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Since he wanted to buy land and knew that someone in the village was selling it, Xie Youshun thought about going to take a look right away. Xiao Lihua also wanted to go with him, and Shitou and Muto called out that they wanted to join as well.
Seeing them like this, Xie Qingfeng and Yumiang prepared to head home. Xiao Lihua immediately put a pack of snacks and a bag of candies into their basket for them.
Yumiang felt embarrassed and pushed them away, while Xie Qingfeng also said no.
"Take it; I specially brought it for you. Wang Erge and the others have some too, and I still need to send some to Sister Yang. Just accept it. I can’t leave these things in the basket; I’ve covered them with a few pieces of clothing. You can just say that I have some clothes that are too badly torn and need your help to mend. Don’t let anyone find out about the snacks and candies underneath. Got it?"
Xiao Lihua firmly stuffed the snacks into Yumiang's hands, reminding her that she was worried Yumiang would let her in-laws take the things as soon as she got home.
Yumiang had a soft personality, somewhat like how she was in her previous life when she hadn’t yet been hardened by life’s challenges or made tough after losing her child due to her mother-in-law's actions. She was gentle, warm-hearted, and overly kind, even a bit weak, just like Yumiang. So seeing Yumiang made Xiao Lihua feel both fondness and sympathy, along with some worry and frustration at her lack of assertiveness. However, their relationship wasn’t close enough for her to encourage Yumiang to stand up against injustice, and she figured it wouldn’t help anyway; Yang Cao and Zhang Lianxiang had already advised Yumiang before, but it was useless.
Yumiang looked at Xiao Lihua with gratitude after hearing her words, thinking how thoughtful Xiao Lihua was for her. Then she shyly glanced at Xie Qingfeng, wondering if this was all to guard against his family.
Noticing her looking at Xie Qingfeng, Xiao Lihua said to him, "Qingfeng Brothers, this is for Yumiang, not for your mother or your siblings. Don’t blame me for letting Yumiang hide it; look at how thin she is, her face as pale as paper. She needs some nourishment. Your mother won’t spare any food or drink for her; I’m giving it to her, so don’t be unhappy."
Xie Qingfeng smiled helplessly; he didn’t dare argue with Xiao Lihua, plus he felt sorry for his wife.
"Sister-in-law is right, Yumiang. After you get home, don’t keep staring at the basket; don’t be nervous and let your mother see anything unusual."
Xie Qingfeng said to Yumiang, who quickly nodded in response, knowing that these things could be kept.
Xiao Lihua shook her head at how tense they were over something so small and said to Xie Qingfeng: "Since Aunt Xie cares so much for your brother, let her take care of him. You should separate; I’m not saying this lightly—if you don’t split up, Yumiang will always be this exhausted. At this rate, who knows when you’ll have children."
Yumiang bit her lip while Xie Qingfeng lowered his head. He had been married to Yumiang for several years without having children; they had even visited a physician who said there was nothing wrong with Yumiang’s body—she was just too tired. But his mother insisted that Yumiang was weak and couldn’t blame anyone else for it. Hearing this made him feel uncomfortable inside, especially when he saw his younger brother holding his nephew.
"If Qingfeng Brothers had any sense of urgency at all, you would have separated long ago." Xiao Lihua remarked as she watched the couple's backs while speaking to Xie Youshun.
Xie Youshun smiled and asked, "Are you complimenting me?"
"Yes, I am complimenting you. The father of Shitou and Mutou is capable and straightforward; he is truly a rare good man. In the future, Shitou and Mutou should grow up to be like this!" Xiao Lihua said while picking up Mutou and kissing his face, making Mutou giggle happily. Shitou also tugged at Xie Youshun's hand, and Xie Youshun picked him up as well, showering kisses on his little face. Then he turned to Xiao Lihua and said, "If you change 'the father of Shitou and Mutou' to 'Xiao Lihua's man,' then this sounds even better to me."
Xiao Lihua looked at Xie Youshun's smiling face, her cheeks began to flush. She thought that after getting familiar with this man, he turned out to be like this, which was quite surprising!
The family of four chatted and laughed as they arrived at the house in the corner of the village where someone was selling land. They knocked on the door, and a man in his thirties stood inside.
"It's Xie Four Brothers! What brings you to my home today? Come in and sit down!" The man was taken aback for a moment upon seeing Xie Youshun's family but then smiled and invited them in.
Xie Youshun said, "We won't go in, Brother Wang. I heard that you are going to the city to do business and want to sell your land. Is that true?"
Brother Wang nodded upon hearing this and said, "Yes, I want to go to the city to start a business, but I lack silver to buy a shop, so I'm thinking of selling some land. However, I'm only selling those five acres of paddy field; I won't sell the two acres of dry land. I plan to rent it out because when I get old, I might want to come back here to retire. At that time, having two acres of land will help alleviate boredom. So, are you interested in buying land, Xie Four Brothers?"
Xie Youshun nodded and said, "Yes, I just split from my family and don't have much land left. I want to buy a few more acres. However, Brother Wang, I've forgotten exactly where those few acres of paddy field are located. Could you take me to see them? If they are suitable, I'll buy them."
Brother Wang immediately nodded upon hearing this, turned around and shouted into the house before stepping out to lead the way.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, they arrived at the plot of land. It was a large area filled with paddy fields that were now planted with vibrant green seedlings, which looked quite pleasing.
