Chapter Fifty-Three: Inquiring About Injuries

Chapter 53: Inquiring About Injuries

"Why is there a donkey braying at home?"

Lin Qiuran was startled. After getting dressed and stepping outside, she discovered a young donkey had appeared in the courtyard.

Xiao Xun was bent over, hitching a cart to the donkey. This cart was narrower than one pulled by an ox, and the donkey itself actually seemed to be smiling.

It was still early; Sun Shi and the others hadn’t arrived yet. The snow in the courtyard had already been cleared away, but the roof eaves were still blanketed in white. Under the sunlight, the snow glittered with rainbow colors. Xiao Xun and the donkey stood together in the yard, and hearing the noise, they both turned to look at Lin Qiuran.

Lin Qiuran was puzzled. Xiao Xun patted the donkey’s head and explained, "Donkeys are smaller-built and can navigate through narrow alleys. They move slowly but steadily, and their temperament is gentle. From now on, you can take the cart to the eatery. This morning, I’ll first teach Father how to drive the cart and let the donkey familiarize itself with the route."

As for the afternoon... Xiao Xun lowered his head. He would have to leave in the afternoon.

Lin Qiuran circled the donkey once and asked, "How much did this cost?"

Xiao Xun followed behind her. "The donkey was eighteen taels, and the cart three taels."

That totaled twenty-one taels. Combined with the money sent back earlier and what he had given to Lin Qiuran, he had brought home a total of thirty-one taels of silver.

His monthly official salary was around ten taels, and including bonuses from above, almost all of it was spent on this trip home.

He had bought a young donkey with a calm temperament—if it wasn’t pulling a cart, it could still grind grain or do other work. The cart was sturdy too, though in cold weather, donkey carts weren't as warm as carriages.

Lin Qiuran nodded and studied the donkey for a moment. She had originally planned to buy a cart. Their family could afford a horse-drawn carriage now, but that would be too showy. Aside from daily trips to the eatery, there weren’t many other uses for it.

For getting around the county town, a donkey cart was quite suitable. It saved time and effort, though the cart had no roof, so it didn't provide shelter from wind or rain. On rainy days, it still wouldn’t be ideal for going out.

Lin Qiuran smiled. "We can add a canopy for it when we get back. How old is it?"

Xiao Xun rubbed the donkey’s head again. "A little over a year old. I’ll take you for a test drive later. Let’s eat first."

Lin Qiuran went to the front hall, where there were tables and chairs. Auntie Liu had cleaned up here last night, and everyone ate their meals in this area. Today, Xiao Xun had bought plain noodles in broth, steamed buns, and savory scallion pancakes.

The scallion pancakes weren’t purchased—Aunt Yu had insisted on giving them.

The family business was busy, and Sun Shi hadn’t yet told anyone about Xiao Xun’s return. Besides, they all lived in the county town now and rarely returned to the village. But Aunt Yu had watched Xiao Xun grow up and had also moved to the county town. When she saw Xiao Xun on the street, she recognized him immediately. Overjoyed, she quickly cut three catties of pancakes and insisted he take them home.

Xiao Xun tried to pay, but Aunt Yu refused. She was nearly moved to tears—someone returning from the dead was such a joyous event. She had witnessed firsthand how Sun Shi and Xiao Dashi had nearly not survived the grief, and then seen the Xiao family rebuild their lives.

It was good that he was back. Otherwise, when Lin Qiuran gave birth, the child would have no father. Even if the business grew bigger and bigger, it would always feel like something was missing.

It was good he was back, truly good!

Da Hu was also delighted. After Xiao Xun left, he couldn’t help saying, "It’s great that Brother Xiao Xun is back."

Aunt Yu glared at him. Da Hu said, "Mom, why are you looking at me like that? It’s not like I said now that Brother Xun is back, we should stop sharing profits with the Xiao family. Really."

Da Hu had been close to Xiao Xun—he often went hunting with him in the past—so he was genuinely happy for him. As for the profit-sharing arrangement, he had come to terms with it. His family had insisted on it, and it wouldn’t be right to take it back now.

