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"Qi Rong, get up!" Qi Chong shouted loudly. Qi Rong, still half-asleep, rubbed her eyes and came out.
Qi Chong handed a lantern to his younger brother and said, "She was scared by a snake. See if that thing is still around."
Holding a stick, Qi Rong walked around the eaves and the yard, saying, "I didn't see anything."
Yu Chunmiao finally left her grandmother's embrace and cautiously turned around, asking in a low voice, "Is it really gone? Shouldn't you check again?"
Obediently, Qi Rong began to patrol the yard once more.
It was then that Yu Chunmiao noticed a tall figure standing beside her. In the moonlight, she could make out half of his face.
"How did you come out?" Yu Chunmiao asked carefully, feeling a bit guilty for her cowardice that had disturbed the family's peaceful dreams.
Hearing her soft voice stirred an unusual feeling in Qi Chong's heart. He cleared his throat and said, "It's not your fault; I just came out to take a look."
"I'm sorry," Yu Chunmiao replied. "I didn't mean to wake you up."
"No worries; we're family. It's nothing," Qi Chong said unexpectedly.
Yu Chunmiao thought his voice was pleasant—deep and magnetic.
Chen Ruolan smiled silently. She chose not to interrupt, letting the young couple converse as they pleased. It reminded her of when she first spoke with her husband—brief and innocent exchanges.
Just as Qi Rong returned, not having walked past the two of them yet, Chen Ruolan called out again, "Pick up your sister-in-law's lantern."
Taking the lantern from her younger son's hands, Chen Ruolan yawned and said to Yu Chunmiao, "You're tired; let me take you to bed. You all should get some rest too."
With that, she wrapped her arm around her daughter-in-law's shoulder and led her away, leaving her two sons in the darkness, one of whom was still limping.
Qi Rong stood there in a daze, feeling as if half of her affection had been taken away.
"What are you standing there for? Light the lamp and bring me my cane," Qi Chong's voice sounded stern compared to how he had spoken with Sister-in-law just moments before.
Qi Rong sensed that his brother's love felt diminished somehow.
The next day, Qi Chong got up and left the house, wanting to join everyone in the kitchen for breakfast. He was also eager to see Yu Chunmiao; he had been curious about what she looked like all night.
However, when he entered the kitchen, only Qi Rong was eating. Surprised to see his brother come out, Qi Rong exclaimed, "Big Brother! How did you know Mother and Sister-in-law went to town?"
Furrowing his brows as he sat down, Qi Chong replied, "I... I didn't know. I was just hungry and came out to eat."
Qi Rong helped his brother serve porridge and handed him some pancakes made from mixed grains and wild vegetables. "Big Brother, you should try this! Sister-in-law's cooking is really delicious."
The mustard greens were cooked just right. Unlike Qi Qin, who always overcooked them, leaving them with a smell reminiscent of pig feed.
Qi Chong casually asked, "What did Mother go to town for? To sell clams? Why didn't you go?"
Qi Rong swallowed a mouthful of porridge and replied, "I was supposed to go yesterday, but this morning Mother suddenly said I couldn't. She said Sister-in-law's clothes were too tattered and needed some fabric to make her a new outfit."
Yu Chunmiao and her mother-in-law set off before dawn to secure a good spot at the bustling market. Chen Ruolan took a moment to inspect the Seafood Market but found no stalls selling clams.
Yu Chunmiao noted that clams usually sold for eight wen per pound, but today there were none available. "We can sell ours for ten wen and negotiate from there," she suggested.
This was something her husband had taught her when he brought her to sell mountain goods; with their unique offering, they could afford to raise the price a bit.
Yu Chunmiao thought her mother-in-law was quite savvy in business. Having never dealt in trade herself, she decided to follow her mother-in-law's lead.
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