My humble days in ancient times

Li smiled and said to Xu Ruyi, "How was the rice harvest this year?"

"Let me take you to see it!" Xu Ruyi responded with a smile, and then walked slowly side by side with Li.

Soon, the two arrived at the eastern courtyard. The two courtyards were clearly separated: the inner courtyard was where the women lived, and the outer courtyard was where the men lived. The rooms were filled with food.

Xu Ruyi took Li to look carefully at each room.

Li looked at the granary full of grain and her face was full of joy.

"Isn't this a lot?" Li asked with a sharp gaze.

Xu Ruyi nodded and said, "The 218 acres of grain are all here. They haven't been weighed yet."

Li said nonchalantly, "It's probably about 300 to 350 kilograms per acre. You can roughly calculate it."

Xu Ruyi nodded thoughtfully.

After Xu Ruyi took Li to the granary, they headed to the vegetable patch. They saw that the radishes and cabbages had been harvested and neatly stored in the cellar. In the second patch, the spinach, cilantro, garlic, and onions were lush and green.

After passing through the vegetable garden, the two went to the peach orchard. In the peach orchard, several plum blossoms quietly bloomed in the cold wind. The pink petals proudly stood against the snow and frost, emitting bursts of delicate fragrance.

The delicate plum blossoms bloom quietly on the slender branches, and the pink petals are like carefully crafted works of art, swaying gently in the breeze.

The petals of the plum blossom are stacked layer upon layer, surrounded by tender yellow stamens, which are like a bright pearl, sparkling with soft light in the sun.

From a distance, the plum blossoms blooming on the branches look like a gorgeous cloud, adding a touch of warm and charming color to this cold winter day.

Li couldn't help but exclaim, "Oh my! I didn't expect the plum blossoms to bloom! They can actually bloom in such cold weather." Her eyes widened in disbelief. Her voice was filled with surprise and a hint of admiration for the plum blossom's resilience.

She leaned close to the plum blossoms, gently sniffing the elegant fragrance, and the smile on her face looked particularly bright against the backdrop of the plum blossoms.

Xu Ruyi heard Li's exclamation and came over and said with a smile: "Grandma, it is in the cold winter that the plum blossoms bloom, which makes them more resilient and beautiful."

Li nodded, her eyes full of admiration: "You're right, plum blossoms, like us humans, must be able to withstand the wind and frost."

At this time, Xu Qinghe also came over and said, "Grandma, Ruyi, I think these plum blossoms are so beautiful. Why not pick a few branches and put them in the house to add a bit of elegance."

Xu Ruyi quickly waved her hand: "It would be a shame to break it. Let it bloom here so we can enjoy it every day. But if you really like it, then break it! It will save you the trouble of coming here to see it."

Mrs. Li asked with concern, "Did you just get back? Why don't you go inside and rest for a while?"

"It's okay. I'm not too tired." The voice that answered was relaxed.

"Brother, why did you come back earlier than them this time?" Xu Ruyi asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"I was afraid that they would pester me to play cards every day. So I came back early." Xu Qinghe shrugged helplessly.

"What cards?" Li asked curiously.

Xu Qinghe supported Li and said, "Come on, I'll go teach you now." Then, he dragged Li to Wutong Courtyard and called over Xu Ruyuan and Du Xiaoyue. They quickly sat together and soon began fighting fiercely.

Xu Xiaohua patiently taught Li, and Li was quick-witted and learned quickly.

Xu Dafu watched for a long time but still couldn't understand.

Xu Ruyi hurriedly said, "Grandpa, don't worry. I'll teach you when I have time. I promise to teach you."

Xu Dafu nodded with satisfaction.

Li quickly got the hang of it. She smiled happily and said, "Oh, this is quite fun. Luckily, we moved in this year, otherwise, we wouldn't know what's going on."

"Grandma, small gambling can bring joy, but big gambling can harm your health. This thing consumes a lot of energy." Xu Ruyi reminded seriously.

Li disagreed: "I am getting more energetic as I grow older."

Xu Qinghe smiled and said, "Grandma, when you learn it, let's gamble on money! You can lose more to us younger generations."

"What are you talking about! Aren't you, the younger generation, supposed to show some respect to me?" Li glared at Xu Qinghe in feigned anger.

After hearing what Li said, everyone burst into laughter, and the cheerful laughter echoed in the house.

Cards are addictive, and Li was no exception. At night, she played with great enthusiasm until late at night and still refused to give up.

When I got back, Xu Dafu had already fallen asleep.

"Oh, it's so refreshing. I didn't expect that Ruyi could come up with such fun things." Li was excited, with enthusiasm still flashing in her eyes.

"What's there to be happy about? It's just a game." Xu Dafu muttered, with a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone.

"What do you know? If you knew it, you would probably be more obsessed with it than me." Li retorted unconvinced.

"Go to sleep, go to sleep! It's so cold, and you are still playing so late." Xu Dafu urged, turned over and prepared to continue sleeping.

Li rolled her eyes at him and said, "What's there to be afraid of when there's a stove next to you?" After saying that, Li also crawled into bed, but her mind was still recalling the fun of playing cards just now.

Li was completely crazy. Whenever she had time, she would drag Xu Ruyuan, Du Xiaoyue and Xu Xiaohua to play cards. She lived a very happy life.

Xu Dafu gradually learned how to play chess, and occasionally helped Li with his fights.

Tian Yuhe looked at the empty house of the Li family and thought to himself: He really knows how to enjoy himself. He went to Xu Ruyi's place to enjoy himself again.

While eating, Xu Dachuan said, "How much money do you have at home? How about paying some back to Qinghe and the others?"

Tian Yuhe was annoyed when he heard this, and frowned: "Oh, where is there so much silver? Building a house cost fifty-two taels. And then there are the beds and doors, and buying some new quilts and clothes. How about we wait until next year?"

"Really? Why can't we save money at home?" Xu Dachuan put down his chopsticks, his face full of confusion.

"I've budgeted carefully. Otherwise, we should raise more chickens next year. I heard that the Liu family has a hundred chickens. They can make a lot of money from the eggs alone in a day." Tian Yuhe hurriedly explained.

Xu Dachuan thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll save money well next year and pay some back to Qinghe by the end of the year."

"Actually, Qinghe and the others don't lack that little bit of money." Tian Yuhe said nonchalantly.

Xu Dachuan felt that this was not right, so he said seriously: "Qinghe and the others don't lack this little money, but the money is borrowed from us after all, so we still have to pay it back."

"It's not too late to pay it back when they ask for it. Why should we save money and pay it back now?" Tian Yuhe curled her lips.

Xu Dachuan disagreed a bit and raised his voice, saying, "You can't say that. If I borrow money from others and don't pay it back soon, I'll feel uncomfortable and can't even sleep well."

"Is it that serious?" Tian Yuhe rolled her eyes, looking very disapproving.

"As for borrowing, it's easy to borrow again if you repay it in good faith. This is the trust others place in you. If you don't care about your reputation, who will care about you after a long time? If you don't repay the money, who will dare to lend you money in the future?" Xu Dachuan said with a serious face and a firm and solemn tone.

Xu Dachuan thought for a while and continued, "I just look down on those who borrow money and don't pay it back. It's really embarrassing for themselves." His brows were tightly furrowed, and his eyes were full of contempt and disdain for such behavior, as if the image of those people was extremely ugly in his mind.

"As human beings, we must have backbone and integrity. If we borrow something, we must pay it back. We cannot let people stab us in the back and say that we are vulgar and immoral." Xu Dachuan became more and more excited as he spoke, and his voice unconsciously rose a few decibels.