Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family

Chapter 79: Chapter 76: Borrowing Money

Who would have thought that Di Yelei would actually raise his hand solemnly.

“I, Di Yelei, swear to the heavens: I will treat Sisi well and cherish her for a lifetime! If I break this oath, then heaven…”

“Stop! Who asked you to swear?!”

Liu Sisi, annoyed, hurriedly stood on tiptoes and stretched out her arm to cover his mouth, “As long as I am in your heart, that is enough! I, Liu Sisi, don’t believe in such swears. Hmph!”

Although she said this, the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but curl up, with a touch of joy spreading in her eyes and eyebrows.

“Sisi…”

Di Yelei couldn’t hold back anymore. He reached out and grabbed Liu Sisi’s small hand, which was covering his mouth.

His gaze was intense, and the swallowing movement in his throat became more and more pronounced. He subconsciously pulled her into his embrace and kissed her cheek.

The rough stubble on his face brought a tingling, prickling sensation to her skin, causing Liu Sisi to instinctively dodge, but she couldn’t break free from the strength in his arms.

“No…”

Liu Sisi, shy, quickly struggled and avoided his gaze, “There are two children here!”

Di Yelei lowered his head and happened to meet Di Xuan’s curious eyes. Perhaps realizing that his father was watching, he quickly closed his eyes and hid back in his embrace, refusing to show his head again.

Such a move made Liu Sisi’s face flush, and she angrily glared at Di Yelei. Stomping her foot, she quickly turned around, “It’s… it’s late now. Let’s split up and meet directly at the old house.”

“Fine! The village chief’s house is just ahead. I’ll go to Zhang Peng and Li Wu’s houses.”

Di Yelei pointed to the large house at the village entrance with a wide area and swiftly walked away.

Liu Sisi took a deep breath and cheered herself up!

There is no insurmountable obstacle in this world, Sisi, come on!

Despite her own encouragement, Liu Sisi was still doing this sort of thing for the first time. After hesitating for a moment, she finally gathered the courage to knock on Mr. Land Officer’s door.

Mr. Land Officer’s wife was a very kind married woman who smiled and poured a cup of tea for the somewhat restrained Liu Sisi.

“Don’t worry, my old man will be out in a while. You drink some water and rest first.”

“Thank you, Madam.”

Liu Sisi gratefully smiled, stood up to receive the cup, and carefully brought the teacup to YingEr’s face, “YingEr, drink some water.”

Now it was the end of July, but even in the peak of summer, the mountainous areas get cold in the second half of the night, and the mountain winds blow icy-cold on the skin.

The warm water brought warmth to her stomach, and YingEr couldn’t help but nestle in her embrace and smile.

The Land Officer’s wife saw this scene and nodded silently to herself. It seemed that Ye Lei’s new wife was a good one, and at least she truly cared for YingEr.

“So, it’s Di Third Son’s wife. Sit down and let’s talk.”

Apparently, Mr. Land Officer had just got out of bed, and his face still showed prominent creases from sleep.

“Greetings, Mr. Land Officer. Sorry for disturbing you so late at night. Sisi is actually here to borrow some silver…”

Liu Sisi hurriedly got up to pay her respects before sitting down.

“Pfffft! Cough… cough…”

The original water-drinking Mr. Land Officer choked on a big mouthful of water! He guessed that something had happened but did not expect Liu Sisi to be so straightforward.

“Look at you, at this age, still being so careless. Aren’t you afraid of being laughed at by juniors?”

Mr. Land Officer’s wife looked at Liu Sisi with her eyes as well.

Making Liu Sisi’s face flush with embarrassment, feeling extremely awkward.

Having finally calmed down, the Land Officer set down his teacup and looked Liu Sisi up and down. When his gaze fell on YingEr, who was nestled in her arms, it finally softened somewhat.

“Third Son Di’s wife, you just repaid Ms. Wang 20 taels of silver in the evening. How come it has only been a few hours and you need to borrow money again? What’s the meaning of this?”

This question made Liu Sisi’s eyes well up with tears, and her eyes reddened instantly.

“My father is gravely ill, and Ye Lei went to the town to request Dr. He’s help. He said that ginseng over hundreds of years old is urgently needed to save his life. Fortunately, the doctor has 120-year-old ginseng available, but the price is quite steep… just for the ginseng alone, it costs 50 taels of silver.”

“What happened to your father?”

“Did you call Dr. He? He is the best doctor in the town.”

The two were startled and asked in unison.

Naturally, Liu Sisi did not hide anything and explained the details of the situation.

As for certain family secrets, of course, she did not mention them.

Hearing Liu Sisi’s understatement, as the Land Officer, how could he not understand the situation of the Di family?

“Sigh! I must say I also have some responsibility for this!”

The Land Officer slapped the table heavily: “Last night, there was a quarrel at the Di family’s old house. That’s not a trivial matter! At that time, I was so angry that I scolded your father a few times. It must have been that which made him so sick.”

“No, Mr. Land Officer. Sisi heard that Ah-Bao snatched the broom from my father’s hand, and then… and then…”

Liu Sisi’s eyes dodged, and she stammered, unable to make sense of what had happened.

“And then Di Ah-bao hit your father!”

Although the Land Officer asked the question, he used a positive tone, showing that he knew Di Ah-Bao’s character well.

He pondered for a moment before raising his head: “Alright, how much do you want to borrow?”

Liu Sisi swallowed: “…the medicine cost will be evenly divided among the three brothers. We need to provide 20 taels, and Ye Lei has gone to Brother Zhang’s and Li Wu’s house to borrow silver. We hope that we can put together a little.”

“Zhang Peng’s family should have some silver. Li Wu is heard to be preparing to arrange a marriage for his son, so he probably can’t spare any money.”

Mr. Land Officer really understood the situation of the village clearly: “Can your mother-in-law and Second Sister-in-law agree to spend 60 taels of silver on treating Elderly Mr. Di? I’m afraid it’s Ye Lei’s idea, isn’t it?”

Getting Ms. Zhang and Ms. Wang to agree would require the sun to rise in the west.

“Mr. Land Officer, you really have a discerning eye.”

Liu Sisi bitterly smiled and shamelessly flattered him!

“Sigh! It’s hard for you to have such filial devotion! Elderly Di is lucky to have such a filial child like Ye Lei.”

The Land Officer sighed and took a silver ingot from his robe, placing it in Liu Sisi’s hand: “This is 20 taels of silver. If it’s not enough, let Ye Lei come and fetch it later. What’s the point of having a married woman like you come forward? Aren’t you afraid of being laughed at?”

“Thank you, Mr. Land Officer.”

Liu Sisi was overjoyed in her heart as the medicine’s cost was finally settled!

“Rest assured, Mr. Land Officer. As soon as my father’s condition stabilizes, I will have Ye Lei come to apologize to you.”

Although the Land Officer did not say it explicitly, Liu Sisi also understood what he meant – he was blaming Di Yelei for not coming in person.

“Never mind! I have watched Ye Lei grow up. It’s getting late, and saving a person is like putting out a fire, so you better go back quickly.”

Watching Liu Sisi’s figure gradually disappear into the night, the Land Officer could not help but shake his head and sigh: “Di Yelei is really lucky to have found such a good wife!”

By the time Liu Sisi returned, Di Yelei had also arrived back at the old house. Seeing her enter, his eyes immediately brightened, and he strode towards her.

“How’s everything? What did Mr. Land Officer say?”

Liu Sisi hurriedly took out the silver ingot and placed it in his hand: “I got it, hurry up and give it to the doctor. Don’t delay saving people and healing them.”