Chapter 100

The fifth master took a sip of the tobacco pipe with satisfaction, and then said, "Since both of your families have no objections, then let's do it this way. The two children are willing, so there is no need to visit each other's house. None of you know how each other's family is doing."

Xia Juhua thought for a moment and said, "There's one more thing I want to say. I'll start with this. If Zhishuang and the others are successful, I want to separate the family and let them live their own lives. I've actually had this idea for a long time. You all know about our family affairs in the past, so I can't bring it up. I'm telling you now so that you don't think I have any opinions about Xiaoman later."

Chen Dongsheng and Sun Zhaodi were silent for a moment, and Master Wu looked at Xia Juhua in confusion: "Why do you suddenly want to divide the family property among them?"

Xia Juhua said, "Now that Zhiquan's family has two children, Caifeng can't go to the fields to earn work points, so this year Zhishuang and I will each carry one child's food and earn work points. When Zhishuang and Xiaoman are done, we can't let Zhishuang support his brother."

Master Wu knocked on the tobacco pot thoughtfully and asked, "Have you told the brothers about this?"

Xia Juhua shook her head: "I haven't said it yet. A big tree needs branches. Brothers should live their own lives to have fewer conflicts. If you keep using a spoon in the same pot, the ladle will inevitably hit the edge of the pot. Instead of getting angry, it's better to separate right from the beginning."

Chen Dongsheng glanced at Xia Juhua and said slowly, "But if Xiaoman gets married, you will have to divide the family property between the two brothers. People will think that our Xiaoman is too busy or unwilling to support his brother."

Since it concerns the reputation of the young lady, the honest man Chen Dongsheng cannot help but think about it.

Xia Juhua shook her head and said, "I was afraid that people would say this in the future, so I thought about separating the family once they got married."

"I don't agree."

In front of her son, Xia Juhua said bluntly: "I'm not afraid of Xiaoman causing trouble, I'm afraid someone will try to provoke Xiaoman."

Everyone knew who might be the one to provoke Xiaoman, without Xia Juhua telling them. Qi Weidong, who already knew the Liu family's situation very well, got angry when he heard it: "Auntie, leave this matter to me. You can't give up your marriage just for a scabby Zhishuang."

"Mom," Wang Caifeng's eyes were red. "In the future, Zhiquan and I will work hard to earn as much money as possible. We don't need Zhishuang to raise children for us. This family cannot be divided no matter what."

"If the family is still struggling to make ends meet and we have to stick together to survive, mother wouldn't talk about dividing the family. Now life at home is much better than before, and you can all support yourselves. It's time to separate." Xia Juhua finally had a legitimate reason to propose a separation, so she naturally insisted.

Liu Zhishuang gritted his teeth and said, "Mom, if we have to split up, then I'd rather not get married."

"Nonsense." Xia Juhua glared at him and said, "Your uncle Chen and aunt Chen have agreed, and Xiaoman is waiting for you to marry her. Now you say you don't want to get married. What should Xiaoman do?"

Qi Weidong stood up and winked at Li Lin and Xie Hongbing, and the three of them left the house without saying a word. Liu Zhiquan wanted to greet them, but seeing that Xia Juhua didn't move, he had to sit back and said in a muffled voice: "Mom, if you must give us two separate families, then you have to live with me."

Liu Zhishuang was already furious, and he got even more furious when he heard his brother say this: "Why should Mom live with you? I want Mom to live with me. I've always made Mom worry, so I have to be filial to her for a few days."

"I won't live with anyone." How could Xia Juhua live with them? She said firmly, "I can still move on my own now, I don't need your respect. Just remember to save money and build your own house quickly, and move out."

Liu Zhishuang, who was furious, suddenly laughed: "Mom, all my money has to be used as a dowry for Xiaoman. I have no money to build a house, so I have to live in the west wing forever."

Liu Zhiquan followed suit and said, "I have to give Baoguo two grains in exchange for food, and I don't have money to build a house."

What kind of sons do you raise?

Xia Juhua looked at her two sons who were as naughty as children in silence, and was speechless for a moment. Wang Caifeng's eyes lit up, and she pursed her lips to laugh but didn't dare to laugh out loud, and glanced at her mother-in-law from time to time.

