Chapter 279: With Fu Niu, Food and Drink Are No Worries!
f grievance."The Emperor was heartbroken, so he gave the County Princess her birthday presents in advance. However, the County Princess was overjoyed, changed into a new dress, and put on new jewelry...Zhao Yuru reached out and pulled Lig'er into her arms, gently patting his back as she smiled and said: "Then you will live with your Uncle Three and Aunt Three from now on. Your brother Huan Gege will still cook delicious meals for you every day, and your elder brother will also come to the shop to eat every day, just as lively as we are here in the village."
Li Ge'er was a little shy and whispered, "Thank you, Third Aunt."
Li Laosan also said, “If it’s not urgent over at the academy, let Brother Li stay home for a few more days. We can go back and tidy up the house, and sew two quilts for the children.”
Li Zhensheng waved his hand. "That's not necessary. I rented a courtyard in Luoyang before, everything is ready-made. Let Li Ge bring you there to get things, and also return the rent for that courtyard."
Li Laosan nodded, "Okay, Big Brother, don't worry, I'll take care of this."
From now on, Li Ge'er will study with Jia Ren in Lu'an in the afternoon. That’s settled.
Everyone was busy preparing food and drink, wishing they could load the whole yard onto carts and send it off with Li Laosan and his men.
After lunch, Lao San's family and Jia Ren, Li Geer got in the car. Lao Si Li drove his car, and they set off just like that.
Zhao Yuru still wanted to tell her youngest son a few words, but Jiaxi and Ji'an were afraid that Xiaoger would cry, so they took him to play in the Onsen Valley early.
When the sun set in the west, Cat Brother came back. He didn't see his brother, and he immediately burst into tears.
It took a while for everyone to coax him to stop crying.
That night, Elder Li held her grandson to sleep, while Jiayin ran to cling to Madam Cui.
It's not that she didn't want to sleep with her mother. It was just that her mother was too tired from taking care of the whole family's three meals a day. If she slept with her mother, her mother would always worry about covering her up, giving her water, or even getting up at night. She wouldn't be able to sleep soundly…
Mrs. Cui had been back for two days, but due to the many people in Li's family, she hadn't had much chance to come over and chat. Now that she saw Jia Yin, she was overjoyed.
Jia Yin snuck out two cantaloupes from the spatial pocket while on her way. She swished them around with her skirt, and in an instant, they became a late-night snack for the aunt and niece duo.
Mrs. Cui didn't think much of it, assuming that this melon was privately given by the Li family to Jia Yin, their precious little darling.
Qiong's mother divided half of the pastries. The remaining ones were quickly and happily shared between the aunt and niece.
Jia Yin pouted and said that Grandma didn't love her anymore, only her older brother. This broke Cui's heart, so she coaxed Jia Yin and finally opened the jewelry box to find a twisted silver bangle and gave it to her.
Jia Yin immediately beamed with joy, even clutching the bracelet while she slept. She didn't even remember her grandmother's kindness at all!
Mrs. Cui and Qiong's daughter were delighted, and the small courtyard was much livelier because of the addition of a child.
Although the autumn harvest is over, households in the new village are still very busy.
Those dried-up melon vines, peanuts, and sweet potato vines in the field had been thoroughly dried by the scorching sun and the autumn wind.
Choose a day when the autumn wind is a little calmer. Light a fire, and once only ashes remain, re-till the soil and add the summer's accumulated farm manure.
After a winter and spring of decomposition, the lost fertility of the field will be replenished, and even the soil fertility can be greatly improved.
The mountaintop was unsuitable for burning the land because fruit trees had been planted. Villagers would have to carry hoes or iron spades and painstakingly turn over the soil, scattering fertilizer around the roots of the trees.
The winter here in Xindu is much warmer than in the north. In winter, there's no need to burn a stove indoors, only a brazier needs to be lit for a few days in the coldest month of December.
But to make the elderly and children feel comfortable, it's best to light a fire in the big kang.
The kang was heated, and the room immediately felt warm. The family gathered together, chatting and laughing, doing some small chores, and Mao Dong felt even more comfortable.
So, whenever they have free time, men from every household would go into the mountains to chop wood, pull it back on carts, and stack it neatly outside the courtyard walls.
