Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

Da Mao and Er Mao are the children of Da Bai and Xiao Bai. Sometimes Zhu He feels that these two little guys are also her children. Compared to her unruly daughter, Da Mao and Er Mao seem to be more obedient.

She warmed herself by the fire for a while, and her body slowly got warm.

Just as she picked up the fire tongs, intending to carry the brazier into the house, she saw a slender figure walking towards her home.

That's Yunling. The Yun family girl has been here for several days now. The two families live not far apart. Although the village has become much larger now, most of the people in the old village still live there.

Everyone used to know each other well, and they would gather together to chat before meals and after tea. But after moving outside, it's not so easy to see acquaintances anymore.

Therefore, even though the village has undergone tremendous changes, the Yun family and the Zhu He family are still only a hundred steps apart, just like before.

"Aunt Zhu, I've come to see the white mouse," Yunling said.

"Come in and have a seat," Zhu He said with a smile.

After Yunling entered the courtyard, Da Mao and Er Mao's father ran out. Sometime later, they ran to Yunling's feet and sniffed around.

Yunling picked up the round white mouse and went into the house.

"Zhuang Xing and Zhuang Ming haven't come back yet," Zhu He said. "Please make yourself at home. I'll go boil some water."

"Mmm." Yunling sat down obediently and stroked the white mouse's head.

These past few days, she's come to Zhu He's house twice a day, morning and evening, sometimes saying she's checking on the white mouse, sometimes bringing eggs and tea.

Zhu He brewed some hot tea and sat with Yunling by the fire, chatting casually about everyday things.

Zhu He tried to avoid talking about Yunling's parents and mostly talked about her son's childhood. She noticed that when she talked about her son, Yunling's daughter would always look in her direction, as if she was very interested in these things.

As Zhuang Xing's biological mother, Zhu He knew everything about Zhuang Xing before he left home at the age of five. Zhu He talked about how the child was learning to walk in the stroller and how he absolutely refused to wear open-crotch pants and insisted on wearing a pair of underwear without any seams before he would go out.

When Yunling hears these amusing stories, she can't help but smile.

At the same time, she talked about some things on the mountain, mostly about Zhuangxing.

She said that Zhuang Xing often brought her meals and helped her tend to the medicinal herb fields.

"What do you do when the child doesn't come to see you?" Zhu He asked.

“Go to the medicinal herb field to see how the herbs are growing,” Yunling said. “Or learn pharmacology from your master, or read books on your own.”

"Don't you get bored?" Zhu He asked.

“Very few,” Yunling said.

"I'll still find it boring," Zhu He said.

Yunling glanced at the door of Zhuang Xing's room, pondered for a moment, and said, "Occasionally, I guess."

"Sometimes you still need to relax." Zhu He didn't notice her little gesture.

She was just thinking about how her daughter used to cause chaos at home every day. After the little rascal went away for a few days, she felt very relaxed and couldn't help but stretch.

Just then, Yunling suddenly stood up and looked towards the door.

Zhu He was a little confused, but from afar, she heard a familiar child's voice.

"Dad, Mom, we're back!"

Zhu He followed Yunling outside and saw a six-year-old girl skipping along the path covered with a thin layer of white snow. Her braids swung high behind her head, just like her shouts, and she looked smug. Behind her, her brother was carrying a pile of wooden boxes, looking at the girl's back with a helpless yet indulgent expression.

"Little sister, slow down."

The two walked straight back to the courtyard. Zhu He smiled, and the Yun family girl beside her also smiled brightly. She stood on tiptoe, raised her hand, and waved to the brother and sister.

Chapter 294 Inviting us to our wedding banquet

"Why did you buy so much stuff?"

“We only found out when we got there that there is a temple fair for the Eastern King God in Yidu on the third day of the twelfth lunar month. And this year is the first year of the new reign title, so the temple fair is especially grand. We were worried that if we missed it, we wouldn’t be able to buy it later.”

As Zhuang Xing spoke, he placed all the boxes on the table.

The white mouse family emerged. Big Fur and Little Fur climbed onto the table and started nudging the boxes. They played bouncy games, chasing each other and playing hide-and-seek on the table, until their mother looked up and glared at them. Only then did they timidly stop and obediently jump off the table.

