Chapter 159

Chapter 159

Gu Lanshi poured a bowl of hot tea and handed it to Zhu Ge'er when he came running in. She smiled and asked, "Why did you come over at this time?"

It was inconvenient for Zhu Ge'er to wear his raincoat, so he placed the tea bowl on the table, took off his raincoat and removed his hat before saying, "It's been raining since yesterday without stopping. There's nothing much to do, and I knew you two would be home since it's raining. I just came over to hang out for a while."

Gu Lanshi glanced outside. Although it was a light drizzle, it hadn't stopped, making the ground muddy and slippery. Generally, no one would want to go out, except for their family's Zhu Ge'er who still wanted to play outside in the rain.

After wiping the mud off his shoes on the doorstep, Zhu Ge'er came back inside and plopped down on a stool, picking up the tea bowl to drink from it.

"Take it easy, no one is going to snatch it from you," Gu Lanshi said as she refilled his cup with hot tea. She chuckled and asked, "Did Mother scold you again at home?"

The warmth of the hot water made Zhu Ge'er feel much better. He held the tea bowl to warm his hands and looked up to say, "Back when there were two of us, Mother loved to nag, but at least there was someone else to share the blame with me. Now that it's only me, all her scolding falls on my head."

Curious, Gu Lanshi asked, "What happened exactly?"

Her mother was a bit talkative, but she wasn't the type to scold them for no reason.

Zhu Ge'er then explained, "The night before last, it didn't rain, but somehow all the hens escaped from their enclosure. Erhei barked for a long time, waking up the whole family. We had to catch the hens pecking around in the vegetable garden. The moonlight wasn't good, so we had to use lanterns. It was quite a hassle, and we were lucky Erhei helped us. Otherwise, we wouldn't have found the two hens that flew up into the jujube tree."

Gu Lanshi laughed and said, "Today, Mother remembered that incident and scolded you again?"

"That's right," Zhu Ge'er said indignantly. "I was the one being scolded, but I didn't want the chickens to escape either."

"Mother scolding you isn't like someone else scolding you. Just let her words go in one ear and out the other," Gu Lanshi advised. Suddenly, she thought of something and asked, "Why did Mother only scold you?"

Zhu Ge'er deflated, took a sip of hot tea, and said, "I was the one feeding the chickens that day."

Gu Lanshi burst out laughing.

Zhu Ge'er tried to defend himself: "I remember closing the enclosure door properly. I don't know how they managed to escape at night."

Gu Lanshi got up to fetch some dried fruit from the room, saying as she walked, "As long as none of them are missing, it's not a big deal. It's a good lesson to learn. From now on, just remember to check the enclosure."

Zhu Ge'er felt like he had found a kindred spirit and nodded eagerly. "Exactly! Today, when I went to feed the chickens, I took an extra look."

When his brother entered the house, he turned to look at Pei Yan, who was sitting at the entrance of the main room weaving a bamboo cage. After thinking for a moment, he asked with a smile, "Brother Yan, you're weaving a cage?"

He no longer feared Pei Yan as he used to, but there weren't many topics they could discuss, so he made small talk.

"Mm," Pei Yan paused in his work and looked at him, giving a faint smile. "The old chicken cages are worn out, so I'm weaving two new ones."

After hearing this, Zhu Ge'er was at a loss for what to say next. Then, Gu Lanshi came out with a bag of apricot preserves and a bag of pastries. As he walked, he opened them and said, "These apricot preserves are from the last purchase, and there aren't many left."

Seeing food, Zhu Ge'er broke into a smile. After eating two apricot preserves, he suddenly remembered to ask, "Brother Yan, do you want some?"

Gu Lanshi poured herself some tea and said, "He doesn't eat them. You can eat yours without worrying about him."

There weren't many apricot preserves left. If Pei Yan wanted to eat them, he would buy more in town later. His younger brother didn't have any money and didn't often go to town. If he wanted a snack, he'd have to pester his mother for a while. Although she would eventually buy it for him, he'd still have to endure her nagging.

"I won't eat, you go ahead." Pei Yan echoed, lowering his head to continue with his work.

Gu Lanshi picked up the shoe sole, sewing while chatting idly with Zhu Ge'er about Li Mei's return yesterday. Due to the rain, she couldn't return to her in-laws. Miao Qiulian saw her at the ancestral home when she went to deliver something and chatted for a bit.

He glanced outside at the curtain of rain. It was no use, with such weather. If Mei Ge'er was still at home when it cleared, he would visit then.

Zhu Ge'er took another plum cake, barely taking a bite before he smacked his forehead. "How could I forget the main thing? Uncle came by early yesterday, sat down for a bit at home. He was supposed to come here but the sudden rain had him rushing back to harvest rice. He told Mother that he found a husband for the Wu family, everything is settled except for the wedding date. Chef Wu is delighted, inviting Brother Yan and Uncle to his house for drinks in a few days."

"It's perfect timing since I wanted to come over and play. Mother asked me to pass on the message to both of you."

