TIPS – Chapter 73

Shen Dongming had no objections and said, “Alright, I’ll listen to you.” In previous years, keeping half a pig was more than enough. But with new additions to the family this year—more than one, in fact—keeping a whole one seemed just right.

“The pigs in the pen, each of them weighs at least over 200 jin (approximately 100 kg). Can we even finish all that meat?” Song Jingwei asked worriedly. Two hundred jin was a lot—no matter how much he could eat, it was impossible to finish it all. Could it be that Yang Shi thought he had a big appetite and was keeping extra just for him?

“Don’t worry, we’ll take our time eating it. If we can’t finish it, we can always give some away,” Shen Dongming reassured. It was common in the village to gift preserved meat to those they had good relations with. In previous years, their family had given little and felt embarrassed to receive from others. But this year, things were different—they had both money and people, so there was no need to be stingy with a few pieces of preserved meat.

“Oh, then I’ll leave it up to you,” Song Jingwei said casually. He was just asking out of curiosity.

After breakfast, Shen Dongming strapped on a basket and got ready to leave. But he noticed his son standing there, unmoving, as if waiting for someone. He asked, “What’s wrong? Who are you waiting for?”

Shen Junxi gestured to his father, “Waiting for my wife.”

Shen Dongming scratched his head in surprise. “Your wife is coming too?”

“Yes.” Shen Junxi thought for a moment and gestured again, “He plans to grow tea in the future, so he probably wants to see how it’s done.”

“Heh, but we’re going to pick tea, not plant it,” Shen Dongming laughed. “Planting tea is easy! When the time comes, he can ask me, and I’ll make sure he gets it right.”

Shen Junxi smiled and gestured, “Alright, I’ll tell him later.”

Just then, Song Jingwei came out and said to Shen Junxi, “Let’s go.”

Shen Dongming asked, “Xi’er’s wife, you’re coming too?”

Song Jingwei nodded. “Yes, I want to take a look.”

The three of them set out together. Shen Dongming walked ahead, while Shen Junxi and Song Jingwei walked side by side behind him. Shen Dongming turned back and reminded, “Daughter-in-law, be careful on the road. Xi’er, look after your wife, alright?”

The couple responded at the same time—one speaking, the other gesturing—”Got it.” Then they paused, glancing at each other. One had a smile, the other remained calm.

With the crisp autumn breeze and the vast greenery stretching around them, the walk was peaceful and enjoyable.

When they arrived at the Shen family’s tea plantation, Shen Dongming quickly got to work, while Shen Junxi hesitated, glancing between the tea fields and his wife. He wanted to finish his work quickly but also wanted to spend time with him.

“What are you spacing out for? Get over here,” Song Jingwei called as he stepped into the tea rows. He didn’t know how to pick tea, so he asked, “How do I do this? How many leaves should I pick?”

Shen Junxi walked over in a daze, carefully plucking a tender tea sprig with three leaves and handing it to him.

“Three leaves?” Song Jingwei observed. This tea was really delicate, which meant it could sell for a good price. Imitating him, he picked a few sprigs and tossed them into Shen Junxi’s basket. Seeing him still staring at him without moving, he said, “I’ll pick from the left side, you take the right. Any problems with that?”

Shen Junxi shook his head—of course not. But… would his mother scold him if she found out his wife was doing farm work?

“Alright, let’s get started.” Song Jingwei said, getting to work. He was slow at first, but gradually became more skilled, and soon, his hands were moving quickly. Before long, he had gathered a good amount and threw them into the basket before continuing.

Shen Junxi, feeling conflicted, turned back to focus on picking tea. He really didn’t want his wife to do farm work, but… working together like this felt kind of sweet. So, as he picked tea like a machine, he also kept his eyes on him, experiencing an entirely new kind of farm work.

From time to time, Shen Dongming looked up and was surprised to see his son and daughter-in-law picking tea side by side. They were so close that from a distance, they seemed practically stuck together.

In reality, Song Jingwei and Shen Junxi weren’t that close—one was ahead, the other behind, standing within the tea rows. But Shen Junxi stayed less than an arm’s length away, making sure he could reach his wife at any moment if something happened.

Because of Song Jingwei’s help, the baskets filled up quickly.

Worried that his wife might be tired, Shen Junxi gestured to his father, “Dad, my wife and I will head back first.”

“Go ahead,” Shen Dongming waved them off. The sun was getting high, and he needed to wrap up soon, too.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi nodded, walked over to his wife, and gestured, “Let’s go home.”

On the way back, Song Jingwei asked, “So all the tea here is the same variety? Nothing else?”

Shen Junxi gestured, “Our family has always grown this kind. We’ve never changed it.” This variety sold well and had decent yield. Since everyone could get by comfortably, there was no reason to switch. Besides, trying a new kind didn’t guarantee success.

“This tea has okay yield, but it’s pretty common, so the price won’t go up much,” Song Jingwei said. “If I plant tea in the future, I’ll consider other varieties. Do you know any nearby places that produce famous teas?”

