Chapter 23: Going to the City to Find Work
Lin Changhe was stunned when Xu Tianlin said this.
Madam Tian snorted coldly and said irritably, "Eldest son of the Xu family, Xu Xiu has been married into our family for more than ten years. You don't think that dowry is still there, do you? Doesn't she eat, drink, or use it?"
The eldest aunt, Madam Sun, smiled at the old lady and said, "Auntie, I've been married for twenty years now. The tables, chairs, and cabinets I brought with me when I got married are still in good condition. Even if they're old, they're still usable! When my sister-in-law, Xu Xiu, got married, we had an eight-immortal table, four benches, eight chairs, two large grain cabinets, and two clothing chests made by carpenters from the county town. Her name was engraved on every single item."
Tian's expression changed slightly. Those items even had inscriptions on them? How come she didn't notice?
The Lin family's sisters-in-law looked at each other.
In fact, the dowries of girls in and around the village when they get married are all the things that Sun mentioned. Almost everyone has them. There are several sons in a family, and they don't separate their households and live together. Apart from the chests for storing clothes, everything else is shared. Since there are many daughters-in-law, they don't need many tables and chairs. Many of them are still new.
The things Xu Xiu brought were indeed very well made. She couldn't bear to use them a few years ago, but after Lin Xian'er came along, she wanted to keep them for her daughter. The grain cabinet and the table and chairs were still brand new and placed upstairs in the room where the old lady lived. However, the two trunks were very beautifully carved, so the old lady exchanged them for two old trunks right after Xu Xiu got married, and the old lady has been using them ever since.
Xu Xiu has a good temper; when her mother-in-law offered to switch places with her, she didn't say anything.
To everyone's surprise, even after Xu Xiu's death, the Xu family would still come looking for these things.
Sun could only imagine that something in Tian's hands would never be willingly handed over.
She looked at the Lin family members and said quietly, "Ah Xiu is gone. Wherever her children are, her things should be there too, right?"
“In this area, every household has several daughters-in-law, so this little bit of stuff is far from enough. Every family has a designated place to store it, whether it’s old or new. Aunt Tian, I’ll have to trouble you to find these items I just mentioned.”
Tian remained unmoved, but Sun said, "Even if the child's mother is gone, and the things are broken and turned into rotten planks, they should still be given to the child as a memento."
Sun's words easily evoke pity in kind-hearted people.
The women watching, thinking of Xu Xiu's good temper and character, couldn't help but speak up in her defense, whispering among themselves.
Tian glanced at the onlookers, about to retort, when Lin Cunzheng looked at Old Man Lin and said, "Fifth Brother, what do you think?"
As Lin Cun was about to speak, Tian looked at Old Man Lin, who had a sullen face. After a long while, he looked at Xu Tianlin and the others and said, "What other requests do you have? Say them all at once."
The eldest aunt said, "The year Xiu Niang left, I gave her a piglet and two old hens. I suppose Xiu Niang didn't get to eat them, and neither did her children. Since the children were kicked out and the relationship was severed, these things should be given to them."
Old Man Lin took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Alright, give them all."
Tian refused to listen and angrily retorted, "Didn't they eat? Did they grow up eating nothing? Did they grow up drinking the northwest wind?"
The eldest aunt smiled and said, "Don't they just eat and do no work?"
Tian wanted to argue with her aunt, but then she heard Old Man Lin shout, "Go find them! Find all those things she mentioned!"
Seeing that Old Man Lin was angry, Tian Shi stiffened her neck and left indignantly. The eldest sister-in-law gave her sisters-in-law a look, and the group shouted to Tian Shi, "Auntie, we'll go with you to get it."
After saying that, they all ran over, and Zhang and the others hurriedly followed, and the group squeezed into the house.
After a while, they actually brought out all the tables, chairs, stools, and cabinets.
The tables and chairs were originally painted a deep red, but over time the paint has darkened and become a bit duller, giving them a warmer look in the sunlight.
