After the matter was settled, Sun Yunmei still rode her bicycle to town, bought red paper, ink, firecrackers, and some beef and mutton to make soup.
That evening, Mingjing consulted the almanac and found that tomorrow was an auspicious day for breaking ground and renovating the house, by which time the roof tiles should have been laid.
She leaned over the table and wrote the invitation on red paper with a fountain pen.
Since there's wine in the village, there's no need to invite people over, and making a big fuss about it wouldn't look good. So, we simply use letters as invitations to invite people over for a drink.
"Sister, why did you bring Fan Yuliang here?" Mingyue frowned, puzzled.
"Of course it's useful, you should learn from it."
Ming Lei admired Ming Jing's meticulous calligraphy in the "Slender Gold" style.
"Mingyue, brother, please deliver the invitations to Fan Yuliang, Lao Wang, and Lao Zhao later. Leave the rest to me."
"Fan Yuliang? You're inviting that kid too?"
"Okay, Dad, go ahead. Don't say anything more, just tell him you'll come for the banquet later."
The stack of invitations only included a dozen or so households, all of whom had a good relationship with the Ming family.
Mingjing got up and personally delivered the rest.
In order to deliver the invitation quickly, Mingjing took a shortcut through the same woods as before, and heard a few meows as she turned a corner.
Mingjing followed the sound and found a thin, small orange cat lying in the grass. It looked to be only a month old, and its voice was weak. Flies were crawling all around it.
Huge maggots crawled on the orange cat's legs, leaving several bloody holes.
When the cat saw the mirror, it raised its voice considerably, as if it were calling for help.
Mingjing glanced at it, then looked at the invitation in her hand, and decided to take care of the important matters first. As she looked up, she saw a man and a woman rushing past around the corner.
The figure looked familiar, like Wang Jinhua.
Could it be that she stumbled upon a pair of lovers? Mingjing shook her head and walked forward.
After sending out several invitations, everyone in the village thought that Mingjing and Mingliang were about to have a happy occasion.
It's normal to suspect that there's good news when Mingjing's family is always getting cars coming over.
She just smiled and said there was good news, and that everyone should come for the banquet on time.
If there's a good deal to be had, and it's a good thing, then everyone is naturally willing to accept it.
When she reached the bushes, Mingjing heard the kitten's cries again. Unable to bear it, she bent down, shooed away the flies, and picked up the cat by the loose leather strap by the scruff of its neck to take it home.
"Sister, what are you holding?" Mingyue came out.
"cat."
Mingjing asked Mingyue to bring the tattered clothes and spread them on the ground, and then placed the cat on the tattered cloth.
"Sister, this cat is so pitiful, are you going to save it?"
Mingjing turned her head and said, "Go and get the medicine, tongs, and lighter from the house. Oh, and also get a bowl of water and a small fish."
"oh."
Mingyue turned around and went to fetch something.
The cat lay quietly on the tattered cloth, its eyelids half-closed, its voice growing weaker and weaker.
Mingjing scooped up some water with a small spoon and fed it to the orange cat. The cat touched the water, propped itself up, and drank a couple of mouthfuls.
"Fortunately, I can still eat and drink."
Mingjing placed the sardine in front of the cat's nose and began to clean the wound on the cat's leg. She heated the tweezers with fire and gently picked up the maggots from the cat's leg.
The sight of the several large, bloody holes made Mingjing grimace, and the cat's cries grew even more piercing.
"Grab her head and don't move."
Mingyue held the cat's head down. Fortunately, the cat was still small and injured, so it had no strength to resist.
After removing the maggots, Mingjing applied some alcohol to the cat. The cat cried out in pain and struggled to escape, but Mingjing held it down firmly.
"Whether you live or die depends on your fate."
Mingjing sprinkled some anti-inflammatory medicine on it, then wrapped gauze around her leg and tied it in a tight knot.
There were no pet hospitals at that time, and animals rarely saw doctors when they got sick. If they could just pull through, that was fine; if they couldn't, that was their fate.
After settling the orange cat, Mingjing placed it in a shady spot by the door. To prevent anyone from accidentally stepping on it, Mingjing covered it with a chicken basket filled with water and dried fish.
