After explaining, Xu Yufen suddenly asked, "Why are you asking about this all of a sudden? Did you hear something?"
Ji Xia shook her head: "I haven't heard anything. I just ran into Qiu Yu in the brigade today. She was injured, and Lin Haodong wanted to carry her to the clinic, but she absolutely refused."
"How could my cousin get injured for no reason? I'm afraid that beast is behind it." Xu Yufen muttered disdainfully.
Checking the time, Ji Xia folded the scarf and put it back in her room before going to the kitchen to help prepare dinner.
Chen Jing brought a lot of New Year's goods, and the eldest son's family also made a lot of money this year, so the food prepared for the New Year was much more abundant than in previous years.
Recently, Chen's mother has been taking care of everything in the kitchen. Today, everyone came back, so Xu Yufen and Ji Xia cooked dinner together.
The two prepared four dishes and a soup, filling the table to the brim. Chen Jing stood beside them, chuckling as he inhaled the aroma: "It smells so good! My Xia's cooking is just the best."
Stir-fried cured pork with garlic sprouts, half a chicken chopped into pieces to make scallion oil chicken, pork bone stew with radish soup, and two vegetable dishes: cold cucumber salad and stir-fried soybean sprouts.
Ji Xia rolled her eyes at him: "All you do is talk big. Go and call your parents to prepare dinner."
Chen Jing smiled and responded, then turned to find his parents. Ji Xia walked out of the yard, cupping her hands in a megaphone shape: "Xiao Xu, Xiao Hua, dinner's ready! Time to eat delicious chicken legs."
"They're here!"
Xiao Xu shouted excitedly and gave the last two fruit candies in his hand to his two friends: "Here you go, I'm going back to eat some delicious chicken legs!"
The two younger brothers, still with snot running down their noses, took the candy and grinned excitedly.
Xiao Xu ran back excitedly: "Auntie, I want a big chicken leg!"
"If you want a big chicken leg, you have to go wash it."
Ji Xia looked at his hand and shook her head repeatedly: "And where is your sister?"
"My sister is playing drop-the-handkerchief with her friends over there." Xiao Xu pointed in her sister's direction and ran back excitedly.
Hearing the call, Chen Xiaohua quickly returned, clutching her handkerchief and looking at her with a joyful expression.
The two siblings returned home, obediently washed their hands, and sat down next to Xu Yufen.
Xiao Xu excitedly exclaimed, "Grandma, the crispy pastries, peanut brittle, and mini twists you made are so delicious! Everyone says they're great. The milk candy Auntie bought is also delicious."
"With so much oil and fat used, how could it not taste good?"
Chen's mother chuckled, glanced at her husband and second son, and noticed that there was still an empty seat next to Xu Yufen. She couldn't help but sigh, "Why isn't the eldest son back yet? He should have been eating by now."
"He's so old, why worry about him? He'll buy himself food when he's hungry."
Captain Chen gave a curt rebuke, then pushed the cup in front of Chen Jing and casually asked about the situation in the Jiangnan area.
Chen Jing chuckled, opened the bottle of Moutai he had brought back, and poured a full glass for Captain Chen.
"This is the Moutai that leaders drink? I've finally had a taste of it today." Captain Chen held his glass, took a deep breath, and looked completely intoxicated.
The two children were excitedly playing around at the table, sometimes asking for chicken, sometimes for big bones.
Chen's mother smiled kindly: "Hehe, there are only two children now, but in a few years your aunt will give you a younger brother, and the house will be even more lively."
Ji Xia smiled but did not answer. Xu Yufen turned to Ji Xia and said, "I heard that you can earn tens of yuan for each painting of those clothes, is that right?"
"Where are there so many?"
Ji Xia shook her head and quietly held up one finger. Xu Yufen subconsciously swallowed: "Ten yuan?"
Ji Xia nodded, and Xu Yufen couldn't help but whisper enviously, "It's good to be educated. You can earn ten yuan for a painting. If you paint twenty paintings a month, wouldn't that be two hundred yuan?"
She and Chen Zhang worked themselves to the bone, picking chestnuts on the mountain, roasting them, and braving the scorching heat and freezing cold every day, yet they only earned a couple hundred yuan a month.
It's so enviable that Ji Xia can make money so easily.
Ji Xia smiled and shook her head: "Sister-in-law, if you want to learn, I can lend you the materials."
"Forget it then. I'm a rough man, how could I learn that? I can only do heavy manual labor."
Xu Yufen subconsciously shook her head. Ji Xia pointed to the two children: "Sister-in-law, have you ever thought about buying a house in the city so they can go to school earlier? If your generation can't make it, you can raise the next generation."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yufen's eyes lit up. The Chen family was well-off, and the couple had earned some money in the past two months.
Sending both children to study in the city is something they can actually afford.
However, she hesitated for a moment: "Aren't houses expensive in the city?"
"What's so expensive about it? It depends on the size. A smaller one can cost seven or eight hundred yuan. Children should be sent to school when they are six years old, regardless of gender. If they can learn well, they will be successful in the future, and parents will be proud, right?" Ji Xia advised in a low voice.
Chen Jing chimed in at the opportune moment: "Sister-in-law, it's fine if you don't buy a house for now. Our courtyard has seven or eight rooms, which is enough for your family of four to live in the city."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yufen was immediately intrigued and glanced at her two children: "Let me think about it."
Ji Xia was unwilling to live with her brother and sister-in-law, but she thought that she would be leaving home after the New Year, and if she passed the exam, she might not come back for three to five years. It wouldn't be good for the house to be empty for a long time.
She thought about it and advised, "Think it over carefully. Girls who do well in their studies will also have a bright future."
Captain Chen said calmly, "The house in the city was bought by the third brother. If you want to move in, you have to take good care of it and not damage anything inside."
"Father, don't worry, I know that." Xu Yufen knew that Ji Xia meant well, and gratefully agreed.
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