Su Nanxi took on the role of instructor, guiding those who came to practice making rice noodles. Of course, she couldn't just tell them what to do; when someone didn't understand, she had to demonstrate it herself.
Village Chief Liu came over with his daughter-in-law and watched carefully. The more he looked, the more pleased he became, and he would touch his beard from time to time.
Only five people came to practice. Two were from the village chief's family, and Su Nanxi didn't know the other three. They looked young, were very quick and efficient, and learned fast.
All five people who participated in the practical training were women. They were all very straightforward and had smiles on their faces, which Su Nanxi liked and was happy to make friends with.
The Mo family sold half of their goods earlier today because they needed to rush back to handle an important matter. Today was the day Mo Jiaxing was going to formally enroll in a school, and they needed to finish selling early and get everything ready.
Su Nanxi didn't go. She's not good at speaking, and her presence would likely be disliked. She'd rather avoid it and just stay home as a teacher, showing off her authority.
The Mo family members who went to the private school returned not long after, while Mo Jiaxing stayed at the private school to study.
The Mo family courtyard suddenly became much livelier, with Qin and Zhao joining in, pulling Su Nanxi aside for guidance.
These rural women had experience making pastries and other traditional foods, so they quickly got the hang of making rice noodles. They learned it in less than half a day, and all that was left was to practice more at home.
Mo Jiaxing walked home after school. As soon as he got home, his family surrounded him, asking about his well-being and worrying that he might not be used to it or understand what was going on.
Mo Jiaxing said with a smile, "No, I can adapt. The teacher is now teaching reading, and I can keep up."
"That's good, that's good!"
The Mo family skipped lunch and ate freshly made rice noodles. Su Nanxi personally prepared the broth, adding some greens and an egg. The aroma was irresistible as soon as the broth was poured over them.
The children loved it so much that they ate every last drop of the broth until their bellies were round.
Mo Yunmei ate two bowls and still wanted more. "Mom, save some for me. I'm so tired from the trip to the mountains, I need to eat more."
Mo Qiushuang teased, "Auntie, you've been sitting on the slope the whole time, and you only pulled up a tree branch on the way back. How come you're so tired?"
Mo Yunmei gritted her teeth and glared at Mo Qiushuang, asking, "Can't you speak properly?"
Mo Qiushuang didn't look at her again and continued eating her noodles.
Mo Laoda distributed the remaining powder, but not Mo Yunmei.
Mo Yunmei paused, then exclaimed, "Why am I the only one who doesn't have any? I'm not full yet!"
Boss Mo glared at them coldly, "If you slack off again next time, I won't leave you even half a bowl!"
"Oh no, my brother's angry!" Mo Yunmei glared at Mo Qiushuang. "You're so talkative!"
Mo Laoda finished his soup in one gulp, put the bowl down, and said, "Don't think I don't know what you've done! I'm not calling you out on this because I'm giving you a chance and saving you some face, but now it seems you don't need it at all! Don't corrupt and make the kids lazy! If you don't complete your task, you don't need to eat that day."
What!
Her older brother's task for her was to dig a basketful of wild vegetables and mushrooms, and also gather some firewood! How could she possibly finish all that? Didn't they used to just collect as much as she could, as long as she didn't come back empty-handed?
Why is she having more and more to do?
Seeing her pouting, Grandma Mo felt unconvinced and asked, "Yunmei, how old are you?"
Mo Yunmei said with her bulging cheeks, "I'm a little over fourteen."
Mo Lao Er said quietly, "Other girls who are just over fourteen years old have already learned to do housework, farm work, and are skilled at needlework. They've become little adults!"
Mo Qiushuang looked up and said, "Yes, the two older sisters from the village chief's family can do all kinds of chores!"
Mo Yunmei snorted and said unconvinced, "She will definitely need to know these skills if she marries into a village. I don't plan to marry into a village, so I don't need to know these skills, and I won't need to do these things in the future."
Everyone else was stunned; this was quite an ambitious goal!
Zhao asked, "So, where do you plan to marry?"
Mo Yunmei said happily, "I want to marry into a wealthy family in town so I won't have to do farm work anymore. Have you ever seen a wealthy family's wife who has to do farm work?"
Everyone else thought she was being delusional. What did she have that made her worthy of marrying a wealthy family? Had she been listening to too many stories and lost her mind?
Mo Yunmei felt that she had always been clear-headed. She only wanted to marry into a wealthy family, and it didn't matter where the family was.
Su Nanxi ignored it, not wanting to hear it at all, so she automatically blocked it out and quietly ate her noodles.
Because Mo Qinghe disliked her getting close, she wisely avoided getting too close to him.
During his afternoon nap, Mo Qinghe remained aloof, sleeping on his side with a space between him and the bed.
Su Nanxi tried to take his hand, but he pulled back and pretended to be asleep.
Sigh! Not even a chance to explain?
She needs to know what she did wrong!
Su Nanxi suddenly felt a little tired. She didn't like trying to figure out what others were thinking. Why not just say what you mean? Why make a fuss?
Feeling restless and unable to sleep, she simply got up.
Suddenly, she realized she had nowhere to go, so she ended up going to the mountains alone.
At least there were birds and insects singing for her in the mountains. She found a branch, lay down on it, closed her eyes, and quietly rested.
The trees in the mountains are tall and provide much shade, with a breeze blowing from time to time, which is very refreshing.
Su Nanxi had an idea: to build her own home in the mountains. If Mo Qinghe didn't like her, she would still have a place to go. If they really broke up, she would still have a home.
Without hesitation, he leaped down from the tree, startling several birds into flight.
After wandering around all afternoon, I finally found a satisfactory location, with perfect timing and location.
Using advanced tools and technology, the tree was quickly felled, revealing a large circle.
It was getting late, so she packed up and went home.
She brought back a rabbit, and the Mo family didn't say anything, but the children complained that she hadn't waited for them.
Su Nanxi patted their heads to express her apology.
"Third Aunt, we went to water the chili peppers and the vines."
Oh! She forgot.
These kids can do so much, it's really heartwarming!
Grandma Mo said to her, "We're going to a wedding banquet in a few days. It's a relative's son getting married. They told us about the good news beforehand, but there are too many of us, so not all of us can go. Only two or three people can go. Mute, do you want to go?"
Su Nanxi shook her head. She didn't want to get involved in this kind of trouble, as her inability to speak might cause some bad things to happen.
Grandma Mo had guessed as much, and whispered, "Then let your eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law go this time, and let them take you next time, how about that?"
Okay, we'll talk about it next time.
Hosting a banquet can cost a lot of money, so villagers don't usually do it.
Grandma Mo was very satisfied; her third daughter-in-law had a good temper, never arguing, fighting, or making a fuss.
But some people were dissatisfied. This was such a rare feast! There would be sweets, lots of delicious food, and plenty of entertainment! The village didn't hold a feast for several years. If they missed it, when would they get another chance?
"Mom! I want to go to the wedding banquet too!"
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