Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 12095

Luo the blacksmith turned his head and scolded him: "Shut up!"

Zhou Wang was stunned. Why was his uncle suddenly so fierce?
“This snake, it’s your mother coming back!” said Luo the blacksmith again.

What?
what?
When Zhou Wang and Xiao Huan heard the news, they were stunned, their mouths agape, wide enough to fit an egg!
"I don't know if it's accurate or not, but that's what the older generation has been saying since I was a child," Luo the blacksmith sighed heavily, then said to the two of them.

"The older generation says that on the seventh night after death, the messengers will let the soul return home to see its family one last time. The ashes left on the ground from the stove will tell you what kind of spirit it was reincarnated into."

"No wonder I kept dreaming of a big snake coiled around my chest these past few days. It turns out it was your mother!"

"Mei'er, my dear sister..." Luo the blacksmith couldn't continue, overwhelmed with sorrow, and his tears flowed again.

At this point, Zhou Wang and Xiao Huan finally understood why the blacksmith Luo had asked Zhou Wang to sprinkle ashes from the stove here last night. It turned out that it was to make a rubbing to trace or speculate on what kind of womb their mother would be reborn into in her next life!
Also, it turns out that a few days ago, Mother had already transformed into a giant snake to appear in Uncle's dream?

Zhou Wang and Xiao Huan looked at each other, both of them bewildered by the mysterious and unpredictable rules of heaven and earth, feeling deeply moved and unsure of what to say.

"Uncle, did you have a nightmare earlier? I heard you shout, which woke me and Xiaohuan up," Zhou Wang then asked.

Luo the blacksmith recalled the dreamlike yet not-a-dream experience he had just had, and his expression became complicated.

"I was half asleep, I don't know if I was asleep or not, and then I heard your mother knocking on the yard gate and calling me to open it. I answered and then I woke up."

"Oh, I see..." Zhou Wang fell silent. He had also wanted to listen to the sounds coming from the main room last night, but he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

There's nothing I can do, I've been so exhausted lately, I'm completely drained, and I haven't had a good night's sleep.

Last night, he didn't hear a sound, and he didn't even have a dream.

It was only when the blacksmith Luo shouted that he was startled awake.

"Uncle, what about these things..." Xiao Huan pointed to the things on the ground and table, seeking Luo the blacksmith's opinion.

Luo the blacksmith waved his hand: "Take everything away, throw away what needs to be thrown away."

After leaving those words, the blacksmith Luo dragged his heavy steps back to his guest room alone.

Xiao Huan and Zhou Wang looked at each other, and Zhou Wang frowned and said to Xiao Huan, "Let's pack our things and get back to what we're doing."

Xiao Huan touched her arm and felt goosebumps rise on it.

I reckon for a long time to come, she'll be stressed out whenever she hears the word "snake"!
Zhou Wang put his hand on Xiao Huan's shoulder and whispered, "Don't believe everything your uncle says... Even if our mother really did turn into a snake, she wouldn't harm us, so don't be afraid."

Xiao Huan nodded.

Although I say I'm not afraid, when the living and the dead are separated, even the closest family members while they were alive will feel fear once that happens. It's an uncontrollable instinct.

"When is your uncle going back?" Xiao Huan asked in a low voice. "He lives here and makes the place feel eerie and scary. I'm a little afraid to stay at home."

"I don't know either. Let's just bear with it a little longer. After all, he's my mother's own brother, and we have a deep sibling bond." Zhou Wang smiled bitterly.

Now, they are eagerly waiting for someone from the Luo family to come and take their uncle back.

Thanks to the Bodhisattva, while Zhou Wang was helping Xiao Huan cook breakfast, Luo Fengtang arrived at the courtyard gate in his carriage.

"Cousin, sister-in-law, I've come to take Uncle back." Luo Fengtang got off the carriage and went straight to explain his purpose.

"Where is he?" he asked again.

Zhou Wang and Xiao Huan exchanged a glance. They were both overjoyed, but out of politeness, they still had to say a few words to persuade her to stay.

"Tang Yazi, no rush, it's fine to stay a few more days... Your uncle is in the guest room, I'll take you there."

Soon, Luo Fengtang met Luo the blacksmith, who had heard the commotion outside and had already arrived at the door.

"Let's go back." Luo the blacksmith waved his hand and walked towards the carriage parked outside the courtyard.

Now, Zhou Wang and Xiao Huan were really anxious. The couple chased after Luo the blacksmith and stopped him. "Uncle, why are you leaving so soon? You should at least have breakfast before you go back!"

"Yes, breakfast will be ready soon! Eat before you go. Brother Tang Yazi probably hasn't eaten either, let's eat together!"

