Qín Yúnxī didn't sleep too late, as she was thinking about Mù Jǐnghéng's return.
As a wife now, even if she didn't go to meet him, it wouldn't be good to seem too indifferent. After all, his future also concerned her own quality of life!
However, as soon as she got up and saw Mù Jǐnghéng pushing the door open, she felt a bit confused. Glancing at the sky, she wondered if she had woken up late or if he had returned early.
Would they really "kick" people out of the examination hall so early?
"My wife is up?" Mù Jǐnghéng had just returned from washing up. Seeing her rise so "early" made him happy, as he believed she was showing respect for him.
"Yes, Jǐnghéng, you're back? It's me who woke up late!" Qín Yúnxī smiled at him.
Mù Jǐnghéng walked over and chuckled, "There was a small issue in the examination hall, so they let the candidates out half an hour earlier."
"Will that affect you?" Qín Yúnxī paused in her movements.
Mù Jǐnghéng reached out and took over the task of helping her dress. "It's a minor matter, not a big impact. It just means the list might be delayed by a few days."
Qín Yúnxī understood. It was likely due to an investigation into cheating, perhaps?
If it were widespread, they probably wouldn't have let people out early.
"Ah! It's sunny! The sky cleared up as soon as Jǐnghéng finished his exam and returned. What a good omen!" Opening the door and finding the rain had stopped and the sun was out, Qín Yúnxī felt happy. She had been feeling so cooped up!
Mù Jǐnghéng also felt his answers went smoothly. Hearing her words, he said, "I'll take that as a good omen, my wife!"
"Sister, sister, you're up! We can eat breakfast now!" Mù Dàn'er's eyes lit up as soon as he saw them come out.
He usually didn't wait for his sister to eat breakfast, and he had already bought breakfast today. But strangely, neither his brother-in-law nor Yín Bǎo mentioned eating breakfast, and he was so hungry!
"Sister, you're up! I'll get you hot water to wash up!" Yín Bǎo also ran out, smiling obsequiously. His behavior clearly showed he felt guilty.
Qín Yúnxī wasn't sure what he was up to, but she didn't mind enjoying the service. What was wrong with eating his food, wearing his clothes, and doing some chores!
When breakfast was served, she realized it was mostly because she had woken up a little late today, and Mù Jǐnghéng, having left the examination hall early, had bought everything back, fearing she would blame him for being unreliable.
However, seeing the redness in Mù Jǐnghéng's eyes and the dark circles beneath them, she guessed he hadn't slept well in the examination hall and likely didn't sleep last night. So, she didn't say anything.
After breakfast, she sent the two children off to play and told Mù Jǐnghéng to catch up on sleep. She then moved a chair to sit in the sun and began to ponder.
She didn't know if the path of the imperial examinations was difficult, but it was certainly a money pit!
Especially for them, with a family to support.
She had observed Mù Dàn'er these past few days. He was capable of sitting still and had some talent for studying, so he would definitely be sent to school. As for how far he would go, that would depend on him.
As for Yín Bǎo, at fourteen years old, he was still a middle schooler in modern times, but here, he was almost considered an adult and could marry and have children in two or three years.
Moreover, he hadn't shown any particular talent or interest.
For now, she would let him act as Mù Jǐnghéng's page, learning some knowledge and broadening his horizons. What he wanted to do in the future was another matter.
The main issue now was money. Based on the price of the embroidery sold last time, the remaining embroidery could fetch three to five hundred taels of silver. This might be a lot for an ordinary family, and it would certainly be enough to support two scholars living frugally, but she was unwilling to settle for that!
Therefore, she had to find a way to generate income!
How to generate income was another problem. If she opened a small shop, it would probably be hard work and only allow them to live a life similar to what they had now.
Opening a larger business presented a capital problem, but she had no business acumen, and they had no strong backing. If they accidentally encroached upon the interests of wealthy merchants and powerful families, they might be stripped down to nothing!
Getting rich through business was not that easy, nor was it suitable for her at the moment.
Were all those transmigration novels about selling recipes not set in prehistoric times?
She did have recipes, but one shouldn't underestimate the wisdom of ancient people!
Selling recipes was unreliable, wasn't it!
She still needed to think about other options and experiment a bit.
Currently, the most reliable way to avoid just eating away at their savings was to continue with embroidery. She had taken classes in painting before to compensate for her regrets.
She felt she had some talent, but for embroidery, with the original owner's foundation, she didn't know if she could master it!
"Sister, Mù Dàn'er is back!"
Yín Bǎo, afraid of being punished for being late for cooking, quietly pushed open the courtyard gate and peeked inside to see if his sister and brother-in-law were there. He didn't expect to see his sister "daydreaming" in the courtyard. Just as he was thinking about how to enter without being noticed, Mù Dàn'er squeezed in from outside and shouted.
Yín Bǎo: ??? Mù Dàn'er! You betrayed me!!!
Qín Yúnxī snapped back to reality and looked at the sky. It was already noon!
Then she frowned again. It was cold yesterday, but today the sun was so strong it made one feel hot!
This weather was indeed unusual!
"Heh heh, Sister, I'll go make lunch now!" Yín Bǎo immediately became anxious and tried to dodge when he saw her frowning.
Mù Dàn'er also realized that his sister might not be happy, but he didn't think it was because of them. So, he chattered around Qín Yúnxī, recounting the interesting things they did while playing outside in the morning, trying to cheer her up!
Qín Yúnxī pinched his cheek, which was starting to fill out, and said, "Next time, don't run so far with Yín Bǎo. What if child traffickers catch you and sell you to a black kiln for forced labor!"
