Duolu patted his little chest and promised, "Duolu will water the plants, and water them lots and lots of times."
Gao Shujing takes care of the vegetable garden in the backyard. He waters it frequently, and Duolu, who loves excitement, sometimes goes over to watch and knows what watering means.
Gao Shujing picked out a few of the best seeds from the ones he spat out and planted them in the backyard. Several little ones who had eaten oranges and could run and jump followed him to join in the fun.
Duofu threw seeds into the hole that Gao Shujing had dug, and Duolu pulled him and said, "If you want to plant, Duolu will plant."
Duofu gave him a seed: "Here, you can plant it." To avoid showing favoritism, he also gave Duoshou a seed.
The two little ones happily imitated Duofu, dropping the seeds in and tilting their chins up, waiting for praise.
Gao Shujing: "You guys are all great. Come on, let Uncle fill in the soil so we can eat lots of oranges from now on."
Duolu: "Uncle, we'll eat it tomorrow."
Gao Shujing: "It takes a long time for oranges to grow big, so we can't eat them tomorrow."
Yu Rujia spent several days preparing two sets of thick cotton-padded clothes and two sets of thin cotton-padded clothes for each of the six family members.
Fortunately, Gao Shujing was there to look after the children, and her job was easy, with only one patient coming every few days, which allowed her to get the cotton-padded clothes out so quickly.
On the day she finished making the cotton-padded clothes, Huang Guihua came to her door with the finished garments: "Rujia, what do you think of the clothes I made?"
Yu Rujia took out the clothes; the stitching was neat and tidy, just like her personality.
Yu Rujia: "This dress is made as neatly as Sister Guihua's; I like it just by looking at it."
Huang Guihua: "Let a few kids come over and try on the clothes. If anything doesn't fit, I'll alter it."
Yu Rujia responded and went outside, shouting loudly. Duofu came over from the backyard with his three younger brothers: "Auntie, we're here. Aunt Guihua."
Huang Guihua picked up a shirt and replied, "Hey, good girl, come and try on the clothes Aunt Guihua made for you to see if they fit."
Duofu came over and took the clothes, saying sweetly, "The clothes Aunt Guihua made must be beautiful. Duofu will wear them for you."
Huang Guihua wanted to help him get dressed, but Yu Rujia pulled her back, saying, "Duofu can dress himself. Guihua, just sit and watch."
Huang Guihua: "She's so young and she can do all these things. She's also very sweet-talking, like she's been coated with honey. No wonder you said you felt a connection with them and wanted to spend more time with them. I would want to spend time with them too."
Yu Rujia: "If Sister Guihua likes it, feel free to come anytime. Are you worried that I won't let you in?"
Huang Guihua: "How could that be? You couldn't do that."
Dolphin put on his clothes carefully; what seemed like a large size to Yu Rujia was just right to Huang Guihua.
Huang Guihua: "It's just right. I can still wear it next year. Such nice clothes can be worn by Duolu and the others."
In the countryside, children's clothes are made a little bigger so they can be worn for several years. Their clothes are typically new for three years, old for three years, and patched up for another three years, which Huang Guihua thinks is quite appropriate.
Yu Rujia wouldn't refute her statement that she would make new clothes for Duolu and the others, as this could easily be misinterpreted as her showing off.
Yu Rujia followed her words and said, "That's right. They just arrived this year and have to start everything from scratch. If it weren't for the few bolts of cloth that the police station gave us, it would be difficult to gather enough fabric to make clothes for all of them."
Huang Guihua: "This year has been tough, but things will get better in the future. Everyone will just need to make a new outfit before the New Year. We won't have to prepare from head to toe like we did this year."
Yu Rujia took out a pound of brown sugar, half a pound of meat, and a dollar and stuffed them into her hand: "It's good that Sister Guihua helped me. If it were just me, I wouldn't be able to finish by the end of the year. These are my thanks to you, Sister. You can't refuse them, or I won't dare to ask you for help in the future."
Huang Guihua was quite satisfied with what she had brought out. She had become close to Yu Rujia because she had found Gou Dan, but if she took advantage of this and ordered them around at will, even the strongest bond would eventually be worn down. A relationship needs to be reciprocal to last.
Huang Guihua patted her with a smile and said, "You've said everything. What else can I do but do as you say? I'll accept the things. If you need anything next time, just come find me."
Yu Rujia: "With Sister Guihua's words, I feel relieved. I'm sure you'll be there for me when there's work to be done in the future."
Xu Huiniang's clothes arrived a little late. Her handiwork was indeed worthy of praise since she was a young girl. Not only were the stitches dense, but she also embroidered a few little dogs on them, making them look playful and cute.
The children clearly preferred the clothes she made; the fashion-loving Duoshou didn't want to take them off once she put them on.
Yu Rujia was lazy, so the clothes she made for them were just finished, without any added decorations; Huang Guihua's clothes were just as neat and efficient.
This makes the clothes made by Xu Huiniang appear even more exquisite.
Yu Rujia joked, "Alright, Sister Huiniang makes such good clothes, they won't look down on the clothes I make anymore."
Xu Huiniang's usually gentle face showed a few more smiles: "Is that so? Then, shall Duoshou wear the clothes made by his aunt from now on?"
Duo Shou was lovingly petting the puppy under his clothes when he heard this, and reached out his chubby little hands to hug Yu Rujia: "I'll listen to Auntie."
Xu Huiniang: "Look how clever this child is, a few pieces of clothing won't be enough to buy him."
Yu Rujia rubbed Duoshou's little head: "At least you still have some conscience."
Given her skill, Yu Rujia gave her a processing fee of one yuan. If modern people saw that lifelike puppy, they would definitely call her an embroidery master.
It wasn't that Yu Rujia was unwilling to give her more money, but rather that times had changed and the focus of attention had shifted.
When Zhang Zhaodi came to deliver the sweater, she brought Yu Rujia some gossip.
Zhang Zhaodi: "...That woman Dawei still thinks it's the old feudal society where elders can bully younger people at will. She's been paraded through the streets and taken to the police station, and she still has such a big face. In my opinion, she should be sent there again."
Without the hardworking and dedicated Lü family mother and daughter, Huang Dawei's family had no one to do many of the chores.
After a period of back and forth, the housework was taken turns by the three families, and each family was responsible for their own clothes and hygiene.
Not to mention Wan Qiuju and Huang Xiangxiang from the fourth branch, even after moving to the countryside, they still act like city people. They are unwilling to do even their own chores, let alone anything else.
Wan Qiuju wanted to go back to the city to live, so she knelt at the door of the Wan family's house for a whole day. Wan's mother, who was paralyzed in bed, softened and wanted her to go home.
Unfortunately, she is unable to take care of herself and relies on her two daughters-in-law for daily care. Her son and daughters-in-law do not want Wan Qiuju to go back, saying that if she goes back, they will rent a house outside with their family.
Knowing that Wan Qiuju was unreliable and that her two sons would have no future if they abandoned her, Wan's mother could only lie silently on the bed, weeping. She dared not mention again the idea of asking Wan Qiuju and her daughter to go back.
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