Cauliflower Mother was in so much pain that she couldn't catch her breath. Without even turning around, she knew it was her formidable mother-in-law. She didn't dare say anything and quickly ran away with her head in her hands.
You old hag, fifty pounds of fruit? Why don't you go pick them yourself!
Grandma Caihua was so angry she almost vomited blood. That lazy woman, all she does is shirk her responsibilities. She doesn't even know how to pick up the fallen oil bottle! She's truly blind!
“Grandma, let’s go pick apricots too! My little brother is really good at climbing trees!” Caihua tugged at her grandma’s sleeve and quickly said, afraid that her grandma would be upset by her mother! In addition, fifty catties of fruit is quite a lot. Her mother probably wouldn’t be able to pick enough in a day and would still have to ask them for help in the end. It’s better to go now so that they won’t have a peaceful mealtime.
How could Grandma Caihua not know what this child was thinking? No matter how bad her lazy daughter-in-law was, her two grandchildren were excellent. Otherwise, given her fiery temper, she would have kicked Caihua's mother out long ago!
"Alright, Grandma will go with you. Your father and grandfather will help out after they finish their work in the fields. But there's one thing: you can't help your mother! Otherwise, Grandma will get angry!" Grandma Caihua stared at her granddaughter and said, pretending to be angry, "Don't spoil her, or your mother will become even lazier! Do you want to have to take care of your own family when you get married?"
Hearing her grandmother's words, Caihua choked back tears and silently nodded. She prayed inwardly, "Mother, please be strong!"
The entire village of Shiligou, young and old, rushed into the back mountain, each carrying a basket on their back, determined to pick all the wild apricots. Three catties for one copper coin! Apricots are heavy, so this price is reasonable.
Everyone was enthusiastic. These sour wild apricots could actually be sold for money? What was the difference between that and picking up money? As a result, many people didn't even go home for lunch.
Many nimble children climbed up the trees and knocked the apricots down for their families, while the women and elderly simply picked them up from under the trees!
Now no one will complain about their mischievous monkey anymore; unexpectedly, climbing trees has become a skill.
Liu Meixiang pursed her lips. What is this? Three catties of apricots for one copper coin? Who knows how much money that guy surnamed Qin can make? As for whether she should pick them or not? Of course she would! But she didn't plan to sell them to Qin Sanniang. Instead, she planned to take them to the county town to sell, maybe she could get a few more copper coins.
Seeing Zhao Shi, whom she knew well, and Caihua Niang walking slowly behind, Liu Meixiang quickly ran over and asked, "Yinhua, Caihua Niang, are you two here to pick apricots too?"
Zhao, whose real name was Zhao Yinhua, had been feeling very troubled these past few days. She had heard that her brother-in-law had actually been cured by the man surnamed Qin, and was even able to go back to work, earning quite a bit of money! What angered her most was that Chen Laohan had ignored his own son and instead chosen some complete stranger as his apprentice?! Wasn't this blatant disregard for the teachings of their ancestors?!
Sigh, because of this, Chen Erjun hasn't spoken to her for a long time. Even when they do talk, they start arguing after only a few words! No matter what, he calls her a stupid woman with long hair and short brains!
Listen to what you're saying! Do you think this marriage could be broken off just because you didn't agree? You two are the real brothers!
But even if she said that, Chen Erjun wouldn't listen; it would only make the argument worse! Today, hearing that everyone had come to pick apricots, she didn't want to come out, but her daughter-in-law had, and she, as the mother-in-law, couldn't stay home all the time. She finally realized that because of the severing of ties with Chen Laohan, her son and daughter-in-law resented her!
Seeing Liu Meixiang made Zhao Yinhua feel a little better, after all, they were truly kindred spirits in misfortune.
“Yes, my daughter-in-law came out too, so I followed her! What’s wrong? Why are you out here too? Are you really going to sell yourself to them?” Zhao Yinhua pouted, “they” naturally referring to Qin Sanniang.
Liu Meixiang nodded, then shook her head. "I am going to pick apricots, but I don't intend to sell them to her. I plan to take them to the county town to sell."
"What? Take it to the county town to sell? Will it fetch a good price? This fruit is sour and astringent, what fool would want to buy it?" Before Zhao could speak, Caihua's mother interrupted.
“What do you know? We have to go and see for ourselves! How come that person surnamed Qin can get a good price? Why can’t we?” Zhao Shi chimed in. These days, what she can’t stand the most is people saying that Third Sister Qin is amazing!
"Ha, it's all because they're so good!" That's what Caihua's mother thought to herself, but she dared not say it aloud! Although she was lazy, she knew her own limitations. Besides, her mother-in-law had said that she wouldn't eat if she didn't pick at least fifty pounds!
Seeing her slight hesitation, the two men were a little unhappy. Liu Meixiang said, "Caihua's mother, are you willing to try with us or not? We're going to make money anyway, and maybe if we walk more than ten miles to the county to sell, we can sell more!"
Liu Meixiang's thinking was simple. Since the village head Chen Sheng hadn't mentioned that Qin San Niang was using wild apricots to make dried apricots, she figured it must be because the Qin family had found a buyer in the county, so she decided to give it a try as well.
Back in the day, she was the top businesswoman in the village, trading on the official road! Everyone said she had a knack for business. But now that Qin San Niang had taken that title, she felt even more resentful.
Caihua's mother lowered her head and said, "I wouldn't dare. You all know my family's situation. I don't have the final say! My old hag said that if I don't pick fifty catties of apricots today, I won't eat dinner tonight! She's trying to work me to death!"
"Alright, alright, we won't try to get you to join us! Just don't regret it if you make money!" Zhao Yinhua waved her hand and said.
They wouldn't dare mess with Caihua Niang's mother-in-law. That old hag is too formidable, even more so than Granny Qiu. If she found out that they were the ones who encouraged Caihua Niang to sell apricots, she'd probably curse them all day long at their doorstep, and her ancestors for eighteen generations would be insulted. The worst part is that she wouldn't repeat herself when she curses. Just thinking about it gives me a headache!
How could they possibly be so foolish as to provoke someone like that!
Grandma Caihua and her two grandsons watched the three women from afar, whispering amongst themselves. Luckily, her lazy daughter-in-law had parted ways with them in the end, otherwise her big stick would have come in handy again!
Qin San Niang and the others had no idea that the entire village had gone to the back mountain to pick apricots. She thought they would only send children and women at most!
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