The little Fubao in the deserted village made all the dignitaries in the court go crazy with envy

Snow in December.

The snowflakes fell like goose feathers.

It is inconvenient to go out, so farmers light braziers in their houses, warm themselves by the fire and chat during the winter.

The Lin family's main hall is quite crowded today.

The expansion of the back house has been completed and we can move in when the weather is fine. Everyone in the family has some free time.

In winter, the days are short and the nights are long, so the workshop changed the working hours to the afternoon, and Lin Jiang can go home earlier than usual.

I happened to see the whole family gathered around the fire and chatting, and the house was full of laughter.

Mrs. Lin sat in the main room, taking out this year's summer clothes and mending and modifying them.

Madam Xiao was still watching over her baby like an old hen guarding her nest. When she saw Mrs. Lin altering old clothes, she thought the family was short of money, so she immediately lowered her head and took out some silver from her purse, "I have silver, mother-in-law, I'll buy you new clothes without patching them."

Everyone was so amused that even General Xiao laughed out loud.

Mrs. Lin pushed the silver back and explained to the old woman with a smile, "The old shirt is altered to look bigger. Although it looks ugly with patches, it won't be wasted. It's not that I can't afford cloth or new clothes, it's just that I'm used to it."

Children grow a lot every few months, so the clothes they can wear this year will be too short next year.

Alter your clothes in advance by cutting out pieces of cloth to piece together the sleeves and trouser legs so you can still wear them.

The family is not short of money now, but the habit cannot be changed.

Every household in the village is not short of money, and the children also dress like this.

Madam Xiao gave up, but she was still determined to give the silver. She turned around and happily took out a handful of silver and gave it to Xiaosong and Xiaobai, "Grandma, you have silver. There is always some in your purse. Go buy some food!"

This time the adults didn't stop me.

The children were sensible and would secretly put the money back into their grandmother's purse afterwards.

So the money in grandma's purse would never be spent.

"One family has a daughter who is sought after by hundreds of families. During the winter, matchmakers are particularly busy running around, and someone has already found Mr. Xu." Mrs. Lin changed the subject and brought up this topic naturally, as if it were the real deal.

Li Sulan smiled and said, "I heard that the family that was found earlier is not bad. They are from Yuanzhou City and are considered a wealthy family. The young man in the family is about the same age as Miss Xu and is not bad looking. They specially asked a matchmaker to come and propose marriage. They have no other requirements, but just hope that Miss Xu will not continue to show up in public after the marriage. Just this one request, and Old Xu scolded her back."

"Ms. Xu has such good conditions, she is sensible and capable, well-educated and knows how to use an abacus. There are so many people who want to marry her. I can count ten of them from our village and the workshop alone!" Zhang Cui'e was very smart this time and counted on her fingers. "Oh, and there's also Ge ​​Li! Don't look at Ge Li as a widower. If he and Miss Xu can succeed, they will be in harmony in the future! Jiang'er, you spend a lot of time in the workshop. Do you often see Ge Li looking for Miss Xu?"

At first, Lin Jiang just thought it was gossip and was very calm. But when he was asked the question, he realized that he had clenched his fists without knowing when.

He quickly let go and pretended nothing happened, "Second sister-in-law, I'm not sure about this. I spend most of my time in the office in the workshop."

After a pause, he continued, "Mother, eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, Miss Xu is a girl and values ​​her reputation. If these things are spread around, it will be bad for her reputation."

"Are mother and your sister-in-law so ignorant?" Mrs. Lin rolled her eyes at him, moving her hands quickly. "They only say a few words when they are together as a family, and they are not allowed to say it to others. But there are many people fighting for a good daughter, and the chance will pass in the blink of an eye. It will be too late to regret if you miss it."

Lin Jiang could tell what his mother meant by that. He coughed lightly, his ears reddening.

At this time, Ge Li was working as a laborer in the Yan family, being ordered by Old Man Xu to chop firewood.

"Mr. Xu, I told Miss Xu the truth from the beginning. I was forced. How could Aunt Li let me go without her nodding? I didn't do anything. I really didn't do anything."

Ge Li was in great pain. He wasn't tired from the work, but he was very tired mentally.

There are many strange people in Yuxi Village, no one is afraid of him.

After staying here for a long time, he even had the illusion that he actually looked very friendly.

Old Xu was watching nearby, lighting a brazier, warming the teapot, and sharing a plate of peanuts with the old Taoist priest, looking quite leisurely and comfortable.

"What did the old man say to you? He said so much when he asked you to chop wood. This amount of wood is not even enough to make tea and pay for the money I spent on the lawsuit."

"..."

"Your fifth brother is alone over there. Have you ever gone to see him? Did he tell you to listen to the old man and respect him? I heard he's having a great time over there and has even raised a large flock of free-range chickens."

"..."

Ge Li lowered his head and chopped wood, working hard without complaint.

Since the old man saved them this time, he can be the old man's grandson for the rest of his life.

Chopping wood is nothing.

Bao Xiaoxiao was not good at speaking, but that didn't stop him from flattering people even more. "Grandpa Xu, peanuts! I bought another bag. All you can eat!"

"Little darling, go play over there and be careful not to get hit by the firewood." Patting the child's head, old man Xu thought that twenty-year-olds were his grandchildren, including Ge Li and the others. How could he not have feelings for them after spending so much time together?

He liked these children from the bottom of his heart. They would bicker and joke with each other from time to time, and they lived a more carefree and happy life than Cao Wu.

What worries him is his granddaughter's marriage.

Thinking of this, Old Man Xu glanced in the direction of the Lin family, his face dark, "What's the point of studying for a few more years? He looks handsome, but he is so fussy and slow in doing things. The old man was more efficient than him in getting married decades ago. Do you think he is as brave as a needle tip?"

Jia Banxian habitually fanned himself, and after fanning twice he found it was too cold, so he turned the fan and fanned away, "I am a Taoist priest from the secular world, so don't ask me about the mundane world. Besides, if he really gets bold and comes to ask for marriage now, you will be even more embarrassed."

That's true.

Old man Xu narrowed his eyes and thought, and his disgust towards Lin Jiang was a little less.

Put a few peanuts in your mouth and chew them, with a sip of warm tea, accompanied by the sound of chopping wood beside you, it is so relaxing.

"Your junior brother sent me a letter. Did you read it? It's a bunch of trivial things that I don't want to talk about. I heard that the old man, Duke Lan, is dying. He's over 70 years old and is counting the days until he enters the coffin. At most, he will die next year."

Jia Banxian didn't care much, "He didn't drink the Baixiang tea?"

"Is Baixiang Tea an elixir? Can it extend the life of people whose life span has come to an end? Even Zhong Kui wouldn't dare to do that!"

"That means he has never tasted the fresh Baixiang tea."

Old Man Xu wanted to retort, but suddenly stopped talking, his mind became active, "Is fresh Baixiang Tea better than the dried tea sold outside?"

Hiss, he stayed in Yuxi Village and drank Baixiang tea every day, but he couldn't feel any difference.

But Taoist Jia does have some real skills in medicine, even better than Yu Heng, so what he said is credible.

Jia Banxian didn't say much.

He just didn't like dealing with people in the court because they were all very cunning and had many schemes.