Zhuang San searched for Wen Po and worked all night. As a result, Wu had a sudden labor and gave birth to a girl with a sallow face and thin muscles, which looked difficult to maintain.
Mrs. Qian was so angry that she shouted that she was a loser again.
Mrs. Wu was not an energy-efficient person either. She lay down on the bed, ate a sugar-watered egg, and after gathering some strength, she started scolding the old lady.
Here there is a lot of drama, and the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is tense. But with Qin Manzhi, it is completely different.
Zhuang Keqing got up early in the morning.
She carefully stepped over the boy who was sleeping in an upright position on the outside of the bed, put on her shoes lightly, changed into a thin shirt, and left the room.
The sun hasn't come out yet.
The early morning mist is hazy among the rice fields in the distance, the grass blades are green and wild flowers are in full bloom nearby.
Zhuang Keqing took a deep breath of the watery air and stretched greatly. She went to the vegetable garden circled in the small courtyard, pulled out a radish, washed it with a ladle of water, and put it on the chopping board.
Cut into thin slices and then salted.
There used to be only mother and daughter in her family. Aman was still young and could only drink some rice soup, so breakfast was always simple.
But things are different now.
She dug out a bowl of brown rice from the rice bucket. Zhuang Keqing tilted her head and thought about it. They all said that half-grown men eat poor men. There are no men in the village. She only knew that Zhang Da’s son Gouzi ate a lot, but she didn’t know.
Shen Ling wondered how much he ate. After thinking about it, he dug out half a bowl more, then washed the rice and poured it into the pot.
Then she turned to the stove, added some firewood, and burned the fire vigorously. The remaining radish tassels were not wasted, so she chopped them up and threw them into the chicken coop. The chickens were more diligent than humans. They were already out of the nest.
Zhuang Keqing came over and immediately rushed over, waiting for food.
Of course, a handful of radish leaves was not enough for the chickens, so she went back to the kitchen, took a chicken bowl, put rice bran and wheat bran in it, mixed it with boiling water, and planned to let it cool down before feeding it.
The porridge in the pot was simmering. When no one got up, she scooped out another bowl of noodles, took out two eggs, added salt and oil, and mixed them together. She waited until everyone got up and washed up before making pancakes.
Shen Ling opened her eyes to the chirping of birds in the morning.
He turned his head and saw that the bed was empty. The girl who hugged him last night and wouldn't let go was long gone.
I packed my clothes and left the house. The courtyard was quiet, with only the sound of chickens cooing and pecking.
The kitchen door was half open, and a busy figure could be vaguely seen inside.
Zhuang Keqing was mixing radishes. She preferred to eat something refreshing in the morning instead of pickled pickles. The radishes had been salted and half a bowl of water had come out. She took a bowl and gently mixed the pickled radish slices.
Grind it dry, add some salt, vinegar and sesame oil, and mix it with chopsticks.
The porridge in the pot is almost cooked, and the aroma of rice floats out from the cracks in the pot lid, along with the crackling sound of the fire in the stove and the smell of smoke.
The radish is mixed well, but there is still some green on top.
He wiped his hands and prepared to go to the vegetable garden to pick some. When Zhuang Keqing looked up, he saw the young man standing by the door.
"Morning!" There is no shyness or coyness at all, just like a family member. "Go quickly and help me pick some coriander."
Breakfast was eaten in the main room.
Thick multigrain porridge, pancakes with eggs and green onions, and cold vinegared radish. There are not many varieties, but the portions are sufficient.
Qin Manzhi got up the latest today, and her mother-in-law got up later than her son-in-law, which made her a little embarrassed. But when Shen Ling saw her, he only called her mother respectfully, and then took the initiative to help her serve porridge and put bowls.
He didn't look uncomfortable at all.
"Eat more, it's time for you to grow."
Like a grown-up, Zhuang Keqing came up and gave Shen Ling a piece of cake, "Try it, the one with eggs is very fragrant."
"Um."
Shen Ling lowered his head and ate the cake silently, listening to the mother and daughter chatting about trivial matters and their voices teasing the baby, and suddenly felt a sense that life should be like this.
"Huh? By the way, I forgot about the eggs yesterday." Zhuang Keqing ate half of the meal, and suddenly remembered that he was still locked up in the woodshed. He thought to himself, don't starve to death, so he got up and thought about getting him a bowl of porridge first. Let’s talk after drinking.
"Ke'er, we let him go last night." Qin Manzhi pulled her and told her clearly what happened after yesterday.
