Chapter 181
Once the busy farming season passed, the dried rice was stored in large jars, eliminating the need for further sun-drying. The whole family finally breathed a sigh of relief, this round of work was over. As long as they prepared and dried enough rations and vegetables in the remaining autumn days, they could rest during the winter leisure period without such exhausting labor.
The weather this year hadn’t been ideal. During the drying process, they encountered two rainy days. Fortunately, they had been drying the rice in their own large courtyard and rolled it up in time, so it didn’t get soaked by much rain.
The river water was colder than before, but not yet icy enough to numb the hands. With Shen Yan holding Zhao’er to play and Lingjun having fallen asleep after nursing on the milk fruit. Seizing this free moment, Lu Gu and Ji Qiuyue carried wooden basins to the riverside to wash clothes. Working together made the task faster, and they had each other for company.
The wooden paddles thumped rhythmically against the clothes on the stone slab. The crushed wild soapberries gradually produced white lather. Lu Gu flipped the clothes over and said, "We’re running low on wild soapberries. We should go up the mountain to pick some when we have time these days."
"If the weather’s good tomorrow, we’ll go," Ji Qiuyue replied, scrubbing Zhao'er’s little clothes.
The wild soapberries from the front mountain weren’t as large as those Lu Gu had once picked in the deep mountains, but they were still usable. Ever since he stopped going up the mountain, he hadn’t sold wild soapberries anymore. Now, with little Lingjun around, he had even less time.
After chatting and laughing for a while, they finished washing the clothes and carried them back to the old house to dry. Lu Gu hung the babies’ diapers on the wooden rack. The two children went through many diapers daily, but fortunately, their family had enough hands to manage and plenty of spare diapers for changes.
He gently pushed open the door and peeked inside. Little Lingjun was still asleep in the wooden cradle, well-covered by his blanket, so Lu Gu didn’t enter.
"Mother, I’m going over to the other house. Keep an eye on Lingjun," Lu Gu said to Wei Lanxiang, who was making small shoes in the courtyard.
"Alright, I’ve got it. Go ahead," Wei Lanxiang replied. The shoes in her hands were for Lingjun. He had been wearing Zhao'er’s outgrown shoes until now, but a few days ago, Shen Xuanqing had casually mentioned it a couple of times, so she had hurriedly started making a new pair.
It wasn’t that Lu Gu hadn’t made new shoes for little Lingjun, there were two pairs each for warm and cool weather, all beautifully crafted tiger-head shoes. Of the four pairs, Lu Gu had made two, while Wei Lanxiang and Ji Qiuye each contributed one. The cotton-padded thick shoes were for winter, so Lu Gu figured the two pairs were enough for now. After all, Zhao'er’s shoes from last year had barely been worn and were practically new. Besides, the child wasn’t walking yet, often swaddled or carried, so shoes weren’t always necessary.
Shen Xuanqing couldn’t make shoes himself, and he didn’t dare bring up the matter in front of Lu Gu, so he could only complain to his mother.
On his way to the main house, Lu Gu ran into three women heading out to forage for wild vegetables. With autumn deepening, if they didn’t hurry to dry some vegetables now, winter would be tough. Their family had already dried plenty of wild vegetables before the autumn harvest, as well as bamboo shoots in summer. Now, they just needed to gather and dry some mushrooms while they were abundant in autumn.
He exchanged greetings with the three aunties before they went their separate ways. Spotting a few village dogs running around, including Guaizi who was clearly slacking off instead of guarding the house. He was about to call out when Zhou Yunzhi appeared not far away.
"Eldest Aunt." Even if he disliked dealing with Zhou Yunzhi, he still had to greet his elder.
Zhou Yunzhi only smiled after he spoke, though the sharpness in her thin face didn’t soften much. She had noticed the silver bracelet on Lu Gu’s wrist was thicker than the last one, and envy had gnawed at her for a while. Now, she stole another glance and asked, "Where are you off to, Guzi?"
Lu Gu gave a faint smile and said, "Just going to check on the other house. Do you have free time today, Eldest Aunt?"
"Of course. Now that the rice harvest is over, I finally have time to stroll around." Zhou Yunzhi felt a pang of bitterness at the mention of the other house - that big, lavish courtyard. If only it were theirs! Her smile turned somewhat forced as she spoke.
Talking to her always left Lu Gu uncomfortable. Pressing his lips together, he said, "Then I’ll head over first, Eldest Aunt."
They didn’t have much to say to each other. Zhou Yunzhi nodded, then paused mid-step. She had originally intended to visit the third branch’s house but now turned toward the second branch’s instead.
Guaizi, playing with a few other dogs, only noticed Lu Gu when he was close and trotted over, wagging his tail.
Only after putting distance between himself and Zhou Yunzhi did Lu Gu feel at ease. As he walked ahead, he called cheerfully to Guaizi, "Come on, let’s go back."
But Guaizi was too engrossed in play, tilting his head at Lu Gu before hopping sideways and retreating - clearly unwilling to return. Lu Gu chuckled. It was broad daylight, and there were other dogs at home, so Lu Gu didn't force him.
Taking a side path, he arrived at the open gate of the new house. Before he could get close, two little yellow dogs rushed out to greet him, each livelier than the other.
It was almost noon now, and the livestock had already been fed. He hadn’t come for any particular reason, just to check if Shen Xuanqing was awake. These past few nights, Shen Xuanqing had been the one to get up whenever Lingjun was hungry or wet. Sometimes, he was so drowsy he could barely open his eyes, yet he still had to get out of bed and pace around, soothing the crying baby. Naturally, he needed to catch up on sleep during the day.
Back at the old house, apart from Lu Gu, others also helped with the children. Wei Lanxiang was one thing, his own mother didn’t mind such informality, but if he were to nap in bed, it wouldn’t be proper for Shen Yan or Ji Qiuyue to enter. So, he slept here instead, avoiding disturbances.
The door wasn’t closed, just lightly pushed to. Lu Gu quietly opened it. The figure on the bed didn’t stir, so he smiled and tiptoed inside.
The bed in the new house was large, so Shen Xuanqing wasn’t cramped. He lay fast asleep, breathing evenly.
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