Before Wang Laoda could finish speaking after saying "Hey, hey" twice, the woman who had been urging him on rushed over with a big smile on her face: "Little sister, it's been so long since I've seen you come to the market. Are you tired? Come in and sit down and have a drink of water."
As she spoke, she casually grabbed Wang Xiaoju's basket full of wine and meat, wanting her to go back to her parents' home.
Wang Da Sao's action stirred up a hornet's nest. Wang Xiaoju, whose expression had just softened, suddenly flew into a rage: "Get out of here! Don't pull my basket! Who's your sister? I'm just a freeloader. I don't even go to my parents' house to beg for food!"
The stone monkeys and their children surrounded them: "Who are you? What do you want! You'd better watch where you're going to steal things!"
These kids aren't clueless; having worked as technicians on several trips outside, these eleven- or twelve-year-old boys are as proud as young roosters that haven't crowed yet.
Wang Xiaoju didn't want to delay important matters, nor did she want to lose face with her brother and sister-in-law in the street. She immediately slung her basket over her shoulder and said to Shi Houzi and the others, "Let's go, let's ignore these thin-skinned people."
She left as soon as she finished speaking, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Wang standing there awkwardly.
Sister-in-law Wang rubbed her hands and murmured, "I...I just wanted her to come inside and sit down, I didn't steal anything!"
She really didn't want to snatch the basket; she just wanted Xiaoju to go back to her parents' home. She was willing to apologize to her.
Wang Laoda glared at her fiercely: "You can't do anything right, you're a pain in the ass, and you'd be in big trouble if you didn't say a word! Now who knows when you'll be able to make Xiaoju happy again!"
Sister-in-law Wang also regretted it: "Why did I pull her hair back then..."
If she had known that Wang Xiaoju would be able to gain a foothold in Xujia Village and that things would turn out this way, she wouldn't have been so ruthless.
When Wang Xiaoju was being pestered by her older brother and sister-in-law in town.
In the village, Xu Dazhu was surrounded by people asking him all sorts of questions.
Xu Genyou touched Dazhu's leg and helped him stand up to show everyone, repeatedly exclaiming, "Good, as long as you can stand up, you'll get better slowly."
He felt guilty for abandoning his family when he ran away, and even more heartbroken.
My mother has said several times that she regrets going to Yuzhou Prefecture with the villagers.
If my family hadn't fled with Aunt Jiang, my father certainly wouldn't have died in the torrential rain outside Yuzhou City, nor would he have been buried in a mass grave.
I originally planned to go up the mountain to visit him when I got back, but Aunt Jiang said that Dazhu didn't want anyone to visit him, so we didn't go.
Xu Gensheng and the others took a break from their busy schedules to glance over and were delighted to see Xu Dazhu sitting steadily: "Brother Dazhu, thank goodness you didn't leave!"
Xu Dazhu was happy to see these fellow villagers again after more than two years.
But bringing up the past, even if he didn't hold a grudge, it was still a thorn in his side, so he changed the subject: "I heard from Aunt Jiang that you are all capable now, you can do accounts, you can read, and you are even in charge of things."
Xu Gensheng blushed and waved his hands repeatedly: "Don't praise me, I just don't know many words, and the scholar calls me stupid every day."
Chunfeng was in a bit of an awkward situation. Everyone in the village knew that Xu Dazhu had sent her back to her parents' home a few years ago, so naturally there were all sorts of rumors circulating.
At the time, some people said that she should leave this burden behind and go back to her parents' home so that she could get married properly. Others said that Dazhu ran away after getting injured and that he was not a good person.
But now no one says these things anymore. Even a blind man knows who the king is. To say more is just asking for trouble.
Xiaoman has great respect for her sister-in-law Chunfeng. In the village, she directly says that her sister-in-law is the head of the household, and they will only separate after Tiantao marries into the family.
Since it's the sister-in-law who's in charge, Chunfeng is now taking on the main responsibility.
Even though a chef is in charge of cooking when holding a banquet in the open, people still need to help with chopping vegetables.
