Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 11937

Even if the aunt is an open-minded person, if this situation continues for too long, even the most open-minded heart will probably be stirred up a little!

Yang Ruoqing lowered her eyes, feeling that she had overlooked the old man's feelings.

It would be best to take Uncle back today. If you really can't take him back, you should at least talk to Auntie and help her calm down. Negative emotions shouldn't accumulate, as they can affect an elderly person's health.

Soon, Wang Cuilian arrived at the door of the west room first. She was dressed neatly, wearing a cotton-padded jacket, trousers, and shoes, and a cotton hat on her head. Although she walked steadily and spoke with a strong voice, Yang Ruoqing could tell at a glance that it had been more than half a month since her last visit.

However, Luo Da'e's face was noticeably thinner. Originally, she had a square face with a rounder shape, like Luo the blacksmith, but now her cheeks were noticeably sunken, and her chin had become pointed.

In other words, Luo Da'e's speech and demeanor at this moment were very inconsistent with her obviously thin body.

"Auntie." Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang greeted Luo Da'e first.

Luo Da'e was pleasantly surprised to see Yang Ruoqing come over, but she and Yang Ruoqing were both aware of the distance between them, so Luo Da'e simply smiled and nodded at them, saying, "Good, good children, come, come sit down and have some tea."

Then, Luo Da'e stepped forward and took Wang Cuilian's hand, "Sister-in-law, why did you come so early? I just got up and haven't had breakfast yet. Have you eaten?"

Wang Cuilian said, "We ate our way through."

"Have another bite at my house later," Luo Da'e said, then turned and loudly instructed Xiao Huan, "Huan'er, cook a few more bowls of noodles, so your aunt, cousin, and cousin's wife can all have a bite later."

"Okay, sure!" Xiao Huan, who was busy making tea at the octagonal table, readily agreed.

Yang Ruoqing said, "No need, Aunt and Sister-in-law, we've already eaten and drunk our fill, we really can't eat anymore."

Luo Da'e said, "Then have some soup. We just killed a duck last night and made the soup with wild mushrooms all night. This morning, we used the duck soup to cook noodles. It's so delicious!"

This way of eating is indeed tempting, but Yang Ruoqing and the others, who had already eaten breakfast, really couldn't eat it. Moreover, Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang have very similar eating habits; they don't really like to eat meat or fish early in the morning.

Even when eating steamed buns or dumplings, I don't want meat filling in the morning. Ah, things aren't like they used to be. Back then, we were short of food and clothing. A big meat bun cost only one copper coin. Two of us would share it, and in the end, we'd split it up. It tasted so good...

"If you can't eat, just have some soup. This is a small token of your aunt's appreciation, so let her have it!" Luo the blacksmith, who was following behind the group, also spoke up, speaking softly to Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang.

Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang exchanged glances, and then Yang Ruoqing smiled and nodded: "Okay, then we'll try it. Sister-in-law, let's make it clear beforehand, don't cook too many noodles, or we'll waste them. We'll just have a sip of the soup to taste it."

Xiao Huan nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. The tea is ready. Aunt, Uncle, Qing'er, Tang Yazi, please sit for a while. I'll go to the kitchen."

"Go on, sister-in-law, you go about your business."

Luo Da'e waved her hand and said, "Go do your thing, I'll take care of things here! By the way, where's Zhou Wang? Have you sent someone to call him yet?"

"Your two grandsons went to call them, they should be back in a bit."

"Okay, that's good. Tell him to get some groceries later, and we'll have your aunt and uncle have lunch at home!"

"Mom, I know, don't worry about it. Just keep my aunt and uncle company."

To be honest, Yang Ruoqing really had nothing to say to Luo Da'e, and she guessed that Luo Da'e felt the same way. In fact, if the two of them were together, the atmosphere might be a little awkward.

So Yang Ruoqing said to Wang Cuilian, "Auntie, why don't you talk to Aunt Da'e for a bit? I'm going to the kitchen to chat with Xiao Huan for a few minutes."

Wang Cuilian glanced at Yang Ruoqing. In her mind, Qing'er must have come to visit Luo Da'e to inquire about Luo Da'e's situation through her conversation with Xiao Huan.

Luo Da'e said, "Let Qing'er go. Young people can chat with each other, but we old women can't talk to each other."

Wang Cuilian nodded with a smile, indicating that Yang Ruoqing could go to the kitchen.

Yang Ruoqing then hurried to the kitchen, where Luo Fengtang sat without moving, showing no intention of doing so.

