Outside, Niu Yinhua was loudly mocking Shen Shi, and Niu Jinhua hurriedly went over to help: "You caused my elder brother to die without a family line, you're a jinx, it's good enough that someone is willing to take your daughter! What are you being picky about?"
When Niu Da got home, he overheard these words: "What's wrong with my daughter? You are all daughters of the Niu family. If you feel inferior, then jump off Guhu Lake and be reborn as a man in your next life! I'm willing to raise my daughter, what's it to you?"
"Big brother, I'm your own sister!" Niu Yinhua said aggrievedly, "You're cursing me for the sake of an outsider like this?" Niu Da was speechless and said, "Get lost!"
"If you don't get out, I'll kick you out with an iron pestle!" Niu Dadao said. "What good things haven't we given you in the past? Our family may be poor and have no descendants, but we never asked you two sisters to help out your brother. Why are you cursing my daughters and catching my chickens?"
Holding the chicken in one hand and pulling Niu Yinhua's hand with the other, Niu Jinhua said, "Let's go! Let's go back and kill the chicken to eat!"
The two sisters ran away as if they were being chased by ghosts. Niu Da chased them to the village entrance, but suddenly dark clouds gathered, and Niu Da saw that it was about to rain, so he stopped chasing them.
Niu Xiangguo, the third son of Xiang Jinlan, saw this and asked Niu Cuihua:
"Cuihua, what's wrong?"
Niu Cuihua said, "My eldest aunt and second aunt want to introduce me to a potential partner, the nephew of my second aunt's husband! He even stole one of our chickens!"
Everyone in Niushan Village knows that Niu Yinhua's sister-in-law, Zhuo, is married not far away and has an eldest son who is thirty years old this year and still doesn't have a partner.
"Marrying an eight- or nine-year-old to a thirty-year-old? How could they even think of that? They have no taste!" Niu Xiangguo scoffed and walked away.
Niu Jinhua hurried back carrying the chicken, while Niu Yinhua said, "Sister, slow down, I'm four months pregnant."
Niu Jinhua let go of her hand and said, "I'm not going to worry about you anymore, I'm leaving."
Niu Yinhua, fearing that Niu Jinhua would monopolize the chicken, quickly followed:
"Sister, it looks like it's going to rain!"
In an instant, a torrential downpour began, and Niu Jinhua and Niu Yinhua looked like two drowned rats, with the chicken in Niu Jinhua's arms also getting soaked.
The road was already a muddy path full of gullies and ravines, and it became even more difficult to walk after the rain. Niu Jinhua and Niu Yinhua were soaked and covered in mud. Their brand-new clothes were no longer recognizable.
The chicken seemed to be suddenly startled and pecked Niu Jinhua in the eye, causing it to bleed profusely.
When Niu Yinhua saw this, she was frightened and rolled down the embankment. A moment later, she started crying out in pain, her stomach aching uncontrollably.
The rain has stopped.
"Honey, the rain has stopped!" Niu Dadao said. "I'm going to Xiaocao's to buy some meat for the New Year!"
"The road is wet, so wear boots," Chen Yu said, picking up a pair of boots patched with several nails. Niu Da changed into the boots, picked up a large basket, and went to Niu Xiaocao's house to buy meat.
Even though it's not a big celebration for his mother-in-law's sixtieth birthday, he should still buy more meat. Chen Yu hasn't enjoyed much happiness with him these past years, so it's only right that he buys more meat for his parents-in-law.
Niu Xiaocao's family slaughtered two boars and opened a temporary meat shop at home, attracting many customers.
"Little grass, I want three ounces of fatty meat."
"I want half a pound of meat, with some lean and some fat."
The one who asked for five catties of meat was Niu Xiucai's mother, Zhang.
Envious glances were cast over, and people asked, "In previous years, your family would only buy two catties of meat. Why did you buy five catties this year? Is there something good happening?"
