Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Since Jiang Chun was going to the city today, Jiang He went to the town to set up his stall.

When he returned from the town, Jiang Chun immediately told him about the locust disaster in Yanzhou Prefecture.

Of course, to avoid worrying him, she didn't mention being robbed, only saying that she had encountered a group of refugees on the way and inquired about the situation.

Jiang Chun, without consulting Jiang He, the head of the family, for fear of being scolded, blinked her large almond eyes and said softly, "Father, I was afraid that grain prices would soar, and our family of three might starve, so I directly bought five bags of wheat, five bags of millet, and five bags of soybeans from my aunt's grain store..."

Seeing this, Song Shian hurriedly spoke up in her favor: "Father, your daughter thought ahead. If we don't stockpile now, when grain prices rise, it will cost us much more to buy grain, and we might not even be able to get any."

Unlike Jiang Chun, Jiang He had experienced famine before.

Actually, Li Shi had given birth to four children, two sons and two daughters, with the youngest daughter dying during a famine.

So when Jiang He heard that his daughter had stocked up on grain, he not only didn't scold her but also praised her: "Chunni, you did the right thing. Our family has little land and relies on buying grain to survive. Although Father already bought ten stones of wheat at the summer harvest, who knows how long this famine will last? We need to stockpile more grain at home."

Jiang Chun smiled and said, "As long as Father doesn't scold me for acting on my own, you don't need to worry about the grain purchases. I've already found an excuse and will buy more grain from my aunt's store over the next few days, aiming to stockpile enough for the New Year."

"Good," Jiang He nodded.

After a moment's thought, he asked Jiang Chun cautiously, "Chunni, should I tell your Sixth Grandfather about this?"

Without hesitation, Jiang Chun replied, "Tell him. The refugee situation can't be hidden; everyone will know soon. If you tell Sixth Grandfather now, he can inform the families in the clan who lack grain to stock up quickly."

Song Shian added, "It would be best if the clan leader informs Village Head Zou, so he can notify the villagers to stockpile grain. Otherwise, when the famine hits, if other families have no grain while only the Jiang clan does, it could cause serious problems."

Jiang He nodded vigorously, "My son-in-law is thoughtful. I'll go and tell him right away."

He then walked out.

Seeing that it was getting late, Jiang Chun started preparing lunch.

Since Jiang He had gone to Jiang Zhaonian's house to discuss such an important matter, he probably wouldn't return for lunch, so she only prepared a simple meal with a couple of dishes.

While searching for vegetables, she saw the pile of yams she had bought earlier.

She couldn't expect to have the leisure to make the famous yam cake from *Dream of the Red Chamber*. Since they were all nutritious, she decided to stir-fry them instead.

She peeled a yam and made a dish of stir-fried yam slices.

Then she cut half a cabbage and made a dish of vinegar-braised shredded cabbage.

She also sliced two leftover salted duck eggs from yesterday.

They ate a simple lunch together.

After the meal, she put the silver ear fungus and lotus seeds she had soaked earlier into a clay pot, added a few goji berries from the Qiu family, and a small piece of brown sugar.

She placed the pot on a makeshift stove supported by stones, lit some firewood, and let it simmer slowly.

Taking advantage of this time, she moved the heating stove from the yard into the west room, placing it against the wall near the kitchen.

She had already drilled a hole in the wall earlier, so now she just needed to extend the metal pipe attached to the stove through the hole.

After completing this, she picked up several more metal pipes and entered the west room, connecting a bent metal pipe to the pipe protruding from the wall.

Then she connected another metal pipe to the end of it.

She continued connecting the pipes along the wall, making a large loop around the room, and finally extending it out through a pre-drilled hole in the southeast corner.

To prevent the pipes from collapsing, she nailed two iron nails under each pipe for support.

To avoid carbon monoxide poisoning from gaps between the pipes, she went outside, scooped some soil, mixed it with mud, and carefully sealed the joints.

Seeing Jiang Chun installing the heating stove, Song Shian got off the kang bed to help, but he wasn't needed at all.

She truly worked efficiently, a person who was quick to notice tasks, nimble in action, and thoughtful in planning.

Such a person would likely fare well wherever they were.

After finishing the mud work, Jiang Chun turned around and saw Song Shian staring at her intently, lost in thought.

She teased with a smile, "Husband, are you mesmerized by my mud-plastering prowess? Oh my, you have quite unique tastes."

Song Shian: "..."

What a diligent and capable wife, but what a mouth she has.

With muddy hands, Jiang Chun jumped off the kang bed, washed her hands, and then went to the yard to chop a pile of small wood chips with an axe.

She then found a cracked wooden basin and fetched a basin of charcoal from the woodshed.

