Chapter 179

Chapter 179

As soon as the chicken stew with flatbread was served, the adults' eyes lit up. The chicken pieces looked appetizing, not to mention the flatbreads soaked in the chicken broth, making everyone eager to grab a piece and eat it with the chicken.

Mrs. Zhang called Uncle Lin to join the feast, while the young ladies set up a table in the kitchen and brought out the remaining plum wine from the cellar.

Afraid that the wine might be too cold, Lin Chunyan had warmed it up beforehand, making it just right to drink.

The lavish spread made the guests comment on how extravagant it was, and even as Lin Chunyan and Mrs. Zhang went out to toast, they kept saying the same thing.

"We go out to handle the goods to earn money, and encountering those things wasn't your fault. There's no need to go to such lengths."

Wu Dalang led the way in saying this, and the others chimed in, "Exactly, no need to go through so much trouble in the future."

Lin Chunyan and Mrs. Zhang drank the wine, "You've worked hard, so take some time to rest at home."

Then, Lin Chunyan and Mrs. Zhang returned to the kitchen to eat.

Lin Chunyan had only tasted a few bites of the freshly made fried chicken cutlet. It tasted good, but without some seasoning, it felt a bit bland.

"Next year when the plums are ripe, maybe we can make some seasoning."

Lin Chunyan said to them, "Grinding the plums into powder and sprinkling it on top should make it taste even better."

Lin Taohong and Wang Yingniang nodded in agreement, their chopsticks already reaching for the chicken stew with flatbread. The flatbread, soaked in chicken broth, had a rich aroma that made it irresistible.

"I still prefer this," Wang Yingniang pointed at the chicken stew, "The chicken pieces are delicious, stewed until tender."

"Me too, I could eat five or six of these flatbreads."

"Do we have any almonds left at home?" Mrs. Zhang smacked her lips. She wasn't particularly fond of plum wine, unlike Lin Taohong, who couldn't resist it. "If we do, we could grind them into almond milk."

"Not much left, we'll have to check at the grain shop later."

Few households in their area grew almonds, so they usually bought them from the grain shop whenever needed.

The children couldn't eat much, as the fried chicken cutlet filled them up quickly. By the time they wanted to try the roast duck and crispy fish, they could only manage a few bites.

Seeing them pitifully holding their stomachs, unable to eat more, Lin Taohong tugged at Lin Chunyan, "They look so pitiful, all with frowns on their faces."

"Let's pack some sunflower seeds for them when they leave, and give them some of the leftover dishes too."

The family hadn't started making sugar yet, and Wang Yingniang thought it wouldn't be too late to start in the twelfth lunar month.

By then, she and Hui Jier planned to make sugar under Mrs. Song's shed, where the aroma of sugar-making would spread far and wide.

After finishing the meal, Zhang Xiaojiu saw the guests off, arranged the next gathering, and then decided to return to the village.

"I need to check on the house and my big brother."

Mashi had been busy with work here and hadn't returned for a long time, so Zhang Xiaojiu was somewhat worried.

"Then I'll go back with you, tomorrow is the Winter Solstice," Mrs. Zhang thought for a moment and said, "I haven't been back for a long time either."

With the cold winter, Zhang Niuli came less frequently to pick up goods, and Mrs. Zhang was quite concerned about it.

Lin Chunyan started helping them pack, as there were many things to bring, mostly food and clothes for Old Uncle Zhang and the rest of the family.

"This is the vest and woolen socks for the younger sister. Hui Jier and Lan Jier both have them," Mrs. Zhang added, fearing that Zhang Xiaojiu might have doubts in his heart.

Zhang Xiaojiu smiled, "I've seen them wearing them, and they don't shiver from the cold like they used to in winter."

They also use hot water for washing here, and the two of them haven't had frostbite this year.

But the frostbite from past winters still troubles them, so Lin Chunyan has them wash with pig pancreas soap every day.

The frostbite on Wang Yingniang's hands has been there for over two years, and it still bothers her from time to time.

The two of them only plan to go back for a visit, expecting to return tomorrow, so they only take the gifts for the meeting and head back.

"Be careful on the road," Lin Chunyan warned them, "If the mountain path is difficult, it's better to take the main road."

"Understood, you should also come back early from the shop tomorrow. We'll spend the Winter Solstice at home."

It hasn't snowed for a while, so the mountain paths aren't that difficult to walk. Lin Chunyan and Lin Taohong watched Mrs. Zhang leave before going back inside.

As the liveliness faded, the house fell quiet. After washing up, Lin Chunyan and the others all huddled around the fireplace.

"Want some oranges?"

"Yes."

The oranges also need to be roasted by the charcoal brazier. They say eating them this way can cure coughs, even if the orange peel is burnt, they can't bear to throw it away.

