Wang's older brother looks a lot like her, with the same round face and large frame, but he has a kind smile on his face and his skin is dark from years of hard work, making him look like an honest farmer!
At this moment, he was naturally filled with gratitude for his sister bringing such a big business to his family, and whatever she said was right!
My younger sister is a woman of strong will. She recognized Mingzhu's talent even before her husband became the village head. Over the years, thanks to her support and guidance, our family's life has improved steadily. Even when bandits robbed our grain last year, we didn't go hungry. It was all thanks to listening to my sister and hiding most of our food in advance!
"Oh my, it's the village head's wife! Come in and sit down!" Recognizing the voice as Wang's, Liu quickly came to open the door. Seeing the unfamiliar man behind her, who bore a resemblance to Wang, she guessed he must be a member of her family and warmly invited him in as well.
Fortunately, the courtyard is large, so even if there are more people later, they should be able to line up.
After entering the courtyard and looking around, Wang nodded with satisfaction, "Sister, your family is very capable. This courtyard was almost abandoned, but now you have managed it very well."
The piles of firewood at the gate were neatly stacked, and although the ground in the yard was dirt, it was very clean, clearly indicating that it was regularly swept.
Several children playing under the eaves saw someone come in, but instead of hiding, they called out from afar, "Hello, Grandma!" Even the youngest, Little Tiger, joined in the greeting!
His adorable appearance made Wang smile. What a polite family! Unlike those shrewish girls in the village, whose boys are still rolling around in the mud!
"Girl, your kids are all so well-mannered, that's wonderful!"
"Xiaohu is the son of a scholar, so naturally he knows proper manners. Our few mischievous kids also learned to read from him for a few days before they started to look somewhat decent; otherwise, they'd be climbing on the roof and tearing off the tiles!" Liu said modestly, though in her heart she felt her own children were just as excellent!
Sure enough, Wang showered Liu with praise, making Liu laugh heartily.
Hearing that someone had arrived, Qin San Niang brought over a bowl of freshly prepared brown sugar water. "Aunt Wang, this uncle, and this brother, please drink some hot water to warm yourselves up. It's still very cold outside! There's a brazier in the main room, come in and warm up!"
Wang's elder brother and nephew nodded and thanked him. The honest father and son didn't know what to say, and just kept rubbing their hands together!
Initially, Qin San Niang thought that being a relative of the village head's wife would make one arrogant and domineering. But now, seeing her like this, she felt a bit more favorably disposed towards her. She had only gone to collect their yams out of respect for Wang Shi, but now she didn't think it was a big deal.
"Oh, the weather's changed this afternoon, it's getting a bit chilly. Well then, we'll be troubling you and your niece!" Wang Shi used the word "trouble" as she learned it, and it sounded quite nice! She had just learned it from Liu Shi earlier that afternoon!
After Wang and the others sat in the warm main room with their bowls of hot sweet soup, they exclaimed, "This Lady Qin really knows how to enjoy life!"
There was a brazier and a stove in the main room, with a copper kettle on the stove so that hot water could be available at any time.
Speaking of which, the stove was bought from Cheng Shi, while the kettle was taken out of her spatial storage. Qin San Niang thought it was quite small and exquisite, so she took it out to use.
Wang's eldest brother, Wang Benchang, originally thought they were just a family of refugees who had fled to this place. It was only through his brother-in-law's approval that they were able to settle down in Shiligou.
At first, when the honest farmer heard that his sister had come back saying they wanted to buy yams, his first thought was that he was being cheated. Although the yams weren't worth much, they could be lifesavers in a pinch! It was only after Wang forced them to bring them out to sell that he steeled himself and brought over two-thirds of the yams. Now, looking at them, he couldn't believe that such a family would do anything to cheat people! Even their simple bowl of water was made with brown sugar, and they must have put in quite a lot of it, otherwise it wouldn't be so sweet!
Wang Benchang regretted it a little. He should have brought all the yams over, sold them, and then used the money to buy grain. Wouldn't that have been better?
After chatting for a while, Gu Qingshan, along with Wang Benchang and his son, weighed all the yams, while He Yingyuan took care of the bookkeeping.
As for Luo Huan, although he was still injured and didn't talk much, he insisted on working with them. Liu and the others couldn't stop him, so they let him go, only telling him not to overwork and to rest if he was tired!
Luo Huan lowered her head and responded in a muffled voice. Only she knew that something warm was welling up in her eyes and falling.
"Qingshan, when did you get back?" Qin Sanniang and Liu Shi were overjoyed to see Gu Qingshan. They were just worried that it would be tough to harvest the yams tonight!
"I just got back and have already washed up!" Seeing Liu and the others' concern for him, Gu Qingshan felt like a mother again and couldn't help but say a few more words. "I hunted a lot of game, which delayed my return. I was supposed to be back this morning."
There are still good things in these deep mountains. It's just that the weather is cold and it can be a bit tough, but it's worth it. This trip has been very fruitful.
Thinking of the prey in the backyard, Gu Qingshan felt very happy. Now he had enough money to build a house.
"You've just gotten back, so go and rest. There's still some bone broth and rice on the stove. Go and have some rice soaked in the broth first!"
There aren't many people around right now, so we don't need your help. Besides, there's Third Sister and Luo Huan. I'll call you again if we get too busy!
Seeing the bloodshot in his eyes, Liu knew that the child had probably not slept for several days and was hiding in the snow waiting for prey! Hunting was hard work, and how could Liu, who had lived half her life, not know that?
Seeing Gu Qingshan reminded her of her youngest son, who was about the same age as Qingshan, even their builds were similar! She wondered if he had married and had children all these years. That heartless son, did he ever think about whether his old mother was still alive? He didn't even send a letter, or come back to visit! Ah, well, even if Erwazi could read, where would he send a letter in this chaos of war? And where would it even reach? As long as he was alive, she, his mother, would be content!
Gu Qingshan looked around and saw that there weren't many people around. As for Luo Huan, the fourteen-year-old boy, he didn't ask any questions. He would find out sooner or later anyway. He was just a teenager; he didn't take him seriously.
So he nodded to Liu and went to the kitchen to find something to eat! He had been staying in the mountains for the past few days and really missed a hot meal! Later, he would go and prepare the game. It was cold, so it wouldn't spoil. He could take it to the city to sell it tomorrow!
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