Chapter 265: Chapter 264: Plenty of Greens for Everyone

Si Niang wasn’t interested in the boys’ bird-shooting activities and dragged Jinhua behind the carriage.

Pointing at the big packages on the carriage, she looked at her sister expectantly and said, “Sister Jin Hua, I brought you a lantern. It looks really nice on the bedside at night, plus you won’t be afraid to get up at night.”

Just as she expected, Jinhua’s face lit up with surprise, “Si Niang, you’re my best sister!”

Si Niang giggled, showing a mouthful of little white teeth, and the two sisters immediately hugged each other, feeling very close.

Liu Fei patted Liu Ji’s arm, and Liu Ji, who was bragging with Liu Bai and Liu Zhong, turned around with a smile, “What’s up?”

Liu Fei said seriously, “Third Brother, don’t be too upset.”

Liu Ji grinned: Look at my big smile, does it look like I’m upset?

Liu Fei thought he was forcing a smile and tried to make his expression look less sympathetic, adding, “You didn’t pass this year, but you’ll definitely make it next year. Liu Li has been studying for over ten years, and you’ve only been studying for a short while, it’s normal that you can’t compare.”

The smile gradually faded from Liu Ji’s face, and this time he was truly heartbroken, so upset that he wanted to tear Liu Fei’s mouth open, really hitting the sore spot!

Noticing the smile disappearing from Liu Ji’s face, Liu Fei immediately pointed at his downcast expression, “See, and you said you’re not upset, Third Brother, your mouth is the hardest thing on you.”

Qin Yao’s ears twitched slightly, as if hearing a gritting sound, turned around suspiciously, just to see Liu Ji clenching his teeth, eyes wide open, staring at Liu Fei with eyes full of burning anger.

Liu Fei was completely oblivious, still advising his Third Brother not to overthink it, that others passing was their own business, and since they didn’t pass, they had to work even harder, and so on.

Not once mentioning failing, but every word piercing Liu Ji’s heart.

“Let’s go, we’ll go home and put our luggage away first before coming over.” Qin Yao timely called out, otherwise she feared these two resentful brothers would start fighting right there.

Liu Ji took a deep breath, then another, and forcefully tapped Liu Fei on the forehead before responding with a begrudging “Alright”.

After being away for almost a month, everything at home seemed unchanged.

Qin Yao sat on the edge of the carriage, looking back. The sky was dark at night, making it hard to see the people clearly, but the familiar sounds of concern and greetings warmed her heart, even the fatigue from the journey disappeared.

Da Lang and Second Lang stood on either side, pushing open the tightly closed door, the wooden door creaked open with a long “squeak.”

The familiar courtyard came into view, the family of six stood at the door, smiling.

“We’re finally here!” Qin Yao stepped over the high threshold into the door, taking a deep breath of the familiar air, and sighed comfortably, “Now it really feels like home.”

Afterward, they lit the lamps inside the house, and the six of them ran inside and out, quickly restoring life to the once silent courtyard.

Qin Yao was in charge of unloading the carriage and feeding the horse, while Liu Ji and the four kids carried the luggage inside, selecting presents for others and setting them aside for when they go to the old house for dinner.

The courtyard, which had been uninhabited for so long, already had a layer of dust, and the tables and chairs inside were dusty at a touch. Liu Ji wanted to tidy up a bit, but when he came to the large water tank by the kitchen, he found he had forgotten to cover it before leaving, and now it was filled with dried grass blown in from the courtyard, completely unusable.

So he rolled up his sleeves and found a feather duster to sweep the dust from the house first.

Qin Yao parked the carriage properly, fed the horse until it was full, and while checking the grain storage, opened all the doors and windows for ventilation.

The grain storage was intact, and the grain inside was dry, finally putting Qin Yao’s mind at ease.

After inspecting the storage room and closing up the house again, she picked up a hoe and headed to the outhouse.

The wild grass was incredibly resilient; in just a month of neglect, the back slope was already completely covered by weeds.

Fortunately, she had the foresight to bring a hoe, smoothly making her way to the outhouse.

The ox cart was parked at the old house, always managed by Liu Bai, for sending kids to school daily, and for transporting goods from the stationery factory, it was quite handy.

By the time Qin Yao returned from the outhouse, the house’s dust had been swept by the five of them, finally looking a bit tidy.

“Let’s go.” Qin Yao clapped her hands, with no water to wash them, she wasn’t too particular about it, “Let’s go eat at the old house first, and then come back to slowly tidy up afterward.”

The stomachs of the father and sons were already growling with hunger, and during her trip to the outhouse, Liu Ji had already brought out the leftover roasted cakes from the road, giving each of the five a small piece to fill their stomachs.

But how could hard, dry roasted cakes compare to hot, fresh dishes?

Nodding eagerly, the four Da Lang Brothers and Sisters grabbed the gifts for everyone at the old house and dashed out of the home, hollering.

Liu Ji, carrying a lantern, chased after them, shouting, “You little rascals, stop! If you fall, you’ll be crying!”

Qin Yao watched with a smile, not in a hurry, carrying the oversized family bucket, locked the door, and followed along leisurely.

With a bucket in hand, she planned to draw water on the way back. After this long journey, there was no real energy to take a bath, but if she didn’t wash up, Qin Yao felt even the wind she caused by walking would smell foul.

The wooden bucket was placed by the old house door, and looking inside the main room, where the father and sons were already distributing the gifts to everyone, Qin Yao smiled lightly and walked to the kitchen to wash her hands and gravitate towards the stove.

“What are you looking at? Isn’t the Prefecture big enough for you to see? Look at my egg noodle soup.” He teased.

Qin Yao leaned close to the pot and took a deep breath; not having had a proper hot meal in days, the enticing smell made her want to dive right in and eat her fill.

“Sister-in-law, your cooking skills are good enough to be the head chef at a big restaurant.” Qin Yao praised with a smile.

“Get out of here!” He pushed her aside, annoyed, “Take out the bowls and chopsticks. It’s almost ready, shall we eat inside the house or in the yard?”

The yard was cool, the house was bright, each had its benefits.

But Qin Yao decisively chose the yard, it was nearly June, and even the mountain winds carried a touch of dryness, one bowl of hot soup noodles and guaranteed sweat to follow.

Wandering over to the kitchen counter, she spotted green vegetables in the basket, her eyes lit up, and she quickly called out to her sister-in-law to wait before taking it off the stove, wanting to add in some vegetables first.

“What did you eat on the way back here?” He asked suspiciously.

Just a handful of vegetables, did she have to act like a starving ghost reincarnated?

Qin Yao quickly washed the vegetables, sighing, “Sister-in-law, you wouldn’t know since you haven’t been out. Outside, anything edible, even grass, has been picked clean; we didn’t see a single leaf on the way back.”

Mrs. Qiu, carrying the now-awake Da Mao with a cloth strap, came to help in the kitchen. Hearing Qin Yao, she exchanged a look with He, clicking her tongue, really too miserable.

Relieved they had stored enough food early, even opening their bellies to eat, there was still plenty left.

The thousand pounds of wheat they bought earlier hadn’t been touched yet, still stored in the granary.

He pitifully said to Qin Yao, “You can wash a few more leaves; the vegetable garden at home is full, no need to skimp.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep