Goldfield
Chapter 65: Old Residence

Madam Zhang felt Old Yu's complicated gaze come and felt her heart freeze. She was afraid she was going to say something she shouldn't have said, so she took a deep breath and yelled at him, “Nothing else! Just this much! We don't have much money at home! After spending more than ten taels on treatment, how much money was left? ”

Xiaocao knew that the old woman was using her loud voice to cover up her inner turmoil. He knew for sure there was more money in the house; however, as long as they could smoothly separate their families, they did not need to fight too much about other things. But, he did not want Madam Zhang to cover the eyes of others, so he said, “If there is nothing more, then nothing more! Why are you screaming? If I don't know better, I think you're trying to hide something! ”

“Hide something? What do I need to hide? You brat, all you know how to do is talk back to an older person. This past morning I was really supposed to sell you .. ” Madam Zhang's face turned into a grim expression. If the village chief and the other family elders were not here, he would have long run over and slapped him in the face.

“Who are you so as to say whether you can sell my Yu Family grandchildren and grandchildren?” That morning an unknown woman stopped by Old Yu's house, and rumor had it that she was a merchant warden in town. There are no walls that do not crack in the world. The entire village already knew that Madam Zhang and Madam Li had tried to sell the twins.

As the eldest, Yu Lichun glared at him sharply and looked dignified and imposing. However, everyone underestimated Madam Zhang's shrewd anger.

In the end, Yu Xiaocao's family only received two taels, as Madam Zhang's tantrums and spoiled whimper abilities had been changed to its highest capacity. That night, Old Yu sat at the head of the kang bed and sucked on his firing pipe, turning his indifferent gaze toward Madam Zhang's small act of licking it.

Madam Zhang sighed and said, “I know you blame me for not taking the three hundred taels that Hunter Zhao sent us to divide among the branches. But I did it for the good of our family! In the past, you always thought that the Second Son worked hard and was capable, so the family revolved around him. But he was hurt, so now the hope of our entire family is all on the shoulders of the Third Son now. Doesn't the teacher always praise the efforts of the Third Son? Next year, after the examination was completed, if he passed, then the teacher would recommend him to the famous undergraduate academy, Master Yuan. I have been wondering and Scholar Yuan is a rare talent who ranked first in the provincial examinations, metropolitan examinations, and imperial palace examinations in the previous dynasty. In his academy it turns out that there are scholars who managed to rank second and third in the imperial palace examination, not to mention how many other scholars have passed as well. Didn't they say that our third son has a noble fate and has the possibility of passing the imperial examination? We definitely can't let this opportunity pass you by! ”

Seeing that Old Yu's expression had clearly improved, Madam Zhang continued to persuade, “I know that these three hundred taels were exchanged for the Second Son's feet, but try to think about it, if Third Son succeeded, then, in the future when he has a scholar official income, we will give the Second Branch again. Then it's okay! ”

Old Yu held the tobacco pipe in his mouth but did not inhale it for a long time. In the end, he let out a long sigh and said, “I have let down Dahai's mother, I did not babysit the two children.. I even stole the money that risked his life for Dahai, ah.”.

Madam Zhang felt a burst of jealousy in her heart when she saw that Old Yu was still thinking about the dead ghost. However, for the sake of those three hundred taels, he restrained himself and did not start a fight with the old man. With three hundred taels in his hands firmly and the money spent by the entire Second Son family, the sweet taste in his mouth was even more palatable than honey.

With their long-held desire for a separated family finally fulfilled and their father also looking more energetic, the three brothers were happier than during the New Year celebrations. They surrounded their parents and raved and laughed nonstop.

Madam Liu's heart was filled with uncertainty for their future. However, the real happiness of her children and the thought of no longer being under Madam Zhang's abuse and being in charge of her own household made her smile gently.

The exact same sweet smile that had captured Yu Hai's heart all those years ago. However, ever since she married into the Yu family, the smile that made her heart beat was increasingly rarely seen as the years passed.

Although the children were nearby, Yu Hai secretly hooked his hand with his wife and smiled sweetly at her. Madam Liu's face flushed red and she made a resistance before she stopped, leaving their hands together.

Yu Xiaocao could not help but laugh, his eyes curled in excitement, as he looked at the two of them affectionately. Yu Hai felt that he was looking at them and talking to his beloved daughter, “Cao’er, are you so scared these few days?”

“No, I always knew that dad would come to his senses. I never leave us alone! ” Yu Xiaocao cleverly sat down beside his father and raised his head to look at him.

“Of course! Someone bound for luck after surviving a great disaster! In the future, our family will continue to get better! ” Yu Hai couldn't help but hug his daughter nearby when he thought about how he almost died and would never see his beloved family and clever daughter again. Even though he was her father, Yu Xiaocao was not used to being hugged by a grown man, so he broke away from his grasp and smiled, “Daddy, the bandages on your feet need to be changed. I'll do it for you! ”

Yu Hai's foot injury was severe as almost all the meat on it had been torn apart by the black bear. If Yu Xiaocao did not treat him every day with a small holy stone and wash his wound with mystical stone water, his feet would most likely rot from the inside out.

Xiaocao carefully removed the bandage and used the mystical stone water to clean the old bandage. The frightening-looking wounds had already begun to grow new skin and flesh. Yesterday, Doctor Sun came to check on him. The doctor was amazed by Yu Hai's healing ability. Another person with such injuries would have amputated his leg this time.

Yu Xiaocao refused his mother's offer of help and pounded the fever-reducing medicine that Doctor You left behind into a fine powder. He then mixed the powder with mystic stone water to make a thick paste before he carefully applied the mixture to his father's wounds.

