Farmhouse Green Plum

Xu Yulan was very excited about this proposal. "I want to go, but I need my parents' consent. They probably won't object."

Daya smiled and said, "Then it's settled. We'll set out at about 3 p.m. and meet at the entrance of the village. Then I'll ask Sister Erni to call you."

The Xu family is at the innermost part of the village, which is what people often call the end of the village. Erni's family is also nearby. If you shout, Xu Yulan can hear it even if she is in the house.

She paused, then said excitedly, "This is the first time that all the girls in our village have gone to the Lantern Festival together."

Having said this, she stopped, as if she just realized that this "all" was not accurate, there was also Xu Yuzhi in the room.

"Oh, I said it wrong," she scratched her head in embarrassment, and then, as if to rush into another conversation, she invited Xu Yuzhi in the courtyard, "Sister Yuzhi, why don't you come with us? This way, all the girls in the village can play together."

Although Lai Di was very afraid of being involved in this matter, when she saw Daya's situation, she couldn't help but help her persuade Xu Yuzhi.

"Yes, Sister Yuzhi, this may be your last Lantern Festival in our village. You won't have such an opportunity again in the future."

Xu Yuzhi was even more interested. Ever since her father passed away, in order to avoid suspicion, not only her mother but also she rarely contacted the people in the village. Zhao Xiaocui and the other two who were originally on good terms with her also broke off all contact with her because of a quarrel.

As she gets older, there are some things that are difficult to say to her mother. She wants to reconcile with her old playmates and discuss things that cannot be told to adults.

Unfortunately, Zhao Xiaocui and others were unwilling to visit, and she herself was too embarrassed to be the first to walk down the stairs, so this little wish was never realized.

Although she was tempted, Xu Yuzhi knew the seriousness of the matter. She was about to get married, so she had to be very careful. After thinking for a long time, she said, "Forget it. I have to embroider the pillowcase. You guys go and have fun."

The pillowcase she was talking about was naturally not the one for daily use, but the wedding pillow for getting married.

Lai Di really wanted to roll her eyes. She somewhat understood why Zhao Xiaocui and the others disliked Xu Yuzhi. What she said really sounded like bragging.

The wedding date has not been set yet, so there is more than enough time to embroider the dowry. Besides, it’s only one afternoon, so not much work can be delayed.

But at this time, even though Lai Di was unhappy about many things, she had to hold it in for the sake of Daya's learning to read.

She tried to soften her tone, to make her voice free of sarcasm, "It won't take an entire afternoon. Even if you really can't make it in time later, you can ask Sister Yulan to embroider some for you. Well, if we're not busy, we can help."

Although girls from farming families were required to embroider their own dowries when they got married, they were not as exquisite as those from wealthy families, and the styles and patterns were not as particular.

It is enough to be able to sew clothes and other items. Only those who have the time and skills will consider embroidery patterns.

After all, embroidery has a threshold and not everyone can do it.

Xu Yuzhi thought for a long time and shook her head again to refuse, "Our village is far from the county town. We can only take a look in the afternoon. We have to rush to the village before dark.

The Lantern Festival officially starts in the evening, so I will wait until next year to visit the official evening festival."

If it weren't for Daya, Lai Di really wanted to turn around and leave. She had never seen anyone who loved to show off so much. She was afraid that others didn't know that she would be a real city dweller next year.

To be honest, Daya didn't like Xu Yuzhi like this either. She said stubbornly, "I heard that wealthy families have many rules. Women in the backyard can't go out casually. It seems that daughters-in-law have to set rules in front of their mothers-in-law."

Xu Yuzhi was literate and knew more about the rules of wealthy families than they did. She knew very well that what Daya said was true, but she didn't know whether the He family had such a rule.

These days, she has actually been feeling very uneasy. The He family is a wealthy family that is completely different from the other villagers, and she knows nothing about their rules and ways of getting along.

Next year when she goes with the He family, she will definitely have to restrain her temper and be careful;

It would be different if she went with Daya and the others. They were all of the same age, so there was no reason for one to give in to or take care of anyone else. Besides, she would be the young lady of the He family in the future, and Daya and the others would have no time to curry favor with her.

Thinking of this, the balance in Xu Yuzhi's heart gradually shifted, but she was still very hesitant. She was afraid that if the He family got to know about this, they would think that she was breaking the rules and cancel the engagement with her.

"Daya, Lai Di, why are you here?"

At this time, Chen's voice sounded behind them. Daya and the other girl turned around and saw Chen coming back with a basket of vegetables.

Daya said honestly: "We have an appointment to go to the Lantern Festival together the day after tomorrow. Let me ask Sister Yulan if she wants to join us."

Seeing Chen, Xu Yulan quickly asked: "Mom, I want to go with Daya and the others."

"If you want to go, just go." Chen has always been open-minded. She suffered a lot before she got married, and she didn't want her daughter to suffer those hardships, so she always doted on her daughter.

Seeing that she was so easy to talk to, Daya had an idea and said, "Aunt Chen, can Sister Yuzhi go with us? If she comes, then all the girls in our village will be complete."

After a brief thought, Chen said, "Yuzhi, you should go and play with them. This is your last Lantern Festival as a girl. It won't be so easy when you become a wife in the future."

Xu Yuzhi was delighted. Since Second Aunt had made the decision, there would be no problem.

Daya was also very happy. She finally took the first step. She smiled brightly and said, "Then we will leave first. See you the day after tomorrow."

"Okay!" Xu Yulan waved excitedly, trotted back to the courtyard, and asked Xu Yuzhi, "Sister, which dress are you going to wear?"

Chen shook her head with a smile, retracted her gaze, and asked Daya and the other girl, "Are you two going to collect firewood?"

"Yes, the weather has been good these days, so we need to pick up more."

"Then you guys go to Yuanbao Mountain. I just came back from there. There are a lot of dead branches and leaves there. You can burn them after just a few days."

Daya's eyes lit up. She didn't expect there would be such a pleasant surprise. After thanking them, she and Lai Di went to find Xiaoxiang and the others.

Asking Xu Yuzhi to teach her how to read is related to her reputation, and Daya doesn't intend to let other girls know.

Seeing her so excited, Lai Di couldn't help but ask, "Daya, aren't you afraid?"

“I’m afraid, but if I could do it again, I would still do it.”

Lai Di was silent for a moment, then said with emotion: "Everyone says I am the most courageous girl in our village. I think they are all wrong. You are the most courageous one!"

"I'm not bold, but I won't lead you to make money secretly." Daya was in a good mood and joked.

When it comes to making money, Lai Di is both excited and worried. Spring is back and everything is growing. She will be able to collect more herbs and make more money.

But as the weather gets warmer, more adults are working in the fields, and the risk of exposure is greater.

She shook her head and threw away her worries. Daya dared to take the risk of being scolded for being restless and shameless and asked Xu Yuzhi to teach her how to read. The only crime they had was to make money for themselves.

"In fact, I'd like to see the adults' reactions when they find out that you, who they think are well-behaved and obedient, are actually so rebellious."

"You should expect me to do something." Daya glared at her and sighed softly, "I don't want to either. Being well-behaved and obedient is useless."