"Huizi and I stayed with Brother Dake. It was the three of us these two nights."
Jiang Jianye couldn't help but nod when he heard this.
"Okay, okay. The three of you have been together since childhood. Huizi has no brothers and sisters, and Dake's brother is no longer around. It's good for you to be brothers."
"What Uncle Jiang said is that I am very satisfied to have Brother Huizi and Dake."
Jiang Jianye completely wiped out the doubts in his heart.
He didn’t find any problems with his bare-butted doll, so why is he just thinking about it? It’s true that the older he gets, the more confused he gets, but that can’t be the case.
"Uncle Jiang, some more green onions and tofu, freshly mixed."
Cheng Xue said while giving him more food. Jiang Jianye responded "Okay" and continued to cook rice.
It’s cool at night, and the food is refreshing, so there’s only a little leftover at the end of the meal, so the amount is just right.
After sending Jiang Jianye and others away, Cheng Xue helped clean up. She was not asked to wash the dishes, so she helped pick up the table and put the stools away.
After finishing his work, he saw that it was still early, so he sat down next to Mr. Yang with a bench and asked.
"Sister-in-law, how many days will Uncle Guo stay at home?"
"I made an agreement with my seventh uncle that we will be buried the day after tomorrow morning, next to my mother-in-law. We won't delay the erection of the monument the day after tomorrow, and we can't hold it back because of the hot weather," answered Yang.
"Oh, the day after tomorrow." Cheng Xue calculated in her mind, "Well, I'll come over tomorrow afternoon and go out to do some errands in the morning."
"I don't need you. We have enough people at home. Someone will come from my parents' house tomorrow. It's your turn to take care of you."
"Oh, that's okay, then I'll come over the morning after tomorrow to help." Cheng Xue didn't insist anymore.
After sitting for a while, he stood up and saw that Li Hui was still chatting, so he said hello to the two sisters-in-law and went out.
Not even 200 meters away, there was a gust of wind behind her, and then an iron arm choked her from behind.
"Why don't you tell me if you want to rebel?"
There was no one around at night, so Li Hui had less worries when talking.
Cheng Xue leaned back and then struck his abdomen with her elbow. Li Hui quickly spun her around and hugged her.
Yes, if you steal the chicken, you will lose the rice.
Cheng Xue broke away with a hot face and walked forward quickly.
Li Hui then followed him, as if nothing was wrong, and said:
"The crickets are not enough to eat, can we still cook them tomorrow?"
Cheng Xue cleared her throat and tried to keep her voice calm as she answered:
"They will go down to the river tomorrow, and Qinglin will go with them. I will go to the town to buy butter in the morning, and you can catch up on your sleep at home."
"I heard Xiao Qinglin, are you letting him stay at our house at night?"
"You commandeered his carriage, where can he live if he doesn't live at home?"
Li Hui curled his lips and said "Ah" in frustration, but said nothing more.
Under the moonlight, the two of them walked side by side. After they were sent into the yard, they turned around after hearing the sound of her being tied down.
Listening carefully, the girl at the door didn't move for a long time, probably because she was thinking about what she did just now.
Like a successful cat, a pair of eyes glowed with cunning light...
……
I was busy with the burial of the Guo family, and then the commemorative monument. After two days of work, it was enough for the seventh uncle to drink a pot.
The scheduled time was right, but everyone was ready at the beginning of the day and gathered in the wasteland west of the village as previously said.
He said that anyone in the village who was not taboo could go, but when Cheng Xue brought Li Heng and Yan Yixin over, there was no one else except the three of them.
Li Hui, Yu Zhao, Zhou Fei and Wen Tian went to work with Jiang Jianye early in the morning.
A dozen strong men need to dig a hole first, otherwise they will be too hot when the sun comes out.
Cheng Xue and three others were standing not far away. There were many procedures before the burial. They had to step aside and not get in the way.
Except for Guo Erliang, the thirteen households all had their sons holding Shoucai, and the widow followed beside them. Mianni held Shoucai, and did not forget to pull her younger sister Yun Ni. Looking at the thin and tall back, she was so strong that it made people feel distressed.
Uncle Seventh stood at the front, mumbling something, but couldn't make out what he said. Anyway, when he heard "Get up--", there was a "crack-plop-pap-pap" sound of a mourning pot being smashed in front of him. Then, the children walked and said in unison, "
Dad, I’m home."
The place where the monument is erected is to the north of Lizi Mountain, far away from the village. There is a forest in front of it, which is very secluded.
The longevity material is neither big nor heavy, making it easy for children to hold.
Cheng Xue felt particularly uncomfortable as she listened to the heart-rending cries of Mrs. Zhang and others.
I really hope this place can be like reality, peaceful and without war.
After walking for half an hour, we finally arrived at our destination.
The seventh uncle set up the soul-drawing flag according to the position he had chosen before, and called each one's name. Those whose names were called went over and stood, waiting to be unified into the pit.
When the last Mian Ni took her position, Xiao Feng, Pan Yongzhang, the mayor and others all came over with shovels.
Without everyone having to salute, they each filled the first shovelful of soil into the pit.
This is very particular in Liangyan. If someone who is an official fills the soil, the younger generation can become an official.
There is no scientific basis, it is just a custom here.
After filling in the soil, the next step is to erect the monument.
After Pan Yongzhang, Xiao Feng and others, together with Li Zheng, Li Hui, Zhou Fei and others, worked together to put down the commemorative monument, Li Qingshan started lighting fires and firing cannons.
Shovel after shovel of soil was filled into the pit, and Zhang and others cried bitterly again. Everyone knelt in front of Bizen, and Xiao Feng turned around and saw Cheng Xue at the end of the crowd.
Seriously, they look so similar. If she were still alive, she would be the same age as this woman. It seems that someone needs to be found to check this girl's parents.
"Master Xiao, please say a few words."
Pan Yongzhang's voice interrupted Xiao Feng's thoughts. He waved his hands and declined politely:
"Master Pan is a local official. It is your blessing to have such people who understand justice in the area under your jurisdiction. I can't usurp the guest."
Seeing this, Pan Yongzhang stopped insisting and asked everyone to stand up first, and then began his verbal affirmation.
First agree with their feats, then talk about imitating them, and then throw out a depth charge——
"...I have already reported to the imperial court. The imperial court believes that your move is meritorious and worthy of praise. Your village will be exempted from half of the tax and grain this year."
After the words fell, everyone was stunned, including Li Qingshan, Jiang Jianye and others who had come before. Cheng Xue was the first to react and thanked her loudly, which made everyone kneel down and salute.
Xiao Feng looked at this extremely ordinary woman and felt conflicted again. However, his conflict had nothing to do with Cheng Xue. At this moment, Cheng Xue only felt that the court was stingy.
The village has gone through so much trouble, so it would be more decent to reduce or exempt the general taxes and grains. It would be more generous to directly waive them all.
Of course, that is her own YY. After all, there is a war in the south and food prices have soared. It is not easy to reduce the price by half. It is estimated that no one who follows suit will receive this treatment.
Just as she thought, it didn't take long for the news about Wanghe Village's tax and grain exemptions to spread.
Every village followed suit, and if they could, they followed suit. When the commemorative monument was erected, the county magistrate did not show up, nor did the town mayor. As for tax exemptions and grain reductions, it was even more impossible.
For a while, some said it was biased, some said it was unfair, and some said the news was a lie...
Anyway, no matter how you say it, Wanghe Village benefits from being the first to eat crabs, and that is enough.