Beautiful Peasant Girl: The Young Marquis's Beloved

The next day, without Mrs. Zhang's wake-up call, Liu Xu finally slept in. When she woke up, it was almost noon.

Seeing that her mother had woken up, she quickly turned over and got up.

"Mom, why didn't you call me? You must be starving. I'll go cook right away."

After saying that, he ran out without waiting for Xu Ruolan to answer.

I simply cooked some multi-grain porridge, soaked the few remaining mushrooms, and stir-fried them. There was nothing I could do, I had just moved and there was nothing at home.

"Mom, just eat something this morning. I'll bring you something delicious when I come back from town." Liu Xu put down the food and said to Xu Ruolan.

"Okay. Remember not to run around and stay close to your uncle, or you'll be spotted by the beggars."

"Yes, I got it." Liu Xu agreed repeatedly.

Just as the mother and daughter finished their meal, there was a knock on the door.

When Liu Xu opened the door, she saw that it was Grandma Lin.

"Hey, grandma, come in quickly. I was just about to come to see you." She was just thinking about going to town. It might not be convenient for her mother to be alone at home in her current condition, so she wanted to ask Grandma Lin to come and help look after her for the whole morning.

"Huh? Do you, a little girl, also know about the third bath?" Grandma Lin was a little surprised. She was afraid that Xu was too young and didn't know, so she came here on her own initiative!

"What? Third day bath? Third day bath for what?" Liu Xu was a little confused at first.

Then she suddenly remembered that, yes, today was the third day after his brothers were born. According to custom, three days after the birth of a child, the midwife should be invited to the house to preside over the bathing ceremony for them, which was intended to wash away the dirt brought by the baby from the "previous life", eliminate disasters, and bless the child with peace and good luck in this life. Red eggs should also be prepared and sent to familiar families. She was busy moving these two days and actually forgot about it.

It’s not her fault. After all, she was not born and raised here, and she was an older left-over woman in her previous life. She has never experienced this before.

Seeing that she seemed to understand, Grandma Lin stopped explaining. She walked towards the yard, telling her to prepare things as she walked. Although the family was a little poor, the necessary ceremonies were still necessary. Liu Xu listened and nodded repeatedly.

I led Granny Lin into the house, and as soon as she came out, I saw Xing'er leading Tiedan in first, shouting as they ran:

"Xu'er, Xu'er, we are here to give Xu'er and Hao'er a bath."

Chen Lan and Zhuang followed behind, each carrying a basket.

"I know you moved in a hurry and didn't prepare anything. Your Aunt Zhuang and I have prepared everything for you. Go and ask Grandma Lin to come over. We will boil mugwort leaves and dye red eggs."

When Liu Xu heard this, she felt warm and sad in her heart, and tears welled up in her eyes:

"Aunt San, Aunt Zhuang, thank you, thank you! Grandma Jiangjiang is here too... If it weren't for you... I... I almost forgot about this."

"Good child, stop crying. You are so young, how can you know these things?" Zhuang freed her hands to wipe her tears.

Chen Lan also comforted:

"Yes, don't cry, today is a good day. Since Grandma Lin is here, let's go prepare things!"

Xu Ruolan in the house also heard what was said in the yard and expressed her gratitude to Grandma Lin again.

Before long, several people gathered in the room.

In the center of the room, a steaming wooden basin filled with warm mugwort water was placed. Everyone's eyes were filled with joy and anticipation.

Grandma Lin sat by the side with a big smile on her face, holding Xu Ge'er in her arms. She gently put Xu Ge'er into the basin, and the little guy waved his hands and feet, seeming to be a little overwhelmed by this novel experience. Grandma Lin gently washed Xu Ge'er, while chanting: "The first wash makes him smart, the second wash makes him safe, the third wash makes him healthy." Liu Xu looked at her curiously, and Xing'er and Tiedan had the same expression as her.

After washing Xu'er, Grandma Lin took Hao'er over and repeated the same steps.

Chen Lan and Zhuang each handed over a piece of cotton cloth and praised the two little ones.

Xu Ruolan expressed her gratitude to everyone and looked at the two little ones with a loving face.

