Chapter 435: Chapter 424: The Farmer’s Top Scorer
"Daya ... Daya?" Wang Zhaoxing’s eyes widened, then his cheeks flushed, and his gaze gradually became evasive.
Although the two of them were neighbors and played together as children, since Ye Fu’s death forced Xiuya to work all day and Wang Zhaoxing went to the academy, their encounters grew scarce, so Xiuya didn’t find his reaction odd and instead said generously: "My big brother has renamed me, from now on I’m called Ye Xiuya."
"Xiuya? That does sound pretty." Wang Zhaoxing’s face turned even redder, and his voice became faint, he had not expected Daya to change so much!
No, from now on he should call her Xiuya—these two characters really suit her. How had he never noticed before that Xiuya was so beautiful! How could she seem to have grown into a young lady so abruptly after just two months apart.
"Is Wang Po around?" Xiuya asked with a smile.
"My grandma has gone to the market. Do you need her for something?" asked Wang Zhaoxing with a flushed and pounding heart.
"Oh, this is to return the sweet potatoes and a pack of pastries to Wang Po. You can just give them to her when she comes back." Xiuya passed the basket over.
Wang Zhaoxing was aware of the situation at Ye Xiuya’s home, so he didn’t take it and quickly waved his hands: "No need, no need, you take it back."
"My big brother told me to bring this over, I really can’t take it back. Zhaoxing Brother, then I’ll just leave it here." After speaking, Xiuya left the basket and walked away, giving Wang Zhaoxing no chance to refuse.
"Eh ..." Wang Zhaoxing, with his mouth agape, stared blankly at Xiuya’s retreating figure for a long time before carrying the basket back to his own courtyard.
"Whose basket is this? How come there are sweet potatoes and pastries? Huh, they’re even pastries from Yufang House in the county." The speaker was Wang Xiangshi, Wang Po’s daughter-in-law; Ye Qiu and the others usually called her Aunt Xiang.
"Xiuya brought it over," Wang Zhaoxing replied.
"Xiuya? Who is Xiuya?" Aunt Xiang asked bewilderedly.
"It’s Daya, Ye Qiu gave her and Erya, Little Ya new names," Wang Zhaoxing said, feeling increasingly that Ye Qiu had chosen a good name. Xiuya, it suits her so well!
Aunt Xiang didn’t notice her youngest son’s odd behavior but frowned and said: "Why is that child so formal? They are struggling themselves, how can they bring such expensive pastries over."
"Zhaoxing, you take them back. No, you’re too quiet and can’t speak properly; I’d better go myself." Wang Zhaoxing was just about to agree when he saw his mother storming out in opposition, then he awkwardly retracted his hand, his face unnatural.
Aunt Xiang failed to notice her son’s odd behavior, but Aunt Wang observed thoughtfully for a moment and looked at him with an amused glance.
"I’ll go. You go prepare the meal." Ever since Aunt Xiang married into the family and became pregnant over a decade ago, the Wang family started having three meals a day to take care of her, so although it was noon, they still lit the fire to cook.
Wang Po didn’t pay attention to her grandson’s complaint and took the basket over to Ye Qiu’s home next door.
Because there was hardly any farmland left at home, and after cleaning and feeding the livestock, Xiuya and her sisters had nothing else to do. However, because her three younger sisters were weak and skinny from chronic malnutrition, the Ye family had also started cooking at noon. When Wang Po arrived, Xiuya had just finished cooking, leaving some food in the pot for Ye Qiu. The three sisters were sitting at the table eating yesterday’s leftover steamed buns, a plate of stir-fried eggs, and bone soup, which Ye Qiu had especially instructed that morning to ensure every meal was nutritious.
"Aunt Wang, what brings you here?" Xiuya warmly invited her in.
"It’s all because of you, girl. Just for a few sweet potatoes, was it necessary to be so polite and even send back some pastries? How expensive are those pastries? You sisters should keep them and eat them yourselves," Aunt Wang rattled on, then she suddenly stopped and stared at Xiuya, taken aback.
Huh? Daya looks quite nice in her outfit today, and with her hair up in a bun, she looks like a completely different person. Aunt Wang chuckled internally; no wonder her grandson was so captivated just now!
But since her grandson has taken a liking, this marriage could indeed be worth considering. Although the Ye Family might be poor, Ye Qiu seems capable of handling serious matters. Most importantly, there is Xiuya; she has watched the girl grow up and her character certainly speaks for itself.
The more Aunt Wang looked at her, the more satisfied she became, and the smile on her face grew wider, making Xiuya feel a bit uneasy inside.
She hurriedly pushed the basket back: "Aunt Wang, we originally borrowed the sweet potatoes, so of course we had to return them. The pastries were specially instructed by my brother to show our gratitude for your care. Why did you bring them back again?"
Aunt Wang scolded her: "Knowing that your family is in hardship and still buying such expensive pastries, where is your brother? I need to have a serious talk with him."
Xiuya replied with an embarrassed smile, "Aunt Wang, my brother has gone to the mountains. But yesterday, he made some money selling a storybook, so we are not in such a difficult situation for the time being. Look, this skirt and hairpin were bought by my brother yesterday. If we were really struggling, could we afford such things? So please, Aunt Wang, kindly take the pastries back!"
"He really made money?" Aunt Wang asked in surprise, noticing for the first time that Daya’s skirt and hairpin were of unusual quality and that the hairpin appeared quite elegant, likely costing several taels of silver. It seemed that the Ye Family indeed had money now. She hadn’t been mistaken; Ye Qiu was capable of handling significant matters. With such a brother, the three Ye sisters wouldn’t have to worry about leading a hard life in the future. With these thoughts, her desire to make a family connection with the Ye Family grew even stronger. However, both children were still young, and with the Ye Family in mourning, it would be a couple of years before talking about marriage.
"Really, my brother even brought back a donkey yesterday!"
"That’s good, that’s good." Aunt Wang laughed heartily as she took back the basket. "Since that’s the case, I won’t refuse anymore. Please thank your brother for me when he returns."
"Of course, Aunt Wang."
Ye Qiu walked along the forest path on the outskirts, where the vegetation was still quite sparse. Because it was autumn, the fruit trees were bearing fruit, though most of the tastier ones had already been picked by the villagers.
Further on, Ye Qiu saw a large expanse of wild roses. The flowers were single-petalled and pale pink in color; a single flower didn’t look impressive, but when blossoming en masse, they were extremely enchanting, especially with their fragrance, which was faint and unobtrusive.
He thought, he already knew what to have Xiuya and the others do.
In his space, he had planted a large number of Chinese roses and roses — all new varieties to this world. For example, the Dragon Sand Gem, which is pink in color, even won the title of "World’s Most Popular Rose." The petals are white on the outside and pink on the inside, layered upon each other, exuding an ethereal Immortal Energy.
There were also roses like the Golden Canary. Although the plants are short, they bloom profusely and throughout all seasons, often referred to as blooming machines. The flowers are shaped like cute buns, with a tender yellow color resembling custard buns.
Most importantly, the Tianlin Dynasty is relatively tolerant towards women. Although they cannot attend school like men, besides a few old-fashioned conservatives, most people do not discriminate against women for going out to have fun or doing business and the like.
Gardening not only cultivates one’s temperament, but if done well, it could also be sold for profit and increase the sisters’ exposure to the world. That settles it!