Chapter 17 Not long after the meal, Uncle Qiu...
Not long after the meal, Uncle Qiu arrived in his oxcart. He brought his eldest son, Ersheng, with him today.
If Qiu Yu had left the Qiu family environment and had worked with Uncle Qiu San, she would find Er Sheng much more lovable than before.
When Old Man Qiu saw that Ersheng had also arrived, he first frowned and said to his son, "Why did you bring him along? He can't be of any help, and he's not even enough to cover the food costs!"
Before Uncle Qiu could say anything, Qiu Yuruo said, "Grandpa, how can you say that? It's not like we can't afford to eat at home. My brother is willing to come here because he sees me as his older sister. Otherwise, who would be willing to travel all this way here!"
Qiu Yuruo's words made the two reserved students feel a little more at ease.
Actually, it wasn't his idea to come along.
He and his second sister—no, I mean, Sister Ruo—although they lived in the same courtyard, they weren't very familiar with each other. She used to be quiet at home, and their grandmother often scolded her. Ersheng was afraid of being implicated, so he wouldn't take the initiative to talk to her.
It was his father who insisted that he come along.
Hearing his grandfather's words, Ersheng regretted coming along, but after hearing Qiu Yuruo's words, he felt a little happy again.
Qiu Yuruo called Yun Che over again and asked Ersheng to come with him today, saying, "We're busy at home today, so Ersheng will help out with errands with your brother Yun Che. After the autumn harvest is over, your third uncle will send you over to stay for a few more days so your third brother can teach you to read."
Qiu Qiyong smiled with satisfaction as he looked at Qiu Yuruo's arrangements for her son.
Last night, after returning home, he thought about what had happened recently and finally decided to bring his son over today. If Qiu Yuruo showed affection and didn't mind, he would really start getting to know her better in the future.
It would be a lie to say I treat her like my own daughter, but I can certainly treat her like my closest niece.
As for Old Man Qiu, since Qiu Yuruo didn't mind having another mouth to feed, he stopped worrying about it and just urged them to hurry up and buy the materials to build the shed.
I originally thought it would take at least two days to set up the shed, but I didn't expect that once the materials were bought, Uncle Shuncai from next door came over with his eldest son Dafei and Brother Su Huai to help.
When Qiu Yuruo saw that someone had come to help, she stopped working and gave the space to the strong laborers. She then took Yun Che and Ersheng to town, bought ingredients, and went home to prepare a meal.
In the past two days, her strength has almost recovered. Yun Che and Er Sheng are both at an age where they can't sit still. On the way to town, Qiu Yu Ruo had already decided what to buy. It only took them half an hour to get home from town.
When Qiu Yuruo got home, the first thing she did wasn't to cook, but to have her two sons help carry Su Yunting out.
The weather has been nice these past few days. Whenever Qiu Yuruo is home, she takes Su Yunting out to get some sunshine and calcium.
The warm sunlight shone on Su Yunting again, and he could hear Qiu Yuruo's voice arranging things for her younger siblings.
"Yun Che, take the two students to deliver water to Grandpa and the others, and see if they need any help. If not, don't get too close; just help out from the outer edge."
Yun Che agreed, took the earthenware pot of warm water prepared by his second sister, and led Ersheng to the village entrance.
Qiu Yuruo then instructed her younger sister: "Stay close to your older brother and make sure he doesn't get bitten by mosquitoes."
Younger sister: "I can also massage older brother's legs."
Qiu Yuru patted her head and said, "Good girl."
Then he handed her a massage hammer: "You're still young and your hands aren't strong enough. Use this to massage your older brother."
Before Qiu Yuruo married into the family, Su Jingshu and Su Yunche would massage their elder brother. After Qiu Yuruo arrived, she stopped letting Su Jingshu massage him and would at most let her use a massage hammer to give him a little massage.
The younger sister was too young to notice this, but the rest of the family knew that Qiu Yuruo was protecting her two younger sisters' reputations.
Even if they are siblings, there are some malicious people who like to spout fabricated vulgarities.
If Qiu Yu weren't a pure modern person who had just transmigrated, she would have all the memories her body could remember from childhood, and she would have experienced the hardships of life after her parents' death.
Although she didn't like to talk much when she was with the Qiu family, she had ears. Over the years, she had heard countless stories of girls who were like flower buds, whose reputations were ruined intentionally or unintentionally, and who ended up marrying either disabled or crippled men, or lazy men or scoundrels. Marrying a widower or an ugly man was considered good.
When Qiu Yuruo married into the Su family, she still had a testing mindset towards Su Yunche, because if nothing unexpected happened, whether she could live a happy life in the future would be 80% related to him.
As for her two younger sisters, even if they were innocent and naive girls with no ulterior motives, Qiu Yuruo would protect them for several years as long as they didn't harm her.
Qiu Yuruo led her second sister to the kitchen to cook, while her youngest sister stayed by her eldest brother's side, using a massage hammer to massage him here and there.
Su Yunting could vaguely hear Qiu Yuru teaching her second sister how to process the ingredients and how to make them taste better in the kitchen.
His imprisoned soul was filled with intense gratitude, his heart aching and throbbing, hoping that these pleasant and warm days could last until he regained his senses.
