HCB Chapter 225 The Literary Scholar
Chapter 225 The Literary Scholar
Mrs. Li nodded and said seriously, "Qingfeng, don't worry! I promise to make this dress beautifully." As she spoke, she patted Yang Qingfeng's shoulder with a kind smile on her face.
"You are a kind-hearted and upright child. Any girl who can marry you would be truly blessed after several lifetimes of hard work!"
Mrs. Li paused and continued, "But you have to change your flowery language. We're all from the countryside, and speaking too elegantly is awkward. Look at you, being so pedantic with your own family makes you seem so alienated!"
Mrs. Li shook her head slightly, but her eyes were full of love and concern for Yang Qingfeng.
Butcher Li coughed lightly, and the sound was so loud that it seemed to shake the roof off.
He glared at Mrs. Li and warned her, "You old woman, what do you know? Qingfeng is a scholar from the city, well-educated and refined. He's just staying in our country temporarily, and you're so disgusted by his flowery speech."
Butcher Li waved his stout arms as he spoke, "You're just used to eating simple meals and can't handle finer things! Qingfeng is well-educated, so naturally he speaks differently from us. Don't talk nonsense here and make Qingfeng laugh."
After saying that, Butcher Li shook his head helplessly, his expression seemed to say: This old woman is really ignorant.
As soon as Butcher Li finished speaking, Aunt Li became unhappy. She put her hands on her waist, glared at him, and shouted at the top of her voice: "Oh, you old man, you dare to say that to me! Why can't I say anything? I'm doing this for Qingfeng's own good, so that he won't look out of place in our country."
Butcher Li was not to be outdone. He leaned forward and loudly retorted, "What do you know? Qingfeng is cultured and well-mannered! That's what girls like. And you, with your stupid head, are still worrying about nothing."
When Aunt Li heard this, she stomped her feet in anger and said, "You old man, how dare you call me stupid? I think you are itching for a fight!" As she said this, she raised her fist as if to hit Butcher Li.
While the two were arguing fiercely, Yang Qingfeng took advantage of their inattention and tiptoed towards the door, praying in his heart that he would not be discovered.
Just as he was about to reach the door, Yang Qingfeng was tripped by something and stumbled.
"Ouch".
This shout attracted the attention of Butcher Li and Aunt Li.
Butcher Li pointed at Yang Qingfeng and laughed, "Haha, this kid wanted to sneak away, but he got caught!"
Aunt Li also laughed: "Qingfeng, don't be in a hurry to leave. Wait until we finish arguing."
Yang Qingfeng scratched his head awkwardly and said, "Um...Uncle and aunt, you guys can argue slowly. I have something else to do, so I'll leave first!" After that, he ran out of the door like a flash.
……
Futian Village is currently busy preparing for the second season of sweet potato planting.
The sweet potatoes that the women and children of the village had painstakingly dug up from the valley a few days ago had now sprouted lush, green vines. They were still following Xiuying's instructions, preparing to use these vines for planting.
In the village's open space, a group of women sat together, tidying up sweet potato vines and chatting about family matters: "Xiuying's method is really good. We are looking forward to a good harvest this year."
The children collected the few sweet potato seeds and put them away.
The men are mainly responsible for patrolling the village and guarding the village entrance.
The entire Futian Village became busy again, like a wound-up clock.
Zhou Dazhu and his family are also busy planting sweet potatoes in their own fields.
Those sweet potatoes were dug up by Little Bear and other people in the village from the valley. Hongmei carefully buried the dug sweet potatoes in the soil and took good care of them. Now, as expected, tender green sweet potato vines have grown out of them.
Zhou Dazhu was bent over, his forehead covered with sweat. As he worked, he said, "We didn't get the chance to exchange it last time. What a pity."
Hongmei straightened up, wiped the sweat from her face, and replied, "That's right, boss. But this time is different. These sweet potatoes were brought from the valley. We can't miss this opportunity again."
If others can grow it, then their family can grow it too. This is food gifted by nature, not just for Xiuying.
Hongmei stopped what she was doing, straightened up, wiped the sweat off her forehead with her sleeve, and said, "Master, I want to go back and see Daddy tomorrow. I haven't seen him for a long time, and I miss him so much."
When Zhou Dazhu heard this, his heart skipped a beat and he immediately looked nervous. He objected vehemently, "No, we can't go back! ... There is so much work to do in the fields, how can we leave!" He avoided her gaze and didn't dare to look Hongmei in the eye.
Hongmei frowned, looked at Zhou Dazhu in confusion, and said, "Why can't you leave? The work in the fields doesn't miss a day. I just want to go back and see Dad, give him some things, and talk to him."
Zhou Dazhu grew increasingly annoyed, his voice rising a few notches: "If I say no, it means no! Stop being stubborn and get back to work!"
Seeing Zhou Dazhu so determined and angry, Hongmei felt aggrieved, but she had no choice but to stop talking about going back to see her father. She lowered her head and continued to work silently, but her eyes were slightly red.
……
Xiuying's family was incredibly busy during this time. Not only did they have to prepare for the second season of sweet potato planting, but they also had to dig for angelica root, which was notoriously difficult to dig; they had to be very careful not to damage the roots. They also had to pick goji berries and quickly dry them. It was a tedious series of tasks.
The passion fruit in the field is almost ripe, and I have to keep an eye on it to prevent it from being pecked by birds or falling off when it's ripe. There are so many livestock to feed at home: chickens, ducks, pigs, and cows. None of them can go hungry, and they all look forward to eating.
The sixteen piglets in the pigpen have all been sold out. When the piglets grow up a little, the villagers will come to catch them. Now we have to take care of them carefully and not make any mistakes.
Xiuying was running back and forth in the yard, busy like a top. Now she felt overwhelmed and didn't know which to take care of first.
She swept her eyes gently across the yard, looking at the seven well-behaved and sensible daughters, her eyes revealing relief and satisfaction, the corners of her mouth unconsciously raised, her heart seemed to be filled with a warm current, all the fatigue and worries seemed to be alleviated a lot at this moment.
The eldest daughter was cleaning the yard, the second daughter was helping to sort out the clutter, the third daughter was feeding the chickens, the fourth and fifth daughters were mending worn-out clothes with needle and thread, and the sixth and seventh daughters were playing with stones.