Zhao Wenhao followed Zhao Ce with an abnormal expression on his face. He had just come over, covered in sweat, and his weak cousin was able to effortlessly lift what he had been carrying. Anyone else in his place would probably have the same expression on their face. When did his cousin become so strong?
After entering the house, Zhao Ce asked Wenhao to wait in the hall while he went into the woodshed with the bundle of firewood. After taking out the empty shoulder pole, the little girl also brought a bowl of water to stand at the doorway.
Su Caier whispered, "Husband, I used sugar from our home to make the water." She thought that Uncle Zhao's family had been treating them so well, so her husband specially invited his cousin to come in for a drink. They definitely couldn't just give him a bowl of plain water. So, she took the initiative to add some sugar. After adding it, she was worried that her husband would blame her for wasting their family's resources, so she quickly waited there and reported to him.
Zhao Ce's hands were dirty, so he couldn't touch her little head. He just smiled and praised, "Well done. Let's take it out to our cousin together." The little girl was happy to receive her husband's praise and carried the water out behind him.
In the hall, Zhao Wenhao felt uneasy as he watched the couple come out together. He thought that Zhao Ce used to be so arrogant and wanted to marry a young lady from the city. Now he had married a farm girl and they seemed to be getting along well. This scholar really loved to brag.
Zhao Ce didn't know what was going on in his cousin's mind and handed him the water, saying, "These past two years, our family's firewood has really relied on you, Brother Wenhao." Although Zhao Wenhao had only helped out because of Zhao Youcai's urging, he had indeed put in a lot of effort. So, Zhao Ce's gratitude was sincere.
Zhao Wenhao felt a little uncomfortable with Zhao Ce being so polite to him. He quickly drank the water in the bowl in one gulp and smacked his lips. "Why is this so sweet? Isn't this just plain water?" He then remembered the small bag of sugar that Zhao Ce had brought over to his house. This was sugar water?
According to what his parents had told him, this stuff was expensive. And yet Zhao Ce's family had used it to treat him. This cousin of his had shown him kindness for the first time since he had come to Zhao Ce's house.
Feeling a bit uneasy, Zhao Wenhao put down the bowl and said, "Thank you for your hospitality. I'll be going back now." Zhao Ce walked him to the door and said, "Take care, Brother Wenhao." Zhao Wenhao replied somewhat stiffly, "If you run out of firewood, just let me know. I'll go to the mountains to get some for you." Zhao Ce smiled and agreed.
By now, it was already late in the day, The two of them had a lot to do today, and they both worked very hard. They had a meager dinner by the light of the stove. After finishing their washing up, Su Caier locked the kitchen door and they walked back to their room together. There weren't many stars out tonight, and the moon was in and out of the clouds. The wind that blew through the air had a hint of dampness.
After they lay down, Su Caier was still a little excited because of her husband's praise earlier in the day. She whispered to him, asking if the white sugar she made was good and if it was a waste. She also mentioned that if the clothes couldn't be finished tomorrow, he shouldn't work.
Suddenly, she remembered something important. "Husband, there are still two land deeds in the wooden box."
"It's been so many days, I haven't gone to see the crops in the fields," he replied.
"If the crops were planted earlier, they should be ready to harvest in a few days," she said.
Su Caier hadn't had time to tend to the crops in the last three days because she didn't dare to leave the house. She had been busy making white sugar all day today and had forgotten about it. If they didn't take care of it soon, they would have a smaller harvest this year.
Su Caier couldn't do much, but she wanted to make sure everything in the house was taken care of so that her husband would think she was even better. With that in mind, she tackled each day's work with enthusiasm.
Zhao Ce hesitated and thought for a moment before saying, "It seems like we did plant something?"
During these two years when the original owner was striving for success, he sold some land to pay for a courtesan, which caused a rift between him and Zhao Youcai's family. After the original owner's parents passed away, Zhao Youcai had been taking care of the family's land. However, when they found out that he had sold it, both Li Shi and Zhao Youcai came to him.
The original owner was angry and told them not to interfere. Despite Zhao Youcai's affection for his nephew, he was rebuffed numerous times, causing both Li Shi and Zhao Youcai to become angry and leave him alone.
Now, it seems that the original owner had someone plant crops on the remaining two acres of land during the spring, and even gave them some money to help take care of it.
Zhao Ce remembered this and said, "I'll take you to see it tomorrow." Su Caier was excited and said, "Great, if the crops have grown well, we can harvest them soon. With two acres of land, we can save money on rice for about half a year." They chatted in bed for a while before falling asleep.
The next morning, they took their time with the breakfast and worked on making more white sugar. After filtering the sugar, Su Caier went to get the farming tools while Zhao Ce went to search for suitable yellow clay at the foot of the mountain.
Su Caier was hesitant and offered to help him later, as she thought his delicate hands were not suitable for this kind of work. However, Zhao Ce said it was okay and that he would go find the yellow clay first. They both headed out together, with Su Caier carrying a hoe and Zhao Ce carrying a basket, jokingly saying, "Let's go, time to work." The two figures, one big and one small walked out of the door together."