If the cat is still alive tomorrow, then everything will be fine; if it's dead, then she'll bury it.
Sun Yunmei and Ming Dahai didn't interfere when they saw this scene. They believed that doing good deeds was always a good thing.
The next morning, Mingjing saw that the cat was still alive, but the dried fish was gone. She reached out and touched it, and the cat's meow was clearly stronger. It even rubbed its head against her.
The cat had lion's blood and toxoplasmosis, but couldn't take a bath right now, so Mingjing could only catch another small fish and place it in front of the cat before turning to go to the toilet.
While urinating, Mingjing checked out the fishing tackle shop.
With a luck value of 77, it's not bad. Lately, not many people have been following her around, and she's thinking of going beachcombing.
Pulling up his pants, Mingjing came out, grabbed his tools, and prepared to go beachcombing.
Sun Yunmei was busy cooking in the kitchen, preparing for tonight's banquet.
The tiles were delivered early in the morning and placed in the yard. Ming Dahai didn't hire a tile setter. To save money, he climbed a ladder to the roof himself and went up to remove the tiles with Ming Jing.
Replace them with red tiles.
The roof of the old house was supported by thin bamboo poles and large beams, and all that was needed was some cement and new tiles to stick together.
Sun Yunmei's side doesn't have much to do. Apart from a few hot dishes, everything else is cold. She just needs to get some braised food to go and make some cold dishes.
"Sister, the weather's nice today, shall we go beachcombing?" Mingyue asked, sneaking a bite to eat in the kitchen.
Upon hearing that they were going to go beachcombing, Ming Dahai got excited and almost lost his balance before Ming Liang caught him. He clamored to go too, but Ming Jing calmed him down and helped him fix the tiles.
Tonight, someone is coming for a feast, and the ceremony isn't complete without good tiles.
Ming Dahai sighed and sped up.
Just in case, Mingjing brought a fishing rod, so that if the beachcombing didn't work out, she could go sea fishing.
Minglei squatted by the door, staring at the cat curiously. "Third Aunt, this cat has a rope around its neck."
"Really?" Mingjing bent down and scratched the cat's head, and sure enough, she saw a thin nylon rope on the cat's neck.
Could it be that it has an owner?
On the island, only the six domestic animals are tethered; the rest of the livestock are free-range. Animals like cats are usually caught catching mice.
It's unusual to see it tied up with a rope. The rope was almost embedded in the skin of the cat's neck, forming a red ring. Mingjing carefully cut it off with scissors.
"It probably has an owner, but the owner isn't a very good one."
Mingjing threw down the rope, picked up the fishing rod and fish basket, and prepared to leave.
"Third Aunt, I want to go too!"
Ming Lei caught up with him.
"Alright, school starts the day after tomorrow, your good days are over. Go if you want today."
At the village entrance, a group of women were chattering about the election of the village's women's director. This was the first open election on the island, and everyone wanted to be the best.
Becoming an official and bringing glory to one's ancestors is a great opportunity; who wouldn't want to do it?
However, the quota and requirements set by the village eliminated many people, which made everyone feel very uncomfortable.
Early in the morning, just as the sun was rising, Ming Xingwang sat in the living room with a sullen face.
You said you're having a banquet tomorrow?
"Yeah, she's even sent an invitation to Fan Yuliang. His family is rich and powerful, and they have connections in both the town and the city. Brother, do you think she's trying to win people over?"
The island is small, so even the smallest thing can spread throughout the entire island.
The Ming family heard about this from the old woman at the village entrance.
Ming Lao Er is still lying in the hospital. As the eldest son, Ming Xingwang is naturally the pillar of support. Thinking of Ming Jing, he feels worried.
“I don’t think we need to worry about this. Mingjing said before that she was willing to give up her position to Mingzhu, and she can’t go back on her word.”
"Even if she wants to fight for it, she has to have the ability. What is Mingzhu lacking?"
Ming Xingwang glanced at Mingzhu and snorted coldly, "What do you think is the difference? Mingzhu is simple and kind, but she's brainless. Mingjing is a wicked girl. Did you see what happened to Dad if you offended her?"
"If we use any tricks, and that girl finds out, we're all doomed."
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