Chapter 42

Zhou Jing held his little husband’s delicate, smooth hand tightly, glancing at the tips of his ears, which were red.

Inside, he felt as if he was wrapped in a gently flowing stream—filled with tender warmth.

“What would you like to buy, guests?” While Shen Lin stayed outside to watch the mule cart, Zhou Jing and Shen Mo entered the grain and oil shop.

“How much is your fine white flour per catty?” Zhou Jing asked.

The shopkeeper noticed that Zhou Jing and Shen Mo were dressed in coarse clothes. Although the fabric was not the cheapest low-grade hemp, it was still coarse, leading him to believe that they likely did not have spare money to afford fine white flour.

However, as soon as Zhou Jing entered the shop and asked specifically about the white flour, without mentioning anything else, it was clear that he had a target in mind.

The shopkeeper, momentarily at a loss, did not know which price range to introduce.

Businessmen had their own way of assessing customers based on their clothing and appearance. They would judge a person’s general economic status and then recommend rice and flour accordingly.

This approach prevented the awkwardness of recommending high-priced items to those with limited means and discouraged pushing lower-priced goods on wealthier customers, which could make them feel humiliated.

The shopkeeper tentatively asked, “Are you two buying for yourselves or for someone else?”

Zhou Jing, having come from a business background, understood the intricacies involved in catering to different customer needs to thrive in the market.

He replied with a smile, “Although we are buying for ourselves, we want to get something good. Please recommend some good-quality options, even if it’s just a few more coins higher in price.”

The shopkeeper was initially taken aback, not expecting these seemingly ordinary farmers to be so generous.

Although he worried that they might find the prices too high and refuse to buy, he knew that in business, not every customer who walked through the door was obligated to spend money.

The shopkeeper dutifully led them to the back room, where the finest grains were stored.

“How about this, dear guests? This is the best snowflake flour in our town, priced at 20 coins per catty. Many wealthy families serve it in their homes. The white flour next to it is also good, priced at 17 coins per catty. It’s just slightly less refined, but for our own cooking at home, it’s completely sufficient. My family uses this one.”

Having grown up with little to eat, Shen Mo had a natural fondness for grains. He carefully compared the two types of white flour and, as the shopkeeper had said, he noticed that the difference was merely in the fineness of the grind. The taste was likely to be quite similar.

Just as he was about to reach for the cheaper option, Zhou Jing gently squeezed his hand.

“We’ll buy the more expensive one; it’s only 3 coins higher per catty. It’s not an indulgence; I want to treat you to a proper New Year’s Eve dinner,” Zhou Jing said in a calm, casual tone as if discussing everyday matters.

Yet, those simple words instantly filled Shen Mo’s eyes with tears, and his nose felt sour.

Shen Mo was not the type to cry easily; he wouldn’t shed tears at the drop of a hat.

So he forced himself to push back the moisture gathering in the corners of his eyes.

However, the wave of emotion inside him surged like a vast ocean, unrestrained and overwhelming.

Shen Mo thought that this was likely what it meant for one person to hold another close to their heart.

Even though it was an old story from long ago, so distant that the person involved felt it was behind them—merely a scar that didn’t hurt or itch anymore—someone else held that faint scar in their heart, remembered it deeply, and was determined not to forget.

They sought to mend the pain that the scar had once caused.

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper understood immediately. He surmised that these two had experienced hardship, and just by looking at the slightly better coarse fabric they wore, he could tell that their lives were finally improving.

The man wanted to compensate his husband for the hardships he had endured over the years.

It was a bittersweet yet beautiful thing. The shopkeeper suddenly recalled the difficult times he had endured when his husband had stood by him, and he felt a deep empathy for Zhou Jing and Shen Mo’s situation.

“There’s no need for you to hesitate, his husband. I understand now; this is your way of caring for him and wanting to make up for the hardships he has faced over the years. Since your husband has such good intentions, you should accept it. I’ll consider this a blessing for the two of you and offer the snowflake flour at eighteen coins for you. How does that sound?”

Shen Mo smiled and replied, “Thank you, shopkeeper. In the future, if my family needs rice or flour, we will surely come to buy from you.”

