Chapter 126 When the time comes to borrow someone, my mother and I will cook, and Aunt Lin will cook...
Although it was not quite appropriate, the phrase "elbow turned outward" suddenly popped up in Lin Xiaopu's mind.
Of course, Sister A is not a stranger, but judging from the length of time they have been together, she and Brother A Ye have known each other for more than two years, almost three years. How long has Brother A Ye known Sister A?
Can't this be called an elbow turning "outward"?
Lin Xiaopu's face was pinched hard by Lin Shu's claws, and then his ears were pinched.
Lin Shu looked pleased, but Lin Xiaopu's face was numb and he looked very tired.
"Sister, you two older ones ganging up on me, a younger one, how dare you do that?"
Lin Shu smiled and said, "There's nothing to be embarrassed about."
In her opinion, capable children were equal to adults. Those with supernatural powers in the apocalypse were also major combatants. Ability, not age, mattered. Xiao Pu, like her father, looked naive but in reality, sharp and resourceful. When she interacted with Xiao Pu, she didn't treat her like a child.
Since they didn't treat her like a child, it's normal for her to seek help if she can't beat them, right?
"Sister and brother A Ye are bullying others together. I don't want to play with you anymore!" Lin Xiaopu looked at Zhou Ye with an accusing look.
Zhou Ye coughed lightly, and at this moment he felt a little embarrassed for bullying the child.
However, Lin Xiaopu's eyes rolled, and he immediately said, "Brother Aye, you helped the evildoers today. Shouldn't you do something to compensate me?"
"What do you want?" Zhou Ye could see that she wanted something from him.
Normally, Lin Xiaopu would directly say what he wanted, but now he is asking in a roundabout way, and eight or nine out of ten times what he wants has nothing to do with him.
As expected, Lin Xiaopu said, "Those bad kids in the village who used to say bad things about me, although they're now respectful to me, I know they're just coveting my bamboo water gun and bamboo slingshot. But Sister said that having something to rely on is also a skill. I want Brother Aye to make me a few more bamboo water guns and bamboo slingshots. If any of them admit their mistakes well and can please me, I'll reward them with a water gun or slingshot. If they only admit their mistakes superficially, I won't give them anything. They'll just be jealous, or at most I'll lend them some to play with, so they can satisfy their craving for it, and they'll be itching to get it until they behave properly."
As soon as these words came out, before Zhou Ye could say anything, Lin Shu laughed first, clapping her hands and praising Lin Xiaopu, "Not bad, not bad, my sister has learned to distinguish between rewards and punishments."
Lin Xiaopu grinned.
If she was more prudent, she could use the bamboo water gun and bamboo slingshot to get others to follow her and isolate one or two people who disobeyed her. But she would not do that.
She had suffered such hardships before, so she would not do such a thing.
After playing with Wang Yingen and his group of kids, Lin Xiaopu realized that these troublemakers in the eyes of adults were actually quite reckless. Even if they got together, they couldn't think of anything and were just following the crowd.
In the past, Wang Yingen took the lead in mocking her as a sickly girl, and other children followed suit. Now that Wang Yingen played with her, the group changed their attitude.
Wang Yingen was the leader, but he did not set a good example. If she were the leader, it would never be like this.
When Wang Yingen was still unilaterally being good friends with Lin Xiaopu, he didn't know that Lin Xiaopu was already eyeing his position as the leader of the children.
Zhou Ye naturally wouldn't refuse Lin Xiaopu's request, but he didn't agree immediately. Instead, he asked, "Are you in a hurry?"
Lin Xiaopu glanced at the half-finished bamboo work in the yard and said very sensibly, "No rush, help sister finish the bamboo rocking chair first. But it would be even better if Brother Ye could find some time to make a water gun or a slingshot first."
Lin Shu nodded secretly. All this time she had taught Xiao Pu was not in vain. He now knew how to distinguish rewards and punishments clearly, and how to praise by first criticizing and then praising.
