559 Little Green Cousin

However, his family was still very satisfied because the wages were a reward for their hard work.

It's not just our family; those who took the risk and made the decision to buy these items early on are all overjoyed today.

Not only for getting a wife, but also for marriage, there are more and better options.

More importantly, life is greatly protected. Adhering to the city's rules also ensures that no one dares to act recklessly.

Those puppeteers who, relying on their strong physiques, some talent in cultivation, and extraordinary strength, were preparing to start collecting all sorts of miscellaneous sanitation fees and carriage management fees, have all disappeared.

I heard that they were taken to mines or distant fields, where they worked hard to reclaim wasteland and create their own future.

What a kind-hearted person!

Otherwise, if it were in the past, when the family had no money, such a person would have died a violent death on the street sooner or later.

Today, the city is thriving with all kinds of businesses and a vibrant community of commerce, with various workshops and a constant flow of supplies.

Prices are also more reasonable than before, and sellers are not exploiting customers as much as they used to.

My family also has a lot of hope. My son and daughter are both working, and the mortgage on the house will be paid off soon.

This fortune is now my proudest investment. I went bankrupt back then just to ensure my children's safety.

They also have more convenient and better opportunities to make a living.

Now it's not just that; the property is now worth more than three times what it was originally worth, or even more.

It is now even more difficult to purchase a copy.

A new life begins; the eldest son gets married, starts a family, and establishes his own career, making full preparations for the future.

Moreover, there are already daughters from nearby families who work in the same workshop who are willing to date their eldest son.

If possible, prepare the bride price next year. If your family can afford it, we can make sure it's sufficient. If not, we can borrow some from relatives and friends and bring the bride home first.

I think about how I, my wife, and my father work hard every day, while my mother mainly takes care of the family and occasionally takes on some jobs to supplement the family income.

Although the farmland belongs to adults, they don't have to hand over too much land. Nowadays, there are even more powerful farming tools, so all they need to do is plant the crops.

All the hard work was so worthwhile.

These few short months have brought such a peaceful and warm family and a stable life.

For a moment, it felt like a dream, and I wished it could stay like this forever.

Watching her third son quickly get up, dress, wash his face with cold water, and, still half-asleep, prepare to go to school, she couldn't help but chuckle slightly.

She said softly, "You're on holiday now, you can go back next spring. The weather's been too unpredictable lately, so the school recommends you all stay home."

The term "school" has been accepted by everyone, though it's unclear when it started.

Looking at her daughter who had already washed up.

She's already started to dress up subtly, and tied her hair up with a red ribbon.

A sense of emotion welled up inside me; my second child was a daughter, and coincidentally, the whole city had recently been able to send her to school.

However, her daughter had only been learning for a month and didn't know many characters.

It just so happened that the shops and large garment workshops in the city needed a lot of people.

The choice between studying and working in a workshop was made in a split second.

There really wasn't much of a choice.

In the past, people were afraid to go out because they were afraid of showing their beauty, as they were afraid of being spied on by evil people.

I now have a stable job. Although it's tiring, it provides some income, and I no longer have to toil in the fields for a living.

It's better not to have to brave the wind and rain and rely on the weather for a living.

Many men are pursuing his daughter, who is not yet of marriageable age, but matchmakers have come to his door to arrange engagements.

For a moment, it seemed like the most beautiful time of the year. I'll wait another two years, though I feel a pang of reluctance.

The third son was the youngest, only eight years old, and was already working in the fields.

However, it was a boy named Liu Yin who was sleeping in the shade of the willow tree, and an ox was eating past the west side of the willow tree.

Learning to plant melons under the shade of mulberry trees is commonplace; as one grows older, one must go to the fields to do farm work.

They toiled with their backs to the sky, facing the loess soil in front and the earth behind, yet more than half of their labor was handed over to the state; natural disasters and man-made calamities went unnoticed.

Are you living a peaceful life now?

Seeing her daughter was ready to leave, and with the sky just beginning to lighten, she couldn't help but whisper, "Mei'er, be careful, it's only just getting light outside. I'll take you there."

My daughter was about to refuse.

But then she saw her father quietly open the door, and the two of them slowly walked away.

Along the way, I saw many other travelers from neighboring houses, both men and women, all accompanied by others or in groups.

Walking no more than a hundred meters, the aroma of various breakfasts began to fill the main street.

The steaming porridge emitted a faint aroma of rice and beans.

The aroma of steamed buns, mantou, and fried dumplings wafts through the air. The fragrance of sesame seeds from pancakes and fried dough sticks is irresistible.

Hearing Mei's stomach rumble involuntarily made a sound.

A wave of guilt washed over me. I could bear it myself, but my children had sacrificed so much, and I felt I owed them so much.

Arriving at the sesame cake stall, I softly said to the early-arriving, slightly hunched elderly man, "Three sesame cakes, please. Wrap them separately."

"Alright," the old man said softly, quickly and skillfully wrapping it up and handing it over.

She placed a wrapped sesame cake in her daughter's hand and said softly, "Mei'er, it's easy to get hungry in the morning without some thin porridge. From now on, buy her a piece of breakfast to tide her over."

A faint, inexplicable sense of guilt welled up inside her, and for a moment her eyes reddened slightly.

A cool breeze swept by, and she quickly turned her head away, chuckling softly, "Your grandpa and the others haven't had this in a long time either, bring them two too."

Mei's nose tingled with emotion. She said softly, "Father, you don't need to do that. Thank you, Father."

"Eat quickly, it won't be good if it gets cold."

"Working at the workshop must be tiring. You've been coming home quite late lately. I'll tell your brother to come back with you."

"Thank you, Father. My brother is very busy, and we're rushing to finish making clothes here. It's busy, but the pay is good."

He thought to himself, 'I should be able to save some money this year, and then I can buy new clothes for Father and them all.'

"Sister Mei, Sister Mei." A clear voice came from ahead. Two women of similar age, dressed in similar linen clothes, had their hair tied up in a neat style.

They waited in front, one holding a sesame seed cake and the other a steamed bun, followed by two family members.

"Daddy, you go back. I went with them. Look, Cousin Xiaoqing is on patrol changing shifts over there. It's alright."

Mei Yatou pointed with a smile to a group of two spirited men not far away, each holding a six-foot-tall cypress log, and they began their patrol.

The old man nodded slightly, a hint of a smile on his face, and said softly, "Yes, your cousin Xiaoqing is strong and talented. I heard he finally joined the reserve force last month."