Chapter 40 Old Clothes

  At noon, of course, it was crowded with two tables. Ye Jia's family returned home and added five more people. Today, Sun Shi showed up, and it wasn't good to pretend to be ill anymore, so she also joined the table for dinner. Qi Zhen'er didn't want to make an exception for Hu Zi, so she called him out too. This added one more person.

  There wasn't enough room at one table, so they split into two tables. At one table sat Old Master Ye, the three Ye brothers - Shiwei, Sumu and Suqi - and even Little Huizi went to sit with them, making an exception by sitting next to Old Master Ye.

  On this side, a table was already quite crowded with Mao's three sisters-in-law, Ye Baiju's four sisters, and Qi Zhen'er.

  When Madam Mao brought the dishes to the table, her eyes kept glancing at Ye Shixian, with a sharp tone that was like a knife. Even if Ye Shixian reacted slowly and had thick skin, he still felt it and wondered what he did wrong to offend his wife who just came back?

  The farmer's meal is particular about being lively, without the rules of not speaking while eating and not speaking while sleeping. While cooking, Jiang's family was listless, but now they are spirited and energetic, one moment praising Mao's tomato scrambled eggs as good, and the next saying Sun's soup is well-cooked. The praise from her mouth comes out like it doesn't cost money.

  Ye Bai pulled Zila and whispered: "Third Aunt probably can't stand her terrible cooking skills herself."

  Qī Zhēn ér didn't dare to laugh, she actually had the same idea. These past few days, Jiang Shi's cooking, to be honest, wasn't even as good as hers. The flavor was either too salty or too bland, sometimes they even put sugar in instead of salt, and some dishes were boiled with water. Don't even get her started on the presentation, the rice was also cooked unevenly, sometimes dry, sometimes wet. These past few days eating Jiang Shi's cooking was truly a miserable experience. Otherwise, Ye Bai Ju wouldn't have kept mentioning Mao Shi in front of her.

  Mrs. Mao picked up a large chicken leg and handed it to her daughter-in-law's bowl, and her daughter-in-law Du Yun smiled at her. Mrs. Mao then picked up another large chicken leg and extended it towards Jiang Shi, who happily held out her bowl to receive it.

  Mao's mother slid her bowl over and handed the chicken leg into Qizhen's bowl.

  Qī Zhēnér looked at the chicken leg in her bowl, stunned for a moment, then hastily thanked Máo Shì.

  "Jian'er helped her mother-in-law feed the pigs and chickens, she has made contributions, this is a reward for you. I heard that you had a serious illness recently, poor thing, good child so thin and weak, take good care of yourself."

  Zi heard it and understood that this was a clever person. No wonder Ye Baiju admired her elder sister-in-law so much. Today, she took the opportunity to make a big fuss with Ye Baiju and mentioned her plan to build a house, just to see if Mao Shi was a clever person or not. Unexpectedly, Mao Shi was not only clever but also knew how to yield and adapt, knowing that she had misunderstood her in the morning and now came to make amends. Moreover, Mao Shi said that the chicken legs were for her to nourish her body, so others couldn't refute it. This chicken was said to be caught by Du Yun's family and given to her as a pregnant woman to nourish her body, she had no opinion, and others had even less right to speak.

  "Thank you, Auntie," Qizhen'er said sweetly. Although sometimes she felt uncomfortable acting cute at the age of ten, it had to be admitted that whatever kids did was adorable in the eyes of adults.

  Jiang picked up his bowl with a scowl. Before he could gather his lost mood, a chicken wing had fallen into his bowl.

  "Second sister, third sister, you've all been troubled by household chores these days. Have some chicken wings and let me treat you well." Mrs. Mao said with a smile. She also picked out a few pieces of good meat for each of the four Ye sisters, and everyone was busy thanking her.

  Zi Zhen'er couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration, thinking that Mao's sister-in-law was truly doing her job well, being impartial and fair to everyone. Moreover, she could also keep all the people under her in line, including Jiang Shi who loved to take advantage of others, which was really not an easy feat.

