While everyone was thinking this, their chopsticks never stopped.
The dishes were absolutely delicious, perfect with wine and rice, earning praise from everyone.
The courtyard became even more lively in an instant.
The village chief smiled and took a sip of his wine, sighing inwardly.
Qingshui Village has been deserted for too long. Now that the Li family has arrived, it may be a good turning point.
The village will surely become more and more prosperous and lively in the future.
"Sister-in-law, the Liu family is spreading rumors about your family all over the village. You're relatives, so why are you acting so distant?"
An old woman sat down next to Li Laotai and chatted idly. Perhaps finding Li Laotai to be very kind, she whispered a reminder.
Grandma Li held Jiayin in her arms, pulled the thin cotton cloth under her neck to wipe her drool, and sighed.
"It's all painful to talk about, so let's not talk about it."
"Oh, you should tell us, otherwise everyone will think that your family is really well-off and looks down on poor relatives."
The old woman's surname was Sun, and she loved listening to these everyday stories. Most of the village's news came from her.
Grandma Li's eyes reddened, and she said softly.
“When my younger brother Li Gen’er was alive, he sent me many letters. His son was getting married, and his family members were sick. He borrowed a lot of money from me. My family was also struggling at that time. I sold all my dowry and sent the money to him.”
She wiped away her tears and said again.
"We didn't expect to fight. There was chaos and war in the border region, and we traveled thousands of miles to escape. But Guo and her nephews wouldn't even let us in the door. They're afraid I'll bring up the money I borrowed from the Liu family!"
I was heartbroken, so I told the Liu family I was severing ties with them, and they agreed. From then on, we'd just live like ordinary villagers.
Upon hearing her say this, not only Granny Sun, but also the other women felt disgusted with the Liu family.
Heartless, ingrates—these are the words that have been used to describe the Liu family.
It has to be said that Grandma Li's trick was brilliant. Sometimes, playing the victim is more effective than reasoning in getting people on your side.
Jiayin spit out a big bubble of saliva, once again feeling fortunate to have been born into a good family.
The brothers are united, the sisters-in-law are harmonious, and the grandmother who runs the household is also flexible.
Even though life is tough right now, if the whole family works together, things will get better and better.
The Liu family lived at the entrance of the village, some distance from the Li family, but the village was quiet, and one could faintly hear laughter and smell the fragrance in the wind.
"May your whole family be cut into a thousand pieces!"
They invited so many people but not us! Isn't this blatantly trying to make things difficult for us? Liu Tiezhu was so angry that his face turned red and his neck bulged.
Guo's eyelids drooped, and her complexion was not good.
"Your aunt is a master at winning people over. She has money but doesn't help her relatives; she even treats strangers to meals! Their family will be in deep trouble sooner or later!"
Liu Laifu, who was standing to the side, rolled his eyes and said something as well.
"Mother, don't be angry. I'll teach them a lesson sooner or later and get all the money back!"
That's as if the Li family's money is rightfully theirs.
Guo's complexion finally improved after being coaxed by her son.
Taking the opportunity, Liu Laifu said, "Mom, give me some money, I'll go to the county town to find Wu Er."
Wu Er also looked down on the Li family. His sister was the second daughter-in-law of the Li family and knew them best. With his help, it would be much easier to cause trouble for the Li family!
Guo doted on her second son the most, and actually gave him a handful of copper coins.
Before he could give any instructions, Liu Laifu had already dashed out of the house.
Revenge against the Li family is a minor matter; winning money at the casino is the most important thing!
The villagers received a warm welcome at the Li family's home, and their relationship with the Li family became much closer.
At least everyone knows that the Li family is generous, knows how to handle things, and cooks delicious food.
The next day, the villagers, young and old, began the autumn harvest, keeping them extremely busy.
The Li family had no crops to harvest, so they were quite relaxed.
After breakfast, Tao Hongying took Zhao Yuru to the mountain to pick mushrooms and dig wild vegetables.
Before leaving, Tao Hongying left two bowls of rice oil in the pot for her daughter, not worried that she would go hungry.
The two sisters-in-law chatted and laughed as they went up the mountain. They didn't even ask Wu Cuihua, since they figured it would be lazy for her to come along anyway, so they simply didn't bother with her.
Yesterday, Li Lao Er saw that many elderly people in the village were having difficulty walking, so he decided to take his sons to help them with the autumn harvest.
He only said two sentences, and Grandma Li agreed without hesitation.
"Take a few more pieces of bread with you, don't eat other people's food, it's not easy to collect grain."
Grandma Li instructed her son, then gently bounced Jiayin in her arms before bending down to kiss her chubby little face.
She dares to say that her family has no shortage of food, and that confidence comes from her beloved granddaughter.
Li Lao Er, Li Lao San, and Li Lao Si, along with Jia Ren and the other boys, headed straight for Uncle Zhao's house next door.
Uncle Zhao was just over fifty years old, but he lost a leg and went blind in one eye on the battlefield.
Now he is a bachelor with no children, and he is also the one who has the hardest autumn harvest in Qingshui Village.
"Uncle Zhao, we've come to help you harvest your crops!"
Jiaxi and Jia'an are mischievous. Yesterday, they pestered Uncle Zhao to tell them stories of battles. Now, they're all friendly and greeted him as soon as they entered the door.
“Brother Zhao, you have trouble walking, so we brothers are here to help you with some farm work.”
Li Lao Er greeted Uncle Zhao with a smile, and before Uncle Zhao could speak, he led his younger brother and nephews through the backyard of the Zhao family to the field to harvest sorghum.
The sorghum stalks had to be piled up to dry, the sorghum heads had to be cut off, put into bags, carried back to the Zhao family's yard to dry, and finally knocked down before the job was considered done.
Li Lao Er and his companions brandished sickles, while Li Lao Si and Jia Yi carried the sacks, moving with incredible agility.
Uncle Zhao, limping, boiled water and carried it to the field, where Jiaxi and Jia'an happily ran forward to take it.
Uncle Zhao patted their heads, his eyes a little red.
"Tell me, how can I possibly thank your family enough!"
“My grandma said that neighbors should help each other. Uncle, please sit down, we’ll go help with the work too!”
Jiaxi and Jia'an drank their fill of water and then ran away again.
The Zhao family didn't have much land, only two mu, which was all taken by the Li family in a single day.
Uncle Zhao invited them to stay for dinner, but none of the Li family members agreed. Li Laosan didn't forget to give them a final word of advice.
"Uncle, your roof looks quite old, it's probably leaking. I'll come and fix it for you after the autumn harvest."
Before Uncle Zhao could say anything more, the Li family all went home.
And so, for the next few days, the eight members of the Li family, young and old, took turns helping the villagers harvest their land.
Most of these families are composed of demobilized soldiers, and their farmland was provided by the county government.
Each person owns two mu of land, and their tax grain is half that of ordinary farmers, which can be considered a favor from the imperial court.
They didn't have the resources to buy more; paying taxes and grain each year was enough to feed themselves.
The Li family of eight are efficient workers, each doing one job a day, and they all have good tempers.
Every house you visit is bustling with activity; everyone in Qingshui Village praises it.
"No wonder the Li family has so many children and grandchildren and is living such a prosperous life. They are all kind-hearted and blessed people!"
The village's elderly women sat chatting, giving the Li family a thumbs-up whenever they spoke of them.
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