Traveling through time as a peasant girl to turn things around

Chapter 26 Little Milk Bag Chai Jin Feels Sorry for His Uncle

Early in the morning, there was a knock on the door. Wang Min got up to open it. It was her fourth brother's wife, carrying a carpentry tool! Li Dong entered and called out, "Sister-in-law." Wang Min locked the door behind her. Seeing how cold she was, she led her into her father's room. "Come in, warm up inside." Li Dong put his tools at the door and quietly went in. He found a small stool by the kang and sat down, his hands reaching out to the heated wall. Zhang Baohua had also gotten up. The two of them went to cook and feed the chickens. Wang Min first made two bowls of hand-rolled noodles, beat a few eggs, and added cilantro and chopped green onions. She served the large, hot bowl to Li Dong, saying, "Eat, brother, warm up." Li Dong looked at the food and said, "Okay," quietly eating. Wang Min closed the door and took another bowl to the west room. She quietly opened it and saw Li Ru had also woken up. She was changing and feeding the baby. She walked over and placed the food on the table. "Eat it while it's hot." "Thank you, sister-in-law." "What's there to thank me for? We're all family." Then she left. She casually closed the door. Li Ru finished feeding the child, put him down, and he fell asleep again. She tucked him in, went downstairs to put firewood in the kang, and then ate. A moment later, the door opened, and Li Dong walked in. Li Ru saw her brother and asked, "Have you eaten?" Li Dong quickly replied, "Sister-in-law made it, and I ate." Li Ru walked over, looked at her brother, and cried. "Brother, please sit down. I'll bring you some water," Li Dong said. "I won't drink until later." Li Dong walked to the kang, saw so many people on it, and said, "I'm early. I'll be back later." Then he left. Li Ru chased after him. Li Dong said, "I'm full from a hot meal, so I'm not cold. I'll be in later. Go back." Li Ru lowered the curtain and went to look for clothes for the fourth child; they were about the same height. She took out the thin cotton-padded jacket the fourth child had worn last year and had her brother wear it. Li Ru mended the clothes with tears in her eyes.

Li Dong picked up a broom and swept the entire courtyard. Zhang Baohua saw him and said, "Brother, sit down and rest. You must be tired after walking such a long way this morning." Li Dong said, "I just sat down. I'm not tired anymore. I'm just sitting here anyway."

Zhang Baohua carried firewood to the kitchen, and the women and children ate, while the men went straight to lunch. Old Lady Li also got up and went to the kitchen. Zhang Baohua saw her mother coming and said, "Mom, I'm going to wash clothes." "Go ahead," she said, grabbing a pancake and eating it. "Okay."

Old Lady Li and Wang Min were cooking in the kitchen, talking about Brother Li Ru. "Such a good kid, it's hard to say." "Who says he's not?" "Look around your family for sensible girls who are hardworking and good-looking." "This kid is handsome and a skilled craftsman, what a treat." "Okay, I'll keep an eye on him." "Alas, Ru's mother has been in poor health these past few years, and things haven't been easy for the family." "This whole family is good! Why..."

Let's eat. The men are all gone again. Old Lady Li first served Li Dong some porridge, then some scallion pancakes and cucumber sauce, placing them on the stone table in the yard. She called out, "Dongzi, time to eat." Li Dong heard his aunt calling him and said, "I've already eaten. My sister-in-law made this for me." Old Lady Li said, "I know. Come and have some more. It's millet porridge with melon in it. It's sweet. Try it." Li Dong couldn't refuse. He sat down to drink the porridge. It was sweet and sticky, just right. It was better than what he'd eaten while working for a wealthy family. He picked up another pancake and ate it. He hadn't tried any vegetables yet. It was so delicious that he lowered his head and ate. In no time, he'd eaten several pancakes and was full.

After dinner, Li Dong asked his aunt, "I heard Jiayu say there's work to do. He's done his housework these past two days, so I came to see you today. What are you doing? I'll do it." Old Mrs. Li said, "Rest first. My dad will make some arrangements. Go see your niece." "Oh, okay." Li Dong went to his sister's room, where Li Ru was changing a diaper. He glanced at his sister's daughter. Li Dong's eyes widened. How could she be so beautiful? Just a little bit, just a little bit. Fair and tender, with a full forehead, all grown up. "Sister, let me hold you." Li Ru handed the child to her brother. Li Dong held out his hands, and Li Ru placed the child in her brother's arms. Li Dong looked at the tiny little thing, then at his smile. "Yes, sister, she's smiling at me!" "I'm your uncle, your mother's brother." The little kid just wanted to roll his eyes at him. "I know who my uncle is." Li Dong looked at the little girl, her face full of expressions, just a little bit, like a little elf. "Sister, have you named the child yet?" "Yes, Guoguo. We haven't chosen a full name yet. My parents said the village chief is a scholar and they want him to choose one." "His nickname is Guoguo." This child is so attractive. The four little buns on the kang made Guoguo wake up with a "ahhh" and all climbed up. Li Dong was stunned to see so many children. Li Ru said, "They are all my brother's children." He recognized Huanhuan and Hengheng, but there were two he didn't recognize. "Those are Wangwang and Mumu, my cousin's children. They play together and live here. Guoguo plays with them." The children are so lively. Li Dong was so envious. His sister got married and he was the only one at home. His parents were old and no one talked to him. He was almost dumb, but his sister's house was so lively! Li Ru dressed the children and asked them to pee. All five children were wearing the same clothes, flowery cotton jackets. They were all good-looking. Li Dong was so jealous. They were so good-looking. He asked his sister suspiciously, "Is it a boy?" "It's a boy," she said. "You'll know when they put on outer clothes." If you didn't know, you might think they were all girls. Clean and pretty! Li Ru said, "Brother, you're pretty too. When you have children, they'll definitely be pretty and smart too!" Yes! Li Dong nodded vigorously.

