Xiao Taohua's eyes were red from crying, and her face was still swollen. Li Shi felt extremely distressed and her eyes also reddened, but there was nothing she could do but coax her to eat her meal.
Xie Yushu felt sorry for the little girl, who was only six years old. She was so thin that she looked like a refugee from another continent, and she was very cautious around everyone.
Xiao Haitang threw herself onto Xie Yushu and mumbled...
"Second Aunt, it's a good thing Grandma didn't want me, so I lived with Second Uncle. Otherwise, I would have been beaten several times a day like Peach Blossom Sister!"
When I first arrived, some people said you wouldn't want me anyway, and that I should be careful, otherwise you'd kick me out sooner or later. But you neither hit me nor kicked me out; you even bought me delicious food. You're like my own mother!
Seeing the pitiful state of the peach blossoms, Xiao Haitang suddenly thought of her past days and felt a lingering fear. Her emotions suddenly erupted!
Xie Yushu hadn't expected that beneath Xiao Haitang's seemingly strong and sensible exterior lay such a vulnerable and sensitive side, so she patted her on the shoulder and said...
"Your second aunt will never kick you out, don't be afraid!"
Moreover, your second uncle went to great lengths to choose me because he had inquired for a long time and knew that your second aunt was the most beautiful and kind-hearted person in the surrounding villages, so he spent a lot of money to marry me!
He cares deeply about you and Xiao Jinyu. Even if it weren't for me, he wouldn't let you and Xiao Jinyu be bullied. He truly loves you!
As for what others do, there's no need to care!
Oh, right, don't you still have some candy? Go get some for your little sister Peach Blossom. This afternoon, you'll play with her and your little brother Jinyu right by the door, within the adults' sight. Your job is to keep an eye on them so they don't run off and get bullied. Any questions?
Qu Xiaodie pursed her lips and turned away when she heard Xie Yushu's self-praise. She had never seen anyone who could praise themselves so much!
But Haitang wholeheartedly agreed with her, forgetting all the unsettling things that might have been bothering her, and boldly patted her small chest with a resounding thud.
"Of course, no problem. I'm the older sister, I'll definitely keep a close eye on them!"
After saying that, he went inside to get some candy and coaxed Peach Blossom and Xiao Jinyu to play under the shade of the tree by the door.
With more manpower but fewer tools, Xie Yushu heard that two wealthy families in the village owned handcarts, so she gave Huya and Xiao Dayong twenty copper coins to rent two more handcarts to haul soil.
Despite his leg problems, Xiao Yi continued to make molds at home and look after the children. Xie Baotian, Xie Baoshu, and Xie Tianlin pulled one cart, Xiao Dayong, Song Ge, and Bai Ge pulled another, and Xie Yushu, Li Shi, Qu Xiaodie, and Huya pulled the third. With many hands making light work, they hauled away almost all the yellow soil they needed in just one afternoon.
Xie Yushu didn't go for the last half hour. Instead, she stayed home, chopped wild vegetables, added a few eggs, mixed them with lard to make filling, and then made dozens of pancakes by mixing wheat flour with cornmeal.
The group had been hauling dirt all afternoon and were exhausted and hungry. They returned just in time for dinner, and the simple, homemade meat pies made them all exceptionally happy, especially the children, who chattered excitedly as they ate.
"This is the best pie I've ever eaten!"
"I wish I could eat such delicious pies every day!"
The cheerful atmosphere eased some of the day's fatigue.
After dinner, while it was still light, the group went home, agreeing to meet again the next day.
After seeing everyone off, Xie Yushu urged them to wash up and go back to their rooms. Xiao Jinyu was very envious that Xiao Haitang could sleep with Xie Yushu and Qu Xiaodie. Especially when she heard the laughter and chatter from the next room, Xiao Jinyu frowned, pouted, and said, "I want to go too!"
Xiao Yi frowned as he gave him a lesson.
"Boys and girls shouldn't sit together after the age of seven. You're a boy, if you go to that room, people will laugh their heads off! It'll be so embarrassing, you know? Go to sleep!"
Xiao Jinyu's resistance was futile, and she closed her eyes resentfully.
At this moment, Xiao Yi had no idea how serious his words were, or how loudly Xiao Jinyu would slap him in the face in the future!
Early the next morning, Xie Yushu cooked a pot of white rice porridge and made a pot of flatbread. After everyone arrived, she was invited to eat breakfast first.
Although everyone said they had eaten, Xie Yushu guessed that based on their current living standards, they had probably only eaten a bowl of porridge to fill their stomachs. They could stay still, but they would get hungry after working for a while, so she made each of them drink a bowl of porridge and eat a pancake before they were done.
We don't need to haul soil today. Xie Baotian, Xiao Dayong, and Xie Baoshu are in charge of preparing the clay, while the others use molds to make clay bricks for tiles.
Everyone had a clear division of labor and was very efficient, especially Huya, Xie Tianlin, and Song Ge and Bai Ge, these young big kids, who pulled out a row of them in no time, as if it were a game.
Of course, Xiao Yi was no slower either!
Today's lunch will again be made with he luo noodles, with Li and Qu Xiaodie in charge of cooking.
Xie Yushu then went to make some square, thick clay bricks in preparation for building an earthen kiln.
Although Xie Baotian and Xiao Dayong had great doubts about their chances of successfully firing tiles, Xie Yushu did a very good job, and Xiao Yi offered unconditional support, so no one said a word. They secretly thought that if they succeeded, they would also fire a batch.
Xie Baotian's house is still a thatched house, and it needs to be repaired. He was reluctant to buy roof tiles and planned to cut some thatch in the fall to repair it. However, if his daughter can make roof tiles, then it's just a matter of putting in some effort, and naturally, he will use roof tiles!
Although Xiao Dayong and his wife benefited from Xiao Yuanhang's influence and lived in a tile-roofed house, last night, Li told Xiao Dayong that after Song Ge and Bai Ge got married, they should move out and build separate houses for the two brothers. Xiao Dayong was very tempted. He couldn't bear to let his two children continue to live such a repressive and inferior life!
Previously, he would have only thought of building a thatched house for them to live in first, and then renovating it when conditions allowed. But if Xie Yushu could make it into tiles, even if it wasn't very beautiful, he would accept it. He was willing to risk being scolded to death by Old Madam Xiao to save so much money!
Although the group had their doubts, none of them had the heart to say anything and dampen Xie Yushu's morale. They just watched silently as Xie Yushu continued to repair and build the kiln.
Xie Yushu was also feeling quite guilty. In fact, her experience with kiln building was limited to the so-called wilderness survival videos she watched in her previous life. Whether or not the kiln could be fired was entirely up to fate!
Fortunately, she has a loyal fan, Xiao Yi, who gives her guidance from time to time based on his experience in building earthen beds, and also lends a hand from time to time!
Qu Xiaodie ridiculed this without any politeness.
"If you two can get together, it's purely because this mud brick has a spirit, couldn't bear such a humiliation, and automatically took shape!"
Xie Yushu stubbornly refused to admit that her work was bad, and boasted that if she succeeded, Qu Xiaodie would cook for her for a month!
Whether others believe it or not, thanks to Xie Yushu and Xiao Yi's efforts, a kiln with a diameter of 3.5 meters and a height of 3 meters was completed before dark.
As for why we didn't make a bigger one, it's because buying iron bars is very expensive. For such a small earthen kiln, the iron bars for the base alone cost two taels of silver. Moreover, burning coal afterwards would be very costly. Making it too big wouldn't be worthwhile for personal use. We don't have the skills to make it professionally!
Anyway, I don't know how I'll get through the rest of the year, so I'm just making do.
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