Chapter 121

Chapter 121

With an extra helper at home, not only was Lu Yuan relieved, but even Grandma felt much more at ease.

Cui Niang proved capable—she rose at the break of dawn, took the clothes out to wash, returned to prepare breakfast, and tidied up the courtyard.

The two children didn’t need constant supervision; they often practiced their calligraphy at home or played with other children their age in the alley, though they still required occasional checking in on.

As for feeding the chickens and watering the vegetables, that was the children’s and Grandma’s task.

At daybreak, the first thing the children did was feed the chickens.

That small plot of land was Grandma’s pride and joy; watching her vegetables grow bit by bit each day gave her a great sense of accomplishment.

Lu Yuan couldn't quite understand it—surely she’d done plenty of farming in the past, so why, now that they’d moved to the city, was she still so keen on planting and gardening?

With fewer chores at home, Lu Yuan, though not yet three months into her pregnancy, had already put on a little weight.

In recent days, after his shift, Qi Cheng had been going to the brokerage to look for a house. After about half a month, he finally found a suitable one.

Lu Yuan went to see it—the yard was about the same size as their current one, but there were three extra rooms: two main rooms (east and west), one west wing room, and two rooms facing the courtyard.

They planned to move as soon as Lu Yuan was past her third month.

Since it wasn’t time yet, they used the period for renovations.

Grandma kept reminding them not to make any holes in the new house, so they didn’t do much renovating. For the children’s room, they simply laid down some old floorboards around the bed, and a swing was built outside before the children were brought home.

Although the lease on their current house had over a month left, with more people, it was getting too crowded. They decided to wait until the lease expired to move out, gradually moving their things over in the meantime.

When it was finally time to move, they only needed to transport the beds, tables, chairs, and commonly used cookware and dishes.

It took two days to move everything.

Chun Hua and Qiu Hua were thrilled when they saw the swing at the new house.

Grandma, worried her daughter-in-law might also be tempted to play, cautioned, “Let the children play on it. Don’t you go joining in and swinging too.”

Lu Yuan retorted, “Grandma, I’m not a child.”

Grandma gave her a look. “You’re not a child, but you’ve got a childlike nature. You see something fun and want to try it yourself.”

Living together for so long, they understood each other better and better.

Lu Yuan waved her hand. “I’m not that irresponsible.”

Grandma, seeing her expression, turned to Cui Niang and said, “Make sure to keep an eye on the lady. Don’t let her sit on the swing.”

Cui Niang, watching the two children having a great time, smiled and answered, “Yes, ma'am.”

After winter arrived, it grew colder day by day, and business on the night market street was slow.

With business slow and poor revenue, Lu Yuan simply let Hu Qiniang handle the accounts and planned to reconcile them at the end of the month.

Since it was only a fifteen-minute walk to the night market street, Lu Yuan went only every other day in the early morning, staying for less than half an hour before returning.

After deducting wages and various expenses, the daily profit never exceeded fifty wen.

Though meager, it was better than nothing.

Now, renting cost a full string of coins per month. She only earned six or seven hundred wen a month, not even enough to cover the rent. Fortunately, Qi Cheng’s salary remained unchanged, so their savings weren’t touched, and they could even save a little money.

But as the year drew to a close, the bandits who hadn’t managed to seize grain during the harvest season came down from the mountains to cause trouble again.

With the New Year approaching, Qi Cheng was once again dispatched to fight the bandits.

By this time, Lu Yuan was four months pregnant.

When she went to the night market street one morning and arrived at the small courtyard, she found Man Niang already there. She asked, “Why are you here so early?”

Man Niang replied, “Constable Ji has gone to fight the bandits, so I don’t need to go over to do laundry or cook. On my days off, I get restless with nothing to do, so I came early to see if there’s any work.”

Lu Yuan casually asked, “How are you finding the work at Constable Ji’s house?”

Man Niang nodded and said, “Constable Ji is a wonderful man.”

This was the second time Lu Yuan had heard Man Niang praise Constable Ji—the first time she said “good,” and this time “extremely good.” It seemed he really was exceptional.

Man Niang and Cui Niang were alike—both diligent and careful. Their work hardly needed Lu Yuan's supervision.

After working for a while, Lu Yuan noticed Man Niang hesitating a few times as if she wanted to say something. Not sure what it was, she waited for her to ask.

“Ma'am, how dangerous were the bandit suppressions in previous years?”

Thinking she might ask for an advance on her wages, Lu Yuan was surprised by the question. After a moment, she replied, “I’m not sure about the past, but our current acting County Magistrate is very good at fighting bandits. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have driven them deep into the mountains.”

The previous County Magistrate was demoted to Deputy Magistrate for incompetence and transferred to another county.

With the County Magistrate position vacant, Deputy Magistrate Yang temporarily assumed the role and exercised the County Magistrate’s authority.

“And… how is Constable Ji at fighting bandits?”

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly—so concerned about her employer?

She smiled faintly at Man Niang and said, “I’ve only met Constable Ji a few times, but my husband says he is very capable and the acting County Magistrate thinks highly of him. He’s also distinguished himself in previous bandit suppressions.”

Man Niang nodded, afraid her employer might misunderstand, and quickly explained, “Ma'am, please don’t misunderstand. Constable Ji has been kind to me, so I can’t help but worry a little.”

Lu Yuan smiled and said, “Constable Ji is an upright man. Many people must have received his kindness. Bandit suppression is dangerous, and since you’ve benefited from his help, it’s natural to worry about his safety. I won’t read too much into it.”

Gossip often swirls around widows, and rumors can be deadly. Even if she noticed something, Lu Yuan wouldn’t mention it.

