After Su's father's leg healed, he took over the task of cleaning the large intestine, since his legs still couldn't stand for too long, making this the most suitable job.
Every time Liu Huan closes her stall, she buys a bag of rice. She doesn't buy anything expensive; she already has several bags piled up at home.
The Su family tacitly approved, after all, grain is the lifeblood of ordinary people, and Su's father was happy to see it.
With Changsheng's help, Su's mother would go back to the market every day. Liu Huan would ask her to transport the grain back, a little at a time, and also bring back the chickens from the house to sell.
Each time, they would bring one person to town, and then send them back to town for the next market day to bring another.
After Xiao Shi arrived, he found everything fascinating. Liu Huan specially took a day to take him out for a stroll: "Huanhuan, this town is so big!"
"Yes, I was quite startled when I arrived."
"Once you've learned enough in the village, you can come to town to study."
Looking at the gate of the academy and then at the village school in the ancestral hall, Xiao Shi realized that it was indeed incomparable.
He secretly vowed, "Yes, I will work hard."
Xiao Shi asked quietly, "Huanhuan, where is that cousin from? Why didn't we see him when we went to Grandma's house?"
"She's a distant relative; I've never met her before."
"All right!"
...
Before we knew it, it was December.
This winter is unusually strange; there was no heavy snowfall as expected, and it's even a bit warm.
As the old saying goes, a timely snowfall promises a bumper harvest; if it doesn't snow, it's not a good omen for ordinary people.
When the coldest snow of the year arrives, the sky may even clear up after a few snowflakes fall.
Looking at the setting sun on the horizon, Su's mother said, "This year's weather is strange, my husband, this is not normal."
Farmers rely on the weather for their livelihood, and their ability to adapt to weather changes is practically innate.
On the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month, the academy was closed for the holiday.
They also plan to stop selling after this branch is sold.
The family went out and bought a lot of food, including candies and pastries that they used to be reluctant to eat, pork, rice, and even the ridiculously expensive beef. They splurgeed on a huge pile of food.
The day before they were to return, Changsheng told them not to worry, that he would take good care of their belongings. Su's mother asked in return, "Changsheng, aren't you coming with us?"
Chang Sheng then realized that he was also part of their plan.
“Let’s lock the door, then no one will come. Let’s go home together for the New Year and see what the house looks like.”
The Su family never treated him like a servant; as Shi Tou said, he was a distant cousin.
Su's mother and father each carried a bag of grain, while Changsheng and Shitou carried the other things they had bought, and they went back with the villagers.
The villagers had long known that her family ran a business in town, and that their business was doing exceptionally well.
Several families had subtly approached Su's mother a few days ago, mainly mentioning that a relative had a daughter who was a good match for Da Shi.
She would always brush it off vaguely, saying that the stone was still too small.
As for Da Shi's wife, she has to be someone he's satisfied with. Before, his family didn't have the means, but now that they do, he naturally wants to find him a good one. He doesn't discriminate between them.
Halfway there, several women started questioning them: "Da Nian's family, how much money do you make in a day with that business you run?"
Su's mother smiled and said, "It's not much money. The cost is high, but in reality, it's just enough for living expenses."
The others agreed, saying that renting a house and hiring people both cost money, and that houses in town were very expensive, plus Da Nian was on medication year-round, so they figured it would be barely enough.
The happiest person upon returning was undoubtedly Xiao Shi, who held Liu Huan's hand and kept talking:
"Huanhuan, you have no idea, the teacher praised me this year, saying that I'm better at studying than before, and that I'll be able to go to town soon."
Wow, that guy is amazing!
Xiao Shi stood with his hands on his hips, proudly raising his head: "That's right, I'm your little brother, and the teacher even gave me a name, Su Cheng, which means sincerity."
"Saying that you hope I can become an upright and honest person in the future, doesn't that sound nice?"
Liu Huan was very supportive: "Yeah, it's super nice to listen to. How come my brother is so amazing?"
"Hehehe, I'm happy whenever Huanhuan talks."
Seeing how reluctant the two were to part, Shi Tou got annoyed and went over to separate them, saying, "Come here, I'll check your homework."
Xiao Shi said with a bitter face, "Oh no, I just got back and I have to get checked out already? How am I supposed to celebrate the New Year like this..."
The next few days were filled with cleaning, Shi Tou was in charge of writing couplets, and Liu Huan and Xiao Shi wrote the character "福" (fortune).
Liu Huan proudly showed off the words she had just written: "Shitou, do I write well?"
Stone hesitated, then, for the sake of family harmony, reluctantly said "It looks good."
He turned around and proceeded to criticize Xiao Shi's well-written characters.
On New Year's Eve, Su's mother, Cao'er, started preparing food early. It was rare for her uncle's family to also say they would eat together, so they cooked food from both families together.
A table full of various dishes—this was the first time Liu Huan had ever seen such a feast in all the years she had been here.
While staying up late on New Year's Eve, Su Ming chatted with Shi Tou, asking about his studies.
Liu Huan felt it was a good opportunity, so she voiced her thoughts: "Dad, Uncle, I heard from the people in town that the weather is abnormal this year and there might be a drought next year. I don't know if it's true. Should we stock up on some food?"
These words prompted everyone to reflect, and the uncle fell into reminiscence.
He recalled experiencing a drought when he was young, during which his parents died, leaving him and his younger brother behind.
Those who have experienced that kind of life don't want to go through it again, and they said without hesitation: "Buy it, buy it at the beginning of the year, take all the family savings to buy it, just in case."
Su Ming also praised Liu Huan for being smart, and Shi Tou smiled indulgently: "Yes, she has always been smart."
As the village chief, Uncle Su felt obligated to remind the villagers.
He called everyone together: "As you all have seen this year, there has been no rain since the autumn harvest began, let alone snow."
"Judging from this, there will probably be a drought, so if you have money, you should buy some food in advance just in case."
Some families believed it, while others didn't believe it at all. Among them was Aunt Hua, who was whispering with the person next to her.
“I’ve never heard of a drought in the decades I’ve been married into this family. It’s true that the village chief can say whatever he wants.”
Aunt Lian's family, on the other hand, had already started looking at their savings. "We've saved up a few taels of silver over the years. Why don't we buy more? We're going to eat anyway."
After the Lantern Festival, Shitou returned to the academy to study. After Su's father's leg recovered, he made tofu with Changsheng.
After selling all the cold dishes, Liu Huan used the money to buy grain.
Because going home inevitably involves passing through deep mountains, where there are wolves, I dare not walk alone and can only go with the villagers.
However, this would expose the situation every time grain was transported, and when the day came that there was no grain left, people's hearts were unpredictable.
After learning of her concerns, Su's father said, "If you don't want the villagers to know, then just take a detour."
It'll just take a little time, but Liu Huan immediately agreed after Su's father told her the route.
At this time, time is of the essence. Even if you go back every two days, it will make a big difference.
Su's father had also experienced hunger, and he knew the pain of starvation, so he naturally agreed with her approach and began to implement it the next day.
The two bought grain outside, and the journey back took twice as long. They transported the grain back without anyone in the village knowing.
Everything seemed ordinary, but it caused a huge uproar during the Grain Rain season.
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