BXBX NOVEL Chapter 115 - 115: This Is My Niece
The woman suddenly raised her head and looked at Qiao Mai, tears streaming down her face.
“I thought, I thought…”
“As long as you’re not like Qiao Shicheng’s family and still have some humanity, I’ll accept you as my aunt.”
“Mai, thank you!”
“Tell me about the situation at your home.”
“My parents-in-law have passed away. The family separated as soon as they passed away. I have a son and two daughters. Your uncle is an honest man who only knows how to farm and does whatever work is available.”
Qiao Mai waved to have the waiter bring another bowl of milk tea.
Qiao Cuihua swallowed and continued, “Your cousin got married, but she’s not doing well. My younger daughter hasn’t gotten married yet, and my son married a wife and had a son. He’s seven years old now.”
“How much land does your family have?”
“About ten acres, but the land there doesn’t yield much. Even in a good season, one acre only produces three to four hundred catties. This ten acres of land only produces for one season, which isn’t enough to feed the whole family. My son found some work in the town and earns about a hundred or so coins a month.”
“What about your younger daughter?” “She usually cooks and takes care of the house.”
“Don’t you and she have any skills?”
Qiao Cuihua blushed. “We’re poor, and no one taught us. There’s no place to learn.”
“You can’t keep relying on others for food like this. You need to learn some skills and become self-reliant.’
“How did you come here?”
“We have ox carts from our village that come this way. I took the ox cart.”
At this point, the milk tea arrived. “Drink up, and after you’re done, I’ll help you pack some things and send you back. I’ll also visit my uncle and cousins. If they deserve my help, I will, but if not, I won’t.”
“Mai, don’t worry. They are all good people and nothing like your parents.”
Qiao Mai’s face turned cold. “Since you know about my situation with them, we are no longer family. Don’t say such things in the future.”
“Yes, yes.”
They were poor, and despite being Qiao Mai’s aunt, Qiao Cuihua was still lacking in confidence. Right now, she was begging her niece.
After finishing the milk tea, Qiao Mai took her to Lucky Garden. Along the way, Qiao Cuihua was amazed. “Your home is really nice.” “If you work hard, you can have a good life too.”
“As long as you give your cousins a chance, they will definitely do well.” Qiao Mai didn’t say anything and took her to the stable. She had the carriage prepared and called a maid who knew how to drive the horse carriage. They went to the warehouse and loaded a sack of cornmeal and flour onto the carriage.
Then Qiao Mai took out three sets of her old cotton clothes from the previous year. She gave one to her aunt, one to her cousin, and one to their sister-in-law.
Yuan Jiaqi didn’t have classes today. He prepared three sets of their old cotton clothes. Feng’er and Yun’er heard about it and prepared one set each. They all loaded the clothes onto the carriage.
Qiao Cuihua kept bowing and saying thank you. At that moment, the most important thing was food and clothing.
Qiao Mai informed her family and had someone help Qiao Cuihua onto the carriage. The maid drove them out of Lucky Garden.
Passing by a meat stall, she had the butcher weigh ten catties of meat and load it onto the carriage before heading north.
“Mai, thank you!”
“I hope you are all good people. Do not disappoint me. I also want to have family and someone to talk to. Don’t let me down after I’ve given so much.” “I… I don’t know what to say. Let’s see how things go in the future.”
Qiao Mai didn’t say much to her during the journey, and the woman kept her head down.
They traveled about 100 miles from Tianshui Town, roughly the distance to the county.
Qiao Cuihua directed the woman to drive the carriage onto a village road.
“My family is in Liushu Town. This village is mostly surnamed Liu. Your uncle is named Liu Dashan, my son is Liu Hai, and my daughters are Liu Mei and Liu Ye. Your sister-in-law is Madam Sun, and your little nephew is Liu Bao’er.”
“Well, those names sound nice.”
While they talked, the carriage entered the village. It was rare to see such a grand carriage in the village, and many people stopped to look from a distance.
