Rebirth of a Farming Wife

“Husband, look how impressive your daughter-in-law is! Don’t these mooncakes look especially beautiful, packaged like this? They have an air of elegance and luxury!” Su Wenyue said of her masterpiece, a touch of pride shining on her face, rejuvenating her spirit. Han Yu had originally wanted to dissuade Su Wenyue from doing these things, but seeing her so proud, he could not bear to stop her. His gaze then shifted to the few unique and clever boxes, and his eyes lit up.

“You’re saying this is a mooncake gift box?” Han Yu picked up one of the boxes and inspected it for a while. The box was not only exquisitely beautiful on the outside but also featured a concealed latch that could be pressed to open, revealing several mooncakes with different fillings inside. The patterns on the mooncakes were also particularly refined and attractive. Han Yu opened a few more mooncake gift boxes, which were divided into different levels of quality, some featuring two layers that could be pulled open like drawers, with more mooncakes in the lower layer, and each containing a set of utensils for cutting and eating the mooncakes.

Han Yu suspected that these boxes used the secret skills passed down from Lu Ban, not knowing what else his little wife’s brain contained to come up with such novel ideas, but he admitted that an ordinary food item had transformed under her craft. It now seemed unique and was dignified enough to be a gift, more so than typical gold, silver, or jade objects.

If the idea for the gift box was inspired by Noble Consort Li, the small mechanisms inside it were Su Wenyue’s own brainstorm. In her previous life, Su Wenyue had spent her spare time in the Sikong Family’s library and accidentally triggered a mechanism that uncovered a yellowed booklet, likely unknown even to the Sikong family—that was the secret of Lu Ban that Han Yu had suspected. However, Lu Ban’s secret skills were too ingenious, and Su Wenyue dared not reveal too much, using only the basics she knew for small touches like these.

“What about it? Isn’t this mooncake gift box nice! I was thinking of sending more embroidery work since it doesn’t cost much besides time, but now that I’m pregnant, the old women won’t let me do needlework. Embroidery isn’t that easy to come by either—larger pieces would take a whole month even with day and night work, so that plan is not feasible. And if there’s too much of something, it loses its rarity. My embroidery skills are good, but it’s better to use them at critical moments,” she said.

Su Wenyue selling embroidery for money or as gifts—aside from the fact that she was pregnant and the old women wouldn’t allow it—even if she weren’t pregnant, Han Yu would not agree. Previously, he didn’t know this was her intention and thought she enjoyed it, which is why he hadn’t stopped her. But now that he knew, he wouldn’t indulge her!

“That won’t do. Don’t even think about it in the future, even after the child is born. Doing too much embroidery could damage your eyes, and I, Han Yu, am not so destitute that I would need you to harm your body to plan for such things. If we’re ever short on silver, just let me know, and I’ll surely find a way,” Han Yu said unequivocally, his tone leaving no doubt that it was a matter of principle.

Su Wenyue didn’t argue with Han Yu and simply pointed to the mooncake gift box in his hand.

“I understand, we still have enough silver at home. But there are so many people we need to give gifts to: big holidays, small celebrations, births. We have to give gifts for all occasions, so it’s necessary to think of ways to save silver. That’s why I came up with this mooncake gift box. With this, adding a few pieces of cloth or some food will be more than enough,” Su Wenyue said, feeling proud that she was becoming increasingly virtuous and motherly.

Han Yu knew the reasoning behind Su Wenyue’s actions. Although he may appear to hold a minor office, if he was content with his current position, certain tasks could be optional. But if he aspired to climb higher, there were countless complex factors to consider.

“There’s no need to prepare other food items. In a couple of days, when I’m off duty, I’ll go to the mountains and hunt some wild animals to bring back. Adding those to the gifts will save us silver and also make them look better,” Han Yu mused after a moment.

“Prepare the gifts for my father-in-law and mother-in-law as well; make sure to include extra. I will personally review them before sending them off,” Han Yu considered how he had slain a tiger last time and hadn’t left any for his wife’s parents’ home. His father-in-law enjoyed wild game, so he planned to hunt more this time and send it to his wife’s family along with other presents. The support from his wife’s family had been immense recently, and even if he couldn’t repay them immediately, he certainly needed to show his gratitude.

Su Wenyue understood Han Yu’s intentions and nodded in agreement. Since that side was her mother’s family, it wouldn’t be right for her to differentiate too much between them and her husband’s family. She decided to leave this matter in Han Yu’s hands, feeling pleased that he had such consideration.

Han Yu had no objections to the gifts for his husband’s family, and the next day, Su Wenyue sent someone to deliver them.

Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang were currently discussing the arrangements for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Even though the Han Family had divided the household, it was still customary for everyone to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival together. The family ties should not be severed despite dividing the estate. Although they knew that their fourth son and his wife probably wouldn’t return from the military camp, there was a sense that the celebration might be less lively without them.

Mrs. Yang, thinking of the child in the belly of the Fourth Daughter-in-law, debated whether to send some food to them, since they were so far away and she couldn’t look after her daughter-in-law personally. This would be the time to nourish the Fourth Daughter-in-law, who had a delicate constitution, so the child in her womb would be born healthy and plump. It had been a long time since they had seen each other, and Mrs. Yang’s complaints about her daughter-in-law had faded, replaced by concern for her son’s family. As for Mrs. Wang, who was also pregnant, Mrs. Yang instinctively overlooked her.

“Father, Mother, come quick! The Fourth Son and his wife have sent someone to deliver our festival gifts!” Han Jincai and his wife were discussing something in the room when they heard the eldest daughter-in-law’s loud voice from outside.

Hearing that their youngest son and daughter-in-law had sent festival gifts, the elderly couple hurried out, only to see a well-dressed servant girl carrying a bundle enter the house. They recognized it was Xiao Xi, who had brightened their faces. Xiao Xi had stayed with the Han family for a while, and they had grown fond of her, setting her apart from other servants. It was for this reason that Su Wenyue had Xiao Xi deliver the gifts to her home.

Following Xiao Xi were two men also dressed presentably, likely to be Han Yu’s servants. Xiao Xi explained that they were the caretakers sent by the Su Family for their master and madam. The Han family members took a closer look, and indeed the two men seemed different; clearly, they had some training. They had an air about them even when they walked, exuding a bit more presence than the average person. The sight of their son becoming an official and even having caretakers made Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang swell with pride, and their faces lit up.

Xiao Xi and the others had arrived by horse carriage, quite a spectacle, and villagers gathered around the Han household to see what was going on. They had all heard that the Han Family’s Fourth Son had made something of himself as an official—some envied him, others were jealous.