The construction of the heated kang required laborers, and Li Zhengguo had not yet had a chance to call upon the Wang family.
Li Jianguo arrived to help.
Ma Changying brought her fifteen-year-old eldest son, Yang Mu, and her fourteen-year-old nephew, Yang Hai.
“They say a neighbor is worth more than a distant relative. If Brother Rongguo needs a hand, just call out. These youngsters are grown now, they can help with chores and learn a trade at the same time.”
“I’ve shamelessly brought them over. You uncles, you must teach them well.”
Li Zhengguo understood Ma Changying’s intentions, or rather, the intentions of these new neighbors from the end of the village: it was driven by self-interest.
“Don’t worry, Sister Ma. We won’t hold anything back. As long as they want to learn and ask, we’ll teach them.”
“Uncle Zhengguo, Uncle Rongguo (or Elder Uncle), we will learn diligently.”
Yang Mu, along with his cousin, greeted Li Zhengguo and Li Rongguo and then picked up shovels and mud.
Li Zhengguo nodded, seeing his perceptiveness. “Sister Ma, rest assured.”
Ma Changying was also pleased with her eldest son’s quick thinking and turned to weed the crops behind the house.
With the harvest due next month, the weeds would steal nutrients from the soil. And speaking of which, the eggshell powder mixed with fertilizer had indeed made the crops look different.
Li Zhengguo looked at Li Jianguo, who was helping to move bricks, appearing more haggard and older than before.
“Cousin Jianguo.”
“Hmm?” Li Jianguo looked up blankly.
“Your daughter’s finger can be surgically corrected. It’s a genetic mutation, unrelated to anyone or anything. Don’t listen to any nonsense from others. If you walk upright, you have nothing to fear from shadows.”
“Really?” Li Jianguo’s eyes welled up with tears.
“Yes, really. Don’t overthink it. The sooner it’s done, the better. If you’re short on money, take it from me.”
“Okay, okay, I understand, I understand.”
Li Jianguo wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt and continued moving bricks.
He suddenly seemed to regain some vitality.
Li Zhengguo sighed. Their uncle’s family used to be one of the top families in the village; how had it come to this?
“Elder Cousin, marriage is the most critical turning point for a family, isn't it?”
“Yes.” Li Rongguo was full of drive. “I must make my father-in-law regret his decision.”
“That’s right, my Elder Cousin. How can you be looked down upon? Fortune turns, just like the river.”
The young cousin’s bold words made Li Rongguo a little hesitant. His goals weren’t that grand. “Heh, yes. I just want to stand up for Mei Mei and ensure she doesn’t regret her decision.”
Understanding his elder cousin’s nature, Li Zhengguo changed the subject. “The wasteland for Elder Cousin has already been cleared. Have Ouyang Lei get you some plastic sheeting to properly set up the vegetable sheds. Two mu of land should be enough.”
“Let’s plant soybeans on the wasteland to the south. Soybeans nourish the soil. It doesn’t matter how much you harvest the first season; just focus on nurturing the land. If you want to grow seedlings later, you can ask Tiantian for help.”
“Sure, sure.” Li Rongguo readily agreed. “Mei Mei says she doesn’t know how to farm, but she can ask her younger brother for anything she needs. I won’t be polite and will ask him for soybean seeds too.”
Li Zhengguo continued to offer suggestions to his elder cousin, building his confidence. “Also, ask Ouyang Lei to help buy a few donkeys. The wheat harvest is coming soon, and they’ll be needed for threshing. Have the team write an IOU, and they can be repaid with grain. Ouyang Lei will surely be happy with that.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll ask the team leader first if they need them, and then I’ll ask Ouyang Lei.”
Li Zhengguo was relieved that his elder cousin was starting to have his own ideas.
Li’s mother was pulling her daughter along to chop and split bamboo. She wanted to weave mats and baskets.
Ouyang Meihua watched, wanting to help, but sawing bamboo felt like attacking someone, and splitting bamboo strips felt like slicing people.
Frightened, Li’s mother told her to stop. “You just keep Tiantian company.”
Ouyang Meihua looked at her own hands, which were also rough. Why couldn’t she do this kind of work?
Tian Jing laughed heartily. “Don’t force it. You are who you are. Elder Cousin and Damai are very capable, they can do this work.”
“Then what can I do?”
Ouyang Meihua suddenly realized she was utterly useless.
