Chapter 20: The Head of the Household Is a Good Man

Along the way,
Lu Chuan didn’t just idle around.

Instead, he broke off some sturdy icicles from the more treacherous spots along the path.

Although Chen Miaomiao didn’t understand what he was doing,
she didn’t ask any questions either.

When they finally got home,
Su Ruan and Bai Siyu looked surprised to see Chen Miaomiao carrying the shoulder pole.

“Who’s this?”
Bai Siyu frowned slightly and asked.

“Picked her up on the way—saw some grass-tagged people for sale. Figured since I’ll be out hunting in the mountains, someone has to cook at home, right?”

“So I bought her.”

“And this is 200 jin of grain. I’ll head into the city in a couple of days and get another 200.”
Lu Chuan explained.

Hearing this, Bai Siyu and Su Ruan exchanged a glance,
but didn’t say much.

Technically speaking, the two of them counted as Lu Chuan’s concubines,
whereas Chen Miaomiao was no more than a servant.

Although the law stated that ordinary farmers weren’t allowed to take concubines,
it wasn’t strictly enforced—

Mainly because the government knew that the wives assigned through official matchmaking were part of a national program,
so there weren’t many restrictions in such cases.

“This little sister, what’s your name?”
At that moment, Bai Siyu stepped forward and asked gently.

When Chen Miaomiao saw Bai Siyu and Su Ruan,
she became even more convinced—Lu Chuan was clearly a lust-driven pervert.

Otherwise, why would such a desolate courtyard and such a rundown house be home to two women of peerless beauty?

“My name is Dieyi,”
Chen Miaomiao replied.

Lu Chuan didn’t bother to correct her.

While storing the grain into the rice jar, he casually asked,
“Nothing happened at home today, right?”

Since Sun Lai had gone to block him on the road,
aside from a few aunts trying to buy meat,
there probably wasn’t much else.

“Actually, something strange did happen,”
Bai Siyu said while helping Lu Chuan straighten his clothes.

“Today, about ten government officials came to the village.”

“They went door to door.”

“It wasn’t to collect grain or taxes. They were asking about something from eleven years ago.”

“We hadn’t been here long enough to know anything, so they just left.”
She looked puzzled as she spoke.

“Something from eleven years ago?”
Lu Chuan’s expression shifted slightly. “What were they asking about?”

“They were asking if anyone remembered a man who came to the village eleven years ago with two little girls,”
Bai Siyu said.

As soon as she said that,
Chen Miaomiao’s pupils suddenly contracted,
as if something had clicked in her mind. Her face turned pale in an instant.

Her lips parted slightly,
but she said nothing.

“A man with two little girls?”
Lu Chuan chuckled, not giving it too much thought.
As far as he could remember, no such people came to the village.

However—

For the officials to openly come looking for someone from eleven years ago…
Something felt off.

Combined with the information he’d gathered earlier,
Lu Chuan was starting to have doubts.

Could Zhou Zheng have been serving as county magistrate all this time just to find someone?

And trying to do it discreetly?

But who could be worth that much effort?

“Alright, forget it for now,”
Lu Chuan waved his hand. “Do you know how to stew pork ribs with cabbage? Go cook.”

Chen Miaomiao clenched her fists tightly
and shot Lu Chuan a fierce glare.

After taking a deep breath, she asked, “Where’s the kitchen?”

“Outside, turn right.”

“I’ll go with her,”
Bai Siyu quickly said, taking Chen Miaomiao toward the kitchen.

Once outside, Bai Siyu held Chen Miaomiao’s hand and whispered, “Please don’t act this way. The head of the house is a good man. He pitied us and gave us a place to live and survive.”

“As for why he bought you, I imagine it’s because he pitied you too.”

Chen Miaomiao looked up and let out a scornful laugh. “Today, on that row by the riverside—wasn’t everyone there pitiful?”

“…”

That one sentence left Bai Siyu speechless.

“Well, I don’t know about that. But I do know the master is a good man. You’ll understand once you spend more time with him.”

As they spoke, Bai Siyu brought Chen Miaomiao into the kitchen and showed her where everything was.

Meanwhile, Su Ruan gave Lu Chuan a curious look.
“Master, do you like that type?”

Lu Chuan looked a little embarrassed. “What are you talking about?”

“I genuinely want all of you to pursue what you really want. Now that I have a bow, I can go into the mountains to hunt. It’s just a shame we can’t buy a warhorse right now. Otherwise, I’d teach you how to ride and shoot.”

In today’s era, that was indeed a useful skill.

“Mm,”
Su Ruan nodded thoughtfully.

“As for Xiaobai—she used to be a noble lady. Only due to misfortune did she end up in her current situation. Since she likes embroidery, she can focus on that path moving forward.”

“Life at home is still hard for now, but in the future, we could buy some fine silk and invite skilled embroiderers to help her build a real foundation.”

Lu Chuan explained.

Su Ruan was deeply touched.

“Oh, right!”
Amid her emotions, Su Ruan spoke up again. “There’s something else I need you to decide on.”

Seeing how serious she looked, Lu Chuan asked with some confusion, “What is it?”

“You brought back three wild boar piglets, right?”

“They’re still small enough to keep in the house for now, but as they grow, we’ll need a proper pen to raise them.”

Su Ruan continued,
“There’s an empty plot of land behind the house. I was thinking that if we’re not too busy these next couple of days, we should build a pigsty.”

“That’s actually a very practical idea.”

“And also…”
Su Ruan added, “If we get the chance to find some wild eggs or catch a few wild chicks, we could raise them at home too. At least we’d have a stable source of eggs.”

“But if we want to raise chickens, we’ll need a chicken coop.”

Su Ruan began listing all the ideas seriously, counting on her fingers as she spoke.

“Where did you learn all this?”
Lu Chuan was stunned. Sure, the saying goes “three days apart and you must treat them with new eyes,”
but he’d only been gone for less than a day!

Could it be that this little girl had been pretending to be naive all along?

“I walked around the village today and talked with a few aunties. I asked what we should be doing now, what’s within our ability, and I took notes.”

“I don’t think I’ve missed anything.”

Su Ruan spoke earnestly. “Since my sisters and I have followed you, that makes us part of this household.”

“Hunting in the mountains is dangerous, after all.”

She looked sincerely into Lu Chuan’s eyes.
“If our household becomes stable, you won’t need to risk your life going into the mountains anymore.”