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墨書 Inktalez
"Don't worry, even if it goes to the Yamen, I, Er Dan, only have one wife, and that is you, Xia Jihua!"
Xia Jihua kept everything bottled up inside her. After a few days, she found some peace with what had happened, but when she couldn't, she would secretly wipe away her tears. Er Dan felt heartbroken for her and knew that she had always been insecure, even feeling guilty about her past unhappy marriage. Therefore, after they married, she always took a step back and never caused trouble. He loved her deeply and cherished her; they were harmonious in every aspect and had never felt embarrassed in front of each other. This time, however, he had hurt her feelings, and he felt guilty. He held her slightly cold hand firmly and vowed with determination.
Xia Jihua was startled by his sudden gesture and shyly pulled her hand back, blushing as she glanced around before finally focusing on the bowl of noodles in front of her.
Er Dan was from Myanmar, and their feelings were only revealed in the dark. Holding hands tightly like this was unprecedented for them, creating an awkward atmosphere between them.
After finishing the noodles, Xia Jihua repeated what Xia Muxin had said to Er Dan. They whispered together for a long time before changing the subject, but after just a few sentences, they fell silent again.
Moreover, Xia Jihua's complexion was poor; her eyes were always moist as she tried not to cry out loud. Er Dan knew she was scared and felt wronged. His heart ached for her, and finally, he slammed the table and stood up.
"Flower, take care of yourself and don't think about anything else. No matter what happens, I will not marry another woman. Besides, we have so many people at home to help us. If it comes to that, we can ask Mu Han to pull some strings."
Er Dan was also anxious; his neck turned red as he spoke with clenched fists. This surprised Xia Jihua; it seemed she had never seen him lose his temper before. Strangely enough, she wanted to laugh.
She was flustered too; selfishly speaking, if it came to that point, she would have no choice but to seek help from Shen Muhan.
So this matter was left hanging for now. After all, the New Year was approaching; Shen Muhan should be back in a day or two, and Shen Muqing would be returning soon as well. It seemed this year would be another reunion for everyone.
In the past few days, Xia Muxin took the keys to Shen Muqing's house and went with Sister-in-law to clean up. The house had been built and decorated beautifully, but there was no furniture inside since it had been unoccupied for a long time. It was covered in dust and spider webs; they spent the entire day cleaning it up. By the time they returned home, it was already dark outside, and they were covered in dust. The children were already asleep under Aunt Xia's care.
They boiled water and took turns bathing. By the time Xia Muxin carried the three children upstairs, it was already past midnight. Exhausted, she collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep immediately.
A few children were not sleeping on her bed but rather in a small bunk bed in the room. Two boys slept on the top bunk, while the girl slept below. The bed was surrounded by boards on all sides, ensuring that even if they turned over, they wouldn't fall out.
The next morning, Xia Muxin and her Sister-in-law went to Town to buy New Year goods.
In fact, most of the New Year supplies were purchased from their own supermarket, and also from Tang Family Medical Hall. Xia Muxin enjoyed buying shoes and Five-Spice Powder there for cooking. She usually picked out items herself while the others followed behind carrying things. During this time, she also selected several bolts of fabric to make new clothes for the children, as it was a tradition that they must wear new clothes for the New Year.
They already had plenty of clothes for themselves, so Xia Muxin did not pick out anything for the adults. Instead, she chose some hair accessories and earrings for her mother, sister-in-law, and aunt.
At home today, only Aunt Jihua was there along with her father, grandfather, and a few children. After gathering their items and paying, they went to the school to pick up Songzi before hurrying back home.
This year, they had raised two pigs specifically for slaughtering during the New Year, and there were also some larger fish in the pond. Xia Muxin thought about how tomorrow they would not only need to slaughter the pigs but also have her uncle and brother catch some fish. Of course, lobsters were also essential.