First, she stuffed some wheat straw into the stove and ignited it with a flint, then added the small wood chips.

When the wood chips were burning fiercely, she added the charcoal.

However, she misjudged the amount and added too much charcoal, causing black smoke to billow out of the stove.

Jiang Chun pushed Song Shian, who was watching from the doorway of the west room, inside and closed the door with a bang.

Then she ran to the east room, found a summer fan, and vigorously fanned the bottom of the stove.

Her strength was considerable; though it wasn't a tornado, it was certainly a strong wind. After a short while, the black smoke gradually dissipated, and red flames emerged.

Jiang Chun stopped fanning and breathed a sigh of relief.

Lack of experience in lighting the stove was no problem; she could rely on her physical effort to turn things around.

His heart couldn't help but swell with pride.

He pushed open the door to the west room and ran up to Song Shian, gloating, "Hmph, in this world, apart from not being able to make men bear children, what is there that I, Jiang Chun, can't do?"

Song Shian: "..."

This guy really dares to think of anything!

Fortunately, she doesn't have the ability to make men bear children; otherwise, he would be in trouble.

But being able to light a stove is indeed something worth boasting about, since he can't do it himself.

He sincerely praised her, "My dear, you truly are amazing."

"Words of praise don't mean much; you need to show me with actions," Jiang Chun said, then decisively leaned forward, closed his eyes, and pouted his lips slightly.

He looked like he was waiting for a kiss.

The corners of Song Shian's mouth twitched.

This guy never forgets these things, no matter when.

He perked up his ears to listen for any sounds outside, and hearing none, he leaned in and kissed her on the lips with a "peck."

He immediately pulled back.

Jiang Chun wasn't so easily satisfied. He stubbornly leaned forward, closed his eyes, and mumbled, "So perfunctory, you must have changed your mind and don't admire me anymore."

Song Shian: "..."

When did I ever say I admired her? This is slander.

He said coolly, "Don't be greedy."

Jiang Chun snorted, "I've always been greedy. Did my husband only realize this today?"

Song Shian: "..."

He couldn't argue with that logic.

Sighing lightly, he reached out and pulled her into his arms, capturing her lips and kissing her passionately.

He had intended to just kiss her lips, but thinking of her insatiable nature, he let his tongue slip into her mouth...

They kissed intensely for a full fifteen minutes.

When their lips finally parted, they were still connected by a thin thread of saliva.

Song Shian glanced at Jiang Chun's slightly swollen lips, glistening with clear saliva.

And the owner of that saliva was him.

Song Shian's face instantly turned red, and he quickly turned away, unable to look any longer.

He murmured, "Wipe, wipe your mouth."

Jiang Chun's eyes darted around, then he directly stuck out his pink tongue, licking his upper lip, then his lower lip, and made a swallowing sound.

He chuckled, "My husband's taste is really good."

Song Shian: "..."

Now his ears and neck were red too.

How could this guy be so, so...

For a moment, he didn't know how to respond.

He rubbed his forehead, wishing he could burrow into a hole like a mouse.

Too embarrassing.

Seeing him rub his forehead and look like he wanted to find a place to hide, Jiang Chun said speechlessly, "It's just a kiss. You've kissed other places before, why are you still so bashful?"

Song Shian replied speechlessly, "That was at night. Now it's broad daylight; how can they be compared?"

"Ha." Jiang Chun burst out laughing at his words.

She teased, "During the day, one has to maintain a gentlemanly demeanor, but at night, in the dark, one can let loose, right?"

Song Shian pursed his lips and remained silent.

At night, in the darkness, when she forced him to kiss her neck and chest, he didn't feel as ashamed.

Jiang Chun wrapped one hand around his neck and whispered in his ear, "Looks like my husband needs more practice. After all, we will be doing it during the day in the future, and you can't be so restrained."

Song Shian: "???"

Daytime intimacy?

She actually wants daytime intimacy?

This is such an outrageous thing to suggest; she really has no sense of shame at all!

Song Shian put on a stern face, intending to scold her properly, but the words stuck in his throat.

She treats him so sincerely and has no other demands, only being a bit greedy in matters of intimacy. If he doesn't fulfill even this small request, it would be ungrateful.

Besides, she might have just said it in jest; whether she was serious or not was uncertain, so there was no need to rush to oppose it.

There must be a road before the mountain; we'll deal with future matters when they come.

Song Shian turned his head, giving her a cold glance, and said coolly, "If you keep dawdling here with me, the stove might go out, and the silver ear and lotus seed soup will turn to charcoal."

His phoenix eyes were long and narrow, and when he truly glared, there would be a cold gleam in them. But his glare at Jiang Chun was different; it was a look of helplessness mixed with indulgence.

