They were busy until the fifteenth of the twelfth lunar month. Tomorrow was Ma Xiaobao's wedding day. Wang had already told Xichun about it before, so the restaurant would be closed for two days, and the whole village would go back together.
Ma Xiaobao's father was planning to invite Fu Changfeng to attend and make an appearance, but Xichun declined on his behalf, saying that it was a crucial time for studying and they couldn't slack off. However, the Fu family still prepared a congratulatory gift and asked Xichun to take it back with them.
Although the Ma family was not Xichun's proper maternal family, they would not let their in-laws lose face for the sake of Wang Shi.
So when they saw the congratulatory gifts from the Fu family, Grandma Ma and Ma Dawei's faces were full of smiles: "Hehe, the Fu family is too kind, bringing so many gifts."
"Mr. and Mrs. Fu said they had too many things to do before the New Year and couldn't get away, so they asked me to bring it over. They also said they would definitely come to visit sometime in the future."
"Alright, alright, Xichun, you must be tired too. Go eat. I've prepared the fodder for the mule cart. You can eat your fill here tonight." Ma Dawei helped lead the oxcart into the backyard. This was pre-ordered for Xichun. They wanted to pay Xichun for the rental, but Xichun refused, saying that they were all relatives and that it was enough to just take it to pick up the bride. There was no need to talk about paying.
"Yes, these things can be left to your Uncle Ma to worry about. Xichun, come and eat. I had someone reserve a table for you since you're going to do business today." Wang led the group into the house, where the food had just been reheated.
"Sister, sister, you're back!" Xiao Feng was playing with his friends when he heard the sound of the mule cart and guessed that his sister was back. He ran out excitedly to greet her.
"Slow down. Have you eaten? Let's eat first and then talk, okay?"
“He’s already eaten, Xiaofeng. Why don’t you let your sister go eat? We can talk about it after she’s eaten.” Wang pulled him aside.
"No, I want to stay with my sister. Sister, eat quickly, I'll stand behind you and watch you." The child's innocent words always made people laugh, and everyone laughed along with him.
In the end, Xiaofeng had another meal with Xichun. Ma Xiaobao also came to greet Xichun personally. In recent days, he has become more and more mature and his manners are much better than before. Moreover, he never called Wang Shi "mother" before, but now that he has a younger brother, he calls her that too.
"Xichun, you're here! Tomorrow I'd like to ask Brother Qiangzi and Taozi to accompany me to pick up my bride. Do you have time?" Ma Xiaobao asked politely.
“Okay, I’ll go with you. My brother needs to go home and be with my sister-in-law,” Taozi replied after glancing at Xichun.
"Thank you." Ma Xiaobao smiled. Most of the children in the village who were the same age as them had gone to the city, and not many had stayed behind, so he asked to invite a few more to go.
Xiao Feng kept pestering Xi Chun, and even went home with Xi Chun to sleep at night. This little brat knew that Xi Chun was good to him and always gave him new things, so as soon as Xi Chun came back, he didn't want any of his other friends anymore.
"Sister, are you afraid of ghosts? I heard that every night, ghosts snatch children away, chew up their hearts, and turn them into child ghosts." Xiaofeng and Xichun were chatting away in bed at first, but soon they started trembling.
"It's okay, don't be afraid, it's all just scary stuff. There's no such thing. Go to sleep." Xi Chun rarely slept with a two- or three-year-old child like this, and she didn't know where he got such a rich imagination.
Fortunately, it wasn't long before he started snoring. The next morning, Xichun was about to wake up when she found out that the boy had wet the bed. He had to pretend he was still asleep. Xichun shook her head, picked him up, and changed him into clean clothes. Luckily, Wang Shi had the foresight to know that he was going to wet the bed, so she washed the sheets clean.
"Sister, I'm sorry, I couldn't help it." His little head drooped, and his face was flushed.
"It's okay, you're still a kid, it's normal to not be able to hold back. Come on, let's go to your house first, your brother might have already left." Xi Chun didn't laugh at him, and took him to her house, where Ma Xiaobao and the others were just about to leave.
"Wow, brother is riding a mule!" Xiao Feng excitedly ran to the mule, but his father stopped him.
"You silly child, didn't you see that's a mule? Go find your mother." He was worried that Xiaofeng would be trampled by the mule, but he couldn't say anything carelessly on such a joyous day, so he could only mumble this sentence.
Qiangzi and his friends followed behind, while the gift bearer sat on a mule cart, carrying a load of goods towards the woman's house.
Xi Chun originally wanted to help, but the villagers all said that she didn't need to, that the water was too cold and that girls should avoid touching it. In the end, she could only sit with the Ma family's relatives.
"Xichun, come out here for a moment, I need to talk to you about something." Grandma Ma was also greeting relatives here. When she saw Xichun coming, she called Xichun to a secluded spot in the backyard.
"Xichun, I was wrong about everything before. I apologize to you here. It was all my fault. I am very grateful that you are still willing to accept my vegetables." Seeing the fate of the Chen family, Old Ma thought to herself that it was fortunate that she had not been so reckless back then, and she stopped her decision to hurt Xichun.
"It's all over now, Grandma Ma. You should go and greet your relatives. I'm going to take a walk around here."
Xichun wanted to see how the villagers' peach trees were doing. The villagers started planting them last year, but they hadn't reached the fruiting stage yet and would have to wait a few more years. The ridges of the fields were covered with peach trees, and even the hillsides in the distance, where the trees used to be shady, had been cleared out. The hillside behind them was also covered with signs of clearing.
"Xichun, you're here too?" The village chief walked over. He had come to check on things since there was nothing else to do. After the poisoning incident at Old Chen's house, the village chief had to walk around the fields twice a day, fearing that someone like that might appear again.
"Yes, village chief, I think the road is repaired and the peach trees are planted. When the peach blossoms bloom next year, it will definitely be very beautiful. If people are willing to come and visit, the villagers can make money by selling some food."
"Oh, do people really come here to see peach blossoms? What's so interesting about them? Isn't it the same every year?" The village chief felt he had seen enough of them in his life. Would those people really be willing to come?
“Of course, there will be people willing to come. As long as the peach blossoms bloom next year, and we promote them, if someone can pick us up and drop us off between the county town and the village, spending only a penny or two each time, I think these vast expanses of peach blossoms will still have value.”
"If only that were the case. I'll ask around the village to see if anyone's willing to buy an oxcart. In our village, an oxcart is the most suitable." The village chief was also considering the feasibility of doing this. Hearing the crackling sounds coming from the Ma family's house, the two of them went back.
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