Luo Fengtang said, "I ate before I came."

I'm sorry, he lied. He really didn't want to eat here anymore.

Luo the blacksmith also shook his head: "I have no appetite. Go home and have lunch. Zhou Wang, Xiao Huan, you two should live your lives well and look forward. I'll come over again when your mother passes away on her forty-ninth day."

The first seven days, the fifth seven days, and the forty-ninth seven days are special occasions, and relatives and friends are expected to come to pay their respects.

"Uncle, you need to take care of yourself too. If my mother were alive, she wouldn't want to see you torturing yourself like this." Zhou Wang's eyes were slightly red, and his nose felt a little sore.

After his mother passed away, Zhou Wang couldn't help but think of his mother whenever he saw his eldest uncle, whose face bore a striking resemblance to hers.

Luo the blacksmith patted his eldest nephew on the shoulder, "If you miss your mother, come and visit your uncle at the Luo family."

"it is good!"

Zhou Wang and Xiao Huan watched the carriage until it disappeared from sight before turning back into the house.

The deceased are gone, but the living must continue to move forward. Even if not for themselves, they must think of their two children at home.

Meanwhile, Luo Fengtang met up with Luo the blacksmith, and the two of them immediately got into a carriage and headed towards Qingshui Town.

On the carriage, Luo the blacksmith remained silent the whole way. Luo Fengtang drove the carriage, occasionally turning his head to see through the gaps in the undulating curtains that the old man had his eyes closed and seemed to be dozing off.

But judging from his breathing rhythm, he was not asleep.

Luo Fengtang didn't say anything, but when the carriage arrived at Qingshui Town, Luo Fengtang broke the silence: "Uncle, I'm going to buy some breakfast at the shop next door. Wait for me."

"Oh, I can't eat anymore, let's save some money," the old man said.

Luo Fengtang was taken aback for a moment, "Uncle, I haven't eaten yet, just eat a little with me!"

"Hmm... that works too!"

Luo Fengtang stopped the carriage and was about to go to the breakfast shop at Washikou next door when he heard someone calling him.

"Uncle!"

Luo Fengtang looked in the direction of the sound and saw Xiu Hong and Sixi pushing a wooden cart with a small table set up on it. There was a wooden bucket on the table and a sign next to it that read "sticky rice balls".

Luo Fengtang nodded, turned around and came to them. His eyes swept over the glutinous rice in the wooden bucket, and he thought it looked pretty good.

"Give me two, one sweet and one savory, I want both the savory ones."

"Alright!" Xiu Hong immediately got to work quickly.

Si Xi stood to the side, smiling憨厚ly yet somewhat awkwardly.

"Uncle, are you here to buy groceries so early in the morning?" Xiu Hong asked proactively.

"No, we're going to Zhoujia Village to pick up Tuantuan's great-grandfather."

"Oh!" Xiu Hong understood. She didn't ask any more questions and quickly made the two rice balls.

Because it was made for my own relatives, I gave them plenty of ingredients.

Luo Fengtang took the two glutinous rice balls and took out 10 coins to hand them over.

Xiu Hong and Sixi reacted just as fiercely as cats whose tails had been stepped on.

He shook his head and waved his hands, even taking a step back: "No, no, no, Uncle, it's free!"

"It's just two rice balls, why would I charge you? They're just for you to try!"

"I appreciate your kind offer, but the rules of doing business must be followed." Luo Fengtang smiled faintly, placed 10 copper coins on the small table, and strode away.

Sixi looked at the money on the table, then at Xiuhong, "Hong, what should we do? Should I send this money back?"

Uncle Luo just left; he should be able to catch up with him if he goes now.

Xiu Hong thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Never mind, since Uncle insists on giving it to us, let's just accept it. It's not good to keep pushing it back and forth."

"Alright... whatever you say." Sixi nodded. At this moment, the two of them were still somewhat flattered as they looked at the money on the table.

I wonder if these rice balls will suit Uncle Luo's and the others' tastes? I'm actually a little apprehensive.

On the carriage, Luo Fengtang presented two kinds of rice balls, one savory and one sweet, to Luo the blacksmith. "Uncle, please choose one."

At this moment, Luo the blacksmith had no appetite at all, still immersed in the dream he had last night, or rather, the dream he had had at dawn today, which was hard to distinguish between reality and illusion.

Luo Fengtang added, "I didn't buy it. Xiu Hong and Sixi wanted to give it to me. We can't let down the children's good intentions, right?"

After hearing this, the blacksmith Luo indeed reacted.

He picked the sweet one, saying, "I don't have much of an appetite, so I'll just have something sweet!"

