The Green Lotus Peasant Girl

It had to be said that Li Qinghe was very happy after hearing her father say these words.

Although he should subsidize Li Fu for old age but he didn't want to use the money that Li Qinghe helped him with on Zhao Wanwan. He had clear thoughts on this.

The rest of the way, Mrs. Qian was quite silent. When they entered the forest, the sharp-eyed Zhou Chengkang saw a flash of color passing at the side. Carrying a bow and arrow, he chased after it but not before he instructed Li Qinghe, "Qinghe, wait for me here."

Li Fu recently followed his son-in-law every time he went hunting to see his actions, this moment also he couldn't help but chase after him.

Only Mrs. Qian and Li Fu were left on the spot.

Li Qinghe found a place to sit down. The pheasant ran fast, and it would take them a while to catch it, and they should be back after some time.

"Do you hate me?" Mrs. Qian looked at her and asked.

"I don't hate you." Li Qinghe said casually.

Mrs. Qian didn't believe her, "I took your mother's position, so why wouldn't you hate me?"

"I have nothing against you." Li Qinghe raised her eyes to look at her, "When did I intentionally upset you?"

Mrs. Qian was dumbfounded. She didn't dwell on this subject and instead said, "If your father takes care of Wanwan and Yanxi, it will also be good for him. After Yanxi becomes a scholar, he will certainly not forget your father's help."

"You can't even rely on your daughter, but you still want to rely on your son-in-law, where did you get the confidence?" Li Qinghe sneered,

"My father will be supported by me, and he will not lack his share of filial piety. Similarly, if my father is willing to take care of them, then it is his business. If he does not want to, and you still want to make things difficult for him, then I will not let you go."

Her words were embarrassing but Mrs. Qian understood them, "You mean, you don't approve of them coming back to live either?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the father-in-law and son-in-law duo returned. Li Fu was carrying a colorful pheasant in his hand and said with a smile, "Chengkang said to keep this chicken for himself."

Li Qinghe smiled and said, "It's good."

Mrs. Qian stopped talking. She seemed to be deliberately silent. Occasionally, when Li Fu asked her a question, she didn't answer either. From one look, everyone could tell that she was angry at the moment.

After being ignored twice by her when Li Fu tried to talk to her, he also stopped talking to her as well. After cutting the wood, they descended the mountain to go home. When they reached the foot of the mountain, Li Qinghe said, "Father, do you want to eat pheasant meat? Eat it before you go back home."

Li Fu smiled and answered yes. While Mrs. Qian didn't look back and went directly in the direction of the village.

When she left, Li Qinghe didn't call her, and Zhou Chengkang ignored her. Li Fu looked at her back, snorted, carried the firewood, and walked in the other direction with his daughter.

Li Qinghe had good cooking skills and the pheasant stew she made was good. Zhou Chengkang also took out the wine and they drank and chatted until it was getting late outside. When they were finished eating, Li Fu set off to go home. He refused to take the firewood with him stating he didn't want to carry them.

Li Fu was a bit drunk and the two of them definitely didn't feel at ease with him going back alone. Zhou Chengkang sent him back home and even put him on the bed before returning.

When he returned, Li Qinghe was still feeding the fish at the pond and asked with a smile, "Is Aunt Qian still angry?"

Zhou Chengkang took the fish feed from her hand and shook his head, "She wasn't at home. Father went to bed, so don't worry about it."

For the next few days, Mrs. Qian still went to chop the wood every day, but she stopped talking to Li Qinghe and others. When someone would ask her a question, she would just hum and leave it. Zhao Wanwan and Hu Yanxi did come back again but they probably learned that they had to pay the silver, so they returned to the town the next day.

There were only two people left at home, and Mrs. Qian became more silent. Li Qinghe asked and found that she also doesn't talk to Li Fu at home.

It will be hard for Li Fu if she doesn't talk to him, she wouldn't have a good time herself either.

Gradually in the middle of May, Li Qinghe's stomach was bulging slightly. This year's weather was a little different. In previous years, it would rain a few times, but this year, from February to now, there were only a few drops of rain. It never rained much enough to wet the ground completely. The water reservoirs in the fields were small and the water also quickly dried up. Usually, Li Fu didn't need to go to the fields often, but this year he had to go every two or three days.

More importantly, the small river in the village where people washed their clothes was gradually getting dried.

The river water was not just used for washing clothes, but every family relied on it to water their fields. Since the fields were getting dry faster, the farmers started taking more water from the river. As a result, the originally wide river filled with water to the brim, now only had little water. Previously, when they washed the clothes, the clothes would still float in the water, but now when they wash clothes they can directly touch the stones and ground in the river.

The elders in the village said they had a drought this year.

The drought will definitely affect the harvest in the field which worried many people. Fortunately, the sweet potato vines they planted were still growing well. Li Qinghe cut the excess vines and dried them up in the sun. The villagers also followed her example and cut the excess vines. They were also thinking to dry them in the sun and feed them to pigs and chickens in the winter.

The weather was hot. The scorching heat burned the earth's surface. People would go to cut the firewood in the forest in the shade.

