Chapter 29: Chapter 29: The Laws of Heaven and Earth_1
Chapter 29: Chapter 29: The Laws of Heaven and Earth_1
“Auntie is such a smooth talker,” Lin Yue said with a smile as she set down her carrying pole and wiped the sweat from her brow. “I’m here today to borrow your stone mill, if it’s not too much trouble.” To prepare soy milk, you first need to shell the beans and soak them for four or five hours. The wet beans are naturally heavy, and Lin Yue had divided them into two buckets to carry them over. She had done this task before, and by the time she arrived at the village chief’s house, her shoulders ached from the effort.
“Of course, it’s convenient. You can use it however you like,” the other replied. “Chunhua often comes over, so she knows. I’m busy with something else, so just use it, and call me if you need anything.”
“Alright, I got it. You go ahead with your work,” Lin Yue and Zhang Chunhua both said, smiling. They helped each other carry the buckets to the stone mill. Zhang Chunhua had less to grind, only about ten pounds of corn to be ground into cornmeal, so Lin Yue helped her grind the corn first.
The village chief’s stone mill was very large, about three feet in diameter; even two people pushing it was quite an effort. However, it ground quickly, and in less than twenty minutes they had finished. Zhang Chunhua didn’t leave right away and planned to help Lin Yue finish grinding before returning home together.
“Sister Chunhua, you should go back first. It’ll take me quite a bit of effort to grind all these soybeans.”
“It’s okay. I’m strong, and with help, the work will go much faster. With your skinny arms and legs, who knows how long you’d be grinding?”
“How could I impose on you? Besides, Xiaoxi is waiting for you at home.”
“Don’t worry about that. The child’s father is looking after him. What’s the relationship between our two families? Don’t be shy, just get to work. By now, we could have ground quite a bit of those beans,” Zhang Chunhua said, and she started working without waiting for a response.
The men from the two families got along well, and Zhang Chunhua was sensible. Erhu had helped her family a lot, and she naturally treated Erhu’s family well. Erhu cherished his wife and would not even let her work in the fields, lest she become exhausted. Before leaving the house, her husband had specifically reminded her to give Lin Yue a helping hand. Looking at the two full buckets of soy milk, it was unlikely that Erhu’s slight frame could carry them. Eventually, she would need to help, but seeing Erhu rushing to pick up his wife, she had no need to worry.
“Brother Erhu, what are you doing here?” Lin Yue asked, her face breaking into a big smile as she saw Erhu arriving.
“I heard from Dalang that you came to the village chief’s house to grind soy milk, so I came over,” Erhu chided. “Haven’t I told you not to do strenuous work? Why don’t you listen? Next time, just tell me, and I’ll come to grind it when I have a moment. Look how sweaty you are from the hard work,” Erhu said, not hiding his concern as he took over the remaining work from Lin Yue’s hands.
“This is nothing; I can handle it. I’m not some delicate princess who sits at home all day. Besides, you work so hard from dawn to dusk every day; I don’t want you to exhaust yourself,” Lin Yue said earnestly, her heart moved by Erhu’s tireless work every day, all for her sake. It made her want to do more for their family.
“What does a little hard work matter? You’re my wife. It’s only right for a man to provide for his wife, and I’m happy to take care of you.”
“Erhuzi really knows how to pamper his wife,” Chunhua joked from the side, feeling a sourness in her heart. They had grown up together, but Erhu seemed to know how to dote on his wife so much better than her own husband, who was as insensitive as a block of wood.