The eldest sister-in-law became rich by farming in the mountains

Xue Qingqiu stepped forward and bowed politely, saying, "My family has fallen on hard times, and I had no choice but to return to my ancestral home. Fortunately, my elder brother did not abandon me and took me in. I hope I can do my best to repay your kindness in the future."

She was tall and thin, with gentle eyes and eyebrows. When she was not speaking, there was always a faint smile on the corner of her mouth. Although she was dressed like a country woman, as soon as she opened her mouth, she immediately distanced herself from this rural place.

Yan Lizheng was immediately confused by these flowery words.

He uttered an "ah", turned stiffly to look at his eldest son, and asked, "Heiwazi, has your uncle Heng's old house been repaired?"

Yan Heiwa was startled: "Wasn't it repaired last month?"

Yan Lizheng cursed his son for being a fool, coughed lightly, and smiled at Yan Heng and his wife again, "My memory is really not good. Let's go inside to eat first. I'll take you back to your old house later. Let me know if you need anything."

Yan Heng bowed again to express his gratitude.

In the main room, at the dining table, the women of the Yan family had already prepared a table full of dishes. In addition to stewed chicken, fish and bacon, there were also the four large bowls of dishes that Xu Yingtao had brought.

This is already the highest standard of hospitality for farmers.

Mrs. Wu put down a bowl of boiled eggs, smiled and asked everyone to take a seat. She was thankful that the group from Nanxi Village came to lead the way, otherwise, she would not have been able to get together these eight bowls.

Xue Qingqiu saw that her husband's face was still a little pale, so she asked with concern in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "Husband, how about I ask my sister-in-law to make some porridge for you?"

Yan Heng shook his head. Although he really had no appetite, this family had done their best to entertain him. If he spoiled the fun at this time, it would only hurt everyone's feelings.

He had to eat this meal no matter what, and he had to eat it happily.

But when he really picked up the chopsticks, Yan Heng still didn't want to touch meat, so he picked up a piece of relatively refreshing green jelly nearby.

Then his eyes lit up.

It is spicy, sour, refreshing and very appetizing.

Xue Qingqiu was also very surprised.

Their family returned from the north after more than a month of hardship. Her husband, perhaps due to depression or the unfamiliar climate, could only survive on some light porridge and side dishes every day. He would vomit and have diarrhea if he ate the slightest bit of meat.

The man, who had been somewhat overweight in middle age, suddenly lost weight and regained the lean and capable physique of his prime years.

If the doctor hadn't said that he just had an upset stomach and there was no need to worry, Xue Qingqiu would have cried his heart out.

Now that she saw her husband's appetite had recovered, she was happier than anyone else.

Like her father, Yan Yunlan did not have high expectations for the coarse farm food, but she ended up being amazed several times.

Even when the spiciness started to spread between her lips and teeth, she still refused to put down her chopsticks. At this moment, all the reserve of an aristocratic family and the dignity of a noble lady disappeared from her.

But she didn't have any of that.

Yan Lizheng filled Yan Heng's glass with rice wine and said with a smile: "Although we have never met, I have heard from my father since I was a child that your father, my uncle Mancang, is the most promising person in our village. He went out to do business and earned a fortune. Although you are in trouble now, since you are a member of my Yan family, I have the responsibility to take care of you. If you have any difficulties in the future, don't be shy and come to me directly."

The old man's tone was very sincere, and Yan Heng suddenly felt guilty.

But there was no ripple on his face, he still smiled calmly, raised his glass to thank her, and drank the rice wine in the glass.

After the meal, Yan Lizheng introduced the customs and habits of the clan to Yan Heng, while Xue Qingqiu went into the kitchen.

Mrs. Wu and her daughters-in-law were cleaning up the kitchen scraps, and they instantly became nervous when they saw Xue Qingqiu.

"Go out and have a rest. You can't enter a place like this."

Xue Qingqiu laughed: "Sister-in-law, you are joking. Women have to go into the kitchen. In the future, the father and daughter will rely on me to cook and feed them."

She had previously scared everyone by her quibbling with words, and now she quickly learned to talk like everyone else and make fun of herself.

The women in the kitchen all laughed out loud.

Although Wu always felt that Xue Qingqiu and women like them were not from the same world, this sentence invisibly brought the two closer together.

After everyone had laughed enough, Xue Qingqiu took out another ten taels of silver from his purse and handed it to Wu: "Sister-in-law, you have helped us renovate the old house and buy new furniture in the past few months. You must accept this silver."

When Mrs. Wu heard this, her face changed slightly, and she quickly waved her hand to refuse: "Why do you need so much? I won't accept it."

Ever since they received Yan Heng's letter three months ago, they have started helping to renovate the old house. In total, they didn't spend more than two taels of silver. They will meet each other every day in the future, so how could they take advantage of their own clansman?

Xue Qingqiu smiled slightly and continued, "I have to trouble you, sister-in-law. My husband and daughter praised the cold noodles and cold noodles we had at noon today. I will have to buy them from you in the future. It would be better to pay for them all at once."

Mrs. Wu was happy: "Oh sister, you misunderstood, that was not made by my family."

A moment later, Xue Qingqiu learned about the existence of Xu Yingtao in Nanxi Village.

Wu returned the silver and said, "I only want two taels at most, not a cent more. If you like the food, you can go over the mountain and buy it in Nanxi Village. There are people selling it every day, but the variety is not as much as today."

As a last resort, Xue Qingqiu could only take out another two taels of silver and give it to Wu.

In the evening, Yan Lizheng returned home, and Wu asked hurriedly, "Have they settled down?"

Yan Lizheng nodded in response, but his expression looked a little strange.

Mrs. Wu hurriedly asked what happened.

Yan Lizheng: "When Heiwa and his friends were helping to move the boxes, they accidentally tripped and fell. The lid of one of the boxes was wide open. I thought it contained clothes and other things, but it turned out to be full of books. What's even more strange is that the other boxes were also very heavy. I guess they were also full of books. This is indeed a bit strange."

Mrs. Wu was also surprised: "Aren't they from a merchant family? How come they brought back so many books? They don't even have a son. Could it be that your brother from the same clan wants to take the imperial examination?"

Yan Lizheng waved his hand and said, "You are a woman with many problems. Who cares about them? As long as they behave themselves and don't cause trouble in the village, whether they are reading books or playing in the mud, it has nothing to do with us."

Mrs. Wu thought about it and agreed, so she stopped asking questions.

The next day, Mrs. Zhou and her family came to work an hour earlier than usual. Today, Xu Yingtao and her group were going to the county, so they had to set out early, otherwise they would arrive in the county in the afternoon.

Before dawn, Zheng Wen and Zheng Wu helped load the spicy strips, chili oil, braised tofu and marinade onto the mule cart, and the two brothers from the eldest house were also busy sorting out the small bamboo baskets.

Mrs. Zhou was worried and asked her son and daughter-in-law to take good care of Xu Yingtao.

Zhao nodded: "Don't worry, mother, I won't lose the cherries even if I lose them."

Mrs. Zhou wanted to criticize her again, but she couldn't say anything unlucky before going out, so she could only endure it.

Xu Yingtao rubbed Xie Li's sleepy head and promised: "This time I'm going to the county town for business. I will definitely take you with me next time."

Xie Li said very obediently: "Sister-in-law, I understand everything. Don't worry, I will help mother with the work and will never be lazy."

Xie Bai also nodded.