Traveling through time as a peasant girl to turn things around

It was dark, and the eldest daughter-in-law and Old Lady Li went to cook. The second daughter-in-law dressed Huanhuan and Hengheng in flowered cotton trousers and covered them with single pants. After they were clean, they played on the kang. Zhang Baohua put away her needlework and cotton cloth. She swept the floor and tidied the house.

Li Ru changed Guo Guo's diaper. The second daughter-in-law took the child and said, "Li Ru, lie down and rest for a while. I'll hold the child."

The fourth brother packed all the sorghum into sacks, took them back to the barn, and locked the door. Old Man Chai took all the furniture to the tool shed and locked the door. The fourth brother then went to bundle up the sorghum stalks and carried them to the east side of the yard, by the south wall! It's okay if you don't rub them, but you're afraid birds will eat them, which means people can't eat them, and the chickens will have to eat them too.

Old Lady Li called out, "Eat." She first served the food to the fourth daughter-in-law, letting Li Ru eat first. Then she took her granddaughter and told the second daughter-in-law to take the child to eat. Zhang Baohua picked up Hengheng and Huanhuan and went to the yard, where she sat the child down. She went to the kitchen to help serve the food.

Holding her granddaughter, Old Lady Li felt the room was a bit chilly. She said to Li Ru, "I'll get you some firewood to heat the kang later. It's a little chilly." The little girl, a soft, delicate bud, watched her grandmother speak and licked her little finger, contentedly. Old Lady Li was worried her granddaughter would be cold. She said, "Make her a small quilt tonight. Wrap her in it during the day. Don't let her get cold. If she's sick, she can't handle it. She needs to be warm all the time. Find some unused clothes and hang them up as curtains. It's time to light a fire in the room. Both the woman and the child need to be warm during confinement. They can't get cold." Li Ru finished her meal and took the child. Old Lady Li took the bowl away. A moment later, Old Lady Li returned with a large bundle of firewood. She went to the west kang and started a fire. Soon, the kang was warm. She tossed in a few more large sticks of firewood. She lowered the straw window fan, blocked it tightly, lit the lamp, and closed the door.

The kang was warm and the room was bright. Li Ru felt warm in her heart. For the past half month, she felt like she was in a dream, a dream so beautiful and unrealistic. She looked at her little girl, who was indeed her own child. After ten months of pregnancy, she was no longer cold. The girl looked at her and smiled. Li Ru said, "My child, how could I be so worthy of you to treat me so well, with a new warm quilt and a warm kang, I am content." As she said that, she kissed Guoguo, tears welling up in her eyes! Little milk bag: Ahhh, it seemed as if she was saying, "Mom, don't cry. Without you, there would be no me. With you, I am happy!" "Woo woo woo! Mom, ah ah!" Li Ru smiled, "We will all be fine!" Li Ru looked at her little girl, who was changing day by day and becoming tougher day by day.

Old Lady Li asked the men to finish their meal and go to rest, and called them at midnight. Just then, someone knocked on the door. Old Lady Li went to the door and asked, "Who is it?" Village Chief Sun Gui: "It's me, Sun Gui." Old Lady Li hurried to open the door. Old Lady Li: "Come in, Village Chief." Village Chief: Just call me Sun Gui." Old Lady Li: "That won't do. The head of a village is highly respected and must be respected. I still have to call him, Village Chief." Come in. Old Lady Li stepped aside, clearing the door. The Village Chief came in and walked to the yard. Old Man Chai stood up, "Old Sun, sit down." The Village Chief sat down. Old Lady Li went to get a bowl of tea and placed it next to the Village Chief. The three sons said in unison: "Hello, Uncle Sun!" The Village Chief looked at Old Man Chai and said: "Well, well, my nephews are handsome, tall, strong, and have grown up. They are all handsome men." The fourth son said: "Uncle Sun, you are not old and you are also good-looking." Village Chief: Thanks to everyone, I am also okay. "Safety," Old Man Chai called "Safety." I'm here to ask, what do we need to prepare? Old Chai: "To carry the load, you don't need a basket, you need a rope." He told Old Lady Li to get Lao Gui a pair of hard gloves. Old Lady Li went to her room and brought out two pairs of gloves. Canvas gloves. She handed them to the village chief. The village chief looked at them. Didn't he recognize them? Old Chai picked them up and put them on his hands. The village chief put them on, his eyes lighting up. "Good stuff," Old Chai instructed. "Don't tell anyone about it. Keep it secret." The village chief understood immediately and nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, I understand." Old Chai: "You can go home and have your younger siblings do this. Put your four fingers together, it's warm that way." Old Chai: "We two brothers are not strangers! With time, everyone will know this. I think it must have been a clever idea." The village chief said: "That's the logic." Old Chai stood up: "Old Sun, come with me to take a look." This way, to the ditch. Old Chai: "See, I dug a deep hole at home. Fill it with water and make sure it's soaked tightly. Look at the big rock pressing it down." Soak everything for half a month and then take it out. The hemp rope will be strong. If you soak it for a long time, it will not be good, so soak it for half a month. Let's go at midnight, when everyone is asleep, so go quietly. You go back and sleep, I'll let the children wake you at midnight. Village Chief: Good! ! Let's go back and rest. With that, he walked out. Old Man Chai saw Sun Gui out the door. Village Chief: Go back, you should rest for a while too. Old Man Chai: Yes. The village chief put his gloves into his clothes and was happy to go home. Old Man Chai closed the door, locked it, and put it on. He went back to sleep.

