Adorable Kids in Space: Lucky Wife is So Carefree

Ru Xiu didn't need to worry about finding the village chief to buy wood and hire help; her second aunt took care of everything herself.

"Why is Ruxiu raising chickens? Didn't you say you were going to clear the mountain land to grow grain?" Auntie Er was an old-timer in Tangjia Village. She came over and chatted with the village chief for a while. She was a little surprised, since no one in the village had ever grown or raised livestock on the mountain.

"What can grow in that kind of land? It'll just be eaten by wild beasts."

“That makes sense. When she was plowing the land, I wanted to advise her to think it through. It’s good that she’s switched to raising chickens now, but it’s just to keep out wild cats and weasels. Raising chickens also takes a lot of grain and vegetables, and it’s not easy to raise them.” The village chief is quite nice; he speaks his mind.

"She just thought she'd give it a try. There are five mouths to feed in the family, so trying is better than doing nothing. My good-for-nothing son-in-law and daughter also had nothing to do, so they came over to help out."

Some things will spread sooner or later, and it's better to talk about them than anything else. It saves people from always speculating. There's always a lot of gossip in the village, so Auntie Er didn't try to hide anything.

"How is Xige's child? Zijie said he's still pretty much the same as before? Maybe he's still a bit slow-witted?" I had a feeling the child was going to die, so I didn't have much hope. It would be good if he survived.

"It's alright. I feel better than before, but I talk less." What Auntie said was pretty much the same as what Tang Zijie said when he came back. Everyone in the village naturally assumed that things weren't much better, and that turning misfortune into blessing was just wishful thinking.

"It's alright if he doesn't talk much, at least he's been saved. He can still do some work in the future, we'll just have to make do. I'm just worried that it will be a bit difficult for him to find a wife later." The village chief sighed. These days, getting married is like going bankrupt.

“I haven’t been out much lately. I heard from people in the village that Ru Xiu’s children are still studying at home.” The village chief’s wife pulled up a chair and sat down to gossip with them. Second Aunt knows their family best.

"That's right. Ruxiu's father was originally a poor scholar, and Ruxiu has known a few characters since she was little. Some time ago, her family sent some books and subsidized her quite a bit, so Ruxiu just taught them a little. The children are all very serious and read and write every day. Ruxiu is also thinking that if she has the money, she should send them to the academy or send them to her father for lessons after the New Year."

A poor widow sending two children to school at once would certainly draw criticism. But if she had family members to help her, it would be a completely different story. Her second aunt always thought of Ruxiu's best interests in everything she did.

"Is that so? I don't know what she's thinking. Raising a scholar is not easy. We're still hesitating about whether to send my second grandson to school. It's too hard on her. It's not easy for her to raise four children by herself. She shouldn't squander all that money. Things will be tough then." Sending a child to a private school is manageable because her family can help out, so it doesn't cost too much money. But after going to an academy, there are still exams to take. Year after year, the money is spent like water. It's definitely not something an ordinary family can afford.

The village chief's wife chattered on and on, asking about her second aunt's health and Cai Feng's family situation before finally getting to the point she wanted to know.

"Ru Xiu is so beautiful, and she's only in her early twenties. Has she never thought about remarrying? I bet matchmakers have already come knocking on her door."

It's impossible to keep secrets in a village. Second Auntie often went to the big banyan tree, so she naturally heard all the gossip in the village. She knew that the village chief's wife was trying to find out Ruxiu's feelings for Tang Zijie, but Second Auntie knew that Ruxiu had no intention of remarrying.

"She's a tough woman. She has four wonderful children, yet she doesn't even think about such messy things. You know her personality; she might suffer, but she won't do anything that would harm her children. She'd rather stay single." Why do you assume someone is just trying to get ahead of you just because you don't like them?

"Oh, that's good. If she remarries, her children will definitely suffer too. Who wants four burdens?" With just one sentence, she made her attitude clear: she wanted to stop the marriage through her second aunt's words.

"So, she understands perfectly well! It's no use anyone trying to win her over!" Auntie Er's words didn't let Ruxiu suffer any loss.

"How about we go to the mountain tomorrow for a barbecue, grilled fish and shrimp, and roasted sweet potatoes?"

Ru Xiu has been craving meat for a long time. Although she hasn't lacked meat lately, her family consists of elderly people and children, plus her brother Xi Ge who is ill. The dishes she eats are either steamed, boiled, or stewed, and her mouth is so bland. She really misses the days of eating barbecue and drinking beer at the night market. Now that she doesn't go for barbecue, she won't have the chance again once winter comes.

It's been many days since the children last had a day off, and it's time for them to relax after being on edge.

"Really? Can we have barbecue?"

"What is barbecue, Mother?"

"It's just meat roasted over a fire, you idiot." Children in the South all know how to roast sweet potatoes, but in an era when meat was a rare treat, it's normal that they don't know what roasted meat is.

"Yes, it's grilled meat that smells delicious. We'll find out tomorrow, so stay tuned." Nowadays, a few bottles of beer, a plate of grilled meat, and a few old friends toasting each other are enough to make for a happy evening.

The children are definitely looking forward to it. The happiest of all are Le Ge and Ge'er. Pingzi and Taozi don't show their joy on their faces, they just smile shyly, but they are very longing for it. Life is so good now. They have older brothers, sisters and younger sisters, they can go to school and learn to read and write, and the food at their aunt's house is also very delicious.

Sister Shi seemed a little downcast: "What about Big Brother?" She had already prepared herself not to go if Brother Xi couldn't go. It would be too pitiful to leave Big Brother alone at home.

Xi Ge has been sleeping for so long. Although he can stroll around the courtyard in the morning and evening, he has been reading and recognizing characters all day. He must want to go out for a walk after being cooped up for so long. It would be nice to breathe in the fresh air of the mountains.

"It's alright. Now everyone in the village knows that Brother Xi has woken up. He can go out for a walk without any problems. Just talk to people and smile when you see fewer people."

Xi Ge used to be quiet, but now that he's recovered, it's not surprising that he's still quiet. We can't let that make us afraid of Tang Laoqi's family.

The little ones were overjoyed. Le Ge and Ge'er chattered excitedly about what was happening on the mountain. They talked about frogs, locusts, and butterflies, and even mentioned the small ponds and fish and shrimp on the mountain, which made the children look forward to it with longing.

After dinner, Ruxiu packed up the things she didn't need to take up the mountain. With so many people and helpers, they would definitely need to cook a pot of porridge, and pots and pans would be indispensable. Uncle Li was in charge of making a few fish traps.

Rice, oil, salt, and spices are definitely indispensable at home. I'll also bring the sweet potatoes my second aunt gave me last time. Fish and shrimp can be caught on the mountain, but I'll deliberately keep the big ones. In the morning, I'll go to the village entrance to buy a few pounds of pork belly. Before leaving, I'll wash some vegetables I grew myself. Lettuce is the best for wrapping pork belly.