The sky was bright when she finished selling the braised food, and dark by the time she returned, but thankfully, everything had been sold.
She had barely set foot in the house before Fan Zehao returned the wheelbarrow to Sister-in-law Wang.
At dinner, the mother-in-law’s eyes widened as she saw the lump of gleaming silver on the table, accompanied by a pile of copper coins. She was so tense she dared not blink, afraid they might run away.
Her dim eyes sparkled, and she reached out to touch the cold silver, exclaiming, "My heavens! So much for such a small amount of food! I never dreamed of this in my life!"
It wasn't that she dared not dream of it; she had never even considered it. Moreover, she had never seen so much silver before.
Zhao Jiaqi’s lips curved into a smile, dimples appearing and disappearing on her cheeks. She pushed the silver ingot to her mother-in-law. "Mother, please take this money. Once we save a little more, we can buy land and build a house of our own."
Zhang Cuihua, seeing the silver placed before her, hastily pushed it back to Zhao Jiaqi. "No, no, no. This is your hard-earned money. How could I accept it? Besides, at my age, I’m forgetful. You keep it. From now on, this household will be managed by you. I'll help out at home, as long as you don't mind this old woman."
She looked like a startled beast, her face drained of color, pale as a sheet.
Seeing this, Zhao Jiaqi didn't insist. She put the silver away and gave her mother-in-law half of the remaining two hundred-plus copper coins. "Mother, take these copper coins. We don't have a vegetable patch, so buy some vegetables and eggs from the villagers. Don't be stingy."
Zhang Cuihua, her hands trembling, touched the cool copper coins in her palm with deep emotion and carefully put them back in her room.
That night, after washing up, Zhao Jiaqi lay on the hard bed. She thought about the rabbit meat she had sold that day and realized that people in ancient times appreciated her braised dishes. Perhaps she could add some chili and see if they could handle it.
The thought made her eager, and she decided to try it the next day. As she was happily contemplating this, a "salty pig's hand" climbed onto her, stirring up trouble everywhere.
Zhao Jiaqi slapped the offending hand hard. "You haven't passed my test yet, so don't think about bullying me. Go to sleep."
He withdrew his hand, looking wronged, and gazed at her expectantly, weakly asking, "Then when will I be able to bully you?"
Such a simpleton. Zhao Jiaqi turned her back to him, closed her eyes, and pretended to be asleep.
She had no idea when she would be ready to accept him. For now, she only had a good impression of him, not yet at the stage of facing life and death together.
The man behind her watched as the bright light in his eyes slowly dimmed. Did his wife not want to stay?
Did she not want to have children with him?
The next day, it was pitch black outside the window. The man beside her quietly got up, preparing to go hunting early. If he hunted more, he could earn more silver, and then his wife wouldn't think of leaving.
His thoughts were simple, but he couldn't guess his wife's mind.
The slight movement woke the woman in the bed. She opened her hazy eyes and looked out at the pre-dawn sky, groggily saying, "It's still early. You should sleep a little longer."
It was past three in the morning. Hunting so early was too diligent.
Hearing his wife's concerned words, his dejection from the previous night began to lift. His voice took on a hint of cheerfulness. "If I go early, I might be able to catch some larger prey. You sleep, don't worry about me. I'm very strong!"
If he hadn't said anything, it would have been better. The moment he said it, Zhao Jiaqi became much more alert.
Hunting required strength, but also a sharp mind. With his simplemindedness, she was truly afraid something might happen.
After he left, she couldn't sleep either. She sat on the bed, lost in thought for a long time, until she heard some movement in the courtyard. Only then did she realize it was daylight.
Seeing her simple husband return safe and sound, her worried heart finally settled. At that moment, she realized that in the few days since their marriage, today was the first time she had truly worried about him.
"Wife, look quickly! I caught a puppy in the mountains for you to play with. It'll be good for guarding the house when it grows up."
Caught a dog in the mountains?
Zhao Jiaqi looked suspiciously in the direction he pointed. A furry animal was struggling in his hands, whimpering. It looked to be about two months old.
At first glance, it resembled a dog, but upon closer inspection, it sent a cold sweat down her spine.