Chapter 152

Chapter 152

After eating, Gu Lanshi washed the dishes and entered the room intending to take a nap, only to see Pei Yan sitting by the bed emptying the money pouch.

"Everything out?" he asked casually, "Why did you think of counting money?"

Pei Yan placed the now-empty money pouch aside, looked up at him with a smile, and said, "Nothing much. In these past half months selling eggs, all we received were copper coins. I wanted to see how much we've saved in total, including what we had before."

Selling vegetables and eggs were small businesses, and apart from the silver pieces they received for delivering eggs to the tavern last time, everything else was in copper coins.

Gu Lanshi sat down by the bed and watched as Pei Yan poured out all the silver pieces, gathered them into a pile with his hands, and said with a grin, "These have been untouched, still twenty taels."

Last winter, their savings that they didn't touch amounted to seven taels and three mace. The sixteen taels and eight mace they earned from catching snakes brought the total to twenty-four taels and one mace, excluding the scattered copper coins which weren't counted.

This summer, they started selling vegetables, scorpions, and cheap herbs, with the bulk of their earnings coming from the scorpions, amounting to nearly four taels.

In spring, digging the well cost them three taels, plus three mace for the geomancer, four mace for two rocking chairs, and the money they made this summer just about covered these major expenses.

To save money, they put the twenty taels of silver pieces into a money pouch and never touched it. The remaining four taels and one mace would have lasted them quite a while in the countryside.

With money in hand, they no longer restrained themselves from eating meat, and with the additional expenses of the New Year and other expenditures over the past six months, they spent about half of it on various sundries.

As for the money they earned from selling vegetables after autumn this year, along with Pei Yan's occasional work for a day or two when he was free, they managed to save some copper coins.

"Mm, I took them out of the money pouch just now," Pei Yan set aside the string of coins, one hundred coins per string, totaling two strings.

Gu Lanshi took out a ball of hemp rope from the sewing basket, cut several strips, and happily joined Pei Yan in threading and counting the coins. The remaining pile of copper coins came from selling eggs.

Compared to vegetables, eggs were more valuable.

Gu Lanshi gathered the neatly strung coins together and laughed, saying, "Six strings, now we have eight strings. If we save another two hundred coins, it'll be enough for one tael."

The final fifty-odd copper coins were put by Pei Yan into a lotus pouch, which he stuffed under the mattress for daily expenses like buying tofu and meat.

"Mm." Pei Yan nodded, putting the whole strings of coins back into the money pouch while pondering in his heart that not a single piece of the twenty taels should be touched.

And these eight hundred copper coins, if he wanted to buy a nice piece of jewelry, would probably cost around one tael, but there was still a shortage.

However, these eight hundred coins were accounted for, and Gu Lanshi wanted to save all this money. He couldn't say he wanted to use it to buy something, so he could only put it on hold for now and think of another way later.

*

Dinner was eaten early, and after feeding the livestock, Gu Lanshi took a look around the large vegetable garden outside. The weeds had been pulled before, and now there were only a few scattered sprouts in the fields.

Standing at the gate, one hand stroking Huazi's head, Gu Lanshi saw Pei Yan tidying up the firewood pile outside and asked, "Pei Yan, do you want to go to the fields?"

Huahui was lying on the ridges of the vegetable field munching on spring vegetable leaves. Seeing this, she ran over, directly pushing Huazi aside, and presented her head to him, her mouth open in a smile, her tail wagging nonstop behind her.

Their dogs sometimes ate the vegetables in the field, but as long as they didn't bite and ruin large areas, he wouldn't scold them too much.

When they weren't home, the dogs would eat the vegetables if they were hungry. These few were relatively smart, knowing they'd get beaten, so they usually only gnawed on one plant.

Dahai, originally lying under the eaves of the main room, got up and yawned widely, then trotted out, rubbing its head against Gu Lanshi's calf. Its tail seemed to be wagging, or perhaps it was using its tail to whip Huahui and Huazi, but those two were thick-skinned and clearly not hurt.

"Let's go." Pei Yan picked up a small pile of chopped wood with both hands, and after saying this, he walked towards the woodshed, neatly stacking them before brushing off the wood shavings and heading out.

