Chapter 18
"Do you want to sleep with me?" Yu Ying asked Fu Ning.
Hearing this, the little girl seemed a little afraid of being rejected, so she nodded timidly.
Fu An, who had come out to look for his sister and was going back to sleep, was stunned when he heard this.
When Yu Ying was about to say something, Fu An was afraid that she would be unhappy, so he quickly said to his sister, "Sister, stop messing around and go back to the room with your brother to sleep."
Hearing her brother's voice, the little girl suddenly hugged Yu Ying's thigh, as if she didn't want to go back to sleep with her brother.
Yu Ying, who was suddenly hugged on the thigh, was stunned for a moment, then looked down at the small figure below.
The moonlight was bright, and there was a little light, so people could still be seen.
Fu An didn't know what to say for a moment. From inside the room, Luo's voice lowered and asked, "An An, what happened to Ning Ning?"
Fu An replied: "Ningning wants to sleep with that..." His voice changed and he addressed her as "Auntie."
There was silence in the room for a moment, and then there was the sound of a bamboo pole hitting the ground, as if Luo had come out.
Yu Ying said to the little girl in a gentle voice, "Go back to sleep first. You'll be able to see your aunt tomorrow when you wake up."
Fu Wei, who had not yet rested, heard Yu Ying call herself "little aunt" and opened his eyes, looking at the dark thatched roof.
For some reason, I feel a subtle mood.
Outside the house, Fu Ning refused to let go.
Yu Ying hesitated for a moment.
The curtain had been drawn aside, and Mrs. Luo had groped her way out.
Yu Ying finally made up her mind and said, "Let her sleep with me tonight."
Mrs. Luo looked worried: "But Ningning is restless when she sleeps, she will disturb you."
Yu Ying: "It's okay, it won't affect anything."
Mrs. Luo hesitated for a moment, then called out "Ningning," and then instructed, "Listen to your aunt."
Fu Ning couldn't speak, but he nodded heavily as a response.
Yu Ying and Luo said, "Let's drink the tea made from Prunella Vulgaris before we go to sleep."
Mrs. Luo nodded. "Of course. After drinking it for a few days, An An and Ning Ning haven't coughed much at night."
After hearing what his grandmother said, Fu An finally realized that he had been sleeping well these past few nights. Although he still coughed, it was not as severe as before.
My grandma and sister seem to be feeling much better.
Before helping his grandmother back, Fu An turned his head and looked at the back of the person who was holding his sister's hand as he entered the house.
After returning to the house and lying down again, Fu An whispered to his grandmother beside him: "Grandma, she seems to be really different. I don't like the old aunt."
In the darkness, Mrs. Luo's face changed, and she lowered her voice to her grandson, "Don't tell these things to outsiders, otherwise your aunt will become the same aunt she used to be, and there's a good chance she'll leave our house."
Fu An was stunned for a moment. When he thought about turning back into the scary aunt he had been before, he couldn't help but shrink his neck. Then, thinking that she might leave, he responded firmly: "I will definitely not tell anyone!"
When Fu Wei heard what the grandfather and grandson said, he knew that not only he had noticed the difference, but even his biological mother had noticed something.
But their lives were too hard, but she brought a hint of sweetness. Even though they clearly saw the clues, they were unwilling to think about it too much, let alone delve into it.
Because Yu Liuniang had only been here a short time, everyone in Lingshui Village knew very little about her. They didn't understand what exactly was different about her now, and they had no way of knowing.
But the Yu family in another village a hundred miles away knew her best. If she were to return to the Yu family, it might not be easier than staying in the Fu family.
The grandfather and grandson gradually fell into a deep sleep, but Fu Wei was still not sleepy.
In another room, Yu Ying was gently waving a large palm-leaf fan, and the cool breeze dispelled the stuffiness in a corner.
Fu Ning's sleeping posture was insecure. He slept curled up like a kitten and slept close to Yu Ying.
She breathed slowly and was not at all noisy.
