Chapter 158 Everyday Life (Part 1) Early winter, Little Leaf, Little Treasure...
The somber atmosphere lasted for several days before Neil returned home and the atmosphere eased somewhat.
Neil loved sharing his daily life at the academy with Ray and liked to follow Tata around, begging him to let him hug him.
Laughter and the sounds of chatting filled the entire living room.
On the day Neil returned, Ray killed two red tardigrades. One was used to make soup that evening with dried wild mushrooms he had picked, and the other was saved to be stewed with vermicelli for lunch the next day.
After the autumn rains, the temperature drops day by day, so there's no problem saving the bird meat until tomorrow.
The bird meat for dinner was cooked to perfection, and the wild mushrooms were also very delicious. Ryan was very satisfied to have such a delicious meal after a long time and returned to his usual corner.
As the temperature dropped, He abandoned the elven tree outside and moved inside.
Lei quickly got used to Ryan's presence in the house.
This new member is generally easy to get along with, as long as His requirements are met; He is quiet and almost invisible.
After getting used to His presence, Ray and Neil's daily lives remained largely unchanged.
"Neil, can you still wear last year's thick clothes?"
Neil grew seven or eight centimeters taller that year, and his arms and legs became much longer. Ray was worried that his thick clothes wouldn't fit him, so he wanted to go to the clothing store in town to buy some warm clothes as soon as possible. Otherwise, it would be a waste if he caught a cold.
"Yes, I bought a size too big last year, and it fits perfectly this year."
Neil looked a little smug.
He suggested buying a larger size so that they could save some money on clothes this year, and he saved his brother a few more silver coins.
"Okay. Is there anything else you need to buy?"
"No, brother. The allowance you gave me is enough for me to buy what I need."
"Okay, if you need money, don't be shy and ask your brother."
"Uh-huh."
Neil sat by the fireplace, warming himself both physically and mentally.
“Brother, I ran into Dr. Black in town when I was resting. He looked so haggard.”
"Yeah?"
"Yes, but I left after saying goodbye to him. He said he would ask you to come over when he had time."
Ray didn't understand the meaning of Blake's invitation; apart from those few times when they went to the doctor, the two of them didn't have much private interaction.
"Okay, I understand."
"Also, brother, our college's auditorium has been fitted with glass lamps, and it's the first time I've seen them so clearly."
"Has the town already installed glass lamps?"
"The more important places, such as the mayor's house, the church, the magic guild, and wealthy merchants, have all used it."
It seems that glass lamps are being promoted very quickly. If you run out of money, you can sell some of your energy stones when the time is right.
As he thought about it, Lei handed the grilled sausage to Neil.
"Thank you, brother. You should eat too."
"Um."
At this crucial stage of growth, Neil's appetite increased significantly. Since the Lai family ate dinner relatively early, the two brothers were chatting when Neil said he was hungry. Lai then roasted two sweet potatoes for him and grilled a sausage over the charcoal fire.
"Brother, next semester we'll have to choose our main weapon. I want to choose a longsword like Father did."
Ray somewhat disagreed with Neil making a decision so quickly.
"Choose what suits you. Don't make a choice easily because of admiration or other reasons. Take another look and listen to your teacher's opinion."
"Okay, brother."
Neil likes it when Ray makes decisions for him and arranges everything in his life. If he could, he would like to live with his brother forever.
"This year has gone by so fast."
"Yeah, I've been so busy this year that it feels like it's gone by so fast."
"hey-hey."
"Brother, will we still go sell vegetables in the winter?"
"Um."
Lei nodded.
Building a wooden house and buying fruit tree seedlings in the spring will be another expense, but we don't have much money left.
"Brother, I'll help you sell vegetables during my break!"
"good."
Ryan listened to the two brothers chatting idly by the fireplace. Nothing particularly important, just mundane details of daily life, yet it exuded the warmth of home.
The busiest time of autumn has passed, and every household has plenty of food. Water tanks are full, granaries are full, and woodsheds are full. The busyness of the past six months has finally brought the leisure of winter.
Villagers who had free time started to go out in groups to find work, while others wanted to take a break this winter and stay at home to tidy up their belongings.
Mark's situation is different this year; he didn't go out to work as usual because he wanted to spend more time with his newborn daughter. Maggie rolled her eyes at this. What's a little girl compared to going out and earning money?
Such things kept happening in their family.
