At night, the two square tables were put together as one table, and the whole family sat down together.

Children eat quickly. After they finish the few bites they are supposed to take, they leave the table, giving the woman who was eating next to the child with her bowl to the table a chance to sit down.

"Eat. Second sister walked most of the way here, so she must be hungry. Now that we are back home, eat more."

Zhang Shixin invited Zhang Shiyue and Guan Xiaoe to have dinner, acting like an older brother and was very enthusiastic.

Zhang Fangyuan rolled his eyes and even put two tables together to eat. He placed the first three or two dishes on the long table without fear of being laughed at. This morning he went to fetch some meat, and his wife fried a pig's heart, and cooked some meat tofu with the meat slices. Now his uncle could entertain his sister in a proper manner.

However, he did not say such unpleasant words at this time. After picking up his chopsticks, he was the first to pick up a piece of tofu pudding for Xu He.

The tofu pudding this time was tender and tasted smooth, but it was not easy to pick up. The process of making tofu pudding is complicated, and most people don’t make it to eat at home unless they have guests. This is when they would use these difficult to make things to entertain them and show their hospitality to the guests.

The intention of making tofu pudding to entertain Zhang Shiyue was good, but it shouldn't be just that one dish.

Zhang Fangyuan thought that if he didn't eat two big bowls of rice, he would be wasting the meat he brought today. So while Zhang Shixin and Zhang Shicheng were chatting with his second aunt, he kept moving his chopsticks and picked up some food for Xu He from time to time.

His aunt even laughed at them for having good appetites, but Zhang Fangyuan ignored her and ate even more. Everyone in the Zhang family knew his temper and it was no use talking to him about it.

However, the two daughters-in-law of Zhang Shixin's family wanted to eat more delicious dishes when they saw so many delicious dishes today, but they did not dare to be impolite because of their mother-in-law's face and Xiao Zhang Fangyuan's words.

"Second sister, is Xiao'e's father, Brother Guan, doing well these years? I only met him once when you got married."

Zhang Fangyuan was telling Xu He that the meat tofu pudding tonight was delicious, with kimchi in it and the combination of meat slices and tofu pudding, and it wasn't greasy at all. Suddenly, everyone at the table was talking peacefully, but his second aunt put down her chopsticks and her eyes turned red. Everyone at the table immediately stopped eating and looked at each other.

"What's going on?"

Zhang Shiyue took a breath and said, "Two years ago, her father was taken to the capital by the county government to serve in the army. There has been no news since then. Although they are illiterate, it is good to ask someone to write a letter for them. After waiting for a long time, we finally got some news this year."

Zhang Shiyue couldn't stop crying when he said this: "The county government said that he encountered a group of robbers on his way back and was seriously injured. Before he could make it back, he was gone."

Everyone at the table was shocked. Xu He was also nervous and subconsciously grabbed the corner of Zhang Fangyuan's clothes under the edge of the table. Ordinary people encounter too many natural disasters and man-made calamities, but it is also sad to see one's own relatives encounter such things.

Fortunately, the family had some spare money to pay the taxes, otherwise it would have been a risky thing to let the men in the family serve in such a faraway place.

The men sighed and the women comforted Zhang Shiyue. Although the sad thing did not happen to them, seeing other women going through the same thing made them feel quite sympathetic. Zhang Shixin's two sons were out selling goods, and his wife and children were at home. When they heard about such a tragedy, they couldn't help but worry about their husbands.

"He originally only had his father-in-law, who passed away two years ago. There is no one left at home now. Xiao'e and I have been living from hand to mouth over there. We had to sell our old house and ten acres of thin land to pay the taxes this year. We really can't make ends meet anymore." Zhang Shiyue's voice became softer and she couldn't help crying again.

Zhang Shixin glanced at his wife after hearing this, and then asked, "Second sister has sold all her property and land. How will she live in the future? Where will she settle down? She has to take Xiao'e with her and remarry."

Zhang Shicheng glared at his elder brother with disapproval. It was too harsh to say such things at this time. Why bother to add insult to injury to his own sister?

"Those few acres of land don't produce any food. After paying the grain tax in autumn, there is almost nothing left. Besides, Xiao'e and I are an orphan girl and a widow, and we can't support ourselves. We really can't do it." Zhang Shiyue actually heard that Zhang Shixin didn't want to accept her and Xiao'e, but she had no choice but to be thick-skinned: "Brother, I'm not going back this morning. Just give me a small house, and Xiao'e and I can do anything."

Zhang Shixin took a deep breath and felt that something was wrong with the girl suddenly bringing the child back. He thought that her family was not doing well and wanted to borrow money or something, but he didn't expect that she came to seek refuge with him.

"Second sister, you know the situation at my eldest brother's house. The two sons have married and have children. Even though they are away from home all year round, there is no extra room at home. Besides, business has not been good in the past two years, and the crops have not been good either. I'm afraid that you and Xiao'e can't live a good life."