"The key to the outer gate is in my bosom, no need to fetch it. We'll be back soon." Gu Lanshi, tripped by the three big dogs, stopped petting them and turned to leave.

Pei Yan closed the courtyard gate without locking it. It was late afternoon, and they were just going to take a quick look at the fields, so there was no need to lock everything up.

Leaving Dahai and the others to watch the house, Gu Lanshi locked the fence gate, and the two of them walked together towards the village.

Passing by the Gu family's place, seeing the courtyard gate open, they stopped in front. Miao Qiulian was in the courtyard collecting the dried clothes.

"Mom, are the handkerchiefs dry?" Gu Lanshi asked.

Miao Qiulian, holding the clothes, smiled and said upon hearing this, "Dry, dry, here they are."

She freed one hand from her bosom to pull out the light purple cotton handkerchief and continued, "The color has faded, but it's still bright. Zhu Ge loves it like anything. He's in the room embroidering flowers with Shuang'er right now."

Gu Lanshi smiled and said, "He's loved bright things since he was a child. Today is exactly to his liking."

"That's true," Miao Qiulian put the handkerchief back in her bosom, holding the clothes and asked, "Where are you and your son-in-law going?"

"Mother-in-law, we're just going to take a walk in the fields," Pei Yan replied.

"Good, good, you two go ahead." Miao Qiulian finished, it was inconvenient for her to chat more with the clothes in her arms, so she turned and headed inside first.

Around dinner time, most of the villagers had returned. Along the way out of the village, the two of them chatted idly with quite a few people.

Before reaching the ancestral home, Fang Honghua came out carrying a stool, looking like she wanted to sit by the courtyard gate and gossip with people.

"Ama." Gu Lanshi called out loudly.

"Oh!" Fang Honghua suddenly broke into a wide smile, her face creased with even more wrinkles as she laughed and waved at them, "Come here."

Seeing her expression, Gu Lanshi and Pei Yan knew she had something she wanted to give them. Neither of them hesitated, following her into the courtyard.

In the courtyard, He Shui'er was washing her son's face while pressing down on his head, scolding him as she washed. This stinky brat, sneaking out to play and getting as dirty as a bandit.

"Sister-in-law." Gu Lanshi smiled at his nephew, who had quite a bit of dirt on his clothes.

"Tsk, this dead brat, always up to no good, causing me nothing but trouble," He Shui'er was still angry, slapping her son's back.

Fang Honghua was used to this scene; she never interfered when disciplining children and went straight into the room.

Gu Lanshi and Pei Yan didn't say much as they saw He Shui'er continue to scold.

Fang Honghua unlocked the cabinet and took out an octagonal patterned box, placing it on the table and opening it as she said, "Your aunt came the day before yesterday, you two weren't here. This is what she brought, take it and eat it."

Upon opening the box, there were nine separate compartments inside. The middle one was the largest, surrounded by eight smaller compartments.

This item was also owned by Gu Lanshi's parents, only taken out for use during the New Year. The cover and dishes of the box were adorned with patterns, each with distinct colors and designs. More refined rural households would purchase one, using it to serve guests during festive seasons, filled with dried fruits and candied delicacies, presenting an elegant and beautiful display.

Spotting peach paste, Gu Lanshi picked up several pieces, standing before the table to share them directly with Pei Yan.

Fang Honghua glanced at the windows and doors; the window was closed, and although the door was open, no one was in the main room. After some thought, she still walked over to gently close the door.

Pei Yan's gaze fell on the box, his expression thoughtful.

"There's more," Fang Honghua whispered, walking to the cabinet to retrieve an oil-paper package from within. After opening it, her voice remained low as she said, "Golden Thread Honey Dates, there's only this one pack. You two should try them quickly; they're very sweet, even the pits have been removed."

Gu Lanshi now understood why she was being so cautious; Golden Thread Honey Dates were among the pricier candied fruits.

Smiling, he took two honey dates, putting one in his mouth and offering the other to Pei Yan.

The Golden Thread Honey Dates were soft and sweet, without any pits, making them delightful to eat in one bite.

