"Haha, you look only ten years older than me, how can I call you Uncle Yan? How about I call you Brother Yan instead? Brother Yan, thank you so much for the clothes today. Actually, I was also at fault. The day after tomorrow is the anniversary of my late husband's death. If I hadn't been in a hurry to buy offerings and hadn't seen the road clearly, I wouldn't have bumped into you. You were still so kind, buying me clothes and taking me to see a doctor. Brother Yan, you're so good. By the way, my surname is Sun and my given name is Xiangxiang. You can just call me Xiangxiang."
Sun Xiangxiang's voice was delicate and soft, like an old female cat in heat.
"Um, Mrs. Sun, don't blame yourself. It's still my fault. I was carrying the basin and couldn't avoid it, which is why you got slapped in the face by the fish. Now that you've seen the doctor and are alright, I'll go home first. Oh, and remember to pick up your clothes, don't forget."
An hour has passed since the two collided.
Yan Hecheng watched the sun begin to set and prepared to leave.
He didn't follow Sun Xiangxiang's lead and call her Xiangxiang.
Instead, he called out to Madam Sun in a distant manner.
After speaking, he touched the purse at his waist, which had gone from being bulging when he left the mansion to being flat.
That was a full twenty taels of silver, now it's not even worth two taels.
He was heartbroken.
I feel like I can't breathe.
"Okay, Brother Yan, I'll remember to pick up my clothes. Be careful on your way home. Goodbye." Sun Xiangxiang turned and left after saying that, but after only a few steps, she turned back and glanced at Yan Hecheng.
His eyes were practically drooling.
Yan Hecheng also looked over.
The two of them made eye contact.
[Hmph, he must be captivated by me, look at him, he can't take his eyes off me, my charm hasn't diminished over the years~] Sun Xiangxiang thought to herself smugly.
Three seconds later, she turned around again and walked away quickly.
That was the last time she looked back.
Yan Hecheng was left standing there alone.
"Oh, these clothes do look nice, but they cost me my money. What bad luck! If I had known I was going to get into trouble today, I wouldn't have come out. With this money, I would have bought some good food for the children."
Yan Hecheng didn't even look at Sun Xiangxiang's face. He stared at the clothes worth eighteen taels of silver and slapped his thigh in anger.
But the money's already spent, and it's too late to regret it.
He picked up the basin, muttering to himself as he walked toward the path beside him.
This road leads directly to the Yan residence.
"Why--"
Back home.
Yan Hecheng casually tossed the basin aside, sat on the stone bench, and sighed repeatedly.
"Hey, Dad, what's wrong? Why are you sighing?"
Fifteen minutes later, Yan Xia arrived. She was thinking that it would be dinner time soon, so she came to see if her adoptive father had come back yet.
As soon as she passed through the arched gate, she saw her father sitting listlessly in the courtyard.
And he kept sighing.
She was like a flower in late autumn.
It has withered.
"Dad had a really bad day. He went to buy fish and bumped into a woman, causing her to fall and tear her clothes. She even got hurt on the face by the fish. Dad had to pay for her clothes and take her to the doctor. He's almost spent all the money he's saved. He's heartbroken."
Yan Hecheng's voice was a little soft.
He was afraid that if he told his daughter, she would scold him.
"It's nothing, just a little money. Father, if you don't have any money, just tell me and I'll give it to you. Here, this is ten taels of silver. Take it and spend it. Is that woman alright?"
Yan Xia looked at Yan Hexiang like a child who had done something wrong, with his head down and not daring to look at her.
I found it somewhat funny.
She took two silver ingots out of her purse and placed them in Yan Hecheng's hand.
"She's fine, just that her face was slapped twice by the fish tail and is a little red. Xia'er, I won't buy fish anymore. I'll just have the servants do it. I'm really scared. Oh, eighteen taels! That dress cost eighteen taels! With the cost of the pulse diagnosis, it's a huge loss. And I even lost my fish. It was a wasted trip, a waste of money, and I ended up covered in fish."
When the two collided, the water from the fish tank splashed all over Yan Hecheng.
The weather was hot, and after working so hard, the damp spots on his clothes had dried completely, and he had a faint fishy smell about him.
Yan Xia wrinkled her nose; the smell was somewhat unpleasant.
"Alright, the shop will earn back this little bit of money in no time. Consider it money spent to ward off disaster. I'd rather you spend the money than fall and get hurt. Come on, let's go to my yard. It'll be time for dinner soon. Tonight, you can take a bath and have the servants soak your clothes in some flower petals to remove the fishy smell."
Seeing that it was getting late, Yan Xia pulled Yan Hecheng to the second courtyard.
Xiaohe also sat there holding Tuanzi, waiting.
Every day when we eat at home, we eat in the second courtyard, since it's in the middle and the route from the first and third courtyards is the same.
Half an hour passed.
Family members gradually returned home.
Yan Xia's courtyard was full of people, with maids and servants standing by to serve them.
"Alright, let's serve the food."
Yan Xia gave the order.
Countless dishes were brought up by the servants.
The food was still steaming hot, and the aroma wafted into everyone's noses on the breeze. The smell was so strong that it overpowered the fragrance of the flowers in the courtyard, making everyone's mouths water.
"Alright, let's eat."
After Yan Xia finished speaking, she looked at Yan Hecheng and waited for him to pick up his chopsticks before Yan Xia and the others picked up their chopsticks to eat.
We must respect the elderly and love the young.
She always sets a good example.
The children followed suit.
At the dinner table, they ate and chatted without any of the rules about not talking while eating or sleeping. If you can't relax and enjoy yourself at home, how tiring would it be to live?
Soon it was getting dark, and the courtyard was filled with laughter and cheerful voices.
The summer heat gradually subsided, and the evening breeze gently brushed against everyone's cheeks, bringing a touch of coolness. In the sky, the round moon could be vaguely seen, but it was not obvious, as if it were covered with a thin veil, or as if a photograph with half of its transparency had been erased.
The next second, the lanterns in the courtyard were lit by the maids and servants.
A sudden orange glow illuminated the food, making it look even more appetizing.
The crowd dispersed only after it was completely dark.
The maids began to clear away the leftover food from the table.
The servants' mealtimes were staggered with those of their masters. They could only gather together to eat after the courtyard was tidied up. After eating, they still had to wash dishes, boil water, and so on.
I'm only a little busy in the morning and evening; the rest of the time I'm quite idle.
After walking around and eating, Yan Xia took a bath, changed into her pajamas, and lay down on the bed to sleep. She could hear the croaking of frogs in her ears. Every day as darkness fell, the croaking would start, very rhythmically.
It's not unpleasant to listen to, nor is it harsh; it's like a lullaby.
Yan Xia fell asleep in less than fifteen minutes.
The same is true for others.
"Chirp chirp chirp—"
In the early morning, the dazzling sunlight pierced through the thin mist and the window, shining on Yan Xia's face.
She woke up to the sound of birds chirping.
"Ugh—" Yan Xia stretched and then got out of bed.
She wasn't going out today, so she just randomly picked out a set of plain-colored clothes to change into.
"Xiaoji——"
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