Aunt Yu stopped looking at Da Hu. A return from the dead was a rare event, and she planned to ask about it when she had time.

Since he couldn't refuse their hospitality, Xiao Xun brought the pancakes back.

Lin Qiuran ate the plain noodles in broth and added a tea egg to them but didn’t touch the other items.

Xiao Xun had been busy in the courtyard with the donkey cart, checking if the hitch was secure and sturdy. After that, he bustled around the donkey, though it wasn’t clear what he was doing.

Lin Qiuran took a few bites of her food and then looked up. Xiao Xun was focused on his task, now feeding the donkey fodder. At this time of year, there was no fresh grass, so it was feed mixed with grain stalks and straw.

The donkey chewed happily, and Xiao Xun patted its head.

Suddenly, Lin Qiuran thought of something and asked right away, "Have you eaten yet?"

Xiao Xun stopped what he was doing and looked at her. The sunlight shone on his head, making it glow golden. "I’ll eat after you finish."

Lin Qiuran suddenly remembered that yesterday she had also eaten first. After breakfast, not wanting to be around Xiao Xun, she had gone to the kitchen. Xiao Xun had cleaned up the dishes and later came into the kitchen to say something, to which Lin Qiuran had simply nodded.

In the morning, Xiao Xun had gone to the yamen. In the afternoon, Lin Qiuran had napped and cooked. They hardly spoke all day, and in the evening, after finishing business, she went to bed early. She didn’t even know when Xiao Xun had gone to sleep or when he had woken up and left.

Lin Qiuran said, "Aren’t you going to come eat together?"

Xiao Xun was taken aback. He could tell Lin Qiuran didn’t want to engage with him and was somewhat unhappy.

Having been apart for over half a year, it was natural to feel distant. Xiao Xun knew Lin Qiuran blamed him.

Xiao Xun smiled. "I wasn’t finished earlier, but I’ll come over now."

He went to wash his hands. With his long legs, he walked quickly and soon sat down opposite Lin Qiuran.

Lin Qiuran wasn’t accustomed to sharing food from the same bowl with others, so she let Xiao Xun have the steamed buns and savory pancakes. If he got thirsty, he could drink water later.

Xiao Xun took a couple of bites of the pancake and then offered her a piece. Watching her expression, he said, "This is from Aunt Yu’s family. When I passed by on the street, I gave Aunt Yu quite a fright. She insisted I take it—I couldn’t refuse. And Da Hu—he’s matured a lot. That day, I first knocked on Aunt Yu’s door, but no one was home. I thought they might have gone out on business, but it seems they’ve moved to the county town."

Xiao Xun chattered on about many things. Lin Qiuran thought to herself that she had been the one to teach Aunt Yu how to make these pancakes. Aunt Yu’s family had moved to the county town some months ago.

Xiao Xun didn’t know any of this.

Lin Qiuran took a bite of the tea egg. "A lot has happened these past six months. You... you must have had a hard time outside. How are your injuries?"

Xiao Xun slowed his eating. He smiled, glanced at Lin Qiuran’s lowered eyes, and quickly looked away.

He said, "Well, I’m standing here perfectly fine, aren’t I?"

Lin Qiuran couldn’t help but think that when the news of his death had come, Xiao Xun must have been seriously injured. No wonder he looked thinner and his face was pale from staying indoors too long.

She didn’t want to ask more, and certainly wouldn’t check his wounds under his clothes. They weren’t that close anyway. He was right—he was standing here well. There was no need to worry Sun Shi and the others or dredge up painful memories.

Lin Qiuran said, "Eat more and take good care of yourself. Your health is what matters most."

Xiao Xun nodded and looked at her. "I know. What about you? Has it been hard these days?"

Over the past couple of days, Xiao Xun had seen Lin Qiuran get up early to eat, then go to the kitchen at the appointed time to prepare stews. The portions were large, so cooking became physically demanding. The busiest times were during lunch and dinner service, when she had to constantly stir-fry dishes, sometimes several pans at once. The wok was heavy, and it was hot by the stove.

