Ms. Jiang wore a dark expression as she watched her three troubleso sons leveling the courtyard. They were so capable, yet she hadn’t seen any of her three daughters-in-law showing signs of pregnancy. She only had three grandsons; none of them had given her a granddaughter yet!
The three brothers kept their heads down, working on the courtyard while their ears strained for sounds from outside, pointedly ignoring their mother’s resentful gaze.
It wasn’t long before the sound of an approaching carriage reached them.
The three brothers exchanged smiles. Mother’s mood is about to change from stormy to sunny, they thought.
Sure enough, soon after, the CLATTER of horse hooves and the RUMBLE of carriage wheels grew louder.
Hearing the noise, the three little ones wondered curiously who was visiting. They scampered out to see.
Mr. Xiao alighted from the carriage before it even entered the yard, his eyes crinkling as he saw his three grandsons running towards him.
"You little rascals!" Mr. Xiao said, beaming. Nearly half a year had passed, and the three of them had shot up.
"Grandpa!" The three boys spotted him and rushed over in unison. The two younger ones threw themselves into Mr. Xiao’s embrace, while Xiao Han grinned, steadying his grandfather.
Mr. Xiao patted the three boys’ heads. "Is your grandma doing well?"
The three nodded and led him into the yard.
Just outside the yard, a mber of the Secret Sect tied the horses securely and then vanished without a trace.
Ms. Jiang watched the man secure the horses, assuming it was Xiao Yunjing and his brothers’ carriage, so she didn’t pay it much mind.
But when she saw a tall figure accompanied by three small ones appear at the courtyard entrance, she had to rub her eyes.
"Grandma, Grandpa is back!" Xiao Han shouted.
A flicker of surprise crossed Ms. Jiang’s eyes, but her expression quickly soured. That darn old man and those three rascals have learned bad habits! They didn’t even send word they were returning. She turned and went back into her room. HUMPH! That darn old man, worrying to death!
Mr. Xiao was left speechless. So were the three little ones and the three brothers.
Only Gu Qingli and her two sisters-in-law understood what was happening. They remained silent, simply smiling as they headed into the kitchen.
Sensing trouble brewing, Mr. Xiao left his grandsons and strode purposefully towards the house.
The door wasn’t latched.
HEH HEH.
Mr. Xiao pushed the door open and went inside.
The lunch to welco Mr. Xiao ho was sumptuous. As he savored the delicious dishes, he felt his life was utterly complete. No matter how good things were elsewhere, nothing beat a ho-cooked al. Besides, was the food in the military camp even fit for humans?
After lunch, the father and his sons naturally went off to discuss important matters. The three little ones, knowing it wasn’t their place to join, simply grabbed their tools and headed up the mountain.
The three sisters-in-law cleaned up the kitchen, then went to the riverside together to wash clothes.
Wuqing went up the mountain alone to find Da Bai. Gu Qingli had sent him back into the mountains after she returned; a king of the mountains, after all, naturally belongs in the forest.
At this ti of day, the riverside was deserted. The villagers usually did their washing in the morning; the three won were late today only because they had overslept.
People here used soap beans for washing clothes, sothing Gu Qingli wasn’t accustod to. She usually, and discreetly, added a little laundry detergent.
"Younger Sister-in-law, what did you put in your laundry? It slls so good," asked Ms. Wang, who was downstream, her nose twitching as she sniffed the scent of the detergent.
"It’s just sothing I concocted and had leftover. This is the last of it, but I’ll make more to share next ti," Gu Qingli replied. She had forgotten they were all washing together today; of course, they would ask about the fragrance. I’ll have to be more careful next ti.
"Oh."
The scent was truly lovely—fragrant but not overpowering, better than any incense, Ms. Wang thought, feeling a pang of regret. Too bad Younger Sister-in-law was out of it. If she could just dab a bit of that on the clothes of those two slly n in her family, it would surely get rid of the sweat odor.
Ms. Yang had slled it too but said nothing. She often caught whiffs of that fragrance. Since Third Sister-in-law hadn’t offered it to everyone, it must be difficult to make, she mused.
