Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 12046

Changping Village, Wanghai County.

The second day of the Lunar New Year is an important day for sons-in-law in the Mianniu Mountain area to visit their fathers-in-law.

Outside, on the main roads and small paths, even on the ridges between fields, you can see small families carrying things and accompanied by their wives and children.

The girl, with her pretty red braided hair, skipped and hopped ahead of her, while her mother held her younger brother, who was wearing a brand-new tiger-head hat, in her arms.

When the father is carrying gifts for New Year's greetings, he has to stop at the meat stall at the village entrance and take out some money to buy two pounds of pork belly for his father-in-law.

If we happen to pass by a general store again, and conditions permit, I will go in and buy two packs of tobacco leaves for my father-in-law, a pot of liquor, a piece of cloth for my mother-in-law, and a couple of packs of soft pastries for the elderly and children.

Even though it was still chilly in early spring, the white mist exhaled when speaking made people feel the cold weather, and their hands and feet ached from the cold.

However, amidst the festive atmosphere of visiting relatives and friends during the Chinese New Year, the coldness on the skin is often overlooked.

Even if the children's noses are sore from the cold that snot is hanging above their mouths, they'll still sniffle hard, and then play together with their older and younger cousins ​​in Grandma's yard...

So today, the courtyard of the Yang family's third branch is just as lively as ever.

Not only did Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang bring their three children to wish everyone a Happy New Year, but Xiao Duo and Xiang Shengnan also brought their three daughters.

Adding in the three children of the Da'an family, the total suddenly reached nine.

Even though Feng'er has now passed the imperial examination and is focused on his studies, the nature of a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy is still playful. However, he is usually restrained by Da'an and is also quite self-disciplined, so he doesn't play much. During the New Year, with the tacit approval of his family, Feng'er also let his nature run wild and played with his younger siblings.

On the contrary, Luo Wuyou, the eldest sister, has indeed become more and more quiet.

"Sister, I feel like Wuyou has grown into a young lady all of a sudden. She doesn't play with them anymore, she just sits quietly by herself, which is very different from before!"

While the sisters were helping Mrs. Sun cook in the kitchen in the backyard, Xiao Duo couldn't help but talk to Yang Ruoqing about it.

Yang Ruoqing smiled and said, "Everyone grows up eventually. How can you stay a child forever? Besides, after this year, she'll be working as a 19-year-old."

Luo Wuyou is still a little over 18 years old, and will not turn 19 until around the tenth month of the lunar calendar in the second half of the year.

At this age, in this era, children would already be learning to walk, so it's understandable that Luo Wuyou would become quiet and reserved.

Even in later generations, a 19-year-old girl would be a freshman in college, having emerged from her rebellious teenage years, and would be at an age where she is sensible.

"Time flies! I still remember how Wuyou looked lying in the cradle. In the blink of an eye, she's almost getting married!" Xiaoduo exclaimed.

When Yang Ruoqing gave birth to twins Chen'er and Wuyou, it was like a star falling from the sky for the third branch of the Yang family and the Luo family. They were incredibly precious to them.

If it weren't for this, Chen'er wouldn't have been targeted by her second uncle Yang Hua'an's mistress, "Qian Shi," and thus become Qian Shi's target for revenge against the Yang family and the Luo family...

Okay, let's not dwell on the unhappy things of the past. The main thing to talk about is Luo Wuyou.

At that time, Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang were focused on finding Chen'er, so Luo Wuyou was left to be cared for by others.

Because Chen'er was lost while Xiao Hua was with her, Xiao Hua felt very guilty and regretted leaving the cradle. So when Luo Wuyou was left, not only Xiao Hua but also Xiao Duo were like glued to the left and right armrests of the cradle. As long as the child was in the cradle, the sisters would put everything else aside and focus on guarding the cradle, protecting Luo Wuyou as if she were their own eyes.

Their feelings for Luo Wuyou are self-evident.

"Time really flies. I can still picture Wuyou walking crookedly like she did when she was little," Xiaohua sighed. "Sometimes when I think about how she'll be getting married in a couple of years and it will be hard to see her again, I feel a pang of sadness."

Xiaohua smiled a little shyly as she spoke.

Xiao Duo nodded repeatedly: "Me too, me too! Jinling is a rare and wonderful child. I'm both happy for Wuyou and reluctant to part with him. Sigh, my feelings are so complicated!"

