It was already noon when the three of them came back, and Xiao's mother and Zhou had already prepared lunch.
Now that there was nothing to do and no need to work in the fields, Zhou went outside to get some wild vegetables and brought them back, mixing them with cornmeal to make pancakes. Xiao's mother also made a basket of steamed buns made from two grams of flour and fried two side dishes to eat with them.
Given the current situation, it’s fine for everyone to eat until they are 60% to 70% full at each meal, as long as they don’t go hungry.
The main reason is that Xiao's father and several of his sons have big appetites, and the women in the family can be full after eating just a little.
When she saw them coming back with five small fish in their hands, Xiao's mother knew that these children never came back empty-handed.
"It seems you found some water and caught some fish. You're pretty lucky!"
Xiao's mother was no longer surprised. Her family had always had incredibly good luck. Besides, if there was no water, how did the fish come from?
"Yes, mother. There is still water in that pond. It is knee-deep. The water is clean and sweet. It will not be dried up for a while. I don't know what is happening to my brothers and the others. Whether they have found water or not, but for now, we have this pond. If we use water sparingly, we won't die of thirst."
Xiao Lanlan didn't rush to talk about the gold ingots, but talked about the water first.
Zhou happily took the fish, muttering:
"Your second brother was still talking about wanting to eat meat last night, so you can catch some fish today and have an extra meal for dinner."
There was still a lot of wild boar and robe meat left that Jiang Sui had discovered before. He couldn't bear to eat it even after it was pickled, so he hung it on the stove. It was turned black by the smoke and it took a lot of water to process, so he simply didn't eat it.
Xiao Mian and his friends were already suffering from the poor food when they were working in the county. After they came back, they wanted to eat meat very much. However, every household was facing a food shortage, so they did not dare to eat too much.
Later, Zhou also found out about Xiao's mother hoarding grain. She was a smart woman and knew that she should not show off her wealth at this time to avoid being targeted by others.
Now every household in the village does not have much food stored, and everything is tight. After eating this month's food, they have to worry about next month.
"Now that we have found water, I will ask your father to fetch water first and fill up the jars at home, so that we don't have to compete with them later."
Father Xiao did not follow them to the mountain to find water. He went into the fields early in the morning. As they were talking, he came back with a worried look on his face.
As a farmer, he felt really sad to see the crops being destroyed in the fields.
When Mother Xiao saw him, she shouted:
"Dad, Suisui and the others have found water. You should fill your stomach quickly. We will go fetch water later. That place is not close to home. Let's fill the water tank first to avoid competing with them later."
When Mr. Xiao heard that there was water, he suddenly became cheerful and temporarily put aside the unhappiness in his heart.
Carrying water is the most important thing at the moment, the rest can be put aside for now.
So, they ate at home first, and left some for their three sons to eat when they came back. Xiao's father called Xiao Hechuan to go fetch water together. Although Hechuan was stupid, he still had strength. He couldn't let the women in the family do such hard work, right?
Then what do they need grown men for?
Xiao Hechuan was not lazy either. He would go whenever his father called him. However, if they wanted to fill up the two tanks, it would probably take more than ten trips back and forth.
Xiao's mother put a bamboo hat on each of them and told them to be careful on the road and watch out for snakes, insects, rats, ants, etc.
After they left, Jiang Sui and Xiao Lanlan mysteriously pulled Xiao's mother into the room. At that time, Zhou had gone back to her room to rest, so she didn't see it.
Seeing that they had locked the door, Xiao's mother wondered what they wanted to say.
"What are you doing?"
There have been a lot of things going on recently, and this situation has made Xiao's mother a little scared.
Jiang Sui directly took out the gold ingot and put it in front of her. Xiao's mother was a little confused. She looked at the gold ingot for a long time without reacting.
Until Xiao Lanlan reminded:
"Mom, are you stupid? You are indifferent to such a big gold ingot in front of you?"
"What? What did you say this is? Say it again?" Xiao's mother thought she had seen or heard it wrong, and rubbed her eyes hard.
"This is the gold ingot that Fourth Sister-in-law found in the pond. It's genuine. We've made a fortune, oh my god!" Xiao Lanlan tried her best to suppress her excited voice.
Xiao's mother's expression was unreal, full of disbelief, but her chest rising and falling showed how excited she was at the moment.
After a while, she finally held the gold ingot in her trembling hands.
She leaned in to take a closer look, then took it under the window to look at it under the light. Wow, this was the first time she had seen a gold ingot in her entire life.
You told her that you picked it up. How could she pick it up? Even if she was lucky, it wouldn't be that good!
She looked at Jiang Sui deeply, and at that moment she felt that her daughter-in-law was emitting golden light, the kind of light that brought blessings to people.
Jiang Sui felt embarrassed by her gaze and smiled awkwardly:
"Mom, since we have found this gold, it belongs to us. We must keep this windfall well. With this money, when the situation gets better next year, we can rent a small shop in the county to sell hot and sour noodles. By then, the flow of people in the county will be several times that of Baima Town. Given the popularity of our hot and sour noodles, won't we make a fortune?"
Jiang Sui came up with this idea on the way back. Now that he has the capital, he should find a way to make money. Nothing is difficult in the world as long as he is willing to work hard.
Xiao's mother wanted to scream loudly now. She was so excited at the moment that if she didn't scream out the joy in her stomach, she would feel uncomfortable and unable to calm down.
However, she still had some sense, and she returned the gold ingot to Jiang Sui:
"Sui Sui, you have done enough for our family. The twenty taels you deposited with me were all used to buy food. Mother already felt very guilty about it. You also helped run the family business and earned so much. Now our family has no worries about food and drink. This gold ingot was picked up by you, so it belongs to you. Mother can't take advantage of you anymore. Lanlan, you are not allowed to think about it. No one is allowed to tell this to anyone. Only the few of us know about it. I will also teach Hechuan a lesson. This child is tight-lipped and won't say anything.
So, Suisui, just keep this gold ingot safe and keep it for yourself!"
Under the huge temptation of money, Xiao's mother can still remain rational, which is something that ordinary people cannot compare to. This also shows her character and that she is sincere to Jiang Sui.
In fact, Jiang Sui felt very satisfied with her words. After living together for such a long time, she had already regarded herself as a member of the Xiao family. Moreover, only when the Xiao family lived well could she live well too.
"Mother, that being said, it is still best for you to keep this gold ingot. I will come back to you if I need it. The most important thing now is to take care of the whole family, don't you agree?"
"No, the gold ingots have to be kept with you. I can't keep them for you. You have to learn to be the head of the household in the future. How can you let me keep everything for you?"
Xiao's mother was determined, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law refused several times.
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