Julie got back to the village around early evening.
As she entered, she passed a few villagers, nodded at them, and rode her horse, Little Black, faster toward home.
Julie wasn't the type to chat much with others, and she was also really hungry. All she wanted was to get home quickly and eat a hot meal.
When she arrived, she saw the three brothers and Mr. Leng standing at the door.
A servant delivering grain had just arrived and hadn't left yet.
She thanked the servant, who placed the grain by the door and then drove away. Normally, the grain carriers didn't help bring the goods inside.
Julie got off her horse, took five pounds of bream fish from the front of the saddle, and handed them to Bailee, asking him to bring them to the kitchen. She told him to cook some for dinner and save the rest since the weather would keep it from going bad.
Mr. Leng took Little Black to the backyard.
He tied the horse in the stable, gave it some hay, and after it ate, it gently rubbed its head against his hand. Mr. Leng patted its head; it was clear the horse understood people well.
Besides Julie, the horse was closest to Mr. Leng, who spent the most time with it.
Julie carried the grain to the backyard herself, using both hands to lift over a hundred pounds each time. After a few trips, it was all done.
She didn't let Haven or Lorrie help. They couldn't carry much anyway, and she didn't want them to struggle.
Especially Lorrie—she still remembered when she asked him to carry ten pounds of soybean oil. He held it with both hands, his arms shaking badly.
He walked so slowly and struggled a lot but still insisted he was fine.
Lorrie wondered if Julie had looked at him just now while carrying the grain. What did that look mean?
He hadn't done anything wrong lately.
He had just been thinking about helping, hadn't he?
Lorrie couldn't figure it out, and he always liked to ask when he didn't understand. He turned to Haven and asked, "Second brother, did you see Julie glance at me just now? What did it mean?" His lips pouted.
Haven hadn't noticed. It was probably just a casual glance. He was used to his little brother being overly dramatic.
He didn't think much of it. Lorrie did this a few times a day and would soon forget. He was carefree and got distracted easily.
Haven looked at Julie's back, a bit worried that she might be straining herself or hurting her hands carrying too much.
After thinking it over, he followed her inside.
Lorrie saw Haven heading in and went along too. It was freezing outside.
Julie placed some of the grain in the kitchen and stored the rest in the cellar.
The cellar was similar to a warehouse, but colder, which made it better for long-term storage.
As soon as she finished stacking the bags and came out of the cellar, she saw Haven waiting outside. As she stepped out, he placed a warm hand warmer in her hands.
Julie was caught off guard and almost dropped it by reflex.
Feeling the warmth, she looked up and saw the hidden affection in Haven's eyes. After a pause, she handed the warmer back to him.
"I'm not cold. It's winter now, so make sure you all stay warm. Don't hold back on using the scented charcoal cakes. I'll bring more next time I go to town. Call me when dinner's ready—I'll be in my room." Then she turned and left.
Julie had met kind people during the apocalypse too.
But there was no such thing as kindness without something in return.
It was the same with them.
They were more like partners sharing a life. She provided for and protected them, and they handled the household and helped where they could. They also fulfilled the needs between men and women.
She wasn't emotionless—just emotionally reserved.
She liked this balance. It worked well, especially since they were brothers, which made things smooth and harmonious. If a stranger joined in, that balance would be broken.
People naturally resist outsiders.
Like when Mr. Leng first came, the brothers were a bit guarded.
But over time, they accepted him. He was older, and they could tell Julie didn't treat him any differently. Eventually, he blended in.
Bailee made dinner quickly—it was ready in less than the time it takes for one incense stick to burn.
Maybe it was because all the prep work had been done earlier, and the rice was already steamed. So when his wife came home, all he needed to do was stir-fry the dishes.
For dinner, they had deep-fried dace fish. Each fish was golden and crispy, topped with chopped green onions and toasted sesame seeds. The aroma filled the room.
There were two more dishes: braised eggplant and stir-fried eggs with chili peppers.
Julie especially liked eating the fish on its own—it tasted better that way.
It was also the first dish served, so she ate quite a few pieces in a row. The bones were crispy after frying, so she could chew and swallow them easily without worrying about getting them stuck in her throat.
When the eggplant came out, she stopped eating the fish and focused on the eggplant and chili eggs with rice. She had one and a half bowls before stopping.
The fish was very popular. They had bought five pounds, but Bailee didn't cook all of it at once.
He only fried a little over a pound for this meal, which was enough for a full plate.
Lorrie ate the most. He said he could eat several pieces even without rice, and the tail part had a slightly sweet taste that he liked.
That night, Julie stayed in her own room.
The next morning, the three brothers got up and noticed it was much colder.
The weather had turned chilly, and they all stayed in bed longer than usual. It wasn't until after sunrise that they slowly got up.
When Lorrie went to the backyard to collect eggs, his hands were trembling from the cold.
Not only people were feeling the cold—animals were too.
They had laid thick hay in the chicken coop and rabbit hut for warmth.
The hens had also become lazy, laying only two or three eggs over several days, even though they had five chickens.
Lorrie kept complaining that once the weather warmed up, he was going to scold the chickens. Without his "company," the hens had gotten lazy.
With nothing much to do, the three brothers sat in the main hall, cracking roasted sunflower seeds and chatting comfortably.
The seeds had been brought over by Baiqi's husband, who said they had roasted too many at home and hoped the brothers wouldn't mind taking some.
Haven, being the most tactful, didn't go the next day but waited a few days before going to buy two blocks of tofu with some coins from his eldest brother. He also gave Baiqi's husband half a basket of boiled peanuts to taste.
They joked and talked politely, making it hard to refuse the offer. Baiqi's husband accepted with a smile after one polite decline.
Baskets didn't cost much in the countryside. Every household made them from bamboo. A skilled hand could weave one in about two hours.
Social courtesy worked like that.
Give and take—they didn't like taking advantage of others.
They hadn't interacted with Baiqi's family much before, so it was probably out of respect for their wife that Baiqi's husband had brought the seeds as a friendly gesture.
They told Julie about it later so she would know.
She nodded in agreement. It made sense.
Since the gift was given out of kindness, it was only right to return the gesture.
She wasn't good with social niceties, so she didn't pretend to understand more than she did.
It had also been a while since they'd eaten tofu, so buying two blocks to cook sounded like a good idea. She wanted something savory.
With the fire burning and everyone wearing thick clothes, it wasn't too cold inside.
They mostly talked about how this year seemed colder than last. Even though it hadn't snowed yet, the temperature had dropped suddenly. Luckily, their house was newly built and solid.
Julie only started thinking about the weather after hearing them talk over a meal.
Since she didn't farm or go out much, she usually stayed in her room to practice her skills.
Because she wore thick clothes and both the main hall and her room were warm, she hadn't noticed the cold.
At that moment, she remembered she still held the village officer title.
Since taking the post, aside from one case with Xu Hui, no one had come to her with any disputes.
She thought to herself that after eating, she should go walk around the village.
She wanted to check if any rooftops were damaged or needed help. She didn't want a sudden snowfall to collapse a roof and hurt or kill someone.
For lunch, they had noodle dumplings with a handful of fresh greens, chopped scallions, four eggs, and a few drops of sesame oil—cooked into a large pot.
They also stir-fried two side dishes: spicy shredded potatoes and chili stir-fried pork.
Because the dumpling soup had a lot of broth, Julie had three bowls before putting her chopsticks down.
It was less filling than noodles—each bowl was mostly soup.
After saying a few words to them, she put on a cloak and went outside.
Lorrie wanted to go with her, but she didn't let him.
He stayed home, behaving himself.