Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 12025

"So, Dad, you and Mom must take good care of yourselves, especially Mom, she still has to help Mei'er raise the three children! You must both live to be a hundred years old!"

At this point, everyone remaining in the main room truly understood the meaning of the words.

Old Yang's smile faded, and worry returned to his brow.

He knew that the old woman's previous actions towards Jiang Guiling had offended Lao Wu.

Look at those sarcastic words from that honest man! It's so hurtful to hear. It's as if the two of them lived their entire lives just to help Mei'er, whether openly or secretly. Sigh!
"Father, since my mother has gone to rest, I will kowtow to you as well!" Yang Huazhou said, and then stood up again.

"What? Fifth Brother, are you going back?" Yang Huazhong asked, understanding the meaning behind Yang Huazhou's words.

Yang Huazhou nodded: "Yes, when we were paying our respects at the ancestral hall in the afternoon, we ran into Sanpang and Siwang and a few others. We made an appointment to chat at home after paying our respects to the ancestors in the evening."

Sanpang and Siwang, whom Yang Huazhou mentioned, are both from Changping Village and grew up with Yang Huazhou as childhood friends.

There used to be a Jiang Er, who was Jiang Xianjun's father. They were the closest of friends, but Jiang Er's family fell out over their children's marriage. Now, Jiang Er is gone too.

"Oh, I see. Then I'll kowtow too. After that, I still have to go to the Sun family to pay my respects for the New Year." Yang Huazhong also stood up. He glanced at Da'an and Xiaohua, and the couple immediately understood. They got up with Fuwa and Jun'er and followed Yang Huazhong to kowtow.

"Since Uncle Yang and Uncle Wu both have things to do, let's all kowtow together!" The rest of Kang and the others echoed, and everyone kowtowed to Old Yang in order of age and seniority, kowtowing twice.

They said auspicious words, and they said them twice.

At this point, the old man put aside his previous negative emotions and put on a kind and forgiving smile again.

After kowtowing, he took out a stack of red envelopes from his pocket and handed them out to Shun'er.

When it was the third son's turn, Old Yang not only handed three red envelopes to Feng'er, Fuwa, and Jun'er in turn, but also gave one to Yang Huazhong.

"This is for Xiao An and Niu Niu. Please pass it on to Xiao An and the others for us."

“Okay.” Since it concerns his grandson’s New Year’s money, which comes once a year and is meant to bring good luck, Yang Huazhong wouldn’t refuse without hesitation.

However, after receiving Niu Niu's New Year's money, Yang Huazhong had a doubt in his mind.

Why aren't there any pictures of Qing'er's children? Is it because they left early that they weren't given any?
That's really unreasonable. When Luo Fengtang returned before the New Year, Qing'er accompanied him to visit the two elders, bringing gifts and giving them red envelopes.

In the days leading up to the Lunar New Year, Qing'er, as a married daughter, bought new clothes for her parents for the second time and gave them money to spend as usual.

Tonight, Qing'er and her husband brought their children to wish us a Happy New Year. It was because the children insisted on watching the fireworks that they left early. The old folks shouldn't withhold their New Year's money just because of that!

"Hua'er, wait a minute, there are a few more red envelopes here, for your sister's kids,"

Seemingly to deliberately delay, allowing Yang Huazhong to remain suspicious and overthink, just as Yang Huazhong and his companions were about to turn and leave, Old Yang's voice rang out again, and his trembling hand handed over several red envelopes.

Xiao Hua, whose name was called, looked at the red envelope in front of her but didn't reach out for it. She turned her head and glanced at Da An beside her.

Da'an had been pondering this matter in his mind just now, and when he saw Xiaohua looking over with pleading eyes, Da'an coughed lightly.

"Sir, why don't you save it and give it to my sister and the others after they come to kowtow?"

You're not the only one who plays these mind-bending tricks; we also have the right to refuse to cooperate. I won't pass on your message; I'll leave the red envelope in your hands. Let's see how worried you are when my sister gets angry!

Upon hearing Da'an's hint, Xiaohua immediately withdrew her hand and smiled as she followed Da'an's words, saying, "Da'an is right, Master. Didn't my sister say earlier that she would come to kowtow during the first month of the lunar year? You can give them to them personally then."

Old Yang was getting anxious when he saw that the two of them were playing games with him, but he didn't show it on his face.

