My humble days in ancient times

Starting on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, Ruyi Chili Shop began working in full swing. Ruyi Fast Food Restaurant also began cleaning inside and out in preparation for opening.

This time, Xu Qinghe went over to set off firecrackers to celebrate the opening of the business. The crackling sound of firecrackers was deafening, conveying the good wishes for prosperous business in the new year.

In the past two days, Xu Ruyi took Xu Xiaohua and Ye Xiaomei to skate on the ice every day, and their laughter echoed on the ice.

Seeing so many people on the ice, the village head couldn't help but sigh: "They really don't know the danger. The adults are as crazy as the children."

Old Li nodded in agreement: "It would be fine if there is no danger, but if there is danger it would be too late to run."

The village head nodded, then shouted to the crowd on the river: "Everyone must pay attention to safety, and try not to play on the river in the future."

After saying that, he shook his head and left, thinking out of sight, out of mind.

The next day, the village head put a sign by the river, which read prominently: No approaching, beware of danger.

So everyone played secretly, and when they saw the village head coming, they ran away quickly, and came back again after the village head left.

The village head knew that they were all like this and could do nothing about it, so he rarely went over to visit them.

Uncle Wang, who lives by the river, gave everyone a heartfelt warning: "Don't come here to play after the tenth day of the first lunar month. The weather is getting warmer, and you never know when the ice will break!"

Everyone listened to the advice and stopped coming after the tenth day.

Ye Xiaomei liked Xu Ruyi, so she went to play with Xu Ruyi.

Guo Huai opened the door, and Ye Xiaomei said openly, "I'm going to play with Sister Ruyi."

Guo Huai looked at her without any fear in his eyes, and brought her in with a smile.

As soon as Ye Xiaomei entered, she saw a garden filled with all kinds of flowers. Although many flowers were not in bloom at this time, she couldn't help but be surprised. The garden was so huge, it seemed like a mysterious world.

Walk through the garden and the beautifully decorated reception room to the Wutong Courtyard, where there are swings, dog kennels, and clothes drying racks.

Xu Ruyi said to Ye Xiaomei in the corridor on the second floor: "Xiaomei, come up quickly."

Ye Xiaomei quickly ran up and hugged Xu Ruyi: "Sister Ruyi, your house is so big."

Xu Ruyi looked at her and said gently, "You can see a lot of places from here. Stand here and take a good look."

Ye Xiaomei basked in the sun, looking into the distance against the wind. She saw the scattered houses in the village, the busy figures in the chili shop, every corner of Xu Ruyi's house, the peach trees all over the hillside, and the chicken coop.

"Sister Ruyi, you can really see very far from here. When the peach blossoms bloom in the spring, I really want to go to Taoyuan to see it. It must be beautiful."

"Okay, come over then and we'll go to Taoyuan to enjoy the peach blossoms together."

Xu Xiaohua brought two cups of tea and said softly, "Miss and Xiaomei, please have some tea!"

Xu Ruyi pulled Ye Xiaomei into the house.

Xu Ruyuan was learning to paint, and several people stood there watching quietly.

Ye Xiaomei was curious about everything and asked a lot of questions, and Xu Ruyi answered them patiently and carefully.

When the village school opened, Ye Xiaomei went to school happily. The villagers said that Widow Wang was really good to Ye Xiaomei.

However, Xu Ruyuan, who turned ten this year, stopped going to school. Every day at home, she practices the pipa, dances, plays cards, or cooks delicious food. Her life is comfortable and fulfilling.

Xu Qingyan finally went to school alone.

Xu Ruyi saw that the rooster in the chicken coop had grown up. So she said to Xu Qinghe, "Let's hire someone to kill the chickens! Then we can buy some more chickens this year."

Xu Qinghe nodded.

Widow Wang rushed over after she found out and said to Xu Ruyi, "Ruyi girl, please hire me! Now that I'm taking care of Xiaomei, I need an income."

