The busy farming season had ended long before the Mid-Autumn Festival. Just after the bustle of the Mid-Autumn Festival, and before the villagers had any free time, the Zhao family had already started another topic of conversation after dinner.
While the weather was still warm, the river behind the house was mostly occupied by women who came to wash clothes and vegetables. With so many people, the chattering could not be stopped, and they were noisy and had no restraint in making any noise.
"You didn't see that the boy from the Yang family was personally invited by the county magistrate. The position of county magistrate has been vacant for many years. Now the Yang family can be considered a family of officials who receive salaries."
"Of course I didn't see it. The villages within a radius of dozens of miles haven't produced such a promising person in many years. I also heard that many people have donated land and shops to his family. There are nearly ten slaves in the house in the town. Lan Zhen is lucky. She will have a life of luxury from now on."
"That family was farsighted, believing that no one could enjoy more happiness than them. They married their son to a younger brother of a juren, and they also found a juren as a son-in-law for their own brother. All these good things happened to them. What do you think will happen to the generations in the future?"
The woman who had just spoken was silenced by someone beside her. The woman squatting with her tugged at her sleeve, making her look to the right, and hurriedly whispered, "Didn't you see Cuilan is here too? You can't say such nonsense now. We can't let the officials talk about us carelessly. If it gets to the county government and someone finds fault with us, you'll have to behave yourself when the tax is collected."
They all make a living by farming. The current emperor is quite wise and the taxes are not too harsh. Every household may not have a constant supply of flour, but at least they have enough grains. However, they live in a remote area and the emperor's orders are not as effective as the county magistrate's orders. It is not an exaggeration to say that they are local tyrants.
They were all weak farmers who could kill them with just a flick of the finger of the officials. The woman obviously felt that she was speaking too loudly, so she looked around and quickly fell silent.
Zhu Cuilan didn't take these words seriously at all. She washed the things in her hands, drained the water, stood up and went back.
The woman laughed awkwardly and called out to her, "Cui Lan, I have some sweet radishes here. Would you like to take some home?"
"No need," Zhu Cuilan said coldly, "I don't need any at home, you can keep it for yourself."
After saying that, he turned and left, ignoring the whispers behind him.
She had anticipated these words long before she agreed to have two children, and she was not surprised at all. However, one of them said something right, Fang Chu was destined to enjoy a happy life in the future, and what could be more important than the blessings of his children and grandchildren? Saying a few words wouldn't cost him anything.
Back in the yard, Yang Donghu was holding Taole in the middle of the yard to bask in the sun. Yang Anjin was around him with a happy face. The old lady also sat in the yard for a rare time. Zhao Luochuan made a recliner for the old lady. She half-lay on it without any stress on her body. The sun was comfortable at the moment. The old lady half-closed her eyes and watched the younger generations chatting and making noise.
Zhu Cuilan didn't let them hear the gossip outside. Life was good now, so there was no need to worry about those gossips. The day after Yang Anchen came back, he found a matchmaker to propose to Zhao Fangchu, and even brought the betrothal gifts, which completely cut off the thoughts of those people outside.
"Grandma, what would you like to eat for lunch? I'll make it in a while." Zhu Cuilan carried dried gourds in her basket. After washing the dust off them, she mixed them with flour and fried them on a low heat until they were crispy and fragrant. They were the most delicious.
The old lady looked fine today. When she heard Zhu Cuilan's greeting, she smiled and said, "I'm fine with anything. Let's ask the children what they want to eat."
"Mom, are these dried gourds?" Yang Anjin took the basket from her hand and said after getting a response: "Want to have fried gourds with noodles for lunch? Then I'll go buy some tofu and make some soup with the cabbage, so it won't be too dry."
"Okay, I'll fry the gourds in a minute." Zhu Cuilan patted herself, sat down, teased Tao Le, who had her eyes wide open, and asked, "Where's Fang Chu? Let him come out and light the fire."
"He's in the house. Don't call him. I'll put it on the stove later." Yang Donghu said with a smile.
The betrothal gifts that the Yang family brought were the same as when Yang Anjin got married. In addition to the betrothal money and some miscellaneous items, there were also two pieces of bright red satin to make the wedding dress.
Zhao Fangchu felt that her skills were not good enough, so she didn't dare to pick up the needle. Now the satin is still brand new, without any wrinkles, and she is currently studying in the room how to embroider clothes.
The couple's wedding date is set for the late autumn of next year, so there's still enough time. Zhao Fangchu touched the material with a smile, thinking of asking Yang Anjin for advice in the evening before embroidering it.
Zhu Cuilan knew that he was in high spirits, so she didn't force him out. She waited until the sun was at its highest before washing her hands and going to the kitchen to cook. The men at home were busy making money, so Zhu Cuilan scooped less white flour when mixing the gourd.
The weather was mild a few days ago, but maybe because a few drops of rain fell in the evening, it suddenly became cold as soon as the sun went down. I had to lie in bed with another quilt to avoid feeling cold.
Yang Donghu coaxed the baby to sleep, took a thick quilt from the cabinet and planned to change the old lady. On weekdays, the old lady would go to bed as soon as it got dark. Judging from the time, he thought the old lady was already asleep, but he didn't expect that when he went in, the old lady was still sitting with her eyes open.
Yang Donghu put down the quilt, exclaimed, and asked, "Grandma, why aren't you sleeping yet? Why are you sitting up? Are you feeling unwell?"
As he said this, he was about to help the old lady lie down.
"Donghu, stop busying yourself and sit with me for a while." The old lady patted the edge of the bed and spoke with full energy, as if she had returned to the time when she was not sick.
Yang Donghu always felt that something was wrong with her, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. He just listened to her and sat down obediently. The old lady lovingly stroked his forehead and said softly, "Is Lele asleep?"
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