Gu Shi and Yun Laotou remained silent.
The second daughter-in-law never said anything good.
Yun Xiaobao tugged at Liu Cuirong's sleeve and shouted crisply, "Mom, no talking!"
Liu Cuirong: "..."
This little brat, did you even know what I was going to say, and you wouldn't let me speak.
Why did she end up raising all these ungrateful wretches?
Little Xi Tian squirmed in her second sister-in-law's arms, whining pitifully, "Sleepy, want to sleep!"
Yun Erman's heart ached when he saw the mist gathering in his sister's eyes.
He stepped forward, snatched Little Xi Tian away, and glared at Liu Cuirong, "If you have something to say, say it quickly, if you have something to fart, fart quickly, and don't hold my sister!"
Everyone in the family could see that Liu Cuirong was using Little Tian Bao as a shield.
"Erman, what do you mean by that?" Liu Cuirong instantly became angry.
She had been patient all evening, and now she wasn't even allowed to speak?
She was obedient to Yun Erman and bowed to her parents, what else did they want her to do?
Liu Cuirong plopped down on a stool, forgetting what she had intended to say.
"Huaihua, Xier, go and clear away the bowls and chopsticks!" Gu Shi instructed.
No one in the family had the patience to waste time with the second daughter-in-law...
"Wait a moment!" Liu Cuirong suddenly called out.
She remembered.
"Dad, Mom, actually my mother and Cui Jin have been doing odd jobs in the county town. They've learned a lot these past few years and can support themselves now!"
Back then, Lu Shi and Liu Cuirong had stolen Xiao Bao and sold him to Chen Laohu, the younger brother of Magistrate Chen.
This incident angered the entire Yun family, and the village chief even drove Lu Shi and her daughter out of Dashui Village.
If they dared to return, the entire village would break their legs.
Gu Shi frowned upon hearing this, "Why are you bringing this up?"
In fact, Gu Shi had always known about Liu Cuirong's interactions with Lu Shi and her daughter...
As long as that mother and daughter didn't come to cause trouble for their family.
Moreover, she had also heard that Lu Shi and Liu Cui Jin had opened a steamed bun shop in the county town.
Their business was booming, and they were no longer lazy and undisciplined as before.
Liu Cuirong lowered her head and murmured, "Dad, Mom, they will never return to Dashui Village!"
"But outside, they are my only relatives, so, so can I visit them often?"
Gu Shi said nothing.
She tacitly agreed.
Yun Laotou felt a bit uneasy.
It wasn't that he was narrow-minded, but the actions of Lu Shi and her daughter before were truly infuriating.
"You can look at them, but don't do anything that harms our family's interests," Yun Laotou reminded her.
If they dared to steal another Yun family child, things wouldn't be so easy.
The last time his youngest daughter was stolen, Yun Laotou almost died on the spot.
Liu Cuirong's face lit up, and she nodded repeatedly, "Dad, don't worry, my mother and Cui Jin haven't done those dirty things for a long time."
She was short of money now and didn't ask the family for anything.
Lu Shi often gave her a few hundred wen as pocket money.
Yun Laotou grunted and stood up, "Everyone go to sleep. Eldest son, don't let Guihua catch a cold, heat the kang well."
Yun Daman was still immersed in the joy of his wife's pregnancy.
Hearing Yun Laotou's words, he rushed out of the house and started stoking the stove.
The straw at home was piled up like a small mountain.
When they were free, Daman and Erman would also go into the mountains to chop firewood.
It was enough for cooking and heating...
The next morning.
Many villagers came to the Yun family to see Yun Erman off.
He was the first person from Dashui Village to become an official.
In the future, he might even become an official in the prefectural yamen, so the villagers naturally flocked to curry favor with him.
Aunt Zhang, carrying a basket of eggs, directly stuffed it into Liu Cuirong's arms.
"Take it, take it. I heard that being an official uses a lot of brainpower. You, you must supplement Erman well in the future!"
Du Laosan directly brought a slab of tofu, his eyes creased into a smile.
"This tofu was just made. Whether you eat it with sauce or stew it with cabbage, the taste is absolutely top-notch."
Gu Shi wanted to give him money, but Du Laosan refused.
"This is a token of respect for Master Erman."
Yun Erman: "..."
Can you guys stop this.
Magistrate Chen said that he would only be doing odd jobs and running errands at the county yamen.
He wasn't really an official.
If he accepted your favors and couldn't help you when you needed it, wouldn't that be embarrassing!
Little Xi Tian sat on the threshold, secretly laughing.
Oh, second brother, you've become a popular figure in the village now!
The village chief even carried a pork knuckle, patting Yun Erman on the shoulder.
"Erman, work hard at the county yamen, and let the magistrate take good care of our village."
"I heard that the neighboring Xinwang Village is giving away two carts of cabbage seeds for free. You work hard and try to get us ten carts."
Yun Erman: "..."
I don't want to go anymore.
Can he still give the opportunity to his elder brother?
What was even more infuriating was that the neighboring Granny Jin also came.
She wasn't here to curry favor with Yun Erman, but simply to congratulate him.
"Erman, share these pastries and fruits with your family!"
"Congratulations on your appointment at the county yamen, work hard!"
Granny Jin said earnestly, with a benevolent expression.
Yun Erman forced a dry smile, "Thank you, Aunt Jin!"
Yun Daman hitched the horse-drawn carriage and drove it out of the yard, calling out to Erman, "Get in the carriage!"
It was the first day of duty, and he couldn't be too late, lest he lose face for the magistrate.
Yun Xiaobao trotted out, "I'm going too, I'm going too!"
He wanted to go to the county town to play.
Yun Erman pursed his lips into a smile, picked up his son, and got into the carriage before leaving...
Just as the excitement at the old Yun family subsided, the neighboring mansion became noisy again.
A team of people came rumbling from the head of the village.
Looking closely, there were sixty to seventy people.
They wore soft armor, carried swords at their waists, and held spears, looking imposing.
The ground trembled slightly wherever they passed.
Villagers dodged them, all looking curious.
"Who are they? Looking at them, they seem like imperial soldiers!"
"Huh? That group seems to be looking for Young Master Xiao."
"Did they commit a crime? They look so scary."
"..."
Little Xi Tian propped her chin on her hand and watched for a moment.
These soldiers were heading straight for the neighboring mansion. Were they here to take the smelly brat away?
Kong Xingzhuo stood outside the main gate, personally welcoming them.
A man in the lead jumped off his horse, cupped his hands, and knelt before Kong Xingzhuo.
Little Xi Tian couldn't hear what they were saying from so far away.
A moment later, Kong Xingzhuo led the man into the courtyard and closed the main gate.
"Little Aunt, why are you sitting here?"
Yun Jinshan handed Xiao Xi Tian a cob of freshly steamed corn, "Eat it, it's so fragrant!"
He loved Xi'er's steamed corn the most, it was fragrant and soft, even better than what Auntie steamed.
Little Xi Tian took two bites, her big eyes narrowing slightly, "Mmm! It's so delicious!"
At this moment, a burst of shouting came from the neighboring courtyard.
Startled, the aunt and nephew both turned their heads to look.
"Get out, all of you get out, I don't want to go back!"
It was Xiao Jinheng's voice.
"If you dare to find me here again, don't blame me for being rude, get out!"