The duck and goose pens were further back. With no geese in sight, Shunzi grew bold, teasing the rabbits with grass and trying to grab their ears. But most rabbits were timid, retreating into their nests at the approach of strangers, leaving only a few outside.
When he reached for the latch on the hutch, Ji Qiuyue quickly stopped him with a laugh. "No, no, don’t open that! If the rabbits escape, they’ll be hard to catch. Your brothers aren’t here right now, and I’m no good at chasing rabbits."
"You little troublemaker, keep fussing and I’ll smack you," Granny A’jin scolded half-heartedly.
Shunzi withdrew his hand. He’d been mischievous since childhood, used to scoldings and beatings, so her words went in one ear and out the other. Still, this was someone else’s home, and he knew better than to push his luck.
Satisfied after seeing the mule and rabbits, Granny A’jin didn’t stay long, taking Shunzi home to tend to her own chores.
Ji Qiuyue and Lu Gu returned to the front yard to clean the wild vegetables they had dug up the previous afternoon. Though slightly wilted after a night, they’d still be fine once blanched at noon and tossed with dried tofu.
Since they wouldn’t return to the old house just yet, they didn’t wash the vegetables immediately.
Lu Gu lifted Lingjun from the cradle, letting the child stand on his thighs as he bounced him playfully.
Zhao'er squatted in the yard, poking the ground with a short stick. Worried he might hurt himself, Ji Qiuyue crouched beside him to keep watch. Children had no sense of restraint, and without supervision, they were prone to bumps and scrapes. Besides, ever since having a child, Shen Yaoqing rarely let her do heavy fieldwork, just looking after their son was enough. If the boy got hurt, it would be her fault.
Like her, Lu Gu seldom did hard labor these days, leaving fieldwork and livestock care to others. The two often watched the children together, keeping each other company.
Now that spring had arrived, tending the cattle and ducks fell to Wei Lanxiang and Shen Yan, along with weeding and plowing the fields. Cooking and laundry naturally became their responsibility, and working together made the tasks easier.
Even so, not having to carry children on their backs while working in the fields or mountains was already an enviably comfortable life by village standards.
Country folk had to farm, forage for wild vegetables, gather firewood, dig for bamboo shoots, pick mushrooms, and harvest wild tea. Women and fulangs either carried their children in bamboo baskets or strapped them to their backs. Once the children could walk and run, they were taken to the fields to avoid mischief at home. While the adults worked, the children played in the dirt, often rolling around and getting covered in mud.
Though this was a common sight, Wei Lanxiang, who had finally been blessed with two grandchildren, couldn’t bear the thought of them suffering like that. Being jostled on an adult’s back, exposed to wind and sun, how could such young children endure it?
Moreover, both Shen Yaoqing and Shen Xuanqing doted on their children. Having studied and spent time in town, they’d seen how wealthier families raised their children. The comparison made them pity the hardships of village life, especially for the children. They’d rather work harder themselves than subject their little ones to such misery.
As the sun grew stronger, the glare made sitting outside uncomfortable, so they moved indoors. Zhao'er’s hands were filthy from playing in the dirt. Ji Qiuyue tried brushing them off, but when that didn’t work, she fetched water to wash them.
Little Lingjun sat obediently on Lu Gu’s lap as he shook a rattle drum. "Sister-in-law, if the weather stays this nice tomorrow, let’s make some cloth soles at the old house at noon and sew each of them two pairs of shoes."
Children grew quickly. While Lingjun was fine, Zhao'er had already outgrown last year’s shoes. Ji Qiuyue nodded. "Good idea. Mother has some fabric. Tomorrow I’ll look through your Eldest Brother’s old clothes. I remember he had a patched-up set that could be taken apart."
As they talked, Lu Gu noticed movement near the back gate. Even from a distance, he recognized Chen Dongdong and his in-laws. Early morning, Chen Dongdong had come with them, pulling an old cart to gather grass outside.
The grass wasn’t as lush as in summer, making sickles impractical, so most of it had to be pulled by hand. Chen Dongdong usually collected one cartload in the morning, rested at noon to cook, and then gathered another in the afternoon, slowly saving up copper coins.
When they passed by, Ji Qiuyue lifted the teapot and asked with a smile, "Uncle, Auntie, would you like some tea?"
"No, no, we still have some in our bamboo flask," He Liushi declined with a wave. She was petite, sallow, and thin, but her face now carried a hint of a smile, no longer the perpetually worried frown of the past.
She and her husband headed home first. Chen Dongdong lingered, playing with Lingjun and Zhao'er.
"So well-behaved," he said with a smile, shaking the rattle drum. In front of Lu Gu and Ji Qiuyue, he seemed less timid than before, even managing a few words and more smiles.
Last year’s grass-cutting had earned their family more than six hundred copper coins, not counting the additional loads He Zhi had helped gather when he was home. Even this small sum stretched far for them, making life much better than before. During the New Year, they could afford two catties of meat and a large block of tofu. How could they not be happy?
Ji Qiuyue spoke up kindly, "Spring plowing’s coming soon. If Uncle and Auntie aren’t working the fields, they can take their time, one cartload a day is fine."
She and Lu Gu would be busy with the children during the hectic plowing season and wouldn’t have time to cut grass. Since He Zhi’s parents couldn’t handle heavy fieldwork, she wanted to settle this early.
"Mm, I’ll have my parents come then," Chen Dongdong agreed with a smile. He still needed to fetch water from the river with his mother-in-law, so he soon left.
Ji Qiuyue watched him until he disappeared beyond the gate before sighing softly. Noticing Lu Gu’s questioning look, she lowered her voice. "Yesterday, at Third Granny’s place, I overheard Auntie Wu gossiping with Granny Xia and others about Dongdong. She said he’s barren, married for years without a child. Such a busybody! No one’s tongue wags like hers. As if her fourth son, who can’t even find a wife, has any room to talk."
"Dongdong’s too thin, it must be his health," Lu Gu said, disliking such gossip. He couldn’t help defending him, knowing Ji Qiuyue had once been the subject of similar talk. Only after Zhao'er’s birth had Wei Lanxiang finally held her head high.
Ji Qiuyue, empathizing deeply, replied, "Exactly. I’ve seen the red mark between Dongdong’s brows, it’s quite auspicious. With some care, he’ll probably have several children."
Lu Gu smiled. "Definitely."
United in their indignation, they chatted until Shen Yaoqing returned from the fields. Leaving the gate unlocked, they took the children back to the old house to prepare lunch.
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