Chapter 189
After the New Year, no more snow fell, but spring had yet to arrive, and the weather remained chilly. The Wu family’s elderly grandmother, who had tightened her belt and endured the bitter winter, could not withstand the lingering cold of early spring. She caught a chill at night and fell ill with typhoid fever. With no money for medicine, she passed away within days.
[勒緊褲腰帶 (lēi jǐn kù yāo dài): lit. to tighten the waistband of one's pants; fig. to endure hardship with extreme frugality]
The Wu family was poor, so poor that they couldn’t even arrange a marriage for their son, let alone afford a funeral feast. If not for the relatives who pitched in some silver to buy a thin coffin, she might have been wrapped in nothing but a tattered straw mat.
They were all from the same village. Back when the Shen family’s second branch was struggling, the Wu family had never looked down on them. The old grandmother would still greet them kindly, never gloating over their misfortunes. Now that she was gone, Wei Lanxiang followed village customs and brought over some rice and flour.
Most country folk were poor. Whether for weddings or funerals, if there wasn’t enough food, they had to rely on relatives and fellow villagers to help out, often bringing staple goods like these.
Since Lingjun was too young, Lu Gu stayed home to look after the child and didn’t go. Early in the morning, upon hearing of the old grandmother’s passing, Wei Lanxiang dug out red paper. Now, he and Shen Yan mixed some paste and pasted the red paper on their doors and windows for protection.
The wind rustled the red paper in Shen Yan’s hands, the cold gusts biting. Fortunately, it wasn’t raining or snowing. They pressed the paper firmly to keep it from tearing in the wind.
"We’ve really given Eldest Aunt plenty of face today," Ji Qiyue chuckled in the room as she picked up little Lingjun.
Earlier, while Lu Gu was mixing the paste, Lingjun had woken up. She had carried Zhao’er over to soothe him, never expecting that little Ling ger would respond well to her today, after just a few comforting words, he stopped crying. Since there was a funeral in the village, she had already dressed Zhao’er in a red bellyband and did the same for little Lingjun.
On the bed, Zhao’er sat on the quilt playing, his chubby little body looking sturdy as he shook little Lingjun's rattle. He had his own, but he rarely played with it—only when he came to Lu Gu’s room and saw this one would he clamor for it.
"Other people’s things always smell better," Ji Qiyue teased, glancing at her son. Sometimes, when Lingjun was eating fruit and Zhao’er saw it, he’d grow desperate, crying if he couldn’t snatch it. Last time, she had spanked his butt a few times. Lingjun wasn’t even fighting for her milk, so why the fuss? Always bullying his little brother.
Lu Gu came in after pasting the red paper and, seeing her holding Lingjun, picked up Zhao’er to play with him, making the child giggle with delight.
The wind outside was strong, so they stayed indoors. Now that Zhao’er was over a year old, he could sometimes grip the headboard and pull himself up while playing on the bed. His plump little arms and legs were quite strong—just the other day, he had taken his first wobbly step.
Shen Yan put away the paste bowl and red paper, then brought in a sewing basket. Seeing them all on the bed, she set up a small table and climbed up herself.
Though her birthday hadn’t arrived yet, by local reckoning, she was already considered fourteen after this New Year, she was a grown girl now. In another year or two, they’d start discussing marriage prospects. She had visibly grown taller, no longer as short as before, and even her features had matured slightly, shedding some of their childishness.
In the past, she had been carefree, only interested in playing. But now that she was older, she knew she had to practice her embroidery and needlework more. No matter what, being able to earn a little money from sewing was always a good thing.
In the countryside, bridal clothes and veils were often sewn by the girls and shuang’er themselves. Poor families couldn’t afford much red cloth, so they had to make do with just a red veil. But their family’s circumstances had improved, they could now buy enough red fabric for a full bridal outfit. Wei Lanxiang had already begun slowly preparing her dowry.
Not just Wei Lanxiang, Shen Yan herself had saved up a bit of money over the past two years. Her family never asked for it, and since she hardly spent much, she kept it all for herself.
Seeing her working on handkerchiefs, Ji Qiyue smiled and said, "Once the weather warms up, I’ll visit my parents. I’ll take a couple of these new handkerchiefs for my mother, let them see our Yan Yan’s skills and be impressed."
Two handkerchiefs were nothing to Shen Yan. She nodded. "Of course. The finished ones are in that basket, just pick whichever ones you like."
The sisters-in-law, nieces, and nephews sat on the bed chatting and playing. Before long, Wei Lanxiang returned, having taken some bowls from home to lend to the Wu family for a couple of days.
With the door open, they could see into the main hall. Ji Qiyue asked, "Mother, how is it over there?"
Wei Lanxiang scooped hot water from the jar with a bowl. Since the old grandmother had just passed this morning, the Wu family hadn’t yet sorted everything out. Seeing they were short on dishes, she decided to come home for a drink before taking a stack of bowls over.
Wiping her mouth, she said, "Same as usual—the body will lie in state for three days. When Erqing gets back, tell him and Daqing to come find me there. We’ll see when to dig the grave. The Wu family is poor, they can’t afford a big feast, so not many are willing to help with the digging. We’ll just treat it as doing a good deed."
"You two should also dig out your red waistbands and change into them. The children are young, better not risk any ill omens," she reminded them. Then she added, "I’m taking some bowls over. For lunch, if I eat there, I won’t come back. If there’s no food, remember to save some for me."
"Understood, Mother. Go ahead," Ji Qiuyue replied. If not for her and Lu Gu having to mind the children, and Shen Yan being an unmarried girl, they too would have gone to help today, aside from Wei Lanxiang
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