Chapter 014: Travel is Coming Soon

In stark contrast to his usual reticence, Grandpa Lu, after a few drinks, became boisterous and laughter-filled, as if trying to sweep away the grief of losing his wife and strive toward a new life. But everyone could tell that his facade of strength was paper-thin, ready to crumble at a touch...

Sure enough, within just a quarter of an hour, Grandpa Lu was drunk and tears mingled with snot, in a sorry state, even when he was helped to lie down on the kang, he still clung onto a blue-and-white porcelain jar from the cabinet.

Even the most clueless person could guess what was inside the jar. No wonder they rarely saw Grandpa Lu going to the grave; it turned out that he had left...at home!

Everyone exchanged glances, but no one spoke. After all, it was his wife; he could bury her or keep her at home as he wished, and it had nothing to do with them.

But it still felt somewhat taboo, and conveniently, they were full from eating and drinking, so they all bid farewell and went home.

Lu Xiaomi was busy in the kitchen and found the whole situation somewhat inexplicable.

From her own man, Liu Shenzi, Liu Shuzi secretly told Xiaomi a few things.

Xiaomi remained silent and ultimately made a bowl of sobering soup, which her big brother took over to Grandpa Lu. As for why it wasn't given to the eldest brother, it's because he went to the South Gate bakery.

Sure enough, in the dead of night, Lu Eldest Brother returned with his helping hand, Liu Xiaodao.

When Eldest Brother went out, he was wearing a sheepskin coat, a wolf fur hat, and a pair of cotton boots, but when he returned, he only had a padded jacket left...

Faced with his brother freezing nearly to death and nearly burying himself by giving away his belongings, Lu Xiaomi was simply too tired to speak.

Finally, the White family's hundred-day memorial was properly concluded.

After tidying up the kitchen and calling Yang Bo to bring the brewed medicinal soup over, as she went to close the courtyard gate, a wave of exhaustion suddenly surged over her.

In her memory, there was an inexplicable blank, and her father was eccentric, her eldest brother overly kind, her second brother only knew brute force, and her third brother was just a little bookworm...

It seemed as if something was slowly weaving a web, and she was the prey that the net was desperately trying to capture.

The snowstorm had started again, and large snowflakes fell gently from the sky, graceful and elegant, but unfortunately, the brash northern wind threw them into disarray as they fell into the dust.

Xiaomi clenched her fists and took a deep breath of the icy air. Even in her previous life, she struggled to get out of such hardships. In this life, with relatives, neighbors, and the memories from her past life as support, earning half a year's worth of daily expenses selling a small stick of candy wouldn't be enough to stop her!

Nothing could hinder her from becoming wealthy and living a life of luxury! She would overcome any obstacle that came her way!

The window of the east wing room had been open for some time without her knowledge, and the light shining through illuminated the stubborn look of a young girl clenching her fists and waving them at the sky.

Gao Ren squatted by the window, rolling his eyes and sneering.

Feng Jian threw down his book, closed the window, and casually said, "Time to sleep."

Of course, Old Yang nodded in response, but Gao Ren glanced at his master and then at a crack in the window, his eyes darting as if he had thought of something...

It snowed heavily throughout the night. Many people have heard this phrase, but few know what it actually means.

If a house is low, after a night of heavy snow, it's almost impossible to open the door. If there happen to be two trees behind the house blocking the north wind, then the snow piled up between the roof and the ground becomes the perfect track for mischievous kids to slide their sleds on.

Thanks to the blessings of the Lu family's ancestors, the Lu family courtyard was one of the most imposing and sturdy in the Old Bear Ridge, so they had no such worries.

However, the Lu family were still not at ease because it was time for Lu San to return to school.

The school that Lu San attended, the Deserted Plains Academy, was quite renowned in the Great Yuan and was one of the four major academies. Of course, part of the reason was that it was the only academy in the northern region, and it also had a good reputation for scholarly achievements, with its teachers being well-read individuals.

Lu San had shown great talent for learning since he was young. Three years ago, at the tender age of 12, he had passed the Child Scholar and Talent Scholar exams, and tomorrow he was to take the Imperial Examination.

At such a critical time, it was natural not to slack off. Due to the delay caused by the White family's hundred-day memorial, which had lasted for six or seven days, if he did not return promptly, he might not only fall behind in his studies, but also risk being criticized for laziness by the teachers.

Thus, as soon as the hundred-day memorial had passed, Lu Xiaomi began packing for her third brother, preparing to send him to the academy in the company of her tough and cold-resistant second brother.

Although there was still more than a month before the winter break, Lu San would quickly return after this trip to the academy. However, Xiaomi had prepared a lot of luggage for her brother.

