Chapter 16: The grandmother has murder in her eyes.
Li Xiuli smiled modestly and said, "I'm no home-wrecker, I'll just teach them slowly, what else can I do?"
The eldest daughter-in-law is indeed good, nothing else to say.
As for the second daughter-in-law...
Well, let's not talk about it.
She wasn't like this when she just got married.
After being married for a while, all sorts of problems started showing up.
Zhao Honghua understood very well that Xiuli was satisfied with her two daughters-in-law and said with a smile, "As long as there are no major issues, just teach them slowly, who hasn't been that age before."
"You may be right," Li Xiuli replied, but she did not forget the previous topic of conversation.
"Take care of yourself, you look so thin now."
"Ziqiang can't rely on his father, he can only rely on you. What will Ziqiang do if something happens to you?"
Thinking of Chen Ziqiang's useless father, Li Xiuli felt a surge of anger.
If that were her own man, lazy and indifferent to everything, she'd take a knife and chop him up.
But Honghua was too gentle from a young age to do anything harsh; she only ever ended up being bullied.
Luckily, young Ziqiang is a good son; otherwise, what would Honghua have to look forward to in life?
Zhao Honghua certainly knew that Xiuli was worried about her, and she felt a warmth spreading through her body, slowly warming her cold limbs.
"I know, I'll eat when I get back," she said.
These past few days, she really hadn't eaten much.
There wasn't much food at home, so she had to conserve!
Yet, as Xiuli rightly said, what would Ziqiang do if she starved to death?
She had to stay alive, stay alive at all costs.
Even if that useless Chen Jiefang died, she couldn't afford to die.
Seeing that her friend took her words to heart, Li Xiuli breathed a sigh of relief and patted her on the arm.
"Life is hard, but if we hang in there, we'll get past it. There's no obstacle that can't be overcome!"
The hardest times have passed.
What should come next, shouldn't it be the dawn that Tangtang talks about?
Zhao Honghua nodded her head.
Her eyes, as if covered in a layer of dust, sparked a faint glimmer of light.
Without any strong in-laws or sisters-in-law to protect her, she could only rely on herself.
Thinking of Wu Chunhua, who got a lecture from Lin Tang's grandmother yesterday, Zhao Honghua whispered:
"Xiuli, did you hear about what happened yesterday afternoon?"
"What happened?" Li Xiuli looked confused.
She went home, ate, and slept yesterday.
She had been busy since she got up this morning and hadn't heard anything.
"Your mother-in-law taught Wu Chunhua a lesson yesterday and threw a bucket of water over her head.
Wu Chunhua didn't dare to say half a word and even slapped herself several times."
Zhao Honghua felt envious.
If only she had such a formidable mother-in-law who'd stand up for her.
Too bad her in-laws were not just unkind; they had long turned into little mounds of earth.
"My mother-in-law disciplined Wu Chunhua, and Chunhua even slapped her own face?" Li Xiuli exclaimed in surprise.
Is that true?
That's incredibly... satisfying!!
That's so like my mother-in-law!
"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes, your mother-in-law is really something," Zhao Honghua remarked with admiration.
Having such an assertive mother-in-law who even defends her, what a blessing from past lifetimes!
Li Xiuli also felt her mother-in-law was very good and nodded repeatedly, "Hmm, my mother-in-law is indeed very good."
It's just her temper that's not great, but that's not important.
I'll have to give mother-in-law some extra meat tonight.
With such a move from the mother-in-law, those in the village who dare to speak ill of Tangtang openly will be few.
A tough person who, back in the day, could kill a wild boar with a few punches.
Not everyone dares to provoke them.
After entering the brigade, Li Xiuli and Zhao Honghua went their separate ways.
Zhou Mei turned her head and saw that her mother-in-law was alone, so she quickly handed the farm tools to her sister-in-law and ran to her mother-in-law's side.
"Mom, can I go pick up Hutou and Niuniu?"
Li Xiuli had expected this to happen, and she looked at Zhou Mei sternly.
"You think of picking them up now? What were you thinking, always leaving the kids at your parents' place? Is the Lin Family unable to raise Hutou and Niuniu, or what?"
This daughter-in-law really left her at a loss for words.
Other people's daughters-in-law always rack their brains to move the good stuff from their in-laws' homes to their parents' homes.
Hers does the opposite, constantly running to her parents' house to scrounge.
It would be enough if she just scavenged at her parents' home from time to time.
But she keeps sending the two kids to the Zhou Family for free meals...
She had told her off who knows how many times, and this person is quick to admit her mistakes.
But she never changes, and the next time, it continues.
If it weren't for the fact that she had given the Zhou Family plenty of compensation, she would feel that the Lin Family had lost face.
Zhou Mei didn't see any problem with it and responded nonchalantly,
"Of course, we can afford to raise them. Isn't it just that my mom wants to see Hutou and Niuniu? The old lady insists that I leave the kids with her, what can I say?"
Li Xiuli spat in disgust, knowing all too well that Zhou Mei was trying to deceive her again.
"Enough, spare me your spiel. Do you think I would believe you?"
