Seeing that he could still smile, Yang Anjin couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Thinking of Yang Donghu being forced to sell, he gritted his teeth and said, "If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have gone to the town with my mother. Yang Chunxue is such a bully."

Yang Donghu held his hand soothingly and said softly, "I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me. I can earn my own money now. Aunt Zhao even made me some new clothes. I'll be able to wear them in a couple of days. I'll let you see them then."

Yang Anjin didn't quite believe it in his heart. Zhao Luochuan had a very bad reputation. Not only was he unkind to his relatives, he also beat people. One punch could kill someone half to death.

But seeing that Yang Donghu's face was now rosy and plump, he didn't look like he had suffered any loss. He asked doubtfully, "Really?"

"real."

Yang Donghu saw that he didn't believe it, and didn't try to explain it. As time went by, everyone would be able to see whether it was better or not, so let him think whatever he wanted.

Zhao Fangchu, who was ignored, looked at the stranger in front of him, feeling a little indignant. Why did he run into someone from Dayang Village again? Why did this person also say bad things about his brother Dachuan?

He reached out and tugged at Yang Donghu's sleeve: "Brother Dong, let's go."

"Look, I was so busy talking to you that I forgot to tell you." Yang Donghu introduced Yang Anjin: "This is Fang Chu, the son of Zhao Luochuan's uncle."

"Fang Chu, this is An Jin, a very good friend of mine."

Yang Anjin greeted Zhao Fangchu.

Zhao Fangchu still remembered what he had said about Zhao Luochuan and didn't want to pay any attention to him. But his brother Dong had just said they were friends, so if he didn't say anything, he would seem ignorant. He just said a perfunctory hello and hid behind Yang Donghu in silence.

Since he was a member of the Zhao family, Yang Anjin couldn't say anything in front of Zhao Fangchu, fearing that he would cause trouble for Donghu. After thinking for a while, he said, "This is not a suitable place to talk. I will come to you tomorrow. You wait for me at home."

Yang Donghu nodded. That was good. Maybe Yang Anjin could help deliver the medicine to grandma.

The two said goodbye and went in different directions.

The forest was silent, with only the rustling of the wind through the treetops. Zhao Fangchu suddenly spoke up, "Brother Dachuan doesn't hit people casually."

Yang Donghu was a little slow to react: "Huh? I know."

As Zhao Fangchu walked on, he continued, "They're just talking nonsense. There used to be a lazy scoundrel in our village. He was a dirty thief, stealing things everywhere in the village and even touching the skirts of young girls and wives. It was really too much. Brother Dachuan couldn't stand it anymore, so he taught him a lesson. I didn't expect it to be fabricated like this."

He became angrier and angrier as he spoke. He grabbed a handful of dry grass by the roadside and continued to stand up for his brother Dachuan.

Yang Donghu suddenly realized that Yang Anjin's words had been taken to heart. After thinking for a while, he said, "Don't take what others say too seriously. We will know for ourselves whether our lives are good or bad. We have little contact with Anjin, so we will know as time goes by."

Zhao Fangchu didn't care about what others thought, but he was afraid that Yang Donghu would feel resentful after hearing too much.

The two chatted quickly and didn't meet anyone else along the way, so they got home smoothly.

At home, Zhu Cuilan was sitting in the yard sewing clothes in the sun. The needle and thread danced up and down with her hands. A piece of clothing could be completed in three to five days.

There was a noise at the gate of the courtyard, and Yang Donghu and Zhao Fangchu pushed the door open and walked in from outside.

Zhu Cuilan looked up at the sound and saw that both of their backpacks were overflowing. She smiled and said, "We've found quite a bit today. After drying them in the sun, along with the radishes and cabbages in the cellar, we'll have enough to last us the entire winter."

Zhao Fangchu ran to his mother and showed Zhu Cuilan the chicken mushrooms he had gathered as if they were treasures. "Mom, look, I found a huge nest of chicken mushrooms on the mountain today. Luckily we went there early, otherwise they would have been picked by others."

Chicken mushrooms are more delicious and tasty than ordinary mushrooms, and are also more expensive. Some people go to the mountains to pick chicken mushrooms and sell them at the market, where they can fetch hundreds of coins or even several taels.

Zhu Cuilan picked one up and sniffed it, praising it to Zhao Fangchu, "Indeed, it's still of good quality. You've finally caught up with it today."

Anyway, the family didn't owe any foreign debts, and good things like this were rare, so she might as well dry them and keep them for her family to eat. Thinking this way, she said to Zhao Fangchu, "There's not much here, so I won't sell it. I'll wash it and dry it in the sun later. It's the most delicious when stewed with chicken."

Zhao Fangchu didn't want to sell it either. His mother's words touched his heart. He squatted down and started to pick up the chicken mushrooms to prevent his mother from regretting it.

Zhu Cuilan turned to look at Yang Donghu and said, "Donghu, every new addition to our family is a happy event. When the New Year comes, we'll kill a big rooster and have a great time. Let's have a prosperous New Year."

Yang Donghu put down his backpack and was pouring out bamboo shoots. When he heard Zhu Cuilan talking about killing chickens for the New Year, his heart warmed. He hadn't felt what home was like for many years.

His mother had invited him once during the Chinese New Year, but at that time she already had a new husband and children. The three of them were having a great time together, and he just couldn't fit in. He ate the meal with a bit of embarrassment and left, never going back.

Now after hearing what Zhu Cuilan said, I began to look forward to the day when the whole family would be reunited.

He smiled shyly and thanked Zhu Cuilan: "Thank you, auntie."

The three of them chatted and laughed while doing their work.

The autumn bamboo shoots picked this time were slender and plump. After peeling and adding water, they were directly spread on a winnowing basket to dry.

Bamboo shoots are often stewed with meat. When it is time to eat, take them out, soak them in water, and stew them with pork belly to make a pot of bamboo shoots and pork belly. The bamboo shoots cooked in this way taste meaty and are perfect to go with rice.

The two of them went to the mountain at dawn, had a small meal on the mountain at noon, and felt hungry early in the afternoon.

The meat and ribs that Zhu Cuilan had bought from selling fish in town had not been eaten yet, so she put the meat in a basket and hung it in the well.

The temperature under the well is low, so the meat is not easy to rot. Zhao Luochuan and Zhao Fangyu are still in the mountain and have not returned yet. I originally wanted to wait until they come back before eating.

But there happened to be some bamboo shoots picked today, so Zhu Cuilan pulled the meat out of the well and cut off a small piece of pork belly.

Stir-fry the pork belly with bamboo shoots and chili peppers, then add a little salt. This dish can be eaten with two large bowls of rice.

The whole family was very satisfied with the meal, and even Yang Donghu ate half a bowl of rice more than usual.

It rained yesterday and the temperature dropped sharply today. The only clothes Yang Donghu brought from the Yang family were relatively thin summer clothes.

Zhu Cuilan took Zhao Fangchu's thick clothes for Yang Donghu to wear. The first piece of clothing was almost finished. She worked hard all day and finally finished it before dinner.

As soon as the meal was over, Yang Donghu was dragged by Zhu Cuilan to try on clothes. He was wearing an indigo satin jacket that felt smooth and fine to the touch. The stitches on the clothes were pressed tightly and densely, and the lining was lined with a full pound of cotton, so he was not afraid even if it snowed heavily.

Zhu Cuilan deliberately made it slightly larger. Yang Donghu was getting older, and it would be difficult for him to grow taller. But he was too thin right now, so a slightly larger size would allow him to wear it even when he gained weight.