“You have strength! Didn’t you carry the soil from the mountains onto the wasteland in the south? And you carried those stones back to the yard to pave the paths?”
“You’d better not try to comfort me. I finally understand why I can’t get married.”
“Hahahaha.” Tian Jing burst into laughter. “You’re already married.”
“Hmph! If my younger brother hadn’t schemed against me, and if I hadn’t gotten drunk, I, sigh~ never mind. I didn’t understand before, but after these few days of living together, I do. Li Rongguo marrying me was truly a disaster…”
“It was truly accumulating blessings for eight lifetimes,” Li’s mother interjected, taking Ouyang Meihua’s words. “Meihua, Rongguo cherishes you dearly. What you bring to him is a completely different feeling than before.”
“He might be a bit timid, but your strength gives him peace of mind. He speaks and acts with his head held high these days.”
“Don’t underestimate yourself. When two people are together, complementing each other is the best.”
“But…”
“No buts,” Tian Jing chimed in. “Elder Cousin’s changes are indeed because of you. He has more confidence. Ouyang Lei’s plan is for you to lead the external affairs, and Elder Cousin to manage the internal affairs.”
“Although it’s impossible to have it exactly like that, it’s close enough. You just need to stay by Elder Cousin’s side and do what you can, what you know how to do. Damai and the others will handle the rest.”
“You guys…” Ouyang Meihua looked at Li’s mother and then at Tian Jing. “Don’t you really think I’m a failure as a woman?”
“That depends on whose family you’re in.”
Tian Jing patted her shoulder. “In someone else’s family or your own family, you’d be quite a failure, not suited to be a housewife or a daughter at all. But in Elder Cousin’s family, you’re just right.”
“You’re not just comforting me?”
“No, it’s not comfort. You met the right person at the right time in the right place.”
Ouyang Meihua felt relieved. She had been holding this in for days.
…
Three days later, Ouyang Lei delivered two rolls of plastic sheeting and several types of vegetable seeds to his elder sister’s husband. He also brought some bricks and cement to build the walls of the vegetable sheds. Sudan Novel Network.
He also had his elder sister’s husband negotiate the purchase of three donkeys for the production team.
He took the opportunity to collect the vegetables from Li Zhengguo’s vegetable shed. Among all the vegetables, Tian Daxia’s were the tastiest, followed by those from Brother Wang’s and Brother Niu’s households.
With the donkeys acquired by the team, the villagers looked at the crops in the fields with renewed vigor.
They went to the fields every day to pull weeds, counting down the days to the harvest.
…
Since plastic sheeting was not necessary for summer vegetable sheds, Li Rongguo proceeded to build the walls according to the size of his young cousin’s vegetable shed.
Many people came to help; the villagers knew that Li Rongguo had taken the initiative to purchase the donkeys for the team.
After a busy few days, the second son of Captain Ou’s family moved, and there was a housewarming party.
Li’s mother attended again, and the customary gift was two yuan.
…
The wheat was almost ready for harvest.
Li Zhengguo and Tian Jing planned to go into the mountains.
Taking advantage of the early morning when there were fewer people, Tian Jing, who had been woken by a kiss, entered the mountains with Li Zhengguo carrying a load of woven items.
Tian Jing chatted leisurely with Little Song.
Li Zhengguo was busy weaving mats to cover the grain.
After finishing the work at Qingsongyan, they descended to the hot spring area, and the Wolf King arrived, carrying Little Black.
Little Black whimpered and rushed to Tian Jing’s feet.
“Hmph! So you two, father and son, still have some conscience.”
Tian Jing bent down and petted Little Black. In just over ten days, Little Black had become much sturdier.
Thinking of its pitiful state when its father had carried it earlier, Tian Jing couldn’t help but tease the Wolf King. “Little Black is already this old! You’re still carrying it? Can’t you teach it to run and jump?”
The Wolf King turned away, not looking at her.
Li Zhengguo smiled slightly. “The Wolf King is afraid the cub won’t follow it otherwise.”
Tian Jing poked Little Black. “It’s going to be busy down in the village soon, and we won’t be coming up for a long time. You stay with your father and train hard.”
“Moo moo.”
Little Black nuzzled Tian Jing’s hand. Tian Jing scratched it. “Alright, alright. You’re still a wolf, don’t act like a spoiled dog.”