Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 11948

Take another look, and see if the various aspects of life can still be so dignified!
"Fourth Aunt, what wicked thing has Mai Lao Er done to his daughter this time? Is he going to sell her again?" Her thoughts returned to what was in front of her, where Liu Shi was still sitting.

"Oh, wait a minute, I'll eat this pastry, it's so delicious." While Yang Ruoqing was lost in thought, Liu didn't say anything or disturb her.

Because Ronggu had just come over and placed a plate of freshly made egg yolk pastries on the table as a gesture of hospitality, Liu's attention was immediately drawn to that plate of egg yolk pastries...

At this moment, Liu was already eating her second egg yolk pastry. Because it was freshly made, it was a little hot, so Liu blew on it as she ate.

"Fourth Aunt, I suggest you eat less of this hot food. Aunt Da'e from Zhoujia Village had a problem with her throat because she liked to drink hot tea and hot soup," Yang Ruoqing said.

This is not an exaggeration; it was said by a doctor, and it was also mentioned in the medical knowledge that Yang Ruoqing had encountered in her previous life.

Food that is too hot can easily burn our esophagus, and over time, this can lead to serious problems.

Liu, however, was unconvinced and said, "My mouth is made of iron, I'm not afraid!"

Yang Ruoqing shook her head. "You can't reason with a suicidal person. Whatever."

"Under the pretext that the heavy snow had collapsed the house, Mai Lao Er and his wife were plotting to sell their eldest daughter, Mai Sui'er, for money!"

"Oh my god, Mai Sui'er is only 10 years old! This is the second time she's been sold. Mai Lao Er is inhuman!"

"Aren't you even human?" Liu licked her fingers and made to reach for the egg yolk pastry again, but Yang Ruoqing moved the plate away. "I'll get it for you. Your hands are covered in saliva, they're filthy."

Liu scoffed, "You're so particular. Fine, fine, you carry it for me. I'm an honest person and easy to talk to."

Yang Ruoqing rolled her eyes and handed Liu another piece. Hehe, her own hands had been holding the children's shoes the whole time and hadn't been washed. The two children were naughty and ran around outside in their shoes, stepping on everything.

"Oh dear Qing'er, your hands haven't been washed either. They're not much cleaner than mine!" Liu Shi, with her sharp eyes, suddenly noticed this detail.

Yang Ruoqing, however, remained calm and composed, saying, "So what? These are my family's egg yolk pastries. Do you still want some? If not, then forget it!"

"Oh, no, I'll eat it, just give it to me!"

"Look at me, Qing'er. You look down on me, but I don't look down on you at all. That's the difference."

Yang Ruoqing rolled her eyes at Liu Shi, "These egg yolk pastries are made with the finest ingredients. If you bought them at a pastry shop in the county town, three of them would weigh at least two ounces and would cost you ten or so coins!"

"Fourth Aunt, don't try to act innocent after getting the benefit!"

"So expensive? Well, looks like I really made a profit, hehe, I won't say anything more." Liu took the egg yolk pastry, took a bite with relish, and then started telling Yang Ruoqing about the absurd things that happened to Mai Lao Er's family.

“That Mai Lao Er is inherently bad, selfish, and greedy. Now, instigated by his wife, he’s doing things that are becoming increasingly inhuman,” Liu continued.

"Because of the house repairs, they said they were short of money. Having learned from the previous experience, they didn't dare to directly put straw on the wheat ears and take them to the street to sell. So they secretly made a deal with a 40-year-old widower in Lijia Village who had lost his wife, and sold the wheat ears to the old widower for 6 taels of silver."

"This time he's learned his lesson. He didn't say he was selling his daughter, but rather that the six taels of silver were a bride price, and that he was giving Maisui'er to the old widower's son in Lijia Village as a child bride!"

"That excuse? Well, he really managed to find a loophole," Yang Ruoqing said.

If it were an open sale of their children, the villagers would definitely gossip about Mai Lao Er and his wife behind their backs.

However, if marriage, child brides, and dowries are used as pretexts, then others are less likely to interfere. Because marriage is a major event, arranged by parents, and this is how every family does it.

"Fourth Aunt, since she's betrothed to the son of that old widower in Li Village as a child bride, how old is that son? What's his background? Why do you despise this marriage so much?"

Yang Ruoqing then asked more questions, because her intuition told her that there was definitely something fishy going on!

