Liu Laifu's wife, Chunhong, was also unhappy when she heard this.
“Sister-in-law, Laifu went to the county town to ask Wu Er to help teach the Li family a lesson, not to fool around! Besides, I think Brother’s back is all better now. He’s just being lazy and doesn’t want to work. What excuse is he making?”
"What nonsense are you talking about? Your man is lazy, greedy, and cunning. All he does is try to swindle money from his mother all day long. How dare you talk about my Tiezhu like that!"
Su Niang seemed to have been hit where it hurt, and her words became increasingly harsh.
Chunhong's round face turned blue with anger. Unable to argue with Su Niang, she resorted to physical violence, using her weight advantage to pin Su Niang down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and beat her.
Instead of trying to stop the fight, Guo picked up a feather duster and had both daughters-in-law scold the other.
The Liu family's shouting and cursing carried far, and passing villagers, upon hearing it, would all look disgusted and keep their distance.
"What's all the noise about? Can't a person get some sleep?!"
Liu Tiezhu was sleeping on the kang (a heated brick bed) when he was suddenly woken up by the noise and cursed angrily.
"If you're so capable, go and fight the Li family. If they hadn't just watched the show and refused to help, would we have failed to recover our grain?"
This reminded Guo, who then started cursing loudly in the direction of the Li family.
"You heartless bastard, you won't even help your own relatives, you'll be childless and your lineage will end sooner or later!"
Hearing this, the Liu family's neighbors grew even more disgusted with them. They thought, "Who's the heartless one here? The Liu family really has no idea..."
Old Mrs. Li was unaware of the Liu family's troubles; she was busy doing needlework while coaxing her granddaughter.
One autumn rain brings a chill, and the weather will only get colder from now on.
Jiayin's clothes were a bit thin, so Grandma Li found the fabric and cotton she had bought a few days ago, wanting to make some little clothes for her granddaughter.
Jiayin lay on the warm kang (heated brick bed) and felt like a pancake, one side burnt while the other side was still raw.
"Eeya ya!" Jiayin threw down the rattle drum and reached out to her grandmother.
Grandma Li quickly put down the half-sewn garment, picked up her granddaughter, and gently rocked her.
With the autumn harvest all finished, the Li family didn't stay home idle.
People of all ages carried axes and ropes into the mountains, preparing to cut more firewood to burn in the winter.
The villagers who had previously received help from the Li family saw them going up the mountain to chop firewood and all grabbed their own axes and followed them.
With many people working together, they chopped a large pile of firewood in just one day.
Jiaren and his younger brothers laid out the slightly damp firewood on the open ground to dry, and then neatly stacked it outside the yard.
Early that morning, Li Laosi carried his bow and arrows, preparing to go hunting in the mountains. After the rain, the wild animals on the mountain were less mobile and easier to hunt.
"Brother Qiusheng, we're here!"
Several young men from the village, dressed smartly and carrying bows, arrows, and machetes, ran to the Li family, their faces filled with excitement.
They had previously chopped wood together, and Li Laosi had casually shot pheasants and rabbits; his superb archery skills had made them extremely envious.
After much pleading and cajoling, Li Laosi finally agreed to take them up the mountain together.
"Have you all eaten? If there's nothing else, let's go."
Li Laosi checked the quiver and led the young men up the mountain.
Jiaxi and Jia'an insisted on going along, but Li Laosi only took Jiayi, who was strong and agile.
Jia'an and Jiaxi were very disappointed, but Tao Hongying called them to the kitchen and gave each of them a roasted sweet potato, which cheered them up.
Grandma Li held Jiayin in her arms and sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), chatting with the women who came to visit.
The woman's husband's surname was Zhang, and everyone in the village called her Zhang Ersao.
Speaking of which, she was the woman who had told Old Lady Li about the village when the Li family first arrived.
On the day the Li family hosted a banquet for the villagers, Li's second sister-in-law came to help out and talked with Li's mother for a while before going home.
Since she had nothing to do today, she came to talk to Old Lady Li and also to see Jiayin.
"Sister-in-law, your courtyard is so tidy and well-maintained. You must know how to manage a household well!"
While shaking a rattle drum to amuse Jiayin, Zhang Ersao praised her.
Grandma Li handed Jiayin to her, then lowered her head to continue embroidering a small flower.
“There are many people in our family, so we can work together and finish the job quickly.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ersao nodded enviously.
"Your sons are all exceptional. Take the grain tax collection a few days ago, for example. With the help of the second son, everyone saved a lot of grain. The second son is educated, and he is really good at accounting and bookkeeping."
"I've never been to school, I only studied at home for a few days. Tuition is too expensive, and my family is struggling financially, so we really can't afford it," Old Mrs. Li replied casually.
Zhang Ersao nodded, "That's right. I have a nephew from my family who studies in the county town. I heard that it costs at least ten taels of silver a year."
My brother and sister-in-law tightened their belts every day to support this one child. Any money or food they had was sent to their son; they lived hand to mouth…
Just as Old Lady Li was about to respond, she looked up and caught a glimpse of her eldest grandson carrying firewood back and forth in the yard, and a thought struck her.
Jiaren is already twelve years old. His father taught him to read since he was little, and he loves reading most of all.
If there hadn't been war and chaos in the border regions, she also planned to send him to school.
Now that we've settled down, we can reconsider.
"Studying is a good thing. If you pass the exam, you can become an official in the future."
Grandma Li came to her senses and said to Zhang Ersao with a light laugh.
"Yes, yes, that's what my sister-in-law said too." Zhang Ersao had a hint of pride on her face, clearly showing that she was also proud of her nephew's studies.
As Jiayin listened to the two talking, her big eyes darted around, and she guessed that her grandmother must want to send her older brother to school.
While playing along with Zhang Ersao's teasing, she reached out to grab the rattle drum, all the while plotting what else she could sell from her spatial storage.
With more money at home, we have more confidence to support our children's education.
"My family harvested a lot of soybeans before, and now is the perfect time to make soybean paste. I'll be getting started in the next few days. Sister-in-law, are you making soybean paste blocks? Would you like to join us?"
Seeing that Old Lady Li was staring out the window and seemed a little distracted, Zhang Ersao called out to her.
Grandma Li quickly agreed, "Okay, let's make the soybean paste together then. Remember to let me know in advance so I can have Hongying soak the beans."
“That would be great. Your yard is spacious and you have two big iron pots. I’ll just bring some soybeans over and cook them together. I can also put them in your yard to dry in the sun.”
The more Zhang Ersao talked about it, the more feasible it seemed. She couldn't wait to go home and get some beans to make soybean paste at Li's house.
Grandma Li didn't dislike Zhang Ersao's fiery and straightforward personality.
The two chatted for a while longer before Zhang Ersao touched Jiayin's little face and reluctantly went home to cook.
Tao Hongying and Zhao Yuru picked a small basket of mushrooms near the foot of the mountain, dried them, and then prepared to cook dinner.
Jiayin was spitting out bubbles of saliva and insisted on being held by Tao Hongying, so Tao Hongying simply carried Jiayin on her back while cooking.
While Tao Hongying was chopping vegetables, Jiayin secretly put rice into the pot. The last pot of rice porridge, which should have been thin, became thick and viscous.
When Grandma Li got out of bed and saw the pot of porridge, she was no longer surprised. She picked up her granddaughter and sat down at the dining table.
The Li family members gradually returned, and everyone gathered together for a proper meal.
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