Zhu Ge'er sipped some hot tea, biting into the cake again. If not for this important matter, the rain might have kept him indoors.

Gu Lanshi was a little surprised. "So soon? It hasn't even been a month, and they've already found someone."

Zhu Ge'er, having heard the adults' idle chatter, knew a bit. "The Wus were in a hurry. The matchmaker found Shuer, who happens to be from Miao Village, right next to Grandpa's place. Do you remember, Lan Shi Ge? We met him when we visited Grandpa as kids."

Gu Lanshi thought for a moment and remembered.

Zhu Ge'er continued, "Shuer is two years older. His family is poor, and he's stubborn, which is why he wasn't married off. Uncle saw an opportunity and asked Chef Wu. Chef Wu then asked around and decided to offer a few taels of silver to quickly settle the marriage."

Gu Lanshi asked, "Shuer is so stubborn, did he agree this time?"

Shuer's family was poor, but in the countryside, there were equally poor families that matched. However, whenever someone tried to arrange a marriage for Shuer in recent years, he always pushed them away with silence.

Gu Lanshi remembered Shuer's appearance; they were of the same generation, two years older than him, making him twenty this year.

As a child, he was quiet and uncommunicative, average-looking, yet incredibly filial and obedient. Whenever they met, he was helping out at home. His mother always praised Shuer.

Shuer's mother was frail, and when he turned thirteen, they finally had a male sibling. Unfortunately, his father fell and became lame. If Shuer married, no one would take care of the family, so he stayed to work.

Zhu Ge'er stuffed the remaining cake into his mouth, swallowing before saying, "His younger brother has grown and can help out. His mother and father feared delaying his marriage too long, worried he'd never find a wife. With this opportunity, arranged by our Uncle and Aunt, after much persuasion, he finally agreed."

"Ah, I see," Gu Lanshi nodded.

Shuer's family was indeed poor. After adding a male heir, his father had an accident. Two years ago, someone came to buy a young husband, offering a good price, higher than usual dowries for duals.

However, the family lived far away. Initially tempted, they reconsidered, fearing deception. If something bad happened, being so far away would make it hard to intervene. They eventually declined.

The delay led to difficulty finding a decent marriage now. Although the Wu family also struggled and lacked farmland, working in a restaurant and earning money in town was a high branch they never dared dream of.

As for the Wu family, Wu Shengwen was anxious but not foolish. After investigating Shuer's family, he approached Miao Chengcai.

Shuer's family was honest and poor, but they had shelter and land to farm, barely managing to feed themselves throughout the year.

Shuer worked diligently and knew filial piety, qualities Wu Shengwen valued most. Age wasn't an issue as long as the character was good; life was the same regardless.

Wu Er had yet to marry. An early marriage was ideal.

Despite his financial struggles, Wu Shengwen could scrape together a few taels of silver for his second son's marriage. Through Miao Chengcai's mediation, he promised the dowry and cloth, finalizing the arrangement.

After listening, Pei Yan asked, "Did Uncle not mention the day he's going to town?"

Zhu Ge'er spoke up, "It seems like it's the sixteenth."

"There are still a few days." Gu Lanshi refilled Pei Yan's hot tea, stretching his arm to pass the bowl over, saying, "Today is only the eleventh."

Pei Yan took the tea bowl and had a couple of sips before nodding. "Mm, no rush. Once the rain stops, I'll go deliver vegetables in a couple of days. If I run into Chef Wu, he'll surely bring it up."

After some casual chatter, Zhu Ge'er glanced outside the door where the rain had lessened. He popped two apricot pastes into his mouth, clapped his hands, and laughed. "While the rain has lightened, it's time to head back."

Seeing him about to rise, Gu Lanshi reached out and pressed him down, smiling. "What's the rush? You just got here and you're already leaving? You haven't even eaten yet."

When Zhu Ge'er didn't catch on, he gave a meaningful glance and said, "Your Brother Yan hunted a fat rabbit yesterday. We'll have stewed rabbit meat later."

Rabbit meat.

Zhu Ge'er chuckled foolishly twice, settling his bottom firmly back onto the bench.

The rain continued, making it impossible to go to town. The rabbit was already dead, and it wouldn't be good if left too long, so they could only eat it while it was fresh.

Before long, as the hour grew late, Pei Yan put down his work and went to boil water to prepare the rabbit. Gu Lanshi and Zhu Ge'er assisted him in the kitchen, and the three of them were lively, chatting and laughing as they cooked a meal together.

With the cold weather, after eating the warm stew, their bodies warmed up, and their hands and feet were no longer icy.

When Zhu Ge'er was about to leave, seeing that the rain had stopped, Gu Lanshi scooped a bowl of meat for him to take back, as the rabbit was quite fatty, yielding plenty of meat.

Dahei and the others also benefited from this, enjoying both chunks of meat and broth, thoroughly satisfied.

Gu Lanshi carefully stored the rabbit skin that was removed, planning to tan it later. If it wasn't needed at home, he would sell it in town, as fur goods were quite valuable.