stantly excited, his breathing quickening and his hands trembling. "Accepted Really accepted"Xu Huaiyi was taken aback by his reaction and quickly helped him up, "Village Chief Uncle, take a deep brea...After walking and stopping along the way, Xu Huaiyi returned home carrying a sack and a basket. He was exhausted, drenched in sweat, and his legs felt like they didn't belong to him.

This time, in order to make a good show of it, he didn't cut any corners. He really carried seventy or eighty pounds of stuff for more than an hour.

Gu Huanxi saw this and couldn't help but scold, "Are you stupid Carrying such heavy things, your shoulders don't hurt Your legs don't ache Our family isn't short of food, those you carried back before are enough to eat, why do you have to suffer like this"

Xu Huaiyi slumped in the chair, gulped down a bowl of water to catch his breath, and then whispered an explanation. "If I hadn't done this, how could I have fooled those villagers They're not stupid. Once they saw us on the road without lack of food, they would definitely suspect where it came from. By going through all this trouble, wouldn't I have a plausible explanation"

Gu Huanxi said with a playful smile, "Then you wouldn't leave things in the car on the road, would you"

"Xu Huaiyi sighed with frustration, 'Do you think I don't want to I can't!'"

"What does it mean"

"Oh, your husband is just too popular and adored. Several of them are clinging to me and won't let go. I can't get rid of them! I haven't been able to escape their gaze. How could I dare put things in the car"

Gu Huanxi glared at him with an eye roll, speechless. She tossed the sweat cloth she'd been using on him back onto his body and urged, "Go take a shower and lie down. I and Xiaoyu will finish the rest."

Xu Huaiyi didn't try to hold on any longer. He went into the carriage, tidied up, and replenished his energy with food and drink. Then he slipped out, hugged his daughter, and lay down on the kang comfortably.

In the courtyard, Gu Xiaoyu was using stones to crack the outer shell of walnuts. After cracking and peeling off the green skin, she laid them out in the sun to dry. This task wasn't difficult, just tedious.

Gu Huanxi joined in, and the pace quickened. When the two of them finished their work, it was time to cook dinner. At this hour, people were still going up and down the mountain, carrying things back and forth, seemingly tireless.

He wasn't allowed to go any further until nightfall, when Xu, the village head, forcefully stopped him. He said things were important, but safety was paramount. There was no point in having plenty of food if one didn't have a life to enjoy it.

Even if they didn't go up the mountain, staying at home wasn't idle. They had to shell walnuts and estimate how many persimmons they could carry back before selling the excess in town. Every household was busy until late into the night before finally resting, but they couldn't sleep soundly, still thinking about going back up the mountain tomorrow for another harvest.

All the houses in the village were bustling with activity, except for the Xu family's ancestral home. Even Xu Youtian's household, despite their temporary truce, awkwardly followed everyone else up the mountain to take advantage of this opportunity. However, Xu Maoshan stubbornly refused to let any of his sons leave the house.

Xǔ Huái Rén wasn't without his thoughts, either. "Father," he said, "if we don't go to the Wang family's, it would make us look isolated."

This feeling is really awful, and it's filled with all kinds of anxiety and confusion.

Xu Maoshan's face was already ugly all day, with a nameless fire in his heart. When his eldest son said this, it seemed to hit the nail on the head. "Who among you can go, huh You guys, can't lift your hands or shoulders, if you even dared to climb up the mountain, could you carry anything back"

Xu Huai Ren's face flushed red from being scolded, he wished he could find a crack in the ground to hide in. He couldn't do any strenuous work, but wasn't that because he had been working as an accountant outside for these years He hadn't been idle and living off others, so why were they treating him this way

The real ones who eat white rice at home are the second and fifth child. But these two, one is cunning and sweet-talking, able to please people, while the other pretends to be studious. The elders are so easily fooled that they never see their faults.

Even though he was extremely unwilling and deeply hurt, he dared not openly defy his father. He could only swallow his pride and admit his mistake.

"What about letting the fourth one go"

Xu Huai-lian's face darkened as he spoke in a low voice, "I can go into the mountains, but I'm going hunting. I can't hang out with those people."

Doesn't he care about face

Xu Huai-li smiled and said, "That's fine too. If you can hit wild chickens or rabbits, it's better than those rotten persimmons or walnuts, right I wouldn't even bother with that stuff as a snack. Only those who have never seen the world would treat them like treasures and fight over them. They are all useless people who deserve to be poor their whole lives..."

He started by smiling and joking, but then his words turned into insults. His expression darkened, a grimace contorting his face. Ever since he was beaten twenty times, he has resented everyone. He looks down on everyone and is filled with rage. Even his family members now avoid him.

Xu Maoshan glanced at him and let out a heavy sigh. How had their family come to this

It seems like everything changed when Lao San stepped in...

Huai-Yi Xu might not know that he was being plotted against by his own father again. After dinner, he went to bed early, as he had to find another way to get through tomorrow. He couldn't afford to slack off; he needed to sharpen his wits.

The next day, after a good night's sleep, he got up feeling refreshed and ready to go.

But the others, they're just struggling through it. They carried at least two trips yesterday, and their shoulders and legs are aching with exhaustion. This morning, they could barely get up.

So, this time going up the mountain, there were some half-grown children and strong women. They couldn't carry too much weight, but thirty or fifty kilograms they could manage. Besides, today we are harvesting chestnuts, and women and children can help pick them up, which is not tiring work.

Gu Xiaoyu said she wanted to go along and lend a hand, and Xu Huaiyi readily agreed.

She hadn't gone to see Gu, but she wasn't idle either. She stayed at home and made a day's worth of pot cakes. The grains she had bought earlier had already been ground into flour by Xu Huaiyi. She mixed the flour according to the ratio, kneading and pressing it with a stick until the dough was smooth and firm. Only then did she roll it into thick cakes and put them on a griddle over low heat, cooking them slowly until done.

This kind of pan cakes are made with low water content, making them convenient to carry and able to last for half a month without spoiling. They are suitable as dry rations on long journeys and are particularly effective for combating hunger.

And the taste is not bad either. The outer layer is crispy and golden brown, while the inside is soft and white. The more you chew, the more fragrant it becomes. She also added oil and salt pepper to make the flavor richer and more layered. If you add a layer of meat sauce on top, it would be perfect.

She was busy all day, even using the oven in her car, and only managed to make ten pancakes. But each one was as big as a basin, enough for their family to eat several meals.

During that time, Xu Huaiyi came back for a visit, carrying a bag of chestnuts. This time, he finally had the chance to slack off and avoid those people. He put the things in his car and only took them out quietly when it was time to leave the mountain.

After that, he carried another load of pears, this time with Gu Xiaoyu accompanying him. He couldn't cheat anymore and had to work hard, selling his strength until he was exhausted. When he returned home, he collapsed onto the kang bed, too tired to move.

Gu Xiaoyu was also tired of being overwhelmed, her two arms couldn't hold anything anymore.

Gu Huaxi had prepared hot water a long time ago, chasing the two to wash up. She cooked dinner all by herself; it wasn't fancy, but she managed four dishes and one soup, and even made a few simple mooncakes. It was Mid-Autumn Festival today, no matter how hard life got, they couldn't miss out on the ritual.ng said, "Then why don't you just agree"All things considered."Seem aloof""No, it's just that I don't understand...why would he suddenly ask me to be the manager of the estate He should have used some...