"If you want to pick them up, go ahead, but don't forget to take the children's food. You can't let your parents suffer a loss."
"...Take food?" Zhou Mei's voice lifted slightly.
"What should I take? Hutou and Niuniu don't eat much, no need to take anything, absolutely nothing. I still want to take from..."
Take some good stuff from her parents' house...
Feeling a murderous aura upon her, she choked on her words immediately.
Yikes, her mother-in-law's eyes were filled with murderous intent!!
Confronted with Li Xiuli's eyes that were gathering a fiery glow, Zhou Mei hastily corrected herself,
"Mom, you're right. I should take something. I'll go back and get it right now." Saying so, she sprinted toward home.
Ah, the mother-in-law is too scary!
She's terrified...
Ning Xinrou trailed a few steps behind. When she caught up, she noticed her mother-in-law's unusual expression. "Mom, what's wrong? Did my sister-in-law anger you again?"
That word 'again' was particularly telling.
Li Xiuli took a deep breath and then let it out.
She felt that her second daughter-in-law would be the death of her sooner or later.
"Let's not talk about that idiot. Come on, let's head home."
Fearing that Zhou Mei would again take some damaged, black-hearted sweet potatoes to the Zhou Family home.
She walked briskly toward her house, kicking up a gust of wind on the way.
It wasn't because she was overthinking; it's just that their family's idiot daughter-in-law really could do such a thing.
And Zhou Mei was indeed in the cellar, selecting carefully.
Usually, when people go back to their parents' home, they try to take good things with them, but the daughter-in-law of the Lin Family was different.
She was usually reluctant to take anything, and if forced, she would certainly choose the inferior items.
Li Xiuli, upon hearing from Goudan that her second sister-in-law went to the cellar, dropped what she was doing, didn't even bother to wash her hands, and headed straight to the cellar.
The cellar was dug into a sunny and sheltered spot in the backyard and was square in shape.
Inside were stored sweet potatoes, cabbages, and other ingredients.
At that moment, Zhou Mei was squatting on the ground, her back to the cellar entrance, picking and choosing.
The focus was — she was selecting the not-so-good ones.
"This one's split open, this one looks damaged, this one seems a bit shabby... I'll take these, it'll be a bargain for the Zhou Family..."
She grumbled under her breath while placing the subpar items into a basket.
Li Xiuli listened to her mutterings from behind and couldn't help but laugh to herself.
"...It will indeed be a bargain for the Zhou Family. It would be better to give them nothing at all..." She uttered this emotionlessly.
Chapter 17: 17 Oh! I suffered a big loss!!
Zhou Mei fell into the odd thought of being taken advantage of by her maternal family and didn't have time to react before she agreed:
"That's for sure, the old Zhou Family is getting a huge bargain..."
She hadn't finished speaking when she suddenly came to her senses.
Yikes!
This... this voice sounds a bit familiar, doesn't it?
She turned her head in slow motion.
Upon meeting her mother-in-law's emotionless eyes, she was so frightened that she dropped the basket from her hands.
'Clang'—
The crooked, split, and obviously inferior sweet potatoes rolled to Li Xiuli's feet.
Zhou Mei: "?!?!"
Would her mother-in-law believe her if she said she was taking these out to eat for lunch?
"...Zhou Mei!" Li Xiuli called out.
"Yes, Mother, I'm here," Zhou Mei replied, trying to keep her composure.
As long as she didn't make a big deal about it, her mother-in-law would forget...
However, the reality was—
Li Xiuli grabbed the worn-out broom beside her and started hitting her with it.
"You penny-pinching miser! The Zhou Family isn't your maternal home; they didn't raise you.
You scrimp even on things meant for your own parents; are you even human? Is this how your old mother taught you?"
Taking these things back home is worse than not taking anything at all!
How did the Lin Family marry such a troublesome daughter-in-law?
Li Xiuli was infuriated.
Zhou Mei took several solid hits and defended herself, "My maternal family isn't short of food, and our own grain supply is low; how could I take it back to them..."
Without food at home, she would go hungry.
She wouldn't do such a foolish thing!
But before she could finish, she took a few more hits.
Zhou Mei cried out 'ow,' saying, "Ow ow ow, Mother, be gentler.
If you beat me to death, your son will be without a wife, and Hutou and Niuniu will be without a mother..."
To avoid stepping on the vegetables on the ground, she stood her ground and braced herself for the last blow.
The dry twigs of the broom accidentally scratched her face, leaving a small red mark on Zhou Mei's face.
It stung a bit!
Seeing the mark, Li Xiuli knew better than to continue reprimanding her foolish daughter-in-law.
She threw down the broom and glared at Zhou Mei.
"Enough, I don't want to hear your nonsense; I will organize it myself, you just need to take it back," she said.
"But..." Zhou Mei was still worried about the little grain they had at home.
Li Xiuli glared at her fiercely again.
"...You're still talking?"
This blockheaded daughter-in-law really remembers the food but forgets the beatings!
Zhou Mei, seeing her mother-in-law getting angry again, stiffened and quickly left the cellar.
Ten minutes later, Li Xiuli came out of the cellar.
