Traveling through time as a peasant girl to turn things around

By the time everyone returned, Old Lady Li had already prepared dinner. The two daughters-in-law filled hot water and brought it out, telling the men to wash first. Old Lady Li said, "Wash your hands and eat." Then, Old Lady Li first gave the fourth daughter-in-law a bowl of millet porridge with a few washed vegetable leaves in it, which looked delicious. There were a few egg pancakes, which only the fourth daughter-in-law and her two grandsons had. There was also a bowl of stir-fried cabbage with meat and chopped green onions and salt, which was fragrant. Old Lady Li changed her granddaughter's diaper, swaddled her, and tucked her in. Now that she was no longer cold, she was given a new cotton blanket. Smiling broadly, her dimples showing, Old Lady Li looked incredibly happy. She said to Li Ru, "After the harvest, I'll hold the child. Don't let anyone snatch it from me." The little baby cried out, "Aa ... Li Ru asked the fourth child, "What do you mean by 'enough'?" Chai Lao Si replied, "Seeing my wife, I'm satisfied. Well, I have everything." Li Ru blushed, remained silent, and ate. The fourth child looked at his daughter and spoke to her. Before he could open his mouth, she started yelling, "Ahhhh..." Her little hands stretched out, as if begging for him to hold her. The fourth child grinned like a fool, not knowing what to say, just listening to his daughter. The fourth child was too dumb to keep up with the girl. The little baby couldn't even talk, so if she could, the fourth child wouldn't have a chance to speak. Li Ru looked at the fourth child and said, "You're not usually the talkative one." "Hmph," Chai Lao Si said, wanting to hold her but unable to, fearing the child would be cold. Scratching his head, the fourth child suddenly realized that the quilt... Looking up at his wife, Li Ru whispered, "Our daughter gave it to us." Huh? The fourth child was truly dumb. This time wasn't like last time. It was okay. Li Ru asked him to lean over and said, "Go to the west wall and take a look. Don't shout, cover your mouth with your hand." The fourth son walked over, the torn sheet... He lifted it with one hand and let out a cry. Luckily, his wife was covering her mouth. Otherwise, the roof would have burst through. The fourth son slowly reached out and touched it. It was so warm. With these, he wouldn't be cold this year. Surprised, the fourth son said to his wife, "Our family is good, and God has been kind to us. Good people are rewarded." Our daughter is our family's blessing. Li Ru pointed to the bedside. "Look, this is what Mom made for our daughter this afternoon. The fabric is soft and perfect for making clothes. It's also patterned. Feel it; the cotton-padded jacket is almost done." The fourth son felt it soft and comfortable. "This is a thinner one. I'll make our daughter two thicker ones in a few days so she won't feel cold even when she's outside in winter." The fourth son said, "I've seen a flower in the county that blooms just like this, also white, like clouds in the sky, in clusters." Li Ru said, "Wait until you go to the county and buy a pot of this one. We can compare them. If they're the same, we'll plant this one. In the afternoon, when my daughter and I sleep, we'll be covered with this quilt and feel super warm. We won't be cold in the winter. Fourth brother, go and take a look. The one on the ground feels thin and transparent. Mom said it can block the wind. I thought, after you finish your work in the fields, you can spread it on the roof, then put some rice stalks on top, and finally press it down with soil. The roof won't leak and it'll keep you warm. We can also weave the rice stalks into a straw fan and put it on the roof." Li Ru felt so clever. Fourth brother's eyes widened. His wife was so clever. He secretly made up his mind to treat her well and make her love him more. Fourth brother thought he was smarter than his wife. He was so arrogant and had such a beautiful dream. Fourth brother touched it. He had never seen this thing before. He had to keep it hidden and not let anyone else know. The room where the grain was stored was the most suitable. After dinner, he discussed it with his parents.

The fourth son went to eat, and everyone was almost done. Old Mrs. Li glanced at him and said, "Silly son..." Old Mrs. Li asked her two daughters-in-law to boil water and take a bath. Those who were not yet there cut the ears of grain. It was not until the hour of Hai that the whole family finished taking a bath.

