Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 12054

As Luo the blacksmith spoke, his voice grew softer and softer, and he turned away, his rough fingertips quickly wiping away the dampness from the corner of his eyes.

Wang Cuilian stared wide-eyed in terror, her face etched with deep sorrow and helplessness—the regret and despair of a highly intelligent being like humanity for its kin on the verge of decay and death.

Feeling sorry and helpless for their companion's fate, they also felt a sense of dread, like the fox mourning the death of its comrade...

Yang Ruoqing came over and put her arm around Wang Cuilian's shoulder, giving the latter a reassuring look.

Just because you see others around you end up like this doesn't mean misfortune will necessarily befall you; there's no need to worry unnecessarily.

Although everyone goes through birth, aging, sickness, and death, even Peng Zu, who lived for hundreds of years, was no exception...

However, everyone has a different way of saying goodbye to this world.

Some people are blessed and pass away peacefully, while others suffer greatly. All of this is preordained and determined by fate.

In this fictional world, this destiny and fate are none other than that damn author...

But who can guarantee that in the so-called real world where the Dogecoin author lives, the Heavenly Dao above their heads isn't just a role-playing game of another, more advanced civilization?

No one can say for sure what is real and what is illusory. In Yang Ruoqing's view, the real thing is the feeling she has right now!
"Uncle, I chatted with Cousin Zhou Wang for a bit today," Luo Fengtang suddenly spoke up, his voice somewhat muffled, clearly indicating that he was also feeling rather heavy-hearted.

"Are you talking about... that thing?" Luo the blacksmith asked.

When he mentioned 'that thing,' his face twitched slightly, clearly those words were incredibly heavy for him.

Luo Fengtang nodded: "Yes, I told him to go to the coffin shop in town as soon as possible to have the things ordered, so that if Auntie falls ill, we won't be caught off guard and won't have time to prepare those things."

The blacksmith nodded gently. Although tears welled up in his eyes again from sadness, his gaze toward Luo Fengtang was filled with relief.

"You've thought this through very well; we really should have prepared in advance," he said in a hoarse voice.

Wang Cuilian also came to her senses, forcing back her grief and managing a smile as she followed their words: "That thing is also called longevity. Preparing longevity in advance might just bring good luck, and Da'e might even recover her health. This kind of thing has happened in the surrounding villages before, right?"

When Wang Cuilian asked the question, her gaze was fixed on Yang Ruoqing.

Yang Ruoqing quickly said, "Yes, yes, I've heard of it too. It means longevity, endless life, and continuous life."

"Hey~ Qing'er's words are so true, may it last forever and never end!" A smile appeared on Luo the blacksmith's face.

“Uncle, I also believe that some things can happen by miracles.” Luo Fengtang breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the rare smile on Luo the blacksmith’s face.

On the way back, Uncle was so depressed that Luo Fengtang didn't pay much attention to Luo Da'e; instead, he was more worried about Luo the blacksmith...

“Uncle, don’t think too much. Just do your best and leave the rest to fate,” Luo Fengtang said. “Perhaps Uncle Zhou’s spirit in heaven will bless Aunt Da’e.”

Luo the blacksmith nodded again: "Yes, your Aunt Da'e told me that she often dreams about your uncle lately. She said that your uncle ignores her and even waves his hand to chase her away. This should be a good thing, right?"

“That’s definitely a good thing!” Wang Cuilian immediately said, “If we ask her to go, it would be bad, so old man, don’t worry too much, you need to take care of your own health.”

The reassurance to the blacksmith Luo should be kept to a minimum. If it were to be elaborated upon further, it would seem deliberate and exaggerated, and would likely have the opposite effect.

"Auntie, it's the Lantern Festival today, shall we go and cook some glutinous rice balls?" Yang Ruoqing suggested.

Wang Cuilian immediately nodded: "Okay, they said this morning that they wanted to eat fried glutinous rice balls."

“Frying? That’s too greasy. Just put some oil in a pan and pan-fry it, that should be enough,” Yang Ruoqing said again.

Even if you boil this thing in water, Yang Ruoqing would complain that it's too high in calories. If you fry it in oil, wouldn't that just be a mixture of sugar and oil, a pure calorie bomb?

Absolutely not! Absolutely not!

“Then fry it, deep-frying doesn’t taste good,” Wang Cuilian said. “But when we tell them, we shouldn’t tell the truth, just say it was deep-fried.”

"Mmm," Yang Ruoqing nodded with a smile, then turned to greet Luo Fengtang, took Wang Cuilian's arm, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law went to the backyard together.

