amaotonovel Chapter 173 Going Home
Chapter 173 Going Home
When Ning Xiaoxi returned to her own courtyard, she saw a small house built on the east side of the yard, with a long chimney emitting steam.
"Xiao Xi." Ning Ziqing quickly came out of the house, looked his sister up and down. Although there were some stains on her clothes and she smelled a bit strong, her face was rosy and her hands and feet were intact, so he was relieved.
"Brother, what's that house for?" Ning Xiaoxi asked curiously about the newly built little house.
“Dad said it was inconvenient to wash up here, so he specially hired someone to build a washroom.”
Ning Xiaoxi's eyes lit up. Even though she had smelled her own body a lot, she still knew how strong the smell was. "Can I take a shower now?"
Ming Luoying came out of the house carrying a wooden basin and pulled Ning Xiaoxi toward the small house. "We were in a bit of a rush. We should wait in that house until our hair dries before going back inside."
Ning Xiaoxi followed Ming Luoying into the small house. It was indeed small, with a fire wall separating the two rooms. The outer room had a small kang (heated brick bed) big enough for one person to lie on, and a stove next to it with a large copper kettle on it, which was currently emitting steam. The inner room had two bath tubs, one larger and one smaller.
Ming Luoying placed the wooden basin on the kang (a heated brick bed), picked up the large copper kettle, and poured water into the smaller bath tub inside. "This smaller tub is for my daughter and me. We'll wash our hair in it."
"Mother, the water bucket is at the door." Ning Ziqing's voice rang out from outside the door.
"Okay." Ming Luoying responded, and before she knew it, she had poured all the water from the large copper kettle into the bucket. She then turned around, opened the door a crack, and brought in the two steaming buckets from the doorway.
"Mother, let me do it." Ning Xiaoxi picked up a bucket, poured water into the kettle, and then put the kettle on the stove.
"Just boil the water in the pot here and it's ready to use."
"Mother, thank you for your hard work." Ning Xiaoxi pulled Ming Luoying's rough hands and sat her down on the kang (a heated brick bed), where it felt warm and cozy under her bottom.
How could Ming Luoying not smell the stench of blood and decay on her daughter, how could she not see her daughter's exhausted expression? "Xiao Xi, I've watched you grow from such a tiny little thing, slowly growing up, learning to call me 'Mother,' 'Father,' watching you learn to read and write with everyone, studying music, and gradually understanding things. That day when we were tied up and taken to the execution ground, I was truly terrified. Seeing your pale face, I thought that if I could save my Xiao Xi, I would do anything." Ming Luoying hugged Ning Xiao Xi's shoulders; those small shoulders hadn't even fully developed yet! "At the beginning of the exile, although your grandfather and second uncle comforted me, I still felt sorry for you. My darling is only thirteen years old, must she spend her whole life carrying the identity of a criminal? It's not that I'm greedy, wanting more after being able to live. It's just that my Xiao Xi shouldn't live like this!"
Ning Xiaoxi nestled in Ming Luoying's arms, holding her much slimmer waist. These events seemed to have happened a long time ago.
“Until you slowly became a Celestial Master and began to fight against demons.” Ming Luoying’s eyes filled with tears. “Mother doesn’t know how to pray anymore. My Xiaoxi has already stepped out of the range that Mother can protect.”
"mother!"
Tears streamed down Ming Luoying's face at that gentle call. "Later, you earned yourself a pardon, taught your brother how to be a Taoist priest, and earned a pardon for our whole family. Your mother is so proud; my darling has grown up." Ming Luoying hugged Ning Xiaoxi tightly. "Xiaoxi, before I married your father, I was also a pampered young lady raised in the inner chambers. After I married your father, he also doted on me. Ziqing and you are both my pride. You are both working hard, and I will work hard too. Actually, these chores aren't that difficult. As long as our family is together, nothing else matters."
Ning Xiaoxi looked up and gave Ming Luoying a big kiss on the cheek. "Mother, things will definitely get better and better for us."
Ming Luoying wiped away her tears and laughed out loud, "You little rascal, you're so unruly."
Outside the door, tears streamed down Ning Ziqing's face. After they dried in the cold wind, her skin felt a little stinging.
Ning Xiaoxi slept in bed for a day and a night, only waking up hungry at sunset on the second day.
After tidying up, she walked out of the room following the strong aroma of food. In the kitchen, she saw Ming Luoying talking to a woman. Upon seeing her come out, the woman quickly said goodbye and left.
“That’s the lady from the needlework shop in the West District Market. She wants to open a cloth shop and is still inquiring about the market.” Ming Luoying brought over a plate of cloud cakes and poured a cup of tea for Ning Xiaoxi. “After your father became a clerk in the county government, he had to be on duty on time. You rested when he came back yesterday. He said he would come back early today and bring you braised pork ribs from Zhenxiufang.”
Ning Xiaoxi sniffed and turned her head to see a clay pot on the stove, bubbling softly, and the aroma was coming from inside.
"Your brother specially bought a few old hens from a farmer early this morning to make soup for you. Doctor Zhao also sent some angelica and codonopsis over so you can take advantage of these few days to nourish yourself."
Ning Xiaoxi took a sip of tea to soothe her throat, savoring the aroma of the stewed chicken soup. Then she picked up a piece of cloud cake to eat. The cloud cake here wasn't as sweet and was a bit dry, so it needed to be eaten with tea. "Mmm, just the aroma is making my mouth water. Mother, the weather is getting warmer, and I think the snow in our garden has almost melted. Shouldn't we start planting vegetables?"
Ming Luoying smiled and said, "I don't know either. It's already the end of May here and it's still so cold. Your brother said he found an old farmer in a village outside the city, and he'll have him come over in the next few days to see what we can grow in our garden."
"I've heard that the land here is fertile. Although it can only grow one crop a year, the yield is still quite good. Didn't Mother go and buy some land?"
"The years are still relatively good now, and wars usually don't break out for several years. The taxes levied on the King of Youzhou aren't that heavy, so no one is willing to sell land easily."
Ning Xiaoxi nodded. Indeed, without major changes, few people would be willing to sell their means of livelihood.
“Mother has also registered at the real estate agency. She will notify us whenever there is land for sale, and we will buy it if there is a suitable one.”
Ning Xiaoxi poured herself some more tea. The cake was delicious, but it was also really dry. "What is brother doing?"
“Your second cousin’s fur shop is opening tomorrow. Now is not the time to sell goods. Just open the storefront quietly, set off a string of firecrackers, that’s enough to let everyone get acquainted and build up some customers.” Ming Luoying got up and took a plate of pastries from the cabinet. “Eat a little to fill your stomach first.” She turned around and turned the fire in the stove, adding two pieces of firewood.
"Wife, has Xiaoxi woken up yet?" Ning Shi asked as he walked in carrying a basket.