As soon as Xia Juhua said that the main purpose of staying for dinner was to entertain the coachman, Wang Caixia felt that her relationship with her had become much closer. She turned around to look at the coachman (the local name for people who drive cars), and was no longer polite to Xia Juhua. Instead, she helped her to greet everyone and go into the main room.
After pouring water for the man and asking about the harvest at home, the conversation started. When Xia Juhua heard that the coachman's surname was also Xia, she smiled and talked to him about her family background. Then she let Wang Caixia and the coachman sit down first, and she came out to discuss what to eat for lunch with Wang Caifeng.
"Kill one." Xia Juhua said with some distress: "Kill the three-year-old Luhua chicken. I'll catch a few more chicks in the spring so that you don't have to worry about your confinement."
"Mom, one chicken is enough for me during the confinement period." Wang Caifeng was moved when she heard her mother-in-law was planning meals for her during the confinement period. She said, "We'll raise all the chickens to lay eggs when we catch them."
"Oh, by the way, after stewing the chicken, fry some eggs, chop the cabbage hearts and make some cold dishes, and stir-fry some shredded potatoes. That should be enough." Since there are guests coming, there must be at least four dishes.
"What about the meal?" Wang Caifeng felt distressed when she heard this, but the person sitting in the room was her cousin. Although she couldn't say it, she experienced the pain and happiness at the same time.
When Liu Zhiquan and Liu Zhishuang came back at noon, the dishes were already on the table. Wang Caixia and Che Laobaner were also sitting at the table with Xia Juhua. In front of Liu Baoguo's bowl were chicken wings that Xia Juhua had picked for him. He stared at them with his two little black eyes without blinking, and kept blowing air on the chicken wings in front of the bowl, hoping that they would cool down quickly so that he could eat them.
When Sun Hongmei saw Wang Caixia sitting there, her face wanted to droop a little. Liu Zhishuang glanced at her in time, and forcibly pulled the corners of her mouth back to the horizontal line. He forced a smile and greeted Wang Caixia: "Sister, you are here. I haven't seen you for a long time. Is everything going well at home?"
Wang Caixia was a salesperson and had long since mastered the skill of reading people and talking to them. She smiled at Sun Hongmei more intimately than at her own cousin: "It's been a long time since we last met, but Hongmei is still so capable."
Liu Zhishuang had a very good impression of Wang Caixia because of the experience of buying meat. He smiled and said, "Sister, please don't praise her. She can't stand being praised. Once she is praised, she forgets her own last name."
It sounded like a joke, but why did Xia Juhua think it made sense? She even scolded Liu Zhishuang in front of the guests: "You are talking nonsense again. Why don't you go wash your hands?"
Wang Caixia and Mr. Che took a look at the three people and found that they washed their hands naturally and skillfully. They were not pretending to be clean in front of the guests. Their evaluation of Xia Juhua's family went up a level.
When there are guests, everyone in the family, except Liu Baoguo, a child less than two years old, can point to whatever they want to eat, and everyone in the family tacitly eats shredded potatoes and mixed cabbage, and saves the stewed chicken and scrambled eggs for the guests.
On the way back, the boss of this car said to Wang Caixia: "Your cousin married well. Not only is the mother-in-law capable, but she also recognizes her as a relative." Usually, when the daughter-in-law's cousin comes to visit, it's good enough to just fry an egg for her.
Wang Caixia wanted to flatter Xia Juhua and replied with a smile: "I am not a relative of mine. I stewed the chicken for your sake."
The coachman shook his head and said, "I'm just a driver. How can I deserve someone to stew chicken for me? It's good enough that I can have a full meal. They still treat you, their relative, as a guest from their mother's family."
After saying this, both of them laughed, and in their hearts they were thinking that next time they came back to pick up the fried peanuts, they would bring something for Xia Juhua to make up for this meal.
The women who weave mats in Ping'an Village have been eager to give something to thank Xia Juhua these past two days.
Why not thank them? The supply and marketing cooperative raised the price of a mat by 50 cents, and the production team gave them two more work points every day, which meant they earned 20 cents more a day, which was not much less than what they earned during the spring planting and autumn harvest.
In the spring planting and autumn harvest, the work was so hard, but now I can earn money just by working in the field, but it is all brought by the new tricks of Xia Juhua. If you still don't think Xia Juhua is good, do you have a conscience?
If it does not conflict with their own interests, most people will not go against their conscience and pretend not to see the benefits brought to them by others. The women weaving mats in the yard are like this. Now they are praising Xia Juhua, but Xia Juhua herself is almost unrecognizable.