"It's New Year's Eve tonight, and we're supposed to give out lucky money. Don't be lazy, hurry up and help me carry these, otherwise I'll have to personally deliver them to the village entrance later. My old arms and legs are so weak, what if I bump into something and hurt myself going out at night? It wouldn't be good to cause you trouble during the New Year..."

Old Yang muttered to himself as he forcefully shoved the red envelope into Xiao Hua's hand.

You think you can just refuse? I'm not going to mess with that troublemaker Qing'er!

If she finds out that the other children have all received their red envelopes, or that someone else collected them on their behalf, while I've suppressed the distribution of her children's red envelopes... that troublemaker doesn't care whether it's Chinese New Year or not, she'll definitely flip the table!
“If that’s the case, then Xiaohua, why don’t you take the red envelopes over for your sister and the others? That will save your grandpa the trouble of running back and forth so late at night,” Yang Huazhong said.

"Okay." Xiaohua then put the red envelope away.

After seeing Yang Huazhong and the others off, Yang Yongzhi and Zhao Liuer also took the children back to their rooms. Kang Xiaozi and Tiedan also left, and the large main room suddenly became quiet and deserted.

Old Yang didn't leave. He sat on a stool in the main room, silently smoking his pipe, and drinking hot tea when it got cold.

"Ugh, how did the New Year celebrations suddenly turn into this? It's giving me a headache!"

Old Yang sat in the main room for a very long time, until his hands and feet were freezing cold, before he got up and went to the old house in the backyard to put on more clothes.

Tan was not asleep. She was sitting on the bed fully clothed, with two pillows behind her, wiping away tears.

Hearing Old Yang return to the house, she quickly turned her face away so that he wouldn't see her crying.

"Stop hiding it, I saw it all." Old Yang glanced at the old lady on the bed and sighed helplessly.

"You're so capable, your eyes are so sharp!" Madam Tan stopped pretending, pursed her lips, and followed Old Yang's figure with her eyes. "Why are you back?" she asked again.

Old Yang said with a hint of displeasure, "Everyone's gone, they've all gone off to have their own fun. What's the point of me sitting there all by myself? There's not even anyone to talk to!"

Mrs. Tan looked puzzled: "That can't be, can it? In previous years, the younger generation didn't pay much attention to such things on New Year's Eve; they were more playful."

"But the third, fourth, and fifth brothers, especially the third and fifth, will sit with you for a long time!"

If Madam Tan hadn't brought it up, it would have been fine, but now that she had, Old Yang's gaze towards her was filled with a hint of resentment.

"They all left early this year. Do you think they wanted to leave? Don't you have any idea?"

"What? What do you mean I don't know what's going on? What does it have to do with me if they want to leave..." Mrs. Tan habitually started to scold, but then she stopped talking and fell silent.

Tonight, she first argued with Liu, then dragged Fatty into it, and finally embarrassed Jiang Guiling.

"Hmph, so you're saying I've offended the third, fourth, and fifth wives all tonight?" Madam Tan asked with a sneer. Old Yang didn't respond. He found a clean pair of socks, sat down, and started changing. The pair he was wearing now had been worn all day, and his toes were damp.

Old Yang's silence was the best response, and it was an implicit acceptance of Tan's question.

Enraged, Madam Tan slammed her fist on the pillow beneath her and exclaimed, "These brats! They're all people you can't afford to offend!"

Old Yang shook his head: "I'm not saying this to be mean, but it takes two to tango. You old woman, you should probably tone down your temper."

"Hey, hey, look at you! I've only said a couple of words and you're already glaring at me..."

Tan turned her face away again, muttering, "These are all things I don't want to hear. If I don't glare at you, do you think I care about you?"

“Hey, old woman, even if you don’t think about yourself, you have to think about Mei’er and the others. You need to change this temper,” Old Yang said again.

"Why are you dragging my Mei'er into this? What does it have to do with my Mei'er!" Madam Tan glared fiercely at Old Yang again.

Old Yang said, "Think about it, our Yang family is Mei'er's maternal home. If Mei'er takes Sanwa back to her maternal home, where will she eat and drink? Who will entertain her? The two of us?"

One sentence was enough to stump the Tan family.

Seeing that Madam Tan didn't say anything, Old Yang knew that she had taken his words to heart.

So, Old Yang mustered his courage and continued, "Think about it, when Mei'er comes to visit her relatives in January with her kids, she has no other relatives to visit, so she can only run around her parents' home."

"At that time, it will be because we offended the third, fourth, and fifth wives..."

"They're making excuses not to entertain us, what are Mei'er and the others supposed to do?"

