"Auntie, Yao Yao misses you so much!"
As soon as the courtyard gate opened, Qingyao rushed into her aunt's arms and acted coquettishly.
Upon hearing this, Madam Liu chuckled and jokingly retorted:
"Oh, really? What delicious food did Yao Yao bring for her aunt?"
"Ta-da! Peanut brittle!"
Qingyao was prepared. She took out a piece of peanut candy wrapped in oil paper from her pocket. It was delicious. She had specially chosen the sweetest piece from her grandmother's house.
After being fed, Liu took a bite, chewed it, and covered her lips in praise:
"Wow, it's so sweet~"
"As long as my aunt is happy~"
After appeasing her aunt, Qingyao went to play with her cousin without any trouble.
Jiang Yue came in carrying New Year's goods, handing them to her sister-in-law while reminding her:
"Sister-in-law, don't let Yao Yao fool you. This girl has been talking about you ever since she left home, saying that her aunt's hawthorn slices are delicious~"
"What a coincidence, I made some candied hawthorns today, and I was thinking of Yao Yao coming over, so I prepared a lot."
Liu's smile deepened, which meant that Yao Yao missed her and remembered her cooking skills!
"Why did you bring so much stuff over again? Don't you want to make a living?"
Jiang Nian tidied herself up, wearing new clothes, a far cry from her disheveled appearance in the kitchen just now.
"Big brother, your little sister's made it big now, so I can't come back and brag about it~"
Jiang Yue joked, then carried a lighter gift box and followed her sister-in-law into the main room.
"Yes, yes, my dear sister, you're so different now! As your older brother, I can't say anything to you~"
Jiang Nian covered her face, feigning sadness, but the smile in her eyes was impossible to hide; even the crow's feet appeared...
"Alright, Uncle, my mother and aunt have gone far and can't see us. Why don't you lend me a hand?"
Qingsong's face turned a liverish color. "It's so heavy. How did this box get into the carriage?"
How did Ye He and Ye Hua, those two sisters, manage to do that?
"You brat, you have no manners!"
That's what they say, but Jiang Nian's actions were quite telling.
"Oh~"
Why is it so heavy!
"What's in this box? Why is it so heavy?"
"Uncle, how would I know? My brother and younger brother prepared the gifts. I had no idea!"
Qingsong chuckled and shifted the blame, saying, "Anyway, neither my eldest brother nor my third brother are here, so let him say whatever he wants."
How could Jiang Nian not see through his mischievous nephew's trick? After exerting his strength, he finally helped move the box, his veins bulging, and he said fiercely:
"By the way, where's your third brother? Why didn't he come?"
"You bookworm, you've caught a cold from staying up all night reading."
Qingsong gritted his teeth and used all his strength to lift himself up, barely managing to carry one side as he and his uncle struggled forward.
"No wonder, it's no wonder they didn't come."
After Jiang Nian learned the reason, he stopped talking. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk, but the thing was too heavy. He wanted to move it faster!
Clang!
The things were finally placed in the main room with great difficulty, and they made a tremendous noise.
Jiang Yue suddenly realized:
"This was sent over by my second sister-in-law, who is also the little girl's parents."
"Since it was sent by the in-laws, it must be for Lei's wife. When Lei comes back, we'll ask him to help carry it to their new house."
Liu was very sensible; she understood what her sister-in-law meant when she heard her say that.
Then she invited her sisters-in-law to sit down and talk, and ordered her husband to go to the kitchen to fetch a pot of hot water for making paste.
The little girl, supported by her sister-in-law Xiaoyu, entered the main room. She hesitated for a moment before coming in, but ultimately chose to call out:
"Third Aunt~"
"Oh, it's been so long since I've seen you, your belly is already showing, how many months pregnant are you?"
When Jiang Yue saw the girl, she got up and helped her to sit down in front of the fire bucket. While asking her questions, she looked her over to see how she was doing.
"Replying to Third Aunt, it has been more than four months."
The little girl felt her aunt's concern and answered seriously, not daring to be negligent.
"Take off your shoes and come in to warm your feet. Look how cold your little hands are."
Jiang Yue treated the little girl warmly and without any airs.
This flattered the little girl, and she readily took off her cotton shoes and put her feet into the fire bucket to warm them.
"This year, someone in the village cleared a forest on the mountain and planted a lot of shiitake mushrooms. Your sister-in-law knows you love them, so she specially bought a lot and dried them all. She's just waiting for you to come. When you get home, you can soak them in water to rehydrate them..."
Jiang Nian sat at the other end of the table, chatting casually with the girl.
Outsiders say that his sister was granted the title of County Lady, making her the highest-ranking official in the entire Peach Blossom County, and even the newly arrived county magistrate has to treat her with deference.
But he wasn't an outsider; he was his sister's brother, and he always would be.
He didn't believe that the girl would look down on him. Sure enough, someone said this year that the county magistrate's wife would go back to her parents' home on the second day of the Lunar New Year. Hmph, she's proven wrong, isn't she?
"Oh, I'll have to bring home a lot more. Nobody in our village buys shiitake mushrooms, and they're rare even in town!"
Jiang Yue's eyes lit up. She had the pleasure of eating it once when she went back to her parents' home last year, and she had been thinking about it ever since. She never expected that her sister-in-law would remember her preferences and even post it online!
It feels so good to be valued!
"I'll hug you, I'll hug you all."
With a smile, Liu brought over a plate of dried fruit boxes. After opening the lid, the dried fruit inside was revealed.
The atmosphere was harmonious and joyful; the adults chatted about adult topics, and the children naturally talked about children's topics.
So, Xiaoyu took the initiative to find her little cousin, took her to her room, and brought out her treasured hawthorn cake and candied hawthorn for her to eat.
"Thank you, cousin!"
Yao Yao loves this sweet and sour dessert and enjoys it immensely.
Xiaoyu rested her cheeks on her hands and asked curiously:
"Yaoyao, the people in our village are saying that Auntie became an official with a higher rank than a county magistrate. Is that true?"
"It's true, no one dares to bully me at school anymore."
Yao Yao nodded, her lips smeared with powdered sugar, and answered earnestly.
Back in school, although her classmates knew that her mother was a well-known and capable person in Wujia Village, many people still secretly ostracized and bullied her.
Although in most cases her brother Yin stands up for her, unexpected situations are inevitable.
Ever since her mother was granted the title of County Lady by the Emperor, the way her classmates looked at her changed.
Some people tried to befriend her with ingratiating looks and tones, while others apologized to her with remorseful expressions...
Yin-gege told her that she should learn to distinguish her friends, as some are kind and others approach her with ulterior motives, and that she should keep her eyes open and choose for herself.
But what she was thinking was that she had Xiaoxue and Brother Yin by her side, and she didn't need anyone else to be her friend.
Therefore, she rejected all offers to be friends with others, believing that quality is more important than quantity when it comes to friendships!
"Cousin, why don't you come to study at the school in our Wu Family Village?"
“My mother also wanted me to go and study, but I was worried about the work at home. Plus, my sister-in-law is pregnant. If I really left, my mother would be exhausted.”
Xiaoyu shook her head. Although she envied her cousin, she would rather stay at home, help her parents take care of her sister-in-law, and help with housework.
Qingyao didn't say much after hearing this. The teacher said, "Everyone has their own ambitions; that's probably the case..."
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