As soon as the official left, Wei Hanzhou's house was quickly filled with people.
Because passing the imperial examination was a happy event, Wei Lao San not only gave the official a gift, but also prepared copper plates for the people who came to watch. There were not many, just one for each person.
This is really hard for Liu Tangxi and others.
When there are many people at home, they have to prepare tea and boil water to entertain the guests.
Of course, Liu Tangxi was probably the only one who felt miserable.
Needless to say, Li never lost the smile on her face, and Zhang and Zhou also had smiles on their faces.
Wei Hanzhou passed the imperial examination, and their family was different from before. They had moved up a level and would have an even higher status in the village. In the future, things would naturally be different for their son's education and their daughter's marriage. What lay before them were benefits that they had never dared to imagine before.
Fuyao Shulan was very happy to see that there were many people, a lot of delicious food, and so on.
When Zhang and Zhou saw Liu Tangxi boiling water in the kitchen, they hurriedly urged her to go outside to entertain the guests.
After all, the person who was implicated was Wei Hanzhou, Liu Tangxi's husband. Liu Tangxi was naturally the one who benefited the most and was also the more important person.
However, Liu Tangxi would rather boil water in the kitchen than join in such a hustle and bustle.
"I won't go. I don't know most of our relatives, and I don't know how to say polite things. Besides, I'm not from here, and I can't follow what they say. Let the eldest and second sisters-in-law go."
"This is good news, you should go quickly." Zhang urged.
But Liu Tangxi still refused.
After saying it several times, seeing Liu Tangxi like this, Zhang and Zhou also knew that she really didn't like to join in the fun. Thinking that she never liked to go visit relatives with them on weekdays, they stopped persuading her.
Just like that, while the other members of Wei Lao San's family were outside entertaining guests, Liu Tangxi spent the whole day in the kitchen, making tea in the dust.
However, she herself didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
That night, the tribe leader also came and asked if they wanted to hold a banquet and the village would pay for it.
When Wei Hanzhou passed the imperial examination, his family did not hold a banquet for everyone. There was no other reason, just because they had no money. Besides, Wei Lao San and others were not the kind of people who liked to show off, so they just kept a low profile.
Winning the imperial examination now is different from winning the imperial examination before.
After hearing this, Wei Lao San was somewhat interested.
After all, the family had more money now. Moreover, the money that was given to my son to prepare for the exam was not used by him, so he saved a lot of money.
However, this was rejected by Wei Hanzhou.
"Thank you, uncle. However, my nephew will go to school tomorrow to prepare for the imperial examination next spring. I am afraid I will not have time. It is better to wait until after the imperial examination next year."
For Wei Hanzhou, passing the imperial examination was not a big deal, nor was it a difficult task. Everything seemed to be expected.
Since he already has a goal in mind, he naturally has to move towards it.
These are just some small achievements, not worth celebrating or being proud of.
The clan leader said a few more words, but Wei Hanzhou insisted. Moreover, he was now the top scholar, so his words carried weight, and the clan leader was gradually convinced by him.
After seeing off the patriarch, Wei Lao San's family had dinner.
That night, we cooked six dishes at home and the whole family was very happy.
The only two calm ones were still Wei Hanzhou and Liu Tangxi.
Liu Tangxi had been busy all day and was feeling sleepy.
After dinner, when everyone had finished chatting and finally dispersed, she hurried back to the room, washed up, and lay down on the bed.
Because Wei Hanzhou was going to the provincial capital tomorrow, he spoke a few more words in private with Wei Laosan and his wife.
When he came back, he found Liu Tangxi had fallen asleep.
Wei Hanzhou smiled helplessly and went to wash up.
After washing up, I blew out the oil lamp and lay down on the bed.
At the moment he lay down, Liu Tangxi suddenly opened his eyes, looked at Wei Hanzhou, and muttered, "You are finally back."
"Yeah." Wei Hanzhou responded.
Then, Liu Tangxi closed his eyes and continued to sleep.
Unexpectedly, Wei Hanzhou suddenly felt like talking today. Looking at her sleeping face, he asked, "Aren't you happy that your husband has passed the imperial examination?"
Seeing how the question was asked, Liu Tangxi's nine-point sleepiness suddenly disappeared by two points.
"How can I not be happy? I am very happy."
"Oh? Really? How come I didn't see that?"
Are you not going to sleep? Liu Tangxi retorted unhappily: "I don't see that you are happy. If you are not happy yourself, why do you have to ask me to be happy?"
Hearing this, Wei Hanzhou chuckled.
