Chapter 18 Sister-in-law's Kindness
After breakfast, Zhang Juexia mixed a little white flour with corn flour, used old flour as a starter, and mixed some leavened dough. After the dough fermented, he prepared to steam some buns.
Ye Beixiu went to the old house and called Li Yiqun over, and Ye Suyun also accompanied him.
As soon as Li Yiqin entered the house, she saw the fungus drying in Zhang Juexia's yard. "Xia'er, are you guys preparing food for the winter?"
"I picked some when I went up the mountain with my husband that day."
Li Yiqin walked around the yard and said, "This yard is different with a woman in it. How do you say it? It has the flavor of human life."
"Only my sister-in-law can talk."
Zhang Juexia let Li Yiqun and Ye Suyun into the house. She picked up the teacup and poured a glass of water for each of them.
Seeing that the room was full of women, Ye Beixiu felt it was inconvenient for him to leave. He said a few polite words to Li Yiqun, then picked up his hoe and prepared to go out.
Li Yiqin looked at Ye Beixiu's back and praised him repeatedly, "If your eldest brother was half as hardworking as Beixiu, our family would be even better off than it is now."
Seeing her sister-in-law scolding her brother, Ye Suyun pouted and said, "Sister-in-law, who was it that said brother was the best yesterday?"
Li Yiqin pointed at Ye Suyun and scolded Zhang Juexia, "No matter how much this sister-in-law loves you, she's still closer to her brother."
Zhang Juexia smiled and went into the house to take out the new fabric she had bought yesterday and asked Li Yiqun to teach her how to make clothes.
Li Yiqin looked at the cloth in Zhang Juexia's hand and praised it repeatedly, "When it comes to loving wives among the Ye family men, Bei Xiu is the best. Your eldest brother and I have been married for almost two years, and I have never seen him buy me anything fishy."
Zhang Juexia signaled to Li Yiqun that Ye Suyun was still alive after all, and she would definitely not be happy if her brother was spoken of in this way.
Li Yiqin disagreed, "Suyun has always been very tight-lipped and doesn't gossip. That's why she's so likable."
After hearing what Li Yiqin said, Zhang Juexia liked Ye Suyun even more.
Li Yiqun spoke loudly and clear, and worked quickly. In no time, she measured Zhang Juexia's size and cut out the clothes.
"I've cut out a few extra sizes for you, so you can wear them even if you gain weight or grow taller. It's not easy for us country folk to earn money, so we should save whenever we can."
Zhang Juexia gave Li Yiqin a grateful smile, "Thank you, sister-in-law, you are so thoughtful."
Li Yiqin waved her hand and said, "We are all family. As your sister-in-law, this is what I should do."
Li Yiqin asked Zhang Juexia to bring needle and thread and helped her sew. "Bei Xiu asked me to make clothes for you today. I have nothing to do today anyway, so I might as well help him. Suyun and I will help you make it."
"I went to town yesterday and bought some meat. Sister-in-law and Sister Suyun can have dinner at my place!"
Li Yiqin and Ye Suyun looked at each other, and then Li Yiqin turned to ask Zhang Juexia, "Did you really buy a lot of things in town yesterday?"
Zhang Juexia nodded. "We bought things we need at home. What's wrong?"
Li Yiqin thought for a moment, "Xia'er, although we are not sisters-in-law, my husband has always told me to treat Bei Xiu as my own brother. I have something to remind you. Be careful in your daily life. When you go to town to buy things, find some cheap things to cover your backpack. Although our village is not big, there are always people who do good things."
Zhang Juexia was a smart man and understood what Li Yiqin said. "Thank you, sister-in-law. I will pay attention to it in the future."
"Third Aunt is a good person in every way, but she is easily influenced and has a serious mind."
Ye Suyun poked Li Yiqun and then smiled at Zhang Juexia.
Li Yiqin measured Ye Suyun with a needle, "You are good in every way, except that you are too cautious. Am I not reassuring your sister-in-law Beixiu? She has only been married to your brother Beixiu for a few days, and she has yet to see her mother-in-law's happy face. It's a good thing that the Beixiu family has separated and she lives separately. If she had lived under the same roof with her mother-in-law, who knows how much suffering she would have endured."
Li Yiqin's words warmed Zhang Juexia's heart, but Pang Xiujuan was Ye Beixiu's biological mother after all, and she was very satisfied with Ye Beixiu's performance in the past few days.
She also planned to live a good life with Ye Beixiu.
In this case, she must never say anything bad about Pang Xiujuan.
Zhang Juexia suddenly had an idea and pulled Li Yiqin to ask something else, "Sister-in-law, after you finish sewing my clothes, can you teach me how to make shoes?"
"Okay, I'll teach you a lesson today."
"Thank you, sister-in-law."
"Didn't I say we're all family? No need to thank each other."
Li Yiqin looked around and asked, "What is Bei Xiu doing?"
Zhang Juexia seized the opportunity and told Ye Beixiu about his plan to open up new land.
"This land reclamation is a big deal, but he didn't mention it to grandpa and grandma."
"I don't know if my husband has said anything, sister-in-law, why the old house hasn't been reclaimed?"
"It's just that reclaiming wasteland isn't worth it. We spent ten taels of silver on the one acre of vegetable plot next to our old house. Xia'er, think about it, we're in the mountains here. If it's a good year, it's fine, but if it's dry or flooded, there's no harvest at all!"
"Yesterday my husband and I went to the town to buy grain. The price was too high, so we decided to start a new land reclamation."
"Although buying food isn't cost-effective, we don't have land to grow crops. But then again, we mountain dwellers have hunting skills, so we eat just as much food every year as those who grow crops. It's just that if we had two acres of land at home, we'd feel more at ease."
Zhang Juexia agreed with Li Yiqin, "Sister-in-law, there's not a single family in our village that cultivates crops."
Li Yiqin thought for a moment, "Really? We're the only families who've bought vegetable plots. Xia'er, regarding this land reclamation project, I think it's best for you to talk to grandpa and grandma about it and get their opinions. After all, they're older and have more experience."
"I'll tell my husband."
After Ye Suyun finished sewing a piece of clothing, she stood up and stretched her arms. She saw the lace that Zhang Juexia had made, and asked, "Sister-in-law Bei Xiu, can you also lace?"
Zhang Juexia picked up the knotted thread she had made. "It's perfect since you're all here. Give me some advice. How about this?"
After Ye Suyun took it, she looked at it carefully and said, "Sister-in-law Bei Xiu, this is really you who hit me."
"That's not true."
"Then teach me."
Li Yiqin looked at Ye Suyun helplessly, "My dear sister, this is your sister-in-law Bei Xiu's cooking skill, how can you teach her just by talking."
This time it was Zhang Juexia's turn to be surprised, "None of you know how to knit?"
The two of them shook their heads at the same time.
"I'll teach you."
"Xia'er, you better think about it. This is really your cooking skill."
"Sister-in-law, didn't you just teach me your cooking skills?"
"Hey, my skills in tailoring and shoemaking are something any woman can do."
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