Chapter 20: The Head of the Household Is a Good Person

Along the way, Lu Chuan was not idle. Instead, he took down some relatively sturdy icicles from a few more treacherous spots. Although Chen Miaomiao did not understand what Lu Chuan intended to do, she did not ask further. When they finally returned home, Su Ruan and Bai Siyu looked somewhat stunned at Chen Qingqing, who was carrying a shoulder pole.

“What’s this?” Bai Siyu furrowed her brow slightly and asked.

“On the road, I saw some selling fodder. Since I’m going hunting in the mountains and there’s no one at home to cook, I thought I should buy some!” Lu Chuan explained.

“So I bought it.” He continued, “This is 200 jin of grain. When we go into the city in a couple of days, I’ll buy another 200 jin.”

Hearing this, Bai Siyu and Su Ruan exchanged a glance but said nothing. Strictly speaking, the two of them could be considered Lu Chuan’s concubines, while Chen Miaomiao was merely his servant. Although regulations stipulated that ordinary farmers were not allowed to take concubines, these rules were not strictly enforced. Mainly because the women assigned to them were considered part of official duties, so there were few restrictions in that regard.

“Little sister, what’s your name?” Bai Siyu approached and asked.

Seeing Bai Siyu and Su Ruan, Chen Qingqing became more convinced that Lu Chuan was a lustful man. Otherwise, how could such a desolate courtyard and dilapidated house harbor two beauties of unparalleled grace?

“My name is Dieyi,” Chen Miaomiao replied.

Lu Chuan did not correct her. While placing the grain into the rice jar, he asked, “Nothing happened at home today, right?”

Sun the Leper had intercepted him on the road. Aside from a few women who wanted to buy meat, nothing else occurred.

“Actually, something strange did happen,” Bai Siyu said as she helped straighten Lu Chuan’s clothes. “About ten officials came to the village today.”

“These officials went house to house. They weren’t collecting grain or taxes but inquiring about something that happened eleven years ago.”

“Since we just arrived here, we didn’t know much, so they left.”

“Eleven years ago?” Lu Chuan’s eyes showed surprise. “What happened eleven years ago?”

“Was there a man who came to the village with two little girls?” Bai Siyu asked.

At this, Chen Miaomiao’s pupils suddenly contracted. As if recalling something, her face instantly turned pale. Her lips parted slightly, but she said nothing.

“A man with two little girls?” Lu Chuan smiled faintly, not taking it too seriously. He had no memory of such a person. However, officials openly searching for someone from over a decade ago was suspicious. Coupled with the information he had already gathered, Lu Chuan felt uneasy. Was Zhou Zheng, the county magistrate, searching for someone? And trying to do so covertly? What could be so important about these three people to warrant such an effort?

“Enough of this for now,” Lu Chuan waved his hand. “Do you know how to stew pork ribs with cabbage? Hurry up and start cooking!”

Chen Miaomiao clenched her fists tightly, shooting Lu Chuan a fierce glare before taking a deep breath and asking, “Where is the kitchen?”

“Outside, turn right.”

“I’ll go!” Bai Siyu quickly led Chen Miaomiao toward the kitchen.

Once outside, Bai Siyu took Chen Miaomiao’s hand and whispered, “Don’t be like this. The master is a good man. He pitied us, which is why he gave us a place to live and survive.”

“He probably bought you because he felt sorry for you,” Bai Siyu said.

Chen Miaomiao looked up and smiled scornfully. “Standing by the river today, who wasn’t pitiful?”

“...” Bai Siyu was left speechless by that retort.

“Well, I don’t know. Anyway, the master is a good man. You’ll see once you get to know him,” Bai Siyu said as she led Chen Miaomiao into the kitchen and showed her where everything was.

Meanwhile, Su Ruan glanced at Lu Chuan strangely. “Master, do you like this type?”

Lu Chuan felt awkward. “What nonsense are you talking about?”

“I genuinely think you should be able to pursue what you want. Now that you have a bow, you can hunt in the mountains. It’s just a pity that horses aren’t available to buy right now, or else you could teach me horseback archery!”

Lu Chuan nodded. In this era, such skills would indeed be valuable.

“Hmm,” Su Ruan nodded.

“As for Xiao Bai, she was originally a lady from a respectable family who suddenly fell into hardship. Since she enjoys embroidery, she can develop her skills in that area.”

“Though life is still hard now, perhaps later we can buy some brocade and silk, hire some embroiderers, and really help her advance on this path!” Lu Chuan said.

Su Ruan was deeply moved.

“By the way,” she said solemnly, “there’s something else I need your opinion on.”

Seeing Su Ruan’s serious expression, Lu Chuan asked curiously, “What is it?”

“You brought back three wild boars, right?” she asked.

“They can stay inside for now, but as they grow bigger, they’ll definitely need to be penned.”

Su Ruan continued, “There’s a vacant lot behind the house. My idea is, if we’re not too busy in the next couple of days, we should build a pigpen!”

“That’s a proper matter,” Lu Chuan agreed.

“And,” Su Ruan went on, “if we get the chance, we could gather some wild chicken eggs or find some chicks to raise at home. At least then we’d have a decent supply of eggs.”

“To raise chickens, we’d need a chicken coop.”

She counted off her points seriously on her fingers.

“Where did you learn all this?” Lu Chuan was stunned. Though a short absence could bring new perspectives, he had only been gone less than a day. How did Su Ruan already know so much? Had she been pretending to be naïve all along?

“I walked around the village today and talked with many women. I noted what we should do and what we can do now. There shouldn’t be anything I missed,” Su Ruan said earnestly. “Since we sisters have followed you, we’re part of the family.”

“Hunting in the mountains is dangerous,” she said, looking at Lu Chuan sincerely. “If life at home improves, Master wouldn’t have to risk so much going into the mountains.”