The next day.
Gu Jinchen had gone out to work in the fields early, while Luo Ge had injured her lower back and couldn't get up.
How did she get injured? Oh, Gu Jinchen had hurt her.
When did it happen? Yesterday, but it wouldn't be appropriate to go into more detail.
By the time Luo Ge woke up, it was almost noon already. She hurriedly prepared some dishes and sent them over to him.
The braised meat had already been finished by them over the past two days, but there was still a piece of pork left in the space, preserved and not yet cooked.
"Older Baby, can you and your younger brother go to Granny Dou's place and help your aunt buy two blocks of tofu?" She took out a few copper coins and gently said to the little one.
Granny Dou's family sold tofu, and their tofu was very fresh and tender. People in the village usually bought tofu from her.
Although the weather had turned a bit cooler these past few days, it was still quite hot, especially when working in the fields, which would make it even hotter.
Fearing the heat might spoil their appetites, she planned to make a flavorful mapo tofu dish to go with the rice.
"Okay, Older Baby will go right away," Granny Dou's place was right next to Han Grandpa's house, they went there often.
"Good, be careful."
After reminding the two little ones, she took out the meat, red and green peppers, and some lettuce from the space once they had left.
While the little ones were out, she first stir-fried the peppers with the meat, leaving a small portion to be minced for the mapo tofu later.
The lettuce was washed and prepared, and she added some crushed garlic to the wok with the oil leftover from stir-frying the meat, sautéing it until fragrant, then adding the lettuce and stir-frying it.
Once the lettuce had changed color and softened, she added some chicken bouillon and salt before taking it off the heat.
Seeing that the two little ones still hadn't returned, she first added the seasoning for the mapo tofu and stir-fried the minced meat.
"Little Auntie, we've brought the tofu back," the two little ones returned just as the aroma started to come out.
"Good, wipe off your sweat first, your auntie will make the tofu and then we can eat."
The two little ones must have been worried that she would be anxiously waiting for them, as they had run all the way back, drenched in sweat.
"Okay."
She washed and cut the tofu into small pieces, putting it into the wok with the minced meat to simmer for a while.
Once it boiled, she could add soy sauce, salt, sprinkle some scallions, and dish it up.
"Little Auntie, Granny Dou charged two coppers for two blocks of tofu, here's the change."
While Luo Ge was portioning out the food for Gu Jinchen, Older Baby returned the remaining two copper coins to her.
"This is a reward for Older Baby and Second Baby, keep it. You can use it to buy something for yourselves when we go to town later." She divided the copper coins between the two of them.
Hearing this, Older Baby and Second Baby exchanged a glance, staring wide-eyed at Luo Ge, as if they wanted to keep the coins but were also hesitant. After thinking about it, they still gave the copper coins back to Luo Ge.
"Little Auntie, Older Baby doesn't want to buy food. Let's keep it for household use, let's save it to repair the courtyard."
"Yeah, Second Baby doesn't want food either."
They knew their family was poor, their uncle and aunt always wore patched clothes, and the courtyard had been in disrepair for a long time without any repairs.
Many people said their family was poor.
They were still young and didn't have anything they wanted to buy, so it was better to save the money to repair the house.
Upon hearing this, Luo Ge couldn't help but turn her head to look at the dilapidated little courtyard: "......" It did seem like it needed some repairs.
But she still resolutely put the copper coins back into their little pockets: "Keep it, we have the money to repair the courtyard, you don't need to worry about that."
Children still need their own pocket money.
Back when she lived in a small farmhouse courtyard, she used to hear those villagers gossiping, saying things like the children in her family were misbehaved and stole money and so on.
She believed that these two little ones were very sensible and would never do such things, but this kind of situation also reflected the fact that children didn't have any personal allowance.
So it was better to give them a little allowance from the start, even though it wouldn't be much. She could slowly reward them bit by bit, and they could save it up.
This could also help train their initiative.
Besides, everyone needs private money for personal matters, there will always be occasions when pocket money comes in handy.
Hearing Luo Ge say this, the two little ones widened their eyes: "Really? Do we really have money to repair the courtyard?"
"Yes, really, why would your auntie lie to you? We'll discuss it with your uncle later and have him find someone to do the repairs."
They definitely had the money for courtyard repairs, let alone rebuilding an entire courtyard or buying a new one.
"Okay then, thank you Little Auntie."
"Second Baby will save it, and get something yummy for Little Auntie later!"
