Chapter 20 – Did She Discover Something?

“Divide… divide the family?” Xia Yang was so shocked he couldn’t even finish his sentence.

How could they split the family when their grandparents were still alive?

“The tree grows branches,” Xia Tian said. “I was just asking casually.”

From the look on Xia Yang’s face, it was clear that he’d never even thought about such a thing.

In ancient times, family ties were strong. Generally, an extended family lived together under one roof unless the elderly passed away, or brothers couldn’t get along, at which point they might consider splitting the family.

Since Xia Tian had already said many things that went against the current norms, she decided not to continue the topic.

She had spoken so much just now that her throat had gone dry, so she went to the kitchen to drink two bowls of water before feeling better.

Having no other business, Xia Yang was ready to head back.

Xia Tian initially wanted to send Xia Yang off with something, but then she thought about it. Since their family hadn’t split yet, her younger siblings wouldn’t be able to eat whatever she brought back. So, she decided not to bring anything.

When Xia Yang got married, she’d bring something for Xia Yue and the younger siblings herself.

The next day was market day, so Xia Tian planned to head to town to buy a gift for her new sister-in-law.

She also intended to buy some snacks for Xia Yue, Xia Shiji, and Xia Chen, as well as something fun for them.

When Shen Nian learned that she was going to town to buy things for the family, he gave her a small purse during breakfast.

Xia Tian’s eyes lit up, and she sincerely thanked him, “Thank you, Brother Shen.”

Since she hadn’t made any money yet, she could only use Shen Nian’s for now. She’d consider it a loan and repay him once she earned her own.

“You’re welcome,” Shen Nian replied, his tone soft, though his expression remained unchanged.

Xia Tian felt that she had become more at ease around Shen Nian lately. He no longer spoke as coldly as he used to, and occasionally, she even noticed him smile, though it was only a slight curl of his lips.

When they reached town, Xia Tian went straight to the Jin Xiu Fabric Shop.

The Jin Xiu Fabric Shop was the largest fabric shop in Qingquan Town, catering to the surrounding villagers, and had the most extensive variety of fabrics available.

The best part was that the prices were fair, and the shop assistants were friendly.

Xia Tian had browsed the shop before, though she hadn’t bought anything back then. Today, the shop assistants were once again eager to introduce her to the various fabrics, showing no sign of being dismissive. It made her feel comfortable.

As soon as she entered, she noticed many villagers from the nearby areas already shopping for fabric.

There were many shop assistants as well, each busy with customers. Xia Tian made her way over to the section selling coarse cloth, where there were the most people.

When one of the assistants was free, they immediately greeted her enthusiastically, “What color are you looking for, miss? Our fabric selection has the most colors available.”

“I’ll take 10 feet of this dark red and that deep red, and 8 feet of this deep teal,” Xia Tian said.

The coarse cloth was 8 wen per foot, and Xia Tian didn’t haggle. She pointed out the colors she wanted, and the assistant quickly wrapped them up and placed them in her basket.

Next, she moved over to the cotton section, where the fabric was a little more expensive at 13 wen per foot. Xia Tian picked 8 feet of white cotton to make an undergarment for Shen Nian.

While washing clothes a few days ago, she’d noticed blood stains on Shen Nian’s undergarment, and she wasn’t sure when they had appeared.

Once she finished picking out the fabrics, Xia Tian noticed that the assistant who had served her earlier was no longer busy, so she approached them quietly and asked, “Excuse me, do you sell scraps of fabric here?”

The Jin Xiu Fabric Shop didn’t just sell fabric; they also sold ready-made clothes, so they should have some scraps of fabric. Buying them to make a quilt or patch clothes would be a good idea.

The assistant saw that she had already bought quite a bit of fabric, so they wanted to make a sale. “Please wait, I’ll check with the shopkeeper.”

Xia Tian thanked them and waited. After a moment, the assistant returned and led her to a corner of the sewing section.

Pointing to two large bags on the floor, the assistant asked, “These are the only scraps left. How much would you like? We only sell them in whole bags and don’t allow customers to pick and choose.”

“How much for one bag?” Xia Tian asked.

“10 wen,” the assistant replied.

Xia Tian saw that one bag was about the size of her basket and appeared well-packed. She took out 15 wen and handed it to the assistant, saying, “I’ll take one bag.”

