Chapter Forty-Five: Laba Festival

  Happy Labour Day

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  Zhen Shining smiled, "You say that, people will think you've hired an ancestor to go back." She shook her head, "Forget it, I was born with a body that's not meant to make money. You've seen it too, the other day I saw how profitable agar was and thought about making more, but ended up sleeping for two days and even lost that pot of agar."

  After hearing this, Li Qiu's wife took a look at Zhen Shiniang's pale face and sighed.

  Send off Li Qizhen's wife, and the magpie picks up the unfinished jacket, repeatedly sighing in regret. "It's all because of my own fault, unfortunately I got pregnant at this time. If I were fine, I would definitely accompany Miss to Beijing." She grew up in Beijing since she was a child, with her by their side, nothing bad would happen. "According to Li Shuo's meaning, at least we can earn ten or eight taels of reward money, and you won't have to stop taking medicine this winter." Zhen Tianying is actually a doctor herself, but her body has been getting worse and worse, mainly because she doesn't have the money to take care of herself. Especially in autumn and winter when she needs nourishment the most, not only can't she afford supplements, but she also had to stop taking medicine under duress.

  "If I really want to go, I'll go no matter what." Zhen Shiniang picked up the book she had read halfway through. "I'm afraid the other party is an official."

  Is it official?

  The magpie was stunned for a moment, and then her face changed slightly. She leaned forward, "You said, could it be that someone from the General's mansion has come to seek medical attention?"

  While reading a book, Zhen Shiniang absent-mindedly asked, "Does the general's family have an elderly lady?"

  "Miss!" Jiya snatched the book from her hand.

  Zhen Shining suddenly realized she had asked a silly question, so she laughed and sat up, "...... I didn't forget, did I? Tell me, who are the people in their family?" Remembering the historical dramas she watched in her past life, "...... Is there an old lady?"

  The magpie burst out laughing.

  The whole family had a lively lunch, and Ji Yue continued to do needlework. Qiu Ju took Jian Wu and Jian Wen to the backyard to catch sparrows with clay pots. Zhen Shi Niang moved out the Go pieces and chatted with Ji Yue while setting them up. Li Qi's wife walked in hastily.

  “…I've already said it all, but Gu Mai Bao is unwilling to leave. He says he must invite you and that you don't have to worry, he'll hire a comfortable four-wheeled carriage for you to lie down in on the way there.” Li Qi's wife took out a silver ingot and placed it on the table, “This is the deposit, if you agree, he'll cover all travel expenses, regardless of whether or not you can cure the illness. These ten taels of silver are yours, and if you do cure him, there will be an additional twenty taels in medical fees.” She looked at Zhen Shi Niang with pleading eyes, “My aunt, I think he's genuinely sincere in inviting you, so please just go this one time. Don't worry about things at home, I'll come every day to help take care of them…”

  Thirty taels!

  It's really raining cats and dogs!

  The magpie's eyes sparkled brightly and then dimmed again, and asked Li Qizhen's wife, "...... Didn't Li ask, who is the master of their family?"

  If it's Shen Zhongjie, even if you give me a mountain of gold, I still won't go.

  "...my aunt, what kind of people are we, what kind of person is he, how can this be asked casually?"

  Zhen Shi Niang took the silver on the table and handed it over, "Li Shu, you can go back now. Even if I went, I'm not necessarily able to cure his master's illness. Thirty miles away from here is Liu Lin Town, where there's a Doctor Zhong, nicknamed Yan Wang You, have him try inviting him." Her calm tone carried an air of unyielding decisiveness.

  Li Qizhen's wife stood up with a scowl, "Who has ever pushed away silver that was delivered to their doorstep?"

  She watched as Li Qizhen's wife took the silver away, and Jixiang's heart ached with each jump. She raised her head to say something, but saw Zhen Shiniang calmly setting up the Go board again, so she let out a sigh and lowered her head to continue mending clothes.

  Half a month has passed, and Gu Mai Bao hasn't come again. Even the magpie has forgotten about it and no longer regrets not making that silver. Now they are wholeheartedly preparing for Laba porridge.

  "...since the government posted the notice, people have been flocking to Rui Xiang to buy medicine nonstop. I wonder how much silver we'll be able to divide?" Ji Kuai brought over a bamboo basket of dried hyacinth beans and sat down on the ground with Zhen Shi Niang to peel them.

  "It should be at least a dozen or so..." Zhen Shiniang threw the bean skin into the basket on the ground, stretched out her hand and picked up another one, gently pinching it open with her fingertips. "Qiuju said that she sold twenty more yesterday." The topic shifted, "There's a fair on Laba Festival, I want to take Qiuju and Wen Ge Wu Ge to take a stroll, and buy some fabric, you all make new clothes, this year get ahead of the game, so you won't be busy and anxious during the New Year's Eve." As a modern person, Zhen Shiniang had always bought ready-made clothes in her previous life, and was clueless about needlework. Qiuju also didn't have time to learn, so all the sewing and mending at home became Jixiao's task.

  "Whatever. The magpie stopped peeling the bean angle, "I've altered all the old clothes that Aunt Li sent over, not a single patch, and we can just barely make do for New Year's." And then said, "We didn't do it last year or the year before either, but we still got by."

  Although this year's harvest is good, who knows when Shen Zhong will drive them out of their ancestral home, and there are many places to use silver in the future.

  "The kids have been looking forward to this for a whole year and I've promised them it'll be lively."

  "Miss..."

  "The children have grown up, it's not the time to hold them in your arms, you give him food and he eats, you give him clothes and he wears, without knowing what is good or bad..." Zhen Shiniang sighed with a heavy heart, "Last year I didn't make new clothes for them, I regretted it. On New Year's Day, Wengong and Wugong went out to pay their respects, but on the second day of the new year, they refused to go out and play again. They must have felt uncomfortable seeing others wear new clothes, and were afraid to say anything because they didn't want me to be sad... such young children..." Thinking about it now, Zhen Shiniang's eyes became moist, "When they grow up, looking back on these memories will give us something to cherish." If she could, she would spare no effort to make the children happy.

  "Miss..." she called out, feeling like a fishbone was stuck in her throat. She lowered her head and peeled the broad beans in her hand with great effort. After a long while, she said in a stifled tone, "Then just make it for Wen-ge and Wu-ge, Autumn Swallow and I won't have any."

  "Girls love beauty more." Zhen Shi Niang threw the beans in her hand into the bowl, patted her hands and stood up, "These are enough, peel the rest later."

  "It doesn't matter, I'll just peel them." Ji Kuai lowered her head and pinched the dried bean pods in her hand with all her might, as if she could pinch away these hard days.

  Zhen Shining shook her head and sighed.

  Just then, Li Qizhen's wife's shrill voice came in, "...Hurry up and open the door, the bribe has arrived."

  As soon as the door opened, a gust of cold wind mixed with snowflakes rushed in, and Zhen Shiniang shivered with a chill. She saw Li Qiu's wife holding a tightly wrapped bowl in her hand, and quickly reached out to take it. "On a snowy day like today, you're not staying at home to keep warm, what have you brought here?"

  "In this draft, you quickly go into the house, I'll just carry it." Knowing that Zhen Shiniang was most afraid of the cold, Li Qizhi's wife dodged her and carried the basin into the house by herself. "It's Job's tears and peanuts, to make up for your Laba porridge, I guess you don't have these two things."

  Job's tears and peanuts are very expensive, ordinary families can't afford them.