Chapter 23 She really wants to know!

Xu Yu didn't have the habit of gossiping, so even though he knew the reason, he just kept it vague and didn't elaborate.

Those who were forced to stay and be processed because of their cunning and deceitful behavior would not tell the real reason for the sake of their precarious face.

Aunt Xu was not happy that her family member had returned so late, so she chased him and asked him questions for a long time, which caused Uncle Xu to scold her: "It's enough that he just came back. Why are you asking so many questions?"

She tugged at the hem of her clothes angrily: "Aren't I worried about you?"

"How did you..."

"mother."

Xu Minghui stepped forward and said, "Dad is very tired, why don't you change and prepare for dinner first."

The brick kiln did not provide meals, so they only had two steamed buns in their stomachs when they left, which had long been gone by then.

Aunt Xu closed her mouth unwillingly with red eyes, and remained silent during the meal.

After dinner, the old man suddenly said, "Yu'er, how long can you keep doing the work over there?"

Xu Yu: "I asked today, and it can last for ten days."

Ten days can fly by, or they can be excruciating.

The old man glanced at his two sons with a complicated look on their faces, and said calmly, "We'll need to think of other ways after we finish these ten days. Let's finish them first."

His words stopped the old lady's hesitation and successfully made Aunt Xu Er and Aunt Xu San shut up.

After dinner, everyone went back to their rooms. Sang Zhixia carefully recalled the charcoal burning process she had seen in the documentary and chose a vacant lot behind the vegetable garden.

People who go up the mountain to chop firewood carry it here. After burning it, it is covered with fine mud to isolate the air. The flames are extinguished and the temperature drops. Then the burnt charcoal blocks can be sorted and bagged according to quality, and can be taken out for sale.

Xu Yu listened to her plan thoughtfully: "Can it be sold?"

"Why not?"

Sang Zhixia said with a smile, "I asked around when I went to town today. The charcoal needed here in winter is just as much as anywhere else. As long as we can burn it, there's no need to worry about not being able to sell it."

Most people living in the village burn firewood directly for heating and don’t need something as laborious as charcoal.

But living in a town is different from living in a county town.

Although the price cannot be compared with that in Kyoto, it can still be considered as an income. After all, there is no other way now.

Xu Yu didn't expect that she had done so many things during her trip. He laughed and said, "You haven't been idle."

"Look at this scene, how dare I sit idle?"

Sang Zhixia raised her chin towards the door and sighed, "If it weren't for the old man holding me up, there would be at least three big fights in one day. So I have to hurry and get this done before the old man changes his mind, otherwise I won't feel at ease."

Xu Yu rubbed the edge of the medicine bowl with his fingertips until it was no longer hot before handing it to her: "Drink the medicine. Take your time with the housework. Wait for me to come back and do the hard work."

Sang Zhixia hummed in response, frowned, and drank the bottom of the bowl. With a twisted face, she couldn't help but say, "I'm fine now. Why don't you stop drinking?"

"no."

Xu Yu was unusually firm. He closed his eyes and said, "The doctor's advice cannot be taken lightly. After you finish this dose, I'll ask the doctor to adjust the prescription for you."

He is such an efficient person when doing things, but he can't help being delicate when taking medicine.

If this bitter medicine is not prepared properly, I am afraid it will not last for a few days.

Even with the candy in her mouth, Sang Zhixia could taste the bitterness on her tongue. Just as she was tossing and turning, unable to sleep, Xu Yu, who should have been asleep long ago, suddenly said, "Can I tell you about my grandfather?"

"grandfather?"

Sang Zhixia propped up half of her body and asked curiously, "What do you mean?"

Xu Yu looked at the ceiling above him and said softly, "My father was away at war all year round, and my grandfather raised me when I was two years old. No one in the family knows my grandfather's temperament better than me."

"Do you want to know how to make your grandfather stand more firmly on your side?"

Sang Zhixia perked up when she heard this, her eyes sparkling as she said, "Tell me more about it."

She really wants to know!

They chatted quietly at night, and Sang Zhixia slept late but was in great spirits.

But when he went out again in the morning, Uncle Xu unexpectedly brought Xu Minghui with him.

