Their oxcart didn't return until it was dark.
The two Qingshan brothers' faces were bluish-purple from the cold, especially Qingshan's hands, which were somewhat stiff.
Jiang Yue felt sorry for them and didn't rush to ask why they were home so late. Instead, she had her two sons wash their faces with hot water and wash their hands with mugwort water until they were warm before asking:
Why are you back so late today?
"Mom~ We ran into my mother-in-law and the others, and bought some food to take to Huichuntang. However, Manager Zhao said tonight is crucial and the patient shouldn't be moved, so my mother-in-law and the others are staying in town tonight. After settling everything, it started snowing again, so we hurried back. The oxcart was a bit too fast~"
Qingshan recounted the brothers' ordeal in detail to put his mother and wife at ease.
Jiang Yue nodded, then continued to ask:
"No wonder, how is Grandpa Snow doing?"
"Grandpa is alright. The doctor is giving him acupuncture. He will also need to cut open the wound tonight to drain the pus and blood. He will be observed overnight. If everything is fine, he can be taken home to recuperate tomorrow."
Qingshan wiped his hands and answered in detail.
When he and his second brother went there, Grandpa Ma's calf was swollen so badly that pressing it would leave a hole; you could imagine what was inside...
"Hey, go check on it again tomorrow. Just let Qingsong look after the shop. You're someone's grandson-in-law, practically a grandson to them. Take good care of yourself. Don't worry about the medicine money; Mom doesn't hold it against you. Life is more important than anything else!"
Jiang Yue sighed as she listened, "It takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone. The old man must have broken his bones when he fell, and was in a lot of pain, but he managed to crawl back to the house by sheer willpower and endured the pain without making a sound."
Ultimately, it all comes down to poverty. Poor people are afraid to see a doctor, so they try to endure the pain and avoid spending money if possible.
"Yes, yes, Mother, I know. Alright, alright, it's already so late. You should eat your food, don't go hungry."
Qingshan gave his wife a meaningful look. He couldn't bear to see her cry. He needed to comfort his mother first, and then he'd have to comfort his wife too—that wouldn't be good!
"I'm starving! I sneaked a bite of a steamed bun this afternoon, but it was hard, cold, and awful!"
Qingsong smiled and changed the subject. After warming up, he stretched and slipped to the dining table first. Seeing that Xiaoxue was also there, he smiled and said:
"Little Xue, your front tooth fell out too?"
"Huh? No way~"
Xiaoxue instinctively covered her mouth, but the next second she broke down, glaring at Brother Qingsong who was spouting nonsense.
She lost her front tooth earlier this year, but it has already grown back!
"Hehe, Second Brother is scaring people again."
Qingyao's front teeth have also grown in, but they are only halfway in now and not long enough.
At least it's not a completely dark and empty space anymore, and we don't have to cover our mouths anymore.
No one noticed Qingyun's subtle actions...
He still has a few teeth left, but they've started to loosen recently, so he's afraid to chew.
Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with a toothache. I try to lick it, I try to push it out, but it just won't come out, it just hurts terribly...
"Hehe, you two little dwarfs, don't be picky about your food later. Eat more meat so you can grow taller, otherwise no young man will want you in the future~"
Qingsong didn't notice his third brother's strange behavior. Instead, he whispered to the little maids, making sure his mother couldn't hear him before speaking.
Xiaoxue was fuming. Her brother-in-law was so good, how come her brother was such a scoundrel?
She's not picky about food; she eats whatever's available. She's very well-behaved.
Qingyao seemed to have taken his advice to heart. Since the family's financial situation improved, her mother and brothers would often give her candy and pastries, so she hadn't been eating much at mealtimes and had become a bit picky...
Once she realized this, she immediately had an idea.
Yes, remembering the bitter past makes her appreciate the present, so she can't be picky about food anymore!
She wants to grow tall!
After Jiang Yue sat down, the children all sat up straight and behaved themselves. No one whispered anymore, and they ate their dinner quietly...
A timely snow promises a bumper harvest, and another night of heavy snowfall followed.
The next day, there was another thick layer of snow on the ground, but for some reason, it wasn't as cold inside.
The two brothers, Qingshan and Qingsong, get up early. Daxue has long been used to the rhythm of the house. Every day, as soon as her husband wakes up, she wakes up too, and gets up early to help boil water, cook rice, stir-fry dishes, and serve bowls.
"Don't worry, wife, I'll take care of Mother. Everything will be fine, husband."
Qingshan patted his chest, with five taels of silver in his pocket. His wife's family was also his relatives, something he had promised when he vowed to marry Daxue.
Da Xue nodded, then poured two more hot water bottles and handed one to her husband and the other to her second brother.
He then handed two pairs of rabbit fur gloves, which had been made overnight, to the two men so they could wear them to keep warm.
"Thank you for your hard work, my wife~"
Qingshan gently took his wife's hand in his, noticed a few red spots on her fingertip, softened his movements, blew on them, and felt extremely distressed.
Qingsong was surprised to find himself in a share and happily expressed his gratitude.
"Thank you, sister-in-law!"
"You're welcome. We're family. Tell your brother to drive carefully on the road so he doesn't fall."
Da Xue warned her that the roads were slippery in the snow, and she was worried.
"Okay, sister-in-law~"
Qingsong agreed. His brother was his own brother, so as the younger brother, he naturally had to keep an eye on him.
"Giddy up!"
After the oxcart left, Daxue closed the gate and went back to boiling water.
Two pots of water need to be boiled for my third brother, younger sister, Xiaoxue, and mother-in-law.
She also took advantage of the spare time to arrange the food for the big white dog and the goslings, as well as the food for the little white dog.
Da Xue felt that since getting married, she hadn't been tormented by her mother-in-law or targeted by her sister-in-law like other girls, and she didn't have any particularly tiring housework.
All of this stemmed from her having an enlightened mother-in-law, a doting husband, and kind-hearted younger siblings...
Looking at the vibrant front yard, she thought about raising a batch of chicks in the backyard next year, and also raising a pig, so that she could have eggs every day, and it would be convenient to catch chickens to make soup...
After consummating the marriage the following year, she gave birth to a chubby baby, and life became more and more promising.
"Woof woof woof~"
Seeing one of the women grinning foolishly, Xiao Bai couldn't help but take a few steps back and curiously examine her.
I thought to myself, "Dog meat doesn't taste good, don't even think about stewing it!"
Jiang Yue slept soundly. Since having a wife, she could sleep as long as she wanted without having to worry about anything. With her wife taking care of the household, she felt at ease.
Hearing Xiaobai's call, she slowly opened her eyes...
It's so cold.
She misses air conditioning and heating.
Ah~
After yawning, she pulled at her clothes and tucked them into the blankets, only putting them on after she was warmer.
She was fully awake and dressed by the time she was fully awake.
After putting on thick socks and winter shoes, she finally opened the door and went to the bathroom to wash up...
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