Occasionally, when cooking spicy dishes, the smoke and heat were so intense she had to cover her head. From outside the kitchen, he could see Lin Qiuran, heavily pregnant, still flipping the wok.

If this was what he saw now, it meant things had been like this all along. And now was probably even better—before they had the eatery, she had to cook at home. The space was smaller, and Sun Shi and the others had to go out to sell.

Had it been hard? Of course it had.

Lin Qiuran said, "Well, I’m sitting here perfectly fine too, aren’t I?"

Xiao Xun smiled again. That was true.

Lin Qiuran had only a little broth left. She said, "I’m finished. I’ll go start cooking. Take your time eating."

Xiao Xun replied, "Alright. What about the donkey cart..."

Lin Qiuran said, "Just eat first. We can try it later when there’s time. Oh, and when Father arrives, the two of you should go out for a bit."

Xiao Xun looked up to ask, "What is it?"

Lin Qiuran said, "Take the opportunity while you're home to look at some farmland."

With money saved up, Lin Qiuran planned to buy land.

It had just snowed, and the snow hadn't completely melted from the streets. Lin Qiuran didn’t want to go out, but since Xiao Xun was here, it was convenient to send him instead.

Business at the shop was fairly consistent day to day, but with the boost from the beef sales at the beginning of the month, this month’s income was still quite substantial.

In the first few days of the month, the daily profit was six or seven silver taels, and these days it was around two taels. Xiao Xun had also given her five taels when he returned. Not counting this month’s shop income, the savings already amounted to two hundred and thirty taels. Lin Qiuran felt that money sitting idle was just idle money, and it could easily attract thieves.

It would be better to buy farmland. Before, she had considered buying land and then a cart, since they didn’t have to pay land taxes, and hiring people to farm would still be profitable. Now that Xiao Xun was back, they still didn’t have to pay taxes, and they already had a donkey cart, so they should buy land first.

Moreover, Lin Qiuran wanted to see how Xiao Dashi and Sun Shi would treat her after Xiao Xun’s return. Sun Shi and Xiao Dashi had been very happy these past two days and treated her as usual. She even saw Sun Shi telling Xiao Xun privately to buy her breakfast and take care of her.

But these were small matters; there were other things to consider.

Money was important. Without knowing what the future held, she had to keep the money in her own hands. The eatery and the house were both in her name. If Xiao Dashi suggested buying land under Xiao Xun’s name, Lin Qiuran would refuse.

It wasn’t that Sun Shi and Xiao Dashi had less say because Lin Qiuran managed the business—after all, Lin Qiuran had put more effort into the eatery. She didn’t want to work hard only to benefit others.

Xiao Xun’s sudden return was unexpected for Lin Qiuran, and she wasn’t sure if it was for better or worse.

Soon, Xiao Dashi and the others arrived, bringing the meat for that day's lunch.

Lin Qiuran, Sun Shi, and Lin Dong started preparing the meal. She asked Xiao Dashi to take Xiao Xun to find Zhao Guangcai and check if any land was for sale.

The land around the county town wasn’t expensive—a few silver taels per mu. The Xiao family currently had three mu of land. With a hundred silver taels, they could buy thirty or forty mu.

The two of them would go have a look first. If it was suitable, Lin Qiuran could go make the payment.

As they cooked, the two men set out.

Sun Shi was quite happy. It was helpful to have an extra pair of hands at home; Lin Qiuran didn’t have to worry about everything herself.

Near noon, Xiao Xun and the others returned. Xiao Dashi said, "We found some land in Xiao Village."

The broker dealt with individual plots, which he sold as they became available. When the family had wanted to buy a house before, Xiao Dashi had also suggested selling land, but Lin Qiuran hadn’t allowed it. Villagers wouldn’t sell their land unless absolutely necessary.

But some lost their land gambling, and others had to sell due to urgent matters.

The land they looked at today included Li Cuihua’s family’s plot.

