Chapter 45 The Hearts of Parents Are Full of Pity
Grandma Guo and Guo Baiwen hadn't had much hope for this trip.
After all, Uncle Shi's family originally had more land than theirs, and now this has happened, which means they have lost a young and strong laborer.
I'm afraid we'll be even busier than before.
Just mentioning it briefly is to clarify the purpose of today's visit. If it doesn't work out, we can always try asking elsewhere.
Unexpectedly, Uncle Stone, holding his pipe, squatted on the ground and savored it for a long time. In front of the two of them, he slowly nodded.
Grandma Guo wanted to persuade her, "Although planting two more acres of land will yield more grain, it will be even harder to tend the fields after spring planting."
Uncle Shi Tou obviously knew as well. He tapped his pipe to settle things, saying, "I know. It hurts my heart to see Banshan's hands like this."
"The doctors say there's no cure. I might as well take advantage of the few years I can still farm, grow more land and save more grain, and then exchange it for more money so I can think of other ways to make a living."
Parents' hearts are always full of love and worry.
Grandma Guo originally wanted to persuade him to think it over again, but seeing that he had already made up his mind, she didn't try to persuade him anymore.
With the land lease settled, she no longer needed to look for other families.
The land was a big deal, so after Uncle Stone made his decision, he went back inside and talked to the others, and that was how the matter was settled.
Guo Banshan kept his head down and ate without saying a word.
Uncle Shi stopped smoking his pipe, fumbled to put on the cotton-padded coat hanging on the wall, and prepared to go with Grandma Guo to find the village chief.
This trip has finally brought the matter of renting the land to a complete and clear conclusion.
If there are any unclear matters regarding land rent, they can settle them with the village chief to avoid future ambiguities and conflicts, which would only ruin the friendship between the two families that has lasted for so many years.
Although Grandma Guo felt that this made things a bit distant, after hearing what Guo Baiwen said, she also felt that it was the right way to do it.
So when the group arrived at the village chief's house along the path, it was still early because they had made the decision quickly.
None of the households had yet lit their lunch stoves.
Throughout the year, in Guojia Village, the only time people can eat three meals a day is during the Spring Festival.
Xiao Hua, who was squatting in the corner with A Tao, playing something, immediately stood up nervously when she saw the approaching figure. She put her hands behind her back.
"Brother? Grandmother? Isn't it lunchtime? Why are you here so soon?"
He looks guilty no matter how you look at him.
Taking advantage of a moment when she and Atao weren't paying attention, Guo Baiwen quickly turned his back and glanced at what they were holding.
oh--
He thought it was something else.
It turned out that the two little girls had found some dried persimmons from somewhere, and were now secretly taking the scissors from home to cut them open, then wrapping them with the sesame and peanut candy that Guo Xiaohua had brought, and eating them together.
Hey.
These two little girls certainly know how to eat.
We've always had plenty of this stuff at home, and I've never seen her mess around with it like this before.
Knowing that her secret had been discovered, Guo Xiaohua was somewhat reluctant, but she still gave each of the people present another piece.
She and Atao quickly stuffed the rest into their mouths.
They chewed and swallowed the food with their mouths bulging, and then decided to go and see what was going on. They were going to talk to the village chief.
The village chief of Guojia Village was a middle-aged man nearing forty. Although he had grown a short beard, he was a very amiable person, just like Uncle Zhao in the county town.
He first glanced at Atao, who had come over to join in the fun following behind Guo Xiaohua, before speaking to Uncle Shitou and Grandma Guo.
He also knew that Grandma Guo's family had moved to the county town before the Lunar New Year, and at that time, the village really couldn't find any vacant houses to accommodate them in the short term.
An ancestral hall is not a place where people can live for a long time.
At the time, I was worried that their family wouldn't be able to afford the rent in the county town and would have to move back to Guojia Village after the New Year.
Unexpectedly, I learned that I would be settling down in the county town.
As the village chief, he was naturally happy to see the villagers' lives improve.
So he immediately took out paper and pen, preparing to write a contract for the two families regarding the rental of the land.
Winter is a quiet time, and it's a good time to visit relatives and friends for the New Year. People often come to the village chief's house to offer their New Year's greetings, and children can take this opportunity to grab a handful of melon seeds and peanuts to eat as snacks.
The adults gathered together and chatted for a while, and in twos and threes they learned that Grandma Guo's family was planning to settle in the county town.
