Due to the final selection happening tomorrow, the small diner closed in the evening. After ng Yuhuai left, Hua Xiaomai checked over the things needed for the next day several tis and even pulled Zhou Yunyun aside to give a few instructions before she finally returned to the ng family’s courtyard.
She spent the entire afternoon and evening feeling restless, terrified that ng Yuhuai would also co up empty-handed, making her absolutely uneasy. To make matters worse, there was an old Mrs. ng at ho who wouldn’t let her have a mont’s peace, continuously seeking to make her presence felt by incessantly muttering, which only added to the agitation.
"Look at you, just sitting around at ho, making Yuhuai run around for you. Go out and ask around; not just in Fire Knife Village but in all of Fuzhe County, there’s no daughter-in-law like you!"
"Aren’t you capable? Find your own way, relying on a man to arrange everything for you, what skill is that?"
"I an, you finally stay ho for a day, and you still haven’t cooked dinner early so that I can eat sothing fresh? All you do is ss around with those useless things. Fuzhe County has many good cooks; I think you’re just going to see the sights, believing you could actually get such a good gig?"
... The nagging was truly endless.
Hua Xiaomai couldn’t reason with her, worried as she was, and her responses were unavoidably harsh. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law bickered back and forth without really fighting, stumbling through dinner. As the evening grew darker, Hua Xiaomai beca even more restless, eventually moving a small stool to sit by the door, waiting for what felt like ages, until she finally heard a familiar "clippity-clop" of horse hooves and hurriedly stood up to open the courtyard door.
ng Yuhuai entered carrying two jugs of milk he had bought. As soon as he stepped into the yard and saw Hua Xiaomai rushing toward him, he hurriedly raised his items up high with one hand and caught her with the other, unable to help but smile and say, "Slow down, I’m not running back if you break !"
"You actually bought it?!" Hua Xiaomai snatched the milk from his hand and looked it over several tis, feeling a big relief, and patted her chest, "Now I can finally relax."
She knew ng Yuhuai had had a hard day going back and forth, and quickly secured the milk in the room before dashing back out in a few strides, insisting, "You’ve had a tiring day. I’m going to heat up so water for you to wash up, then we can eat. I made your favorite tonight, saved it especially, and haven’t touched it yet."
Before her words finished, she was already heading for the kitchen.
ng Yuhuai couldn’t help but pull her hand from behind and shake his head with a smile, "I’m not an idiot; I know to buy so snacks on the road. I’m not even hungry yet. It’s Old Black that needs caring for; I’ve been running him around all afternoon. He’s getting old and cranky. If I don’t tend to him properly, he’ll be stubborn with tomorrow."
Old Black was the big black horse in the backyard, black all over except for a tuft of white hair on its forehead.
Hua Xiaomai hesitated slightly and bit her lower lip, then rubbed her hands on her apron, "I’ll take care of feeding the horse as well, you don’t need to worry about anything."
Old Black was an old horse and perfectly docile with ng Yuhuai, but quite temperantal towards others, very tricky to handle. ng was initially going to refuse but then laughed, "Alright, you are its mistress after all; you should get closer to it. Just be careful not to walk behind it, lest it kicks you. I’ll prepare the feed; you try feeding it. If it refuses to eat, give it so fresh grass, it’s picky and likes that best."
Hua Xiaomai nervously agreed, went to the kitchen to boil water, and when she ca out, seeing he had already prepared the feed, she carried the heavy bucket shakily to the back of the house.
Old Black, already in the stable, was drinking water with its head down but imdiately looked up alertly upon hearing the faint footsteps.
The horse was usually very well fed, big and glossy. Hua Xiaomai, unfamiliar with it, couldn’t help feeling a bit intimidated, stepped back a little, mustered a smile, and carefully approached the trough. Struggling slightly, she lifted the bucket and poured the contents with a splash.
The moist feed, mixed with bean dregs and water, was quite heavy. She barely held onto it, and as she poured, the sloppy bean dregs splattered out. She quickly jumped to the side, avoiding getting any on herself, but poor Old Black, being tied up, had nowhere to go, and his glossy black coat was imdiately splattered with the ss.
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