When Li Xing'er returned home, Granny Zhao immediately noticed what she was holding. "Xing'er, what did you buy?"
Li Xing'er handed over the braised meat, saying, "Meng Zhao opened a braised meat shop in the county. Every time I went there before, I thought it smelled especially good. I bought some today too, let's try it together."
After taking the braised meat, Granny Zhao smelled it and found it to be very fragrant. She then asked, "How much did this braised meat cost?"
Li Xing'er hesitated for a moment before answering, "It cost forty-two coins in total."
Granny Zhao, who had been drooling over the smell of meat, was immediately displeased when she heard that so much money had been spent. "How much? Forty-odd coins? You spendthrift wife, you've made a little money and you've lost all sense of direction, haven't you? Forty-odd coins could feed our family for several days if we exchanged it for grain. Why are you so greedy?"
Li Xing'er hurriedly explained, "Mother, after I paid, Meng Zhao gave me a few more pieces of meat. I heard that these are braised with a lot of seasonings and taste especially good. I also wanted you and Dali to try them."
Granny Zhao handed the meat back, saying, "I won't try it. I'm not that greedy. I'll just eat rice. My son works so hard to earn money, and I feel sorry for him. I'm trying to save him money."
Li Xing'er wanted to explain something, but Granny Zhao seemed not to listen to anything. She kept sweeping the floor and washing clothes. Seeing how busy she was, Li Xing'er sighed and put the braised meat she had bought into the kitchen.
When Shen Atian returned from outside, he noticed that something was wrong in the courtyard and asked Granny Zhao what was going on.
Granny Zhao slammed the bowl in her hand onto the stove. "What's wrong with me? I'm worried about the money. Your wife spends money like water. She can't hold onto a penny. She bought over forty coins' worth of braised meat in one go. Look around the village, which family eats like that?"
Shen Atian frowned, a helpless expression on his face. "Why do you care about this? Xing'er can earn her own money and spend it however she wants. Besides, this braised meat should be sold by Qing'an's wife. Xing'er works in her workshop, so she should go and support her."
Granny Zhao was still a little unhappy. When she sat down to eat, she refused to pick up the braised meat with a long face. Shen Dali was completely oblivious to the atmosphere at home and continued to eat the braised meat with gusto. "It's delicious, Mom. This braised meat is so delicious. Can you buy some more braised meat for us tomorrow?"
Granny Zhao slammed down her chopsticks. "Eat, eat, all you know is how to eat! How old are you? I asked you to fetch an egg and you couldn't even do it properly. You fetched four eggs from five hens. You're always causing me trouble."
Li Xing'er was already unhappy about buying meat, and now seeing her son being scolded like this, she felt resentful when she thought about the difference between her son and Shen Qingze.
Normally, she would have put the braised meat into Granny Zhao's bowl and said some nice things to let her taste it, but now she put her chopsticks on the bowl as well, "Since Mother also thinks that Dali can't count, then let's send Dali to school."
Before Granny Zhao could react, Shen Atian said with some displeasure, "Xing'er, buying meat, cloth, and making cabinets are all minor things. It's not like our family can't afford them. But can we just decide to send her to school on a whim?"
"So what? The Shen family also supported Shen Qinghe's education. His family wasn't as well off as ours before."
Shen Atian frowned. "If you're talking about Shen Qinghe, then let me explain. The Shen family used to be doing quite well in our village. It was only because they were supporting Shen Qinghe's education that his father gave up his stable job to work on a boat, and ended up dying there."
After saying that, he paused, then raised his voice and asked, "What, are you going to make me risk my life too?"
Li Xing'er immediately felt speechless and hurriedly explained, "I didn't mean that. I was thinking that now that I can earn money, I should let the children go to school and learn something so that they won't have to farm like us in the future."
"Besides, I heard from the village head that the workshop is hiring. I'll ask around for you later. If they really are hiring, you can work in the workshop too. If we work together, the wages will be enough to send Dali to school."
Upon hearing this, Shen Atian angrily slammed his chopsticks on the table. "Li Xing'er, I used to explain to you that you've lost your bearings now that you've made some money. But it seems you really don't know your place anymore. Do you really think you've become rich and look down on farmers? I'm a farmer too, and you still have to marry me, a farmer, don't you?"
Li Xing'er felt that she couldn't reason with this person at all. She couldn't understand why he misinterpreted her meaning. Her family were also farmers, so how could they look down on farmers? She just wanted to help her son have a better future.
Feeling increasingly aggrieved, Li Xing'er tried to take her son outside, but all three people at the table slammed their chopsticks down, while Shen Dali remained completely oblivious, still gnawing on a pig's trotter. Li Xing'er was on the verge of tears and could only run out on her own.
***
After Li Xing'er left with the braised meat, other customers came in. "Boss, give me half a pound of braised beef and cut a pig's trotter into pieces. I'll eat here."
Meng Zhao quickly invited the guests into the shop, cut the braised meat, put it on a plate, and served it to the guests.
The man smelled the aroma of the meat and exclaimed, "It smells so good! Boss, do you have any good wine?"
Meng Zhao said apologetically, "I'm sorry, sir, our shop is currently out of wine. If you would like some, I can have someone arrange it for you at a nearby wine shop."
The man thought for a moment and shook his head. "Never mind, never mind, I've been to that wine shop you mentioned, they don't have any good wine. Just make me a bowl of noodles. Ah, what a pity, such fragrant braised meat, it would be so good if it were paired with the finest wine from the capital."
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