"Vixen."
Li Zhaodi arrived later, just in time to catch a glimpse of Luo Ge's departing back.
Hearing the surrounding aunts commenting on how beautiful Luo Ge looked, she couldn't help but utter those words softly.
Elder Sister Xiu Niang happened to be standing beside her and, upon hearing her words, gave Li Zhaodi a quick glance, frowning slightly.
...........
"What?" The man was visibly stunned, and the two little ones also looked up at her, dumbfounded.
Luo Ge: "???" Why are they all reacting so strangely?
"I said, the village is planning to open a school, right? I'm thinking of sending Older Baby and Second Baby there."
Afraid she might forget amidst her busyness, Luo Ge brought up the idea of sending Older Baby and Second Baby to school as soon as Gu Jinchen and the others returned home.
But she didn't expect that after she said it, they would all stare at her with such bewildered expressions.
Upon hearing this, Gu Jinchen exchanged a glance with the two little ones: "Wife, are you serious about this?"
"Little Auntie, can Older Baby (Second Baby) really go to school?"
"Of course! Our Older Baby and Second Baby are both very smart. It would be such a waste not to send them to study."
The first sentence was directed at Gu Jinchen, and the latter two were for the little ones.
"Don't you want to go?" Seeing their reactions, she wondered aloud.
The two little ones quickly shook their heads: "No, no."
They wanted to, very much.
"Then why are you reacting like this after I mentioned it?" Luo Ge was puzzled.
"No, I just thought..." Upon hearing Luo Ge's words, Gu Jinchen rubbed his nose, a little embarrassed to speak.
"Thought what?"
Observing their demeanor, Luo Ge seemed to understand something, her face freezing.
"What kind of person do you think I am? Am I that petty?"
"Big Brother and Big Sister-in-law aren't here, and my husband and I are like parents to Older Baby and Second Baby."
"After all this time together, can't you tell what kind of person I am?"
Although they live in separate quarters, the two little ones have been raised by us as if they were our own children.
Moreover, we have the responsibility to raise them well. Putting aside the blood relation, just consider this courtyard and these fields.
With Big Brother and the others gone, what belongs to the main house now belongs to these two little ones. In other words, half of the Gu family's assets now belong to them.
Although we are raising them, the two little ones are not living off us for free.
Hearing Luo Ge's words, the three of them hung their heads.
"Wife, I'm sorry."
"Sorry, Little Auntie, please don't be angry." The two little ones also quickly apologized.
They had indeed thought that way because traditionally, living in separate quarters was like being separated by a ditch.
Many people in the village said that once the younger uncle remarries, if they have a younger brother, they won't treat the older nephews well.
In situations like the Gu family, many wives would be resentful, thinking 'it's one thing to raise someone else's children, but to even pay for their schooling? How extravagant!'
Gu Jinchen knew his wife was different from those people, but he was already content with how well she had treated the two little ones.
He truly never expected that his wife would even be willing to send them to school.
Luo Ge glanced at Gu Jinchen, then looked down at the little ones huddling with their heads bowed, and felt a pang of tenderness.
She bent down and ruffled their heads.
"Auntie's not angry. Auntie has always treated you both as if you were her own children."
"It hurts Auntie's feelings when you think of her that way."
"And Auntie believes that once Older Baby and Second Baby go to school and achieve success, you won't forget your Little Auntie, right?"
Hearing Luo Ge say that she treated them as her own children, the two little ones froze, their eyes reddening.
After hearing her latter statement, they nodded vigorously.
"Yes, Older Baby will never forget Little Auntie. Older Baby will study hard and make Little Auntie an Imperially-Conferred Lady!"
"Second Baby too, Second Baby will study a lot and earn lots and lots of money, and give it all to Little Auntie to spend!"
The childhood promises they wholeheartedly made, they kept for a lifetime.
They never broke their word to these uncle and aunt who were like parents to them.
Hearing the sincere and resolute words of the two little ones, Luo Ge let out a laugh and hugged them close.
"Good, Auntie will be waiting for Older Baby and Second Baby."
Gu Jinchen frowned slightly, opening his mouth as if he wanted to say, 'My wife, I'll provide for her myself, you don't need to earn money for her to spend.'
But seeing this heartwarming scene, he obediently remained silent.
After this touching moment passed, Older Baby suddenly remembered a very important matter, his little brow furrowed with worry.
"Little Auntie, maybe we shouldn't go to school after all?"
"Why?" Luo Ge was puzzled.
"Our family... doesn't have money." Second Baby seemed to understand his brother's concern and answered honestly after Luo Ge spoke.
The courtyard wasn't even repaired yet, how could they afford to go to school?
"It's better if we wait until Older Baby and Second Baby grow up and earn some money first, then we can go study," Older Baby said seriously after considering it.
Second Baby nodded in agreement.
"Pfft, you don't need to worry about that. We have money," Luo Ge couldn't help but laugh, turning to look at Gu Jinchen.
Look at you, always acting poor when you're actually well-off, making the little ones worry about having to earn money to study.
Gu Jinchen felt his wife's gaze and rubbed his nose awkwardly.
The two little ones stared wide-eyed, their expressions saying, 'Really? But the courtyard is still in shambles, and Uncle couldn't even afford to marry a wife before.'
Seeing their disbelief, Luo Ge ruffled their heads again.
"Auntie won't lie to you, don't worry."
Upon hearing this, the two little ones blinked a few times, then turned to look at their uncle.
"Don't worry, Uncle can afford to raise you."
The words he often said, the ones that made them feel most assured.
...By the afternoon, Gu Jinchen and the others had finished all the farm work.
With some free time, he helped Luo Ge sort through the dried fruit and clean the jars.
To save costs, Luo Ge bought large jars similar to wine jugs.
They were cheaper than the fancy small jars, and each jar could hold around ten pounds. This batch of dried fruit filled just over ten jars.
Using jars to store the fruit was better than using cloth bags because the airtight, dry space prevented the fruit from sticking together and spoiling.
...That evening, after the dried fruit was sun-dried, Luo Ge asked him to put it away first while she cooked dinner.
"Wife, it's all packed up. Should I put it in the hall?" Gu Jinchen called out to the kitchen after packing up the dried fruit.
"Yes, just put it in the hall. Li Shopkeeper and the others will probably come to collect it in the morning," Luo Ge responded while cooking, quickly scooping the stir-fried potato shreds in vinegar onto a plate.
"Husband, pack some in small jars too. Let's keep some for ourselves," she added after a thought.
Hmm... the portion they kept for themselves last time was already finished. Now she was feeling a little craving for it.
"Got it." Gu Jinchen complied, leaving behind more than half of the last large jar for themselves. Ten jars would be enough for Li Shopkeeper and the others.
This batch of fruit was a bit more sour than the ones from the mountain last time, so the resulting dried fruit was also slightly more tart. He noticed Luo Ge seemed to prefer this kind, so he left more for her.
