Chapter 162 – Visiting Yan Shuyun
Without seeing the coins, there was no way Ms. Wang would let the ox cart go. Tian Dazhuang pulled out the twenty copper coins and handed them over, “Mom, here you go.”
Ms. Wang took them, counted to make sure there were exactly twenty, and then smilingly pocketed them. “Dazhuang, your mother will save these coins for when you need to marry a wife.”
While Ms. Wang was counting the money, Tian Dazhuang quickly hitched the cart to the ox. “Mom, Xiaosi and Shuxue are waiting for me at the village entrance. I’m leaving now.”
Having received the money, Ms. Wang was in a good mood and waved him off, “Go on, take good care of Shuxue on the way. She’s not young anymore. If you can’t marry her sister, marrying her is also fine.”
“Mom, what are you talking about? Shuqin and Shuxue are like my own sisters to me.”
“They are all your sisters, I wonder how you, a confused young man, will ever get married.” Ms. Wang scolded with her hands on hips.
Tian Dazhuang’s scalp tightened, and he hurriedly drove the ox cart out.
Yan Xiaosi and Yan Shuxue waited at the village entrance for a while before seeing him rush towards them with the ox cart. “Xiaosi, Shuxue, hurry up and get on.”
Once the ox cart stopped, Yan Xiaosi and Yan Shuxue quickly boarded it. As soon as they settled down, Tian Dazhuang whipped the ox and hurried out of the village.
Seeing his flustered demeanor, Yan Xiaosi chuckled, “Tian Dazhuang, did Aunt Tian give you a hard time again?”
Tian Dazhuang looked embarrassed. “Xiaosi, stop teasing me.”
Fearing Ms. Wang might chase after them, Tian Dazhuang drove the cart hurriedly all the way to Daxing Town. By the time they arrived, Yan Xiaosi felt her buttocks numb, as if they were split in half from the bumpy ride.
The ox cart stopped at the entrance of Xu Family Fur Store. Yan Xiaosi got off, holding her waist with a pained expression. Tian Dazhuang glanced at her, “Xiaosi, what’s wrong?”
“My buttocks hurt, Tian Dazhuang, you drove the cart too fast.”
Tian Dazhuang, accustomed to the rough ride, didn’t feel the bumps, but feeling guilty after Yan Xiaosi’s complaint, he offered, “Xiaosi, does it really hurt? Let me rub it for you.”
Seeing Tian Dazhuang reaching towards Yan Xiaosi’s buttocks, Yan Shuxue quickly stood in front of her. “Tian Dazhuang, men should not touch each other.”
Tian Dazhuang’s hand froze mid-air. “Shuxue, I think the book says it’s men and women who should not touch.”
Yan Xiaosi was relieved. Luckily, her sister acted quickly, or Tian Dazhuang would have touched her butt. “Brother Dazhuang, I’m fine now. Wait for us here. Shuxue and I will go into Xu Family Fur Store to see our sister.”
Believing her, Tian Dazhuang sat on the ox cart and waited. Yan Shuxue, holding the jar of fried wild mushrooms, accompanied Yan Xiaosi into the Xu Family Fur Store.
Yan Shuyun was not in the store’s main hall; only Liu Xu and two clerks were present. Liu Xu, seeing them, approached with a smile. “Are you here to see Miss Yan Shuyun?”
Yan Xiaosi, greeting Liu Xu with a bow, replied with a smile, “Exactly. My sister is away from home for the first time, and my mother is worried about her adapting, so she sent us to check on her. Could Master Liu take us to see her?”
“Miss Yan Shuyun is in the backyard learning tailoring. Please follow me.”
“Thank you, Master Liu.”
After exchanging pleasantries, Yan Xiaosi and her sister followed Liu Xu to the backyard to meet Yan Shuyun.
Yan Shuyun was learning tailoring from a master craftsman at Xu Family Fur Store. From a distance, Yan Xiaosi saw her chatting and laughing with the craftsman, feeling reassured that her third sister was doing well in the store.
Liu Xu watched Yan Shuyun with a gentle gaze and softly addressed her, “Miss Yan Shuyun, your family has come to visit you.”
Yan Shuyun stopped her work and turned to see Yan Shuxue and Yan Xiaosi. Her face instantly lit up with joy, and she excitedly ran over. “Second sister, Xiaosi, why are you here? I’ve missed you so much. How are mother and big sister?”
It had been only a day, but she tightly held onto both Yan Shuxue and Yan Xiaosi’s hands. Yan Shuxue handed her the jar of fried mushrooms, saying, “Mother and big sister are doing well. Shuyun, I have some good news for you.”
Yan Shuyun opened the jar and sniffed the fragrant fried wild mushrooms. “Second sister, what’s the good news?”
Yan Shuxue continued, “We now own three acres of land. The family of Qingquan in the village sold their land, and we bought it. From now on, as long as we take good care of these three acres, our family won’t have to worry about going hungry. Mom made you this jar of food. She’s worried you might not be used to living outside.”
Yan Shuyun felt warmth in her heart smelling the wild mushrooms. “Big sister, Xiaosi, tell mother that I’m doing well here. Liu Xu and Liu Ke treat me nicely. It’s great that our family now has land. When I have a break, I’ll come back and help you with the farming.”
Yan Xiaosi then asked, “Third sister, when do you get time off?”
Liu Xu quickly answered, “According to Xu Family Fur Store’s rules, employees work for five days and rest for two.”
Hearing this, Yan Xiaosi nodded. This was essentially a weekend system; she hadn’t expected Xu Family Fur Store to be so generous to their employees.
“Third sister, Shuxue and I have to go to the county office to register our land. Tian Dazhuang is waiting outside, so we have to leave now.”
“Master Liu Xu, please take good care of my third sister while she’s away from home.”
After entrusting Liu Xu with Yan Shuyun’s care, Yan Xiaosi and Yan Shuxue left the Xu Family Fur Store.
Yan Shuyun watched them leave with a longing gaze. Liu Xu, noticing her reluctant expression, sympathetically said, “Miss Yan Shuyun, when you have a break, I’ll take you back to Shaoyao Village.”
After Yan Xiaosi and Yan Shuxue had left, Yan Shuyun turned back to Liu Xu with gratitude. “Thank you, Master Liu.”
If not for Liu Xu’s kindness, how could the other masters and veterans in the backyard be so friendly to her?
Leaving the Xu Family Fur Store, Yan Xiaosi asked Tian Dazhuang to drive the ox cart straight to Xize County.
…
After a long, bumpy ride, they finally arrived at the county office.
Yan Xiaosi rubbed her sore buttocks as she hopped off the cart. They left Tian Dazhuang to wait outside while she and Yan Shuxue entered the county office with the land deed.
Although they had the deed for the three acres of land, the county office’s land registry still listed it under Tian Qingquan’s name. Registering the land meant changing the name in the land usage records.
As the sisters approached the entrance of the county office, they were stopped by the guards.
“Who dares to barge into the county court?”
Yan Shuxue glanced at the government officials nervously and replied, “Honorable officials, we have come to register our land. Not long ago, we visited the county court at the invitation of General Zhan. Do you gentlemen not remember us?”