Liu Tangxi was so sleepy that she didn't bother to talk to him. She said, "Okay, go to sleep. It's just that you passed the exam. There's nothing to be proud of. Wait until you pass the exam and become the top scholar next year."
Wei Hanzhou was stunned for a moment, turned his head to look at Liu Tangxi who had an impatient look on his face, and smiled.
"Well, my lady, what you said is very true. I am grateful for your advice." After saying that, Wei Hanzhou closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Early the next morning, Wei Hanzhou prepared to go to the provincial capital.
Before leaving, Wei Hanzhou said to Liu Tangxi: "I will not be back until the New Year."
Hearing this, Liu Tangxi felt a little depressed and blurted out: "So long?"
Wei Hanzhou glanced at Liu Tangxi, his eyes full of meaning, and said, "Yeah."
Seeing this look, Liu Tangxi's heartbeat was a little chaotic, but he pretended to be calm and said, "You study hard outside and don't have to worry about home. I will take good care of your parents. You don't have to copy books every day to make money. Your family is living better and better now, so you don't have to worry about money. Just prepare well for next year's imperial examination."
"Okay, I'll remember that."
"Then you...you should take care of yourself, don't work too hard, and get enough rest."
"Okay." Wei Hanzhou agreed again, "My lady, do you have anything else to say?"
Liu Tangxi pursed her lips and said, "No...no more."
"Well, then I'll leave." After saying that, Wei Hanzhou stared at Liu Tangxi again, turned around and left.
Wei Hanzhou left.
Although the family does not plan to hold a banquet, they will still entertain relatives and friends if they come to congratulate them.
So, in the next few days, Wei Laosan and his wife, Wei Daniu and Wei Erhu no longer went to the town to make money, but entertained guests at home every day.
Liu Tangxi was not good at entertaining people and was in a bad mood. She didn't want to smile at anyone, so she continued to stay in the kitchen all day long.
Either cooking or preparing to cook.
After being so busy all day, I fall asleep as soon as I get into bed at night and don’t have time to think about too many troubles.
People from the Wei family came to their house more frequently.
Wei Laosi, who had lived in the town for many years and had not been back, also came with his wife from the town.
After about ten days of this, all the guests who were supposed to come had finally arrived. The rest were just the people from my own village who came to visit every day.
Of course, it is not necessary to entertain all those who come to chat at home.
So, Wei Laosan and his wife went to sell candied haws again, and Wei Daniu and Wei Erhu also went to work in the town.
About ten days later, life returned to its former peace.
To ordinary people, Wei Hanzhou was originally a scholar, a very good student. Now that he passed the imperial examination, he is still a very good student. Moreover, he is still studying, and there is no real change. Therefore, they don't really understand what the big difference is.
They would probably feel the difference only after Wei Hanzhou passed the imperial examination and was granted an official position by the court.
At this time, the hawthorns in the field are almost ripe.
The ripening of hawthorns is a big deal for the people in Wei Laosan's family.
Nowadays, the most profitable and fastest way to make money in the family is candied haws.
Uncle Li's hawthorn field was not far from their home. They could reach the site in just fifteen minutes' walk from the door.
Since Wei Laosan and his wife, Wei Daniu and Wei Erhu wanted to make money in the town, this matter was handed over to the three sisters-in-law of Liu Tangxi.
When the hawthorns were almost ripe, the three of them had breakfast, packed up, and took the children to the hawthorn field.
Looking at the hawthorns hanging on the tree, Liu Tangxi felt like his mouth was watering.
These hawthorns that she improved grew really well. You can tell they are delicious at first glance. And when you eat them, they are indeed delicious. Not too sour, not too sweet, sour and sweet. Liu Tangxi couldn't help but eat several in one breath.
It's a pity that now she is in the village, everything is not very convenient, and she doesn't have much money, so she can't try to do anything else.
Otherwise, she uses hawthorn to make canned food, hawthorn bars, and hawthorn cakes, which are all excellent.
Thinking about those delicious things, Liu Tangxi swallowed.
At the same time, she thought to herself that one day, she would definitely cook these delicacies and enjoy them.
Liu Tangxi and the others had limited strength, so they didn't pick too much, just enough weight that they could carry back.
Go once in the morning and again in the afternoon.
When Li came back, she looked at the red hawthorns at home and smiled with her eyes slightly narrowed.
She had been busy with welcoming and seeing off guests these days, but had neglected the hawthorn tree. She had not been there for a long time. Seeing the hawthorns now, she was very happy.
"My third daughter-in-law, you are amazing. I remember that the hawthorns at your second uncle's house were all crooked and sour and bitter last year. I didn't expect that after your treatment, the hawthorns could grow so beautiful."
