Just as Song Caixing was about to explain the reason, she was interrupted by Qiao Guilan, who suddenly entered.

"What are you all doing standing here? Grandma Zhou was yelling so fiercely at the intersection, saying you stole her old hen. Yinhua, what did you do to make Grandma Zhou so angry?"

"Grandma Zhou is talking nonsense! Those old hens were stolen from our house by her son, Zhou Xiaojiu!" Song Caixing excitedly recounted what had just happened.

When Qiao Guilan heard that her eldest daughter had gone to Old Lady Zhou's house and actually managed to snatch back her family's old hen from Old Lady Zhou and even sell it, she asked Song Yinhua in surprise, "You really did that?"

Song Yinhua nodded, "I'm selling our own family's old hens."

"So when you poured boiling water on Zhou Xiaojiu's face, did Old Lady Zhou not make you pay compensation?"

Song Caixing excitedly answered, "The villagers who bought the big sister's old hen at half price all spoke up for her, advising Grandma Zhou to keep her word and not bully the children. Grandma Zhou was really humiliated."

Qiao Guilan reached out her hand, "How much did you sell the old hen for? Yinhua, give me the money. Your brother is getting married soon, so we need to save this money for his wedding."

"Mom, I'll keep this money for now. Once Baogen's marriage is arranged, I'll give him every last penny."

“You’re just a kid, you don’t know how to manage money. Don’t lose it. Leave it with Mom, Mom will take care of it.”

“I’m twenty-five, I’m not a child anymore.”

“These old hens were raised by my mother with great care, so the money should be kept with her.”

"I snatched the old hen from Grandma Zhou's chicken coop, and I sold it."

After saying that, Song Yinhua turned around and went back into the house.

Song Caixing wanted to go in too, but Qiao Guilan stopped her.

"I told you not to follow your older sister around all the time, but you didn't listen!" Qiao Guilan couldn't do anything with Song Yinhua, so she took it out on Song Caixing. "When your older sister gets married, are you going to bring her as part of her dowry?"

Song Caixing lowered her head, her hand instinctively covering her pocket.

There are five dollars inside.

"You didn't let your older sister know about that, did you?" Qiao Guilan suddenly asked in a low voice.

Song Caixing shook her head.

Qiao Guilan repeatedly instructed, "If you don't want all your good fortune to be drained, you absolutely cannot let your eldest sister know about that matter, understand?"

Song Caixing nodded.

Qiao Guilan turned around and left the courtyard.

"Mom, where are you going?"

“I just got Erniu’s daughter to sleep, and that’s when I had a chance to come back. I have to go back and help take care of the child.” Qiao Guilan said, rubbing her lower back. “My back hurts so much that I can’t straighten up, and my legs hurt terribly too. If I had known earlier that your eldest sister was draining my good fortune, I would have found a master to perform a ritual sooner.”

-

The following morning.

Qiao Guilan looked at Song Yinhua, who was taking out dried wild vegetables from the house to dry, and asked with a hint of calculation in her eyes, "Yinhua, are you going to the back mountain again today?"

"We're not going up the back mountain today; there are enough wild vegetables to last until next year."

Qiao Guilan said, "It's good that we don't go to the back mountain. Go to the market today and buy some meat. We haven't had meat at home for a while. Your dad and Baogen work so hard. They won't have the strength to work if they don't eat meat."

As Song Yinhua spread out the dried wild vegetables, she agreed, "I'll go to the market after I'm done here and feeding the pigs and chickens."

Qiao Guilan then got up and left home, muttering to herself that her legs hurt, her back hurt, and everything hurt as she walked.

“Mom, if you feel tired, just stay home and rest. You don’t have to run around helping Erniu take care of her child every day like you’re going to work. She has her own mother. You don’t have to rush to help her with everything.”

"Yinhua, how can you be so cold-blooded? Erniu is your father's niece, and your cousin. You won't even let Mom help Erniu take care of the child? If everyone were as selfish and cold-blooded as you, what kind of world would this be?"

Seeing that she couldn't reason with her own mother, Song Yinhua stopped talking.

"Mom, you should go help Erniu take care of the baby. I won't stop you."

Qiao Guilan was even more furious. Her eldest daughter didn't care about her at all. Knowing that she was in poor health, she still urged her to go and take care of other people's children!