"Yes, second sister. It's not that your eldest brother is cruel, it's just that our family is in financial difficulty." Zhang Shixin's wife, Wang, quickly helped to speak up: "If there were more land and fewer people, it would be fine. The problem is that there are so many people in the family, and there are only so many fields to manage. Otherwise, they wouldn't be willing to let the eldest and second sons go out to do some small business."

These words were suggestive, and Wang glanced at Zhang Shicheng and He without leaving a trace.

Zhang Shiyue wiped his eyes, feeling disappointed. "Brother, that year our crops were damaged by pests and rain. Life was hard. We had no money to pay taxes, and it was the time when you and your sister-in-law got married. My parents couldn't find money to borrow from everywhere. Our Guan family was too poor to find a wife locally, so we passed by our Jijiu Village and wanted to find a wife to take back. For you and our family, my parents took two thousand coins and married me to another county. Now that you are living a good life, how can you..."

"Let's talk about the matter properly, why are you bringing up those old things!" Zhang Shixin was a little angry and embarrassed: "Besides, is it just for me? Don't you have brothers and sisters at home who need to feed? You were going to get married anyway, and your parents agreed to marry you because they saw that brother Guan was honest and reliable. How can it be just for me?"

Seeing that they were about to quarrel, Zhang Shicheng interrupted them quickly: "Second sister, when we were at home, life was not easy, but later it got better. When my parents were alive, they often said sorry to you. My brothers and sisters all had good lives, but you were the only one who married to another county. You don't know whether it's good or bad for so many years. Second sister, my eldest brother's family does have a large population, why don't you live with me? Although it's not as big as the old house, there are only three of us in the family, so we can still get by if we squeeze in."

Zhang Shixin changed his tone after hearing that he had found a solution, "Everyone in the family remembers the kindness of the second sister, so this is right. The fourth brother's family has a lot of land, and the land left by the fifth brother was not taken care of, so it's all given to the fourth brother. It's just right for the second sister to go over and help, so you can stay."

Zhang Shiyue actually didn't want to trouble her younger brother, but as the eldest brother was cruel, she felt sad but had no choice but to agree.

After dinner, Zhang Shiyue and Guan Xiaoe went back to Zhang Shicheng's home. Zhang Fangyuan and Xu He also followed for a while before they parted ways at a small road.

"Second aunt, bring Xiao'e home to play tomorrow." Before leaving, Xu He invited Zhang Shiyue, whose eyes were still a little red.

Zhang Shiyue nodded: "Okay. You guys should go back soon, it's getting late."

"Okay, then we'll go back first."

Zhang Fangyuan took Xu He's hand, and the two walked towards their own path together. The moon is bright in midsummer and you can see the road even without a torch. The surrounding ridges and fields are filled with the chirping of katydids and frogs, quiet yet noisy.

Xu He sighed slightly.

"What are you sighing about?"

"Second Aunt has so many brothers and still has such a hard life. If something happens to me in the future, I won't even have brothers."

Zhang Fangyuan pulled him closer to him and said, "If they were brothers like my eldest uncle and sixth uncle, it wouldn't matter whether they were there or not. Besides, I'm here, so you don't need to rely on anyone else. Or do you want to curse me to death?"

Xu He glared at him and said, "Open your mouth and shut up, you're dead. In the future, I'll worry less if you don't cause trouble."

"I won't cause trouble." Zhang Fangyuan smiled flatteringly: "If the teahouse is busy, you can ask Second Aunt for help. She will be happy to help. If you treat her as a guest, she will feel awkward."

"knew."

Zhang Fangyuan continued, "When my father was alive, my second aunt took good care of him before she got married. She always told me that if she knew that my second aunt's husband had died and she was left with a daughter, she would probably be very sad. They are all miserable people. If Fourth Aunt doesn't want her to live there..."

"You can bring the person over." Xu He finished what Zhang Fangyuan hadn't finished saying.

"You really think so?"

"We have a small family, so we have the advantage of paying less taxes. But when the tea stall opens, the family will probably be too busy to handle everything, and we may have to hire someone to help, which costs money. If there are enough people at home, we can breathe a sigh of relief if someone helps take care of things."

Zhang Fangyuan laughed out loud. As the younger generations, they had not said a word when there was a quarrel in the room before, but they unexpectedly thought of the same thing. He felt very happy and felt that he and his wife were of the same mind.

"I originally thought that if they didn't want Second Aunt to stay, I would call her to our house. But I don't think my Fourth Uncle would watch his own sister have nowhere to go."

Xu He responded: "Fourth uncle's family are all kind-hearted."

"It's kind-hearted, but their house is small after all, with only two rooms to live in. I don't know how they're going to squeeze in tonight. I guess they can only clean up the utility room and make do with it."

Even the storage room is impeccable; it is not easy to have a place to shelter from the wind and rain. Xu He thought that the small house he used to live in was just a storage room. Even when he lived there, the sundries in the house were still piled up inside, and there was often only enough space to step.

He collected his thoughts and realized that he no longer had to live there. His house was big and there were still two empty rooms. Even if Zhang Shiyue brought her child to live in one room, they still had an empty room where they could live when they had a child in the future.

"Let's talk about it later. Hurry up and go back to wash up and rest. You have to go to the city to set up a stall tomorrow."