Chapter 31: Magazine Response (Part 1)

Excitement aside, the corn still needed to be prepared.

The corn kernels would later be ground into flour, mixed with fine wheat flour, and fermented with old dough. The steamed cornbread would turn out soft and fragrant.

During these times, every household followed the same practice. Their staple food was mostly cornmeal, and only those with better conditions could afford to mix in some fine flour.

After removing all the corn kernels, Mu Mian used a bamboo sieve to shake off the scattered silk and husks.

Seeing her father walk in from outside, she set down the sieve, her entire face beaming with joy. “Dad, when you have time, can you make me another chest box?”

Mu Fugui rarely refused his daughter’s requests and agreed right away. “Sure.”

However, he still asked, “Why do you want a new one? Don’t you already have two in your room? Are the not enough to store all your little trinkets?”

Mu Mian nodded. “Mhm~”

Of course, it wasn’t enough. Her immense wealth was practically overflowing!

She had run out of space!!!

Mu Fugui said, “I won’t have time today. I’ll make it for you next Sunday when I’m free.”

Mu Mian grinned brightly. “Thank you, Dad~”

Her dazzling smile caught Mu Fugui off guard. Ever since she got back that afternoon, his little girl had been in an unusually good mood, giggling nonstop. He had no idea what she was so happy about.

Seeing her joy, Mu Fugui couldn’t help but smile along with her. “You’re thanking me too early. What kind of chest box do you want? I can’t make one like your small fancy box. Your dad’s good at slaughtering pigs, but carving wood is beyond me!”

A wise man knows his limits. His hands were suited for rough work, not delicate carvings. Even if it was his precious daughter asking, he simply couldn’t do it.

Mu Mian waved her hand dismissively. “No carvings, just something that can hold stuff.”

Who cares if it’s plain or fancy? As long as it can store treasures, it’s a good chest box!

—

For the next two or three days, Mu Mian remained in high spirits. Every night before bed and every morning after waking up, she would open her small box just to take a look.

Not for any particular reason—just to admire her immense wealth and incredible luck!

Her fortune was even better than in her previous life.

Back then, she could only say she had a smooth life. Now, she was truly blessed with great fortune!

If only there were lottery shops around, she would have definitely bought a couple of tickets.

But this bronze bowl was no less valuable than a lottery win. Though she couldn’t sell it anytime soon, it was bound to appreciate in value.

They say gold thrives in troubled times, and antiques flourish in prosperous ones. Once the country developed, wouldn’t its value skyrocket?

—

Even with her big fortune secured, Mu Mian didn’t forget to earn her small daily income. She spent half a day at home each day writing and drawing, and her illustrated storybook was beginning to take shape.

On Wednesday, the weather turned cloudy.

The old lady planned to visit her younger daughter-in-law again. The twin sisters, Xiao Mai and Xiao Miao, were still in their early months, a time when they required constant care.

Most of the time, Zheng Xialan struggled to manage everything alone and needed help from her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law.

Mu Mian decided to tag along.

When the grandmother and granddaughter arrived, the twins were fussing, crying and wailing.

Zheng Xialan and Xiao Chengzi were each comforting one of them. Xiao Chengzi, as an older brother, was surprisingly skilled at soothing babies. One look and you could tell he had done this often.

Zhao Meihua walked over to Xiao Chengzi. “Let me hold her for a while.”

Xiao Chengzi immediately looked relieved.

It was clear that he loved his little sisters, but when they started crying, that affection definitely took a hit.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law sat on the heated brick bed, chatting idly.

Zhao Meihua noticed a basin of soaking beans and asked, “Are you planning to grind these?”

Zheng Xialan nodded. “Aunt Zhang from next door said they were going to make some tofu this morning and asked if we wanted to use the mill. Since we still have some soybeans left, I figured we might as well make some too.”

Millstones weren’t something every household owned. The Zhang family had one, and several nearby families would use it when needed.

Of course, borrowing it wasn’t free. People would always offer something in return.

That’s why the Zhang family would ask the neighbors before using it, since washing the millstone afterward was a laborious task.

While the women talked inside, Mu Mian stayed in the yard, helping with the beans. Some had already softened, while others still needed to be peeled.

