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After a moment, Jiang Xiaoxing chuckled, “I really am not upset about this.”
“Let me be blunt, from the time of our engagement to now, I’ve only seen Hong Sanbao twice. I can’t say I liked or disliked him; I felt it was just the right time to get married, so I went along with my parents’ arrangements.”
“Not having to get married now feels like a weight off my shoulders,” Jiang Xiaoxing laughed.
In this era, most women were married off without having a say in the matter. Some didn’t even meet their prospective spouses before donning the red veil and bridal attire, becoming a bride in another family’s home.
For someone like Jiang Xiaoxing, whose parents allowed her to meet her prospective partner and had been meticulous in the selection process, she was already part of a minority. Yet, even in such a situation, without the foundation of a love relationship, true emotions were difficult to cultivate.
For Jiang Xiaoxing, if it didn’t happen, it didn’t happen. In fact, not having to get married this year made her feel somewhat relieved.
Jiang Mixia understood Jiang Xiaoxing’s feelings but didn’t dwell on the matter, simply smiling and saying, “I knew it. You have a broad mind, fifth Sister. You wouldn’t get upset over a little thing like this. I’ll have to talk to Uncle and Aunt about it later. They’ll have to reward me with some persimmon cakes from home to acknowledge the completion of such a challenging task.”
“You!” Jiang Xiaoxing playfully flicked Jiang Mixia’s nose.
There was a bit of clay on her finger, which she inadvertently transferred to Jiang Mixia’s nose, making her look mischievously cute, and causing both Jiang Xiaoxing and Jiang Chunyu to burst into laughter.
Seeing Jiang Xiaoxing so joyous, Jiang Mixia knew she was genuinely happy and joined in the playful banter.
By evening, Liu Shi’s arm had “recovered.”
In the late afternoon, Jiang Mixia helped Jiang Xiaoxing and Jiang Chunyu return the clay dishes and fruit sculptures they had crafted.
As she had jokingly suggested, she returned with a large pile of persimmon cakes.
These persimmon cakes, peeled and sun-dried to perfection, were coated with a thick layer of sugar frosting. One bite revealed their soft, sweet, and chewy texture.
If she didn’t take a break, Jiang Mixia felt she could devour three in one go.
Song Jingyun managed to eat four in a row.
As he savored the cakes, he continuously praised, “Auntie’s sun-dried persimmon cakes are incredibly delicious. They taste much better than the ones bought in the county town.”
Previously, he recalled his wife mentioning that the best food items were often tucked away in corners of the county town, while those from rural households were the most delicious.
His words were no exaggeration!
“They are delicious, but I shouldn’t have any more,” Jiang Mixia said as she gathered the remaining persimmon cakes. “Eating more would cause trouble. I’ll save the rest for later.”
The persimmon cakes contained a significant amount of pectin and tannic acid, which, when combined with stomach acid, could undergo a chemical reaction, forming gelatinous masses that are difficult to dissolve, eventually leading to the formation of gastric bezoars. An inability to expel these bezoars would result in gastrointestinal obstruction.
In this era, medical knowledge was quite limited, and Jiang Mixia certainly didn’t want her husband to fall ill due to overindulgence.
Song Jingyun pursed his lips. The persimmon cakes were delicious, and he really wanted to eat more. However, his wife wouldn’t allow it. He would have to endure the temptation.
As he watched Jiang Mixia gather the remaining cakes, Song Jingyun sniffled, feeling full of reluctance, but he managed to resist the urge. After freshening up, he prepared for bed.
Meanwhile, Jiang Mixia lay in bed, wide awake, unable to close her eyes, as she pondered over Jiang Xiaoxing’s situation throughout the day.
It had to be acknowledged that her fifth sister was truly remarkable. In an era where young women often cried and made a scene over calling off an engagement, her sister’s magnanimity was indeed exceptional…
“Don’t dwell on it, my dear wife,” suddenly spoke Song Jingyun, facing away from Jiang Mixia. “I’m sure our fifth sister will find a better match.”
Jiang Mixia, “…”
???
“How did you know I was thinking about our fifth sister?” Jiang Mixia was utterly astonished.
“It’s not just to encourage our fifth sister. You’ve recently asked for help from home for her, and today, as your mother’s arm has recovered, she won’t be needed to help with cooking. When you returned from Auntie’s place, you brought back so many persimmon cakes. It’s clear that you’ve managed to persuade our fifth sister, and Auntie is delighted,” Song Jingyun explained.
Ah-ha!
Jiang Mixia’s interest was piqued even more. “You guessed right.”
Seems like her husband has become smarter!
No longer so clueless and silly.
Not bad, not bad.
Upon hearing Jiang Mixia’s praise, Song Jingyun promptly sat up. “Can I be rewarded with a persimmon cake for that?”
Jiang Mixia, “…”
She wanted to take back what she said earlier!
He’s still just fixated on persimmon cakes.
Snuggling under the blanket, Jiang Mixia turned over and playfully gave Song Jingyun a tap on the back of his head, saying irritably, “Go to sleep!”
“Okay,” Song Jingyun lay down, feeling a little sulky, reflecting on his recent words and actions.
He hadn’t said anything wrong, so why was his wife upset? It was really quite strange.
It seemed that what his father had said was true— a woman’s heart is like a needle in the sea, utterly inscrutable.
The weather was getting colder day by day. As the month of December arrived, even the riverbanks were covered with ice floes.
After two consecutive snowfalls, the remnants of the previous snow had not completely melted before a new layer arrived.
And now, it was happening again.
The snow was piled up thickly around the base of the trees. By late morning, it had started to flutter down—a flurry of snowflakes, rapidly turning the world into a blanket of white, reducing visibility to a minimum.
Due to the snowfall, the interior of the house became somewhat dim, and even with the braziers burning, the light was not very clear, especially when using the bamboo splints.
Jiang Youcheng instructed the workers in the workshop to stop for the day, advising them to have some hot tea to warm themselves before heading home earlier.
Before the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, they needed to deliver the final batch of goods to the Zheng family. This shipment consisted of lidded square bamboo baskets for transporting goods. They didn’t need to be very intricate but had to be sturdy, even, and convenient for stacking and handling.
Jiang Youcheng instructed the workers to use ample materials and to weave the baskets with sufficient thickness.
Anticipating potential delays due to inclement weather, he had pushed the workers to hurry during the previous days of good weather. At this point, there were only a few left to complete, and they still had a few days, so there was no need to rush at this moment.
Otherwise, if the light was poor and the woven products didn’t meet the quality standards, it would be better not to weave at all.
Upon hearing this, the workers agreed and finished up the remaining tasks before tidying up the workshop, closing the doors and windows, and then heading home.
As they departed, they discussed the need to bring shovels the next day to help clear the snow from the workshop’s roof when they resumed work after the snowfall.
During the winter, the biggest concern was the weight of heavy snow on the roof, which could potentially impact its durability.
Jiang Youcheng had been good to them, and they, in turn, were responsible and thoughtful.
Jiang Youcheng was the last to leave the workshop. Before locking up, he double-checked everything to ensure there were no issues.
Just as he was about to leave the workshop yard, Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun arrived.
Oh my, there’s been so much going on lately. I’m in a rush to get my drafts in order. Time to work diligently!