Chapter 74: People need faces, trees need bark

Chen Hao heard it and found her, frowning and asking:

"Mother, what's wrong with you?"

"What else, Lady Qiao treats your mother as an outsider."

"Mother, we are outsiders to begin with."

"We are neighbors, eating together every few days, how are we outsiders?"

"Giving things is reciprocal. We eat at their house, rarely bring things, always eating other people's, and Yuan teacher teaches the son. Qiao Aunt told you not to collect tuition, let you send a gift during New Year and festivals, but you, you didn't send anything."

"Isn't it because the two of them are living together now."

"That's still what should be given to Teacher Yuan. People are people, we are us, etiquette cannot be wasted."

"You've only been in school for a few days, and you dare to reason with your mother?"

"Mother, it is this reason to begin with. It's you who don't walk the path, always thinking about taking advantage of others, then don't blame others for disliking you."

Qiao Mai took the sleeping Ling'er into the space. She wanted to see if she could watch the New Year's gala on the computer with the internet.

"Happy New Year!"

She sat by the field, casually pulling a cucumber and eating it crunchily.

But the shopping network can search for various goods. Besides not being able to buy, one can still feast their eyes.

"Thank you, Mother!"

After eating dumplings, the whole family dressed warmly and followed Qiao Mai to visit neighbors.

According to Shopkeeper Lu's previous description, they found the place. Knocking on the courtyard gate, Shopkeeper Lu's family all came out to welcome them.

"Haha, also wish my sons to grow one year older."

Early in the morning, she boiled dumplings for her family. Lunch was fried dumplings, and in the evening, Qiao Mai put even more thought into making various dishes the children loved.

"Why not go? Just go. As long as he doesn't drive us away, go to his house. If Mother doesn't go, you must go. If you can eat at his house, then eat there. That way Mother can save a lot of money."

Sitting for a while, Shopkeeper Lu was about to cook. Qiao Mai got up and followed her to the kitchen.

Chen Hao didn't care whether his mother was crying or not, and turned back to his room. Chen Shi threw the pillow to the door in anger.

The children, who were used to going to bed early and getting up early, were sleepy before the New Year's bell rang. Yuan Jiaqi carried them back to the room and covered them with quilts.

Feng'er hurriedly took Ling'er. "Mother, we will take turns holding little sister, let Father help you, that way it's fast."

Qiao Mai sighed, couldn't sleep, and went to the field to take a look. The forty-odd crops were growing very well, the vegetables were green, and the fruits were watery, looking appetizing.

If it weren't for the children knocking on the door, she would have slept through it.

The place where she lived was spacious and comfortable. If there were water, she would raise some fish, shrimp, and lotus roots, making the space lively.

If it had this function in her previous life, she would completely be able to farm here and would be willing not to go out for a lifetime.

She didn't speak and came out. The guard came out with four red envelopes.

"People need faces, trees need bark. After being told by others, do you still want to go up and get hurt?"

"Poverty doesn't mean lack of ambition. Then the son won't go to the Qiao family after the New Year, study at home?"

"Lady Qiao,"

The first stop was the Town Chief's house. Every year at this time, his family was the busiest. The two took the children there and followed the crowd to pay New Year's greetings to the Town Chief.

"That's still much better than what I make."

"You, are you really going to anger your mother to death?"

The result disappointed her. Although this computer had internet, it was limited to searching for useful knowledge. Things like news, movies, and TV shows couldn't be watched.

They sat drinking hot tea and eating melon seeds. Yuan Jiaqi didn't say much, just listening.

The second stop was naturally Shopkeeper Lu's house. It had been almost a year since she came here, and they hadn't been to her house yet.

"Guard Brother,"

"Happy New Year! You hold Ling'er, I'll go boil the dumplings."

"Thanks!"

Qiao Mai curled her lips. "Shopkeeper Tong's dishes don't taste good."

"Mother, Happy New Year. Son pays New Year's greetings to Mother, wishing Mother health and happiness in the new year."

The space increased by more than twenty times. According to its speed of infinite expansion, it wouldn't take long before it was bigger than a small town.