"They wouldn't dare!" Madam Tan glared and shouted again, "My own sister came to pay her respects during the Lunar New Year. If they dare not entertain her, I'll break their legs!"

"Do you think violence can solve everything?" Old Yang asked Tan. "They won't say they won't entertain you, but their attitude will be cold and they'll clearly be unwilling and perfunctory."

"Even if they treat her, Mei'er will probably realize she doesn't want to stay with them anymore. Your scolding and hitting won't win people over, do you understand?"

Ms. Tan sat on the bed, dejected once again.

After a long while, she suddenly raised her head and said, "Old man, I have an idea. Let me tell you and see if it works!"

What are your thoughts?

“Aren’t there two empty rooms next door? We can use one for Mei’er and her child to stay in, and I’m thinking of turning the other one up, putting up a small stove and a dining table, so I can cook for myself!”

"What? What did you say? Are you talking in your sleep, old woman?" Old Yang was so shocked by Tan's idea that he sat up straight from the stool.

“Ever since your eldest daughter-in-law, Jin, entered the family, more than forty years have passed, and you have never once stepped into the kitchen to cook a single meal!”

"You're over eighty now, do you really want to pick up a spatula again? Can you even handle the heat?"

"Hey, who do you think you are?" Madam Tan rolled her eyes at Old Yang. "You look so unsophisticated. I don't cook because there are so many wives in the family, and I, as the mother-in-law, don't need to cook. But I've always had the skill to cook, and I'm a pro at it!"

"As for my health, I know what I'm doing. I can't do farm work, but I can definitely cook for the two of us and help you put firewood in the fire!"

Old Yang was also somewhat swayed by Tan's words.

To be honest, ever since the Yang family divided their property many years ago, then during the two years when he and Tan had a falling out, then when they reconciled, and then last year when Mei'er gave birth and Tan went to town to help take care of the baby for a whole year...

For so many years, the old man lived like a vagrant, eating at one son's house this month and another son's house next month.

At home, the Tan family did the same thing. The elderly couple would wait in the east room like two old birds, waiting for their children and grandchildren to bring them food at mealtimes.

In the eyes of other villagers, whenever their children and grandchildren come to bring them meals, who doesn't praise their filial piety? Who doesn't envy the elderly couple's good fortune?

They truly live a life of ease, with everything done for them!

However, only when you are in that situation yourself will you understand that nothing in this world is perfect.

Rather than having meals delivered at fixed times and locations, and eating whatever their children and grandchildren eat... freedom is the most important thing!
Sometimes when they bring food over, the elderly couple have stomach problems and can't eat it.

Sometimes I get hungry again before mealtime, but my children and grandchildren haven't started cooking yet...

"What did Mei'er say this year? She wants you to stay in the village, right?" Old Yang asked Tan Shi to confirm.

When I went to pick up Mrs. Tan in December to bring her back to the village for the New Year, I heard Mei'er say that the three children would be one year old after the New Year. They were all learning to walk and didn't like being carried. They had also grown up and were quite heavy, so the old lady couldn't carry them anymore.

So after the New Year, let Tan stay in the village and not go to town to take care of the child. In town, Sister Hua and Sister-in-law Guihua can help take care of the child.

"Well, I'd like to lend a hand, but the kids are getting older and don't lie in their cradles as much anymore. They need to walk around on the ground a lot, and my old arms and legs can't handle it. I'd better come back to the village!" Tan said softly, her tone a little disappointed.

Old Yang was very happy. He slapped his thigh and said, "Alright, I'll change my shoes and go to the village entrance to sit with Lao San and the others. Let's strike while the iron is hot and tell them about this. Let them help us build the small kitchen in the next house after the New Year!"

"Don't rush over there yet. Sit down here, let's discuss how to calculate the amount of money and food they need for support," Madam Tan beckoned to Old Yang.

"You can go and tell them after we've discussed it on our end!"

"Okay, let's discuss it first."

……

Inside the Luo Family Compound.

Ping An and Xing Wang were setting off various fireworks in the courtyard. Besides the large fireworks that Tuan Tuan and the others hadn't had enough of, which cost more than one or two taels of silver each, there were also all sorts of small fireworks.

These little fireworks are quite nice too. Some spin on the ground, while others stand steadily on the ground and then spray out colorful and auspicious patterns.

Others are long and thin; you hold them in your hand at a 45-degree angle to the sky, and then bang bang bang, dozens of fireworks will be launched in succession.