Man Niang quietly sighed in relief.

＊

This time, the bandit suppression before the New Year ended on the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, and Qi Cheng returned home.

The old and the young looked him over carefully before finally relaxing—they could enjoy a good New Year.

Although bandit suppression involved actual fighting, Qi Cheng wasn’t completely unhurt, but fortunately, his injuries were only superficial. The most serious was a cut on his arm.

Lu Yuan applied medicine for him and said with concern, “Last time it was your left arm, this time your right. Can’t you keep both hands uninjured? Do you think it’s not glorious enough?”

Qi Cheng said, “These are just scratches. They’ll be fine in a few days.” He sighed lightly. “But some people… never made it back.”

Lu Yuan bit back what she was about to say and fell silent.

Qi Cheng, noticing her downcast mood, said, "I shouldn't have told you these things."

Lu Yuan shook her head. "Even if you didn’t, I could guess."

Qi Cheng said, "The public office will send compensation money to the widows in the next couple of days. There’s still a lot to handle, so I’ll probably be spending every day of the Lunar New Year at the office."

Lu Yuan carefully bandaged his arm wound and said, "It’s all right. You focus on your work. We’ve hired more help at home and in the shop, and I won’t push myself too hard."

She then asked, "Are Constable Ji and He Bao both all right?"

Qi Cheng was taken aback. "Why are you suddenly asking about Constable Ji?"

He Bao was He Rou’s elder brother, and since He Rou was helping out at the shop, it made sense for Lu Yuan to ask about him. But he was puzzled why she’d suddenly bring up Constable Ji.

Lu Yuan finished bandaging his arm, cut the gauze with scissors, and tied it securely.

"A few days ago, Man Niang asked me about him. I thought I’d stop by the shop tomorrow and pass along the message, to set her mind at ease."

Qi Cheng frowned slightly. "Why would she ask about Constable Ji?"

Lu Yuan straightened up and said, "Why are you so curious? Don’t go spreading any rumors outside."

Suddenly, Qi Cheng seemed to understand something, but he didn’t press further. After pulling down his sleeve, he replied, "He Bao distinguished himself, and so did Constable Ji. Like me, he injured his arm, though his wound is more serious."

Lu Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Constable Ji doesn’t have any family around. You should invite him over for New Year’s Eve dinner."

In the public office, Qi Cheng got along best with Constable Ji.

Not to mention, they had raided bandits together several times and had a bond tempered through life-and-death experiences. Now that he was injured, it seemed only proper to invite him for the New Year’s Eve meal.

Qi Cheng said, "I’ll drop by his house tomorrow and check on his injury."

Lu Yuan added, "Your grandmother said she’d make chicken soup tomorrow. Wait until it’s ready and bring some to Constable Ji."

Qi Cheng arrived at Constable Ji’s home with the chicken soup.

Constable Ji, with his arm in a sling, opened the door. He looked surprised to see Qi Cheng. "To what do I owe this visit?"

Qi Cheng lifted the basket in his hand. "Grandmother heard you were injured too, so she asked me to bring you some chicken soup. She also invited you to our place for the reunion dinner tomorrow."

At the mention of the reunion dinner, Constable Ji was momentarily stunned, then smiled. "Come on in."

Qi Cheng followed him into the courtyard.

As he entered, he noticed the neatly stacked firewood and the yard free of weeds; his eyebrows rose in surprise.

Constable Ji was widowed young and had never remarried, living alone all these years.

Living alone often meant more careless housekeeping. The last time Qi Cheng had visited Constable Ji’s home, it hadn’t been nearly this tidy or clean.

Constable Ji poured Qi Cheng a cup of hot tea and said, "The reunion dinner is for families. I wouldn’t want to intrude. There’s no need to persuade me."

Qi Cheng could tell he genuinely didn’t want to come, so he didn’t press the matter.

The two discussed some official business, and before they knew it, an hour had passed. Seeing that it was almost time for the midday meal, Qi Cheng took his leave.

Just as he stepped out of the courtyard, he saw Man Niang arriving at the gate with a basket of vegetables.

Spotting the young master, Man Niang was startled but still greeted him, "Sir."

Qi Cheng nodded to her but didn’t ask any questions, simply walking past her.

Constable Ji, seeing Man Niang, asked, "Today’s an even day. Why are you here?"

Man Niang entered the courtyard with her basket and, noticing his arm in a sling, asked worriedly, "Is your injury serious, Constable?"

Constable Ji replied, "It should heal with some rest."

Man Niang then said, "During the New Year, one should have a proper hot meal."

As she washed the vegetables, she hesitated for a moment before turning to Constable Ji. "There’s something I’d like to ask of you, Constable."

Constable Ji took a sip of tea and nodded. "Go ahead."

Man Niang lowered her eyes and said softly, "The people in my alley often bully us because we’re a widow and orphan. At night…" She couldn’t continue, her eyes reddening and her shoulders trembling slightly.

Constable Ji slammed his cup down with a sharp thud, his expression turning cold. "What happens at night?"

Man Niang’s voice trembled. "Someone tried to… scale my wall. I didn’t dare tell anyone else. They wouldn’t believe me. They’d say I… say I…"

Say she was loose, say she couldn’t bear the loneliness of widowhood.

Constable Ji was silent for a moment before asking, "What would you have me do?"

Man Niang turned to him, her eyes red, looking lost. "On New Year’s Eve, could you come to my place for the reunion dinner?"

Constable Ji understood her intention—she wanted him to deter those men with ill intentions.

He nodded. "Very well. I’ll come tomorrow."