Chapter 81 Chen Yuan Learns Embroidery
Wang Xiaozhi told her to call Xie Wanniang "Auntie", and she called out "Auntie" in a soft and sweet voice.
When asked to call Xiaoyang "sister", she turned her little head and sweetly called out "sister" to Xiaoyang.
Wang Xiaozhi told her to learn from Xie Wanniang, and she nodded her little head and said "Mmm-hmm".
That little face was just too adorable.
Not only Xie Wanniang liked her very much, but even Xiao Yang, who was a little uneasy about Chen Yuan's upcoming arrival, quickly accepted her without any reservations.
The two little ones huddled together, chattering away, even more animatedly than Xie Wanniang and Wang Xiaozhi, the two adults.
While they chatted innocently, Wang Xiaozhi talked to Xie Wanniang about the second branch of the Wang family, saying, "I heard from my third sister-in-law that their family is in a hurry to borrow money from everyone because of Wang Sanhu."
Xie Wanniang was not surprised. Apart from a handful of wealthy families in the village, no other family could afford such a large sum of money as twenty taels.
It's not that they're so poor they don't even have twenty taels of silver; rather, they use most of their savings to build houses, buy land, and buy oxen.
The Wang family borrowed money everywhere, clearly unwilling to sell the land because of this matter.
She asked Wang Xiaozhi, "They didn't borrow money from you?"
Although Wang Xiaozhi stood by her and Jiang Yuan without hesitation on the day of the incident, it would be strange if the Wang family, with their shamelessness, didn't ask Wang Xiaozhi for money.
Wang Xiaozhi laughed, "Why didn't you go? But I wasn't home at the time. Your brother-in-law and I went to the village head to buy a plot of land for a house. They came to our door and were quite rude, so my parents-in-law just kicked them out."
She figured that the family was shameless and would most likely continue to ask her for money, but it didn't matter; her fighting power was no less than that of her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law.
Xie Wanniang was very interested in what she said about buying a house. "Where did you buy the house?"
“There’s an empty house about sixteen or seventeen houses away from Uncle Hao’s house, so we bought that one,” Wang Xiaozhi explained. “My in-laws wanted us to live closer to each other so that we could look after each other if anything happened.”
There were quite a few empty houses in the village, and there were some that were closer to the Chen family's old house. However, after comprehensively considering the size, price, and location of the land, as well as the character and temperament of the surrounding residents, Wang Xiaozhi and her husband finally chose the one that was more suitable in all aspects.
The elderly couple from the Chen family also felt that this place was the best choice overall, so after consulting with their parents, they took the money and went to buy the abandoned house they had their eye on from Chen Lizheng.
The house had been inhabited before, and they had to clear away the old, collapsed house before building the new one.
To save money, the two didn't plan to leave the job to the master craftsman who was helping build the house. After all, Chen Zhao had several brothers and many relatives. With their own family helping out, they could finish the small job quickly.
Xie Wanniang nodded, "Uncle Chen and Aunt Chen have considered things very carefully."
Wang Xiaozhi's two children are still so young, she and Chen Zhao really need their parents-in-law to lend a hand.
Especially since Jiang Yuan will soon be joining the army in Zijing Pass, after he leaves, Wang Xiaozhi, who is left in the village, will lose her last family member and will have to rely more on her parents-in-law for help.
“When my sister starts building the house, I’ll come and help you and your brother-in-law.” She held Wang Xiaozhi’s hand. “I can’t do heavy work, but I can help with cooking and stuff.”
Wang Xiaozhi waved her hand vigorously, "No way, it's not easy for a young girl like you to make a good living. You'd be better off embroidering more things to earn money."
Xie Wanniang was both amused and exasperated. Although she was tired, she was in a good mood and didn't feel anything about what Wang Xiaozhi meant by "not easy".
"It's not as exaggerated as my sister said. With A-Yuan's help, I didn't actually suffer much."
Wang Xiaozhi was happy to hear this, but she still refused to let Xie Wanniang help her. "Don't worry that I'll be too busy. I have plenty of sisters-in-law and friends. Besides, my family is short of money. I can't afford to offer everyone many good things to treat them to. It would be a waste of your excellent cooking skills if you came."
She was good at making even the simplest stews, so she didn't need Xie Wanniang's help.
Seeing that she was determined not to let her go, Xie Wanniang thought about it and didn't force her.
She wasn't the type to use the excuse of "I'm doing this for your own good" or "I have good intentions" to make things difficult for others. Since Wang Xiaozhi was adamant, Xie Wanniang decided to help in a different way.
After the two talked for a while, Xie Wanniang began to teach Chen Yuan the basics of embroidery.
Wang Xiaozhi didn't rush to leave. She sat quietly to the side and observed her daughter's studies for a while.
Seeing that the little girl was able to learn and seemed to be learning quite quickly, Wang Xiaozhi was relieved. After Xie Wanniang's teaching came to an end, she said goodbye and went home.
At noon, Chen Yuan had lunch with Xie Wanniang, Xiao Yang, and Jiang Yuan. Xie Wanniang's mixed grain noodles and pickled cabbage minced meat sauce were at least two levels better than the Chen family's communal meals. Even though the little girl was already full, she was still reluctant to put down her chopsticks.
But remembering her mother's repeated instructions, Chen Yuan was too embarrassed to tell Xie Wanniang that she wanted to eat some more.
Her shy yet eager expression made Xiao Yang feel as if he was seeing another version of himself.
When she first came to Xie Wanniang's place, well, not only during that time, but even now, she still doesn't dare to eat as much as she wants.
Xie Wanniang could tell that Chen Yuan still wanted to eat. Considering that the child's appetite was limited, she took the child's bowl and added a little more to her bowl. "You can only eat this much more, otherwise our Yuanyuan's little tummy won't be able to take it."
Chen Yuan took the bowl somewhat shyly, "Thank you, Auntie."
Xie Wanniang patted her head, then "spread the love" to Xiao Yang, who was sitting on her other side and staring at her expectantly. "Xiao Yang isn't full either?"
Xiao Yang shook his head, "I'm full."
Xie Wanniang had a better grasp of her appetite than she did herself, and the noodles and sauce she served were plentiful enough to fill her up.
Hearing her say that, Xie Wanniang didn't add any more food for her. She finished what was left in her own bowl, put down her chopsticks, and sat there watching Jiang Yuan eat, resting her chin on her hand.
After Chen Yuan finished eating, the two children went to Xiao Yang's room hand in hand to play and digest their food. So now, there were only Jiang Yuan and Xie Wan Niang in the main room.
Xie Wanniang's focused, smiling gaze quickly made Jiang Yuan blush. He didn't dare to look up, his ears turning red as he buried his head in his food.
He finished off the remaining noodles and sauce, and after he was full, he conscientiously began to clear the dishes.
Unable to get involved in the matter, Xie Wanniang, who admired the perfect young man, simply strolled back to her room, intending to walk around a few times before taking an afternoon nap.
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