Speaking of the dog, Yang Haiyan recalled a plot. Why did Han Zhen's father and stepmother go to the border to find him? Although it was necessary for the plot and the hero and heroine needed to experience it, it was actually related to the original owner.
In the plot, the original owner followed Qin Fang back to his hometown. Just like this time, Han Zhen's family came to ask about Han Zhen. The original owner was jealous of Yang Dahua, so she exaggerated Han Zhen's affairs at the border, mainly talking about how well they were living.
So, Han Zhen's father took his family to the border to find Han Zhen.
And now, Han Zhen's father and stepmother came.
But this time, without the original owner, can they still know about Han Zhen and find the border? Yang Haiyan didn't know. After all, some plots will come even if they are late, just like the barbarian taking the young master as a hostage.
Yang Haiyan was eating rice with vegetables inside, while curiously listening to the gossip outside. What could be more interesting than listening to gossip secretly by herself
Qin Siya walked in with silk flowers. She sat opposite Yang Haiyan and just stared at her.
Yang Haiyan thought she wanted to eat: "Hey, are you hungry?"
Qin Siya shook her head.
Yang Haiyan: "Then how did you get in?"
Qin Si Ya said, "I'll just come in and sit for a while." Er Ya and San Ya went to the embroidery workshop to learn embroidery, and she was the only girl at home. She sometimes felt quite bored.
Yang Haiyan ate the rice with vegetables in a few mouthfuls, then washed the dishes. Seeing that Qin Si Ya was still sitting, she said, "Come on, sister-in-law, go comb your hair and take the silk flower with you."
Qin Siya stood up quickly: "Hey."
But Yang Haiyan looked at her hair, which was a little greasy and dirty, and she said, "Sir, boil some water. We need to wash our hair first."
Qin Si Ya: "I'll go boil some water right away."
Outside
Qin Fang felt that Han Zhen's prediction was correct. As long as he came back, Old Man Han would definitely come to his house. So he came. Qin Fang was standing originally. He stood for two quarters of an hour after dinner. He had developed this habit with his wife. When he saw Old Man Han coming in, he said, "Uncle Han." Old Man Han was older than Qin's father.
Old Man Han was not alone, he brought Han Zhen's stepmother Qian with him. The Han family and the Qin family did not live close to each other, it was Qian who heard that Qin Fang had made a living and returned home, then she remembered that Han Zhen and Qin Fang were serving in the army together, so she called Old Man Han over. As soon as she entered the yard, she saw Wu Shuai and the carriage on the side, and thought to herself, he really has made a living. Everyone knows that a carriage is expensive, at least sixty or seventy taels, and these sixty or seventy taels are something they can't afford in their lifetime.
Qin Fang has made great progress, I wonder how Han Zhen is doing.
Mother Qin brought out a stool and said, "Dad Gouzi, please sit down."
Father Han: "No, no, I just came to ask about our dog's situation. Qin Fang, you and the dog went to serve in the army together. You have completed your military service and are back, but why didn't the dog come back?"
Qin Fang: "I don't know either, we don't live together." As for other things, Qin Fang was not a talkative person, so he naturally wouldn't say anything.
Old Man Han was also a dull person. Qian was the one who made the decisions at home. When he heard Qin Fang say this, he didn't know what to say.
Qian signaled with her eyes that Old Man Han should continue asking, but Old Man Han looked at her and didn't know what to ask.
Seeing that Father Han didn't respond, Qian spoke directly: "Qin Fang, what's the situation of our dog now? Has he done anything meritorious?"
Qin Fang: "No." When he said no, he didn't feel guilty at all, just like usual. If Yang Haiyan didn't know the truth, she would really believe it.
Qian didn't doubt Qin Fang's words. After all, she didn't expect Han Zhen to be successful. She asked again, "Did our dog ask you to bring anything back? For example, silver..."
Qin Fang: “No.”
Seeing that there was nothing, Qian said nothing: "Then let's go." She glared at Old Man Han and said, "Why don't you leave?"