The dried orange peels from earlier were all packed in small bags and stored in the cellar, and over the year they've been gradually eaten up, aside from making tea, sometimes they're also put in meat to remove the fishy smell.

"If only we had orange trees around here," Lin Taohong said, resting her chin on her hand, "Should we plant some on the mountain next spring?"

"Orange trees are rare here, but we can look for some."

The room quickly filled with the scent of oranges, and the three of them ate and talked about Li Youfu's matter.

"It seems it won't be long before Lan Jier really gets married."

Li Youfu drank a lot, and everyone's safe return was thanks to him, so naturally, they all had a few drinks with him.

After drinking, Li Youfu started talking to Zhang Xiaojiu, and the conversation was all about Lan Jier.

Zhang Xiaojiu had already agreed, and seeing how honest and reliable he was this time, he might agree soon.

"Then we'll have our hands full too."

When the bride gets married, some bedding, shoes, and socks need to be made, usually with the help of relatives and friends.

As they talked, the three of them yawned, blew out the lamp, and went to bed early.

Lihua and Mrs. Zhao, however, were not in a hurry to sleep. The two of them were knitting woolen socks and scarves in the room, only stopping when their eyes were sore.

"Go rest, Lihua," Mrs. Zhao patted her hand, "You can't keep going like this."

Lihua always felt that the last time they redeemed her, it cost the family a lot of money, making it hard for Li Youfu to marry.

Mrs. Zhao knew her thoughts, and seeing her willing to knit things to supplement the family income after work, she felt heartbroken.

"Your brother did it voluntarily, we're all very willing. If you were still suffering there, we would be using the money you earned with your life at home, and we wouldn't be at peace even in death."

Seeing Lihua get up to wash, Mrs. Zhao softly said to her, "Besides, our life has gotten better now. The rabbits you raised are doing so well, and they've sold for a lot of money."

The money earned was almost enough to cover what their house had initially spent. Mrs. Zhao did the math for her, "Your brother now earns more than you do. From now on, you can keep the wages you earn."

Lihua was torn. She knew that the young ladies working in the village all kept some money for themselves, even Sang Zhuer from neighboring villages did the same; they didn't give all their money to their families.

But Lihua felt guilty and always gave all she earned.

Mrs. Zhao's words stirred something in Lihua, and she hesitantly asked, "Can I really keep it for myself?"

"Yes, if your brother can really marry Lan Jier, good days are ahead. Actually, it's the family who owes you. We will surely find you a good match in the future."

Lihua fidgeted slightly, but a smile crept onto her face.

Later, when Mrs. Zhao got into bed to sleep, Li Tiedan nudged her, "I heard what you said to Lihua."

Mrs. Zhao, exhausted from a hundred days of labor, was growing impatient, "What's wrong? Is there something not right?"

"I think we should let Lihua contribute for a while longer. After all, marrying a wife costs a lot, and we're also thinking of building a new house. Our finances will be tight again."

Mrs. Zhao's drowsiness evaporated. She shamelessly admitted that she had originally planned the same, that the whole family should work together to get Li Youfu married, without distinguishing between yours and mine.

But today, while helping at Lin Chunyan's house, she learned that the working young ladies all kept their money, at most subsidizing the household expenses, no one was as self-sacrificing as Lihua.

"I ask you, if Lihua's money is used to build the house, what does the house have to do with Lihua?"

Li Tiedan stammered, "That's for Youfu to marry. When Lihua marries, her in-laws will build a house for her."

"So Lihua is just helping the family for free? The money used to redeem her was essentially her own money from selling herself. She doesn't owe us anything—we actually made her suffer, and after she started working, she gave all her money to us."

Doing the math, it added up to a significant amount.

Raising rabbits wasn't easy; if one got sick, the whole litter would. Lihua tended to them diligently, unfazed by the grime or exhaustion, scrubbing the rabbit hutches clean each day.

Only then could the rabbits be sold for a good price, earning a sum of money.

"It's settled then. That money is Lihua's earnings. Whether she wants to buy flowers or clothes, or even take it to her in-laws, it's up to her. Can't we earn money ourselves?"

Li Tiedan swallowed his words. He wanted to say that Li Youfu still had Li Youde below him, who would need money for school or learning a trade to marry.

But he couldn't argue with Mrs. Zhao. She made the decisions at home, and she also worked at the tofu shop. He only took care of the fields, and deep down, he felt inferior.

The next day, Lihua told Lin Chunyan, "I really want to buy some hairpins and bracelets. Are you going shopping for the New Year?"

Lin Taohong got excited, "I'm definitely going. I have some money too. Buying gold or silver doesn't matter; it can be exchanged for money later."

She remembered a bracelet Lihua used to wear, "I thought it was really beautiful. I wonder where it was made."

