Daily life of farming and supporting a family on the ancient Loess Plateau

Speaking of those days, Grandpa Ji became somewhat dejected: "Auntie, that's really what I thought back then. If it weren't for the fourth son, I would definitely take care of you too. But ever since the fifth son passed away, the harvest in the fields has been poor for those years. Later, I had many children, and it was extremely difficult to feed these dozen or so mouths."

Don't even talk about stockpiling grain; just avoiding famine is a good thing. So you see, it's not that I don't want to give you more, it's just that I'm willing but unable to."

Old Mrs. Ji snorted again, clearly dissatisfied with Old Mr. Ji's explanation. She glared at him and said, "Anyone can say nice things, but don't try to put on a good act in front of this old woman. As for Yinqiao, I'm telling you right now, it's a deal, whether it works out or not!"

Grandpa Ji's face showed some displeasure, and his voice became a little hoarse: "Auntie, I really can't make this decision."

Old Mrs. Ji jumped up and said sternly, "Fine, I, an old woman, have come to your doorstep, and you can't even fulfill this small request. Fifth son, my child, open your eyes in heaven and take a look. This is the second brother you risked your life to protect. Your mother has been bullied to death." As she spoke, she beat her chest and stamped her feet, her body seemingly about to fall backward.

Ji Yinqiao quickly stepped forward, supporting Old Madam Ji's arm and body to help her sit down, then turned to look at Old Master Ji with a reproachful expression.

Grandpa Ji had just stood up, arms outstretched, eager to help Grandma Ji.

Seeing that Ji Yinqiao had stalled Old Lady Ji, he had no choice but to sit back down on the stool, clench his fists tightly, and said, "Auntie, please don't get angry. Let me see how much Yinqiao wants. This medicine all belongs to Yongling. We don't know where she hid it; she only left a few packets outside."

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Ji's expression softened slightly, and she gave Ji Yinqiao a wink.

Ji Yinqiao quickly chimed in, "Second Brother, you should have just agreed sooner. Look how upset Auntie is. She's getting old. If she gets really sick from all this, what do you think... this... never mind, let's not talk about that. Second Brother, I don't need much, just ten packets of medicine powder will do."

"Ten packs?" Old Master Ji exclaimed in surprise, then quickly waved his hand and said, "No, no!"

Ji Yinqiao's heart tightened. She glanced at her mother, gritted her teeth, and said, "Second brother, I know your medicine powder costs two coins a packet. I'm not taking it for free. Can't I even pay for it?"

Grandma Ji kept trying to wink at Ji Yinqiao, but to no avail. Ji Yinqiao didn't understand at all. She quickly took out twenty coins and stuffed them into Grandpa Ji's hand, which made Grandma Ji's chest bulge like a toad.

Grandpa Ji stood up and pushed away the money in Ji Yinqiao's hand, saying, "It's not about the money, it's about the amount. I really can't make the decision. You know how stubborn and temperamental Yongling is. If she finds out about this, she'll definitely scold me."

Ji Yinqiao continued to stuff money into her mouth, saying, "Oh dear, you're the child's grandfather, and the child still dares to criticize you. She has no manners at all. If word gets out, people will laugh at our Ji family for not knowing how to raise children."

Grandpa Ji continued to decline: "It's not the same thing. The medicine is for the child to decide. Don't think that just because I'm her grandfather, even her parents can do it this way."

Old Mrs. Ji couldn't stand it anymore, so she stood up and shouted, "Enough! Give it if you can, otherwise forget it! I'm an old woman who's been shamelessly begging for your help today, and you treat me like this. How can I stay here with any face left?"

"Come on, Yinqiao, let's go. I'm going to wail at Lao Wu's grave tomorrow. I have no kids left, and his mother has no one to rely on. Sigh, old age is so desolate!" Saying this, he pulled Ji Yinqiao, preparing to walk out.

Upon hearing what Grandma Ji said, Grandpa Ji immediately deflated. He sighed and said, "Auntie, wait a moment, I'll go get it." Then he went to the kitchen.

Yang was pretending to boil water, but there was no fire under the pot. She was pulling the air blower with a "clattering" sound while peeking into the yard. When she saw Old Master Ji come in, she quickly got up and asked, "What? Is this medicine absolutely necessary?"

Grandpa Ji said with a stern face, "Yes, I want ten packs. Give me ten packs."

Yang's eyes widened: "What? Ten packs? That many? What is she going to do with them?!"

Grandpa Ji sighed, "Stop talking and just give me ten packs. Given the situation today, I can't get through without them."

Madam Yang, with a long face, shook her head and muttered, "All they do is bully people with their power and seniority." After saying that, she took out ten packets of medicine powder and handed them to Old Master Ji.

Grandpa Ji took the medicine, came out of the kitchen, handed it to Ji Yinqiao, and said, "This medicine is not for just anyone to take. It's for the baby to get rid of the worms in his stomach. One packet is enough for one baby. Don't give more."

Ji Yinqiao's face lit up with joy, and she quickly said, "Second Brother, I know, I know. I definitely won't eat too much. Please accept the money, and consider this medicine as a purchase!"

Grandpa Ji pushed away Ji Yinqiao's hand holding the copper coin and said, "Consider this medicine a gift from me because of your aunt. Take the money back."

Ji Yin raised her eyebrows and smiled brightly, "Second Brother is so kind, thank you so much. Come to Zhao Family Village sometime and have a meal at my house." As she spoke, she helped Old Lady Ji slowly walk out of the courtyard gate.

As she reached the door, she ran into Ji Yongning returning with his younger siblings. In a good mood, Ji Yinqiao teased the little ones, saying, "Go play at your grandma's house! Your great-aunt brought your grandma some sweet cornmeal cakes. They're really sweet. Do you want some?"

Ji Yongning swallowed, shook his head, and said, "I'm not going. My parents went to the market, and they said they'd bring us some good food when they come back." After saying that, he took his younger sister Ji Yongru's hand and went into the yard.

When Ji Yongzhou heard that there was cornmeal yellow, he couldn't stop drooling. Taking advantage of his brother's inattention, he followed Ji Yinqiao to Ji Laosi's house.

On the way back, Old Mrs. Ji angrily scolded Ji Yinqiao: "Look at you, you're so blind! I struggled to give you signals, my eyes were practically popping out of their sockets, and you gave them all to a blind person! It's like a blind man lighting a lamp, a complete waste of oil, it's enough to make anyone angry!"

"I've already shown up today, why would you still give that Ji Lao Er money? He wouldn't dare take it! Besides, I've gone to all this trouble today, why didn't you ask for a few more packs? The important person said they wanted ten packs, so you asked for ten packs? Next time they ask for them, do you expect me to shamelessly go again?"

Ji Yinqiao said with some grievance, "Mother, your eyes were a little blurry at the time. I was only thinking about getting these ten packets of medicine as soon as possible, and I didn't understand what your eyes meant."

Grandma Ji was speechless and didn't want to say anything.

The mother and daughter walked home, muttering to each other. When they got home, they found a little boy following them silently.

Ji Yinqiao smiled and said, "Yongzhou, it's already late in the day. Hurry up and go home for dinner, so your grandma won't be looking for you everywhere."

Ji Yongzhou blinked his big, dark eyes and said, "Grandma, didn't you tell me to come and eat cornmeal cakes?"