Her family was urgently raising money to secure someone's release. If they couldn’t gather enough, they had to sell the land. Since the New Year was near, they couldn’t leave the two in jail.

There were about twenty mu in total, all together, and the land was good. It cost three taels per mu, and with transaction taxes and other fees included, it came to about eighty taels.

The tax exemption didn't apply to these costs.

Lin Qiuran nodded after hearing this, not caring who the previous owners were. She said, "We have some money set aside from the business; we can buy this land. Next spring, we can hire people to farm it and grow some vegetables the eatery needs."

With more greens, Lin Qiuran planned to update the menu. Stir-fried eggplant, cowpea, and pumpkin were all delicious.

Cowpea was used a lot when they operated a stall, but later, when the eatery focused on vegetable stir-fries, any unsold dried cowpeas were kept for the family to eat.

The eatery’s menu needed to change with the seasons.

Xiao Dashi nodded. "I'll handle this. I’ll let Zhao Guangcai know and have him come over this afternoon."

They had done a lot of business with Zhao Guangcai, and he was trustworthy.

Lin Qiuran nodded and looked at Xiao Xun. "By the way, when are you leaving this afternoon?"

Xiao Xun said, "No rush."

He could stay a bit longer.

In the afternoon, Zhao Guangcai came over. After signing the documents, he had Xiao Xun go to the government office. Lin Qiuran also asked him to come again the next day.

Zhao Guangcai guessed that Lin Qiuran wanted to see more and readily agreed. Processing the land deed required a trip to the government office. Lin Qiuran didn’t go, but it was easily handled, and the deed was still registered under her name.

Lin Qiuran felt she had been overly wary. The Xiao family had no ulterior motives; she was overthinking it.

In reality, Sun Shi and Xiao Dashi had noticed how well Lin Qiuran had taken care of them all this time and had long said they would follow her lead. Their lives were improving.

Besides, Sun Shi truly saw Lin Qiuran as a daughter and would naturally not go back on her word. They weren’t foolish enough to disrupt their good life.

Xiao Dashi used to think Lin Qiuran was delicate and believed all pregnant women should work, but over time, though he had been the most stubborn, he now had the softest heart. When he went out, he even spoke sternly to Xiao Xun: becoming an official was good, but he must not forget his roots.

Xiao Xun shook his head and said he wouldn’t.

It was just that the two hadn’t seen each other for a long time and had grown distant. Xiao Xun felt Lin Qiuran blamed him. As for whose name the land deed was under, he thought it should be Lin Qiuran’s. Although the money he earned was a lot by the Xiao family’s previous standards, it was little compared to the family's savings. At most, he could help look at the land; he wouldn’t offer unsolicited opinions in other matters.

As for being ungrateful, Xiao Xun had never even considered it.

The Xiao family’s behavior improved Lin Qiuran’s opinion of Xiao Xun, but this made things even more complicated for her. That night, lying in bed at home, Lin Qiuran didn’t fall asleep right away as she usually did.

Before Xiao Xun left, Lin Qiuran tried to give him some money, but Xiao Xun declined, saying he didn’t need it. Xiao Xun was a good person, and so were Sun Shi and Xiao Dashi.

The next day, the weather was clear and pleasant.

Xiao Xun had left yesterday afternoon. For those like them who had to run a business daily, when someone left, they were gone. Though they were happy he was alive, they still had to work for a living, so his departure didn’t affect their lives for now.

They still came to the shop to work in the morning, but unlike before, Lin Qiuran now traveled by donkey cart, with Xiao Dashi leading it. A mattress was placed in the cart, making the ride less bumpy.

There were more donkey carts than horse carts on the street, but most people still walked. A donkey cart cost at least twenty taels, after all, and not every family could afford one.

After dropping Lin Qiuran off, Xiao Dashi went out. Now that it was cold, worried the meat vendor might not come the next day if it snowed, they bought meat a day in advance. If they bought a lot, they froze it for later use. The preservation was effective now, and meat kept for two days wasn’t spoiled.

In the afternoon, Zhao Guangcai came. Lin Qiuran said to him, "Brother Zhao, I’d like to look at a larger house."

