Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 11975

Zhao Liuer and Xiao Mo exchanged a glance and both smiled at the same time.

"Second sister-in-law, since you and second brother have both decided to accept only one gift, what's there to hesitate about?" Zhao Liuer said.

Xiao Mo continued, "Yes, we have an open and honest heart and are not afraid of any rumors or gossip."

Looking at the two of them, Cao Bamei couldn't figure out which of their words were true and which were false beneath their amiable and concerned faces.

When Cao Bamei carried a pot of hot water towards the main room, Zhao Liuer and Xiao Mo lowered their voices and said, "We can't blame Second Sister-in-law for caring about gossip. After all, she only accepts one gift and hosts one banquet. If she were to host another banquet at noon, she would probably be even more justified. Fourth Sister-in-law, what do you think?"

Ms. Mo smiled meaningfully, "We agreed to have a lunch banquet at noon as well, and two banquets to entertain our bride's relatives and friends."

"Perhaps they had other ideas at the last minute. It doesn't matter if they cancel the lunch. As long as they keep their word and don't accept Xiuxiu's gift, no one will say anything."

The implication is that if you say you won't accept anything, and only accept Xiu Hong's share, then you're not really accepting anything.

However, in practice, they also forgave Xiuxiu's share, so their relatives and friends had something to say about it.

However, none of this concerns them. This is a matter for the second branch of the family. Although the three brothers of the first branch have a closer relationship than the other branches, they have ultimately separated and started their own separate households.

Zhao Liuer then asked Madam Mo, "Fourth sister-in-law, have the congratulatory gifts from your fourth branch of the family been sent over?"

Xiao Mo shook her head: "Not yet. I was just thinking of discussing it with my third brother and sister-in-law, so that our two families can deliver it together."

"Okay, let's go back to the old house tonight and discuss it."

"Okay, now that the children are asleep, Yongqing and I will come find you."

No matter how much the other branches of the Yang family send, the sisters-in-law must send the same amount. Moreover, their gifts must be heavier than those of the other branches, since they are brothers!
I just hope that Xiu Xiu and Xiu Hong can live a good life together and not get divorced again.

They don't care about getting married one after another, but their relatives and friends can't handle it!

……

At the Luo family home, after dinner, the children were still playful, so Feng'er took them to Dazhi's study.

Everyone can read, practice calligraphy, play chess, and paint in the study. Feng'er, their all-powerful older cousin, can satisfy all their needs.

Ronggu and Ping'an went over to take care of things, while Shaoyao and Linglan stayed in the kitchen to clean up the dishes.

Mai Sui stayed in the kitchen to help Shao Yao and Ling Lan with the housework. Yang Ruoqing called Mai Li to her side and sent her to the study to help maintain order. After all, the two little brothers, Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, especially Yuan Yuan, listened to Mai Li very much now.

The reason for this... is probably because they can't beat Mai Li'er, so they have no choice but to obey Mai Li'er's arrangements if they don't want to get beaten up.

After finishing his supper, Luo the blacksmith wanted to chat with Yang Huazhong and Da'an for a while, but his throat was sore in this cold weather.

So Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang both advised him to go back to his room, soak his feet in hot water, and lie down. Wang Cuilian also went over to take care of him.

Luo Fengtang and Da'an moved to Chen'er's study to continue their conversation, while Yang Huazhong went to visit the small second room across the street. Thus, only Sun Shi, Yang Ruoqing, and Xiao Hua, the mother and her two children, remained in the main room.

The fire in the fire bucket was replaced with a new earthenware pot, and the fire was burning very well. The mother and her two children sat in the fire bucket with a round quilt draped over their legs, and their whole bodies were warm.

"Mom, Hua'er, let's crack some sunflower seeds." Yang Ruoqing picked up the sunflower seeds from the dish on the table next to her and invited the two of them over.

When women gather together to chat, sunflower seeds are an indispensable prop.

"I just ate a full meal, I can't eat anymore," Xiaohua said.

Yang Ruoqing said, "These melon seeds are roasted with hawthorn, dried tangerine peel, and licorice. They're so delicious that you'll want to keep eating them."

"Hua'er, have a taste, just a few," Sun encouraged from the side, already holding a small handful in her palm as a demonstration for Xiao Hua.

Xiao Hua smiled and nodded, then grabbed a handful and popped them into her mouth to eat.

Hey, her eyes lit up after taking a bite. "Sis, these sunflower seeds are delicious! They're sweet and not greasy at all."

