It was unexpected that his little aunt bore so much for the family alone.
Whenever Yun Jinhe thought of his little aunt running around to make money, a bitterness welled up in his heart...
If he stopped studying and helped the family with the work, would the burden on his little aunt's shoulders be lessened?
With this thought, Yun Jinhe withdrew his gaze and looked at Yun Siman, "Fourth, Fourth Uncle, I don't want to go back to the academy after the New Year!"
"What, what?" Yun Siman's mouth twitched. He abruptly tightened the reins, forcing the horse-drawn sled to stop. "You brat, what did you just say? Not going back to the academy?"
"Yes..." Yun Jinhe nodded weakly, "I want to help Grandpa farm, help the family with the work, and I don't want my little aunt to work so hard!"
Yun Siman: "???"
This kid, had he gone mad from studying?
"Jinhe, let me tell you, our family isn't as strapped as you think!" Yun Siman snorted coldly, flicked the reins, and the horse-drawn sled slowly moved forward. "You focus on your studies and don't think about these useless things. If nothing else, your tuition, book fees, and accommodation are all things I can afford, so you don't need to worry the family..."
"Even if that's not enough, there's still your third uncle. He's been helping the Gao family with their shops for years and has saved quite a bit of money privately. If he knew you suddenly stopped studying, he'd beat you to death!"
Yun Jinhe listened, his eyes blurred with tears. He wiped his face, then wiped the corners of his eyes with his sleeve, "Then why is Little Aunt working so hard? She's so young, she should be playing happily and growing up joyfully like other children. If it's because of my studies that she has to worry and fret, then I'd rather not study at all..."
Yun Siman clicked his tongue and stopped the horse-drawn sled again. "No, why are you so stubborn? You usually seem quite clever, I didn't expect your mind to be so slow!"
As he spoke, Yun Siman jumped off the horse-drawn sled, unhooked the wine gourd from his waist, and took a few gulps. "Haven't you noticed that your little aunt is different from other children?"
"Of course she's different, Little Aunt is a blessed child, the little treasure of the whole family!" Yun Jinhe said seriously.
Yun Siman: "..."
You silly scholar, you're completely out of your mind.
"Nephew, let Uncle tell you, your little aunt is a golden phoenix by birth, and Da Shui Village can't contain her, you know?"
Yun Siman sighed, the biting cold wind howled, lifting his sheepskin coat. "Even if the family wasn't in hardship, she would find something to do for herself. Raising dairy cows and opening shops is nothing. Your little aunt is destined for great things in the future, not necessarily earth-shattering, but at least nationwide sensation..."
And those who saw Xiao Xi Tian as a blessed child had rather shortsighted views.
A phoenix with shining wings could never be confined to a cage forever.
After hearing this, the gloom in Yun Jinhe's heart finally eased. "I knew Little Aunt was definitely an extraordinary person, destined for great things..."
Yun Siman smiled slightly, picked up his whip, and gently tapped Yun Jinhe. "That's why you should study harder, achieve fame, and bring honor to our Yun family. Your little aunt will be happy too!"
Alas, perhaps he hadn't had a heart-to-heart talk with his nephew in a long time. After chatting for so long, his nephew finally understood his good intentions...
"Got it, Fourth Uncle!"
The next morning, at the old Yun family's house.
To host an engagement banquet, almost everyone in the Yun family was mobilized. The scene was even comparable to when Yun Erman and Du Tieshan got married.
Several villagers stood at the gate, craning their necks to look into the courtyard, whispering among themselves.
"Heh, it's just an engagement, and look at the old Yun family, acting as if their grandson is getting married. Is it necessary to make such a fuss?"
"You don't understand. If it were just a normal family engagement, it would be fine. But I heard that their Jingde is going to be engaged to the county magistrate's daughter. Once they are married, who would dare provoke the old Yun family again..."
"Wrong, I think the county magistrate is trying to curry favor with the old Yun family. Don't you remember, the county magistrate's wife even wanted their Jinshan to become a live-in son-in-law? Old Yun refused, and the matter was dropped. Who would have thought that the county magistrate's family would then take a liking to Jingde!"
"Yes, yes, yes, the old Yun family has Sweet Treasure, who can bless both families with peace and prosperity for generations! So, the county magistrate is marrying his daughter to Jingde entirely because of Sweet Treasure!"
"..."
It was cold outside, and after a while, the villagers went home.
In the old Yun family's courtyard, Jin Huaihua brought the pig knuckles, pork ribs, trotters, and various frozen goods from the vat into the kitchen and threw them into basins of water to thaw.
The engagement banquet was tomorrow, so the meat had to be prepared sufficiently...
Yun Sanman was busy running around, inviting the village chief and others into the house for tea. Man and Erman and their wives were also busy, sweeping the yard and chopping firewood, even washing the curtains, quilts, pillowcases, and dirty clothes in the house.
"Haha, Old Yun, congratulations! If Jingde gets engaged to Xiao Ran, you'll be family with the county magistrate from now on. This is truly a joyous occasion!" The village chief walked into the main hall with a smile and cupped his hands towards Old Yun.
Old Yun's eyes crinkled into a smile. "Ah, children and grandchildren have their own fortunes. From now on, the young people can do as they please. We old folks should interfere less, hehe!"
Village Chief: "..."
Look at you, so happy. You must be overjoyed.
Gu Shi was entertaining Aunt Zhang and Wang Suzhen and the other women, bringing out all the peanuts and fried melon seeds from the house, setting up a large table.
"Grandma of the children, don't look at Jingde returning to your family later, but I saw this child and knew he was blessed! Look, he's now engaged to the county magistrate's daughter. From now on, good things will keep coming to your family, haha..." Aunt Zhang congratulated him with a smile.
Wang Suzhen glared at her after hearing this, "You've said it backward. It's clearly their Sweet Treasure who is blessed and can bring good luck!"
Xiao Xi Tian, who had just toddled into the room, heard so many people praising her, so she quietly tiptoed away...
She really couldn't stand it, her popularity was too great.
Actually, she didn't really like people calling her a blessed child. She was just herself, and she didn't inherently possess any special fortune.
Leaving the main hall, Xiao Xi Tian was about to go to the kitchen to take a look when she suddenly saw Shangguan Fang'er sitting by the moon gate in the back garden.
She was wearing a clean and neat cotton coat, and her clear eyes were like cold stars in the night, bright and spirited, but her complexion was slightly tired, as if she hadn't slept well.
Xiao Xi Tian paused for a moment and slowly walked towards Shangguan Fang'er...