Chunxiao packed all the things into a backpack, and then she and Zhou sent the person out of the yard.
"So many good things have been wasted. I shouldn't have put them away. I should have let them enjoy a good meal yesterday." Zhou regretted it so much in her heart. The things she had been so worried about for a long time ended up being given to others. It was really infuriating.
Chun Xiao sighed, "How did our aunt become like this? She didn't raise her two grandsons well."
"She hasn't become like this in just one or two years. She's just become more and more annoying in recent years." As if she thought of something, she suddenly looked nervous, "No, I have to go back and see her. Your father is a tough guy. He will feel soft-hearted if you say a few sad words to him." After saying that, she trotted after him.
Seeing that everyone had left, Chunxiao hurried back to the room and took a look. There were signs of rummaging on the bed. She opened the cabinet again. Fortunately, the remaining five candied haws were still there. She wrapped them in paper and put them under the cloth. The two children must have found the food and were in a hurry to eat it, so they hadn't rummaged under the cloth yet. It was a blessing in disguise. It wasn't that she was stingy. If the children were obedient, she would be willing to give them some food. She couldn't stand it if they rummaged through the owner's things without his consent.
She checked the money jar again. There were several coins in it. Fortunately, the money was still there. She felt relieved that it had not been discovered. She took a broom and cleaned up the orange peels and peanut shells in the main room.
Her eldest brother's soybean dregs were placed in the main room. She took a look at them and found that they were still a little wet. They would not be used for a while, so she put the dregs in a large winnowing basket to dry. She was afraid that they would rot prematurely if they were not dried.
Zhou came back at the end of the afternoon, and she was very angry.
"Aunt is gone?" Chunxiao tucked the mattress into the room and saw Zhou sitting at the door without saying a word.
"Let's go. If we don't leave now, she'll scrape the floor three times."
Chun Xiao sighed, "Forget it, my father only has my aunt as his sister. I don't want to make things difficult for him. I'll just help him if I can."
"You think I'm unwilling to help!" Zhou suddenly raised her voice. "Her appetite has been getting bigger and bigger over the past two years. I just can't stand her behavior. Her parents-in-law have been dead for many years, and she's still left with no family and only your father as her biological brother. I'm tired of seeing her playing the victim. She's been living like this, as if no one has it easy."
Chunxiao came into the room and poured her a cup of tea. "Drink some water. Okay, don't be angry anymore. If you get angry again, people will leave."
Zhou took the water cup and said, "I am angry at your father because he is so soft-hearted. If I hadn't chased him just now, he might have given the three taels of silver you gave him to Erni. Now he has money but he doesn't know where to go. He thinks this money is really his. You have made so many things for Yan Laowu. If he gave him this money, how would he get the wages when the time comes? How can he have the nerve to ask you for it later?"
Chunxiao saw her mother getting more and more excited, so she patted her back and said, "Okay, don't be angry anymore. If you say that, then the three taels of silver still remain, right?"
"I tried to persuade him but he wouldn't listen. Your eldest sister-in-law is the one who has the foresight. She said that if Dad gave her three taels of silver this time, such a generous amount, Auntie would only become more aggressive in the future. She would think our family's money is easy to take and would come to her at the slightest difficulty in the future. Otherwise, your father would definitely pretend to be generous because of his poverty. I don't know what's going on in his mind."
Chunxiao also felt that her father was confused this time, "So how did Dad handle it in the end?"
"Your elder and second brothers pooled together 500 coins to give her. 500 coins is a lot. If someone had given me 500 coins in the past, I would have definitely been grateful. You took away a chicken and five pounds of meat, as well as your food and 20 eggs." Zhou sighed when she thought of the food Chunxiao bought. They were all good things. "Why did you pack up all the things you bought? It makes me very upset just thinking about it."
"Mom, just give it to me. Auntie is watching. If I don't give it to you, who knows what she will say about me. She will say that I can't bear to give my cousin any food when he comes to visit."
"She's fine now. She can go back with her belongings and have a good New Year. But here we are in chaos."
"Why aren't our uncle and cousin Mingyuan coming?"
Zhou snorted coldly, "How can they have the nerve to come with me to ask for money? They won't come during the Chinese New Year. They only come once a year during the Qingming Festival. They're not as obvious as they are now, but they still leave with big and small bags. Anyway, there's nothing good about them coming here. I'd rather break off this engagement."
"Mom!" What Zhou said was very inappropriate. If others knew that they despised their poor relatives, they would be criticized.
Zhou knew she had spoken too quickly. "I was just saying that out of anger. I just don't want to talk to your father these past two days. If I don't leave him alone for a couple of days, he'll probably go crazy."
"Our aunt has been saying that my cousin wants to start a business. What kind of business do they want to start?"
"Who knows what kind of business they want to start? Your sister Yuqing is married and your cousin is the only one left at home. I don't know what to say to the four strong men in the family who live like this every year. Those in our village who have little land go to the town or county to work in the spring. Although it's hard to find work, they can always get some subsidies. In my opinion, they are just lazy."
When talking about her aunt's family, Zhou had a lot of complaints. Chunxiao didn't stop her and let her mother talk. It was a good opportunity for her to learn more about the situation in her aunt's family.
When Yan Bingfa came the next day, Zhou really ignored him. This happened every time his aunt and others came. Everyone in the family was used to it, and Yan Bingfa had no way to deal with it.
We had to go up the mountain to chop firewood today. The firewood we had before was almost used up, so Chunxiao didn't burn charcoal today. She went up the mountain with everyone else, and Shuwen helped her look after the house.
The butcher had already been notified about collecting the things, and the Chinese New Year was just a few days away, so Chunxiao discussed with his family whether to stop making charcoal for a few days and resume it after the New Year.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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