The scenery in the fields is beautiful in autumn.

　　It would take more than half a month for the rice in the paddy fields to be ripe. After applying fertilizer, the villagers went to the fields to take a look. They were relieved to see that the rice ears were forming, and there were no fewer than last year.

　　When applying fertilizer, the whole village was excited. After applying, they tossed and turned and couldn’t sleep. They were also afraid that the seedlings would not grow if the fertilizer was burned. It didn’t matter if it was useless, as long as there was rice, it was fine. This is what many people thought.

　　Li Zhouzhou and his husband carried baskets out of the village and met many villagers working in the fields along the way.

　　”Gu Shulang, where are you going, Zhou Zhou?”

　　”Let’s go back to my father-in-law’s house.” Li Zhouzhou now has some confidence in saying this. He listens to his husband. His husband said that he must show off his power when he goes to Gu’s house, otherwise both he and his husband will be bullied. If he passes the entrance exam in the future, he is afraid that his stepmother will take the opportunity to cause trouble.

　　Li Zhouzhou is not afraid of anything else. It’s okay for him to be a little tired and hard-working, but if she says something that is not good for his husband, that’s not acceptable.

　　The villagers felt uncomfortable when they first heard it, but now they are used to Li Zhouzhou saying that the Gu family is the in-law family.

　　Gu Shulang was not angry at all. He still held Li Zhouzhou’s hand happily.

　　”Gu Shulang, can you help me take a look at the rice in my paddy field? This piece has been fertilized, how can I tell the effect?”

　　Gu Zhao said, “Uncle, I am a layman in farming and my eyesight is not as good as yours. I really can’t tell if you ask me. Don’t worry, you will know when the harvest comes.”

　　”I know that’s the truth, but I’m still worried. Forget it. Just go ahead.”

　　Li Zhouzhou and his husband responded and continued walking. No one greeted them after they left the village. Gu Zhao thought that the villagers were obviously worried about the crops in the fields. Whether it was the words of the village chief or their simple nature, they did not let him take the blame or embarrass him.

　　However, Gu Zhao asked his father, and he learned that the rice in his family’s paddy fields was growing well, so there was no problem with the fertilizer.

　　When we arrived at Dongping Village, it happened to be dinner time and every household had their doors closed, which was a good way to avoid a string of polite responses.

　　When we arrived at Gu Si’s house, the gate was closed.

　　Gu Zhao raised his hand and knocked on the door. After a long while, Tiedan’s voice came from inside: “Who is it?” He hurriedly ran over and opened the door.

　　Tiedan hadn’t wiped the oil off his mouth yet. The family should have had meat for lunch, but when he saw his eldest brother and his wife coming back, he was busy preparing the meal, fearing that the meat would be eaten by Hutou. He called out to them while looking back.

　　”You go back and eat first, I’ll close the door.” Gu Zhao said to Tiedan.

　　”Okay.” Tiedan agreed and ran back. He heard his stepmother Li Guihua’s voice from the main room: “Who is it? How can you come here at this hour? You must have smelled something and came here to beg for food.”

　　Li Guihua thought it was someone in the village and said it in a humiliating way.

　　Tiedan ate some rice and said incoherently, “Big brother and sister-in-law.”

　　Li Guihua fell silent.

　　Li Zhouzhou and his husband went in to see the Gu family eating. There were only a few slices of cabbage and cucumber left in the coarse porcelain bowl. The meat had been eaten cleanly, and Hu Tou Tie Dan’s mouth was still greasy. Gu’s father was sitting beside them drinking tea.

　　Li Guihua wiped her mouth, stood up and said with a warm smile: “It seems like such a bad timing. I didn’t know you two were coming. This morning your father said he hadn’t seen meat for a long time, so at noon I fried a pot of vegetables with pork slices and lard. If I had known you two were coming, I would have waited for you to eat. Look at it now——”

　　What this means is that you two came at an unfortunate time and there is no rice or meat. If you are smart, just say you don’t want to eat/you have already eaten.

　　”If there is any meat left at home, I’ll go fry another one and let my mother do it instead.” Gu Zhao said with a smile.

　　Li Guihua: …

　　The smile on her face was blank, and she didn’t know what to say. Her hu tao was still saying that he hadn’t eaten enough meat and wanted to eat more, and asked if he could have some when his brother cooked. Li Guihua grinded her back teeth and slapped him hard on the head, “Eat, eat, eat like a pig. What kind of meat do we have? None.”

　　Gu Zhao was not really interested in eating the Gu family’s meat. He just wanted to argue with his stepmother first. If she had any excessive demands, he should think about it himself and not speak rashly. Now he smiled and said, “Zhou Zhou and I ate at home when we came here and we were not hungry. I was just joking.”

　　”How can that be? Mom will pour you some water. We have fresh dates at home. You and Zhou Zhou can sit down and eat them.” When Li Guihua heard that Gu Zhao didn’t want to eat meat anymore, she happily greeted him warmly again. Of course, she also remembered the “business”.