After drying the wild vegetables, Song Yinhua went to feed the chickens and pigs at home.

There are only a few old hens left.

She poured the chopped greens she had prepared the previous afternoon into the chicken coop. A village woman who came to visit saw this and said with concern, "Such good vegetables for the chickens, no wonder they are so fat."

The village woman came specifically to buy an old hen.

Her neighbor, whose house is right next to hers, bought an old hen yesterday afternoon. After killing it at home, she found that the hen was not only full of oil, but the chicken soup she made smelled delicious from afar. It was so tempting.

Song Yinhua went into the chicken coop, grabbed an old hen that a village woman had chosen, and sold it for two yuan a pound.

The village woman also wanted to buy it at half price, and she haggled with Song Yinhua for a long time, until her lips were sore, but Song Yinhua still refused to lower the price.

In the end, the village woman bought the old hen for two yuan per pound.

Selling the old hen took some time, so Song Yinhua hurriedly carried her basket on her back and went to the town market.

A long plank has been erected on the road in front of Grandma Zhou's house next door, blocking the entire road.

The old lady's grandson was watching from the road. When he saw Song Yinhua coming, he immediately jumped into the middle of the road and shouted, "Don't walk on my road!"

"This isn't your road; it belongs to the public. Anyone can walk on it."

“My grandma said that this road in front of my house belongs to my family, and she told me to watch it and not let you walk on it.”

Song Yinhua ignored Zhou's grandson and was about to step over him when the grandson jumped up in a panic and was about to call for help.

If Grandma Zhou is summoned, we won't need to go to the market this morning.

Song Yinhua suddenly remembered that she had a handful of fruit candies in her pocket that her third aunt had given her before. "Don't call me grandma, I'll give you candies."

Song Yinhua casually grabbed a few pieces of fruit candy and gave them to Grandma Zhou's grandson. Grandma Zhou's grandson happily invited Song Yinhua over and promised not to tell his grandmother.

There is a row of vacant lots next to the village road. Every household has cleared out their own vacant lot next to the road and planted all kinds of vegetables on it, so as not to waste a single bit of land.

As they approached the village entrance, Song Yinhua was drenched with water.

She turned her head and saw Aunt Song standing next to the water bucket with a manure scoop.

Aunt Song was usually a kind person. In her previous life, when she married Han Zhiyuan, Aunt Song advised her not to marry him, saying that she would suffer after marrying Han Zhiyuan.

"It's alright, it's alright, I'll just go home and change my clothes." Having retained memories of her past life, Song Yinhua still felt a sense of goodwill towards the old woman and politely asked, "Auntie, are you watering the vegetables?"

Not hearing a response, Song Yinhua then noticed that Aunt Song was glaring at her.

His eyes still held anger and displeasure.

Several families who were growing vegetables in the nearby open space saw this and hurriedly ran over.

The middle-aged village woman who was harvesting garlic was closest to Song Da Niang, so she quickly ran over, grabbed Song Da Niang's arm, whispered a few words of advice, and then smiled at Song Yin Hua, saying, "Yin Hua, you should go now, it's alright."

Song Yinhua asked Song Da Niang curiously, "Auntie, did I do something to offend you? Why..."

The village woman who was threshing garlic interrupted with a smile, "No, Yinhua, don't overthink it. Aunt Song accidentally splashed some water on you while watering the vegetables. Go home and change your clothes quickly. It's getting cold, so don't catch a cold."

Song Yinhua was a little confused. When she returned to the village yesterday, she felt that the villagers were looking at her strangely.

She turned around and went home to change her clothes. She subconsciously glanced in the direction of Aunt Song and saw Aunt Song hitting her husband with the handle of a manure scoop. Uncle Song was holding a carrying pole and grinning sheepishly. The other village women were trying to persuade and stop her.

Song Yinhua had no idea what had happened. When she passed by Grandma Zhou's house, she was stopped by Grandma Zhou's grandson who asked for candy, otherwise he wouldn't let her leave.

The two houses are only a few dozen meters apart.

The gates of the Song family's courtyard were wide open.

A man's voice came from inside the house.

"Take off your clothes quickly, and take off what's underneath too."