It's a gift from someone, it's a small gift but carries a lot of sentiment, it wouldn't be right not to accept it.

Luo Fengtang breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Luo the blacksmith was finally willing to eat. Although he had lied to his uncle, as long as the result was good, that was all that mattered.

Qing'er once said that this is called a white lie.

Since the blacksmith Luo had chosen the sweet one, Luo Fengtang ate the remaining savory one. He sat on the front bicycle to drive the carriage, and with his other hand, he took big bites of the glutinous rice ball.

If it tastes good, I'll buy some more for Qing'er and the children tomorrow so they can try it.

However, halfway through eating the rice ball... Luo Fengtang changed his mind.

Although he wasn't a picky eater and could eat anything, this salty vegetable rice ball... Luo Fengtang could fill his own stomach, and the townspeople could accept it, but if he recommended it to Qing'er and the children, Luo Fengtang felt they probably wouldn't like it.

The Luo family.

Seeing that Luo Fengtang had not only successfully brought Luo the blacksmith back, but that Luo the blacksmith had not done anything to break the customs at the Zhou family last night, Wang Cuilian finally felt relieved.

Yang Ruoqing also felt that she and her aunt were overthinking things. Her uncle was such an old man, he had seen and heard so many things in his life, how could he knowingly do something wrong?

Those two, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, really love to worry.

"It's good that you're back. Uncle, please have a good rest for a day. Tomorrow, our whole family will set off for a trip," Yang Ruoqing said.

With this matter settled, a new chapter of life is about to begin.

Look ahead and march towards a brighter future!
……

They split into two groups, and talked about both sides.

As dawn broke, in Changping Village, Old Yang and Tan got up early and got ready.

Tan went to the backyard to empty the chamber pot, and also picked some dry grass from the ditch behind the yard. She washed the chamber pot twice and carried it back to dry against the wall.

Madam Tan glanced at the door of the fourth room across the hall; the doors and windows were tightly shut.

"Old man, stop smoking there and go wake up the fourth brother!"

Last night he was the one who volunteered to take them to town, but it's already this late and he still can't pay. He's unreliable!

Old Yang stopped smoking, tapped his pipe on the steps a few times, got up, and swayed as he walked towards the west room across the street.

"Clap clap clap!"

The window of the west room was banged on a few times. "Fourth brother, get up, we're going to town."

A while after he shouted, the sound of Yang Huaming yawning and getting dressed could be heard.

"Dad, don't bother cooking breakfast. Let's hurry on our way and buy some food when we get to town," Yang Huaming said to Old Yang in the yard as he put on his clothes and opened the window.

Old Yang thought so too. Making breakfast at home and then having to wash up before leaving was too much of a hassle.

Soon, Yang Huaming drove the horse-drawn carriage, carrying Old Yang and Tan Shi, towards Qingshui Town.

Sitting in the carriage, Old Yang squinted his eyes, preparing to take another nap.

Tan sat beside him, muttering to herself.

"What's wrong with you, old woman? You've been muttering to yourself ever since you got in the carriage, you can't even take a nap without stopping."

Tan ignored the complaints in Old Yang's words and instead nudged the old man's arm with her elbow.

"Hey, don't you think something's off?" she asked in a low voice, only he could hear.

"What do you mean?" Old Yang asked, puzzled.

“We haven’t seen Fourth Brother’s wife since this morning,” Madam Tan reminded her.

Old Yang thought back and realized that it really was true. From the time he went to the window of the fourth room to knock on the window and call the fourth son to get up, to when they set off in the three-horse carriage, it was indeed the fourth son who was busy running around, and he didn't see his fourth daughter-in-law at all.

"Maybe she's sleeping. That woman is so lazy, it's not unusual for her to wake up before noon every day!" Old Yang added.

They all lived in the same courtyard, facing each other, so he knew roughly what time Liu would get up each day.

But Madam Tan shook her head repeatedly, "No, no, even if you stay in bed late, there will still be some noise, and a few complaints or something."

"Her silence...could it be that she's not saying a word..."

Ms. Tan did not continue speaking, but her eyes flashed with more suspicion and more speculation.

"Could it be something? Don't leave things unsaid!"

"Could it be that after what happened last night, she complained that Lao Si didn't support her and even offered to take us to town, and then she argued with Lao Si and ran off to Kang's house or He'er's house in Lijia Village, and isn't coming back?" Tan asked with a serious expression.

Old Yang's expression changed slightly, his eyes flickering: "It can't be that bad, can it? If that were the case, the two of them would definitely have a fight, but we didn't hear any noise from across the hall after we went back to our house last night."