That bracelet was given to her by Qian Xiaoniang. Lihua didn't know its origin, but she knew of a good jewelry shop in the county, "Let's go together before the New Year."

Lin Chunyan also got excited, "That sounds good. Let's go together and see who else in the village wants to join. It'll be fun."

Although they had just bought the roast duck shop, the forty-five strings of cash were contributed by Mrs. Zhang and Wang Yingniang, who were waiting to share the profits.

Mrs. Zhang had previously lost out by contributing less, so this time she didn't dare to do the same and matched Wang Yingniang's contribution.

"Why is he here again?" Wang Yingniang saw Guan Dalang peeking outside while talking to them and got impatient. After saying this, she went back into the house.

Previously, it was Mrs. Zhang who talked to Guan Dalang. This time, in her absence, Guan Dalang seemed a bit embarrassed, put down the carrying pole, chuckled a few times, and left.

Following behind, Guan Erlang and Guan Sanlang did the same, put down their poles, and ran off.

"Why does he always smile like that every time he comes?" Lin Taohong also thought Guan Dalang was a bit silly. "That's not acceptable."

However, Lihua stared at Guan Erlang for a few moments. Among the three sons of Madam Qian, Guan Erlang was the most handsome. She tugged Lin Chunyan's sleeve and whispered, "What do you think of him?"

Lihua was older than them, and Mrs. Zhao had hinted that she should start looking for a husband.

The matchmaker, Zheng, had come by twice, proposing matches from neighboring villages, all of whom were the best in their village. But Lihua didn't want to move far away for marriage.

She knew Lin Chunyan didn't want to marry either. If Sun Anyuan was suitable, he would build a house in their village, and she wanted to stay close to them.

They were often in the dark unless someone told them. For instance, many people used to say that being a maid was good, and many in the village competed to become maids. Xing Hua had also been misled this way.

Whenever Lihua thought of Xing Hua, she felt a pang of unease and lost interest in watching Guan Erlang with Lin Chunyan.

"I wonder how she's holding up now. It's almost New Year, and I hope she has enough to eat and wear," Lihua said, and everyone in the yard fell silent.

"I really hope she comes back soon."

Zhao Xinghua sneezed a few times and wrapped her clothes tighter.

These were delivered by Zhou Wanniang through Madam Bai, made by Lin Chunyan and the others, and were particularly warm.

Zhao Xinghua put them on as soon as she got them. Even though King Zhao commented several times that the style was odd, she didn't take them off and continued wearing them.

However, King Zhao didn't come often. Shortly after winter began, he got busy and sometimes didn't return to the household for many days, even neglecting the child in the princess's womb.

The maids and old women below caught wind of some rumors and spread them around the household. Even though the princess was pregnant, she was a tough lady and had several people beaten to quiet the household.

Zhao Xinghua was also called to watch the beating. The other young ladies, who had never seen such a bloody scene, all claimed to be sick afterward. Zhao Xinghua pretended to be sick too, even skipping the princess's greetings.

The only regret was that she couldn't go out. She hadn't seen Madam Bai for a long time and could only read the occasional letters she sent, unable to reply.

This continued until Winter Solstice. She opened the door, saw the good sunlight, and took a hoe to the cultivated land in the backyard.

The maids assigned by King Zhao knew some farming. To please Zhao Xinghua, they worked more efficiently than her and sometimes discussed the crop yields with her.

This year, she wasn't as stubborn as last year and used a greenhouse she had never seen in the village. The temperature inside was much higher than outside, allowing her to grow vegetables from other seasons.

Zhao Xinghua always thought of returning to Qingshan Village. When King Zhao had someone build the greenhouse, she watched carefully.

It wasn't too difficult, similar to the remaining fire wall in the house, but it required continuous heating. She heard some places even used hot springs for warmth.

Many households grew vegetables this way, and some even grew flowers. Even in winter, many in Bian City wore fresh flowers.

Last time, when the young ladies claimed to be sick and skipped greetings, the princess gave each of them a box of fresh flowers.

After working in the field for a while, Zhao Xinghua felt her body hadn't fully stretched when she heard noisy footsteps outside the yard.

"What's going on now?" The maid beside her frowned. "Just because the master hasn't been coming as often lately, all sorts of riff-raff are showing up."

She thought she was standing up for Zhao Xinghua. Among the other young ladies in the household, only Zhao Xinghua still received frequent visits from King Zhao, apart from the pregnant princess.

But she stopped after muttering this, knowing Zhao Xinghua didn't like to hear such talk. After putting down the hoe, she quickly went out to check.

Another maid stayed with Zhao Xinghua, handing her a handkerchief and a water bottle from the basket. "Madam, maybe we should rest inside and come back after sweating."

