Chapter 12 Chapter 12 It turns out that the little mute was wrong...

"Did Qin Xiong bully you?" Jin Guihua asked Tian Ge in a low, concerned voice from the ox cart, "I just saw him following you from a distance."

Tian Ge looked back and saw only the lonely loess road.

The ox cart had been on the move for a long time and had left Qin Xiong behind.

Tian Ge just smiled and shook his head at his sister-in-law.

He couldn't see that his eyes and nose were still red.

The pearl powder on her face was also smudged by tears.

Tian Ge begged her sister-in-law not to tell her brothers that she was crying, otherwise everyone would worry.

Jin Guihua agreed.

When I got home, I put all the things I bought on the table.

Zhuangzhuang got the candied haws he had been longing for, and his eyes lit up with joy.

But he didn't rush to eat it. He first walked around the room and handed it to everyone's mouth, letting everyone eat first.

There are only five hawthorn balls on a candied haws.

Everyone in the family smiled and rejected Zhuangzhuang.

"Be good, I bought this especially for you, eat it by yourself." Jinguihua squatted down, smiled and brushed aside the loose hair on Zhuangzhuang's temples.

"So sweet!" Zhuangzhuang took a bite.

Tian Youcai got a pair of rabbit fur knee pads, which kept him warm when he tied them around his legs. He said it was a waste of money, but the smile on his face never stopped.

The two elder brothers got two pots of good wine.

My sister-in-law also bought some peanuts and said she could make some snacks to go with the wine tonight.

Tian Ge bought three pieces of coarse cloth and planned to work with her sister-in-law to make a set of daily clothes for everyone in the family.

A lot of scraps of cloth were also weighed out to make quilts, soles, and cloth shoes.

As for that set of makeup that I got for free.

Qian Duo is really generous.

I gave him two boxes of lip balm alone.

Rouge, flower ornaments, black ink brush... everything is included.

Tian Ge gave half to his sister-in-law.

The family never stopped laughing.

It’s no wonder I was so tired recently.

Tian Ge said he was tired from the journey and went back to his room to rest.

He sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the newly cut shoe sole pattern in his hand, in a daze.

This sole is one size larger than my brothers' feet, and no one in the family is this size.

The last time she went to Qin Xiong's house, Tian Ge started to have an idea when she saw Qin Xiong's cloth shoes with holes in them.

Although making shoes for the man was too personal, he was his savior after all.

It shouldn't be a problem to secretly make a pair of shoes and give them away.

He often made shoes for his brothers, estimating by eye that the sizes would not be too off.

After waiting anxiously and patiently, I finally got the chance to go to the county town to buy cloth, but unexpectedly, this happened again.

I think Qin Xiong's wife will arrange it for him.

Tian Ge stood up and put the bottom plate into the innermost part of the small box.

There was a sudden knock on the door.

Tian Ge quickly closed the box.

When I opened the door, it was Zhuangzhuang.

"Shh." Zhuangzhuang came into the room stealthily, closed the door, and then took out a candied haws from behind.

"Uncle, I saved this for you. Let's eat it secretly without letting them know." Zhuangzhuang's expression was vivid. "I love you the most, uncle. This is another little secret between us."

There were only two candied haws left on the bamboo stick. Zhuangzhuang bit off one himself and handed the rest, including the bamboo stick and the fruit, to Tian Ge.

Tian Ge just smiled.

This little brat would pick a wild peach in the mountains and divide it into six parts when he got home, and hold it level in a bowl of water.

I guess I use the same rhetoric with other people.

-----Do they only eat half of it?

Zhuangzhuang was shocked, "Uncle, you are so smart."

------Zhuangzhuang, sleep with me tonight.

Tian Ge changed the subject.

"Okay, my dad doesn't like me and won't let me sleep with mom."

Zhuangzhuang is like a small stove and snores when he falls asleep.

The baby's snoring is not loud, and it makes you feel at ease listening to it in the middle of the night.

The uncle and nephew sat side by side on the bed, eating candied haws.

Zhuangzhuang looked and saw his uncle staring blankly at the ground.

But there is nothing in that place.

"Uncle, are you hiding something from us?" Zhuangzhuang said like a little adult, "You've grown up now and have your own worries. What is it? Can't you even tell me?"

The eight-year-old, with a still childish voice, knew all about “the little brother’s troubles”.

Tian Ge raised his eyebrows in amusement.

"I just heard what my parents said. Dad said that you looked unhappy, and Mom asked him not to worry about it, saying that you have grown up and have your own troubles."

It turns out that my family was still worried.

------The candied haws are so sweet that all my worries disappear.

Tian Ge smiled.

"Really?" Zhuangzhuang was very happy.

-----certainly.

.....

Late summer and early autumn.

The summer harvest is over and the late rice has been planted.

It's rare to have a month or two of free time.

The adults began to go into the mountains to chop and store firewood, pick mushrooms, look for wild carambolas, and pick wax gourds, persimmons, and chestnuts....

If there is not enough food at home, store some and sell some as extra snacks.

The pomelo trees by the roadside were laden with fruits, and many of them, still green, had fallen to the ground.

In just two months, you can pick them and take them home to eat.

But there is too much of this stuff, the flesh is not big, and the taste is bitter.

Many villagers use it to make tea and drink it to reduce internal heat.

Autumn is a good time.

The children of the village came in groups.

Making a swing with wild ropes in the mountains.

Go down to the stream and move the stones to catch crabs.

Wandering through the pine forest picking mushrooms.

I picked some up and brought them home to show my parents. I found out that many of the mushrooms were poisonous and could not be eaten.

