Chapter 21: We Have Rice and Oil

Zhou Ruiyuan didn’t immediately respond. He remained on horseback, looking back at Du Wanchun with a face full of concern. “Are you alright? Were you frightened?”

Du Wanchun steadied herself against the carriage and shook her head. “I’m fine. But, husband, your leg—?”

As she spoke, her gaze shifted to his leg.

Zhou Ruiyuan, still gripping the reins tightly, struggled to move the leg that had regained some strength. “It seems… I can move it.”

Seeing his leg shift slightly, Du Wanchun was overjoyed. Her eyes unknowingly welled up with tears. With a misty gaze and a bright smile, she exclaimed, “That’s wonderful! Husband, your leg can finally move!”

Zhou Ruiyuan’s face was also filled with joy. His sharp brows lifted slightly, his back straightened, and he sat tall on the horse as the night breeze lifted the long strands of his hair at his temples.

The silver-white moonlight cascaded down, illuminating his handsome face, making him appear dignified and extraordinary. From a distance, he looked like an elegant nobleman from a distinguished family—so striking that a single glance could leave a lasting impression for a lifetime.

Du Wanchun sat inside the carriage, staring at him in a daze, a warm and gratified smile spreading across her face. The small dimples on her cheeks gleamed like little pear blossoms under the same moonlight.

The two of them hastened their pace and hurried home.

When Madam Zhou heard that Zhou Ruiyuan’s leg had regained movement, she was in the middle of serving rice. Her hand trembled so violently that she nearly dropped the bowl.

Zhou Zhao quickly caught the bowl and called out loudly, “Mother, the rice!”

Madam Zhou snapped out of her daze and immediately threw the ladle back into the pot before rushing outside. When she saw Zhou Ruiyuan being supported by Du Wanchun as he walked in, she couldn’t hold back her tears.

“Ruiyuan, your leg—can you really stand?!”

Du Wanchun lifted the hem of Zhou Ruiyuan’s robe, revealing the leg that could now barely support him. She explained, “Mother, husband still can’t stand completely on his own, but he can use one leg for a short while.”

When they got off the carriage earlier, she had asked Zhou Ruiyuan to try standing, and to their surprise, the other leg had also regained some strength. He was actually able to stand!

However, since he hadn’t walked in a long time, he couldn’t stand for too long.

Madam Zhou hurried over to help Du Wanchun support Zhou Ruiyuan and guide him to a chair. As she wiped her tears, she said, “It doesn’t matter. If you can stand now, it means you’ll definitely be able to walk again in the future. We can take it slow and practice.”

Du Wanchun nodded. “Mother is right. Husband, I’ll help you practice from now on.”

Zhou Ruiyuan still looked bewildered, unable to recover from the shock of being able to stand. Hearing Du Wanchun’s words, he turned to her with a tender expression, his eyes filled with gratitude. “Thank you, my wife.”

It was the first time he had ever called her “wife” in such a gentle manner.

Hearing it warmed Du Wanchun’s heart with joy.

At that moment, she suddenly remembered the rice in the carriage. She quickly stood up and said to Madam Zhou, “Mother, we sold the radishes today and earned 120 wen. We used the money to buy ten jin of rice and one jin of oil.”

Madam Zhou looked toward the carriage outside and was pleasantly surprised. “The radishes sold for that much?!”

Du Wanchun smiled and nodded. “We were lucky today. Madam He really likes our radishes, so she paid for half of them herself and bought all the rest.”

Madam Zhou hadn’t seen this much rice and oil in a long time. Coupled with the excitement from Zhou Ruiyuan’s improvement, her legs felt weak from the overwhelming emotions.

As she walked toward the door, she called out to Zhou Zhao, “Zhao’er, come, help me carry the rice and oil inside!”

“Mother, wait for me! I’m coming right now!” Zhou Zhao quickly set down the bowl he was holding and ran to follow her.

After settling Zhou Ruiyuan, Du Wanchun also stepped outside to help. The whole family worked together to carry the rice and oil inside.

With these supplies, the Zhou family no longer had to worry about going hungry.

Du Wanchun wiped the sweat from her forehead. Looking at the sacks of grain on the ground, she turned to Madam Zhou and said, “Mother, in a few days, we’ll take more radishes and duck eggs to sell. With the money we earn, I’ll have some clothes made for you and my two younger brothers.”

Madam Zhou dusted off her clothes and pulled out a handkerchief from her waist to gently wipe the sweat from Du Wanchun’s temples. “Silly child, once we have more money, the first thing I’ll do is buy you some proper jewelry. Look at you—such a pretty girl, yet you have nothing in your hair.”

Du Wanchun touched her bare hair bun and smiled softly. Before her mother passed away, she once had a small pearl hairpin—made of real pearls, part of her mother’s dowry. But after Liu Shi married into the family, she took all of her mother’s jewelry for herself.

The day Du Wanchun left for the Zhou family, she had only brought a bundle of belongings and her wedding dress.

“Mother, it’s alright. I’ll have those things again in the future.” She let go of her hair and turned to bring the finished dishes from the stove to the table.

“Mother, let’s eat first.”

Madam Zhou snapped back to reality and helped carry the dishes to the front room.

Outside, the sky was pitch dark. The village had long gone to sleep, but the Zhou family was still gathered for dinner.

Madam Zhou had waited to eat so that Du Wanchun and Zhou Ruiyuan could have a warm meal when they returned.

At this late hour, everyone was both hungry and exhausted, so they quickly finished their meal and went to bed.

However, Zhou Ruiyuan remained outside, reading by lamplight.

Du Wanchun lay in bed, waiting, but even as she drifted into deep sleep, he still hadn’t come inside.

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The next morning, at dawn.

Today was the day for Du Wanchun’s return visit to her family home. She woke up early and changed into the new clothes that Madam Zhou had made for her—a pale yellow pleated ruqun. Its design and color were among the finest in Changliu Village.

With her fair skin and slender waist, she looked especially beautiful in it. From a distance, one might mistake her for a noble lady from a wealthy household.

The more Madam Zhou looked at her, the more she adored her. Holding Du Wanchun’s hands, she examined her from every angle and beamed. “You look so lovely. If only I had a daughter like you.”