12dz Chapter 236 It's Gone Moldy
Chapter 236 It's Gone Moldy
"Wow...we can finally move to the county! That's great! I don't have to wait until Chinese New Year to go play anymore..." Xiaoyu clapped her hands and cheered happily.
Liu chuckled and said, "You... all you know how to do is play. Your older sister is only two years older than you, but she's much more sensible. We're able to earn money thanks to your older sister for helping our parents come up with ideas."
“Xiaoyu is still young, it’s understandable that she likes to play. Xiaotang is just too sensible, which makes Xiaoyu seem playful. Children are children, so we shouldn’t be too strict with them.” Liu Cai’er folded a pile of clothes and spoke up for Xiaoyu with a smile.
She thought Xiaoyu was well-behaved and very cute, and she was also very considerate to her parents. She really wanted a daughter, and she would like her no matter if she looked like Xiaoyu or Xiaotang.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. She gave birth to two sons, but both were influenced by her former mother-in-law and neither of them was close to her or willing to listen to her.
It's inexplicably disheartening!
Xiaoyu immediately quieted down, looking pitiful like a child who had done something wrong.
She twisted her fingers and said, "Mother, I'm sorry. My older sister is very smart, but I'm too stupid. I can't do business like her. But luckily, she's good at it. We'll just follow her."
Liu disagreed, scolding, "No matter how capable your older sister is, she's still just a little girl. We can't rely on her for everything. If there are too many things to do and the burden is too heavy, her little body won't be able to handle it in the long run."
Liu Cai'er chimed in, "Yes, your mother is right. Your older sister worked so hard to find a shop to rent in the county, hoping to move there with us. What if we rely on her for everything and she gets exhausted?"
Xiaoyu thought about it and felt that what her mother and aunt said made sense. In fact, her older sister was not much older than her, only a year or two younger. However, her older sister had been sensible and capable since she was a child. When her parents were not at home and her stepmother beat and scolded her, it was her older sister who protected her.
It's possible that because her older sister always protected her, she thought her older sister was amazing and could do anything. She believed that as long as she and her parents followed her older sister, they could live a good life.
"It's my fault for not caring enough about my sister."
She pouted, her eyes reddened, and she almost cried.
Lin Xiaotang reached out and rubbed her younger sister's head. "It's okay. I'm happy for you to rely on me. As long as I'm here, I'll make sure everyone has a good life."
Xiaoyu nodded, then quickly shook her head.
"I will listen to my older sister from now on."
Lin Xiaotang thought her younger sister was soft and cute. This year, the family was better off and the food was more plentiful. Xiaoyu had grown from a thin and sallow little girl into a fair, chubby, and adorable little girl. Her round face made people want to reach out and pinch her cheeks.
"Good Xiaoyu, you've always been very obedient. Your older sister likes you very much."
Xiaoyu stopped crying and started laughing, suddenly blowing a snot bubble, which made everyone laugh.
It took everyone about an hour to pack up all the clothes and shoes, and also to organize the daily necessities, and put the pots and pans in the yard.
Lin Qingchuan braised pig's trotters while tidying up, sweating profusely as he sighed heavily.
"Phew, finally all done!"
My wife is heavily pregnant; folding a few clothes is fine, but packing heavy things is absolutely out of the question.
Xiao Jiu and Shen Qianchuan shared a room and slept in the same bed. They each only had two sets of clothes and one quilt, so there wasn't much to pack. They could just roll everything up when they got up tomorrow.
After being divorced by her husband's family, Liu Cai'er came alone with nothing, so her belongings were even simpler. She only had two changes of clothes that her younger sister had sewed for her, and even the quilts belonged to Xiao Tang and Xiao Yu. Recently, she had been sleeping with the two maids and sharing a quilt.
Lin Xiaotang was alright; she didn't have much stuff in her room. But Xiaoyu had several sets of clothes and shoes, a bunch of trinkets, and a whole cloth bag full of odds and ends that weren't worth much.
What's most shocking is that she had let the snacks her father and older sister used to bring back for her from the county go moldy.
Lin Xiaotang thought it was a dead rat, and was so frightened that she slapped it out of Xiaoyu's hand.
She only saw clearly when the things fell to the ground and scattered.
A string of candied hawthorns, with only one left wrapped in paper; half a piece of candy bitten off; a small piece of broken pastry; a sugar cake with only a few bites left; half a steamed bun…
I don't know when she put it under the bed. When I took it out, it was covered in long, grayish-green mold, and it looked disgusting.
"Oh dear, how come all of these have gone moldy? Xiaoyu, why didn't you finish them before leaving them here? It's such a waste!"
These were all things that Xiaoyu couldn't bear to finish eating. She kept a little of each one and put them all together, thinking she would save them to eat slowly. She never expected that one day they would get moldy.
Before she could figure out what was going on, her older sister slapped it away, and she burst into tears.
"Sister, why did you swat these away? I couldn't bear to finish them. Every time I thought I'd finish them, I'd just glance at them before putting them under the bed. You have no idea how long I've been holding back. Now they're all dirty. What am I going to do with them?"
Lin Xiaotang's eyes widened in shock. She asked incredulously, "The fur has grown so long. Are you sure you look at it often?"
Actually, Xiaoyu couldn't resist eating things lately. She put everything in her mouth and licked it. Plus, the weather was hot, and there was saliva on it, so her fur grew faster.
Liu Cai'er comforted her, "Xiaoyu, your sister is only doing this for your own good. These moldy things are already spoiled, and eating them will upset your stomach. They have to be thrown away no matter what. Your sister did nothing wrong by brushing them off for you, so don't blame her."
"Auntie will get a broom and clear everything away right away. You all hurry up and pack your things. Tomorrow, after we deliver the braised pig's trotters to the restaurant, your father and Uncle Shuisheng will drive the cart to transport the goods there. Then we can stay in the county, which will save us the trouble of traveling back and forth."
"Auntie, don't worry about it, I'll take care of it."
Lin Xiaotang immediately ran to the yard, picked up a broom, went back to the room, swept away the moldy things on the ground, and threw them into the ash pit.
Liu Cai'er carefully helped Xiaoyu pack her things out, picked out the useless items, and after discussing it with Xiaoyu, threw them all away.
By the time they finished their work, it was already late at night, and Lin Qingchuan had almost finished braising the pig's trotters.
They quickly packed up, and being exhausted and sleepy, they soon drifted off to sleep.
The next day, before dawn, Lin Qingchuan took Xiaotang and the braised pig's trotters to Dushui County, and then unloaded Xiaotang and the large empty basin from the carriage into the newly rented shop.
Shuisheng already knew about the move to the county today, so he and Xiao Jiu rode at full speed to deliver the braised pig's trotters to Fuqing Restaurant in Pingding County.
After returning to Qinghe Town and sending Xiao Jiu back to the Lin family, he drove the carriage back to Guihua Village to pack his things, bringing his mother along as well.
They drove the carriage back and forth twice, and only managed to bring half of the goods. There were still many things they couldn't bring over yet.
With no other option, they could only move the important items to the shop first, and send the large pot of braised pig's trotters and all the seasonings from home to the county to be stored in the backyard of the shop.