Old Man Han apologized to the Qin family and hurried to catch up.
Aunt Qin snorted, "What kind of person is this? I think Han Gouzi will not come back. After his military service, he can find a good living anywhere. Why would he come back to work like a slave for his stepmother Qian Xiaocui?"
Mother Qin: "Han Gouzi is not happy about it, and maybe Qian Xiaocui is not happy about someone sharing the family property with her son."
When Yang Haiyan heard that Old Man Han had left, she brought out a basin of warm water, followed by Qin Si Ya.
Seeing this, Qin's mother asked: "What are you doing?"
Qin Si Ya hurriedly said, "My sister-in-law said she wants me to comb my hair and wear silk flowers, but... but I need to wash my hair." The little girl also knew that her hair was dirty and felt a little embarrassed.
Mother Qin said, "Look how happy you are. Even your hair, which is as thin as straw, is finally willing to be washed."
Qin Si Ya: "Your hair is straw." She was so angry.
Everyone was sitting in the yard. When Yang Haiyan was washing Qin Siya's hair, she went to the house and took out a small wooden box. She dug out a small piece of shampoo from the small wooden box. When the shampoo touched Qin Siya's hair, she smelled a sweet smell. "Sister-in-law, what is this? It smells so good."
Yang Haiyan: "This is for shampooing. After washing, your hair will be smooth and fragrant."
Qin Si Ya: "Then it won't turn into straw, right?"
Yang Haiyan chuckled. It seemed that the little girl still cared a lot about her mother-in-law's comments on her hair.
After changing the water three times, Qin Siya's hair was finally clean. After washing, Yang Haiyan asked her to let her hair dry, and then she combed her hair. Then, Qin Siya sat in the sun without moving.
Because Qin Fang and Yang Haiyan came back, the Qin family did not go to the fields in the morning. After having lunch and resting for a while, they went to the fields, and took Qin Fang with them.
Mother Qin didn't go. The new daughter-in-law had just returned, so the mother-in-law accompanied her so that she wouldn't be unfamiliar with anything. However, Mother Qin thought of something. She called Grandma Qin into the house and said, "Mother, Fang was going to tell you and Father about Fang's matter in private, but you know, I can't keep secrets either, so I'll tell you the truth first."
Grandma Qin looked at her mysterious look and thought something had happened: "What happened?"
Mother Qin: "Afang came back this time not only because his military service was completed, but also because he became an official."
Grandma Qin was a little confused: "What?" Did she hear it wrong
When Qin's mother saw this, she also had the same expression when she first heard about this matter: "Afang has become an official, an official as high as the county magistrate in our county."
Grandma Qin opened her mouth wide, then slowly closed it: "Let me take it easy."
Mother Qin was not in a hurry and asked her to take her time. However, the mother-in-law took a long time to take her time and was not as fast as her.
Grandma Qin was indeed slow to respond for a long time. She really hadn't thought that during her lifetime, her grandson could become an official and she could become an official's wife: "May our ancestors bless us... May our ancestors really bless us... We have to tell the old man about this. He will be so happy when he knows about it. Now only you and I know about it?" She felt a little proud knowing that she knew about it before the old man.
Mother Qin: "Yes, we know it, but even the child's father doesn't know it."
Grandma Qin thought for a moment and said, "Then why did you tell me all of a sudden? Without waiting for Ah Fang to tell you himself?"
Actually, Qin Fang originally planned to tell it during lunch, but when Yang Haiyan started crying, the atmosphere at the table became a little heavy, so he forgot to say it.
Mother Qin said, "It's like this. We have to choose a date for Afang and Yanyan to hold their wedding banquet. Should we also tell others about Afang's official appointment at that time? Or should we keep it a secret from others?"