Li Dong looked at Guo Guo, and the little milk bag looked back at him. The little milk bag blinked, "Hello, uncle." Ah! Ah. "Hello, baby." Hello, baby! Li Dong couldn't even speak. He was even worse than the little milk bag. It was so embarrassing.

Old Mrs. Li came in and said, "Children, it's time to eat. Grandma will put on your shoes." A table was set up in the room, and the two daughters-in-law brought the food. The children gathered around the table to eat. Li Ru also ate. Li Dong held the child and played with him. The little baby was adored by everyone, and everyone let him hold her.

Chai Zhen got up, washed up, and went to the west room. When he saw the little kid, he stepped forward and took the baby. "Grandpa Guoguo, hold the baby," Chai Zhen looked at Li Dong. "You're the baby's uncle, right?" "Yes." "My brother-in-law said there's work for me. I came here after the crops were harvested." "My tools are at the door. I brought them." Chai Zhen handed the baby to Ru. "Granddaughter-in-law, you hold the baby. I'll find some work for your brother." "Okay, Grandpa."

Chai Zhen said, "Dong, just follow your sister's lead and call me Grandpa! The Chai family doesn't treat you as an outsider. They want us to make money together. Since you're good at carpentry, you can do it. Is that okay with Grandpa?" Li Dong said happily, "I'll listen to Grandpa. I enjoy carpentry, too." "That's fine." Chai Zhen led Li Dong to the kitchen and picked up the straw fan. "Do you recognize it, kid?" Li Dong's eyes lit up. What exquisite woodwork! Chai Zhen pulled it forward and walked it around, examining it intently. "This is a cart. I've never seen a wheel, but a blacksmith should know how to make one." Li Dong squatted down, staring at the spinning wheel. A round iron bead moved in the center, turning the large wheel. "Grandpa, I can make a wooden wheel." "But, obviously, it won't be as smooth and easy to drive as this one. I've also made carriages for wealthy families. You can see from the comparison that this wheel is better." "Okay. Just make it like this cart, but a little bigger. We'll use it to pull things, so the front handle is longer so it can handle oxen. We'll make an ox cart and start this morning." If you need anything else, tell Grandpa and I'll find it. "Take a look at the wood inside and outside our house and see which ones are usable. Have them bring it in later. If there's not enough wood, we can cut more trees. Let's do some preparation this morning. Make the wheels out of wood. I'll take you to the village chief's house; he has one." Li Dong brought out paper, pen, and ruler. He had a set of carriage specifications. Grandpa wanted a bigger one, so he had to make some modifications. He followed Grandpa to the village chief's house.

The village chief's oxcart frame. Just use this size, measure it. Chai Zhen went to see Sun Gui collecting hemp and asked, "Ah Gui, how many pieces have you torn off?" "Uncle, they're all hanging here, they haven't been collected yet." "Wait a few days until you've torn enough, I'll go over and make the hemp rope." "I wonder if Uncle is free?" "Just let me know the night before." "Keep the thinnest for yourself."

Li Dong took the measurements and went home with Chai Zhen. He called the boys over and told them to carry the wood. They carried all the wood from outside to the eastern end of the yard, to the north. There, Li Dong began his carpentry work.

After lunch, the fourth child went inside to see his wife and daughter. The little one stretched out his tiny hands, "Ahhh," begging the fourth child to hold them. The fourth child took the child, and the little one's tiny hands touched Daddy's face. Pulling Daddy, he whispered, "Daddy's mowing the sorghum stalks in the field. The daughter will plant crops and eat the big white steamed buns, and Daddy will eat the white steamed buns." "You plant them?!" The little one nodded, looking at Daddy. The fourth child looked at the daughter and said, "Tell Daddy when you're planting, and I'll watch over you in the fields." "Okay." Then Daddy will be there this afternoon. "You play with your brother, and Daddy will go to work in the fields." "Yes, yes." The fourth child handed the child to Li Ru and left. He was looking for Daddy and Grandpa.

