Chapter 212
At the entrance of Zhenzhu Alley, Shen Yan and Guaizi got off first, while Shen Xuanqing led the mule around to the back alley.
Before reaching the sixth courtyard gate, they saw Lu Gu coming out with a bamboo basket. Shen Yan exclaimed happily, "Brother Guzi!"
Seeing her, Lu Gu immediately smiled and said, "Come inside quickly. Sister-in-law and the two children are home. I’m going out to buy some groceries. We’ll have stewed tofu for lunch, do you want some minced meatballs? There’s still some pork at home, so I can mince it when I get back."
It was cold in the morning, and today, little Lingjun had a stomachache and was uncomfortable, crying and fussing. After taking the medicine prescribed by the doctor, he had just fallen asleep, so Lu Gu finally had time to buy groceries.
Guaizi, who hadn’t seen him in days, whined and ran over to rub against his legs.
The tofu shop was on Nanji Street, not too far away. Lu Gu took the dog and quickly bought a few pieces of tofu and a fish. When he returned to the courtyard, he saw Shen Xuanqing sitting at the stone table drinking hot tea, his eyes curved into a pleasant smile.
Holding the bamboo basket in one hand and the fish in the other, Lu Gu first went to the kitchen to put them down before coming over to sit beside him. "Did you eat this morning?"
Shen Xuanqing, warming his hands on the steaming teapot, poured him a bowl when he approached and said with a smile, "I did. It’s cold from the wind on the road, but some hot tea will help."
Hearing Shen Yan playing with Zhao’er in the east wing, Lu Gu called out, "Yan Yan, do you want some too?"
"I’ve got some here," Shen Yan replied.
Seeing that, Lu Gu didn’t press further. Noticing Shen Xuanqing’s cold hands, he said, "You’re always driving the cart, and wearing tube sleeves makes it hard to hold the whip and reins. These past few days, we’ve saved up quite a few rabbit furs at home. I’ll ask Granny Liu next door how to make those fur gloves and make a pair for you."
Ordinary families couldn’t afford leather goods, but fortunately, Shen Xuanqing was a hunter, and their family sold rabbits, so they had plenty of pelts.
Granny Liu was a local of Jixing Town, with a bit of money and more worldly experience. Wealthier families, in addition to fur coats and collars in winter, also used leather to make gloves with separated fingers, which were much more convenient than tube sleeves that only allowed hands to be tucked in. Wearing them, one wouldn’t fear the cold.
A couple of days ago, while chatting with Granny Liu, Lu Gu had heard about such things. Seeing Shen Xuanqing’s cold hands, he remembered it now.
Country folk had never seen such things. If he were to make them himself, he’d have to think carefully. But with so many rabbit pelts at home, even if he ruined one or two, it wouldn’t matter much.
Or perhaps he could first try cutting and sewing with cheap coarse cloth. Once he figured out how to make them, he could move on to the fur.
Sipping hot tea, Lu Gu furrowed his brows in thought. When it came to needlework, his ideas were quite flexible.
Since Shen Yan had come, lunch included an additional steamed fish.
"Fish."
Little Lingjun sat in Lu Gu’s arms, pointing a tiny finger at the fish on the table and calling out in a milky voice. In August, he and Zhao’er had celebrated their birthdays one after the other. Now one was a year old, and the other two years old, both at the age where they could speak.
"Alright, alright." Lu Gu picked up a piece of tender white fish meat, carefully checked for small bones, and then fed it to the child.
Little Lingjun had grown a bit, but since he was younger than Zhao’er and just over a year old, his speech wasn’t as fluent. Sometimes, even when Lu Gu and Shen Xuanqing tried to teach him, he refused to learn. But when it came to food, he remembered things astonishingly fast - like the word fish (鱼, yú). After being taught once, he could say it and recognize what it was.
On the other side, Ji Qiuyue was also feeding Zhao’er fish. The two little milk dumplings were very well-behaved as long as they had food in their mouths or their small wooden bowls.
The wooden bowls were made by a carpenter after Zhao’er had broken several porcelain ones at home. Wei Lanxiang had commissioned them, one for each of the children. Though the bowls weren’t expensive, breaking too many still cost money. Wooden ones were better, so when Ji Qiuyue brought Zhao’er to town, she brought the wooden bowl along.
Now that the children could eat a bit of regular food, Lu Gu rarely cooked with chili. The steamed fish was also prepared so the children could have a few bites.
The fish meat was tender, melting easily in the mouth, much softer than the minced meatballs. Still, Zhao’er ate two of the meatballs.
Lingjun still mainly ate milk fruit. Being a little shuang’er, his appetite was smaller. And since his stomach was upset, he only ate a few small bites of fish before turning his head away to avoid more, refusing even the small piece of steamed bun in his hand. Sitting on Lu Gu’s lap, he began playing with it, crumbling the bun everywhere.
Looking down and seeing his little shuang'er wasting food, Lu Gu couldn’t bear it. He took the crumbled bun from the child’s hand and said, "Enough. If you won’t eat it, give it to your dad."
Shen Xuanqing, used to this, stretched out his big hand for little Lingjun to place the crumbs in his palm.
"Dad, dad." Little Lingjun giggled, dropping the crumbled bun into his father’s hand. He could now call for "Amu" and "Dad," and when he said "dad," his tiny voice was so soft it melted Shen Xuanqing’s heart every time, leaving him smiling endlessly.
"Yes, yes, Dad will eat it, Dad will eat it." Happily, he took the crumbs from his little shuang'er. After being called like that, he couldn’t muster even a hint of disgust, he was utterly delighted.
Lu Gu didn’t dislike his little shuang'er either, but earlier, while drinking meatball soup, he had put down his bowl only for little Lingjun's quick little hands to dip a finger into the soup. After stopping him, the child stopped fussing, but his hands were greasy, and the bun was crumbled beyond saving, better to let Shen Xuanqing eat it.
"I’m done eating, I’ll head over first." Shen Yaoqing put down his bowl. He ate quickly and, with nothing else to do, preferred to open the shop early—business came first.
"Alright." Shen Xuanqing said, "I’ll take the rabbits over later to slaughter. You don’t need to worry about it."
"Mm." Shen Yaoqing nodded. After standing up, he didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he flicked Zhao’er lightly on the forehead, making the child cover his head with both hands, which amused him greatly.
"Go!" Ji Qiuyue was annoyed that he always liked to tease their son, sometimes even deliberately making him cry. If she couldn’t calm him down afterward, she’d be left to deal with it. So she glared and shooed him away. "Go on, get out of here. So annoying."
Shen Yaoqing, knowing he had a habit of messing with his son when bored, took the scolding in stride. Seeing his wife’s glare and her unyielding expression, he rubbed his nose, chuckled, and made a quick escape.
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