The next day, before Xue Xiaoniu was fully awake, he noticed that Ah Li had woken up.
However, he didn't move; he wanted to see what Ahri was up to do so early.
Ah Li looked back at Xue Xiaoniu and, finding him still asleep, carefully left.
She got up so early to prepare a meal and clean the yard.
Hearing the noise outside, Xue Xiaoniu propped himself up and looked out the window.
Ahri didn't notice he was awake and was splashing water little by little in the kitchen with a basin of water.
Then, Ahri picked up the broom in the corner and started cleaning the kitchen. After she finished sweeping, she even opened the kitchen window.
Xue Xiaoniu stopped watching; she wanted to clean, so let her clean.
Xue Xiaoniu yawned and went back to sleep. He usually slept very late.
Ali went into the kitchen to cook rice, stir-fried a vegetable dish and a meat dish, and kept them warm in a pot behind the stove.
Ali also discovered that Xue Xiaoniu's clothes hadn't been washed, while the other two people's clothes had been washed.
The water tank in the kitchen was full, and the water tank in the yard was full too.
Ali took a basin, put in some water, and washed Xue Xiaoniu's clothes.
Ahri didn't linger at the door either, because her deafness and muteness were too obvious now. If the original owner's family came looking for her, they could easily find her by asking around.
The nearest village is two or three kilometers away, which takes about half an hour to walk there.
After Ali finished hanging up Xue Xiaoniu's clothes, Xue Daniu and Xue Erniu returned.
They held a secret meeting with the people here last night, telling them to be on their guard and pay close attention to anyone entering or leaving the village, especially unfamiliar faces.
There were also troops stationed in the mountains; those were the Grand Tutor's private soldiers.
The Grand Tutor said that he did not want to use his private troops unless absolutely necessary.
However, given the current emperor's incompetence, it's not impossible for him to be overthrown.
Last night, Xue Daniu and Xue Erniu also went to the place where the troops were stationed, checked the supplies that the Grand Tutor had sent over the past two days, and collected their share.
As soon as Xue Xiaoniu heard the noise coming from the courtyard gate, he woke up. He went to the door and saw that it was Xue Daniu and Xue Erniu who had returned. He rubbed his sleepy eyes and said, "Xue Daniu, did you forget that you cooked today?"
Xue Daniu looked at Ali, who was hanging up clothes to dry, and said, "What about you? You don't even wash your own clothes anymore?"
Xue Xiaoniu also looked at Ali and said, "She wanted to wash me herself."
Xue Daniu didn't say anything, but instead went into the kitchen.
Xue Erniu went into the house and found that the quilts on the large wooden board were neatly arranged, but the quilts on the heated kang were not folded.
"You slept with her last night?"
"Xue Erniu, speak properly. I only slept on the same kang (heated brick bed) with her, but I didn't do anything else."
Xue Xiaoniu glared at Xue Erniu.
Xue Erniu pointed at the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) with his finger, then at the large wooden plank. "It's so spacious over there, why do you sleep on the heated kang with her? You really treat her like your wife?"
"I'm afraid this person will run away."
After Xue Xiaoniu finished speaking, he snorted and walked out.
Xue Erniu muttered, "I'm afraid they'll run away. If they do, so be it."
In the kitchen, Xue Daniu was about to start a fire to cook when he noticed that the stove was warm. He lifted the lid and found a pot of white porridge, a bowl of vegetables, and a bowl of meat.
Ali followed them in, took out bowls and chopsticks and set them out, and then brought the dishes to the table.
Xue Xiaoniu came in after washing up and said to Xue Daniu, "See? This is the benefit of keeping people here."
"Um."
Xue Daniu agreed, then scooped all the porridge out of the pot, put it in a large bowl, and brought it to the table.
A moment later, Xue Erniu also came in. He glanced at the food that had been prepared on the table and knew that it was not Xue Daniu who made it, but Ali.
After the four of them finished eating, Xue Daniu went to wash the dishes, while Ali wiped the table.
Xue Erniu took his quilt and went outside to air it in the yard.
Xue Xiaoniu, watching Ah Li bustling about, said, "I'm going to town to get some things for this person. You guys keep an eye on him for me."
Xue Erniu looked at Xue Xiaoniu and said, "If you're so worried about the person running away, why don't you take a rope and tie them up?"
Xue Xiaoniu didn't bother talking to Xue Erniu; this guy didn't seem to like this wife-sharing arrangement very much.
Xue Daniu said, "Go ahead, I'll keep an eye on people."
Xue Erniu looked at Xue Daniu and said, "If you two act like this, people would think she was really kidnapped by you."
Xue Xiaoniu didn't care what Xue Erniu was saying. Hearing Xue Daniu's assurance, he felt relieved. He even went to get the oxcart out and drove it to town.
After washing the dishes, Xue Daniu went to sharpen the kitchen knife and the wood-chopping knife.
Xue Erniu found a piece of clothing somewhere and sat down in the yard to mend it.
However, looking at the crooked stitches and the fact that the rest of the garment was all wrinkled, Xue Erniu thought, maybe I should just throw this garment away. He really couldn't do mending.
Xue Erniu threw his clothes aside and went inside to air out his books.
His current identity is that of the second son of the Xue family, a scholar who wants to pass the imperial examinations and change his life.
After seeing Xue Erniu throw his clothes on the chair, Ali ignored him and went to air out his books. Sometimes he would stand in the shade with a book in his hand, shaking his head and swaying back and forth, looking quite the part.
Ali picked up Xue Erniu's clothes and found that the stitching was indeed not very good. She sat down where Xue Erniu had been sitting, took off the original stitches, and sewed them back on.
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