Song Liyun knew he had misunderstood, but she didn't explain. She simply placed the fragrant meat pie on the table and said with a smile:
"Brother, after you finish eating with Uncle Kui, take those acorn tofu from home to town. I've already arranged with Boss Mu that he wants to buy a pot of it."
Seeing the acorn meat pie, Song Zhenping's mouth watered, and he readily agreed: "Alright! Yun'er, come to the table and eat with us too. Xiao An is still sleeping, so leave some for him."
These past two days, Xiao An has been sleeping for much longer periods, even when we went up the mountain to collect acorns.
I'm fine every morning, but I need to take a nap around noon, and I get up after about two hours. It doesn't interfere with my dinner or sleep in the evening.
There weren't any good doctors in Suijin Town. Seeing that he was in good spirits and had a normal appetite after sleeping, Song Liyun adjusted his daily routine accordingly.
Children need to sleep more.
Even though he was actually ten years old, in Song Liyun's eyes, Xiao An was just a five-year-old child who should sleep ten hours a day.
I just let Xiao An eat something before he goes to sleep.
Under Song Zhenping's watchful gaze, Song Dekui reluctantly picked up a meat pie.
First, take a sniff. The aroma of meat carries the unique fragrance of noodles, without the bitterness you might expect.
Song Dekui tried taking a bite... Mmm! No bitterness. He took another big bite... It really wasn't bitter...
It must be because I opened my mouth wrong. Let me take another small bite.
Song Dekui squinted as he chewed, one bite after another, it was so delicious!
Another bite of the hot braised acorn pasta is just as delicious!
Song Zhenping ate in a flash, finishing a large bowl of noodles and two meat pies in just a few bites.
Song Dekui was dumbfounded: he had only eaten one pancake and one bite of noodles, and this kid had finished it all. Was he being too polite?
Song Zhenping realized something was wrong after finishing the meal, and blushed apologetically, saying, "Uncle Kui, it was just...it was so delicious, I couldn't resist!"
Song Liyun was speechless. These days, it was as if the two brothers' stomachs, which had been sealed for ten years, had been opened, and they were eating more and more at each meal.
Fortunately, acorn flour has an anti-diarrheal effect, and it also contains refined grains, so you can eat as much as you want at every meal.
After Song Zhenping finished his meal, Song Liyun asked him to deliver acorn tofu to Boss Mu.
This is a big deal; it's the first business deal involving tons of acorns.
After seeing Song Zhenping off, Song Liyun looked at Song Dekui, who was still enjoying his meal, and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Uncle Kui, the corvée labor here is about to end. Are you going back to Xiaoshi Village?"
Song Dekui put down his chopsticks: "Was it your idea to join the military households? Did the Taiping Association agree to it?"
He had long heard that Song Zhenping and his sister had joined the military household, and he felt very sorry about it.
Becoming a military household member is not a good career path.
A girl can marry and change her social standing, but the sons in a family can only continue the tradition of being soldiers for generations.
He didn't mention it in front of Taihei just now.
He knew on the way that Song Liyun wasn't one to break the old rules.
It's obvious that this idea came from her.
When Song Dekui directly asked her about it, Song Liyun didn't hide anything: "Uncle Kui, we can't go back to Xiaoshi Village. Even if we separate and live separately, my second uncle and stepmother won't let us go."
Joining the military household sounds bad, but now the three of us siblings have food and clothing, a roof over our heads, and fields to cultivate. It's a hundred or a thousand times better than being civilians in Xiaoshi Village.”
Song Dekui looked around at himself.
Song Liyun was not used to eating on the kang (a heated brick bed), nor was she used to letting people freely enter her private courtyard. So she set up a room in the front yard and usually set up a table for meals.
Even though you can't heat the kang (a traditional heated bed), you can still place a charcoal brazier. For example, you can put one in the corner of the room right now, and the room will be warm.
Needless to say, the environment here is much better than Song Lao Er's house.
Song Dekui sighed deeply: "It's just a pity for Daping's descendants!"
Seeing that he himself was not married yet, Song Liyun couldn't help but laugh and say, "Uncle Kui, which girl have you taken a fancy to and want to marry us off to? You're already concerned about the future of your descendants."
Song Dekui was only twenty-one years old, and he only said this because of his seniority. When Song Liyun teased him, his face immediately turned red. He took a big bite of his pancake and mumbled, "What are you saying! I'm just concerned about you!"
Song Liyun stopped laughing: "If Uncle Kui really wants what's best for us, he should keep it a secret when we go back. Don't tell him we're here. We can go back to our hometown to pay respects to our ancestors when we have more money."
Song Dekui paused for a moment while biting into his pancake before saying, "I understand!"
He was unaware that when Song Liyun ran away, she had caused Song Lao Er to lose all his wealth. Going back would only be asking for trouble.
When Song Dekui heard the phrase "I will return to my hometown to pay respects to my ancestors when I become successful in the future," he thought it meant that he was severing ties with Song Lao Er and his family.
However, he also sympathized with Taihei.
Given the state of Song Lao Er's family, anyone would run away in their place, and I would do the same.
Song Zhenping returned quickly after delivering the acorn tofu, his face beaming with joy as he took out ten coins and gave them to Song Liyun—the money from selling the acorns.
Song Dekui was also very happy to know that the brother and sister had some income.
In the afternoon, Song Dekui did not go back to the laborers' place, but stayed at Baolin Residence at their invitation.
The three of them ground another large pot of acorn flour.
Song Liyun was grateful to the village head and Song Dekui. During the process, she taught Song Dekui how to remove the bitterness from acorns.
Song Dekui was so moved he almost cried.
Xiaoyun is such a sensible girl.
He wanted to ask, but was too embarrassed to speak.
Acorns can be found all over the mountains; this could be a lifesaver.
Most importantly, it still tastes so good after it's been prepared.
That evening, Xue Zhuang held a wedding banquet and the wedding ceremony took place.
It was Song Dekui who took Song Zhenping with him.
Song Dekui told Song Zhenping that he would settle down in Suijin Town in the future and should still make more public appearances when it comes to social interactions.
It's better to offend a gentleman than a petty person.
There are only two military households in Suijin Town, and Xue Zhuang was once a junior officer in the army. He has a few close brothers, so it's not easy to offend him.
Although Xue Zhuang had left the army, several of his comrades from the military still attended his wedding banquet, and Granny Cui also invited several women from the kitchen to make a good impression.
Aunt Guo and the others knew they were being asked to help with the cooking, and thinking they could get a free meal, they all came.
With the addition of neighbors and social guests in town, the original plan of three tables turned into four, and there wasn't enough food.
Fortunately, Boss Mu sent over some acorn tofu stew with meat.
The portion was large, served in a basin, and contained slices of meat and oil, which was both impressive and affordable, and everyone present enjoyed the meal.
Xue Zhuang was very satisfied with the meal and said a few more words of thanks when toasting.
Old Mrs. Cui in the new house was not satisfied.
Looking at the bowl of dark brown stuff placed on the table, Xu Yan'er burst into tears: "Mother, how can you eat this pig feed? I can't eat it!"
Granny Cui was so angry that she pounded her chest: "Look at this, is this something a human being would do? Xue Zhuang said he would treat you well in the future, but he can't even afford to throw a decent banquet."
Yan'er, you shouldn't have pleaded that day, you should have just...
"Mother!" Xu Yan'er said, her eyes brimming with tears. "Don't say anymore. If Zhuang-ge hears this, he'll get angry."
If I don't plead for him, Zhuang Ge will be beheaded. If he finds out that his mother wants him dead, he will definitely be angry.
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