stingy landlady

Chapter 60 Planting Fruit Tree Seedlings

As Gui Xiang spoke, she had already put on her shoes and gotten out of bed, following behind Gui Hong, saying, "What's wrong with getting dirty! We can just wash it later! Come on, I'll go with you!"

"You need to move around a bit to feel refreshed after doing needlework all day, right, Mom?"

After Gui Xiang finished speaking, she pushed Gui Hong and walked out.

Li opened her mouth, then spoke: "You two have said everything, what does your mother have to say? Go on, go on!"

Siya obediently crawled over, looked up and said, "Mommy! Siya is good! Siya will stay home with you!"

Li said with a smile:

"Fine! I don't even know if you'll be keeping me company or if I'll be watching you! You brat!"

After saying that, she gave Siya a light pat on the bottom. Siya then climbed into Li's arms, and the mother and daughter burst into laughter.

The carriage outside the gate slowly headed east after Guihong and her sister boarded.

"Big sister! Mother finally let you out?" Guizhi looked at Guixiang curiously.

Gui Xiang said angrily:

"You little brat! I haven't done anything wrong! Why won't Mother let me out?"

Guizhi deliberately teases you, making you smell the osmanthus:

"Mother told my eldest sister to take good care of herself! Mother said that in a few years, when she comes of age, she'll be able to get married! Hehe!"

Gui Xiang blushed! Embarrassed and annoyed, she tried to grab the osmanthus branch!

"Oh, Third Sister! You've gone astray! How dare you spout such nonsense! What about marriage? You're so young, how do you know all this!"

Gui Zhi hid behind Gui Hong while laughing.

"Big sister is shy! Hehehe!"

Gui Hong laughed along with her.

"Alright, alright! You two, sit down! Stop circling around me! You can't even keep quiet in the carriage!"

Guizhi sat up straight and said to Guixiang in a serious tone:

"Big sister! Although Mother says that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent, you shouldn't be too ladylike! You should still go out and about more! Or should we go sell dumplings tomorrow?"

Gui Xiang stopped making a fuss and said:

“Mom wants me to pick up needle and thread again! She always says that Taozhi used to do no housework and embroider all day long, and was raised like a pampered young lady! Back then, my second aunt was always showing off, saying that Taozhi would embroider a flower today and a handkerchief tomorrow!”

"Mother says her embroidery skills are good too! But she can only envy her second aunt, who can let her daughter learn needlework in peace. Now that our family finally has the means, Mother says I should learn to make clothes first. It'll temper my temperament; I've been so wild all these years, I'm afraid I won't be able to sit still! Mother will teach me embroidery later!"

"Oh! Let me tell you, there's a pair of shoe uppers in my closet. I embroidered them myself when I was a young girl! They're so beautiful!"

Seeing the surprised looks on her two younger sisters' faces, Gui Xiang smiled smugly!

"Really? Mother never lets us see it!"

"That's because you're too young! I'll show it to you when you're older! I treasure you dearly!"

The carriage then stopped.

Pan Qiang's voice came through:

"Young Miss! Second Young Miss! Third Young Miss! We've arrived at the vegetable garden! Let's unload the fruit tree seedlings first!"

The three sisters lifted the carriage curtain and stepped off the carriage!

Guizhi pointed to the fenced-off vegetable patch and said, "Big sister! Second sister! Let's use fruit trees to fence off the vegetable patch! Then we'll have lots of fruit to eat!"

Gui Xiang gently patted the osmanthus branch and said, "It's grown a head that's meant to eat!"

Gui Hong, thinking of the blooming, pure white plum blossoms she saw today, said:

"Big sister! The plum trees are in bloom! The white ones are so beautiful! If we plant so many trees, they'll all bloom together! Just imagine how beautiful that will be! It's truly enchanting!"

Guizhi nodded, facing Lin Xiaoyun who was comforting the horse, and said loudly:

"Lin Xiaoyun! Drive the carriage back, and while you're at it, call Grandpa Zhou and Zhou Qiong over. Let's plant trees together!"