"Third Sister-in-law, don’t worry about us. Don’t listen to Second Sister-in-law," Ms. Yang said to Gu Qingli, shooting a glare at Ms. Wang. "That stuff probably isn’t easy to make. As long as our clothes are clean, that’s all that matters." Don’t be like so people, so shortsighted, she thought. It would only damage their harmony, and that was what Mother-in-law disliked the most.
Gu Qingli simply nodded and smiled.
Ms. Wang gave a couple of dry, awkward chuckles.
Then, the three sisters-in-law resud their washing in silence, the small interlude seemingly forgotten.
Gu Qingli liked this kind of atmosphere. Ms. Yang, as the eldest sister-in-law, had a dignified presence. She treated both Gu Qingli and Ms. Wang fairly, maintained harmonious relations, and didn’t haggle over minor things. This was especially true regarding matters concerning Eldest Brother Xiao and Second Brother Xiao. Both n were fighting on the battlefield, essentially risking their lives daily. Yet, even though it was Xiao Yunjing who had called them away to war, neither Ms. Yang nor Ms. Wang had ever uttered a single word of complaint.
Gu Qingli stole a glance at Ms. Yang. The afternoon sun shone on her face, illuminating the beads of sweat, making them glisten like crystals, sparkling with a fine light. There was a sense of serene beauty in that mont.
After the three sisters-in-law finished washing the clothes, hung them out to dry, and returned to the house, they went to help the three brothers level the courtyard.
They had planted rice this year but had no place at ho to dry the harvested grain. The rice harvest was just over a month away. With the brothers back, it was the perfect opportunity for them to pave the original mud courtyard with stone slabs.
That night, Gu Qingli and Xiao Yunjing had dinner at Gu Dalin’s house.
After dinner, everyone sat together chatting. "Dad, do you want to pave your courtyard too?" Xiao Yunjing asked Gu Dalin.
"You want to pave it?" Gu Dalin asked.
Xiao Yunjing nodded. "If you’re going to pave it, let’s do both at the sa ti."
"This..." Gu Dalin frowned.
"Dad, are you worried about the cost?" Xiao Yunjing waved his hand dismissively. "You don’t need to worry about that."
"Dad, let’s pave it! We’ve earned so silver," Dashuang urged, seeing Gu Dalin still hesitating. Paving the courtyard would make drying rice much more convenient. Going to the village’s public drying ground was not only inconvenient, but there also might not be any space available. He and his brother, along with their father, had keenly felt this inconvenience last year when they were at the Gu family’s old house. And this year, with their mother pregnant with their little sister, it would be even more troubleso.
Xiaoshuang chid in, "Dad, don’t worry about the money. We’ve made quite a bit lately."
"How much?" Gu Qingli asked, walking up behind the two boys and placing her hands on their shoulders.
The two boys turned their heads, grinning slyly. "Anyway, it’s enough to pave the courtyard!"
Indeed, the five children’s collective earnings were not small; they were all competing to see who could earn more by the end of the holidays.
Gu Dalin sighed in relief and nodded. "Alright then. I’ll have to trouble you, Yunjing."
Yunjing glanced at the two boys. "Dad, saying that makes us sound like strangers."
Gu Qingli ruffled the boys’ hair. "My, my, your little private stashes must be quite full, huh?"
The two boys just grinned sheepishly. They had saved enough silver to supplent their sister’s dowry, but that was a secret.
Seeing them only smile without saying anything, Gu Qingli gently patted them. "You little rascals." So they have secrets now, do they?
Once the decision was settled, Xiao Yunjing and Gu Dalin discussed the specific details. It was best to act sooner rather than later, so Gu Dalin decided to start the work the very next day.
Gu Qingli took the opportunity to check Ms. Wu’s pulse again, confirming that the baby was doing well. Perhaps because she had been drinking the spiritual spring water, Ms. Wu was having an easy pregnancy this ti.
"Sister, how’s our little sister doing?" the two boys asked, crowding around her.
Gu Qingli patted their heads, looking at each of them in turn as she asked, "How do you know it’s a little sister? What if it’s a little brother?"
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