The Qin family didn't have an ancestral hall or family members, and the people in Baili Village didn't have the same ancestors. In fact, ordinary people didn't have any ancestral halls. So when Qin Fang became an official, he didn't have to worship his ancestors. "I have to discuss this with your father." In Grandma Qin's opinion, this was a good thing, so of course she had to tell him. But once she told him, she might take advantage of others' power, so Grandma Qin was a little hesitant. But if she didn't tell him, could she keep it a secret for the rest of her life
Besides, they would have to tell a few relatives in this family, right? They would have to tell Ah Fang's maternal family, right? Wouldn't it be the same as telling everyone
Qin's mother asked, "What about the other things? Mother, don't blame me as a daughter-in-law for asking too many questions. Fang is an official and has a salary. You can't ask me to hand over half of it, right?"
As soon as Grandma Qin heard it, she understood that her daughter-in-law was not mainly concerned about the things in the front, but the things in the back. As a mother, she had no reason to blame her for thinking a lot about her son.
Grandma Qin: "I will discuss this matter with your father."
Mother-in-law said this, so Mother Qin didn't talk about this, but she had one more thing: "What about the matter that the third son wants to adopt Shoucheng? The third son has mentioned this matter more than once. Before, it was delayed because Afang's military service was not over. Now that Afang is back, the third son might bring it up again. Mother, I will tell you the truth, I will not agree to adopt Shoucheng out. If I, as a mother, can't protect my son, I might as well kill myself." Mother Qin said this with confidence. Now that the eldest son is back, the eldest daughter-in-law is on her side. Who can force her to adopt her son? "Besides, Afang is an official now. If the news of adopting a younger brother gets out, it won't sound good."
Mother Qin's words made Grandma Qin feel uncomfortable, not because of the matter of keeping the current situation, but because of the tone of Mother Qin's voice. She felt that Mother Qin was forcing her. Although she could understand Mother Qin's feelings, it did not mean that she would like this attitude.
But she also knew that the eldest wife was different now, and the Qin family would always rely on the eldest wife in the future, so she couldn't let her down. Grandma Qin sighed, "Don't worry, your father and I didn't have this idea." They really didn't have this idea.
Mother Qin: "I am a straightforward person, please don't take my words to heart."
Grandma Qin: "We are all family, what's there to worry about? Oh, by the way, we still have to go out and ask the nuns in the temple to choose a good day for Afang and Yanyan to hold a wedding banquet."
Mother Qin: "Then shall we go later?"
Grandma Qin: "It's enough time to go back and forth now, let's go now."
There is a nunnery in Baili Village, but it takes half an hour to walk there. The nunnery is a bit shabby, and there is only an old nun in it. If something happens in the village, everyone will go to the old nun for help. Don't mention it, sometimes the old nun's predictions are quite accurate.
When Yang Haiyan heard that Grandma Qin and Mother Qin were going to the nunnery, she wanted to go and take a look, but when she heard that it would take half an hour, she gave up the idea. Half an hour is equal to an hour, and she was tired from traveling these days and couldn't walk that much. So Yang Haiyan and Qin Si Ya stayed at home while they went.
There was actually no difference between this Baili Village and the border. When she was at the border, she used her embroidered handkerchief to kill time, and sometimes secretly ate some fruit in her room. The servants and the masters were clearly divided into different classes, and no one dared to enter her room without her consent, so it was very safe. Of course, she only ate small fruits such as cherries, cherries, grapes, and cherry tomatoes. The grape skins and cherry pits she spit out were all put in her bag, which was easy to deal with.
But here, she couldn't eat fruit and didn't need to embroider handkerchiefs. During these few days, she didn't even bring anything with her.
Yang Haiyan was a little tired, but she thought that if she went to bed now, she would not be able to sleep at night, so she did not go. She looked at Qin Siya who was "drying" her hair in the sun: "Qin Siya, is there anything interesting here?"
Qin Si Ya: "What's the interesting thing?"
Yang Haiyan: "..." If she asked about gossip, it might lead this nine-year-old girl astray. "Hey, what does sister-in-law mean? What do you like to do on a daily basis?"
Qin Si Ya thought for a moment and said, "I usually help my mother wash clothes, and cut grass for pigs, look for insects, and dig wild vegetables with my third brother Niu Dan."