"We have to build it even if we have to borrow money!" Xia Juhua said angrily, "Tomorrow you two will make adobe bricks and tiles for me. When you have enough, Xiao Qi will help you get the wood."

Making adobe bricks and tiles? The two brothers who had just been so lax heard these two terms and their eyes lit up like Wang Caifeng's: "Mom, you said we should build a tile house?"

If you don't build a tiled house, why build a new house? It's better to continue to deal with it together. Xia Juhua looked at her two sons unhappily and said, "Go back to your own rooms. I'm angry just by looking at you."

The Liu family was not on the same page, and Chen Dongsheng's family was not much better. After Sun Zhaodi returned home, she thought more and more that Xia Juhua's proposal to split the family was wrong at this time: "What do you think the captain was thinking? As soon as Xiaoman and the others' matter was brought up, she wanted to split the family for the two children?"

Chen Dongsheng thought Xia Juhua had a point: "Are you willing to take on the work points of supporting Liu Zhiquan's children after Xiaoman gets married?"

"But if the family splits up, she won't be able to live with the captain. If the captain can take care of Xiaoman, Xiaoman won't have to worry about her future." Rather than saying that Sun Zhaodi is interested in Liu Zhishuang as a son-in-law, it would be more accurate to say that she is interested in Xia Juhua as a relative.

Now the in-laws actually want to divide the property between their two sons, and Sun Zhaodi feels very unhappy.

"Can the captain live alone? He must have a son. Then Xiaoman can be sweeter and more hardworking. When the captain sees that Xiaoman is filial, how can he not live with them? By then, he will have to teach Xiaoman all her skills." Chen Dongsheng felt that nothing was more important than letting Xiaoman marry Liu Zhishuang.

By marrying Liu Zhishuang, she will enter the captain's family. In the future, is there any fear that the captain will not teach his skills to his daughter?

If I teach my daughter, then it would be like...

Chen Dongsheng was becoming more and more proud of himself. He didn't notice that his daughter was already standing in the room. She even said to him, "Whether the captain is willing to teach me the craft or not, I will live a good life with Brother Zhishuang and be filial to the captain."

"You little girl, are you trying to rebel?" Chen Dongsheng was embarrassed when his secret thoughts were heard by the young lady, and he tried to use the authority of a father to shut the young lady up.

But if Xiaoman didn't have her own ideas, she wouldn't have run to Liu Zhishuang when her mother asked her to go on a blind date: "Dad, the captain has been very good to the people in Ping'an Village. We can't always think about his things."

Chen Dongsheng was a little speechless, and he said with all his strength: "I am doing this for your future well-being, right?"

"Dad, you know it in your heart whether it is for me or not." Xiaoman, who has always been taciturn, spoke clearly today.

Sun Zhaodi was afraid that the two of them would make too much noise and be heard by the neighbors, so she tried to persuade her daughter: "Your father is really doing this for your own good. Think about it, the captain is already over 40 years old, how many years can he still work? If you learn the skills and make money in the future, can the captain live with you and enjoy life?"

Xiao Man was unmoved and only believed in her own reasoning: "Anyway, if the captain is willing to teach me, I will learn. If she is not willing to teach me, I will not make it difficult for her. Even if I learn the skills, they belong to the Liu family. I will not teach them to anyone who is not from the Liu family."

What is the saying that a married lady is like spilled water? Chen Dongsheng, who has not yet married a lady, thinks that this is the case. The worst thing is that he cannot even regret it now, and he is even afraid that the neighbors will hear him scolding the lady.

As if he had guessed what his father was thinking, Xiaoman's face was tense: "Dad, I know you want our family to live a good life, but isn't the life that the captain leads the people of Ping'an Village good? What belongs to our family is ours, and if we take what is not ours by force, we will be laughed at."

Chen Dong fell on the kang angrily and said nothing. Sun Zhaodi pushed the girl and said, "Your father didn't say anything, but you are so rude. Don't worry, as long as you live a good life, we will be happy to see it, and no one is forcing you."

