Traveling through time as a peasant girl to turn things around

When midnight arrived, the men put on their clothes and gloves, picked up their loads and ropes, and set off. Baohua closed the gate and held it up.

Huanhuan and Hengheng were sleepy, so Wang Min and Baohua carried the children to bed on the kang. The kang was warm. They took off their outer clothes and cotton-padded jackets and put on soft, stretchy beige flower-patterned underwear. The rascals transformed into little beauties, soft and chewy little babes. Together with Guoguo, the three children, their faces exposed, all looked adorable. The four women, watching the children, sat at the head of the kang, doing nothing else. "Everyone in our family is beautiful," said the second son's wife. "All four women in our family are beautiful." "Look at Li Ru, in her flowery cotton-padded jacket, and then look at her face—she's a flower!" "Look at what my eldest sister-in-law said. Your beauty is dignified and generous. My second sister-in-law's beauty is like the radiance of jade." "Mom's beauty is comforting and warm. Mom is like the mistress of a wealthy family." "Mom is beautiful inside and out," said Old Lady Li. Appearance is important for beauty, but if the heart is not good... As the Buddha said, appearance is determined by the heart. If a person's heart is not good, then they will not be beautiful. "We're a poor family, but we have food to eat when we're hungry and clothes to wear when we're cold. That's all we need. It doesn't matter if you look good or not, as long as you look good. Now that we're warm, we should cherish it and work hard to make our lives better. Remember to talk too much when you go out!" "Got it," the three daughters-in-law said in unison. "Eldest and second daughters-in-law, go to bed tonight and rest up! Get up early tomorrow and dry some white radish strips. Ru, go to bed too. You should get more sleep. You're in confinement, and it's the busy autumn season. Mother hasn't taken good care of you." Yes. The daughters-in-law all rested.

In fact, people look better when they smile more. A smile makes you look ten years younger! The ancients were right.

Old Lady Li listened quietly outside. She heard a faint sound. She went outside, her ear pressed to the door. She saw her son through the crack and opened it wide. All four of them had returned. They weren't thieves, they just didn't want too many people to know. Everyone cares about their own family. It was only a matter of time before everyone knew. Every household in the village had similar conditions. But people's hearts were unpredictable, so it was best to be cautious.

The men unloaded the hemp stalks and hurried away. Half a month had passed, and they would be harvested the day after tomorrow. Old Lady Li went to the back of the kitchen to check on the vegetables. The moonlight gave her a clear view, and she spotted leaves sprouting from the roots of the red radish. She took them out and examined them, thinking she'd plant them tomorrow and let them grow, thrive, and see how they worked! She took out the empty bag, shook it clean, folded it, and put it away. She took out some more vegetables to put in the kitchen for tomorrow's meal and covered them with a cloth. She then placed the empty bag inside the kang.

Tomorrow at noon, we'll steam buns and let the dough rise. Old Mrs. Li went to mix the dough, half white and half yellow. The child gave her some baking powder. She mixed half a basin of it and put it in the fourth child's room.

Not wanting to sit idle, Old Lady Li took out her sewing basket and used scraps of fabric from her sewing business to cut gloves. She separated the thumb, leaving the other four fingers untouched. When she clenched her fist, all four fingers moved together. She sewed the two layers of fabric together, turned the front side out, and sewed two lines along the palm and back of her hand. Old Lady Li tried them on and found them comfortable and warm, though a little too large for her. She made a pair and had everyone in her family try them out. Whoever could wear them got to wear them. She made two more pairs.

It was almost dawn, and Old Lady Li went to wait at the door. That night, the men worked tirelessly. The fourth son came in and said to his mother, "Sun Quan is crazy. He's doing twice as much as me. He says his father doesn't carry enough, so he has to do more. His mother is crazy. Mom, I'll bring two more ropes tomorrow and carry more." Old Lady Li said, "The day after tomorrow, we'll fish it out and tear the hemp skin. We'll make some ropes and see how it goes. If it's good, we'll keep making it. If it's not, it doesn't matter. It just won't sell for much. The day after tomorrow, we'll see if the hemp skin is strong enough to be pulled apart. If it can't be pulled apart, it's good! Hemp rope, sacks, and linen are very useful!" "Mom, what you said makes me think our family is going to get rich!" "Yeah," Old Lady Li also felt that she had become smarter with her granddaughter.

The man washed up and went to bed, and Old Mrs. Li also hurried to sleep for a while, not wanting to get up too late.