Seeing the two of them enjoying the treat, Fang Honghua pinched one for herself, then urged them to take another. Only then did she wrap the oil-paper back up, placing it back in the farthest corner of the cabinet.

"Here." She grabbed a handful of apricot pastes and stuffed them into Gu Lanshi's hand, remembering to ask, "Where are you two going?"

"We're just going to walk around the fields. In a few days, it'll be time to harvest the rice." Gu Lanshi smiled, sharing some apricot paste with Pei Yan.

Fang Honghua grabbed another handful of apricot paste, closed the box, and put it back in the cabinet, locking it securely. The three of them then walked out together.

"You little monkey, everyone else stays out of the dirt, but you love to show off, thinking you're so capable..." He Shui'er undressed her son, her scolding continuing unabated. She couldn't avoid changing his clothes, though; if he went out looking like that, it would be embarrassing for her if anyone saw him.

"Little Mao'er, do you listen to your mother?" Fang Honghua asked her great-grandson, her hands behind her back as she bent down.

Little Mao'er was stubborn, his lips pouted high after being hit, tears almost spilling over, but he held back, refusing to make a sound as he turned his head to look elsewhere.

Seeing this, He Shui'er became angry again, scolding, "You're asking for trouble. Your grandma is talking to you, and you pretend not to hear?"

Fang Honghua interjected, "Enough, you've already beaten him and scolded him. Say less, Little Mao'er, come here."

Little Mao'er sniffled, following his great-grandmother to the side.

Fang Honghua held his hand, giving him half of the apricot paste, then asked, "Do you still listen to your mother?"

Little Mao'er suddenly burst into laughter, picking up a piece of apricot paste and stuffing it into his mouth, nodding his head as he said, "Yes."

"That's settled then. In the future, don't go digging tunnels with those wild boys, or I'll have to hit you too." Fang Honghua warned.

"I know, Grandma." Little Mao'er was elated, after all, he was only six years old, easily appeased with something tasty.

"Worthless." He Shui'er threw his dirty clothes into a wooden basin, unable to help another scolding.

"Grandma, Sister-in-law, we're leaving first. We want to take a walk in the fields while the sun hasn't set yet." Gu Lanshi said with a smile.

"Alright." Fang Honghua agreed, walking out the door with them, sitting in a chair to leisurely snack on apricot paste.

Xiaomao, having been scolded, did not approach his mother but sat on a stone in front of the door eating with his great-grandmother. A child named Shidan, who was about the same age as him and lived next door, ran over and stared at him with longing, drooling.

The apricot preserves were purchased from outside, something his mother usually wouldn't allow, and Xiao Mao, being so fond of them, was reluctant to share with others. He turned away from Shi Dan, not wanting to part with his treasure.

It was Fang Honghua who kindly shared two portions with the salivating Shi Dan.

*

The rice harvest is still about ten days away. Gu Lan and Pei Yan wandered around here, and then went to the dry field to take a look at the soybeans.

Pulling up the bean stalks comes later than harvesting the rice; this summer has been somewhat waterlogged, and the crops don't look as good as they did last year.

The evening glow painted the horizon with fiery hues, as if a masterpiece. The two of them followed the riverbank, heading homeward, avoiding the village paths.

Gu Lan, recalling something, smiled and said, "Just now I saw you looking at the snack box, was there something you wanted to eat? We are going to the town in a few days, shall we buy some then?"

Fang Honghua, having reached an advanced age, no longer earns money like the two of them, hence she usually enjoys some snacks at the ancestral home, and they do not take more than necessary.

Pei Yan withdrew his gaze from the evening glow and smiled, saying, "No, it's not that. I saw the stacking box and it reminded me of our egg baskets. I've been pondering this for the past few days. If we could separate the baskets layer by layer, like a small stacking dish, placing just one egg in each compartment, with solid padding around it, it would be more convenient to take them to the town."

So that's how it is, Gu Lan pondered along with his words and said, "It does seem quite good, even if it means fewer eggs in each basket, as long as there isn't too much bumping along the way, it's still cost-effective."

Pei Yan nodded and said, "Yes, that's precisely it, but I'll have to find an opportune moment tomorrow to see exactly how to go about it."