Chapter Forty-Seven Decision

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  “…so I exchanged it for red beans.” Qiu Ju lifted the oilcloth on the basin to let Zhen Shi Niang see, “Every family is like ours, all with those few kinds of rice. The difference lies in Auntie's house, which exchanged some red beans, and there's still one kind of rice missing. Ma Shu said walnut kernels would do too.” She discussed, “Tonight I'll crack some walnuts, Wen Ge and Wu Ge love to eat them the most.”

  "No need, Li Shu has just sent some glutinous rice and peanuts." Zhen Shi Niang helped Wen Ge and Wu Ge take off their shoes, carried them onto the kang, turned around and handed the wet shoes to Qiu Ju, "Put them by the stove to dry." She also said, "Just pick some cured sausages to send over, and get a few for Li Shu as well."

  Qiu Ju responded with a sound, took over the shoes and turned around to walk out.

  Li Qizhen's wife smiled and said, "I knew I had a good dream yesterday." The back of Chao Qiujie shouted, "...your family's young lady is skilled, finish eating and then make more, don't leave them all to grow hair, pick a few more for me, tomorrow I'll bring 20 kilograms of pork as a gift."

  Zhen Shiniang scolded with a smile, "You're the only one who doesn't lose out. You even sent over a bowl of rice, and taking it away isn't enough, you also want me to cook pork for you."

  "It's all been said, Li Qizhen's wife didn't even blush, '...who told you to make something so delicious.' Sighed, 'You just don't have the physical strength, or else I'd really want to partner with you to open a baozi shop. With your skills, business would definitely be booming!'"

  Open a baozi shop?

  Zhen Shining imagined herself standing in front of a baozi shop, calling out to sell buns, and couldn't help but laugh. If Shen Zhongjie saw this scene, would he be so angry that he'd spit blood?

  "Sugar gourd!" Just about to playfully respond, Jian Wu's eyes on the hot kang looked at the sugar gourd in Jixiao's hand and hastily stretched out his small hands.

  The magpie smiled and handed it over.

  "Daughters eat sugar gourds." One hand took over one branch, Jian Wu first handed it to Zhen Shi's mouth.

  Zhen Shiniang took a small bite and saw Jianwen hastily handing it over, so she shook her head, "It's too cold, mother will eat later."

  "Magpie auntie eats!" Jianwu handed the sugar gourd to the magpie again.

  The magpie is angry with its own gluttony.

  Since she got pregnant, she has been particularly fond of sour foods. Seeing the sugar gourd made her salivate, and with great effort, she restrained herself from giving in to her cravings, shaking her head, "I won't eat it, Brother Wu can have it himself."

  "I brought them all back, you can eat!" Knowing that Jixiao loved sour things, Zhen Shiniang handed them over to her, "Don't let the child develop a habit of eating alone." Seeing Jixiao not taking it, she smiled and said, "You don't have to be polite, when someone is pregnant, their mouth gets picky and their taste buds are special. When I was pregnant with Wen Ge and Wu Ge, my mouth was so picky that everything smelled delicious, and I even envied others for what they were eating."

  "Who's as hungry as a cat?" thinking it was about them being hungry, Jianwen asked with wide eyes.

  Everyone in the house burst out laughing.

  Zhen Shi Niang turned her head, and Jian Wu was carefully adding syrup to the sugar gourd, a satisfied expression on his red face. His other small hand still tightly grasped a handful of something, "I'll save some for Mother, then when she sits by the warm stove and eats it, she won't be cold anymore."

  Zhen Shining's heart suddenly surged with a wave of sorrow.

  The child went out and begged for food from others, which was a slap in her face. However, she couldn't bear to scold Jianwu.

  Jianwu had a big appetite since he was young, but he had never done this before. Since the last time she slept for two days, Jianwu would secretly hide and bring back whatever delicious food others gave him to eat, as if her body would recover once those delicious foods entered her mouth.

