Chapter 252

Chapter 252

After tanning, the rabbit skin became soft. Gu Lanshi made a long-eared hat for Xingxing. The long ears on the sides could protect his ears and could be tied under his chin. If he didn't want to cover his ears, they could be flipped up and tied on top of the hat.

It wasn't that cold yet, so Xingxing didn't like wearing hats. He twisted his head, refusing to wear it. With his little hands, he mimicked adults, stroking the soft rabbit fur, feeling surprised by its softness, and then giggling.

"Come here, let me see." Gu Lanshi wanted to check if the hat fit properly, so he held Xingxing between his legs to keep him still, put the hat on him, bent down, and looked closely.

Xingxing reached out to pull the tie under his chin. Gu Lanshi stopped his son's hand and noticed that the hat was slightly big, covering above Xingxing's eyes and even his forehead. He then took it off.

In winter, if they wanted to go to the market, this hat would keep him warm, protecting him from the cold wind.

"I want it." Xingxing stretched his arms up, wanting to play with the hat.

Gu Lanshi gave it to him but warned, "Don't pull the fur."

As soon as he said that, Xingxing pinched the rabbit fur with two fingers, trying to pull it. Gu Lanshi shook his head helplessly and took the fur hat back from his son.

"You can't play with this carelessly." He pinched Xingxing's chubby cheeks. Even though it was common rabbit fur, it wasn't cheap, especially as a good winter warmer. He couldn't let the child ruin it.

"Woof"

Outside the courtyard, a dog barked, followed by Miao Qiulian's voice.

The barking stopped, and Gu Lanshi straightened up and called out, "Mother."

"Shoo." Miao Qiulian chased away the dogs sniffing around her. She carried a bamboo basket and, upon entering, instinctively looked at the fruit trees on both sides.

It was early autumn, and while the apricots were out of season, other trees were laden with fruit—big and small, more abundant than last year.

While dealing with Xingxing who was trying to grab the fur hat, Gu Lanshi asked, "Mother, what did you bring?"

Miao Qiulian smiled, "Your father came back from the market and saw some peaches for sale, so he bought some."

The fruits weren't fully ripe yet. Seeing Xingxing, she quickly walked into the yard, holding up the bamboo basket. "Good boy Xingxing, look what Grandma brought."

Xingxing had eaten peaches a few days ago and recognized them. He immediately let go of Gu Lanshi's leg and ran eagerly toward Grandma, excitedly shouting.

"Peach monkey, don't touch!" Miao Qiulian saw her grandson reaching out and quickly lifted the basket higher. "Be careful not to prick your hand; if you touch them, they'll itch and prick. Let Grandma wash them before you eat."

Gu Lanshi stepped forward to take the basket, which contained quite a few large peaches. He went to the kitchen to fetch water. For Pei Yan, a quick wash would do, but since Xingxing was a child who couldn't resist touching things, he used some salt to scrub them thoroughly before placing them on a small bamboo tray.

He washed four peaches, enough for the three of them. When Pei Yan returned from the new house, he could wash his own if he wanted one. Fruits soaked in water didn't keep well.

The sun wasn't very strong today, so they set up a table and chairs in the courtyard and sat down.

Miao Qiulian waved her hand. "I won't eat. You eat yours. I'll peel the peach for Xingxing."

The peaches were soft, and the skins could be peeled off easily. Xingxing, being a clever little boy, understood what Grandma meant. He plopped his bottom onto the table and leaned toward Grandma, opening his mouth wide.

"This tiger’s mouth is really big." Miao Qiulian didn’t stop her work until she finished peeling the peach.

Gu Lansi took a bite of the large peach. The flesh was soft and sweet. Seeing his mother about to feed Xingxing, he swallowed and said, "Mother, you don’t need to hold it for him. Just give it to him; let him eat it himself. He eats well."

Xingxing was trying to hold the peach with his little hands, wanting to eat it on his own.

Miao Qiulian then gave the round peach to her grandson. She glanced at Xingxing, who was holding the large peach with his small hands and arms, bending down to bite it. His sleeves and clothes quickly got dirty, and she shook her head.

Gu Lansi didn’t mind. Dirty clothes could be washed, and it wasn’t a big deal. Their Xingxing was capable enough; there was no need to spoil him so much. Otherwise, in the future, he wouldn’t even be able to hold his food and would need someone to chase after him to feed him.

Seeing her grandson’s mouth full of peach juice, Miao Qiulian smiled and said, "Xingxing, give A-Po a bite."

Xingxing’s mouth was messy, and upon hearing A-Po’s words, he looked up, seeming a bit reluctant.

"Give A-Po a bite. Don’t forget, A-Po gave you the peach," Gu Lansi said from the side.

Xingxing was relatively obedient. He held the peach with both hands and offered it over. His hands were small, and the peach was big, slippery after being peeled. To hold it tightly, several of his little fingers pressed into the peach flesh.

Miao Qiulian wouldn’t dream of taking anything from her grandson. She smiled and said, "Oh, Xingxing is such a good boy. A-Po won’t eat it; you can have it all yourself."

Seeing that the adults weren’t going to eat it, Xingxing laughed happily and quickly took back the peach, resuming his munching.

Gu Lansi had originally wanted to tease his son, thinking of taking a bite to see if Xingxing would cry. Besides, his mother had given Xingxing the biggest peach, and the child’s stomach was small, so he couldn’t finish it anyway.

However, seeing the state of the peach, he changed his mind. The peach in his own hand tasted better.

Noticing the rabbit fur hat on the table, Miao Qiulian picked it up and examined it, asking, "Is this for Xingxing?"

"Mm." Gu Lansi mumbled, having just taken a bite of the peach.

