Chapter 79: The Task of the Four Little Ones

"This little house of yours is built quite well. Come to think of it, this is my first time here since it was finished." Every time she delivered food, she just left it at the outer shed, where everyone would make do with a meal, never stepping inside to take a look.

An Yinan hurriedly steeped three bowls of malted milk, handing one to Aunt Li first. "It's just Beibei and me. We were allotted such a large plot, so it's naturally spacious to live in."

Aunt Li took a sip. This malted milk was truly delicious—sweet, sweet enough to reach the heart.

"Your Uncle Li is just a man with a sharp tongue but a soft heart. His temperament is such that you couldn't squeeze a fart out of him with a stick. He walks around with a dark face all day, as if everyone owes him money." It must be said, official complaints are the most lethal, especially when they come from one's own wife.

Her tone shifted. "But his heart is very soft. I've never regretted marrying him in this life. Girl, now that you've come to this Quanshui Village, don't bottle things up if you have trouble. If there's anything you can't solve, let your Uncle Li think of a way, alright?"

With this house, there were quite a few people in the village who were green with envy. She was afraid someone might have crooked intentions and come to target An Yinan, but she couldn't speak too plainly, so she could only hint at it vaguely.

"As for women, you still have to marry a man with a sense of responsibility in this life. If the sky falls, he can hold it up for you."

"You absolutely must not marry a spineless coward. If the sky falls, he'll lie down faster than you, leaving you to hold everything up. A woman will be exhausted for a lifetime that way. What's the use of sweet talk? Once he's coaxed you into being happy, don't you still have to endure all the hardship yourself?"

Upon hearing this, An Yinan thought, *I see, I understand. *

She hadn't quite understood that first sentence at the beginning, but now, what was there not to understand?

"Aunt Li is truly blessed." An Yinan smiled and refilled Aunt Li's water.

Brother Li and Brother Xie had finished moving the rice and flour by this time. "Your Work Points are quite substantial, and with the Work Points transferred over by the Educated Youth Sun, it exceeds the regulations for exchanging for fine grains. My dad took the initiative to exchange some soybeans, mung beans, and sesame seeds for you, so you can go to the village and trade them for tofu or something." Brother Li told An Yinan while drinking water.

"That works. The Captain is as thoughtful as ever." An Yinan smiled happily.

"I'm moving in today, and I plan to head to the County this afternoon. I'm hosting a housewarming dinner tonight—just a small gathering to wish for joy and smooth sailing. When the time comes, Aunt Li, your whole family should come, and Brother Xie, your family too. I won't be inviting anyone else." An Yinan had already made arrangements; even if Aunt Li didn't come, she would have gone to call her.

"There are too many people, it's too much trouble. You young kids should just have your own fun; if us old folks come, we'll just ruin the mood." Aunt Li refused, but she felt wonderful inside. Look at how warm-hearted this girl is, remembering everything.

An Yinan waved her hand. "Look at you, just a moment ago you told me not to be a stranger and to come to you for anything. Now, for such a big event as a housewarming, you won't even come to preside over it for me. I'm just a young girl on my own, how am I supposed to manage it!"

When Aunt Li heard this, she couldn't hold back anymore. She tapped An Yinan's forehead with her finger. "You little imp, Aunt Li will come. I'll come early and eat you out of house and home."

Only then did An Yinan put away her aggrieved expression and become all smiles. "I couldn't ask for more."

"Look at this little imp, her face changing again and again."

The few of them burst into laughter. After this incident, Brother Li and Brother Xie seemed to finally understand why their parents liked this Educated Youth An so much.

She valued relationships and righteousness, was upright in character, and would always repay any kindness received.

They also unconsciously began to treat her like a younger sister, though they could never have imagined how their lives would change later because of this sister.

"Then I'll have your sister-in-law come over early to help." Aunt Li stood up, signaling her departure.

Brother Xie also nodded. "I can't make the decision on this; I have to go home and ask my mother."

It wasn't that he was a mama's boy, but in this era, eating at someone else's house was a major event—it was a massive favor.

"Alright, I'll go talk to your mother about it. You two go back to the threshing floor and get to work." Aunt Li waved her hand upon hearing this.

Given the temperament of Xie Er's wife, it would be a miracle if she agreed. It was better for her to go and talk; otherwise, the little girl would have to run over herself, which would be too much trouble.

The three of them left. An Yinan went to the back room to check the supplies. There wasn't much rice and flour, but it wasn't a small amount either. There was also a bag of soybeans, half a bag of mung beans, and a small packet of sesame seeds.

It was said that there were still quite a few Work Points left because she had exceeded the exchange quota. She could have exchanged for a lot more coarse grains, but she had plenty of coarse grains in her space, enough to eat, so she would just keep the Work Points.

The room at the Educated Youth Station had already been cleared out. Whatever could be taken had been taken, and there was no need to damage what couldn't be taken. It was a lose-lose situation, and she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Let it be for whoever moves in next.

"Sister." It was Beibei's voice; even as he ran into the courtyard, his call still carried a sense of calmness and scholarly air.

"An Jie." The voice was a bit shy, but one could tell he was very happy. The previous reserve was gone; it was that child, Mo Yunshen.

"Fairy Sister." With that loud voice, it could only be Huzi in the whole village.

"What should I call you?" Shitou was a bit helpless. "You three agreed on it, so it's easy for you to call her something, but you all chose different names—what am I supposed to call her?"

The child was almost sweating from anxiety.

"Just call me whatever." An Yinan handed a towel to the group.

"Then I'll call you Fairy Sister too. Sister looks just like a fairy, with a pair of eyes that are always smiling, unlike my mom who is always scolding me." Shitou rolled his eyes and quickly decided.

"Fine, that works too." An Yinan didn't refuse; it was just a form of address, no need to be too particular.

"I told them to come over for the housewarming dinner tonight, and they said they'd come early to help with chores." Beibei explained the reason. Originally, the few of them were studying diligently, but once they were told they would be eating at his house for the housewarming, these three guys stopped studying—especially Huzi and Shitou, who were scratching their heads and fidgeting, even naughtier than monkeys.

"I'm going to the County in a bit, it should take about two hours. You guys make something for yourselves at noon. There are meat buns I brought back in the storage room. You four heat them up and eat; you can manage that, right?" An Yinan looked at the four little ones, mainly looking at An Xiangbei.

An Xiangbei and Mo Yunshen nodded in unison. Heating up food was something they were very good at.

"Don't worry, An Jie, I'll keep an eye on everyone," Mo Yunshen said.

"Then what else can we do? We didn't come to eat lunch; we wanted to work." Shitou said. His mother had told him not to eat at other people's houses, and he had come today without telling her—he didn't know what to do about that.

"Hmm, as for work, how about you help me fill the water vat later? And bring two bundles of firewood into the house. You can finish those, right?" Not far from the front door, Zhang Qian had found someone to dig a water well. It was the kind of hand-pump well that used a lever and the principle of water pressure to pump groundwater to the surface, flowing directly into a bucket through the spout.

Although this task wasn't light, it didn't involve any danger.