"Although my five acres of land can't be considered top-quality farmland, it's still above average. It produces a good amount of grain every year. If you buy it, Xie Four Brothers, you definitely won't lose out," Brother Wang said while pointing at his five acres of land. He hoped that Xie Youshun would buy it; farmers love their land, and even though he wouldn't be farming it anymore, he wanted it to be cultivated by someone diligent like Xie Youshun.
Xie Youshun looked at the land and was quite satisfied. Although his family didn't own any land here, he knew that all the land here was good.
"Brother Wang, how much silver per acre for this land?"
"This is paddy field and it's above average quality; it's fifteen taels per acre. For five acres, that's seventy-five taels."
Xie Youshun looked at the Paddy Field and thought the price was about right, but in this business, there was no fixed price. He glanced at Xiao Lihua, and seeing her nod, he said to Brother Wang, "Let's make it a bit cheaper, seventy taels of Silver. Last year, a place in Shangqiao Village sold high-quality Paddy Fields for only sixteen taels per mu. Your price is a bit high. I think thirteen taels of Silver per mu is fair enough. I'm considering that we're from the same village, and you've already planted seedlings here. I don't want to take advantage of Brother Wang. Think about it; let's do it this way."
Brother Wang thought for a moment and replied, "Alright, let's go with that. I've already posted this land at Yaji in town. Tomorrow, I'll let him know, and we can come back to measure the land and exchange the land deed."
Xie Youshun and Xiao Lihua walked home with their child. This time they didn't take the street but followed a path along the edge of the village. On both sides were willow trees and green grass; one side was farmland while the other had vegetable plots belonging to villagers, separated by fences where they could vaguely see shadows of people inside.
Xiao Lihua hadn't walked in nature like this for many years and enjoyed everything she saw.
Shitou and Mudu ran ahead, picking wildflowers along the roadside and bringing them all to Xiao Lihua.
Xiao Lihua asked Xie Youshun to hold the flowers while she picked a blade of grass from the side of the road and tried to blow it as a whistle. It had been so many years since she last did this that she couldn't produce a sound.
"Mom, you blow so beautifully!"
Shitou looked brightly at the blade of grass in Xiao Lihua's hand and picked one for himself to try blowing but only produced a puffing sound without any melody.
Mudu was even worse; he chewed up his blade of grass and then switched to another one that was dripping with saliva.
"Mom—" Mudu whined with a drawn-out tone.
Xiao Lihua laughed as she taught them. Xie Youshun joined in learning as well; he picked it up particularly quickly and soon learned how to blow it, though his tune sounded quite different and very melodious. Shitou and Mudu still hadn’t mastered it but didn’t give up; they continued puffing away until they finally produced their first sharp sound, jumping with joy before blowing again.
"Mom, what tune were you playing just now? We know what Dad plays; that's the hunting tune. What were you playing? I want to learn!" After getting tired from blowing the grass, Shitou came over to ask Xiao Lihua to teach him how to sing.
Xiao Lihua began teaching them not popular songs but children's songs like "Little Duck." She modified the lyrics slightly for them, changing "going to school" into "going to class," telling them that when they grew older, she would send them to school.
"You are still young now. When Shitou is one or two years older, I'll send you to school. Mudu will have to wait a few more years. Before that, you should learn some simple arithmetic and characters with me so that when you go to school later, you won't be lost."
Xiao Lihua said that she wanted to teach the children some knowledge at home before they went to kindergarten. Then she would send them to school. Her sons didn't necessarily have to take the imperial examination to become officials, but they must be literate and know some friends. It would be best if they could pass the examination and become scholars, so they wouldn't be bullied in the future.
When Shitou and Muto heard that they could also go to school, they clapped their hands with joy. They knew that their grandparents were going to send Uncle's older brothers to school, and Third Uncle was also sending Shackles to school. Second Uncle's older brother had already gone to his maternal grandfather's house to attend school, and they wanted to go too. However, Shackles had previously said he wouldn't take them, and when they told their mother, she just glared at them. Now their mother was going to send them to school!
Xie Youshun was also very happy. Farmers wanted their children to be literate and educated, ideally passing the examinations to become scholars or even officials, which would lead to great success and no longer being called "mud leg" by others. He had once thought about studying but never had the opportunity. Now that his son had this chance, he was naturally pleased.
The next day, Yaji came to measure the land. Brother Wang gave him the land deed and wrote a sales contract, then asked Yaji to help with the final procedures at the government office. The commotion was quite large, and people in the fields soon noticed that Xie Youshun had bought five acres of good paddy field and realized he had become prosperous, leading to a wave of envy and jealousy.
After learning about it, Xie Shengcai sent someone to call Xie Youshun over and gave him a thorough reminder to take good care of the crops. The Wang Clan didn't say much; she was still a bit angry that she hadn't received any silver from her son.
After leaving the old house, Xie Youshun was on his way home when he encountered Zhang Shuitao. She looked at him with raised eyebrows and glaring eyes. Xie Youshun bypassed her and continued walking.
"Thank you, Fourth Son! You don't feel anxious living this life!"
"Just live your life well and avoid provoking Li Hua in the future."
Xie Youshun paused for a moment, threw out this remark, then strode away with a very unpleasant expression. Zhang Shuitao stomped her foot behind him and then turned away angrily.
In the village, amidst discussions about Xie Youshun's sudden wealth from buying cattle and sheep along with paddy fields, the wheat harvest season arrived. People finally stopped talking and began focusing on harvesting.
The author has something to say: I heard others say that once you enter V (a subscription model), you suddenly want to stop updating; it turns out that's true! It was hard to overcome this feeling.
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