My humble days in ancient times

Xu Qinghe went to the county town and carefully selected and bought five strong men around 30 years old.

When it was time for the autumn harvest, these five strong men were the first to start working enthusiastically, and then the villagers came to help after finishing their own work.

Grain was brought back in truckloads and Xu Ruyi stored it in the warehouse in an orderly manner.

Then after the rice is harvested, wheat planting begins.

The weather was getting colder, so Xu Ruyi asked Zhou and the others to pick the peppers for the last time and then plant wheat on the ground where the peppers were grown.

The fields are full of busy villagers, but each of their faces is filled with happy smiles, and the joyful atmosphere seems to dispel the cold of winter.

After the wheat was planted, people in the village started building houses again!

First it was Aunt Li’s house, then Widow Wang’s house, and then Luo Daying’s house.

Widow Wang said, "It's better to keep the house covered, otherwise we will really be unbearable in winter. It's too cold." Her face was full of longing for the new house.

Luo Daying nodded repeatedly: "That's right, that's what I was talking about. The sooner we move in, the sooner we can enjoy it. It will be built sooner or later anyway."

Widow Wang nodded repeatedly, expressing her deep agreement. "That's right. People need to be open-minded. Even if there's no money to borrow, we must finish building it."

"As for me, I only have enough money to build a house. But after the renovation, it will look better when people come to propose marriage." Luo Daying's eyes flashed with anticipation for the future.

Widow Wang nodded: "That's right." Wang Youcai stood aside, smiling from ear to ear, and all the wrinkles on his face seemed to be smoothed out.

This year has been so busy.

By the time Wang Youcai finished building all three houses, it was almost the Chinese New Year.

Huang Guiyun watched Aunt Li finish building her house, then watched Huang Guiyun's family build their own. Just like Old Li, she'd run over three times a day to check on the construction. The difference was Old Li only watched, occasionally sharing a meal. Huang Guiyun, on the other hand, went to help, cooking for Widow Wang.

Huang Guiyun said, "Everyone's life is getting better now. Isn't it great?"

Widow Wang was delighted. "Yes, everyone has helped Ruyi's family over the past two years and has earned quite a bit of money. Plus, selling eggs helps to supplement our income, so we're all living quite well."

"Yes, many families in the village raise a lot of chickens and ducks, but Ruyi's family also raises a lot. Will they stop collecting eggs when the time comes?" Huang Guiyun's face was filled with a trace of worry.

"Oh, no way!" Widow Wang said nervously, "Didn't they say they opened two more fast food restaurants in the capital? Why wouldn't they accept them?"

Huang Guiyun rolled his eyes and said, "How far is the city? They have to transport it there. It's better to buy it here."

Widow Wang thought about it and it seemed to make sense.

So after dinner in the evening, Widow Wang called a few people and went to Xu Ruyi's house together.

Guo Huai took them to the reception room.

When Xu Ruyi arrived, she saw Widow Wang, Aunt Fat, Huang Guiyun and Luo Daying sitting there chatting and laughing.

Seeing Xu Ruyi coming, several people quickly stood up.

Xu Ruyi said, "Everyone, please sit down. Xiaohua, go serve them tea!"

Several people looked at Xu Xiaohua. They saw that Xu Xiaohua was dressed a little worse than Xu Ruyi, but even so, her clothes were much better than those of the adults and children in the village.

Xu Xiaohua was wearing a light green dress with narrow sleeves. The collar of the dress was embroidered with a circle of fine twined floral patterns, which was delicate yet elegant. A white ribbon was tied around her waist in a small bow, which made her waist look even slimmer.

Her skirt was slightly long and swayed gently as she walked, like a lotus leaf swaying in the breeze.

She was wearing a pair of light pink embroidered shoes with a blooming peach blossom embroidered on the upper, which looked lifelike.

Her hair was combed into two round buns, each held in place by two jade-green hairpins, the heads of which were intricately carved with orchid designs. A few fine strands of hair hung down beside the buns, adding a touch of softness.

