novelraw Chapter 448 - 428: Song Jinxiu, whose clothes are you mending? (2)
Chapter 448 - 428: Song Jinxiu, whose clothes are you mending? (2)
During the lunch break that day, Li Yuzhu was sorting printed books with Li Xing’an and Mu Yuanxiu in a small storeroom beside the opposite house when Liu Yanbai walked in.
He smiled and said, "Miss Li, I’ve heard some things about Mr. Song’s family again."
Liu Yanbai didn’t live in Qingshui River Village; he picked up these tidbits from other children at school.
The children lived scattered throughout the village, and whenever they heard or saw something fun or interesting, they would bring it back to school to share with others.
Li Yuzhu smiled and said, "Oh? What news?"
Li Xing’an and Mu Yuanxiu also looked at him curiously.
Liu Yanbai was introverted. To encourage him to speak more, Li Yuzhu would often initiate conversations with him. Whenever he spoke up on his own, no matter the topic, Li Yuzhu would listen attentively.
"Chen the Third, who came here the day before yesterday, has been helping out at Sister Jinxiu’s house for three days in a row. He chops wood, carries vegetables, fetches water, and even brought a big piece of meat. Oh, and he caught a big and a small cat for Sister Jinxiu and Mr. Song. Mr. Song loved the cats and carried them everywhere."
Li Yuzhu laughed and said, "So it seems Mr. Song’s house isn’t lonely anymore."
"Yes, it’s lively. Once Chen the Third starts talking loudly, his voice fills the Song Family house. Oh, and those two cats, they meow all the time too," Liu Yanbai said with a smile.
Li Yuzhu laughed along.
It seemed that the matters at the Song Family were progressing smoothly, and Song Jinxiu’s affairs no longer needed her worry. Now that the books were printed and she had prepared a good amount of medicine pills, it was time to go to the county town.
She asked Liu Yanbai, "Liu Yanbai, we’re setting off for the county town the day after tomorrow. We’ll visit Mr. Song in Qingshui River Village tomorrow morning. Would you like to go see the village?"
Liu Yanbai bit his lip and shook his head dejectedly, "No, no one would welcome me back."
He had been living with the Li Family for nearly two months, and his mother hadn’t visited once.
She only sent a message through a classmate who lived nearby, asking when he would go to the county town to earn money and bring it back home. She said his elder brother was courting a bride, and the dowry the girl’s family wanted was too high for them to afford. She asked him to figure out a way to bring back twenty taels of silver.
Twenty taels, even if they sold him, he wouldn’t have that much.
Liu Yanbai didn’t want to go back; going back also meant money.
But in his hands, he only had about one hundred and twenty coins, and this was what he saved from the pocket money given by the Li Family for helping out over the past two months.
He couldn’t bear to spend it, so he saved it all up.
Li Yuzhu had also heard from other children that Liu Yanbai’s mother was asking him for money again, so she was merely politely inquiring.
She wouldn’t persuade him if he didn’t want to go back.
Li Yuzhu said, "Alright then, Mu Yuanxiu and I will go. You continue with your lessons at school and pack your things in the evening. We’ll set off early the day after tomorrow."
Liu Yanbai brushed off the gloom on his face, smiled, and nodded, "Okay."
He exhaled and happily ran back to school.
Li Xing’an tied a stack of books with hemp rope and asked Li Yuzhu, "Third Sister, shall I go with you to Qingshui River Village tomorrow?"
However, before Li Yuzhu could speak, Li Xingmao came looking for him, "Third Brother, come out with me for a bit."
Li Xing’an frowned, "What’s up, Eldest Brother?"
"The village chief, Qin Lizheng’s father’s cow has gone missing, and we’re looking for it together," Li Xingmao urged from the door, "Hurry up."
Li Xing’an just patted his sleeves and got up to leave, "Coming."
Mu Yuanxiu went to the door, glanced at the departing Li Xing’an, and said to Li Yuzhu, "It seems Third Brother is good at his tasks, or else the eldest brother wouldn’t keep asking for him."
Li Yuzhu couldn’t help but laugh, "It’s not that he’s particularly good at tasks; it’s that he’s always idle."
Mu Yuanxiu raised an eyebrow, "Is that so?"
Li Yuzhu nodded, "Yes, he’s always following me around, not taking on any proper work."
Mu Yuanxiu laughed and pointed to the thousand books piled up on the ground, "Once these books are delivered to the shops in the county town, he will have plenty to do and won’t be able to idle even if he wants to."
Li Yuzhu said, "Let’s also move the printing machine there, so we won’t need to come back here for printing in the future."
Although the equipment was old, it was still usable. Any missing characters could be carved at any time, which wasn’t a difficult task.
Mu Yuanxiu said, "I’ll look for a wooden box to pack it up."
With no wooden boxes available, Mu Yuanxiu nailed some planks together to make a simple wooden box and packed the printing molds into it.