"What are you laughing at?"
Gu Tao curled his mouth in aggrieved manner, and his eyes drooped like a puppy.
In the past, she would never have been able to ask this question. Although I now know that Xu Ling is different from before, I still felt a little uneasy when I asked this question.
No matter how close the relationship between people is, there is always a thin film between them, and it is impossible to be as intimate as understanding oneself.
It was impossible for Xu Ling to be angry because she talked to him like this, but Gu You didn't know that. Therefore, she quickly reacted, calmed down her expression, and pushed Xu Ling with her arm.
"Go and have a rest. I'll be cooking in a while."
Xu Ling remained silent and leaned on her shoulder to observe her expression.
She had picturesque eyebrows, a high nose, and a unique profile. Xu Ling raised the corners of her mouth, loving the coldness of her facial features.
Are you really jealous?
"My conscience, I haven't even slept outside. I can't sleep well because I don't have enough to eat. My mother said that I have lost weight, darkened, and am much uglier. I have seen a lot of young ladies, but when they saw me I just dislike it."
Gu You had a calm face at first, but as he listened, he couldn't help but smile, and the corners of his mouth turned up.
Xu Ling let go of her hand and walked to the side of the chopping board to look at her expression.
Gu You said angrily, "You're a person who knows how to talk nonsense."
"You have wronged me again. Look at me, am I darker and thinner?" Xu Ling said aggrievedly.
Gu You then raised his face half way up and took a serious look at his appearance.
I don't know when Xu Ling started to grow taller, his back straightened, and he looked more energetic. He didn't look like a crooked man in the past, he was just a bad person, born out of his heart, which made people feel unhappy just looking at him.
Now he is clean and tidy. Although he is a little tired from the long journey, his eyebrows are clean and his facial features are pretty. Even his stubble does not look sloppy. Instead, it makes him look a little haggard, which makes Gu You's heart tighten.
"You have become darker and thinner," Gu You said, his distressed tears slipping down like broken beads.
Xu Ling was anxious and quickly wiped her tears: "You're fine, why are you still crying?"
"You have worked hard outside. I heard from my father that you also encountered Jiang bandits?"
"Oh, this is not a big deal," Xu Ling didn't want him to worry about it, so he deliberately exaggerated: "Whoever goes out to do business without encountering the Dianjiang bandits is not called doing business. I know a businessman named Niu Decai. A friend of mine told me that he encounters river bandits five times throughout the year, and all he needs to do is pay, and it’s not a big deal.”
"Five times? How dangerous is that!" Gu Tao frowned, "How about buying some land and staying home and not going out?"
Xu Ling said with a smile: "That's what I think. I'll go back and ask Sun Baoyao to buy me some land in the countryside and find someone to plant the land for us. But I opened a shop in Quanzhou and I will go and check it out from time to time. Don't worry, next year I will definitely stay with you longer.”
"Bah!" Gu You spat at him, blushing and saying, "Why did I ask you to stay with me at home? I'm afraid you will be in danger!"
Xu Ling chuckled, leaned over and kissed her on the face, "I don't believe it. Did you really miss me at home?"
Scoundrel!
Gu Tao waved his hand to chase him away, "If you have nothing to do, just light the fire for me and stop causing trouble!"
Xu Ling was afraid that her face would explode red if he continued talking, so he smiled and sat in front of the pot to add firewood to the fire.
After a while, Xu Ping, Xu An and Da Ya came over, and these little ones followed Xu Ling wherever he went.
Xu Ling held his daughter in his arms and nodded her nose to tease her. Gu You then said, "Master Fan told you to give Daya a name. What kind of genealogy does he want to write for our family?"
"Pfft..." Xu Ling almost laughed out loud, "Our family is not a wealthy family, but the old man is actually thinking about writing a family tree?"
"Ahem!"
Fan Shiqing's coughing sound was heard outside, and Xu Ling quickly changed his words, "It's quite far-sighted. But even if you don't write a family tree, you should give Daya a name. Do you have any ideas?"
"I have never read a book. Master Fan mentioned a few names, Xu Manxiang and Xu Xiufang, which one sounds better?"
Xu Ling: "These two names...Which one does Da Ya like?"
Da Ya looked at her father with her big round eyes and shouted: "Daddy!"
Xu Ling: "..."
The daughter didn't seem to be able to understand this, so Xu Ling thought for a while, "Let's call her Man Xiang. I hope she can be like a orchid, filling the room with fragrance and overflowing the garden. We have such a little treasure in our family, and she can Let’s get some fragrance, okay?”
Daya grinned, revealing two small rabbit-like front teeth, "Okay!"
Mrs. Fan also nodded with satisfaction, "I also think this name is a good one. She will be three years old after the Chinese New Year, and she will be able to read and read with me."
Xu Ling found it a bit funny. Is Fan Shiqing addicted to teaching?
He stayed out for a while and couldn't come into the kitchen, so he went back to his room.
Xu Ling asked his younger brothers and sisters: "What does Mr. Fan usually do at home?"
"He taught us how to read and write, and then we would eat and bask in the sun. Otherwise, we would just stay in his room and not go out even if we asked him to."
When Xu Ping and Xu An talked about Fan Shiqing's behavior, they also thought he was very weird.
Xu Ling was dumbfounded. Fan Shiqing had been in prison for more than ten years. He had probably become accustomed to it and was not used to the outside world. Teaching children to read would make him less bored.
He had previously asked Fan Shiqing to teach Xu An to read, but he was still a little dissatisfied. He thought that women did not need to read and write, and even if they wanted the girls in the family to study, they should hire a female wife.
Now he even wants to teach Da Ya together. Maybe he is too bored to look away?
When Xu Ling came back, his family had already finished lunch, and Gu You made him hot noodle soup alone. After a bowl of hot noodle soup, Xu Ling felt warm and comfortable all over, and he felt sleepy.
Mrs. Xu put the hens that Xu Ling brought back to the vegetable field in the back garden. The family used to raise some chickens and ducks, and they were all penned in the back garden. The winter was cold and many died. Now there are only seven or eight of them. I'll have to raise another batch in the spring.
Xu Ling went back to the house to sleep, and told Xu Ping and Xu An to invite his father-in-law and his family to come for dinner in the evening and move the things in the car into the house.
After the new house was built, it had to be aired and ventilated, so Xu Ling didn't really move in before leaving home.
Now that he and Gu Tuo have moved into a new house, the two-story wooden building already has the atmosphere of being lived in, but it lacks decoration and looks a little cold when it looks empty.
You can take your family to the market before the new year to see what wine you need and buy it. The home should look like a home. There is still room for those trees. After the new year, the spring will be warm. Find an opportunity to plant fruit trees in the yard. Here, there are peach trees, pear trees, and fig trees... There should be no shortage of fruits to eat next year, right?
The room where Xu Ling and Gu Tao slept had a new set of huanghuali wood furniture. The bead curtain covered the bed. Gu Tao's dressing table was placed opposite the window. When the window was opened, one could see the empty yard and beyond. This place is in the village shrouded in mist, with one or two villagers passing by from time to time.
Xu Ling observed his little home with satisfaction, went to the space to take a good bath, changed into clean clothes, came out and wrapped himself up in a quilt and fell asleep.
