Accompanied by a Fool To Do Farming

Chapter 81: 琐事

Trivia

After a nice dinner, because Zhao Zheng’an loved Zhong Ziqi dearly, he took the initiative to clear the table and do the dishes.

 

        “Zheng’an ah, I’ll help you with that too.” Shen Amu got up and followed Zhao Zheng’an entered the kitchen.

 

        “Grandma, you don’t have to help me. I can do it by myself.” Zhao Zheng’an stopped Shen Amu’s hand from helping.

 

        “Better, let me do it!” The head housekeeper came up with a smile and helped Zhao Zheng’an with his work.

 

        “Amu, why are you dressed up like this today?”

    

Zhao Zheng’an asked Shen Amu as he brushed the dishes. He knew Shen Amu followed him to the kitchen because he definitely wanted to let Ziqi and Father Shen have some time to interact with each other for a while. He tactfully didn’t ask him regarding this matter. But instead, he asked another question that made him rather helpless and puzzled. As soon as Father Shen and Shen Ame appeared today, he noticed something was wrong. The clothes they were wearing were the common silk fabric (satin), although it didn’t count as a coarse cloth or hemp garment but compared to the previous good quality silk cloth, the difference was really too much. 

 

        But Shen Amu didn’t think anything was wrong with it, “How’s that? Do your grandfather and I dress up and look just the same as you guys? This is called following the customs of the countryside.1 Your grandfather and I discussed that we couldn’t just come dressed in gold and silver.2 In here, it’s going to attract a lot of attention ah! If we dress like this, people will only think at most that we are passing merchants or visiting relatives.” After saying that, Shen Amu even turned around like a child.

    

        “It’s quite good…” Zhao Zheng’an said with a smile.

 

Because Shen Amu went out, at this moment, only Father Shen and Zhong Ziqi were in the dining room. Both of them were silent for a while. Because they were not familiar with each other yet and did not know each other well so they did not know what to say. 

 

In the end, it was Father Shen who broke the silence first and asked with some deliberation, “Ziqi ah, your Amu…. Has he ever mentioned about us to you? Has he ever blamed me?”

 

This was what he wanted to know the most and also the most difficult thing for him to let go of. 

 

        Zhong Ziqi knew that Father Shen had a knot in his heart, so he thought deeply about it slightly before he said, “My Amu did mention you and grandma. He said that you guys were very good, and that you had spoiled him very much since he was a child. He also said that he didn’t know how you guys were doing. He couldn’t even be around to do his filial duty. I hope you guys don’t blame him.”

 

After Father Shen heard that, he almost burst into tears again. Sitting on the Kang bed, it took him half a day to get over his emotions. Thinking of the past, he felt guilty as he continued to say, “Your Amu… He may be a ger but we have always specially loved him since he was a child. We would definitely never stop him from doing anything he wanted to do. We would never force him to do anything he didn’t want to do either. In the past ten more years, the only time we’ve forced him was about that marriage’s matter. Who would have thought that your Amu would be so brave and dare to run away from home? Moreover, he was alone and a good-looking ger too. How hard that must be? How difficult. What if something happened to…”

 

The latter part of Father Shen words were not said, but Zhong Ziqi could imagine how hard it must be for a very good-looking ger to be wandering alone in every corner of a small town, not enough to eat, not having something good to wear and having to put up with all sorts of molestation from men, how hard it must be.

 

“Grandfather, don’t blame yourself too much! My Amu never blamed you. In heaven, if he knew and saw you looking so sad like this, he would definitely be sad too.” Zhong Ziqi said comfortingly.

 

Father Shen eased his emotion,longing deeply in his memory for a long time, before he gave a reply, “Hn.”

 

        Not long afterwards, Shen Amu and the others returned from the kitchen. Since they had nothing else to do, they sat on the Kang bed and talked about their daily life and family’s matters.

     

“Grandma, why isn’t Uncle here?” Zhao Zheng’an asked, since he and Zhong Ziqi thought that Shen Yu Bei would come with them.