  "When a man is poor, his ambitions are short and his horse's hair grows long. In the end, it's still because he doesn't have a good family background." With a faint sigh in her heart, Zhen Shiniang turned to ask Li Qizheng's wife, "Did Gu Maibao say who the master of their household is?"

  They had been talking for half a day, and Gu Maibao was still waiting at home. Li Qizhi's wife was thinking about how to bring up the matter when Zhen Shiniang suddenly asked her, and her eyes lit up in an instant.

  Ken asked actively, which means Zhen Shi Niang has loosened her mouth!

  "Let's just say that's what you're worried about." Li Qi's wife had a smile at the corner of her eyebrows, "Last time you refused so decisively, I guessed that you didn't know the other party's background and didn't dare to go. I've already talked to him, he said he wants to meet you in person."

  That's what I wanted to tell her personally.

  Zhen Shining nodded and said, "Alright, I'll go see him first."

  "Miss..."

  Even if it wasn't Shen Zhongjie, in this freezing weather, sitting on a horse-drawn carriage for a whole day would still freeze someone to death!

  Especially since Zhen Shining was still afraid of the cold, she saw that she had agreed to go. Jiuyue hastily called out in surprise, and as soon as she opened her mouth, she immediately understood Zhen Shining's intentions and forcibly changed her words: "Miss, if you plan on going, be sure to come back and tell me, I'll prepare everything properly for you."

  Li Qizhen's wife burst out laughing, "Don't worry, Xi Que girl, it's getting dark now, if you want to go, you'll have to leave early tomorrow morning."

  Feeling a bit dizzy in front of her eyes, the magpie didn't say anything and quickly turned around to help Li Qizhen's wife carry the packed lotus seeds and beans.

  ……

  Heavy snow fell like cotton all day, the biting north wind cut like a knife on the face, before dusk, the streets of the capital city were deserted, the gate guards huddled in the doorway, stomping their feet and constantly glancing at the giant clepsydra on the city wall. "Is this clepsydra broken? It was just one moment away from dusk, why is it still one moment away now?"

  It's time to close the city gate at dusk.

  "Just a little more effort and you've nodded three times!" Zhao Yu spat at him, turned his head and chuckled as he consulted with the officer hiding in the gatehouse to warm up, "Who would venture out of the city on such a big snowy day? Let's close it." As long as there were no important people entering or leaving the city, if the weather was bad, occasionally closing the city gates a little earlier was no big deal.

  "Shut it...". The officer stood up and looked outside, suddenly his voice paused, "Wait a minute, wait a minute, it seems like two horse-drawn carriages are coming from the front."

  Just as they were about to put the Golden Cauldron away, Guan Wei and Zhao Yu heard this and rushed out of the door, shading their eyes with their hands to gaze into the distance. Indeed, amidst the swirling snowflakes, two small black dots appeared faintly in the distance. Without thinking, he cursed loudly, "Who's so blind as to travel on a snowy day like today!" Turning his head, he shouted at the sentry officer, "Look, it's already arrived, and it's past noon, why not just close up shop?"

  "Wait again..." The referee shook his head.

  Such a big snowfall, people are stuck outside the city gate and will freeze to death if they don't get in. If someone checks on him later, he'll be accused of closing the city gate too early, and tomorrow he'll have to move his nest to the Ministry of Punishment's prison to spend the New Year.

  "It's time for You!" Guan Wei shouted as he hastily jumped up and lifted the thousand-pound weight.

  The city gate guards hate this kind of person the most, they don't come early and don't come late, but instead come just as the city gate is about to close. On a good day it's fine, but on a day like today, who wouldn't want to go home early to be with their wife and children by the warm stove?

  At the stroke of the Rooster hour, the city gate is closed, and even if that person freezes to death, it has nothing to do with them!

  The referee also stretched and picked up his hat, ready to head home.

  "Head......" The thousand-pound weight was lifted halfway, and Guan Wei suddenly stopped. "You take a look, it seems like the Zhong Tang Fu's carriage is ahead!"