Zhou smiled and said, "Mom, please try it. This hawthorn is not only beautiful to look at, but also delicious."
"Really?" Li asked with a smile.
"Of course not. I'll wash a few for you and you and dad can try them." Zhou said with a smile.
"Oh, okay."
As she spoke, Zhou went to wash the hawthorns. Soon, Mr. Wei and his wife tasted the flavor of the hawthorns.
Li didn't like sour food. She had eaten hawthorn from her second brother's house once and she still remembered it vividly. The sour taste was unforgettable. But now, tasting the hawthorn improved by her daughter-in-law, Li was very surprised.
"It's delicious. It tastes very similar to the candied haws you make." Li said to Liu Tangxi.
Liu Tangxi said: "Well, if you think it tastes good, eat more."
The next morning, when Liu Tangxi was preparing to make sugar, he handed the task over to Li.
"Mom, our hawthorns are delicious. You can make the candied haws taste like the ones my daughter-in-law made before."
Li was a little hesitant and asked, "Is it really possible? Isn't there a secret recipe?"
Liu Tangxi nodded: "There is indeed a secret recipe, but if the hawthorn is improved, it will work without the secret recipe. How about you try it?"
To be honest, Li was a little tempted.
"My daughter-in-law's secret recipe for making candied haws is a family secret. Although I can't teach it to you, the hawthorn has been improved by my daughter-in-law, and anyone can make delicious ones."
At Liu Tangxi's persuasion, Li gave it a try.
After making it, it really gave me the same feeling as Liu Tangxi had made before.
Li was very happy, and Liu Tangxi was also very happy.
At least, even if she left in the future, Wei Lao San and his wife could make money from the candied haws. When the candied haws at home were gone, she could just send some hawthorns to her in the capital. Anyway, the price of hawthorns was cheap and it wouldn't cost her much. In this way, she wouldn't have to worry about the future.
However, Liu Tangxi was still the one who boiled the sugar and dipped the sugar. After all, Li was still busy washing the hawthorns.
The days passed peacefully like this.
Perhaps because Wei Hanzhou was busy with his studies, he rarely sent letters home after he left.
Just when he left, he sent a letter to his family telling them about his current situation, where he was studying and so on.
After that, I never wrote home again.
When he was studying in the county town, he seldom wrote to his family, so his family got used to it.
Autumn goes and winter comes, and in the blink of an eye, the new year is approaching.
Ever since the 20th day of the 11th lunar month, Li had been asking herself from time to time, "When will Wei Hanzhou come back?"
After listening for a long time, Liu Tangxi couldn't help but look forward to it.
Thinking that Wei Hanzhou came back on the 26th last year, she looked at the door frequently on the 26th.
Fu Yao was playing snowballs with Liu Tangxi, and seeing that she wasn't paying attention, he asked, "Auntie San, what's wrong with you? What are you thinking about?"
Liu Tangxi blurted out: "Why hasn't your third uncle come back yet?"
Fu Yao is six years old this year, and in a few days, he will be seven. Having been with Liu Tangxi for so long, the two are very close. Hearing Liu Tangxi's words, he immediately asked, "Auntie, do you miss Uncle San?"
After hearing the child's words, Liu Tangxi suddenly realized that he had said something wrong, and quickly retorted: "How is that possible! It was your grandma who said that your third uncle might be back today, and I said that because I saw that it was getting dark."
Fu Yao was about to say something when Shu Lan, who was standing beside him, pouted and said, "I miss my Third Uncle. He hasn't been home for a long time."
Bosheng, who had just had a holiday yesterday, also said, "I've been thinking about it too. I didn't understand some of the questions the teacher talked about, so I want to ask Uncle San."
I don’t know why, but after hearing what the kids said, Liu Tangxi suddenly felt uncomfortable.
Fuyaotuan made a snowball and was about to continue playing snowball fight with everyone. Seeing everyone's depressed mood, she frowned slightly and said bluntly: "Since everyone misses Uncle San, why don't we go to the village to check it out? Why are we waiting here?"
After hearing this, Shulan's eyes lit up and she said, "Yes, elder sister is right. Third aunt, how about we go to the village to take a look?"
Bosheng also showed an expectant look.
The children's performance gave Liu Tangxi a great excuse. Seeing that the children were looking at her expectantly, Liu Tangxi said, "Okay, let's go together."
Anyway, when the time comes, it wasn't the place she wanted to go.
A few people came to the village entrance while playing snowball fights.
Unfortunately, when she stood at the entrance of the village, she still didn't see Wei Hanzhou.