Seeing Luo Ge say this, the two little ones were reassured and obediently took back the copper coins.
"Good, your auntie will wait for Second Baby's yummy treat."
"And Older Baby's too!" Older Baby chimed in from the side, of course he couldn't be outdone by his younger brother as the elder one.
"Yes, your auntie is waiting for both of you."
"Do you want to eat at home or go join your uncle? Why don't we all take it and go accompany your uncle to eat together?" After looking at the dishes on the table, Luo Ge suggested.
"Okay."
"Alright, let's go find your uncle then."
"Okay."
She packed all the dishes into a food container, along with a pot of rice with more beans and less grains.
She carried the things behind, while the two little ones walked hand-in-hand in front, leaving a trail of laughter and chatter.
"Little Auntie, Uncle is over here!" The two little ones suddenly called out when they reached the fields.
"Husband!" Hearing their voices, Luo Ge called out from afar and saw the person in the distance faintly freeze for a moment in her peripheral vision.
She had thought their family was the only one that hadn't finished planting yet, but it seemed there was another family nearby who hadn't finished either.
Looking at the back view of that woman over there, Luo Ge felt like she seemed quite familiar.
Hearing the voice, Gu Jinchen's originally cold expression instantly melted into a smile, but then he frowned slightly.
"Why did you come out in this scorching heat?"
"I was afraid you'd be too busy to remember to come back, so we came over."
Hearing Luo Ge's words, Gu Jinchen felt a pang in his heart, he had indeed almost forgotten the time.
"Come on up, I brought some food, let's eat together." Finding a shady and level spot, Luo Ge said.
"Okay." Since his wife had said so, what else could he say? He washed his hands and feet clean in the small stream by the field ditch before coming over.
"I made mapo tofu, it's very filling, want to try some?" Seeing him approach, Luo Ge opened the food container, and a fragrant aroma immediately wafted out.
Li Zhaodi's family couldn't help but turn their heads to take a look.
"Jinchen's wife has even come, why hasn't our mother-in-law come yet?" Seeing this, Li Zhaodi's uncle muttered.
"Not to mention, that aroma really smells good. Jinchen is truly blessed." Li Zhaodi's husband Gu Dawei also commented after hearing his elder brother.
Li Zhaodi heard this and her face instantly darkened, even though her brother-in-law Gu Dayong had also chimed in.
"Yeah, I feel like just smelling that aroma would be enough for me to finish three bowls of rice."
Li Zhaodi's in-laws were also part of the Gu clan, her father-in-law was called Gu Tiesheng, and Gu Jinchen had to address him as Uncle Sheng.
Uncle Sheng's eldest son was Gu Dayong, and his second son was Li Zhaodi's husband Gu Dawei.
Ever since that incident last time, Li Zhaodi had started to dislike Luo Ge. Now hearing her own husband and brother-in-law praise the other woman, she felt even more infuriated.
She angrily threw the seedlings in her hand onto the ground, splashing water all over the two men, and without a word, she buried her head back into the field.
Uncle Sheng, who was working in the fields, furrowed his brow upon seeing this.
Li Zhaodi's mother-in-law and Gu Dayong's wife had arrived just in time to witness this scene: "Li Zhaodi! What are you doing!"
"Did our Dayong and Dawei, or even these seedlings, offend you somehow?"
Gu Dayong and Gu Dawei were equally bewildered.
Seeing the expression on his wife's face, as if someone owed her a few hundred thousand taels of silver, Gu Dawei's face darkened.
But considering they were out in public, he didn't say much else.
"Mom, perhaps we've come too late? The younger sister must be hungry?" Gu Dayong's wife, a simple-minded and straightforward woman, said innocently upon seeing the situation.
She herself would feel grumpy when hungry.
"How could she be hungry at this hour? She's the only one working, while I still have to handle so many chores at home?" The more Uncle Sheng's Mother spoke, the angrier she became.
As they were on the same path, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were now standing next to Luo Ge, Gu Jinchen, and the others, who could only look on awkwardly.
"Uncle Sheng's Mother, Sister-in-law." Luo Ge greeted them when the conversation paused.
Upon seeing Luo Ge and the others, Uncle Sheng's Mother immediately suppressed her angry expression and revealed a smile.
"Are Jinchen and Jinchen's wife having a meal?"
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Mother, I didn't notice you earlier. Please, you all eat first. I've already sent food to Dayong and the others at their field."
Without waiting for Luo Ge and the others to respond further, she led Gu Dayong's wife towards their family's field.