After signing the contract and keeping his share, Uncle Shi said he had something to do at home and didn't linger at the village chief's house to chat anymore, so he went back home on his own.
Only a few familiar people were sitting on the benches in the courtyard, warming themselves by the fire and eating sunflower seeds.
It is said that Guo's son, Bawen, was lucky enough to find white fungus in the mountains, which gave them extra money to support their business.
Although everyone was envious, they only thought that Guo Bawen was lucky.
After all, white fungus is a rare find. There have been reports of white fungus before, and many people have gone to the deep mountains to look for it, but very few have been able to find it.
After so many years, Grandma Guo and her family finally found them.
As for the business he did in the county town, after hearing Guo Baiwen say a few words, everyone assumed it was just a small business like pushing a cart or setting up a stall at the market. Although they praised him a couple of times, they still felt that farming was more important.
But Grandma Guo's family consists of elderly and young members, so it's common for them to want to try different approaches.
They were a little envious after hearing that Guo Shitou's family had rented their two and a half acres of land.
"Oh dear, sister-in-law, why didn't you tell us you were going to rent out your land?" said Gui Fen, a villager. Although her family owned a lot of land, because they had many members and hadn't divided the property among themselves, they didn't produce enough grain to feed themselves every year. "We have plenty of able-bodied men in our family."
However, buying land is unaffordable, and renting land is not so easy either.
After finally hearing about the land lease, it had already been booked by Uncle Stone.
Grandma Guo chuckled, "Wasn't it because Shitou's child got injured before the New Year? I thought it would be a good time to go and see him, and somehow we started chatting and just casually decided to go."
When the topic of Guo Banshan's injury came up, the group of people who had been sitting together began to sigh again.
It's true that the Shi family has more land to cultivate, but their son's injury has left him in this state.
I don't know how I'll get through the rest of the year.
When Grandma Guo saw that they had stopped discussing why they hadn't told her about renting the land, she felt relieved.
We're all from the same village, and we're all related in some way, so there are some things we can't say too explicitly.
Guifen's family was large, but because they hadn't separated their households, the whole family would get together and argue every few days, either over an egg or over who used two more ladles of water from the water vat.
While a large population brings prosperity, it also brings many troubles.
She originally wanted to rent out her own land to save herself trouble, but she didn't want to come back with a lot of problems.
So the group sat and chatted at the village chief's house for a while longer. As the sun rose, some of them stood up, shook off the sunflower seed shells from their aprons, and prepared to go home to cook.
Grandma Guo also invited Xiaohua over.
Their house is in such a state that they can't cook. The important matter of returning to the village today has been resolved. After packing up, they can go down the mountain to the crossroads to wait for the oxcart that can pick them up.
Upon hearing that she had to go back, Guo Xiaohua, who had been having a great time with Atao, felt a little reluctant to leave.
The two were putting on a reluctant farewell act at the door when the village chief's wife pushed open the door and called for dinner.
Then, Ah Tao, who had just been crying with tears and snot streaming down her face, wiped her face hastily and slammed the door shut.
Even through the thin door, you could hear Atao's voice replying from inside the yard, "Mother! I want steamed egg custard today too!"
Guo Xiaohua, who had been turned away, was left staring blankly at the pair of door gods pasted on the gate of the village chief's house, listening to the gradually fading sound.
Guo Baiwen found the scene amusing and teased her, who hadn't quite caught up yet, "Xiao Hua, if you don't leave now, I'll leave you here!"
Upon hearing this, Guo Xiaohua forgot about her friends and hurriedly followed, exclaiming, "Coming, coming!"
When the three of them arrived at the village entrance, they carried the remaining furniture and cushions that were still in relatively good condition, along with some New Year's goods they had brought that morning, to Sister Xiuxiu's house.
After a busy meal, even though Guo Xiaohua had just eaten a lot of persimmon candy, her stomach started to rumble.
After making sure nothing was left behind in the house one last time, I carefully locked the door before carrying the basket I had brought up the mountain to head down.
On the way back in the oxcart, Grandma Guo was still calculating in her mind how much money she would need to rebuild a house on that piece of land in Guojia Village.
I felt that I had even more motivation to open my own shop afterward.
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Author's Note: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, my darlings! Did you eat any delicious mooncakes? There will be an extra chapter tonight! [heart emoji] Thank you all for the encouragement with your nutrient solutions! [hug emoji]
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