The shopkeeper was merely momentarily moved and did not expect anything in return. In his heart, he believed that farmers like them, who had their own land, produced enough grain each year to sustain their families. How could they bear to spend money on flour?

Yet, he continued, “Thank you, his husband. As long as you come here, I will certainly give you a better deal.”

“Please give me 50 catties of the snowflake flour and 50 catties of the other one next to it. Oh, and you have corn flour too, right? I want the fine kind—give me 20 catties of that as well.”

Meeting Shen Mo’s puzzled gaze, Zhou Jing explained, “Fine corn flour is just as delicious when prepared, and eating more whole grains is good for the body. However, you don’t need to eat too much of it right now. Your main task is to take care of your health; focus on nourishing your body with more refined foods first.”

In later times, the price of whole grains often exceeded that of white flour, and from a health perspective, whole grains were indeed highly nutritious. However, this advice was more applicable to those who had indulged in excessive meat and rich foods.

For someone like Shen Mo, who had long lacked proper nutrition, refined white flour and rice were much more beneficial for his health.

At home, there was little oil and rice left, so Zhou Jing sold another two hundred catties of japonica rice. In the past, he had always bought in small amounts, afraid to purchase so much at once, worried about attracting the attention of envious onlookers.

But now, his business dealings had spread throughout the village; everyone knew. He had just dealt with a few dishonest relatives, and it was likely they would behave themselves for a while. Life at home would definitely get better, and he couldn’t keep hiding things just because others were jealous.

Zhou Jing said to Shen Mo, “The bowls we use at home are still the old ones; why don’t we replace them all this time?”

“That’s fine.” Shen Mo understood this principle as well. In the past, when their lives improved, Aunt Wang would come to their home to take and demand.

But now, with Zhou Jing supporting the family, all the threats seemed to turn into paper tigers.

Zhou Jing had ways to deal with them, so Shen Mo was no longer willing to hide their good fortune.

After enduring poverty for so long, they had all been holding their breath.

They bought bowls and chopsticks in the town. With just three people in the household, Shen Mo resolutely purchased three ceramic bowls, one ceramic plate, and a few basins.

However, he couldn’t bring himself to buy ceramic chopsticks and spoons, opting instead for wooden ones.

Zhou Jing also bought various food items like white sugar, honey, and all sorts of pastries and snacks. They piled everything into the mule cart, creating a small mountain of goods that clearly indicated they had purchased quite a lot.

As Zhou Jing’s mule cart entered the village and items were unloaded at the Zhou family’s front gate, the rumors about the family’s decline fell apart on their own.

Zhou Jing’s display of wealth was like cold water splashed into hot oil, instantly causing a stir in the village.

The villagers suddenly realized that the Zhou family had quietly become prosperous, seemingly without anyone noticing. Even without land, they no longer faced a shortage of grain.

“Brother Jing, what kind of filling are we using for the dumplings?” The Zhou family remained unaffected by the outside rumors, focusing solely on their small, happy life.

Zhou Jing had just taught Shen Mo how to knead the dough. The pure white dough was being worked in Shen Mo’s hands, becoming more and more elastic. Just looking at the white flour, Shen Lin felt certain that the dumplings would be delicious.

“We’ll make one meat and three delicacies filling, and one mushroom meat filling,” Zhou Jing said.

“Two kinds of filling?” Shen Mo asked.

“Yes. Since this is for your New Year’s Eve dinner, it naturally can’t be simple. Not only should there be two kinds of dumpling filling, but I also plan to prepare a few dishes—how about an egg pancake, some sweet peanuts, and stir-fried oil lettuce with pork?” Zhou Jing asked.

“That sounds great! Many families eat like this during the New Year,” Shen Mo replied.

Zhou Jing continued, “Our family definitely won’t keep it that simple. I didn’t prepare too many meat dishes because we mainly wanted to eat dumplings. If I make too many meat dishes, we won’t be able to finish them, and that would be a waste.”

Zhou Jing was skilled at pulling dough, rolling out pancakes, and preparing meat filling. The dough pancakes he rolled out were perfectly round and thin. Shen Mo, who had just learned, still had some rough edges, and his pancakes were not perfectly circular.

