Chapter 13 Chapter 13 She is the head of the household (bug hunting)
Pei Ying looked at his talkative sister and replied, "When it gets hot, I'll give you half."
Lin Duoer stuck out her tongue and said, "Brother-in-law, eat it. I've already eaten."
Pei Ying put down the bamboo and opened the door lock, then casually carried the backpack in. Lin Chuntao took the things out of the backpack before she realized that she had forgotten to buy the backpack.
"It's over!"
Lin Chunxing asked hurriedly: "What's wrong?"
Lin Chuntao slapped her forehead and said, "I forgot to buy a backpack. We borrowed a sickle and hoe from Grandpa Muramasa, and now we need a backpack. I was thinking of going to the city to buy one today, and then I can return it later."
Lin Chunxing breathed a sigh of relief, but then she stared at Lin Chuntao quietly for a moment before saying, "I was wondering what was wrong. Doesn't Aunt Guizhi in our village often make baskets to sell? Let's go ask her later."
Lin Chuntao's heart skipped a beat; she had forgotten about this.
But since Lin Chunxing said that, she had no choice but to agree: "Then let's go after lunch." Then she asked: "What do you want to eat for lunch? Buckwheat pancakes?"
"Eat!" The third and fourth brothers replied in unison. Lin Chuntao looked at Pei Ying, who said, "I'll eat too."
Lin Chuntao took the steamed buns out of the basket. They were still warm. She handed them to Pei Ying and said, "They're still hot. You can eat them right away."
Pei Ying took the bun that Zhou had stuffed back. Lin Chuntao washed her hands and broke it into four pieces. Each of the four sisters had two bites.
It was still early for lunch, so Pei Ying ate the bun and started making the bamboo fence. Lin Chuntao helped trim the bamboo branches with a sickle.
Pei Yingquan cut all the thin bamboos used for the bamboo fence. He cut all the bamboos into similar lengths and sharpened one end. When everything was done, Pei Ying drew a line around the yard, leaving a mark for the entrance and exit. Then he began to insert the bamboos along the line. The soil in the yard was relatively hard, so the bamboo needed to be knocked with stones after being inserted, so that it would be deeper in the soil and more stable.
Chun Xing and her two younger sisters held the bamboo, Pei Ying inserted the bamboo into the soil, and Lin Chuntao followed behind and knocked it.
By lunchtime, most of the yard had been planted.
They continued to work. Lin Chuntao went to fetch some water and prepared to bake buckwheat pancakes.
There is no technical content in making this. You just need to knead the dough, add the right amount of water, heat the pan, pour the noodles in and fry on low heat. Control the heat and turn it over. When it is cooked, you can take it out and eat it.
A few buckwheat pancakes were made very quickly.
When the pancakes were almost ready, Lin Chuntao called them over to wash their hands and start eating.
Just for a buckwheat pancake, Lin Duoer exclaimed, "Sister, it's delicious."
Lin Chuntao really wanted to crown her the best supporter.
"Is it really that delicious? Let me try it." Lin Chuntao said as she cleared the firewood and tore off a piece of cake.
It was still a little hot, but it was actually quite delicious when I put it in my mouth. It wasn't bitter at all, and it had a unique buckwheat fragrance.
When she had the meal at Lao Lin’s house, she thought all the buckwheat here was bitter buckwheat!
No wonder Lin Duoer said it was delicious, it was indeed quite good.
"It would be even more delicious if it had honey." After Lin Chuntao finished speaking, her three sisters all looked over at her. Lin Chunhe smiled and said, "Sister, honey is so sweet, it will taste good with anything."
Lin Chuntao smiled. She wanted to say that buckwheat cakes dipped in honey would have a special sweet taste, but she had never eaten it either, so if she said it, she would be exposed.
"Yeah, honey is so sweet, it must taste good with anything."
Pei Ying glanced at her indifferently when he heard this, but didn't say anything.
After lunch, several people continued to work together to build the bamboo fence. Before long, almost all the bamboo had been planted.
But it wasn't all done yet. It needed a few more horizontal ties to make it more stable. Lin Chuntao and the others didn't have any hemp rope, so they had to wait until they bought some to tie it up. Pei Ying continued to make a simple bamboo door. The sickle was almost done. He checked it to make sure it was not damaged before handing it to Lin Chuntao: "You can return it to Muramasa now."
Lin Chuntao took the sickle and rested in the yard until noon. Seeing that the villagers who had worked in the fields had returned home to drink water, she called Chunxing to return the things to the village chief's house.
She took some money and prepared to see if she could buy a new backpack.
Seeing that the eldest and second sisters were going, Lin Chunhe and Lin Duoer wanted to join in the fun and followed along.
There was nothing else to do, so Lin Chuntao let them follow.
To go to Muramasa's house, you have to pass by Lao Lin's house. When I passed by today, several adults from Lao Lin's family and several villagers were standing outside the yard chatting.
Seeing them passing by, a woman raised her voice and asked, "Chun Tao, what are you doing?"
