Xiao Jinheng's lips twitched.
This darn girl was quite good at acting.
He patted Xiao Xitian's arm, "Get up!~"
He accepted the calcium tablets, considering it as receiving the two hundred taels of silver from the village child...
Liu Cuirong gnawed on a deer leg while standing in front of the pigsty, eyeing the big yellow ox.
How long had it been since she last ate beef?
The government had a regulation that villagers were not allowed to slaughter cattle arbitrarily.
It was a different story if the animal died of a serious illness or an accidental fall.
But looking at this ox, it was strong and healthy, showing no signs of sickness.
Killing it might be a bit difficult...
"Second daughter-in-law!~" Seeing Liu Cuirong acting suspiciously, Gu Shi walked over and called out to her.
"Go help your eldest sister move the table. What are you squatting here for?" Gu Shi asked sternly.
Liu Cuirong casually tossed the gnawed bone onto the ground, clapped her hands, and asked, "Mother, how much silver do you think all these deer would fetch if we sold them?"
Gu Shi: "..."
She guessed this troublesome woman was eyeing the deer and the ox.
"Second daughter-in-law, have you forgotten something?"
Gu Shi narrowed her eyes, "A few days ago, you signed a letter of guarantee to help your eldest sister with household chores. Don't ask about things that don't concern you, and definitely don't take what isn't yours!~"
As she spoke, Gu Shi took out the guarantee letter and waved it in front of Liu Cuirong, "Do you want me to read it aloud in front of everyone and then kick you out?"
Seeing this, Liu Cuirong's greasy mouth instantly deflated. She stepped forward to snatch the guarantee letter...
"Mother, don't read it. I haven't done anything wrong. Why are you always finding fault with me?"
Was this mother-in-law crazy?
She hadn't provoked or annoyed her, yet she came to pick a fight.
Gu Shi slapped Liu Cuirong's hand away, "Go move the table. Don't make me say it a second time!~"
"Fine, I'll move it. But you don't have to look so displeased..."
Liu Cuirong grumbled and went to work.
In fact, back in Feiyan Village, she had already considered separating the family.
At that time, the Yun family was too poor.
Yun Erman wasn't very capable, and he spent his days toiling on their small plot of land with the rest of the family...
Later, when a drought struck, she and the Yun family fled their homes.
Now that life was getting better, Liu Cuirong no longer mentioned separating the family.
Her two sons were blessed by their little aunt, and they would surely achieve great things in the future.
It would be foolish to separate the family now.
Besides, that dead husband of Erman wouldn't agree either...
Xiao Jinheng, with a round belly, returned to rest contentedly.
A light rain fell in the middle of the night. It wasn't heavy, but it made the Yun family particularly worried.
The old bricks and tiles were almost moved, and now the heavens were causing trouble again.
"Sanman, you should go back to the city tomorrow. There's not much work here anymore!~" Yun Daman advised.
Yun Sanman had a wife, children, and his own business. If he stayed and worked for the Yun family all the time, people would gossip...
Yun Sanman glanced at Yun Laotou, who was sleeping soundly, and smiled, "I'm not in a hurry. Fengjuan is watching the shop, so you don't need to worry!~"
Although Gao Fengjuan was a bit clumsy and slow-witted, she could still manage the accounts.
"That won't do!~" Yun Erman put down his teacup, "You are Jingde's father after all. You should go back and check on them!"
After several days of sun exposure, the three brothers were all tanned dark...
Yun Sanman had delicate skin. He hadn't farmed in years and rarely did such heavy manual labor.
His fingers were blistered, his feet were swollen, and his handsome cheeks were peeling from the sun.
If Gao Fengjuan saw this, she would be heartbroken.
"I was planning to help the family build the house!~" Yun Sanman said with a simple smile.
His parents were getting old, and his elder brothers had their own jobs. If he also backed out, the family would lack labor...
Yun Daman took a few puffs of his pipe, "We have Young Master Xiao and the others to build the house. We're not needed at all."
He didn't know what Young Master Xiao's background was. He was rich and powerful, not even caring about the county magistrate.
Yun Daman was actually very pleased. Being neighbors with a young master like Young Master Xiao would make others look at them with more respect.
"Then it's settled. I'll go back to the county town tomorrow. If you get too busy, just call me!~" Yun Sanman said.
"Alright!"
The drizzling rain that lasted all night gradually cleared as the sun rose...
Yun Laotou woke up early and took a stroll in the fields. Upon returning, he picked a bunch of celery and asked Hu Xier to stir-fry it.
They were out of salt at home, so Hu Xier borrowed a handful from Sister Su Zhen.
After breakfast, Yun Daman drove the horse-drawn carriage to send Sanman back to the county town and to buy the missing oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar.
Yun Laotou took Erman to continue moving bricks.
Although the slope protection built by Xiao Xitian was effective, it couldn't hold back all the loose stones forever...
Moreover, it was one misfortune after another. The mountain was about to collapse.
"Let's work hard today and move all the bricks!~" Yun Laotou tightened his belt.
Yun Erman would never slack off when working for his own family.
The father and son put on their gloves and began moving bricks.
A large mansion had already been built at the east end of the village. That grand house was even more magnificent than before...
Gu Shi, carrying a basket, walked out of the courtyard with Xiao Xitian.
The mother and daughter were planning to go to Gou Gou Lake. Erman had been complaining recently that he wanted to eat loach, and they wondered if there were any for sale by the lake.
There was a knife in the basket. If they couldn't buy fish, Gu Shi would take her daughter to dig for wild vegetables.
As soon as they reached the main entrance, they saw Liu Cuirong sitting on a stone, cracking melon seeds...
She had dark circles under her eyes, looking like she hadn't slept well, and appeared somewhat tired.
"Second daughter-in-law, come dig for vegetables with me!~" Gu Shi said.
"Oh, Mother, can you just leave me alone for a bit?"
Liu Cuirong threw away the melon seed shells and pointed to her under-eye bags, "Look at yourself, see how exhausted I am?"
She just wanted to go back and sleep.
Only after resting would she be able to figure out how to kill the big yellow ox...
"You have to go even if you don't want to!~" Gu Shi said with a stern face, pulling her daughter along without looking back.
Liu Cuirong was so angry she scratched her hair.
Did this mother-in-law itch if she didn't pick on her all day?
Fine, the ox was their family's anyway, and it wouldn't run away.
Besides, she had been craving river crabs and big carp lately. It wasn't too much to ask her mother-in-law to buy her a fish, was it...
Xiao Xitian secretly glanced at her second sister-in-law.
As if seeing through her thoughts, Xiao Xitian stopped as she walked, "Mother, I forgot to bring my shoulder bag!~"
Her second sister-in-law wanted to get her hands on the ox and deer? No way!
"Oh, then you go back and get it. Mother will wait for you here!~"
Gu Shi and Liu Cuirong waited for her at the village entrance.
Xiao Xitian skipped back to Fu Daqiang's house and went to the pigsty...
Since the brat didn't want that two hundred taels of silver anymore, keeping the ox and deer would only attract jealousy and even thieves.
So, Xiao Xitian tried to put something into her space for the first time.
If she could take things out, she should be able to put them in as well.
She placed her small hands on the fence, closed her eyes.
With a "moo," Fu Daqiang's two old sows disappeared...