"Aye, Xiao Pu has hinted so much, do you have the nerve to ask her to wait too long? Make it for her today. There's no rush for my bamboo rocking chair, I have a small bamboo stool."
Zhou Ye nodded, "Okay, this can be done quickly and won't delay anything."
Lin Xiaopu immediately hugged Lin Shu's arm happily, "Hehe, I knew that sister loves me the most!"
Lin Shu raised an eyebrow. "Did you thank the wrong person? Ah Ye did all the work, but I'm the one taking all the credit? Remember, in the future, don't forget to thank the person who directly helped you."
Lin Xiaopu nodded after hearing this. If her sister hadn't specifically reminded her, she would have really ignored it.
Brother Aye was always silent. He did the most, but everyone tended to overlook his contributions, including her. But she wouldn't do that anymore.
"Brother Aye, I'm most grateful to you. You made these bamboo water guns and bamboo slingshots yourself. Now that I think about it, I just talked about it. Without you, I wouldn't be able to make these things."
Lin Shu immediately pinched her and said, "Thank them if you want to, but don't praise them."
A faint smile flashed across Zhou Ye's eyes. "It's okay. I can thank anyone."
He didn't mind this, but the feeling of being taken care of by Ah Shu still made him secretly happy for a while.
When having dinner, Lin Shu told Lin Dashan and He Guixiang that Old Man Liao had agreed to have dinner together, and they were both surprised.
"My dear girl, this old man Liao is famous for his stubborn temper. I haven't even figured out how to start talking, but you've already convinced him!" Lin Dashan laughed after being surprised.
"It's a small matter. I'm not good at other things, but I'm good at talking." Lin Shu said with a smile.
After dinner, the whole family sat on their own small bamboo stools, lined up in a row, enjoying the summer evening breeze and chatting from time to time, feeling very comfortable.
But unexpectedly, it was almost dark when Mr. and Mrs. Zhao came to the door.
Zhao Laosan came to find someone to help build a house.
Building a three-room thatched hut and the surrounding fence required about five or six people, and if all went well, it could be completed in six or seven days. If the weather was bad, such as rain, the dried thatch would need to be exposed to the sun again, delaying the entire construction process and taking even longer.
Zhao Laosan originally thought that finding five or six people would be easy, but when he went looking for help, he ran into obstacles one after another.
Except for two kind-hearted families who had received favors from him and agreed to do the job, the others found excuses to refuse.
It wasn't the busiest time for farming right now; at most, they'd have to apply fertilizer once at the end of the month, but these people always had one excuse or another. Zhao Laosan wasn't looking for a family with only one laborer, but rather one with at least two. He didn't look for someone like Lin Dashui. He knew building a house wouldn't take two or three days; if it took too long, the villagers would naturally have to focus on their farm work first.
But after a day, even if he found a family with more men, he could only get three people together, including himself.
At first he didn't believe it, but after repeatedly hitting a wall, Zhao Laosan finally believed it and became depressed.
Later, when he inquired, he discovered how the villagers viewed him. Some said he was unfilial, neglecting his parents for his wife and insisting on dividing the family. They said that if they helped build a house for a man like him, the family would be in turmoil in the future. Others felt that he was short of money and worried that he couldn't even afford two meals a day, and they were afraid that he would work for him on an empty stomach.
Zhao Laosan said embarrassedly, "Second Brother Lin, I really can't find anyone here, so I had to come to your door with such shamelessness. I know you have to take care of the fields, and Zhou Ye has been busy with the roof these past two days, but I...ah, can you ask Zhou Ye to work harder and take care of both? When the time comes to replace the roof, I can come over to help."
Lin Dashan waved his hand cheerfully, "I thought you and your wife had come to my house together for some reason, but it turns out to be this. Why are you being so polite? Just ask Ah Ye to go! This guy is very strong, he can do the job of three people on his own. It won't be a problem if you call fewer people."