Dad and grandpa were both in the yard. The fourth child told them about this and Chai Zhen arranged for everyone to go this afternoon. He also took the sickle. No one stayed, so they took the load, rope, sickle and the woman went too. Suddenly the yard was empty. Only the children Li Ru and Li Dong were left. Even the old lady Li went. She was only in her early forties, while Chai Zhen was sixty and went. Li Ru looked after the children and the gate. Chai Zhen walked halfway, turned around and went back, opened the gate, pulled up the cart, took two big ropes, smiled, and left. In less than half an hour, a full cart of sorghum stalks came back. The fourth, eldest and second children were in front, and Chai Zhen followed. There was a big slope on the road, so they had to push. One person could do it on a flat road. Two people came back soon. The rest of the people were cutting in the field. After unloading the cart, Lao Si pulled it and said, "This cart is good. It would save effort if there was an ox to pull it. Well, it can be pulled by humans too! Haha." Jia He said to him, "You should be content. Look how much we can pull back in one trip! I estimate that after two more trips, it will be done. The cart is still good! Our rope is just right! It's tied tightly, so there will be no problem at all.

" Chai Pingan came back the second time and watched the children pull the cart while he walked behind. When going uphill, he helped push the cart. Mei laughed.

In half a day, even the sorghum stalks from the wasteland were gathered in. The cowpea stalks were also brought in for the fire.

That evening, everyone was eating in the courtyard when suddenly, a chaotic noise was heard. Old Man Chai said, "It sounds like animals running... very fast!" The child was frightened! The fourth child, the eldest and second brothers, Li Dong, picked up the child and carried him to the west room. They had Li Ru prop the door shut from the inside. The windows were also boarded up. Then everyone grabbed a stick—some with a knife, some with a hoe—and went out. They heard something coming from the east, so they all ran east. They kept running until they reached the edge of the cliff, where they saw two or three cows fighting. When they couldn't defeat them, they ran away. The fourth child looked and said, "Hey, good stuff! Ah, I'm sleepy, so I'll use it as a pillow and walk down the ditch." Chai Zhen went to the village chief's house and called for help. The old man, breathless from running, told his sons and grandsons to go home and bring machetes. Quick! The village chief and Sun Quan also came running with their knives and hoes. Chai Zhen watched and went home to get a rope. This was a cliff, a steep slope, almost straight up and down, so you could run down. It wasn't very deep! The fourth and the eldest brother subdued an ox and beat its buttocks as it walked up the slope. Chai Zhen came with a rope, tied it around its neck, and dragged it home. At this time, the village chief, Sun Quan, Chai Xin, and Chai Dongshuai had all arrived and went down to the ditch. Only the village chief, Chai Zhen, was left at the top. The two oxen at the bottom, some hugged their necks, some were spanked, and some were chased up. They dared to enter the Chai family's yard, and everyone gathered around to watch. This ox didn't look wild, but was raised by people, with shiny fur, clean and strong. People discussed and said, "There are no people here for almost a hundred miles. Even the fourth brother's relatives are about twenty miles away in the southeast." "The direction the ox came from is wrong. It's obviously coming from the ditch in the north." "I didn't see anyone following it." "Then it belongs to us," said the fourth brother in a firm tone. "Okay!" Chai Zhen said, "Both will belong to our family. Chai Xin will take one when he leaves, and you and the Dong family will feed it and share it for daily use. One will be used for peace, and the other one is for you to take away." Sun Gui quickly said, "Uncle, I have one at home, so I don't want it." "Listen to me, yours is old, and this one is strong. You can keep the one you need. You don't have to sell it or eat it. It belongs to everyone. What do you think?" The village chief thought this was a good idea. "Then sell it to the villagers. We'll divide the money according to the number of men. Do you believe it?" "It's all fine." "Eating meat is fine too."

Everyone voted by raising their hands: "Let's sell it!" The village wasn't rich, and owning a cow wasn't easy. Even if it was cheaper, it was better to sell it. The village chief looked at everyone and decided to sell it. The fourth brother found some grass and fodder for the cow and put water in to feed it.

Chai Xin took the cow home, and the four of them went back to build a shed. "Village chief, you can take it away too." The village chief also left with a smile. Chai Zhen said it was time to eat. The fourth child went to open the window of the west room. Tell Li Ru not to scare the women and children. Let's eat. Old Mrs. Li heated up the food, and everyone ate it while it was hot. "We have the frame, the cow, and the ox cart." Chai Zhen didn't bother to eat and went to the west room. He picked up his granddaughter as soon as he got in, "Grandpa's Guoguo." "Did you give the cow to everyone?" The little milk bag nodded with a smile! "Yes! Grandpa!" The little milk bag laughed and said, "Grandpa, you go to the earth at midnight." Well, good! Chai Zhen didn't want to eat anymore, so he held his granddaughter. Chai Ping'an brought him the food, holding the child in one hand and eating with the other. Better than a woman.

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like