The assistant accepted the money, and Xia Tian left the fabric shop, holding the bag of scraps.

There were too many people, so she carried the bag with one hand. She also stopped at a stall to buy some snacks for her younger siblings, and picked out a pair of headpieces each for Xia Yue, Xia Chen, and her new sister-in-law.

For Xia Shiji, she bought a bagua lock, which could be played with and also help with improving his manual and cognitive skills.

She passed by the meat stall, where she bought a pound of pork, and then saw a vendor selling vegetables. She bought a bunch of chives and two large cabbages, planning to make dumplings for dinner.

Since it was still early, Xia Tian decided not to wait for Uncle Liu’s ox cart and walked home instead.

When she arrived home, Shen Nian was lying in the hammock under a tree, reading a book.

“Brother Shen, I’m back. Let’s make dumplings for lunch!” Xia Tian set her basket on the ground, took out the pork, and waved it in front of him.

“Mm.” Shen Nian glanced at the meat in her hand, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

Xia Tian first put the meat and vegetables in the kitchen.

She then took the bag of fabric scraps and the basket outside and placed them by the table under the big tree, before getting herself a cup of water.

Turning to Shen Nian, she asked, “Brother Shen, do you feel unwell anywhere these days?”

Shen Nian furrowed his brows and looked at her, “What’s wrong?”

Did she discover something?

“When I was washing clothes, I saw blood stains on the chest of your undergarment. I thought you…” Xia Tian hesitated, but still asked.

She was worried that Shen Nian’s condition might have relapsed.

Shen Nian let out a silent sigh of relief, pausing for a moment before replying, “No. I accidentally cut my finger the other day, and it must have gotten on my clothes.”

These days, Shen Nian had felt the energy in his dantian becoming thicker.

The night before last, when he forced himself to circulate his inner energy, he didn’t expect the backlash. He’d felt a rush of a sweet, metallic taste in his throat, and it was probably from that time that the blood had gotten on his clothes.

He didn’t expect the girl to be so observant.

“I’m glad to hear that. Your finger isn’t hurt, right? Let me see?” Xia Tian leaned toward him.

“It’s fine now,” Shen Nian subtly withdrew his hand into his sleeve.

“Oh! When you’re making things, be careful. And when you sleep at night, keep the dagger away from you. Don’t hurt yourself,” she said.

Xia Tian had noticed that whenever she tidied up, the dagger used for splitting bamboo was always placed next to Shen Nian’s pillow.

Shen Nian’s fingers loosened as he nodded, “Okay.”

Finally, the matter was settled.

“I’ll go make lunch now,” Xia Tian said as she stood up and went to the kitchen.

Shen Nian watched her enter the kitchen and picked up his book again, but didn’t turn a page for quite some time. He thought to himself, I wonder when Mu Feng will find this place?

“Brother Shen, what filling do you want for the dumplings? Chives? Or cabbage?” Xia Tian stuck her head out of the window and asked brightly.

Shen Nian snapped back to reality, looking at Xia Tian, who was smiling at him from the window. He raised his voice slightly, “Anything is fine.”

“Okay, I’ll make a bit of everything then,” Xia Tian replied and turned to prepare the filling.

Before long, the sound of chopping meat and cutting vegetables came from the kitchen.

After preparing the filling and letting the dough rest, Xia Tian brought out the cutting board and set it up on the table outside. She also moved Shen Nian’s table out to join her.

She then brought out the bowls of vegetables, the dough, the filling, and a rolling pin, and covered them with a bamboo mat.

“Brother Shen, let me teach you how to make dumplings!” Xia Tian smiled at him.

“Okay.” Shen Nian put down his book and got up to wash his hands.

Xia Tian rolled out a few dumpling wrappers and showed him how to fill them. “See? It’s really simple.”

Shen Nian nodded and started making dumplings. Surprisingly, his first one turned out well.

Xia Tian gave him a thumbs-up. “Brother Shen, you’re amazing!”

Shen Nian’s lips curved slightly.

Xia Tian rolled out the wrappers, and Shen Nian made the dumplings. Before long, they had filled a whole bamboo mat. Xia Tian had prepared three types of fillings – chives and eggs, cabbage and pork, and sauerkraut and pork.