Chapter 200
After searching and inspecting for nearly half a month, the family brought home their second mule.
Ji Qiuyue had been in high spirits these past few days. When the villagers learned they had bought another mule, many came to see it. She could finally say it was their Daqing who had bought it. She even thought about taking Zhao'er back to her parents' home in a few days when she had time, driving the mule cart so her family could see it and know how capable Shen Yaoqing was.
The newly purchased mule was just as tall and sturdy as the first. Shen Yaoqing had no interest in weaker ones. For country folk, tall horses costing over ten or twenty taels were unaffordable, and donkeys, being smaller, weren’t as good as mules for pulling carts.
The mid-morning weather was neither too hot nor too cold. Lu Gu carried Lingjun to the new house to play with Zhao'er. His arms grew tired from holding the child for so long, so he brought out a wooden rocking cradle into the yard and placed little Lingjun inside. Zhao'er, who had been sitting on a small stool nibbling a piece of steamed bun in his chubby hands, stood up when he saw this. Gripping the edge of the cradle with one hand, he lifted a foot, trying to climb in and sit with his cousin.
"Alright, alright, let me lift you in," Lu Gu said with a helpless laugh. Fortunately, the wooden cradle was spacious enough that the two children could squeeze in, legs pressed together.
Children were restless and couldn't sit still for long. Zhao'er's legs were longer than Lingjun's, and with a sudden movement, he nearly kicked Lingjun. Lu Gu quickly held his legs and said, "Don’t move around, you almost kicked your little brother, didn’t you?"
Zhao'er was relatively well-behaved today. When told not to move his legs, he obeyed, sitting across from little Lingjun as he ate his steamed bun.
With each passing day, the weather grew warmer. Though the bun was cold, it wasn’t hard. As Zhao'er ate, crumbs scattered everywhere. Lu Gu occasionally wiped his mouth and chin with a handkerchief. As for the crumbs on his clothes and in the cradle, he’d clean those up after lifting Zhao'er out.
Lingjun let out a few babbles and reached out, trying to grab Zhao'er’s bun. Zhao'er, the little miser, pulled his chubby hand back, making Lingjun pout as if about to cry.
Ji Qiuyue, who had just finished making the bed, came out and scolded her son with a laugh, "How much have you eaten already? What’s wrong with giving your brother a bite?"
Zhao'er clutched the last bit of bun in his hand. Though no one was trying to snatch it, he hurriedly stuffed it into his mouth, his chubby cheeks working furiously. Then, imitating the adults, he clapped his hands and spread his palms open to show Lingjun there was nothing left.
Lu Gu saw Lingjun stretching his arm, his tiny fingers even touching Zhao'er’s mouth, as if trying to dig the bun out. He quickly went into the main room to break off a small piece and said with a laugh, "You’re still too little, you can’t eat too much."
Meanwhile, Ji Qiuyue cheered Lingjun on: "Our Lingjun is so clever! Just like that, dig it out! Let’s see if he dares to be stingy next time."
Lu Gu smiled but didn’t comment. After placing the small piece of bun in Lingjun’s hand, he stopped trying to retrieve anything from Zhao'er’s mouth.
"Look at you, even when your brother sits in the cradle, you have to squeeze in with him. Get down, get down." Ji Qiuyue scolded as she lifted Zhao'er out of the cradle.
"No! No!" Zhao'er squirmed in protest, but he was no match for his mother. Luckily, he soon spotted half a bun on the table inside and immediately stopped fussing.
"You still want to eat?!" Ji Qiuyue’s voice rose involuntarily. But when Zhao'er threatened to cry, she had no choice but to break off another small piece for him, quickly eating the rest herself so the little rascal wouldn’t keep begging for more.
Little Lingjun was now seven months old, with three tiny white milk teeth. He nibbled on the crumbs, smacking his lips.
"Girls and shuang'ers are so much easier to take care of than boys, so much more refined when eating," Ji Qiuyue said fondly as she sat down with a basket of wild vegetables to clean. Seeing how fair and well-behaved Lingjun was filled her with affection.
Lu Gu joined her in cleaning the vegetables. Just as they started, Xiaohuang, who had been napping in the yard, began barking at the gate. They looked up to see Granny A’jin and little Shunzi, who had grown a bit taller.
"Granny A’jin," Ji Qiuyue called out, stopping Xiaohuang before greeting them with a smile. "You’ve got time today?"
Lu Gu stood and fetched two stools so they could sit.
"Oh, what a handsome little thing!" Granny A’jin couldn’t help exclaiming when she saw Lingjun sitting in the cradle. Such a fair and pretty baby was a rare sight in the countryside.
Chubby Zhao'er, still munching on his bun, walked up to Shunzi and stared up at him. Granny A’jin laughed. "Oh, just like a painting from the New Year’s scroll!"
After chatting about the children for a while, she asked, "I heard Qing’er bought a mule?"
Before Shen Xuanqing was born, Shen Yaoqing was the only one in the village with "Qing" in his name, so he was sometimes called "Qing’er."
At the mention of this, Ji Qiuyue’s face lit up with pride. Knowing why Granny A’jin had come, she led her to the backyard, explaining as they walked, "That’s right. There’s so much to do at home. Second Brother takes the mule cart to Jixing Town, and we still have to deliver rabbits to Fenggu Town. Not having a cart really tied our hands. Borrowing someone else’s all the time wasn’t proper, so we just bought another one."
Shunzi followed them to the backyard, his eyes darting around nervously. Only when he confirmed the absence of the geese did he relax with a sigh. Last year, a goose had nipped his buttocks, and the pain still lingered in his memory. If not for his curiosity about the mule, he wouldn’t have dared come alone.
Zhao'er could now walk and even navigate steps cautiously while holding onto the wall. Ji Qiuyue didn’t carry him, letting him trail behind the adults at his own pace.
Lu Gu picked up Lingjun, brushing the crumbs from his palm before following them to the backyard.
The mule was busy eating hay. Granny A’jin stood outside the pen, clicking her tongue in admiration. "This is a fine animal," she said before asking how much it cost and other trivial matters.
After chatting for a while, she wanted to see the rabbits, so they led her to the hutches.
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