Chapter 100 Daily life in the hometown

The roads were slippery in the snow, and it was difficult to walk fast with the children. Fortunately, around the Spring Festival

, there were more people rushing on the road, so the villagers in the towns spontaneously set up small stalls selling hot tea, porridge and cakes, so they didn't have to eat dry food along the way. The road to the capital was long, and it took half a month to walk. The day they arrived in Shifang Town was exactly the Lantern Festival.

They only said the approximate time of return. In the middle of the night, the lantern at the gate was still on, and the light in the house was also on.

Cao heard the movement and hurriedly put on her clothes to greet them. The stove was lit quickly, and the main room was warm.

Yuan Ming and his friends took a hot bath first, and changed their clothes. Cao also changed new clothes for the two children.

Children's clothes are not gender-specific. Cao bought the same shirt, one blue and one pink, with a circle of white rabbit fur at the collar, soft and comfortable.

Yuan Ming said, "Thank you, mother, you are so thoughtful."

Cao scolded, "I bought clothes for my grandson, how can you thank me?"

Yuan Ming smiled and said nothing.

At this time, Dali came in with hot meals, saying that the old lady had prepared them early in the morning.

Ji Qingyue drank a mouthful of mutton soup, and the warmth immediately rushed into her lungs, and she felt comfortable all over.

Cao didn't know that they had come home today, but everything was ready. I think she had prepared it early.

Ji Qingyue was grateful and took out the gift she gave to Cao. It was a fox fur coat, the best one among the things Ji Lingyun sent.

"This coat can block the wind and keep you warm. My mother lives here alone, and my husband and I can't take care of her. You can keep this coat to show your filial piety."

Cao touched the soft fabric of the coat, her eyes slightly red, and she didn't refuse.

The family had a happy meal and went to bed. It was late after a long journey.

Returning to the most familiar place, even if it has been a long time, it still makes people sleep well and have a good night's dream. After

the Lantern Festival, the Spring Festival is completely over, but Yuan Ming's house is bustling.

The two children woke up early in the morning. They couldn't speak yet, but they kept crying and babbling meaninglessly, which echoed with the chirping of birds in the yard. Ji Qingyue and Yuan Ming opened their eyes at the same time, sighed silently, and were about to get up when they heard Cao comforting the two children outside.

So, the two parents who could finally let go fell asleep again.

Cao was very enthusiastic about taking care of the children. Yuan Ming and Ji Qingyue were so moved that they wanted to cry for a few days.

On the 20th, the family hurried back to the village in a carriage. It

was New Year's Day, and they were going to bury Yuan Ming's nominal father.

They left early, and when they returned to the house in the village after burying the children, the door of the Yang family next door was just opened.

It was Yang Tao who went out. Seeing the family, Yang Tao was immediately delighted and turned around and shouted, "Mother, Brother Yuan is back!"

Cao was alone in Shifang Town, and was often taken care of by Yang's second brother's family. Yuan Ming was very grateful. This time he came back with a lot of gifts and went to the next door first.

Li Qing'e poured them some sugar water and said with a smile, "Yuan Ming passed the imperial examination and is now a high official in the capital. Only you dare to call him Brother Yuan."

Yang Tao touched the back of his head and smiled, "Mother, don't you call him by his name?"

Li Qing'e slapped him on the shoulder.

Yuan Ming said, "Auntie Li and Big Brother Li have taken good care of my mother. I am so grateful for their kindness. It would be better if everything is the same as before, so that we can be close to each other. Otherwise, I will be embarrassed to bother you in the future."

"Okay, okay!" Li Qing'e was delighted: "I knew Yuan Ming was a good person. I was not wrong about him."

After a while, Yang Dali came back from outside with a hoe and exchanged greetings with them again.

Lunch was naturally eaten at Yang's house. Yuan Ming brought food, oil, and salt. It was not a burden to eat here, but the two children had nothing to eat.

Yang Dali and his wife had been looking forward to having grandchildren for a long time, but unfortunately, their two sons were not up to standard, and their eyes were almost red with anxiety.

Now seeing the two plump and white Fuwa, Xuebao and Xueqiu, she was really in love with them and wanted to bring out the best things.

When she heard that the children had no food to eat, she was so upset.

