292 The Rise and Fall of the Royal City, Chapter Twenty-One
Before dawn, with no sunrise, the wife, seeing her husband had already left to work in the fields, immediately got up early. She looked at her four-year-old son, who was fast asleep, and quietly came to the kitchen wearing a simple thick coat, coarse cloth pants, and coarse hemp shoes.
In the kitchen, the mother-in-law was already boiling water. Seeing her daughter-in-law come in, she said softly, "Why didn't you sleep a little longer? You've both been working so hard these past few days."
The daughter-in-law took the gourd ladle, a warm feeling welling up in her heart. She said softly, "Mother-in-law, I'm not tired. Father and husband went to the fields this morning. I'll bring them some food later."
My mother-in-law will take the two children to school later. They don't need to go to the fields. My husband, I, and the other two should be fine.
The mother-in-law shook her head, while quickly refusing to serve the already rinsed rice, a bowl, and a large pot of steaming water, saying, "Wait a minute, you eat something first, then go take the two children to school. I'll bring the food."
You don't need to go to the fields. There are still many things to take care of at home.
The older one is almost ten years old now. It's a good opportunity, so we should keep a close eye on him and let him learn more characters. That way, he'll have a better chance of finding a career path later.
After saying that, he whispered, "I already asked Old Man Weng about it before. It's just that his eldest grandson is a bit too young. We'll ask Old Man Weng to find him a job when he's a little older."
You mustn't tell anyone this. Things are different now. There are plenty of young men in this market now, lots of opportunities, and lots of people are eyeing them. There are also quite a few outstanding young men.
The daughter-in-law nodded and didn't say anything more.
She gently declined, then whispered with concern, "Grandma, let me take them later. If you go, you might run into some acquaintances in the village and ask them about it."
When I visited last time, it was mostly the grandparents who brought the gifts. I even saw Aunt Wang and Aunt Zhang chatting. If you go, you can chat with them.
The eldest is almost ten years old; in a few years, he'll be settling down and starting a family. It's always good to ask around and see what's going on. Maybe there will be more options available.
Hearing the hint of expectation in her daughter-in-law's voice, and remembering her long-standing acquaintance with Sister Zhang and her family, she thought, perhaps it really could work out. She nodded, "Okay, I'll go ask and see how things are going lately."
Just then, footsteps approached. Looking over, the eldest grandson, who was already half-grown, had gotten up and was walking towards them. Since he had started learning to read and write, the eldest grandson got up very early every day, helping with chores. After finishing, he would try his best to learn to read and write whenever he had a spare moment.
A mixture of joy and anticipation, along with a touch of worry, filled his heart. He thought to himself, 'It seems I should talk to Sister Zhang and the others more often.'
A young child, his face still showing signs of sleepiness, dressed simply in cloth shoes, came over quickly and said with a smile, "Grandma, Mom, I've come to help with cooking. I got up a little late today."
Grandma smiled and said, "Grandson, you're not late. Go wash your face, and come down for some porridge. Your mother and I can take care of things here."
"Okay," the boy, now a teenager, went to the stove and slowly picked up a piece of firewood, adding another. The fire in the stove grew stronger and stronger! Soon, the aroma of cooked food wafted through the air.
Grandma, from the woods, put several large steamed buns from yesterday into another pot, started a fire to heat them up, and the aroma quickly spread!
The mother-in-law prepared two bowls of ordinary porridge for her daughter-in-law, setting them aside to cool, and one bowl was for her eldest grandson. The porridge was generally thick, and although it didn't have fragrant rice, it was much better than the watery porridge of the past.
Then, skillfully, he picked up two smaller bowls, filled them with the thick porridge he had scooped from the pot, added some pickled vegetable stalks and pickled green beans, and then placed a larger bowl on top. Inside, he placed four large steamed buns.
It fits perfectly in a wooden lunchbox, just right. Fill it up, close the lid, and set it aside. It's perfect for a grandson.
At this moment, steam rises and the aroma of food fills the air, and I suddenly feel a little hungry.
Scoop out the remaining thin porridge from the pot, making just one bowl. Then pour half a ladle of water into the pot, mixing the water with the remaining residue. Now it's another bowl of porridge!
I put the slightly worn wooden lid on the pot and waited for the porridge to be ready in a while, using the residual heat. I couldn't help but think that I was getting old and couldn't do many things anymore. I used to be able to work in the fields all morning without eating.
He walked out of the kitchen, saw his daughter-in-law who had already tidied up, and his eldest grandson who was reading a book, and called out, "Come and eat!"
The fields are now quite far from the market. Inside the city, which is now mostly residential, there is a large flow of people. Near the exits of the wall, before dawn, many people are already lining up to leave, and some are even taking specially arranged oxcarts to the fields further away.
In a lush green field, Qingsong and his father are busy digging soil, planting sweet potatoes, covering them up, and watering them before the sun gets too strong.
Sweating profusely, but with hope in his heart, his gaze was resolute, and he swung his hoe without stopping. In the distance, many people had already begun to come out, some of them already sitting on the ground to rest for a while.
Near this plot of land, everyone is planting roughly the same things. Some of the plants that were planted the day before yesterday have already started to take root, so the seeds must be of good quality.
Qingsong and his wife were both tired after a busy day. They heard a voice calling them from afar. Looking up, they saw his wife rushing over, carrying a lunchbox. Her face instantly lit up with a satisfied and happy smile.
After Yun Su and the others left, Yun Shuni stared longingly at the departing, imposing figure, perhaps not having displayed as many talents as she had.
But the irresistible charm emanating from her entire being has taken deep root in my heart.
Some people, upon first questioning, felt that she was too amorous, that she was so amorous, having so many female confidantes besides the young lady, which made them even more indignant and heartbroken for the young lady.
Yet, at this moment, after only two short meetings, their affection has deepened to an unparalleled degree, seemingly higher than the mountains, deeper than the sea, and more ingrained than a thousand-year-old stone carving.
That towering figure, like a dream, gradually faded into the distance, disappearing from sight at the edge of the horizon.
Suddenly, she realized that she didn't have many talents, nor did she have a gorgeous dance, a moving singing voice, or the beauty of a young lady, yet she was enough to make heroes all over the world fall in love with her and go crazy for her. She didn't have a noble status that would make people envious. She was just simple and ordinary. Unconsciously, tears kept falling down her cheeks.
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