Buying the land cost eighty taels, and the family still had a hundred and fifty taels in cash. If that wasn’t enough, the shop’s earnings for this month hadn’t been touched yet and could be used.

Zhao Guangcai nodded. "How big are you thinking?"

Lin Qiuran said, "Preferably a two-courtyard house, with four or five rooms."

There were many people in the family, and it was getting a bit crowded.

Xiao Xun didn’t come back often, and when asked when he would return next, he didn’t say. But whenever he did return, they would have to accommodate him as they had these past two days, and Lin Qiuran found it cramped. Even without considering Xiao Xun, once the child was born, there wouldn’t be enough space.

Lin Dong and Lin Xia would be fifteen and thirteen after the New Year. The family had three rooms, one of which was used as a kitchen. Originally, the east room where Lin Qiuran stayed was quite large, but with more people, it felt small.

She wasn’t used to always sleeping with them.

To take a step back, even if she couldn’t stay with the Xiao family, she needed a house to fall back on to feel secure about separating.

Zhao Guangcai said, "I have some options. Let me go back and check, then list them for you."

Before leaving, Zhao Guangcai congratulated Lin Qiuran, and she smiled, hoping Xiao Xun's return would bring good news.

Zhao Guangcai would need a few more days, as house hunting isn't like buying land—you can buy land once it looks about right, with prices fairly consistent. But houses require careful inspection and allow room for negotiation; even saving a tael or two is worth it.

Lin Qiuran touched her belly, recalling how she initially thought three rooms would be enough to have the baby, never expecting how quickly circumstances change.

Today is the 21st of November. In the afternoon, Lin Qiuran had something else to take care of—she needed to inspect the second floor.

After days of clattering, the second-floor renovation was finally complete. While it didn't require her effort, the cost of the second-floor renovation was almost enough to buy another property.

Steward Xu arrived shortly after Zhao Guangcai left. They had paid half the deposit upfront, and after inspecting it today, if everything was satisfactory, they would pay the remainder. The total cost exceeded twenty taels, higher than Lin Qiuran's budget, and the construction period was longer.

She followed Steward Xu upstairs, where everything was completely transformed—newly built walls, clean and white, with wooden wainscoting below featuring intricate carvings and landscape patterns, very elegant.

Coming up from the first floor, it was like stepping into a different world.

The floor had been replaced with a lighter color, and even the ceiling was changed. The light-colored wood made the second floor feel airy and spacious.

There were four private rooms, each with a door plaque bearing selected poetic names that sounded sophisticated.

Lin Qiuran pushed the door open. The main room had large windows, making it spacious and bright. The lattice windows were newly made with swastika patterns. A massive date-red wooden table was accompanied by ten chairs, and a curio shelf stood against the wall, with just a potted plant on it for now.

These details were for Lin Qiuran to add later, as the twenty-plus taels didn't include them.

Though the renovation was expensive, just the table alone felt worth the cost. Serving food upstairs, Lin Qiuran felt, could double the prices.

She then went to a room with smaller windows that was darker, where she lit a lamp upon entering. The windows faced the courtyard, and if it got too noisy, they could be closed without issue.

There was also a curio shelf here; later, she could buy some porcelain to display, which would surely look beautiful.

According to Steward Xu, they'd factored in feng shui during the renovation to bring prosperity and wealth. Lin Qiuran inspected everything inside and out and was very satisfied. Xiao Dashi checked the sturdiness of the fixtures and found them all solid, so Lin Qiuran paid the balance right away.

Steward Xu said, "If anything breaks, just let me know. We don’t abandon our work after completion—repairs are included."

Lin Qiuran smiled and nodded, adding, "If the Second Young Master returns, please inform him that the restaurant is ready with meals prepared, and we'd be honored if he'd come."

If it were up to her alone, she could never have achieved this.

Steward Xu nodded, a smile still on his face. "That’s easy to arrange. I heard there’s joyful news in the Xiao family—has Madam Lin’s husband returned?"