Some industrious families would go to the riverbank to cut reeds and willow branches, preparing them for the quiet winter months. They would weave them into mats or baskets for use around the house. When they weren't needed, they could sell them to buy oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar.
And this was also the happiest time for the boys in the village.
They followed the adults, hunting wild chickens and rabbits in the mountains, fishing in the rivers, and having a blast.
Miao Ge'er has been a bit down lately because his brother went to study.
Li Laosi couldn't bear to part with his nephew, so he took him everywhere, whether it was up the mountain or down to the river.
Of course, Jia An and Jia Xi wouldn't be left behind, and they would even bring their younger sister along.
Even though grandma was worried, they strapped their sister to their backs with a carrying pole and resolutely carried her away.
Jia Yin had been holding back for so long, and finally found the time to show her true abilities.
In the space, rabbits began committing suicide in batches again. Eggs were delivered to the roots of trees and duck eggs to reed beds, all pretending to be wild.
Little carp the size of a palm, grass carp weighing five or six pounds, were rushing towards the net in groups.
The family was overjoyed, and even Maoge, the cat, clapped its paws together in delight, its big teeth showing.
The rest of the mischievous boys envied them, swallowing their saliva and following their brothers around, hoping to catch a bit of the limelight occasionally.
When night came, the naughty boy brought home the fish, shrimp, chicken eggs and duck eggs. It was inevitable that his family would ask where they came from.
So the mischievous boy would excitedly exclaim, "It's Funiu! We followed Funiu everywhere and that's how we found so many good things. Funiu is truly a lucky charm!"
Their family members weren't surprised at all, instead they laughed and scolded them.
"You think Fu Niu's name is just for show This girl is born with good fortune!"
"Indeed, besides the Li family's good fortune these past two years, just look at how the esteemed Marquis would single out Fu Niu! This girl must have great luck!"
After a few words spoken by the family, the elder stopped them.
“These things, we just need to know within our own family. In the end, whether it's Funiu, the Li family, or even the Marquis, they are all people from our village. If there's anything good happening, we all benefit. But if outsiders find out and spread rumors, it might attract unwanted attention.”
"Dad is right, when outsiders talk about our village, they are already envious. We should still live an honest life and not be too flamboyant."
Grandchildren at home responded one after another, scrambling the eggs they brought back, simmering the fish, and having a lively meal.
For seven or eight days straight, all the children in the village were immersed in the joy of going up and down the mountains and rivers.
Li Lao Si occasionally took his daughter into the mountains. Every day, he could carry back several bags of walnuts, chestnuts and dates, even red fruits and yellow pears.
Uncle Zhao and others helped tan the rabbit fur and sent it back to Li's family. In winter, they made jackets for the children.
The rabbit meat was also smoked by Tao Hongying, hanging from the beams in the room.
As for pears and other fruits, they were stored in cellars under the guise of saving them for the holidays.
Actually, these are all just smoke screens and excuses.
After all, Jia Yin often had fruit from her hands. And she was very generous, so the old men and everyone in the family could often share some.
It's really not a good idea to do this without at least some pretense. It would be hard to explain where her fruit came from.
Time flies, and half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.
The foundation of the academy is almost complete, and the walls are starting to be built. Li Zhensheng has finally recovered a lot and can walk out of the yard for a slow stroll.
And at this time, the cat boy also tanned into a little charcoal, just like mud loach, no different from the children in the village.
He could eat and drink well every day, and his little fists grew stronger. He was no longer the weak child he used to be.
The whole family was delighted. Li Laosi even took the time to drive a mule cart, taking Maoge'er and Jia Yin to Luo'an. They gave their third brother's family some mountain goods and let Liguo see his healthy younger brother so he could study with peace of mind.
On this day, the old woman was shelling peanuts in the courtyard. Oilcloth covered half the courtyard, and peanut shells littered the ground.
This was brought back from the riverbank.
The village head decided to divide the peanuts equally between the families. They were to dry the peanut pods in the sun and then shell them before bringing all the peanuts together to the oil press.
Mrs. Cui, having nothing to do, came over to help keep the old woman company.
Jia Yin ran barefoot on the oilcloth, following along with the mischief. into her clear eyes, and perhaps seeing her sincerity, he smiled even more happily. He stepped forward and gently hugged her in his arms."From now on, we'll be family. Ning Ge'er will be my younger b...