Yang Haiyan: "…Isn't Shoucheng studying? Are you not studying anymore?"
Qin Si Ya shook her head and said, "I don't want to study anymore." After thinking for a while, she said, "Sister-in-law, I'll tell you in secret, but you can't tell anyone else."
Qin Haiyan hurriedly said, "I won't tell anyone." For some reason, Qin Siya's words about secrets made her feel a little excited. Since she traveled through time, she had not shared secrets with her sisters. You know, in the past, sisters could secretly tell little secrets across the Internet, but that kind of happiness no longer exists.
Qin Si Ya: "Actually, my third brother is a good student, but the tuition is very expensive. The old student even secretly told my third brother to go to a better private school, but he said that his family didn't have money and that knowing a few words would be enough. Later... later this year, my second brother didn't want to go to school anymore, and my second aunt said that Niu Dan should go to school too, because he didn't have many grandchildren and Niu Dan didn't know how to read. In the end, because of these, my third brother didn't go. I... I even saw my third brother crying secretly."
Yang Haiyan felt a little sad after hearing this: "Doesn't your mother know?"
Qin Si Ya shook her head and said, "I don't know. I promised my third brother not to tell him. He said that there was no money at home. My eldest brother sent some money home. It was not easy for my second and third brothers to go to school and learn to read. It was very dangerous for my eldest brother to join the army. We can't let him use his life to pay for his studies."
The third brother also said that when the eldest brother left, my mother cried secretly every day and her eyes were almost broken. The third brother also said that if I continued to study, the eldest brother would have to continue to join the army to earn money to support my studies. I would rather have the eldest brother come back and reunite with the family than have him stay away from home.
Yang Haiyan felt a little uncomfortable after hearing this. She didn't expect Shoucheng, a child of only twelve years old, to be so sensible. She naturally believed what Xiaoya said. Xiaoya looked like a simple girl without any scheming. Speaking of which, the Qin family's family education was actually good. Qin Fang had a strong sense of responsibility, but he had a bottom line in his heart when doing things. Although she had never been with Qin Shouye and would not comment on him for the time being, she had a good impression of the carefree Niu Dan, the mature Shoucheng, and the current Xiaoya.
The remaining ones are Daya, Erya and Sanya. I wonder how these three girls are doing. Thinking of this, Yang Haiyan asked, "Da Ya, last time I received a letter from your second brother, your eldest sister got married?"
Qin Si Ya: "Yes, my eldest sister got married before the New Year. My second brother went to my eldest sister's house this morning and told my eldest sister and sister-in-law that you are back. My eldest sister said that she will be back with her brother-in-law tomorrow... Sister-in-law, my hair is dry and it feels so smooth when I touch it."
This girl, I only remember her hair.
Yang Haiyan waved her hand: "Come here, squat over here, I'll comb your hair for you."
Qin Si Ya: "Hey."
Yang Haiyan helped Qin Siya pick out her bangs and cut a simple straight bangs. Speaking of straight bangs, there is no technique at all and it will be easy to cut later. Then she parted her hair in the middle and braided it on both sides. The braids went from the top of the head to the ears. Finally, she tied the braids on both sides to the back and wore a silk flower in the middle.
This hairstyle is very suitable for a young girl like Qin Si Ya. In fact, any unmarried girl can wear it.
After combing her hair, Yang Haiyan said, "Okay, go look in the mirror and see if it looks good."
Qin Si Ya: "There is no mirror at home. I'll go get a basin of water and look in the mirror." In ancient times, people looked in bronze mirrors, but they were not as clear as modern glass mirrors. But even if it was a bronze mirror, the Qin family would not buy one. Country women look in the mirror on the ground every day. In fact, they were reluctant to buy one.
One could still make out a rough outline of her reflection in the water. Qin Si Ya happily touched her bangs, her braids, and the invisible silk flower on her back. She felt that she was as beautiful as her elder sister-in-law, and also that she was prettier than the girls in the town.
She walked up to Yang Haiyan happily and said, "Sister-in-law, you are amazing. Your hair is combed so beautifully."
