Pei Xia and Qi Jiao entered the courtyard gate and unloaded all the things from the flatbed cart.
Tang Guiniang could tell at a glance that the large yellow croakers had been sold at a good price, and the corners of her eyes crinkled with a smile.
Seeing Tang Guiniang waiting for them, Qi Jiao felt a bit nervous. The new clothes she was wearing were relatively inexpensive, but they still cost over a tael of silver.
Just as she was hesitating, Tang Guiniang came up, took Qi Jiao's hand and looked carefully. She praised, "The color of this dress is well - chosen. It suits you."
Putting aside other things, Qi Jiao and Pei Xia had just got married. How could they not have a few bright outfits?
She had originally planned to buy new clothes for Qi Jiao. Unexpectedly, her son was so considerate and had already taken care of it.
Qi Jiao smiled and said, "I should thank Pei Xia for spending the money."
Tang Guiniang waved it off and said, "It's his duty. Why are you being so polite?"
Pei Xia handed several bolts of cloth to Tang Guiniang, but his eyes fell on Qi Jiao's face. "Thanks to your quick wits in finding customers today. Otherwise, we wouldn't have sold them so quickly." The silver they got should be spent on you.
There was another sentence he didn't say.
Even if Qi Jiao had just stood by and done nothing, he would still be willing to spend money on her.
Tang Guiniang took the bolts of cloth and looked at them one by one. There were some for her too.
The fabric felt so smooth. She thought to herself that her son hadn't forgotten his mother just because he had a wife. She felt quite content.
Hearing what Pei Xia said, she liked Qi Jiao even more.
Tang Guiniang sized up Qi Jiao and planned to make her a couple of nice clothes.
Dinner consisted of chicken soup, pancakes, a plate of pickled cucumbers, and two steamed dishes.
There were quite a few semi - finished products and untouched meat dishes left over from the wedding banquet.
Tang Guiniang picked out the best ones and sent them to the neighbors who had helped before. The rest were for the family to consume.
So the Pei family had quite good meals these days.
Tang Guiniang even specially caught an old hen and stewed it in soup with dried red dates and Chinese wolfberries, which was good for Jiao Niang to recover from her wounds.
After drinking the fragrant chicken soup, Qi Jiao felt warm all over.
Once a person is well - fed and warm, drowsiness sets in.
Qi Jiao was helping Pei Jin clear the dishes when she couldn't help yawning twice.
Pei Jin saw the tiredness on Qi Jiao's face and knew that she must be exhausted after a day out.
Without hesitation, Pei Jin snatched the dishes from Qi Jiao's hands and shooed her back to the room to sleep.
Maybe she was really tired. As soon as Qi Jiao's head touched the pillow, she fell asleep.
She had a sweet dream and didn't even know when Pei Xia came in to tuck in the quilt for her.
Time flew by like beads on a string. After an autumn rain, the weather turned cooler.
By this time, Qi Jiao had gone to the town to change her dressing three times.
The wound had scabbed over, so Dr. Gong simply removed the gauze from her head.
Qi Jiao asked Dr. Gong when she could wash her hair.
Dr. Gong said, "Wash your hair? You can do it now. Just be careful."
Qi Jiao was overjoyed. She could finally wash her hair!
While the sun was still shining brightly, Qi Jiao boiled a large pot of hot water and planned to take a bath as well.
The Pei family had a special place for bathing. A small room was partitioned off next to the kitchen as a bathroom, with a large round wooden bathtub inside.
Qi Jiao put her clothes on the low stool beside the bathtub and sank her body into the warm water.
She couldn't help sighing. It was so comfortable.
When Pei Jin heard that she was going to take a bath, she picked some rose petals from the backyard for her. The tender red and pink petals fluttered gently on the water surface, looking extremely charming.
Instead of using soapberries to wash her hair, Tang Guiniang specially saved the second - time rice - washing water for her and grabbed a handful of Chinese honey locusts, saying that it was the best for washing hair.
After washing her hair clean, Qi Jiao felt really happy. She scooped up water with her hand and poured it on her neck.
Just as she was leisurely scrubbing her back, suddenly there was a creak. The bathroom door was actually pushed open!
