Tian was standing at the gate of the Xiwu house, lifting the curtain to say these words. Rushou hurriedly followed with a smile and called out "Dabo". Xia Zhi didn't speak, and Xiao Heiyu looked at Xia Zhi but also didn't make a sound.

  Da Qing got up from under the bed, stretched and let out two loud barks at Tian Shi.

  The Tian family didn't mind, and instead laughed and talked to Xiao Hei Yu, saying it was late and still raining outside, inviting Xiao Hei Yu to stay for dinner. Xiao Hei Yu grunted in response, neither agreeing nor refusing. Xia Zhi looked outside and then answered on behalf of Xiao Hei Yu.

  Xiao Hei Yu'er looked at Xia Zhi again. Xia Zhi smiled: "Old uncle, you forgot, now all the household expenses are paid by me." She didn't tell Xiao Hei Yu'er that Tian Shi was being nice to him and inviting him to stay for dinner because of Tian Lai Bao's sake. It was Xia Zhi who deliberately misled Tian Shi, making her think that Tian Lai Bao came to Xia's house to play with the children because he got along well with Xiao Hei Yu'er.

  Tian's intention is to win over Xiao Hei.

  "That's okay, I'll just eat here." Little Black saw that Xia Zhi had spoken up, and he nodded in agreement.

  It was getting late in the tenth month, and she refused to stay. Xia Zhi instructed her to deliver a message to Old Master Xia and Old Mistress Xia: "Don't come back even after dinner, just sleep here tonight, it's wet outside, so you won't have to run back and forth." Nian Yue put on her little black rain cloak and left.

  Want to keep Xiaohu eating, Xia Zhi thought about what dishes to make. On such a rainy day, it's actually very suitable for hot pot. But her current condition can't afford it. Xia Zhi thought for a moment, then called out to Xia Qiao and handed him some money, letting him go buy vegetables at the village head.

  In front of the village grocery store, there was an empty space where you could rent a cart and also buy meat. Xia Zhi asked Da Qiao to buy several pieces of meat for a few cents, and then buy two blocks of tofu back. Then she consulted with Xiao Hei Yu: "Uncle, is it okay to eat pancakes?"

  "Go ahead." Little Black Fish immediately responded, he loved eating pancakes.

  Making pancakes requires a griddle, but they didn't have one at home. Only Old Lady Wu's house nearby had one. Xia Zhi herself held an umbrella and wore Tian Shi's wooden clogs to come to Old Lady Wu's house.

  When she brought back the pancake mold, Tian Shi was still surprised and asked her where it came from. Xia Zhi didn't hide it, telling Tian Shi: "It's borrowed from my aunt's house."

  Tian's family gave Xia Zhi a sideways glance, then rolled up his sleeves and started making pancakes.

  "Don't bother yourself, Mother." Xia Zhi stopped Tian Shi, "Mother, if you're willing, go next door and tell Sun Wu's wife to invite Lan Zi's sister over."

  Tian returned, and Sun Lan'er stopped coming to keep Shu Xi company at night. What Shu Xi meant was to have Tian come forward and invite Sun Lan'er over as a gesture of gratitude. This elevated the matter to the level of interactions between the two families, rather than just the friendship between the two children.

  This is Xia Zhi's plan for Sun Lan'er. With the Tian family stepping in, the Sun and Wang families will have to consider the Tian family if they want to bully Sun Lan'er again.

  "You're still relying on me with all your might." Tian's eyes stared at Xia Zhi.

  "If you don't want to go, then just don't go. That's how human relationships work. I can go too, but it's not as good as if you went. Think about it, is that the reason?" Xia Zhi was being pragmatic and to-the-point.

  Tian's family looked at Xia Zhi and then didn't say anything. He opened his umbrella and went to the Sun Lao Wu's house next door.

  Xia Zhi and Hua Mian had finished their meal, Xia Qiao also bought all the dishes back, then Sun Lan'er also entered the door.

  "Sixteen, what do you want to do? I'll help you." Sun Lan'er's face turned slightly red with excitement. It turned out that Tian had gone next door to talk to Sun Wangshi, and Sun Wangshi was naturally delighted to send Sun Lan'er over to help with cooking. Tian was still chatting with Sun Wangshi at the Sun's house.

  With Sun Lan'er's help, Xia Zhi became even more composed.

  Making a pancake is easy, but not easy. After the pan is heated on a small stove, a thin layer of oil is applied to both sides, then a spoonful of batter is poured in and spread evenly with a spatula into a thin pancake. Wait for a while before flipping the pancake over, cooking both sides until done, then scoop it out into a bowl and continue making the next one.

  Saying it's easy is saying the operation is very simple. Saying it's difficult is that making a round and even pancake also requires skill. Xia Zhi is quite skilled, Sun Lan'er is a bit clumsy, but she learns quickly with her clever hands.

  The pancakes were all spread out, and Xia Zhi took out a few to wrap up. Along with the cleaned pancake mold, he handed them over to Xiao Shu'er, telling him to deliver them to Wu Lao Tai Tai. Then, he prepared two more portions of pancakes: one for Summer Old Master and Summer Old Mistress in the backyard, and one for Sun Lan Er's household.

