Chapter 207: Little Star’s Smiles and Harvest Joys

Chapter 207: Little Star's Smiles and Harvest Joys

Little Star was yet to learn how to smile, only opening his large, bright eyes, sometimes looking at the adults around him and emitting soft, baby coos.

More often than not, the child would blink his eyes, gazing into nothingness, flailing his limbs in delight occasionally, and sometimes stuffing his tiny hands into his mouth as if playing alone.

Gu Lanshi would gently pinch the baby’s little legs and arms every day, feeling their softness. The infant, not even ten days old, was just beginning to gain weight, far from being chubby.

Touching the baby’s cheeks and smelling their innocence, the discomfort of being confined indoors all day without fresh air would dissipate.

"Niechen, your name is Niechen, Pei Niechen. You're also called Stars, a little star in the sky." Gu Lanshi smiled warmly, holding his newly awakened son and repeating these words soothingly.

Zhou Shuyun entered after washing the diapers, noticing there were still dry ones on the bed, so she didn’t take any from the box.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she glanced at Little Star, who was babbling incoherently, and said with a smile, "We should prepare dinner earlier today. There’s half a bowl of meat slices left; shall we stir-fry them with bamboo shoots?"

Pei Yan and Liu Dagé had gone to the fields at dawn to harvest rice, and they had been busy for quite some time. It was indeed time for them to have an early meal. Gu Lanshi nodded, "Yes, stir-fry everything. Take more eggs, chop some scallions, and make a large bowl. Make sure there’s enough, and save some for us two. I remember there are still vegetable buns; heat a few and bring them along."

"Alright," Zhou Shuyun agreed readily, getting up to head to the kitchen.

With so many eggs each day, the meals during the farming season must be plentiful. Thanks to Zhou Shuyun, Gu Lanshi didn’t need to cook or deliver meals, focusing solely on taking care of the child at home.

Fang Honghua hadn’t come over to idle around for the past two days. With the autumn harvest in full swing, she lived with her eldest son, whose family owned more land. Everyone in the family was out in the fields harvesting grain, and although she usually didn’t work, she had to help look after her great-grandchildren and cook for the entire household these days.

Today, Pei Yan entrusted the task of collecting eggs and feeding the livestock to Zhou Shuyun.

Zhou Shuyun wasn’t one to shirk responsibility or complain. Since it was only for a day or two, she wouldn’t grumble about it.

Seeing Little Star yawn slightly and rub his eyes with his small hands, his eyes and eyebrows soon turning red, clearly indicating he was tired but not yet crying, only making a few grunting sounds.

Gu Lanshi chuckled, recognizing this as a sign that the baby was ready for sleep. He held the child securely, patting and comforting him. Little Star, uncomfortable from being awake too long, cried softly a few times before closing his eyes as he was patted.

While he stayed at home, tending to the child with peace of mind, Pei Yan was working fervently in the fields, his feet and legs covered in mud, and his clothes were no better. By the time the last cartload of rice was brought back, it was already dusk.

Liu Dagé didn’t return home, choosing instead to sleep in the west room after dinner.

Even though he worried about the work at home, he remembered that his family only had one mu of paddy field, and his husband and parents could manage. It had always been like this in previous years, where he worked as a hired laborer, spending nights at other people’s homes, unable to return.

This year, he brought eggs and meat every few days, and even more vegetables. As a result, the family’s diet was much better than before, and even the two children had grown taller. His youngest, Xiao Zao’er, could now help in the fields with her younger brother.

The harvested rice was already spread out in the threshing ground, but someone needed to keep watch both day and night. If rain came suddenly, it would have to be gathered under cover immediately to prevent it from getting wet.

Liu Dagé understood the gravity of the situation. Besides, the west room was available for him. Even when there was no work at night, he could return home without Pei Yan saying anything.

During this period, they needed to be vigilant about the weather. If he left, leaving only Pei Yan behind, and it rained in the middle of the night, and the gathering was too slow, the grains would get wet. If this year’s harvest was ruined, he might not be able to continue working.

In the courtyard, bathed in moonlight, Pei Yan was washing himself. Although he was indeed exhausted after a day’s work, thoughts of his family at home gave him boundless energy.

After pouring water, he looked up at the night sky, relieved to see no dark clouds, indicating that it probably wouldn’t rain. With this assurance, he returned to the house.

After dinner, he intended to tell Liu Dagé that he didn’t need to return home at night recently. However, Liu Dagé, being considerate, offered to listen for any sounds outside during the night.

A dim light remained in the room, the flickering oil lamp casting a faint yellow glow. As the door closed, the candlelight settled back into tranquility.

Pei Yan stood by the bed, glancing inside first at his sleeping son. Little Star was already fast asleep, his chubby cheeks and tightly closed eyes indicating deep slumber.

Gu Lanshi leaned against the head of the bed, setting aside his needlework beside him. "Sleep in a bit longer tomorrow morning."

