Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 12091

"I'm not eating anymore, you guys eat. Your fourth uncle should be back soon, I'm going back to eat with him." Liu's face was full of smiles, and after saying that, she turned around and left without stopping for a moment.

So much so that Yang Ruoqing and He Lian'er were a little caught off guard; they walked so fast and with such determination.

"Auntie is acting strange today. She had the food right in front of her, but she left without eating?" He Lian'er asked Yang Ruoqing in a low voice.

Yang Ruoqing said, "Maybe they felt awkward, or maybe they wanted to go to another restaurant for a free meal."

In short, Liu would rather suffer in silence than suffer in silence herself.

Just like a few days ago, one night I ate at the Luo family's house first, then at the second room, and afterwards I think I ate with my fourth uncle again. After those three meals, I heard I started running to the toilet in the middle of the night...

The next day, when Yang Huaming was yawning incessantly at the Taoist temple, he casually mentioned this to Yang Yongzhi. Because it was still dark in the middle of the night, Liu was afraid to go to the outhouse alone, so she had to ask Yang Huaming to keep her company outside the outhouse.

When Yang Yongzhi returned, he told Zhao Liuer about it as a joke. Zhao Liuer then told Cao Bamei, who told Da Sunshi. Da Sunshi then told Sunshi, and that's how Yang Ruoqing found out...

"I hope she can go home and have dinner with her fourth uncle obediently, and not act as ridiculously as last time."

Meanwhile, Liu, having just left the Sun family's courtyard, habitually headed to the left towards the Luo family's house, intending to gossip with Yang Ruoqing and hopefully get some food.

But as she took a step forward, she stopped and slapped her thigh.

"I'm such an idiot! Qing'er is still in the third room, and I just came out from there. What a fool!"

She pulled her leg back and was about to return to the village when she suddenly smelled a very strong fragrance.

"Chicken soup? Stewed old hen soup? Second wife!"

"Idiot, hurry up, run, to the second room!"

At this time, the second wife's family consisted of Yang Yongjin, Cao Bamei, Xiao Sanzi, Xiu Hong, and the couple Sixi.

The five of them had just brought the food to the square table in the main room. In the center was a clay pot filled with golden chicken soup, the broth rich and fragrant. A whole chicken lay in the middle, garnished with a handful of red goji berries.

Besides the chicken, there was also stir-fried pork heart by Cao Bamei, cured pork, cold lettuce salad, stir-fried bok choy, and a bowl of sesame oil minced meat and egg custard.

Each person had a bowl of rice piled high with rice, and Yang Yongjin had already opened a jar of fruit wine, ready to invite his second son-in-law, Sihai, to have a couple of bowls.

Cao Bamei was already breaking apart the chicken legs in the clay pot in the middle, giving one to Xiuhong and the other to Xiao Sanzi.

"Oh, it smells so good! I could smell this fragrance from the doorway all the way in." Liu was indeed drawn into the main room by the aroma.

When everyone in the main room saw Liu appear, the smiles on their faces froze.

The third child, being a child, didn't understand things and showed his emotions on his face. After a brief pause in their smiles, the others all changed to smiling and enthusiastic expressions.

"Fourth Aunt, what brings you here at this hour?" Cao Bamei asked with a smile.

Cao Bamei said, "I'm a lazy person, I'm always free!"

Cao Bamei thought about it and realized that she had just asked a completely pointless question.

Yang Yongjin looked embarrassed, so he asked, "Fourth Aunt, have you eaten?"

Liu immediately shook her head: "Not yet. I thought I was going home to cook, but I heard that Xiuhong and the others set up their stall today for the first time. I was worried, so I came to ask how things were going. Is everything going smoothly for the children? Are there any clueless people causing trouble?"

Liu began with a long string of words of concern, and then stepped into the main room.

"Thank you for your concern, Fourth Grandmother. Everything went smoothly for us today," Xiu Hong replied with a smile as she stood up.

Si Xi also stood up and nodded.

Liu said, "That's good. Your Uncle Kang and Aunt Jin Chuan have a stall in Washi. If you need anything, just go to Washi and find them!"

"We're all family, so let's not be formal. If you encounter any difficulties while you're out there, just go to them, and they'll definitely lend a hand!"

As Liu spoke, she had already come to the table and grasped Xiu Hong's hands with both of them.

Xiu Hong was too embarrassed to pull her hand away directly, even though she suspected that Liu's hands might have been picked from her nose and hadn't had time to wash them...

