Allure of a Country Maiden

After the clear skies, Xiao'er, along with two other youngsters, also helped to pull up peanuts from the field. Three-year-old Jingjie couldn't contribute much, but he found his fun in the field, and didn't give adults any worries that he may hinder their work.

After nearly a month of constant work, all the crops in the field were finally harvested. But the work was far from over. They still needed to dry, thresh, and store the crops. Both Shen Chengyao and his wife had lost some weight and become a bit tanned. This was still the case even with the help of Xiao'er's special water from the 'space'. Some people fell ill because they worked in the rain to gather their crops. Fortunately, the village was home to Doctor Luo, who was skilled in medicine and charged reasonably.

Mrs. Liu had already finished her confinement period following childbirth, and Shen Chengyao planned to bring her home. As soon as he mentioned it, their children also wanted to join them. Shen Chengyao thought that they hadn't visited their maternal grandmother since the new year celebration, so he agreed.

Shen Chengyao prepared the bullock cart and the family happily moved towards the County Town. Mrs. Liu's birth home was situated in the opposite direction of the town and was closer to the county. So, the villagers usually didn't come to the town market, but went to the county instead.

As Xiao'er was starting to feel shaken by the bullock cart ride, they finally arrived at Guishu Village. Shen Jinghao was the first one to get off the cart and run towards his maternal grandmother's home, shouting as he ran, "Granny, I am here."

Mrs. Liu's birth home was at the edge of Guishu Village, close to the official road. When Mrs. Liu Lin heard the sound, she quickly came out and was delighted to see her son-in-law and grandchildren. Catching the excited Jinghao who was rushing into her arms, she said, "Oh my, Jinghao, one month has passed and it seems like you've grown taller."

"Really? Have I grown taller? That's probably why I felt that my trousers have become shorter." Shen Jinghao was very pleased to hear this as he was looking forward to growing up faster so he could help his parents with more work and reduce their burdens.

Shen Chengyao also got off the cart: "Mother, I've come to take Minling home. Thank you for your help during this time," he said as he unloaded the cart.

"What are those words? We're family, there's nothing bothering or not bothering about it."

"Granny." Shen Jingrui and Xiao'er also jumped off the cart and greeted Mrs. Liu Lin.

"Oh, my sweet grandchildren, you must be thirsty. Come inside quickly and drink some water." Mrs. Liu Lin took the rope from Shen Chengyao and tied the bull in the backyard.

Shen Chengyao pushed the cart into the courtyard, then unloaded the goods from it. He brought a bag containing new harvest of fifty pounds of paddy, fifty pounds of peanuts, ten pounds of soybeans, one pound of sesame, and two pounds of dried chestnuts. The chestnuts were picked previously by Xiao'er from the mountain. Mrs. Liu was worried about them getting spoiled if left uneaten. So, while she was bedridden with nothing to do, she peeled and dried the remaining chestnuts for preservation.

At that moment, Xiao'er's aunt, Mrs. Tan, and Mrs. Liu came out after hearing the noise. The family greeted each other warmly.

Shen Chengyao moved the items into the kitchen. Both Mrs. Liu Lin and Mrs. Tan insisted that he had brought too many things and that it was too costly.

"These are new crops from our home. I've brought some for mother, big brother and sister-in-law to taste. We didn't have to spend any silver on them." In the past, before the separation of the households, Mrs. Shen gave them 20 coins each year to prepare for the New Year's gift. And throughout the entire year, they were only able to provide them with a gift during the New Year's. But his mother-in-law never lost face over it, although he always felt guilty. This year, since he separated from the main family, he brought more things over.

On hearing that no money had been spent, Mrs. Liu Lin was relieved. She was also pleased that her son-in-law was so considerate. It was not about the value of the goods but his thoughtfulness, which indirectly reflected the importance he placed on Mrs. Liu. This was what made her happiest.

Mrs. Liu Lin has endured a hard life. For three years after getting married, she didn't have a child, leading to her mother-in-law's constant verbal abuse, toil, and various difficulties. Then her mother-in-law brought in a co-wife for her husband, who gave birth to an elder son within a year, causing Mrs. Liu Lin to live a life worse than a maid's. Finally, she became pregnant and gave birth successively to Liu Minhong, Xiao'er's elder uncle, and Mrs. Liu. However, her life didn't improve much as people were used to ordering her around, and since they were impoverished, her children also experienced a tough life. It wasn't until the death of Master Liu that the co-wife was kicked out, and thanks to Mrs. Tan's family who lent them an old house, they finally got a roof above their heads. After that, Liu Minhong started working as an apprentice in the county's woodwork shop, and their life gradually got a little better with his monthly wage increasing from a few dozen coins to the current 500 coins. But because they had no land and only relied on the two acres of wasteland they had reclaimed, life was still quite difficult.

After serving water to everyone, Shen Chengyao, who had not seen his daughter for nearly a month, playfully cradled her and was reluctant to put her down. Mrs. Liu let him be and went to help her sister-in-law prepare the meal.

Jingrui and Jinghao, on the other hand, joined their twin cousins, Liu Zhiwen and Liu Zhiwu, to go fishing by the river. Xiao'er was dragged by her cousin Liu Jingshu to pick jujubes. There was a jujube tree planted in front of her maternal grandmother's house which bore large and sweet fruits that year.

Xiao'er wanted to go fishing as well, maybe smuggle some fish into the 'space', "Cousin, I want to go catch some fish by the river. We can pick jujubes when we come back. My brother is really good at climbing trees, we can ask him to climb up and pick them."

"So, you're also a naughty monkey. Alright, let's go fishing first." Liu Jingshu was a girl with a bold personality. At fourteen, she was pretty and had a charming smile, giving off a lunar aura. Although usually quiet and gentle, she knew how to have fun and could let loose when playing. How should Xiao'er describe her? She reminded him of a phrase: quiet as a maiden, but swift as a hare when action is needed.