After delivering vegetables to the provincial capital again, the Li brothers returned with a cart of coal, unloading one-third into their master's yard.
The remaining two-thirds were divided between the brothers' families.
As for the Xiao family, they bought firewood from the villagers.
Despite the potential to earn money, the villagers' enthusiasm wasn't high.
At times, they were even reluctant to sell things to the Xiao family.
Especially grain, which they no longer wanted to sell. After selling it, they would have to buy it back at a negotiated price, which was simply not worth it.
This was because they also had to walk to the county town, and using Li Liguo's truck would incur fuel costs.
Moreover, there was no guarantee that the grain station would have negotiated-price grain available every day.
The Xiao family was running out of grain.
They asked Li Liguo to drive and help them buy some.
Li Liguo waved his hand, "No time."
He'd rather go home and take care of his son with that time.
Little Li Weiyu had already passed his full moon celebration, and Li's mother was still staying at her elder son's home.
The house was crowded, so she busied herself running between the two places during the day.
They would just make do until next year when the courtyard house was built and the Xiao family's great-grandfather moved out, making the house more spacious.
...
While the Xiao family waited with time stretching like years, the people bringing money arrived.
The elder and second masters of the Xiao family prepared to leave.
However, leaving was difficult. In this remote mountain village, only Li Liguo had a large truck.
So, Xiao Xueqi went to request Li Liguo to make a trip.
Ouyang Meihua named her price, "Five hundred yuan."
Five hundred yuan?
After a difficult period, Xiao Xueqi had also learned to be thrifty.
"This, this is too expensive."
"If you think it's expensive, you can walk to the county town. I'll kindly remind you, the county town might not have cars going to the provincial capital."
"If you're willing to pay one thousand yuan, we can take you directly to the provincial capital."
"This? I need to go back and discuss it."
Ouyang Meihua waved her hand, dismissing the fool, "Go on, go on."
After he left, Ouyang Meihua urged her husband to notify the three families who were picking vegetables, "Just in time to send some vegetables to the provincial capital."
"Okay, I'll go notify them now."
Picking vegetables, packing them into baskets, and covering them with straw for insulation would undoubtedly create quite a commotion.
Xiao Xueqi ran back again, "Isn't this on the way?"
"It's on the way for everyone else, but not for you. If you don't want to go, then don't. We'll be back in two or three days, so you can wait."
Xiao Xueqi knew that their difficult situation in the village had been exploited by this coarse woman, and a price reduction was impossible.
"Alright, I'll give you a thousand. We want to sit in the cab."
"The cab can only fit two people at most. Unless you can drive a large truck, you can fit one more person."
Two people, they had no choice but to accept.
"Okay, we'll go pack our things now."
"We'll depart in an hour."
Xiao Xueqi hurried back to pack their luggage and found Li Aiguo, who was staying at Li Jianguo's house.
"We need to buy two quilts."
Li Aiguo was direct, "Two hundred."
Let alone two hundred, they would have bought them for two thousand if necessary. In this weather, it would be cold even sitting in the cab, let alone the back of the truck.
Li Liguo forbade his wife from going on the trip, as the child was still young and couldn't be away for two or three days.
The Li brothers left with the Xiao family, and Ouyang Meihua, holding her youngest son, went to find Tian Jing to complain.
"Tell me, what was the point of me giving birth to him? I was bored to death during pregnancy, and after confinement, I'm still bored."
Tian Jing quickly tucked the little Yu, wrapped in only a thin blanket, next to his older sister.
"You can be as dramatic as you want. The baby is only two months old, and you dare to take him out. There's no mother as careless as you."
Ouyang Meihua didn't care at all, "It's good to exercise them. We used to train hard during the coldest and hottest days when we were kids."
Speaking of this, Tian Jing had something to say.
"How you want to teach your Yan Yan is up to you. My martial arts are only suitable for assisting people, not for teaching."
"What Brother Zheng teaches are also just body-training exercises. Don't expect me to help."
Ouyang Meihua didn't believe it, "Are you reluctant to pass it on?"
"You can think of it that way if you want. Hao Hao and Xiao Bo are both following the path of body training, which isn't suitable for Yan Yan. Don't you want to train your son well?"
Ouyang Meihua scratched her head, "But I don't know how to teach. Should I send him back to my father to teach?"
"You need to discuss this with Big Brother, Yan Yan, and your father. If Yan Yan doesn't want to learn, don't force him. If your father is unwilling to teach, don't force him either."
Ouyang Meihua smiled proudly, "How could my father be unwilling to teach? None of my younger brothers' and sisters' children are willing to learn."
"My youngest brother is also not married and has no children. If I send Yan Yan to him to teach, he'll be overjoyed. Passing on the Ouyang family's martial arts is his lifelong wish."
"Then ask Yan Yan and Big Brother. Communicate more with the child."
"Okay, I'll listen to you." Ouyang Meihua turned and ran off.
Li's mother returned to her elder son's house after picking vegetables. Not seeing her elder daughter-in-law, she asked the three grandsons who were playing.
Upon learning that her elder daughter-in-law had taken her grandson to visit her younger son's house, she hurried over anxiously and almost ran into Ouyang Meihua.
Ouyang Meihua released her mother-in-law, whom she had hugged, "Mom, why are you running so fast?"
Li's mother patted her startled chest, "Where is Xiao Yu?"
Ouyang Meihua paused for a moment before pointing to the kang, "He's in his older sister's blanket!"
Li's mother breathed a sigh of relief, "Alright, you go do what you need to do. I'll stay here."
After her elder daughter-in-law left, Li's mother sighed, "With such a careless mother, Yan Yan and Xiao Yu are suffering."
"Mom, don't say things like that. How are the two children suffering? Which boy isn't rough? Don't spoil these children. Remember Li Aiguo's lesson."
Li's mother fell silent.
Tian Jing saw that her mother-in-law seemed unconvinced, but she didn't say anything further.
A grandmother's love for her grandson was natural, a law of nature. Her mother-in-law hadn't caused any trouble.
It was just unknown whether Ouyang Meihua could tolerate her mother-in-law living there permanently.
...
Being able to learn martial arts and be as mighty as his aunt, Li Weiyan of course wanted to learn.
Ouyang Meihua... He was learning the Ouyang family's martial arts, so why did he seem as mighty as the great warrior Tian?
However, it was a good thing that her eldest son was willing to learn.
"Then shall I send you to your maternal grandfather's house?"
Li Weiyan hesitated, "Can I not go? I don't like those older cousins. They look down on me."
Ouyang Meihua was furious. A useless softie, and he dared to look down on her son?
"When your father comes back, I'll send you back. Let's see who dares to say anything! You study hard. Once you've learned, beat them until they cry for their mothers and fathers, and they won't dare to look down on you anymore."
These words ignited Li Weiyan's ambition, "Okay."
...
This winter, Li Weiyan was sent to his maternal grandfather's house.
This winter, the Li, Niu, and Wang families were all drying vegetables.
This winter passed quickly.
March 6, 1982, the day of Awakening of Insects.
The workers returned to work.
The snow had melted, the ground was thawing, and spring plowing had begun.
The weather had warmed up, and the villagers were willing to go outdoors.
Fang Qiuhong's son was already over eight months old and still cried a lot.
Le Xia's son was seven months old and remained very quiet.
Little Yu had reached six months and loved to visit his aunt's house to play with his older sister. If he didn't visit for a day, he would cry at home.
The nearly one-year-old older sister didn't feel impatient at all with this little tag-along brother.