Chapter 680 - Chapter 680: Chapter 680: Enthusiastic Neighbors (1/2)
Chapter 680: Chapter 680: Enthusiastic Neighbors
Braised pork, sweet and sour lotus root, stir-fried sweet potato, dry fried small fish, white gourd soup, along with pumpkin pancake and chive pie; every dish was generously portioned, stimulating people’s appetite.
As noon approached, despite the Di family’s efforts to retain them, more than half of the villagers who came to join the fun had left.
Those who remained were seated at several tables, chatting about various topics while enjoying the authentic rural dishes.
After a few rounds of wine, everyone started to loosen up and talk more.
“Although this year’s early rice crop was ruined by drought, the late rice crop was pretty good, better than previous years, which was beyond our expectations.”
“Isn’t that right? After the early rice in my family’s field was destroyed, we were prepared for a famine this year. But then Lord Di told us to plant sweet potatoes in the early rice fields. Just yesterday, I went to the field and saw that the sweet potatoes had grown to the size of a slightly smaller fist. Though it may not be very tasty, at least we won’t have to worry about going hungry.”
“We’ve also planted quite a few sweet potatoes in my family’s field. We originally couldn’t afford to raise pigs and were planning to sell them at a low price, but once the potato seedlings grew, there was more than enough food for two pigs. Now we don’t have to worry about their food.”
“Hey! We have many children in our family, and everyone always grumbles about how much they eat. But ever since they started catching locusts in the city, the children have been going up the mountain every day to catch them, earning dozens of copper coins each day. That’s more than we earn doing odd jobs…”
The more they talked, the happier and louder they became, clearly feeling that their current life was quite good.
The compliments made Elderly Mr. Di grin from ear to ear, unable to stop himself.
Di Yelei hurriedly waved his hand: “I’m just making suggestions on paper. You are the ones who put them into practice, so the credit for living a good life should be given to you all. Yelei is unworthy of everyone’s praise…”
Old Man Di beside him grew anxious. Why waste good fortune by turning it down? He hurriedly gave Di Yelei a signal with his eyes.
But Di Yelei still smiled sincerely, looking like a completely honest and kind person.
An old man nearby sighed with emotion, shaking his head: “Not arrogant, not impulsive, not forgetting one’s roots, not flaunting one’s success. Old brother Di, I envy you for raising such an outstanding child.”
Old Di immediately beamed: “Oh, thank you, thank you, haha…”
On the other hand, the atmosphere among the female guests was different from that of the male ones.
Everyone whispered to one another, sharing the gossip they had heard recently.
“Sisi, I heard that the new County Magistrate is coming soon, is that true?”
“Of course, it’s true.”
Liu Sisi smiled gently.
“Ah, what a pity, it would have been great if Yelei could continue being the County Magistrate.”
“Indeed, this year, many people in our village have made a lot of money just by catching locusts.”
“Right! Dongzi’s family used to earn less than one tael of silver a year, but they’ve already made more than two taels in less than a month. How can we not envy them…”
Everyone was in animated conversation, while Liu Sisi maintained a polite smile on her face.
Not long after, they brought up another topic: “Madam, I heard that the academy is soon to be completed, and that the students are already being recruited by several teachers from Liu Family. And that students in the academy have to support themselves. Is that true?”
As soon as these words were spoken, countless pairs of eyes turned and stared at Liu Sisi.