Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family

Chapter 385: Reach Out a Helping Hand

Translator: 549690339

Di Yelei also turned his head to look at the crowds outside, feeling a little anxious.

“Will…will there be enough food?”

According to tradition, no new rice can be cooked, no cleaning can be done, and no dirty water can be spilled on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Although Di Family prepared a lot of dishes, the amount of rice…was only a big pot of rice after all!

Both of them stared at each other, both encountering the situation before them for the first time and feeling a little confused.

“How about this! Before serving the cooked dishes, let’s cook sticky rice balls and eggs for everyone to eat a bowl first. This way, everyone will definitely eat less rice, and then serve rice cakes to fill everyone’s stomach first when we serve the dishes…”

Liu Sisi said this with a bit of a blush on her face!

Not having enough rice to eat, how awkward does this have to be?

“That seems like a good idea…”

Di Yelei had a different idea from Liu Sisi. The rice at home was cooked for a family of two days of portions, so it was really impossible to feed so many people. If it really wasn’t enough, they had to cook another pot of rice!

Once the decision was made, Liu Sisi nodded to Liu Zhi’er who was looking over, and the two went to the kitchen.

The sound of people playing poker in the kitchen was deafening, surrounding the bonfire tightly.

Seeing Liu Sisi coming in, everyone greeted her with their New Year wishes, all with inexplicable excitement and full of smiles on their faces.

The two didn’t say much, went directly to start the steaming basket, and began to heat it. Meanwhile, they started to cook the sticky rice balls and eggs. Guihua and Ms. Xin squeezed over to help as well.

“Third Sister-in-law, let’s help too. Are all these eggs going to be cooked?”

With that said, she picked up the eggs.

“Of course, they have to be cooked, with so many people to feed.” It’s still uncertain if the number of eggs will be enough once they’re all cooked.

Guihua also helped on the side, looking at the excited people playing poker and said, “Sisi, it seems that all our fellow villagers from Upper Village have come to your house.”

“Isn’t it? Third Sister-in-law is no ordinary person now; she’s a proper official’s wife.”

Ms. Xin, whose eyes flashed with radiance, hurriedly continued, “Moreover, just the bookstore that Third Sister-in-law opened in the town, it seems that she will need to hire help when she gives birth this year, right? It’s just not clear who she has in mind as suitable candidates.”

Her remarks left Liu Sisi momentarily stunned; she had actually forgotten to consider what to do after she gave birth.

However, Ms. Xin’s words alerted everyone who had been playing openly and secretly, and they all pricked up their ears to pay attention to the situation.

Seeing all this, Guihua immediately scolded.

“Ms. Xin, isn’t it too early to talk about this when Sisi’s pregnancy hasn’t even started to show yet?”

“Isn’t it just right to consider it now, so that we won’t be too busy when it comes to the crunch?”

Ms. Xin’s face still contained a charming shallow smile, and within the shimmering light, she took in the expressions of the people nearby.

“Alright, let’s not discuss this today since it’s the New Year. Let’s take a quick look at the pot and see if it’s time to put the sticky rice balls in?” Liu Sisi said with a light smile, dissolving the tension around them.

Actually, Ms. Xin’s words were really spot-on; this matter could indeed be considered slowly.

The bookstore was Brother Nan’s shop, and even if she needed to hire help when she gave birth, it should be Brother Nan who took care of it. Now that they had so little silver left, they hadn’t even had a chance to look at the farmland they had just bought before the New Year. They could think about it after the New Year!

When the sticky rice balls and eggs were served, Di Yelei naturally invited everyone to start eating.

Those who wanted to stay for dinner got their bowls and took their seats, while those who wanted to leave and eat at home understood their intentions and asked for permission to leave. Naturally, Di Yelei had to try to keep them from leaving again and again.

No kidding, maybe it was because of that bowl of sticky rice balls. When the steaming meat dishes were served, everyone ate more meat and less rice than usual.

Seeing that more than half of the rice was left, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the issue today was resolved perfectly.

After dinner, taking advantage of people gradually dispersing, Liu Sisi opened her paper umbrella and made an appointment with everyone to go to the Land Officer’s home to celebrate the New Year together.

Liu Sisi’s status had changed significantly today. Not only did the Land Officer’s wife take her to sit in the inner room alone, she also sent her all the way to the village entrance before turning back. In the Upper Village, this was an unprecedented courtesy.

Afterward, she went to the old house to pay her respects to Ms. Zhao.

Ms. Zhao didn’t make any sarcastic remarks today and just handed Liu Sisi a red envelope with a casual “Hmm.”

Liu Sisi reached out to take it, pinching the corner of the envelope, she felt a copper coin and immediately laughed!

Only Ms. Zhao would dismiss her daughter-in-law with just one copper coin! It’s hard to find a second person like her!

As she left, Ms. Xin hurriedly caught up with her.

“Third Sister-in-law, wait for me. I’ll walk with you.”

She affectionately took Liu Sisi’s arm: “Mom gave me a red envelope early this morning too. I found it auspicious, so when Brother Gao came to celebrate the New Year, I handed it to him in passing.”

While speaking, Ms. Xin took out her handkerchief and laughed while covering her mouth.

“Then what?”

Liu Sisi couldn’t help but laugh as well.

“Then Brother Gao cursed at the spot for a while, mom’s face turned very ugly, as if she had been angered.” Ms. Xin’s face showed an innocent expression.

“You…”

Liu Sisi shook her head helplessly before both of them started laughing again. Eventually, Ms. Xin changed the subject: “Third Sister-in-law, are you going back to your mother’s house tomorrow?”

Liu Sisi didn’t say anything, just looked at her with a cautious expression in her eyes.

Ever since that night when something almost happened, she had been instinctively avoiding Ms. Xin. However, the other party seemed to intentionally sing a different tune and kept approaching her.

Ms. Xin rolled her eyes and smiled bitterly, lowering her head: “I-I don’t mean anything else, just asking casually. I’m so envious that you have a mother’s house to go back to…”

Unexpectedly, had it not been for her mentioning it today, Liu Sisi would have completely forgotten that tomorrow is the day for married women to return to their mother’s houses.

Should she go back to her mother’s house?

Liu Sisi didn’t even know herself.

She walked silently, her feet feeling unsteady on the ice as she suddenly slipped and fell down the slope!

“Ah!”

Her instinct was to scream, but she soon realized that her body was suspended in mid-air and hadn’t fallen down to the bottom of the slope.

When she looked back, she saw that her right hand was being grabbed by Ms. Xin!

At that critical moment, it was Ms. Xin who reached out a helping hand to her! Ms. Xin was pulling her, with her waistband wrapped around a big tree by the roadside!

Ms. Xin’s face was deathly pale, not caring about her own condition. She carefully checked Liu Sisi up and down, showing a worried look.

“Third Sister-in-law, are you okay? Have you hurt yourself anywhere? Third Sister-in-law, please say something. Don’t scare me…”

“I’m fine, thank you! Cui’er.”

Liu Sisi sincerely thanked her.