The house was bustling with activity, filled with both people and rats. Zhu He realized that the tranquility she had just experienced had vanished in an instant.

Zhuang Xing finally had a free hand and breathed a sigh of relief. When he took the ferry in Yidu, Brother Wu and Brother Wu Er helped him share the weight and put the things on the boat together.

But going home is a bit of a hassle. His younger sister is only six years old and can only help him with a little bit of the weight. He doesn't find it heavy or tiring to carry, but he feels that he bought too many things and it's a bit difficult to carry them.

Besides the gift boxes of pastries in his arms, he also specially bought aquatic products unique to Yidu. They were all fresh, caught by fishermen from the river that morning, and were all lively and jumping. They were all packed in the bamboo net bag he was carrying.

He then put the bag on the ground and looked at the table crammed full of boxes, realizing once again that he had indeed bought a lot.

I didn't realize it when I was buying them. I just thought the pastries tasted okay and looked pretty. I picked and chose, and ended up buying so many like building blocks.

I should have just gone shopping for one day; I shouldn't have spent two days shopping.

Luckily it's winter, the weather is cold, and the food doesn't spoil easily, otherwise these snacks would definitely be undigested.

He was thinking about how to distribute the gifts. If his family couldn't finish them, he could give them away as gifts. He had originally planned to do so, but unfortunately, his parents had no siblings and he couldn't find any relatives to ask for help. So he only prepared gift boxes for Yunling's family, Dachun's family, and the village chief's family.

He felt it was better to let his parents decide. He had left the village when he was five years old and only came back for a month each year. He didn't know many of the families there, but his parents had been there for over ten years. He could let his parents share the snacks with their acquaintances and casually mention that they were "high-end goods" that their son had bought at the Yidu Temple Fair.

Dad will definitely like this. He likes to show off and brag to others. He'll have something to talk about when he's drinking tea.

Just as Zhuang Xing was pondering this, a cup of tea was brought to his lips.

"This tea isn't too hot, just enough to quench your thirst," Yunling said.

Yunling understood him best; his mouth was indeed a little dry, so he picked up the tea and took a couple of sips.

The tea has a subtle sweetness and is very smooth. Zhuang Xing could tell at first sip that it was Yunling's jasmine and jujube flower tea, which was his favorite flavor of flower tea.

"Was the temple fair fun?" Zhu He patted the snow off her daughter's clothes.

"That was fun!" the little sister exclaimed. "Mom, let me tell you, I saw someone put a big rock on their chest, and they smashed it with a hammer!"

"I also saw people on fire, met Sister Yueling, saw lots of magic tricks, and had lots of delicious food!"

"The houses in Yidu are so tall and so big!"

"I also took a boat ride, twice! It was so much fun!"

The younger sister stood on tiptoe as high as she could, trying her best to describe the stone houses she saw.

Unfortunately, her vocabulary was really limited; all she could say was "so big" and "so tall."

But seeing her like this, knowing she's having fun, is enough.

It took Zhuang Xing and his family a short while to sort out the gift boxes.

Zhuang Xing said, "Yunling, I'll take these snacks home for you later. I bought them especially for your family."

Yunling nodded. Besides the food, Zhuang Xing also had a gift specially chosen for Yunling: a jade bracelet. Although giving a bracelet wasn't anything new, he and Yunling had known each other for so many years and had given her all sorts of creative gifts. He couldn't keep coming up with new ideas for every holiday.

What matters is not the fancy techniques, but the intention.

He was thinking that he would give Yunling the bracelet when he took her home later. Giving a bracelet when they were alone together would feel like a token of their love.

"Yunling, let's eat before we go back." Zhu He picked up the cage of fish and shrimp. "There are so many freshwater fish, it'll take a lot of cooking. I reckon we won't be able to finish it all in one meal, so I'll bring some over to your family later."

"Thank you, Aunt Zhu," Yunling said politely.

"Sister, sister, this is delicious too."