Chen Dongsheng didn't get up from the kang until Xiaoman left. Sun Zhaodi sat on the edge of the kang and said, "Don't force Xiaoman. I heard Fifth Master talk about Zhishuang and Xiaoman this morning. Didn't you say that Xiaoman would have a good life in the future?"

Chen Dongsheng sat up this time: "Even if her life is better now, she can't ignore her brothers at home!"

Sun Zhaodi was a little surprised: "Now the work points in the team are so high, Shuanzhu and Liuzhu can earn full work points. Our family's dividends in the production team are already high, so we don't need Xiaoman to supplement it anymore."

None of it makes sense. None of it makes sense.

Chen Dongsheng felt that no one could understand his devotion to his son, and said bitterly: "The captain just doesn't have a concubine. Otherwise, you see, she is more concerned about her son than I am about finding a concubine to support him."

Sun Zhaodi didn't believe it: "I don't think the captain is that kind of person. Look how good she is to the girls. She taught them to read and gave them rewards when they came up with new ideas. The girls are very proud of themselves because they are led by the captain."

Because Xia Juhua had made her feel proud, Xiao Man dared to say that she would not teach her son the skills she learned in the Liu family. Chen Dongsheng fell back on the kang in frustration: "If you hadn't told me, I would have forgotten how many work points Xiao Man had earned for the family. It's really a waste of money to support her."

Upon hearing this, Sun Zhaodi was no longer willing to do it: "My daughter was only a little girl when she started to wash clothes for her brothers and help me clean the house. When she grew up, she even cooked for me so that I could work in the fields with peace of mind. Oh, my daughter didn't do any work at that time, so why did she have to hand over all the work points she earned to you?"

Seeing that Chen Dongsheng didn't say anything, Sun Zhaodi got even angrier: "Old people always say that women hold up half the sky. If it weren't for us two mothers, your grandfather would have to eat raw food every three days. Now you still complain that my daughter can't earn you any more work points, then go and tell the fifth master to wait until my daughter earns enough work points for you before marrying Zhishuang."

Chen Dongsheng didn't dare to tell anyone, hoping to keep the peace: "When did I say I wouldn't let her marry Zhishuang?"

"Then you still say that you are supporting your daughter for free?" Sun Zhaodi has been bringing cash to the family for a year, and she has long been confident enough to let Chen Dongsheng face reality: "This year, my daughter and I have bought meat several times. Have you ever bought meat? She seems to enjoy it very much."

At this time, Qi Weidong returned to the Liu family's yard and saw Liu Zhiquan and Liu Zhishuang standing in the yard. The door of the main room was closed tightly. He asked in a low voice: "Auntie is angry?"

Liu Zhiquan glared at his brother: "My mother is not angry with me, but Zhishuang is angry with her."

Where is the brother who was supposed to be the honest man? Liu Zhishuang looked at his brother in disbelief: "Didn't you ask mom if she wanted to build a tile house?"

"What tiled house?" Qi Weidong didn't understand.

The Liu brothers told him about how Xia Juhua asked them to make adobe bricks and tiles. Qi Weidong laughed, "I think you two are very practical. Why can't you understand your aunt's painstaking efforts? This yard is so small. You are married. Who knows how many children you will have? The yard can't accommodate you. Sooner or later you will have to build another house. Your aunt must have thought of building a house for you while she is still able to do it."

Is this really the case? The Liu brothers, who had just felt Xia Juhua's determination, were half-believing and half-doubting. They could not resist Qi Weidong's clever words, which made black turn into white, and he tried to fool them as if it was a game.

After agreeing to buy wood for the two brothers, Liu Zhiquan and Liu Zhishuang had to believe that Xia Juhua was really considering them - Qi Weidong got to know the two brothers only after collecting vermicelli through their mother, otherwise he would not have taken the initiative to agree to buy wood for them.

The two brothers, who had figured it out, went to the window together to invite Xia Juhua out for dinner. Qi Weidong saw Xia Juhua open the door and said with a smile, "Auntie, I know you think we eat too much, so I have sent Li Lin and Xie Hongbing back to the county. I will eat at home alone tonight."

