Julie returned to the main room, and Lorrie looked surprised. "Wife-lord, when did you go out? I didn't even notice."
"You were too focused, naturally you didn't notice. Not bad, you're improving. Keep it up." Julie glanced at the clothes he was working on.
She thought to herself that he was doing a better job than she could. She could do basic sewing, but her skills weren't very fine or detailed.
Lorrie was still young and playful. His two older brothers spoiled and cared for him, so he had a childish but clever nature. When he could focus, he actually did well—if he could stay focused.
When Lorrie heard Julie's words, although his hands didn't slow down, a hint of happiness flashed in his eyes, and the corners of his lips lifted slightly.
Bailee soon brought breakfast over.
They had sweet potato porridge, vegetables stir-fried with lard, and a bowl of pickled vegetables with scrambled eggs.
Julie sat down, looked at the dishes, and ate two bowls of porridge before putting down her chopsticks.
She told the three brothers she was going out for a walk, then left the house quickly.
She felt a bit helpless.
She had already given Bailee the silver. That should've been enough to buy meat and vegetables.
So why were they still being so frugal?
Just from the dishes, she could tell the food at home was running low.
She figured it out, considering they'd had meat for several days in a row earlier.
Julie headed to the butcher first to buy meat.
The butcher wasn't surprised to see her. Even a village head needed to eat meat sometimes.
Some villagers came often to buy meat—half a pound, a pound, even two—but not many were as generous as Julie, who bought several pounds at once.
So when the butcher saw her, she smiled brightly. But her smiling face paired with the cleaver in her hand looked a little off.
Julie gave her a polite nod.
"Julie, buying meat today? Which cut do you want? Just butchered this morning, still fresh."
Julie noticed the blood on her hands and face, confirming the meat was fresh.
"Five pounds of pork belly, and I'll take these two ribs too." Julie remembered they still had lard and pork cracklings at home, so she didn't want fatty meat.
"Alright, that'll be seventy-five coins." The butcher quickly weighed everything.
Julie handed over the coins.
Seeing she bought a lot, the butcher gave her a pig tail and a basket for free.
Though it didn't have much meat, pig tail was said to be good for the skin.
It would make a husband's skin look smooth and rosy.
The pig's feet had already been given away earlier; otherwise, she might've given her that too.
Lorrie: "..." Thanks for giving it away first, I guess.
Julie thanked her and headed to Whitey's tofu stand.
She had enjoyed the tofu pudding Bailee made last time.
She didn't like sweet things much, so this time she planned to try the salty version. She decided to buy two blocks of tofu.
Whitey was a cheerful and open person.
When she saw Julie, her tone was friendly but not overly flattering. "Julie, welcome! How was the tofu last time? Did you like it? How many pieces do you want today?"
Julie nodded. "It was good. Give me two blocks."
Whitey beamed with joy. Nothing made someone selling food happier than a customer returning for more.
Because she was happy, she gave her an extra half block for free.
Julie thanked her, placed the tofu wrapped in lotus leaves on top of the basket to avoid squishing it.
She didn't like to fuss over small courtesies. If someone was kind, she remembered it and came back next time.
Julie remembered they were running low on eggs and vegetables at home, so she went to the same house where she had bought eggs before. She bought thirty eggs, six tomatoes, five cucumbers, three eggplants, a bunch of celery, and a bunch of green onions.
The eggs were still three wen each. Altogether, the total cost was 112 wen.
Eggs were not cheap in this era.
Julie didn't know when the chickens at home would start laying eggs, so she had to buy some for now. Just because they were expensive didn't mean they could stop eating them.
The woman selling the eggs was around thirty years old and named Zhang Yu. She liked raising chickens and growing vegetables, and her prices were fair.
If you went to the town, the prices were the same, but you'd also have to pay for the ox cart ride and endure a bumpy half-hour trip.
Because Julie bought quite a bit, Zhang Yu gave her two baskets and a free bunch of "qi yang grass" (which was actually Chinese chives).
As she handed it over, Zhang Yu gave her a teasing look and said it was good for women.
Julie paid and thanked her, then headed home with the groceries.
In the post-apocalyptic world, Julie rarely cooked, but it wasn't that she couldn't. When she saw the qi yang grass, she didn't recognize it at first, but while walking home, she suddenly realized—it was just chives.
Julie gave a helpless sigh.
Still, it was a gift, and food shouldn't be wasted.
When Julie returned home, she saw the three men working seriously in the main room, making winter coats. She didn't interrupt and quietly placed the groceries in the kitchen before heading back to her room.
By the time Bailee, Haven, and Lorrie finished fluffing the cotton and sewing the coats, it was already late.
The three of them stretched their sore arms. Bailee looked outside and suddenly realized how late it was. He quickly went into the kitchen to prepare dinner.
The moment he walked in, he saw the three baskets Julie had left—full of eggs, meat, and vegetables.
Bailee felt both ashamed and touched. It wasn't that he was stingy.
After living through hard times, he had developed the habit of being careful. Even with money in hand, he was used to holding onto it. He believed every coin should be stretched to its fullest use.
In his mind, saving money now meant not being caught short when Julie needed it later.
Julie never pressured him. She was always quietly handling things for the family, taking on the responsibility of being the head of the house.
Bailee quickly called Haven to help him cook.
Lorrie brought the two new coats they had made for Julie.
"Julie, open the door. I'm bringing your coats."
Julie was thinking how fast they were, unfolded her legs, and went to open the door.
When she did, she saw Lorrie holding two coats—one made of gray linen and the other of dark blue satin.
Even though Julie had said rough fabric was enough, the three brothers had discussed it and decided to make both.
They thought that even if Julie didn't care, other people outside would judge by appearance.
They all agreed that satin looked better and more impressive on her.
The dark blue fabric was chosen by Haven. He thought it suited her temperament well.
They no longer feared her like before.
Julie never minded small things and wouldn't get mad over something like this.
Lorrie felt a bit awkward, worried that she might look too good and attract unwanted attention when she went out.
But at the same time, he felt proud. No way would Julie ever look at those giggling, shallow girls.