They rushed home just in time for dinner, knowing that Xia Jihua was pregnant and it would be inconvenient for her to cook for so many people. As soon as they got off the carriage, the men began carrying in the New Year supplies while the women headed into the kitchen to prepare meals.
At the dining table, Xia Muxin discussed the plans for slaughtering pigs and catching fish with Er Dan and Xia Tieshu. They both nodded in agreement. After dinner, everyone busied themselves with their tasks.
Last year, since Er Dan and his wife had just gotten married and it was their first New Year in their new home, they had to celebrate at their own place. This year was different; everyone came to celebrate at the Xia Family's home. Therefore, they only prepared some New Year goods to entertain guests while saving meat and fish for tomorrow's slaughtering.
“Muxin, these beans have soaked well; do you think they're ready?”
Xia Muxin was tidying up Yan Zhouwan's room when Aunt Xia hurried over with a handful of soaked soybeans, looking a bit anxious.
This year marked Xia Muxin's first attempt at making tofu, and since the beans had been soaking for nearly two days, she almost forgot about it until she saw her mother's hands full of beans. She couldn't help but chuckle as she said, “Mother, how did I forget about this? Let's grind these beans first and make tofu this afternoon.”
Only five days remained until New Year's Eve, and these five days would be incredibly busy. The children's clothes were all personally sewn by Aunt Xia, and they hadn't even started yet. There were so many trivial matters in the house; after completing one task, another awaited, leaving no time to rest throughout the day.
Although the beans weren't worth much, they were produced from everyone's hard work in planting. She was worried that if they soaked too long, such good beans would go to waste. After hearing Xia Muxin's words, she nodded in agreement and went to prepare the necessary items.
She also called Summer Forest and Xia Tieshu to grind the beans.
There were quite a few beans soaked, over sixty pounds, which should be enough to make six tables of tofu. With so many people in the house, they would eat quickly; six tables didn't seem like too much. However, there was no machine for pressing the tofu here, so everything had to be done by hand, which would take longer.
Moreover, they couldn't cook everything in one pot; at least three pots were needed. Each pot would take about an hour to cook. Since the tofu had likely been left to soak overnight until it was dark outside, it was best to prepare everything early.
Xia Muxin asked Aunt Xia to boil water while she and Ermiao tidied up the other rooms. Xia Muxin was also troubled; it wasn't practical for Brother Ming Yi and the others to squeeze into one room. Should she build a bigger house?
“Muxin, will Ming Yi and the others come back for the New Year? Is this room enough?”
Ermiao had thought of the same issue and asked Xia Muxin with a frown.
Over the years, she had come to regard them as her own brothers. They had been running around taking care of things inside and out, working much harder than she did.
“This year we'll just make do. If there's not enough space, they can sleep at Maternal Home; she has several rooms available.”
They couldn't let them travel all that way just to stay at an inn or in Dayao Village.
“That's true; Maternal Home is quite spacious. In that case, this room will be sufficient.”
Ermiao suddenly understood, and the two exchanged smiles as they continued tidying up the rooms.
When they went downstairs, only one-sixth of the beans had been ground. The water in the pot was already boiling. Xia Muxin poured the ground bean paste into the hot water while stirring continuously. Meanwhile, she instructed Ermiao to bring over several large wooden tubs. Next to them was a very large Wooden Basin waiting for the soy milk to finish cooking so it could be ladled into it. Then they would add coagulant and stir until it reached a consistency resembling egg flower before transferring it onto a prepared table.
On the table lay a box for making tofu, inside which was a large piece of cheesecloth. As long as it was filled, the water would seep through the cloth and drain out. Then, the box would be covered, with several large bricks placed on top. After two quarters of an hour, the bricks could be removed, and by then, the tofu would have taken shape. All that was left was to cut it into pieces with a knife and pack it into a Bamboo Basket.
However, this process was very time-consuming.
What delighted them, though, was that the tofu turned out to be a great success, looking smooth and tender, making one’s mouth water.