  They're all little trees running errands.

  The remaining pancakes were placed in a basin and covered with a warm cloth. Preparing dinner dishes starting from the summer solstice.

  The meat bought was three parts fat and seven parts lean, all of which were finely chopped into minced meat. The minced meat was divided into three portions, one of which was used to make Mapo tofu with tofu. Apart from the other seasonings she had rushed to buy back from the town market, chili pepper powder was the main seasoning. The dried chili seeds from previous years were all planted on the summer solstice, and the rest were made into chili pepper powder.

  One dish of zongzi was added with soft vermicelli to make "ants climbing a tree", and another dish of zongzi was mixed with starch and shaped into balls, then cooked together with some vermicelli and tender small Chinese cabbage from the garden to make a ball-vermicelli-cabbage soup.

  In addition, Xia Zhi also took out some of the bean sprouts she had sent and made a dish of stir-fried bean sprouts. When the pan was slightly heated with vinegar, it became very delicious and healthy.

  Tian's family returned from next door, saw the lively scene in the main room and was stunned. "This is just like cooking for New Year's Eve!" She waved her hand and didn't care, letting Xia Zhi prepare dinner by herself. In her heart, she thought that Xia Zhi could only make some ordinary stir-fried vegetables and tofu. Leaving Xiao Hei and Sun Lan'er to eat together was not a big deal anyway.

  She originally wanted to sit for a while longer next door, but the strong fragrance wafted over and she couldn't sit still, so she came back early to take a look. She never expected that Xia Zhi could make such an arrangement.

  While sitting at the dinner table, Tian still couldn't help but keep glancing at Xia Zhi.

  Xia Zhi pretended not to see, she called Sun Lan'er to eat, and personally picked up a piece of pancake wrapped with bean sprouts for Xiao Hei Yu, and also scooped a bowl of soup for Xiao Hei Yu.

  The little black fish ate fragrantly and nodded while eating.

  "Mom, what I made isn't as delicious as yours, just make do with it." Xia Zhi said politely while looking at Tian Shi who was still sizing her up.

  Tian's family then picked up her chopsticks, she first tasted each dish. Then, her complexion became somewhat unpredictable.

  Everyone was having a great time eating, except for Tian Shi who spoke very little and seemed lost in thought.

  At night, Xia Zhi had just settled down the little black fish and was about to rest herself when Tian Shi suddenly came over and beckoned her. Xia Zhi thought for a moment, not wanting to disturb the little black fish, and followed Tian Shi to the east house.

  The kang in the east room has already been made up with bedding, but Xiaqiao and Xiaoshu have not gone to sleep yet.

  "Summer Solstice, how much money did you spend today?" Tian Shi interrogated Xia Zhi from the start.

  "It didn't cost much money. My brother went to buy it, he knows everything." Half a catty of meat, plus two pieces of tofu, only spent ten cents in total. The rice noodles were bought by her at the local market when she was rushing to gather, and the small white vegetables were produced from their own vegetable garden. Even the pancake batter didn't use wheat flour, but used fine millet flour instead.

  Millet noodles are cheaper than white noodles and are considered coarse grains. In Xia Zhi's opinion, millet noodle pancakes are even more delicious than white noodle pancakes.

  "Ten big coins is still not enough!" Mrs. Tian frowned, looking very dissatisfied. Then she also glanced at Xiaqiao and Xiaoshu, "When I'm not home, do you eat like this every day?"

  No wonder both sons are so protective of Xia Zhi, especially Xiao Shu. In the past, Xiao Shu often bullied his sister and never had a good face for her. But now Xiao Shu seems to have changed into a different person, being so affectionate with his sister that it makes this mother's heart feel a little sour.

  Xiaqiao and Xiaoshu'er have undergone such a transformation, they must have been bought off by Xiazhi with food!

  "How is that possible?" Xia Zhi laughed. "It's already good to have a meal like this occasionally, I also need to have that kind of money if I want to eat like this every day."

  Xiaqiao and Xiaoshu also testified for Xia Zhi, saying that what Xia Zhi said was true.

  Tian Shi was also just uneasy in her heart and she didn't believe Xia Zhi would have that much money. "Xia Zhi, how much more money do you have?" Tian Shi asked.

  "Mother asked what this is for?" Xia Zhi glanced at Tian Shi, "We agreed that these things wouldn't trouble Mother to worry about."

  "What's wrong? I'm your mother, and you're still hiding it from me?"

  "I'm out of money," Xia Zhi said bluntly.

  "Mom, my sister has no money." Xiaoshu looked at Tian Shi's face getting worse and worse, and Xia Zhi also stopped smiling. He hurriedly rushed into Tian Shi's arms to coax her, relieving Xia Zhi.

  Tian Shi patted the little tree's buttocks twice with a helpless expression. "You're half grown up, aren't you ashamed? Go and sit down properly." The two sons indeed leaned towards Xia Zhi's side. Tian Shi had even more worries in her heart.