Because it's inconvenient for him to go to the kitchen...

So Luo Fengtang stayed in the main room to chat with the elders and wait for Zhou Wang to return, who would probably be back soon.

In the kitchen.

Upon seeing Yang Ruoqing enter the kitchen, Xiao Huan's first reaction was to try to persuade her to go back to the main room.

The reason given was: "The kitchen is dirty, and the fumes are too heavy. They'll make your clothes smell bad."

Yang Ruoqing raised her hand and flicked her sleeve, smiling nonchalantly, "It's nothing, I'm always running around the kitchen at home too! The fumes are nothing!"

Seeing that she couldn't be persuaded to leave, Xiao Huan went outside to fetch a stool for Yang Ruoqing to sit on, but Yang Ruoqing stopped her again.

“There’s a small stool here, so I sat on it and warmed myself by the fire.”

"Oh, is that so? The stove opening is so dirty, with all this firewood and ashes..."

Xiao Huan was really embarrassed. These days, she had to work at the chicken farm, at home, and take care of two naughty children. She usually liked to tidy up whenever she had free time, but she had become much lax and lazy lately... Especially these last two days, the house was even dirtier and messier than usual, and she felt really ashamed.

Yang Ruoqing showed no sign of displeasure. She rubbed her hands together, sat down, stared at the leaping flames in the stove, and sighed comfortably, "So warm, so comfortable!"

Xiao Huan breathed a sigh of relief. "By the way, Qing'er, would you like some roasted sweet potato?"

"Can I have some?"

"Of course, it's right under those dry rice husks behind you."

"I'll do it!"

Yang Ruoqing got right to work, turning to the side and rummaging through the rice husks under the woodpile behind her, quickly pulling out four or five sweet potatoes.

"Wow, did you buy these sweet potatoes or grow them yourself? They look so good!" The skin is a bright orange-red, tapering at both ends and plump in the middle, with a very fleshy texture.

In terms of shape and quality, it looks exactly like the sandy soil improved variety of sweet potato from my previous life, and it must be the kind that oozes oil in the middle after being roasted...

Xiao Huan said, "These sweet potatoes are grown by ourselves. The sweet potatoes we grew this year are among the sweetest in the whole Zhoujia Village. We've never grown such good sweet potatoes in previous years!"

"Oh? What's the secret this year?"

"I can't really say if there's a secret. It's the same sandy land along the riverbank that we cleared in previous years. Oh, and this year, when we were planting sweet potatoes, Zhou Wang brought two truckloads of chicken manure to that sweet potato field as fertilizer. The sweet potatoes that grew afterward were many times sweeter than in previous years!"

"Really? You guys are amazing! You've figured out the tricks this year, so you can keep growing these delicious sweet potatoes next year." Yang Ruoqing said, secretly memorizing the tips. When she got back, she would tell Yang Huazhong and Sun Shi so they could find a loose, sandy patch of land near the river to grow sweet potatoes. They could also transport chicken and duck droppings there to fertilize the soil, and hopefully they could grow sweet potatoes with a good taste that could be roasted to a rich red oil.

Roasted sweet potatoes are especially suitable for winter.

In my past life, on a winter's day, an old man would push a cart selling roasted sweet potatoes by the roadside, and you could smell the sweet aroma from two streets away.

If you think that roasted sweet potatoes are a very cheap snack, you're probably going to be proven wrong. In fact, two small sweet potatoes roasted to a crispy exterior and tender interior will cost at least 15 or 16 yuan when you actually weigh them!

Over time, roasted sweet potatoes have become a luxury snack that even urban dwellers can't afford!
Xiao Huan was cooking noodles and cracking eggs, while Yang Ruoqing was putting firewood into the stove. The two chatted quietly.

The conversation revolved entirely around Luo Da'e.

When Yang Ruoqing asked Xiao Huan about Luo Da'e's diet, Xiao Huan said, "After returning from the county clinic yesterday, perhaps because the big lump on her neck is gone, her eating and drinking are not affected at all, just like before."

"Last night, I killed a chicken. It was a big chicken. I braised half of it and used the other half to make soup."

“My mother ate three big bowls of rice and drank two bowls of chicken soup. After the meal, the children ate snacks, and my mother ate some too. In her own words, she hadn’t eaten so heartily in a long time. My mother slept very well last night, and this morning she said that she felt like she had come back to life!”

"Yes, that's right. When we came here today, we saw that Auntie was in very good condition, with great energy and spirit."