Yang Haiyan smiled and said, "Can I comb your hair every day?"
Qin Siya's eyes lit up: "Is it okay?"
Yang Haiyan: "Of course." It is impossible to comb her hair every day. It is possible when she is at the Qin family, just to pass the time. When she arrives at the border, she lets Nanny Lian comb this girl's hair and comb it into different styles, which makes the little girl very happy.
Qin Siya almost jumped up with joy: "That's great."
Seeing the little girl laughing, Yang Haiyan felt that she would be infected as well: "Hey girl, do you like studying?"
Qin Si Ya: "How can a girl study? Even boys can't study."
Yang Haiyan: "But my sister-in-law has been to school and knows how to read. If you want to study, my sister-in-law can teach you."
Qin Siya thought for a moment and said, "I don't like studying."
Yang Haiyan thought about it carefully. When she was a child, she didn't like studying. Every day when she went to school, she had to be called by her grandmother several times. To put it bluntly, students hate going to school, and people in society hate going to work. I still remember that during college, there were holiday internships. Because holiday internships were related to credits, there was no way to cheat. Of course, if you have connections, it doesn't matter if you don't go to the internship, but the company stamps the official seal.
However, Yang Haiyan was an orphan, so she naturally did not have such a relationship when she first entered college. So during her freshman summer vacation, Yang Haiyan went to a garment factory for an internship. The garment factory had three shifts, morning, noon and night, and she didn't want to go every day, but when it was time to get up every day, she still gritted her teeth and went.
So people who have been to school know how hard it is to go to school, and people who have worked know how hard it is to work.
Yang Haiyan asked another question: "If you can reward me with one penny for every ten words you learn, and a piece of cake for every two words you learn, are you willing to learn?"
Isn't this nonsense? Qin Si Ya opened her eyes wide, wanting to see clearly whether what her sister-in-law said was a lie: "Really?"
Yang Haiyan suppressed her laughter: "Really." As expected, children in ancient times were much easier to deceive than children today. For children in ancient times, there was nothing that cakes and copper coins could not solve.
Qin Si Ya asked hurriedly: "Then sister-in-law, when do we start?"
Yang Haiyan: "Don't worry, wait until my sister-in-law and your brother return to the border, and then take you with them. When we get to the border, we'll start again."
Qin Si Ya didn't feel reluctant to leave her hometown at all, and was even a little anxious: "Then can we leave early?" Being reluctant to leave was not something Qin Si Ya would do.
Yang Haiyan laughed so hard that her stomach hurt.
Qin Si Ya heard her laughter and felt a little embarrassed: "Sister-in-law, you are lying to me, right? My mother will definitely not let me go."
Yang Haiyan: "Yes, my sister-in-law will persuade my mother, but you have to be obedient after you go. If you are obedient, my sister-in-law can also reward you with a silk flower every month."
Qin Si Ya: "I will definitely be obedient. I will help my sister-in-law wash clothes, cut grass for pigs, feed chickens, and I can do all kinds of work." For copper coins, for cakes, and for silk flowers, Qin Si Ya will work hard.
An hour later, Qin's mother and grandmother came back, both of them looked a little bad.
Seeing this, Yang Haiyan couldn't help but ask worriedly: "Grandma, mother, what happened to you?"
Grandma Qin was so angry that she didn't want to talk, so Qin's mother spoke up: "It was the nun in the nunnery who really pissed me off. Your grandma and I wanted to ask the nun to calculate an auspicious date for your wedding, and the nun calculated that it would be an auspicious date five days later. Later, your grandma and I thought that you were at the border, and Afang was doing such a job, so you were sometimes in danger, so we wanted to get a peace charm for you. To get a peace charm, they need your birth dates, but the nun took your birth dates and said unlucky things, which really pissed me off."
Yang Haiyan is a successor of socialism, so she naturally doesn't believe in fortune-telling, but fortune-telling is very mysterious and sometimes very accurate. She was really curious about what the nun had calculated: "Mother, what did the nun say?"