After waiting at the entrance of the village with a few children for about two quarters of an hour, seeing that it was getting dark, Liu Tangxi decided to take the children back.
"Let's go. I don't think your uncle will be back today."
"Really? Then when can he come back?" Bosheng asked somewhat disappointedly.
Liu Tangxi stroked his hair and said, "Maybe he will be back tomorrow."
"Yeah." Bosheng responded gloomily.
Liu Tangxi was about to lead the children back when Shu Lan suddenly called out excitedly from behind Liu Tangxi, "Third Uncle, Third Uncle is back."
Hearing this, Liu Tangxi turned around and looked over. At this moment, the sky was a little dark, and she could only vaguely see a tall figure walking towards the direction of Weijia Village. She couldn't see the man's face clearly, but could only vaguely judge that he was probably a tall man.
He does look a bit like Wei Hanzhou.
The closer they got, the more Liu Tangxi felt it was similar.
"It's really Uncle San." Fu Yao also said from the side.
Soon, Wei Hanzhou was getting closer and closer to them.
Wei Hanzhou took a boat to the pier and wanted to look for Wei Daniu and Wei Erhu, but found out that they did not come today.
He walked back from the town alone.
But he didn't expect that as soon as he arrived at the village entrance, he would see Liu Tangxi and the children waiting for him.
Looking at the familiar figure, the coldness and loneliness along the way seemed to disappear in an instant, leaving only warmth in my heart.
"Third Uncle!"
"Third Uncle!"
"Third Uncle!"
The children excitedly called out to Wei Hanzhou, and some even ran to him.
Even Bosheng, who was afraid of him and never dared to get close to him, ran over, and Fu Yao, who had been so calm just now, pulled his sleeve and called him.
Liu Tangxi stood there without moving, watching the scene quietly.
She thought this was probably the most popular time that Wei Hanzhou was among the children.
Wei Hanzhou looked at his nephews and nieces and walked towards Liu Tangxi.
"Thank you for coming to pick me up."
Liu Tangxi blushed and said awkwardly, "Don't be so self-indulgent. It was Shulan and the others who wanted to see why you hadn't come back yet, and they called me over."
"Oh." Wei Hanzhou replied lightly, his eyes fixed on Liu Tangxi.
Judging from his expression, he seemed not to believe what she said.
Liu Tangxi pursed her lips and looked left and right, but didn't look at him.
In this awkward moment, a childish voice rang out: "Auntie is lying! It was obviously Auntie who mentioned Uncle first, and then Shulan said she wanted to come and see him."
Liu Tangxi glared at Fu Yao and said in his heart: Little traitor!
Shu Lan was not to be outdone and said, "Yes, it was Third Auntie who said it first."
The smile on Wei Hanzhou's face deepened.
Liu Tangxi suddenly felt ashamed and strongly refuted: "Don't listen to their nonsense, it's not true, I didn't say that."
She must not admit what she had just said and must not embarrass herself in front of Wei Hanzhou.
Wei Hanzhou did not comment and said, "Well, let's go home."
Having said that, he walked forward.
Liu Tangxi wanted to explain a few words, but after looking at Wei Hanzhou's reaction, she thought about it and said nothing, preparing to go home.
However, before he took another step, he glared at Wei Fuyao, the instigator, and threatened in a low voice: "Tomorrow I will eat up all the delicious food and leave nothing for you!"
Fu Yao knew Liu Tangxi's temper well and knew that she would not really do that, so he made a face at her, laughed and ran away.
"Let's go, my lady?" Wei Hanzhou stopped and looked at Liu Tangxi.
"Oh." Liu Tangxi ignored Fu Yao and quickly followed.
Unexpectedly, just as he walked to Wei Hanzhou's side, his left hand was suddenly grabbed by someone.
This hand is so large and firm that it is impossible to escape.
Liu Tangxi was suddenly startled, looked over, and wanted to say a few words to question him.
However, Wei Hanzhou didn't even look at her, and walked towards home with firm steps.
Liu Tangxi suddenly forgot about the struggle and followed stupidly.
The sky always gets dark very quickly in winter. In just the blink of an eye, it is already dark.
The sleeves were wide, and if you didn't look carefully, you couldn't see clearly that the two people were holding hands.
There were no other pedestrians on the road except them. The oil lamps in each household gradually lit up, and wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys.
Fu Yao and the others were chattering and playing nearby, and no one paid attention to what was happening here.
The cold north wind whistled past my ears, and the snowflakes that had stopped falling all day began to fall slowly again, landing on my shoulders, on the ends of my hair, and on my sleeves.
But on the left hand, there was a constant flow of heat.
Warm the whole winter. ,,