"Take it, this is the red envelope Mother prepared for you."

Especially the dumplings that couldn't be finished. When eating them the next meal, frying them with oil, the taste was truly too delicious.

"This is a two-entry residence. Originally wanted to buy a three-entry one, but my family is small, buying it too big, it's too empty."

Hurriedly carried Ling'er out of the space and opened the door.

Firecrackers in the small town were constant, startling the horse into neighing in the stable, and the little dogs stayed in the room and refused to come out.

From this day on, she hated Qiao Mai.

Mother and daughter were dressed neatly, and Qiao Mai even wore a full set of silver jewelry.

Shopkeeper Lu felt a bit embarrassed. "Don't look at me as a woman, but I'm really not good at cooking. You all shouldn't mind."

She got up and walked around these fields. She found that these forty-odd pieces of land were actually circling her house and shelves.

"Sister, your house is not bad."

The two tidied up the table, then said goodnight to each other and returned to their rooms.

The family's dumplings were boiled in one pot.

"As long as it's enough to live in, besides, with my status, very few people come to visit. Those who do are mostly women."

Always hating Qiao Shi, it was she who poked Yuan Jiaqi, otherwise, Yuan brother wouldn't have refused to let her in.

The dumplings on the thirtieth were cabbage and mushroom filling, and the dumplings on the first day were chive filling. Both fillings had very good meanings, and the children loved them.

"Isn't our family poor? A widow and an orphan, is it easy for me?"

In a good mood, she laid a mat in front of the room, covered herself with a thin quilt, and actually slept until dawn.

"This is for the four children from the adult, please keep it well. Someone was there just now, it wasn't convenient for the adult to say anything, you understand."

She smiled at Qiao Mai. "Before the New Year, I ordered a few hard dishes from Jingtai Restaurant. In such cold weather, they definitely won't go bad, so I was waiting for you all to come over today."

Qiao Mai also prepared. She gave one to each of her two apprentices, and also gave them to Xiuhong and Xiuyu. They had helped her set up the stall, so she took this opportunity to express her feelings. The amount of money in the red envelope naturally couldn't be small.

Yuan Jiaqi also thought it was good. Before Ling'er could pay New Year's greetings to him, he stuffed a red envelope into her hand.

"Mother, son doesn't have a face as thick as yours. The teacher said after the fifteenth, then the fifteenth. Don't take the initiative to go over in the future."

"Hehe."

Ruxin took Ling'er and entered the living room. The three children paid New Year's greetings to Shopkeeper Lu, received red envelopes, and even Ruxin and Ruyi gave red envelopes.

Qiao Mai smiled. "Looking at this dish, it was prepared in advance?"

Don't look at them eating dumplings for a whole day yesterday, the children just couldn't get enough.

After carrying Ling'er out, everyone's eyes lit up.

Qiao Mai looked at the three children. They had all changed into new clothes, and their hair was combed neatly. She hurriedly let them go out, and she and Ling'er also had to change into new clothes.

It formed a circle, surrounding the house. Every time the land expanded, the area of the house in the middle also increased accordingly.

On New Year's Eve, Qiao Mai, the head of the family, took her family and pasted the couplets early in the morning. Because there were horses and little dogs in the house, no firecrackers were set off.

Qiao Mai also gave Ling'er a red envelope. The couple nodded to each other and smiled.

Always maintaining a space the size of one mu, which made Qiao Mai very happy.

Also squeezed some fruit juice for them, and the whole family spent the New Year's Eve warmly in the room.

"Go to my house to eat on the first day in the future,"

"If you don't mind us being noisy, then go to your house. Anyway, I don't care about those etiquette, as long as I'm happy. By then, I'll watch Ling'er for you, you cook. I just love eating the dishes you make, it's truly amazing. If Shopkeeper Tong knew your craft, he would definitely kneel down to you, begging to buy your recipe."

"Is it that exaggerated?"

"Yes, ever since I ate the food you made, I don't want to eat other people's, and I don't even want to eat what I make myself."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 75 =====