Qi Jiao let out a scream and remembered that she seemed to have forgotten to bolt the door.
She had been smart all her life, but now she had made such a stupid mistake.
Qi Jiao had nowhere to hide. In a split - second, she prayed that the person coming in was Pei Jin or Tang Guiniang.
Unfortunately, her wish didn't come true.
A tall figure walked in from outside the door. With a straight nose and a thin jaw, who else could it be but Pei Xia?
Wasn't he supposed to be out at sea? Why did he come back so soon?
Qi Jiao felt dizzy and was completely speechless.
Finally, she picked up the handkerchief in her hand and covered her face...
Pei Xia was also stunned. The sight in the room made him stop in his tracks. It took him two seconds to react, and then a blush spread across his cheeks like a raging fire.
He had just come back from the boat. They had a good catch today, and all the containers they could find at home were filled with seafood.
Remembering that there were two large wooden basins in the bathroom, he came over to get them. Who would have thought that Jiao Niang was inside!
He didn't see anyone in the yard and thought that she and Pei Jin had gone beach - combing.
Pei Xia turned around, steadied his breath, and said, "I didn't know you were here. I'll go out first."
Then, as if there were ghosts chasing him, he disappeared in an instant.
Hearing the door close, Qi Jiao let out a long sigh of relief.
She thought about it. It wasn't really a big deal. There were thick petals covering her, and the room was filled with steam. Pei Xia probably couldn't see anything clearly.
Qi Jiao pretended that nothing had happened and continued her unfinished bath. However, she tied the ribbons on her clothes wrong twice when getting dressed.
After tidying up, when she saw Pei Xia again, Qi Jiao couldn't help feeling a bit embarrassed.
Pei Xia also couldn't hide his uneasiness. He even accidentally bit his teeth while talking.
Pei Li noticed the strange atmosphere between them and asked in confusion, "Big brother, why is your face so red? Do you have a fever?"
Seeing Qi Jiao avoiding the topic, Pei Li felt even more puzzled.
Fortunately, this awkward atmosphere didn't last long.
Tang Guiniang led Aunt Ye, a neighbor, over.
The Ye family lived just a few steps behind the Pei family's yard. The two families had been on good terms for many years. Tang Guiniang and Aunt Ye got along well and had been good friends for a long time.
Tang Guiniang waved Qi Jiao over and introduced her, "This is your Aunt Ye."
Qi Jiao bowed gracefully and said with a smile, "Hello, Aunt Ye."
When Aunt Ye saw Qi Jiao, she couldn't help staring in surprise. "What a beautiful young lady!"
She had seen Qi Jiao that day when she went to the Qi family to plead Pei family's case. She just didn't expect that after washing off the white powder on her face, Qi Jiao was such a lively and beautiful girl.
Aunt Ye praised her continuously and glanced at Tang Guiniang from the corner of her eye. "Guiniang, I didn't believe you when you told me. Now that I've seen her in person, I know you were being modest."
Tang Guiniang was overjoyed. "Since you like her so much, how about you take her as your daughter?"
Qi Jiao was taken aback.
Aunt Ye clapped her hands and said, "Great! I've never had a daughter. I only have three naughty boys. If I could take Jiao Niang as my daughter, I'd be more than happy!"
Tang Guiniang had already told Aunt Ye all about Jiao Niang. This girl was good - natured and good - looking, but her life had been so hard. She was really pitiful.
Jiao Niang couldn't go back to her original family. If Aunt Ye took her as a god - daughter, she would surely protect her with all her might. Even if, in the worst - case scenario, Jiao Niang was wronged in the Pei family in the future, the Ye family would stand up for her.
Tang Guiniang winked at Qi Jiao. "Hurry up and call her god - mother. You don't know. She's a well - known tough nut in Baiyun Village. She's the most protective and feisty."
Qi Jiao understood. Tang Guiniang was finding a backer for her. This kind thought suddenly made her eyes moist. Immediately, she called out sweetly, "God - mother. From now on, I'm your daughter."
For a moment, Aunt Ye's face was beaming with joy. She said "good" several times and pulled Qi Jiao's hand to ask about her well - being.