Farming Family's Pocket Dimension: A Charmed Little Lady Comes to Farm

Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Preparations before Departure

The next day, they had someone come and slaughter the family pig.

Mrs. Chen salted half the meat for curing and had Gu Fei put the other half away.

Next, they used flour and coarse grains to endlessly steam buns and make flatbreads. At Gu Fei’s suggestion, Mrs. Chen and Li Chunhua also made dumplings. They prepared some with pork and cabbage and some with pork and pickled greens, but the majority were filled with just wild vegetables—they had picked the mountain behind their house almost bare.

The women of the Gu Family worked day and night and finally managed to finish three sheepskin coats.

Mrs. Chen thought, ’One for the old man and me, and the last one for Gu Fei.’

But then it occurred to her: the old matriarch didn’t have a sheepskin coat. It would be terribly improper for them to wear one if she didn’t.

Mrs. Chen looked at Gu Fei and asked hesitantly, "About these coats... what if we give one to your grandmother? Little Fei, would that be alright?"

Gu Fei nodded. "Of course. You can just take it to her, Mother."

Mrs. Chen smiled. ’And to think Mother-in-law called Little Fei an ungrateful brat,’ she thought. ’Look how filial my Little Fei is.’

After all, the silver for the sheepskins had all come from Little Fei; the family didn’t have a single coin to its name.

"Alright, I’ll take it over right now."

Brimming with excitement, Mrs. Chen hugged the sheepskin coat and headed out the door.

She walked into the adjacent courtyard and called out in a loud voice, "Mother!"

The old matriarch answered impatiently from inside the house, "What do you want?"

Mrs. Chen hurried inside and presented the sheepskin coat with a wide grin. "That girl, Little Fei, is so filial. She used her own money to have her older brother buy some sheepskins and make a few coats, and she said one was for you."

"Since we’ll be leaving for the south soon, she was worried you’d be cold on the journey."

The old matriarch ran her hands over the thick wool and snorted. "Her, be filial to this old woman? I don’t believe it for a second."

Mrs. Chen said with a playful pout, "Mother, the coat is right here in front of you. How could it be fake? If you don’t want it, I’ll just take it back and wear it myself."

The old matriarch clutched the coat tightly. "It was given to me, so it’s mine. No one else can even think about it."

She looked at Mrs. Chen. "Go back and tell Gu Er that I acknowledge his filial piety."

’A coat like this must be worth several taels of silver,’ she thought. ’Now *that* is true filial piety.’

’Little Fei gave it? Nonsense. Only her son could have such a filial heart.’

"Very well, I’ll tell my husband when I get back."

The old matriarch suddenly added, "And another thing. In a couple of days, you all can go if you want, but I’m not going."

Mrs. Chen frowned. "Mother, how can you say that? Even Eldest Sister is coming with us. If you stay behind by yourself, who will take care of you?"

The old matriarch shook her head frantically. "I’m not going, and that’s final! I don’t have many days left. If I leave now, I’ll never be able to come back. These old bones of mine must be buried next to your father."

Mrs. Chen was about to try and persuade her, but she figured the old matriarch wouldn’t listen. She simply nodded. "Then I’ll be heading back, Mother."

When Mrs. Chen got home, she told Gu Zhang what had happened. Gu Zhang just waved his hand dismissively. "Don’t worry about her. You can’t reason with her. When the time comes, we’ll just have to carry her away."

Listening from the inner room, Gu Fei couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

’Dad really knows how to handle Grandma,’ she thought.

Just then, a woman’s voice called from the courtyard gate, "Is Second Sister-in-law Gu at home?"

"I am!" Mrs. Chen called back.

A very neat and tidy-looking woman walked in.

Mrs. Chen ushered her into the house. "Shanzimama, please, come in and have a seat."

Shanzimama was carrying a paper-wrapped package. She handed it to Mrs. Chen. "I heard Little Fei was back and had been injured. I’ve been so busy packing things up these last few days that I haven’t had a chance to come and see her."

"Here are two pounds of brown sugar for Little Fei. It’ll help her recover."

Mrs. Chen instantly felt that the package was a tricky thing to accept. Two pounds of brown sugar was no small gift, especially now, with the drought forcing every household to tighten its belt. She was reminded of a saying her husband was fond of: when someone gives you a gift, they must be seeking something in return.