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Chunyue stood at the door, calling Su Zhi and Shen Zi’an. Both of them were already intending to visit, so they walked over with Little Black and Little White in their arms.
“Fourth Brother, Fourth Sister-in-law, come in quickly. It’s cold inside. Sit on the heated kang,” Li Shi beckoned as Su Zhi and Shen Zi’an lifted the curtain and entered.
In the Shen family’s house, every room where people lived had a heated kang. Whether it was day or night, as long as a few firewood were burned, sitting on it would be warm. They had spared no expense, even on charcoal.
Inside the second room, there was a large kang that occupied most of the space. Stack of quilts were placed far from the kang, while two blankets were spread out on the kang, clearly meant for sitting during the day.
Su Zhi sat on the edge of the kang, and Little Black in her arms peeked around curiously. Eventually, their eyes met with those of Chunyun, and Little Black let out a soft whimper.
Chunyun immediately smiled and slowly moved closer from the heated brick bed, but hesitated to touch Little Black. The two of them stared at each other, looking incredibly adorable.
Chuncao, on the other hand, looked at Little White in Shen Zi’an’s arms and asked, “Fourth Uncle, does it bite? Can I touch it?”
Shen Zi’an patted Little White’s back and said, “Little White, she’s my niece, don’t bite her. Alright, go ahead, touch it. It won’t bite you.”
Su Zhi chuckled inwardly, thinking that Shen Zi’an was quite good at coaxing children. Little White could understand his words, so naturally, it could also understand Chuncao’s words. Although it wasn’t as easygoing as Little Black when it came to playing with people, it wouldn’t bite anyone randomly.
Chuncao happily reached out and lightly touched Little White’s head. Little White lifted its eyes and looked at her, the slender phoenix-like eyes showing a hint of impatience, resembling a mature child, which was also very cute. Chuncao smiled even more happily, evidently fond of this little wolf cub.
“Dad, Mom, when we live alone, can we raise a little dog? It would be so much fun,” Chunyun nodded eagerly beside him, but her eyes quickly returned to Little Black.
“If we have enough food at home by then, we’ll raise one,” Li Shi said with a smile. Ever since the idea of separation was brought up, her spirits immediately lifted. It was as if she had suddenly become several years younger, and her eyes had brightened considerably.
Su Zhi placed Little Black on the brick bed and told it not to urinate, then let it play with Chunyun. Shen Zi’an also put down the restless Little White, and Chuncao immediately climbed onto the brick bed and chased after them. After all, children were children. No matter how clever they were, they still loved to play, especially when they encountered small animals. Even Chunyue occasionally glanced over, watching Little Black tumble and then laughed.
“The offspring of the Sacred Beast is indeed different, so lively and spirited,”Li Shi praised, and as soon as she saw these two little wolf cubs, she thought of the Sacred Beast again, and then she thought of the good days in Shen Zi’an’s home. She didn’t expect to live as well as Shen Zi’an’s family, nor did she expect Shen Zi’an to support them. She just hoped that if they separated, their family could improve just like Shen Zi’an’s.
Shen Zi’an looked at his second brother and noticed that he seemed a bit downcast. It was understandable. After all the commotion just now, suddenly splitting the family must have been a blow. Even though they achieved their goal, how could they not feel lost inside? After all, this was the home they had lived in for many years. Now that it was divided, although they said dividing the family wouldn’t divide their hearts, it still didn’t feel right. Thinking back to when he left, wasn’t it the same? But he was prepared back then. He hadn’t been living comfortably in this house, so it wasn’t as awkward. Besides, Shen Zigui was someone who hadn’t really considered splitting the family before.
“Second brother, now that you’ve decided to split the family, what are your plans for the future? Where are you planning to build a house next spring? If you don’t have enough money, I have some silver here.”
Shen Zigui gratefully replied, “Thank you, fourth brother. To be honest, we haven’t saved much money over the years. It’s all thanks to your sister-in-law’s private savings. It won’t be enough for building a house. We still need to buy seeds for next spring’s planting. We probably won’t have much left for food either. Looks like we’ll have to find some work to do.”
Li Shi comforted Shen Zigui, saying, “My daughters and I will work hard to weave and embroider more, plus the money we earned from selling gloves recently. We should be able to build three adobe houses. Let’s live in them first, work hard for a year, and things will get better.”
Chunyue also chimed in, “Yes, Dad, as long as it’s our own home, it doesn’t matter if it’s a bit run-down. I’ll work hard, and make sure we all have three meals a day and never go hungry again.”
Upon hearing these words, Shen Zigui’s initial sense of loss immediately diminished by half. Indeed, ensuring his wife and children had enough to eat was the most important thing. He could always come to take care of his parents in the future.
“All right, I’ll make sure you all have three meals a day.”
Su Zhi couldn’t help but feel that the Shen family endured hunger and hardship for Shen Ziju. At least she knew they usually had two meals a day, and sometimes they were even punished by being forbidden to eat. To be honest, this felt more uncomfortable to Su Zhi than enduring a night of kneeling.