Xia Juhua didn't think what Qi Weidong said was true and gave him a suspicious look. There was no trace of flaw on his face and she didn't ask too much. After they finished their meal, the Liu Zhiquan brothers, one riding their own bicycle and the other riding Qi Weidong's bicycle, went to the fourth team to collect vermicelli. Only then did Qi Weidong stop talking to Xia Juhua.

"Auntie, I think it's a disaster for Sun Hongmei to stay in Sun's Manor. I just went to Sun's Manor with Li Lin and others to inquire about it. She hasn't married yet. I thought it would be better to marry her off before Zhishuang gets married."

Will Sun Hongmei listen to you? Xia Juhua shook her head and said, "That family is very proud and will not let Sun Hongmei marry easily."

"Of course they won't let her marry anyone casually. We've all heard that her parents have always said that they would find her a man who eats commercial grain, but would anyone who eats commercial grain like her? She's still staying in the Sun family for a year. But now the Sun family can barely make ends meet, and she has no choice but to get married." Thinking about what he had learned, Qi Weidong felt that Liu Zhishuang must have been crazy when he married Sun Hongmei.

"Xie Hongbing has an uncle who is a boiler maker at a furfural factory. He has a bad leg and has never been able to find a wife, so he has a bad temper. But he really eats commercial grains. I think the Sun family should agree to let Xie Hongbing go back and ask his uncle."

If Xia Juhua remembered correctly, Xie Hongbing seemed to call Uncle Qi "brother-in-law", so his uncle and Qi Weidong should also be considered relatives. Is it really okay to cheat others like this?

Qi Weidong did not feel guilty at all when facing Xia Juhua's gaze: "Xie Hongbing's uncle is almost crazy about marrying a wife, he will definitely agree. Besides, with his temper, he should be able to suppress that Sun Hongmei."

Xia Juhua asked, "How old is Xie Hongbing's uncle?" He has a formal job and eats commercial grain. Even if his legs and feet are not good, he should have married a wife long ago.

Qi Weidong smiled: "He seems to be about your age. Although he is Xie Hongbing's uncle, he had a fire at home when he was a child and his face was burned. The wound on his leg was also inflicted at that time. Otherwise, he wouldn't have burned the pot."

Xia Juhua was completely speechless. She could only silently warn herself in her heart that she must not offend Qi Weidong in the future when dealing with him, because this guy was too narrow-minded and calculating.

Just like yesterday when they went to collect vermicelli, Liu Zhiquan and his brother had already returned at around nine o'clock. They had collected almost 400 kilograms of vermicelli. Qi Weidong paid 73 cents and then handed the errand money to Liu Zhiquan.

This time Liu Zhishuang did not refuse the half that Liu Zhiquan gave him, but he refused to send Qi Weidong back himself and insisted that Liu Zhiquan help Qi Weidong back to the county.

After the two of them left, Liu Zhishuang asked, "Mom, what did Brother Qi say to you?"

"He thinks it's a problem for Sun Hongmei to stay in Sunjiazhuang, so he wants to introduce her to someone who can marry far away." Xia Juhua looked at Liu Zhishuang's reaction intently.

Liu Zhishuang was a little surprised: "He introduced a date to Sun Hongmei, and he thought that Sun Hongmei would be attracted to her." He then said with some yearning: "It would be nice if Sun Hongmei could marry someone far away."

Seeing his attitude, Xia Juhua felt relieved: "Okay, whether it will work out depends on the person Xiao Qi finds and whether the Sun family likes him."

Having said that, Xia Juhua still felt that there was hope in her heart, and asked thoughtfully: "When do you think it would be a good day to go to Xiaoman's house?"

Liu Zhishuang said with a trusting look on his face: "Just listen to mom."

Then ask: "How much do you think is the appropriate amount of betrothal gift?"

Liu Zhishuang still looked trusting: "Mom, I will prepare as much as you tell me to give me."

Xia Juhua couldn't help laughing when she heard this: "I said I'll give you 100 yuan and 50 kilograms of wheat. Do you have it?"

Liu Zhishuang was speechless. He could still come up with a hundred yuan, but it was really difficult for him to come up with 50 kilograms of wheat in such a year. However, he still gritted his teeth and said, "I'll find Brother Qi to find a solution."

