Tao Niang didn't even consider the possibility that it was her husband. The reason was very simple: not to mention their Dongshan Village, even the entire Sanping County might not be able to find such good linen, especially since it was a whole roll in perfect condition.
Wu Yiyi puffed out her chest proudly, "That's right, Mother, this fabric was given to me by Madam. Look, this jar of salt was also given to me by Madam. Madam also gave me a bag of grain, which is still on the carriage. Brother Cheng will bring it to us in the carriage tomorrow."
Tao Niang and her sisters-in-law exchanged incredulous glances. Goodness, they had only been gone for a little over a month, less than two months, and they had already given them so much!
Tao Niang took the salt jar from Wu Yiyi's hand, opened the lid, and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. She then passed it on to her sisters-in-law.
"My God, look at this snow-white color! And how did they manage to make this salt so clean and fine?"
In these mountains, salt is just as scarce as gold.
Without gold, people are merely poorer, but without salt, they lack strength and may even fall ill and die. Therefore, given the opportunity to trade for salt, they have no choice but to bite the bullet and exchange it for grain or livestock.
Even so, the salt they could obtain was of very poor quality, tasting more bitter than salty.
Tao Niang was so surprised that she couldn't speak.
Their shouts and cries quickly alerted the rest of the family. Wu Yiyi's three uncles, two older brothers, and several cousins all came out one after another. Only her grandparents, who were sleeping further away, were not woken up.
The main breadwinners of the family gathered in the main room, and everyone was overjoyed to see what Wu Yiyi had brought back. Wu Yiyi's eldest brother patted him on the shoulder twice and praised, "Yiyi, well done!"
Wu Yiyi was both proud and shy, and she laughed along with everyone else.
After the laughter subsided, everyone inquired about Wu Yiyi's life at Lord Pei's residence. Upon hearing this, Wu Yiyi couldn't help but break into a joyful smile.
"Lord Pei is so kind, and Madam is incredibly kind too! I get to eat a bowl of snow-white rice every day, and Madam doesn't limit how much we eat; everyone can eat until they're full. The dishes are delicious, with plenty of oil and flavor. Madam even made two new outfits for each of us."
Upon hearing this, Wu Yiyi's second brother was both happy for his younger brother and felt a pang of sadness. He said, "Good lad, no wonder you're so energetic now, you've been eating so well every day!"
Everyone crowded around Wu Yiyi and looked at him. In the dim light of the night, they realized that Wu Yiyi was indeed wearing brand new clothes, dark blue, without a single patch.
Tao Niang touched Wu Yiyi's body and immediately realized that it was made of the finest fine cloth. It felt exceptionally light and soft to the touch, perfect for this weather.
Seeing that her son not only looked healthy and energetic, but also wore brand new clothes, Tao Niang couldn't help but secretly wipe her eyes a couple of times.
Wu Yiyi was filial and obedient from a young age. He was well-liked by his elders when he was at home. Now that he was out working, no one in the family could help but grumble about him.
Especially for Tao Niang, this is her youngest son, who is only fifteen years old this year. How could a mother not worry about him going out of the village alone?
Fortunately, they went to Lord Pei's house. Although Tao Niang couldn't help but worry, she wasn't too anxious. If you asked around in Sanping County, everyone knew that Lord Pei was a good official who was rare in their area. With her son at his house, at least she wouldn't have to worry about being beaten, scolded, or mistreated.
While Wu Yi's family was having a lively time, Chunniang was telling Wu Shiliu about the recent events in the village. "Shiliu, you've been gone for almost two months. You may not know, but last month Lord Pei distributed rice seeds to every household. The rice seeds are top-quality, with large and plump grains."
Wu Shiliu was focused on making furniture and had no idea about this. He slapped his thigh in frustration, "What should we do? Is it too late to start planting now?"
Seeing that he still couldn't shake his impatient nature, Chunniang shook her head and said, "If you wait until you come back to plant, the daylilies will be too cold. Several families in the village have sent people to help us. Our land was prepared by several families together, and the seeds have already been sown. We can start transplanting rice seedlings soon."
Wu Shiliu was relieved and said, "Then we must thank them properly, otherwise how could you and your parents possibly manage to clear the land?"
Wu Shiliu and Chunniang had been married for many years without children, and he had originally prepared himself to grow old with his wife. Unexpectedly, when he was thirty-five years old, Chunniang suddenly became pregnant, and the following year she gave birth to a daughter smoothly.
The couple, Wu Shiliu and his wife, were overjoyed to have this daughter, and even Wu Shiliu's parents were very happy.
The elderly couple had always worried that their son would be all alone and lonely in his old age. Now that they finally have a child, they can finally put their minds at ease.
My daughter is only five years old this year, and she still needs to be taken care of.
This spring, Wu Shiliu was away from home again. Seeing that other families were busy preparing their fields, Chunniang was extremely anxious. She had no choice but to take her daughter and go to the fields with her parents-in-law. While they were working, she would leave her daughter on the edge of the field so that she could keep an eye on her.
Within two days, several families spontaneously sent their men to help, and Chunniang and her parents-in-law were extremely grateful.
Now that Wu Shiliu has finally returned, and with so many things, Chunniang immediately thought of giving him something to thank him.
Chunniang looked at Wu Shiliu and said, "I think we should give some grain and salt to each of their families. These are things that every family needs, and they will certainly not refuse to give them to them."
Wu Shiliu immediately nodded and said, "That's good. We can't forget about the help they've given us. Which families are they? We'll send it to them tomorrow."
Chunniang replied carefully, "Brother Wu Mu's family was the first to arrive. He not only came by himself, but also brought his younger brother. This is a double favor. Later, two neighboring families also sent one person each."
Wu Shiliu said, "Then let's prepare four thank-you gifts and deliver them together tomorrow. Ah, we'll be able to eat rice this autumn! This is something we never dared to dream of before!"
Chunniang nodded emphatically, "That's right, it's all because Lord Pei has us in mind! If it were those officials from before, even if they had rice seeds, they wouldn't have shared them with us, let alone put in so much effort to help us catch the mountain bandits!"
Mentioning this, Wu Shiliu had something to say: "The Pei family are no ordinary people; it's as if they descended from heaven to help us common folk. Look, first, when Lord Pei came here, the bandits were soon too frightened to come out and do evil. Now, the Madam has arrived, and she is incredibly kind and gentle. Take a few people in our village, for example. They've only been gone a few days when the Madam was making new clothes for the servants. Do you think an ordinary person would make clothes for us?"
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