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.
Chapter 18: 18 Trying hard to smell through the door gap
That afternoon.
Once work was over, the Lin Family hurried back home without stopping.
The fellow villagers watched as the Lin family rushed home as if chased by a dog, giving each other puzzled looks, not understanding the reason.
"What's the occasion at the Lin family? Why are they moving so fast?"
"Could it be that they are going to eat meat? Otherwise, why the rush?"
"You're thinking too much. Apart from people in the city who get to eat meat, us farmers... better not dream about it!"
"Speaking of city folk, isn't someone from the Liu Family about to become a regular employee? Wonder how that's going now?"
"No matter what, even if they don't get regularized, just being a temporary worker there is better than us."
"True that..."
...
The Lin family turned a deaf ear to the villagers' whispers – what did it matter if they were gossiped about a bit?
Eating meat was what mattered most!
Li Xiuli, carrying her family's anticipation, washed her hands and entered the kitchen.
The chicken was no small bird; she decided to make a stew with pheasant and potatoes.
At that time, condiments were scarce, so cooking truly tested one's skills.
Li Xiuli had been cooking for fifteen or twenty years, and her culinary skills were quite good.
Today, as she was cooking a special meal, she didn't skimp on ingredients like she usually did; she cooked generously.
First, Li Xiuli rinsed the chunks of pheasant meat that Lin Qingmu had previously chopped, with clean water.
Then she scalded it with boiling water before setting it aside.
She instructed the eldest child in the house to peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks.
"Tangtang, make the fire bigger!" Li Xiuli said to Lin Tang, who was tending the fire.
While speaking, she put some lard into the wok to heat it up.
She took out the precious white sugar her family stored and caramelized it to make a sugar color.
She then put the pheasant meat into the wok and stir-fried it until colored.
Afterward, she added water and put in scallions, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, and other spices.
The fire was strong, and it quickly brought the stew to a boil.
A tempting aroma slowly escaped from beneath the lid of the pot.
Wisps of smoke laced with tantalizing fragrance filled the entire kitchen.
Li Xiuli, fearing the aromatic scent might cause trouble if it wafted outside, had already tightly closed all the doors and windows in advance.
If it were pork bought from the market, it would have been fine.
But this was game meat found in the mountains.
To avoid unwanted attention, eating meat quietly was the smart way to do it.
If someone did find out, it wouldn't be too hard to make up an excuse.
After simmering on low heat for about half an hour,
Li Xiuli lifted the lid and added the chunks of potato.
Lifting the lid released an even more enticing aroma!
Even the usually calm and composed Ning Xinrou couldn't help but swallow her saliva.
It smelled so good!
It was so tempting!
"Mom, it smells amazing!"
Lin Tang sat in front of the stove, looking up at her busy mother, swallowing her saliva.
To be honest, she didn't expect to crave it this much.
It wasn't a lack of resilience if her stomach craved oil and moisture.
Li Xiuli, seeing her petite daughter sitting on a small stool, her face weathered by hardship brimming with a smile,
said, "Tangtang, wait a little longer, it will be ready in about ten minutes. I'll save the big chicken leg for my girl."
When Lin Tang heard her mom cajoling her as if she were still a child, her fair and pretty face blushed slightly.
"Mom, let Goudan and the others have the chicken legs, I'll just have the wings, I like them."
After such incredible experiences, having suffered quite a lot,
Lin Tang thought she would no longer act childishly.
But to her surprise, in just a short two days,
she had returned to being the coddled Lin Tang under the affectionate care of her father and brothers.
At that moment, she had a realization—
No matter how old she grew,
No matter what she had been through,
In front of her family, she could always be that child who never grew up!
Li Xiuli had no idea what her daughter was thinking, she just felt Tangtang was so sensible it made her unsure how to properly lavish her with love.
"Mother will listen to Tangtang."
Ning Xinrou, looking at her mother-in-law and younger sister-in-law, felt an indescribable sense of emotion.
She had never imagined that she could marry into such a family before she turned eighteen.
But now, she had finally clearly understood her own heart's thoughts, and she did not regret it.
"On behalf of the children, I thank Mother and Tangtang."
Lin Tang smiled, "Big sister, there's no need to be so polite, we are family after all."
They were the closest of kin in the world!
Ning Xinrou softly replied, taking her little sister-in-law's words to heart.
She planned to use the cloth her husband had given her a few years back to make an article of clothing for Lin Tang.
Meanwhile, outside the kitchen,
Lin Qingmu, with his two little nephews, was sticking close to the crack of the door, earnestly sniffing the fragrance wafting from within.
"Uncle, do you smell that? I can smell it, it's so good!"
Goudan touched his empty stomach, his saliva almost dripping to the ground.
Why is it not ready yet!
Stressed...
Lin Qingmu calculated the time, then smelling the subtle fragrance coming from the kitchen, said, "It should be ready soon."
Lin Lu saw his unruly youngest brother dragging the two nephews so close to the kitchen door, completely lacking in image.
He simply couldn't bear to look.
He walked over and without holding back, gave Lin Qingmu a smack on the back.
"You scamp, it's bad enough that you're unreliable.
But to even take Goudan and Choudan along with you, what kind of almost-twenty-year-old acts as unreliable as you?"
He worried whether such an unreliable son would become a burden.
Lin Qingmu, after being hit, quickly stepped back, keeping a two-meter distance from his father.
"Dad, am I your real son? How come you don't hold back? You're going to break my bones," he said with a pained expression, baring his teeth in grievance.
In those days, people couldn't even get enough to eat.
So even without holding back, there wasn't much strength in the strike.
It didn't really hurt.
But Lin Qingmu, always apt to play up drama, accordingly made a fuss.
"If I held back, how could I discipline you? You rascal, you only remember the good and forget the beatings. In the future, whatever unreliable things you do, don't drag your nephews into it."
Goudan, seeing his uncle get hit, his eyes swiveled, pulling his brother towards the house.
Meanwhile whispering to Choudan, "Brother will get you some food."
Lin Qingshan and Lin Qingshui, guessing that the meal was almost ready, exchanged glances and went to wash their hands.
And as for their beaten brother?
Cough, after all, the brother had thick skin and wouldn't be hurt.
Lin Lu didn't pay attention to them.
He smelled the fragrance seeping through the door crack and couldn't help but twitch his nose a few times.
Licking his lips, he also went to wash his hands.
So delicious!!
Zhou Mei returned home with her two children, finding the courtyard gate closed.
Thinking that the family had already started eating, she became anxious and banged on the door noisily.
Lin Qingshui, hearing his wife's roar and commotion, hurried over to open the courtyard door.
"Can't you be gentler? You're about to smash the door," he scolded, glaring at Zhou Mei with a face full of exasperation.
Then, paying no further attention to his feisty wife,
he picked up his watery-eyed little daughter, with a face full of fatherly affection.
"Does Niuniu miss Daddy?"
Niuniu was five years old this year.
Her features, inherited from Zhou Mei, were quite pretty.
Big round eyes and a little mouth, she was very adorable.
If only she weren't so thin and dark, she would be even more adorable.
Hearing her father's words, she said in a childlike tone, "I did, and I also missed Grandpa, Grandma, Brother, Uncle… and Aunt Tangtang too."
She thought of everyone in the family.
Hutou looked up at his father picking up his sister and didn't fuss, instead tugging at Lin Qingshui's hem.
"Daddy, I missed you too."
The grandmother's house was nice, but he missed home, and he missed Brother Goudan and the others.
Lin Qingshui glanced at his son and responded absently, "Mm, Daddy missed you too."
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