"The cow of the Zhao family at the entrance of the village just gave birth to a calf. I'm going to his house to exchange some milk." Yang Dali said as he was about to go out.

Yuan Ming hurriedly stopped him: "No, I brought milk powder. You can drink it after boiling some hot water and soaking it."

"Milk powder?" Li Qing'e asked curiously: "Milk milk, isn't it all water? This is the first time I heard of milk powder."

Ji Qingyue said: "There are some Western merchants in the capital. I bought it from them. I have never seen it before."

Yuan Ming took out a small bag of white powder, put it in a bowl, poured hot water, and the sweet milk fragrance immediately poured out.

"It's amazing!" Yang Tao said.

Cao, who was holding Xuebao and feeding him skillfully, said, "That's right! The fresh stuff from the Western Regions is good but expensive! Such a small bag costs thirty coins, which can buy two kilograms of meat."

Li Qing'e took a breath of cold air: "It's so expensive! Only you are willing to feed the children."

"There is no other way. I can't let them go hungry when I'm traveling with two little ones. I have to feed them even if it's gold." Cao said with a smile.

Before eating, Yang Tao served some of the food, saying that it was for his wife Yao Qiushui.

Besides, Yao Qiushui was also a capable person. With the help of Yuan Ming, she became the representative of the village. At the beginning, many people were dissatisfied and made a lot of troubles, but she handled them all.

Last autumn, a mudslide washed away the road in the village and cut the river in half. During the reconstruction period, the government sent people to help. Yao Qiushui helped a lot. Not only did she make the clerks look up to her, but she even showed her face in front of the town guard. Since then, no one in the village has disobeyed her. Now it

is the spring plowing season. The government has withdrawn from the economic crop planting test field. Yao Qiushui has to go back to the village every day and can only come back before dark.

Fortunately, Yang Tao is a sincere person. Not only does he not care about her showing off and covering up his prestige, but he is also willing to stay at home to wash clothes and cook for her.

The two have been married for half a year, and their feelings are getting deeper and deeper.

Speaking of his wife, Yang Tao, the taciturn man, suddenly opened up, one thing after another, without stopping for half an hour.

Li Qing'e came back after washing the dishes and smiled when she saw this.

As they were talking about the story of Yao Qiushui helping an orphan and his widowed mother in the village to avoid being extorted by her parents, there was a commotion at the gate and a cheerful female voice rang out.

"Yang Tao, what are you making up about me again? Are you making fun of me, Yuan Da Ge and Yue Ge'er?"

Yang Tao stood up immediately and said, "I didn't! Eh? Why did my wife come back so early today?"

Yao Qiushui was wearing a neat short shirt and her long hair was tied up. There was a bit more heroic spirit between her eyebrows that she had never had before.

Ji Qingyue was surprised and said, "Qiu Shui, you have changed a lot, much better than before!"

Yao Qiu Shui laughed when he heard it: "It's all thanks to you two. If it weren't for you, I don't know what I would be like now."

They didn't go anywhere in the afternoon. The four young people sat together and talked about what they saw and heard. The three old people laughed with their children. It was a rare comfortable and leisurely time. They

returned to their own home next door at night. Cao liked to live in the countryside when she was free, so the house was very clean and tidy. Once the kang was lit, the room immediately became warm.

The next day, everyone in the village knew that Yuan Ming had returned home. The new champion was still an official in front of the emperor. For the villagers, it was like flying to the top. People

who used to be on good terms with their family came to try to get close to them, and some who had quarreled with them also sent vegetables and eggs to apologize. After

dealing with the last wave, Yuan Ming quickly closed the door and bolted it. It was not that he did not want to deal with the villagers, but there were simply too many people to handle.

When the people came, Cao and Ji Qingyue were in the back room taking care of the two children, and they just came out now.

Yuan Ming smiled bitterly and pointed to the pile on the table: "What should I do?"

Ji Qingyue looked confused.

Cao said, "We were an orphan and a widow in this village, and we lived a decent life. Although not everyone was as kind as the Yang family, they were kind to us most of the time."

Yuan Ming thought for a moment and said, "I'll invite Uncle Yang to come over, and write down all the names except for a few families that we really don't associate with."

Cao nodded, "Okay."

So the two families were busy again, and they had dinner at Yuan Ming's house. Today, Yang Chao and his wife also came back from the town, and they cooked with Ji Qingyue.