Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 12033

Hearing her younger sister's mature-sounding scolding, Mai Sui'er felt a little embarrassed, but she didn't continue to argue.

She took a bite of a meat dumpling, filled with sauerkraut and pork. It tasted so good! The dumpling skin was chewy. She then stuffed the last half of the dumpling into her mouth and chewed it heartily. The more she ate, the more fragrant it became, and her face was full of delight.

"Little sister, life is so good now, it's like a dream!" Mai Sui'er mumbled between bites, her eyes reddening.

“Last year, the year before last, and the year before that… I saw my dad and stepmother eating dumplings while staying up late on New Year’s Eve, and we would hide behind the door and secretly drool.”

"I never expected that we'd be eating dumplings while staying up all night for Chinese New Year this year. They were so delicious!"

Originally, Ronggu and the others did not plan to give the two sisters dumplings for the New Year's Eve vigil. The reason was simple: they were afraid that the children would have difficulty digesting the food and would suffer from indigestion.

It was Yang Ruoqing who asked Rong Gu to deliver them, because Yang Ruoqing knew that the two sisters must have been longing for these two bowls of dumplings, especially Mai Sui'er.

Eating dumplings for New Year's Eve is no longer just about satisfying one's appetite. After all, during the month or two they spent at the Luo family's house, they ate whatever the Luo family ate, and the two sisters were visibly gaining weight day by day.

Even the previously underdeveloped and short-statured wheat ears have started to grow taller again...

"The general's wife is kind-hearted, and the whole Luo family are good people," Mai Li'er exclaimed.

This was the first New Year she had spent in the other world after transmigrating into the book. Yang Ruoqing not only made new clothes for her sisters, but also gave them lucky money.

Even before the Lunar New Year, Yang Ruoqing came to this room and chatted with me for a while, sharing her feelings about her first Lunar New Year in this world...

Yang Ruoqing told her, "Since you're here, make the best of it. If fate has brought you here, then there must be a reason why you're here."

Your life, the people you meet, and the things you experience will all start anew here.

Yang Ruoqing also advised her to break free from prejudice and not to always think that this is a world in a book, a world of illusion.

Existence is reality. This world, this universe, everything is illusion, yet everything is also reality. What is reality? Reality is your immediate feeling right now.

You're hungry, you're cold, you're happy, you're joyful... that's the reality.

"Little sister, the general's wife is so kind, she even gave us lucky money!" Mai Sui'er ate dumplings, feeling so happy.

Mai Li nodded and took out a small purse from her body. Inside the purse was the New Year's money that Yang Ruoqing had given to the sisters tonight.

Each person pays sixty coins, which adds up to one hundred and twenty coins.

Yang Ruoqing said that the money wasn't much, it was just a token.

But Mai Li'er was still very moved, because Yang Ruoqing was already supporting the sisters for free, and now she was even giving them New Year's money. She was a really good person, no wonder she was the female lead of this novel!

Mai Sui'er, the older sister, has a gentle personality. Mai Li'er was worried that if her sister kept the New Year's money, she would be easily tricked away by her father and stepmother with a few kind words. So, Mai Li'er volunteered to take her sister's New Year's money and keep it safe together. Her sister naturally had no objection and was very happy!

"The General's wife also said today that when I turn twelve, she will give me a monthly allowance, just like Sister Linglan and Sister Shaoyao." Mai Sui'er shared this good news with her younger sister.

Little sister Mai Li'er smiled, but she didn't show the same excitement and longing as Mai Sui'er.

What Mai Sui'er didn't know was that her younger sister was no longer the same sister she used to be. Her sister had been switched, and her body now housed a soul from another time and space.

For Mai Li'er, she longed to grow up, but not like her sister who longed to grow up so she could become a servant and earn a monthly allowance. She longed to grow up and no longer be this six-year-old body, unable to do anything. She longed to grow up so she could use the knowledge she had gained in her later life in this era. She also wanted to become an independent and self-reliant woman like Yang Ruoqing, instead of being like other women in this era who clung to men like vines!

In the kitchen of the small second room, Cao Bamei and her daughter Xiu Hong were busily cooking dumplings. Although they were cooking together, it was mostly Cao Bamei who was doing the work, as she didn't want Xiu Hong to do any chores.

It's really strange. Back when Xiu Hong was waiting to get married at her parents' home, she did most of the housework and took care of her younger brother and nephew. At that time, not only Cao Ba Mei, but even Xiu Hong herself didn't think anything of it. They even thought it was a matter of course.

But after only ten days of marriage, when she returned, not only did her mother, Cao Bamei, no longer want her to do any work, but she herself seemed to feel that doing work was a favor and not doing it was her duty.

Perhaps it's not the right way to put it, but Xiu Hong really does have that feeling.

