After the separation, I took my whole family to eat delicious food and drink spicy

Looking at the cleaned old house, Li Xiaoxiao felt it suddenly looked much better.

Seeing that the work was almost done, Aunt Chen quickly put down the rag in her hand and said to the Bai family, "It's almost noon, and you must be tired after working all morning. Why don't you come with me to my house to eat a few meals first, and then come back in the afternoon to see if there is anything else to clean up."

Listening to Aunt Chen's caring words, Li Xiaoxiao was deeply touched. Aunt Chen's family was not having a good time, but she still cared about their food.

"Aunt Chen, no need. You've already helped us so much. Why don't you have lunch at our house? Our kitchen is ready. I'll go cook now. You can just sit here and chat with my mother."

After finishing her speech, Li Xiaoxiao turned and went back into the kitchen, her heart filled with deep gratitude towards Aunt Chen. She knew that in this age of fickle relationships, it was rare to find such a kind-hearted neighbor. The kitchen, though simple in its utensils, was in perfect order after a morning's preparation. Li Xiaoxiao skillfully lit a fire and pulled out the wild vegetables and brown rice she had brought from Li's house that morning, preparing a simple lunch.

Seeing this, Mrs. Bai also quickly stood up, wanting to help. However, Aunt Chen smiled and held her hand, saying, "Don't bother with it, let Xiaoxiao do it. Let's sit here and have a good chat." Mrs. Bai smiled and nodded, and the two of them sat down in the shade of the tree in the yard and began to chat about family matters.

"I think Xiaoxiao has become a completely different person since she recovered from her mental illness. She seems to be a person with her own opinions. You can just wait to enjoy your life in the future." Aunt Chen said to Mrs. Bai.

"Alas, Xiaoxiao is already thirteen years old this year, but she still hasn't found a marriage. I feel so sad when I think about this." Bai replied.

"Don't worry too much. As the saying goes, children and grandchildren have their own blessings. Our Xiaoxiao is a good child. I believe she will find a good marriage in the future." The two chatted casually.

In the kitchen, Li Xiaoxiao cooked while thinking about her next plan. She knew that although the new home was settled, the problems with the old house had not been completely resolved. Although the people from the first and second houses had not made any moves for the time being, there was no guarantee that they would not cause trouble again. Moreover, this old house was part of the Li family after all, and she couldn't just give it up like that.

Thinking of this, Li Xiaoxiao had an idea in her mind. She decided to use the lunch break to plan how to clean up the old house.

The meal was quickly prepared: a bowl of brown rice, a bowl of stir-fried wild vegetables, and a plate of pickles. Although it was stir-fried, Li Xiaoxiao had to use the small side pot she had brought from the old house. Despite being stir-fried, it looked almost like boiled food, and presumably, the taste wasn't much better. Li Xiaoxiao carried the meal out of the kitchen and called in Mrs. Bai and Aunt Chen to eat. They sat around, chatting and eating, the atmosphere warm and harmonious.

After dinner, while clearing the dishes, Li Xiaoxiao said to Mrs. Bai and Aunt Chen, "Mother, Aunt Chen, what do you think? I'm thinking of repairing the doors and windows of the old house this afternoon to prevent them from being damaged by the wind and rain. We also need to repair the roof first. Then, I plan to open a small vegetable patch in the backyard and grow some seasonal vegetables. This way, we can be self-sufficient and also sell them in town for money."

After hearing this, Aunt Chen nodded repeatedly in praise: "Good idea! You are really smart, girl. However, repairing doors and windows is not an easy task. Do you have the tools and manpower?"

Li Xiaoxiao smiled bitterly and said, "Aunt Chen, we just moved to a new house and we really need everything. I'd like to borrow your tools first, is that okay? As for manpower, I can ask Uncle Wang in the village for help. He's a nice guy with good craftsmanship, so I don't think he'll refuse."

"You little girl, why bother talking about borrowing or not? If you need something, just ask me. Wait a minute, I'll go home and get some tools." After saying that, Aunt Chen ran home to get the tools to repair the house.

Bai also agreed: "Yes, Uncle Wang is a kind-hearted person, he will definitely help us."

After the three of them agreed on their plans for the afternoon, they each got busy. Aunt Chen first went back to her own house to retrieve tools and some old wood planks to repair the doors and windows. Mrs. Bai stayed in the old house, continuing to clean and clear out more space. Li Xiaoxiao offered to go to the village to find Uncle Wang and ask him for help.

Soon, Uncle Wang arrived with a few strong young men. As soon as they saw the doors and windows that needed repair, they immediately got to work. Li Xiaoxiao helped pass tools, take measurements, and occasionally helped secure the boards.

With everyone's joint efforts, the doors and windows of the old house were soon renovated. Although they were still made of old wood, they looked much stronger and cleaner.

After the doors and windows were all repaired, the young men, seeing it was still early, even went out of their way to help Li Xiaoxiao fill in the leaking roof with some new straw, protecting the Bai family from the rain. By the time the roof was finished, the sun was setting. Uncle Wang and the young men were quite satisfied with the much sturdier old house.

"Xiaoxiao, you see the house is almost done, so we'll go back first. If you have any problems in the future, just come to me and I'll definitely help you." Several young men echoed Uncle Wang's words.

"Uncles and aunts, thanks to your help today, our house was repaired so quickly. I'm going to cook right now. Uncles and aunts, please have dinner at my house before you go back."

"Child, we are from the same village. Why bother to thank us? It's not easy for you, an orphan and a widow. If you have any problems in the future, just come to us. We won't eat your meal." The others nodded in agreement.

Li Xiaoxiao understood that Uncle Wang and the others must know that they had just divided the family and there was not much food at home, so they did not want to add to their burden.

Looking at the backs of Uncle Wang and his companions, Li Xiaoxiao thought silently in her heart that when she made money in the future, she would definitely thank them well.

Li Xiaoxiao cooked dinner again. Although it was just brown rice and a plate of pickles, the group ate it with great relish. Without Su and the people from the first and second houses around, Li Fang and Linlin felt much more at ease. Everyone sat together, eating and chatting. Bai looked at the children and said earnestly, "We will have to rely on ourselves in the future. Although life will be hard, as long as we work together, it will get better and better." The children nodded one after another, their eyes full of determination. As the night deepened, Li Xiaoxiao lay in bed, looking at the moonlight shining through the roof, her mind full of thoughts. She knew that the road ahead was still long, but she firmly believed that as long as she worked hard, she would be able to make this family happy.