Chapter 180

Chapter 180

The commotion caused by Lin Jingen beating his son was heard by the neighbors. Those who wanted to see the spectacle only had to step out of their courtyard gates before they spotted Pei Yan standing in front of the Lin family's house. Terrified, they immediately retreated and strained their ears to listen from within their courtyards, but could only make out a few muffled words.

After discovering that Pei Yan had left, even if they wanted to inquire further, Lin Jingen had already shut the courtyard gate. The others were momentarily clueless about what had happened to provoke the malevolent star from the back mountain.

If not for the sun being obscured by clouds and the wind picking up, causing fewer people to venture out to gossip, this incident would have spread like wildfire among the villagers.

Gu Lanshi sat by the fire in the room, sewing. After working on embroidery for a long time, his legs and feet tended to get cold, but having a brazier helped immensely.

The door was slightly ajar, not fully closed. Suddenly, there was a soft sound at the door, and a nimble black shadow squeezed its way inside.

Dahei used his head to push open the door. Upon entering, he stuck out his tongue and grinned, rubbing his head against Gu Lanshi's back before promptly lying down next to the brazier.

Seeing how quietly it moved, Gu Lanshi couldn't help but laugh. Dahei was quite cunning, coming in alone without wanting Gray and Gray Jr. to know.

Indeed, when the brazier was lit, the three dogs often fought over positions, their plump bottoms bumping into each other as they tried to squeeze out the other two as far as possible.

Gu Lanshi could hear Gray and Gray Jr. running around outside, but he didn't expose Dahei. Due to the cold wind blowing in from the door, he got up to close it properly.

Dahei rarely entered the house, and whenever he did, he was always very quiet, lying there motionless.

Gu Lanshi saw no danger of the fire scorching its fur, so he continued with his embroidery. The man and the dog didn't disturb each other.

By the time Pei Yan returned from selling the snakes, the clouds in the sky had thickened, making the sky appear gray and gloomy. The signs of snowfall that night became more apparent.

While tethering the donkey in the backyard, Pei Yan took the opportunity to check the livestock shed.

Aside from the roof, the sides and front of the shed were surrounded by straw, leaving only a narrow entrance and exit. Although it was darker inside, it was windproof and waterproof, with plenty of dry straw laid down, allowing the donkey to spend the winter comfortably.

There was also a wooden and straw roof covering most of the pigsty above the pigpen. Inside the pig's nest, a pile of dry straw was provided for both lying and eating.

Seeing no potential hazards, he returned to the front yard, where Gu Lanshi had already prepared the warm water for handwashing.

Pei Yan squatted down to wash his hands, then looked up and smiled, saying, "Eleven taels."

Money in one's own hands was real money. Gu Lanshi's eyes sparkled; another ten taels of silver had been added to their savings. They wouldn't have to worry about finances for the next few years.

Pei Yan's hands were still wet. Seeing how delighted he was, he stood up and gestured for him to take the purse.

Gu Lanshi pulled out the purse and opened it to take a look. This time, it was all small silver pieces.

Even in the town's apothecary shops, large silver ingots were rarely used in daily transactions. Loose silver was the most commonly used currency.

This was also good for them, as they only engaged in small-scale businesses and rarely made large transactions. Large sums of silver were inconvenient to carry and exchange for change.

For daily life, small silver coins were the most practical.

Hearing the hens clucking in the west room, Gu Lanshi secured the purse and tucked it into his chest with a smile. "I'll go check if they've laid any eggs."

Since the egg jar was in the main room, he went straight in without taking anything. He searched through the straw on the bed and found three eggs.

Even without snow, except at night, the west room's stove was sometimes heated during the day, keeping the room warm and encouraging the hens to lay eggs frequently.

After coming out, he closed the west room door securely, placed the eggs in the jar filled with husk, covered it with the stone slab, and ensured there were no gaps through which mice could enter before feeling relieved.

Seeing Pei Yan warming his hands in the east room, this time with Gray and Gray Jr. also inside, sitting in front of the brazier and mumbling something indistinctly, their throats emitting low growls.

Gu Lanshi noticed the pile of dirt in the corner and went over to dig out four wild sweet potatoes. After brushing off the dirt on the sweet potatoes, he carried them into the room with both hands.

Pei Yan used a piece of wood to stir the fire in the brazier. After he placed all the sweet potatoes inside, he pushed the fire and ashes back over them, covering them completely.

"What are we having for lunch? We still haven't opened the good wine we bought last time," Gu Lanshi asked after sitting down.

Pei Yan thought for a moment and said, "Do we have any meat left? Have we finished the bones yet?"

Gu Lanshi's eyes overflowed with laughter as he replied, "We have both. I'll go stew the bones later. It will be perfect with the wine. I'll also fry a plate of eggs. Oh, do you want peanuts? If so, I'll fry a bowl of peanuts as well."

"The weather is changing, and there's nothing much to do anyway. Let's have some wine to warm ourselves up."

"Alright." Pei Yan nodded. Seeing Gu Lanshi also extending his hand to warm it by the fire, he couldn't resist and grabbed his husband's hand.

Smaller than his own, the hand was slender yet not fragile. A touch revealed the calluses formed from years of hard labor.

After the cold set in, despite using hot water for washing clothes and cooking, the cold wind inevitably made the skin rough and even cracked.

It wasn't like this last year.

Pei Yan frowned and gently caressed the back of Gu Lanshi's fingers with his fingertips. "Is it dry?"

Without waiting for Gu Lanshi to speak, he continued, "Next time we go to town, let's buy some hand cream. They sell it in the cosmetics shop. It's better than lard. It's neither greasy nor slippery, and it's more moisturizing."

Sometimes Miao Qiulian would bring her sisters-in-law and daughters-in-law over to chat. While serving tea and water, he also caught snippets of conversations about women and husbands.

Gu Lanshi originally wanted to say it wasn't necessary. If his hands were too dry or had cracks, a little lard would suffice to moisturize them. He had gotten by like this in the past. But seeing the serious expression on Pei Yan's face, he curved his eyebrows and said, "Alright."