Yu Hai heaved a sigh of relief as a cold and refreshing bandage covered and eased the itchy wound. She looked at her second daughter with gratitude and said, “After Xiaocao hit her head, not only did her body become healthy, but she also became more deft and clever. He easily learned all the solid medical knowledge and was difficult to learn. Is this another transformation that the God of Fortune did? ”

That night, when the entire family was asleep, Yu Xiaocao once again pushed the small holy stone to release the hard-earned spiritual energy to heal Yu Hai's broken and torn tendons.

The water in this world is clear and pure. In addition, the small holy stone also helped his master save his father. All of these factors combined loosened the shackles, and his speed in absorbing spiritual energy had increased tremendously. He was confident that it would soon be able to manifest its physical form and appear openly in front of everyone. However, the energy that was painstakingly gathered every day was always used to treat Yu Hai's leg injuries. This made the little rock feel moody and depressed.

Fortunately, he discovered that every time he used all of his spiritual energy, the shackles that locked him up would be looser. It was especially prominent when healing people's wounds, such as the wounds on his master's head or the legs of his master's father.

Smart little sacred stone could not help but grumble inwardly: ‘Don't tell me that every time I help my master is making the shackles of the Goddess of Souls will loosen on me?’ This was a grievance lodged in his heart, but this was also the reason why he continued to help Xiaocao heal his father's wounds.

The next day, the entire Xiaocao family was finally able to sleep until they woke up naturally. When Madam Zhang woke up and saw that no one was feeding the pigs, the chickens were starving, no firewood was being collected, no one was sweeping, and no one was washing clothes, he could not help but rush towards the western room and shout, “How long will you all sleep like the dead? Do you know what time it is?”

Yu Xiaocao opened the door and looked at Madam Zhang with a faint smile on her face, "Grandmother must have forgotten from your mind. We've separated our families, so each branch lives independently. If you want us to feed the pigs and chickens, does that mean you want to give us one-fifth of those animals? ”

Madam Zhang choked on the abuse she wanted to throw and glanced at Madam Li who was dressed in a mess in the eastern room, who was leaning against the door frame watching the show. His anger has found a new target, and he yells, “Slacker woman, why don't you start work immediately? If you can't finish it, don't bother eating breakfast! ”

Madam Li's facial expression changed instantly. She realized that she had to become like Madame Liu in the future: working nonstop from dawn to dusk. He silently grumbled inside.

After more than ten years of marriage, she had only been ruled by Madam Zhang during her first year. Ever since Madam Liu married into that family, she had become relaxed and lived a relaxed life. Now that he suddenly had to do homework again, he really did not know where to start. Throughout the morning, she messed up many tasks while being criticized by her mother-in-law all the time.

Her youngest brother-in-law, Yu Caidie, could not stand still and watch, so she helped sweep the floor and feed the chickens. Like this, at the time of preparing breakfast, they had not even collected the necessary firewood. When Old Yu returned home, the kitchen was still cold and silent. Until noon, she had to endure the hunger, and only then could she eat a poorly made breakfast.

Old Yu had an ugly expression on his face as he sighed. In the future, without Madam Liu and the others, it would be impossible for the residence to be tidied up and laid out like before. He put down his bowl and chopsticks to go to the old residence to see if there was anything he could help.

As for Xiaocao and his companions, after enjoying the melodramatic game in the courtyard, they ate breakfast at daybreak and went to the old residence at the foot of the Western Mountains. Yu Hai was left in the main residence to recuperate.

The old residence and the current residence of the Yu Family were about a half hour walk from each other. Although it is said to be at the foot of the mountain, the distance is actually about one to two kilometers. With the beautiful view of the mountains and water, Yu Xiaocao's good mood could not be damaged even if the old residence was to be destroyed. He had no doubt that they would be able to do well and even thrive in their new surroundings. Adapting to their new home is not a question.

The rundown old residence was in such a bad condition that it made people gasp. Although every year they would come back and repair the items, it was just enough to guarantee that the entire house would not collapse. The snow this year was heavy, so one of the rooms had also been destroyed by the weight of snow. Although in the spring they hurriedly fixed it up a bit, the room was currently no match for the surviving occupants.

The damaged house had a lawn with weeds growing everywhere. Beside him was a bamboo fence that had mostly collapsed. Wild rabbits have been lodged in the yard and, when they heard there were people, they came out with ‘wusss’ and scared them. Little Shitou cheerfully chased after the wild rabbit. Madam Liu calmly sighed in relief and began to pluck the weeds out of the courtyard with her two daughters.

The old residence was located in a more remote area. Around it, there were only a few neighbors. On the left, about two hundred meters away was the Zhou Family who raised chickens for a living. Madam Fang has married into the Zhou Family and has a good relationship with Madam Liu. When he saw all of them bowing in a fight with the weeds, he also brought his two daughters to help. The Zhou family had one son and two daughters. The eldest daughter, Zhou Linglong, was fourteen years old and had already plunged into the wedding market. The youngest daughter, Zhou Shanhu, was only nine years old and had a plain and open personality. His favorite thing was to play with Xiaocao and Xiaolian.

Zhou's uncle, Zhou Danian, started out as a street vendor. His son, Zhou Wenhua, had been in school for two years and then followed his father in buying and selling goods. When he is not busy at home, he will go to the village and walk the streets selling household items, such as needles and threads. They also have about a hundred chickens in the house. Therefore, they included few families in the village who were able to eat wheat flour and white rice on a regular basis.

“Kakak Han!” Little Shitou, who was holding a small scythe and using it to cut through the weeds, raised his head and looked at the familiar figure. He greeted the man cheerfully.

Zhao Han rolled up his sleeves and also picked up the scythe. He leaned over and started working while saying, “I heard you all are going to move here, so I came. Can I help you? ”