Mu Lianrong always treated her two daughters-in-law equally. Although her second daughter-in-law had something to do when she went back to her parents' home, she didn't have much work to do at the moment, so she simply prepared a gift and asked her eldest son to accompany his eldest daughter-in-law back to her parents' home for two days.
Like her, Wang's family members were straightforward and honest people who wouldn't try to squeeze any benefits out of their in-laws over trivial matters, and they readily agreed.
Xiao Shanhai found people to help, and a few days later, the chicken coop, two swings, a kiln, and a cellar that she had mentioned were successfully built in the backyard.
To make the yellowish-brown kiln in the front yard look less unappealing, she sculpted two bear ears on the top of the kiln, making it look much cuter.
The vegetable greenhouse has been built, and for the past two days, all her family members, including the children, have been weeding and turning the soil inside, while she has been at home cultivating seedlings.
Mu Lianrong brought over a hundred taels of silver left over from building the house and greenhouse to return to her, but Xiao Yunying refused to accept it and tricked her mother into taking it back.
The well-drilling craftsmen are working hard, saying that water will be available in less than ten days.
You really don't know some things until you do them; the ancients had so many rules about even digging a well.
Normally, it is required to be located away from places that harbor sewage (outhouses, ditches, etc.), and to choose a place with abundant groundwater. The well should not be too deep, should not be level with the ground, but should be higher than the ground, and should be surrounded by bricks and stones. It is better to have a cover, so as to prevent sewage from falling in and to make people feel safer, etc.
For more superstitious households, there are many more requirements. Before digging a well, the time and direction must be calculated based on the homeowner's birth date and time. The well must be dug in the front yard, not the back yard, and it cannot be directly opposite the kitchen, as this is considered incompatible with water and fire and will cause unrest in the household.
It should not face the main entrance directly, and there should be no large trees around it, as trees are considered unlucky. Planting plants such as bamboo and wolfberry is considered auspicious.
There are many other rules and taboos, which I won't go into detail about. In short, she was responsible for giving out the money, while her uncle was in charge of the rest.
If you really need anything, contact Luo Chen; he's the homeowner.
If it's something that Luo Chen or Luo Yang can handle, don't come to her.
Once the two wells were completed, Xiao Yunying began planting the first batch of vegetable seedlings that had grown.
It's almost December now, and the weather outside is already getting a bit cold in the north.
The greenhouse was covered with three layers of thick tarpaulin, and an old cotton quilt was added on top for insulation. The heat generated from the ground was trapped inside the greenhouse, so the temperature was acceptable and there was no need to light a stove for the time being.
The Xiao family members were busy in the greenhouse. Although they didn't know what kind of vegetables they were growing, they were definitely more experienced in farming than Xiao Yunying.
Xiao Yunying consulted the instructions on the seed packaging and listened to her mother's advice on planting vegetables. She then squatted down with a small hoe and started digging holes.
Luo Xin was responsible for handing her the seedlings, while Luo Li was responsible for watering the seedlings covered with soil with a small water ladle.
Xiao Yunsong brought in water: "It's snowing outside."
"It's snowing!"
Xiao Yunying excitedly threw down her small hoe, stood up to ease her numb legs, stepped out of the greenhouse, and caught the drifting snowflakes in her hands.
"Winter has really arrived; this is the first snow."
Xiao Yunying stood outside for a while, then went back to continue planting vegetable seedlings.
Luo Yang brought over a half-full bucket of water to replace Luo Li's empty bucket: "Mother, you haven't made a new cotton-padded coat yet."
"I had forgotten about it until you mentioned it. It's time to do it."
She has lost about eight or nine pounds in the past two weeks, and now she should weigh around 120 pounds. She probably won't be able to lose weight before spring.
As we all know, winter is a great time to gain weight.
Even if she tries to restrain herself, she can at most prevent herself from gaining weight back; she can't guarantee she won't gain any more.
Xiao Yunying squatted down and turned around to ask Mu Lianrong, who was planting vegetable seedlings in another row, "Mom, have you made new cotton-padded clothes for Dad and the others with the cloth and cotton I bought for you?"
Mu Lianrong replied while working, "I'm working on it right now. I'm doing it with your eldest and second sisters-in-law. We'll make sure everyone in the family has new clothes before the New Year. Daughter, it's snowing today, you should make your cotton-padded clothes too. Don't always think about losing weight before you make them, you're already very thin."
"I understand. I'll go to the city tomorrow to find Sister Cheng Yue to do it."
It took two days, yesterday and today, to plant all the seedlings in the ground in batches.
Xiao Yunying specially reserved a small plot of land to plant strawberries and a type of melon called Lanzhou melon.
This gives you an excuse to eat fresh fruit in winter.
The next step is to take good care of the seedlings so they can grow strong and healthy, and then wait for the harvest.
That evening, Xiao Yunying prepared a sumptuous meal to reward her family members who had worked hard on the greenhouse recently.
She took the wine out of the supermarket and poured it into the wine jar left over from the housewarming party, saying that it was bought from the city and was supposedly a good wine transported from other places.
Northerners are generally good drinkers; her father and brother can each have a few drinks.
She brought out 52-proof baijiu, which was far superior to the naturally brewed grain liquor here in terms of both taste and alcohol content. Xiao Shan Hai found it tasted better than the previous liquor and couldn't resist drinking two more glasses.
The cup used was not the small wine cup used by literati and scholars, but a mug that Xiao Yunying took from the supermarket.
Mu Lianrong was unaware that the wine was highly alcoholic and ignored it.
As expected, once the effects kicked in, Xiao Shan Hai got completely drunk.
He refused to admit he was drunk, staggered as he walked, wouldn't let anyone help him, and said he wanted to go home. As soon as he stepped out of the courtyard gate, he walked in another direction.
Sure enough, although his body swayed, he walked straight, but it wasn't the way home.
In the end, he was helped back by his two sons, one on each side.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
