202 Corn Seeds
“Yes! I got someone to call him over.” The siblings walked towards the backyard hand in hand. After sitting down in the backyard, Ah Lei entered the house and bowed happily. “Madam, I’m here too!”
Li Yu turned to look at Ah Lei and smiled. “Ah Lei is here too! Oh! You’ve grown taller. Hurry up and go in. Ah Wei is in the vegetable garden at the back.”
Ah Lei rubbed his head happily and asked in confusion, “Madam, who is Ah Wei? Is it Ah Gou?”
“Yes, it’s Ah Gou. Your young master named him.”
Ah Lei looked at Li Qing resentfully and said with a bitter expression, “Young Master, look, Ah Gou already has a new name, but you don’t even want to give me one!”
Li Qing knocked on Ah Lei and smiled. “Isn’t it good that you’re called Yang Lei? Why do you want to change your name?”
“Hehe.” Ah Lei smiled foolishly. “If Young Master says it’s good, it’s definitely good! I’ll go find Ah Gou.”
Li Qing told Li Yu about Zhaodi getting married next year. Li Yu thought of Zhaodi’s gentle and cute appearance and smiled. “Zhaodi is married. Next is Laidi. Ah Qing, what kind of wife do you want to marry?”
“Sister! Why are you always talking about taking a wife? I’m still young! Let’s talk about it after I get an academic title!”
Zhou Jia strode in from the courtyard and pointed at Li Qing. He laughed and said, “Come over and show Brother-in-law if you’ve grown stronger!”
Li Qing walked forward and bowed. “Brother-in-law, you’ve lost weight!”
Zhou Jia complained, “Sigh! Your brother-in-law is so busy every day. You’re here to help him! But we have to spar first and see who has improved!”
“Alright! I’ll stay at home and practice!” The two of them walked towards the middle of the courtyard and started gesturing. Li Yu was full of smiles as she stood at the side and watched the two of them get at each other’s throats. They fought back and forth happily. Li Yu watched for a while and smiled as she entered the house to prepare a room for Li Qing.
After an hour, the two of them stopped. Li Yu smiled and said to the two of them, “Look at the two of you sweating. Go wash up. I’ll go cook a bowl of noodles for Ah Qing!”
Li Qing smiled and said, “Sister, I want to eat minced pork noodles!” Li Yu smiled and nodded. “Alright, I’ll make you minced pork noodles. Xiao Xi, do you want a bowl too?”
“Yes! I’ll have a bowl too!” Zhou Jia looked at Li Qing smugly. Li Qing followed behind Li Yu and walked toward the kitchen. He turned around and curled his lips at Zhou Jia. “Childish!”
“Little brat, you’re asking for a beating! How dare you say that your brother-in-law is childish!” Li Qing rolled his eyes. “You’re childish, to begin with! My sister cooked for me and conveniently made another bowl for you. To think you’re still so smug. Tell me, aren’t you childish!”
Zhou Jia went over and hugged Li Qing. “Good kid, I forgot to ask how you did! You didn’t even mention it. Is it not ideal?”
Li Qing looked at Zhou Jia. “Brother-in-law, Sister, I’m not very satisfied that I got second place in the school examination. I was too arrogant during the county examination and was too careful during the school examination. I got second place twice!”
Li Yu praised happily, “Ah Qing is not bad. You’re capable!”
Zhou Jia said to Li Qing, “After you’re done eating, follow me to check the papers. I’ll see what you did wrong!”
Li Qing quickly stood up and replied, “Yes, Brother-in-law.”
Li Yu couldn’t help but laugh when she saw Li Qing becoming respectful. She put down the dough in her hand and gave Zhou Jia a thumbs up. “Yes! Your teacher persona is still more powerful!” The two of them laughed when they heard that.
At dinner, Ruyi and Xiaoyu rushed back from the manor. After everyone greeted them excitedly, Li Qing smiled and congratulated Ruyi. “Congratulations, Brother Ruyi. My sister said that you’re going to be a father.”
Ruyi nodded happily. Xiaoyu smiled shyly and said, “Ah Qing, how are my parents and brother?”
“Good! They’re all very good!” Li Qing told Xiaoyu about her parents’ recent situation and said with a smile, “Big Sister Xiaoyu’s parents even asked me to bring things. Auntie He even made boots for Sister and Brother-in-law using deer skin. Aunt made shoes and clothes. Laidi knitted a sweater for Sister and made a few pairs of slippers for her. There’s also the New Year’s gift that Shopkeeper Chu brought. There’re a lot of things, they’re all in the bag!”
Everyone gathered together. Li Qing and Ah Lei explained the recent situation in the village before splitting up to rest.