  The craftsmanship of the Mao family's cooking is indeed very good. Especially that dish of mushroom stewed mother chicken, the taste is quite good, it makes people who have been eating Jiang's steamed buns for several days feel like they are having a delicious meal. Even home-cooked dishes such as lettuce stir-fried with bean skin, home-cooked tofu, and hyacinth bean stir-fried with lean meat all smell particularly fragrant.

  Qī Zhēnér ate a full big bowl of rice today, and had a satisfying meal. Looking at Yè Bái zhǐ rubbing her belly, she smiled with pursed lips.

  After lunch, Qizhen'er and Ye Baijiu, the four sisters, cleaned up the tableware, washed and swept these, while others went back to rest.

  It's unclear whether it was because they had gotten used to doing these things over the past few days, or if it was because the Mao family had returned, but Ye Baihe and Ye Baixi were actually fighting over who got to do the chores, leaving Qi Zhen'er slightly shocked.

  Qī Zhēnér and Yè Bái zhǐ were assigned to wash dishes. Because this oily work, the little girls didn't want to get their hands dirty. Qī Zhēnér had done these things before and was used to it, so she didn't have any special feelings about it. Besides, she never had a concept of pampering herself. Before, at Qījiā Zhuāng, there were no conditions for it, and at Qī Fǔ, there were no opportunities, so whatever task was assigned to her, she would do it without complaint.

  Ye Baiji and Qi Zhener are doing the same chore. Originally, it should have been Ye Baimei, the elder sister, who washed the dishes, but Ye Baiji took over. She is heartbroken for her elder sister.

  In the kitchen, Ye Baiji and Qi Zhener were washing dishes while chatting.

  "Zhen Er, I didn't say wrong, did I? My aunt and Bai Wei are getting along well." Ye Bai Ju said proudly.

  Qī Zhēnér nodded, "Mm, Bai Wei jie and Da Bo Niang are both good. My Bai Ji jie's taste is also good."

  "That's right, I'm telling you, my sister Bai Wei is really good at doing household chores. She can handle everything at home perfectly." Ye Bai Zhi's tone was full of admiration, and she kept talking about Ye Bai Wei's strengths, while Qi Zhen Er listened quietly.

  "Baizhi, are you and Zhen'er done yet?" Ye Baiwei stood quietly at the door, saying, with a package still in her hand.

  Ye Baiji wiped her hands and handed the cloth to Qi Zhener, excitedly saying: "Bai Wei sister, we're done. Anything else?"

  Yue Baiwei waved the package in her hand and said, "I just cleaned up my things and took out a few old clothes. I think they should fit Jing'er, so I brought them over for her to try on."

  Qī Zhēn'er smiled and took it over, "Thank you, Bái Wèi sister." The package was quite heavy, with a lot of things inside, Qī Zhēn'er roughly estimated.

  Ye Baiji pulled Ye Baimei out to walk, "Sister Baimei, come to my room and sit down. Let's have a good talk." Ye Baimei softly responded.

  Qizhen'er followed them with her bundle and walked towards the east wing.

  "......Tiger is obedient now, when Zhen'er was sick, he didn't cry or make a fuss, and even helped to decoct medicine for her......Yesterday, he also helped pick up stones, under the scorching sun, without complaining of being tired......" Ye Baiyi chattered on and on, praising Tiger, while Qi Zhen'er listened from behind, feeling embarrassed, and pitied Ye Baiwei who was well-behaved but occasionally responded with a sentence or two.

  In the east wing, Hu Zi was helping Sun Shi sort out threads. Sun Shi's embroidery basket, which she had not put down for a long time, was beside her, with the unfinished camellia from that morning still inside.

  "Second Aunt!" Qi Zhen'er and Ye Baiwei exclaimed in unison.

  Sun took the needle and thread, made room at the bedside, and let Ye Baiwei sit. This room was originally Ye Baigi's, with very little furniture, except for the bed there were no chairs. Now they all came in together, so they could only sit on the edge of the bed.