Old Lady Li, her two daughters-in-law, and their two grandsons all went to the fourth room. Old Lady Li brought over her quilt, saying she and her grandson would sleep there tonight. The grandson went to play on the kang. The two grandsons crawled over to their younger sister and looked after her. Old Lady Li called the eldest daughter-in-law to her room and cut a large piece of plastic sheeting, three quilts long. She put the rest away and closed the door. She went to the west room, entered, and closed it. She spread the plastic sheeting on the floor.

Old Lady Li instructed, "Make this curtain first, so the children have a warm place. Li Ru is also in confinement after childbirth. Also make a small quilt to wrap her during the day and to cover her at night!" Old Lady Li and her eldest daughter-in-law went back to her room. They found some floral cloth, also with small, red floral patterns. They also took out a piece of pure white cloth (white foreign cloth), thinking they had to make a cotton coat for Ru first. They also found a piece of dark, floral cloth. That would be it. Old Lady Li came out to cover her, then she and her daughter-in-law brought their things back out and closed the door.

The two entered the west room and quickly closed the door. It was warm inside, but freezing outside. Old Lady Li said, "It's getting cold this day." She started by cutting a small piece of quilt cloth, making it four and a half feet long and four and a half feet wide. She cut the lining five feet long. "Second daughter-in-law, you go make it." She took her needles and took out three, and when she closed them, there were still three. "Yes, mother," said the second daughter-in-law. Old Lady Li changed the cloth and cut a cotton coat for Ru. Thinking about it, she smiled to herself and said, "Ru, I'll make you a cotton coat first." She measured Ru and cut the coat. She made it patterned inside and out, including the pants. She'd wear a single layer of clothing, so you couldn't see underneath. Li Ru: "Okay." Li Ru looked at the three children. When her nephew peed, she'd pick him up and pee in the potty. Then her daughter peed, and she'd do it in the potty. Ru was busy, too, and the atmosphere was bustling.

After Old Lady Li finished cutting the jacket, the eldest daughter-in-law sewed the edges. Then Old Lady Li went to cut the cotton trousers. Old Lady Li knew how to sew, and she thought she had to teach all three daughters-in-law how to sew. When they became mothers-in-law, they would be able to make them for the children. After cutting the cloth, she set it aside. Then she took her needle and thread and started sewing herself.

Baohua finished making the little quilt, pinned the needle and thread, picked it up, and went to pick up the little baby, placing her on top. She wrapped three sides around it, leaving her head exposed, and held her upright. "Ahhh!" the little baby exclaimed with delight. Old Lady Li looked at her granddaughter and imitated her, "Ahhh!" Everyone in the room burst into laughter. Baohua handed Guoguo to Ru and said to the little baby, "Auntie, go make a curtain and hang it over our door. It won't be cold anymore. Let me make it. I'll hold you whenever I have time, ah!" The little baby spat and laughed.

Old Lady Li asked Baohua, "Do you have any clothes that Old Second doesn't wear?" Baohua: "No, his clothes are torn and patched up before they're worn again." "Then go get the ones that are patched up more and no longer worn, Wang Min, you go look too." So I patched up a curtain. It was very cold, so I hung a straw fan outside.

Old Mrs. Li looked outside and thought it was almost midnight, so she went out to call her husband and closed the door behind her.

The eldest, second, and fourth sons, along with Old Man Chai, went too. They donned their clothes, freshened up, donned gloves, and grabbed the carrying pole ropes. Old Lady Li saw them out the door. She watched them walk away before locking the door behind her. Old Lady Li went back to her house and locked it. She walked around the yard, taking in the sounds, listening for any noises. The yard was large, and there were many things to do around the house. She thought about feeding a dog; the village chief had one. It was quiet near her house.

The village chief's house was west, heading south, near the southwest corner. Old Man Chai took his eldest son's shoulder pole and said, "Go call the village chief." Jia He headed south, but arrived almost a quarter of an hour later, feeling slow. He approached and knocked gently on the door. Sun Quan opened it, holding the shoulder pole and the rope, wearing gloves. Jia He said, "You're ready, but where's Uncle Sun?" Sun Quan replied, "He's in the back, leading the dog inside, afraid it might bark." "Let's go first." Jia He said, "Okay, let's go." Uncle Sun followed behind.

When Sun Gui arrived, he saw that the plants were usually cut for firewood and had no idea they could be used in this way. "Hemp, that's called hemp. It can be made into rope and sacks." He only knew about sacks, not just this plant. He watched Ping An pull the hemp, and then he tried to learn how to do it. The roots were in the water; he grabbed them by the roots and pulled them out. It was easy to pull. Sun Quan pulled them so quickly that he rivaled the fourth brother! He could pull three of his father's. Soon, Sun Quan had tied four large bundles and whispered, "Dad, let's go home!" His father pulled two smaller bundles. The fourth brother came over, saw Sun Quan's work, and said, "Wow, you're awesome." He sent them back. Sun Gui was the last to go, a poor scholar. All night, the fourth brother competed with Sun Quan. It was past the hour of Yin, dawn was almost dawn, the last trip. Old Chai said to Sun Gui, "This is the last trip, Old Chai, it's almost dawn." Sun Gui: "Yes, the last trip." Old Chai said, "We'll soak them in water and ferment them tomorrow." With that, they all went home.

Mrs. Li watched as her husband and son returned, locked the door, and then went back inside. Mrs. Li had already boiled some hot water. "Good!" Haha! Then she went to take a shower.

When Sun Quan arrived home, he unloaded his burden and said, "It's time to bathe!" Sun Gui went to boil water. Sun Quan thought to himself, "Stinky Fourth Brother! He didn't tell me I needed to bathe, and didn't ask his wife to boil water beforehand." By the time his father had boiled water for him and finished bathing, it was already dawn, and he was furious. Sun Gui washed himself with his son's water and went to bed, feeling sleepy.