When the pears are green

Song Yue jumped off the ox cart and ran to the half-open gate of the Jiang family's courtyard, shouting to Jiang Qingzhou who was carrying sesame stalks down from the donkey cart, "Brother-in-law."

Hearing the sound, Jiang Qingzhou looked at Song Yue who was standing by the door and Wu Minghui who was hiding behind Song Yue and peeking out. He quickly put the sesame stalks in his arms on the ground, brushed the dust off his clothes, and walked towards the courtyard gate.

"Xiaoyue, Mingde, Minghui, come in quickly. Xiaoli was just talking to her mother about you." Jiang Qingzhou said as he pushed open the gate, helped Wu Mingde drive the ox cart into the yard, and then grabbed two handfuls of grass and placed them next to the ox.

Wu Mingde handed the pork, pomegranates and green pears he bought from the town to Jiang Qingzhou, but Jiang Qingzhou quickly declined.

"Brother Jiang, this is not for you. It's given to Sister Song by Xiaoyue and Minghui. You should accept it on behalf of Sister Song." After Wu Mingde finished speaking, he smiled and stuffed the basket into Jiang Qingzhou's hands.

Jiang Qingzhou glanced at the sun and sincerely invited Wu Mingde and Wu Minghui to have dinner at his home.

"Brother-in-law Jiang, my third brother and I still have to go see our eldest sister. We will come to pick up Sister Xiaoyue in the afternoon. Can we see the baby?" Wu Minghui poked her head out from behind Song Yue and asked Jiang Qingzhou.

Jiang Qingzhou quickly replied: "Of course, Xiaoli just woke up, and mother took little Jianghuan to our room. Xiaoyue will take Minghui."

Song Yue led the jumping Wu Minghui to the east room, and Jiang Qingzhou invited Wu Mingde to the main room to rest.

Song Yue knocked on the half-open door of the east side room and asked Song Li and Zhang in the room softly: "Mother, sister, is it convenient for Minghui and I to come in?"

Song Li was stunned for a moment after hearing this, then she patted Jiang Huan lightly and answered loudly: "Come in quickly."

Song Yue and Wu Minghui gently pushed open the door and walked into the room quietly.

Zhang stood up with a smile, moved two stools from the wooden table and placed them beside the bed for Song Yue and Wu Minghui to sit down.

Wu Minghui hurriedly thanked Zhang, then sat on the stool and looked at Jiang Huan who was playing with his fingers.

"Sister Song, he is so small, even smaller than Yuanzhan." Wu Minghui said as she gestured Wu Yuanzhan's height. In her little head she couldn't help but marvel at how small the baby could be.

Song Li was amused by Wu Minghui and talked to her with a smile: "Babies are always this small. They will grow up to be as tall as Yuanzhan and even taller than Minghui now. I haven't seen Minghui for a long time. Minghui has not only grown taller, but also become more beautiful. I heard from my mother and Xiaoyue that Minghui went to the city. When did Minghui come back?"

Wu Minghui smiled and answered Song Li: "I came back with my third brother when he was on hunting leave. I will go again when the county school starts. My second sister-in-law is pregnant again, and mother asked me to go to the city to help my second brother and sister-in-law take care of Yuan Zhan. Sister Song, I can take care of Yuan Zhan. We play, eat and sleep together. I am not sure if Cui Ming can take good care of him if I am not there."

Wu Minghui couldn't help but sigh, and his childish eyebrows were wrinkled.

Seeing this, Song Yue reached out to smooth Wu Minghui's frown, and took Wu Minghui's hand to tease Jiang Huan who was lying in the thin quilt.

Zhang then asked Song Yue about Song Changhe's situation.

"Mom, Dad is still the same as before, making and selling tofu every day." Song Yue answered Jiang Huan's question while holding Jiang Huan's little hand.

About a quarter of an hour later, Jiang Qingzhou opened the door and said to the people in the room, "Minghui, Mingde is going to Sister Wu's house."

Song Li asked Zhang to see off the Wu brothers and sisters on her behalf.

Jiang Qingzhou, Zhang and Song Yue sent the Wu brothers and sisters to the village entrance. Wu Mingde waved his hand and asked Jiang Qingzhou and the other two to go back quickly, otherwise he would be sent to the South Gate.

Zhang looked at the backs of the Wu brothers and sisters and sighed, "After Xiaoli finishes her confinement, it will be time to get busy with Xiaoyue's marriage. In the blink of an eye, you all got married and had children."

