Qin Ershen touched the hairpin on her head, still a little hesitant. She had never owned her own jewelry.
Qin Mu, stroking the earrings in the box, persuaded Qin Ershen, "Sister-in-law, take them. We should get the basins out. Someone who brings wolfsbane roots will be here soon."
"Work hard today, the last day, so tomorrow can be a festival."
"Alright, then I'll keep them. Yao Yao, what do you want to eat tonight? Second Aunt will make it for you," Qin Ershen closed the box, hugged it to her chest, and asked Qin Junyao.
"Eat pork knuckle. I bought two and ate them both last night. The chicken and big bones will be for tomorrow."
Qin Ershen happily agreed, "Okay, Second Aunt will make you rock sugar pork knuckle."
Qin Mu chided Qin Ershen, "You're spoiling her too much."
"Sister-in-law, if the child wants to eat it, just make it for her. She'll eat it sooner or later."
"I'll spoil my niece, she bought it herself and you won't even make it for her..."
Qin Junyao put on a professional fake smile, watching the two sisters-in-law walk away with the box.
There was no other way, she really couldn't cook.
Qin Junyao could barely make an inner garment now, a joint achievement of the three women in the family.
Interestingly, Qin Sanniu, who was an auditor, could now not only make inner garments but also cut cloth, and Qin Xiaoyu could stir-fry two vegetable dishes when the adults were busy.
Qin Grandma, seeing her two daughters-in-law walk away, suddenly turned and warned her two married sons.
"Eldest and Second, stay away from those young unmarried women and married women in the village."
"Remember, your sons are all at the age to get married. If you dare to do anything useless, I'll break your legs."
"When your wives married into this family, they were the best-looking in all the neighboring villages. Now their skin is rough and they have more wrinkles, all because they lived a hard life with you."
"The money this family earns is for your children's weddings. If you dare to promise it away recklessly, see if I don't slap you with a big ear."
Qin Father glanced nervously at Qin Junyao and said to Qin Grandma, "Mother, the child is here, please watch what you say."
"Second brother, let's go fetch water."
Qin Father finished speaking and walked out of the room. Second Uncle followed him out.
Qin Junyao had been wondering why Qin Grandma suddenly said this. Seeing Qin Father's reaction, had something happened that she didn't know about?
"Mother, Eldest brother cares too much about appearances," Qin Sen said to Qin Grandma while tidying up the brushes on the table.
"It's precisely because he cares about appearances that I said this in front of Yao Yao and not in front of my sons. Those shameless people have come all the way to our door. If he hadn't said anything, I wouldn't believe that Zhou Erxi could dare to come?"
Qin Sen put away his brushes and the old mask, and persuaded Qin Grandma, "You've scolded them so much that they probably won't dare to come again in this lifetime, let it go."
"Let it go? This is just the beginning," Qin Grandma sat on the heated kang and flipped through the books Qin Junyao had bought.
"Our family is wearing new clothes, spending money on wolfsbane roots, and now digging a well. Don't even mention borrowing money, in the future, someone might even bring their children and claim they are yours."
Qin Sen put away his slate and sighed at his mother.
"What are you sighing about?"
Qin Grandma picked up a book from the kang and shook it at Qin Sen, "Xiao San, you've seen a lot in the city before. Don't read a few books and forget how treacherous people can be."
"Mother, I know."
"Good, I can rest assured about you. When you're done, go out and help. Yao Yao, you come with me."
Qin Junyao followed Qin Grandma, unable to resist asking, "Grandma, did someone come to our house to borrow money today?"
Qin Grandma raised her wrist and looked at the bracelet on her hand in the sunlight streaming in from the door, "Hmph, they didn't come to our house to borrow money. It was a young wife with flowers in her hair who came to borrow money from your father."
"I, a living person, was standing in the courtyard. She didn't come to me or your mother, but to your father? Hmph."
"Grandma, aren't you afraid? They're saying you're more and more vicious in the village."
"If she weren't afraid, she wouldn't have come. She knows all the money is in my hands, that's why she came to the house. Your father is the eldest son, and in other families, the mother would at least consider her eldest son's face."
Qin Grandma patted Qin Junyao's shoulder, "Am I an ordinary person? Let alone your father, no one's father will work if I don't want to lend."
"Close the door."
Qin Junyao closed the door and sat opposite Qin Grandma. She didn't know what her grandmother wanted to tell her.
These past few days, while seemingly peaceful, had not been entirely so.
Ever since Qin Mother and Qin Ershen's hands became red and swollen from the wolfsbane roots, and the neighbors and villagers found out, there had been constant rumors about Qin Grandma in the village.
A mother-in-law tormenting her daughters-in-law was not uncommon in the village. Few mothers-in-law in this era were kind and reasonable.
Yet, Qin Grandma's ways of "tormenting" her daughters-in-law had become a topic of discussion.
Making her daughters-in-law poison their hands with wolfsbane root water, and if they resisted, they would kneel in the courtyard.
During meals, she would make the daughters-in-law watch in the room, and they could only eat after the family was done. If it was all eaten, the daughters-in-law would go hungry.
The Qin family used more firewood than other households, as it was for the daughters-in-law to heat the kang thoroughly. The sons and grandsons would sleep at the foot of the kang, while the daughters-in-law had to stand and couldn't sleep at night.
And countless other things.
Hearing these rumors, Qin Junyao found them ridiculous. Many of them were illogical, yet many people believed them.
"Sitting so straight? I'm not talking about you."
Qin Grandma patted Qin Junyao's back, "Yao Yao, let me ask you, that owner of Tingyin Pavilion, Ling Shuang, did she say she found you some maids?"
"Grandma, her name is Ling Manshuang."
Qin Junyao told the truth, "Sister Manshuang didn't mention it to me, and I didn't ask."
She had been to the matchmaking agencies in Yan County herself and didn't quite get used to selecting people like commodities. Moreover, she couldn't find any good ones.
She believed that Ling Manshuang, who helped her, would definitely not be bad, so she hadn't asked about such matters.
Qin Grandma leaned closer to Qin Junyao, "Next time you go, ask her to help you find a medical woman. Even if she can't be a maid, she can help you for a while."
"What's wrong, Grandma?"
Qin Junyao felt as if she had been gone for many days when she went to Yan County today, and there were so many things she didn't know.
"When you went to Yan County, Granny Ma came."
"Xiao Chui left with an axe, and Qian Shi followed with Zhao Rui."
"I know."
Qin Grandma patted Qin Junyao's shoulder, "Listen to me finish."
"You didn't notice Qian Duo didn't leave? When you went to Yan County today, she left with that Doctor Mo. Granny Ma said she had prepared a lot of things, so it seems she won't be back for a while."
"Alas," Qin Grandma sighed, "this Qian Duo is very strange. I can help you with her overt and covert methods, but if she uses poison, it's hard to guard against."
Qin Junyao also knew Qian Duo was strange, and had even suspected if she was from her hometown.
Because a few days ago, they met in the village, and Qian Duo told her, "No matter who you are or where you come from, you can't change your fate."
Qin Junyao had been a little startled when she heard that.
When she tentatively sang "A Little Monk Went Down the Mountain to Collect Alms" and "Two Tigers Love to Dance," and Qian Duo looked at her as if she were an idiot, she was then sure that she was not from her hometown.