“Father-in-law, you don’t need to get angry with that kind of woman. You’ll only hurt yourself!” Madam Liang said. Her original sister-in-law, Niu Yinhua, was already an extremely unpleasant person, but she never expected that her new wife would be an even more nasty and filthy woman.
Grandpa Zhuo didn't explain in detail to Zhuo Yijun, only saying that his second son's wife wanted to separate the family property. Although his eldest son was a bit stupid and couldn't learn anything, only knowing how to stay at home and farm, fortunately, his son and daughter-in-law were both kind-hearted people. Otherwise, he would have been driven to his death sooner or later by those two blockheads in his later years.
"Take your twenty-six acres of land and that pig, and get the hell out of here! You can figure out how to build your own houses!"
The Niu family soon learned about the Zhuo family's division of property. Niu Yinhua was, after all, Niu Da's younger sister. Although he had only met his niece Zhuo Ming once, the child who had lost her mother was truly pitiful, and Niu Da couldn't bear to abandon her and not go to see her.
Niu Xiaomei's marriage was set for the tenth day of the second lunar month of the following spring.
On September 24th, the Niu family's two shops opened for business.
“Dad, I was thinking, we have a lot of pickled vegetables and sauerkraut at home, why don’t we put all the pickled vegetables and sauerkraut we have on the table? It’ll make us look generous!”
Niu Da thought for a moment and said, "Okay!"
Niu Er said, "Brother, the shop needs help these days. Cuihua and I don't have to go to school, so we can go help out at the shop!"
Niu Cuihua said, "Yes, Father!"
Niu Baozhu fed a bite of the osmanthus cake that she had bought at home to Xiao Fubao, who was sitting in Niu Xiaomei's arms. Xiao Fubao took the cake with her chubby little hands and smiled as she savored it.
Niu Baozhu fed Niu Baolan another piece, and Niu Baolan stretched out her mouth and ate the osmanthus cake in one gulp, as if afraid that someone would take it from her.
"Oh dear, eat slowly!" Niu Xiaomei said anxiously. She wiped Niu Baolan's little mouth, while Niu Ke'er and Niu Qiao'er obediently chewed slowly.
After the family finished discussing the matter, Niu Da came over, picked up Xiao Fubao, carried her on his shoulder, and steadily supported her from behind, saying:
"Daddy has been busy with the shop these days and hasn't held our babies in a long time. Our little Fu Bao has gotten heavier!"
Little Fu Bao clapped his hands happily and said in his childish voice, "Daddy, Daddy!"
Niu Da took Niu Baolan's hand with his other hand, "There's something being made at the village entrance today, let's go eat! Cuihua, Meihua, Baozhu, Ke'er, Qiao'er, you all come along!"
Five little girls followed behind, wagging their tails.
"Sister-in-law, let me help you!" Niu Xiaomei said. All seven children had gone out, leaving only Shen Shi, Niu Xiaomei, and Xiang Shi in the courtyard.
Chen Yu took out all the pickled vegetables and sauerkraut and said, "Okay, little sister, I was thinking that once the newly planted vegetables in the field have grown again, I'll buy some sauces and sauce the vegetables at home, and then make some kimchi. What do you think?"
"Sister-in-law, you can even make pickles?" Niu Xiaomei said in surprise.
"I used to work with my mother when I was at my parents' home." After she married into the family, the Niu family didn't have the means for her to do that kind of work. For a few years, Niu Da relied on working for Jia Dafu's family to save up enough money to buy a piece of land. She thought that once she bought the land, she could make some pickles and kimchi to eat. But because of Niu Cuihua's illness, she lost it all at once.
“But we’re not short of money now, so you don’t have to work so hard, sister-in-law!” Niu Xiaomei said.
Shen Yu laughed and said, "We've all been through hardship. Even though conditions have improved, we can't shake our work ethic. I don't want to waste my skills in making pickles and kimchi."
Xiang Jinlan said, "I think it's a good idea. We can wait until next year. All five little ones will be a year older, Baozhu won't need special care anymore, and there will only be two little ones left. Meihua will also be starting school soon. Around the Spring Festival, we'll all have more time."
Niu Xiaomei said, "Sister-in-law, I'll help you make it too!"
As Chen Yu put the pickled vegetables into the basin, she joked, "You'll be getting married by then, so you can't come every day! If I asked you to come every day, wouldn't Doctor Xue hate me?"
Niu Xiaomei stamped her feet anxiously: "Aunt Xiang, look at my sister-in-law, she's no good person!"
All three of them laughed.
She harvested sweet potatoes in August, and after two months, some were still unsold. So she dried them and planned to make sweet potato sauce for the children as a snack.
Chen Yu put the chopped pickled vegetables and sauerkraut into a jar and sealed it. Then she put the sweet potato chips coated with rice flour, honey and sesame paste into the sun to air dry.
That evening, we took it out and gave it to the children to eat.
"Mom, your sweet potato chips with sauce are so delicious!" Niu Cuihua said. "Why don't we put them in the shop and sell them?"
"Isn't this something every household does? Will they be able to sell them?" Shen Yu asked doubtfully.
Niu Da took a bite: "Not every family can make this. No one else's tastes as good as my wife's. Your sweet potato chips are sweet but not cloying, crispy but not burnt—just right."
Chen Yu laughed and said, "Then let's put them in the shop along with those sauces and try them out!"
"Brother, sister-in-law, what are you eating? You look so happy!" Xue Huaimin came carrying two large geese and a basket of vegetables, and said, "It's better to be lucky than early!"
Shen Yu smiled and said, "Perfect timing, Doctor Xue. I have some sweet potato chips and pickled vegetables."
Xue Huaimin smiled, reached out and grabbed a sweet potato with soy sauce, ate one, and his eyes immediately lit up:
"Sister-in-law, your cooking is so delicious! How did you make it?"
"If you like them, take some home. I'll make some spicy bean curd sheets next time so you can take some back to eat."
Niu Xiaomei blushed slightly as she listened to him calling her "sister-in-law" repeatedly.
Niu Ke'er ran over, and Xue Huaimin scooped her up, laughing, "Uncle hasn't held you in a long time, let's see if you've grown any heavier!"
Niu Ke'er laughed and said, "Uncle, I think I've eaten too much, I'm definitely heavier!" She reached for the sweet potato chips with soy sauce, but Xue Huaimin stopped her.
"Your hands are dirty, you need to wash them first!" Xue Huaimin frowned as he looked at Ke'er's muddy hands.
He carried Niu Ke'er to wash her hands, saying, "What are you doing? Your hands are so dirty."
Niu Ke'er said, "My sister, Sister Meihua, and I are pulling weeds in the vegetable garden in the backyard!" Xue Huaimin patted Ke'er and Qiao'er's heads, and the two little girls washed their hands.
"After you washed your hands, your uncle brought you something else," he said, "a pound of maltose."
Niu Xiaomei said, "Don't spoil them. Too much candy is bad for children!"
"It's okay to eat a little bit occasionally! Besides bringing you things, I mainly came to check on your illness again. You had a fight with me recently and didn't take your medicine properly, so I wasn't able to help you correct your astrological configuration."
Niu Xiaomei blushed.
The correct position requires massage and acupuncture on the lower abdomen. Xue Huaimin had already helped her correct it quite a bit before, but she still needs to have it corrected a few more times.
Who knew that Niu Xiaomei would be so frightened by Xue Huaimin's confession?
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