“Xiao Mo, there’s a saying in my hometown: the person who rolls the dough pancakes in a round shape gets to be the head of the household.” Zhou Jing remarked.

Shen Mo found it strange and asked, “Aren’t men supposed to be the heads of the household?”

Zhou Jing shook his head, saying, “We don’t have that saying where I’m from. So, everyone employs various tricks to vie for the position of the head of the family.”

“Oh.” Shen Mo responded nonchalantly, but secretly he was determined to roll out perfectly round pancakes to prove his point.

Once Shen Mo managed to roll out a round pancake, he proudly turned to Zhou Jing to show off his achievement.

Zhou Jing teased him, “Isn’t it you who has always been the head of the household? Why are you so determined to roll out a round one?”

As they were joking around, a sudden knock sounded at the front door. Zhou Jing and Shen Mo exchanged glances.

“Who could it be at this hour? It wouldn’t be one of those families we signed a contract with coming over to stir up trouble, would it?” Shen Mo said.

Zhou Jing shook his head. “No way. Today, quite a few people in the village saw us bringing home so many things; they should understand that our family isn’t in decline. They still need to rely on us to make money, so they won’t be eager to seek out trouble.”

“Could it be Aunt Wang?” Shen Mo wondered.

“Definitely not her. Although I don’t know what means Wang Ren used to get those ten silver coins from Aunt Wang, it certainly taught her a big lesson. She shouldn’t dare to come around for a while,” Zhou Jing replied.

After pondering for a moment and failing to guess who it was, Zhou Jing decided to go answer the door.

“Is the head of the Zhou family home?” a sharp, high-pitched female voice called from outside. The voice sounded unfamiliar, not like anyone from the village.

Zhou Jing asked, “Who is it?”

The woman replied, “I am here to bring good news; Zhou, please open the door.”

The door opened, revealing a woman dressed entirely in bright red. She had her hair styled in a bun at the back of her head, adorned with two large red and pink flowers.

Just from this appearance, Zhou Jing inexplicably felt that she resembled a matchmaker.

The woman covered her mouth and giggled, saying, “Zhou, I am Li, the matchmaker from the neighboring village. My arrival signifies that there is joyous news for your family; I am here to share it with you.”

It turned out she really was a matchmaker.

“Zhou Jing’s family has gone completely silly with joy; why are you not inviting me in quickly so I can explain in detail?” Matchmaker Li said, and without waiting for an invitation, she stepped inside as if she were a familiar guest.

“Wait!” Shen Mo said cautiously. “Are you here to propose to Shen Lin, or are you here for Zhou Jing’s concubine?”

Matchmaker Li flicked her handkerchief and lightly tossed it onto Shen Mo’s face.

“You jealous little husband, I am, of course, here to propose to Shen Lin. You should inquire about my reputation; it’s quite good. The reason I have such a solid reputation is that I, Matchmaker Li, never meddle in petty affairs, nor do I engage in the unscrupulous business of breaking up couples.”

Shen Mo sighed with relief. “Please come in quickly.” It was only then that he realized with joy that someone had come to propose to his family’s Shen Lin.

Shen Mo and the others had just returned from the town. Having been worried about the results of their trial sale, they had skipped breakfast and lunch, so upon returning, they wasted no time and made dumplings right away.

—o—o—o—

Meanwhile, the villagers were leisurely gathered together, chatting idly at this hour. The novelty of the Zhou family’s recent purchase of a mule cart had not yet worn off, and now someone had come to propose, with the prospective bride being none other than Shen Lin.

“I thought Matchmaker Li was here to propose to Zhou Jing.” one villager remarked.

“After all, the Zhou family is doing well now; their fortunes are clearly on the rise. Which family in our village can eat meat every day? But with Zhou Jing’s business, they probably manage to have meat every few days. Just for that reason, how many poor families would be willing to marry their daughters over?”

Another person chimed in, “I also thought it was for Zhou Jing. After all, Shen Mo has been married for three years now and has not produced a single child. Zhou Jing must leave behind some descendants. As a ger, Shen Mo has never been able to provide well; it’s questionable whether he can even raise a child.