Aren't their words also reflections of Yang Ruoqing's inner thoughts? Those who raise daughters are indeed conflicted!

"The children have grown up and should have their own lives. As elders, what we should do is to gracefully step down and not use these things to become a burden to them." In the end, Yang Ruoqing could only offer this piece of inspirational advice.

However, since Xiaohua and Xiaoduo were not from the future, they were not immune to chicken soup for the soul, so when they suddenly tasted it, hey, it was quite delicious.

“My sister is right. As long as the children are alright, we can rest assured.”

"Come on, let's hurry up and cook some dishes, and cook more of their favorite dishes. That's what we should really do for them!"

Instead of sighing over this and lamenting over that, spending all day on romantic entanglements, which is utterly useless.

However, while cooking, Yang Ruoqing kept secretly observing Xiaohua.

Seeing Xiaohua and Xiaoduo chatting and laughing intimately, it was clear that Xiaohua was in a great mood, and it didn't seem like she was faking it.

The happier Xiaohua seemed, as if she had emerged from that shadow, the more uneasy Yang Ruoqing felt.

A short while later, Da'an came to the kitchen, carrying an empty thermos flask in his arms.

"The kitchen is so lively, what a great reunion!" Da'an looked at the four women in the kitchen and was in a great mood. His usually aloof and indifferent personality had changed a lot today. He was not only smiling, but also joking.

When Da'an made a joke, the three women, Sun, Xiaohua, and Xiaoduo, immediately became even more excited, ready to respond and not let Da'an's words fall flat.

As for Xiaohua, although she didn't say anything as witty as Xiaoduo, her face was filled with a happy and sweet smile.

It's a feeling of a wife leading and a husband following. If it weren't for the news last night, Yang Ruoqing would have been very gratified to see this scene, because her younger brother and sister's relationship had been repaired, and was even better than before.

But I'm sorry, after the news last night, no matter how Yang Ruoqing looks at Da'an, she feels that he is acting, wearing a mask to play the role of a good husband!
Hey!
If he weren't my own brother, I'd slap him to the ground right now and personally tear off his mask.

It's a pity that he's her own younger brother whom she watched grow up. Before things are finalized, Yang Ruoqing has to save face for him and leave him a way out.

Of course, if he still has the will and is willing to back out...

Da'an left the kitchen carrying the hot water jug. As he passed Yang Ruoqing, his smiling gaze habitually swept over her.

Instead, he met a pair of dark, somewhat melancholic eyes.

Those eyes looked perfectly calm, without the slightest emotional fluctuation, yet for some reason, Da'an felt a sense of panic, as if he had been seen through.

It felt as if, under the gaze of those eyes, being naked was a minor matter; it was as if everything in his heart was about to be laid bare! "Sister?" Da'an paused, stopping in front of Yang Ruoqing while holding a thermos of hot water.

Yang Ruoqing didn't want to give him a friendly look, and even wanted to tell him to get out of the way and stop blocking her light.

The words of expulsion reached her lips, but she forcibly swallowed them back.

She changed to her usual expression, smiled slightly at Da'an, nodded, and indicated that he could leave.

Da'an couldn't discern anything in her eyes, and his anxiety subsided. It seemed he had been overthinking things; it seemed one really shouldn't do bad things, and now he was just being paranoid.

After Da'an left, Yang Ruoqing breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, he probably didn't notice anything amiss beforehand, otherwise, if we had alerted him, the subsequent investigation might have been much more difficult.

This kid must have used his power to intimidate that boatman, which is why the boatman wouldn't open his mouth no matter how much he tried to bribe him.

It's clear that educated people are intelligent and commit high-IQ crimes, far superior to those idiots who can just glare at each other on the street and immediately start fighting.

……

The sixth day of the first lunar month.

For the Luo family, it was a day of triple joy.

One happy event: Yang Ruoqing's thirty-fifth birthday.

The day when Erxi's family, the Sun family, Xiao'an, and Xiaoduo all came to pay their respects for the New Year.

Sanxi, Zuo Junmo and his son Zuo Jinling also came to wish us a Happy New Year.

"Tang Ya Zi, you've been hiding this from me again! It's just a small birthday celebration, there's really no need for such a big fuss!"

In her bedroom in the backyard, Yang Ruoqing looked at the two boxes full of gifts in front of her, from beautiful dresses to luxurious jewelry. Yang Ruoqing felt lightheaded.

