Chapter 76: The Start of Longing

Before Qin Ying could speak, Aunt Zhao interjected first, “Alright! I’ll agree on Yingzi’s behalf! But you know how it is these days—we’re so busy our heels are hitting the backs of our heads, there’s simply no time right now.

“How about this? When winter comes and things slow down, you send Dashuan over to learn to read with Huzi. How does that sound?”

“Sounds great, sounds great!” the woman beamed with joy. “Why wouldn’t it? I’m already grateful that you’re willing to teach!

“Um, I heard that learning to read with a teacher usually requires paying a fee. We don’t have much right now, but we do have some grain at home… How about I weigh out some soybeans and make you a slab of tofu?”

Qin Ying chuckled lightly and said, “Since I’m teaching Huzi anyway, there’s no need to be so formal. But, Auntie, I should say this upfront.

“If Dashuan learns quickly, it’s because he’s smart and picks things up easily. But if he learns slowly, it’s because I lack experience and don’t know how to teach. Please don’t blame me.”

“Oh, what kind of talk is that!” Aunt Chen waved her hand dismissively. “I already said, as long as Dashuan doesn’t grow up to be a blind fool, I’m happy!

“Who doesn’t know what kind of rascal my boy is? Yingzi, I’m counting on you. However much you can teach him, I’ll be grateful!”

Only then did Qin Ying feel at ease.

Then, someone else wanted to send their daughter over to keep Qin Ying company. “We’re not even asking her to learn to read. For girls, literacy isn’t all that important.

“I just think Yingzi’s needlework is absolutely flawless!

“Let’s not talk about the past. Now that things are looking up, my Er’ya is about ready to be matched with a husband. If her sewing improves, maybe she’ll get a better match…”

She cast a glance at Aunt Zhao and sighed softly. “I know, your skills were passed down from your family, not something easily taught.

“So I won’t expect Er’ya to learn your true skills. As long as she improves a bit, I’m satisfied.

“Third Granny doesn’t have much, but Er’ya’s mother left her a pair of silver bracelets as part of her dowry. No matter how hard life got, we never thought of selling them. They’re something her mother left behind.

“Now Third Granny is giving one of them to you. What do you think…”

“Third Granny, I can’t accept that!” Qin Ying hurriedly refused. “Once I’m less busy, just let Er’ya come over. I’ll be making clothes for An’an anyway, it’s no trouble to help her at the same time.”

As she spoke, Third Granny couldn’t help but burst into tears. Others around her also felt the sorrow and shed a few tears themselves.

Third Granny’s married surname was Wang. In Tongshu Village, the most common surnames were Wang, Chen, and Feng.

Granny Wang wasn’t much older than Aunt Zhao. She had married young and had a higher seniority, but she had a bitter life. She gave birth at fifteen and lost her husband at sixteen. She raised her son with great difficulty. Just as life began to stabilize—with a daughter-in-law and a granddaughter—the drought came.

Her daughter-in-law went back to her parents’ home to borrow food but didn’t return after three days. Her son went to fetch her but also vanished. Granny Wang asked relatives to inquire and found out that the daughter-in-law’s family hadn’t even seen her. The couple had simply disappeared.

Later, when rumors of cannibalism spread, people began to suspect that they had been captured and eaten.

Only Granny Wang and her ten-year-old granddaughter remained.

After discussing all this, the mother and daughter returned to the field to handle the soybeans.

The soybean stalks had been spread out and dried. They used a roller to crush them repeatedly, and the beans would pop out of their pods.

After separating the stalks, they dried the beans again, and then crushed the stalks a second time…

They did this until all the beans were bagged and brought home.

Everyone was busy. Helping out at the Zhao household was only occasional. There were still heaps of corn to be processed by the mother and daughter.

They put on straw hats, sat on small stools, and started peeling corn. The green husks were thrown to the rabbits to gnaw on, and any worms they found were saved in a broken bowl to feed the chickens next door.

With just the two of them left, meals became simple. Their only goal was to finish peeling the corn quickly.

The cleaned corn was laid out in large baskets and on the open ground in the courtyard to dry. The husks were placed outside the courtyard to dry and would later be used as firewood for cooking.

With good weather, two days of sun-drying would make the corn crispy enough to bag.

Once bagged, they carried it straight into the cellar.

The two piles of corn were taller than a grown man. The mother and daughter began peeling at dawn before the sun even rose and didn’t stop until nightfall when they could no longer see. It took them three or four days to finish.

During that time, they also fetched water twice to water the vegetable patch and took turns working a day in the village fields.

People couldn’t help asking how much the three acres had yielded. Aunt Zhao only said, “We were working so hard we didn’t even weigh it!

“Well, whatever. We harvested more, so that’s more to eat!”

Other villagers cheerfully chimed in, “Seeing how well it turned out for you, we got motivated too. We’ve all marked out our plots! As soon as the autumn harvest ends, we’re planting wheat.

“Other villages are also farming now, and with Lord Zhou getting rid of the bandits, we can farm without worry!”

Mentioning Zhou Yu, someone inevitably added, “Lord Zhou’s been gone a while this time, hasn’t he? When will he be back?”

“Yeah, without him here, we always feel uneasy.”

“Don’t be so selfish! Lord Zhou doesn’t just care for our village! Qinxian County is huge! We’re already blessed to have had his help this much!”

Regardless of others’ chatter, once he was mentioned, Aunt Zhao and Qin Ying could no longer suppress the longing they had been holding back.

Later, when it was just the two of them cleaning the rabbit hutch in the courtyard, Aunt Zhao couldn’t help but sigh, “I wonder when Huzi and An’an will be back? Kids forget things easily. I’m so afraid that An’an will forget about her grandma after being away for so long!”

“How could that be!” Qin Ying quickly replied. “Our An’an isn’t ungrateful like that!”

“I know!” Aunt Zhao sighed. “Our An’an is the best child in the world. But it’s been such a long time…”

Qin Ying’s eyes reddened. “I even dream about An’an…”

“That’s just how mothers are—always worrying,” Aunt Zhao now comforted her in return. “Though Huzi can be careless, Lord Zhou is reliable. He’ll surely take good care of An’an.

“She’s at that age where she’s growing fast. When she comes back, she’ll probably have shot up. None of her old clothes will fit.

“Since we’ve got a bit of free time these days, you should dig out her padded clothes from last year and alter them. Don’t let her go cold when the weather changes.”

Qin Ying quickly agreed, “Yes, I was thinking the same.” Suddenly she paused. “Mom, is this rabbit about to give birth?”

Aunt Zhao came over to look. “It sure is! Hurry, move her to the new hutch. The newborns are delicate—don’t let the other rabbits step on them!”

The two of them carefully moved the pregnant rabbit to the newly built hutch. Fortunately, they had experience with rabbit births, so everything went smoothly. This litter had a total of seven baby rabbits.