Given that, it would be reasonable for Zhou Jing to take another wife—as long as she can be supported by Zhou Jing. I didn’t expect it would be about Shen Lin instead. It seems the Zhou family is really thriving now, even a ger has someone daring to want him.”

Wang Ren came out for a stroll. He hadn’t seen the matchmaker go to the Zhou family, but he happened to overhear the conversation and immediately stopped in his tracks.

“What did you say? Someone went to the Zhou family to propose to Shen Lin?” Wang Ren asked nervously.

The man nodded. “That’s right; they came to propose to Shen Lin. You find it hard to believe too, right? I think so too. Everyone thought they were coming for Zhou Jing… Hey, Wang Ren, I haven’t finished talking yet! Why are you running off like that? Are you being chased by a dog or something? Why are you running so fast?”

Wang Ren sprinted back home as if he were flying.

—o—o—o—

Matchmaker Li was invited into the Zhou household, chatting away as she walked through the house.

“Wow, this large courtyard is all wasted without planting anything. Oh, this big house is truly impressive; it rivals those in the town! Oh, the interior is exquisite; this furniture is beautiful, and the styles are ones I’ve never seen before. This must have cost quite a bit, right?” Matchmaker Li exclaimed, her voice lively as she looked around.

Meanwhile, she was secretly calculating in her mind. No wonder someone as concerned about lineage as Old Lady Shen was willing to lower herself to propose to a ger; it turned out the Zhou family was so wealthy.

Zhou Jing directly led her to the hall, where the large, bright floor-to-ceiling windows nearly dazzled Matchmaker Li’s eyes.

It wasn’t that no one in the village had thought about such a bright design for a parlor; rather, it was deemed impractical.

In the summer, it was indeed nice—cool and bright—but in the winter, how much firewood would be needed to stay warm? Every household found winter the hardest season to endure and tried various methods to heat their homes, so no one was willing to build a house with such large windows.

Zhou Jing invited Matchmaker Li to sit in a chair while Shen Mo prepared tea for her.

In rural households, tea held a significant status; it was not only a symbol of the host’s financial standing but also a mark of respect for the guest.

Typically, only esteemed guests would be served tea, accompanied by a few varieties of pastries and snacks purchased from the town.

Shen Mo believed that Shen Lin’s marriage was of utmost importance, so he considered Matchmaker Li a valued guest.

Matchmaker Li was surprised to find that she was actually being served tea this time, and she realized once again just how wealthy the Zhou family had become.

Taking a sip, she couldn’t discern whether it was particularly good or bad; she merely found it fragrant and refreshing.

She ended up eating three pieces of pastries before finally stopping.

“Thank you for the tea; it’s excellent.” As a matchmaker, Li’s eyes were sharp. She quickly noticed that something white had smeared on Shen Mo’s sleeve, resembling flour.

However, flour was expensive; some families in town couldn’t even afford it, let alone a rural family.

Moreover, to Li’s knowledge, the Zhou family did not own any land, so how could they afford to buy such costly flour?

But she knew she had to speak positively, so she said, “Your family must be using white flour; it’s even stuck to your sleeve!”

Unexpectedly, Shen Mo, with a calm expression, brushed off his sleeve as if it were just coarse grains, and said lightly, “It got stuck accidentally; we made white flour dumplings at home. Aunt Li, please stay and have some later.”

Matchmaker Li paused for a moment before quickly asking, “Are they filled with meat?”

Shen Mo replied, “There are two kinds: pork and three delicacies, and mushroom pork.”

Matchmaker Li was so shocked that she couldn’t find her words. She hadn’t expected that, during an ordinary time and not during the holidays, the Zhou family would be eating white flour dumplings, and with two types of meat fillings no less.

What kind of life were they living, and how could they afford to eat like this? Moreover, judging by Shen Mo’s demeanor, it seemed to him that this was quite ordinary.

In contrast, Li’s family didn’t enjoy meat at every meal; it had been several months since they last had any meat. Hearing about the dumplings made her mouth water. She quickly said, “I only eat dumplings during the New Year, but since Zhou Jing’s family has graciously invited me, I won’t be polite.”