Chapter 148
The next day, Yin Zheng made a net for Jiaojiao and took Jiaojiao around the village to catch cicadas. In the afternoon, he brought Jiaojiao back with sparkling eyes and rosy cheeks from playing so hard.
Xie Shuyu, who stayed at home, was unable to go out and could not cook, was so hungry that he almost lost his temper. Yin Zhengduan would take revenge on him in many unexpected places. His methods were extremely childish, but also extremely effective.
He walked up to Jiaojiao and rubbed her face hard until she hid in her father's arms, and only then did he let out the anger in his heart.
In the following days, Yin Zheng really followed Jiaojiao to learn words from Xie Shuyu. However, Xie Shuyu taught Jiaojiao new knowledge, and then Jiaojiao turned to teach her father to learn words, which was also a way to consolidate the knowledge.
I have to say that Jiaojiao was very good at teaching his father to read. His little face was stern and he acted like a little master. However, every time Yin Zheng learned a word, he would clap his hands like a little seal, with sparkling eyes and say all kinds of good things, completely ruining his previous image as a little master.
Xie Shuyu found it interesting so he sat under a nearby camphor tree and started to draw the scene, not forgetting to include himself in it.
Yin Zheng’s speed in learning characters is not slow, it can even be said to be fast.
When learning calligraphy, Jiaojiao was clamoring to learn too, but he was still too young and his wrists were too soft, so it was not time for him to learn to write. However, Xie Shuyu gave him a brush and asked him to practice holding it for a quarter of an hour every day.
When Yin Zheng was learning to write, his pen-holding posture was a little clumsy at first, and the words he wrote were mostly blurred, comparable to that of a child. But after only ten days, his handwriting became vigorous, powerful, and steady. If Xie Shuyu had not seen it with his own eyes, he would not have believed that this was the handwriting of a beginner.
He looked at Yin Zheng and was amazed. He had checked Yin Zheng's past and found that he was indeed a farmer who was born and raised in Lijia Village. He was also a person who was neglected and bullied for a long time because his parents favored his older brothers and younger brothers.
He also tested his skills and found that he did not know any martial arts. Every move he made was based on instinct, and it was this instinct that made people terrified!
I originally thought that he only had extraordinary talent in martial arts, but I didn't expect that he also had a good talent in literature.
Thinking of Yin Yuanzhi, who was regarded as a treasure by Yin Dazhu's family, Xie Shuyu couldn't help but sigh how poor his eyesight must be to let go of such a pearl and pick up fish eyes instead!
Xie Shuyu was truly afraid his grandfather would curse him in his dreams the next night if he left such a piece of jade uncarved and gathering dust. So the next day, he had Yin Zheng take the list he'd written to town and buy a bunch of books. He didn't think about passing the Jinshi or Juren exams anytime soon, but with Yin Zheng's talent and his own personal guidance and supervision, he was determined to pass the exams and piss off Yin Dazhu and his wife, who were unworthy parents.
Xie Shuyu, who was a bit protective of his people, thought so.
In the blink of an eye, a month has passed, and Jiaojiao has finally worn out Aunt Chen's clothes. In order to complete this task, he wore this dress very much. Except for another set of clothes for changing, he has not worn any other clothes this month.
When Chen came to get clothes, Jiaojiao ran out and turned around to close the door. Her uncle didn't like to see outsiders, so Jiaojiao always remembered to close the door when she went out.
"Auntie, give it to me." Jiaojiao held up the clothes in his hand and tilted up his fair and tender face. The sunlight fell into his eyes, like a handful of broken light, so bright that it made people feel unbearably soft in their hearts.
Chen took the clothes with a smile and praised Jiaojiao for about a quarter of an hour. Before leaving, she gave Jiaojiao five small pieces of malt candy that she had specially packed. Malt candy was a precious thing, and Chen bought them for Jiaojiao with the money she earned from making lace.
Jiaojiao shook her head and didn't take it. She put her hands behind her back and said seriously, "Daddy said eating too much candy is bad for your teeth. Jiaojiao won't eat it."
