Chapter 83: Moving into the New House
They had a simple lunch. Old Madam Jiang was busy tidying up the vegetable garden and had no intention of going out.
Anyway, the house was here, and a small market was not far away. Further on was the big market, which she could go to any day.
Jiang Huaizhen was tinkering with the furniture.
Ping’er had just arrived in a new place, and the novelty had not yet worn off. She was dragged out by Lin Shuang to buy vegetables.
When they went out, she was carrying a large basket on her back. When they returned, the basket was full.
They had to buy fish and pork, and the lamb that the old woman liked was also a must. They also bought some tofu and eggs.
Jiang Huaizhen also went out at the Hour of the Monkey(3 p.m. to 5 p.m.). She first went to the yamen to find Hu Guiying and Lu Qing, told them about dinner, then went to call Lu Erqiao and Wang Zhimei, and finally left the city and returned to Whitewater Village.
They had a bunch of livestock at home, and they couldn’t even miss a meal.
The little piglets had been raised for half a year and already recognized people. Seeing her come with two large buckets, they ran to the front of the pen, oinking at her.
Jiang Huaizhen poured the pig feed into the trough, reached out, and poked the little pig’s pink nose, rarely muttering to herself, “Greedy ghost.”
After feeding the pigs, she went to the vegetable garden to pick some cabbage leaves and radishes and threw them into the rabbit hutch.
She then sprinkled a few handfuls of rice to feed the chickens.
Since they had chickens at home, they naturally didn’t have to buy them from outside. She caught the fattest one, tied it to the horse’s back, closed the door, and went back to the city.
When she arrived at the new house, Hu Guiying had already arrived and was talking to Old Madam Jiang in the courtyard.
Smoke was coming from the kitchen, and Lin Shuang was making food.
Jiang Huaizhen got some beans to feed Jing Lei, then washed her hands and came in to help.
Lin Shuang said, “Kill the chicken first.”
There were three stoves in the kitchen, and all of them were burning at this moment. One of them was boiling water and was always on.
Jiang Huaizhen agreed, got some hot water, and went outside to kill the chicken.
Seeing her return, Hu Guiying walked over.
Jiang Huaizhen didn’t look up. “Shouldn’t you still be on duty at this time?”
Hu Guiying shrugged. “I’m on duty outside.”
With that, she suddenly remembered something. “When you went to the yamen to ask my old uncle for dinner, Sun Kang saw you. He asked me to bring a decoration over, saying it was to congratulate you on your move.”
“I put it in the front hall.”
Jiang Huaizhen was stunned.
Hu Guiying asked again, “When did you get on good terms with that kid? That guy has a small heart and is not a good person. But that decoration doesn’t look cheap. It must be at least five taels of silver.”
“Hiss—he doesn’t have a crush on you, does he?”
Just as she finished speaking, a voice came from the side, “Who is Sun Kang?”
Hu Guiying looked at Lin Shuang, who was holding a kitchen knife at the door, and inexplicably shivered. She had only jokingly called them a couple before, but why did she feel that there was a murderous aura in Sister Shuang’s eyes?
Jiang Huaizhen was plucking the chicken’s feathers and said faintly, “He’s the one who skimmed one tael of silver from me.”
Hearing this, Lin Shuang’s face darkened. “It’s that villain. I was originally thinking of leaving the one tael of silver for him to buy a coffin. Why is he sending a decoration over now?”
With that, her two eyes were fixed on Jiang Huaizhen.
Jiang Huaizhen was holding the bare, fat chicken and stood up. “That day, during the flood, a mother and son were floating on a small log. The woman had a black mole between her eyebrows. Her son was Sun Kang.”
Lin Shuang also had an impression of this and snorted. “Scoundrel. I didn’t expect to have saved him. Let’s see to what extent he can turn over a new leaf.”
Jiang Huaizhen said, “Anyway, I don’t plan to have any relationship with him. Third Aunt, you can take the thing back and return it to him when you go back.”
Hu Guiying said “uh” and looked at Lin Shuang.
Lin Shuang said, “Take it back. Our family doesn’t need that kind of decoration.”
Hu Guiying grumbled, “But what I brought is also a decoration…”
Only then did Lin Shuang smile. “Yours will be accepted.”
She turned and went back to the kitchen.
Hu Guiying smiled at her retreating figure. “Alright. I’ll take it back when I leave at night.”
Jiang Huaizhen ladled a basin of clean water, washed the plucked fat chicken once, then opened it up and cleaned the internal organs. Her long sleeves were rolled up, and a few strands of her beautiful hair hung by her ears, giving her a heroic look amidst her gentleness.
Hu Guiying looked at her and said, “Your family is indeed run by your wife.”
Jiang Huaizhen glanced at her slightly. “What, can’t it be?”
Hu Guiying dragged out her voice. “It can—”
“Hey, I’m telling you, I said she’s your wife, and you really admitted it. You’re so shameless.”
Jiang Huaizhen suddenly straightened up and looked at her. “She is my wife.”