Not even ten minutes later, Zhao Meihua came outside, squatted by the basin, grabbed a handful of beans, and examined them. She then turned to Zheng Xialan and said, “I think they’re ready. Let’s take them to Old Zhang’s place.”

Before leaving, she reminded Mu Mian and Xiao Chengzi, “Keep an eye on the twins. If they wake up and you can’t calm them down, bring them over to Grandma Zhang’s house.”

Mu Mian waved her hand. “Got it, Grandma. You and Aunt can go without worries. I’ll watch over them.”

Zhao Meihua trusted her granddaughter, so she didn’t give any further instructions. She and her daughter-in-law carried the basin and left.

Grinding beans was not a quick or easy task. It would take a while.

By the time Mu Mian and Xiao Chengzi finished peeling the remaining beans, the old lady and Zheng Xialan had yet to return.

Mu Mian glanced around and added some water for the hens.

Seeing that the twins were still asleep, she considered going over to Grandma Zhang’s house as well. But just as she stepped out of the room, she heard a soft whimper from behind her.

Within seconds, Maizi followed suit, showing signs of waking up.

Hearing the commotion, Mu Mian turned back.

Murphy’s Law never failed her—just when she thought they wouldn’t wake up, Xiao Mai had already opened her eyes.

Xiao Chengzi carefully patted Xiao Miao, trying to lull her back to sleep.

Unfortunately, the little girl wasn’t in the mood to cooperate. The of them resigned themselves to their fate and each picked up a baby to soothe.

Mu Mian had barely rocked Xiao Mai a few times when Xiao Chengzi suddenly remembered something. “Sister, you need to—”

He was about to remind her to let the babies relieve themselves first.

But he didn’t get to finish.

Because the moment he spoke, Xiao Mai had already peed.

Although there was a diaper cloth, some still seeped onto Mu Mian.

As the saying goes, the first time is unfamiliar, but the second time is easier.

Mu Mian pulled out her damp arm and skillfully shook it off.

This was much less than what Xiao Xuehua had gotten on her before. Thinking of Xiao Xuehua, Mu Mian was reminded of her bronze bowl, and the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but stretch toward the back of her head in a grin.

Xiao Chengzi was still busy helping Xiao Miao relieve herself. When he saw his cousin actually laughing, he looked at her like she was a fool. “Sister, are you stupid?”

How could she be so happy after getting peed on?

Mu Mian, looking profound and mysterious, changed Xiao Mai’s diaper while saying, “You don’t understand. Maybe this is a sign that something good is about to happen to me.”

Xiao Chengzi truly didn’t understand. He only knew that his sister would definitely have to wash her clothes later, and doing laundry was no good thing.

Mu Mian didn’t bother explaining to the little boy and simply continued to enjoy her amusement.

The twin sisters were quite easy to entertain when they weren’t fussy. After changing their diapers and cleaning them up, Mu Mian casually waved two pieces of rag above their heads, making them laugh.

The two little ones had grown a bit more over the past few months. Their facial features resembled Zheng Xialan’s more and more, making them look even cuter.

By the time the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law finished grinding soybeans and returned home, Mu Mian happily received a basin of soybean dregs. That evening, the whole family had simple yet delicious soybean dreg pancakes for dinner.

Simple but tasty, the rich aroma of soy filled their mouths.

—

In the blink of an eye, ten days passed, and soon, it was early September.

The summer break was coming to an end, and Mu Mian was about to become a glorious third-grade student.

What grade she was in didn’t really matter—every grade felt the same to her.

Right now, she was more concerned about the two manuscripts she had submitted. It had been so long that, by now, she should have received a reply.

Yet, there was still no news at all—not even a shadow of a response. Could they have been completely ignored?

The publishing house’s city wasn’t even as far away as where her brother was stationed. Normally, when she sent something to her brother, it would take about half a month to arrive if things went smoothly.

Logically, it should take even less time for the publishing house to respond.

Unfortunately, communication in this era was inconvenient. Although Mu Mian kept thinking about it, there was nothing she could do but wait.

Even though she hadn’t received any updates from the magazine, she did get a letter from Mu Zhuo.