Chen, who had never heard of such a statement, laughed and said, "That's just nonsense your father said to fool you. Eating candy won't damage your teeth. Listen to your aunt and take it!"
Jiaojiao blinked doubtfully, but finally chose to believe her father: "Daddy wouldn't lie to coax Jiaojiao."
Seeing that he really didn't take it, Chen sighed that Yin Zheng had taught this kid very well. If it were Tiedan, the other kids would have taken it and put it in their mouths with drooling.
Thinking of this, Chen quickly stuffed the candy wrapped in oil paper into the pocket in front of Jiaojiao's belly, then turned around and walked away quickly.
Jiaojiao was stunned, and reacted a little slowly, and started to chase after him with his short legs. However, his legs were too short, and he lost sight of Chen after only a few steps.
Jiaojiao stood there in a daze, feeling a little overwhelmed for a moment. After thinking for a while with his head down, he walked back and told his father to take Jiaojiao to his aunt's house to return the candy to her!
While thinking, Jiaojiao puffed out her cheeks and took heavy steps. How could her aunt bully Jiaojiao because of her short legs? Humph!
Jiaojiao didn't return the candy in the end, because Xie Shuyu asked him to keep it for himself. Jiaojiao then realized that he could keep the candy and eat a piece every two days, and he could also give it to his father and uncle!
Jiaojiao reacted quickly and ran to her father, taking a piece of candy and feeding it to him.
Yin Zheng took the candy from his hand, held him and tossed it around for a while. Xie Shuyu, who was sitting aside waiting for Jiaojiao to give him candy, heard Jiaojiao's giggle and closed his eyelashes to hide the smile that was about to overflow from his eyes.
As he laughed, he suddenly realized something and had to admit that the time he spent here seemed to be the most relaxing and comfortable period in his life over the past twenty years.
He didn't know why, but this place always made him let down his guard.
He has been a thoughtful person since he was a child, and he is correspondingly very defensive. This defensiveness, which seems to be engraved in his instinct, is difficult to remove even in front of his parents. No wonder his parents are not close to him.
Just as he was thinking about it, Jiaojiao came running over and stuffed a mouthful of candy into his mouth unexpectedly. The sweet taste spread in his mouth. He lowered his eyes to look at Jiaojiao's eyes, which were clearer than glass, and chuckled for no reason.
When Chen returned home, she put the clothes under her pillow and slept all night. She said that she really wanted a baby like Jiaojiao. That baby was not only lovable in appearance but also in temperament. It was obvious that she would have a promising future.
That night, she dreamed of a chubby little baby calling her "Mom". She almost laughed herself awake. After waking up, she had a smile on her face the whole day. She told this to Li Da and her mother-in-law, who clapped her hands with joy.
After hearing this, Feng hurriedly asked her sister-in-law for the clothes, intending to put them under her pillow when she slept at night. However, she failed to snatch them away from Zhao, who took them first and put them under her pillow. Feng was so angry that she didn't treat her well the whole day.
It’s just that Chen felt a little regretful that the baby in her dream was not as fair and cute as Jiaojiao, but she was also very lovable.
Half a month passed in a blink of an eye. Jiaojiao often went to the field with her father to check on the winter melons. The winter melons in the field were growing well. The seedlings had grown an inch in just half a month. Jiaojiao, who was squatting beside the ridge of the field, saw it and whispered that she was looking forward to the winter melons growing out soon. She was really tempted by the winter melons described by Xie Shuyu.
Li Genmiao happened to be passing by and saw Jiaojiao like that. He couldn't help but laugh and asked, "Yin boy, why did you make the little kid so greedy? Did you starve him normally?"
As he spoke, he walked up to Jiaojiao and said, "Let's go home with Grandpa Li. Grandpa Li will make you something delicious."
Jiaojiao shook her head, looking at him with her large, distinct black and white eyes, and said angrily, "Daddy, Jiaojiao is not hungry, so Jiaojiao won't go."
Li Genmiao laughed out loud. This little kid is really protective of his dad. It’s not in vain that he raised Yin.