After checking the items, Sun looked at Tian and said, "Auntie, we're still missing two trunks."
Tian gritted her teeth and went into the house. She took out the two trunks she used and was about to drop them on the ground when Sun caught them. Their purpose was to get the things that Xu Xiu had brought in to give to the children, so even though the old lady was unhappy, she didn't say much.
Now that everything is ready, all that's left is the piglet and two hens.
The piglets from the Lin family were bought after the crops were planted after the New Year, and they were still very small, about the same size as the ones Sun gave to Xu Xiu.
But it's the same with everything; you don't feel anything when you get something for free, but you feel really bad when you have to give it back to someone else.
Several aunts followed, and they herded a piglet and two hens out from the backyard.
Lin Cunzheng signed another agreement, and both families confirmed it by pressing their fingerprints.
There was no cursing or bloodshed; the Xu family left with their belongings after pressing their fingerprints.
With directions from the villagers, they carried their belongings toward the old house where Lin Chuntao and the others lived.
Lin Chuntao and the others had just returned and put down their things, preparing to go find their uncles. Before they could even leave the house, the Xu family arrived in a large procession, carrying their belongings.
Xu Tianlin looked at the four sisters, who were so thin they were skin and bones, their trousers and sleeves too short. Sun looked closely and realized that the clothes the sisters were wearing seemed to be from several years ago. A trace of pity flashed in her eyes.
"Chuntao." Madam Sun called out to her first. Lin Chuntao looked at the people coming. Xu Tianzhu and Madam Zhou were in the back. It seemed that the couple had gone back and told their uncles, so they came over together.
Even though she had no expectations, she was still somewhat moved at that moment.
"Uncle, Aunt," she called out, her eyes welling up with tears.
Mrs. Sun gently patted her shoulder, then called on everyone to move their things in and put them down. In addition to tables, chairs and utensils, there were also two chickens and a piglet.
"Aunt, what are these things?"
Sun said, "Since you are living separately now, you should take these things with you as part of your mother's dowry. These piglets and two chickens were given to your mother by me before. Since you haven't had any meat, you should raise them yourselves from now on."
Looking at the brand-new tables, chairs, and cabinets, as well as the two piglets running around, Lin Chuntao was still somewhat incredulous.
But she didn't think much of it and busied herself bringing over the chairs for the elders to sit down. She was now a married woman, but none of her uncles knew Pei Ying. Taking this opportunity, Lin Chuntao introduced Pei Ying to her uncles, and everyone got to know each other.
The aunts looked around their house and saw their grain and vegetables, which brought them some comfort.
Xu Tianlin said, "Although I've rarely come here these past few years since your mother passed away, I'm still your uncle. How could you not say a word about something this serious happening? What are you thinking, child?"
Lin Chuntao pursed her lips and listened quietly. After a long while, she said softly, "Uncle, don't be angry. I just think it's alright. The accommodation problem has been solved, and the food problem has been solved for the time being."
"And what about after that? You had no food this year, and nothing was planted on the land you were allocated."
Lin Chuntao said, "I plan to see if I can buy some vegetable seeds in a couple of days, so I can plant some vegetables first, and then plant more buckwheat when it's harvested in the fall. We can eat buckwheat then too."
Xu Tianlin nodded slightly after hearing her words.
"Let us know in advance when you're going to plant it, and we'll come and plant it for you." Xu Tianlin's words didn't sound like a discussion; he was just informing her. After a pause, he added, "It's busy farming season lately, and farm tools are in short supply. We only brought you a hoe and a sickle, so you can use them for now."
"Uncle, there's no need to give us farm tools. We don't need them now. I'll come to you when we need them."
Xu Tianlin frowned slightly: "Don't you need to cut pig feed to feed these piglets?"
Lin Chuntao: "..."
"Let's keep it like this for now."
As dinner time approached, Lin Chuntao prepared to cook. It didn't matter whether the food was good or not, but she wanted to invite people to stay for a meal.