Before going to bed, Yu Ying told her the story of Cinderella, but she fell asleep halfway through.
Yu Ying felt sleepy and fell asleep as well.
When the night ended and the day broke, Yu Ying got up early. When she got up, the little girl also got up.
She tied up her long hair and fixed it with a hairpin, then braided the little girl's hair. After braiding, she tied a bow with a cloth strip.
The clean little girl has pretty eyes and eyebrows, which makes people happy.
When he led her out of the house, it was just dawn, but Fu An was already awake. He yawned, glanced at his sister who was being led out of the house by his aunt, then looked at his aunt and asked, "Are we going to the mountains again today?"
Yu Ying nodded and said, "I'll go, but I have to go and come back quickly."
I made an appointment with the He family to reinforce the house today, and I also have to deliver the jelly to Uncle Chen. I estimate I have to be back home in an hour.
After Yu Ying simply washed Fu Ning, she also began to wash and comb her hair.
Seeing that she was almost ready, Fu An picked a few mint leaves without reminding her, rubbed them to extract the juice, and applied it to her neck, wrists, and ankles.
Yu Ying scooped some jelly and put it in two bowls, planning to give it to Aunt He's family at noon to relieve the heat.
After finishing it, he carried the backpack and went out with Fuan.
The place she knew where the lychee fruits were available for picking was still good for another two or three days, so she would have to go look somewhere else tomorrow.
With Fuan's help, the backpack was soon seven-tenths full, enough for two deliveries.
It took only half an hour to go back. Just as they put the fruits away, Aunt He and the others came over.
Uncle He, his son, and another tall stranger were there. He was very dark, but his features were deep, giving him a certain masculine and handsomeness.
They each carried several bundles of wood of varying thicknesses and several bundles of hay, while Aunt He and her daughter-in-law came over with shovels and hoes.
When asked, Fu An said that the man was also from the same village, named Song Jun, the third son of the Song family. He grew up with his father and they had a very good relationship. During the years when his father was not at home, he had been helping their family.
At this point, Fu An muttered quietly, "The small half bag of taro you took away earlier was sent by Uncle Song."
Yu Ying: ...
Does he still remember this?
But soon, Fu An seemed to be afraid that she would be unhappy, and said, "I won't mention this matter again."
Yu Ying glanced at him, said nothing, and then went to talk to Aunt He and her mother-in-law.
Aunt He said, "Song Sanlang has been working as a farmhand with our eldest son at the gentry's place. When he heard that your family was going to build a house, he said he wanted to come and help."
Yu Ying looked at Song Sanlang and thanked him, "Thank you so much."
Song Sanlang was probably not good at speaking, so he didn't explain much and just said, "Fu Dalang is not here, so I must help."
When Fu Wei was exiled to Lingnan, he was thrown half-dead at the post station. It was the Third Brother of the Song Family and the First Brother of the He Family who went to pick him up from the post station.
In Lingshui Village, the Fu family probably gets along best with the He and Song families.
Besides, yesterday Yu Ying went to the He family to borrow medicinal wine, saying that Erlang had fallen, so after Aunt He introduced the Song family's Sanlang, she asked her: "How is your husband?"
Yu Ying replied, "It's nothing serious. I'll apply some medicinal wine to him after lunch."
Aunt He nodded, and then told Yu Ying about building the thatched hut today: "Your Uncle He said that since we are building a kitchen and there are many people helping out, why not build a toilet along the way so we don't have to go outside all the time."
When Yu Ying heard Aunt He say this, her face lit up with joy.
She had thought about this before, but she didn't mention it because she didn't want to bother others too much. She just planned to learn while they were building the thatched hut, and then try to build a small hut herself later.
Now that the toilet was brought up, Yu Ying no longer had to worry. She then discussed with Uncle He about building the kitchen longer, dividing it into two parts, and leaving a space of about four feet in the middle for a bathroom.
