Chapter 114 Eggs Zhang Qiaohua sent a basket of eggs...
Before Lin Shu could ask, Zhou Ye turned around and asked her, "Ah Shu, why don't you sleep more? Uncle and Auntie haven't woken up yet."
Lin Shu carried her small bamboo stool and sat down beside him. Her voice was a bit soft, like she had just woken up. "I've had enough sleep. Dad and Mom didn't get much sleep last night and are tired. Xiao Pu was the same. He just turned over and went back to sleep."
As she spoke, her gaze fell on him tenderly. "But you, you didn't sleep all night last night, and you carried me for such a long distance. Even the strongest man would be tired. Why don't you get some more sleep?"
Zhou Ye wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and said, "I don't feel tired."
Whenever he thought about Ah Shu having a high fever in the middle of the night because of the leaking roof, he couldn't sleep at all and had to do something to relieve his inner anxiety.
This downpour had come suddenly, and it was sure to be followed by another, and another, too. Every downpour was unpredictable. He didn't want to see Ah Shu like he did last night.
Lin Shu stared at him for a long while. Perhaps it was because of her illness this time, she really wanted to do something to this man who was obsessed with her.
But before she could figure out what she was going to do, she heard footsteps in the room behind her.
Lin Dashan and He Guixiang had just finished their sleep and were coming out. Lin Xiaopu was a light sleeper, so he didn't go back to sleep after hearing the noise.
Actually, I can still sleep, but if I sleep any longer, I won’t be able to do anything for the whole day.
The two adults and one child were shocked when they saw the bundles of dry straw in the yard.
Looking at Zhou Ye's movements of weaving thatch, it is not difficult to guess what he is doing.
Seeing that Zhou Ye started working on replacing the roof without telling him, Lin Dashan couldn't help scratching his head, feeling a little guilty.
In fact, when the first rain fell this summer, Ah Ye had mentioned it to him, asking if he should replace the roof. He offered to cut thatch and scrape the bark. At the time, Lin Dashan thought the leaks weren't serious and that the roof would last another year or two, so he said there was no rush. Ah Ye never mentioned it again after that.
Last night, Ah Shu had a fever. When her mother went to tidy up the mattress, she found out that the roof was leaking and the pillow was wet, which made Ah Shu sick. If the roof had been replaced before Ah Shu came back, this incident would not have happened.
"Aye, where did you get this dry straw? Why is there so much?" Lin Dashan asked dryly.
Every household in Tianshui Village has thatch. After autumn, they cut several bundles of thatch from the wild and bring them home. Then they dry them completely in the sun for three or four days. Then they pile the dry thatch in the firewood shed or firewood room in the yard and use them whenever they want.
There were several large bundles of dry straw in their firewood shed, which were enough to repair the roof, but if they wanted to re-roof the entire roof, the straw at home would be far from enough.
Zhou Ye replied: "Uncle, I borrowed this thatch from many houses."
Lin Dashan thought to himself, how could it be so easy? It would be fine if he just borrowed a little, but Aye borrowed so much!
Every household has its needs, most commonly repairing roofs. In winter, when bedding isn't thick enough, people fill it with hemp or reed wadding for warmth. If that's not enough, they'll use dry thatch. If it's not used as a quilt, it can still keep you warm by laying it under the mattress.
Besides these, dry thatch can also be used to make nests for chickens and ducks, and to light fires in stoves. It has many uses. So although this dry thatch is not valuable, it is a good thing that every household will have. Who would be willing to lend you so much for free?
He Guixiang knew Zhou Ye and immediately asked, "Aye, did you promise something to someone?"
Lin Shu also hurriedly looked over. Could it be that this idiot really promised something to someone else?
Zhou Ye explained in a tone that said, "It's no big deal," "I went to a few places and borrowed a large bundle from each one. I'll return two large bundles in the fall."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone had an expression of "as expected".
Apart from Zhou Ye, it would be hard to find such a fool in the entire Tianshui Village.
But after Lin Shu secretly said "fool" in her heart, a smile kept appearing in her eyes.
Ah Ye didn't change the roof at other times, but chose to do it now. Everyone knew who it was for, and she knew it clearly in her heart.
Lin Dashan and He Guixiang were afraid that she was too shy to tell her about this in front of her, but Lin Xiaopu laughed several times in front of her, which made Lin Shu gently pinch her face several times before she stopped.
Roofing is a laborious job. Lin Dashan decided not to go to the fields and planned to work with Zhou Ye, but Zhou Ye disagreed. "Uncle, just focus on your own work. I can do it by myself."
