He Tiantian called her two daughters over and pointed to the two feet of red cloth placed next to her.
"Today is your eldest brother's wedding. You two take gifts and go visit your sister-in-law."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Denglong and Zhao Wanzi exchanged a glance, both somewhat reluctant to go to the old house.
He Tiantian immediately saw through their worries and comforted them with a smile, "Your aunt's family is having a happy occasion today, there are so many people here. You two give the gifts to your aunt, and then come back."
Zhao Denglong and Zhao Wanzi finally relaxed. Their aunt was a good person and had treated them quite well before.
So the two children took two feet of red cloth and went out, leaving Liu Yulan and Liu Shuixian alone at home.
Liu Yulan has grown quite a bit taller recently, and is now a head taller than Zhao Denglong. She poured a bowl of water and brought it to He Tiantian, "Auntie, have some water."
"Okay, you and your sister don't need to bother anymore. Go out and play." He Tiantian said quickly, seeing Liu Shuixian's small figure sitting by the gate chopping wild vegetables to feed the chickens.
Hearing He Tiantian say that, Liu Shuixian looked up and wiped the sweat from her brow. She smiled, revealing her gaping teeth, and said, "Auntie, I'm not tired. The chicks have all grown so big; Mom says they're probably about to lay eggs, so they'll eat more."
When there's a wedding in the village, everyone's poor these days, and no one can afford to host a feast.
So the Zhao family steamed a lot of cornbread in advance and then chopped up amaranth and mixed it in.
The cornbread will turn red after steaming because of the amaranth juice, which is a festive touch.
When someone comes to our home with a gift, we give them a cornbread bun as a gesture of hospitality.
At this moment, Old Zhao's house is the most lively. Whenever there is a happy occasion in the village, almost everyone in the village goes to help.
This way, it will be easier to call for help when you need to handle things at home in the future.
Old Mrs. Zhao, dressed in new clothes, was chatting with several older women in the house.
"Oh, sister-in-law, you're so lucky to have your granddaughter-in-law now that she's married into the family."
"Yes, my granddaughter-in-law is really beautiful, no one can compare."
The group of people were talking amongst themselves, each saying nice things.
Old Mrs. Zhao was so flattered that she couldn't stop smiling, and she pulled Wan Cunhua to her side to introduce her one by one.
“This is your Granny Wang, and that is your Granny Yuan. You should greet them when you see them from now on.”
Wan Cunhua was wearing a simple, light red dress, without a single flower on it. The dress was also a bit too big and didn't fit her well; it was probably borrowed.
Old Mrs. Zhao was her aunt, and now she's her grandmother.
Following Old Lady Zhao's introduction, Wan Cunhua called out each name one by one.
Tao and Zhao Xiangnan were busy at the door greeting the people who brought gifts, while Zhao Xiaocao took the initiative to distribute the auspicious steamed buns.
As she ate, she would hand out a celebratory steamed bun whenever she saw someone approaching.
Only after she saw Zhao Denglong and Zhao Wanzi standing in front of her did Zhao Xiaocao take back the wedding steamed bun she had handed over.
She raised an eyebrow and asked in an unfriendly tone, "What are you two doing here? You're not here to freeload, are you?"
"My family is poor, but we don't eat as well as yours. You don't even care about this little bit of food."
Zhao Wanzi rolled up her sleeves, ready to fight Zhao Xiaocao, but Zhao Denglong quickly pulled her back.
Just then, Tao came out of the courtyard, and Zhao Denglong quickly called out, "Auntie."
Tao saw Zhao Denglong and Zhao Wanzi arrive outside, carrying a red cloth. She was startled for a moment, then walked over.
"Lantern, Meatball, what brings you here?"
Zhao Denglong stuffed the two feet of red cloth in his hand into Tao's arms, saying, "Aunt, my mother asked me to bring this."
With that, Zhao Denglong took his sister's hand and prepared to leave.
Tao quickly called to the two children, "Lantern, Meatball. Today is your eldest brother's happy occasion, take these celebratory steamed buns and eat them."
Tao took two of the largest steamed buns from the winnowing basket in Zhao Xiaocao's arms and stuffed them into Lantern and Dumpling's hands.
Her heart felt warm. "Go back and tell your mother that your aunt thanked her. By the way, how is your mother doing lately?"
In fact, Tao was very concerned about her second sister-in-law, but unfortunately her mother-in-law was very strict, and she had no time to visit her.
Zhao Xiaocao had previously mentioned that her second sister-in-law's family was doing quite well, which made her extremely happy.
Zhao Wanzi looked at the steamed bun in her hand and blinked her big, bright eyes.
"My mother gave birth to a little sister for us just yesterday. She's so cute!" Zhao Wanzi said proudly.
Tao's eyes lit up when she heard this. "Really! That's wonderful! Let your mother recover so that your aunt can visit her when she has time."
Zhao Wanzi nodded vigorously, giving Zhao Xiaocao a haughty glance.
Zhao Xiaocao looked disdainful and spat on the ground, "It's still just having a daughter, what's there to brag about..."
"Xiaocao!" Tao interrupted Zhao Xiaocao sharply. "We don't need you here anymore. Go inside and play for a while." Tao took the winnowing basket from Zhao Xiaocao's hands and pushed her back into the house.
That girl has a sharp tongue; standing here, she's bound to offend countless people.
This was the first time in Zhao Xiaocao's life that she had been scolded by her aunt. Before, her aunt had always been gentle and polite to her.
Tao gave Zhao Denglong and Wanzi two more steamed buns before letting them come back.
When I returned, Sister-in-law Yulan had already arrived home.
The two were discussing this matter. "Oh, Maruko's mother, I thought you bought the red cloth to make clothes for Mingzhu. I didn't expect you to still care about the Zhao family. You are so kind-hearted."
“My sister-in-law is a good person; she’s a nice person,” He Tiantian replied.
"Yes, Tao is a good person. It's just a pity... her mother-in-law is really..." Sister Yulan didn't know how to describe Old Lady Zhao.
Anyway, it's a long story.
As the two were talking, Lantern and Dumplings returned.
The two gave one of the auspicious steamed buns they had brought to Yulan and Shuixian. As soon as they entered the door, Zhao Wanzi rattled off a story about what had just happened at the Zhao family's old house.
"That Sister Xiaocao is so annoying, I don't even want to see her now," Zhao Wanzi said resentfully.
Children are so clear about their likes and dislikes; if they hate someone, they'll wear their emotions on their sleeves.
The mulberries in the village are currently in a state of sluggish sales, and even at one cent per kilogram, very few people are willing to buy them.
Old Zhao's family also spent a lot of money on the wedding. That night, Old Mrs. Zhao secretly closed the door and took out all the remaining belongings to count.
There wasn't much left, just two hundred coins.
After counting the money, Old Lady Zhao carefully packed it away and then secretly hid it in the hole under the bed.
On her very first night in the family, Wan Cunhua understood the situation clearly. Her mother-in-law was weak and incapable of handling anything, so her eldest sister-in-law took charge of everything.
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