mesbooks Chapter 106 Returning Home
Chapter 106 Returning Home
That evening, everyone in the old house was very happy. Except for the children, everyone in the house drank wine, and even Liu and her wives drank a couple of cups.
The old man drank quite a bit, holding his sons' hands, talking and laughing, then crying, saying that he had wronged his children over the years, and that they should all support his fourth son's education.
The three Zhang brothers were also very emotional. Although each of them had some resentment towards their mother's favoritism over the years, it was fortunate that their fourth brother had lived up to expectations and actually came back as the top scholar in the imperial examination, which made them, the older brothers, proud. If he could pass the imperial examination again next year, then their Zhang family would have to change their status.
"Third son, I've wronged you the most. I separated you from your family the first time, but all these years I've made you contribute money and effort. But don't worry, your mother and I have kept separate accounts of the money we've taken from you all these years, and we'll definitely make the fourth son pay you back in the future." Old Master Zhang, perhaps drunk, made this promise while holding Zhang Youtie's hand.
“Father, what are you saying? The reason I was separated from you was for Xiaxia's sake. Over the years, I haven't been able to fulfill my filial duties to you and Mother like my older brothers did. It's only right that I contribute some money; my wife and I are doing it willingly. Besides, if anything happens to my family in the future, do you think my fourth brother will abandon us?” Zhang Youtie said sincerely to his father.
"How dare he ignore it? No matter what, you are all brothers. If he dares to betray you, I will be the first to not forgive him." Old Master Zhang suddenly glared and roared in a low voice.
“Father, you’re drunk. Fourth Brother isn’t that kind of person,” Zhang Youjin quickly said to comfort his father when he saw him acting like that.
"..."
By the time Xia Yu and her family returned home in the oxcart, it was almost 9 PM. After unloading the oxcart, Xia Yu fed the ox with water from her spatial well, added hay to the trough, and then went to wash up. As she prepared to go back to her room, she heard her parents still talking inside.
"Our parents are very happy today."
"Are you unhappy? You'll soon be the scholar's brother."
"I'm happy, I'm happy too. I'd much rather be the scholar's biological father..."
“Her mother, let’s go to town to see Changyun tomorrow. I suddenly miss our son,” Zhang Youtie said.
"Don't go. He'll be on leave in two days. We need to harvest the wheat at our house and the old house while the weather is good."
"Sigh, Xiaxia has worked hard these past two days, preparing so many meals with Qiuyu every day."
"That's right! Before, all I had to do was go to the fields to pick up fallen wheat ears, but now I'm tied to the kitchen every day to cook..."
Hearing the snoring coming from inside, Xia Yu knew her father was asleep. She tiptoed back to her room, locked the door, and then slipped into her spatial dimension.
She hadn't been in for several days. Her space was piled high with all sorts of vegetables and golden thread lotus. She had already planted every seed she could buy in her space; her family had no excuse to sell them, so they could only keep them there for their own consumption. Now the ground was empty, and she couldn't think of anything else to plant.
Thinking of this, she suddenly remembered the eldest son of the Shen family. Should she ask him to help her find some seeds? He must have access to far more things in the capital. With that in mind, she decided that after the wheat harvest, she would have her father take her to the county town to find Steward Ding.
The next morning, everyone was busy as usual. Before dawn, Zhang Youtie and Liu Shi went to the fields to harvest wheat. When they returned, Xia Yu had already prepared breakfast: mung bean porridge, but this time Xia Yu added sugar, making it taste even better. Six fried eggs were prepared to be sandwiched in steamed buns, along with a dish of pickled radish shreds with sesame oil. Although simple, it was nutritious and delicious. Zhang Youtie ate three steamed buns with fried eggs and two large bowls of porridge. "Mother," he said, "from now on, don't sell our eggs anymore. We'll eat them ourselves. Our daughter's braised eggs are delicious, and these fried eggs are even more fragrant. Anyway, eggs are delicious no matter how they're cooked."
