Li Rou Niang would take Da Ni and Er Ni out early every day to Old Man Mo's place to help them take care of the children and do chores.
Da Ni and Er Ni were a little shy at first, but as time went on, Zhao Er Ni became more lively. Old Man Mo loved children, and Er Ni often surrounded him asking him questions, which he never found annoying.
But Erni's favorite was still Mobei, because she both longed for and was curious about the hunting tools Mobei used when he went up the mountain. However, going up the mountain was too dangerous, and Erni was too young, so Mobei didn't plan to take her with him.
However, occasionally, when the mood strikes, he'll still try his hand at cooking the chickens in the yard. Whenever this happens, Erni's eyes will light up with admiration.
As for Li Rouniang, perhaps because of Sanni, her maternal instincts were overflowing, and sometimes she would have the illusion that Mo Xiaoshan was her biological son.
Xiaoshan was also very attached to her; every time Rou Niang hugged Xiaoshan, Xiaoshan would smile happily.
Old Man Meng lay on the rocking chair in the yard, listening to the occasional laughter of two babies and the gentle coaxing of a woman from inside the house. In the yard, his simple-minded son was playing with two little girls. Sunlight shone on the recliner, and he squinted, savoring this long-lost tranquility.
Although the Mo family was a warm and peaceful place, Zhao Pozi's place was a chaotic mess.
She had been locked up in the woodshed a while ago and wasn't feeling well. Then her daughter got married, which dealt her a blow both physically and mentally, leaving her with little energy.
Even now, with Li Rouniang and the others not at home and her daughter married, she is all alone and is thinking of tidying up her room.
It was fine until the box was opened, but when it was opened, I was shocked: "My goodness!"
The fine silks that had remained in the box were gone. Granny Zhao frantically searched through it, only to find that her two taels of silver were also missing.
Not only that, but there's also her silver pendant, which she painstakingly obtained from her mother-in-law years ago! Now its whereabouts are unknown.
Granny Zhao plopped down on the kang (a heated brick bed) and burst into tears. After she calmed down, she thought about it carefully and realized that Li Rou Niang was the most suspicious person.
Thinking again, oh, weren't those two brats wearing dresses made of her finest silk? No wonder they looked familiar these past few days, but she couldn't quite place them.
Thinking of this, Granny Zhao gritted her teeth in hatred. Fortunately, the one tael of silver from Da Hua's dowry, along with the silver bracelet, was now in his hands, which was some consolation.
Yes, that silver bracelet was originally given to Zhao Dahua by Zhao Dazui as part of her dowry. However, Zhao's mother-in-law thought that her daughter would eventually divorce, so she would give the silver bracelet to Dahua as money for herself then.
If she were to let her daughter take the bracelet as part of her dowry now, she might not be able to bring it back if they were to divorce one day. Granny Zhao's actions were out of love for her daughter, but she didn't know that her daughter had suffered a lot of grievances in her husband's family because of this bracelet.
Putting all that aside, let's talk about Granny Zhao. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. So she took a broom and waited at the door for Li Rou Niang to come back, wanting to give her a good talking-to!
It was only then that she realized that the five old hens that she used to keep in the yard were also gone.
Where did the chicken go? I'm completely baffled!
Li Rouniang returned to the Zhao family home with the children as the sun was setting. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Granny Zhao squatting there, staring at her menacingly. She knew in her heart that the old woman, who had only been behaving herself for a few days, was probably up to cause trouble today.
So she handed Sanni to Dani and told Dani to take Erni and Sanni back to the house. Dani obediently hugged her younger sister and pulled Erni back to the room.
Li Rongniang greeted her with a smile: "Mother, did you wait for me here especially for this?"
"You little slut, don't pretend you don't know the answer. I'm asking you, where are my two taels of silver? And where is my silver pendant? And where are the chickens in this yard? And are the clothes you and your two good-for-nothing daughters are wearing made from my fine silk?" Granny Zhao asked angrily.
“Mother, I don’t understand what you’re saying. What does your two taels of silver have to do with me? I’ve never seen your silver pendant before. What proof do you have that I took it? And as for this silk, I saw you leaving it there unused, so I used it. What’s wrong with that?” Li Rou Niang answered matter-of-factly.
"Hey! You still have the nerve to ask what's wrong? That's mine, why should I make things for your daughter? You shameless little whore, give it back to me right now!" Granny Zhao cursed angrily.
"Mother, what are you saying? Aren't Da Ni and Er Ni our Zhao family's flesh and blood? Aren't they your own granddaughters? Isn't it only right that I make things for them? You want me to return them? They're already wearing those things, how am I supposed to give them back to you?" Li Rou Niang spoke with an air of righteous indignation.
Seeing how angry Granny Zhao was, he felt a surge of secret pleasure. "I'll make you so angry, you old hag!"
"Alright, alright, since you have nothing to return, do you get a hundred coins a month if you're not a wet nurse? Use that money to return it to me," said Granny Zhao, thinking to herself that she was losing out. Wasn't that hundred coins originally hers?
"Mother, have you misunderstood something? That's my money, why should I give it to you?" Li Rouniang replied with a smile. She wasn't angry; seeing Granny Zhao angry made her unable to get angry either, because she was happy.
“I’m your mother-in-law, of course you have to give it to me,” Granny Zhao said matter-of-factly.
“I’ve never heard of a mother-in-law asking for her daughter-in-law’s savings. Of course, if the Zhao family were in trouble, I would be willing to help generously, but nothing has happened, so I’m in the right no matter where you go to reason with them,” Li Rou Niang said.
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