"This is a good idea." Zhuang Keqing wasn't angry that they decided to let him go without consulting him. Instead, he raised his thumb and praised, "You must keep this document to guard against any evil intentions in the future."
After the family finished breakfast, Shen Ling took the initiative to clear the table.
Qin Manzhi wanted to stop him. No man in this family would do such a job. Shen Lingwenwen was as weak as a scholar, so he was not a rough man, but didn't scholars care more about this?
Although he said he was a bride-in-law, if others saw him doing some women's work here, he would probably be laughed at to death.
But Zhuang Keqing shook his head at her.
Let him come.
Qin Manzhi understood what her daughter meant at a glance.
She hesitated for a moment, then looked at the young man's silent back, and finally gave up her intention to help, and just took Aman to play in the yard.
There were only a few bowls in total, so Shen Ling piled them up in twos and twos, wiped the table clean with a rag, and carried them back to the kitchen.
There was a piece of firewood left in the stove with hot water simmering inside, and Zhuang Keqing was taking a clay pot to fill it.
The habit in her previous life was to drink boiled water. Although it cost some firewood, it was not easy to get sick. This has been done in the family since she came to life in this world.
Shen Ling didn't ask, nor was she curious. She just waited quietly for Zhuang Keqing to finish filling the water, and then asked her how to wash the dishes here.
When he stayed at the village chief's house, even though he had to work, he was not allowed in the kitchen. Sister-in-law Lin said that things on the stove were not good for men, so she never wanted him to do them.
But Sister-in-law Lin didn't know that during the time he returned to Erlizi Village, he had to do everything in the Shen family.
At first I just collected firewood and swept the floor, but later I also had to do the work of fetching water and washing clothes.
In fact, he doesn't care.
Zhuang Keqing had filled the water, and the firewood in the stove was about to be extinguished.
She turned around and saw the young man standing behind her, his clear face incompatible with the cramped kitchen.
"Not used to it?" Zhuang Keqing raised the corner of his mouth and didn't wait for anyone to answer. He just brought out a wooden basin and instructed him, "Put the bowl in and fill the water tank outside with some water. Let's wash the bowl."
The dealer's kitchen was too small, so Shen Ling brought out a basin, scooped a few ladles of water into the large vat in the courtyard, pulled a small bench over, and sat in the courtyard, bending over to wash the dishes.
The young man's fingers are slender, with slightly thin calluses between them. He is a hand born with a pen, but the scar that appears on the center of his right hand is a bit dazzling when he moves.
Zhuang Keqing raised his chin and watched.
"Does your hand still hurt?"
Shen Ling paused slightly while washing the dishes, then slightly retracted the fingers of her right hand, covering the position of her palm without leaving any trace.
"It doesn't hurt."
He didn't tell the truth.
In fact, my right hand still feels a dull pain sometimes, and I have been unable to exert any strength. Yesterday I barely managed to write something, but the handwriting was ugly.
"Well, that's good. It won't affect the test results."
Zhuang Keqing squatted and held up his cheek and spoke vaguely. Shen Ling didn't hear clearly, so he didn't take it to heart.
A few bowls were washed in a moment.
Zhuang Keqing didn't ask him to do anything anymore, and took the towel and wiped the bowl and put it away.
What should I do next?
The kitchen has been tidied up, the chickens have been fed, the eggs have been touched, and the yard has just been swept. I haven't been doing the tofu business these days, and I'm not used to being idle all of a sudden.
"The water tank is low. I'll go get some water."
Shen Ling had done a lot of these jobs at the village chief's house. He knew what things were difficult for girls to do, so he wanted to do it himself.
"Then I'll go with you."
Although Zhuang Keqing was afraid of water, she didn't want Shen Ling to carry the burden alone. She and her mother usually fetched water at home together, so at this time they directly brought the wooden bucket and gave it to each other.
Shen Ling wanted to say that he could do it alone, but before he could say anything, Zhuang Keqing had already left the yard.
The small river where water is drawn is some distance from the banker.
As soon as the newlyweds went out, they met their neighbor Aunt Li. "Are you out to fetch water this early?"
Zhuang Keqing responded with a smile, "Well, morning, Aunt Li."
"You're newlyweds, why don't you take a rest at home?"
This is good-natured banter.
Li Guihua originally thought that Shen Ling was the adopted son of a wealthy family, and he had the temperament of a young master, and was not very capable of working. But now that he accompanied his young wife to fetch water on the second day of their marriage, she felt sorry for him. .
The look in Shen Ling's eyes was sincere and kind.