After Grandma Lin wrapped the two children up, she put them back in bed. The two little ones were sober after being washed, and they were scratching with their little hands, which made people's hearts melt.

With Chen Lan's advice, Liu Xu gave a red envelope of 20 cents to Grandma Lin. Grandma Lin wanted to refuse it, but Liu Xu insisted on putting it in her hand.

In fact, Liu Xu originally wanted to pack more, but Chen Lan stopped her. She believed that wealth should not be revealed, and in the eyes of outsiders, she only had a little over two taels of silver in total.

Never mind. I'll repay you when I have the chance.

After the third day of the third month ...

So, while they were chatting just now, she quietly pulled Xing'er over, gave her 200 coins, and asked her to help buy some vegetables and a chicken in the village.

Chen Lan knew that the girl had money in her pocket, so she stayed after refusing twice, and also persuaded Zhuang and Grandma Lin to stay.

A few of them stayed in the house to chat with Xu Ruolan about family matters. Liu Xu asked her Third Aunt to help greet everyone and then walked out.

There was no table or stool at home. She remembered that her second grandfather Liu Dalin was a carpenter. She wanted to go and see if she could buy a set first. Otherwise, it would be inconvenient to eat at the small table at noon.

Liu Dalin’s house was not far from the old house and it only took a few minutes to get there.

The courtyard door was open, and as soon as Liu Xu entered, he saw his uncle shavings.

Second Mistress Liu Meng came out from the inner room and happened to see her. She greeted her lovingly, "Xu girl, why are you here? What's the matter?"

They knew about the division of Liu Xu's family yesterday, but the relationship between the sisters-in-law Meng and Zhang was not harmonious, and Liu Xu's family did not say anything, so they were embarrassed to take the initiative to visit.

"Second Auntie, Great Uncle." Liu Xu greeted them generously.

"I want to ask Wen if we have any ready-made tables and stools at home. I want to buy a set."

After all, in rural areas, furniture is usually custom-made and there is little ready-made stock.

"Hey, kid, we are all family, why are you buying anything? I'll ask your eldest uncle to carry it to you later." Mrs. Meng gave her a reproachful look and shouted to her eldest son who was shaving wood, "Dongxiang, I remember you made a set for the Liujia Village next door yesterday. Anyway, they are not in a hurry to use it, so you can carry it to Xu girl later."

"I know, Xu girl, are you in a hurry? If not, wait until uncle finishes digging this piece!"

Liu Xu waved her hands and said anxiously, "Second Grandma, this won't do. It's not right to take something without paying."

Mrs. Meng pretended to be angry: "You kid, you are still so distant with Second Grandma. I told you to just let your eldest uncle carry it for you. If you mention money again, I will be really angry."

Liu Xu still wanted to insist, "Second Grandma, this is really inappropriate. I can't take it for nothing."

"What's inappropriate about that? Just think of it as us congratulating you on your move. If you give us money, it means you don't consider us as your own family and don't acknowledge me as your second grandmother." Mrs. Meng's attitude was extremely firm.

Liu Xu didn't know what to do for a moment and stood there at a loss.

At this time, Liu Dongxiang came over after finishing his work and said in a gentle voice: "Xu girl, your second grandmother has said so, so don't refuse anymore. We are all family, don't worry about these things."

Liu Xu bit her lip, feeling touched: "Well, Second Grandma, First Uncle, thank you."

Mrs. Meng smiled and patted her hands, saying gently, "Silly child, what are you thanking me for? You are close to grandma's house now. If you need anything in the future, just come to me."

Then she thought of something and asked Liu Xu to wait while Liu Dongxiang went to get a table and chairs. She then took a basket and went out.

When he came back, the basket was full of cucumbers, eggplants and beans.

Meng put the basket on Liu Xu's hand and said lovingly, "You just moved here, so it's too late to plant vegetables. We have a lot of vegetables in our garden. If you want to eat, just pick them yourself. Don't act like an outsider, okay?"

"Second grandma, this... this is too much," Liu Xu said with sore eyes, a little embarrassed.