In particular, his gaze fell upon Luo Fengtang, who had presented a generous gift with a flourish of his brush.

She felt like she was in a time-travel short drama, a pampered little wife spoiled by a domineering CEO.

The prerequisite for a domineering CEO to spoil his wife is to shower the female lead with money until she's completely overwhelmed, and then the CEO uses her beauty to his advantage...

"Qing'er, turning thirty-five is no small birthday, it's a very important one." Luo Fengtang walked over, circled Yang Ruoqing from behind, and hugged her in his arms.

"First birthday, tenth birthday, thirty-sixth birthday, sixtieth birthday... these are the holidays that people here care about the most."

"But I still prefer to keep a low profile. If you do this, everyone will come to celebrate my birthday, which will take up too much of everyone's time. I feel a little embarrassed..." Yang Ruoqing said truthfully.

Fortunately, there are no cakes in this era, no candles, no singing of birthday songs, and no wishing; otherwise, she would have been even more embarrassed.

In her past life, there was a famous hot pot restaurant that loved to create elaborate birthday celebrations, but Yang Ruoqing never went there. This was also due to her personality.

Okay, I've digressed. Let's get back to the main point.

Hearing the commotion outside, Yang Ruoqing asked Luo Fengtang, "You were the mastermind behind this birthday banquet, and my mother and the others were accomplices, right?"

Luo Fengtang smiled without saying a word, which was tacitly acknowledging Yang Ruoqing's guess.

"Tell me honestly, how long have you been planning this birthday party behind my back?" she asked again.

Luo Fengtang thought for a moment, "My father-in-law, mother-in-law, uncle, and I... started planning around the twelfth lunar month."

"Xiaoduo and Xiaohua got involved later, during the first two days of the first lunar month."

"As for Xiao An and Jin Ling, I only found out about it these past two days. I didn't inform so many people beforehand, especially Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan. I kept it from them for fear they would leak the secret, hehe." Luo Fengtang laughed embarrassedly as he finished explaining.

Yang Ruoqing was shocked. She never imagined that these people had been plotting all this behind her back in December.

Luo Fengtang was her husband, and she couldn't see any clues about him. That was fine, since he was a resourceful, deep, and steady general. As long as he wanted to hide something, it would be difficult for her to find out.

What surprised Yang Ruoqing the most was Sun Shi. Sun Shi was someone who couldn't keep a secret, especially since Yang Ruoqing spent almost one or two hours with Sun Shi every day, and the topics of conversation between the mother and daughter covered all sorts of things.

Even so, the Sun family did a very good job of keeping it a secret.

"You guys are all amazing!" Yang Ruoqing could only nod repeatedly.

A warm feeling welled up inside me for the care and blessings from my family and friends.

The main hall in the front courtyard of the Luo family's house had clearly been carefully decorated, and lanterns and colorful decorations were hung both in front of and behind the courtyard.

This is only during the day. When all these lights and other decorations are turned on at night, along with the fireworks that light up the sky, it will be absolutely festive and a feast for the eyes.

Meanwhile, relatives and friends such as Sun Shi, Xiao Hua, Xiao Duo, Zuo Jinling, and Luo Wuyou gathered together.

Yang Ruoqing was the center of attention, surrounded by everyone. More important than the various precious birthday gifts she received were their heartfelt blessings.

"Mother, this is a gift for you. It's not an expensive present, but it's a handkerchief that I sewed myself."

Yang Ruoqing accepted the handkerchief from her daughter Luo Wuyou. Although the embroidery on the handkerchief was very ordinary, it was made stitch by stitch by her own daughter, which meant a lot to Yang Ruoqing.

"Thank you so much, my dear daughter. From now on, I won't use any handkerchiefs anymore; I'll just use this one that my daughter sewed!"

Seeing that her gift had pleased her mother, Luo Wuyou was overjoyed. She and Zuo Jinling in the crowd exchanged a sweet glance.

Zuo Jinling straightened his clothes and stepped forward to first respectfully bow to his mother-in-law, Yang Ruoqing, before presenting her with the carefully prepared gift.

His gift was a pair of black jade bracelets, with very elaborate patterns carved on them. The bracelets were very suitable for Yang Ruoqing's age, status, and gender, and the meaning was also auspicious. Jade is also believed to have health benefits.

"Thank you so much, children. I really appreciate it!" Yang Ruoqing's eyes welled up with tears.