"Mother, you don't want me to do any work now. Do you think I'm a guest now that I'm married and you're only doing me a favor by helping you when I come back? It's my duty not to do anything, right? If that's the case, I feel a little strange, but I can't quite put my finger on it." Xiu Hong looked at the work in her hands, which Cao Ba Mei had 'taken away' from her time and time again, and she couldn't help but express her doubts and dissatisfaction.

Cao Bamei was busy scooping dumplings from the pot. Her daughter and son-in-law were coming to pay their respects on New Year's Eve, and Cao Bamei was busy and happy. Suddenly, she heard Xiu Hong's complaint. Cao Bamei stopped what she was doing and turned to look at Xiu Hong with a puzzled expression.

After a moment, Cao Bamei laughed, "You silly girl, what nonsense are you talking about? No matter what, you are still a piece of my flesh. I would never be on your side, or your sister's side!"

Xiu Hong frowned and lightly stamped her foot. "Just now, I wanted to help you peel garlic, but Mother stopped me. I wanted to help you add firewood to the fire, but Mother wouldn't allow it either. She said we should cook dumplings together, but Mother was the one busy putting things in and out of the pot, making me feel like an outsider..."

Cao Bamei put down the ladle, came to Xiu Hong, cupped Xiu Hong's face in her hands and gently rubbed it, her tone full of doting affection.

"You silly girl, you're talking nonsense. I don't want you to do chores because I love you. You're no longer just my daughter, you're also your husband's daughter-in-law."

"Just thinking about you in your husband's family, facing such complicated mother-in-law and sister-in-law relationships, having to cook, do housework, and be bullied by your mother-in-law... it's exhausting,"

"I've finally made it back to my parents' home, how could I bear to have you do all the work? Just sit here quietly and stay put, that will make me feel a little better!"

After hearing Cao Bamei's words, Xiu Hong's tears fell.

She threw herself into Cao Bamei's arms, rubbing her face against Cao Bamei's shoulder, her voice husky and slightly coquettish: "Mother~"

"Okay, okay, Mommy's here! Don't cry, okay, sweetie!"

"Mom, Second Sister, Dad sent me to ask when we're having dumplings?" Little Sanzi ran into the kitchen and asked loudly.

Cao Bamei and Xiu Hong let go of each other. Xiu Hong turned her head and quickly wiped away the tears on her face. When she turned back, her face had returned to normal.

She smiled and patted Xiao Sanzi's head: "Okay, it'll be ready soon. Come and help me get the dipping sauce."

Tonight, Cao Bamei cooked all the dumplings she had cooked earlier and sent them to the main room, leaving only one bowl for Xiuhong in the kitchen.

After delivering it, Cao Bamei hurriedly returned, then rolled out dough to make dumplings, throwing each one into the pot to cook.

There was no other way; the number of dumplings prepared earlier wasn't enough. No one expected that Old Yang would come to the small second room as a place to discuss matters. Several uncles from the family, as well as Yang Yongqing and a few others, were all in the small second room. At this moment, everyone was eating dumplings. Cao Bamei had to be extremely stingy to save Xiu Hong's bowl of dumplings.

So at this moment, Cao Bamei was still wrapping and cooking dumplings, while Xiuhong was standing by the stove eating a bowl of dumplings.

"So delicious, so delicious!" The dumplings were piping hot, and the wrappers were handmade by Cao Bamei, making them quite large. But Xiu Hong ate them one by one without hesitation. The way she ate the dumplings filled Cao Bamei with both joy and heartache.

You know, back at home, this girl always ate dumplings so politely. I've never seen her wolf them down like this before, as if she were holding some kind of delicacy instead of dumplings!

"Second Girl, eat slowly, don't burn yourself or choke," Cao Bamei couldn't help but remind her.

Xiu Hong shook her head, "It's nothing, it's nothing. These dumplings are so delicious, I could eat three bowls!"

Three bowls?

Cao Bamei was shocked. She glanced into Xiu Hong's bowl and exclaimed, "My God, it's only been a short time, and the bowl of dumplings is almost empty!"

"Is it really that delicious?" Cao Bamei herself could hardly believe it.

Xiu Hong picked up a piece and brought it to Cao Bamei's lips: "Mother doesn't believe me? Try it!"

Cao Bamei then tried one, savoring it carefully. It still tasted the same as before, with no difference whatsoever.

"It's nothing special, just average," Cao Bamei said. "Why are you so hungry? Didn't you eat enough for New Year's Eve dinner?"

Upon hearing this question, Xiu Hong visibly paused in her eating.

Cao Bamei's face darkened slightly. "Did I really hit the nail on the head? You really didn't eat enough for your New Year's Eve dinner?"

Xiu Hong's eyes flickered for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure. "I'm full. I'm just hungry again now!"

