The right palm was no longer bleeding, but it ached intensely. The back was also burning hot; without looking, she knew it must be a mess of bruises.
"Then we'll go too, and see what happens," Xu Xiao'e said through gritted teeth, her tone full of resentment.
Looking at her daughter, who had grown noticeably thinner and more haggard over the past few months, and recalling Shen Xiaoyan's increasingly radiant appearance, Madam Xu could only sigh and agree.
Seeing Madam Xu's agreement, Xu Xiao'e finally relaxed, a smile appearing on her face.
Madam Xu sighed softly and helped Xu Xiao'e tend to her wounds.
While the two of them were making plans, Shen Xiaoyan walked away with Shen Xiaoming at a brisk pace.
From her brisk steps and the smile on her face, it was clear she was in very good spirits.
Thinking of the embarrassing appearance of Madam Xu and Xu Xiao'e just now, she felt a sense of relief and happiness.
Xu Xiao'e was right; it was she who had caused them to fall, though not by tripping them with her foot.
She had subtly exerted force, flicking a small stone under Madam Xu's foot as she was about to step. The impact was significant, and Madam Xu lost her footing, falling backward.
She had calculated the direction well, ensuring Madam Xu would fall onto Xu Xiao'e, and that neither she nor the child in her belly would be harmed.
As for Xu Xiao'e, well, she couldn't be bothered.
Although she didn't know what Madam Xu and Xu Xiao'e had planned, seeing the look in Xu Xiao'e's eyes made her uncomfortable. Whatever it was, she was determined to thwart their plan.
Even if they still shamelessly showed up tomorrow, their original plan would be disrupted. As for anything else, she felt she could handle it.
When Shen Xiaoyan and Shen Xiaoming returned home, Zheng Wei had already arrived. Seeing them return, Zheng Wei asked, "Have you notified everyone?"
Shen Xiaoyan replied with a smile, "Yes, everyone has been notified. However, the Xu Xiao'e family might come tomorrow."
Speaking of this, Shen Xiaoyan felt frustrated. This family was truly shameless. She was extremely annoyed but couldn't think of a way to cut ties with them.
Sensing Shen Xiaoyan's frustration, Zheng Wei also sighed and said, "I suspect the Zhu family will also come tomorrow."
The Zhu family?
Shen Xiaoyan looked up at Zheng Wei, confused. She hadn't notified the Zhu family; why would they come?
"They haven't made any moves for so many days; I think they've been waiting for this day," Zheng Wei said.
Shen Xiaoyan looked up at the sky speechlessly. What was all this about? They were just moving house, and all these people had to come and cause trouble?
Zheng Wei was about to say something else when Shen Xiaoming excitedly ran in and said to Shen Xiaoyan, "Sister, Sister, Big Brother-in-law brought Gouzi back."
"Gouzi? What Gouzi?" Shen Xiaoyan asked Zheng Wei.
"Didn't you ask Lu Taobao to help find Gouzi earlier? I went today and brought him back for you," Zheng Wei explained with a faint smile.
Shen Xiaoyan's interest was piqued. She stood up and followed Shen Xiaoming outside. Gouzi was housed in an ear-room next to the main house.
The ear-room was not yet furnished.
Two puppies were lying on the kang, their dark, bright eyes occasionally darting around, as if examining the unfamiliar environment.
"What kind of dogs are these?" Shen Xiaoyan stroked the head of one of the puppies and asked Zheng Wei.
Both puppies were black and looked very cute. They were likely just over a month old, and their breed was hard to tell.
"Hounds," Zheng Wei said.
"They don't look like it," Shen Xiaoyan muttered.
Aren't hounds supposed to look fierce and intimidating?
These two looked so silly and adorable, not at all like hounds.
"They're still young, only a month old. What can you tell? Besides, have you ever seen hounds before?" Zheng Wei said, a glint flashing in his eyes at the end.
He knew very well that no one in the village kept hounds, and it was even less likely the young woman had seen them. Yet, judging by her expression, she seemed to know about hounds, or she wouldn't have brought them up in the first place.
Hearing Zheng Wei's confusion, Shen Xiaoyan's heart skipped a beat. How could she have forgotten this? The original owner hadn't seen hounds before.
Shen Xiaoyan gave an awkward laugh and then said, "I heard people in the village say that hounds are very large and fierce, perfect for guarding the house. Hehe."
Zheng Wei didn't say much about Shen Xiaoyan's perfunctory explanation. He just looked at Shen Xiaoyan and smiled, making her feel increasingly uneasy, before he finally shifted his gaze.
Apart from the occasional troublesome relatives who popped up, Shen Xiaoyan's life was going quite well. This made her even more relaxed and exposed more flaws.