"The current food prices are too high. Why not let Xiao Qi buy some cloth for you so that you can make a set of clothes for your uncle Chen and aunt Chen." Xia Juhua stopped making things difficult for her younger son and gave him sincere advice.

So the next day, Liu Zhishuang took the bicycle that Liu Zhiquan had just ridden back and went to the county to find Qi Weidong. Xia Juhua had to walk to the brigade headquarters. When they passed by Xiaozhuangtou, they were caught by Li Daniu. He called her "brigade leader" and didn't say anything else, but just refused to let Xia Juhua go, with a look of resentment in his eyes.

Xia Juhua was frightened by Li Daniu's gaze: "Just say what you want to say. You look at me like I'm sorry for you."

Li Daniu looked around like a thief, his voice so low that it was almost inaudible: "Captain, don't listen to what the captain of the fourth team said. Our production team has already distributed noodles to the elderly. I also asked my wife to ask those women who gave birth, and they are all willing to open a kindergarten. Don't be angry with me, let Zhiquan come to our production team tonight to collect vermicelli."

Xia Juhua looked at Li Daniu in silence: "Captain Li, didn't I make it clear yesterday that Zhiquan had confiscated the vermicelli?"

"Team leader," Li Daniu waved at Xia Juhua, motioning her to follow him to a place with fewer people, and whispered as they walked, "I saw the two Zhiquan brothers passing by our production team last night, and you kept it a secret from me. Don't worry, when Zhiquan and his friends come, I will just say that I am using the money for my family and won't tell anyone else that they took it. How about that?"

There was a pleading tone in her voice as she spoke: "If Zhiquan and his men don't come to our production team again, those people will deliver the vermicelli directly to your house. I put so much effort into stopping them."

Hearing his earnest words, Xia Juhua finally relented: "It's not that I don't want to come to your production team to collect, but I was afraid that you would disagree with something, so I didn't dare to let Zhiquan come to you."

"Whatever it is, just tell me, team leader. What the Fourth Team can do, we in Xiaozhuang can do as well." Li Daniu almost raised his hand to swear - those people in the production team were almost making his ears burst with noise, and now he was willing to listen to whatever Xia Juhua said.

Xia Juhua told Li Daniu about the idea of ​​deducting three cents from each pound of vermicelli to buy some food for the patrolling militiamen as an extra meal every night. Li Daniu slapped his thigh and said, "This is a good idea. How can I not agree? Captain, you underestimate me."

After he finished speaking, seeing Xia Juhua looking at him intently, Li Daniu couldn't help but recall the fact that he had dealt with Xia Juhua several times and rarely disagreed with Xia Juhua's opinions. He looked embarrassed and stopped talking.

"Okay, if they want vermicelli again, I'll let Zhiquan come to Xiaozhuangtou first." Xia Juhua grumbled, "I don't think it will be dry forever. Maybe it will snow one day and there will be no drought next year. But if we want to have a harvest, we have to harvest wheat in the summer, and we have to save enough sweet potatoes or vermicelli for our family."

Li Daniu nodded like a chicken pecking at rice: "Yes, yes, yes, captain, you are right. I also think that we have enough vermicelli to eat. We can't have nothing to eat, and then we can't buy food with the money after selling it."

Xia Juhua looked at Li Daniu with the same eyes as before, and Li Daniu slowly lowered his head - he remembered that at this time last year, there were quite a few families in the small village who sold their surplus grain just for the extra three cents per pound.

The result was good, right? We got a good deal at the time, but it didn't rain in the spring, so we could hardly count on the summer crops. If we hadn't planted more sweet potatoes this year and mixed them with sweet potato leaves, the couple would have starved to death in the small farm.

His face turned redder the more he thought about it. Li Daniu abruptly changed the subject: "Captain, you said that the drought won't last too long, right? Then I'd better arrange some people to push the river mud to make adobe bricks. Otherwise, the water in the Eyang River will accumulate and the mud will be difficult to push." ​​Li Daniu looked at Xia Juhua, as if as soon as Xia Juhua opened her mouth, it would snow tomorrow to alleviate the drought.