After teasing Mù Dàn'er for a while, she stood up, patted her clothes, and asked Mù Dàn'er to move the stool back into the house.
Yín Bǎo, while preparing lunch, listened intently to the sounds from outside. Qín Yúnxī's words were meant for them to hear, so they weren't exactly soft. He was startled when he heard about being sold to a black kiln for forced labor. Having "wandered the streets," he naturally knew what that meant!
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He had been too careless. After two days of peace, he had forgotten about those unpleasant things!
Poor mountains and harsh waters breed wicked people. Their Qinghe Town was not much richer than Qingteng County, so there were naturally more dark corners than elsewhere. Fortunately, nothing had happened while he was with Mù Dàn'er these past few days!
Seeing Qín Yúnxī enter, Yín Bǎo was caught eavesdropping and awkwardly scratched his head.
Qín Yúnxī poked his forehead with her finger and said, "You heard what I just said, right? If you dare lose Mù Dàn'er, I'll sell you to a black kiln!"
"I heard, I heard! I promise I won't take Mù Dàn'er around! I definitely won't lose him!" Yín Bǎo was almost raising three fingers to swear.
Qín Yúnxī nodded noncommittally and didn't continue the topic.
She turned to look at the ingredients in the kitchen and then instructed Yín Bǎo on how to combine them for the dishes, occasionally pointing out how to operate.
Yín Bǎo, after cooking this meal, suddenly realized that poverty had indeed limited his imagination!
Seeing that Yín Bǎo had almost finished preparing the meal, Qín Yúnxī asked Mù Dàn'er to set the table for dinner and then went back to the room to wake Mù Jǐnghéng.
"Jǐnghéng, Jǐnghéng! Time for lunch..." Qín Yúnxī sat by the bed and called out, then suddenly froze. It seemed like he used to be the one calling her to get up.
"My wife?" Mù Jǐnghéng's voice was slightly hoarse. His usually cold and sharp eyes were rarely filled with a bit of daze and confusion.
"Yes, you're awake. Shall we eat and then you can sleep more?" she said, taking down clothes from a nearby rack and handing them to him.
Mù Jǐnghéng sat up, took the clothes, closed his eyes, and pressed his temples. When he opened his eyes again, his clarity had returned.
Qín Yúnxī secretly thought it a pity.
After lunch, Mù Jǐnghéng didn't immediately go back to sleep. He carefully inquired about the family's matters of the past few days and checked the "homework" of his two step-brothers.
Afterward, seeing that Qín Yúnxī seemed a bit tired, he let the Yín Bǎo brothers off the hook and took Qín Yúnxī back to their room for a short nap.
He noticed that Qín Yúnxī's health seemed to have recovered well in the past few days. After their nap, when the sun had slightly lowered, he took her out for a walk, intending to go to the medical clinic to have the doctor examine her and see if she could start medicinal cuisine.
Qín Yúnxī had fallen ill before even reaching Qingteng County. After renting the house and moving in, she generally lacked energy and spent most of her time lying in bed.
Mù Jǐnghéng said he would take her out for a stroll, and she was quite happy, finding it rather novel.
This was her first time shopping since she "transmigrated"!
She wasn't worried about her health. Qín Yúnxī felt quite capable these past few days. She didn't know how far it was, but she presumed it wouldn't be too far, otherwise Mù Jǐnghéng wouldn't have specifically mentioned the medical clinic.
If her frail body couldn't make it, they could find a teahouse or restaurant to rest along the way.
Seeing the couple leave, Yín Bǎo immediately pulled Mù Dàn'er along.
Heh heh, the money for groceries brother-in-law gave him was usually fixed. He and Mù Dàn'er would spend it all on a bun or two. Luckily, sister gave him a bit more yesterday, and brother-in-law came back so early that he didn't have a chance to spend it!
Following his sister and brother-in-law out, if he saw anything delicious later, he was sure his sister would buy it if Mù Dàn'er acted cute!
This was a good opportunity not to be missed!
Mù Jǐnghéng and Qín Yúnxī didn't mind them following. It also prevented the two children from sneaking out to play while they were gone!
Mù Dàn'er, seeing that his sister wasn't sending them away, happily ran up and took her hand. Then, he chattered endlessly with curiosity about everything he saw.
Qín Yúnxī was quite patient. After so many days of intermittent rain, the streets were bustling now that it was finally sunny. Not only were Yín Bǎo and Mù Dàn'er curious, but she herself was also curious!
Yín Bǎo was the happiest when they were out. He discreetly hinted to Mù Dàn'er about the delicious food he saw. As soon as Mù Dàn'er spoke up, his sister and brother-in-law actually bought it!
After seeing the doctor at the medical clinic, Qín Yúnxī's health had indeed recovered well. However, the doctor still advised against taking medicine, saying that at her young age, her recovery would be fast, and she could gradually resume eating normally without being restricted to liquid food, but still soft and light meals were recommended.
Qín Yúnxī had always felt that the original owner's illness was due to idleness!
It had ruined her appetite, causing her to eat less and poorly. At fifteen or sixteen, crucial years for growth, she lacked nutrition and didn't like to eat, so she became sickly!
She was very happy that there were no lingering issues or sequelae from the illness!
In her happiness, Qín Yúnxī took them to the fabric shop and chose two sets of spring clothes for each of the three men in the family, even considering shoes and socks.
The weather was unlikely to get colder again, so buying spring clothes was just right!
As for herself, she had plenty of clothes. The clothes in the shop were similar in style to hers, so there was no need to buy more!
The two children were overjoyed, realizing that following their sister led to a good life!