Chapter 75 Mountain Home Hearth 75

Chapter 75: Mountain Family's Hearth and Home 75

The rice was coated in golden scrambled eggs, glistening with oil, and the sausage was fried to a savory fragrance. Paired with a side of pickled radish and a large bowl of simple vegetable soup, this simple dinner was hearty and satisfying, leaving everyone completely satisfied.

The whole family ate until their mouths were shiny with oil. Cui Lanfang felt happy inside, thinking that in the past, they would never have dared to eat fried rice—it wasted too much rice and oil.

But indeed, cold rice stir-fried with oil was incredibly fragrant, making them want to scrape up every last bit of scallion from the bottom of the bowl.

After the meal, the family sat in the courtyard to cool down and chat.

In late March, the evenings were slightly chilly, and a breeze made it even more refreshing.

The wind carried the faint scent of flowers, the fresh fragrance of young rice shoots, and the bitter smell of wild grass—all mingling together into a jumble of pleasant scents that lifted the spirits.

Cui Lanfang and Qin Banban carried the bamboo bed from the main room into the yard, took off their shoes, and sat on it, calling for Liu Guyu and Qin Rongshi to join them.

Liu Guyu kicked his shoes off in a hurry, leaving them scattered haphazardly, and without a second thought, he climbed onto the bamboo bed belly-first.

"Finally, some free time. I can really relax now," he said, sprawling out unceremoniously and taking up half the space.

Qin Rongshi, concerned with maintaining his scholarly decorum, felt that such a casual posture was undignified. In the end, he simply brought a bamboo chair and sat properly beside them.

Qin Banban wiggled her toes happily and announced, "Mom, Brother Liu! Erlang came first in the minor exam this time!"

Liu Guyu hadn’t even asked about Qin Rongshi’s exam results—partly because he was confident in the top student's abilities, and partly because he had been too preoccupied with Qin Rongshi’s foot injury to remember.

But Cui Lanfang was astonished. As a mother, she always believed her child was exceptional, but she never expected Erlang to rank first after only three months at the academy!

After all, the other students had been studying for years!

Thrilled and surprised, she exclaimed, "Oh my! First place?! Why didn’t you mention it earlier?"

Qin Rongshi didn’t think it was worth making a fuss about—it was just top of his class, not the entire Luming Academy, let alone the county’s highest honor.

He said calmly, "It was just an ordinary exam."

But Liu Guyu patted his shoulder encouragingly. "That’s still amazing! Our Erlang is truly remarkable!"

He looked as proud as if he had topped the imperial exams himself.

Amused, Qin Rongshi asked with a smile, "What’s so remarkable about it?"

Liu Guyu put on a serious face and began counting on his fingers. "First, you haven’t studied for a long time, yet your knowledge hasn’t slipped—that’s impressive. Second, you’ve only been at the academy for three months but outperformed classmates who’ve studied there for years—that’s also impressive. And third, achieving such results without becoming arrogant—that’s the third impressive thing."

Qin Banban enthusiastically nodded along with each point Liu Guyu made.

Cui Lanfang also gently stroked Qin Rongshi’s hair, her face filled with a warm smile. "My son has always been good at studying. It was only our family’s circumstances that held him back before—otherwise, he might have already become a *xiucai*!"

A fourteen-year-old *xiucai* would have been quite the marvel!

But Qin Rongshi frowned slightly and said softly, "Mom, why bring up the past? Our family’s situation is improving, and it will only get better. I will work hard and make sure you live a good life."

Banban pouted playfully and chimed in, "Exactly! Who cares about being a *xiucai*? I’d rather be a *juren*'s sister!"

This made Qin Rongshi laugh, and he nodded indulgently. "Alright, I’ll make you one."

Then, he instinctively glanced at Liu Guyu, who was lying on the bamboo bed, gazing up at the stars, lost in thought.

What was Liu Guyu thinking about?

He was imagining that by the time Qin Rongshi became a *juren*, he himself would have opened a grand restaurant, made a fortune, and earned more money than there were stars in the sky!

The thought made him grin foolishly, as if he were already clutching a pile of silver.

Cui Lanfang was also delighted by the children’s banter. She smiled at Qin Banban and said, "Next year, our Banban will be of age. By then, we’ll have some money saved, and we must hold a proper ceremony for you."

Qin Banban quickly added, "I want a beautiful hairpin too!"

She had seen Mai’er’s wheat-shaped hairpin—silvery and sparkling, utterly lovely.

Cui Lanfang nodded happily, her eyes brimming with affection like a clear spring. "Of course, we’ll have a silver hairpin made for you!"

Banban laughed joyfully, throwing herself into Cui Lanfang’s arms to cuddle.

Mentioning the coming-of-age ceremony reminded Cui Lanfang of what Qin Banban had said before dinner about Tian Hexiang. She sighed, stroking her daughter’s braid, and said, "Once you’re of age, you’ll be a young lady ready for marriage."

Cui Lanfang wasn’t eager to marry her daughter off early—in fact, she was reluctant, still thinking of Banban as her little girl.

This startled Liu Guyu, who sat up abruptly and shook his head firmly. "No, no, that’s way too early."

Clearly, Liu Guyu was also thinking of Tian Hexiang’s situation.

He couldn’t interfere with others’ affairs, but Banban absolutely could not marry so young!

If nothing else, early marriage and childbirth were harmful to a girl’s health!

But people in ancient times were accustomed to early marriages, and even wealthy or scholarly families saw nothing wrong with it. The mindset was deeply ingrained, leaving Liu Guyu unsure how to explain his concerns.

Cui Lanfang was taken aback by Liu Guyu’s firmness, surprised at his strong reaction.

