After the Scholar Rejected Me, I Married the Rogue and Got Rich - Chapter 39

Lin Laoda was chopping firewood in the corner of the yard with an axe, his movements steady and powerful; fourteen-year-old Lin Bai was helping to tidy up the scattered firewood; eleven-year-old Lin Song and eight-year-old Lin Miao were sweeping the fallen leaves in the yard, and although they didn’t sweep them very cleanly, they were very enthusiastic.

The entire courtyard was filled with a busy yet orderly atmosphere.

“Dinner’s ready!” Lin Sang, wearing an apron, poked her head out of the kitchen and called out crisply.

Everyone washed their hands and went inside, sitting around the square table in the main room. They were pleasantly surprised to find that today’s breakfast was exceptionally plentiful: instead of the usual simple porridge and pickled vegetables, there was thick and fragrant millet porridge, a plate of golden and shiny scrambled eggs with scallions, a dish of crisp and refreshing pickled radish made by Wang herself, and even a small bowl of steaming white steamed buns!

“Wow! We have scrambled eggs and steamed buns today!” Lin Song’s eyes lit up.

Lin Miao clapped her hands and said, “Sister’s cooking is the best!”

Lin Laoda smiled憨厚ly: “You’ve been working hard for days, you should eat something good to replenish your energy.”

The family was completely satisfied with the meal, and the fatigue of the past few days seemed to dissipate with the warm breakfast.

After the meal, Wang put down her chopsticks, cleared her throat, and said seriously, “The Zhou family will probably be coming to visit in the next day or two. We need to tidy up our house and not be impolite. Let’s not do anything else today. The whole family should work together to thoroughly clean the house inside and out!”

The Lin family’s courtyard is a typical farmhouse layout, facing south. There are three main rooms in the front, with the middle room serving as the main hall and dining room. To the east is the bedroom of Mr. and Mrs. Wang, and to the west is the room of the sisters Lin Sang and Lin Miao. There is also a slightly lower wing room on each side of the main rooms. The east wing room is where the brothers Lin Bai and Lin Song live, while the west wing room is used to store miscellaneous items and grain. In the corner of the courtyard are the kitchen and the woodshed.

Wang began assigning tasks: “Father, you’re strong, so you’re responsible for thoroughly cleaning the yard again, filling the water tank, and clearing away the weeds in front of and behind the house.”

Bai-ge’er, you help your father fetch water, and tidy up your room, and bring out the bedding to air it out! Song-ge’er, you’re in charge of wiping the tables, chairs, benches, and the windows in the main room!

“Miao, you’re the youngest, so take a small rag and help your sister wipe down the low cabinets and such in the room. Sangsang, you’re so meticulous, so take Miao and tidy up your room, our main room, and your father’s and your sister’s room properly, don’t miss any nooks or crannies! I’ll go tidy up the kitchen and the west wing!”

“Yes, Mother.”

With clear division of labor, everyone immediately sprang into action, and the courtyard was soon filled with a busy scene and various sounds:

“Song-ge’er! Are you wiping the table or drawing a map? Put some effort into it!”

“Mom! I understand!”

“Sis, where do we put this?”

“Miaomiao, put this in that wooden box. Yes, handle it gently.”

“Brother Bai! Don’t spill water everywhere!”

“Dad, shall I help you stack the firewood neatly?”

…

Wang’s conducting, the children’s occasional playful noises, and the various sounds made while cleaning intertwine to create a symphony full of life.

Although there were occasional complaints from Mrs. Wang about the children’s clumsiness, the majority of the time was filled with the fulfillment and warmth of the whole family working together for the same joyous occasion.

By the time the sun began to set and everything was tidied up, it was already dark. The once somewhat messy courtyard was now clean and tidy, the firewood was neatly stacked, the water vat was overflowing, and the furniture and utensils inside the house were all in their proper places and wiped spotless. Even the window paper looked much brighter.

Wang looked around her newly renovated home, nodded in satisfaction, and then said to the children with a stern face, “Listen up, all of you! From today onwards, anyone who makes a mess of the house and yard again will have to put ten coins in that wooden box in the main room!”

“Ten coins?!” Lin Song was the first to jump up, clutching his empty “purse” (which was actually just a small cloth bag). “Mom! That’s too much!”

