Before leaving, Tian Yu asked Grandma Gouzi to help find a few women in the village who could cook to come and help the day after tomorrow, and also to inquire if there were any extra tables and chairs. Grandma Gouzi promised to find a few clean and capable women, and said that as for tables and chairs, everyone in the village would chip in for any event, so Tian Yu could rest assured. Just as Grandma Gouzi left, Tian Yu saw three horse-drawn carts arriving at the village entrance. The furniture he had ordered must have arrived. They were waiting in front of the door. The carts were fully loaded. Tian Yu asked them to help carry the furniture into the yard, wanting them to stay and rest for a simple meal before leaving. The three said their employer had other work to do and the road was far, so they couldn't stay. Tian Yu gave each of them some steamed buns, settled the remaining bill, and then saw them off. Looking at the yard full of furniture, Tian Yu didn't ask them to carry it inside, wanting to wipe it down and air it out first, as the house hadn't been cleaned yet. Tian Yu rolled up his sleeves, humming an English song, and began washing up. When she's happy, she'll even spin around and twist a couple of times, using the rag in her hand as a microphone to sing like a pop star. She doesn't neglect her work though; she quickly cleans the house and then goes to the yard to wipe the furniture. When she sings with deep emotion, Tian Yu even stretches out her hand, sways her waist, and sings with great feeling:
Love is now or never
Bring me far away
take me to your heart take me to your soul
"Give me your..." Thinking she'd made a graceful turn, Tian Yu felt like disappearing into a hole when she saw Zhao Moyan and Chen Chong standing in front of the courtyard gate. Seeing their strange looks, she forced a smile and said awkwardly, "Um, um, I was wiping the table right now. You...you said you're done watering?"
"Finished watering." Chen Chong approached Tian Yu, smiling as he patted her head.
"So fast, are you sure you've finished watering?!"
"Yes, we've finished watering." What Tian Yu didn't know was that the watering was so fast because the two of them didn't use an oxcart at all. Instead, they had a watering contest, each trying to fetch water as quickly as possible, neither willing to admit defeat. In the end, they finished watering the land without a clear winner.
Zhao Moyan approached Tian Yu, touched her forehead, shook his head, and walked towards the living room. Tian Yu was startled by his action, then immediately reacted and shouted, "Hey, what do you mean? Do you think I'm sick?" She was about to confront him, but Chen Chong stopped her, comforting her, "It's okay, I think it sounds pretty good, I just don't understand it. Why don't you sing it again?" Tian Yu glared at Chen Chong, thinking how lucky it was that he sang the English version, which they couldn't understand, or she would have been utterly humiliated.
“You have a high level of appreciation. This is a foreign language; most people definitely wouldn’t understand it,” Tian Yu said loudly on purpose.
Do we need to wipe all this furniture?
"Hmm, I'd like to wipe it down first before moving it in."
"Okay, I'll help you wipe it."
With Chen Chong's help, the furniture was quickly wiped clean, and the two prepared to move it inside. Zhao Moyan put down his book and joined Chen Chong in moving the furniture. Since they were working together, Tian Yu naturally had some free time, directing them on where to place the furniture. The two patiently let Tian Yu do as she pleased, wanting things put here and there. After Tian Yu's repeated nagging, they finally arranged the table in the living room and moved the old furniture into the storage room in the west wing, which could then be used as a guest room. Zhao Moyan and Chen Chong were too tired to talk anymore and sat down to rest in the living room. Tian Yu poured them water and told them to rest, leaving the rest to her. Chen Chong watched with a smile as Tian Yu busied herself arranging the decorations. Zhao Moyan appeared to be reading, but his mind wasn't on the book; he was constantly watching Tian Yu's movements. Tian Yu was quite satisfied with arranging the items in the house. Looking at the sun outside, she realized it was already noon. She wondered why Li Yong and the others hadn't returned yet, so she said to the two inside, "I'm going to check on Tangyuan and the others. I'll be back to cook later."
"No need, they're already back," Chen Chong reminded them.
"Really? Then I'll go check at the door." Tian Yu walked away happily, completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere between the two remaining people.
As I approached the courtyard gate, I saw Li Yong had indeed returned with the two children. There were two more horses in the bamboo grove, one black and one brown. I hadn't noticed them yesterday, but I saw them today; they must be Zhao Moyan and the others.
Li Yong was indeed skilled at catching fish; a whole bucket full of large fish, and he also caught a basket of snails. Tian Yu picked out the grass carp of similar size and put them in the water tank in the yard; there were about five or six. She asked Li Yong to prepare the remaining crucian carp and two grass carp so they could stew them later. Li Yong, always eager to eat, immediately started preparing them. Tian Yu went to the kitchen to prepare rice and ingredients, while Chen Chong came over to watch the pot. Tian Yu smiled at Chen Chong, feeling that he would always help her whenever she needed it. Li Yong still wanted snails, which he had already prepared himself, so Tian Yu made a sweet and spicy snail dish, braised grass carp, mushroom and crucian carp soup, and a stir-fried bamboo shoot dish. While cooking, Tangyuan and Xiaoju were watching the horses in the bamboo grove. Because of Maorong, the two horses were a little frightened, so Zhao Moyan stayed with them. After setting out the food, Li Yong was quick this time, running to call them back for dinner.
After washing her hands and sitting down at the table, Tian Yu said to Tang Yuan and Xiao Ju, "Recite the two poems of 'Sympathy for the Peasants' once."
Tangyuan rolled her eyes and recited the poem with Xiaoju:
"Hoeing the fields at noon, sweat drips onto the soil. Who knows that every grain in the bowl is the result of hard work?"
"Sow a single grain in spring, reap ten thousand in autumn. Though there is no idle land under heaven, farmers still starve."
"Okay, remember not to waste food, there can't be any leftovers in your bowl." Tian Yu also deliberately glanced at Zhao Moyan.
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