Like her sister-in-law Wang Qiufen, Yang Chunhua had no way to deal with her stubborn eldest son.

If she insists on living with her eldest son, she will really end up like her current mother-in-law, who can only nag and not interfere in anything at home.

But she felt she had been good enough to her mother-in-law. Despite the treatment she received, she hadn't deprived her of food or drink, nor had she made any veiled criticisms or shown disdain for her.

You should know that when she first married into the family, Zhao Laoda's younger brother and sister were not yet married, so almost all the housework fell on Yang Chunhua's shoulders, serving dozens of people.

That mean-spirited mother-in-law even said that as the eldest daughter-in-law, she should serve her parents-in-law, take care of her younger sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, carry on the family line, and raise children.

Although Zhao Laoda dotes on his wife, he has always maintained the typical rural man's style, having grown up in the countryside.

Like other socialites, they may only know how to toil in the fields outside, but when they return home, they can sit back and act like royalty.

Sometimes, when he helps his wife hang out the laundry, his mother forbids him from doing it, telling him that this is a woman's job and that he shouldn't become like a woman.

Yang Chunhua will never forget that cold winter day when, pregnant with her first child, she was made by her mother-in-law to do all sorts of chores that involved getting wet and freezing, such as washing clothes and vegetables. She caught a severe cold and almost lost both her and her unborn child.

Since then, her true nature, which had been suppressed after marriage, was completely released from its cage, and she began a chaotic life.

In order to suppress her, her mother-in-law arranged for Zhao Lao Er to marry a woman named Wang Qiufen, who had a fiery personality.

She had intended for the two sisters-in-law to fight each other, but unexpectedly, they found they shared similar interests and joined forces against her, causing her to lose power and gradually become a subservient figure.

Her experiences over the years have fostered her current conflicted mindset.

On the one hand, she felt that she should not let her daughter-in-law suffer the same pain she had endured, especially since her daughter-in-law was pregnant and deserved more tolerance and care.

This led to the domineering attitude of the third daughter-in-law, Huang Qiufen.

On the other hand, she felt resentful. She had finally become a mother-in-law after ten years of hard work, and she should take charge of the household, control the family finances, and make her son and daughter-in-law obey her.

She married her second son to Wen Xiumei, a woman she could easily control, but then complained that she always had a long face. When it came to her third son, she chose Huang Qiufen, who was more organized, but she turned out to be short-sighted and selfish.

Yang Chunhua was dissatisfied with both of her daughters-in-law and even secretly doubted her own judgment, which led her to let her eldest son choose his own partner.

But who knew that her eldest son, despite his good judgment, would abandon her and separate from the family.

Just like Zhao Laoda said, he has legs, and if he wants to settle down in the commune or other cities, she can't stop him.

Most importantly, the eldest son's household registration and grain ration are both with his work unit, so he can get married at any time without needing her and Zhao Laoda's approval.

Back in the main house, she told Zhao, who was lying in bed, about her eldest son's thoughts. Feeling sad, she scolded Zhao: "If you had the courage of your eldest son back then, how could I have suffered so much at your mother's hands for so many years?"

Knowing he was in the wrong, Zhao quickly changed the subject: "So you agree?"

"I didn't say that!" Even though she was already considering backing down, Yang Chunhua was unwilling to give in easily.

Zhao Laoda shook his head: In every confrontation with her eldest son, she always lost.

*

The next day, Zhang Dayong took the braised food and headed to the county town early in the morning.

Because of the cold weather, the food in the buckets had frozen. He first went to the stronghold, managed to pour the food into the stove, and then lit a fire to warm it and thaw the ice.

As the broth heated up, the aroma of the braised meat filled the air, whetting the appetites of the brothers watching.

The foreman at the outpost asked, "How much are these? Reserve some for me."

Hei Zi reluctantly refused: "Uncle Qian, can I reserve some for you tomorrow? This is the first batch of goods, and I need to check customer feedback at the market."

“It won’t matter if you lose a pound or two, and besides, I’ll give you money again, and I’ll be your customer for once.” The middle-aged man, known as Uncle Qian, wouldn’t budge.

Zhao Dayong said helplessly, "Well, I'll let you know in advance: meat is 2.5 yuan per jin, and vegetables are 0.8 yuan per jin."

What?! Why don't you just go rob someone?!

"What money are you robbing?" Qi Tai heard Uncle Qian shouting as he came down the stairs.

Uncle Qian hurried over to Qi Tai's side and said excitedly, "Boss, Dayong has set the price of the braised meat too high! How are we going to sell it!"

Upon entering, Qi Tai also smelled the aroma of braised meat. He took out his bowl and chopsticks and tasted it.

Having tasted many delicacies, he immediately realized that this braised meat was even tastier than most meat dishes made by ordinary people, and it was perfectly worthy of being served on the tables of state-run restaurants.

He put down his chopsticks and asked, "How is it priced?"

Zhao Dayong repeated the price, a little worried that his boss would also say it was too expensive.

Unexpectedly, Qi Tai pointed to the small stove: "Take the stove with you, heat it up at the market and sell it at the price you said. Also, save me a pound each of meat and vegetables for lunch."

"Alright!" Zhao Dayong happily took a basin and filled it with braised dishes.

Uncle Qian, unwilling to give up, asked, "Boss, is it really that delicious?"

"You'll know once you try it."

Upon hearing this, Uncle Qian also took out his chopsticks and picked up a piece of braised duck neck. After taking a bite, his eyes widened. "Dayong, save me half a pound of meat and half a pound of vegetables too. I'll take it back for my child."

Seeing this, the others also expressed their desire to buy.

Seeing the bucket of braised food dwindling, Zhao Dayong shouted anxiously, "We can't keep it any longer! I'm going to sell it on the black market!"

"I'm going too!" Brother Arong helped carry the stove, soup pot, weights, and other items, and the two hurried to the black market.

Due to the cold weather, the black market was much less crowded than usual.

But as soon as Zhao Dayong and Arong put the braised meat out, they were surrounded by customers who came by the aroma. At first, everyone exclaimed that they were being robbed when they heard the price.

Zhao Dayong wasn't angry. He explained with a smile, "This is made using a family secret recipe. The taste is just as good as the meat dishes in state-run restaurants. Just this spoonful of braising sauce is enough to make you eat a whole bowl of rice."

Ah Rong chimed in, "Just smell this and you'll know it's absolutely worth it. If you don't believe me, buy half a pound of vegetables and try it. Anyone who comes here isn't short of four cents, right?"

These words resonated with many people.

An aunt wearing a thick blue cotton-padded coat couldn't resist: "Then give me half a pound of vegetables, a little bit of everything."

Once the first person was interested, others who were also interested started to make their moves.

"Give me half a pound too, and add more lotus root, my family loves it."

"I'll have half a jin too."

"Me too."

......

Before long, the vegetarian dishes were all gone.

As for the meat dishes, a few pounds were sold as well.

Later, when the vegetarian dishes were sold out, people could only choose from braised meat.

Braised pig's trotters, braised pig's ears, braised duck carcasses, braised duck necks...

As time went on, meat dishes were gradually reduced.

When the last pound or two were left, people started fighting over them.