But this did not prevent them from going to the woods with great enthusiasm next time.

Tian Ge slept in for a rare time and had a dreamless night.

When I woke up, it was already noon and my brothers and sisters-in-law had gone up the mountain to chop firewood.

Even Zhuangzhuang went out to play.

Only Dad was left sitting in the yard, so he asked him to heat up the rice on the stove and eat it.

Tian Ge could tell what his father wanted to say to him.

But he was still unwilling to say what he was thinking. He just brought a stool, sat next to his father, and lowered his head to shovel porridge into his mouth.

After dinner, Tian Ge made an excuse to pick up some sleeves to make tea, and ran away with the basket on his back.

Tian Youcai was in a daze under the shade of a tree in the yard. After thinking for a while, he smiled helplessly.

If my mother were still alive, she would also be worrying about Huo Tiange's marriage at this time.

"You don't have to worry about it, but as a father, I have to worry about it twice." Tian Youcai murmured with a smile.

.....

"Brother Xiaotian!" Qin Bao was heard calling him from a distance.

Tian Ge was squatting by the stream, poking crabs with foxtail grass.

I heard the sound and looked up.

He wanted to smile and wave, but suddenly thought of Qin Xiong and forced himself to stop.

"That's great, Brother Xiaotian. I was just worried about what you were doing here alone." Qin Bao ran up hurriedly.

Although they hadn't seen each other for a short while, Tian Ge felt that Qin Bao had grown a lot taller.

Looking more closely at the pulled-up trouser legs, he realized it was definitely not an illusion.

-----Is there anything I can help you with?

Tian Ge picked up a branch and wrote on the ground.

Qin Bao was also carrying a backpack. He looked carefully around and there was no one else.

He then put down his backpack and took out a wooden box from it.

"Brother Xiaotian, this is my brother's compensation to you." Qin Bao said briskly, "He found your handkerchief in your field last time, but you lost it. He bought this in the county town yesterday."

"My brother said that you must not let anyone else see it, not even your family. I was just having a headache about how to give it to you. What a coincidence, Brother Xiaotian, we are destined to be together, right?"

Qin Bao spoke rapidly without stuttering, and did not notice the sudden change in Tian Ge's expression.

Tian Ge knew at a glance that the exquisite little wooden box was bought by Qin Xiong yesterday.

Ten cents each, just to hold two handkerchiefs.

Although it wasn't his money that was spent, Tian Ge still felt sad when he saw it.

What a spendthrift.

-----Is it really for me?

Tian Ge asked again uncertainly.

It turned out that the handkerchief he had lost before was picked up by Qin Xiong.

The sun was shining brightly that day, and he wiped a lot of sweat with the handkerchief, which was not clean.

How come Qin Xiong picked it up?

"Yeah." Qin Bao nodded firmly. "My brother said he bought a handkerchief to compensate you, but he won't let me open it to have a look. Brother Xiaotian, please open it quickly and let me have a look."

"Hey, Xiaotian brother, why is your face so red? Are you okay?"

No matter how precocious Qin Bao was, he was only thirteen years old, the age for a fool.

Tian Ge's knot in his heart disappeared immediately, but he still couldn't help being annoyed.

He clearly said he bought it for his wife.

But he is not my wife.

-----I can’t accept it. You take it back and tell your brother that the handkerchief is lost. It’s okay.

The more Tian Ge thought about it, the more embarrassed he felt.

It turns out that Qin Xiong doesn't have a wife at all.

Then he lost his temper yesterday and made gestures at Qin Xiong while crying.

Fortunately, he is mute.

Qin Xiong couldn't understand the gestures.

For the first time, Tian Ge was glad that he was a mute, otherwise it would be really embarrassing.

Looking at the wooden box again, he knew without opening it that there were two silk handkerchiefs inside.

The one with intricate embroidery was lavender, and that was his least favorite.

But yesterday, he was angry with Qin Xiong and said he liked it, so Qin Xiong bought it.

There is also a light green one with a simple pattern, which is his favorite.

Although he didn't say it, Qin Xiong bought it as well.

It turns out that I bought them all for him, so I asked for his advice in detail.

It turned out that Qin Xiong didn't treat him as a light person to make fun of.

"Brother Xiaotian, just accept it. My brother said that if you accept it, that would be the best. If you don't want to..."

Qin Bao seemed to be hesitant to speak and looked very embarrassed.

-----What's wrong?

Tian Ge was puzzled.

Qin Bao made a bitter face and said, "My brother said if you don't like it, let me throw this wooden box into the river and never bother you again."

"Brother Xiaotian, this is what my brother told me privately. He didn't let you know. Did he make you angry? He's just like that. He looks fierce on the outside, but he's actually very soft-hearted. Brother Xiaotian, don't bother with him."

Qin Bao really tried his best.

His elder brother came back from the county town yesterday, his face was as gloomy as the bottom of a pot.

In the evening, the eldest brother cooked another pot of unpalatable food, but he refused to eat it himself. He sat by the fire pit, holding a wooden box in his hand and lost in thought.

After a while, the eldest brother took out a gray handkerchief from the inner room.

There was a small flower embroidered on the corner of the handkerchief, which was very beautiful.

The eldest brother held a handkerchief in one hand and a wooden box in the other, and his silence made Qin Bao feel uneasy.

Just before going to bed, the eldest brother handed him the wooden box and spoke to him.

"Brother Xiaotian's handkerchief is in your hand, isn't it? Why did you ask me to tell Brother Xiaotian that the handkerchief was lost?" Qin Bao asked in confusion at the time.

His brother was silent for a long time, then sighed, said nothing, and went into the house with the handkerchief.

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