He said, "Minghui is sixteen already. It's not a good idea for him to keep doing chores around the house. He should come with me to take a look."

Xu Minghui did not dare to go against his father's wishes.

Aunt Xu didn't know that she was secretly happy.

"We agreed that each family would provide one person. Minghui will go with you just for training, not as labor to earn money."

It was better for him to go out, so that he wouldn't have to be watched carrying water back and forth at home all day. Anyway, the father and son would never suffer any harm if they were together.

Uncle Xu hummed vaguely, called Xu Minghui and walked out the door.

Seeing this, Xu Yu just curled his lips and said, "Uncle San, can we go now?"

Uncle Xu Er could ask his eldest son to help, but Uncle Xu San only had an eight-year-old daughter.

He endured the discomfort all over his body and gave a wry smile: "Okay, let's go."

Once words are spoken, they can be taken away. You have to endure it even if you can't bear it.

The workers went out one after another, and it was Aunt Xu's turn to cook today.

Sang Zhixia was too lazy to bother with Second Aunt Xu, who thought she was taking advantage. She grabbed the hoe and the backpack and said, "Grandma, Xu Yu and Second Uncle's dirty clothes are in the basket. When you go to wash clothes, don't take Mingxu and Jinxi with you. Let them stay at home with Grandma."

It's not safe for children to go near the water.

Xu Wenxiu hurriedly nodded, stood up and went to get the laundry tools.

Seeing her quick movements, Sang Zhixia smiled and looked at the old man: "Grandfather, I'll go find a place where I can dig mud."

The soil in the vegetable garden is reserved for growing food and cannot be moved.

People's farmland could not be moved. If one wanted to find soil for making charcoal, one could only dig it up from the unowned area at the foot of the mountain and carry it back.

The old man thought for a moment and said, "I'll go with you and take a look."

This can be regarded as the first step taken by the Xu family, and the old man is prepared to personally oversee it.

Sang Zhixia was very happy to see this happen.

Now that the old man is so active, who dares not to move?

Seeing Sang Zhixia and the old man leave the house one after another, Aunt Xu asked in confusion, "Where are they going?"

"Strange, you come to ask me something you don't know?"

The old lady said with a gloomy face: "It's already this time and you still don't have any sense. I don't know what use you are!"

Aunt Xu wanted to argue a little, but in the end she just gritted her teeth and held back her dissatisfaction.

She knew everything, but the old man's mind has always been leaning towards the eldest house. What can she do?

She was afraid of provoking the old lady to scold her again, so she grabbed Xu Mingyang and went into the house.

But the old lady said, "The water jar is empty. Go and fetch some water and fill it up."

Second Aunt Xu was surprised and said, "Mom, I agreed that I would just..."

"Minghui went out with him. If you don't do the work he left behind, who will? Do you really want me to go?"

The old lady scolded with a sullen face: "If you're not wasting time on this nonsense, why don't you get back to work! Mingyang, go get your mother the bucket and the carrying pole!"

Aunt Xu went out mumblingly, carrying the bucket of water. With the help of the villagers, Sang Zhixia and the old man found a place where they could dig mud.

Sang Zhixia tried digging a few times with the hoe, then picked up the food and crushed it. "This is feasible, but it's a bit damp at the foot of the mountain. I guess I'll have to spread it out and dry it in the sun when I get home," he said.

The old man looked at her skillfully using the hoe and said absentmindedly, "You are supposed to have lived a life of luxury at home. Where did you learn all this?"

Sang Zhixia had gained experience in dealing with Xu Yu's nonsense. She sighed and said, "Grandfather, you know that I was born to my aunt and not valued by my father. When I have nothing to do, I can only think about these useless things."

She laughed at herself and said, "But now it's all useful, so it's not all in vain."

The old man lowered his eyes with a complicated expression and said in an inaudible voice, "By some strange coincidence, Yu'er made the right choice."

If the one who married in was really her delicate eldest sister, then this handful of mud would not have been dug out today.

Sang Zhixia didn't hear clearly and asked curiously, "Grandfather?"

What are you mumbling about?