Grandma Qin stopped listening to Qin Junyao and her father talking. She called Mother Qin and Aunt Qin II into her room.
Qin Erniu and Qin Xiaoyu squatted by the door, eavesdropping. If Grandma started hitting someone, they could rush in to rescue them.
But they heard nothing. After a while, the two daughters-in-law of the Qin family came out with red eyes.
"Big sister-in-law, Mother, did Grandma scold you again?" Qin Erniu couldn't help asking.
Qin Erniu's voice was not quiet. Grandma Qin heard it clearly from inside the room. "Scold what? Get lost. Still want to learn martial arts? Go learn to be a gossip instead."
As a grandson, Qin Erniu could only touch his nose and stopped talking.
Aunt Qin II pulled her son aside. "Don't think of your Grandma like that. Your Grandma is fine. Go fetch water. The sun is good at noon, and the room will be warm. You brothers and your third uncle should have a good wash. Hurry up."
After instructing her son to do the task, Aunt Qin II turned to talk to her eldest sister-in-law.
Her mother-in-law had just given them money to prepare the food for the New Year and gifts. This was the first time they were in charge of major household affairs.
In the past, when life was poor, every copper coin had to be accounted for. All the money in the family was kept by Grandma Qin, and no one was allowed to have a single copper coin on them.
Now that Qin Sen's illness was no longer Grandma Qin's worry, and the family's life had hope, Grandma Qin was letting go little by little.
Managing a large family was too tiring.
After chatting with her father for a while, Qin Junyao went to gather firewood with Qin Daniu. She thought about the few unsavory fruit trees in her spatial dimension. She could dig them up, dry them, and use them as firewood.
The family had several rooms with heated brick beds, and firewood was used up quickly.
She truly admired how, with so many fragmented chores, her father and Mother Qin could still find time to help others.
Only by exchanging goodwill like this could the villagers be persuaded to lie for them within a mere month.
Mother Qin always closed the door when making cured meat indoors, and the drying process was also done in the utility room. No one could possibly see Mother Qin making cured meat.
.
Through her spatial dimension, Qin Junyao secretly brought more firewood home.
Qin Daniu was called by Mother Qin to take a bath. After Qin Junyao put away the firewood, she saw Qin Xiaoyu peeking through the crack in Qin Sen's door.
"Xiaoyu?"
"Ah! Sister, you startled me," Qin Xiaoyu patted her chest and hopped.
"What are you doing?" Qin Junyao listened. There was no sound from inside the room.
Qin Xiaoyu crouched down again and peeked through the door crack. "Uncle just took a bath. I want to see what he looks like."
Hearing this, Qin Junyao became interested. She mimicked Qin Xiaoyu and stood up, looking for a crack in the door to peek inside.
Before she could find a gap to see into the room, the door was suddenly opened from the inside.
Qin Xiaoyu, crouching, saw the person opening the door's shoe tips and pant legs, then turned and ran, leaving Qin Junyao to face Grandma Qin alone.
"Heh heh," Qin Junyao chuckled to cover her embarrassment.
"What are you giggling about? Come in." Grandma Qin pointed at Qin Xiaoyu, who was looking towards them, and closed the door after Qin Junyao entered.
Qin Xiaoyu stomped her feet in anger. Why couldn't she see what her uncle looked like?
If Qin Junyao knew what her sister was thinking, she could probably answer her.
Fearing that Qin Xiaoyu, being young, might say something she shouldn't.
"Grandma, are you sure my Third Uncle isn't Third Aunt?" Qin Junyao stood at the doorway, looking at Qin Sen sitting on a stool and wiping his hair, and asked Grandma Qin in surprise.
Qin Junyao had seen men with feminine features. Zhao Liangcai was somewhat feminine. Compared to the rugged appearance of other men, he looked more delicate, but no one would mistake him for a woman.
But Qin Sen, with his hair disheveled, sitting there, looked like a woman no matter how you looked at him.
And a delicate-looking woman at that. If Qian Duo was a small white lotus, then Qin Sen was a large white lotus.
Looking at Qin Sen's face, Qin Junyao had the illusion that she would give him whatever he wanted.
Grandma Qin bolted the door. "How could I not know if he's male or female? He was brought back as a girl back then."
"There were many families abandoning girls. After much deliberation, we chose your Third Uncle, but he turned out to be a boy."
Qin Junyao and Qin Sen looked at each other. "Third Uncle, can you say something?"
"What do you want me to say?"
The scene was a bit amusing. Qin Sen's voice was that of a normal man, which, combined with his face, made it sound like a male-female duet performance.
"Were you scared?" Qin Sen asked again.
"No, it's just looking at you, I feel a bit insecure."
Qin Sen smiled. "I want to tell you that with my appearance, I can only aspire to be a Xiucai (a scholar passing the imperial civil service examination). On the household registration, I have a scar on my face, so I cannot serve in court."
The household registration in the State of Qing recorded details quite comprehensively, including height, physical defects, and distinctive facial features.
After Qin Sen was lost twice when he was young, Grandma Qin had used dough and paper to create a scar on his face.
But as he grew up, juggling troupes, opera troupes, and even brokers would still show up for various reasons.
After Grandma Qin had fought off several waves of people, Qin Sen gradually made himself look dirtier and dirtier. Later, he often begged in the county town, making him hard to find when people came looking.
Over time, no one came looking, but Qin Sen grew accustomed to that appearance.
"Will my eldest niece be disappointed?"
Qin Junyao was a little dazed by Qin Sen's smile. She had never seen anyone so naturally beautiful.
"Ah? No disappointment. The imperial court is a place that devours people. Your appearance is not suitable."
"But you should still read. Being good at studying is important."
Grandma Qin took a wooden comb and went behind Qin Sen to comb his hair. "Yao Yao is right, but now that your body has recovered, if you can pass as a Tong Sheng (a lower level scholar) or Xiucai, then do so. Your nephews can also benefit from your influence."
"Sigh," Grandma Qin sighed, worried about how to find a wife for Qin Sen.
"Your son will listen to Mother. I will surely let Mother live a good life," Qin Sen sat up straight to allow Grandma Qin to comb his hair easily.
"Hmph, you should first think about how to repay Yao Yao for the medicine money she spent on you. And you want me to live a good life? You are all as weak as chicks, and you might not even live longer than me."
"Oh, Mother, be gentle. My scalp hurts."
"Endure it. Do you think anyone can have me comb their hair? Sit still."
Qin Junyao watched Grandma Qin and Qin Sen interact with a hidden smile, which reminded her of her grandfather. It felt good.
Qin Sen changed into the blue cotton clothes Grandma Qin bought for him in the Northwest City, put on a mask that covered everything above his mouth, and reappeared before everyone.
Of course, because his body was still very weak, everyone went into his room to see him.
Qin Xiaoyu looked at her uncle, who only revealed his mouth and chin, with disappointment. She tugged at Qin Father's clothes, asking him to tell her what her uncle looked like.
It was Qin Father who helped his younger daughter with her bath.
Qin Father was still thinking about how to describe his brother's appearance to his youngest daughter when Grandma Qin glared at Qin Xiaoyu. "Why are you asking? Ask me."
"Your third uncle is incredibly ugly, the kind of ugly that would give you nightmares."
"Then why did Grandma let my sister see him but not me?"
Grandma Qin looked at Qin Junyao. "Your sister paid for it."
Qin Junyao: ???