The next morning, a white autumn mist blanketed the countryside. The rural families rose early as always, gathering mushrooms and digging up sweet roots (甜窝根) while winter hadn’t yet arrived, stockpiling mountain goods to survive the cold months.
Shen Xuanqing hitched the mule cart and loaded the twenty or so rabbits he’d hunted over the past few days. Shen Yan, also up early, sat on the cart with him as they headed to Jixing Town.
Even Guaizi jumped onto the cart, now so accustomed to it that he sat neatly beside Shen Yan’s legs.
"Take your time on the road, don’t rush. And remind your eldest brother to come back early, don’t linger too long. It gets dark sooner now," Wei Lanxiang reminded them at the door.
Shen Yan smiled and said, "Got it, Mother. We’ll be back soon."
"Mother, we’re off," Shen Xuanqing called out before flicking the reins to set the mule moving.
Shen Yan hadn’t been to town in a long time. On her lap rested a small bundle - a stack of handkerchiefs she’d embroidered over several months, which she planned to sell to an embroidery workshop in Jixing Town. Shen Xuanqing had already negotiated with them, and the price remained at four copper coins per handkerchief.
She was going partly to sell the handkerchiefs and partly to stroll around town. Ji Qiuyue and Shen Yaoqing were minding the shop in town. Once Shen Xuanqing arrived, the two of them would take the mule cart back and Shen Yan would return with them, she wouldn’t have to spend the night.
It was autumn, with the busiest farming season over, winter wheat already sown and rice harvested, there wasn’t much work left at home.
Li Laiqing was their long-term hired laborer, paid yearly. With few tasks left in the fields after mid-autumn and weeds no longer growing wildly, he helped feed the livestock at home. For a man, chopping grass and carrying water wasn’t hard labor.
The cart creaked and rattled as it rolled along, its wheels turning over the uneven ground.
Along the way, the greenery of the mountains and fields gradually faded from view. Fortunately, at the start of autumn, they had called He Zhiye to help cut grass, wanting to gather several cartloads. During the busiest days, they provided meals for He Zhiye’s family for a few days—even if it was just one meal a day, but it was a generous gesture.
Back then, even their own family—especially Wei Lanxiang and Shen Yaoqing, had carried large bamboo baskets to gather grass, fearing there wouldn’t be enough to feed the livestock in winter. They had worked hard for many days.
Now, their home wasn’t just stocked with dry grass filling the thatched shed, there were also three large stacks outside, along with several more of wheat and rice stalks. In winter, they could dig up grass and tree roots in the mountains. The vast, undulating terrain meant that as long as they were diligent, they could keep their livestock fed through the cold months.
The early morning was chilly, and as the mist gradually lifted, everything along the way seemed tinged with the bleakness of late autumn and early winter. Even the sky didn’t look as blue as before.
Shen Yan’s body swayed with the cart. She rubbed her face and tightened the badger-fur collar around her neck, covering part of her ears before tucking her hands back into her cotton sleeves for warmth.
The cold wind whipped past as they traveled. Shen Xuanqing, driving at the front, was also bundled up thickly with a badger-fur collar. Opening his mouth to speak would only let in cold air, so the two of them exchanged few words along the way—until they entered Jixing Town.
As the mule cart slowed, Shen Yan uncurled from her huddle against Guaizi, straightening her back and peering curiously at the shops lining the streets with clear almond eyes.
Guaizi was already familiar with Jixing Town and riding in carts, so he paid no attention to the shops. But when he spotted a few dogs running by the roadside, his gaze immediately snapped toward them.
By the time they reached Jixing Town, the sun was fully up, and the streets were livelier than in the early morning. Shen Xuanqing jumped down and led the mule by the reins to avoid bumping into pedestrians.
On the road, Shen Yan had been wrapped up tightly, her face buried in the badger-fur collar. Now, she lifted her head, revealing youthful, delicate features. Though her skin wasn’t as fair as Lu Gu’s from frequent sun exposure, it was far from dark or sallow—smooth and fine, especially her almond eyes, clear and bright.
She wouldn’t turn fifteen until after the New Year, the youngest in the family. With her mother and brothers as her support, and Ji Qiuyue doting on her since marrying in when she was still a child, she had never lacked care despite their past hardships. As a result, her demeanor and appearance still carried a childlike innocence.
Some girls her age were already married, but in their Daxia, it was common for women and shuang'er to wed at seventeen or eighteen. Only if one remained unmarried by nineteen would the government arrange a match.
She had grown taller this year, her features maturing—slowly becoming an adult. Shen Yaoqing and Wei Lanxiang had already begun looking for a good match for her.
Their family was no longer short on money, so there was no rush to marry her off. Wei Lanxiang, having only this one daughter, doted on her. Though she didn’t say it outright, she was clearly picky—her future son-in-law not only had to have good character, but his family also couldn’t be troublesome, lest her daughter suffer after marriage.
Without a father, Shen Yaoqing and Shen Xuanqing, as her elder brothers, took her future seriously. Since she was still young, there was no hurry to marry her off just yet. But that didn’t stop them from nitpicking every potential suitor—this one lacking, that one flawed, always finding something to criticize.
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