Julie saw that the dark blue clothes had a little green cypress embroidered on them. She thought to herself, "That's a nice touch."
She accepted the clothes and said, "They look great, I really like them. Thank you for your hard work."
At that moment, Bailee had finished cooking.
Julie put the clothes into the wardrobe and came out to eat. She really was a bit hungry.
When she got to the table and saw the dishes, a satisfied look flashed in her eyes—there was meat.
Braised pork, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a big bowl of wild vegetable tofu soup.
She sat down and started eating.
She poured some braised pork sauce over her rice. The rice soaked in the sauce made her eyes light up. It really did taste better that way. She ate one bowl of rice, drank two bowls of soup, and had a couple more bites of braised pork before putting down her chopsticks and going back to her room.
The three brothers also enjoyed the meal a lot.
Haven and Bailee ate calmly and politely, but still quickly.
Lorrie ate heartily, finishing two bowls of rice before putting down his chopsticks. He leaned back in his chair, holding his stomach, and let out a satisfied burp.
"Bailee, your cooking is amazing. This braised pork is rich but not greasy, and the sauce goes so well with the rice. I'm so full." As he spoke, he rubbed his belly, then suddenly pinched his side. Wait… was that a little belly?
Lorrie's joy turned into worry. Was he getting fat?
His expression changed from full satisfaction to slight confusion.
Bailee noticed and asked, "What's wrong, Lorrie?" Just a moment ago, he seemed so happy.
Lorrie sighed. "Bailee, do you think I'm getting fat? I'm already short. If I get fat too, won't I look like a squash?"
Bailee couldn't help but laugh, but still comforted him gently. "Don't worry. Being able to eat is a good thing. Besides, you're still young. You'll grow taller later. Don't overthink it. Just give it time. Be good, okay? Help me take the bowls to the kitchen?"
Lorrie quickly stood up. "Okay, okay! I'll move more." He picked up the bowls and headed into the kitchen.
The next day at the hour of the Snake.
An officer from the county office came to Julie's home.
Lorrie saw him and quickly went to call Julie.
Julie came out shortly after.
The officer was there to notify her that she needed to attend a meeting at the county office the next morning at the hour of the Dragon.
This happened once every month.
After the meeting, the magistrate would usually invite them to a simple meal, then they would go home on their own.
Julie nodded and thanked him.
After the officer left, she returned to her room.
Going once a month was fine with her.
She could also use the chance to pick up her monthly salary. Two taels of silver wasn't a lot, but it was enough to buy quite a few things.
She also planned to sell a gold bar and buy some things the house was running low on.
Otherwise, next time she took the three of them out shopping, they might not have enough money.
Julie returned to the main room and briefly told the three brothers that she had to go to the county office for a meeting the next day and wouldn't be home for lunch. She told them to eat normally and not to hold back.
Then she went back to her room and continued sitting cross-legged to cultivate. She had been working on breaking through the third stage recently.
The three brothers were a bit worried at first. Why was someone from the office suddenly here?
Once they heard it was just a meeting for their wife, they quietly let out a breath of relief.
Bailee went to the kitchen. He thought about how they still had a lot of flour, and enough meat and vegetables. Why not make dumplings?
Julie hadn't eaten his dumplings yet.
He had a pretty good sense of her tastes by now.
Basically, she wasn't picky.
She ate everything.
But her favorites were meat and anything made with flour.
She would still eat other things, just not as much.
Having made up his mind, he called Haven and Lorrie to help out.
Bailee handled the filling, while Haven and Lorrie rolled out the wrappers.
The filling was made with bok choy and pork.
Once everything was ready, the three of them started wrapping dumplings.
Haven and Bailee made neat dumplings that looked like little crescent moons.
Lorrie's dumplings looked more like plump little ingots—big and cute.
The three brothers made over a hundred dumplings and cooked them in several batches.
When they were ready, Lorrie carried out a plate of dumplings and called out loudly, like a little trumpet, "Wife Master, come out and eat dumplings!" The smell was delicious. He couldn't even remember the last time he had eaten dumplings.
Bailee and Haven were also serving dumplings, swallowing hungrily as they smelled the food.
"I know, I know," Julie replied, getting out of bed and walking over. Lorrie's loud voice was hard to ignore.
She sat down at the table.
Bailee gently said, "Wife Master, we put two coins inside the dumplings. Whoever finds one will have good luck and all their wishes come true."
Julie nodded. It was just a custom to follow.
Her large bowl held thirty dumplings. The remaining dumplings were divided among the three brothers, about twenty each.
Julie picked up a dumpling shaped like a gold ingot and noticed Lorrie staring at her.
She was confused. "What is it?" Was there not enough dumplings?
Lorrie looked a bit shy but also hopeful. "Nothing, it's just that the one you picked is the one I made. Try it and see if it tastes good."
Bailee thought, You only wrapped it, I made the filling. The soul of a dumpling is in the filling.
Even though he silently disagreed, as the oldest brother, he still gave Lorrie some face.
"Wife Master, eat while it's hot. It won't taste as good once it cools," he said warmly.
Julie nodded and took a bite. "Not bad. It's very tasty." The filling was well-seasoned.
Lorrie didn't say anything, but his eyes were full of happiness.
The three brothers also began eating quickly.
Lorrie was eating happily when he suddenly cried out, "Ouch!"
Everyone immediately looked at him, confused.
Haven asked, "What happened? Did you bite your tongue?"
Lorrie shook his head and spit out a coin from his mouth, eyes filled with surprise and joy.
This must be a good sign.
Bailee and Haven were happy for him. "Little brother, that's good luck! Whatever you wish for will come true."
Julie also thought he was lucky, but didn't think much beyond that.
Lorrie lowered his head, thinking… he wished that two months from now, he could become a man and give her children. Then he could play with the baby too.
Julie: "..." Not reliable at all.
After Lorrie found the coin, Haven and Bailee kept eating, secretly hoping to find the second coin. It was a meaningful sign of good fortune, after all.
They all ate seriously, and the number of dumplings in their bowls kept shrinking. But no one else said they had found a coin.
Bailee started to doubt himself. He was sure he had put in two coins. Did he remember wrong?
Julie took another bite. She paused at the hard texture and quietly spit a coin onto the table.
She didn't expect to be the one to find the last coin.
Haven and Bailee showed a hint of disappointment, though they quickly covered it up.
These things were left to fate. There was no use forcing it.
Julie finished her dumplings, drank a bowl of dumpling soup, then went back to her room.
She didn't really believe in luck, even if she acknowledged the custom.
People have to rely on themselves.
If wishes alone worked, why would people need to work hard?
It could be a nice hope, but it wasn't something to take seriously.
Julie sat cross-legged in her room.
After the meal, the three brothers each took on a task.
Bailee washed the dishes and cleaned the pots, Haven wiped the table and swept the floor, and Lorrie… went to chat with the chickens.