 

        “Bei’er is busy. There is something going on every day with the business over there. That’s why he can’t leave, so he didn’t come.” Shen Amu replied, then he asked in return, “Ziqi, how many months already?”

 

        Zhong Ziqi rubbed his stomach, “It’s four months.”

 

        “It’s been four months. I don’t know if the baby is a ger or a boy.”

 

        “Whether the baby is a ger or a boy, we’ll still love it.”

 

        Shen Amu and Father Shen nodded their heads, appreciating this kind of heart’s attitude. 3

 

        “Has Zheng’an’s headache been cured too?” Father Shen asked as he glanced at Zhao Zheng’an.

 

“Grandfather, it’s cured. The miracle doctor is worthy of being the miracle doctor. I only need to continue the medication for a month and I’m cured.” Zhao Zheng’an said with a smile.

 

“If you have time, you guys should come with me to go to the miracle doctor’s place, to check if there is something wrong.”

 

        “What can there be? No more check up! If I could live one day longer then I would live one day longer.” Father Shen didn’t care as he was waving his hand.

 

       However, Shen Amu immediately expressed a different opinion : “Fine.

We will go there later for a check-up so we’ll be relieved too.”

 

Father Shen could only give a resentful ‘Hmph!’ when his Fu Lang disagreed with him.

 

        At night, Zhong Ziqi went to the other room to tidy up the quilts. Both the sheets and the bedding were new. The two elders would stay in this room tonight. 

 

        However, Hong Ying and the head butler could not stay here. No more room in the main house so they had to go and stay in the side rooms. 

 

      “How long do you think Grandfather and the others will stay?” Zhong Ziqi closed the door and asked Zhao Zheng’an.

 

        “I don’t know but I don’t think it will be for a short time.” Zhao Zheng’an answered. 

 

        “What? You don’t like them?”

 

        Zhong Ziqi shook his head : “Of course not! I’m just asking so I can prepare.”

 

        “We’ll naturally know when the time comes.”

    

In the days that followed, as if to confirm what Zhao Zheng’an had said, the two elders didn’t look like they were going to leave. Every day they would help them with everything. If they didn’t know how to do it, they would learn it together with them.

 

The home of Zhao Zheng’an and Zhong Ziqi became a lot livelier for a while.

 

Because of the sudden arrival of two elderly people, the project progress of the stewed meat was set aside. Now, it was time to revive the planning. 

 

First they need to deal with the problem of finding manpower. In the village, there were quite a few honest gers and men. Zhao Zheng’an found four or five of them to come and work every day. It was only a three or two-minutes walk. It was really close. There was no need to provide food for them every day too. 

 

        The chosen ones were overjoyed. As a gers, they could also work close to their home. Moreover, the money they earned was a lot, so they were simply very happy.

 

        Zhao Zheng’an and Zhong Ziqi showed them how to make the food. The spices were already prepared, so no one could steal the recipe. 

    

After only a day or two, everyone had basically learnt how to make it, and the stewed meat workshop was officially opened.

 

        As Zhong Ziqi once said, as long as the food was delicious, they were sure everyone would come to buy it. The number of people coming to buy the stewed meat was even greater than the number of people who came to buy mahua. 

 

        A good start made everyone immediately become very enthusiastic.

 

       Father Shen and Shen Amu continuously nodded their heads as they watched. They thought the two children were pretty good and had a business mind. While they helped them out, they occasionally gave a few pointers on the shortcomings.

 

        And the head butler became the person to be in charge and handled everything. He took over all the work at home and outside and was busy with it. 

    

 

1

[入乡随俗/ rù xiāng suí sú : When you enter a village, follow the local customs (idiom); do as the natives do / When in Rome, do as the Romans do]

2

[穿金戴银/ chuān jīn dài yín:  richly bedecked / dripping with gold and silver (idiom)]  

3

( their way of thinking / mindset)