He usually would have been asleep by this hour, but tonight, he was waiting for Pei Yan.

"Mm-hmm." Pei Yan shifted his gaze to his husband, whose face was illuminated by the candlelight, appearing even softer.

His eyes filled with warmth, he said, "I’ll sleep on the bamboo bed. My body and clothes are dirty. I’ll wash them tomorrow before coming back to bed."

"Alright." Gu Lanshi lifted the quilt covering his legs, went to the end of the bed, opened a chest, and fetched a set of bedding for him.

Pei Yan laid the mattress on the bamboo bed, blew out the lamp, and lay down. The cotton quilt, having been aired out, was warm and clean. After a day of hard work, he fell asleep almost instantly upon touching the pillow, his consciousness drifting into dreams. Just before losing himself to sleep, he heard his son’s dreamy babbling, which turned into laughter and playfulness in his dreams.

*

Rice was planted only once a season, and the roots in the paddy field could be slowly dug up over time. The harvested rice, however, required immediate attention to be dried thoroughly with Liu Dagé’s help.

On the third day after the rice was harvested, very early in the morning, Pei Yan loaded nine baskets containing six hundred eggs onto a cart. There were also three baskets and four baskets of various melons and vegetables on the cart. The larger pumpkins and winter squashes couldn’t fit into the bamboo baskets or trays, so they were placed directly on the cart.

Once everything was loaded, the donkey cart appeared fully packed.

Although he could have left right away, Pei Yan didn’t, unable to shake off his lingering concern.

Initially, he only wanted to check on Gu Lanshi and Little Star, but as soon as he pushed open the door, the creaking sound of the door caused both father and son to stir.

"Are you done?" Gu Lanshi’s eyes were still hazy with sleep. Seeing that Little Star had woken up, he feared the child might cry and instinctively patted him through the quilt.

"Mm-hmm." Pei Yan smiled. "It’s still early. It’s cold outside, so sleep a bit longer."

Gu Lanshi was indeed not fully awake. Seeing his son staring with wide eyes, he responded with a mumble, gradually dozing off again.

Noticing this, Pei Yan remained silent, standing by the bed and glancing at Little Star. He then tucked the corner of the quilt around his husband. Before stepping away, he couldn’t resist leaning down to give Gu Lanshi a gentle bite on the neck and rubbing his cheek against his.

It had been a while since they had been intimate.

Gu Lanshi chuckled softly, opening his eyes. "Alright, hurry up and go. It tickles. If I laugh out loud and the child wakes up crying, you’ll have to comfort him yourself."

"Mm-hmm, I’ll buy you some greasy cakes when I come back." Pei Yan’s eyes sparkled with amusement.

"Okay." Gu Lanshi agreed, watching Pei Yan leave before rolling over to sleep again.

*

Ningshui Town.

The joy of the autumn harvest was evident everywhere. Many vendors sold melons and vegetables.

Ordinary families living in town often owned fields outside the town. From morning till night, one could see numerous carts laden with rice passing by along the streets. Rice grains would occasionally fall to the ground, prompting elderly people and children to carry bamboo baskets to search and collect them.

The streets were bustling with various vehicles, ox carts and donkey carts of different sizes, some pulled or pushed by people carrying carts full of newly harvested rice. Smiles adorned their sun-tanned faces.

Pei Yan led his donkey, following the ox cart ahead, stopping and starting as he hawked vegetables and eggs along the street.

It wasn't cold yet, and hens were laying eggs. The price was still three coins per egg. The fields hadn't finished yielding all their vegetables; there could have been more baskets loaded, but with an accumulation of eggs, he had no choice but to sell them first.

He often ran errands to the town, and some people had already remembered him. Sometimes before he even called out, women and husbands who recognized him would wave and shout, "Egg seller, come here," and similar phrases.

Before reaching the Lucky Wine House, Pei Yan heard someone calling from the alley entrance. He led the donkey in that direction, occasionally glancing back, wary of those approaching the donkey cart.

Once when he came to town to sell vegetables, he sensed someone following closely. Coincidentally, he met a familiar-looking old lady face-to-face. He didn't know which household she belonged to, but he remembered her appearance; she often bought eggs from him. Seeing her anxiously pointing behind him, he knew something was amiss.

Turning around, he saw a scruffy man peering into the wooden cart, his eyes rolling and swallowing saliva. Pei Yan sternly told the man to get lost.

The scruffy man, scolded, initially wanted to act like a ruffian and curse back. He hadn't really stolen anything, so who dared to do anything to him? What's wrong with taking a look? It was just a few baskets of rotten vegetables, not a maiden untouched by man. However, seeing that the vegetable seller had a scarred face and looked unapproachable, he slunk away with his tail between his legs.

Petty thefts weren't uncommon, and one had to be cautious when going out.

After arriving at the alley entrance, Pei Yan found an empty spot to stop without blocking the way.

