Lin Chaodong stayed until the Lantern Festival, and even after eating the glutinous rice balls, he showed no sign of leaving. Although Yue Jiuyue was puzzled, she didn't ask any further questions.
She has always been indifferent to other people's affairs, and doesn't want to pay too much attention to or interfere in other people's lives.
She barely gets by in her own life, taking things one step at a time, so she has no interest in caring about others.
Just because Yue Jiuyue doesn't care doesn't mean others don't care.
Lin Chaobei couldn't help but ask another question:
"Brother, when are you planning to go to the capital this year?"
The reason why Liu didn't come back was explained at the dinner table on the day Lin Chaodong returned. Everyone expressed their understanding. Even Xiaoman'er was so dazzled by the things Lin Chaodong brought back that she forgot about the sadness of Liu's absence.
"Let's wait a few more days until the roads are easier to travel on."
Lin Chaodong's excuse was flawless.
Anyway, it's not like we have to work on time every day. We can go back in the spring if we want, and everyone will feel more at ease if we leave then.
"Oh, then you can stay home and help with the work, and also tidy up your mountain."
If Lin Chaodong can do more work, then he and Lin Chaonan can do less work. He's such a clever little devil.
"OK."
Lin Chaodong did not disagree.
He had learned that last year, his two younger brothers gave half of their harvest from the mountain to their mother, and kept the rest for themselves. It added up to more than ten taels of silver!
He was the only one who didn't clear the land, didn't plant the crops, and even just participated in the harvest. So, after giving half of his harvest to his mother and half to his two younger brothers, he had less than a tael of silver left.
Because the two younger brothers always had to finish tending to their own hills before they could have time to plant anything on his hill, and they were lucky if they could even get a harvest.
Therefore, he plans to grow it himself this year.
He never imagined that before his two younger brothers were busy with their own mountain, they would have to work on the land in Nanling and Yue Jiuyue's mountain, and only then would they have their own time.
So, by the time Lin Chaodong had finished tidying up his mountain, it was already April.
The Dragon Boat Festival is less than a month away. Should he wait until after the festival to go to the prefectural city, or go now?
Xiaoman'er gave him the answer.
"Dad! Dad! When are we going to find Mom?"
Xiaoman asks this question several times a day.
In the past, Lin Chaodong would use the excuse of unfinished chores at home to get by. Now, although there is no work left, he has finished his work temporarily and can rest for a few days before starting to water the fields and weed.
After thinking it over, Lin Chaodong decided to go to the prefectural city now.
He still didn't trust Liu.
That evening, after dinner, Lin Chaodong told Yue Jiuyue about his plans to return to the prefecture.
“Mother, everything costs money in the city, so I have to work to earn money and I don’t have time to take care of Xiaoman’er and Dazhuang. Do you think it’s possible to ask Zhou Lao Er’s wife to come with me to the city to help take care of the two children?”
Yue Jiuyue didn't really think much of what he said, because Zhou Lao Er's wife was only a few years younger than her and eight or nine years older than Lin Chaodong!
So, all she said was:
"I'll ask Zhou Lao Er's wife tomorrow if she wants to go with us."
Yue Jiuyue had always suspected that there was something wrong with the Zhou family, so she had never let any of the Zhou family members go out, only occasionally letting Zhou Da or Zhou Er go to town to help out.
Unsurprisingly, Zhou Lao Er's family did not agree.
Although she and Yue Jiuyue were of the same generation, she was a daughter-in-law of the Zhou family, and she had studied "Women's Instructions" and "Women's Precepts" and followed the Three Obediences and Four Virtues. How could she go to live alone in the state city with an adult man? Did she not care about her reputation?
Yue Jiuyue turned around and told Lin Chaodong that Zhou Lao Er's family was not going to the prefectural city.
When Lin Chaodong found out, he just sighed inwardly and didn't dare to show anything unusual. However, he still found a time when no one was around and went to Zhou Lao Er's house to ask her why.
"For no reason, since the old lady didn't insist that I go to the prefectural city, but asked for my opinion, I naturally have the right to refuse."
"That's what Zhou Lao Er's family said in a cold voice."
She had initially thought Lin Chaodong wanted to talk to her about something, but he only asked her this question. Although she knew that given their current status and age difference, they didn't seem like people who could be involved in romantic affairs, she still kept a safe distance of two meters from Lin Chaodong and maintained a firm attitude.
"I really need your help! I'm all alone in the city, barely able to take care of myself. I can't even eat on time every day, and no one helps me wash my clothes. I'm just living a muddled life."
But my two children can't live like I do, especially Dazhuang, who isn't in good health and needs to be well cared for. Eating on time is the most basic thing for him.
So, how about you come with me to take care of the two kids for a while, for their sake?
This was the first time Lin Chaodong had spoken so eloquently, appealing to both emotion and reason. These were words he had pondered for months to persuade the other party to agree.
"I'm sorry, sir, I don't want to go. There are plenty of ways to find someone to help take care of the two young masters."
After a cold refusal, Zhou Lao Er's wife bowed to Lin Chaodong and hurriedly left.
After refusing Lin Chaodong, Zhou Lao Er's family hurriedly left, but his heart was pounding wildly in his chest.
She always had this feeling that Lin Chaodong was looking at her...
Oh well, she'll just pretend she didn't notice. After all, she's old enough to be his aunt; she must have been mistaken.
Little did she know, Lin Chaodong stared at her retreating figure, unable to come to his senses for a long time.
Why could he just stand there dumbly watching them leave?
This is true of Liu Shi, and even the servant in Zhou Lao Er's household is like this.
Can't they just look at him directly?
Lin Chaodong's eyes were filled with pain. He stood there dumbfounded until his legs went numb before he came to his senses and left.
The next day, Lin Chaodong left. Lin Chaobei and Da Niu drove the carriage, carrying him, Xiao Man'er, and Da Zhuang, and set off for the city.
This year, two more shops opened in the family. One is a bookstore that Yue Jiuyue had been thinking about last year, and the other sells sweet potato seedlings, various vegetables grown at home, as well as various pickled eggs and meats. So he couldn't spare the time and could only send the unreliable Lin Chaobei to do it, which can also be regarded as a kind of training.
Lin Chaodong left, and Yue Jiuyue's workshop was also launched.
The first workshop was a soap workshop. Some people were responsible for sifting wood ash, some for preparing the water from the wood ash, some for preparing lard, some for stirring, some for drying, and some for cutting. Everyone worked independently and no one knew the specific tasks of the others. The secrecy was quite good.
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