Qin Rongshi also gave him a silent glance but didn’t ask further. After a moment of silence, he said, "It really is too early."

"I still have the imperial exams ahead. If I become a *xiucai* or *juren*, I’ll have to leave the village, and the people we meet then will be different. We can consider Banban’s marriage later."

It was just an excuse, but it persuaded Cui Lanfang effectively, who nodded in agreement, as if she had found a good reason to keep her daughter at home a few more years.

Liu Guyu quickly changed the subject. "Mom, we’ve saved some money. I’m thinking of going to the livestock broker in the west market to buy a blue-and-white mule and hiring the village carpenter to build a cart."

Discussing practical matters, Cui Lanfang set aside the previous topic and nodded in agreement. "That’s a good idea! For long-term stall business, we really need a mule."

After saying this, she paused in surprise. Livestock was a major expense—in the past, they would never have considered buying one so casually. But now, even she could speak of it so lightly.

Banban clapped her hands excitedly. "Let’s buy one! Mai’er’s family has a donkey called ‘Hei Dazhuang.’ When we get our mule, I’ll give it a name too!"

With the matter settled, Liu Guyu suddenly slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Ah! My double-layer milk pudding is still cooling inside! I’ll go get it!"

He moved to get up but realized his shoes were scattered far apart.

Qin Banban and Cui Lanfang were both barefoot on the bamboo bed, while Qin Rongshi sat alone in his chair. He silently glanced at Liu Guyu, stood up, and picked up the shoes.

He placed the two dark blue cloth shoes neatly side by side under the bed.

Watching Qin Rongshi’s natural gesture, Cui Lanfang felt slightly puzzled. Something seemed off—was Erlang being unusually good to Gu Yu?

Before she could come up with anything, Liu Guyu had already clattered into the kitchen, his feet slipping into his shoes, waving as he ran, calling out, “Hey Banban, come help me carry these!”

Qin Banban: “Coming!” she responded.

Two different but clear voices interrupted Cui Lanfang’s thoughts. She watched as two figures, one tall and one small, dashed into the kitchen and busied themselves around the cooking area.

Liu Guyu brought out four bowls of chilled double-skin milk, then asked Banban to fetch the cooked red beans and the mulberry jam he had prepared a few days earlier.

The double-skin milk was creamy white, rich and creamy-smelling. Its surface wasn’t entirely smooth; the milk skin was wrinkled, kind of like a honeycomb.

Liu Guyu scooped a large spoonful of jam and another of red beans, spreading them evenly over the milk skin. After preparing all four bowls this way, he called Banban to help carry them out.

Qin Banban had been craving it for a while, especially after smelling the rich milky aroma—she was practically salivating.

“Ma, Second Brother, try the double-skin milk Brother Liu just made! It smells amazing!”

Qin Banban handed a bowl to her mother first, then turned to her second brother, Qin Rongshi. Just as she was about to hand him the remaining bowl, she noticed Liu Guyu had already given one to him.

Liu Guyu edged closer, leaning close to Qin Rongshi’s ear, and whispered, “I know you have a sweet tooth, so I gave you an extra spoonful of jam for you—this is the sweetest bowl!”

Qin Rongshi smiled slightly, without putting up his usual protest that he didn’t like sweets this time. Instead, he looked up at Liu Guyu and said, “Thank you, Brother Liu.”

Liu Guyu gave him a playful wink, a wide grin on his face, which made Qin Rongshi laugh in response.

Qin Banban and Cui Lanfang didn’t notice their little exchange. The mother and daughter sat together, enjoying their double-skin milk.

“Such a strong milk flavor, but not a hint of that odd milk taste. Your Brother Liu sure knows his stuff!”

“Yeah! So good! So good! So good!”

…

The end of March, beginning of April passed in a blink, and soon it was May.

May was a busy farming season, and Luming Academy was on farming break. All the teachers and students left the academy; even those like Xie Baozhu, who lived far away, returned to Luo County to visit their parents.

In April, Liu Guyu bought a blue-and-white mule for four and a half taels. He also commissioned Zhang, the village carpenter, to build a cart for hauling goods and passengers, complete with a covering to shield against wind and rain, costing another half tael.

The purchases were good quality, and Liu Guyu was delighted with them, he was in high spirits all month.

The mule was two years old, just reaching adulthood, and was named Cuihua.

It was a male mule.

Qin Banban wasn’t too pleased about giving a male mule the name “Cuihua.”

She had suggested several names, but the mule showed no reaction to any of them. Finally, Liu Guyu slapped his forehead and said, “Let’s just call it Cuihua.”

The mule moved then, curling its lips to nibble on Liu Guyu’s sleeve.

And so, the name Qin Cuihua was settled.

Qin Banban had actually wanted to name it “Liu Cuihua,” but Liu Guyu waved his hand and said, “Forget it, that’s even less masculine.”

Banban didn’t understand and reasoned with him, “Brother Liu! You earn all the money in this household—it’s only fair it takes your surname!”

She had no idea that the “masculine” Liu Guyu referred to was about gender, not fairness.

Besides, why would he want a mule to share his surname?!

In the end, Liu Guyu won out, and the mule named “Qin Cuihua” became a member of the Qin family. Qin Rongshi even took advantage of a day off to build a shed for it.

In May, Liu Guyu took the mule cart to Fushui Town to pick up Qin Rongshi, who was on vacation, and gave Li Anyuan a hitch a ride along the way.

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Author’s Note: I’m craving double-skin milk. I remember back in middle school, milk tea shops still made it, but you can’t find it anywhere now. Sigh…

(The wind is super, super strong today—it blew one of the sliding doors off my balcony [cheek rest][cheek rest].)