When Shen Junxi heard this, the famous tea region of Shiku Mountain flashed through his mind. The area was well-known for its rock tea. He gestured, “There is such a place, but it’s quite far.” He had never been there himself, only heard about it—traveling by boat would take around five days for a round trip.

“How far exactly? Would it take ten days to half a month?” Song Jingwei considered. If it was that far, they would have to wait until after the new year to go.

“No, by carriage, it’s about five days round trip.” Shen Junxi pursed his lips and gestured, “Do you want to go?”

“Yes.” If it was only five days, that wasn’t too far—it was just right.

“No, you’re pregnant. You can’t travel far.” Shen Junxi didn’t even need to think before firmly gesturing his refusal. It was the first time he had ever said no to Song Jingwei so resolutely.

“…” Song Jingwei was momentarily unaccustomed to it. Shen Junxi rarely denied him anything—most of the time, he would simply nod in agreement. But he had a point; traveling long distances while pregnant was indeed not a good idea. So, he said, “Alright, we’ll go after the new year.” It would just be a bit busier then, since lotus roots needed to be planted in early spring.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi smiled in satisfaction, looking at him with a gaze that felt like praise.

“…” Song Jingwei was speechless.

The two walked home together, encountering many villagers along the way. Their gazes would always linger—subtly or not—on Song Jingwei’s protruding belly. Some were simply curious, while others had a more peculiar look in their eyes.

Song Jingwei chose to ignore them, nor did he deliberately hide his belly. He walked as naturally as always.

Shen Junxi, however, was irritated by those people. As they walked, he subtly used his body to shield his wife from their stares, preventing them from looking too much.

“It’s fine, just ignore them,” Song Jingwei said when he noticed Shen Junxi was sulking.

“They’re not good people,” Shen Junxi gestured.

“Then let them be. Why care?” Song Jingwei replied, suddenly remembering a saying from modern times: I’m not the Chinese yuan; why should everyone like me? He chuckled and reassured Shen Junxi, “You’re not silver—why should people always show you a good face?”

“…” Shen Junxi had never heard such a saying before. He found it amusing, his eyes lighting up as he looked at his wife in surprise.

“Alright, let’s head back. There’s still work to do,” Song Jingwei said. He had been watching Shen Junxi roast tea over the past few days and felt it didn’t seem too difficult.

“Mm.” Since his wife didn’t care about those people’s gazes, Shen Junxi didn’t dwell on it either. There was no point in getting upset—he couldn’t just go and pick a fight with them. It was better if Song Jingwei truly didn’t mind. That was the best outcome.

At the end of November, the weather turned colder.

In the main house of the Shen family, all the thin blankets had been put away and replaced with warm cotton quilts. The ones in Shen Dongming and Yang Shi’s room were from last year, but when Song Jingwei saw that he had a few in his dowry, he asked Shen Junxi to bring one over for them. It was a proper silk quilt—light, yet warm.

“I’ve never seen such a good quilt before—so warm and so light,” Yang Shi said, touching it over and over. It was clearly much lighter than their homemade cotton quilts, yet it was incredibly warm when draped over the body.

“How could something our daughter-in-law gave be bad?” Shen Dongming chuckled from the side. He had quit smoking for more than ten days now, but in his free moments, his hands would itch for a pipe.

“That’s true. But I wonder if it’ll still be warm enough when it snows.” Yang Shi mused. Their winters weren’t terribly cold, and in late December or January, there were usually only a few small snowfalls. It hadn’t even snowed at all in recent years—who knew about this year?

“We’ll see when the time comes. If it’s not enough, we still have cotton quilts. We can just layer more on,” Shen Dongming said, forcing himself to resist reaching for his pipe. He was determined not to smoke anymore—for the sake of his grandson, he would quit for life. Yang Shi had warned him that if he continued smoking, she wouldn’t let him hold the baby. That was unacceptable—how could he not hold his grandson?

“By early January, Jingwei should be giving birth,” Yang Shi suddenly smiled, sighing as she did.

“Yes,” Shen Dongming grinned. Like his wife, he felt both emotional and excited. The entire family was eagerly waiting for the arrival of the next generation.

If the baby had been conceived in April, then a January birth made sense.

After their first visit with Doctor Hu, Song Jingwei had invited him again for a simple checkup. Thankfully, he said the baby was healthy, and that Song Jingwei was in good physical condition. However, he also cautioned against overeating—his belly was already quite large, which could make labor difficult.

Yang Shi and Shen Junxi had both been present at the time. Upon hearing that eating too much could be a problem, they panicked. After all, they were the ones constantly urging Song Jingwei to eat as much as possible.

“But my daughter-in-law has a good appetite—he can eat a lot. That’s not okay?” Yang Shi asked, concerned. If he was hungry but couldn’t eat, wouldn’t that be too miserable?

“It’s not that he can’t eat when he’s hungry—just that he should control himself and not overstuff,” Doctor Hu advised. The last time he had seen the pregnant husband, he had been as thin as a bamboo stick. Now, he was round and plump—a striking difference.

“That’s fine, then.” The whole family breathed a sigh of relief.