The Xia family's business, so far, has been nothing more than a small part of the business. If they were to use Li Gan as a banner, it would be like using an anti-aircraft gun to kill a mosquito—a waste of talent.
Therefore, Xia Daohua was also a little hesitant.
Should I bring this matter up with Li Gan and get him to join us?
Of course, if Li Gan is really wanted to be involved, it cannot just be a small business like selling pickles.
Although in Xia Daohua's view, whether selling pickles or condiments, both can be made into nationally renowned large enterprises and brands.
But for a big shot like Li Gan, it's unlikely that he would look favorably upon this "small business for farmers to supplement their family income"...
Xia Daohua felt a little confused, so she came to talk to Lihua.
Unexpectedly, Liu took the lead with a conflicted look on her face.
Why is it that when Liu came back this time, she didn't rush to flatter the old lady Zhou and try to trick her into giving her some money, but instead ran to the fourth room and set her sights on Lihua?
Xia Daohua suddenly became interested and even put her own worries behind her.
She glanced around and saw that there was no one there, so she quickly slipped into the space.
Then he quietly manipulated the space and walked into the house.
Liu held Lihua close and spoke to her with a smile on her face, not even taking offense at Lihua's cold expression. This was truly strange!
However, Xia Daohua still saw a hint of hidden impatience in her eyes.
Xia Daohua deliberately moved closer and listened to Liu's rambling for a while until she finally got to the point:
"Lihua, your aunt treats you well every day, doesn't she? Now that she's asking you for something, you won't be so cruel as to refuse, right?"
Hearing this, Lihua and Xia Daohua couldn't help but frown.
How was it that Liu Shi treated the people of the fourth house unfairly?
What he said is that Yingming is asking for help, but this doesn’t sound like the attitude of asking for help!
Liu ignored Lihua's frown and scolded the Dai family:
"Lihua, you don't know, your aunt has been wise her whole life, but in the end she was deceived by that matchmaker! That Dai family is no good!"
Liu exaggerated Jinhua's experience after getting married.
He talked about how the Dai family had no manners, how Jinhua was bullied by Dai Sanlang, how the Dai family ganged up on Jinhua and starved her in the woodshed, and how he had taken Jinhua home, but the Dai family refused to apologize or come to take her back...
It was as if Jinhua had really suffered a great injustice.
Liu said this, probably hoping to elicit Lihua's sympathy. However, despite her outburst of indignation and sorrow, Lihua remained unmoved and simply listened.
When Liu finally paused to catch her breath, Lihua asked, "Auntie, are you telling me all this because you're planning to let Sister Jinhua come home?"
Liu was choked, and the expression on her face almost couldn't be maintained. She took a deep breath, smiled awkwardly and said: "Oh, it's not that I didn't mention that your sister Jinhua should come back, but your sister Jinhua didn't want to!
Your sister Jinhua felt that as a wife, it was inevitable to suffer some grievances, but she couldn't continue in this situation. So, she came up with a solution.
Lihua looked at Liu quietly, and Xia Daohua pricked up her ears and widened her eyes. She couldn't help but think of some plots in ancient Chinese novels, but the Dai family was just a local rich family. Jinhua wouldn't do such a vulgar thing, right?
But she heard Liu say that it was Jinhua who wanted to flatter her mother-in-law, but she didn't have enough time. She took a fancy to Lihua's embroidery work and planned to give her some hard-earned money and let Lihua help her with it.
It turns out that Jinhua was planning to please her mother-in-law!
I'm afraid it might not be of any use...
The Dai family had seen this before, especially Dai Sanlang and his mother. They were the typical ones who thought that whoever was nice to them was their due. How could they possibly take Jinhua's birthday gift seriously and look at her differently from then on?
Xia Daohua was complaining in her heart when she saw Lihua slowly shaking her head, rejecting Liu's plea:
"Aunt, it's not that I don't want to help.
My embroidery is truly two different styles from Sister Jinhua's. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that.
If I ruin Sister Jinhua's embroidery, I won't be able to help her, but will cause trouble instead, which is not good.
Auntie, if you feel that this embroidery cannot be finished in time, you can go to the silk shop in town, buy some good material, and ask the embroiderer to embroider it for you.
This way, they can make it in time for the birthday celebration, and Sister Jinhua doesn't have to get up early and stay up late, which will tire her out.
Isn't that a win-win situation?"
Lihua's words left Liu speechless.
She had discussed it well with Jinhua at home before, but she never expected that Lihua not only refused to agree, but also gave her a reasonable idea. Now, even her way out of changing her excuse was blocked.
Liu had no choice but to continue playing the victim:
"Alas! Lihua, my aunt has her own difficulties!
When your sister Jinhua married into the Dai family, because the Dai family gave a high betrothal gift, your uncle and I also increased the dowry that Jinhua gave to her. After all, when it comes to in-laws, there has to be a balance between the two sides, and the face can't be too bad, right?
Afterwards, your uncle was conscripted to build a beacon tower. Because the last round of labor had been collected in the village, this time it was collected directly in the town. Your uncle went back and forth to many people to plead for him, spent a lot of money, and almost emptied out the family's savings, but still could not avoid this hard work.
As a result, when your uncle came back, he was not only extremely thin, but also lost his job at the restaurant!
Now, the family has no income, and we don’t even know where your elder brother Dalang’s salary is coming from. How can we have any extra money to buy a birthday gift for your sister Jinhua’s mother-in-law?
Your uncle was hit hard by this and became completely depressed. He was very melancholy and went to his friends' houses every day to drink. I told him to find a job to do so that the family would not be left without money, but he refused to listen..."
As Liu spoke, she became overwhelmed with sadness and even began to wipe away tears.
Most of these situations are true, but some of them are not entirely true.
For example, the eldest wife’s assets were not actually drained out.
On the contrary, they now have more than thirty taels of silver in savings in the public account alone! Moreover, apart from the infant A Liu, everyone in the eldest house really has their own private property...
However, Liu's sadness was not fake.
After listening to Jinhua's analysis, she became worried about the prospect of running out of money and began to be frugal in places where everyone could see.
She was wearing a half-new ochre jacket today, the fabric of which was no longer poplin but cotton satin.
There is also an inconspicuous patch on the side of the waist, and the stitching is very fine.
The exquisite silver hairpins with gilt decorations on her head were gone, leaving only a copper hairpin, a hairpin made of mother hair, and a half-worn silk flower...
A trace of pity flashed across Lihua's brows.
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