In previous years at this time in the heat, except for those who went out to do small work, most people would take a break and wait for the arrival of the autumn harvest. But this year, people were anxious and went up to the mountain to cut the firewood when they had nothing to do. The prices of the grains in the town began to rise at this time.

When Li Qinghe learned of this situation, she went to town with Zhou Chengkang to buy enough food for the two of them for a year. The prices changed every day and on the third day, Li Qinghe and Zhou Chengkang brought the grains. Yu Yan especially asked Zhou Chengkang to help her take the carriage. The price went up by two cents.

The food was put directly in her new house, Yu Yan frowned, "I'd better hurry up and move."

Although it was in rush, Li Qinghe also agreed it was better for her to move first and live next to her. As the houses were next to each other, if they cleared the in front of the chicken coop, Li Qinghe can directly go to Yu Yan's house without passing through the village road. The Yang family's entrance was directly by the road leading to the town. In such a way, they wanted to take things into their house without the villagers seeing, it would be easier.

At the beginning of June, Yu Yan hosted her housewarming banquet and a lot of people attended it. Even if she had a lot of money, the dishes tasted average compared to the villagers. It wasn't that she couldn't bear to spend money, but the third aunt Li wouldn't let her. This year, the wheat and the rice seedlings in the field have already withered and it was certain the yield would be reduced. Whether or not they can feed the people until next year was still unclear. At this time, it was not advisable to let people know that their family was rich.

After Yu Yan moved, she also went to town to buy a horse and a carriage. Fortunately, the backyard was divided into various things such as a stable, vegetable garden, and others. Recently, she was busy clearing out the vegetable garden.

The soil was originally barren. After more than a month in the hot sun, the hoe couldn't dig it at all. Anyway, it was a very laborious task for her. Also, there was no water over there.

In fact, many people in the village pull their water from the well at the entrance of the village, and less than 30% of the people dig wells at home.

Moving here not only cost her money to buy the land and build the house, but she also had to spend the money to dig a well. For the first few days, Yu Yan asked Min Rui to fetch the water from the rivers, but it was inconvenient and they would need a place to store water. She gritted her teeth and hired people to dig the well.

Although the two were neighbors, it was still quite far to fetch the water from Li Qinghe's house.

What was more inconvenient was that she and Min Rui had not married yet. When she moved in, Min Rui also moved in. The situation was of an unmarried man and an unmarried woman living together out of wedlock. No need to ask which was like an unmarried man and a widow living in a yard. One doesn't have to ask to know her reputation in the village now

"I still have to get married." Yu Yan looked bitter, "I didn't expect to be able to spend so much money. The money I have prepared is going to be spent completely."

To buy a good carriage would cost about fifty taels of silver. Just building a house requires a lot of money. Li Qinghe, who also spent a lot of money at the beginning, laughed, "It will be fine after you get married."

Yu Yan began to prepare for the wedding, and the wedding date was scheduled for the end of June.

Recently, many people in the village had been staying in the fields all day. In the mornings and evenings, they would go to the small river to fetch water to water the wheat plants, but they still can't stop it from drying up. The fields near the river were slightly better. In that way, the wheat stalks would dry quickly and become hay. Although the hay between the sweet potato vine was dying, at least it was still green.

Not only in Luoyue Town but also the county, many places had suffered from drought. Li Qinghe learned about this when the Magistrate Lin came to visit again.

When he came this time, there was no smile on his already serious face. He came and went quickly. He not only looked at Li Qinghe's fields but also walked around the village.

When the day of Yu Yan's marriage arrived, many people from the village went to help prepare the dishes. When they gathered, they couldn't help but talk about this year's drought. At the mention of drought, everyone began to sigh.

"I'm afraid we're going to starve to death next year."

"The last drought was more than ten years ago, and a lot of people died of starvation then. The barks of the trees on the mountain were chewed up and the grassroots were dug out and boiled ......"

Even though it was a happy event, the crowd was not very excited.

Yu Yan became a bride, and she was very happy. Min Rui didn't take the bride from the bride's house and when it was the auspicious time they paid their respects and the ceremony was completed.

The child in Li Qinghe's stomach had already begun to move. Zhou Chengkang would feel the movement inside her stomach every day when he was free. The worries he had were real, but the expectations for this child were also real.

It was too hot outside, and Zhou Chengkang won't let her go out. However, he was busy with other things. The water in the pond was getting less and less, and the fish in it were too crowded. They had already started to turn on their stomachs and died. So, he had to fish and sell them.

In this situation, going to the town to sell was definitely not easy. If they can't watch the fish die, then they would have to go to the county.

This time, Li Qinghe didn't go to the county. It was inconvenient for her to travel with her big belly, so Zhou Chengkang had to go by herself. After Yu Yan found out, she and Min Rui packed their things and went with him. She embroidered some exquisite embroidery by herself, but she couldn't sell it in the town for the desired price, so she wanted to try selling it in the county.

They left in the morning, and Li Qinghe was left alone at home. Zhou Chengkang was worried and had asked fifth sister Zhou to accompany her earlier.

In the middle of the night, a few people sneaked up to the pond in the new house.