After lunch, Xiaoguo asked Zhuang Zhuang to bring her uncle back to the house to rest while she went to wash the dishes.

Zhuang Zhuang obediently stood up and helped Qin Anming back into his room.

Xiaoguo did not rest. There was so much to do that afternoon.

First, she had to tie the cows to the courtyard to free up that room.

Then, she had to make a trip to the county. Qin Anming was still sick, so she had to go and get medicine for him. She also had to buy a couple of bed boards to make a bed. On top of that, she had to get a wardrobe and some other daily necessities.

Additionally, she needed to get fabric. He couldn’t wear his clothes anymore. The patches were almost worn out. He needed new shoes too.

At the thought of this, Xiaoguo felt that time was very tight. She wished that she could split herself into two. At this moment, she was extremely envious of Sun Wukong¹. He could create a monkey out of thin air just by plucking a strand of hair and blowing at it. If only she had this ability!

Withdrawing her thoughts, Xiaoguo continued to work. After tying the cows and donkeys together, Xiaoguo brought the shovel into the house. Fortunately, she and Zhuang Zhuang were diligent in cleaning up the cow dung, so the room didn’t smell too bad. Apart from the fact that they cleaned the room frequently and always left the windows open, the cows did not really poop much in the house.

During the day, Zhuang Zhuang would sometimes bring the cows out to eat grass. Sometimes, he would let them sunbathe in the courtyard. By the time the cows got back, it was night time.

Xiaoguo used the shovel to clear the ground and piled the feces in the corner. The feces from before had been planted in the soil by Xiaoguo’s second attempt at planting vegetables. Now that she has another pile, it could be kept aside for planting potatoes and cabbage in winter.

Soon, the floor had been cleared by Xiaoguo. She fetched a bucket of water from the well and poured it on the ground. She continued to sweep the floor with a broom. After she was done, she scooped up the water with a shovel and threw it out.

When there was no more water, Xiaoguo poured more water onto the floor and repeated the process three more times. When there was no more smell in the room, Xiaoguo stopped the washing.

Xiaoguo then used a broom to sweep away the cobwebs and dust in the corners of the room. When the room was completely clean, Xiaoguo went out to wash her hands and clean the dust off her body.

She wanted to tell Zhuang Zhuang and Qin Anming that she was going out. But when she returned to the house, she saw that the two of them were sleeping soundly. She then quietly opened the door and went out with the donkey cart. Before she left, she closed the door tightly in case anyone sneaked in.

Xiaoguo drove the donkey cart to the county. She was already very familiar with the place. Very soon, she arrived at a medicinal shop selling a wide range of good quality stuff.

As soon as Xiaoguo entered, the shop staff called out to her.

“Do you need a consultation or just medicine?”

Hearing the other party’s polite tone, Xiaoguo felt a little relieved.

“I am buying medicine.”

After hearing the purpose of Xiaoguo’s visit, the shop assistant led her to the counter. An old man with a white beard asked Xiaoguo about her needs.

“My brother caught a cold from the rain and has been coughing. Due to malnutrition, his body is relatively weak, so I would like to get some medicine that I can boil for him.”

As he listened, he took notes with the brush in his hand. After writing down the last ingredient, he took the piece of paper to the medicine cabinet. The old man skillfully grabbed the herbs and weighed them. Finally, he wrapped them up and handed them to Xiaoguo.

“There are five packs of medicine in total. One pack per day. Boil them slowly for two hours. Consume them before bed.”

Xiaoguo made a note and handed over the money. She also asked for some medicinal herbs that could be used to make soup. There were wolfberries, lilies, Chinese ginseng, lotus seeds, and jade bamboo shells.

Xiaoguo saw that there was a medicine stove in the corner of the shop. When she asked, the shop assistant said that it was for sale. Xiaoguo thought about it and bought one so that she wouldn’t have to use the casserole at home to boil the medicine.

Xiaoguo carried the packs of Chinese medicine out of the shop and went to the pork stall. She bought a lot of pork bones for making soup.

As she drove the donkey cart to the borders of the county, Xiaoguo knew there was a family that made wooden furniture.

Xiaoguo came to the door and knocked. A boy of about five opened the door and looked at her from head to toe.

“Are you here to buy wood?”

Xiaoguo was reminded of Zhuang Zhuang when she saw him. She said gently, “That’s right!”

