Su Hua was unaware of the little commotion between the Liu family mother and son.
She got up very early today, and it wasn't until she finished her fifth lap that her whole body was soaked in sweat and the mist in the air gradually dissipated.
Wisps of smoke rose from the village, and the soft sounds of washing pots and draining rice echoed from each household. Some diligent women carried large basins of dirty clothes to the riverbank.
The eyes of the girls, who were sweating profusely, lit up immediately.
"Hua, you're going for a run again!"
"If you ask me, Hua'er, you're just perfect right now. You have a great figure, with a full bust and a shapely bottom. Your fair skin is rosy and you look like you could be squeezed for water. Why would you need to lose weight? Other girls would love to have a figure like yours!"
"That's not quite right either. Don't city girls say that thinness is beauty, and that you want a figure like a willow tree that can be blown by the wind?"
“Why should we country folk do the same things as city people? But speaking of city people, Meng’s girl was already heading to the city before dawn with her bundle on her back! Hua’s girl, guess where she went?”
At this point, the women who had spoken earlier all smiled knowingly.
"Go, go, go! Everyone, hurry up and do your laundry!" Aunt Zhou came over when she heard the commotion and quickly sent all the women who were still gossiping to do their laundry.
Finally, he pulled Su Hua a few steps to the side.
"Hua girl, don't listen to their nonsense!"
Su Hua rolled up her sleeve and wiped the sweat from her forehead, raising an eyebrow nonchalantly. "Could it be that Meng Yun'er couldn't stay in Shanghe Village and ran off to the prefectural city to find Feng Zicai?"
"You knew that?!" Aunt Zhou was somewhat surprised.
She was initially hesitant about how to bring up the subject.
After all, Feng Zicai was the husband that Huaya was betrothed to before she was even born.
Su Hua smiled and said, "I guessed."
"Hey! It's good that Meng Yun'er ran away. Our village will be quiet for a while." Aunt Zhou saw her smiling and knew that she probably didn't care, so she poured out everything in one go.
"Yesterday afternoon, after Meng Yun'er fell into the river, Wang Ergou and several thugs from other villages all jumped into the river."
"As it turned out, Meng Yun'er could swim herself, and she kept swimming in the river to the other side."
"But who are Wang Ergou and his gang? They're the kind of guys who won't act until they see a clear advantage. They quickly gathered their strength and surrounded the area from all sides underwater. No matter how strong a girl is, she can't possibly stand up to several grown men."
"Finally, the five thugs carried Meng Yun'er up together."
"In front of the Meng family mansion, Wang Ergou and his gang were making a huge fuss, all shouting that they had already hugged and touched Meng Yun'er, and that they would send a matchmaker to propose marriage this morning, determined to become the Meng family's son-in-law..."
Before she could finish speaking, she saw an old woman dressed in brightly colored clothes swaying her hips as she walked from the village entrance.
"Oh my, it's just like the matchmaker appeared right away!" Aunt Zhou grinned.
After gathering the dirty clothes from the basin, he said, "Hua'er, let's go to the Meng family and see what's going on! Meng Yun'er has run away, but Meng Yongfu and his son Meng Fu are still at home."
Seeing the gossipy woman, Su Hua quickly waved her hand in refusal.
"Auntie, go ahead. I have to go to the county today, so I won't join in the fun!"
Aunt Zhou paused, thinking she was grieving for Meng Yun'er, and quickly comforted her, "This girl Yun deserves what she got, you don't need to take it too seriously. If she hadn't been so wicked, things wouldn't have turned out this way!"
Su Hua shook her head and smiled, saying nothing more.
She's not the Virgin Mary, grieving for Meng Yun'er.
Not even in the next life!
The other young wives and older women, seeing the matchmaker heading to the Meng family's house, hurriedly quickened their pace, some even just rinsing the clothes with water to finish the job.
When Su Hua returned to the small courtyard at the end of the village.
The aroma of large bones wafted through the air, along with the fresh and stimulating flavor of the spicy hot pot broth.
As for Qian, she obediently played skewers with Zhao and the three little ones in the courtyard.
Yesterday, the Zhao family delivered a large basket of vegetables. Combined with the gifts from Aunt Zhou, Mudfish Girl, and Barley Girl, there were a good 40 to 50 jin of cabbage, cilantro, and bok choy that could be used for skewering.
In addition, there are oyster mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms picked from the riverbank. Making skewers of so many foods is not an easy task.
As for the pig offal, it was skewered in advance last night.
"Hua'er, come and see if your mother's spicy hot pot soup base is good enough?" When Su Bai saw Su Hua appear at the entrance of the courtyard, she immediately called her in. The first time Hua'er made spicy hot pot soup base, she only used three spices, which she remembered very well.
But now, with so many new varieties added all at once, she really has no idea what to expect.
He was afraid of ruining his daughter's business.
Upon hearing the sound, Su Hua used a spatula to scoop out a small spoonful of hot soup.
The soup base is bright red, and its fresh aroma wafts straight to your nose.
Almost the instant it enters the mouth, it's like several seasonings intertwining and dancing on the tip of the tongue.
"It's such a waste of your talents that Mother isn't going to work as a chef in a fancy restaurant!" Su Hua gave Su Bai a thumbs up without hesitation. The taste of this spicy hot pot broth was no less than what she had tasted in various street stalls and shops in modern times.
"You silly girl, you always know how to make your mother happy." Madam Su scolded with a smile, but the anxiety she had been feeling secretly eased.
The hot water in the urn was boiling continuously, and Su Hua quickly took a quick bath.
After a quick breakfast, he and his three older brothers drove an oxcart toward Qingshui County.
Today is the first day of business opening, so Su Baishi naturally had all three of her sons participate. Business was secondary; the key was to prevent her daughter from being bullied in the county.
Before leaving, she kept reminding the three brothers: "Big Tiger, you three better remember this! If anyone dares to bully Hua'er, you all better give them a good beating, understand?"
"Don't worry, Mother, your son will never let Hua'er suffer even the slightest injustice!"
The three brothers patted their chests in unison to guarantee it.
The powerful sound made the birds on the branches tremble three times.
Seeing that Su Bai was about to launch into a long speech, Su Hua quickly winked at her three older brothers and hurriedly loaded the things onto the oxcart.
All that remained in the wind was a whisper: "When you come back today, Mother, just wait to count the silver until your hands cramp!"
"That naughty girl!" Su Baishi watched the oxcart disappear into the distance at the end of the village.
She was so angry that she put her hands on her hips, but the smile in her slanted eyes couldn't be stopped.
The oxcart swayed and wobbled for about an hour before the four of them finally arrived outside Baichuan School in Qingshui County.
The wonton stall owner was stunned when he saw Su Hua and her companions getting off the oxcart carrying pots and pans.
He has always had a good memory, especially for someone like Su Hua who is blessed with good fortune and is pleasing to the eye. He had only seen her once yesterday, so he remembered her perfectly.
Upon smelling the faint aroma of food, their eyes widened immediately.
"Girl, are you... are you planning to do business here?"
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