From the recent conversation with Lady Li, Zhulan knew that Lady Li’s family owned no land, and the household was tight because her grandson needed to be provided for his education. Lady Li and her husband worked as laborers all year round. Zhulan understood that Lady Li had two sons, and because the younger son and his wife had passed away unexpectedly, the elderly couple moved out from their elder son’s home to live with the children of the younger son.
Zhulan admired Lady Li, for she had forsaken the chance to enjoy her later years in comfort for the sake of her grandsons. From the gloomy tone Lady Li had used while mentioning her elder son just now, Zhulan could tell that the elder son was unwilling to take care of his nieces and nephews, and now there was a deep rift between him and Lady Li and her husband.
Seeing Lady Li looking somewhat anxious, Zhulan kindly said, "Auntie Li, you should head back first!"
Lady Li, wanting to make a good impression on her first day in fear of losing the job, replied, "Madam, I’ll go back after the front courtyard is done."
Zhulan said, "The front courtyard won’t be finished anytime soon. Just come early tomorrow to tidy up."
Lady Li was indeed in a hurry, as the master’s family had given her meat and vegetables today, so she wanted to go back and cook a better meal for the children. "Thank you, madam, I will definitely come over early tomorrow to clean up."
Zhulan had no plans to clean up; she had glanced at the front courtyard earlier and saw ten dishes, all meaty and greasy, which were not easy to wash. "Mmm."
After Lady Li left with her bowl, Zhulan went to the side room, where Xue Han was teaching the two younger ones to practice embroidery. "Girls, there’s hot water in the kitchen, so take them to wash their feet later. We’ll change places tonight, and there’s no need to put out the oil lamp."
Seeing her mother’s weary face, Xue Han said, "Mother, I can take good care of them both. You should rest early too!"
Zhulan felt the warmth of her daughter’s concern and her heart swelled with tenderness; the saying that daughters are like little cotton-padded jackets was indeed true.
Back in the main room, Zhulan wiped down her body with warm water and soaked her feet, then took out ten taels of silver to give to Zhao Bo the next day. The payment for the furniture had been given earlier, these ten taels were for bowls, chopsticks, bedding, and such. Actually, the amount didn’t reach ten taels, but it looked better to give a round sum, and any excess would be Zhao Bo’s tip for his hard work.
Zhulan wanted to wait for Zhou Shuren to come back, but after traveling all day, she was tired and her biological clock kicked in. In no time at all, her eyelids began to droop, and she felt someone holding her in a daze, but she was too sleepy to wake up.
Zhou Shuren, who had a good capacity for alcohol, was only slightly drunk. After washing up and soaking his feet, he sobered up, tidied up, and sat on his quilt on the kang bed. He took another look at Zhulan, sleeping beside him, feeling certain that his own quilt wouldn’t be warm enough. Emboldened, he quickly got off the bed, went out, and on returning, he was pleased to smell the strong scent of alcohol on himself.
He deliberately made his own quilt messy, then lifted Zhulan’s quilt. His hand wrapped around her waist and with a smooth motion, he pulled Zhulan into his embrace. As for the feeling, he was thrilled by the breakthrough progress, and with a heart full of satisfaction, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
The next morning, Zhulan was the first to wake up, remembering that Lady Li would arrive early to open the door. But what was this situation? She was in Zhou Shuren’s arms, with his big hand clutching her waist tightly; she didn’t dare to move, grinding her teeth in frustration. She didn’t believe that Zhou Shuren was drunk—this man was just using the alcohol as courage!
Zhou Shuren gave a hoarse yelp, "That really hurts!"
She had twisted his skin right against the flesh, and with a full 360-degree turn, it must have turned purple!
Zhulan retorted, "If I don’t pinch you, who else should I pinch? You’ve become quite bold, haven’t you!"
Zhou Shuren didn’t let go of her, hoping to hold her for as long as possible, "I really did drink too much."
Zhulan huffed, "Who are you trying to fool? The washbasin on the floor hasn’t been emptied; it’s obvious you weren’t that drunk. Don’t think just because your breath smells of alcohol that you can deceive me."
Zhou Shuren glanced at the washbasin with his peripheral vision, realizing his mistake!
Zhulan felt a little awkward, as she and Zhou Shuren were pressed close together. "Let go of me already, Lady Li will be here any moment."
Zhou Shuren did want to continue holding her, but Zhulan’s hand was pinching his back fiercely. If he didn’t let go soon, it wouldn’t just be a 360-degree twist. Reluctantly, he retracted his longing hand.
Turning her back, Zhulan got up and dressed, her lips curving in a quick smile before suppressing it again.