Chapter 226 It doesn't seem like anyone offended anyone.

Erniu's mother liked her daughter's closeness, but she was too embarrassed to refuse, so she grumbled.

“Go ask around in the village, whether I’m considered a good mother-in-law or not. I’ve never laid a hand on them…”

"Not lifting a finger is the bare minimum, Mom. You have to treat your sister-in-law like your own daughter, like I, I..."

Fang Erniu hugged her mother's face and turned towards her, "Tell me, I want to eat some glutinous rice cake, some bean curd rolls with fried dough sticks, and drink a bowl of hot and sour meatball soup. Will you make it for me or not?"

"What are you doing?... Do, do, do." Erniu's mother was both awkward and happy, pretending to be impatient on her face, but her voice was full of laughter.

Fang Erniu chuckled, "Mom, as the saying goes, 'Ten years to judge a mother-in-law, ten years to judge a daughter-in-law.' You do this for ten years, and see if your sister-in-law will treat you like her own mother after ten years..."

After saying that, he turned to look at her grandmother, "...Right, Grandma?"

Grandma Erniu gave an awkward "hmm".

When Erniu's mother saw the old lady like that, she suddenly felt like laughing.

When the old lady was young, she treated her worse than she treated her sister-in-law Erniu. Thinking about it this way, she didn't think there was anything wrong with what her daughter said. Wasn't she just treating someone else's child as if it were her own?

If Erniu's mother can do it, she can do it too.

A bowl of hot and sour meatball soup doesn't take much effort.

Everyone who tastes her meatball soup says it's so delicious it's good enough to open a business.

She'll soak a steamed bun in the broth later, then cut a radish, scald the dough, fry it in oil, and make a hot and sour meatball soup.

Thinking this way, she said it aloud, "Listen to your daughter, from now on, Mom will treat your sister-in-law like a queen, and when I give her my things, you mustn't be jealous."

Erniu hugged her neck, shook her gently twice, and laughed.

"No way, I'm getting married in the spring. My mother-in-law treats me well, so I'm not jealous of my sister-in-law."

Erniu's mother's face, which was beaming like a flower, suddenly fell. She slapped her daughter's hand and lightly spat at her, "You shameless old lady, so eager to get married."

Fang Erniu said confidently, "If I meet someone I like and a mother-in-law I like, of course I have to hurry up and get married, otherwise what if someone else snatches her away?"

"This child..."

Grandma Erniu was amused by her words and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The two women looked at each other and smiled when they saw Erniu's longing for marriage.

Outside, Sister-in-law Fang smiled too.

He turned and went back to his room before daring to sigh aloud.

She thinks her sister-in-law's marriage is a good match. Seeing how her future mother-in-law treats her like her own daughter, she's even thinking of having her own mother treat her sister-in-law even better...

It's no wonder that she's been treated like a younger sister all these years since she married into the family.

Actually, her mother-in-law treated her much better than other mothers-in-law treat their daughters-in-law.

Many pregnant women in the village work until they give birth.

She barely worked in the fields for the first three months, and didn't do any heavy work in the fields for seven or eight months. At home, she would just cook, feed the chickens, ducks and geese, and clean the yard. Sometimes her sister-in-law would help her rest.

Furthermore, from the time she became pregnant until she gave birth, the family provided her with two eggs every day to supplement her nutrition, without fail.

Their family gets to eat meat twice a week, and it's real braised pork.

Not to mention, her mother-in-law would give her a few dollars for pocket money every month.

Although it's not much, she can freely spend the money she wants to buy, such as needles, thread, or hair ties, and she can save it little by little. No matter what she does with the money, her in-laws won't interfere.

She deeply understands how rare this is, having witnessed a fellow villager's wife who couldn't afford a single penny when her child wanted malt candy.

To be honest, out of all the girls who married out of her village, she had the best life in her husband's family.

That evening, my family made hot and sour meatball soup for the first time ever. The scalding hot soup was poured over the freshly made crispy meatballs, making a sizzling sound. The hot and sour aroma, along with the smoke from the kitchen, filled the air and made everyone's mouths water.