He Guixiang secretly rolled her eyes at him. It was like this again, making decisions without even asking Ah Ye's opinion. Even a father should ask his son's opinion first, right?
Zhou Ye didn't think much of it, but he felt a little guilty about the fact that the bamboo rocking chair Ah Shu had requested would be postponed again. Although this bamboo work could be done in small chunks of time, it wasn't as good as completing it all at once.
"Our two families will be neighbors in the future, so Uncle Zhao, you don't have to be polite. When will this house be built? Will it be tomorrow?" Zhou Ye asked.
Zhao Laosan said hurriedly, "Yes, if you agree, there will be four of us, including me, which is barely enough. We will start work early tomorrow morning."
Zhou Ye nodded, "Okay."
Zhao Laosan immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He also thought that Zhou Ye was very strong and could at least take on two people. If Zhou Ye agreed, he wouldn't have to look for anyone else.
When Zhao Laosan was borrowing people, Lin Zhaodi also told He Guixiang and Lin Shu about her purpose.
If they just wanted to borrow Zhou Ye, Zhao Laosan could come alone. She came along to borrow someone, but the person she borrowed was Lin Shu.
Perhaps it was because Zhao Laosan had encountered too many setbacks before, so Lin Zhaodi was a little lacking in confidence when she spoke up.
"Sister-in-law He, I remembered Fang asked Ah Shu to come over and help me cook two meals these days. I don't want Ah Shu to work in vain. I will also pay for her two meals."
After hearing this, He Guixiang asked something else first, "Sister Zhaodi, do you have pots, pans, and utensils at home?"
Lin Zhaodi's face flushed immediately. "When the family was divided, we were only given bowls and chopsticks for the two of us. We don't have these. But I mentioned it to Li Chunmiao before, and I was planning to go and borrow some pots and pans from her later."
When people in the village build houses, they temporarily build a clay stove outside and use it to cook. Building the stove is easy, but the pots, pans, and utensils have to be borrowed.
He Guixiang smiled gently upon hearing this, "Why bother? Starting tomorrow, you can come to my courtyard and cook two meals a day on the big stove. If you want to be more careful, then his father, Xiao Pu, and I can cook our meals on the small stove at home. If you don't mind that, I'll add some rice for the three of us, and we can all eat from the big pot. Ah Shu and I will help out when the time comes."
Lin Zhaodi was stunned when she heard this. She was from another village and married to Tianshui Village. Since she and Li Chunmiao married at the same time, they were naturally closer. In addition, she and Li Chunmiao were of similar age, so they had a lot to talk about.
She had difficulty dealing with a gentle and submissive woman like He Guixiang when she was a girl, and it was still the same after she got married.
Because they didn't interact much, she mostly heard gossip about He Guixiang from the villagers. At the time, everyone said she was beautiful, hardworking, and capable, the best of all the women who married in from other villages. However, she had a bad fate: her eldest daughter was taken away by mistake, and her youngest daughter was a sickly child. Later, when Lin Shu returned, the villagers caught He Guixiang and started gossiping about her again.
But the woman whom Lin Zhaodi thought was a weak one actually showed great kindness to her more than once, which made her feel quite complicated, but warm in her heart.
At this time, Lin Shu also spoke up, "Aunt Lin, A'niang's idea is good. Tomorrow, you can bring the food you need for the next few days. A'niang and I will help you prepare breakfast. We are used to the stove at home. A'niang and I will be the chef, and Aunt Lin can just help out."
Lin Zhaodi hurriedly said, "No, no, how can this be possible?"
Lin Shu immediately smiled and said, "Then let Aunt Lin take charge of the cooking, and my mother and I can help out."
Only then did Lin Zhaodi nod.
Lin Xiaopu covered her mouth and laughed secretly. Another one fell into the trap of the elder sister.
