The two of them began to talk. Su Caier had just been crying, her tears streaming down her face. She felt reluctant to leave. However, after a while, her tears turned into smiles. She was filled with an unprecedented sense of relief. Zhao Ce noticed the improvement in the little girl's mood and a smile appeared on his face as well.
By the time Su Caier finished tidying up the kitchen, it was already noon. Zhao Ce looked at her slightly swollen eyelids as she stood in front of him. "Husband, I'll make shoes for you..." Zhao Ce held her hand and asked, "The grass in the field has been cut almost completely. I'm planning to take it to the village behind and sell it. Do you want to help me?"
Zhao Ce didn't have any other intentions. He thought that since the little girl had just finished crying, he wanted to take her out for a stroll and help her change her mood.
Upon hearing her husband's request for help, Su Caier happily replied, "I want to go!"
Zhao Ce pinched her little face. "Alright, let's go." Zhao Ce found the cart in the house and swept away some grass. He then piled a bunch of clean grass on it. Su Caier walked out of the house, holding an old straw hat she had found somewhere, and handed it directly to Zhao Ce.
"Husband, it's sunny. You can wear this." Zhao Ce took it and simply placed it on his head. Although it looked a bit funny, Zhao Ce didn't mind at all. He nodded towards the position of the cart. "Get on, I'll pull you." Su Caier didn't hesitate and sat directly at the back of the cart. Zhao Ce pulled the cart and said with a smile, "Let's go, time to work!"
After saying that, he pulled the cart with Su Caier and walked out of the house. The sun was still shining brightly. Every household was busy drying their grain. There weren't many people on the road. Zhao Ce pulled the cart until they reached their field. Uncle Liu and his son had already cut about half of the grass.
Since the grass in Zhao Ce's field didn't need to be harvested urgently like crops, they took the opportunity to rest at home during the hot weather today. Zhao Ce and Su Caier directly piled the tied grass onto the cart. Although Su Caier looked petite and thin. When it came to work, she was incredibly efficient. The young couple quickly tidied up the newly cut grass on the ground. Zhao Ce wore a straw hat, his forehead covered in sweat from the heat. Su Caier's small face was flushed from the sun.
After piling all the grass onto the cart, it was stacked even higher than a person. They tied it securely with ropes. Zhao Ce pulled the cart and let Su Caier sit on the cart shaft. With a little effort, he lifted the cart and started pulling it. Su Caier softly asked from behind, "Husband, should I get off and walk?" "When we reach an uphill, I'll push the cart for you," Zhao Ce replied. "No need," he smiled and said, "Let's go." They departed from Shuiqiao Village and headed towards the village below. If the load was heavy, it would take about half an hour. But Zhao Ce was strong and pulling the cart full of grass didn't hinder his progress at all. They walked along the main road of the village, with Su Caier and the tall stack of grass on the cart.
Some people drying grain outside noticed the actions of Zhao Ce and Su Caier and were somewhat surprised. Su Caier felt a bit shy but still sat on the cart shaft, stealing glimpses of her husband's back. Zhao Ce continued pulling the cart, his feet not stopping, until they reached the neighboring village downstream.
After asking about the household that raised pigs, they directly delivered the grass to them. It was the busy farming season, and the pig farmers didn't have time to cut grass for pigs. When they saw Zhao Ce bringing the grass over, they accepted it directly. They sold the cart of grass for thirty copper coins. Zhao Ce thought to himself that this trip seemed to be a loss. He had sweated a lot and only earned thirty copper coins.
For his current wealthy self, these thirty copper coins were nothing. After receiving them, he immediately told Su Caier beside him, "Here, hold them." Su Caier reached out her hands and held the thirty copper coins, counting them one by one. After finishing, her big eyes curved and she said, "Husband, there are thirty." Zhao Ce looked at her face, reddened by the sun, with slightly swollen eyelids, but she was smiling brightly. He felt that this trip might not have been as much of a loss. He smiled and said, "Let's go back." Saying that he carried the little girl and sat her at the back.
He pulled the cart and embarked on the return journey. Although Su Caier followed along, she didn't help her husband much. However, she held the freshly obtained copper coins in her hands. As she looked at the scenery continuously receding around her, her mood completely relaxed. After thinking for a moment, she climbed from the back of the cart to the front. She softly called out, "Husband." Zhao Ce replied with a sound of acknowledgment, "Hmm." After a moment of silence, when the little girl didn't continue speaking, he asked, "What's wrong?" Su Caier cheerfully said, "Nothing, I just wanted to call out to husband." Zhao Ce also smiled.
As he was distracted, Zhao Ce stepped on a stone and slipped. The old shoes on his feet, unable to bear the weight any longer, revealed his toes through the worn-out soles. Zhao Ce stopped and helplessly looked at his worn-out shoes with exposed socks.
Su Caier saw him stop and asked in confusion, "Husband, what's wrong?" Zhao Ce said, "My shoes have a hole." "Let's take a look when we get back." Saying that he resumed pulling the cart. Su Caier watched her husband's footsteps pulling the cart unaffected and finally let go of her worries. The soles of their shoes at home were already in good condition. She would fix them later. It was estimated that her husband would have new shoes to wear tomorrow.
After returning home, Zhao Ce felt as if he had been drenched in water. He took off the worn-out shoes and put on his slippers. He went to the courtyard, fetched water, and took a bath. When the little girl came back, she immediately retreated to her room. She only came out when it was time to cook. After having their meal and washing up, Su Caier didn't hesitate to use lamp oil tonight. She directly lit the oil lamp in the house and continued working on the unfinished shoes in her hands.
Zhao Ce sat beside her, curiously observing her skilled movements. She sewed stitch by stitch, the dim light casting a glow on her small face. Su Caier felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze, so she whispered, "Husband, you should lie down on the bed first, and I'll finish this soon." "It'll be quick..." Zhao Ce said, "It's alright, I'm just curious to watch." "You do your work, don't mind me." "By the way, let's not do these needlework activities at night with the lamp lit in the future." "Otherwise, it won't be good for our eyes when we get older." People in ancient times lacked vitamins, and many had night blindness. Moreover, women who did needlework for a long time generally had poor eyesight when they grew older. They couldn't see things clearly. The little girl was still young, but precautions had to be taken.
After listening to his words, the little girl whispered, "Husband, your shoes are broken." "If you don't have shoes to wear tomorrow." "I don't know when you'll have to go out, so I have to finish them quickly." Zhao Ce's heart warmed. He had originally planned to go out of the city to find Zhao Wenhua tomorrow. He smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll bring out a book to read." "I'll keep you company for a while longer." After saying that, he retrieved a book from the bookcase and read it under the lamplight. The little girl continued with her task at hand. The room fell into quiet tranquility, occasionally interrupted by small sounds.
