“My sister is here too, so don’t be afraid!” Niu Meihua said.
Niu Cuihua said bitterly, "That old woman Zhao deserves to die a horrible death! Mom, I'll go get some hot water!"
Seeing that Xiao Fubao was sick, Niu Xiaomei was extremely anxious. She got up and touched Xiao Fubao's burning hot cheeks, saying, "So hot, what should we do?"
"Little sister, you should keep an eye on the younger ones and make sure they don't get hurt! There are so many children in the house, it wouldn't be good if they got bumped or bruised. I'll take care of Xiao Fu Bao!"
"Sinking Fish said."
Niu Xiaomei thought that what Chen Yu said made sense, so she sat down by the fire to look after the children who were not very old.
"Father, Mother... Mother, Xiao Heng, don't go, don't leave Xiao Fu Bao! Don't leave Xiao Fu Bao!" Xiao Fu Bao murmured in his sleep.
Chen Yu gently stroked Xiao Fu Bao's forehead and wiped her face and forehead with hot water:
"My child, you will be alright!"
Although Xiao Fubao is blessed with good fortune, he is still a mortal being who eats grains and vegetables. In addition, the heavens punished Zhao Xiaomei by causing her to lose a life, so his good fortune gradually began to dissipate, which is why he fell ill.
Xue Huaimin prescribed medicine for Xiao Fubao, and with the careful care of Shen Yu and Niu Da, Xiao Fubao finally made it through the New Year safely.
When the old man Zhuo heard that the two children from the Niu family had been abducted by that wicked old woman Zhao, he was extremely anxious, but he heard the news a few beats too late.
When Grandpa Zhuo arrived in a great hurry with Zhuo Ming, Xiao Fu Bao and Niu Bao Lan had already returned home.
This was Zhuo Ming's first time visiting her uncle's house. Although Niu Da had a prejudice against Niu Yinhua, he still liked the well-behaved and cute little girl in front of him very much. He immediately gave Zhuo Ming a box of chestnut cakes and preserved plum candy.
Zhuo Ming then softly called out "Uncle" and "Aunt."
"I teach in the county. I heard that your two children were abducted! Have you found them yet?"
"Old Master Zhuo asked."
"That damned Zhao Xiaomei, she deserves to go to the eighteenth level of hell even in death! She even threw away the children's clothes, leaving them like that in the deep mountains and forests! She treated the children like that! No wonder her family line is wiped out, and even her grandson has her in-laws' surname!" Thinking of this, Shen Yu first cursed, then said:
"Fortunately, the two children were lucky and escaped unharmed. They were taken down by a kind child and happened to run into us!"
When Grandpa Zhuo first heard that the wicked old woman Zhao had thrown away all the child's clothes and abandoned his beloved granddaughter on the snowy mountain, he was horrified.
Hearing Chen Yu say that the child was unharmed, she quietly relaxed: "The child was frozen, is he alright?"
"She had a high fever a couple of days ago, but it's gone by yesterday!" Shen Yu was suspicious. She felt that Old Man Zhuo was too concerned about Xiao Fubao, but she wasn't upset that he cared about her daughter.
At this moment, Xiao Fubao and Niu Baolan held hands, stepped across the threshold, and sweetly called out, "Grandpa Zhuo, Cousin!"
Xiang Jinlan followed them in and poured two cups of tea for Grandpa Zhuo and seven-year-old Zhuo Ming.
Fifth Sister Zhuo Ming lived with Grandpa Zhuo in the county. The students in the county treated her and Grandpa Zhuo with great respect. She no longer had to look at Chen Da Mei's face, and her personality began to become lively.
Grandpa Zhuo smiled and took out several sets of pink brocade embroidered jackets with white collars and green brocade jacquard jackets. Holding Xiao Fubao and Niu Baolan in his arms, he said, "Grandpa Zhuo brought you new clothes. Do you like them?"