"It’s soft." Miao Qiulian touched it, wanting to put it on her grandson to see how it looked, but Xingxing was busy eating the peach, with a dirty face and mouth. She put the hat back down and looked at Gu Lansi across from her, hesitating before asking, "Lan-ge, have you had any dreams lately?"

Gu Lansi was taken aback and instinctively shook his head, asking, "Why?"

After saying that, he understood what his mother meant. Memories of the dreams from a few years ago resurfaced, as vivid as yesterday.

"Wah." Xingxing, unaware of what the adults were talking about, continued to bite the peach vigorously.

The sound of the child brought his thoughts back. In an instant, Gu Lansi felt as though those events had happened a long time ago. Over the past few years, people and circumstances had changed. If he had been fifteen or sixteen, marrying Pei Yan would have been something he never imagined.

Afraid he might recall those unpleasant memories, Miao Qiulian quickly said, "I just asked if you’ve dreamed about Zhu-ge."

She lowered her voice, but her expression was cautious and serious, indicating that she considered this a matter of importance.

If not for this concern, she would have had Zhu-ge deliver the peach instead of making the trip herself.

Gu Lansi shook his head. "No. If I had dreamed about Zhu-ge, I would have told you."

Miao Qiulian let out a long sigh. It wasn’t that she had to make this trip, but considering how difficult Gu Lansi’s marriage had been, it was natural to worry more about Zhu-ge. Since there were no dreams, everything should be fine.

Qingshui Village was nearby, so she and Gu Tieshan had inquired many times. They even asked Gu Lansheng and Gu Lanhe to chat with Liu Xiang's son when they had free time, to find out where he had been. After all, young people tend to let things slip if there's any trouble.

Fortunately, Liu Zhi'an usually shuttled between the fields, the mountains, and home. Sometimes, he would go work at the town's dock with some men from Qingshui Village. He rarely went anywhere alone.

Since Lin Jinping used to run to the town frequently and even lived there, the villagers, especially Miao Qiulian and Gu Tieshan, couldn't help but think he must have learned bad habits there. In those dark alleys of the town, anything could happen.

Young and impressionable, he chose to learn bad habits instead of good ones. Just thinking about it made her sick. Fortunately, the entire Lin family had moved away, so she no longer had to see them, which naturally reduced her annoyance.

After chatting for a while, Miao Qiulian got up to return home, as there was still much work to be done.

Gu Lansi noticed that Xingxing couldn't eat anymore and was playing with a peach, squishing it until it was mushy and sticky on his clothes and hands. Unable to bear it, he didn't bother to send him off with his mother.

He grabbed Xingxing, who was trying to run away, and threw the squished peach to the dog. Then, he pressed the wailing child down by the water basin and carefully washed his dirty, sticky hands and face.

*

At the new house, Pei Yan watched the well-diggers for a while. The craftsmanship wasn't something an amateur could learn just by watching, so he didn't get in their way. Seeing progress being made, he returned soon after.

Last month, after discussing with Gu Lansi, he had hired Master Zhou to choose an auspicious day to start digging the well at the new house. It should be finished in about a month.

Their village was built beside the river, but fetching water still required a walk. Having a well in their own yard meant they wouldn't need to leave home to fetch water.

Compared to the convenience of having water readily available, spending money on it was worth it.

Upon returning, Pei Yan saw peaches on the table. Seeing they were clean, he sat down and took one. Stars, now wearing clean clothes, was playing with the dog, pinching its ears and laughing as the dog's ears twitched. The dog, Huīhuī, kept twitching its ears to amuse him.

Dàhēi lay basking in the sun, occasionally looking over when Xingxing screamed, wagging its tail leisurely.

Gu Lansi came out of the house with Xingxing's dirty clothes and his own changed clothes. Seeing Pei Yan eating a peach, he asked, "Finish eating and change your clothes. Take advantage of the good weather; we can wash them today and they'll be dry tomorrow."

"Okay," Pei Yan agreed.

He quickly finished eating, washed his hands, and went into the house to change. When he came out, Gu Lansi was already sitting in front of a large wooden basin, washing clothes.

Adult clothes weren't too bad, as long as they weren't stained with mud or water from working in the fields. Meals were always eaten carefully. The dirtiest clothes were Xingxing's. Sometimes, if Gu Lansi wasn't watching closely, Xingxing would come back covered in dirt and dust, like a little mud ball.

Pei Yan placed the clothes next to the wooden basin, pulled over a stool, and sat down. "I heard from Brother Hua'er last time that if we could grow some leeks in winter, the government would buy them all. Should we try it this year?"

Gu Lansi crushed a handful of wild soap nuts with a mallet, wrapped them in cloth, and rubbed them together until white foam appeared. Hearing this, he looked up and said, "Winter leeks, I've heard about them before. You need to keep the room warm both day and night."

"Especially at night, it's so cold. We haven't grown them before, but we can imagine that you'd need to get up often to add more firewood."

Pei Yan thought for a moment and said, "We could put them on the heated bed. We already burn the bed day and night to raise chickens, keeping it warm."

Gu Lansi hadn't thought of that but found it reasonable. He paused his work and said, "But what about the soil? The hens might scratch it up and eat the seeds."

Pei Yan looked at the large wooden basin in front of him.

Gu Lansi followed his gaze and realized, "Right, we could use a basin and place it on the heated bed."

Then he frowned, "But the hens might still jump into it."

"We need to find a way to separate the hens from the basin," Pei Yan said, adding, "It's best to start planting in late autumn. If the leeks grow, it will take at least a month before they can be harvested."

Gu Lansi pondered for a moment and said, "We could use a bamboo mat or something to partition the heated bed, preventing the hens from flying over."

"Exactly," Pei Yan nodded. However, they still needed to figure out the specifics.