Cai Min felt utterly ashamed. Being beaten on the first day of the Lunar New Year meant all her good fortune for the year was gone. She felt resentment towards Grandma Yan again, all because of that two cents.
Luckily, Yan Erqiang didn't have mind-reading abilities, otherwise he would definitely have had another slap mark on his face. That's how men are; they either don't lay a hand on anyone, or once they have, they probably won't change.
The train rattled along towards Kunming. Cai Min had already decided to go to her parents' home to cry and complain. She couldn't let this injustice go unpunished; she had to make Yan Erqiang apologize to her.
After seeing Yan Erqiang off, Grandma Yan finally felt relieved. This family was really too much trouble. And the second son's taste was really terrible; look at the kind of wife he married.
Watching Cuihua bustling about, he was extremely satisfied. This was a truly good wife, managing everything at home and outside, and she had even given him a wonderful baby who was like a fairy descended from heaven.
Tomorrow is the second day of the Lunar New Year. In the countryside, it's customary for people to visit their maternal grandparents' home on the second day. Grandma Yan couldn't sit still. Cuihua's home is far away, and it would take at least half a day to get there by oxcart. So, the round trip would take two days.
No, no, my darling can't be away from me for so long. With a quick thought, she said, "Cuihua, how about I go to your parents' house with you tomorrow?"
Cuihua was stunned. How could a mother-in-law go to her own parents' home on the second day of the Lunar New Year? Xuemei, however, laughed: "Grandma definitely can't leave Nannan. Mother, it will take you at least two days to go and come back. Grandma can't bear to leave you."
Grandma Yan nodded: "Yes, I'm worried about my baby. I don't have to go. Why don't you leave your baby at home?"
Cuihua panicked when she heard this. Nannan absolutely had to be taken to see her parents. The baby was born last December, and they hadn't even seen her yet.
Yan Xiaoqiang laughed: "Mom, let's go together. We can bring more things with us. I'll go ask Uncle San to borrow an oxcart."
Grandma Yan nodded: "Qiangzi, why don't you go and borrow the oxcart today, so we can have an early lunch and then go to town to buy some things for Nannan."
"Sigh," Yan Xiaoqiang readily agreed when he heard that he was going to buy something for Nan Nan. Just as he was about to leave, Grandma Yan stopped him: "You fool, take this piece of pork to your third uncle. During the holidays, you can't just come empty-handed."
Seeing that his mother had at least two pounds of pork, Yan Erqiang didn't feel any heartache. It was just a matter of his daughter closing her eyes, so he happily took the pork and went out.
Uncle is feeding the cows grass. It's all leftover grass from last year, and it's already yellowed and withered. Now that it's freezing cold, there's nowhere to find fodder, but there's no other way; if they don't eat, they'll go hungry.
Hearing the shouts outside, it sounded like the Yan family boy. Could it be that he found out that he had abandoned his second brother's family halfway and came to demand justice?
However, I'm not afraid. Who told that family to be so disgusting? I only refrained from whipping them because of Old Madam Yan.
Reluctantly, he opened the door, and a piece of pork appeared in front of him. Uncle San was a little confused about what was going on, so Yan Xiaoqiang shoved the meat into his hand.
"Third Uncle, my mother sent me to visit you on the first day of the Lunar New Year. I'm bringing you meat to wish you good fortune." These words instantly dispelled Third Uncle's morning gloom.
Yan Xiaoqiang ran up and patted the old ox: "Poor ox, when the weather gets warmer, I'll have my little calves dig grass for you to eat."
"Moo!" the old ox bellowed, quite spiritedly.
Uncle San understood. So they came to borrow the ox. His wife was going back to her parents' home tomorrow, and it would be difficult for her to walk with a little girl. He waved his hand and said, "Take her with you."
"Third Uncle, I still have some fodder at home, so Da Niu won't go hungry. Don't worry," Yan Xiaoqiang said specifically.
You should know that this big yellow ox was Uncle San's most prized possession. Although he always had a whip in his hand, he was never seen whipping the old yellow ox except when whipping people.
Third Uncle knew Yan Xiaoqiang's personality well. Since he said there was fodder at home, then there must be fodder at home. Just think of his sons, they were all hardworking.
Looking at the pork in his hand, he thought, "The Yan family is really generous. They borrowed a cow for a few days and they brought back such a big piece of pork. Let's cook the meat and have a bottle of old wine."
Yan Xiaoqiang took the old ox home, and the boys quickly took out hay and water to feed it. They were going to town later, so they had to feed it well.
The cow must have smelled too bad, because the boys put down the hay and water and ran into the house, but Yan Xiaonan was worried.
This was the first time Nan Nan had ever seen a real yellow ox up close, both in her past and present lives. She pointed at the ox and called out "Go go go!" Grandma Yan was overjoyed and carried her baby to the ox.
A foul odor made Yan Xiaonan sneeze loudly. "Oh my god, it smells so bad! How long has it been since I took a bath?"
Yan Xiaoqiang found a rag, soaked it in hot water, and quickly wiped the old ox down. He dared not bathe the ox in this weather, or it would get sick.
The old ox felt very comfortable and satisfied after being rubbed, and it mooed at Yan Xiaonan. Yan Xiaonan understood that it was thanking him.
Yan Xiaonan looked at the withered grass in the basket, then looked around. Apart from her father and grandmother, there was no one else there. She closed her eyes and silently prayed for green grass to come.
The withered grass in front of the old ox gradually regained moisture and began to turn green. The smell of fresh grass pleased the old ox so much that it buried its head and began to eat.
Grandma Yan and Yan Xiaoqiang were shocked to find that the little girl could even change the color of the grass. Their hearts were pounding with anxiety. Grandma Yan quickly looked around, but thankfully, no one saw anything.
Yan Xiaoqiang's first reaction was to rush over and close the door tightly, peeking out before doing so to peek around.
Grandma Yan looked at the overjoyed little girl and sighed inwardly, "My darling, don't scare your grandma to death!"
Looking at the old ox happily eating, she felt that her granddaughter had done the right thing. The old ox was so pitiful; it probably couldn't even chew the dry grass anymore. Her granddaughter was so kind-hearted.
Yan Xiaoqiang watched until the old ox finished eating the last bit of grass before he felt relieved. He then added some hot water to the ox's food so that it would be comfortable for the ox and he could do justice to his third uncle.
Cuihua and Xuemei were preparing things for their trip to town, completely unaware of what was happening outside. Grandma Yan looked at them with some envy, thinking how wonderful it was to have nothing to worry about.
After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, the old ox defecated a few times in the yard. Soon the dung dried and hardened, and Yan Xiaoqiang was delighted. He picked up a shovel and carefully placed the dung, for it was a treasure for winter.
The family happily climbed onto the oxcart. The old ox's eyes were fixed on Yan Xiaonan's direction. After she came out, the old ox knelt down on all fours. Grandma Yan was overjoyed, but also frightened.
Everyone rides in oxcarts, not on the backs of oxen. What does the old ox mean? Does it want Yan Xiaonan to sit on its back? Thinking that the ox hasn't been washed yet, Yan Xiaonan shook his head repeatedly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