Maggie never liked cooking, and when she brought Mark home a wife, she was hoping she could take over the household chores. But after only a few months, the chores came back to her because Ivy was pregnant.
Ivy was sweet-talking and knew how to flatter, and she was also pregnant with her grandson. Maggie had no choice but to reluctantly take on the household chores again. If it had been a grandson, that would have been fine, but after several months, the baby was born, only to turn out to be a daughter!
Because of her premature birth and the need to recover, Ivy will not be able to get pregnant for the next two years. The thought of this makes Maggie angry. During the month or so that Ivy was recuperating after giving birth, she often threw tantrums and cursed at home.
I gave birth to a girl, how can I have the face to let her stay at home and serve me?!
If it weren't for the gossipy women in the village and the fear of not being able to explain things to her brother, Maggie would have quit long ago.
That day, I ran into a woman from the same village when I went out, and she teased me by asking how I could have given birth to a daughter, since the shaman had said it would definitely be a son.
Maggie was so angry that she rolled her eyes and went to the wizard's house to cause a scene.
Later, the wizard couldn't stand her causing trouble anymore and returned the silver coins to her, and the matter gradually calmed down. However, in the days that followed, she often cursed the wizard at home and in the village for not knowing how to read the scriptures and for talking nonsense to cheat people out of money.
Ever since her granddaughter was born, Maggie has been in a terrible mood. Especially when she sees Mark changing diapers and bathing his daughter like a precious baby, Maggie is even more disapproving.
She dared not offend her son, fearing that Mark, now that he could earn money, would not support her in her old age. Instead, she often took advantage of his absence to complain to Ivy, making veiled accusations.
He didn't openly criticize Ivy for not being lucky enough to have a son, but said that he lacked motivation to work and that his arms or legs ached every day, making Ivy restless during the month she was recuperating in bed.
Ivy was also feeling terrible; she desperately wanted to have a son to keep Mark firmly by her side.
She endured hardship and exhaustion. She tried to please her in-laws and appease her sister-in-law. In the end, she was on the verge of death, but all she gave birth to was a kitten-like girl.
She disliked her daughter, believing she had pushed her son away. To make matters worse, the midwife, Granny Afu, told her not to get pregnant for the next two years, or she risked dying from severe bleeding.
Her son was important, but her own life was more important. She listened to what Grandma Afu said, but she still complained a lot about the gender of her child.
Because Mark adored his daughter, she had to pretend to love her in front of him.
"How can a little girl be so precious, carried around everywhere! She starts crying as soon as it's mealtime!"
Maggie's attack has started again.
Everyone was at the dinner table except Mark, who was in the bedroom. She was clearly speaking to herself, blaming herself for coming out to eat first and leaving Mark hungry while taking care of the child.
Ivy was furious.
She was an outsider after all. Even if there was a kinship relationship, what difference did it make? Maggie treated her daughter that way, let alone her, who was just a daughter-in-law.
She's gotten tired of hearing Maggie's words, both overt and covert, over the past few months.
After giving birth, her mother visited her once, bringing her five pounds of wild Gulu meat.
Wild Gulu beast meat has a strong, unpleasant smell. Ever since a meat stall owner in town started selling meat that wasn't smelly, all the wealthier families in town and villages have been buying meat from him.
My family has some spare money, and this year is a good harvest year. My nephew is eating well at home and his face is shiny with oil, but I only have a few pounds of meat.
This made Ivy feel even more desolate.
They look down on me, but I'm determined to live a good life and show them!
Maggie kept babbling on and on at the dinner table, while her father-in-law remained completely silent, like a dead man. Ivy realized that her father-in-law wouldn't pay any attention to Maggie unless she brought it up herself or he was really annoyed.
My sister-in-law is a doormat; she has to do all the work and get scolded. Trying to please everyone in the family is the only way she can think of to make her life a little easier.
As for the third brother...
Ivy glanced at the young man who only ate meat. He had always been stubborn and had a very unstable temper; when he got angry, he could smash everything in the house. Only Mark could occasionally persuade him to stop.
“Eldest daughter-in-law, once you’ve recovered enough, help out with more housework. Lying in the house all day will only make your bones stiff. Staying indoors won’t help you have a son, so it’s good for you to get out and move around more.”
The youngest daughter, Anna, buried her face in her rice bowl, secretly observing the reactions of the other family members.
