Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 622

Chapter 622: Peace and Tranquility

An Zhi was awakened by the rooster’s crow. Pei Que was still asleep beside her. She slowly got up.

Looking at Pei Que’s right hand, which was bandaged, An Zhi reached out her hand, but before she could touch it, Pei Que opened his eyes first.

“Madam, you’re awake so early,” Pei Que said sleepily, his handsome features smiling at An Zhi. “I went to bed early last night, so I woke up early this morning too.” An Zhi’s hand was pulled by Pei Que. “Let me take a look at your right hand. Shouldn’t you change the dressing?”

“Not yet.” Speaking of his right hand, Pei Que rolled out of bed, walked to the square table, poured himself a cup of cold tea, and drank it all in one gulp. “My hand’s nothing serious. Madam, you should get up now. Yue’er will be awake soon too.”

An Zhi sighed. “You always say it’s nothing, but I see you always have trouble using your hand. Even holding our daughter is difficult. What will you do when she gets older?”

Pei Que paused. He also wanted to hold his daughter, but he couldn’t right now.

He was thinking of telling An Zhi the truth once things calmed down. Secrets could not be kept forever; the truth would come out sooner or later. So he had no intention of saying anything now.

An Zhi felt something strange about Pei Que’s right hand, but Pei Que always brushed it off, so she did not notice anything amiss.

“Madam, the hot water’s here.” Binglu knocked on the door, interrupting An Zhi’s thoughts.

“Come in,” An Zhi said to Binglu.

After washing up, An Zhi fed her daughter, leaving Pei Que in the room to watch her while she went to help with chores in the backyard.

Chunlan said it wasn’t necessary. “We can handle these small tasks. The kitchen’s so small; even Binglu and I cannot move around much. If you come in, it will be even harder for us to turn around.”

The kitchen was small, but not as small as Chunlan made it out to be; they were just worried about An Zhi.

Binglu agreed, “That’s right, Madam, you should wait in the front courtyard. Fusheng can chop wood, I can cut vegetables, and Chunlan can cook. The three of us are enough.” She ushered her young madam out of the kitchen.

Hearing this, An Zhi had no choice but to return from the backyard.

Her cooking skills were indeed mediocre. She had only learned to make delicate pastries and soups before, mainly for honoring her elders. Now that those skills were no longer needed, she went to the kitchen to help out, wanting to make things easier for everyone, unlike back in the Pei family.

However, even if the kitchen did not need her, there were other things she could do.

Back in the house, An Zhi found some fabric that Shunzi had prepared, intending to make new clothes for everyone.

From the capital to Ding’an, everyone’s clothes had holes. At least they were in a new home, not actually going fishing at sea, so if they had the means, she’d make new clothes for everyone.

An Zhi took out scissors and asked Pei Que to help.

“Hold these two sides down and straighten them. I will make you a new outfit first.” An Zhi had already drawn the fine lines; after cutting, she could start sewing.

Pei Que said there was no rush. “I don’t need to dress so nicely, but you should have a couple made. We will be staying here for a while, and as the madam, you will likely need to socialize with the neighbors, so you will need a couple of decent outfits.”

“Don’t argue with me,” An Zhi said, putting down her scissors after cutting two pieces of cloth. “Since we are staying here for a while, we need a proper name. Yesterday at the dock, I noticed the freight transport here is particularly thriving. Do you think we should set up a shop? We can gather information during the day, and we will have something to say if the neighbors ask.”

“Madam is very thoughtful. The shop’s already booked. Once we’ve tidied up the courtyard, we can start managing it,” Pei Que said.

In a place like Ding’an, there were countless people coming and going and all sorts of businesses.

Therefore, it was common for a new shop to open on the street, and no one would be surprised. This was also why Pei Que chose to settle here temporarily.

An Zhi asked what kind of business they should do. Pei Que told her to think of something. “I think we could do something inconspicuous. We only have Binglu and Chunlan now, so it’s not suitable to do business with men. How about opening a rouge shop? When we were in the capital, we often made our own rouge and face powder, all high-quality products that could not be bought outside. I think it should be good here in Ding’an.”

Pei Que was not planning on making money from the shop; he was not short of money. Hearing An Zhi’s suggestion, he immediately nodded and agreed.

An Zhi thought about it and felt that selling only rouge might not be enough to support a storefront. She thought she could also make clothes. After running Shuiyun Studio, An Zhi had gained some experience in making clothes.

The shop was settled.

After breakfast, An Zhi and the others cleaned the courtyard together and made some plans.

Looking at the open space outside the kitchen in the backyard, An Zhi called Chunlan and the other two over.

“Since we are going to be serious, we need to make the courtyard feel more homey,” An Zhi said, pointing to the open space. “This plot looks loose; I imagine the previous residents grew things here. Let’s use it to grow vegetables, perfect for spring. In the corner, Fusheng, go find some planks and build a chicken coop. We will raise a few chickens and have eggs every day. Just like the farmhouse we stayed in the other day, we need to make it comfortable, like a home.”

On her first night after leaving Huludao, An Zhi stayed at a farmhouse in the mountains. The night was quiet and still, the sky outside was full of stars, and they were self-sufficient in food and supplies. At that time, she felt that this was not so bad.

Binglu reminded her, “Madam, we need to go out and buy so many things.”

“Then let’s go,” An Zhi said. “The three of you can go out together later, but don’t go too far. While you’re at it, scout out what’s nearby.”

“Aren’t you coming with us?” Chunlan remembered that Madam quite liked going out.

An Zhi shook her head and said no, “I will go out after I finish tidying up the courtyard. Alright, you all go ahead; there’s still a lot to do at home.”

After arranging things for Binglu and the other two, An Zhi returned to her room, intending to continue making Pei Que’s new clothes.

Pei Que, soothing his daughter in the cradle, asked with a smile, “Madam seems to be in a good mood?”

“Not bad,” An Zhi replied, turning to Pei Que with a bright smile. “When I was managing the household in the Pei family, I was not this happy. Back then, I felt it was my duty, something I had to do well. Although this courtyard is small and far less grand than the Pei Mansion, here I can do whatever I want without anyone gossiping.”

The servants outwardly respected their masters, but privately they compared which master was more capable and knew how to handle people.

As the matriarch of the Pei family, An Zhi naturally had to do everything perfectly; her pride would not allow her to slack off. In Ding’an, the court’s turmoil was gone, and there were no more superficial friendships to maintain.

Although it was only temporary peace, An Zhi was still very happy.