Duofu asked, "Auntie, can I make clothes from this blue striped fabric?"
Apart from the off-white printed fabric, all the other fabrics were what she had prepared to make clothes for the little ones, so there was no reason for her not to agree.
Yu Rujia replied, "Sure, I'll make it for you when Auntie has some free time."
All three older brothers had new clothes, and Xiao Duoxi rushed over and hugged her leg, imitating his second brother's soft and pleading, "Auntie, make some for me, make some for me."
Yu Rujia reached out and tapped his forehead, saying, "You'll get your share. Move aside, your aunt needs to finish cleaning up here quickly to prepare lunch for you. If you drag this out any longer, don't cry when you get hungry."
She finished breakfast and tidied up around 9 a.m., then went to the supply and marketing cooperative and came back around 11 a.m. By the time she finished tidying up, it was definitely past 11 a.m. If she continued to mess around with them, she wouldn't make it to lunchtime as usual.
Duo Xi chuckled and released her leg, standing a little further away. Duo Lu followed suit, releasing Yu Rujia and moving closer to Duo Xi.
Duofu asked sensibly, "Auntie, what are we having for lunch today? I can go wash and chop the vegetables first."
Yu Rujia: "Okay, go to the vegetable garden and pick a bunch of green peppers, a bunch of water spinach, and two eggplants."
"Be careful when picking green peppers, don't break the skin. Remember not to get them in your eyes after picking them, and wash your hands several times with soap when you get back."
Duofu: "Auntie, I know, green peppers are spicy and they will hurt your eyes if they touch them."
Yu Rujia instructed, "It's good that you know. When you're picking vegetables, keep an eye on your younger brothers and make sure they don't bump into anything."
After sending the little ones away, Yu Rujia quickly packed up her things and took out the meat dishes that would be used at noon to wash and chop.
By the time she had finished her work, Duofu had already returned with her three younger brothers after picking vegetables and were washing them.
With so much housework done, the little ones would conveniently take care of the tasks at hand after the initial ones were assigned, saving Yu Rujia a lot of trouble. Raising such kids is truly a blessing.
When Wan Qiuju arrived, the family of five was having dinner.
Upon hearing the shouts, Yu Rujia instructed Duofu to look after her younger brothers. After receiving a positive reply, she put down her chopsticks and went outside.
When Wan Qiuju saw Yu Rujia come out, she had an unnatural smile on her face. Since coming to Shangfen Brigade, she had gone from a carefree city dweller to a peasant she used to look down on.
She tried everything, but still couldn't get rid of her work.
After the eldest and third wives were separated, the housework fell even more on her and her daughter's shoulders. They also had to work hard, and every day they were so tired that they couldn't even straighten their backs.
Huang Jingbei's decision to sell her only daughter became the final straw that broke her back, and she thought of returning to the city.
If the Wan family doesn't accept her, then she'll find someone else to marry. She can't find a good man, but she's in her thirties, so she can still give it a try with a retired older man.
It did make her uncomfortable to give herself to an older man, but the retired man had income and connections. She wouldn't have to work in the fields with him and would have money to spend, which was much better than being with Huang Jingbei, who had no money and no connections.
After some inquiries and contact, she finally won over her current man. Although he was twenty years older than her, he was in good health and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, would live for at least ten more years, enough to last until Huang Xiangxiang got married.
If the man's family can't accept her, she can go with Huang Xiangxiang's husband's family.
If Huang Xiangxiang stays in Shangfen Brigade, she will only be able to marry a countryman in the future, and she won't have many good days with him.
Staying in the city would be different; she could marry a city worker, and she would also benefit from that.
The hardships of life have worn down her pride. Now, Wan Qiuju only wants to take her daughter away from the quagmire of the Huang family and live a better life.
She saw Yu Rujia in the morning and was afraid that something might happen, so she rushed over to keep quiet.
Wan Qiuju: "Yu Zhiqing, I'm sorry to bother you at this hour. I'll just say a few words and then leave."
Yu Rujia nodded: "Go ahead and speak."
Wan Qiuju said with difficulty, "This morning..."
She could only say a few words before she couldn't continue. Normally, someone talking to her at this point would offer her a way out, but Yu Rujia was too lazy to do so and continued to wait for her to finish.
Wan Qiuju had spoken to her before, and although she returned the favor on the spot, it didn't mean the grudges were settled. She didn't intend to get involved in the matter between her and Huang Jingbei, but there was no need to go out of her way to reassure her.
Even though Yu Rujia didn't offer any help, Wan Qiuju still had to finish what she was saying, no matter how embarrassed she was.
Wan Qiuju: "Can you keep quiet about what happened this morning? At least don't tell anyone for a while. I can give you hush money."
Even if Yu Rujia spreads these rumors after she divorces Huang Jingbei and marries a new man, she won't be afraid.
The big boss, Yu Rujia, didn't care about her small change: "Forget about the hush money, but I can promise you I won't tell anyone about this for ten days. You can decide how to handle it."
The first time I went to her house, I was scolded by Li Cuiniang. At that time, she asked Lü Lihua to make a big fuss in town. Besides feeling sorry for the plight of her family, she also wanted to cause trouble for Li Cuiniang.
In fact, Lü Lihua was very successful. She sent Li Cuiniang to be paraded through the streets and imprisoned her for a month, making Li Cuiniang suffer a lot inside. After she came out, she became more restrained in her behavior.
Aside from that one time, Li Cuiniang had said those things to her a few more times, and although she got back at her, Li Cuiniang now avoids her whenever she sees her.
But old habits die hard; when she sees someone as gossipy as her, she will still talk badly about them behind their back.
She didn't want to argue with a mad dog, but that didn't mean Yu Rujia was indifferent to Li Cuiniang's gossip.
The eldest and third branches of the Huang family have both moved out. If Wan Qiuju and her daughter also leave the Huang family, Li Cuiniang will have to do all the housework herself. Once she gets busy, she won't have time to gossip outside.
She's just that petty. She doesn't intentionally harm people, but given the chance, she doesn't mind tripping up those who make her unhappy.
Ten days was a bit of a rush, but in order to leave the Huang family smoothly, Wan Qiuju had no choice but to bite the bullet and do it.
A week passed in the blink of an eye. Gao Shujing gave the four little ones lunch early and then sent them off to play.
Lu Kuohai and his wife held their wedding in the new house. Although there were many empty rooms in the educated youth compound, it was still not appropriate to stay there after getting married.
Before their marriage, they arranged for someone to build two mud-brick houses next to the Lü family's house so that they would have a place to live after having children, and they could also help each other out if anything happened.
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