Liu glared at him and said, "These eggs have all been for our own consumption lately, haven't you seen me sell any eggs recently?"
"Hehe, it's true that I've never sold it before, so I'm just giving you a heads-up."
After the meal, Zhang Youtie and Liu drove Xia Yu to the old house in an oxcart. They then picked up Liu, Wang, and Li, and with their tools, continued to harvest wheat in the fields. The cart also carried two large buckets of boiled water.
"Luckily, we bought an oxcart this year, so we can bring the water directly. In previous years, it took a lot of time for Changsheng to carry water to the fields every day," Wang said to Liu, sitting on the oxcart.
"Yes, I remember that at first, Chunyu and Changsheng carried it together, but after Changsheng grew taller, he stopped letting his sister help. Those two kids suffered a lot in those years." Recalling the time when there were no cows a couple of years ago, everyone on the cart except Liu sighed.
Inside the old house, Xia Yu and Qiu Yu were kneading dough in the kitchen, preparing to make noodles for lunch. Suddenly, they heard some noise at the front door.
"Oh, Fourth Brother, you're back!" Qinghe's delighted voice came from the courtyard.
"I'm back, little sister! Hey, it's only been a month, but you've lost so much weight!" Zhang Chengwen said, noticing his sister's face looked smaller than before he left.
"Where is everyone else? Are you home alone?" Zhang Chengwen asked Qinghe, noticing the quiet yard.
"Four Uncle"
"Fourth Uncle," Qiu Yu and I are also at home.
"Xiaxia, Qiu'er, is it just the two of you and your aunt at home? Did the others go to the fields to harvest wheat?"
"Yes, that's right, Fourth Uncle. Our wheat harvest isn't finished yet. Qiuyu and I are in charge of cooking, and my aunt is in charge of tending the fire."
"Little sister, you've actually learned how to start a fire! That's great. Mother should have had you do these kitchen chores a long time ago."
"Fourth Brother, you...you said that too? I'm not talking to you anymore." Qinghe got angry and turned around and ran back into the house.
"Xiaxia, what's wrong with your aunt?" Zhang Chengwen asked Xia Yu with some confusion.
"Hehe, I don't know, but Fourth Uncle, Aunt has run away now, and Qiuyu and I are kneading dough. What should we do if the water in the pot for everyone hasn't boiled yet?"
"You mean you want me to burn it?" Zhang Chengwen looked at Xia Yu with some surprise.
"What else can I do? Why don't you go and coax my aunt over here!" It seems that scholars in ancient times were all the same: a gentleman keeps away from the kitchen.
"Let her rest for a while. It's hot today. I'll go change my clothes. In a bit, you can teach me how to start a fire," Zhang Chengwen said after glancing towards the main house.
"Fourth Uncle, you're a scholar now, isn't it inappropriate for you to go into the kitchen to tend the fire?"
"So what? Back in school, my roommates and I cooked for ourselves, though I've never lit a fire before," Zhang Chengwen said nonchalantly.
"You go knead the dough first, I'll go change my clothes." Zhang Chengwen hadn't even taken the trunk off his back yet, but he'd been standing there talking for so long.
"Qiuyu, is our fourth uncle really that easy to talk to?" Xia Yu whispered to Qiuyu after Zhang Chengwen entered the room.
"Yes, our fourth uncle has always had a very gentle temper. I heard from my mother that he even chose our names!"
"Ah, our names were given by our fourth uncle?"
"Yes, that's right. Our eldest sister used to be called Da Ni, and our eldest brother was called Da Zhuang. Originally, our second brother was supposed to be called Er Zhuang after he was born, but our fourth uncle said it didn't sound good, so he changed it." Qiu Yu heard all this from Li Shi. Otherwise, she should have been called San Ni.
Oh my god, thank goodness, I almost got named Erni. But my fourth uncle probably wasn't very learned back then, so he named us after spring, summer, autumn, and winter. If it had been two years later, my four sisters and I might have been named Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju.