Chapter 37: The Roof Leaks The sound of rain outside grew louder, while inside the house dripped...
The large pot of stir-fried loach that was served on the table earlier was covered tightly with a wooden lid to prevent the heat from escaping. After the freshly baked pancakes were all cut into strips and served on the table, and the family had all taken their seats, He Guixiang lifted the wooden lid.
The aroma of stir-fried loach immediately filled the room.
The whole family enjoyed the freshly baked pancakes with the stir-fried loach.
When Lin Dashan and the others had finished their meal and rested their chopsticks, there was still a lot of soup left in the bowl. Zhou Ye then cleaned up the rest without any hesitation and used a piece of the pancake he had left to scrape the bottom of the bowl, so that not a drop of soup was wasted.
The loach was stir-fried in lard, and the broth, mixed with the lard, was so fragrant that even the spicy taste of the duck's foot mugwort was ignored. If no one was watching, Zhou Ye would have licked the bottom of the basin clean.
It’s a pity that there are not enough pancakes. He could eat ten more pancakes.
"Next time, my mother and I will make more pancakes," said Lin Shu.
Zhou Ye muttered, "It's enough. I was just really hungry before, so I'm used to eating this way."
"Brother Aye has been very tired these days helping me dig the fish pond, so I have to make sure you have enough to eat." Lin Shu's lips curled up slightly.
"By the way, Dad, when the fish pond is almost finished tomorrow, I will return Brother Aye to you. Dad, you've been working in the fields alone these past two days. You must be tired, right?"
Lin Dashan grinned, "We don't have much land, so Dad isn't tired at all."
"Dad is not tired, I feel sorry for him, okay?"
Lin Dashan was coaxed into smiling.
He was still a bit tired. Ping'er and A'ye could do the work of three people by themselves, which really made him feel much more relaxed. It was also during the past two days when he had been working alone in the fields that he began to appreciate A'ye's virtues even more. Back then, he had made this decision simply to prove himself, but now the more he thought about it, the more he felt that he had a good mind.
Good things should be kept within the family. Such a good child must become his son-in-law as soon as possible, so that he can feel at ease.
Lin Dashan knew that in the two years since A Yao left, many people in the village had set their sights on A Ye, because they wanted his great strength.
He was angry, but he didn't blame these people. After all, A Yao was gone and Xiao Pu was still young. He couldn't possibly stop A Ye from getting married. A Ye was his half son anyway, and the woman he married in the future would have to be filial to him.
Just thinking about this, Lin Dashan felt uncomfortable.
Even a biological son could turn out to be an unfilial son. Ah Ye and him were not related in any way, and although he was a good person, there was no guarantee that he wouldn't be manipulated by others and lose his heart in the future. Of course, the best choice for a daughter-in-law was still from one's own family.
Unexpectedly, A Yao left, and Lin Dashan’s biological daughter came back!
Although Ah Shu is not as fertile as Ah Yao, she is pretty. There is no one prettier and more beautiful girl than Ah Shu in this area. Even the daughters of the wealthy families in the town cannot compare to her daughter!
As long as Ah Shu is around, Ah Ye can only marry Ah Shu in the future.
At night, when all the lights were turned off, Lin Dashan and He Guixiang talked about this while they were resting.
"Ashu is sixteen years old this year, and Aye is even older, already twenty. Let's pick a good day, set up a few tables, and get the two children married."
He Guixiang lost her sleepiness immediately after hearing this and said hesitantly, "His father, Ah Ye is naturally a great boy in our eyes, but Ah Shu was born and raised in the capital and has only met sons from wealthy families. If she doesn't like Ah Ye, we can't force them together."
Lin Dashan's brows knitted together. "If even Aye despises her, how could she possibly dream of marrying into a wealthy family in town or even the county? Those wealthy families value family background the most. Even if she's pretty, it won't matter. At most, she'll become someone's concubine. I, Lin Dashan, absolutely don't agree to such a shameful thing!"
He Guixiang pinched his arm and said, "Look at you, what are you talking about? Those who become concubines for wealthy families are all after their money, but is our Ah Shu that kind of person? If she was after that, she wouldn't have come to Tianshui Village. What I mean is, she probably doesn't like strong and dark men like Ah Ye. She prefers gentle and fair-skinned men."
When Lin Dashan heard his wife's words, his brows knitted even tighter. "You mean, someone like Zhang Zongyao?"
Zhang Zongyao is the eldest grandson of Zhang Lizheng. There are few educated people in Tianshui Village because his family is poor and cannot afford to support him. However, Zhang Zongyao is a serious scholar, and his appearance has inherited the strengths of the Zhang family, and he is quite handsome.
I'm currently studying at a private school in town. I've heard I'm doing well academically, and next year I'll take the Tongsheng exam. I'm pretty sure I'll pass, and becoming a Xiucai isn't out of the question either. In the past two years, many people have wanted to marry into the village head's family.
But Lin Dashan didn't like Zhang Zongyao very much, because he ran into him accidentally two years ago, and Zhang Zongyao actually kept pestering him A Yao!
At that time, he had already bought A Ye. Everyone in the village knew what he was thinking. How could Zhang Zongyao not know?