Shen Zi’an said, “If we’re going to build, let’s build the houses well so we won’t have to rebuild them later. My nieces s should have their own rooms. Moreover, if you give me another nephew, we’ll need even more rooms. Second Brother, don’t be polite with me. Don’t worry about the money. Actually, there’s one more thing we came to discuss this time. Let my wife talk about it.”
Su Zhi then mentioned the plan to teach some people how to weave and make headpieces.
Li Shi immediately became delighted upon hearing this. She knew Su Zhi was clever; it was her idea to make gloves. At that time, they made dozens together with the eldest sister-in-law and sold them to the embroidery shop. They earned a tael of silver for the gloves alone and six taels for the design, totaling seven taels. Su Zhi only took one tael of silver, and the rest was given to them. After handing over their share to the family fund, she still had two taels and nine maces of silver left! That was the most silver she had ever earned in two days’ work.
Of course, all of this was kept secret from the main household. They only mentioned that it was work done for Su Zhi, and Su Zhi paid the wages, which amounted to a few taels that were contributed to the family fund.
Li Shi was grateful to Su Zhi. When Su Zhi sold the gloves, she only took one tael of silver, effectively giving them the design of the gloves for free. Now she was helping them again, and Li Shi was even more grateful.
Su Zhi thought to herself that now that the second household had separated, if she had any work to do in the future, she could ask them for help. This second brother’s family was not bad. Li Shi had spoken to her voluntarily when she was still locked in the backyard hut, and later they had helped when they moved. It was worth maintaining the relationship.
Su Zhi asked Li Shi to tell Wang Shi that if she was willing to learn together, she could also go to Shugen’s wife’s house. Regarding Wang Shi, Su Zhi neither liked nor disliked her; this eldest sister-in-law was someone who took care of her own affairs. However, the eldest brother was still good, and the children of the main household were also very nice, so Su Zhi did not reject the main household.
After staying for a while, the couple bid farewell. The snow, which had just stopped for a moment, started falling again. They still needed to go to Shugen’s wife’s place to inform her.
As soon as Su Zhi stood up, little Black ran over. Su Zhi picked it up, and it wiggled its little bottom, finding a comfortable position to lie down. Shen Zi’an also picked up little White. Even when held, it remained proud, like a king sitting on a throne. This amused Chuncao and the others, making them burst into laughter.
As they stepped out of the second household’s door, Su Zhi glanced towards the main household and happened to see Shen Ziju.
The young man was dressed in blue, with a fair complexion and a very handsome appearance. He could be described as a charming young man. Even standing in such a rural household, he still exuded a strong scholarly air, radiating with brilliance.
Su Zhi and Shen Ziju made eye contact. It wouldn’t be polite to ignore him, so she nodded gently before walking away with Shen Zi’an.
Shen Ziju stood there for a moment before returning to the house.
After leaving the Shen family, the couple went to Shugen’s wife’s house. They informed her that they would come tomorrow to teach embroidery and making headpieces. Shu Gen’s wife was delighted and said she would invite Li Qing’s wife as well. Then, with Xiaosuo’s reluctant gaze on them, they left, holding the little wolf cubs.
The snowflakes were not falling hurriedly but gently, drifting down like goose feathers. They fell on Su Zhi’s head. When they came out, the snow had stopped. Su Zhi wore a hat she had made herself, so her head wasn’t cold, but she felt a bit chilly around her neck. She thought that when they returned, she would make a cloak with a hood for both Shen Zi’an and herself. She would sew fur trim on the edges, which would surely look very nice.
On the way, Shen Zi’an remained silent, and Su Zhi felt that he had something on his mind.
“Zi’an, what are you thinking about?”
Shen Zi’an replied, “I’m thinking that we should stay away from the old house in the future.”
Shen Zi’an wasn’t feeling pleased at the moment. He was still thinking about what had happened in the main hall of the Shen family just now.
For so many years, Shen Youfu had favored Shen Zhang shi’s children, and Shen Zi’an had become numb to it. It was common for parents to have favorites throughout history, and with a stepmother came a stepfather. As long as he was not deprived of food and clothing, nor subjected to beatings and scolding, it was considered acceptable. His father was not close to him, so he just fulfilled his filial duty without getting too close to him. Now that the family had split, he was living a happier life than he had ever imagined. He was content in his heart and didn’t expect Shen Youfu to show him much care or affection. However, he didn’t expect his father to disregard him like this. He hadn’t even become a father himself, yet his father was already thinking of giving away his own grandson? What position did he place his own son in?
Su Zhi listened to Shen Zi’an’s words and understood his feelings. She was also angry in her heart.
“Alright, we’ll have less contact with the old house in the future. Zi’an, if I do something disrespectful to your parents in the future, don’t blame me,” Su Zhi said firmly.
Shen Zi’an smiled and touched Su Zhi’s face, saying, “You, when you need to be gentle, you’re gentle, and when you need to be tough, you’re tough. You’re stronger than me. I trust you.”
Su Zhi felt happy to be kissed by him and to hear his trust in her. She thought that as long as her husband didn’t hold her back, even if they had some difficult relatives, she could still live a good life. The best days were yet to come.
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