"Fourth Aunt, let's eat together!" Cao Bamei came over to help Xiu Hong out of the predicament and pulled Liu's hand away from Xiu Hong's.

Yang Yongjin was also moved after hearing Liu's words of concern, so he instructed Cao Bamei: "Quickly, get a set of chopsticks and a bowl for Fourth Aunt."

Although Cao Bamei was touched by Liu's words, when it came to sharing food, Cao Bamei, being a woman, had a different perspective from Yang Yongjin.

She didn't go to get it right away, but instead asked politely, "How about we just grab a bite here?"

Liu was not stupid; she could naturally tell who was sincere and who was just being polite when Yang Yongjin and Cao Bamei tried to persuade her to stay.

But whether you're being sincere or just being polite, as long as you dare to ask, there's nothing Liu wouldn't agree to.

"Alright, I'll just grab a bite here then." Liu said, pulling out a stool and sitting down. "It's not really because I'm craving something, it's just that it's the kids' first day setting up their stall, and as an elder, I'm worried and want to ask them more questions and hear more from them."

Well, with the huge shield of elders and concern, Cao Bamei could only grit her teeth inwardly, but still had to put on a smile and go get the bowls and chopsticks.

"Mom, I'll go with you to get it."

Xiu Hong followed her out, and the two of them went to the kitchen together.

Cao Bamei said, "I just gave you a look to tell you not to come, but why did you insist on coming? Your fourth grandma will drink all the chicken soup later!"

Xiu Hong raised her hand, the one that Liu had held, and smiled bitterly: "Mother, I can't eat without washing my hands! My fingers are all sticky, it's making me feel nauseous."

Cao Bamei quickly fetched a ladle of water for Xiuhong to wash her hands, and whispered, "Your fourth grandmother is truly a glutton incarnate. She's shameless and cunning. From now on, you must lock the gate to the courtyard when you eat."

"Mom, forget it, it's just a meal. Besides, you already tore two chicken legs for me and my brother."

"Well, thank goodness. Oh well, let's just give her the food, considering all the nice things she said earlier!"

When Cao Bamei and her daughter Xiuhong returned to the main room with their bowls and chopsticks, Liu was already gnawing on a chicken wing at the octagonal table.

Seeing the mother and daughter approach, Liu smiled sheepishly and explained, "I don't have chopsticks, so it's inconvenient for me to pick up food. I can only tear off a piece of chicken wing and gnaw on it for now." Cao Bamei's brow twitched. This chicken wing was meant for her son-in-law, Sixi. Alas, it all ended up in her aunt's stomach.

Liu ate to her heart's content in the second room, not only eating two large bowls of rice but also drinking two large bowls of chicken soup. Finally, Yang Huaming returned from the Taoist temple, cooked dinner, and came to find her, and finally took her away.

"My goodness, why don't you ever learn your lesson? You were vomiting and had diarrhea just a few days ago, how could you eat like this again?"

On the way back, listening to Liu's incessant burping, Yang Huaming was utterly speechless.

Liu clutched her stomach, but looked completely unconcerned: "I didn't eat as much today as the other day. That day I ate at two different places, but today I only ate at one!"

Yang Huaming could only shake his head repeatedly.

"By the way, what did you cook for dinner?" Liu asked him again.

Yang Huaming casually named a few dishes, some meat, some vegetarian, and a braised pork knuckle.

"That's great! I get to eat braised pork knuckle again. To be honest, I've been craving braised pork knuckle since I woke up this morning."

"My goodness, you just had chicken soup in the second room, your stomach is a bottomless pit!" Yang Huaming said. "Let me tell you beforehand, you'd better put a toilet in the next room tonight. If you get an upset stomach again in the middle of the night, don't make me go to the outhouse with you, I can't take it!"

……

On the Luo family's side, Yang Ruoqing has been preparing for the family's trip in a few days.

Luo Fengtang was busy with military affairs, and his secret guards came and went in waves every day.

There are also carrier pigeons, which come and go without stopping.

Wang Cuilian did nothing but keep Luo the blacksmith company every day, sitting with him in the yard in the sun, chatting about everyday things, afraid that he would be left alone to overthink things.

Yang Huazhong, Old Sun, and Old Yang also visited the Luo family more frequently than usual, all in an effort to cheer up Luo the blacksmith's depressed mood.

That morning, while Yang Huazhong and Old Sun were in the front yard, and several people were chatting and drinking tea around Luo the blacksmith, Wang Cuilian sneaked to the small bedroom in the back yard to find Yang Ruoqing.

"Qing'er, do you have a moment right now? I have a couple of things I'd like to say to you."