Li Qing followed Zhou Jia to the government office the next day. As he studied, he learned to deal with various matters in the government office. Li Yu opened the two sacks of rice seeds that Li Qing had brought and took a look. She felt that the rice seeds were better than last year’s. After storing the rice seeds in the space, she began to organize the luggage and gifts that Li Qing had brought. She sorted out the clothes, shoes, and hats and placed them in order. Under the luggage bag, she saw a linen bag. Li Yu picked it up and opened it. Her eyes widened in surprise. Corn seeds. Where did Ah Qing get them from? After Li Yu picked them up and looked at them, she felt that they weighed about five kilograms. She excitedly brought the seeds to the front office to look for Li Qing.
Li Qing saw Li Yu rushing over with a linen bag and thought that something had happened. He hurriedly went forward and said, “Sister, why are you carrying a bag? Is there anything wrong?”
Li Yu asked excitedly, “Ah Qing, where did this come from? Do you know what it is?”
Li Qing opened the bag and took a look. “Oh! A foreigner gave this to Brother Ji Xiang. Brother Ji Xiang brought it back and told me that at that time, the foreigner gestured that it was something to eat. He thought that you would like it, so he brought it back and handed it to me. When I came here, I brought it to show you! I was so happy yesterday that I forgot to show it to you. Sister! Do you know what seed it is?”
Li Yu said ambiguously, “It should be a kind of grain seed. I’m not very sure. I’ll only know when I plant it next spring. Okay! Go ahead! If there’s anything you want to eat, I’ll make it for you!”
Li Qing smiled and said, “Anything is fine. I’m going to work.”
Li Yu walked back with the corn seeds and returned to the house to put the seeds into the space. She thought to herself, This is great. With seeds like corn that are not picky about the land, the farmers working with sandy soil and in the mountains can also have a full meal.
Li Yu brought people to distribute the flour and was about to fry the dough twists. When Old Madam Liu and Yu Niang saw Li Yu smiling, they teased, “Grandma Liu, look at Madam. Ever since Young Master Ah Qing came, she’s been so happy that her mouth can’t close!”
Old Madam Liu smiled and said, “Of course! Madam’s brother came all the way to see Madam. How can she not be happy!”
“Yes, your Madam is very happy! Hurry up and fry the dough for the new year!” Li Yu smiled and took the noodles that Yu Niang had kneaded. After rolling them, she cut them and rolled a few for the two of them to see. The two of them quickly learned.
Li Yu poured a few catties of vegetable oil into the pot. After heating it up, she began to fry the fried doughnuts. After the fried doughnuts were done, she began to fry the crispy meat, oil, and beans. She also fried the beans and southern melon seeds. Li Yu thought to herself, “Why aren’t there melon seeds and peanuts here? If I can find melon seeds and peanut seeds, selling stir-fried goods will be a good business!”
202 Corn Seeds
“Yes! I got someone to call him over.” The siblings walked towards the backyard hand in hand. After sitting down in the backyard, Ah Lei entered the house and bowed happily. “Madam, I’m here too!”
Li Yu turned to look at Ah Lei and smiled. “Ah Lei is here too! Oh! You’ve grown taller. Hurry up and go in. Ah Wei is in the vegetable garden at the back.”
Ah Lei rubbed his head happily and asked in confusion, “Madam, who is Ah Wei? Is it Ah Gou?”
“Yes, it’s Ah Gou. Your young master named him.”
Ah Lei looked at Li Qing resentfully and said with a bitter expression, “Young Master, look, Ah Gou already has a new name, but you don’t even want to give me one!”
Li Qing knocked on Ah Lei and smiled. “Isn’t it good that you’re called Yang Lei? Why do you want to change your name?”
“Hehe.” Ah Lei smiled foolishly. “If Young Master says it’s good, it’s definitely good! I’ll go find Ah Gou.”
Li Qing told Li Yu about Zhaodi getting married next year. Li Yu thought of Zhaodi’s gentle and cute appearance and smiled. “Zhaodi is married. Next is Laidi. Ah Qing, what kind of wife do you want to marry?”
“Sister! Why are you always talking about taking a wife? I’m still young! Let’s talk about it after I get an academic title!”
Zhou Jia strode in from the courtyard and pointed at Li Qing. He laughed and said, “Come over and show Brother-in-law if you’ve grown stronger!”
Li Qing walked forward and bowed. “Brother-in-law, you’ve lost weight!”
Zhou Jia complained, “Sigh! Your brother-in-law is so busy every day. You’re here to help him! But we have to spar first and see who has improved!”
“Alright! I’ll stay at home and practice!” The two of them walked towards the middle of the courtyard and started gesturing. Li Yu was full of smiles as she stood at the side and watched the two of them get at each other’s throats. They fought back and forth happily. Li Yu watched for a while and smiled as she entered the house to prepare a room for Li Qing.
After an hour, the two of them stopped. Li Yu smiled and said to the two of them, “Look at the two of you sweating. Go wash up. I’ll go cook a bowl of noodles for Ah Qing!”
Li Qing smiled and said, “Sister, I want to eat minced pork noodles!” Li Yu smiled and nodded. “Alright, I’ll make you minced pork noodles. Xiao Xi, do you want a bowl too?”
“Yes! I’ll have a bowl too!” Zhou Jia looked at Li Qing smugly. Li Qing followed behind Li Yu and walked toward the kitchen. He turned around and curled his lips at Zhou Jia. “Childish!”
“Little brat, you’re asking for a beating! How dare you say that your brother-in-law is childish!” Li Qing rolled his eyes. “You’re childish, to begin with! My sister cooked for me and conveniently made another bowl for you. To think you’re still so smug. Tell me, aren’t you childish!”
Zhou Jia went over and hugged Li Qing. “Good kid, I forgot to ask how you did! You didn’t even mention it. Is it not ideal?”
Li Qing looked at Zhou Jia. “Brother-in-law, Sister, I’m not very satisfied that I got second place in the school examination. I was too arrogant during the county examination and was too careful during the school examination. I got second place twice!”
Li Yu praised happily, “Ah Qing is not bad. You’re capable!”
Zhou Jia said to Li Qing, “After you’re done eating, follow me to check the papers. I’ll see what you did wrong!”
Li Qing quickly stood up and replied, “Yes, Brother-in-law.”
Li Yu couldn’t help but laugh when she saw Li Qing becoming respectful. She put down the dough in her hand and gave Zhou Jia a thumbs up. “Yes! Your teacher persona is still more powerful!” The two of them laughed when they heard that.
At dinner, Ruyi and Xiaoyu rushed back from the manor. After everyone greeted them excitedly, Li Qing smiled and congratulated Ruyi. “Congratulations, Brother Ruyi. My sister said that you’re going to be a father.”
Ruyi nodded happily. Xiaoyu smiled shyly and said, “Ah Qing, how are my parents and brother?”
“Good! They’re all very good!” Li Qing told Xiaoyu about her parents’ recent situation and said with a smile, “Big Sister Xiaoyu’s parents even asked me to bring things. Auntie He even made boots for Sister and Brother-in-law using deer skin. Aunt made shoes and clothes. Laidi knitted a sweater for Sister and made a few pairs of slippers for her. There’s also the New Year’s gift that Shopkeeper Chu brought. There’re a lot of things, they’re all in the bag!”
Everyone gathered together. Li Qing and Ah Lei explained the recent situation in the village before splitting up to rest.
Li Qing followed Zhou Jia to the government office the next day. As he studied, he learned to deal with various matters in the government office. Li Yu opened the two sacks of rice seeds that Li Qing had brought and took a look. She felt that the rice seeds were better than last year’s. After storing the rice seeds in the space, she began to organize the luggage and gifts that Li Qing had brought. She sorted out the clothes, shoes, and hats and placed them in order. Under the luggage bag, she saw a linen bag. Li Yu picked it up and opened it. Her eyes widened in surprise. Corn seeds. Where did Ah Qing get them from? After Li Yu picked them up and looked at them, she felt that they weighed about five kilograms. She excitedly brought the seeds to the front office to look for Li Qing.
Li Qing saw Li Yu rushing over with a linen bag and thought that something had happened. He hurriedly went forward and said, “Sister, why are you carrying a bag? Is there anything wrong?”
Li Yu asked excitedly, “Ah Qing, where did this come from? Do you know what it is?”
Li Qing opened the bag and took a look. “Oh! A foreigner gave this to Brother Ji Xiang. Brother Ji Xiang brought it back and told me that at that time, the foreigner gestured that it was something to eat. He thought that you would like it, so he brought it back and handed it to me. When I came here, I brought it to show you! I was so happy yesterday that I forgot to show it to you. Sister! Do you know what seed it is?”
Li Yu said ambiguously, “It should be a kind of grain seed. I’m not very sure. I’ll only know when I plant it next spring. Okay! Go ahead! If there’s anything you want to eat, I’ll make it for you!”
Li Qing smiled and said, “Anything is fine. I’m going to work.”
Li Yu walked back with the corn seeds and returned to the house to put the seeds into the space. She thought to herself, This is great. With seeds like corn that are not picky about the land, the farmers working with sandy soil and in the mountains can also have a full meal.
Li Yu brought people to distribute the flour and was about to fry the dough twists. When Old Madam Liu and Yu Niang saw Li Yu smiling, they teased, “Grandma Liu, look at Madam. Ever since Young Master Ah Qing came, she’s been so happy that her mouth can’t close!”
Old Madam Liu smiled and said, “Of course! Madam’s brother came all the way to see Madam. How can she not be happy!”
“Yes, your Madam is very happy! Hurry up and fry the dough for the new year!” Li Yu smiled and took the noodles that Yu Niang had kneaded. After rolling them, she cut them and rolled a few for the two of them to see. The two of them quickly learned.
Li Yu poured a few catties of vegetable oil into the pot. After heating it up, she began to fry the fried doughnuts. After the fried doughnuts were done, she began to fry the crispy meat, oil, and beans. She also fried the beans and southern melon seeds. Li Yu thought to herself, “Why aren’t there melon seeds and peanuts here? If I can find melon seeds and peanut seeds, selling stir-fried goods will be a good business!”