"Mom, only when we grow up can we repay you and dad for raising us. Let's go back quickly and don't make sister worry." Song Yue said as she walked back holding Zhang's arm.

Wu Minghui listened to the quarrel coming from the Yang family's yard and asked Wu Mingde softly, "Third brother, it seems to be the voices of Brother Yun'an and Sister Yang Jing. Should we still go in?"

Wu Mingde glanced at the dense leaves of the locust tree on the gate of the Yang family courtyard, and replied to Wu Minghui faintly: "Of course, go in, knock on the door quickly, maybe Yun An still needs you and me to save his life!"

Wu Minghui knocked lightly on the gate. Li Yun'an, who was suppressed by Yang Jing and unable to speak, ran to open the door as if he had found a life-saving straw.

When Li Yun'an saw that it was Wu Mingde, he sadly leaned on Wu Mingde's shoulder and cried for help.

Wu Mingde pushed Li Yun'an away with disgust, opened the gate, and drove the ox cart into the yard.

Wu Minghui ran to the angry Yang Jing, leaned over Wu Mingshu's back and asked, "Sister, did Brother Li bully Sister Yang?"

"Ming Hui, don't talk nonsense. I didn't bully her. I..."

Li Yun'an, who was about to clear his name, looked at Yang Jing's aggrieved look and immediately muttered in a low voice: "Okay, okay, I bullied her."

Yang Jing burst out laughing, stood up and took the arm of Yang Zhang who was talking to Wu Mingde.

Yang Zhang smiled and patted Yang Jing's hand, repeatedly told Wu Mingshu to entertain Wu Mingde, Wu Minghui and Li Yun'an, then took the basket handed to her by Wu Mingde and went to the kitchen with Yang Jing to cook.

Wu Mingshu led Wu Minghui to the wall to collect the seeds of the withered cockscombs.

Wu Minghui imitated Wu Mingshu and smeared the small black flower seeds on the cotton cloth. Then, while working, she told Wu Mingshu about Song Li: "Sister, Sister Song gave birth to a boy two days ago. My third brother and I just came back from her house. Sister Song's child looks a lot like Sister Xiaoyue, with similar eyes, mouth and nose. I guess Sister Xiaoyue and my third brother may not be able to give birth to a child who looks so much like Sister Xiaoyue in the future."

Wu Mingshu smiled and patted Wu Minghui on the head, telling Wu Minghui to stop talking nonsense.

Li Yun'an listened to Wu Minghui's words with his ears pricked up, and looked meaningfully at Wu Mingde, who was frowning.

Before Li Yun'an wanted to speak, Wu Mingde took the initiative to ask Li Yun'an: "Yun'an, don't rush to talk about me, talk about you first, you can't even comfort your own wife, tut tut..."

"Mingde, don't talk nonsense. Jing'er and I have a very good relationship. Don't try to sow discord between us." Li Yun'an raised his head and retorted.

Wu Mingde patted Li Yun'an on the shoulder and ruthlessly exposed him: "Before Minghui knocked on the door, I heard your quarrel. Could it be that Minghui and I are hallucinating?"

"That wasn't a quarrel. It was the fun between husband and wife. You don't understand." Li Yun'an was afraid that he couldn't win the argument with Wu Mingde, so he hurried into the kitchen to help Yang Jing.

Wu Mingshu waved Wu Mingde over, and then said to Wu Mingde earnestly: "Mingde, you and Xiaoyue are about to get married, and I have something to say to you. You just heard it, even though Yun'an and Jing'er have a very good relationship, they still quarrel over trivial matters. They quarreled just now because they were arguing about whether pomegranates or persimmons are more delicious. Husband and wife relationships are like this, when they are good, they are very good, but when they are annoyed with each other, they feel annoyed when they look at each other for one more time. I hope that you and Xiaoyue can tolerate each other. After quarreling and making a fuss about some things, let it go, and never let it live in your heart."

After hearing this, Wu Mingde nodded repeatedly.

After Yang Yu came back, Wu Mingshu told them about Song Li's childbirth during dinner. Yang Jing and Li Yun'an then expressed their willingness to go to Jiang's house with Wu Mingde to visit Song Li in the afternoon.

Yang Yu picked up a piece of pork belly and put it in Wu Mingshu's bowl, and asked Wu Mingshu and Yang Jing to eat it together.