The bathroom was half a foot lower than the kitchen outside, so she planned to go to the river to get some sand and stones to fill it up. This way, water seepage would be much better, and she wouldn't have to worry about the mud on the ground splashing onto her feet when flushing, and it would also prevent slipping.
After hearing what Yu Ying said, several people started working.
I decided on a position about seven feet long and three or four feet wide, drew a line on the ground with a branch, and then started digging along the line.
After lowering the position of the bathroom, they dug a deep trench along the drawn line, placed the thicker wood in the corners, and then used branches thicker than fingers to surround the house and insert them tightly into the trench. After all the branches were inserted, they were buried with soil and tied with tough straw ropes.
The time agreed with Mr. Chen was almost up, so Yu Ying stopped helping and sent the jelly out.
At the entrance of the village, Uncle Chen had been waiting for a while.
Yu Ying hurriedly quickened her pace and when she reached the village entrance, she gave a pottery jar of jelly to Uncle Chen.
Uncle Chen said, "I got you two cabbages. They're two cents a pound outside, and each one must weigh two pounds. I'll charge you three cents a piece."
Yu Ying thanked him quickly, and then Uncle Chen gave her two more radishes.
The cabbage was green, the radish was big enough, and there was a small basket of taro. Yu Ying spent a total of thirteen cents.
Seeing the melons and vegetables growing well, Yu Ying asked, "Uncle Chen, your melons and vegetables are growing so well. Where did you buy the seeds? I want to buy some and grow them in my own yard."
Uncle Chen smiled and said, "These are not bought, they are all saved by our family. If you want, I can give you some seeds. The price is cheaper than in the county town."
After all, we can't always eat wild vegetables. There is a large open space in the Fu family's yard, and now only a small piece of mint is planted there. It's empty anyway, so it's better to plant some vegetables.
With her mind made up, Yu Ying asked Uncle Chen to bring some seeds over tomorrow.
After making the decision with Uncle Chen, Yu Ying went back.
Thinking that she only had a few dozen copper coins left, Yu Ying breathed a sigh of relief.
If she still wanted to help the Fu family get Fu Dalang and his wife out of the quarry, she would not be able to spend any more money in the future. Fortunately, she didn't need to buy anything for the time being.
However, she had to find out how the quarry service period was calculated so that she would have a clear idea.
Back in the yard, Yu Ying continued to help.
Yu Ying asked about this when she was twisting the straw rope with Aunt He.
"Aunt He, do you know how much silver I have to pay to be exempted from a year's service at the quarry?"
Aunt He said, "My Erlang is working in the quarry, how could I not know?"
Speaking of her second son, Aunt He sighed and then said, "Erlang still has about two years of service left. If he wants to come back, he'll have to pay about 2,500 coins."
Hearing this, Yu Ying's heart sank.
Two years would be two thousand five hundred coins, and three years would be three thousand six hundred coins.
Yu Ying couldn't just redeem Fu Dalang and ignore Fu's eldest sister-in-law.
The quarry was a chaotic place, with some extremely vicious people and even more bachelors. If a woman didn't have a man to protect her, the outcome would be predictable.
But for two people, that's more than seven taels of silver. She doesn't even have a hundred coins on her now, and there are less than two months left. Where can she earn so much money?
When Yu Ying thought of this, she felt a chill in her heart.
Aunt He sighed, then asked curiously, "Why are you suddenly asking me this?"
Yu Ying smiled and said, "I just thought of An An and Ning Ning's parents, so I asked casually. I didn't expect them to want so much money."
Aunt He glanced at the two children who were helping to twist straw ropes at the other end and said helplessly, "Without money, we can only endure it slowly."
Yu Ying also looked at Fu An and Funing and sighed softly.
Since there is no way to redeem the service period now, we cannot remain indifferent knowing that lives have been lost.
After thinking for a while, Yu Ying decided to find an opportunity to go to the quarry to meet Fu Jia Dalang and remind him.
Maybe after giving him a reminder, he could avoid a fatal disaster.
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