Wu Cuihua was furious and was about to scold Tao Hongying when she heard Old Lady Li's voice coming from the main room.
"Wu Er, you came all the way back from the county town because you know your nephew is going to study, so you're giving him money to buy him pens and ink?"
Wu Er was so embarrassed that his face turned red and his neck bulged. He dared not say that he had come back to take advantage of the situation.
Looking again at Li Laosi, whose fist was as big as a ceramic bowl, he stammered for a long time before finally slinking away.
Wu Cuihua wanted to chase after them, but seeing the cold stares from the whole family, she shrank back...
Before she knew it, it was time for Jiaren to go to the academy, and Tao Hongying got up early to cook.
As dawn broke, Li Lao Er, along with Jia Ren and Li Lao Si, carrying bedding and luggage, set off together.
The whole family stood at the gate to see them off, their reluctant expressions bringing tears to Jiaren's eyes.
"Ahhh!" Jiayin, nestled in Tao Hongying's arms, forcefully raised her little fist at Jiaren.
Jiaren leaned over and pressed his lips against Jiayin's little face.
Jiayin wanted to touch her older brother's handsome face, but she couldn't control her strength and hit him quite loudly.
She blushed, but her family was used to it and laughed, which lessened the sadness of parting considerably…
After Jiaren went to school, the Li family continued their lives as usual.
Li Laosi kept his word and led the young men of the village up the mountain to hunt every day. They almost always had a good catch, but finding large wild animals was not easy.
Li Laosan, on the other hand, led his children to repair houses for the elderly, and the results were quite impressive.
The house to be repaired today is one near the village entrance. Li Laosan is standing on the roof, and Jiayi and his two younger brothers are helping to pass him cattails.
"Hansheng, take a break." The village chief happened to be walking by and saw that Li Laosan was covered in sweat, so he called out to him.
Li Laosan slid down from the roof, wiped the sweat from his brow haphazardly with his sleeve, and greeted with a simple, honest smile, "Uncle's here!"
"Yes, I had nothing to do at home, so I came over for a visit. This year, the village is so grateful to you all; otherwise, we might have lost two or three of our old brothers this winter."
The village chief looked at the roof, which was half repaired, and felt genuinely grateful and happy.
Li Laosan waved his hand dismissively, "We're all neighbors, it's only right that we help each other out."
After he finished speaking, he hesitated for a moment, then said, "Uncle, there's something I'm not sure if I should say?"
"Tell me, do you need manpower, or are you short of timber or bricks?" the village chief quickly replied.
Old Li shook his head. "Uncle, I've been repairing houses these past few days and I've found that some houses are in such bad shape that even if they're repaired, they probably won't withstand the heavy snow in winter."
He pointed to several other locations in the village and said...
"I was thinking, could we gather these elderly people who live in dilapidated houses and are all alone into one family so they can spend the winter together? Not only would it save on firewood, but they could also look after each other and keep each other company. What do you think?"
The village chief's eyes lit up. This was indeed a good idea. In previous years, he had only worried about how hard it was to get through the winter, but he had never thought of huddling together for warmth.
"That's a good idea, I think it's feasible, but after all, it's a matter for everyone, let me go and ask each household first."
The village chief had a short temper; after saying that, he turned and left.
He actually went to the homes of all his bachelor brothers and asked them, and none of them objected.
The last household was the family of Uncle Zhao, who was lame, next to the Li family.
His courtyard was the most spacious among the families, and the house was also quite tidy. With five more brothers living there, there were just enough rooms and two beds, enough room to move around comfortably.
Uncle Zhao was a generous man, and he immediately had all his old buddies move over.
The village chief was even more satisfied. These old brothers were guarding the Li family, and since the Li family had a large population, it would be convenient for them to lend a hand when needed.
When the villagers heard about it, they all helped the families move their luggage, move firewood, and transport grain, and they moved the veterans to one place in a lively atmosphere.
Tao Hongying and Zhao Yuru were also diligent and enthusiastic, helping to tidy up the house, even washing and drying the kang mats.
But none of the veterans had wives, so their bedding inevitably got dirty, and the women helped them take it apart, wash it, and mend it.
It took three or four days for the Zhao family's courtyard next door to finally quiet down. Uncle Zhao's three main rooms also became clean and bright.
The veterans slept on warm kang beds, covered with clean quilts that smelled of soap, feeling both happy and moved. They felt especially close to the Li family.
Jiaxi and Jia'an are mischievous and can't stay still at all.
He would often run over to the veterans to tell them stories of marching and fighting, and pester them to carve wood with a small dagger and shoot birds with a slingshot, bringing a lot of life to the quiet courtyard.
On this day, Zhang Ersao brought a basin of soaked beans to the Li family to make fermented soybean paste.
When the other women in the village heard this, they came over to help. They also brought some beans they had soaked at home to cook together.
The two large iron pots in the Li family's pots finally came in handy, being used to boil beans all day long.
When women get together, gossip is inevitable.
Seeing that Tao Hongying was quick and diligent, some people praised her.
"Hongying is such a virtuous woman. She cooks well and has a good temperament. Unlike my sister-in-law on my mother's side, who is lazy and good-for-nothing all day long. After giving birth to a son, she wants to ride roughshod over my mother..."
Another woman, quick to speak, laughed.
"Don't even mention it. Your sister-in-law is notoriously lazy and shrewish in the surrounding villages. How dare you compare her to Hongying?"
The woman who spoke first was embarrassed, but she laughed and nudged her companion with her elbow while continuing to work.
"When my son gets married tomorrow, I'll find someone like Hongying or Yuru. I guarantee they'll have a prosperous and happy life together!"
The woman with a son at home also sighed.
"You might not have as good a life as Aunt Li."
"You damned woman, what nonsense are you spouting!"
"Haha, look how angry she is..."
The women chatted and laughed, seemingly oblivious to the fatigue of their work.
Tao Hongying is scooping out cooked beans and placing them in a large earthenware basin. After the beans cool, she mashes them into a paste and then pounds them into a square shape.
Grandma Li carried Jiayin out of the house, and the women all adored the chubby little girl.
Jiayin wasn't shy at all. She yawned softly, her big eyes misty, making her look even cuter.
"Oh my! Fu Niu'er is so cute, it makes me want to have another one."
Everyone stopped working and surrounded Jiayin, coaxing and teasing her. Everyone was incredibly envious.
“Sister-in-law, your little girl is about the same age as my son, how about we arrange a marriage between our children?”
A young married woman approached Tao Hongying and made a suggestive suggestion with winks and winks.
Before Tao Hongying could speak, the woman next to her became unhappy.
"Come on! Your son looks like a black monkey, just like your husband. And he still wants to marry Fu Niu?"
"My son is so fair-skinned!"
"Don't be ashamed! Your son is already nine years old, and your daughter is just over 100 days old! You really want to take advantage of a young girl!"
Married women speak without restraint, their laughter carrying far and wide.
Jiayin listened with great interest, occasionally giggling along.
The women didn't think anything of it, but Old Mrs. Li was afraid her granddaughter would be led astray, so she took her home early...?
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