Su Shen held Gu Zi's hand firmly as he insisted on handing the red envelope to Father Lin. "This is the thousand yuan return gift, it should be given. Gu Zi can't accept this money."
Gu Zi nodded in agreement and said to her parents, "You two should accept it."
Seeing their daughter and son-in-law's insistence, Mr. and Mrs. Lin accepted the money.
The surrounding guests were astounded; not only did they return a substantial gift, but they also returned a thousand yuan!
Goodness, what good deeds had the Lin family done in their past lives to deserve such a wonderful daughter and son-in-law like Gu Zi and Su Shen?
Amidst the envy, the guests enjoyed the homecoming banquet, and after the feast, they dispersed, leaving the Lin family's surroundings gradually quiet.
Lin Cheng and Li Hua handed out three red envelopes to Su Bing, Su Li, and Su Le, saying, "These are from your uncle and aunt. We won't say anything flowery; from now on, we're family, and we're happy about that. We hope you all stay healthy and happy!"
Su Bing and Su Li looked pleasantly surprised at the red envelopes. Upon opening them, they found ten yuan inside, filling them with joy.
To receive such red envelopes was rare for them. With a good mother, they now also had good uncle and aunt.
Su Li felt they were the luckiest children in the world!
"Thank you, Uncle, Aunt!" Su Bing and Su Li happily expressed their gratitude to their uncle and aunt.
Su Li then went to grab Su Le, saying, "Little sister, you should thank Uncle and Aunt too! Oh, and let Big Brother hold onto your money for you." With that, he put Su Le's red envelope into his own pocket.
Su Le looked at him, then at everyone else, her expression bewildered: How did the red envelope end in Second Brother's pocket?
The others had seen through Su Li's little scheme. They just smiled, but did not expose him.
After playing for a while, Su Le felt a little sleepy. Gu Zi knew that she was going to sleep, so she asked Su Bing and Su Li to bring her into the house to rest and take an afternoon nap.
Gu Zi then stayed behind with her mother and sister-in-law to tidy up the remnants of the feast. Though they had hired help, Gu Zi still pitched in, ensuring everything was cleaned thoroughly.
Seeing Lin Cheng and Papa Lin preparing to go out with farm tools, Su Shen volunteered to help, changing into Lin Cheng's clothes and joining them to help harvest rice in the fields.
They were harvesting the second season of rice, also known as late rice, which was timely after the Double Ninth Festival.
In fact, the Lin family's rice paddies were only about an acre in size, equivalent to the size of three standard basketball courts. With three strong men working, they estimated they could finish a large portion today.
After collecting the bowls and chopsticks, Gu Zi told Li Hua, "After we finish cleaning the house, let's make some food to take to them."
Li Hua agreed, saying, "Sure, but sister, you're dressed so nicely; don't get dirty. Leave the dishes to me; I'll wash them with the helpers. I'm fast."
Gu Zi agreed. She wouldn't be much help washing dishes, but she could sweep the floor. So she took the broom from behind the door and went outside to sweep. The broom in the countryside was made of sorghum, dense and efficient to use.
Although Gu Zi was dressed elegantly today, she was accustomed to doing housework. Looking nice didn't hinder her ability to do chores. With nimble hands and feet, she quickly cleaned the outside of the house.
Gu Zi opened the refrigerator to see the ingredients inside. Upon seeing the leftover broth and minced meat from the feast, she decided to make some scallion pork patties and a pot of spicy soup as a snack for the men later.
She tied on an apron, washed a small piece of lean meat, put it in a pot with broth, green onions, ginger, cinnamon, and star anise, and started cooking.
Gu Zi knew the meat would take a while, so during this time, she took out some flour and water and kneaded the dough. Then she took out the ready-made minced meat, added cooking wine, chopped green onions, and ginger, and mixed them evenly, preparing to fry the scallion pork patties.
Once fried, the pork patties were plump and golden, neatly arranged on the chopping board, looking especially enticing.
After frying the patties, the meat in the broth was also cooked. She took the meat out and let it cool for a while. When it was no longer hot, she cut the meat into small pieces. Then she heated oil in a wok, stir-fried dried chilies and scallions, then added the diced meat to stir-fry.
Then she poured in the pork broth, brought it to a boil over high heat, added peanuts, and continued to cook over low heat.
Li Hua entered the kitchen and was immediately intoxicated by the aroma. The spicy fragrance cleared her airways, and she asked, "Sister, what are you making? It smells very unique.."
...