The ones who called him were two husbands, one fat and one thin, clearly older. As soon as he stopped, three or four children also gathered around, tiptoeing to peek into the cart.

The fat husband asked, "Do you have eggs?"

Pei Yan wore a gentle smile and said, "Yes, these nine baskets are all eggs. Feel free to choose."

"Oh my, Lord above, are all these eggs?" the fat husband exclaimed.

The thin husband first looked at the calabash gourds, picked up two and found them very fresh. As he selected them, he said, "Well, he is an egg seller, how could there not be many eggs? Look, this purple eggplant is good too. I'll steam it when I get home."

Seeing him selecting, the fat husband hurriedly picked a few eggplants as well, then asked, "How much for the eggs?"

"Still three coins," Pei Yan replied. After the thin husband finished picking the calabash gourds, Pei Yan put them in a basket and weighed them with a scale hook. Finally, after the thin husband placed the calabash in his own basket, Pei Yan hung the empty bamboo basket on the scale, showing both of them the accurate weight.

Hearing the call to sell vegetables and eggs, several more people gradually emerged from the alley.

"Do you have any broken ones?" asked an old woman with completely white hair.

Pei Yan glanced at the few people picking eggs. A few eggs with more chicken feces and feathers were placed on the straw taken out, but there were indeed no broken ones.

"No," he shook his head and said. Due to the crowd, he couldn't help but pay extra attention.

In front of the wooden cart were married women and husbands. With so many people around, there was no need for special precautions in such a public place.

Upon hearing there were no broken eggs, the old woman still waited nearby. If someone took out a broken egg, she could buy it for only one coin. She had encountered this situation before when buying eggs, so she kept it in mind. Who wouldn't want to take advantage of a bargain?

Not many people knew that broken eggs were cheaper, but there were a few.

A middle-aged husband, dressed decently, secretly glanced at Pei Yan. Seeing that he was busy weighing vegetables for others, he quietly took an egg and tried to lightly bump it against the side of the wooden cart.

Just as his hand moved down slightly, suddenly, a large hand, like a steel clamp, directly grabbed his forearm and lifted it high, visible to everyone else.

Pei Yan quickly released his grip, not touching anywhere else through the sleeve. His face still wore a smile as he said, "Grandma, eggs are round and may be a bit slippery. They accidentally fell or bumped in everyone's hands. They still cost three coins each. After all, they were fine when taken out of the basket. My small business can't afford major damages."

The thin and fat husbands understood what happened and both chuckled, their faces filled with disdain and schadenfreude. They openly showed their hostility towards the middle-aged husband, not giving him any face.

"That's right, if they're fine in the basket and you drop them on the ground yourself, shouldn't you compensate the seller? It's the same if they're damaged."

The fat husband spoke quickly, and he was indeed an honest person. If not for this incident, he wouldn't have thought of doing something like this.

"You..." The middle-aged husband, being watched by so many people, blushed in embarrassment. Despite being in the wrong, he still cursed at Pei Yan, "What bumping? Which eye did you see it with? Country bumpkin with no knowledge, treating a few eggs like gold. Even if I smash them on the ground, I won't care. Despicable thing, doomed to be a pauper for life."

He angrily put down the egg in his hand, wanting to smash it but unwilling to pay compensation. He grumbled and walked away.

Pei Yan didn't care much. The other party obviously cursed out of guilt. His expression didn't change. He had grown accustomed to all kinds of insults since childhood. There were far worse things than this, causing no real pain.

He picked up that egg and put it back, greeting the others, "Grandma, aunties, feel free to pick and choose. They are all fresh vegetables."

The thin husband's laughter couldn't be contained, saying, "Smashing them on the ground, haven't even bought twenty eggs."

His voice wasn't loud or soft, just enough for the middle-aged husband to hear.

The fat husband laughed beside him, while the others remained silent. They all lived in the same alley, so there was no need to tear each other apart. They maintained a facade of buying vegetables while pricking up their ears to listen, either holding back laughter or simply eavesdropping.

The middle-aged husband suddenly jumped up, red-faced and neck bulging. The three of them immediately started cursing at each other.

Everyone else was watching the commotion. Pei Yan shook his head, feeling helpless. If one isn't in the right, just walk away. Listening to a few taunts is nothing. Making a bigger scene will only make more people know, leaving one even more embarrassed.

Since the fat and thin husbands hadn't paid yet, he could only wait until they finished arguing before bringing it up.

Fortunately, it didn't take long before someone couldn't bear it anymore and persuaded the three to separate.

As the onlookers dispersed and the money was in hand, Pei Yan led the donkey towards the wine house.

Encountering all sorts of people during his travels, the money pouch in his arms gradually became heavier. In his heart, there was only the reassuring feeling of making money. As he walked and observed various shops along the way, he thought about buying a bag of hawthorn cake to take back, in addition to the oiled pastry.