Chapter 63 : Which child doesn’t look forward to a new piece of clothing!

Zhou Tingyue’s large hands stroked her slender waist, his eyes gradually filling with desire as the temperature in the room rose steadily.  

Song Shiwei’s face turned as red as a cooked shrimp, and she gently pushed him away.  

“The foot-washing water hasn’t been poured yet!”  

Zhou Tingyue kissed her gently on the lips and whispered, “I’ll pour it out tomorrow morning! I have to wash the sheets anyway!”  

Just as Song Shiwei was about to speak, he bent down and kissed her deeply.  

That night, the torment continued until the moon rose above the willow branches, and only then did things gradually calm down.  

The next morning, when Song Shiwei woke up, there was no one beside her. Instinctively, she glanced down at the bedsheet beneath her and found that it had already been replaced with a fresh one.  

She rubbed her sore waist and was about to get dressed when she heard Sun Meimei’s voice from outside.  

“Hey~ Tingyue, you’re up so early to wash the sheets?”  

Song Shiwei’s face immediately turned crimson.  

She quickly dressed and stepped outside. When she did, she saw Zhou Tingyue washing the clothes that she and the children had worn the previous day. The bedsheets hanging on the bamboo pole were the same ones that had been on the bed last night.  

When Zhou Tingyue saw her blushing face, the corners of his lips curved into a knowing smile.  

“You’re awake? Why don’t you get some more sleep?”  

She really had been exhausted last night.  

Song Shiwei shot him a glare and shook her head.  

“Today is market day, and I have to go to the big market with Sister Meimei and the others!”  

Sun Meimei, who had been standing nearby watching their little interactions, couldn’t help but understand what was going on.  

She covered her mouth and chuckled.  

“Alright then, Weiwei, hurry up and get ready. We need to leave soon! The earlier we go, the better things we can buy!”  

Song Shiwei glanced at the time. It was already past six, and the sky was brightening.  

They really had to get going soon. The market was still five or six miles away, which meant they wouldn’t arrive until around eight or nine o’clock!  

Zhou Tingyue emptied the basin of water and pointed toward the kitchen. “I made breakfast. Eat first before you go!”  

She hadn’t expected him to be so thoughtful. Breakfast was simple but hearty: five salted duck eggs, brown sugar steamed cake, cornmeal steamed buns, and a pot of rice porridge.  

Seeing the salted duck eggs, Song Shiwei suddenly realized that autumn had already arrived. They would only be able to harvest one more batch of duck eggs before the season ended.  

As the weather got colder, wild ducks would gradually stop laying eggs.  

There might not be any more duck eggs to eat in the future.  

She wondered if she could find chicks or ducklings for sale at the market. If so, she might as well buy a few and raise them in the patch of land in front of the vegetable garden. That way, they would have a steady supply of chicken and duck eggs in the future!  

It would also help ensure good nutrition for the children.  

With that thought in mind, Song Shiwei hurriedly ate her breakfast so she could get to the market early.  

Just then, she heard footsteps coming from the living room.  

When she turned around, she saw Zhou Cheng and Zhou Lin.  

Zhou Cheng asked, “Mom, are you going to the market today?”  

Song Shiwei nodded. “Yes, I made plans to go with your Aunt Sun and the others.”  

Zhou Lin’s eyes lit up.  

“Then, Mom, can you take us with you? My brother and I have never been to the big market before! We really want to see what it’s like!”  

Zhou Cheng quickly added, “We can help carry your things too! I heard it’s several miles away!”  

As if afraid she might refuse, he hurriedly explained, “We’re both grown now, and we’re pretty strong!”  

Zhou Lin eagerly nodded in agreement. “Yes, yes! I can carry a lot of stuff!”  

Seeing how excited they were, Song Shiwei couldn’t help but smile.  

Speaking of which, the children will be starting school in two days. If they want to go to the market in the future, they’ll have to wait for a holiday to find time.  

