I got home just as noon was approaching.
Xia Chunmei first steamed an egg custard for Yaomei, then had Dongmei feed Yaomei, Qiumei tended the fire to stew ribs, and Xia Chunmei prepared the pig's stomach. The sisters divided the work and cooperated.
The pork belly that Xia Chunmei bought had only been simply cleaned by the vendor, so it took her almost half an hour to process it today.
At this time, chili peppers were no longer in season, but fortunately, the pickled chili peppers were ready to eat. Xia Chunmei took out half of the stewed six pounds of pork ribs and stir-fried it with chopped chili peppers, while the other half was served with soup, which was lighter and more suitable for Yaomei.
We only had these two pork rib dishes for lunch.
They used to eat pig's stomach at night, but now they eat it three times a day, and in this weather, vegetables don't keep very long.
Xia Chunmei thought that six pounds of pork ribs would be too much to finish in one meal, but to her surprise, they ate it all up, leaving only a large bowl of soup.
Qiu Mei and Dong Mei were both stuffed.
We had rice for lunch, but the braised pork ribs with chopped chili peppers were quite appetizing, and Xia Chunmei ate until she was a little full.
"Oh, you've all finished eating?" Xia Ping brought over a small bowl of chicken. "My family killed a big rooster today, and my grandma asked me to bring you some."
"Grandma, you're too kind. Your two aunts and cousins are all here, the whole family. You even brought us meat."
"There's still fish at home, enough for you to eat. Besides, I didn't send you much. You can save it for when you get hungry this afternoon."
Xia Chunmei couldn't refuse someone's kind gesture, nor could she return an empty bowl during a festival; it was a matter of etiquette.
Xia Chunmei poured the vegetables into her own bowl, then washed Xia Ping's bowl, thinking that she would bring back a bowl of pickled cabbage and pork tripe in the afternoon. Her stir-fried pickled cabbage and pork tripe was absolutely delicious.
…
Xia Chunmei took the cotton cloth she had bought and six eggs to Tian Cuiya's house at the back of the village.
"All you do is eat, eat, eat! A bunch of money-losing bastards! You're like a hen that doesn't lay eggs, yet you want to eat? You're dreaming! Get back to work!" Xia Chunmei could hear Xia Dengshi's sharp and sarcastic voice from afar.
The "hen that doesn't lay eggs" she was referring to was Tian Cuiya.
Tian Cuiya gave birth to three daughters in one go, making life extremely difficult in this era of extreme patriarchal values.
Almost every day when Xia Chunmei passed by, she could hear Xia Dengshi cursing and girls crying.
"Sister-in-law Cuiya, Aunt Deng."
"It's Chunmei." Xia Chunmei is now able to earn money and has the Wang family as her backer, so Madam Xia is extremely kind to her.
"Are you here to take me fishing?" Xia Dengshi's eyes lit up. It was no secret that Xia Chunmei had caught a big fish with her neighbors, and Xia Dengshi wanted to go fishing too.
"I'm here to see Sister Cuiya."
Xia Dengshi and Tian Cuiya were both taken aback.
"Sister-in-law, I know you're good at needlework. I bought a few feet of cloth and would like to ask you to make a few things for me." Xia Chunmei handed over the eggs.
Seeing the six eggs, Xia Dengshi's expression improved considerably.
Tian Cuiya's ancestors were tailors, and her tailoring skills were excellent. Xia Chunmei wanted to ask her to make her a few pairs of underwear.
The six eggs were a thank-you gift.
Xia Dengshi accepted the eggs, then turned around and went inside to hide them.
Xia Chunmei finally had a chance to speak with her alone, so she whispered to her what she wanted to make and even drew the shape on the ground with a twig.
Tian Cuiya blushed deeply upon hearing this.
Xia Chunmei thought that women in ancient times were really innocent; they were so shy about just underwear.
“I’ll definitely finish it in three days,” Tian Cuiya said.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, sister-in-law. Sister-in-law, listen to my advice, don't do anything foolish. Just think how difficult it would be for Zhaodi, Xiangnan, and Youyu if you were gone."
Just by looking at the names they gave their three girls, you can tell how much they favor sons over daughters.
Tian Cuiya looked at Xia Chunmei in horror: So Xia Chunmei really can tell fortunes!
Otherwise, how could you tell what you're thinking...?
"Your three children are already struggling financially. If a stepmother comes into the family, will they even have a chance to survive?"
Tian Cuiya cried: "But I...I..."
The moment Xia Chunmei saw her today, she could tell that she had suicidal thoughts and that she would definitely jump into the water and commit suicide within three days.
"Does your sister-in-law know how to make cotton-padded trousers?"
Tian Cuiya wiped away her tears and nodded: "I can make cotton-padded clothes, cotton-padded pants, and cotton-padded shoes."
"I still need to make pants, both single-layer pants and cotton pants. If you are good at making them, I will buy the fabric and you can make them for me. There are four of us sisters, so each of us will need to make at least four or five pairs. I will give you a fee for your work: two eggs for each pair of single-layer pants and eight eggs for each pair of cotton pants. However, I will not give your mother-in-law that much on the surface."
Having said that, Tian Cuiya still had something she didn't understand.
Xia Chunmei is helping her.
Tian Cuiya's tears streamed down her face: "Chunmei..."
"I don't just want to help you, but it's cheaper for you to make it for me than for me to buy it ready-made."
A ready-made pair of thin cotton pants made of mediocre material costs 320 yuan. If you ask Tian Cuiya to make them, you can probably save a few dozen yuan.
Tian Cuiya could also earn some extra money to supplement her income, and her in-laws, seeing that she could earn money, would give her a better attitude.
It's a win-win situation.
"Chunmei, I don't know how to thank you, I..." Tian Cuiya's tears flowed like water.
"All you do is cry! You're such a bad omen! No wonder you can't have a son. My grandson was killed because of your crying!" Xia Dengshi came out after hiding the eggs and got angry when she saw Tian Cuiya like this.
"Aunt Deng, your sister-in-law is happy."
"She can't even have a son to be happy about. If I were her, I would have jumped into the river long ago. Living is just a waste of food, she's completely useless."
In front of outsiders, Xia Dengshi showed no respect to Tian Cuiya whatsoever.
“Who said it was useless? I just made six eggs. I was thinking that if my sister-in-law’s skills are really good, I’ll ask her to make four pairs of trousers for me. I’ll give her six eggs and a fish as a thank you gift.”
Upon hearing that there were eggs and fish, Xia Dengshi was delighted and immediately instructed Tian Cuiya, "Then you'd better do it well, or I'll skin you alive!"
"Chunmei, don't worry, I will definitely do my best and get it done for you as soon as possible."
"Yes, deliver the goods to me as soon as possible so I can make new ones. I estimate I'll need to make more clothes later, so you'd better hurry up."
At this moment, Xia Chunmei noticed that Tian Cuiya's face had changed. The serpent that had been coiled around her life palace had disappeared, indicating that she no longer had the idea of suicide.
Xia Dengshi's eyes gleamed: "Chunmei, it seems you've made quite a bit of money! Do you need more people for your banquet? Look at me, I'm not bragging, but I can do the work of two people!"
"We have enough people for now."
Given how harsh Xia Dengshi was to her daughter-in-law and granddaughter, Xia Chunmei would never hire her.
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