Who would have thought that after dinner, Ziying arrived at the old house, and both Xiuying and Xiushui were there. The three young girls naturally had a lot of private things to talk about, and besides, Xiuying's cousin had just received a marriage proposal. When Ziying left, the three of them were teasing each other about this matter.

  Xiù Shuǐ saw Zǐ Qíng entering the door and hurriedly asked: "Qíng Qíng, you've come, you also say something, what kind of man do you want to marry in the future?"

  "What did she say? How old is she, what does she know? Just say it's you, anyway, I and your sister are set, nothing to think about." Qiu Yu asked Xiu Shui.

  "I also said it's not good, first of all, you must look good, be a bit taller, and be a scholar. I like that kind of person, but I'm afraid others might look down on me. A farmer definitely wouldn't want to marry me, so at least I should marry someone from the town? Speaking of which, I quite envy you, Autumn Jade sister. Your brother-in-law is educated, has a decent job, and can support you. You don't have to worry about anything, and you're also skilled with needlework. Your future days are definitely secure. My sister Xiuying will also be fine, at least she's more capable than me, and has a plan in mind." said Xiu Shui.

  "Where did you go to be so far away? I used to see you and Zi Qing together every day, and I thought you were a heartless person. How could I compare with you? Your future dowry will definitely be more generous than mine. With this, can't you find a more reliable family for me? My future husband's family is poor, and there are many younger brothers and sisters below." Autumn Jade said.

  "What's the point of you two comparing this? The days are still spent by ourselves, my family is just an empty shell now. You both know what happened in our family, what else can be said? No one can predict the future, and we can only rely on ourselves." Xiu Ying sighed.

  "I think in the future, Ziqing will be the best. Don't look at her young age, she can read and write, keep accounts, raise chickens, grow watermelons, cook meals, take care of children, and is especially capable. Our family's life will get better and better, and her dowry will definitely not be lacking in the future. Ziqing, what kind of person do you want to marry?" Xiu Shui asked.

  Xiu Shui finished asking, Xiu Ying also chimed in, insisting that Zi Qing say something. "We've all said our part, and you're not young anymore, seven years old now, just say what kind of man you want to marry in the future."

  "It's useless to say anything, it's not like I'm the one who goes looking for someone, it's my mother who finds someone and I have to marry that kind of person. What if I don't want to? Will my mother listen to me?" Zi Qing rolled her eyes.

  "You're not saying anything, it's the same as not saying anything at all. You have to say something today. I've already told you that I want to marry a scholar, if you don't say anything, I'll tickle you! Hurry up and say something!" Xiu Shui said, then started tickling Zi Qing's waist, Zi Qing laughed and rolled around on the bed, but eventually couldn't bear it and begged for mercy.

  "I'm saying, hehe, I want to marry someone who treats me well. In the future, you can only marry me and no one else. If not, I'll divorce him." Zi Qing's words were met with laughter from several people, saying she was shameless.

  There were no adults at home, and a few people chatted and laughed, but Autumn Jade suddenly sang in a low voice, singing a local folk song. Zi Qing listened to it like a tea-picking song. Usually, Autumn Jade loved to sing some small tunes, and this time she took the lead, so Xiu Ying couldn't help but follow along.

  "In the first month, it's New Year's, sisters go up the mountain to plant tea gardens, timing is crucial when planting tea seeds, missing the season means losing money. In the second month, tea sprouts emerge, fertilizing and picking tea at the same time, a full basket of white hair tips, first offered to the old master. In the third month, tea turns green, before the Grain Rain, work even harder, hands moving quickly like flying, diligence brings good harvest..."

  At first, I still knew to converge, but later on, the more I sang, the more open I became, completely forgetting about my surroundings, until the neighbors next door and the aunt in the back room almost simultaneously shouted out, "Which night doesn't sleep, what ghost is wailing?"

  Four people listened and covered their quilts, laughing out loud. Later, it was unclear who suggested that they go steal some tangerines from the neighbor's house to eat, which would be both refreshing and satisfying. Upon hearing this, everyone became excited and decided not to sleep anymore. The four of them quietly put on their clothes, with Autumn Jade being the tallest, holding a bamboo pole, and Show Water being the bravest, opening the back door and sneaking through the alleyway to the neighbor's tangerine tree. Fortunately, there was still half a moon hanging in the sky, which made it possible to distinguish between the tangerines and the leaves. Autumn Jade was nervous and couldn't quite manage it, so Show Water took over the bamboo pole, and soon they heard the sound of "thud thud" as the tangerines fell down.

  Ziying quickly hugged two, and then heard the hostess shouting: "Who is it? Who is it? Which good food ghost doesn't sleep at midnight and steals my tangerines? If I catch you, watch me break your legs!" Then, she saw the lights turned on in her house through the window.

  Ziying hugged the tangerine and ran away with her legs spread apart, followed closely by Xiushui. The good thing about wearing cloth shoes in the countryside is that they don't make much noise. When they returned to the room, everyone burst out laughing. Ziying was still panting, lying on the bed, laughing and coughing at the same time, while using her hand to pat her chest, it was too exciting. Xiuying was leaning against the door, laughing and pounding on the door, Xiushui sat down on the tangerine with a thud, rubbing her belly and saying it hurt. Autumn Jade laughed while rubbing her belly and pointed at Xiushui and Ziying, saying: "Just looking at you two, I can tell you often steal things, your movements are so quick and decisive, unlike me, when I took the bamboo pole, my hands were shaking."

  "Come on, why don't you admit you're stupid? You poked it seven or eight times with a bamboo stick and not one tangerine fell down. And yet you still have the nerve to say that." Xiushui laughed as she imitated Autumn Jade's mannerisms, perfectly capturing her likeness, and everyone burst out laughing again.

  "This won't do, I'll expose her. In the past, Xiū Shuǐ would always sneak in to steal, and each time she'd get Zǐ Qíng to keep watch for her. Otherwise, how could she have such a good aim? However, after Zǐ Qíng moved away, she really didn't go there again." Xiū Yīng said.

  "Alright, let's not waste it either, open it and see if we can eat it?" said Qiu Yu.

  August is the season for eating pomelos. The four of them chatted and laughed while peeling and eating the four pomelos, not knowing what time they went to sleep that night. The next day when they returned home, Zi Qing's teeth were all sour and she could only eat tofu.

  Many years later, a few people reunited to recall this night, the songs and laughter of this night warmed the hearts of four people, especially the three aunts who were about to transition from young girls to mature women. For them, it was the uninhibited singing of carefree girls, a kind of unbridled blossoming of youth, probably also one of the few bright colors in their otherwise mundane lives.

  Unfortunately, on the second day, the two aunts were not allowed to come over again. I guess the Peng family thought that if it got out, it would affect their marriage. In just a few days, Old Man Zeng and his family returned, and Zi Qing also went back to her own home.