The head of the Mu family

Chapter 46 Life Must Go On

Perhaps his body was truly damaged to the core, because after the winter months, Shen Huai felt particularly cold.

Xiao Qianyan soaks her feet in mugwort and other medicinal herbs every day, and Shen Huai then makes the child soak with her.

Xiao Qianyan was a little hesitant at first, but Shen Huai just tickled him until he gave in.

Every day, the two of them would soak their feet until they were bright red.

Doctor Qian also arranged for Shen Huai to drink mutton soup with qi-tonifying herbs regularly, and Shen Huai finally felt that the severe cold was not so terrible.

After the Laba Festival, Shen Huai was able to help out at the pharmacy, although he was still a bit weak.

There are still some red marks on my face, many of them are not serious, and the red marks have already faded away.

Shen Huai found an opportunity to give Doctor Qian twenty taels of gold as a consultation fee.

"What? You kid, are you trying to embarrass me?"

"No! No! Grandpa Qian~"

I absolutely did not mean that!

"Then what do you mean by giving me this silver?"

"If Grandpa Qian gets sick and comes to your clinic for treatment, will you still ask me for money?"

"Of course not, Grandpa Qian is an elder, how could I..."

"Then what are you doing, slapping my old face like this?"

Put it away! Don't do this again!

Shen Huai then asked Xiao Qianyan to invite Uncle Liu over and gave him twenty taels of gold.

Please ask Uncle Liu to help me buy all kinds of grains, especially coarse rice and other grains, and buy all twenty gold coins.

Then the grain was transported into the Qian residence, and Doctor Qian, both amused and exasperated, came to find Shen Huai again.

Shen Huai first bowed to Doctor Qian and said:

"Grandpa Qian, this grain isn't a disguised form of payment for your medical treatment."

"What is that? Are you going to buy all the steamed buns for my household next year?"

"Grandpa Qian, I bought a lot this time, mostly inexpensive coarse grains~"

I see you're always so busy, and there are more and more poor people coming to your door. You provide free medical care every year, and I want to learn from you!

Last year's business was bad, and this year is another harsh winter. By spring, many families will probably be unable to make it through.

If next spring's harvest allows people to weather the storm, that would be good...

If things still don't go well, and you need to provide free medical consultations and food distribution, I'll do my part too.

You know us farmers, coarse grains are cheap, but we can survive if we have coarse grains.

So I was only doing my part because I was influenced by your kindness, but it really wasn't for you.

"You child!"

Okay, then I'll accept it.

Shen Huai deliberately chose this time to buy grain.

During the Lunar New Year, every household buys a lot of things to prepare for the holiday.

Twenty taels of gold can buy all kinds of coarse grains without attracting attention.

The imperial court's focus on agriculture was an attempt to address the root cause of the problem.

After overcoming difficulties, buying large quantities of the same type of grain at once inevitably leads some merchants to suspect something; businessmen are too clever.

After he was able to eat some fresh air, Shen Huai visited the wealthy woman's house, bringing some gifts to express his gratitude.

When Xiao Jingtang saw Shen Huai's face, she froze for a moment, and two large tears rolled down her cheeks.

Shen Huai and the noblewoman both thought the child was frightened. The noblewoman, fearing that Shen Huai would be embarrassed, quickly tried to find a topic of conversation to take the child aside.

Little Jingtang, who would turn three in just a few days, had already started his education. The noblewoman originally thought that he and Shen Huai were already very close, so he wouldn't cry.

Xiao Jingtang ran over in a few steps and threw herself into Shen Huai's arms, causing the much weaker Shen Huai to stumble.

"Has my sister suffered since she came home so long ago?"

What happened to your face?

How come my sister has lost so much weight?

Didn't you miss Jingtang, sister?

Mother said it's inconvenient for my sister to visit you since she lives far away. Why is she only coming now?

The child's words moved both the noblewoman and Shen Huai.

The lady turned her head away to wipe her tears; it was the first time she had felt the urge to cry since Shen Huai's accident.

It was as if all the tears had been shed in that fake-turned-real performance.

Shen Huai reached out and hugged the baby back, speechless for a long time.

After calming her tears and regaining her composure, she took Xiao Jingtang's hand and sat down.

"My home is in a very, very far place. I had to go back home because of some family matters."

The matter is settled, so there's no need to go back!

Things back home are numerous and complicated, which is why I've lost weight from being so busy.

It was an accidental bump on my face; it will be fine in a while.

After this matter is settled, I can visit Xiaojingtang more often!

Xiao Jingtang was happy to hear this, and the noblewoman stopped crying and breathed a sigh of relief.

The noblewoman asked Shen Huai to take her pulse. It turned out that she felt she was in good health. Last summer, the Marquis had returned for half a month, but she had not conceived.

Originally, she had planned to return to the capital for the New Year, but the Marquis could come back for half a month this year, so the noblewoman was a little anxious.