Lin Chuntao saw clearly that the woman was Zhang's close friend and they had a very good relationship.
She asked a question, and perhaps there would be other questions waiting for her later. Lin Chuntao smiled and replied, "Auntie, let's go to Grandma's house to return the backpack."
The person who asked the question was Zhang Qiuniang. She thought that Lin Chuntao had been timid before, and now that she had been driven out by the adults, she might not even dare to speak.
Unexpectedly, he not only dared to reply, but also replied her with a smile in front of all of them.
"I heard that you are living in your great-grandmother's old house now?"
"Yes, grandma is kind enough to let us stay here temporarily."
Zhang Qiuniang groaned and then said, "Chuntao, the elders' anger is temporary. How can you feel comfortable living in someone else's house as in your own? Bring your sisters back and apologize to Grandma soon. How can we really sever ties as a family?"
The people in the old Lin family just sat there quietly without saying a word. Qian and Zhang were cracking melon seeds, looking down at Lin Chuntao. They were probably waiting until she and her sisters couldn't live anymore and begged to go back.
Lin Chuntao curled her lips slightly and replied to Zhang Qiuniang.
"Auntie, you won't be the one selling your granddaughter for money in the future, right?"
Zhang Qiuniang's expression froze, and she looked embarrassed. Lin Chuntao didn't give her a chance to reply and continued, "People are very different. Auntie is kind-hearted and only speaks when she's angry. How can you expect others to be the same? Auntie, please don't try to persuade me, or I'll be jealous of my cousins' good fortune and want to be your daughter too."
She smiled, but every word she said was stingy, and everyone in the Lin family looked unhappy.
Lin Chuntao and her sisters had already left. Zhang Qiuniang was embarrassed by the Lin family and could only mutter, "When did Chuntao become so sharp-tongued? She's so unforgiving."
The woman nearby tried to smooth things over, joining in the conversation: "I see they'll be back crying in a few days. They've been clinging to the Muramasa family lately. Are they really going to keep them around forever, waiting for Aunt Sun to get tired of them and leave them with nothing to eat or sleep, so they'll just come back dejected."
Many people nearby echoed: "That's right, Aunt Tian, don't worry."
At this time, the whole family of Muramasa was sitting in the yard drinking water.
Lin Chuntao knocked on the gate before entering. She saw her uncle, aunt, and uncle calling out to someone in the yard. Then she said to Sun, "Grandma, I'm here to return your sickle and backpack. We've already used them. Thank you!"
Sun came out of the house and said with a smile, "You girls are just being polite. Why should I thank you for using a backpack sickle?" As she spoke, she took the things, glanced at them to see if they were damaged, and said to them with a smile, "Sit down and play for a while. Your great-grandfather has gone to register your household registration. I guess he'll be here soon."
Upon hearing this, Lin Chuntao prepared to take her sisters to sit down and wait for a while, but before they could sit down, the old man came back.
Lin Chuntao hurriedly called for help.
"Great grandfather."
Lin Cunzheng looked up at them and said happily, "It's Chuntao. It just so happens that your household registration stickers have been processed. Take them back and keep them safely." As he said that, he reached into his pocket, took out the household registration sticker and handed it over.
Lin Chuntao hurriedly took it and opened it to take a look. She was the head of the household, followed by her sisters and Pei Ying.
Seeing Lin Chuntao's delight, Lin Cunzheng continued, "The imperial court has a policy regarding marriages with outsiders. Starting from this year, you won't have to pay taxes for three years."
Lin Chuntao was shocked when she heard the news, and she thanked the old man repeatedly with the household registration card.
Everyone in the yard was very surprised. "We don't have to pay land tax and labor service silver anymore?"
"Yes, our land tax and labor service silver have also been reduced. This is all good news."
Lin Chuntao was very happy to get this thing, and she had to take it back and put it away.
She only stayed at Muramasa's house for a while before returning with her sisters.
As soon as they left, Sun asked Lin Cunzheng, "If Lao Wu's family didn't drive them out, would they not have to pay the land tax?"
Lin Cunzheng just smiled and said nothing.
But everyone in the yard understood. Sun said, "If Tian knew, she would be so angry that she would faint, right?"
Lin Chuntao and her friends didn't go to buy backpacks as they had originally planned, and went straight home.
Pei Ying saw them coming back empty-handed and asked, "Didn't you buy a backpack?"
"I haven't checked the backpack yet." Lin Chuntao said, shaking the household registration sticker in her hand at him, "Look at what this is?"
Pei Ying guessed it, reached out to take it, and carefully opened it. It was their household registration sticker.
"You got it back so soon?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "The village head should have taken him there to report the matter. It would have been faster to handle it at the same time. I was so happy that I forgot to ask in detail."
"Also, we don't have to pay taxes for three years."
"Really?" Pei Ying was a little unconvinced.
Lin Chuntao nodded, "Of course it's true."
The few of them were happy in the yard for a long time before they calmed down, put away the household registration stickers, and then ran to buy a backpack.
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