Although Hu Guiying had a boisterous personality, she was, after all, just a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl. It was originally a joke, but seeing her dare to admit it, she couldn’t help but blush. “Do you know what a wife is? You’re just talking nonsense—”
“Of course I know,” Jiang Huaizhen said, then picked up the processed fat chicken and went into the kitchen.
Today, she was going to make six meat dishes: fish head and tofu soup, white-cut chicken, stir-fried lamb with scallions, braised pork, and a plate of char siu, as well as the children’s favorite steamed egg with yam paste.
She also made a few cold vegetable dishes, and that was it.
As the dishes were served one after another, the people she had invited also came, one after another, with gifts.
Afraid that Lu Qing, as a man, would be uncomfortable, Jiang Huaizhen had asked Lu Erqiao to bring Old Hu when she had invited her. As soon as the group entered the door, it was very lively. Old Madam Jiang was no longer tinkering with the vegetable garden and came out with a smile to greet them.
On this happy day, she kept her mouth in check and didn’t say a single harsh word all afternoon.
After touring the new house, they were led to the dining room.
Looking at the table full of dishes, Lu Erqiao praised Lin Shuang endlessly, so much so that Lin Shuang blushed.
Jiang Huaizhen brought some wine and, other than Ping’er, she filled everyone’s cup. After everyone was seated, they raised their cups and drank, and only then did they start to eat.
Halfway through the meal, the old woman, afraid that Lu Qing and Wang Zhimei would be worried about not being able to leave the city after dark, said to them, “There are many houses in the family. If you can’t get out, you can just stay. There’s no hurry to go back.”
Hu Guiying smiled. “Grandma, don’t worry about that. My old uncle is the head constable of Changping County. How can he not be able to leave the city?”
Although Changping County was a city, as the population continued to expand, the original city area could no longer accommodate so many people. It had slowly begun to expand to the east, and the east city gate was just for show. It was just guarded by a few soldiers and was not managed according to the rules like the other city gates.
It was not difficult for Lu Qing and Hu Guiying to leave the city after dark.
“Then there’s no need to worry. Let’s eat,” Lin Shuang said with a smile.
“Although we can leave the city, it’s not necessary. I’m the only one living over there. My parents, uncle, and aunt can all stay at my place,” Hu Guiying said.
Old Hu, who had been quiet all this time, said, “The children are all at home. How can we stay out overnight?”
Lu Erqiao glared at him. “Which other child? Isn’t Third Aunt your child? Will you lose a few catties of meat if you stay at her house for one night?”
Being rebuked by his wife, Old Hu fell silent again.
Wang Zhimei, who was next to him, smiled and came to his rescue. “Brother-in-law is not used to living in the city. Qing-ge and I are actually planning to save up a little more and see if we can buy a one-courtyard house at the end of the year. That way, if we’re late from work, we won’t have to ride a horse for over a dozen li to go back.”
Lin Shuang asked, “How much are you short? We still have some left from our business.”
Wang Zhimei smiled. “That’s not necessary. We’ll have enough in another two or three months.”
Before, with the mohele business, her husband had gone to the prefectural city to help with the connections, and Lin Shuang and the others had given them a large red envelope of twenty taels. Now, to borrow money from them again would be too shameless.
Third Aunt’s side had also said that they could help, but in the early years, because their house had burned down, they had owed a lot of money and had been paying it back all these years. She was so afraid of being in debt that she didn’t want to owe anyone any more money.
She would spend as much as she saved. A house was for a lifetime, and there was no hurry.
This year, she and her older sister-in-law had started a sauce flatbread business together. After deducting the household expenses, they had already saved some. Plus Lin Shuang’s red envelope and Lu Qing’s salary, and their previous savings, they had fifty or sixty taels.
She just wanted to save a little more as a backup, so they wouldn’t have to spend it all on selling the house. What if something suddenly happened and they needed money urgently?
After all, the old couple at home were still alive, and there were two little ones below. All these had to be considered.
Hearing her say this, Lin Shuang just smiled and said, “Then when you need it, sister-in-law, you can just let me and Huaizhen know.”
Wang Zhimei quickly said, “You’ve already helped us enough. Our two families’ lives are all thanks to you.”
Lu Qing also smiled. “If you have any problems in the future, you can just let me know. Although your uncle is just a small head constable, it’s always better for everyone to discuss it together than for one person to rack their brains.”
Seeing everyone talking, Lin Shuang felt a warmth she had never experienced in her past life. Her heart was exceptionally warm, and she raised her wine cup. “In that case, we won’t be strangers anymore.”
Old Madam Jiang also rarely drank and had an extra half a cup.
Only then did Lu Erqiao say, “We were going to have a wedding for Erlang before the new year, but who knew that good things come with twists and turns, and we ran into a flood. We had to delay it for a few more months. The date is on the twenty-ninth of next month. We country folk don’t have invitations. I was originally thinking of telling you when I came to get the sauce in a couple of days. Since you’re here today, I’ll just tell you. You can all come then, and we can have a lively time.”