After taking his pulse, Shen Huai said:

"Madam, you are in very good health. I will prescribe some medicine for you to make medicinal cuisine. I will write it down for you in a moment."

I'll go to the pharmacy tomorrow to make you some donkey-hide gelatin cake. You can take some before breakfast and dinner and before bed. You can stop taking the bird's nest for a while.

Once the Marquis leaves, there should be good news. Then we can start drinking bird's nest again~ Hehe~

"Oh dear, you silly girl, well then, I'll take your kind words. I won't keep you here today. After dinner, I'll take you back to the pharmacy!"

Shen Huai then made the noblewoman do the same exercise as the handkerchief-wearing exercise, four hundred times in the morning and four hundred times in the evening every day. Upon hearing this, the noblewoman kept trying to tickle Shen Huai, which led to another round of laughter and commotion.

That evening, Shen Huai crushed the donkey-hide gelatin and soaked it in high-quality rice wine.

It was done the next morning, and in the afternoon, after cooling, Xiao Qianyan helped slice it and asked Uncle Liu to take it back to the lady.

Shen Huai then asked Uncle Liu to introduce her to the four maids.

Da Mao rushed over immediately, hugged Shen Huai and started crying, and the other three girls also came over and hugged her and cried.

Shen Huai gently patted Da Mao to comfort them, and after they calmed down, he asked them about their recent situation.

In fact, Uncle Liu would tell her that Shen Huai wanted to break the awkwardness by exchanging pleasantries upon first meeting.

Da Mao has already mastered embroidery, and he has encouraged his younger sisters to learn embroidery in their spare time as well.

Now I have food and lodging at the silk shop, and I also get a commission on the silk I sell. I've saved up a lot of wages.

The people looked completely different; they had all become fair-skinned and tender without having to do farm work, and Da Mao had grown into a graceful young woman.

Da Mao also found love, with one of the stewards whom the noblewoman had previously helped to find.

During casual conversations, Uncle Liu had subtly inquired about marriage and other matters with them. This steward, whose surname was Zhou and given name was Li, was probably older, around twenty-four. So, when no one was around, Uncle Liu took the initiative to ask him.

Uncle Liu only mentioned a girl from his relatives' hometown, who was seventeen, honest, and good-looking.

Her parents wanted to sell her to raise money for their son's dowry, and Uncle Liu might introduce her to a job so she could find a good family.

Zhou Li is often out and about, so he has a tanned complexion.

The people I usually interact with most are the maids in the Marquis's mansion. They all act like young ladies, and I don't dare to presume to be associated with them.

Hearing this news, he took note of it and while on business here, he casually strolled around the shops of the Marquis's residence.

Sure enough, I saw the big fur that had been raised for two months and was already quite white and tender, and its age was also accurate.

I took the opportunity to say a few words, and he really did have a decent and honest appearance, which made me feel good about him.

The girl always seems to have something on her mind. Sometimes, she'll make an excuse to be busy before I can even say a few words to her.

This steward, with his annual salary and tips from the manor, makes four or five hundred taels of silver a year.

Aside from the head maids in the mansion, she was quite popular with girls from ordinary families outside, but she was often away from home and that was delayed.

Thinking that what Uncle Liu said was perfect, if the work in the manor could be completed, it wouldn't be delayed, and we could see it as soon as we returned to the manor!

Although the junior manager is always very enthusiastic when he comes back, Da Mao is never very attentive.

Although Da Mao had heard that Wu Ya was getting better, he hadn't seen her yet, so he couldn't think about anything else.

However, Uncle Liu saw it all and, thinking that she still had a conscience, didn't expose it to Shen Huai.

Shen Huai thought to himself: In an era where most people are forced into arranged marriages, Da Mao is actually keeping up with modern trends!

Isn't this just sweet romance?

After exchanging pleasantries, Shen Huai brought up the matter, saying that last year he had asked Uncle Liu to look after Da Mao. The steward returned before the New Year and arranged for a meeting, which Da Mao accepted.

But a bronze-colored smiling face kept popping into his mind, so he said this to Shen Huai, asking if Uncle Liu could also take a look.

Shen Huai: Hey~ Little girl, not bad~

She even knows how to bravely pursue love!

After Da Mao arrived at the silk shop, he diligently learned the craft and gained experience in dealing with the villagers. His business was also good, and sometimes he would earn two taels of silver a month, which was more than the other three girls combined.

Er Ya gradually earned quite a bit. She was naturally lively and was already fifteen years old, so she was gradually earning about one or two coins a month.

The girls took the silver, bit it hard, and then pinched themselves.

You read that right, it's silver. They now have their own silver in this lifetime, and they will continue to earn it every month through their own efforts.

The aunt in charge of the embroidery said that once you've mastered the embroidery, you can make embroidery pieces whenever you have free time, and you can normally earn about two taels of silver a month.

The girls were all stunned by this information.