Yang Ruoqing said with a hint of pride, "I'm not lying to you, am I? These melon seeds are roasted using an ancient method, Rong Gu's technique. You can't buy them in dried goods stores outside."

Xiao Hua nodded repeatedly, and now sat next to Sun Shi, enjoying the pleasure of eating sunflower seeds and chatting.

The main focus was on Sun questioning Xiaohua about the family of five's daily life in Changhuaizhou over the past year. Although Sun had already asked about these topics during their previous meeting, it didn't stop her from asking again. This time, because Da'an and Luo Fengtang weren't present, and it was just the three of them, Sun asked more detailed and specific questions, even touching on some private aspects of their marriage.

"...Now that Da'an is the governor of Changhuai Prefecture, he has to deal with official matters. Is he still as good to you as before? Does he not have any other women outside?" Madam Sun asked in a low voice.

She's been through it all and knows very well that after many years, the initial novelty and intimacy between couples may fade.

Especially for the men, not to mention anything else, most of the men in the village, after getting married and having a few children, inevitably have some philandering affairs outside. It is common for couples in the village to argue or even fight in the middle of the night because of these things.

Or perhaps one party doesn't return home at night, and the other party, along with relatives and friends, finds a place to block the door, catches them in the act, and then causes a scene.

The places where they catch criminals on the spot are often quite bizarre: in cotton field ditches, at the foot of mountains, under river embankments, in earthen kilns near willow groves, and even in some unexpected, dark places...

Having witnessed and heard so much about the things happening around her, Mrs. Sun became particularly concerned about the marriages and families of her own children.

In particular, Da'an is so outstanding, talented and good-looking, and holds a high position of power.

“Mother, you should ask Da’an about these things, not Hua’er. Even if it’s a warning, you should tell your son!”

Yang Ruoqing interrupted Madam Sun's incessant questioning and said seriously.

Madam Sun smiled awkwardly and said, "You're right, I will definitely tell Da'an these things, but I also need to ask Hua'er before I feel at ease. Right, Hua'er?" Madam Sun's gaze fell on Xiao Hua again. Xiao Hua was sitting in the fire tub, her face a little red and her expression a little embarrassed.

“Mother, Da’an isn’t that kind of person. He’s still as good to me and the children as before,” Xiao Hua said softly.

Madam Sun frowned: "You can't hide this from your mother. It's true that I'm your mother-in-law, but I also raised you. If Da'an really wrongs you or treats you badly, your sister and I will stand up for you! Right, Qing'er?"

Yang Ruoqing was originally eating sunflower seeds, intending to be a bystander, when she was unexpectedly called out by the Sun family.

“Absolutely. The men of the Yang and Luo families must remain faithful to their husbands until death.” Her tone was very firm.

Other people having multiple wives and concubines is their business. In the Yang family and the Luo family, women have equal status with men, and this is absolutely not allowed.

"Leaving aside the fact that you are my sister, Hua'er, even if it were Dazhi and Xiao Qiao, Xiao Qiao is my daughter-in-law. If Dazhi wanted to take a concubine, I would stand by Xiao Qiao's side, unless Xiao Qiao did something very wrong, in which case it would depend on the situation!"

Xiao Hua was deeply moved by what Sun Shi and Yang Ruoqing said, but the smile on her lips carried a hint of bitterness.

If matters of the heart could truly be intervened in by external forces, then things wouldn't be so complicated.

The problem is, if Da'an's feelings for me have really changed, even if my mother and sister tie him up and beat him, it probably won't do any good.

"Hua'er, judging from your expression, is something wrong with you two?" Sun asked again, feeling that something was off about Xiao Hua's expression.

When Yang Ruoqing heard Sun Shi ask repeatedly, she couldn't help but take a closer look at Xiao Hua and found that Xiao Hua's condition was indeed a little different from previous years when she came back this year.

In previous years, when he returned from the capital, although he was always travel-worn, he was in excellent spirits. Especially with Da'an, although they never showed affection in public and had a harmonious and respectful relationship, when they came to the Luo family's house for a meal together, their words and actions conveyed a sense of tacit understanding between husband and wife.

This year, at a previous dinner party, Xiaohua served food to Da'an, but Da'an barely paid any attention.

Throughout the meal, Da'an only talked to other people and it seemed that he really didn't communicate with Xiaohua at all.

