Chapter 175: Mutual Dislike
There was a whole sheep's meat, but because of Qin Yao, a big eater, there was not a single drop left for the family of six.
After the New Year's Eve dinner, the red lanterns were hung up, and everyone, with their bellies full, lay down on their chairs to digest the food and stay up all night.
In the first half of the night, there were various snacks for supper, which made it easier to get through.
In the second half of the night, Sanlang and Si Niang could not bear it anymore and went back to their room to sleep.
Dalang was practicing the moves that Qin Yao had just taught him in the house. Erlang and Liu Ji, each holding a book, looked very hardworking.
Qin Yao looked at herself holding the soybean plate and daydreaming while eating the fried soybeans, and thought seriously for three seconds - should I join them?
Three seconds later, forget it, after a year of hard work, I finally have some free time, so I decided to give up!
At around 3 a.m., Erlang couldn't stand it anymore and left first.
Dalang, Qin Yao and Liu Ji were left behind, sitting at the table staring at each other.
Liu Ji's eyes were sore from reading so he stopped and yawned.
But if he failed to keep the good fortune last year, he must do so this year, otherwise it will be unlucky, just like last year, when he encountered so many disasters.
Liu Ji was a superstitious person. Whenever he dozed off, he would pinch himself to stay awake. He finally waited until the dawn broke. He stood up excitedly and said, "I will definitely have good luck this year!"
After encouraging himself, he yawned and looked back, guessing that Qin Yao and Dalang should be in a similar state as him.
But I didn't expect that Dalang, at such a young age, was still full of energy and wanted to go for morning exercises in the backyard after not sleeping all night.
Qin Yao stopped him and sent him into the house. The young boy then reluctantly went back to his room to sleep.
"I'm going to take a nap." Qin Yao waved her hand, went into her room, and began to take a nap.
Liu Ji couldn't hold on any longer, so he didn't say anything more. He closed the doors and windows, buried the charcoal fire with ashes, and checked the bacon being smoked in the corridor. After doing all this, he immediately rushed into the room and fell asleep.
The whole family slept until noon. When they woke up, the whole village was very quiet. After a busy year, it seemed that this was the only time they had a chance to sleep in. Every household was staying in their own rooms.
After the first day of the new year, the village became lively again.
Qin Yao's family had no relatives to visit, so they just stayed at home, eating and drinking, and spent the entire New Year.
After the Chinese New Year, the family of six has become noticeably plumper. Otherwise, how can we gain weight in winter? If we only eat, it would be strange if we don't gain weight.
On the eighth day of the first lunar month, the market day arrives and many people in the village make plans to go to the city.
Mrs. Qiu had also finished her confinement, and Liu Zhong came to ask Qin Yao the next day if they wanted to go to the city to attend the market. If they did, everyone wanted to take a ride.
Knowing that Liu Ji could not make the decision, Liu Zhong asked Qin Yao directly.
Qin Yao asked: "How many people are going?"
"Me, my eldest sister-in-law, Jinbao, Jinhua, and dad, three adults and two children."
When the baby was one month old, Zhang and Old Man Liu discussed that it had been a rare happy event in the family for many years, so they planned to hold a full-month banquet. Liu Zhong and He went to the city to do some shopping.
Old man Liu wanted to replace the farm tools for his family. There were more styles and cheaper prices in the county town.
As for the two children, they had to be brought along simply because they were making a fuss.
If Qin Yao didn't go, Liu Zhong and the others would not plan to take care of the two children.
Qin Yao thought about it and agreed, "It just so happens that we also want to add another pony, so let's do it together."
Liu Zhong was overjoyed and went home immediately to prepare.
Qin Yao and Liu Ji saw Liu Zhong off. When they turned around, they saw Dalang and his four friends standing at the door of the main hall, staring at them eagerly.
The couple looked at each other and said: Why not take them all?
Anyway, the carriage can't accommodate so many people. If they take the four little ones, the children can take the carriage while the adults can walk. If they set out early, they will definitely be back before dark in the evening.
The couple nodded in unison, in rare tacit understanding.
When Dalang and his three friends saw their parents' reactions, they were so happy that they almost shouted out loud.
On the eighth day of the New Year, before dawn, the two families got up early to prepare.
After a simple breakfast, Qin Yao and Liu Ji lit torches and drove the carriage to the old house to pick people up.
The four brothers and sisters of Dalang stuck their heads out of the window in pairs. Jinhua and Jinbao looked at them and climbed into the carriage impatiently. The six children were making a lot of noise and Qin Yao just wanted to put on earplugs.
Fortunately, the driver was Old Man Liu, not her, otherwise her head would have exploded hearing their noise at such a close distance.
Unlike Qin Yao, Old Man Liu, who was getting old, liked the excitement. He drove the carriage unskillfully and asked Qin Yao and Liu Ji cheerfully:
"The second son came back last night and said that you guys wanted to go to the city and look for another horse? We already have an old yellow cow at home, so why do we need a horse? It would be much better to buy a cow, which can pull the cart and plow the fields."
Liu Ji explained: "Dad, Dalang and Erlang will go to Ding clan school in February. The journey is too far, so my wife wants to buy a pony for them to make it more convenient for them to go to school."
"What?" The three adults in the old house were surprised.
Liu Ji's short sentence contains a lot of information.
Going to the Ding Clan School and teaching children to ride horses, Old Man Liu was stunned for a moment. After he reacted, he asked excitedly:
"Can the Ding Clan School recruit Dalang and Erlang?"
Liu Ji then remembered that he had not yet had time to tell everyone in the old house about the Ding family, and nodded:
"Yes, my wife and I put in a lot of effort and finally got Madam Ding to agree."
He asked excitedly, "What are you wasting your time on? Why don't you teach Big Brother and Big Sister-in-law a lesson? Jinbao is already grown up, and as an uncle, you must not forget your nephew!"
Liu Ji immediately stretched out a hand with five fingers spread out, "Sister-in-law, if you give me this amount, I, as your uncle, will sacrifice my reputation and help my nephew get a place!"
He was surprised and tested: "Five hundred coins?"
Before Liu Ji could finish his petty words of five taels, Qin Yao said seriously, "Fifty taels per person."
Liu Ji's pupils dilated. Wow, she really dared to say that!
He and the others gasped, "Fifty taels per person?" She pointed to the carriage, "Da Lang and Er Lang together, wouldn't that be a hundred taels?"
Upon hearing the astronomical figure of one hundred taels, both Old Man Liu and Liu Zhong and his son were too afraid to breathe.
Qin Yao and his wife nodded together, "Yes!"
They were not lying. The deer and the rabbit were worth a lot of money, not to mention the soap recipe.
The Ding family took the recipe but had no intention of putting it into production.
Large families have always liked to hold these prescriptions in their hands, so as to demonstrate their precious value.
They make it themselves and use it to curry favor with others, and the benefits they get far exceed the amount that money can represent.
When Liu Ji thought about it, he suddenly felt that Qin Yao's one hundred taels was too little.
However, no matter how much they talked, He and others could not imagine that the one hundred taels was just right. He was so scared that he never mentioned asking Qin Yao and his wife for help again.
In fact, if Mr. Ding was at home, Qin Yao would not have scared her sister-in-law like that.
But unfortunately, she and the old lady of the Ding family disliked each other, and she didn't want to go up and cause trouble.