Old Lady Li went to close the courtyard door, blocked it with a crossbar, and propped it up with a stick. Old Lady Li then whispered, "Let's go to the fourth son's room." They looked at each other, said nothing, and took a small stool to the fourth son's room. The eldest son's wife carried Huanhuan, and the second son's wife carried Hengheng. As soon as they entered, Old Lady Li closed the door tightly and told them to cover their mouths and not make any sound. Old Lady Li also closed the windows tightly and lit a candle. Old Lady Li and the fourth son walked to the west corner of the room and picked up the rags. Ah! They did it at the same time. Fortunately, the old lady said hello. What a surprise!!! Huanhuan's eyes widened, and he laughed for a long time. Hehe, this kid also knows that it is a good thing. Huanhuan broke away from his mother and ran to his grandmother. He looked at her and reached out to touch her softness. The fourth child picked him up and touched her upper part. It was soft and warm. "Grandma, it's warm, so warm." Grandma looked at her grandson and said, "I'll make you a cotton-padded jacket tomorrow so that your grandson won't be cold." Old Lady Li said, "What our Guoguo gives to you is not only not available in other families, but also rare in the world. Don't tell anyone when you go out. Protect our Guoguo. Guoguo is a blessing sent by God to our family. Huanhuan, remember what grandma said." Huanhuan said, "Grandma, Huanhuan remembers it. Don't tell anyone about family matters when you go out, let alone my sister. I want to protect my sister." Old Lady Li picked up Hengheng, pointed to the flowered cloth and the cotton on it, and said, "Grandma will make a big cotton-padded jacket for Hengheng tomorrow. Hengheng won't be cold or sick when he wears it, okay?" Hengheng said, "I won't tell anyone. This is a gift from my sister. "The eldest and second daughter-in-law also stepped forward and touched it, it's warm! Really warm! If it is made into cotton-padded clothes, you won't feel cold in winter. The eldest daughter-in-law thought for a while and said, Mom, if we make it into a cotton-padded jacket, it will definitely be warm. The fourth daughter-in-law: "It's warm. I covered myself with a quilt this afternoon and felt warm. I didn't feel cold at all." Only then did the whole family notice it. The whole family stepped forward and touched the quilt covered by the fourth daughter-in-law. It felt very good and warm. Old Mrs. Li said, "Fourth son, go to my room and get another one. The eldest son will get a scale to see how heavy it is. Then weigh the weight of this flower and roughly calculate how many flowers are used for a cotton-padded coat. After a while, the weight came out. Forty-five pounds of cotton. A thick cotton coat required one pound. Old Lady Li said that with the third son, the four men would weigh five pounds of cotton, and the women would weigh nine ounces. Pants would be calculated at one pound for each man and eight ounces for each woman. The two boys would each make two pairs of cotton... That would take about thirty pounds, leaving fifteen pounds. Only two thick quilts could be made, so they would make them for the eldest and second son's wives first, leaving only the fourth son and Old Man Chai and Old Lady Li without any. The fourth son exclaimed, "It's okay. I'm young. I don't want it." Old Man Chai glared at him, humphing, thinking, "I'm pretty strong." That was it. Old Lady Li made the final decision, giving each of the two daughters-in-law a quilt weighing seven and a half pounds of cotton. While she was talking, her granddaughter's cotton coat was finished, and Grandma quickly sewed on the buttons. At that moment, the little one woke up. Li Ru changed her diaper first, knowing the baby had peed. The child would wake up as soon as she peed. She put on a dry cloth, and her aunt said, "Just the right time to change into a new cotton-padded jacket and pants. It's perfect." She tied a string around the ankles and gently dressed the little one, ready to hold. The fourth child rushed forward to pick up the little girl, saying, "Daddy's little cotton-padded jacket," and kissed her first. The little girl raised her tiny hand and touched the fourth child's face, exclaiming, "Ahhhh!" "Daddy looks so good!" Using both hands and feet, Aunt Li said, "Hold on tight, don't drop the baby." The eldest child stepped forward, saying, "Come here, our baby, let uncle hold you." The fourth child was given to the eldest brother. The little one, watching the uncle reach for his face, exclaimed, "Ahhhh..." as if to say, "I won't let you get cold." Jia He said, "Grow up quickly, little girl. Uncle will take you out to play, buy you delicious food, and study with your brother." The eldest child's wife also teased the little one. Guoguo nibbled on her little finger, her mouth wrapped around hers. She looked so cute, so adorable, she melted the hearts of the adults. The second child and his wife also came over to see her. The more they looked, the more she looked like a fairy. She was wearing a light floral jacket, like a tiny flower bun. The whole family was stunned. So exquisite.

Old Lady Li arranged the chores for tomorrow. The men went to harvest sorghum, starting with the ears, which should be about an arm's length. After removing the seeds, they could be cut into brooms to sell in the county in a few days. The eldest and second wives went to harvest millet. They had to harvest quickly, as the fields would be sparse and the sparrows would eat them. Sorghum doesn't need baskets, so the two wives carried the millet. They also picked up baskets and gathered some cowpeas from the weir.

Old Lady Li dragged Old Man Chai to the cloth area in the west corner of the house, squatting down to show him the cloth. She picked up a piece of transparent cloth nearby; it was smooth and airtight. Old Man Chai touched it, too. It was a good thing; it wouldn't get wet and was transparent. Old Lady Li said, "When we're done with this, we'll fix the roof and put a layer of cloth on it. We'll cover it with straw fans to keep out the wind and rain, and it'll also serve as a window, still transparent. We need to think about where to put such a good thing. It can't be here; it needs to be divided." She instructed the eldest and second wives to find a piece of coarse cloth, wrap the flowers in it, and place them in a corner of their rooms, covering them with rags to keep them clean. That left only the cloth. They emptied all the boxes in the house, added the cloth, and stacked them. The fourth wife filled the fourth wife's room first, then folded the clothes and placed them on top of the box. The eldest wife and the eldest son also took some, filling the box to the brim. The eldest wife slipped a small bag of money into the gap between the boxes. All done. The second son's wife and the second son also took a few pieces to their chest. Old Lady Li took the remaining clothes to her chest, folded them, and placed them on top of the chest, covering it with a piece of cloth. Finally, only the transparent cloth remained. Old Lady Li poured some water on it, and it all flowed down. The other side remained dry; it was indeed waterproof. Old Lady Li had the fourth son fold them up and carry them to the storage room, where she locked it.

Old Man Chai took Old Lady Li for a walk around the courtyard, listening to the surrounding sounds. The courtyard wall was made of mud, not strong, but it could protect against enemies. Old Man Chai whispered, "After autumn, we need to repair the courtyard wall. We need to mow the grass outside the east wall and reinforce it. We should also dig an underground warehouse, and dig it deeper." There was a lot of work waiting to be done.