Little Fu Bao looked at the pretty padded jackets and clapped her hands, cheering, "I love them! I love them!"
Chen Yu said, "How can we let the old man spend money?"
"It's nothing, it's nothing. This is a gift from one of my students who passed the imperial examination two years ago. This year, that student was transferred to Jiangzhou as a prefectural judge. Speaking of which, he's an old acquaintance of yours!" As soon as Old Master Zhuo finished speaking, he realized he had said something wrong and quickly laughed awkwardly.
Chen Yu asked, "An old acquaintance of mine?"
"This, this was a slip of the tongue, a slip of the tongue! Haha!" Old Man Zhuo quickly changed the subject, saying, "I didn't know the sizes of your daughters, so I made the clothes too big. If any of them don't fit, just give them to me and I'll have the embroiderer alter them."
“That’s for sure!” Shen Yu said with a smile.
The topic was successfully shifted.
The conversation turned to the children again. Grandpa Zhuo said, "My daughter Ming'er heard that her uncle and aunt have many sisters. It's a pity that although my family has many children, we only have this one girl. Ming'er doesn't have any playmates. She wants to take advantage of the winter vacation to visit her uncle and aunt for a few days. I wonder if it's convenient for her?"
Shen Yu and Niu Da Ziran were very pleased, saying, "It's perfect that they can keep my daughters company! It's rare for Grandpa Zhuo to come all this way, so please have dinner before you leave!"
"Alright!" Grandpa Zhuo put down Xiao Fubao and Niu Baolan and said, "You two take your sister Zhuo Ming with you to play!"
While eating, Grandpa Zhuo saw Xiao Heng and asked Niu Dadao, "In-law, is that the little baby who brought Xiao Fubao out of the deep mountains?"
Yes!
Xiao Heng said, "I'm not a little kid, I'm ten years old!"
Grandpa Zhuo simply laughed it off.
That night, Old Master Zhuo passed away.
"Honey, I'm thinking of hiring a butcher this year to slaughter a few of our dozen or so pigs and make some braised meat, braised pork hock, pig's trotters and the like!" The Niu family's pickled vegetables and salted vegetables have always been sold to diners as side dishes.
Those who could afford to eat these pickles and braised meats regularly were mostly wealthy families, but there were also some craftsmen with better means who would occasionally buy some to eat.
The pickled cabbage was given as a side dish to some hardworking farmers who ate breakfast. Unexpectedly, this gesture brought a full house of customers to the shop.
Some of the laborers who were slightly better off wanted to try the pickled vegetables sold there, because they thought the sauerkraut at her house was delicious, and wondered if it was even better than the sauerkraut.
This purchase had a remarkable impact, instantly establishing the reputation of Weixiangzhai.
The butcher doesn't charge wages for slaughtering pigs; he only buys the meat.
"Why don't we ask Butcher Sang from the next town?" Chen Yu said. "That way, I can fry some vegetarian dishes for you today."
Children from poor farming families rarely get to eat these things. Those with slightly better conditions, like Niu Xiaocao's family, can still afford them. Niu Dajia only ate them twice when Niu Da worked for Jia Dafu's family. It's been four or five years since then, and he hasn't had oily vegetarian dishes.
Niu Baolan's eyes lit up when she heard there would be vegetarian food. "Oh, vegetarian food! Vegetarian food!"
Niu Baolan is a complete foodie; her eyes light up at the mere mention of food. Niu Baozhu and Niu Meihua, on the other hand, are quite different.
Baozhu doesn't really like eating, but she's still happy to have something to eat, after all, she's only a four-year-old toddler. "Mommy, it's almost Chinese New Year, can you buy some clay for us to play with?"
Chen Yu laughed and said, "Okay, but what do you need the clay for?" Niu Baozhu thought for a moment and said:
"Hmm... I want to make a clay figure, to make it myself. I want to make a female general, a majestic female general! Mom, when I grow up, I can go to school like my sister, right?"
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