Zhang said smugly:
“A few days ago, I asked a matchmaker to introduce a girl to my son. They’re getting engaged,” said Zhang. Her son has been staying home studying all day and hasn’t left the house in a month.
Sometimes, people might not see Niu Daxiucai even twice a year, but everyone in the village knew that Niu Daxiucai was twenty-one years old this year, long past the age for marriage. He originally wanted to pass the imperial examinations and become a Juren or Jinshi, and then marry a daughter from an official family.
However, after passing the imperial examination at the age of fifteen, Niu Daxiu failed twice in a row, so his family inevitably had to start thinking about marriage.
Even though Niu Daxiu failed the imperial examinations twice in a row, he was still a scholar who only came up once every thirty years in Niujia Village, and he was a respectable cultural figure.
"Which family's daughter are you talking about? You seem so happy!" Niu Xiaocao asked while deftly cutting and weighing the meat.
“She’s a girl from the county town, from a family that runs a business. I heard they also married off a girl a couple of years ago, and they gave her a lot of money as a dowry,” Zhang said.
Niu Xiaocao laughed and said, "That's great! Five catties of meat, two hundred and fifty coins, please take it."
"Little Grass, give me twenty catties of meat!" Niu Dadao said.
"Uncle Niu, my son Li Sheng just came back from the riverbank and saw your two daughters! I heard that Jin Hua Gu was pecked blind by a chicken, and Yin Hua Gu miscarried her four-month-old baby boy!" Niu Xiaocao said while deftly cutting meat.
After all, they were his own sisters; how could Niu Da not feel pain in his heart? But thinking of what his two sisters had done in the past, it was truly heartbreaking. With a hardened heart, he said:
"Other people's business is none of my concern."
"Uncle, is your fifth child almost a month old? Is your fourth still breastfeeding?" Niu Xiaocao asked while deftly cutting and weighing the meat.
"Uncle, would you like more fat or more lean?"
"The fattier cuts are more common, and we're still eating them!" Niu Dadao said. Most poor people can't afford even two ounces of cooking oil a month, so when they buy meat for the New Year, they generally prefer the fattier cuts.
The rich are used to eating delicacies and get tired of them, so they prefer lean meat; the poor go months without meat, so they prefer fatty meat.
"Uncle Niu, here's twenty catties of meat, please keep it! I also have a few bones here for Aunt Shen to eat, they're good for her health! Would you like one or two?" Niu Xiaocao said. It was no secret in Niushan Village that the chickens of the Niu family had laid a lot of eggs.
"Give me four more pork bones, four catties of spare ribs, a piece of pork fat, and two sets of pig's trotters." Pork fat is cheap, only fifteen coins a catty, while pork bones are more expensive than meat, costing fifty-two coins a catty.
Ribs and pork are the same price.
Little Tan asked:
"Big Brother Niu, why did you buy so much meat?"
“Next year on the fifteenth of the first lunar month, my mother-in-law will be turning sixty. Even if we don’t have a big celebration, we should still take some food with us, shouldn’t we?” Niu Da said.
"Oh, your mother-in-law's house is quite far away," said Xiao Tanshi, feeling a little envious. Niu Da had always been very good to Chen Yu, even if he was hungry, he would let Chen Yu eat first.
"Uncle Niu, here's what you wanted! Pork is 1,000 coins, pork bones are 208 coins, spare ribs are 200 coins, pork fat is 10 catties for 150 coins, pig's trotters are 55 coins per catty, and two sets of pig's trotters weigh 8 catties in total, which is 1,998 coins in total. I'll waive the 8 coins for you!"
Niu Da took out three strings of cash from his pocket, counted it twice, and said, "Xiao Cao knows how to do business. One thousand nine hundred and ninety coins!" Niu Xiao Cao counted it again.
Only Niu the Mute and the Xiang family in the village hadn't bought any meat. Zhang Min dried and marinated some of the fish that Niu Da had given him before, and hung them out to dry in front of his door, which made the place look nicer.
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