"The son of that old widower in Lijia Village is an idiot! He's 20 years old this year, and he doesn't even know to run home when it rains. He needs to be fed, and all he does is drool with his mouth crooked and drool dripping down his neck!"

"Tell me, how would a fool like that know how to use a 10-year-old child bride?" Liu asked Yang Ruoqing rhetorically.

Yang Ruoqing's face immediately darkened.

When a family takes a wife, the most real reason and purpose is always to continue the family line and carry on the ancestral rites.

Therefore, Mai Sui'er publicly claimed that she was going to marry into the family as a child bride, and that she would consummate the marriage with that foolish son a few years later to continue the family line for the Li family.

But in reality, once Mai Sui'er actually entered Old Li's house, the courtyard gate and the house door were closed. That silly son knew nothing and couldn't do anything. There was also another 40-year-old widower in the house. Who knows what would happen!
As for whether Mai Sui'er is really pregnant, who knows whose child it is? Anyway, it's all going to be the Li family's child. Outsiders can only speculate at most, and no one can provide any concrete evidence, right?
But the one who suffers the most is Mai Sui'er. What can a 10-year-old girl know?
"You scoundrel, you can't do this! I'm going to meddle in other people's business today!" Yang Ruoqing suddenly put down her shoes and stood up. Liu Shi quickly came over and pressed Yang Ruoqing down.

"Don't be impulsive. I haven't finished speaking yet. You don't need to interfere."

"What do you mean?"

"This time, it was Mai Lao Er's second daughter, Mai Li'er, who stood up for her sister and ruined Mai Lao Er and his wife's plans. She also angered the stepmother so much that she took her son back to her parents' home. Now Mai Lao Er is caught in the middle, not pleasing either side."

"Oh? The wheat grains were turned yellow? That girl is really something. If I remember correctly, she's only 6 years old, right?" Yang Ruoqing asked.

“Yes, she’s 6 years old, three years older than your Tuanbao and Yuanbao,” Liu said. “Hey, I must say, that girl Mai Li’er is really promising. She’s so young and she can already protect her older sister.”

"How was it protected? How was it ruined? Fourth Aunt, tell me again."

"That girl put a laxative, meant for animals, in the tea of ​​the matchmaker who came to propose marriage and the old widower."

"Before we even started eating, all the adults in the room started vomiting and had diarrhea, which really offended the matchmaker and the old widower."

"The two of them, Mai Lao Er and his wife, were furious and wanted to beat Mai Li'er. Mai Li'er was fierce; she grabbed a kitchen knife and chased the matchmaker and the old widower all over the yard, threatening to kill them. She even threatened that if anyone dared to marry her sister, Mai Sui'er, her younger sister would go to her brother-in-law's house every day to kill people, go crazy, and make sure no one had an easy time!" After listening to Liu's description, Yang Ruoqing smiled and found it more and more interesting.

A six-year-old girl, barely taller than the adults' waists, was surrounded by adults, none of whom could offer her warmth and protection. The only person who truly loved her had traded his own life for her daughter's, exchanging it with death during her birth.

That little girl actually took a kitchen knife and started hacking people around the yard, ultimately ruining the "deal" between the three families. The matchmaker was so frightened that she vowed never to set foot in the Mai family again, not even for Mai Sui'er, Mai Li'er, the two daughters the stepmother brought with her, or even the son the stepmother and Mai Lao Er had... The matchmaker declared that she would never help them arrange marriages again, and even went to all the matchmakers in the surrounding villages to warn them not to get involved in Mai Lao Er's affairs!
"She is indeed promising, but after all, she is only 6 years old. This kind of destructive behavior may be the limit for her."

"If there is a next time, and the Mai couple are on guard, Mai Li'er's trick might not work."

"It's even possible that once Mai Lao Er and his wife reconcile, the first thing they'll do is get rid of Mai Li'er, this stumbling block. A couple like that is capable of doing anything even more despicable!"

Mrs. Liu nodded, "I think so too. That couple is just pretending to renovate the house; they're really eager to cash in on their two daughters from the previous project!"

Liu stayed at the Luo family's house for a long time, reluctant to leave. It wasn't until she saw Luo Fengtang, Yang Huazhong, and Luo the blacksmith and the others returning from outside that Liu quickly got up and left.

I don't know why, but she's not afraid of anything, except for being a little timid towards Luo Fengtang.

Whenever Luo Fengtang is around, even if Liu Shi loves gossiping about other people's affairs, she will restrain herself. Look at her now, she has already made a quick getaway.

