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"Genshan, let me hold Man'er." Liu Fang closed her in-laws' bedroom door and reached out her hand to Xu Genshan.

The little girl was initially fine in her arms, but then she climbed into Xu Genshan's arms, played by herself for a while, and then fell asleep.

"It's so light, I can hold it without any problem." Although the little girl in his arms was very light, Xu Genshan still held her very carefully, as he was clumsy and afraid of hurting her.

The couple went inside. Liu Fang lifted the quilt, and Xu Genshan, with one foot on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), gently placed Fu Man'er inside after Xu Fang took off her outer clothes.

It was warm inside the blankets. As soon as Fu Man'er got in, she turned over and found a comfortable position. Her cherry-like little mouth pouted, and she looked like a tiny little bundle of joy, which was very endearing.

Liu Fang covered her up tightly with the blanket and stared at Fu Man'er's face for a while. "Genshan, our Man'er seems to have gotten much fairer."

She had this feeling when she was in her mother-in-law's room, thinking it was because of the new clothes. Now that the new clothes were off, just looking at her face, she felt that Man'er's face was much whiter.

Xu Genshan leaned over to take a look and said that her complexion had indeed become paler. "Perhaps she's been eating well and dressing warmly, which has improved her complexion."

He still remembered when Fu Man'er first came, her face was sallow and her big eyes made her cheeks look a little sunken. Now, only a few days later, although she hasn't gained much weight, her complexion has improved a lot.

Speaking of her complexion, Liu Fang suddenly stared at Xu Genshan. They had been married for almost ten years, and Liu Fang had never looked at herself so intently before.

Reader ID Card - 563743675

Xu Genshan's face flushed slightly, and he sat up uncomfortably. "What's wrong?"

Before Liu Fang could even finish looking at him, he turned his face away. So Liu Fang leaned over and looked at him again. "Genshan, not only does Man'er look good, but you look much better too."

A few days ago, Xu Genshan had a gloomy face and looked lifeless, as if he was just putting on a brave face. The dark circles under his eyes had never stopped, but they are gone now.

"Really?" Xu Genshan touched his face. He hadn't looked in the mirror for a long time and didn't know how he looked, but he had been sleeping very well these past few days and his legs didn't hurt much anymore.

Liu Fang took a mirror out of the drawer. "Take a look."

The mirror showed a rough-looking man with thick eyebrows and big eyes. Although he was unshaven, he looked quite well, almost exactly the same as before he was injured.

Liu Fang was genuinely happy; she felt that her husband was always like this.

"I plan to go to town tomorrow to see if there's any work to do," Xu Genshan said softly as the couple got into bed.

“I’ll go too. We’ve almost finished all the work in the fields, and I’m just sitting at home doing nothing.” Liu Fang knew that with just a few acres of land, they could barely make ends meet if the weather allowed.

It's not enough to just provide for a family's basic needs; now that hunting is no longer an option, we need to find other ways to make a living.

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Xu Genshan hesitated for a moment but still agreed. His wife was always smart and had her own ideas and opinions. Going out together would be good for their mutual support.

The next day, after breakfast, the couple packed some dry food and went out, accompanied by Xu Genzhu.

He was a peddler who traveled among the nearby villages. A few days ago, the weather was cold and rainy, so he couldn't go out. But these past two days, the weather has cleared up, so he's gone out again with his bamboo basket.

The land had been tilled, and they were just waiting for the time to sow the seeds. Old Xu couldn't stay idle, so he took his machete and went up the mountain to cut some bamboo to weave winnowing baskets and the like, which he could sell at the market.

Grandma Xu went to Grandma Zhou's house next door to choose grain seeds together, leaving Ma Hong alone at home to take care of the housework.

"Xiaowen, Xiaowu, you two, get up now!" It was time to wash the dishes, but his two children were still not up. Ma Hongmen pounded on his door to wake them up.

Hearing the noise, Fu Man'er in the opposite room also jumped up. Her father and mother were already up, and her grandmother had put the new clothes she bought next to her pillow. She was folding the quilt into a ball with great effort.

She started to get dressed, but after fiddling around for a while, she painfully realized that she didn't know how to put on her clothes.

The little tuft of hair sticking up on her head drooped down. She slid off the kang (a heated brick bed) backwards, grabbed her skirt, and ran outside. After running a couple of steps, she felt her feet were cold and remembered that she wasn't wearing shoes, so she went back to put them on.

Just as Ma Hong was about to go to the kitchen to boil water, she heard Fu Man'er calling out, "Second Aunt, Second Aunt."

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Fu Man'er remembers that her second aunt helped her put on her clothes yesterday, and now she's come over with the clothes for help.

"Oh dear, you little brat, you got up without putting on any clothes. You'll suffer if you catch a cold." Ma Hong turned around and saw the little girl, wearing only her undergarments, running shakily toward her.

She didn't even bother to tend the fire, and stepped over to catch the clothes the woman was holding up. "Second Aunt, I... I don't know how to wear it."

Fu Man'er's little earlobes were red, she was a little embarrassed. She was four years old and still couldn't wear a dress.

"Silly girl." Ma Hong said with disdain, but her hands were not idle. She pulled the girl in front of her and quickly put her clothes on.

Before Fu Man'er could even see clearly, the clothes were already on. "Wow, Second Aunt, you're so amazing! You're even more amazing than Grandma!"

The little girl looked at her with such adoration, so sincere, that Ma Hong's eyes lit up with pride.

Desperately suppressing her excitement, she said, "That's right. Before I got married, I was a very skilled tailor. I've worn even more complicated clothes."

These words made Fu Man'er's eyes light up, and she looked at Ma Hong as if she were looking at someone extraordinary.

"Wait here, Auntie will comb your hair." This casual gesture pleased Ma Hong. She went inside and not only got a comb, but also a red ribbon to tie Fu Man'er's hair.

Reader ID Card - 563743675

After tying her hair up, she used a warm towel to wash Fu Man'er's face, saying, "You little rascal, why have you gotten so fair?"

Ma Hong held Fu Man'er's chin; her face was not only much whiter, but also looked tender.

Fu Man'er blinked in confusion. Wasn't she fair-skinned?

"Man'er, let me tell you something. Now that you've eaten our Xu family's food and become a member of our Xu family, you can't be ungrateful. When you grow up, you must be filial to your grandparents, your father, your mother, and your second uncle and aunt. Even after you get married, you can't forget them, understand?"

Yesterday, her mother-in-law took Fuman'er to the village chief to register her household registration. It's a done deal that she'll stay. She sees that everyone in the family likes the little girl very much, so she can only play the bad guy.

You should give her a few gentle reminders from time to time, but don't be too nice to her, lest she take advantage of you.

"Oh." Fu Man'er only half understood, but it didn't matter. "Don't worry, Auntie, Man'er will make money, make money..."

What was the point of making money again? The little boy was confused and couldn't remember what his aunt had just said.

Ma Hong rolled her eyes, patted her bottom, and said, "Go play somewhere else, I'll go heat up your food."