Chapter 149
Pears quench thirst and moisten dryness, whether eaten raw or steamed—both were highly beneficial. Shen Yan held a pear up to Ji Qiuyue, who was nursing a child, letting her take a bite.
With her hands full, Ji Qiuyue couldn’t hold it herself. Seeing her younger sister’s eagerness, she took a small taste before smiling and saying, “Go ahead and eat it, don’t mind me. I’m neither thirsty nor hungry right now, what’s the point of eating this?”
Shen Yan grinned, lifting the pear to take a big bite. Sweet and crisp, she mumbled with her mouth full, “Then, sister-in-law, you can have some roasted chicken later. Second Brother bought one, and it smells so good, just a bit cold now. Mother said we’ll heat it up for lunch.”
“Alright, alright.” Ji Qiuyue agreed. Noticing the child in her arms had stopped nursing, she fastened her clothes with one hand, then patted and rocked Zhao’er until he fell asleep before laying him in the center of the bed. She tucked him in and placed long pillows on either side to block him.
The two of them tiptoed out of the room to avoid waking Zhao’er.
As soon as they stepped outside, they saw Lu Gu and Wei Lanxiang picking vegetables in the yard. Wei Lanxiang lowered her voice and asked, “Asleep?”
“Asleep.” Ji Qiuyue nodded.
“Our Zhao’er has been so well-behaved lately. He knows when the adults are eating and just goes to sleep on his own.” Wei Lanxiang’s face crinkled with smiles as she spoke of her eldest grandson, her words full of praise for his obedience and understanding.
Lu Gu smiled slightly but said nothing. He picked up a small bamboo tray to scoop the vegetables from the wooden basin, his hands dripping with water.
Guaizi, still thinking about the roasted chicken, nudged his calf with his head. Since his hands were wet, Lu Gu gently pushed the dog aside with his leg and whispered, “Go play. I’ll feed you later.”
Dahui and the others were guarding the new house, leaving only Guaizi in the yard, whining. But after a while, seeing that Lu Gu had no intention of feeding him, the dog stopped and dug out an old kickball from the corner of the firewood pile to play with, though his enthusiasm was clearly lacking.
With Zhao’er asleep, Ji Qiuyue ate more freely, no longer needing to tend to the child.
There were only two chicken legs. Lu Gu, remembering he had already eaten the mixed-broth soup, didn’t compete with the family. One leg went to Wei Lanxiang, the other to Ji Qiuyue.
The chicken breast had no bones and was thick enough to be satisfying with just a chopstick’s worth.
Having eaten a meal earlier in the morning with Shen Xuanqing, Lu Gu ate little now. Guaizi pawed at his calf, but the roasted chicken was bought with money - unlike pheasants or wild hares, and with the whole family present, Lu Gu couldn’t openly feed the dog under everyone’s watchful eyes.
Fortunately, Wei Lanxiang and Ji Qiuyue tossed the bones to Guaizi after finishing their chicken legs.
Ji Qiuyue’s bone still had a bit of meat left. Wei Lanxiang noticed and nearly remarked on the waste of giving it to the dog, but she held her tongue, after all, Ji Qiuyue was now the family’s great benefactress, and it wasn’t her place to criticize.
Guaizi had always been skilled at coaxing affection, and Ji Qiuyue was fond enough of him to spare a bite or two of meat without a second thought.
Lu Gu kept his head down, eating rice - newly harvested rice, fragrant and delicious. Oblivious to the exchanged glances around him.
After the meal, Shen Xuanqing gave Wei Lanxiang five taels of silver, delighting her so much she couldn’t stop smiling, her earlier hesitation at the table long forgotten.
“You’ve been running back and forth, go rest.” She said to Shen Xuanqing, then glanced at Lu Gu, who was carrying a basin outside to dump the dishwater. “You too, Guzi. You must be tired from the trip.”
Shen Xuanqing smiled. “Understood, Mother.”
Wei Lanxiang then cheerfully went to her room to hide the silver. Now older, she still had strength for work but couldn’t match a man’s stamina. Fortunately, both her sons were filial and gave her money. In old age, one had to save for the coffin money, better that than face the end with nothing.
Once Lu Gu finished tidying the kitchen and washed his hands, he applied hand cream in the room. He always felt dishwater left his hands slightly greasy, and since the cream was expensive, bought with hard-earned money, he made sure to wash thoroughly with wild soapberries before applying it. Otherwise, it’d be a waste.
Seeing Shen Xuanqing lay out the silver on the table - a full forty taels, Lu Gu couldn’t help but smile.
“So happy?” Shen Xuanqing’s starlit eyes warmed at the sight. He picked up two five-tael ingots and motioned for Lu Gu, who was applying hand cream, to come over.
The weight of the silver in his palm made Lu Gu’s smile widen.
“We’ll save the rest. If we ever need to buy more land, we’ll have the money.” Shen Xuanqing packed the remaining thirty taels into a money pouch, which already held eighty taels of untouched savings. They usually spent only loose change, bringing the total to one hundred and ten taels now.
Lu Gu knew that pouch contained no copper coins, only whole silver ingots.
Shen Xuanqing called it their family’s foundation, rarely touched except when buying land or building the house. Beyond the two of them, no one knew where the pouch was hidden or how much it held.
Clutching the silver, Lu Gu’s eyes curved happily. Shen Xuanqing tightened the pouch strings, then looked up to see him still grinning foolishly. Unable to resist, he ruffled Lu Gu’s hair and said, “Just ten taels and you’re this happy? Next time I’ll give you twenty, you can buy whatever you want, no need to scrimp.”
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