The boy led Xiaoguo to the courtyard. It was hard to tell from the outside, but when they entered, she saw that the courtyard was filled with cut wood. Even the corners were filled with small pieces of wood.

Xiaoguo really didn’t know where to walk. The boy walked in front of her, nimbly stepping through the gaps between the logs. Xiaoguo couldn’t maneuver through the piles of wood, so she stopped at the entrance of the courtyard and watched the boy leave.

“Father! Father! Someone is buying wood! Father!”

Xiaoguo remained where she was, waiting for someone to emerge.

With the boy’s announcement, the shop owner came out after a while.

“What do you need to buy?”

A beautiful woman came out of the house. She looked at Xiaoguo and asked.

“I need a bed, a closet, a study desk and stool.”

Xiaoguo told her the furniture that she needed. The bed and wardrobe were for Qin Anming, while the desk and stool were for Zhuang Zhuang.

After hearing this, the woman asked Xiaoguo to wait a moment while she went into the house to call for someone. Xiaoguo guessed that it must be her husband.

Sure enough, a well-built man came out of the house. His hair and body were covered in sawdust. After hearing from his wife that someone needed furniture, he came out and brought Xiaoguo to look at the furniture.

He introduced a lot of items, but Xiaoguo was a little conflicted. This was because the furniture he made was all so exquisite. Xiaoguo felt that every single one of them was suitable!

“I can’t pull anything that’s too heavy. All…”

Xiaoguo couldn’t decide. Feeling helpless, she could only throw the question to him and let him make the recommendations.

When the man heard this, he thought for a moment and recommended a set of furniture that was practical and not too heavy.

Xiaoguo handed over the money readily. The man called for his wife’s help to carry the items onto the donkey cart. There were a total of four pieces of furniture, and they cost a total of six taels of silver. After paying for the furniture, Xiaoguo pulled the donkey cart towards the center of the county. She still had to buy fabric for Qin Anming’s clothes.

Sitting on the donkey cart, Xiaoguo looked happily at the furniture she had bought. It was indeed worth it. The price was also very affordable. On top of that, Xiaoguo felt that the workmanship and material were definitely of top quality!

Xiaoguo arrived at the market. It was not market day, so there were not many people around. Only the shops were open. Xiaoguo went to the same fabric place that she went to previously.

As soon as Xiaoguo entered the room, she was greeted by the same woman from before. She recognized Xiaoguo too, so she brought her to look at the latest batch of fabrics. As usual, Xiaoguo picked out two pieces of fabric with a dirt-resistant color. She didn’t know how much fabric was required for making Qin Anming’s clothes, so she asked the shop assistant to help calculate the yardage needed by telling her Qin Anming’s height and weight.

The woman skillfully estimated the quantity. Xiaoguo then paid the bill and left. Like the last time, the woman gifted Xiaoguo with a set of needles and a few colored balls of threads.

Xiaoguo thanked her and got into the donkey cart. She went to the shop that specializes in shoes and picked out three pairs for Qin Anming. When she was packing some clothes in the morning, Xiaoguo saw Qin Anming’s shoe size, so she told the shop owner the shoe size she was looking for.

Finally, under the shop owner’s persuasion, she also bought herself two pairs of shoes. Seeing that Xiaoguo was so agreeable, the shop owner gave her two pairs of insoles. Xiaoguo then paid the bill and left with the shoes.

After Xiaoguo was done with her shopping, she didn’t dare to stop. She still had to piece together the furniture when she got back. She drove the donkey cart home.

When she reached the house, Xiaoguo saw Zhuang Zhuang squatting at the door with his head lowered, scratching the soil on the ground.

“Zhuang Zhuang, why aren’t you playing with Uncle in the house?”

Zhuang Zhuang heard Xiaoguo’s voice and raised his head abruptly. The joy in his eyes was almost overflowing.

“Don’t worry, Mother. I check on Uncle every now and then. I didn’t neglect him.”

Zhuang Zhuang puffed out his chest and smiled at Xiaoguo.

Xiaoguo took the hint and immediately understood. “Wow, how did my Zhuang Zhuang become so sensible! I’m so happy. With Zhuang Zhuang around, I can put my mind at ease!”

Zhuang Zhuang chuckled. Mother was the best!