Zhao Xinghua felt her heart beating faster than usual. It was Winter Solstice, a day as significant as New Year.

On this day, it was said that the ban on gambling would be lifted outside, and people would wear new clothes and socks to stroll the streets.

No one would be foolish enough to cause trouble on this day.

"You go and prepare some things, take out my old clothes to air them. I'll rest here for a while."

Zhao Xinghua spoke in a calm tone, and the maid didn't notice anything unusual about her. It was well known in the estate that this young lady was quite odd and didn't like others to serve her.

Soon, the warm room was left with only Zhao Xinghua. She looked around, and a bold idea popped into her head.

Perhaps this was the opportune moment Madam Bai had mentioned.

She no longer wanted to stay in the Zhao Wang Estate and had long wanted to escape.

But if they escaped, would King Zhao find their hiding place?

Zhao Xinghua's heart was beating faster than before, and the noise outside was louder than earlier. The maid who had gone out hadn't returned yet, so Zhao Xinghua first took off her silk robes, and after some thought, she didn't even keep the woolen clothes.

She wasn't sure why she did this, but she might have to explain herself when the maid returned.

But soon, she realized how right she was to do so. With a series of hurried footsteps approaching, the person nearing the warm room was not the maid who usually served her.

Zhao Xinghua also recognized her, but due to their status, the two had never had much contact. Seeing Li Daniang now only deepened Zhao Xinghua's suspicions.

"Miss Zhao?" Li Daniang had shed her fine clothes and even removed her earrings. When she came, she had encountered Zhao Xinghua's maid, who, upon hearing what had happened, had already turned pale and was hurriedly going back to her room to pack her things. Li Daniang quickly asked where Zhao Xinghua was.

"Come with me quickly, or it might be too late to leave."

Without a word, Zhao Xinghua rolled up the clothes she had removed and, trembling, followed Li Daniang.

They threw the clothes into a well as they passed.

"We must hurry. Once the princess has sorted things out and can attend to us, we won't be able to escape."

It was just that the situation had come so suddenly, catching everyone off guard.

Li Daniang was very familiar with the estate, and she led Zhao Xinghua through twists and turns, avoiding people. Just as they were about to reach the corner gate, a series of orderly footsteps sounded from outside.

Upon hearing the sound, Li Daniang's face immediately turned pale, even paler than when she heard the news that King Zhao might be in trouble in the imperial city.

The one who came back with the news was a young servant from King Zhao's side. He had obviously had a hard time returning, covered in blood, whether his own or someone else's.

The princess was greatly startled by the sight and nearly fainted, but she managed to hold herself together to hear the news the young servant brought back.

His return had been seen by many in the estate, causing chaos as people feared the soldiers would soon surround the estate, endangering their lives, and they scattered to retrieve their savings.

But no one expected the soldiers to arrive so quickly.

Li Daniang decisively led Zhao Xinghua down another path. Both traveled light, without any luggage, hoping to escape before the soldiers arrived.

"I heard that it's already chaotic outside. Whether we can survive this time depends on whether heaven blesses us." Li Daniang turned to Zhao Xinghua, expecting to see her in a panic, but instead, she saw a calm expression on Zhao Xinghua's face.

Though she didn't want to die in the chaos, it was better than spending her life trapped like a caged bird.

Zhao Xinghua's heart settled down.

The political turmoil in Bian City was completely unknown in White Cloud Town. On the morning of the Winter Solstice, seeing the excellent sunshine and the deep blue sky, people couldn't help but smile more.

"Such a great day should be matched with such good weather." Lin Taohong stretched and urged Lin Chunyan to go to the shop early today.

"We still need to buy the plum blossom cold-dispelling chart. This year, no matter what, we must fill it completely."

"We should go early today; there might be even more people buying dumplings."

After getting ready, Lin Chunyan headed over to Zhang Zhuyu's house. Besides various dumplings packed in sacks, Lin Chunyan also specially prepared a bag of mixed dumplings.

By mixing different dumpling fillings together, what filling you end up with is purely a matter of luck, making it as exciting as opening a blind box.

"This is quite interesting," remarked the Village Headman's wife as she helped load the cart.

When Erlang came to transport the dumplings, Lin Chunyan also reminded him to come back early in the afternoon, "and pick up some sorghum while you're at it."

On Winter Solstice, it's traditional to brew winter wine, which is then opened and enjoyed until spring, by which time the wine's aroma has become richly developed.

"Sure, we'll make sure to come back early today."

"Tonight, our family is having lamb stew and dumplings for dinner, so make sure to come over and join us," Zhang Zhuyu said, standing at the doorway for the first time after being slapped by the Village Headman. The sun today seemed unusually bright, and she shielded her face with half of her palm, her lips curling up as she invited Lin Chunyan to come.