Xiao Yishan followed the instructions and sat down.
Qingyue sat next to him, pointing and saying, âMake sure the carriage moves slowly and steadily, donât use too much force when whipping the horse, and when the horse is about to stop, give it a moderate whipâ¦â
The front and backyards of the Xiao family were both large, so Qingyue let Xiao Yishan drive the flatbed cart back and forth between them. Xiao Yuchuan sat on the cart, and even though his wife was teaching his second brother, he still watched and listened attentively.
Qinghe sat in his wheelchair, watching his wife teach his second and third brothers how to drive a horse carriage. Although his legs were disabled and it was inconvenient for him to drive, he still listened carefully and silently remembered every word she said.
When Xiao Yishan barely got the hang of driving the carriage, Su Qingyue allowed him to drive it onto the village road outside the courtyard.
The villagers were surprised to see Xiao Yishan driving a carriage. One of them exclaimed, âWow! Dashan knows how to drive a carriage too!â
Another person chimed in, âWell, their family has a carriage now. Itâs only a matter of time before they learn how to drive and ride horses.â
âTrue,â everyone agreed.
Xiao Yishan ignored the villagersâ remarks and, under Qingyueâs guidance, drove the carriage out of the village towards the direction of the town.
This horse was very gentle, and since Xiao Yishan fed it fresh grass every day, driving it was relatively easy.
It wasnât until it was dark that the three of them went home for dinner.
The next day, at about five oâclock in the morning, Su Qingyue took her second and third brothers out to practice driving the carriage again. She also taught them how to ride a horse, but since Xiao Yishanâs legs hadnât completely healed, he only drove the carriage. Xiao Yuchuan, on the other hand, did try riding the horse for a while, but the main focus was still on Yishanâs driving practice.
After practicing for three hours, at eight in the morning, Xiao Yishan drove the carriage alone to where the village chief and others were waiting at the entrance of the village.
Truthfully, it would have been better if the third brother went to the town since his body had fully recovered, and the second brotherâs leg was injured.
However, the villagers pay more attention to the presence of the head of the family. Since the second brotherâs leg injury had healed considerably, they let him go without harming his dignity.
In the afternoon, Xiao Yishan returned with the carriage. With an excited look on his determined face, he said, âYueâer, third brother, fourth brother, weâve got the deed for the land.â
Qinghe was still in the courtyard weaving baskets.
Xiao Yuchuan had been chopping bamboo in the morning, sunning it in the afternoon and was now weaving baskets at home. Hearing his second brotherâs words, he smiled and said, âGood that itâs done.â
Su Qingyue came out of the house and saw two ducks on the horse-drawn cart.
Yishan said, âSince our family bought some land and got the foundation for the new house, we should naturally have more dishes to celebrate.â
âWeâll have duck meat for dinner tonight,â said Xiao Yuchuan to Qingyue. âMy wife, youâre so thin and can never gain weight. You should eat more.â
She asked, âSecond brother, can I take a look at the land deed?â
He carefully took the deed out of his pocket and handed it to her.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Xiao Yuchuan said, âItâs good that my wife can recognize and read characters. If it were me, I canât even recognize the size of a bean.â
Xiao Yishan also said, âI canât read either. The village chief checked it and said thereâs no problem.â
Upon examining the deed, Su Qingyue saw that it was indeed for ten acres of paddy field, along with yesterdayâs surveyed land deed. However, the names on it only included the Xiao Familyâs three sons, and she had no share in it. She handed it back to him, saying, âItâs correct.â
Xiao Yishan noticed her thoughts and said, âYueâer, I wanted to add your name to the deed, but I couldnât. When several men marry the same wife, the marriage canât be registered in the government records. This is something poor families canât do anything about. In such families where a single wife is shared, the marriage registration usually only involves one husband, and the others live as if they were also married to her. Yesterday, I discussed this with third and fourth brothers. Originally, it should be me who registers with you, but since they both disagreed, the registration has been procrastinated.â