PWDLAW Chapter 7: The Big Adobe House
Chapter 7: The Big Adobe House
Ye Muyu recalled the memories of the original owner, feeling that the reason they seemed more genuine might be due to the original owner's simple thoughts, while Chu Heng, the scholar had deeper considerations.
"Mother, there's still a bit of floral cloth left in my room..." Chu Ziluo saw Ye Muyu not speaking and tentatively spoke. She couldn't discern any traces of anger on her mother's face, not even sensing any anger. This surprised Chu Ziluo and her mind was filled with confusion.
Subconsciously, she thought "This kind of mother is really good. It would be great if she never gets angry with me."
"Then go get it." Ye Muyu replied.
"Okay." Chu Ziluo happily stood up. The young girl appeared thin and pale but upon closer inspection, her face was delicate with arched eyebrows and her smile resembled a serene crescent moon.
"Go ahead."
As Chu Ziluo left, Ye Muyu, immersed in the original owner's memories, rose after a while and walked to the desk.
The desk was placed under the window, with two black wooden boxes on the left side—presumably Chu Heng's clothing. The one on top was accessible to her, but the bottom one, Chu Heng had instructed not to touch and it was also locked.
Next to the desk was the room door.
The courtyard of the Chu family was well-maintained, a small courtyard with five rooms and one main entrance.
The room she lived in was the front most one on the right side with a guest room outside and a woodshed adjoining it.
Opposite to where she lived was Chu Ziluo, the eldest daughter, living alone. Next to Chu Ziluo's room was Chu Jin's.
Beside Chu Jin's room was a mule cart shed.
Except for the two side rooms, the rest of the courtyard on the right side was used as a storage room. Chu Heng owned eight mu of paddy fields and five mu of dry land. According to the memory of the harvest, one mu of land yielded about two hundred catties of rice. With eight mu of paddy fields, the total harvest for the year was just over sixteen hundred catties. Due to Chu Heng's scholar status, he had a tax exemption but had to give forty percent to the tenant, leaving the family with just over nine hundred and sixty catties.
However, one hundred catties of rice only produced about sixty catties of rice, totaling four hundred catties of grains.
Chu Heng was usually not at home, there were only the original owner and the two children.
They couldn't possibly consume all of it.
But Chu Ziluo, this daughter, appeared thin and pale obviously not eating well.
The reason was simple— the original owner sold half of the grains for silver to buy cloth for Chu Heng.
She had never sent these cloths to her parents home, nor did she mention it to anyone. She quietly gave them to Chu Heng every year ensuring he had enough to wear.
Ye Muyu thought and reached out to open the wooden box. Inside, there were indeed several pieces of cloth mainly in dark colors.
Chu Heng, being a scholar could wear dark-colored or brown robes. Ordinary people mostly wore gray or white cloth clothes.
Chu Heng didn't like wearing green which the original owner knew. So, the clothes she bought for him were mostly black or brown.
After hesitating for a while, she took out a piece of black cloth.
Finding scissors, she sat on the bed, cutting slowly.
Chu Ziluo brought over the light-colored floral cloth from her room, along with the basket she usually used for needlework.
"Mother, there's not much fabric left. I can only make two pairs of shoe uppers."
"That's enough." Ye Muyu lifted the fabric and examined it. The color looked good, and with some embroidery on it, it would look even better.
However, when she picked up the needle, intending to embroider according to the original owner's memory, Ye Muyu felt a sense of awkwardness.
Even though she had memories of it, in reality, she had never done any needlework herself...
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