Chunfeng, along with Tan Shi and Huang Jia's sister-in-law, were busy preparing food at the stove and managing the cooking.
Qiaoyun and Xiaoman's grandmother were chatting and laughing with someone nearby, namely Tao'er's mother and Qin Shi and a few others.
Today is Xiaoman and Tiantao's engagement banquet. Xiaoman should have been spending time with her future father-in-law and mother-in-law.
But with Song Tingzhang and his group arriving, Xiaoman had to entertain them.
Tao'er's mother and Tian Gui were particularly happy. It was a good thing that their eldest son-in-law was so popular. They repeatedly told Xiaoman not to worry about them.
Xiaoman has no parents to take care of her, Dazhu has difficulty walking, and Xiaoman's grandparents are also old.
Although Errui and Jiangzhi are handling the banquet, Song Tingzhang and his team need to put in even more effort.
Tian Gui and Tao'er's mother didn't stand on ceremony. They borrowed stools and moved tables with Li Laoshi and Xu Genbao to prepare the feast, treating it as if it were their own business.
Qin Shi pulled Xiaoman's grandmother and said with a smile, "Auntie, Dazhu is all better now, and Chunfeng is by his side. Why didn't you bring Chunfeng down with you when you came to the village last time? You didn't even tell us, so we could have known and been happy for you."
The last time Xiaoman's grandmother came to the village was when Xiaoman was injured. She was so anxious that she didn't think about this matter at all. Besides, Chunfeng herself was unwilling to show her face, so naturally she couldn't say anything.
Grandma Xiaoman smiled and said, "There's a lot of work to do on the mountain, and Chunfeng can't leave."
Tao'er's mother changed the subject: "Qiaoyun is pregnant with Xianghao this time, it's definitely a son."
The group laughed and praised Qiaoyun again, and after praising Qiaoyun, they talked about Pi Shi.
It turns out that Ms. Pi really is pregnant. She keeps saying she's exhausted and can't get enough sleep, so she hasn't come to these lively occasions.
Qin smiled broadly: "You have no idea, when that rascal Gensheng heard that his wife was pregnant, he was so happy that he did several somersaults on the ground."
She said she could finally relax and have fun for as long as she wanted at night, without having to go home to bed early, and without the exhaustion of staying up late.
Hearing these shameless words, Qiaoyun covered her face and laughed. Xiaoman's grandmother said, "That's because his mother didn't discipline him. He's been so talkative since he was little that adults always had to talk to him."
Xu Gensheng loved to play at other people's houses since he was a child, always late at night, and his mother would have to take a stick and go from house to house to find him and bring him home.
Qin knew all this, and laughed as she planned to use these incidents to mock Xu Gensheng in order to avenge them for carrying Li Laoshi off the bed on the second day of their wedding night.
On this day, Xujia Village was bustling with people, many of whom were unfamiliar faces.
Some people carrying carts and shoulder poles who came from the town to deliver things inquired about who was so generous, not only building two nice houses but also hosting a banquet.
When they learned that Xu Dazhu's family, who had been paralyzed in bed years ago, had become prosperous again, they couldn't help but exclaim: This family is really lucky!
The banquet is held on the dam, with a continuous stream of dishes. Steaming baskets on the earthen stoves are filled with nine bowls of steamed dishes, all made with real meat.
Xu Genyou's family slaughtered one of their pigs. It only ate grass and didn't gain weight. After raising it for more than a year, it still weighed less than 200 jin. The pork belly was used to make steamed dishes, which were fatty but not greasy.
Every household in Xujia Village came to eat at the feast. Shi Houzi kept his sisters at one table and ate with their mouths full of oil.
Since it was an engagement banquet, Xiaoman still took a break to toast her father-in-law.
But as soon as he appeared, Tian Gui called him back to the post station: "We're all on the same side, we don't care about a drink or two. You should go back to your work, I'll drink with your grandpa and your brother."
At the dinner table, Dazhu and Xiaoman got drunk as soon as the wine was served; they never dreamed of such a lively scene.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com