"They're here! Third Miss! Oh! Eldest Miss! Second Miss is here too!"

Old Zhou's voice came from behind.

"I just heard the sound of a carriage passing by, so I thought I'd come over to the vegetable garden to check! It really is the young ladies who have returned!"

"Wow! So many fruit tree saplings! We need to plant them quickly! Pan Sen and Pan Qiang, you two take the carriage back and bring back the pickaxes and shovels! We need to plant them while the ground is still wet from the rain!"

Pan Sen and Pan Qiang hurriedly agreed and got into the carriage. A short while later, the two returned with farm tools. Zhou Qiong followed behind!

As Zhou Qiong walked, she said, "Grandpa! Brother Lin said he'll come over as soon as he finishes unloading the carriage!"

Seeing the three Gui sisters, she called out with a smile, "Eldest Miss! Second Miss! Third Miss! Are you going to plant fruit trees together too?"

Guizhi laughed and said, "What? We sisters aren't going to plant the trees, and you're the only little girl doing the work! Aren't you going to cry?"

Zhou Qiong said embarrassedly, "Third Miss is teasing me again!"

Gui Zhi smiled slyly:

"Hehe! We're the only two kids here, who else should I tease if not you!"

Gui Xiang said, "Alright! Let's get to work! Didn't you see Pan Sen and Pan Qiang are digging holes?"

Sure enough, the two brothers silently began digging a hole in the stick. Old Zhou was not to be outdone, and also took a shovel and started digging. The three of them dug the hole, keeping a distance of more than ten feet between each other.

Several little girls each held a few saplings. One girl dug a hole, and another girl followed her to plant the sapling in the hole, adding soil with her feet and tamping it down with her feet. That's how a fruit tree was planted.

That puts Guizhi out of the picture. No problem, she can help transport the saplings! It's actually quite fun running around like that!

Lin Xiaoyun led the cow and horse to the wasteland opposite the vegetable garden and loosened the reins to let them graze on their own.

He went into the vegetable garden, took the sapling from Guizhi's hand, and said, "Third Sister! Go and keep an eye on the cows and horses! I'll go and help Grandpa Zhou dig the hole!"

Guizhi changed jobs again, this time to herd cattle and horses! Lin Xiaoyun went to work as Old Man Zhou digging holes.

Old Zhou straightened up, handed the shovel to Lin Xiaoyun, and looked at the Pan brothers digging a pit in the distance, shaking his head as he said:

"Sigh! I'm getting old! I'm useless now! Youth is so wonderful!"

Zhou Qiong chimed in, "Grandpa, you're not old at all! Grandpa, the doctor said you can't do any heavy physical work, you should rest for a while!"

"Alright, alright! Grandpa won't do heavy work!"

As Old Zhou spoke, he stepped on the saplings that the girls had planted, making sure they weren't tamping them down properly. He would also straighten any saplings that had been carelessly stepped on and tamp them down again.

The fruit tree saplings were all planted, and it was already dark! Smoke curled from chimneys above the village, and every household began preparing dinner!

"That's a wrap! Go home for dinner!" Old Zhou called out.

"They're here! They're here!" The group turned back. As they walked out of the vegetable garden and looked back, they saw neat rows of saplings standing there.

Gui Xiang said, "Now we'll have plums to eat!"

Gui Hong added, "Big sister! There will be not only plums, but also apples and crabapples!"

Zhou Qiong whispered, "Young Miss! Second Young Miss! Just talking about it makes my mouth water! My mouth is watering!"

Several people burst into laughter!

Guizhi couldn't hear, but laughter is contagious! She waved from the other side of the road, signaling Lin Xiaoyun to come and lead the horse! She led the ox!

Even though it was drizzling, everyone's clothes got soaked. But they were all happy, chatting and laughing as they walked home!

Happiness is that simple!