CH 98

Mo Ling went to fetch water from the well by the pond, and Dagan arrived after her.

“Ling’er, I heard that you’re going to marry someone in Yi City?”

Mo Ling didn’t look at him and said, “Did you listen to what your mother said? Maybe she didn’t hear everything. I said, if they wanted to marry me, it’d be over my dead body.”

“Don’t think that way.”

“If they dare force me, don’t blame me for being unkind.”

“Ling’er, I, I…”

“Brother Dagan, I know what you’re thinking, forget about it!”

Mo Ling carried the water away, and Dagan sighed before starting to fetch water.

She always took the first load of water to the back courtyard, and today was no exception. She carried two buckets inside the room to pour water into the water reservoir, and the old woman was still sitting in the main room.

“Ling’er, did you sell the gift box that your father brought two days ago?”

“Yes.”

Mo Ling looked at the table and saw that only the dim sum brought back by her father was left, and she understood, “If you liked it, I’ll bring you another basket tomorrow.”

“Only one basket? It’s almost the New Year, I still want to give some to relatives!”

“Then how many do you want?”

“At least five or six baskets.”

Mo Ling sneered, “Grandma, those are sweets. Eating too many will damage your teeth, and it’s not good for your appetite either.”

After that, she picked up the buckets and left. When she walked to the middle of the back courtyard, she deliberately raised her voice and said, “Those greedy crows really want to eat living people! All they do is crow all day long, they’re so disgusting!”

Her second grandma smiled while looking at her through the window, “Mo Ling’s tongue is sharp, she won’t be disadvantaged no matter what.”

After fetching the water and returning home, Mo Ling told her mother what happened in the back courtyard, and she was so angry that she almost dropped the steamed buns in her hands, “It must’ve been taken by the crows at the east of the village again.”

Mo Ling’s aunt’s family lived in the east of the village.

“She wanted five or six baskets, so what did you say, Ling’er?”

Mo Ling smiled and said, “I said that those were sweets. If she ate too many, it would damage her teeth, and wouldn’t be good for her appetite.”

“If your aunt asked me politely, I would’ve given her a dozen baskets, but they just had to be ingrates. Don’t give them a single thing!”

“Mum, your cough has really improved! You can talk so much.”

“In the past, I only took two doses of medicine before stopping. How could I compare that to now? Yan’er gets the medicine every time, and I don’t even know how much it costs.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. Also, don’t tell father how much money we make, just say that we are barely getting by.” [1]

Speaking of medicine, Mrs. Liang remembered that there wasn’t much left. It was unlucky to buy medicine in the first month of the year, so she asked Mu Yan to get some more.

Mo Ling reminded her from the kitchen, “It’s getting dark, watch out for stray dogs.”

Mo Yan replied while running out, “I’m not as afraid of dogs as you are. I’ll scare them away as soon as I bend down.”

Mo Ling scolded her jokingly from the kitchen.

Mo Yan went to Mr. Cao’s house, which was cold and lifeless. There was no smell of braised meat or steamed buns, and it didn’t seem like the New Year at all.

When she passed the kitchen, Mo Yan saw Cao Zhang was cooking.

“Why are you cooking? Do you know how to?”

Mo Yan went over to see Cao Zhang pouring rice into the pot.

“Are you making porridge or rice?”

“Rice! There isn’t any dry food left at home.”

“Then have you washed the rice?”

Cao Zhang turned to look at Mo Yan, “No, what should I do?”

Mu Yan sighed and asked, “Where’s Ms. Li? Where’s your mother? Why are you cooking?”

It turned out Ms. Li had gone back to her mother’s house to attend a funeral. Mrs. Cao couldn’t cook, which made Mr. Cao angry, and they had a fight.

“Don’t cook yet. I’m here to ask Mr. Cao for my mum’s medicine. It’s getting dark, so can you send me back later?”

She took the initiative to ask Cao Zhang to send her back. Cao Zhang thought it was strange, but he still agreed.

Mr. Cao was sitting in the at-home clinic. When he saw Mo Yan coming in, he knew that she was here to get medicine. He took two porcelain bottles from the medicine cabinet, “Yan’er, this will be enough to last until the first month of next year. After that, when the weather is warmer, I’ll take her pulse and give her another prescription.”

Mo Yan took the medicine and walked home with Cao Zhang. When she asked about the imperial examination, he replied enthusiastically, “My uncle has some acquaintances, so it should be easy for me to enter an academy. I’ve heard that entering Qingyuan Academy is like taking one step into becoming an official.”

“Then congratulations in advance!”

“Congratulate me after I succeed in the imperial examination! Then I’ll take you to have fun in the metropolis.”

“I’ll definitely go.”

What she thought was, I’ll go, but you won’t need to take me!

At the door of her house, Cao Zhang stopped, but Mo Yan uncharacteristically invited him in: “Come in and sit down! My mother said she hasn’t seen you for a long time today. She was wondering if you had grown taller or more handsome.”

After they entered the kitchen, Mrs. Liang praised Cao Zhang politely. Mo Yan put down the medicine bottles and said, “Mum, Ms. Li has returned to her mother’s house. There’s no one in the Cao family who can cook, and there isn’t any dried food either.”

Mrs. Liang understood. Ignoring Cao Zhang’s refusal, she packed a few steamed buns in a small bag alongside a few salted duck eggs, put some braised meat in a small clay pot, and put a layer of steamed cakes on top.

“Put this clay pot on the stove to warm it up, and just serve it directly.”

The Cao family was always the one giving things to others, and Cao Zhang had never eaten food given by others. Mrs. Liang stuffed it into his hand, and he reluctantly took it.

Mo Yan dragged him to the door, “Have you bought everything for the New Year?”

“Not yet.”

“Go back quickly! Tomorrow, I’ll go buy you things from the New Year.”

“Yan’er, I really envy you. Why do you think my family has become like this? I don’t even have anyone to talk to at home.”

Mo Yan smiled wryly and said, “Everyone has their own hardships. You envy me, and I envy you! Go and strive for a better future!”

Looking at Cao Zhang, Mo Yan felt an inexplicable sadness in her heart. He should’ve at least lived a happy life, but the path his family chose for him is destined to end in tragedy! [2]

The next day, Mo Yan took the time to buy some braised meat, smoked sausage, and steamed buns for Mr. Cao to take home.

She encountered Lu Junming and Xiao Chuzi on the road, who seemed to also be buying things for the New Year.

Seeing what Mo Yan was holding, Lu Junming said happily, “Is this for me, because you know I don’t know how to buy goods?”

“No, this is for Mr. Cao’s family. Have you not bought anything for the New Year yet? What are you going to eat!”

“Doesn’t the Cao family have a helper?” He turned his head to look at Xiao Chuzi beside him, and said with a wink, “Chuzi, we don’t know how to shop and need help, don’t we?”

Xiao Chuzi immediately replied, “That’s right! We don’t know how to buy things.”

Mo Yan shook her head and sighed, “Are you both immortals uncomprehending of the mortal world? You can buy whatever you want to eat, and if you can’t find it, I’ll ask mum to make it for you. Remember to buy more meat, at least enough meat until the fifteenth day of the first month, since most butcher shops will be closed until then.”

Post-translation notes: Not much to say here. As always, thank you for reading!

[1] I would say that’s hard to do, but Mo Zenian doesn’t seem the brightest.