Here we go again, they start arguing every time it's mealtime. When will she grow up and leave this house?
“I also want to recover as soon as possible to help my mom cook and do laundry. But Mark insists that I rest for a while longer, saying that he will do these chores. I am so lucky to have married such a good man as Mark.”
As always, Ivy used Mark as an excuse to deflect Maggie's subtle and overt remarks. Even though she no longer held any hope for Maggie, the family hadn't separated yet, so she couldn't directly start a conflict.
Maggie glared at Ivy.
"I won't cook tomorrow's meal; you'll have to figure it out yourself."
Ivy didn't say anything, quietly finished her meal, and went back to her bedroom.
Mark stood on the ground, gently rocking the baby in his swaddling clothes.
"She's fussy, but I'm about to fall asleep."
Mark said in a low voice.
He's been staying up all night taking care of the baby lately, while Ivy only needs to feed the baby a few times at night, which makes Mark look even more tired than Ivy.
"Mom said she's not cooking tomorrow."
Mark immediately understood what Maggie meant.
"You don't need to worry about it, just take good care of Xiaoyezi."
He gently placed the sleeping baby in the cradle beside the bed.
Children grow up very quickly; the child has a pair of cute little dimples on his face, and his skin is fair and tender.
Perhaps because she was premature, she was much smaller and thinner than other babies her age, which broke Mark's heart. He bought very soft fabric to make clothes for her. Although he couldn't provide Little Leaf with the best conditions, he didn't skimp on taking care of her.
How much money do we have left?
Mark asked Ivy.
There are two gold coins and seventeen silver coins.
Ivy replied.
The money came from Mark's earnings from selling vegetables, as well as some savings she had accumulated before marrying him.
"Okay, we should have enough capital for next year. Ivy, I'll have to go out and sell vegetables again next year, so I'll have to trouble you to take care of Xiao Yezi. If you feel tired, go ask Xiao Mei for help. I'll talk to her and make sure she doesn't work for free. I'll give her some wages."
Ivy nodded in agreement. She always put Mark first in their interactions.
At this moment, Ivy felt it didn't matter how much Maggie yelled and cursed; she and Mark were one, a true family. As long as Mark's heart was with her, all the grievances she had suffered seemed to vanish.
It's just a pity...
Ivy looked at Little Leaf, who was sleeping soundly on the bed.
It's a pity I didn't give Mark a son; if only it were a boy.
Meanwhile, at Hagrid's house.
Xiao Bao is growing very well. He eats and sleeps well every day, and his loud voice has kept the adults in the family very busy.
His chubby little face made anyone want to touch it.
Recently, Xiao Bao has started trying to roll over. Although his little neck is not yet strong enough to support his big head, the little guy has not given up trying. He is a stubborn little boy.
"Little brother, here, here."
Luna teased her younger brother with a cloth doll made by her grandmother, which made Xiao Bao reach out to grab it.
Farah smiled as she looked at the scene before her.
Thank goodness, Luna's personality didn't change because of her brother.
Farah breathed a sigh of relief.
When she first learned she was pregnant, she was worried that Luna wouldn't be able to accept the birth of her little brother. She also worried that after the baby was born, Luna would feel that the little brother would take away the love that she and Rhys had for her.
"Luna, are you going to sleep with Mom and Dad tonight?"
"don't want."
Luna pouted.
"My little brother is too noisy!"
Farah chuckled.
"Mom, why does my little brother smell so bad? He's so unhygienic!"
Luna continued her accusations.
One day, while taking a nap with her mother in bed, her younger brother peed all over her. Luna was extremely disgusted by this and held a grudge for a long time.
"Because my younger brother is still young and can't control his behavior yet. He won't do this when he grows up."
Farah replied with a smile.
Luna, being a pretty little girl, cried a lot after her clothes were wet by Xiaobao. It wasn't until Rhys took Luna to town and bought her a new dress that Luna calmed down.
"Luna, try on this thick coat. I added two pieces of fabric to the cuffs so your wrists won't get cold."
Luna put on the clothes Farah handed her. The length and shape were just right, and there were two small white flowers on the cuffs.
"Perfect, looks great!"
Luna spun around on the floor for Farah to see.
"I'll go show it to Grandma!"
Luna rushed out in a flurry, but stopped abruptly at the door, carefully pushed it open, and then gently closed it again, afraid of frightening her younger brother.
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