She herself was completely unfamiliar with the Great Yuan, and in any case, wealth needed power to protect and support it, or it would be like a fat pig waiting to be slaughtered, with the more wealth accumulated, the closer to death it would be.

In the future, if her plan to become wealthy and successful was to be successfully implemented, she might not become the richest person in the Great Yuan, but she would undoubtedly be prominent in the small town of Anzhou. It was inevitable that she would attract the covetous glances of small-minded people, especially since no one in the Lu family had any official status or anyone to rely on for protection.

Therefore, Lu San's education was of utmost importance in the Lu family's affairs.

Of course, aside from all this, it was only right for a sister to take extra care in preparing for her brother's long journey.

Heading out in such harsh weather, thin clothing and cold food were the biggest concerns.

Lu Xiaomi is not good at sewing, so she had to ask Mrs. Liu for help. After killing chickens and rabbits, she saved the feathers and fur.

Feathers were scarce, and it took over thirty wild chickens to gather just over a pound. Lu Xiaomi hesitated for a while before deciding to make two pairs of feather cotton pants, one for Feng Jian and one for her third brother.

Rabbit fur was not considered rare. A dozen or so pieces stitched together made a cloak. Even with a hood and two sleeves, it wouldn't take more than twenty pieces.

There was only Lu Xiaomi living in the backyard of the Lu family, so Mrs. Liu didn't need to avoid suspicion. She simply brought her daughter-in-law, Guizhi, to live with them.

Both the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were skilled at sewing. One made cotton pants, the other made a cloak, and they were roughly finished in just over an hour.

The ivory-colored cotton cloth, finely woven and dense, wrapped the feathers, carefully sewn into small square pieces the size of a child's palm. Not a single feather could escape, and when held, it was light and soft. When covered with the dark blue cotton, it looked even more neat. Compared to the thick and heavy cotton pants, it was particularly appealing.

Mrs. Liu couldn't help but admire it and praised, "Xiaomi is so clever, using chicken feathers instead of cotton to make pants. Such a clever idea, she's really something!"

Guizhi, who married the eldest son of the Liu family, usually got along well with her mother-in-law. But everyone has their own selfishness, and she had been hearing her mother-in-law praise Xiaomi recently, suspecting that she was planning to marry Xiaomi to her younger son, Xiaodao. She didn't like it. Even if she was diligent and virtuous, with someone as clever as Xiaomi around, she would be seen as foolish.

But she couldn't say it directly at the moment, so she bit off the thread in her hand and shook the rabbit fur cloak, saying with a smile, "Yes, mother, look at this cloak, it's better than the ones sold in the city. The hat has a drawstring, which protects the whole head when tied, and the sleeves and front buttons are wrapped so tightly that even in a heavy snowstorm, there's nothing to fear."

Mrs. Liu also took the cloak and nodded in agreement, "Yes, even the cloaks worn by the rich in the city are just tied with a string. In windy weather, if the front isn't closed, it's easy to strangle oneself. This one is better!"

"We also have rabbit fur at home. Tomorrow, I'll make one for Dad and Xiaodao."

Guizhi smiled and her mother-in-law nodded in satisfaction, "Good, you are so filial and thoughtful."

Feeling guilty for troubling the Liu family to help with the work, Lu Xiaomi had just made some noodles in the kitchen. Carrying the bowls, she came in and heard their conversation. She laughed and said, "Auntie, what are you talking about? Why are you so happy?"

Mrs. Liu quickly took the tray from her and replied, "We're just praising your cleverness, this cloak is really comfortable to wear. Guizhi is thinking of taking the design back and making a few more."

"I just thought of it casually, how can my sister-in-law 'steal' it? If I say that, others will think I'm petty. Whatever my sister-in-law likes, she can take it!"

"Oh, sister, you're so generous. Then let me see your money box?"

Guizhi joked, and Xiaomi naturally knew, but she spread her hands and protectively guarded the cabinet behind her, pretending to be "annoyed," and shouted, "No way! Auntie, take your daughter-in-law away!"

Mrs. Liu laughed and pointed at the two of them, "You two are really mischievous when you're together!"

Xiaomi and Guizhi also laughed, and the three of them finished their meal and then worked on their sewing. Finally, they lay down on the warm kang for a nap, and by then, it was already dawn.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law of the Liu family said goodbye and went back to prepare breakfast for the family, while Xiaomi was even busier, preparing food for Lu's third brother.

She picked half a string of red peppers hanging under the eaves of the main house, chopped them finely. She cut a lean piece of pork into the size of soybeans, and minced the scallions and ginger. All the jars of various spices were brought out and lined up one by one...

The father and son of the Lu family, as well as Feng Jian and his servant in the east wing, had not yet woken up, but they could faintly smell a spicy fragrance, which rudely pulled them out of their dreams.