“You’ve never had a big appetite. Back when you were at your parents’ house, if you ate your fill at dinner, you wouldn’t eat much the next morning,” Cao Bamei said, exposing Xiu Hong’s true colors.

“If you don’t tell the truth to your mother, I’ll go to the main room and call Sixi over. I want to ask him myself…” After saying that, Cao Bamei put down her work and went to the main room.

Xiu Hong was startled and quickly stopped Cao Ba Mei: "Mother, don't ask, I'll just tell you the truth!"

"Then hurry up and tell me!"

"Mom, it's nothing really. It's not that others won't give me food, it's just that I don't have an appetite and don't want to eat."

Why don't you want to eat?

"I'm not in a good mood, so I don't have an appetite."

"Why are you in a bad mood? Did you have a fight with Sixi? Or did someone upset you again?" Cao Bamei asked anxiously.

Xiu Hong shook her head, "Si Xi listens to me completely, Mother, don't doubt him."

"I was in a bad mood, mainly because I saw his sisters-in-law together, especially the eldest and second sisters-in-law. They were being sarcastic and gossipy, and I couldn't get any concrete evidence against them, so it made me feel annoyed and I lost my appetite."

Cao Bamei frowned. "What exactly is it? Give me an example, and I'll help you figure it out."

Xiu Hong shook her head: "I can't really explain it. It's just some trivial things in life. I'm too lazy to argue with them about everything, so I put down the dishes and went back to my room early."

"Luckily, my parents' home is nearby. If I get hungry, I can always go back to my parents' home to eat dumplings. Now that I'm eating dumplings, my mood has instantly improved!"

As they spoke, Xiu Hong had already put down the empty bowl in her hand, hugged Cao Ba Mei's arm and gently shook it, pressing her head against Cao Ba Mei's shoulder and acting coquettishly.

A small detail from having New Year's Eve dinner at Sixi's house tonight flashed through her mind.

There was a plate of braised bream on the table. Xiu Hong and San happy's wife cooked the bream together. The fish was cooked very well and looked very tempting. This dish was Xiu Hong's favorite.

When it was served, they discovered that this dish was not only her favorite, but also everyone else's favorite.

They ate quickly, one bite after another. When Xiu Hong was about to take a second bite, the top of the fish had already been eaten, so Xiu Hong wanted to flip the fish over.

At that moment, her sister-in-law quickly stopped her and, in front of everyone, told her with a look of fear, 'Women should never flip fish over; it's bad luck. Flipping fish is something men should do!'

Her chopsticks were still outstretched when her sister-in-law pressed them down with her chopsticks.

Moreover, my mother-in-law and second sister-in-law immediately started making sarcastic remarks, saying things like I had no manners and so on.

Although Sixi and Sanxi were trying to smooth things over, Xiuhong felt nauseous when she saw her chopsticks stuck together with her sister-in-law's. She put down her chopsticks, got up, and went back to her room.

Sixi quickly followed, carrying her rice bowl with a large piece of bream in it, and brought it into the house for her to eat.

She knew that Sixi must have done all this under tremendous pressure, amidst the disapproving looks from his mother, brothers, and sisters-in-law.

Xiu Hong knew how much Sixi loved her, but she had truly lost her appetite for the food.

Si Xi didn't insist. The two stayed in the house for a while and talked for a short time. Then, Si Xi pulled her up and went to the village entrance to offer New Year's greetings.

As for washing pots and pans, Sixi said that whoever wants to wash them can do it. His wife has already done a lot of work cooking, so it's time for someone else to do the washing.

“Mother, tomorrow is the first day of the Lunar New Year. Sixi and I will come to wish you a Happy New Year again.” Cao Bamei was taken aback when she heard Xiuhong’s words.

"Why? Tomorrow is the first day of the Lunar New Year. Shouldn't your whole family go to Si Xi's uncles' houses to pay New Year's respects? Especially since you're a new bride, you should go even more in your first year!" Cao Ba Mei said.

Xiu Hong frowned and muttered, "I don't really want to go..."

“Silly girl, now that you’re married, even if you’ve separated your households, you still have to visit your relatives, especially your mother-in-law’s family. If you don’t, they’ll talk behind your back, and no matter where you go, you won’t be in the right!”

Xiu Hong sighed, "Ugh, getting married is such a hassle! I wish I hadn't been in such a hurry to get married."

"Heh, talking nonsense now? What did you say to me when I advised you not to rush into marriage? You eloped with Sixi, you're such a worry!"

"Mother~" Xiu Hong was a little embarrassed and annoyed, and even more guilty.

"Don't bring up the past. If you do, I'm not talking to you anymore."

"Alright, alright, Mother won't say anymore. Let bygones be bygones. As long as you and Sihai are doing well now, Mother is at ease."