"Send these to the Zhou Family; don't you dare take anything out. If I find out anything's missing, you better watch your hands," she said as she handed the basket to Zhou Mei, her face full of warnings.
"I understand, you can depend on me to handle things, Mother," Zhou Mei said, glancing at the basket from time to time, tempted.
But seeing her mother-in-law's warning look,
she suppressed the urge to lift the lid and peek inside.
Li Xiuli thought to herself: It's precisely because it's you that I'm worried.
Zhou Mei, unaware of her mother-in-law's internal complaints, took the basket and left the house.
Reaching the entrance to the village, she couldn't resist lifting the lid of the basket.
"Whoa! So many!"
Zhou Mei looked at the large, fine sweet potatoes in the basket with heartache.
A whole basketful.
Her eyes widened.
What a loss, what a loss!
If she had known, she would've just told the head of the household and gone back to her maternal home directly.
Gazing at the sweet potatoes, Zhou Mei felt a pang in her chest.
Those sweet potatoes could have lasted for several days.
She held back but ultimately couldn't resist.
Zhou Mei took out the biggest and best one and washed it right there by the river.
Crunch, crunch, she started eating.
Being able to eat one is already a blessing.
Anyway, she was hungry.
It was almost a two-hour journey from the Zhou Family to Shuangshan Brigade.
Zhou Mei simply couldn't get back to work in time for the afternoon.
When the sister-in-law from the Zhou Family saw her sister-in-law returning, her eyelids twitched, and the smile on her lips began to stiffen.
As for the basket in her hands, she didn't hold any expectations whatsoever.
The sister-in-law never brings anything good...
Zhou Mei greeted her sister-in-law and completely ignored what she might be thinking, heading straight to her old mother instead.
She didn't consider herself an outsider at all.
Zhou Family's sister-in-law: ...
If she had a face as thick as her sister-in-law's, she'd never have to worry about going hungry.
While Zhou Mei stirred up a small commotion at the Zhou Family, over at the Lin Family, they were having a warm lunch together.
Goudan ate his mushy food and looked up at his grandmother with puppy eyes.
"Nanny, can we have some meat this afternoon?"
If one of the Lin Family siblings had asked this question, they would have definitely ended up with a scolding.
But when the eldest grandson asked, the outcome was surely different.
Li Xiuli looked at him with tender eyes and said with a smile, "There is, there is. You'll have enough to fill you up."
As soon as she said this, not only the three Lin brothers but also their father perked up, feeling suddenly more energized to work in the afternoon.
It's been so long since they've had meat...
After eating, the family took a quick hour-long nap.
Ning Xinrou woke up first, and after washing up, she took a damp towel into the room.
She wiped Goudan's face with it, and the chill suddenly snapped the child's eyes open.
"Mom, it's so cold, so cold! My face is going to freeze off, I need to eat a piece of Mung Bean Cake to get better."
The child wasn't fully awake yet and had already started acting pitifully brazen.
Ning Xinrou couldn't help but cry and laugh.
She gently pinched her son's nose and smiled,
"You keep acting mischievous. I'll go give your Mung Bean Cake to your gran and grandad to eat."
Upon hearing this, Goudan was completely awake.
He had a look that said you must be kidding, "What? I already asked; gran and grandad don't eat it!"
He had already checked: gran, grandad, dad, and the uncles didn't want any.
They just said to save two pieces for Hutou and Niuniu.
That went without saying; he had already saved them.
He certainly wasn't a greedy child.
Nanny always said that family should remember each other since people shouldn't be so selfish.
And not to learn from the second auntie!
Zhou Mei: "Great-nephew, are you being courteous?"
Ning Xinrou didn't know about her son's little schemes and tapped his head saying,
"Quickly get up to study, and let me tell you, if you don't study hard, mom will tell your auntie, and then she won't bring you anything nice ever again..."
Goudan wore an incredulous expression, "Mom, am I not your own son?"
No sooner had he said this than Lin Qingshan raised his hand, which was like an iron fan, and slapped it onto his rear.
There was a sharp slapping sound, as he didn't hold back at all.
Goudan's bottom turned red from the slap.
But... country kids are tough; he didn't really feel a thing and sighed dramatically, "Ah, why don't I take after my mom!"
Lin Qingshan heard his son alluding to his rough appearance and his face went dark.
The next second, the hand went up again.
"Are you asking to be hit?" As if the dog doesn't mind the poverty of its house, what's the use of this son?
Goudan flinched and quickly hid behind Ning Xinrou.
"Mom, dad's going to hit me again, you have to stand up for me. If you don't, I'll go to gran and grandad…"
He would tell them that his parents were bullying him!
Ning Xinrou eyed Goudan with annoyance, "Would your father hit you if you weren't so bratty?"
Then, looking at her husband, "Enough now, why pick on the boy? If you make him cry, who'll be the one to feel sorry for him, huh?"
Lin Qingshan: "...."
He was sorry for Choudan, who was like a daughter to him.
As for Goudan, the kid who resembled him, he could beat him three times a day.
Seeing his dad get a scolding, Goudan couldn't help but snicker and followed his mom to do his studies.
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