Shitou's house was built rather quickly, and it took about five or six days to complete the wall smashing. The carpenters had already finished the beams and other parts, and a suitable date was chosen to raise the beams. On the day of the beam-raising, besides those who had originally come to help, many others arrived. Everyone pitched in, and the beam was swiftly hoisted atop the house. Someone tied red cloth with copper coins to the beam; as the appointed time arrived, someone lit the firecrackers that had been hung up earlier. Candies were also tossed down, and at this moment, all the children surged forward to grab them. Jinghan, not lacking in strength, pushed her way through the boys in front and picked up two pieces of candy. She put one in her mouth and saved the other, while Wenxuan also grabbed two pieces, ate one, and, too reluctant to eat the other, tucked it away in his pocket.
After watching the bustling event, the siblings headed home together. When they arrived, Jinghan gave her piece of candy to Jingya, who refused it, so she gave it to Wenxuan instead. "Sister, you eat it. I still have one piece here." Wenxuan placed the candy into Jingya's mouth, and she finally ate it.
With the beam-raising complete, there was not much work left. Shitou was able to handle it on his own slowly, so there was no need for further help. Mrs. Xue remembered she needed to inquire about the doctor in the town, so one morning, she went to the town with several women from the village.
Jinghan, however, was preoccupied with something else; she only knew that the jujube pickers had arrived, and the price was still three coins per pound, which wasn't low. As a result, many village children went to pick jujubes.
As its name implies, jujubes grow in meadows. The last time they went to pick lady ferns was in a large meadow, which is exactly where everyone went to pick jujubes. Upon arrival, they saw small trees, not very tall, laden with blue-purple fruits. Everyone carried a basket and hurried to pick their own tree to start harvesting. The ripe jujubes were deep purple, and their flesh was full of purple juice. They were sour and sweet, long a favorite of the children, and as they picked, they popped a few into their mouths. There was no need to bite hard; a gentle press with the tongue was enough to release the tartly sweet juice with a hint of bitterness, making them particularly delicious to eat. However, eating too many could stain the tongue dark purple.
The jujube fruits were small, about the length of a pinky finger and thinner than the finger, making them not so easy to pick. Moreover, the buyer had specified that they did not want green fruit or any branches and leaves, making the task even more delicate. Fortunately, there were plenty of jujube trees here, so by midday, each person managed to pick six or seven pounds. They had brought dry food with them to avoid wasting time going back and forth; thus, everyone found a spot to sit down and eat together. Unwrapping the cloth, it usually contained a pancake and a few pickles. That day Jinghan, Wenchang, and Wenxuan had also come, and their family had brought them some dried fish. Fried until crispy in oil, they were particularly fragrant when eaten.
Jinghan offered a few dried fish to Yumei, "Yumei, try this." Yumei didn't hesitate, taking them and popping them into her mouth, "Hmm, really delicious." She said, passing the rest to her brother Ziwen.
After eating, everyone resumed work until the time of Wei, having picked quite a lot. They all walked out of the meadow with their baskets, heading towards the center of the village, where someone was waiting to buy the jujubes. Upon arrival, the buyer was already waiting, weighing the jujubes for each person and calculating the money to be paid. Jinghan had picked twelve pounds, earning thirty-six coins, Wenchang picked a little less at eight pounds, and Wenxuan picked nine pounds, and they all received their money. Everyone was delighted, smiling as they made their way home.
Back at home, Mrs. Xue was sharing with Mrs. Chen about the doctor from Ren Ji Tang. "Mother, that doctor is really good-looking, and I asked about him. His family lives in the town, his surname is Tao and he's the second son. The eldest is already married and lives with them. They also have a younger brother who is studying and a sister. The parents are also not very old. Mr. Tao is a craftsman, a carpenter, and earns quite a bit every year, so the family's doing alright. It's just that their mother is a bit difficult. If Hui Xin marries over there, she might not get along well with her." This was what Mrs. Xue had learned that afternoon.
Mrs. Chen considered it, "This family seems quite alright, except that the mother-in-law might be a bit difficult. That's not a big issue, she can just be more accommodating. Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships improve over time. Let's do this, I will talk to the matchmaker on that day, we agree to this match. If Hui Xin's marriage is settled, my heart will be at ease as well." Mrs. Chen decided to agree to the marriage.
It just so happened that Jinghan and her siblings had returned home, "Grandma, Mother, we're back. Today, Wenxuan and I earned sixty coins." Jinghan boasted as soon as she entered the room.
"Goodness, that's not bad at all, enough to buy three pounds of meat. Our kids are surely capable," Mrs. Chen was pleased. Although the children earned money and didn't hand it over to her, after all, it still belonged to the family, right? It didn't go outside. "Keep the money safe, use it to buy something to eat or use. Don't spend it carelessly," she cautioned.
"Yes, Grandma, don't worry, we won't waste it. Mother, will you be free tomorrow? Let's go together," Jinghan wanted her mother to join them.
"Sure, I don't have much to do tomorrow, I'll go with you," Mrs. Xue readily agreed.
Wenchang, standing off to the side, pouted. "Grandma, why doesn't my mother ever accompany us to the mountains?" With that, tears started to fall. Mrs. Chen quickly scooped up Wenchang, "Wenchang, my sweet, Grandma will go with you tomorrow."