan is just a child with cravings. She’ll have to endure it. Ah, if only we were wealthy, if my daughter wanted to eat pig trotters, or even donkey meat, I’d buy it for her.” She sighed again.
Zhou Yunzhi’s expression soured. She knew Wei Lanxiang’s rambling was just an excuse not to share. A cold smile appeared on her face, revealing her sharp features. “You call this poverty? If you’re poor, how should the rest of us live?”
Her words carried a sting as she added, “I heard that a few days ago, your second son sold sheep in town, and you all ate mutton with the third family. And you still call yourselves poor? Don’t insult us real paupers.”
Her words made it clear, she was resentful that the second branch had eaten mutton without inviting them.
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