Although Zheng Wei had never said anything or pressed her for details, Shen Xiaoyan felt increasingly uneasy.
If one asked Shen Xiaoyan what she planned to do, she hadn't thought about it. Should she confess to Zheng Wei that she wasn't the original Shen Xiaoyan?
It wasn't that she was overthinking; if she dared to say that, she would likely be close to death.
Zheng Wei, unaware of how much Shen Xiaoyan had been thinking, simply smiled and asked, "What should we name these two puppies?"
Shen Xiaoyan hadn't quite recovered, but Shen Xiaoming eagerly piped up, "I'll name them."
Hearing Shen Xiaoming's cheerful voice, Shen Xiaoyan also snapped back to attention and smiled at him, waiting for him to name the two puppies.
Shen Xiaoming thought for a moment before saying, "How about Old Black and Hei Zi?"
Shen Xiaoyan winced. Was he still remembering the name he gave Luoluo back then? But it didn't matter; if he wanted to call them that, so be it.
Zheng Wei had no objections, so the two little hounds were named Old Black and Hei Zi.
Distinguishing between the two puppies was also easy. Hei Zi had a circle of white fur around his neck, looking like a scarf.
Shen Xiaoming wanted to play with the two little ones, but Shen Xiaoyan saw that it was getting late and went to the kitchen to cook. Zheng Wei also stood up and went along.
He could help with the fire, and the meal would be prepared faster.
At dinner, they also served rice in bowls for Old Black and Hei Zi, with minced meat added to the porridge. The two little ones ate very happily.
After the meal, the three of them went to bed early, as tomorrow was going to be very busy.
The next morning, right after breakfast, Zheng Wei drove the cart to town again.
The other necessary ingredients had been bought yesterday, but it was better to buy fresh meat today.
An hour later, Zheng Wei returned, accompanied by two chefs hired to cook lunch.
The two chefs arrived in their own carts driven by their apprentices. They also brought four apprentices, who would help with tasks such as peeling vegetables and serving dishes, as the two chefs clearly couldn't manage alone.
Behind the carts were two more large carts loaded with tables, chairs, and tableware, also rented by Zheng Wei from town.
Peasant families would usually borrow bowls and chopsticks from relatives and return them after use. However, Shen Xiaoyan found it troublesome and thought it was easier and more convenient to rent them directly from town.
After unloading and setting up the tables, chairs, and tableware, the two large carts returned to town, with an agreement on when they would come back in the afternoon to pick up the items.
Zheng Wei, driving his cart, led several people from the old courtyard directly into the side courtyard and then helped them move all the ingredients into the kitchen, instructing them on where to put things before heading to the main courtyard.
The main courtyard Zheng Wei went to was the first courtyard. Although not much furniture was made when the furniture was being crafted, there was still furniture in the main room of the first courtyard. Otherwise, if guests arrived, they couldn't possibly have them all in the back, could they?
Shen Xiaoyan had implemented her idea of laziness to the fullest. In the main room of the first courtyard, regardless of the size of the room, the design, or the furniture, everything was the same as in the back.
The only difference was in the curtains and drapes, which had different colors and patterns.
Shen Xiaoyan had already brought Shen Xiaoming here and had welcomed Madam Pan's family.
Madam Pan had brought her family early, actually intending to help Shen Xiaoyan with some tasks. However, upon arriving and asking Shen Xiaoyan, she learned that the cooking had been outsourced and there wasn't much to do, so she felt relieved.
Just as Shen Xiaoyan asked Madam Pan and her two children to sit down, Zheng Wei entered. After exchanging greetings, Madam Liang also arrived.
Madam Liang's husband was named Bai Zhong, around 40 years old, with a honest demeanor. Upon entering the room, he smiled and greeted everyone.
Madam Liang also brought her younger son, Bai Yan, who was about 10 years old. He was plump and looked very likable.
Shen Xiaoyan asked Shen Xiaoming to take Bai Yan and Wu Dagang to his room to play, saying that if any children came later, they should all go to the back to find them.
Shen Xiaoming, with a strong sense of responsibility as the host, led his two little guests away.
Early in the morning, Shen Xiaoyan had used beautiful plates to arrange peanuts, snacks, and fruits, placing them in the main hall of the first courtyard, the kang in the side rooms, the kang in the study, and Shen Xiaoming's small living room.
After Shen Xiaoming had taken the two little ones away, Shen Xiaoyan led Madam Liang and Madam Pan into the study in the west room, leaving the hall for Zheng Wei to entertain the male guests.
The three of them entered the study and sat directly on the kang. The table was laden with eight plates, causing Madam Pan and Madam Liang's eyes to light up.