  "Has your grandfather given you money? How much did he give you?" Tian asked Xia Zhi again. Xia Zhi said she could earn money, but what skills could a little girl like her have to make money? Tian thought that Xia Zhi had won over Old Master Xia in the backyard, and it was Old Master Xia who gave Xia Zhi money, so Xia Zhi dared to be so confident. Seeing how good Xia Zhi was to Little Black Fish, she became even more convinced of her own idea.

  "My grandfather gave me some money, and I spent it all." Xia Zhi replied.

  Tian saw that Xia Zhi didn't say anything, and thought about the money she gave her at the summer solstice. In the end, she didn't make things difficult for Xia Zhi either. She changed the subject and asked Xia Zhi: "When will you send out bean sprouts?"

  If it wasn't for stir-frying bean sprouts at night, she wouldn't have discovered that Xia Zhi had sent a small jar of bean sprout vegetables.

  "It's something I just learned recently."

  "Who did you learn from?"

  "I asked people a few questions when I was in a hurry, and when I came back to try it out, it worked."

  Tian's family fell silent for a while, her face changing unpredictably. She herself hadn't realized that since coming back this time, she had been silent more and more when facing Xia Zhi. But in her heart, a sense of crisis was already quietly forming.

  This home seems no longer the one it used to be.

  "It's getting late, let's call it a day," Xia Qiao said.

  "Take a break." Tian said expressionlessly.

  She didn't return to the west wing until the summer solstice. Mrs. Tian didn't scold her, nor did she reprimand her, but she knew Mrs. Tian was unhappy. As for why she was unhappy, she could also guess roughly.

  Her agreement with Tian could make Tian save more money for his family, but it couldn't guarantee Tian's happiness. Who cares!

  The next day was another fine day.

  After breakfast, Xiaqiao took Xiaoshu to cut grass and dig wild vegetables, while Xiazhi didn't go with them. Nowadays, the three siblings also have a rough division of labor, with the heavier tasks being taken care of by the two brothers. This was Xiaqiao's suggestion, and Xiaoshu had no objection. Tian Shi said a few words, but the three siblings didn't take it to heart.

  Xiatu did some needlework for a while, and when the dew had almost dried up, she went to the vegetable garden in front, weeded the lower ridge, tended the flowers and peppers in the backyard west of the wall.

  Because of the careful weeding, there were not many weeds, but by the time all the work was done at the summer solstice, it was almost noon.

  As he passed by the back door, Xia Zhi glanced inside. The backyard was quiet and deserted, without a single person in sight. Xia Zhi thought for a moment before entering through the door.

  Upstairs in the house, Old Man Xia, Old Lady Xia and Little Black Fish were all there. Tian Lai Bao, who should have been here at this time, was naturally nowhere to be seen.

  As soon as Xia Zhi entered the house, she was caught off guard by the thick smoke in the room and started coughing.

  "I told you to stop smoking so much, look at how it's affecting your sixteen-year-old." Xia old lady scolded Xia old man.

  Old Man Xia finally put down his pipe and said he wouldn't smoke anymore.

  "This morning, I've lost count of how many packs of cigarettes I've smoked." Old Lady Xia poured water for Xia Zhi to wash her hands and asked, "Are you going downstairs or what?"

  "It hasn't even rained yet and you've already pulled out all the grass in the garden." Xia Zhi replied.

  "Sixteen, I've collected some fertilizer for you. This afternoon, put it on those flower and pepper seedlings." Old Man Xia said.

  "That's great." Xia Zhi didn't decline and walked over to sit with Xiao Hei Yu.

  The little black fish is reading a book, somewhat absent-minded. Xia Zhi quietly asked him why he didn't go out to play.

  "Your grandfather won't let you go out." Little Black Fish gave Old Man Xia a discontented glance.

  Xia looked towards the east wing of the house. Old Lady Xia noticed and walked over, telling her in a low voice: "Everyone's here, no one has left." Then she let out a sigh.

  After a while, Xia Ershu slowly came in and sat down on the edge of the kang with a silly expression.

  Old Man Xia was in a bad mood.

  "Dad..."

  "Hurry up and arrange a marriage for May." Old Man Xia said. This was the only solution he could think of after staying up all night.

  "It's easy to say, but where can we find a suitable place at this time? Moreover, even if we say it, we haven't done anything in May, and Tian San Niang's mouth... We have to find something to say to them." Xia Er Shu said angrily.

  "What's there to say? I'm too ashamed to go to Lao Tian's house. If you want to go, you all go yourselves." Old Man Xia said without hesitation.

  "If they dared to go themselves, why would they come looking for Old Man Xia?"

  "I don't have the face for it." Xia Lao Ye still had a dark expression on his face.

  Xia Ershu looked at Old Lady Xia.

  "Old man, otherwise..." Xia old lady had to speak up.

  Old man Xia immediately cut her off, his voice extremely stern: "This has nothing to do with you."

  (。)