Yang Ruoqing put down her calligraphy brush, which she was writing a list of essential travel medicines. Upon hearing this, she immediately put down her brush and looked up.

"Auntie, please sit down and talk. I'm available to listen."

Wang Cuilian sighed and sat down at a small round table not far away. Rong Gu brought over two bowls of tea, one for Wang Cuilian and one for Yang Ruoqing, and then went to the outer room to attend to her work.

"Qing'er, your uncle has had the same dream for the past two nights."

“He told me not to tell you and Tang Yazi, saying he was afraid you would worry, but if I don’t tell you about this dream, I will feel uneasy.”

"Auntie, tell me, what kind of dream did you have?" Yang Ruoqing asked again.

Wang Cuilian said, "Your uncle dreamed that a python was coiled around his chest. It's been like that for the past two nights, and this morning it even woke him up."

Yang Ruoqing frowned slightly; she didn't know anything about dream interpretation either.

I originally thought my uncle was dreaming about Aunt Da'e or something, but it turns out he was dreaming about snakes.

So, what does it mean to dream of snakes?
She used to read all sorts of books, but she rarely read anything about dream interpretation, because as a secret agent living a life of constant danger, her sleep was always fragmented and she was always very alert.

She never dared to let herself fall into a deep sleep, let alone dream. She dreamed very little, so she was too lazy to read any books related to dreams.

Even if she saw it, in that later era, her worldview was different from now, and she wouldn't believe it even if she did.

“Auntie, you’re older than me and have seen and heard more than I have. Have you ever heard of any interpretations of dreaming about snakes?” Yang Ruoqing turned the conversation around and asked Wang Cuilian.

Wang Cuilian smiled wryly, "How should I put it? I've only ever heard that if a pregnant woman dreams of a large snake entering her bosom, it's an auspicious sign that she will give birth to a son."

“But your uncle is an old man, so he definitely wouldn’t want to have a son. I just can’t figure it out.”

"The scariest thing was that for two nights in a row, he dreamed of a huge snake crawling on his chest. He said it was the exact same snake, like a dream but not quite, a hazy mix of reality and illusion..."

"What did my uncle say himself?" Yang Ruoqing asked again, "Has he been feeling unwell lately?"

"Not happy" means feeling uncomfortable; people here habitually use "not happy" to describe it.

Wang Cuilian thought about it carefully, then shook her head and said, "I don't think I heard him say anything about his discomfort. However, he did say that he suspected that the big snake might be Da'e coming back to see him."

“Hmm… if that’s really the case, it’s understandable.” Yang Ruoqing said, “How about this, Auntie, don’t panic. In a few days, our whole family will go out for a trip and stay at the temple for a few days.”

“There are some things we don’t understand, but we can ask the elders in the temple for advice. And living in such a quiet place will surely benefit my uncle’s spirit.”

In other words, all negative energy, all evil spirits and villains will be driven away.

After calming Wang Cuilian down, Yang Ruoqing continued with her own work. This trip would take nearly half a month, round trip.

The group that will be traveling together includes my uncle, aunt, Tang Yazi, myself, and my two children—that makes six people in total. In addition, we'll be bringing a few more people to help take care of the children and carry our belongings.

The list of those going together includes: Peony, Lily of the Valley, Wheat Grain, and Ping An.

Rong Gu and Xing Wang stayed behind to oversee the household, and Mai Sui'er also stayed to assist Rong Gu. The reason for leaving the older sister Mai Sui'er behind but taking the younger sister Mai Li'er was mainly because Mai Li'er had a human soul at heart. She was sensible, easy to take care of, and could also keep Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan in check. With Mai Li'er around, the two little ones wouldn't dare to misbehave.

In addition, when they heard that they were going to Jiuhua Mountain, Fuwa and Niuniu next door were also envious, but Yang Ruoqing could not take them.

The reason is simple: although they are Yang Ruoqing's own nephew and niece, they are going on a trip that will last for half a month, so they absolutely cannot be brought along.

What if something goes wrong? I can't explain it to their parents, since they are my nephews and nieces, not my own children, unless one of their parents goes with me.

Even if she doesn't bring them, she'll buy her nephews and nieces extra gifts when she comes back as compensation.

So, even without counting the accompanying guards, the number of people who went out for sightseeing had already reached 10.

There were 10 guards accompanying them, plus three carriage drivers, making a total of 23 people.

There's a lot to prepare, enough for Yang Ruoqing to make proper arrangements. Fortunately, she has plenty of time and a few more days before setting off.