Aunt Lin hadn't reacted yet. She hadn't even agreed to use the stove at home, but after my sister said that, the two of them actually started talking about who would be in charge of the kitchen.
Lin Zhaodi realized it belatedly, and when everyone else realized what was happening, she laughed.
Lin Shu asked her what dishes she was going to cook. After hearing her mention those home-cooked dishes, she felt that they were not good enough.
But considering that she was short of money, Lin Shu didn't say anything else. She just asked curiously, "Aunt Lin said she wanted to make some cucumber salad. But now that you've split up, can you still pick those cucumbers?"
Lin Zhaodi said arrogantly, "Forget about the cucumbers. I planted all the vegetables in the Zhao family's vegetable patch and have been the only one to take care of them from beginning to end. Even if I uprooted all those cucumbers, I don't think they would say anything. I gave them some face before because I didn't want to make things difficult for Zhao San, but now that my face has been torn, why should I care about these things?"
She and Zhao San had been living at home for the past few days, and although her father-in-law and mother-in-law still cooked for them, they were very rude. Not to mention her eldest and second sisters-in-law, who were not only unkind to her but also mocked her whenever they met. But this time, she didn't tolerate it and cursed back at them.
After being humiliated, Lin Zhaodi's scolding became even more vicious than before. But she was tired of this constant quarrel and just wanted to move out as soon as possible.
Seeing her aggressive look, Lin Shu thought to herself that the Zhao family's grandparents were not satisfied with Aunt Lin as their daughter-in-law, probably not only because she hadn't given birth to a child, but also because her personality displeased them.
Others don’t like it, but Ah Shu likes it.
"These few home-cooked dishes are a little too few, but they will be enough for the rice," said Lin Shu.
Lin Zhaodi smiled. "That's what I thought too. Farmhouse vegetables are few and far between, and I can't make anything fancy. But I told Zhao San that we should have dry rice for breakfast, and I'll steam more rice. For dinner, I'll make the porridge thicker, so that every man who comes to help will have a full meal."
Others were not optimistic about her and Zhao San's separation, thinking they were too impulsive, but she insisted on fighting for it.
She won't say much to those who are unwilling to lend money or help, but she wants them to see that she and Zhao San will not treat those who are good to them badly, even if they have to starve themselves, they will not let others go hungry!
Lin Shu thought for a moment and suggested, "Aunt Lin, the mountain behind us has been wet these past two days, and the mushrooms in the soil have been popping up. We can add a few more wild snacks. If you trust me, I will help you prepare a few more dishes. The ingredients will all be picked from the mountain, and it won't cost you a penny."
Lin Zhaodi was overjoyed and immediately took Lin Shu's hand and thanked her again and again.
"Also, this little meat dish won't do. I have a lot of fish in my pond. Let's make another fish dish."
Lin Zhaodi hesitated when she heard this.
Lin Shu said, "Aunt Lin, you don't think I'm going to catch a lot of fish, do you? Just two or three. We'll make fried fish nuggets, and then each of the men working here can get two nuggets. And we'll only make it for the first meal."
Lin Zhaodi finally agreed after hearing this, and said with gratitude, "Ah Shu, and Sister He, I really don't know how to thank you this time. When Zhao San and I settle down at the end of the village, I will buy some good wine and food to treat you!"
He Guixiang smiled and said, "We're from the same village, why bother talking about this? Lin Er and I have also been through hardships, and we understand your difficulties. If you need any help in the future, just come to me!"
After Ah Shu's conversation with her, He Guixiang also realized that Lin Zhaodi was a strong-willed person. She had originally wanted to ask her to borrow money if she needed it, but she didn't say it in the end. Fortunately, she didn't say it.
As it was getting late, Zhao Laosan and Lin Zhaodi didn't stay any longer. They left feeling relieved, thankful they had listened to Lin Shu's suggestion yesterday.
It’s great to be neighbors with Lin Laoer’s family. Today, both of them felt more comfortable than ever before!
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