Even Lin Bo looked troubled.

Lin Miao shook her little head like a rattle drum.

Wang snorted, “If you know so much, then be careful! Whoever messes things up will be responsible for putting them back in place; there will be no leniency!”

The children all promised to absolutely follow the rules.

Then, Wang turned to Lin the eldest and instructed, “Father, tomorrow you take Bai Ge’er to town to buy some supplies. The Zhou family is coming, so we need to treat them properly. We need to buy some tea, prepare two jugs of wine, and make sure to have plenty of sweets and dried fruits (red dates, peanuts, longans, lotus seeds, etc., which have auspicious meanings). Also, go and buy a few pounds of meat, a fish, some tofu, and some vegetables. We need to have them stay for lunch tomorrow.”

Boss Lin nodded in agreement: “Okay, I understand.”

After a simple dinner, the family felt warm and cozy by the newly added, blazing charcoal fire in the house. Filled with anticipation for tomorrow and fatigue from their busy schedule, they slept soundly through the night.

———

The next morning, a light snow began to fall from the sky. Looking at the sky, Wang felt a little worried and urged Lin Laoda and Lin Bai, “Hurry up and go, come back as soon as you’ve bought everything! The roads are slippery, and Uncle Li’s oxcart certainly won’t want to wait any longer today!” She gave them a few more instructions and watched the father and son leave.

Meanwhile, the Zhou family had already purchased everything the day before. Aunt Zhou was in the main room, carefully arranging everything one by one, her face filled with solemn joy.

The sixteen taels of betrothal money sealed in red paper, the finest tea, four kinds of dried fruit, two jars of wine, a pair of live chickens, a pair of large carp, a large slab of pork, eight catties of betrothal cakes, bolts of cloth and measuring tape for Lin Sang and her younger siblings, and a pair of silver bracelets wrapped in red cloth… Each item was decorated with a small red paper cutout of the character “囍” (double happiness), making them look exceptionally festive.

Looking out the window at the snow falling, Aunt Zhou said with some worry, “Han’er, with this snow, the roads might be difficult to travel on…”

Zhou Han was inspecting the carport that had been installed yesterday when he heard this and looked up at the sky: “Mom, it’s alright. This is the first snow of early winter, it won’t be heavy, it won’t accumulate on the ground, and with this carport, our things won’t get wet.”

He patted the sturdy tarpaulin canopy and said, “Tomorrow morning, tie those big red flowers you bought to the ox horns and the cart shaft, and we’ll go to the Lin family in style.”

Aunt Zhou nodded, but then remembered something and hesitated for a moment: “Han’er, there’s one more thing… I was thinking that when people propose marriage, the groom’s family usually needs to have a respected elder from the clan present to show that they value it. Our family… how about I take some things and go invite your third uncle? After all, he’s the oldest person in our Zhou family right now…”

Zhou Han’s brows furrowed instantly, and some unpleasant memories flashed through his mind.

After he lost his father at the age of twelve, the so-called uncles and elders in the clan not only did not help the orphan and widow, but also took advantage of his young age and his mother’s frailty, and tried to seize the few acres of land that his family depended on for survival.

From that time on, he had to wield a hoe taller than himself and use his still thin but exceptionally fierce body to shield his mother time and time again. He fought many people for this and gained many scars on his body. Only in this way could he barely protect the family business, but he also earned the bad reputation of being a “scoundrel” and a “rogue”.

Those clansmen, have they ever shown even a shred of kinship?

His tone was indifferent but firm: “No need, Mother. We have long since established our own household and have no dealings with them. The Lin family knows our situation, and they won’t mind these formalities.”

Hearing her son say this, Aunt Zhou felt a lump in her throat as she recalled the past, so she stopped dwelling on it: “That’s right, I don’t like to be bothered by their attitudes! As long as our in-laws don’t mind, it’s no big deal!” She then said, “Go and fix the oxcart again to make sure it’s perfect for tomorrow. After you’re done, come inside and try on the new clothes I made for you. See if they fit. If they don’t, I’ll quickly alter them for you.”

Zhou Han responded and turned to go to the yard to give a final check on the sturdiness of the oxcart and its shed.