Zhao Yiming was a notorious scoundrel in Zhao Family Village. He had often harassed Zhao Si's wife. Although Zhao Si's wife was somewhat pretty, she was kind-hearted. After being harassed by Zhao Yiming, she couldn't help but tell Zhao Si.
Zhao Si was also narrow-minded. Even though Zhao Yiming had been beaten up by Zhao Si, Zhao Si did not feel relieved and always thought of taking the opportunity to teach Zhao Yiming a lesson again.
That old shopkeeper will definitely not give up.
He needed to take advantage of the opportunity before the shopkeeper filed a complaint to give Zhao Yiming a good scolding in order to vent his resentment.
While the Zhao family was in turmoil, the Niu family was happily preparing dinner. Although Niu Xiaomei was a new guest, she was not idle and helped Chen Yu chop vegetables by the stove.
Niu Meihua sat by the stove, tending the fire.
Niu Xiaomei's complexion was noticeably better than before, and she even had a girlish demeanor and charm. Even though she didn't go to sleep until 4 a.m., she was still very energetic.
"Little sister, did you sleep well last night?" Shen Yu teased her deliberately.
"Oh, sister-in-law, you're so naughty!" Niu Xiaomei stomped her feet in embarrassment.
“Although your older brother and I have been married for over ten years, we’re still a young couple. What’s so hard about talking about this?” Chen Yu said.
She then turned to Niu Meihua and said:
"Plum Blossom, go to the backyard and wash the vegetables!"
"Hey, Mom!" Niu Meihua carried several baskets of vegetables to the backyard.
Chen Yu then said to Niu Xiaomei, "Huaimin is known as a little miracle doctor. Although he couldn't guarantee you'd be able to conceive again, the chances are still very high." "Let me tell you..."
Chen Yu whispered in Niu Xiaomei's ear, "When you're having sex with Huaimin, elevate your lower back and try different positions a few times. Men always like new things."
Niu Xiaomei felt a little embarrassed. Although she had given birth to two daughters, her relationship with the man surnamed Huang was really bad, so she was like a dead fish behind the curtain.
Moreover, it rarely happens more than twice a year.
Just as she finished speaking, Niu Meihua brought in the washed vegetables. Niu Da was talking to Xue Huaimin, while Xiao Fubao, Niu Baolan, and Niu Baozhu were eating candied fruit one by one from a plate.
Niu Cuihua and Niu Er are still at school and haven't returned.
Xiao Heng wiped the candied fruit from Xiao Fubao's mouth and said, "It's almost time to eat, don't eat too much and get indigestion! Otherwise, you won't be able to finish all the good food on the table!"
Perhaps it was because Xiao Heng saw Xiao Fu Bao shivering in the cave, looking pitiful, like a little kitten in need of rescue.
He always treated her differently from his other sisters.
Little Fu Bao tilted her head slightly, her big, grape-like eyes curving gently, "Big brother, you should have one too, the candied fruit is so sweet!"
The little guy immediately stuffed the candied fruit into Xiao Heng's mouth, and then let Xiao Heng put away the rest of the candied fruit.
Niu Baolan protested, "Brother Xiao, Lan'er wants to eat more, she wants to eat more!"
Xiao Heng tapped her on the head and said, "Don't worry, eating too much will give you cavities! It's time to eat, no more eating!"
Two-and-a-half-year-old Niu Baolan hung her head and wiped her own mouth with the damp cloth that Xiao Heng had just used to wipe Xiao Fubao's mouth. "Brother Xiao is biased! Humph!"
Xiao Heng picked up Xiao Fubao and said, "Let's not play with that petty person. Let's go see what delicious dishes Mom has made!"
"The dishes are on the table. We're just waiting for Yong'er and Cuihua to come back so we can start eating! Judging by the time, it should be about right!" Chen Yu, Niu Xiaomei, and Niu Meihua brought out four dishes, then turned around and went back into the kitchen to bring out two bowls and two more dishes.
Niu Yong and Niu Cuihua are back.
Eight dishes may not seem like a lot in a large rural family, but the portions are generous, and with five meat dishes and three vegetable dishes, it's considered a very good meal in the countryside.
“Sister-in-law, you should eat with us! There aren’t that many people anyway! Let’s not talk about those empty rules, let’s just sit together as a family and have a happy meal,” Xue Huaimin said. The six younger children don’t need to sit at the same table as the adults; they have their own world.
Only five people were sitting at the table: Niu Da, Niu Yong, Xue Huaimin, Niu Xiaomei, and Niu Cuihua. Xiao Heng was feeding Xiao Fubao at a small table next to them. According to custom, women usually do not sit at the table when guests arrive, regardless of whether there are seats available.
Niu Xiaomei forcibly pulled Chen Yu down, and Niu Da also said, "Honey, you eat with us, don't go hungry!"
Chen Yu picked up her chopsticks and said, "If the food isn't good, don't laugh at me!"
Looking at the table laden with delicious food, Niu Xiaomei couldn't help but sigh, "Sister-in-law, don't say the food isn't good! Our family has never been able to eat such good food before!" She continued, "Even when my eldest brother worked for Jia Dafu, although we had no worries about food and clothing, it wasn't like this."
“When my parents were alive, things weren’t like this!”
When Niu Xiaomei said that, Chen Yu couldn't help but recall the hard times of the past. Her father-in-law had passed away very early, and a few years earlier, even their house was dilapidated.
Although Niu Da was very diligent, patching things up here and there every few days, he couldn't keep up with the house being too old. Especially during the bitter winter, when Niu Da was busy transporting goods, he had no time to pick and choose.
As a woman, she had no choice but to leave her crying baby behind and climb onto the roof, which was almost crushed by the snow and ice, to add bricks and repair the tiles. That day, she was so cold that she was shivering.
At that time, her hands and ears were covered in chilblains. Sometimes she complained. Fortunately, Niu Da was a very caring person. Every time he finished delivering goods to the temples of high-ranking officials or monks and nuns, he would give all the earnings to Chen Yu. In the first year, he even brought her a hand warmer from the county. Later, he would apply ointment to her hands, feet and ears, always with gentleness and thoughtfulness.
At that moment, all of Shen Yu's resentment vanished.
Life was tough, but at least we had enough to eat and wear.
She can also weave some cloth to sell.
Later, Jia Dafu replaced Niu Da with his cousin, citing Niu Da's old age, and had his nephew take over the connections and work that Niu Da had built up.
The Niu family used their savings to build several new houses and planned to use the remaining money to buy dozens of acres of land to cultivate. However, because neither Niu Da nor his wife were literate, the money they had painstakingly accumulated was swindled away.
As if things weren't going to go wrong, Niu Cuihua fell seriously ill, and no medicine could cure her.
They sold their newly built house, but they still couldn't cure Niu Cuihua. They could only watch helplessly as their bright and clever daughter turned into a fool that everyone could bully.
Later, on another piece of their land, they built a few more shabby houses with their own hands.
Thinking of all this, Chen Yu couldn't help but sigh and said:
"Yes! Our lives are finally getting better! When we were working for Jia Dafu, we hardly ever got to eat meat."
The main reason is that Chen Yu wants to accumulate wealth, build houses and buy land, and is reluctant to spend money on food and drink.
Xue Huaimin silently picked up a duck leg for Niu Xiaomei to eat, and then took care of Niu Ke'er and Qiao'er to eat.
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