After laughing for a while, he glanced at the ground and then at the sky, his cloudy eyes unconsciously showing a hint of sadness: "Ever since the heavy rain on the first day of summer, it hasn't rained at all. I wonder if God will let us have food this year?"
Farmers like them who work in the fields rely on God for a meal. It hasn't rained for a long time, and they are very worried. They are afraid that something unexpected will happen this year and the whole family will have to tighten their belts and dig grass roots to survive.
After teasing Jiaojiao for a few words, Li Genmiao left with a worried look on his face.
After more than half a month, Zhao became pregnant.
When they confirmed that she was really pregnant, the village chief's family was very surprised. Could this really be the cause of the little baby?
The facts are right in front of them, they have no choice but to believe it!
Two days later, someone got the news from the village chief's family that the village chief's third daughter-in-law, Zhao, was pregnant.
This shocked the villagers. What was going on with the village chief's family? If they couldn't get pregnant, they wouldn't get pregnant. But once they did, all of their daughters-in-law got pregnant one after another. Was they praying to some kind of deity?!
However, Mrs. Wang had invited back many fertility goddesses in previous years, so she must have taken some kind of prescription!
Everyone in this village has relatives who have difficulty in having children. Even if they don't have such difficulties, they still want to have a few fat grandchildren for their daughters-in-law and married daughters.
As a result, the threshold of the village chief's house was almost broken down by the villagers that day, which made the village chief and his family not know whether to be happy or sad.
However, they did not tell anyone about Jiaojiao, nor did they say what prescription they were taking. They just said that they had prayed diligently to the Goddess of Fertility, and the Goddess of Fertility saw their sincerity and could not bear to disappoint them.
Jiaojiao is still so young. If I tell them, they might all rush over. Don't let her get scared and end up in trouble. Besides, who knows, someone might harbor some bad intentions towards Jiaojiao because of this!
Such a delicate little baby, if given the title of Fuwa or Lucky Star, someone might want to take it away and sell it.
But apart from this, Old Wang still had selfish motives. If too many people were involved, her energy might be lost. She also wanted to have more fat grandchildren.
When the villagers heard what they said, they all curled their lips. Only a fool would believe what they said. If they said that they were praying to the Goddess of Fertility diligently, then why did Chen pray for ten years and Zhao only for a few months?
It's obvious that there is a recipe, but they just don't want to tell you!
When Wu Yulan learned that Zhao was also pregnant, she went to Chen's place more frequently. She asked for information openly and secretly. After confirming that Chen really had no prescription, she worshipped the Goddess of Fertility even more frequently and wished she could live directly with Chen.
But this is impossible. Her mother-in-law is already very unhappy about her going to Lijia Village every day.
Village chief Li has three grown-up sons. Who knows what might happen to one of them if he's not careful. Considering her grandson who might come, although Old Lady Zhou allowed her to come, she set a strict time for her to return home every day. If she was late, she would be severely beaten.
Every time Wu Yulan came, he didn't even have time to drink a sip of water. The day before yesterday, in order to find out whether Chen had taken the prescription, he came back late and was beaten. The next day he was limping when he went to work.
After finishing his work, he came to Chen with a bruised and swollen face. He looked at the Goddess of Childbirth with a crazy look, as if he was looking at the last straw.
Chen couldn't help but shed tears and felt sad after seeing this. Before she got married, Wu Yulan was the most beautiful girl in the village. Her parents, brothers and sisters all doted on her as the youngest sister. There were many men in the village who wanted to marry her, but she fell in love with Zhao Wu.
She lived very well in the first one or two years after getting married. Later, because there was no new baby for the Zhao family for a long time, life became increasingly difficult. Her brothers from her mother's side came to support her several times.
However, as time went by, Wu Yulan still didn't get pregnant, and her brothers from her mother's side found it increasingly difficult to interfere in the Zhao family's affairs. After all, their sister had married into another family, and they had their own families, so it was impossible for them to take care of her all the time. As time went on, Wu Yulan's life became more and more difficult.
While Chen was sad, she couldn't help but feel fortunate that she had met good in-laws. She became even more filial to her mother-in-law, Old Wang.
I still owe one chapter, I will try to write it tomorrow
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