Not knowing what had happened, everyone ran in that direction.
Before the mule cart had even come to a complete stop, it was surrounded by a crowd.
"Mother!" Jiayin, who was feeling drowsy from the heat, rushed over to her mother as soon as she saw her.
Tao Hongying held her heavy daughter in her arms, and seeing the old lady's smiling face, she finally felt at ease.
"Mother, why have you been gone for so long? If you don't come back soon, Fourth Brother will go looking for you."
Old Mrs. Li got off the mule cart and said with a smile, "Since things went smoothly, I stayed an extra day to help your third sister-in-law and the others."
Before Tao Hongying could ask, the others, not seeing Zhao Yuru and Jia Huan, asked, "Where did the third brother's wife go? Why hasn't she come back?"
"Yes, and there's Jia Huan too. He's usually quiet, but he's very efficient at his work. These past two days without him, we haven't been able to help Hong Ying properly."
Grandma Li didn't intend to hide it from everyone, after all, they all lived in the same village and made a living together, so there was no way to hide it from them.
She smiled and said, "Jiaren's academy is too far away. I'm afraid that if something happens at home, we won't be able to take care of him. It just so happens that there's a small food stall for sale across from the academy. From now on, let the third son's family go there to sell some steamed buns and dumplings to make a living and also to keep an eye on Jiaren."
Everyone was stunned for a moment, then felt a mixture of envy and admiration.
No wonder the Li family is doing well; Old Mrs. Li, the matriarch, is really quick-witted.
While they were still celebrating their stable lives, using their meager wages to buy meat and make dumplings, others went straight to buying shops and starting businesses.
"Auntie, you really know how to manage a household well."
"That's wonderful, Jiaren is very happy."
Grandma Li waved her hand, "I just spoil my child too much. I can't bear to see my child helpless and alone outside."
Aunt Wu was heartbroken. The Li family used to run a shop, so why would they need to send a page to take care of Jiaren?
Unexpectedly, Old Lady Li took her hand and said, "Third Aunt, go back and help Gousheng pack his luggage. Let Gousheng go to the academy with the Third Brother later. Jiaren's academy is big, and it's really inconvenient without someone to help. From now on, we'll be counting on Gousheng to lend a hand to Jiaren."
This was truly a stroke of good luck; Aunt Wu was so happy she was practically dizzy with joy.
She readily agreed, "Okay, okay, I'll go back right away, I'll go back right away!"
Grandma Li instructed, "From now on, Gousheng will live and eat with Jiaren. We'll give him two hundred coins a month for pocket money. Is that alright? If you're free, Gousheng can stay at the academy for a few days. The backyard of our shop is very spacious. He can come out for lunch and dinner at the academy, so it'll be convenient for us to meet."
Aunt Wu almost nodded her head like a chicken pecking at rice, "Good, good!"
Those families with half-grown children were filled with regret.
How could they not know that Jiaren was looking for a page? Otherwise, wouldn't they have had their children compete for it too? That's an academy, after all, a place where even a dog could recite poetry.
As long as you send your child there, they can learn some skills, which will be enough for them to make a living in the future.
Unfortunately, it was too late to say anything.
Li Laosan went home to retrieve his luggage and belongings, and along the way, he brought along Uncle Wu and Aunt Wu, who had rushed back after hearing the news.
The couple was still worried and wanted to send their son along.
The Li family was also happy, as they could help drive the mule cart back when they returned tomorrow.
After seeing them off, Grandma Li carried her granddaughter on her back and circled the house and surrounding area several times. Only when she saw that everything was as usual did she feel at ease.
When Li Laosi and Li Laoer heard the news, they came back to see their mother and Jiayin, chatted for a while, had a meal with the old lady, and then went back to their work.
The old lady was a little tired, so she cuddled her granddaughter and took a nap.
As a result, Jiayin didn't come back for several days. Excited, she couldn't sleep. Hearing her grandmother snoring, she climbed off the kang (a heated brick bed) and ran out for a stroll.
Before she could even leave the gate, she encountered Madam Cui.
Madam Cui had been planning to come for a while, but Liu Zhiheng's wife came for a short visit in the morning and had just finished lunch before leaving.
Jiayin hugged Madam Cui's leg and shouted happily, "Auntie, Auntie, Fu Niu missed you so much!"
Madam Cui's heart softened, and she hugged the chubby little girl tightly, kissing her several times before asking, "You've been gone for several days, and your aunt has missed you. Where is your grandmother?"
"Grandma is asleep, but Fu Niu can't sleep, so she's going to play with her aunt." Jia Yin hugged Madam Cui's neck, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons as she smiled, looking incredibly cute.
Madam Cui couldn't resist kissing her plump cheek again, then turned to instruct Sister-in-law Qiong.
"You stay here and keep watch. Let her know when she wakes up, so she won't worry."
Sister-in-law Qiong agreed, and Madam Cui took Jiayin out for a stroll.
The valley was too lively, and Madam Cui wasn't used to it, so she simply carried Jiayin and walked into the fields.
It was hot and sunny, and soon both the big one and the little one were covered in sweat.
The village chief, sitting in a thatched shed in the melon field, saw it from afar and quickly took it from him.
"Why did you come all the way here on such a hot day?"
Madam Cui also regretted it, and said with a wry smile, "I was only thinking about how quiet it was here, but I forgot that the sun was scorching hot."
The village chief accepted the good news and handed the palm-leaf fan to Madam Cui to shield her from the sun. The three of them then jogged into the shack.
The shack only had two sides, but it provided shade and ventilation, making it a good place.
The village chief chuckled and said, "Even if Madam hadn't come, I would have had someone invite you. The cold melons and fragrant melons in this field are precious things that Young Master Ye brought back. We've never eaten them before. It's been a long and difficult journey to grow them, and they've produced quite a few melons, but we don't know which ones are ripe."
Jiayin, who was so hot she wanted to stick out her tongue, immediately looked up when she heard this.
Counting the days, it's almost July. In my previous life, watermelons and cantaloupes were also harvested and sold in large quantities around this time.
Recently, my family has been incredibly busy with my uncle's reunion, my elder brother's trip to the academy, and opening the shop, so we've neglected the melon field.
She nimbly jumped off the wooden bed covered with dry grass and ran towards the melon field.
The village chief and Mrs. Cui, fearing she might trip, quickly followed behind.
"Fu Niu, slow down, don't fall."
Jiayin turned around and waved at them. It turned out that a field mouse was hiding under the melon vine, trying to sneak a bite of the melon.
Jiayin grabbed a clod of dirt and threw it, but unfortunately, her chubby little hands didn't have much strength, and the clod of dirt went astray. Luckily, the field mouse was also scared away.
She quickly ran over and squatted down next to the melon.
This cantaloupe is a type that was commonly grown in my hometown in my previous life. It has a golden-yellow skin with light white stripes, and it looks very appealing.
A cantaloupe is about the size of a woman's palm, oval-shaped, and looks very appealing.
The melon that the field mouse had its eye on was a darker color, with a smooth rind without any thorns, a deep navel, and a stem that fell off at the slightest touch, clearly indicating that it was fully ripe.
Jiayin smiled and handed it to the village chief. The village chief looked at it from left to right and figured out some of the tricks of the trade.
"Is this melon ripe? That's easy to tell."
He ran back to the shack, found a water hyacinth, and washed the melon clean.
Madam Cui quickly pulled Jiayin to wash her hands; she had actually fought with the field mouse for food—it was so filthy.
The village chief took a breath and smashed the melon open with his fist.
An indescribable sweet aroma immediately wafted through the air.
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