A squeak sounded, and a field mouse darted out. Lu Gu jumped in fright, quickly stepping aside. The mouse scurried away swiftly, disappearing to who-knew-where.
"Ah, there’s quite a bit!" A Xia, her hands covered in dried mud, craned her neck to see the grain in the burrow and couldn’t help exclaiming, "This must be at least three or four catties!"
Grandma Wu was overjoyed. She stepped forward, trembling hands opening the sack. Wu Tai glanced at the four spectators, confirming they had no intention of snatching anything, before setting down his shovel and squatting to scoop up the grain by the handful, not just rice but also beans and peanuts.
Having satisfied her curiosity, Shen Yan bid Grandma Wu farewell and left with Lu Gu, A Xia, and the others.
The fields were close to the new house. Since A Xia and her younger brother went back to digging for earthworms, Shen Yan said, "Brother Guzi, let’s go this way and check on Brother Daqing at the house, see how the firewood chopping is coming along."
Lu Gu didn’t have much to do today and nodded. "Sure, we might even collect a few eggs."
Da Bai, accustomed to the new house, trotted ahead confidently and slipped in through the back door.
Shen Yaoqing was chopping firewood, while Wei Lanxiang tended to the vegetable plot, pulling out withered plants and turning the soil with a hoe to plant a few rows of winter greens.
"Mother," Lu Gu called out.
Wei Lanxiang looked up and smiled at the two of them. "Weren’t you doing needlework at home today? What brings you here?"
Seeing her wipe sweat and noticing her empty water bowl by the vegetable patch, Lu Gu hurried over to pick it up. "Yan Yan and I just saw Wu Tai digging up rodent burrows. Since it was close by, we came to check on things and maybe gather some eggs."
Wei Lanxiang nodded. "The hens have been clucking. I’ve been too busy turning the soil to check."
Lu Gu took the bowl to the front to fetch her some water before heading to the chicken coop. Shen Yan had already gone in with a bamboo basket, picking up three eggs from the ground.
He found two more in the nesting boxes. After searching around and finding no others, the two of them came out.
The spring chicks Wei Lanxiang had raised had also started laying eggs. They collected quite a few chicken and duck eggs daily. The ducks were predictable, laying at night, so they could gather the eggs in the morning. Hens, however, were less reliable, though at least they laid during the day, making it easier to find the eggs with a quick search.
As long as he was home, Lu Gu rarely went a day without eating an egg. Sometimes, if he grew tired of them, he’d skip a day or two.
Shen Yan carried the basket out first while he secured the fence gate to keep the hens from wandering.
Before he could take two steps, Da Bai started barking up ahead, drawing everyone’s attention.
Shen Yaoqing, who had been chopping wood, stopped and called Da Bai to heel. After a moment, he recognized the man entering from the front courtyard - it was Luo Biao, carrying a jar of wine and an oil-paper package.
"Eldest Brother Shen!" Luo Biao called out cheerfully.
Shen Yaoqing took the items with a smile. "You didn’t have to bring anything."
"The wine is for both brothers. The pastries are for Aunt Wei and the sisters-in-law." Luo Biao grinned, his eyes scanning the main hall with obvious curiosity about the new house.
With a guest present, Wei Lanxiang stopped working. She recognized Luo Biao, he had visited once before and was on good terms with Shen Xuanqing.
"Aunt Wei." Luo Biao was exceedingly polite to the Shen family, even greeting Shen Yan with a "How are you, little sister?"
Wei Lanxiang had a soft spot for well-mannered young men, especially those who brought gifts. She poured him tea and said, "Since you’ve come today, you must stay for a meal."
"Of course, of course." Luo Biao accepted without excessive courtesy.
Shen Yaoqing knew why he had come. Shen Xuanqing had mentioned it before heading up the mountain. But since their guest had just arrived, it wasn’t appropriate to broach the subject directly. Noticing Luo Biao’s interest in the house, he led him on a tour of the back.
Lu Gu had only met Luo Biao once before and didn’t have much of an impression. But since they were hosting him for a meal, two dishes wouldn’t suffice. Taking the egg basket from Shen Yan, he asked Wei Lanxiang quietly, "Mother, Sister-in-law wanted to stir-fry the hanging melon and steam a bowl of duck egg custard. Are these enough? Should we add another dish?"
Wei Lanxiang pondered. She had heard Shen Xuanqing speak well of Luo Biao, that he was honest and sincere with him. "Let's do this, have your sister-in-law add a few more eggs when steaming the custard. Slice some cured meat, soak the dried bamboo shoots, and stir-fry them together. There’s still autumn vegetables in the yard, dig one up and cook that too."
Four dishes, paired nicely, would sound better. With only Luo Biao as a guest, there was no need for excess, meat and eggs were already quite generous.
"Alright, I’ll let her know." Lu Gu carried the basket back, with Shen Yan following since there was an outsider present.
This time, Da Bai didn’t go with them.
After touring the spacious house, Luo Biao was thoroughly impressed. Shen Xuanqing had previously mentioned buying several mu of land southeast of the village to build a house and raise livestock. Given the vast area, the walls and construction had cost a fortune.
But seeing it today, the house was well-built. With this setup - raising livestock and growing vegetables, they could at least feed themselves comfortably and even earn extra money from sales.
That was why, upon arriving today, he had headed straight for the southeast of Qingxi Village. A house this large was impossible to miss.
Looking at the hens pecking in the coop, Luo Biao patted the fence and grinned. "No wonder Second Brother Shen said your family could supply eggs to the brothel too. With this many, it’s perfect."
With the Shen family, he didn’t hold back. Since Shen Xuanqing wasn’t here, he explained matters to Shen Yaoqing.
He had already settled things with the brothel, from now on, they would buy rabbits from the Shen family. Prices would vary by season: plump rabbits in late autumn would go for forty-five copper coins each. This time, he was here to take ten back for the brothel.
The price surprised Shen Yaoqing. Before heading up the mountain, Shen Xuanqing had mentioned that as long as it didn’t drop below forty copper coins, it would be fine. He hadn’t expected Luo Biao to push it higher.
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