She didn't put on too much makeup on her face, just some light eyebrows and a little red lipstick, but she still looked fresh and lovely.

Huang Guiyun was a little angry. She secretly regretted that if she had accepted Dahu and Erhu at the time, Dahu wouldn't be working in the chili pepper shop every day, choking to death by the peppers every day.

Widow Wang spoke frankly: "Oh, I almost didn't recognize Xiaohua. Look at her, she looks so pretty now!"

Auntie Pang smiled and said, "That's right, it's different in Ruyi's house. She's much more delicate and pretty than the children in the village."

"That's true." Luo Daying also praised.

Xu Ruyi smiled and said, "Xiaohua is pretty to begin with."

Everyone laughed.

Xu Xiaohua quickly brought a few cups of tea and carefully placed them next to them one by one.

Xu Ruyi smiled and asked, "What brings you here today?"

A few people looked at each other, and finally Widow Wang was the first to speak: "It's like this, we just noticed that you have too many chickens and ducks. I want to ask, if the chickens in the chicken coop lay eggs in the future, will the eggs from the village still be collected?"

Widow Wang was always outspoken and could not hide anything. She had no ulterior motives and Xu Ruyi really liked this.

Xu Ruyi nodded: "Of course I accepted it. Eggs are indispensable for stir-fried dishes in fast food restaurants."

Widow Wang was still a little worried: "But is the daily consumption really that high?"

"Yes, eggs can be used not only for scrambling but also for making egg custard. Egg pancakes and rice balls are also in great demand."

Only then did several people feel completely relieved.

Xu Ruyi continued, "Most of the chickens in the coop are roosters, kept for stir-frying and stewing later! There's no way we can keep just a thousand hens. You know, the shop is open every day, except for the New Year holidays."

Widow Wang smiled and said, "I knew you were a kind girl, thinking of us villagers. I feel relieved now. Once the new house is built this year, I'll buy some more chickens to raise next year."

Xu Ruyi nodded: "Don't worry, when the time comes, sell me the rooster and the eggs."

"Okay!" Widow Wang danced with joy, with a bright smile on her face, which seemed to dispel all the haze.

The other three were also very excited, with joy shining in their eyes.

A few people drank some tea, ate a few candies, and then left contentedly, talking and laughing.

Xu Xiaohua saw them leave and asked in confusion, "Why was Huang Guiyun staring at me just now?"

"She may be envious! Ignore her." Xu Ruyi actually wanted to say that she was jealous, but she was embarrassed to say it out loud.

"What is there about me that she should envy?" Xu Xiaohua tilted her head, looking puzzled.

"Of course not. Does it count because you are prettier than her? By the way, they all praised you for your good looks just now, except Huang Guiyun." Xu Ruyi said with a smile.

Xu Xiaohua smiled and said, "Anyway, I don't care about her praise."

Xu Ruyi nodded: "Me too. I don't ask for praise, I just ask that you don't spread rumors and slander me behind my back."

Xu Xiaohua couldn't understand why: "Why would such a good man like Brother Xu Shi choose her? She is not worthy of Brother Xu Shi at all." Xu Xiaohua frowned, her face full of an expression of feeling sorry for Brother Xu Shi.

"It's hard to say about this kind of thing. People sometimes hide their bad side. Sometimes they just become bad later." Xu Ruyi sighed softly, with a hint of helplessness and emotion in his eyes.

Human nature is complex and life is mysterious.

The mystery of life lies in its unpredictability, which makes it impossible to know exactly what will happen next.

The saying "A good man has no good wife, and a good wife has no good man" reveals a phenomenon that seems unfair but often occurs.

Those upright and kind men often cannot find a gentle and virtuous wife; while those gentle, kind, intelligent and sensible wives often stay with stupid and lazy men.

This may be a trick of fate, or perhaps it is the impermanence of fate, which makes people sigh at the complexity of emotions and fate in the world.