Courtyard houses: Those who are capable are rewarded, and many children bring many blessings.

"What could I possibly mean? This is just casual conversation!" Qin Xueru's eyes flickered.

Qin Ningru felt that her sister was acting strangely today, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong.

"Come with me and lock the gate. I'm a little scared to go alone," Qin Xueru quickly changed the subject.

Nothing happened that night. The next morning, Niu Dazhuang returned, ate a bite of food, and went to sleep. Qin Xueru, on the other hand, took Ningru and carried soybeans to queue up to grind soybeans for soy milk. It was already afternoon when they returned with two wooden buckets of soy milk.

"Sis, when did you learn how to make tofu?"

"I can't!"

"Then how do you make tofu?"

"We also hire someone to make tofu at home, so it's the same thing. You wait here, I'll go and get someone."

Not long after, Qin Xueru brought back Chen Xia, the pretty widow.

"Hey, Da Zhuang's family, is this your younger sister? She's just as pretty as you!"

"Sister-in-law, you really know how to compliment people. She's my younger sister, Ningru."

Ningru stood up politely: "Hello, sister-in-law, you are very beautiful too."

"Hehe... They all look good. Da Zhuang's family, is the braising liquid ready? Just keep an eye on it, it's easy, you'll learn it in no time."

"Sister-in-law, from now on you can just call me Xue Ru, it's simple."

"Okay, Xue Ru, pour all the soy milk into the big pot. Ning Ru, right? Start the fire..."

Chen Xia was efficient; she finished the task in just half an hour.

"Find a board, put it on top, and weigh it down with a stone. It'll be ready by tomorrow morning." With that, the man turned to leave.

"Don't go, sister-in-law, it's getting late. Stay and have dinner with us."

"No, I have food at home, I can just heat it up when I get back." With that, he went out the door.

At this moment, Niu Dazhuang also woke up and stood at the door, saying, "If she doesn't want to eat, then she doesn't have to. We'll just bring her two pieces of tofu tomorrow."

Although Qin Ningru was mentally prepared, her heart was still pounding wildly when she finished dinner, chatted for a while, and prepared to go to bed.

There was only a chain between them, and you could hear Niu Dazhuang breathing on the other end.

After blowing out the kerosene lamp, Qin Ningru crawled into bed before taking off her cotton-padded trousers and jacket.

In those days, there were no thermal underwear; a red bellyband was all the underwear one had.

Qin Ningru was still dazed after a while, and she didn't know how much time had passed when she heard strange noises coming from her sister's side...

Upon hearing that sound, Qin Ningru's heart instinctively raced, and she didn't know where to put her delicate hands...

I squeezed my eyes shut and silently told myself, in a self-deceiving way, that I heard nothing...

The next morning, after Niu Dazhuang left, Ningru quickly took out the undergarment she had hidden in the quilt and washed it.

This has been going on for three days in a row, and tomorrow is Lunar New Year's Eve.

Qin Ningru's eyes were dark.

"Ningru, why have you been so listless these past few days?" Qin Xueru noticed that her younger sister had dark circles under her eyes and seemed lethargic during the day.

Ningru thought to herself, "You guys are always up to something every night and don't get enough rest. No wonder you're not energetic during the day."

"Sister, you're really going to great lengths to keep me company! You can't even get out of bed every morning, and I have to take care of you. Now I know why you were willing to let me come over. Even newlywed couples don't do this!"

"This is a happy problem for me; others are green with envy," Qin Xueru said lazily, lying in bed.

"I think you two were born in the wrong era. If it were before Liberation, with your brother-in-law being so capable and your family having plenty of food, it would have been perfect for him to buy you a maid to serve you." While the two sisters chatted, Qin Ningru's hands were also busy. She took the cotton cushion next to Xueru and started washing it.

"Make a few more cotton pads, these aren't completely dry yet!"

"I'd like to, but there's nowhere to buy a maid right now. Your brother-in-law will go to Beijing after the New Year, then things will be much easier."

"Your brother-in-law's addiction is so strong, are you really comfortable letting him go to Beijing alone?"

"What can I do if I'm worried?"

"My brother-in-law is a skilled hunter and lives a good life in the countryside, so why does he insist on going to Beijing?"

"Wait until your brother-in-law gets back, then ask him. I haven't actually asked him."

"I'm not going to interfere in your affairs. Anyway, I think it's not good for you two to be living apart since you just got married and your brother-in-law is already in Beijing."

Don't let the separation go on for too long, or your brother-in-law will be snatched away by another woman!

Qin Xueru said confidently, "I'm not afraid of him finding other women. If he really finds me a girlfriend, I'll be much more relaxed."

"Sis, do you really think so? Aren't you jealous?" Qin Ningru's thoughts started to stir.

"Jealous? Why would I be jealous? I'd be hoping for it! You've heard and seen it all these past few days—your brother-in-law is just born to have many women! It's a pity the times don't allow it anymore, so I've brought trouble upon myself!"

"I slept soundly last night and didn't hear anything! Sister, if my brother-in-law really found another woman, wouldn't you be jealous?" Qin Ningru asked again.

"Didn't I just say I'm not jealous? As long as he can afford it and pays his dues every month, I don't care how many women he has." Qin Xueru said this, but in her heart she thought, "Little brat, I don't believe you won't take the bait."

He sighed and continued, "Unfortunately, no one wants to follow him without a proper status these days."

"A woman, you know, marries a man for food and clothing. If you marry an ordinary man, you'll be worrying about having enough to eat all day. It's better to... never mind, I won't say anymore. When she was with us, she worried about not having enough to eat all day. But since she married your brother-in-law, she worries about what to eat all day."

Qin Ningru pouted and said, "Sis, you've only had enough to eat for a few days, and you're already showing off! You two don't have to worry about food, but wait a few years, after you have a few kids, let's see if you'll be worried then!"

"I'm not worried. There's strength in numbers. They can eat a lot and get things done too!"

Ningru washed the small cotton pad, found a bamboo pole, and hung it to dry next to the coal fire. She tidied up the room again and then went to take a nap on the kang (heated brick bed).

Around noon, I got up again to make lunch.

After resting all morning, Xue Ru was able to get off the kang (heated brick bed), and the two sisters cooked together much faster.

Lunch wasn't ready yet when Niu Dazhuang came in carrying a basket on his back. He went outside for a walk and then took out a wild goat meat from the storage space.

A pot of pork stew with cabbage and tofu, a plate of stir-fried red bean sprouts, and a pot of hot wine.

"Would you like some Ningru?"

"Just a little bit, please." Having lived on the same kang (heated brick bed) for several days now, Qin Ningru had relaxed.

"Dazhuang, you're thirty today, why don't you stay home this afternoon?" Qin Xueru asked.

"Yeah, I'm not going out, but I have to be on duty tonight."

"Brother-in-law, you've been yelling about it for days, but the wolf hasn't come!"

"We must not be careless. Don't underestimate the intelligence of wolves. I estimate it will be within the next day or two."