Yang Ruoqing was a little surprised at the time, but because everyone was eating and making a lot of noise, she didn't think about it too much.

Now that Madam Sun had brought up the matter repeatedly, Yang Ruoqing also took it seriously.

Xiaohua's expression, in particular, clearly showed her guilt. Yang Ruoqing's eyes twitched twice, and she sat up straight and asked her, "Hua'er, there are no outsiders here. If there's anything wrong, just tell us. We're all women, and we've all been through this before. We can help you figure it out."

Madam Sun nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, talk to your sister. Maybe some things are just misunderstandings. Instead of keeping it to yourself and thinking about it all by yourself, it's better to talk it out and let your sister and me help you figure it out. Once you understand it, there won't be any problems!"

Xiaohua lowered her head, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I don't know if I'm overthinking things. Something happened last time that made me feel uneasy, but I couldn't quite put my finger on why. I tried to subtly ask him about it, but he got upset and said I was overthinking things!"

"Good heavens, we were right? What happened? Tell me quickly!" Mrs. Sun grabbed Xiaohua's hand tightly and pressed for an answer, her face already very serious.

Xiao Hua forced a smile and continued, "Last time during the Mid-Autumn Festival, they hosted a banquet at a restaurant in Changhuaizhou. I heard they even invited a courtesan to entertain them."

"Normally, there's nothing to be surprised about in this kind of thing. He's been to those kinds of places before when he was in the capital, and he's seen quite a few of the most beautiful courtesans in the capital."

“But after the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet last time, one day when I was helping him pack his clothes, I found an extra sachet in his clothes.”

"That sachet was clearly a foreign object, which made me feel uneasy. I took the sachet to him and asked him about it. He said he didn't know anything about it and that it was probably given to him by someone at a banquet. He told me to just throw it away."

“That day, he did throw the sachet out the window in front of me, but a few days later, when I was tidying up his desk, I saw the sachet again!”

hiss!
Yang Ruoqing and Madam Sun gasped. The mother and daughter exchanged a glance, both seeing the same worry in each other's eyes.

If, as Da'an said, it was something someone gave him while he was drinking, then he can just throw it away.

He could throw it away, then pick it up again, and put it away in a different place. Even a fool would know that the owner behind the sachet had a different meaning for him now.

"And then? Did you take the sachet to ask him?" Yang Ruoqing picked up the conversation and began to ask.

Because Sun's face had already turned pale, and her hands were trembling with anger, if she were to press her for more information, she would likely become incoherent.

Xiao Hua looked up at Yang Ruoqing, her eyes clearly showing a hint of sadness. "I didn't ask."

"Why don't you ask?" Yang Ruoqing asked, puzzled. If Luo Fengtang brought back something given to him by a woman from outside, Yang Ruoqing would ask him about it the first time she saw it, just like that year at the tea house when Xu Qiaohong, a young woman waiting to be married, secretly slipped a pair of new socks into his clothes.

If those socks are thrown away and he secretly picks them up again, then sorry, Yang Ruoqing will chop off his hands!
“Yes, Hua’er, you should ask! Why don’t you ask? What are you afraid of? We’ll back you up!” Sun Shi was anxious and gripped Xiao Hua’s hand tightly again, trying to give her confidence.

However, Xiaohua didn't feel confident at all; instead, she became even more discouraged.

"Because next to the sachet, I saw a letter, which was written by that courtesan to Da'an."

"Although I didn't receive much formal education, I followed Da'an around since I was a child, helping him grind ink and cut paper, so I learned to recognize some characters."

"When these words—'my lord,' 'my concubine,' and 'longing'—are pieced together, I can more or less guess their meaning..."

"Not only that, I also found a painting that Da'an made for that courtesan in the study," Xiao Hua narrowed her eyes slightly, recalling the woman's graceful figure in the scroll and the charm in her eyes and brows, her tone imperceptibly tinged with envy and jealousy: "...She is really, really beautiful, not like a courtesan, but more like a fairy!"

Finished!

Xiao Hua's words plunged both Sun Shi and Yang Ruoqing into an icy abyss.

Yang Ruoqing couldn't remember exactly how she and Sun Shi had hastily comforted Xiaohua in the end. In short, everyone knew that in the face of facts, no amount of words would be enough.

The only thing that might work is to find out about this from Da'an.

Yang Ruoqing let Sun take Xiaohua and the children home first, while she left Da'an behind, who was preparing to leave.