Qiao Cuihua pointed down the road, and the carriage stopped in front of an adobe house.
After getting out of the carriage, Qiao Mai saw that although it was an adobe house, the walls were not in tatters. Many old and damaged areas had been repaired.
The door, though old, was not broken, indicating that this family was hardworking.
Qiao Cuihua was somewhat excited and didn’t even dare to hold Qiao Mai’s hand.
“I’ll call them over.”
“Alright.”
She ran a few steps forward, pushed open the door, and stood at the door, shouting inside, “Husband, Dahai, Ye’er, come out. Look who’s here!”
Her voice was loud, and everyone came out at once.
“Mother, you’re back. Did you borrow the grain?”
“Mother, who is it?”
Several people walked toward her, and Qiao Cuihua stepped aside. They saw a young woman who wasn’t tall but dressed nicely.
“This is my niece from Lihua Village.”
“Is this really Mai?”
Qiao Mai had only met Qiao Cuihua aside from her immediate family as they were poor and couldn’t afford to visit relatives. They would save every bit of money. Even during the holidays, only Qiao Cuihua would return to her family.
“Uncle!” She nodded to him.
“Ah, I’m sorry. We’ve been so poor all these years, and we haven’t returned to
Lihua Village with your aunt. Come in quickly!”
“There’s grain in the carriage for you. Unload it first.’
When they heard about the grain, the family’s mouths all watered, and Liu Hail s son raised his head.
“Dad, I’m hungry!”
Liu Hai wiped away a tear. “Your aunt brought you something to eat. We can have it after a while.’
Two large bags of grain and ten catties of meat were carried into the house. Qiao Mai sat down on an old chair.
“Don’t mind me. Make some food for the child first. No need to cook for me; I’m not hungry.”
“Ah, I’ll go make it. Let your aunt and your cousin and sister-in-law keep you company.”
Liu Dashan took Liu Hai to the kitchen.
Madam Liu Qiao pulled Liu Bao and came to Qiao Mai.
“Greet your Aunt!”
Liu Bao timidly called out to Qiao Mai, “Hello, Aunt!”
Qiao Mai was always kind to children, especially when she saw a well-behaved and sensible child. Her stern face softened.
She took a silver ingot from her purse. “Since you called me Aunt, here’s a gift for you. Play with it.”
Madam Liu Sun, the sister-in-law, hurriedly said, “Cousin, this gift is too valuable.”
“For me, it’s not valuable. Take it.”
“I’ll thank you on behalf of the child.”
Qiao Mai looked into her eyes, which were filled with excitement rather than greed. In this family’s situation, money was the most suitable gift. Liu Ye also came forward and gave a salute. “Cousin, I’m Liu Ye.”
“How old are you?”
“Fourteen.”
“Three years younger than me.”
Looking at her clothes, although they had patches, they were clean. The same went for her sister-in-law. With a glance, Qiao Mai could tell their character.
They were honest and straightforward, unlike Qiao Shicheng, whose name was honest but was anything but.
Farmhouse meals were prepared quickly. They lit a big fire, added water to a pot, and put in some sweet potatoes. Then they added half a bowl of cornmeal and simmered it. It would be ready in no time.
“Cousin, aren’t you working in town?”
“The weather got cold and snowed again, so his employer let him come home.
It’s hard to find work in the winter.’
They took turns eating in the kitchen and then returned to the room. They were still strangers, so there wasn’t much to talk about.
After exchanging a few simple words, Qiao Mai stood up to leave.
“In a couple of days, send Liu Ye to my house. I’ll find her some work. She can start by learning some skills at the Embroidery Workshop. There won’t be any pay initially, but once she learns, she’ll have a monthly income. The amount depends on how well she learns.”
Madam Liu Qiao was delighted to hear this. “Mai, thank you!” Liu Ye wiped away a tear as well.. “Thank you, Cousin!”