After finishing four batches, Xia Muxin and the others were exhausted. Not only were they drenched in sweat, but their energy was also depleted. Even Er Dan, who had been tending the fire, was panting heavily; not to mention those who had been grinding the soybeans.
A few children were playing in the yard, occasionally coming over to take a look and asking questions about the tofu.
“There are still two batches left; everyone keep it up! We must finish before dark.”
Xia Muxin encouraged everyone while heading inside to grab a small basin. She also brought over a stack of bowls and then fetched a bottle of sugar. Seeing everyone looking at her in surprise, she chuckled and said:
“We’re all exhausted, but we almost forgot to eat the tofu pudding. That would be such a loss!”
Upon hearing this, the whole family laughed. They hadn’t had any tofu pudding yet; they had only heard Xia Muxin talk about it. Today, they could finally taste it.
“What tofu pudding? Is there some for me?”
“I want some too.”
“Me as well.”
“And us!”
“......”
However, before they could even begin, an excited and teasing voice came from outside the door, followed by a chorus of voices. Xia Muxin's eyes brightened as she watched the figure she had longed for slowly walk into the courtyard; in that moment, the entire world seemed to light up.
Shen Muhan entered the courtyard, his star-like black eyes locked onto her, filled with a mix of desire and affection.
Following him were Shen Muqing and Yan Zhouwan. Yan Zhouwan's hand was held by Shen Muqing, but she kept her head down, likely shy.
Behind them was Ming Seventy-Five.
With Shen Muhan and the Iron-Blooded Sixteen Knights gathered together, it was truly a reunion. However, it was surprising that Xiao Yan was among them, something Shen Muhan had never mentioned before.
"It seems like these six tables will turn into five. Go inside and grab a bowl, then bring back a bottle of sugar. Today, let's have plenty of tofu pudding," Xia Muxin declared generously with a wave of her hand, already heading to scoop up the freshly ground soybean milk.
Ming Yi and the others exchanged smiles and scattered in excitement. Their leader was rushing back to see his wife and hadn’t eaten lunch yet. Each of them was a man who had been starving, their stomachs growling in hunger; they just hadn’t dared to say anything. Now that they heard there was food—especially something so fresh—they would be foolish not to eat.
Besides, with their leader present, even if they occasionally pulled a hair from him, they wouldn’t be afraid; someone was there to protect them.
Shen Muhan let them have their fun. Before he could step forward to help Xia Muxin, three Bear Cubs rushed over and hugged his legs tightly, calling out "Daddy" repeatedly, making his heart swell with joy. He picked one up in each arm and sat down on a nearby stool with another in his lap.
“Daddy, what were you doing? Why is there hair growing here?”
“Mommy said that people with hair here are old men? Daddy, what is an old man?”
“Daddy, pull it out.”
As soon as he sat down, Yuan Yuan's chubby little hand reached out to his stubbly chin, and she said in a sweet, childish voice.
Upon hearing this, the eldest, Shen Jing, immediately chimed in, teasing him by calling him an old man and questioning what an old man even was.
The second child was even more incensed. He grabbed his chin and pinched it hard. Although his skin was tough, there was a limit to how much he could take; after a few rough pinches, his entire chin turned red.
Meanwhile, the instigator of all this mischief kept her head down, busy with something, but her shaking shoulders had already betrayed the fact that she was laughing.
Shen Muhan gritted his teeth in anger. These kids were still so young; if Xia Muxin continued to teach them like this, it wouldn't be long before he, Shen Muhan, would be trampled underfoot by the four of them.
"Be good; this isn't hair; it's a beard. Every man who is as big as your father has one. Only men with beards can have such adorable children like you."
At the same time, he made sure to correct the children.
After all, he was almost twenty-five; having a beard was perfectly normal. Plus, he had been busy lately and hadn't taken care of himself properly. If this continued, those kids might just ruin his chin.
If that happened, Xia Muxin would surely complain about him.
- End of Chapter -
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