Lin Dashan knew he was capable, so he just went along with it. Today he had to go check on the two mu of dry land where they had harvested wheat and then planted beans. Although it was good to have rain, the land couldn't stand water; it needed to be drained out in time.
After Lin Dashan left, He Guixiang didn't do anything else but insisted on helping Zhou Ye weave thatch. "We've almost finished weaving all the hemp at home, and I'm free. I don't get involved in other things, but I'm pretty good at weaving thatch. How long would it take you to finish it all by yourself?"
Zhou Ye thought about it and nodded, "Okay, if Auntie is not busy, please help me. This way we can finish the braiding sooner. After we finish braiding, I will go to mix the mud. It will need to be dried in the sun for two or three days. Let's finish it quickly while the weather is good."
"Aye, what should Xiao Pu and I do?" Lin Shu asked.
Zhou Ye replied: "You two are doing nothing, just take a rest."
Lin Xiaopu: ...
If you want your elder sister to rest, just tell her that you are the one, and you must take her with you.
After hearing this, Lin Shu really took a break, moved the small bamboo stool to the shade under the eaves, and chatted with the two busy people.
"By the way, mother, what did you say about cousin Yushu?" Lin Shu felt embarrassed when she talked about this. She went to town yesterday and fell ill today. She hadn't been able to teach cousin Yushu for two days.
He Guixiang said, "What else can I say? I told you the truth. Yushu told you to take good care of yourself. He's not in a hurry, so he's just taking advantage of these few days to memorize those enlightenment books he bought."
Upon hearing this, Lin Shu burst into laughter and praised him, "Yes, cousin Yushu already knew the Three Character Classic by heart. Now that he has a book, he can recite it by heart, and he can recognize quite a few characters. He has also bought other books, so he can recite them by heart on his own. This kid not only has a good memory, but also a high level of understanding. What I said to Aunt San was not an exaggeration."
He Guixiang recalled something and continued, "Your Third Aunt came over once after she knew you were ill, but you and A Ye hadn't returned at that time, so she didn't see you."
Coincidentally, the two were talking about Zhang Qiaohua when Zhang Qiaohua came.
"Ashu, are you feeling better? I brought some fresh eggs to nourish you." After saying this, Zhang Qiaohua walked towards the kitchen with the basket on her shoulder, intending to put the eggs in the basket directly into the kitchen.
He Guixiang quickly stood up and grabbed her, "Sister-in-law, what are you doing?"
"Sister-in-law, it's just a few eggs, why are you being so polite to me? My niece is sick, and as her aunt, isn't it okay for me to give her a few eggs? Please let go, there are only a few in total. Don't argue with me and make the children at home laugh at you."
He Guixiang was at a loss for words. "How many are you talking about? I've seen them all. There must be more than ten or twenty! Yushu is still growing up, and studying is very demanding. You should save them for Yushu!"
"Sister-in-law, there's more at home. I didn't take it all. Don't worry."
After a long argument between the two sisters-in-law, He Guixiang finally gave in and accepted the eggs. After she had moved the eggs one by one into the small bamboo basket in the kitchen, she realized that Zhang Qiaohua had sent a total of eighteen eggs.
Lin Shu smiled and thanked her, "Thank you, Third Auntie. I'm craving eggs. The old hens at home are laying fewer and fewer eggs, and I can't even eat them enough."
Zhang Qiaohua also laughed, "Auntie San likes Ah Shu's straightforward personality. Don't be like your mother, who always drags her feet when packing things."
Lin Shu said, "Don't blame my mother, Third Aunt. She originally wanted to ask her to help make a dress, but now that you gave her this egg, I'm afraid I'm embarrassed to ask for it."
"Ashu, you kid!" He Guixiang looked helpless.
Zhang Qiaohua hurriedly said, "Sister-in-law, this is your fault. We are family, why should we be so polite? But what kind of clothes do you want me to make?"
He Guixiang then said, "I recently bought some linen and wanted to make new clothes for my family. You know my tailoring skills are far inferior to yours. Forget about the two men in the family. Xiao Pu and I are not a big deal, one is old and the other is young. But Ah Shu is at the age of being as beautiful as a flower, so I want to ask you to help Ah Shu make a new dress."
Zhang Qiaohua agreed immediately after hearing this. "It's no big deal. I'll go back and get a measuring tape to measure Ah Shu. I'll have the dress ready for Ah Shu in three days. I guarantee it'll fit her perfectly!"
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