"What's so much? There's room for all these vegetables. Remember to pick them yourself after you finish eating them. Keep a few seeds in your hand and save them for later use. Do you understand?" When they divided the family property, many people in the village watched, so she knew how many seeds Liu Xu and her family got. She was worried that this little girl would not be able to manage the family and squander them. Seeing that Liu Dongxiang had already set up the table and benches,

"Okay, go with your uncle. I'm going to be busy!" After saying that, without waiting for Liu Xu to reply, she turned around and hurried into the inner room.

"Come on, girl. You can't lift it. Why don't you let your uncle hang it on his arm? You have such weak arms and legs!" Liu Dongxiang said with a smile.

"I can do it. Let's go, uncle!" She was embarrassed to see people delivering tables and chairs, as well as food. Moreover, the food was only a few kilograms, and she easily carried it and followed behind Liu Dongxiang.

After delivering the things home, he heard the sound of a woman chatting in the inner room. As he was her cousin, he didn't want to stay any longer, so after putting the things down, he said something to Liu Xu and left without even drinking a sip of water.

Looking at his departing back, Liu Xu thought, this is a family. Liu Dongcheng's family must be our enemy!

Chen Lan and others in the house heard the noise, looked inside, and saw an extra set of tables and chairs in the main room. They couldn't help but be curious:

"Xu girl, you are the eldest uncle, right? When did you go to order it?"

"No, Third Aunt, it was custom-made for the next village, and they don't need it urgently. I wanted to ask if there were any extra ones, but Second Aunt directly asked Uncle to bring it to me." Liu Xu scratched his head.

Not only did I get a set of tables and chairs for free, but I also brought back a basket of vegetables. I felt really embarrassed.

Liu Xu let them chat first and went to the kitchen to cut vegetables.

After a while, Xing'er came back carrying a basket of vegetables, followed by Shuisheng who was carrying a chicken in one hand.

There were two chickens, one still alive and the other plucked after being killed. Liu Xu thought, this saves me some trouble!

"Why did you buy two? Do you have enough money?" Liu Xu didn't know the price of chickens, so he estimated it based on the price in his previous life.

"Well, there are still 35 cents left. I picked the vegetables at home! Let me tell you, I saw my father wanted to come over, but when he heard that Aunt Zhuang and Grandma Lin were also there, he didn't feel like it, hahahaha!"

Seeing how happy she was, Liu Xu thought to herself, does your father know that you are making fun of him like this?

"It's okay. When it's ready, ask Brother Shuisheng to deliver it to Uncle San first. It's not convenient for him to cook at home alone."

After saying that, the three siblings started to get busy.

A chicken, half roasted and half stewed. Yesterday afternoon when she was cleaning the kitchen and utility room, she found a clay pot, which she washed and used to stew soup. She also smashed two cucumbers for a cold salad.

By the time the aroma of chicken soup wafted into the house, it was already noon.

After Shuisheng came back with the meal, the three siblings quickly put the dishes on the table.

"Grandma, Third Aunt, Aunt Zhuang, Tiedan, wash your hands and eat!" Liu Xu brought a basin of warm water and placed it on the small table, and came into the house to greet them. Seeing that her brothers were all asleep, she asked her mother to come out to eat. Anyway, the weather was good today, and there was no wind. There were no outsiders.

Xu Ruolan hesitated for a moment and then agreed.

Not to mention, with the three of them, the table was completely full.

Everyone had a lively meal, sat for a while, and then went home. Before leaving, Liu Xu gave each family four red eggs that they had cooked that morning. Her third aunt said that each boy should have two, so her two boys had four.

After she had sorted out the remaining sixteen, she gave four to the village chief's family, her second grandmother's family, Grandpa Meng's family, and her grandfather's family.

When they got home, the mother and daughter smiled at each other. Although the ceremony was a little simple, it still had all the necessary ceremonies.

Liu Xu told her mother again about Second Grandma sending the table, stools and dishes. She still felt a little embarrassed. Xu Ruolan touched her head and comforted her:

"Silly girl, it's okay! Since your second grandma has said that, forget it. Sometimes calculating too much can hurt feelings. When you have the chance in the future, just help your second grandma's family."

Liu Xu nodded in agreement.