Sun said, "We haven't fed the chickens, ducks, and pigs at home yet, so we have to hurry back. Sisters, take good care of yourselves. Come visit us whenever you have time. If you need anything, be sure to come and tell us. Even if we can't solve it ourselves, we can still help you think of a solution, understand?"
Lin Chuntao nodded slightly, "Aunt, I've remembered, don't worry."
There wasn't much at home, so Lin Chuntao asked Sun to take the mushrooms she had picked during the day back with her, but Sun refused.
"We also picked some mushrooms, you can keep them to eat, and we're leaving now."
A group of people rushed out of the courtyard. Lin Chuntao stood at the intersection and watched them walk away before returning.
Looking at all the things in the yard, Lin Chuntao called on Pei Ying and her sisters to move the cabinets, tables and chairs into the house.
There's only one lock, so all the tables, chairs, and cabinets have been moved into the room they're living in.
The room was not large; it was crammed full with two grain cabinets, a table and chairs, and two bamboo shelves that Pei Ying had made that day.
Lin Chuntao thought for a moment and simply placed the two grain cabinets horizontally, so that their bed would be behind them and would be partially obscured.
After tidying up the house, Lin Chuntao came out and saw the piglet weighing about forty pounds and the two chickens. She was a little worried because there was nowhere to keep them.
The cracked room was empty, but it was still a place where people lived, so she couldn't put the piglets in there. After thinking for a while, she went to the village head's house and took a bamboo basket of mushrooms she had picked that day with her.
The old lady kept refusing the mushrooms Lin Chuntao was carrying, telling her to take them home to eat. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I still have some at home. I picked quite a few this afternoon."
The old lady then accepted the mushrooms. Lin Chuntao told her about building a pen to keep the piglets. Sun laughed and said, "The wall next door is cracked and uninhabitable. You can go up the mountain and get some dry leaves to put in as a base, and then put the piglets in there."
Lin Chuntao frowned slightly. "Grandma, isn't this inappropriate?"
Sun waved her hand dismissively, "That old house has been abandoned for many years. You cleaned it up, so use it as you like. Don't worry about these details."
After receiving Sun's words, Lin Chuntao returned and locked the piglets and chickens in that room.
Pei Ying said, "I'll make a chicken coop tomorrow. If the hen lays an egg in the pen, the piglets will eat it."
Lin Chuntao nodded, while Lin Chunhe and Lin Duo'er were still peering out the window at the piglet, their eyes sparkling with joy.
"Sister, I'll get up first thing tomorrow morning to cut pig feed." After Lin Chunhe finished speaking, Lin Duo'er eagerly added, "Me too! Me too!"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Okay, you can all go together."
After the pigsty was settled, the sisters busied themselves preparing dinner. There was still some chicken and chicken soup left from lunch. Pei Ying went to fetch water, and the sisters washed the mushrooms they had picked up during the day and made a mushroom stew with chicken soup. Lin Chuntao washed the melon tips and flowers and stir-fried the melon tips. The rice was still the buckwheat dumplings from breakfast.
As the dishes were served on the brand-new table, the younger sisters stood around it.
Lin Chuntao brought over her bowl, raised an eyebrow at them, and said, "Why are you still standing? Hurry up and sit down to eat."
Lin Chunhe looked up at her with a grin: "I'll wait for you to come."
Lin Chuntao smiled helplessly, "Hurry up and sit down to eat."
It was dark when they finished dinner, and the moon hadn't risen yet. Pei Ying lit a fire in the yard to provide light, and after everyone finished tidying up, they sat in the yard to cool off. Occasionally, the sound of piglets grunting could be heard from inside the house.
Hearing this, Pei Ying turned around and looked at Lin Chuntao, asking, "Are you going mushroom picking again tomorrow morning?"
Lin Chuntao nodded, "I'll go."
"Then I'll go with you. There's nothing else to do at home. I want to go to the city to find some work."
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