Since the two boys want to go, let’s take them along!  

“Alright! You two can come with me!”  

Hearing this, the two children were overjoyed and quickly grabbed their enamel mugs to wash up.  

In their excitement, they almost bumped into Zhou Tingyue, who was carrying a basin as he walked through the door.  

“What are these two kids so excited about?” he asked.  

Song Shiwei took a sip of her thick rice porridge and smiled. “I’m heading to the market today, and they wanted to come along, so I agreed!”  

Zhou Tingyue nodded, sat down, and began eating his breakfast.  

When Zhou Cheng and Zhou Lin returned, he reminded them, “Don’t just play around when you get there. Remember to help your mother carry things!”  

Zhou Lin grinned and nodded. “Don’t worry, Dad! My brother and I won’t forget!”  

At that moment, Zhou Wei and Xinxin woke up. When they heard that their two older brothers were going to the market with their mother, they were surprised.  

They wanted to go too.  

Zhou Tingyue scooped them up, holding one in each arm, and coaxed them. “Your brothers are going to help carry things. You two are still too young, and the market is very crowded. Should Mom take care of you or buy things?”  

Song Shiwei quickly nodded in agreement. “Exactly! If you get lost, Mom will be very worried, won’t she?”  

Seeing that the two little ones still looked disappointed, she smiled and said, “How about this? I’ll check if there are any chicks or ducklings for sale at the market. If there are, we can buy a few to raise at home! How does that sound?”  

She knew that the two children loved the chickens and ducklings at Brother Qiangzi’s house. They would go and watch them every day and even pick up leftover vegetable leaves to feed them.  

As expected, upon hearing this, Zhou Wei and Xinxin immediately cheered up.  

“Really?”  

“Yes! That’s amazing! We can have our own chickens and ducklings at home! That’s awesome!!”  

Just then, Sun Meimei called out from outside the window, “Weiwei, are you ready? It’s time to go!”  

Song Shiwei quickly finished the last mouthful of porridge in her bowl. “Coming! I’ll be ready soon!”  

Sun Meimei, sensing her urgency, reassured her, “Eat first, don’t rush! I still have to go call Jian Qiu and Chunxiang!”  

With that, she walked away with a smile.  

Song Shiwei urged the children to finish their breakfast quickly.  

Then, she took the abalone and sea cucumbers she had caught yesterday and placed them into a small bucket.  

There was seawater inside, so she wasn’t worried about them dying.  

As long as they didn’t dry out, they could survive for a few more days.  

Zhou Tingyue saw her carrying the bucket toward the door and couldn’t help but ask, “Are you taking those to the market?”  

Song Shiwei nodded. “Yes, I want to see if I can sell them. If someone wants them, I can trade them for some money or ration tickets.”  

Autumn was approaching, and the children were growing fast. A few days ago, when she was rummaging through the cupboard to air out the quilts, she noticed that all of their thick clothes from last year were too small to wear anymore.  

Although she could alter the bigger clothes to fit the smaller ones, every child longs for a brand-new outfit, right?  

Besides, she hadn’t brought any thick clothing with her when she arrived, so she needed to get some.  

Among the ration tickets Zhou Tingyue had given her, there weren’t many cotton or fabric tickets left.  

It was probably only enough to make one new outfit, so she needed to find a way to exchange for more.  

Zhou Tingyue seemed to understand what she was worrying about. “How about I borrow some from the village chief?”  

Song Shiwei quickly shook her head. “Not yet. Let’s wait and see. If we really can’t manage, then we’ll consider it later!”  

For now, she would try to figure out a solution herself.  

When Sun Meimei, Jian Qiu, and Wang Chunxiang arrived, Song Shiwei picked up her bucket and set off with Zhou Cheng, Zhou Lin, and the others.  

Sun Meimei glanced at her bucket in surprise and asked, “Weiwei, what are you carrying?”