When Aunt Shuncai came over, she felt that the Su family was completely different from before.
When the younger sister saw her come in, she called out to the kitchen, "Sister-in-law, Aunt Shuncai is here."
Qiu Yuruo, wearing an apron, came out of the kitchen, smiling and calling out, "Auntie!"
Aunt Shuncai: "I came to see if you need any help at noon."
Su Jingshu's cooking skills were not good. Because Su Yunting's older brother and younger sister had both died young, Su's mother spoiled her younger daughter, who was weak from childhood, so Su Jingshu did not learn to cook until after the family separated.
Qiu Yuruo's cooking skills were certainly not a problem, but she appreciated the other person's kindness and said with a smile, "Auntie, you've come at the right time. See if this arrangement is alright."
Then he invited Aunt Shuncai into the kitchen.
Qiu Yuruo plans to make a stew for lunch. She stir-fries pork belly, frys and cuts eggs into pieces, and stews tofu and seasonal vegetables. It doesn't need to be fancy, as long as it's fragrant and plentiful. Served with multigrain pancakes, it's a good meal.
Since I don't have to work in the evening, I can cook a few dishes, enjoy a good meal with a couple of ounces of baijiu (Chinese liquor).
When Aunt Shuncai looked at the vegetables Qiu Yuruo bought, she noticed that Qiu Yuruo hadn't bought chicken, duck, or fish, but only two jin of pork belly.
In this era, buying two catties of meat to cook for guests was already considered a very good standard. As for chicken, duck, and fish, farming families were reluctant to eat them easily. Qingshi Town was neither near the sea nor a river, and apart from festivals, few people would specifically buy fish to eat.
With meat and plenty of vegetables available, Qiu Yuru bought a large amount, which cost no more than twenty or thirty yuan. These vegetables, along with some meat, would make a decent meal for entertaining guests.
After listening to Qiu Yuruo's arrangements and looking at the things she bought, Aunt Shuncai was certain that Qiu Yuruo was a thrifty person.
Seeing her washing vegetables and cutting meat, I was finally relieved, as she was clearly used to doing it.
After seeing Aunt Shuncai off, Su Jingshu washed the vegetables for lunch, and Qiu Yuru started cooking.
Four or five laborers set up the shed, and by the time Su Jingshu went to call for dinner, the frame was already up.
When the group returned home, Qiu Yuruo first asked someone to help carry Su Yunting, who was lying under the shade of a tree, to the main room where guests were to be received.
Su Huai and Da Fei went straight over, without Qiu Yu Ruo needing to help. The two of them easily lifted the bamboo couch, one at each end, and carried Su Yun Ting directly to the reception hall.
Upon entering the house, a large bowl of stew was placed in the center of the table, with a large ladle inside. Several bowls of stew were also placed nearby, so people could add more as they finished eating. There was also a large basket of multigrain pancakes.
This is a large quantity that is immediately noticeable, but before they see it, what they smell first is the fragrance.
After working all morning, they were starving, and now, stimulated by the aroma, they couldn't help but swallow their saliva.
Qiu Yuruo called everyone to wash their hands and eat: "I only made a simple stew for lunch. After I finish my work in the evening, I will make a few more dishes. Uncle Shuncai, Brother Suhuai, and Brother Dafei, you can have a few drinks with my grandfather and third uncle."
Shun Cai said, "Two dishes are enough. We're family, no need to go to so much trouble."
Dafei came out of the house: "Of course we can do whatever we want with our own people. Don't we also have our in-laws, Grandpa and Third Uncle?"
Shun Cai lightly kicked his son: "You're so good at being clever."
Qiu Yuruo smiled and replied, "What Brother Dafei said is right. Yunting is sick, and Yunche is still young. My grandfather and uncles have come, so of course my uncles and brothers from the family have to come and keep them company."
Qiu Yuruo's words brought a smile to even the usually serious Su Huai's face.
After washing their hands, the group went inside to eat. They were all family members; the laborers who had worked sat at one table, while Qiu Yuru led the children at another.
She was still recovering from her stomach issues and didn't dare to eat too much at once. She asked others to serve her a second bowl, but she took the meat porridge she had cooked for Su Yunting, helped him up, put something behind his back, and fed him.
The younger siblings in the family have gotten used to their sister-in-law eating first and then feeding their older brother. The second brother has never met Su Yunting before, so he doesn't react much when Qiu Yuru feeds him.
But the people at the other table were different. Dafei looked at his childhood playmate, who was oblivious to the fact that he was being cared for by others to keep his life, and suddenly his eyes welled up with tears.
He wasn't the only one who was heartbroken. His father, Shuncai, and Su Yunting's father were childhood friends. Now that his childhood friend was dead and his eldest son was in a coma, Shuncai was even more heartbroken than his son.
Su Huai was older than the father and son, but he was a genuine and kind-hearted man. Seeing his once-glorious younger brother in this state made him feel uncomfortable.
Even Uncle Qiu felt frustrated because Qiu Yu Ruo was so perfect in every way, yet the man she married not only couldn't manage any household affairs, but also had to be taken care of in every aspect of her life.
Only Old Man Qiu was different from them. Seeing how virtuous Qiu Yuruo was, he felt that he had raised her well and that she was indeed worthy of being his granddaughter.
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