Winter passed, and spring arrived, the greenery growing denser by the day.
The calf flicked its tail as it grazed. Few flowers bloomed in early spring, but even the tiniest splash of color in the grass was enough to bring a smile.
Lu Gu, carrying Lingjun on his back, went out with Ji Qiuyue to gather wild vegetables. Bending and straightening was difficult with the child strapped to him, so Ji Qiuyue did most of the picking, neither minded the arrangement.
Ji Qiuyue carried a basket, selecting only the tenderest wild vegetables. As she crouched to work, she said, "When Erqing returns tomorrow, let’s pack him some wild vegetable buns. We should check if Shiniang has gathered any wild vegetables, though it’s not so convenient in town. If not, we can pick some for Erqing to take over. Since they’re eating there, it’s best to have fresh vegetables while they’re in season."
"We should bring some. When Erqing comes back, he can hold the baby so I can gather some too. He mentioned Shiniang’s legs aren’t as nimble as before after suffering from rheumatic pains, it must be hard for her to crouch and dig," Lu Gu agreed.
Just then, Ji Qiuyue spotted a cluster of tiny yellow flowers in the grass. Plucking one, she handed it to Lu Gu with a smile. "So delicate."
Lu Gu took the flower, also smiling. Lingjun babbled excitedly from his back, but Lu Gu hesitated to give it to him, afraid the child might stuff it in his mouth. Instead, he patted little Lingjun’s back, took a few steps, and gave a gentle bounce, earning a few giggles.
That was how children were - play with them, and they’d laugh when happy.
Once the basket was full of wild vegetables, Ji Qiuyue went home to wash them, planning to make fresh steamed buns that very evening. Lu Gu stayed by the river with the child, tending the calf before driving it home shortly after.
Though they had six dogs, Shen Yan was alone in the new house doing needlework. With such a large house, it was better to have company.
Today, Zhao’er had been taken by Wei Lanxiang, with Shen Yaoqing leading the third branch’s ox cart back to her natal family. They’d brought two rabbits.
Their family’s mule cart was in Jixing Town for Shen Xuanqing’s trips. Since he no longer needed Shen Yaoqing to handle the rabbits, chickens, and ducks supplied to Yang Xian’s tavern, Shen Yaoqing had been borrowing others’ mule or ox carts for deliveries to the brothel in Fenggu Town.
Though the calf had a nose ring, it wasn’t yet two years old. In their area, plow oxen weren’t trained for fieldwork or cart-pulling until they turned two. By three, they were strong and mature enough for heavy labor, remaining in their prime for the next seven or eight years.
[Calf nose ring: a metal ring inserted through the septum of a young ox or cow to allow easier control during training or work, commonly used in traditional farming to guide the animal with minimal force.]
The calf was still young, but with supervision, it could help with plowing. Last year’s autumn planting and harvest had already proven useful. Oxen were valuable, short trips were one thing, but Shen Yaoqing couldn’t bear to drive it all the way to Fenggu Town. Yet borrowing carts from others had become unreliable lately, especially when they had their own needs. For this reason, Shen Yaoqing considered buying another mule for the family.
Ox carts moved at a leisurely pace - unlike mules with their long, nimble legs, oxen were rarely hurried along.
For quick rabbit deliveries to Fenggu Town, a mule cart was far better. The existing mule had been bought earlier by Shen Xuanqing, who now used it for Jixing Town, leaving the family without one. In their poorer days, they’d walked everywhere without complaint, but carrying over a dozen rabbits on foot wasn’t feasible.
Over the past three years, Shen Yaoqing had saved enough to afford a five-tael mule. He wanted his own cart for flexibility. Sometimes, when Shen Xuanqing had to mind the shop and couldn’t return, having a second mule would mean Shen Yaoqing could make deliveries without borrowing.
Ji Qiuyue was ambitious, she harbored no ill will toward the family but felt that, after all these years, every major purchase had been made by Shen Xuanqing. It wasn’t about money, she just wanted Shen Yaoqing to buy a mule so the villagers could say, "This is their Daqing’s doing," proving his capability too.
Besides, with the mule cart often away, she sometimes wanted to visit her natal family with Zhao’er. Carrying the chubby boy the whole way was exhausting—once accustomed to the cart’s convenience, she naturally preferred it.
Wei Lanxiang, however, considered it unnecessary extravagance. With one mule already at home, why spend more? Few in the countryside owned oxen or mules—most simply borrowed when the need arose. Their family was related to Lin Shouyi’s, and the third branch was even closer. When Shen Xuanqing returned with the cart, couldn’t they just use that?
Shen Yaoqing explained that they made at least two or three trips a month to Fenggu Town’s brothel. With a young calf at home, constantly borrowing would make it seem they only cared for their own ox, inviting gossip. Borrowing intermittently wasn’t practical either. If they didn’t borrow, would she prefer driving the calf on long trips? That silenced her.
Buying a mule wasn’t quick, they had to scout the markets and gather information to find a sturdy one. There was no room for carelessness.
"Moo."
Lu Gu closed the calf pen’s wooden gate, mimicking the sound and earning a laugh from little Lingjun on his back. Then he lifted a bucket to fill the trough.
The calf, having grazed for a while, now buried its muzzle in the water, drinking heartily.
In the sheep pen, the lambs had grown into adults. The two ewes, kept with the ram all winter, were now pregnant and would give birth in about three months. Last year’s lambs had arrived during the busy harvest, so this year’s breeding had been scheduled earlier.
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