The newly bought silver hairpin, as he tilted his head, made the little gourd hanging from it sway gently, making his ink-black hair appear even more lustrous.

Jiang Chun was completely entranced, almost drowning in his gaze.

If not for the silver ear and lotus seed soup simmering outside, she would have pounced on him and kissed him fiercely.

Beauty can ruin a nation, let alone her deep infatuation with this handsome, strong, and tragic male supporting character she had painstakingly created.

With great effort, she steadied herself, released his shoulders, and went to the kitchen.

Then she let out a cry, "Ah, my silver ear and lotus seed soup!"

Fortunately, she came out just in time. The broth in the clay pot was almost gone, but it hadn't burned.

She quickly added water and placed a few more logs under the pot, resuming the stewing.

*

It must be said that ancient blacksmiths' manual forging techniques were truly impressive.

The heating stove had been burning for half a day, warming not only the west room but also the kitchen where the stove was placed.

At night, Jiang He sat by the stove, smiling at Jiang Chun, "Just sleep soundly tonight. I'm a light sleeper, so I'll get up every hour to add more charcoal."

Jiang Chun hurriedly replied, "No need, Father. I learned a method from Gou the Blacksmith to seal the stove. Add a full load of charcoal and cover it with both inner and outer lids, and it won't need refilling all night. They do this with their large iron furnaces."

Actually, she had learned this technique from her great-grandmother in her previous life, not from Gou the Blacksmith.

Hearing this, Jiang He chuckled, "That's great. Then none of us will have to get up in the middle of the night."

He then stood up and returned to his room to sleep soundly.

Jiang Chun lifted the stove lid, filled it with a full load of charcoal, placed the inner lid, and then the outer lid.

After washing her hands in a wooden basin, she entered the west room.

Climbing onto the kang bed, she first laid her quilt at the foot of the bed, then walked to the head of the bed to fetch her blanket.

Song Shian was already debating whether to try to keep her, but seeing her take her blanket without a word, his lips moved as if to say something, but he held back.

Jiang Chun finished laying out the bedding, took off her cotton clothes, and climbed into bed, sighing contentedly, "So warm."

It was even a bit too warm.

Song Shian's lips twitched upon hearing this.

A moment later, he said softly, "Is that so? Then why are my hands and feet still icy?"

Jiang Chun was taken aback, surprised, "The room is almost as warm as spring, and I'm finding the quilt too thick. How can your hands and feet still be cold?"

Song Shian fell silent for a moment, then sighed lightly, "Perhaps my body is too weak."

Jiang Chun couldn't help feeling a pang of sympathy and tentatively asked, "Maybe the new stove hasn't heated up enough yet. Should I sleep with you for a few days until it does, and then return to my own bed?"

Song Shian sighed again, helplessly, "I suppose that's the only way."

Seeing he had no objections, Jiang Chun got out of bed, picked up her blanket, and came to the head of the bed.

She slipped into his bed, draping her blanket over his.

Lying down, she reached out to grab his hand, intending to warm it, but found his hands were warm, even sweating slightly.

Jiang Chun raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Icy hands and feet?

She lifted his hand to his face and huffed, "Your hands are sweating, and you call that icy? Husband, you're lying."

Song Shian didn't argue but instead lifted one foot and pressed it against her calf.

Jiang Chun gasped sharply.

It was so cold it made her shiver.

Truly icy, like an ice cube, not the least bit exaggerated.

This left her somewhat puzzled, unsure if he was lying or not.

After some hesitation, she decided not to dwell on it.

Her reason for wanting separate beds was to avoid being too intimate, which could be detrimental to their health.

But Song Shian's body was too weak, lacking warmth, and even with the heating stove, he struggled.

If he caught a cold, it would be another ordeal.

Fine, she would continue sleeping with him, and at most, she would restrain herself, allowing herself to kiss him once a week.

She said helplessly, "Since your hands and feet are icy and you can't do without me, we'll continue sleeping together. We'll separate when spring comes and it warms up."

Song Shian, whose head was buried in her chest, smiled triumphantly.

All the effort of secretly sticking his feet out of the blanket to freeze them had paid off, and he had managed to keep her.

Her soft heart made her easy to manipulate. As long as he played on her concern for his health and occasionally acted pitiful, everything would go smoothly.

Fortunately, it’s me who has no ill intentions toward her; otherwise, with her innocent nature, who knows what schemes others might have concocted against her.

From now on, I’ll have to keep a closer eye on her, ensuring no one gets the chance to scheme against her.

But this isn’t too difficult a task, considering that in all of Imperial City, there are few who would dare to scheme against his wife, Song Shian’s wife.

If they were to succeed, then the decades of my past life would have been lived in vain.