  "Second Aunt's hands are really skilled, this embroidered camellia is just like the real thing." Ye Baiju's eyes lit up when she saw the camellia, and she picked it up to examine it carefully, reluctant to put it down.

  Sun may not be used to people praising her so much, rubbed her hands and humbly said: "Just casually embroidered, if Wei Ya likes it, Auntie will also embroider one for you."

  Ye Baiwei's eyes flashed with joy, and she glanced at the embroidered underskirt, saying: "I just like it, no other thoughts. Auntie is embroidering this for Baiju sister, right? Give it to sister first, don't delay."

  Some people like their embroidery, which is a very delightful thing for Sun's lack of confidence. Moreover, Ye Baiwei is also one of her more likable nieces, speaking and doing things in a generous manner, so if she likes this embroidery, how can she not be happy?

  "Is Wei Yaotou's wedding dress embroidered yet?" asked Sun Shi: "If it's not embroidered, bring it over and we'll do it together. I also want to make two dresses for your two younger sisters. Doing it together won't be boring."

  Ye Baiji also nodded in agreement: "Sister Baiwei, this is a good idea. My mother's embroidery skills are excellent, you won't lose out by learning from her."

  Ye Baiwei was clearly moved by this proposal. Sun Shi was obviously going to instruct her in embroidery. Everyone in the family knew that Sun Shi's embroidery was good, and Ye Baiju's embroidery was taught by her, and had received many praises from noble ladies. Although her mother said she had learned a little of everything, but when it came to embroidery, she was still somewhat inferior.

  All wedding dresses must be embroidered by the bride herself. If she embroiders well, she will receive praise and earn some face for herself.

  Ye Baiwei's heart was moved, but she didn't dare forget her mother's words. She hesitated for a moment and said: "Second Aunt, I'll discuss this with my mother first. She said recently she wants to teach me about managing the household, I don't know if I can spare the time."

  Sun nodded, although she wanted Ye Baiwei to learn from her, but also knew that she couldn't force it. Looking at Qi Zhen'er carrying a package, she asked: "Zhen'er, where did this package come from?"

  Qī Zhēnér put the package on the bed and said: "This was given to me by Bai Wei's sister."

  "It's just two old dresses. I'm much older than Zhen'er, and the clothes are a bit worn out, so I hope Zhen'er won't mind." said Ye Baiwei.

  Qī Zhēnér gazed at her gratefully and said: "Where would I be, White Wei sister has this heart, I'm already very grateful."

  Ye Baiji's face darkened, she had also wanted to find some old clothes for Zhen'er. However, after rummaging through the entire trunk, she couldn't find anything suitable for Zhen'er to wear. The only one who was about the same size as Zhen'er, Bai Ji, was unwilling to give her clothes to Zhen'er. As a result, Zhen'er was still wearing the few coarse linen garments she had brought from the Qi family village, which had been washed until they were somewhat faded and had many crooked patches here and there.

  The clothes brought by Ye Baiwei were said to be old, but they were even better than Qi Zhenni's. There were fewer patches, the fabric was not bad, and the style was just a bit outdated. It could be seen that Ye Baiwei was a very neat person.

  Qī Zhēnér looked at the clothes, her eyes narrowing with a smile. Country people didn't think it was shameful to pick up and wear other people's clothes. On the contrary, when children were young, adults in the family would specially ask others for worn-out clothes to accumulate blessings for the child. In this atmosphere, unless they had a good relationship, people wouldn't casually give away their old clothes.

  Ye Baiwei's parents were both alive, and she also had an older brother. Her family was harmonious and happy. She gave her old clothes to Zhen'er, which meant that she wanted to pass on some of her good fortune to Qi Zhen'er. How could this not make people happy?

  Ye Baiji was also happy for Qi Zhen'er and thanked Ye Baiwei: "Sister Baiwei, I thank you on behalf of Zhen'er."

  Ye Baiwei shot her a glance, "I also treated Zhen'er like she was my own sister, what are you thanking me for?"

  The whole house laughed and made a fuss for a while before returning to their rooms to rest. **Starting today, it's still one update per day as usual, everyone, please support!