After leaving the main room, both the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that the sky above them was higher and more open, and that their breathing became easier.

Previously, when I was with Luo the blacksmith, all I heard were words from the Zhou family that sounded off. My mind was filled with thoughts of a critically ill patient struggling on the brink of life and death... To be honest, it felt like having a biopsy done in a hospital, sitting by the machine that outputs the results, constantly checking to see if my own or my loved one's death sentence had been issued... Only those who have experienced it know how agonizing and oppressive it is!

Anyway, Yang Ruoqing felt unwell all over. Perhaps this was an invisible but existing negative energy field!

I just hope that everyone who reads this will be healthy and safe, and stay away from hospitals except when giving birth or adding to the family...

“Qing’er, there are some things I couldn’t say in front of your uncle,” Wang Cuilian whispered to Yang Ruoqing, “I think your Aunt Da’e is really not going to make it.”

Yang Ruoqing remained silent, her eyes clearly fixed on Wang Cuilian; the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were thinking the same thing.

"To be honest, your Aunt Da'e and I don't have much of a sister-in-law relationship. At most, we're just a little better than ordinary villagers. But all of this is because of your uncle. After all, I'm a widow who remarried and didn't give your uncle any children. She doesn't really consider me her sister-in-law."

“Auntie, this is only natural. Even if you have children for Uncle, I’m afraid your relationship as sisters-in-law won’t be very good.” Yang Ruoqing said bluntly, “Because Aunt Da’e’s personality is what it is. It’s only in the past ten years or so since Zhou Xia passed away that she has cultivated her character. Before, Tang Yazi and I were determined to never have anything to do with her again!”

It was purely out of consideration for Luo the blacksmith's reputation later on! In addition, after Zhou Xia died, Luo Da'e seemed to have turned over a new leaf and kept a low profile from then on.

That's why Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang didn't continue with that kind of thing with her, but to say that they genuinely considered her their aunt, well, they couldn't lie.

“I know your situation.” Wang Cuilian said, “Back then, your Aunt Da’e wanted to marry Zhou Xia to Tang Yazi the most, but you snatched it away. She resented you and naturally didn’t like you.”

“Oh, it’s all in the past, Auntie, let’s not talk about it anymore,” Yang Ruoqing said with a relieved smile. “She won’t live much longer now, and I’m just thinking, if she really passes away, what will happen to Uncle… I’m afraid he won’t be able to handle the shock. What if something happens to him?”

They were afraid to act rashly, which was the main reason why Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang helped Luo Da'e find a famous doctor – to protect the old man in their family!
Upon learning of Yang Ruoqing's concerns, Wang Cuilian could only shake her head with a wry smile.

"I was worried about that too, but if that's really the case, there's nothing we can do. We can only say it's all fate!"

If it's your own husband who, because of the deep bond between him and his sister, can't bear the blow of his sister's death and becomes like this, then it can only be said that you, as his wife, are incompetent for not being able to let him place his emotional ties on you; it's your failure...

Yang Ruoqing also sighed, "Yes, it's all fate. Anyway, let's do our best to appease Uncle, and leave the rest to God."

"Qing'er, we're almost at the kitchen. We're going to cook glutinous rice balls."

"Yes, Auntie." "So, let's leave these words in the yard, they'll just be blown away by the wind. When we get to the kitchen, we'll happily cook glutinous rice balls!"

"Absolutely! Best wishes!"

……

At noon, when the Luo family sat down at the table, especially Tuan Tuan Yuan Yuan, they immediately noticed the white glutinous rice balls that were fried to a golden brown on the bottom.

"What kind of filling is it?" Tuantuan asked.

Wang Cuilian said, "There are several kinds, such as jujube paste filling, black sesame filling, and osmanthus jam filling."

"Don't you have peanut filling?" Tuantuan asked again, "I love peanut filling the most."

Wang Cuilian smiled kindly, "Of course we have to! It's what my little one loves to eat, so Grandma has to make sure he gets it!"

Tuantuan snuggled into Wang Cuilian's arms and rubbed against her affectionately, making Wang Cuilian so happy that she couldn't stop smiling.

Tuantuan sat back in her seat. "I want Grandma to pick up some glutinous rice balls for me. Grandma's glutinous rice balls are delicious."

"Okay, okay, Grandma will put some on your plate. As long as my little one likes it, that's fine."

"Me too!" A deep, muffled voice rang out from the other side of Wang Cuilian; it was Yuanyuan.

