Chapter 214
In the blink of an eye, several more days passed. The chill of late autumn grew heavier, but today, with no wind and plenty of sunshine, it was truly a fine day.
The second branch of the Shen family had been scattered in two places for most of the year, but today was a rare occasion when everyone was gathered.
Early in the morning, with all things withered and dormant, there wasn’t much work to be done in the fields. Aside from those going up the mountain to dig for tianwogen, many families only began stirring after the sun had risen.
Little Lingjun had gone to bed early the night before. Now able to roll over and crawl, he woke up and immediately clambered onto Lu Gu’s chest, calling for "Amu" with his little face pressed close.
Adults were usually busy with this and that, and sometimes couldn’t help but feel exhausted. Lu Gu kept his eyes closed, already accustomed to his little shuang'er waking up so early. He stayed silent, hoping to sleep a little longer, but then a small hand patted his cheek a few times.
"Amu, mu."
Little Lingjun’s speech wasn’t very clear yet - sometimes he swallowed words or sounds, making his speech muddled, but that didn’t stop him from calling out persistently.
Lu Gu had no choice but to open his eyes. He removed the little chubby hand patting his cheek and saw their little Lingjun smiling at him - though as he smiled, a bit of drool escaped.
He picked the child up, settling him securely on the bed so he could sit up himself. As soon as he did, he reached for the handkerchief hanging by the bed and wiped Lingjun’s mouth.
It was still early, and Lu Gu hadn’t forgotten the day’s important matter. After dressing himself and the child, the first thing he did was carry Lingjun to the courtyard to relieve himself.
Shen Xuanqing had gotten up earlier than the two of them. After filling the water vat, he was now chopping firewood. When he saw his little shuang'er come out, he whistled cheerfully to amuse Lingjun.
Little Lingjun looked at his father and burst into laughter in Lu Gu’s arms, clapping his little hands in delight.
"Mother said she’s heating breakfast over there. I’ve washed and cut open the milk fruit, feed him first, then go eat with Yan Yan," he said while gathering the split firewood from the ground. He carried it all into the woodshed and stacked it neatly, then took a broom to sweep the wood shavings into a pile, gathering them near the firewood stack outside the shed.
After leaning the broom against the wall, he said, "We’ll have guests today, so I’ll go over there first to get things ready. Feed the livestock early so we can tidy up properly afterward."
Once Lingjun finished his business, Lu Gu stood up and replied, "Alright, got it. You go ahead."
After Shen Xuanqing left, the early morning air was still chilly, so Lu Gu carried the child into the main hall. Seeing the prepared milk fruit in a bowl on the table, he sat down to feed Lingjun first, then called toward Wei Lanxiang’s room, "Yan Yan, are you up yet?"
"I’m up," Shen Yan answered. She was in the middle of getting dressed, her heart uneasy. She had heard Shen Xuanqing leave earlier, meaning only she and Lu Gu remained in the house now.
"Brother Guzi, how do I look?" she asked after putting on her new clothes, her hair still undone.
Seeing her nervous and worried expression, Lu Gu couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious himself. Unlike other girls and shuang'ers, he had never gone through the process of being matched with Shen Xuanqing, so he had no experience with this kind of situation.
He examined her carefully and said, "You look fine. Didn’t you have a new pair of shoes? I remember Mother took them out for you last night."
Hearing this, Shen Yan relaxed slightly. She let out a quiet breath and said, "I’ll change them later. Fixing my hair is more important right now."
"Alright, they won’t arrive until mid-morning. It’s still early, no need to rush, take your time," Lu Gu reassured her.
Today’s most important matter was Gu Chengyue’s visit to meet Shen Yan. They had already arranged it with the third branch. Shen Yan would go over and sit by the window in Shen Yu’s room, pretending to do needlework.
Gu Chengyue was supposed to fetch water and chop firewood for Shen Shunwang’s family. Since he was a scholar from Jixing Town and not a rural laborer, he was exempt from tasks like carrying logs or plowing fields. All he had to do was hoe the vegetable patch in Shen Shunwang’s front yard.
This was their local custom - a demonstration of labor to show that the prospective son-in-law was strong and capable. As long as he could work diligently, at the very least, the family wouldn’t starve. For rural folk, having enough to eat and wear was already quite good.
Shen Xuanqing had already investigated the Gu family’s circumstances. Originally, they were no different from ordinary farming families in town - not wealthy or high-status. But over the years, they had gradually built up their assets. They employed long-term laborers to work their twenty acres of fertile land outside town, and they had two maids at home - one for cooking and another for cleaning.
Gu Chengyue’s father sold incense, candles, and paper offerings and even crafted paper effigies of people and horses - a skilled trade that guaranteed their livelihood.
With maids at home, the women of the family didn’t need to cook or clean, living much more comfortably than country folk. However, since they ran a shop, there were times when everyone - whether sons, daughters, or Mrs. Gu had to help cut paper or assemble effigies. The whole family was hardworking and down-to-earth.
Gu Chengyue wasn’t just a good scholar, he also knew the craft of paper effigy-making. Shen Xuanqing had specifically sought out information about this. Having a skill to fall back on meant an extra path to survival
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