If he really liked A Yao, he should have asked her mother to tell her. Zhang Lizheng was a wealthy man in the village, so if he really had that intention, he might have let her know.
But why didn't this kid do this? It was because he knew that his family was trying hard to find him a wife from a good family, and Lin Dashan's family was poor and he was not at all worthy of the Zhang family's attention.
Lin Dashan was a man who was good at keeping things secret, and he didn't even tell He Guixiang about this matter.
Thinking of this, Lin Dashan spoke with a hint of anger, "A scholar like Zhang Zongyao can't carry anything on his shoulders or lift anything with his hands. Unless he can really pass the imperial examination in the future, Ah Shu will suffer if she marries him. It's better to find a rough man like Ah Ye, who is strong and can work. At least Ah Shu won't starve."
He Guixiang followed his words and said, "Yes, yes, I also think Ah Ye is the best, but we still have to ask Ah Shu what she thinks. If she doesn't like it, can you still force her to go?"
Lin Dashan raised his head slightly, stiffening his neck and saying, "Marriage is a matter of parents' decision. I'm her father, how can I harm her? She's young and inexperienced, so how can she know the difference between good and bad?"
He Guixiang wanted to say more, but Lin Dashan stopped her, "Stop talking. This matter is not negotiable. Ah Shu must marry Ah Ye, unless you find a man who is ten times stronger than Ah Ye."
He Guixiang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "You stubborn ass, why are you still the same? Forget it, forget it, why am I telling you all this? I'll test Ah Shu's attitude later."
As for what Zhou Ye meant, He Guixiang never thought of asking.
Just as Lin Dashan thought Zhou Ye was the best in the area and never thought of asking Ashu's opinion, He Guixiang also felt that no one could compare to her own daughter, and that Zhou Ye was lucky to marry Ashu, so she never considered the possibility that Zhou Ye didn't like her.
The couple fell silent as they chatted, and the rooms next door had already become quiet.
Even Zhou Ye hardly turned over in the past two days, and Lin Shu and Lin Xiaopu also slept very soundly.
It was not until midnight that Lin Shu was suddenly awakened by the sound of raindrops.
Soon, the sound of raindrops became louder and louder.
Lin Xiaopu rubbed her eyes, and before she fully opened them, she mumbled, "Sister, is it raining?"
"It's raining, and it looks like it's going to rain a lot."
Lin Xiaopu said calmly, then turned over and got out of bed. He took out two chipped pottery jars and three bamboo tubes from under the bed as if he knew the way around it, and placed them in several places in the room. One of them was actually right next to the bed.
As the girl arranged the bamboo tubes and jars, she explained, "These two places leaked last time when it rained, so we need to put a large clay jar there. These two places are fine when it rains lightly, but if it rains heavily, a few drops will leak out, and a bamboo tube will catch the leak."
Lin Shu: ...
"Wait!" Lin Shu suddenly remembered the things drying in the yard and exclaimed in surprise, "It seems that the mushrooms at home have been confiscated, and the purslane we picked is also confiscated!"
Lin Shu was about to put on her clothes and go to the courtyard in a panic, but she saw Lin Xiaopu yawn and said calmly, "Don't worry, sister, Brother Aye must have put everything away. Every time before the rain comes, he puts everything away in the courtyard. Brother Aye has very sharp ears."
Lin Shu couldn't help but sigh, thinking that this rough guy was quite thoughtful.
Knowing that nothing happened, the two sisters quickly fell asleep again.
At night, the sound of rain outside gradually grew louder, while inside the house there was a dripping sound.
The sound was sometimes fast and sometimes slow, and at the end, there was a long "plop", like a heavy drop of water falling from high above and into a jar of water, splashing water.
Perhaps because she rarely got enough sleep in her previous life, Lin Shu slept very deeply every day after coming to Tianshui Village.
Therefore, every time Lin Shu got up, Lin Xiaopu had already gotten up before her. Lin Shu felt a little embarrassed, but she went back to sleep after feeling embarrassed.
People in the village went to bed early, so she followed suit. No matter how late she got up the next morning, it was only two or three quarters of an hour later, which was no big deal at all.
Especially last night, listening to the sound of dripping rain, Lin Shu was not disturbed from her sweet dream, but slept even more deeply. If no one had woken her up, she could have slept for another quarter of an hour longer than Ping'er.
Lin Shu glanced around the room. The jars and bamboo tubes that Xiao Pu had placed last night had been removed, but there were obvious water marks on the ground. It seemed that the roof was leaking last night, and some of the water in the jars and bamboo tubes had overflowed.
Her little sister was like a hardworking little bee. She got up early in the morning and emptied the jars and bamboo tubes filled with rainwater, and then stuffed them back under the bed one by one.
Lin Shu yawned and looked at Lin Xiaopu who had woken her up. "If you don't give me a reason to wake me up, I'm going to tickle you."
In the past few days, Xiao Pu got up by herself, and the noise she made when she got up was very quiet, for fear of disturbing her. He was very considerate and actually took the initiative to wake her up today.
Lin Xiaopu urged with a smile, "Sister, it rained last night, so there must be a lot of mushrooms sprouting in the back mountain this morning. If we don't go early, they'll all be picked by others! The most important thing is the bamboo mushrooms that Sister mentioned last time, let's go pick them!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
