The mother and daughter rested in the house for a while. When the sun was no longer scorching, they set out with their baskets.
Old Man Yun took a nap on the kang and then called Da Man and Er Man to continue moving things.
“Dad, why do I feel like there are many more things in the courtyard?” Yun Er Man yawned and walked out unsteadily.
Old Man Yun also noticed.
He sat on the threshold for a long time, his eyes fixed on the pile of things in the courtyard, lost in thought.
Among the pile of things were cartwheels, saddles, broken tables and chairs, hoes and pickaxes, shovels and sacks, and so on.
“Dad, these things seem to be from our old storeroom. You said you didn’t want them back then and threw them away. How did they suddenly come back?!”
Yun Da Man was completely bewildered.
Actually, he really wanted to admit that his sister was helping the whole family.
But she was so small, with her little arms and legs, so soft and delicate, how could she possibly move such heavy things!
Old Man Yun glared at his two sons, tucked his pipe into his waist, and stood up. “What are you fussing about? Since the things are back, hurry up and tidy up the storeroom…”
Did he even need to ask? It was definitely his youngest daughter showing her divine powers again, unwilling to discard these things.
And indeed, that was the case.
When they were about to move, little Xi Tian had gone to wander in the storeroom.
There were too many things piled up inside, dazzling her eyes.
To lighten the burden on her family, she had collected all these杂物 (zázhì - miscellaneous items) into her space.
She would take them out again after the big house was built.
Therefore, little Xi Tian’s space was not just for output but also for input, sometimes serving as a ‘temporary warehouse.’
Her fruit jam was made in the space, two large vats of it.
Once it was done, she could take it out for the whole family to eat!
The men from the village returned and rested for a while, and then came back in the afternoon to help the Yun family move.
Zhao Gui Hua, along with Hu Xi Er and Jin Huai Hua, had boiled a large pot of water early in the morning and brewed strong tea.
Old Man Yun said that drinking a few cups of strong tea would make the work less tiring and more energetic.
Liu Cui Rong was cuddling Yun Xiao Bao on the large kang in the east wing room, sleeping so soundly that she was blowing snot bubbles.
The Yun family’s rooms had already been divided.
The eldest son and his wife would live in the west wing room, the second son and his wife in the east wing room, and Old Man Yun and Gu Shi would live in the main house in the middle.
The distribution layout was exactly the same as before.
The only change was that little Xi Tian, Yun Jin Shan, and Yun Jin He now had their own rooms.
Moreover, behind the main house, a small but not cramped study had been set aside.
This showed the thoughtfulness of the designer when building the house.
The Yun family currently had two scholars, so how could they not have their own study?
Jin Huai Hua and Hu Xi Er lived in the east ear room.
Even the maids’ rooms were more spacious and brighter than any household in the village.
“Old Yun Tou Zi, if the house is built like this, who does it actually belong to?”
The village chief carried a roll of kang mat and walked alongside Old Man Yun.
“Currently, you are living together with Young Master Xiao, and there isn’t even a wall between you. This house is no longer divided into yours and mine. Whose name should be on the land deed and house deed?”
Old Man Yun held a large basket in each hand, filled with various bottles and jars.
With every step he took, there was a ‘ding-ding-dang-dang’ sound.
“Young Master Xiao said, my home is my home, his home is his home, no mixing!” Old Man Yun said.
The village chief blinked. “What kind of talk is that? You’re practically living on the same kang, and you say no mixing?”
“Just look at that garden in the back, oh my, with rockeries, ponds, and octagonal pavilions, it has everything. Who do you think that garden belongs to?”
Old Man Yun: “……”
Village chief, why have you become such a chatterbox today?
What use would a farmer have for a back garden?
For composing poetry and couplets, or for appreciating tea and playing the zither!
Even if Young Master Xiao gave it to them for free, they wouldn’t want it; it was useless.
“Bee!~” Old Man Yun glanced at the village chief.
“You’re the one who’s crazy, I’m telling the truth!” The village chief scratched his face and continued, “Even blood brothers settle accounts clearly. Old Yun Tou Zi, you absolutely must not be shy about it!”
Old Man Yun closed his eyes. “Bee, a hornet, biting you, oh, this fellow!”
“Ah……”
A scream suddenly rang out.
The village chief Jiang had a hornet on his backside, and it bit him so hard that he dropped the kang mat and ran for his life.
Old Man Yun couldn’t help but laugh. “Now you’re really crazy!~”
When his wife returned, he really had to discuss the matter of the house deed.
Young Master Xiao aside, they couldn’t remain silent.
When the house was being built, his family had sent a hundred taels of silver, which was considered payment for the masons and carpenters.
But this amount of money was not enough to do much.
After moving, they had to go to the county yamen to process the house deed. He had to make arrangements in advance to avoid awkwardness for both families.
At the same time, Gu Shi led little Xi Tian to the bank of the Gou Gou Lake.
Due to the hot weather, the fishermen had all retreated into their tents.
The vast surface of the lake reflected dazzling sunlight, with only a few small fishing boats floating on it.
The mother and daughter were not here to buy fish today; they were here to catch fish.
“Daughter, you stay on the shore, I’ll go down myself. Don’t run around, okay!”
Gu Shi rolled up her trouser legs as she instructed.
Little Xi Tian’s eyes curved into crescents. “I know, Mother!”
Go ahead and catch them, there will be plenty of fish meat today.
Gu Shi had not gone into the water to catch fish for many years.
In the past, she used to fish from luxurious passenger boats.
Back then, fishing was for enjoyment, for passing the time.
Now, going into the river to catch fish was for survival, for filling their stomachs.
Her state of mind was completely different.
“Mother, be careful, don’t get bitten!” Little Xi Tian sat on a log on the shore, swinging her little feet.
Gu Shi pursed her lips and smiled, holding a fishing net made with a long pole, and began to search in the water.
Just then, the water around Gu Shi began to bubble.
After a series of ‘gurgling’ sounds, hundreds of large fish began to thrash about, belly up, in the water.
There was a “crackling” sound, as if countless shoe soles were falling from the sky, making the water of Gou Gou Lake steam.
Gu Shi’s eyes widened, and she almost fainted.
The scene before her was like a fish disaster, making her unsure of how to proceed.
They said that Gou Gou Lake nurtured the people of the region, and the fish in it were large and fat, inexhaustible.
But there couldn’t be this many.
These large carp were even bumping into Gu Shi’s face.
Little Xi Tian covered her mouth and giggled, “Mother, Mother, there’s fish to eat! I’ll help you catch fish!”
She jumped off the log and ran over with quick little steps.
A whole fish banquet today would be nice, but they also needed to get some other dishes to take back.
Gu Shi looked at the water surface with an extremely complex expression, then glanced at her little daughter who was scooping up fish, and two tears began to gleam in her eyes.
Daughter, how can you be so good!