Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family

She placed the ginger soup bowl down and checked Da Mao’s arm, “Da Mao, does it hurt?”

Perhaps the love and care from everyone before had dissolved Da Mao’s defenses. He didn’t refuse Liu Sisi’s touch. Instead, he followed her stroking motion and directly went into Liu Sisi’s arms.

Such a well-behaved Da Mao made Liu Zhi’er’s tears overflow from her eyes.

“Why are you crying? Look at Da Mao, although he was pinched and bruised by Dong Chang, he now likes to be close to people even more. I’m thinking! Was it because he witnessed Er Mao and San Mao being sold, and he was always worried about it? Now that he knows he won’t be sold, his heart is more open?”

Liu Sisi estimated and said.

These words made Liu Zhi’er unable to cry, she hurriedly looked at Da Mao’s expression.

Indeed, as Liu Sisi said, Da Mao at the moment, although his face wore tears, it also carried a bright smile that he didn’t have before!

His little hand circled Liu Sisi’s neck, imitating YingEr’s movements, he approached her cheek, quickly withdrew it, and carefully observed Liu Sisi’s expression. When he found out she was staring at him, he hurriedly buried his little face into Liu Sisi’s arms.

Such behavior really delighted Liu Sisi; she continuously rubbed Da Mao’s hair, her face filled with satisfaction.

“Da Mao is really better now, he’s really better…Ooh… I’m so happy…”

Liu Zhi’er was crying uncontrollably, the huge joy overwhelming her.

She took Da Mao out of Liu Sisi’s arms, and then hugged him tightly, sobbing loudly.

Da Mao is her life, her root, her hope for survival. Seeing Da Mao get better, there is nothing happier for her as a mother!

“Look at you as a mom, happy and crying, sad and crying, it has made our Da Mao dizzy. And since Da Mao is better now, this can also be considered a blessing in disguise, adding a great fortunate event to our lives. What is there to be sad about?”

Liu Sisi comforted her, and Di Yelei also came over to comfort the mother and son for a while. The two of them only wiped away their tears, and their whole demeanor became more relaxed.

Liu Zhi’er also showed a sincere smile, giving a ceremonious salute to the two.

This surprised the two. Liu Sisi quickly went over and helped her up: “Second Sister, what are you doing? Why are you suddenly giving us a courtesy? Isn’t this killing us?”

Liu Zhi’er still gave a ceremony, then stood up and said.

“Sisi, brother-in-law, these days Second Sister has caused you a lot of trouble. Not only did you treat my injuries, you also gave me a little money and helped me take care of Da Mao… Second Sister knows you both have kind hearts. I have nothing to repay you, so I simply paid my respects to both of you, to express the gratitude in my heart!”

After Liu Zhi’er finished, she was about to salute again but was stopped by Liu Sisi.

“Second Sister, we are sisters. Why are you being so distant with your little sister? If one day your little sister is in trouble, wouldn’t the Second Sister extend a helping hand?”

“Of course not, I…”

“Since the Second Sister wouldn’t stand by and watch while her little sister is in trouble, isn’t it normal for your little sister to help?”

Liu Sisi interrupted Liu Zhi’er’s unfinished words: “Since we are sisters, we naturally need to be closer than others. Da Mao’s condition has also improved, and Sisi is genuinely happy for him. You just live with peace of mind at my home, and if you are at ease, just feel free to leave Da Mao at home and find something to do to earn some money. After some time has passed, find a good family, and the two of you can live happily ever after, how nice!”

These words made Liu Zhi’er’s smile on her face freeze for a moment, her gaze stealthily glanced at Di Yelei, then she smiled again.

“Second Sister is just thinking about raising Da Mao well, earning some silver and saving it for his future marriage. As for finding another family and such, Second Sister has not considered it.”

“But how could that be? You’re not even twenty yet, are you going to waste away your best years? Second Sister, let me tell you…”

Liu Sisi could not help but patiently persuade her sister, determinedly trying to change Liu Zhi’er’s mind. The two sisters were chatting and laughing, with time swiftly passing until noontime.

After lunch, Liu Sisi felt feverish and sleepy, so she went back to bed.

She slept for a while before remembering the money she received yesterday. She couldn’t help but get up and carefully count it.

Some days ago, the family bought land, and they still owed money to the Land Officer, Brother Zhang, and a few others.

Adding up what they took on the 23rd, the amount from the bookstore, and Di Yelei’s monthly salary and dividends… there was a total of 936.7 taels of silver. However, they spent quite a bit during the New Year, leaving less than 850 taels. Old Madam Gan’s 10% bonus came as a silver ticket from Baoli Bank worth 1000 taels of silver.

Oh! What about the money in the envelope given by Brother Nan?

Liu Sisi got off the bed and started searching. At that moment, Di Yelei walked in and hurriedly asked, “Sisi, what are you looking for?”

“Yelei, you arrived at just the right time. Where did you put the envelope that Brother Nan gave yesterday?” Liu Sisi continued searching as she spoke.

“Isn’t it under the blanket?”

Di Yelei casually covered the room door, took a few steps forward, and found the envelope with a glance, handing it to Liu Sisi.

“Yes, this is it. Let me see how much silver is inside…”

Liu Sisi spoke while tearing open the envelope.

As expected, she saw a stack of neatly folded papers. Unfolding them, she found a 500-tael silver ticket and five 100-tael silver tickets!

The two were surprised and exchanged glances, seeing amazement in each other’s eyes.

“The shops have only been open for less than a month, how has so much silver been made?” Di Yelei asked with curiosity.

“I don’t know either!”

She carefully searched the envelope again, but aside from the 1000 taels of silver, there wasn’t even a single word.

“Look, we earned 936 taels with the bookstore combined with your monthly salary and dividends. After expenses, there’s 850 taels left. With these 2000 taels, we have a total of 2850 taels. However, you still owe more than 100 taels to your colleagues and Zhang Peng, the Land Officer…”

“I’ve already paid back the money I borrowed from my colleagues, just need to repay Uncle Land Officer and Zhang Peng’s home. But even after all that, this year we’ve made 2700 taels of silver! It’s… simply unbelievable!”

Di Yelei’s voice trembled as he spoke.

Liu Sisi’s brow didn’t relax, after thinking it through, she took out 150 taels of silver and handed 130 taels of it to him.

“Take advantage of the time before the New Year and use this silver to repay Uncle Land Officer and Brother Zhang. Keep the rest on you, as tomorrow is the New Year, and we may need gift money for visiting others. There’s also your mother’s retirement salary, I’ll leave some here in case of emergency.”