Sister-in-law Fang reached for the bowl, but Erniu's mother slapped her hand, saying, "Wait a minute, that's your dad's bowl. This bowl is yours."

She gestured to the bowl that had just been filled with soup.

Sister-in-law Fang smiled and said "Yes," intending to hand the bowl to Erniu's father. Erniu's mother simply shoved her bowl into Erniu's hands and called out to Erniu's father, "What are you dawdling for? Come and take it yourself."

"Thank you, Mom."

Sister-in-law Fang knew it was her sister-in-law's words that had the effect. Her nose tingled with emotion. This was the first time in all the years she had been married into the family that her mother-in-law had served her a bowl.

Amidst the swirling smoke, Fang Erniu praised her mother, "Mom, you actually put in so much braised beef! It's so delicious, I want to drink it again tomorrow."

"Where did the beef come from?"

Fang Xiaodi rummaged through the bowl a couple of times. "There's not even a single piece of beef! Mom, you're being unfair again. You only gave it to my second sister and not to me. I want some too!"

"It's gone," said Erniu's mother.

Sister-in-law Fang glanced at the thick, mushy beef chunks at the bottom of her bowl, opened her mouth as if to say something, but when she saw her sister-in-law and mother-in-law gathered together watching her, her eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

She quickly lowered her head, and a tear unexpectedly fell into the bowl.

"Why……"

Erniu's mother was about to say something when Fang Erniu stopped her.

Sensing the strange atmosphere among them, Fang Xiaodi sidled up to Fang Dage and whispered, "What's wrong? Did your sister-in-law upset Mom?"

Brother Fang shook his head.

He didn't know what happened either, but it didn't seem like anyone had offended anyone.

In the evening, the couple soaked their feet together. After wiping their feet, Sister-in-law Fang bent down to get the basin of water, but Brother Fang stopped her, saying, "It's cold outside. I'll go splash some water. You go into bed first."

Sister-in-law Fang smiled and said "Yes".

When Brother Fang returned, the couple sat down in bed together. Sister-in-law Fang brought up dinner and the conversation she had overheard between Fang Erniu and her mother-in-law.

Brother Fang remarked with emotion, "My little sister has really grown up and become sensible; she knows how to care for others now."

"That's right, she's all grown up in the blink of an eye."

Sister-in-law Fang smiled broadly, clearly in a good mood. She discussed with Brother Fang, "Let's add some of our little sister's savings. This money is her financial security; we can't be stingy with it."

Brother Fang looked at her in surprise.

He said, "You know, if you're willing to give her more money, I certainly won't object, after all, I'm your own brother."

"Then I'm also your sister-in-law."

Sister-in-law Fang smiled and gave him a reproachful look, "If you don't object, then it's settled. We'll take an extra hundred. I'll have someone polish the dressing case that my great-grandmother gave me, and use it as a dowry for my little sister."

Brother Fang was shocked when he heard this.

His wife had that box—her younger sister wanted it when she got married, but his wife couldn't bear to part with it. How could she possibly give it to her younger sister?!

Brother Fang sighed softly and smiled at his wife.

"You're this happy just from a few kind words?"

Sister-in-law Fang nodded, leaned into the man's arms, and hummed in agreement, "My little sister cares about me. Mom is willing to listen to my little sister and treat me like her own daughter. I'm genuinely happy."

"Well, whatever makes you happy."

Brother Fang pulled the blanket closer to his wife, wrapped her up, and gently rocked her, saying, "With our family working together, things will always get better..."

The next day, Li Banxia discussed it with Lao Qiu's wife.

"I would like to ask you and Arno to stay and continue to take care of the two children."

Old Qiu's wife was puzzled.

Li Banxia smiled and said, "I plan to open a medicinal cuisine restaurant after the New Year. My eldest son and his wife are going back to school to continue teaching and preparing for their postgraduate entrance exams. It will be very difficult for them to study, teach, and take care of two children at the same time. I'd like you to stay and help out. Aunt Qiu's salary will still be 200 yuan a month, and I'll give you four days off each month. Arno can stay and lend you a hand; he'll get 80 yuan a month, which means you'll have one more person to take care of the family's three meals a day. What do you think..."