Yang Ruoqing quickly got down from the fire bucket, and while getting teacups and teapots to pour hot tea for everyone, she called out to the backyard, "Auntie, my uncles are back."

"Hey, they're here." Wang Cuilian had been doing needlework with Rong Gu in the warm room behind the main hall.

With the Lunar New Year just 20 days away, Wang Cuilian and Ronggu have been working tirelessly to prepare new shoes, socks, hats, and other items for their children.

When Liu came over for a chat, Wang Cuilian deliberately didn't want to show herself, so as not to get caught up in Liu's endless chatter, which would interfere with her needlework.

Upon hearing that Luo the blacksmith and the others had returned, Wang Cuilian immediately came towards the main room, still holding her needlework in her hands, carrying her sewing basket with her.

"Auntie, have a bowl of tea too. It has red dates and longan in it, it'll warm your hands and feet."

"Okay, then I'll have a bowl too."

The family sat down around the table, each with a bowl of hot tea. Yang Ruoqing even pulled Luo Fengtang, wanting him to drink with her and sit in the warm tub together.

"Why would a grown man like me sit in a hot tub? You and the auntie can sit there." Luo Fengtang was still a little embarrassed about sitting in a hot tub!
Wang Cuilian laughed beside her, "I've been sitting here all day, and I'm sweating from the heat. You guys sit down."

But Luo Fengtang was still embarrassed, even though he had run around outside and it was really cold...

"If you're shy, you can put your feet in." Yang Ruoqing pulled over a stool and forcibly dragged Luo Fengtang into the warm tub.

This time, Luo Fengtang did not refuse.

At the other end of the table, Yang Huazhong and Luo the blacksmith were drinking tea and talking about the heavy snow and house repairs in the village.

Hearing that things are progressing smoothly, and that there are only three to five dilapidated houses in the village that need repair, the repair team is now working overtime to repair them. This year's snowfall will basically not pose a threat to the lives and property of the villagers.

Seeing that they had finished their conversation, Yang Ruoqing was about to seize the opportunity to ask about the house of Mai Lao Er.

As a result, Yang Huazhong suddenly changed the subject and took the initiative to talk about Mai Lao Er's family.

"That Mr. Mai is dishonest. His house isn't that badly damaged, but he insists on making it sound so serious. He just wants to freeload off the repair team. It's ridiculous! I told him to hold off and not take up the repair team's time. There's a first-come, first-served rule, but he just keeps arguing and being unreasonable!"

As Yang Huazhong spoke, he shook his head. As the head of Changping Village, he was truly helpless when faced with villagers like this.

You can't hit them, you can't scold them, and you can't always give in to them; it's really a headache.

"Dad, regarding the Mai family, I heard from Fourth Aunt that there was another version of events..."

Yang Ruoqing quickly relayed Liu's earlier words to Yang Huazhong and the others without missing a single one.

Everyone was stunned after hearing this, and Yang Huazhong and Luo the blacksmith were so angry that they were blowing their beards and glaring.

“If this is true, then Old Mai has really been blinded by greed!” said Luo the blacksmith.

Yang Huazhong frowned and said, "Mai Lao Er has a criminal record. A few years ago, when Mai Sui'er was only five or six years old, she was sold."

Luo the blacksmith said, "I remember that time, the woman in front of his house had died less than half a year after giving birth. He first went around taking his motherless second daughter and abandoning her everywhere. His father-in-law came with his two brothers-in-law and beat him up. Only then did he behave and dare not openly abandon his child."

"Not long after, they came up with the idea of ​​selling their eldest daughter. Third brother, do you remember? That day, someone came to inform us that Mai Lao Er had taken Mai Sui'er to the town market to meet a young man. When we rushed over to intercept them, good heavens, they had already handed over the girl for money!"

"That's outrageous! Even tigers don't eat their cubs!" Wang Cuilian said angrily.

Sun asked them, "When you took the child away, did you scold him?"

Yang Huazhong said, "Several village elders slapped Mai Lao Er twice, and the blacksmith and I also scolded him."

"That's good. They deserved to be hit and scolded," said Mrs. Sun, feeling particularly relieved.

Luo the blacksmith said, "That bastard never learns from his mistakes, and now he's eyeing the wheat ears again. Sigh!"

Yang Huazhong looked at Yang Ruoqing: "Although what your fourth aunt said may be exaggerated, it shouldn't be entirely unfounded."

"I've got this in mind. I'll ask around and find out what's going on."