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention to her, Xiao Zhuangming quietly opened a snack box containing mung bean cakes. She had already taken a bite and was chewing when she took a new mung bean cake and placed it in Yunling's palm.

"Thank you, little sister." Yunling patted her head and took the mung bean cake.

"Mother, I'll take care of the shrimp, crab, and fish," Zhuang Xing said. "I saw some new dishes in Yidu, so I'll make them for you to try."

“Okay, then I’ll go cook rice,” Zhu He replied. “And order a pot of tofu pudding while you’re at it. Your dad also went out and bought some fish, so I’ll make a clear fish stew.”

"I'll help too," Yunling said.

"I'll start the fire!" the younger sister said, raising her hand.

Children seem to have an inexplicable interest in this, as if holding a fire poker and adding firewood to the burning earthen stove is an indispensable ritual.

It was getting late. When Zhuang Xing went to Yidu, it took him almost a whole day to get back. He was able to return faster today because this time the boatman was not an old man. He was hitching a ride on a merchant ship from the Pucao Merchant Guild. The people working on the merchant ship were all young and strong men. Moreover, the journey was downstream, so the speed was much faster.

Even so, it still took him most of the day to get home. It was a cloudy day, so he couldn't tell the time by looking at the sun, but Zhuang Xing's sense of time was very accurate. The main reason was that he was hungry, and it was almost noon. On his way back, he was thinking about how to cook the fish and shrimp, and now he couldn't wait to go into the kitchen.

While he was searching for scallions, ginger, and garlic, Yunling picked up a kitchen knife and scissors to help him prepare the ingredients. It felt like going back to when they were children, catching fish and having picnics by the river.

"By the way, Bai Yu is getting married." Zhuang Xing finally had a chance to reveal this. "She's getting married to Chu Sheng on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year and is inviting us to her wedding banquet."

Yunling paused for a moment, Zhuang Xing thought. She should still remember Bai Yu, right? Although she didn't have much contact with Bai Yu back then, it was mainly Zhuang Xing who interacted with Bai Yu. But Yunling was often with him. She might not remember his appearance, but she shouldn't forget his name.

Chapter 295 is good.

While Yunling was still in a daze, Zhu He had already remembered who Bai Yu was.

"Bai Yu...is that child getting married?" Zhu He asked. "Did you run into her in Yidu?"

Bai Yu lived in the village for more than a year. At that time, the village was only so big, with only about a hundred households and four or five hundred people. In the countryside, visiting each other was a common occurrence. She still remembered that articulate girl.

“I ran into her by chance,” Zhuang Xing replied. “She’s working for the prefect now, and she’s also run a chamber of commerce. She even manages the ferry crossing. She’s doing very well there.”

Zhu He was very surprised; she hadn't expected a girl to be able to do these things.

Surprised, she was also intrigued: who could marry such a girl?

"And what kind of people are her husband's family?" Zhu He asked.

“He is also a friend of mine,” Zhuang Xing said. “They both work for the government. Chu Sheng is a local from Yidu and is an agricultural official in charge of farming.”

Zhu He nodded. She wasn't worried since the person was her son's friend. She trusted her son completely, so she figured anyone who could be friends with him must be a good person too.

"Mother, do you want to go to Yidu together?" Zhuang Xing asked.

"The fifth day of the Lunar New Year..." Zhu He counted the days. She remembered the solar terms from the twelfth lunar month to the beginning of spring very clearly because her son would stay at home until the beginning of spring every year before leaving.

Two days after the fifth day of the Lunar New Year is the Beginning of Spring. By then, the snow on the roads will have mostly melted, and spring will begin. Although it is still cold in early spring, it should be fine to go to a wedding banquet in two or three days.

After listening to her youngest daughter talk so much about Yidu, she started to feel a little excited, as it seemed like the whole family had never gone out together before.

"Let's discuss it when your father gets back," Zhu He said, not giving a definitive answer.

When Zhuang Xing heard that his mother did not refuse, he knew that she probably wanted to go, but she had concerns. She felt that Yidu was a big place and the road was far away, and she didn't know if she would have a place to stay.

So while he was preparing the ingredients, he explained to his mother what she might be worried about.