Lin Shuang said, “We’ve been looking forward to Brother Erlang’s wedding. We’ll definitely be there then.”
“When the time comes, I’ll have Third Aunt come and pick you up.”
The meal was enjoyed by both hosts and guests. There were still a few dishes left, and it was hot, so it was not good to leave them for tomorrow. Lin Shuang asked Wang Zhimei if she wanted to pack them up and take them back.
Although they had earned some money this year, the Lu family was still very frugal. Seeing that this table of dishes really couldn’t be kept, and the children hadn’t slept when they went back, they could also have a good meal. So Wang Zhimei didn’t refuse, and the few of them busily packed up the things to take back.
By the time they had seen everyone off, it was already dark.
Lin Shuang and Jiang Huaizhen cleaned up the dining table and the kitchen, then got water for the old and the young to take a bath.
The old woman had had two extra cups today and had no strength to take a bath. Jiang Huaizhen gave her a quick wipe down and then carried her back to the main room to sleep.
Ping’er was still too young to live in a separate room by herself, and they were not at ease. In the end, after she was washed clean, they threw her onto the old woman’s kang.
After they had dealt with these things, the two of them went to take a bath.
This house was good in every way, and there were even several bathhouses. Neither of them had to wait. They each took one and cleaned themselves up, then returned to their room under the cover of night.
Lin Shuang entered the door first and sat by the bed, drying her hair.
It wasn’t until she heard the “click” of the latch that she looked up and saw that Jiang Huaizhen had entered the room at some point and had closed the door.
Thinking of what they had done in the room after they had closed the door last time, her ears couldn’t help but turn red, and she looked away, a little uncomfortable. Only then did she notice that she was still holding a basin in her hand and asked casually, “Why did you bring the basin in?”
Jiang Huaizhen’s footsteps paused. She didn’t speak and placed the basin at the foot of the bed.
Only then did Lin Shuang see the towel soaked in the basin, and her cheeks burned.
The two of them pretended to be busy with the things in the room for a while. Seeing that their hair was almost dry, they went to bed.
Tonight was their first night in the new house. Everything was new, and Lin Shuang was a little unaccustomed to it. Fortunately, the person next to her was familiar, which made her feel much more at ease.
However, just as their lips met, Jiang Huaizhen suddenly propped herself up and sat up, her arms around her waist.
Lin Shuang panted slightly and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I’m going to get something.”
Lin Shuang let her get out of bed.
But she didn’t expect that she would take out a silk outer garment that she had made for her from the bundle she had brought during the day and walk toward the bed.
“What are you doing with these clothes?”
“To put underneath. Didn’t you say last time that… it was uncomfortable to be wet?”
Lin Shuang’s face turned red again at her answer.
Last time, when she had been gnawed on by the other, her reaction had been quite strong, and her underpants had gotten wet. Later, Jiang Huaizhen had used a towel to wipe her, but she hadn’t changed her pants, and it was still very uncomfortable.
She had complained to her at that time, and she had remembered it.
Silk was different from cotton. It was a little cool and not hot to have underneath. But if Mrs. Xue knew that the silk she had given them was being used in such a place, who knows what she would think.
“You can blow out the candle…” she said, her ears red.
Jiang Huaizhen then turned and blew out the candle.
When she got back into bed, Jiang Huaizhen lay down and reached out to hug her. Her hand went down her waist, and she indeed found that the silk garment was already spread underneath, and her pants were already gone.
Her breath hitched, and she moved closer.
Lin Shuang reached out to feel her. Seeing that her clothes were still on, she bit her lip and asked indistinctly, “…How come only I’m wet? Aren’t you?”
Jiang Huaizhen’s movements paused, and she replied softly, “…I am.”
With that, she freed one hand and, after a rustling sound, she took off her clothes.
Lin Shuang was now fair and, as before, she let her suck on her until she was red and swollen.
But she didn’t expect that Jiang Huaizhen would not be satisfied. Her nose went down, sniffing around, looking for other places.
Lin Shuang felt that she should have told her to stop, but her heart was filled with an indescribable longing. She bit her lip and said nothing.
It wasn’t until she was bitten that she thought of what Old Madam Jiang had said before, that if she didn’t find a companion, she would never taste what it was like to be a woman in this life.
She was now truly tasting it.
She held the back of Jiang Huaizhen’s head, her fingers running through her long, slender hair, and she called out, one after another, “Huaizhen… Huaizhen…”
The silk garment was soaked through with the water that had flowed out. The basin of water that had been brought in was also put to use. Lin Shuang let her wipe her clean. After she was done, Jiang Huaizhen took off the silk garment that was spread on the bed and hung it on the armrest of the chair by the bed.
Lin Shuang lay limply on the dry bamboo mat, her ears burning, watching her busy.
She said softly, “Next time, it’s your turn for me. I’ll take good care of you then.”
