Chapter Thirty-Five: The Fence Begins Construction

  "Hmm, I've studied for many years, and my culinary skills are just so-so." Yu Xiaoxi pouted, actually wondering if he didn't have the talent or if the people at Mingyuelou hadn't taught him seriously.

  "Learning cooking skills can't be rushed, it takes time. Maybe another day I'll find some time to ask him about it. If he's really interested in learning from me, I can teach him a thing or two later." Su Xiaofan smiled calmly, perhaps she could give him some private guidance.

  "Ah, Xiao Fan is the best, come on, let me help you carry this." Yu Xiaoxi took the basket from her hand and walked happily by her side.

  "After a while, he spoke again: 'Su Bing said that there are five people resting in their building tomorrow and everyone is free. If you want to fix the fence, they will come over tomorrow.'"

  Su Xiaofan nodded: "Uh, I don't know what I should prepare?"

  "There's nothing much to prepare, just take care of their food on the day, and as for materials, you can just go to your bamboo forest at home and cut some, it should be enough." Yu Xiaoxi had previously discussed this with Su Bing, and the bamboo forest in Xiao Fan's house had also grown quite a bit recently, which hadn't been often cut down by her uncles' families before.

  "Good." Su Xiaofan was in a great mood. Once the fence is fixed, she can go buy some chicks to raise.

  Also don't know if I can make a living smoothly.

  But if you don't try it out, how will you know the outcome?

  On the second day, early in the morning, Su Xiaofan had just prepared a table of breakfast when Su Bing arrived at the courtyard with several people, accompanied by Yu Xiaoxi.

  "Xiao Xi, you're up early too." Su Xiaofan untied the apron around her waist and looked at the person in the yard.

  "I usually get up this early too." Yu Xiaoxi's face slightly reddened as she slowly moved to Su Xiaofan's side.

  "Has everyone had breakfast? If not, let's eat first, I just made it." Su Xiaofan pointed to the steamed buns, porridge and some wild vegetables on the table in Tang's house.

  Su Bing brought the tool shed to a corner of the yard and said, "We've all eaten, Xiao Fan, you eat first, I'll take everyone to your bamboo forest to cut some bamboo back."

  Su Xiaofan nodded: "Then I'll trouble everyone."

  "It's nothing..."

  The five people followed Su Bing's back and went to a bamboo forest not far from Su Xiaofan's house, starting work.

  Su Xiaofan pulled Yu Xiaoxi into the house and said softly, "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Eat first, I'll go wake up Little Treasure."

  "How did you know I hadn't eaten?" Yu Xiaoxi didn't decline, sat down and picked up a soft white steamed bun and started nibbling on it.

  "I bet, your Su Han is coming home, you must be so excited that you can't eat anything." Su Xiao Fan said and pushed open the door to go in, but saw that Xiao Yi Mo had already dressed up and directly pulled him out for a wash.

  "What's so exciting about it......" Yu Xiaoxi's eyes sparkled, and she was indeed right. Every time Su Bing rested, if he said he would come to find her, she would get emotionally excited and couldn't sleep or eat well. What's going on here?

  After finishing dinner, Su Xiaofan brought in another carefully prepared meal by Madam Jia.

  "Xiao Fan, do you want Grandma to help you buy chicks?" Ye Shi thought that since she knew more than Xiao Fan anyway, it would be better for her to go and choose them herself.

  "But can grandma's body handle walking for so long?" Su Xiaofan slightly furrowed her brow, she had thought of asking grandma to help, but thinking that every time she went into the city she was exhausted to death, she gave up on that idea.

  "It's okay, Grandma. I'm used to going back and forth to the city all the time." Ye held Su Xiao Xuan in her arms and walked around the house. This child had not been doing well for the past two days, crying at night and spitting up milk whenever she was fed, making Ye a bit worried.

  Su Xiaofan thought for a moment, and indeed, people living in the countryside were more agile than those old folks in the city. She immediately turned around and went to her own room, took out all the silver, and handed it over to Ye Shi, saying: "So, I'll trouble you, Granny, to run an errand for me."

  Ye looked at the silver in his hand and hesitated: "Do you want to buy so much?"

  "I don't know the price either, Grandma you handle it, just tell me when you get back." Su Xiaofan had asked Yu Xiaoxi about the rough price earlier, but she didn't know the details either.

  "Good." Ye put Su Xiao Xuan back on the bed, tucked the silver into her bosom, and walked out.

  "Wah wah wah......"

  Su Xiaoxuan was put on the bed and burst into tears with a loud cry.

  Su Xiaofan quickly went forward and picked him up, asking in a puzzled tone: "Mother, what's been wrong with my brother these past few days? I often hear him crying at night."

  "I don't know either, when I took you out before, you didn't cry and make a fuss much." Madam Jia was also worried about this matter, even the mother who had given birth to three children didn't know what was going on, and since she had only taken care of Xiaofan, she was even more unclear.

  "Why don't we take him to see a doctor?" Su Xiaofan held him and walked around the room a few times, he stopped crying and closed his eyes as if he had fallen asleep.

  "It should be fine, right? It's normal for kids to cry and throw tantrums." Mrs. Jia wasn't sure, but when Xiaohua came to visit her own family, she said that the children in several neighboring households also cried and threw tantrums at night, and they would get better as they grew older.

  "Let's take another look, if the younger brother cries and makes a bigger fuss, I'll take him to see a doctor." Su Xiaofan saw that Jia Shi had finished eating, then put Su Xiao Xuan back in her arms, and walked out with a bowl: "Mother, rest well."

  Mrs. Jia nodded slightly, and after she walked out, her face, which had become slightly plump due to the nourishment of these days, was instantly filled with a look of worry. She heard from her mother that Xiaofan had found someone to build a fence next to the courtyard today, but she hadn't even finished her postpartum confinement yet and couldn't help at all. Relying on Xiaofan like this always made her feel uneasy in her heart.

  After finishing breakfast, Yu Xiaoxi went to the empty lot next door to help a few people, while Su Xiaofan was busy preparing lunch in the kitchen. Yesterday afternoon, she spent some silver coins buying some vegetables from a villager who grew them, and today she would stir-fry them and then heat up the chicken soup that her mother had not finished eating yesterday, which should be enough for lunch.

  At noon, Ye returned from the city with a chick.

  Because I was in a hurry to go out, I didn't even prepare a board car, so I had to add some silver and ask the boss of the chicken duck shop to send someone to help me bring it back.

  "Grandma is back." Hearing the commotion outside, Su Xiaofan put down what she was holding and came out to greet her. She had been thinking about whether or not to call Su Bing and the others to come help welcome Grandma.

  "Ah, it's fine to put it here, thank you. " Ye smiled and saw the person who was about to leave after putting down things out of the yard, then turned around to say to Su Xiaofan: "Xiao Fan, come take a look."