Chapter Twenty-Six: Hand Over the Silver

The girl's sudden shout startled Mrs. Li beside Xiao Ding. Er Niu, who had just taken a few steps outside, heard it as well and stopped, turning back with astonishment to look at the girl in red and Xiao Ding.

Zhao Lai Xi, standing nearby, was unfazed, thinking to himself that it was fortunate she hadn’t woken up and slapped Xiao Ding right away this time.

Xiao Ding frowned but said nothing.

"Miss, you're awake?" Mrs. Li spoke gently.

The girl in red looked at Mrs. Li, then at Zhao Lai Xi beside Xiao Ding, and finally noticed Er Niu not far away.

"You scoundrel! Where is this place? Where did you bring me?" she demanded.

"Are you ever done? I kindly rescued you, brought you home, and found a doctor to treat your wounds, and this is how you treat your benefactor?" Xiao Ding straightened up, his expression darkening.

"I..." The girl seemed to realize that repeatedly calling him a scoundrel was inappropriate, so she softened her tone. "You found a doctor for me?"

"Yes, child, the doctor just left," Mrs. Li added from the side.

At that moment, Xiao Ya, Xiao E, and Xiao Zhu, hearing that the girl outside had awakened, left the house to come and check.

"Big sister, you're so pretty!" Xiao Zhu said in a childish voice to the girl in red.

Surrounded by so many people, the girl in red felt at a loss and stared blankly at Xiao Ding.

Xiao Ding rolled his eyes at her lazily and introduced, "This is my mother, these are my sisters, and the one you've already seen is my eldest brother-in-law, Zhao Lai Xi." As he finished, he thought to himself, weren’t you so headstrong before? Why are you silent now?

"Miss, if Xiao Ding has offended you, don't take it to heart. He's a fool, you know. When he was young, a donkey kicked his head and injured him. Now that you're in our home, rest assured and recover here. Our family is poor, but we won’t ignore you," Mrs. Li said.

Ah? So he’s actually a fool! Kicked in the head by a donkey? Why didn’t I notice he was slow? No wonder he’d go buy women’s clothes! Wait, that’s not right! The girl in red glanced at Xiao Ya, Xiao E, and the others. On the road earlier, she thought she glimpsed women’s clothes in the donkey cart. Perhaps he bought them for his sisters?

Since his mother said he’s a fool, she must be right. There’s no need to fuss with him anymore.

Having resolved her thoughts, the girl in red relaxed, forced a smile, and said, "Thank you, auntie, for taking me in! Your son and I may have had some misunderstandings, but it’s all fine now."

"That’s good, that’s good. You don’t sound like a local, may I ask your name and where you’re from?" Mrs. Li inquired.

"I—my name is Tang Yunzhi. I’m from Shuzhou, and I came to the Luoxia Mountains to search for a medicinal herb," the girl in red, Tang Yunzhi, replied.

"Oh, so you’re Miss Yunzhi. These are my daughters: Tian Xiao Ya, Tian Xiao E, Tian Xiao Zhu…" Mrs. Li introduced them one by one.

Seeing the women chatting happily, Xiao Ding realized he had nothing to contribute and went to the backyard, where Tian Xiao Fu was tending the fire to steam buns, while Er Niu brewed medicine beside the big stove.

The Tian family had only one large stove, no small pots or stoves. Er Niu propped up a clay jar with bricks, boiling the medicine with a fire underneath. Poor families in the countryside often brewed soup and medicine this way.

Originally, Xiao Ya was to heat the buns, but Tian Xiao Fu, eager to eat them, volunteered to tend the fire.

Xiao Ding found an old wooden tub, filled it with water, and soaked the wolf skin he had peeled last night.

As for tanning animal hides, a few terms flashed through Xiao Ding’s mind: alum, salt, free sulfuric acid. He couldn’t recall their exact meanings or their relationships, but he remembered an ancient method for tanning hides: the first step was to soak the skin in water to soften it.

The second step was to scrape off the residual flesh and dirt from the hide with a knife, then wash it in warm alkaline water with a brush to remove grease and grime completely, which also killed any parasites hiding in the fur. For alkaline water, Xiao Ding thought of using a solution made from soap nuts. People of this era used soap nuts to wash their hair, bathe, and clean clothes. Soap nuts were alkaline; he could chop them, squeeze out the juice, and dissolve it in water to make the alkaline solution.

The third step was air drying. Lime or wood ash could be sprinkled on the hide, then placed in a cool, shaded area to dry, removing all moisture.

The fourth step was softening. Applying grease or animal fat to the hide’s surface, then repeatedly kneading and beating it, would make it supple. The more thoroughly it was worked, the softer the hide would become.

Once the hide was completely softened, it could be made into clothing.

Tanning a hide took several days. With the wolf skin already soaking, Xiao Ding planned to start the second step in the morning.

By now, the stove had brought the pot to a boil; in another short while, they could eat dinner. The medicine in Er Niu’s pot was boiling as well; she simply tended the fire, simmering it gently.

"Is that sister’s leg truly beyond healing?" Er Niu asked as Xiao Ding came over after finishing with the wolf skin.

"Not necessarily. Ordinary doctors can do nothing, but perhaps I can help her with spiritual power. However, my skills are still shallow, and my spiritual strength limited; whether I can manage it is uncertain. Besides, I’ve never used spiritual power to heal someone before, so I’ll need to figure out the process as I go," Xiao Ding replied.

"Big brother, can I try a bun first?" Tian Xiao Fu piped up nearby. He’d been waiting so long, his stomach rumbling for the buns.

"Sure, I think they must be hot by now. Go call everyone and get ready for dinner," Xiao Ding said with a smile, patting Xiao Fu’s head.

"Alright!" Xiao Fu answered and ran to the front yard.

Everyone enjoyed dinner immensely; meat buns were a rare treat, almost never seen even during the New Year in the Tian household.

Xiao Zhu carried two buns in a bowl, scampering over to bring them to Tang Yunzhi. She adored this beautiful big sister, thinking her appearance, clothes, and all the jewelry she wore on her head, ears, neck, and hands were lovely. She never knew girls could be so beautiful; she had never seen anyone so pretty before.

At the low table inside, Tian Da Bao glanced at Zhao Lai Xi, then at Xiao Ding, and said to Xiao Ding, "Did you have silver left over today?"

"Yes, seventeen taels," Xiao Ding replied, chewing a meat bun.

"Bring it out after dinner. Save it for Xiao E’s dowry and to help Xiao Fu marry," Tian Da Bao said bluntly. He didn’t mention how much silver had been spent today; since it was already gone, complaining was useless. Getting the remaining silver was what mattered.

Xiao Ding was surprised. He hadn’t expected his father to ask for the silver. But thinking it over, it was all the same since they were family. He understood Tian Da Bao’s reasoning.

"I was planning to use the silver to rebuild the house, but since you have other uses for it, I’ll give it to you. I’ll find a way to earn more for the house," Xiao Ding said as he took out the seventeen taels from his coat and placed them in front of Tian Da Bao.

"Big brother, you want to rebuild the house?" Tian Xiao Fu asked excitedly.

"Yes, I do. This house is too worn down; it’ll be terribly cold in winter. Once I earn more money, we’ll start building," Xiao Ding replied.

Nearby, Xiao Ya, Xiao E, and Er Niu listened, their eyes sparkling. Were they hearing right? Was the fool really going to earn money and build a house? Could this be true...