"Okay, okay, Grandma will take them, both of them." Wang Cuilian's smile couldn't be contained any longer. On this Lantern Festival, her two precious grandsons adored their grandma so much!
Looking at the warm and lively scene before him, Luo the blacksmith's complexion improved considerably, and he nodded slightly from time to time.

"Tang Yazi, let's eat some Yuanxiao too! Some of them have copper coins hidden inside. Let's see who's lucky enough to find a coin first!" Yang Ruoqing picked up a Yuanxiao and put it in Luo Fengtang's bowl.

Luo Fengtang smiled slightly, "Qing'er will definitely get to eat first, I have a feeling."

"Really?"

"Yes, but only if I serve it to you." As Luo Fengtang finished speaking, his gaze swept over the bowl of white glutinous rice balls boiled in plain water in front of him.

These white glutinous rice balls are all plump and round, and the filling inside is intact without any spillage.

It is evident that the person cooking the glutinous rice balls had a very good grasp of the heat control.

The soup for the cooked glutinous rice balls remains clear and translucent, soaking each plump and round white glutinous rice ball like a large white jade pearl. It is like a work of art, yet it makes one's mouth water.

Luo Fengtang glanced at the large bowl of glutinous rice balls, then scooped one out with a spoon and placed it on the small dish in front of Yang Ruoqing.

"This one is the one, Qing'er, you eat it, and you're guaranteed to win the grand prize."

Luo Fengtang learned the word "winning the lottery" from Yang Ruoqing, and now he's putting it to good use, using it with remarkable fluency and eloquence.

Yang Ruoqing was skeptical, but she still took a bite of the glutinous rice ball he put in her bowl under his gaze.

As a result, after taking the first bite, she felt something was wrong.

"Huh? It seems... there really is something there?" She just felt her teeth touch something a little hard.

Then she took another small bite, and this time she could clearly feel something slippery swirling on her tongue.

She covered her mouth, turned her face to the side, and gracefully took the copper coin out of her mouth.

"My goodness, Tang Ya Zi, you really meant it! I actually got to eat the first glutinous rice ball!" Yang Ruoqing exclaimed, holding the glutinous rice ball in her hand, her face full of astonishment.

Luo Fengtang simply smiled.

Wang Cuilian also smiled and said, "Qing'er is lucky. It seems she's going to have great fortune in the new year!"

Tuantuan and Yuanyuan both looked at the copper coin in Yang Ruoqing's hand with envy. The two little ones weren't envious of the copper coin, but rather of the feeling of winning the lottery.

"You two should eat quickly, eat more, who knows, you might win the prize too!" Yang Ruoqing encouraged them.

The two little ones immediately buried their heads in eating the glutinous rice balls.

"Wait a minute, don't swallow the copper coins, it's dangerous!" Wang Cuilian warned from the side.

Meanwhile, at the table, Luo the blacksmith's gaze shifted thoughtfully between the copper coin in Yang Ruoqing's hand and Luo Fengtang.

Finally, as the old man pondered, he stroked his beard and chuckled.

"Grandpa, what are you laughing at?" Tuantuan asked between bites, her cheeks bulging.

The others also looked at Luo the blacksmith with some confusion as he suddenly laughed.

While everyone else was laughing, he was deep in thought. Now that everyone had stopped laughing and was seriously eating glutinous rice balls, the old man suddenly burst into laughter.

It looks a bit off-beat, giving off a strange feeling.

"Haha, Grandpa is happy, that's why I'm laughing!" Luo the blacksmith patiently explained to Tuantuan.

"Oh!" Tuantuan said, half understanding.

Everyone else was also completely confused. At this moment, Luo the blacksmith continued, "Our Tang Yazi really has golden words. He just said that Qing'er would be able to find a copper coin in the first glutinous rice ball, and it turned out to be true."

"And Tang Yazi also said before that his Aunt Da'e's longevity is a good thing, and that Da'e might be able to turn the tide. Don't you think that makes sense?"

Facing Luo the blacksmith's expectant gaze and the affirmative answer he was waiting for.

The other people at the table, including the two children, didn't understand, so they kept their heads down and continued eating the glutinous rice balls in their bowls.

Wang Cuilian, Yang Ruoqing, and Luo Fengtang looked at each other, speechless at Luo the blacksmith's antics.

This old man is really... Everyone can understand his heartache and worry for his sister.

Unexpectedly, the old man got a little too involved. He could relate everything he did or said to Luo Da'e's affairs.