Xiao Huan's smile froze slightly upon hearing Yang Ruoqing's words.

She quickly shook her head, glanced at the kitchen door, and said in a low voice, "I suppose my cousin Tang Yazi told you about it when he went back? This illness... it's hard to say, I can't be too happy too soon."

"Then keep it to yourself, quietly, and hope for a miracle!" Yang Ruoqing said.

Xiao Huan nodded repeatedly, "That's what I'm hoping for too, hoping for my father-in-law's blessing, hoping for Zhou Xia..."

Xiao Huan stopped mid-sentence and could only give an awkward laugh.

Yang Ruoqing pretended not to hear. If Zhou Xia really had a spirit in the afterlife, she probably wished that Aunt Da'e would die sooner. A woman like Zhou Xia was ruthless and cruel. She wanted someone else to bury her own son right after he was born!

If she treats her own child, whom she carried for ten months, this way, how can you expect her to be kind to her elders? Give me a break!

"Qing'er, my mother's illness has caused your family a lot of trouble. My uncle and cousin stayed by her bedside all day yesterday, suffering from hunger and cold. We feel so bad for them! We've made you all suffer!"

"Sister-in-law Xiaohuan, please don't say that. Don't you think about the relationship between my husband and your mother-in-law? It's only right that they help share the burden."

“I’m really grateful,” Xiao Huan continued. “Zhou Wang and I talked until late last night. If Mother can get through the New Year and the first month of the lunar calendar, that would be great. Please don’t let it happen again during the New Year.”

“Sister-in-law, don’t be too pessimistic. Let nature take its course,” Yang Ruoqing said. “Maybe by next spring, when the weather gets warmer, Aunt Da’e’s illness will naturally improve.”

In short, we should look on the bright side of everything.

When talking to Xiao Huan, Yang Ruoqing would definitely say the good things. But if it were her own sister, it would be different, and she would definitely speak from the heart.

But among relatives, it's natural to offer encouragement and avoid saying anything too cruel. Even though everyone knows the truth will ultimately be harsh, given the inability to change it, it's still important to offer each other warmth.

Soon, Zhou Wang returned from the chicken farm in a hurry. He didn't know that Yang Ruoqing was in the kitchen, so he went straight to the main room after opening the courtyard gate.

In the blink of an eye, Zhou Wang bent down and squeezed through the kitchen door to greet Yang Ruoqing.

To put it simply, Zhou Wang isn't very reserved around Luo Fengtang, but he becomes extremely reserved around Yang Ruoqing.

“The kitchen is smoky, why don’t you go to the main room instead, cousin?” Zhou Wang suggested.

Yang Ruoqing said, "I love the kitchen; I can warm myself by the fire and roast sweet potatoes there."

Xiao Huan said, "Just go with Qing'er. Stay wherever you're comfortable. Once the duck soup noodles are ready, we'll all go to the main room."

"How much longer? Should I stay and wait too?" Zhou Wang asked again.

Xiao Huan glanced at the progress in the pot and nodded: "Okay, then bring the tray over and take Uncle and Aunt's bowls over first."

The tray wasn't big, but the bowls were enormous; you could only carry two bowls at a time.

No one objected to the first batch of noodles being served to the elders. Although there were three elders present today, as well as Luo Da'e, Wang Cuilian was the guest, so she was definitely given the first serving.

However, Yang Ruoqing knew that when the noodles were delivered, Wang Cuilian would definitely let Luo Da'e eat first, and then Luo Da'e would definitely refuse. While the two of them were refusing, Luo the blacksmith would definitely join in the refusing, making it quite a scene.

Sure enough, the main room soon became lively.

Hearing the sound, Wang Cuilian wanted to let Luo Da'e eat first, but Luo Da'e said no rush, sister-in-law, eat first.

Then the blacksmith Luo gave his bowl to Luo Da'e and told them to eat first, as he wasn't hungry. Luo Da'e immediately said, "Brother, you haven't eaten or rested well these past two days. You eat first, I'm not in a hurry."

Seeing that Luo the blacksmith was about to give up his noodles, Wang Cuilian pushed her own bowl towards him, telling him and his sister to eat first. She was truly not in a hurry or hungry; she would eat with Qing'er and the others later…

These sounds kept coming into the kitchen. Yang Ruoqing and Xiao Huan looked at each other in bewilderment, and finally smiled at each other.

Xiao Huan said, "I grew up in a prince's mansion in the capital for the first ten years or so. Although I was a lowly person, the food, drink and daily necessities I saw and heard were not like this."