Xu Ruyi thought her idea was good, so she said, "Okay, try it for two days. If it works, you can kill chickens in the chicken coop in the future."

Widow Wang was delighted to hear this and immediately went to the chicken coop. After killing a chicken, she said, "I think it's okay. I've decided to do this job."

Xu Ruyi looked at her happy face and said, "Okay, eight hundred wen a month. You can take four days off a month."

After hearing this, Widow Wang's face was filled with joy. She nodded continuously, and thought happily that she had hope for the future.

Every day, Widow Wang would go over to add water to the stove. After the water boiled, she would kill the chicken, scald its feathers, pluck it, and then gut it, carefully removing its internal organs, including the heart, liver, and intestines. Finally, she would remove any grease and impurities from the internal organs and clean them thoroughly.

When the villagers found out, many of them were envious.

Huang Guiyun said, "I didn't expect that Wang is so good at living now. She is not as playful as before, nor is she afraid of hard work. She knows how to work and earn money." Her tone was full of emotion, and her eyes showed approval of the changes in Widow Wang.

"That's right, he has changed so much that I don't even recognize him. He is still working hard for Xiaomei." Aunt Pang praised with a smile, the smile on her face as bright as a blooming flower.

Luo Daying was sincerely happy for Widow Wang when she saw her changes: "She will have someone to rely on in the future, and she will have hope in her heart. Now she wants to create a good life for Xiaomei, which is a great thing." As she spoke, she nodded continuously, her eyes full of satisfaction.

Huang Guiyun agreed very much: "Once you have a child, you will have a lifelong concern. You will worry about him all your life." Her eyes softened, as if she remembered every little thing she had done for her child.

"Yes, everyone is like this. We always want our children to have an easier life, so we have to work harder ourselves." Aunt Pang said, with a hint of helplessness on her face, but also with a willing determination.

"I heard that Xiaomei is going to school. It's always good to know a few words." Huang Guiyun thought about her own lack of a daughter, and a hint of sadness appeared on her face, with a hint of longing in her eyes: "I have never had a daughter in my life. If I had one, I would have both a son and a daughter."

"Come on, you are not satisfied with having two sons. Mrs. Jiang will cry every day." Luo Daying thought for a while and said, "I have only two daughters in my family, no sons, and I just like my two daughters." Her words were full of preference for her own daughters, and her face was filled with a happy smile.

Widow Wang was now so busy slaughtering chickens in the henhouse that she didn't have much time to spend with Huang Guiyun and the others. Only during her breaks did she have time to visit their home and sit down and have a good chat.

Many villagers have bought and raised chickens. Huang Guiyun bought 200 chickens this year, filling the chicken coop to the brim. Aunt Pang has five plump pigs and 100 lively chickens at home. Tian Yuhe and Xu Dachuan also have five pigs and 100 chickens, and they're kept busy all day.

Luo Daying was anxious to find a husband for Xu Dayan, and he was so focused on this that he only raised thirty chickens.

Xu Dayan's marriage has not been settled yet, and Luo Daying is finally a little anxious now. His brows are furrowed so much that he can kill a fly.

So Luo Daying hurriedly found the well-known matchmaker Zhang Pozi, and persuaded her with kind words to help with the work.

Mrs. Zhang was quite efficient and quickly helped find her husband's family. At Li Hehua's parents' home, there were only the father and son, but no mother-in-law.

Luo Daying was quite satisfied, thinking that with fewer people in the family, there would be less trouble, and his daughter would suffer less after marrying into the family.

Xu Dayan and the man met soon. Neither of them was very good-looking, and the man's family still lived in a dilapidated thatched house. However, since they were of age, they decided to get married.

The date is set on the 16th day of the first lunar month, which is the day after the Lantern Festival.

Luo Daying looked as if he had accomplished something great. Watching Xu Dayan's grand wedding, he said to Huang Guiyun, "Now I can finally sleep well!" A hint of relief and relief finally appeared in the tiredness on his face.