Lu Gu chatted with him for a while about daily matters before bringing out a plate of pastries. "I’m cooking now. Erqing and Luo Biao won’t be back for a while, Brother, so rest for now."
Luo Biao had been living with them for some time now, and the Shen family knew about it.
"Alright, go ahead." Shen Yaoqing reached out to take Lingjun. His collar was lined with badger fur, and Lingjun reached out to touch the soft fur.
The fur was soft and supple. Seeing the child's plump, fair little face, he felt a surge of fondness and began playing with little Lingjun.
A pair of leather gloves also lay on the table, which he wore while driving the cart on the road - they were made by Lu Gu.
Not only Shen Xuanqing had them, but Shen Yaoqing also often drove the cart, so Lu Gu made two more pairs, including one for Wei Lanxiang.
As he was still unskilled at the craft, the gloves were rather crude, but at least they covered the palm and all five fingers.
At noon, Shen Xuanqing and Luo Biao returned. Guaizi was the first to run into the yard, wagging his tail and barking excitedly at the sight of Shen Yaoqing.
The winter was cold, and Shen Xuanqing didn’t need to go up the mountain to hunt, so life passed uneventfully. The only change was their interactions with the Gu family.
Since they lived in town and were his brother-in-law’s family, Gu Chengyue sent over food several times - pickled goose feet and duck tongues made by his mother, and even sent some back to the old home for Shen Yan and Wei Lanxiang. He was a sincere man.
Luo Biao had no parents or home, like rootless duckweed, with hardly any relatives to speak of. Since settling in, he had been diligent in everything he did, never shying away from hard work. When the shop wasn’t busy, he would go to the Jixing Town docks to carry sacks or lumber. Occasionally, when he earned a bit more, he would bring back a roast chicken or a jar of wine, sometimes even buying little clay figurines or whistles for little Lingjun.
He had never studied, but he understood the principle of repaying kindness. Living and eating at the Shen family’s expense already made him ashamed, how could he not work or buy something in return?
Since they got along well, when Lu Gu and Shen Xuanqing returned to their hometown for the New Year, they simply invited him along. With two houses, there was plenty of room.
Unlike previous years when they had to buy meat for the New Year, this year they could slaughter their own pigs.
At first, they only raised four, keeping one as a breeding sow. Later, when the butcher shop opened, Shen Yaoqing brought home four more piglets. The livestock kept increasing, but fortunately, the house was large. Back then, Shen Xuanqing had spent a considerable sum to build mud walls enclosing the entire estate. With five dogs at home, as long as they were vigilant at night, theft wasn’t a concern.
On the day of the pig slaughter, Luo Biao naturally helped out.
With an extra man around, Lu Gu and the others didn’t need to lift a hand, only watching from the side. Butchering was bloody work, so he took little Lingjun and Zhao’er back to the old home to play, not letting the children see lest they get frightened.
The New Year’s Eve dinner was lively, with chicken, duck, fish, and pork all on the table. They were now a moderately well-off family.
The two children had started talking. Lu Gu and Ji Qiuyue had taught them a few auspicious phrases. The little ones wore festive red cotton jackets and long-life silver locks. Zhao’er was chubby and sturdy, while little Lingjun was pretty and delicate, softly reciting a couple of blessings, making all the adults at the table laugh.
Another year passed, the days slipping away unnoticed as the withered yellow mountains slowly turned green again.
By late February and early March, little Lingjun was a year and a half old and walking steadily.
Lu Gu carried the child and went with Granny Liu, their neighbor, to dig for wild vegetables outside town. Granny Liu brought her eight-year-old granddaughter, Xiaohong, and five-year-old grandson, Xiaoshan. Xiaohong was very sensible, helping her grandmother dig, while Xiaoshan was mischievous, running around like a little monkey. Only after being scolded by his grandmother did he remember to dig, but he couldn’t stay still for long.
Guaizi stayed home to guard the house, so Lu Gu set little Lingjun on the ground. Now that their little Lingjun was older, he imitated his mother by pulling at grass. He didn’t recognize wild vegetables, so his tiny fingers only pinched at the blades.
Lu Gu watched from the side, amused.
“Over there.” Granny Liu squatted, lightly shaking the dirt from the roots of the wild vegetables she had pulled before tossing them into her basket. She pointed to the woods on the left and said, “There are a few wild mulberry trees in there. In another month, we can come pick mulberry eggs.”
“Mulberry eggs” was the local term for mulberries.
Back in their hometown, Lu Gu and Shen Yan would go up the mountain to pick mulberries after spring arrived. Their hands and mouths would always end up stained purple-black. After a winter with hardly any fruit to eat, the sweet-and-sour mulberries were a treat they savored.
Hearing there were some in the woods, he picked up the child and went to look, wanting to remember the spot so he could bring little Lingjun back later. This year, the child was old enough to eat them.
But when he returned with little Lingjun in early April, the wild mulberry trees bore only small green fruits.
Since this place wasn’t far from town, adults didn’t pay much attention, but the children had been eagerly waiting. The moment the mulberries turned even slightly purple, the watchful kids would hook them down with bamboo poles—there was no chance for latecomers like them.
Standing under the tree, Lu Gu felt deeply disappointed. When his pants were tugged, he looked down at little Lingjun.
“Mother, eggs, eggs.”
Little Lingjun hadn’t remembered the term “mulberry eggs,” only “eggs.” He blinked up at Lu Gu with expectant eyes, making Lu Gu feel even worse. He should have just taken the child back to the mountains to pick some. Their mountains were vast, with plenty of wild mulberry trees. If they searched patiently, they’d surely find some untouched ones.
“Woof!”
Guaizi barked at a bird fluttering up from the woods.
Lu Gu had no choice but to pick up the child and say, “There aren’t any here. Let’s go back for now. Tomorrow, we’ll ask your father to find out where else we can find some.”
Little Lingjun had never tasted mulberries and didn’t know what they were. Though he had been excited when they set out, now that there were none to eat, he didn’t react much, only gazing up at Lu Gu with innocent, clear eyes.
At the shop, Shen Xuanqing was weighing duck eggs for a customer when he looked up and saw the dejected pair arriving at the doorstep. Surprised, he asked, “Weren’t you going to pick mulberries? What’s wrong?”
The child was fine, but Lu Gu was clearly downcast. He had promised his little shuang'er some, yet hadn’t managed to pick a single one.
They had left in high spirits but came back looking defeated. Shen Xuanqing found it both amusing and touching. Untying his apron, he said, “You two watch the shop. I’ll go ask around and see where else we can find some.”
The pork was already sold out, and a few slaughtered chickens, ducks, and rabbits hung from the wooden rack. If a customer came, they could just take one down, no need for Lu Gu to handle it.
Luo Biao had left half a month ago, joining another trip to trade horses up north. This time, he said he’d return late, as the horses were being taken to another prefecture for sale.
By noon, when the sun was high, Lu Gu had sold one chicken and one duck and boiled an egg for little Lingjun. Finally, Shen Xuanqing returned with a leaf-wrapped bundle tied with thin grass stems.
When he unfolded the leaves, revealing the purple-red mulberries, Lu Gu’s face lit up. “Where did you get these?”
Shen Xuanqing popped one into his mouth and smiled. “All the wild mulberries outside town were picked. I wandered a few streets, planning to check the docks, and luckily ran into a vendor with a basket. So I bought some.”
After washing the mulberries, Lu Gu and the child sat at the table, eating contentedly. The sweet-and-sour fruit stained their fingers purple-red. Little Lingjun, who had never seen this before, giggled delightedly at his tiny stained fingers.
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