They had to get to know each other even if they didn't know each other. Every woman who came to Xia Juhua for advice felt embarrassed to ask a question without complimenting her first. Xia Juhua had no choice but to accept this way of getting along.
Xia Juhua felt uncomfortable, and the women were also nervous at first. After all, when Xia Juhua first came to weave reed mats, many people wanted to see her make a fool of herself, and they also agreed with Li Changwang's family. What if Xia Juhua was a vengeful person, deliberately made a mistake when teaching the pattern, or got impatient after asking once, and she couldn't learn it herself?
So we had to praise Xia Juhua, praise her a lot, praise her so much that she felt embarrassed to keep her secrets, praise her so much that she would not care about the mat she was weaving, praise her so much that she would stay in the yard and not go home, so that everyone could ask for advice at any time.
As they talked, everyone realized that although Xia Juhua didn't talk much and always paused before speaking, as if she was thinking in her heart whether what she said was appropriate, she was really open-minded and spoke every word.
After that, she doesn't say anything else and just keeps her head down to do her own work. If you don't understand, you can ask her again and she will patiently answer you. If you really don't understand, she will let you watch how she made it up and it doesn't matter how long it takes.
Suddenly, Xia Juhua became the most popular person in the courtyard. An Baoling was impressed and said:
"Sister-in-law, I thought that when they asked me to tell you to weave more slowly last time, you would be reluctant to teach them. After all, no one is willing to teach this skill to others for free."
An Baoling was right. Apart from the women's subtle exclusion of Xia Juhua a few days ago, when it comes to crafts, apart from her own daughter-in-law, no one else taught others as selflessly as Xia Juhua. As the old saying goes, having many skills is never a burden. Now everything is collectively owned. If we count back 20 years, anyone with a little skill would hide it like a family heirloom to prevent others from learning it.
Xia Juhua smiled nonchalantly: "I can only make a few mats by myself. Only when we work together can we complete the orders of the supply and marketing cooperative. Besides, the production team gives me two extra hours every day, so I don't lose anything."
Whether it is a loss or not, everyone has a scale in their hearts. Otherwise, these old ladies would have caused a big fuss in the production team if they saw Xia Juhua earning eight work points a day no matter how much or how little she earned.
An Baoling looked at Li Changwang's family walking towards where they were sitting, raised her voice intentionally, and said with a smile: "Why not? You don't care about working eight hours a day." If my sister-in-law stayed at home to fry peanuts, she would at least fry more than 200 kilograms a day and earn two or three yuan. How much does it cost to work eight hours a day?
When Li Changwang heard An Baoling's words, she felt a little embarrassed. It was not for any other reason, but because she felt that An Baoling was talking to her. Because when Liu Erzhuang announced in the yard that Xia Juhua would teach everyone new tricks, so she had to be recorded as eight hours a day, Li Changwang had quickly raised questions.
After seeing the tricks Xia Juhua came up with and hearing that Xia Juhua had taken another job roasting peanuts for the supply and marketing cooperative, Li Changwang felt extremely regretful and was too embarrassed to ask Xia Juhua for advice alone for the past two days.
However, when weaving words on the mat, the extra or missing reed bark is very obvious. People who have learned from Xia Juhua can never explain it clearly - those women know how to weave, but why they weave in that way and how to hide the reed bark so tightly that it will not be exposed during use, but there is always that little difference.
The person from Li Changwang's family who was asking the question was not very patient. She got annoyed after asking less than three times and said, "I don't understand it myself. You should ask Xia Xiaohuo." Then she ignored her.
In order not to delay the progress, Li Changwang's family made a great determination to come to Xia Juhua. How could they not feel embarrassed after hearing what An Baoling said? In the past two days, many people came to Xia Juhua to ask questions. Xia Juhua did not look up to see who came over. While making up the mat, she asked: "What's the matter? What don't you understand?"
An Baoling chuckled and lowered her head to weave her own reed mat, not looking at Li Changwang's family. Li Changwang's family just felt that her ears were erected high and were waiting to see her give in to Xia Juhua.
Just give in. Li Changwang thought that he was flexible and spoke out his doubts. Xia Juhua thought about it and didn't notice that Li Changwang's expression kept changing - she thought Xia Juhua was trying to embarrass her and didn't want to tell her easily.
Just when he was about to mock Xia Juhua and say "I won't ask you anymore", Xia Juhua spoke again, explaining the problems of Li Changwang's family in great detail, and even let her see how she handled the connection between the two reeds. Li Changwang's family blushed and turned pale after listening to it.
As soon as she left, An Baoling couldn't help but laugh: "Sister-in-law, I admire you even more."
Seeing Xia Juhua looking at her in confusion, An Baoling suppressed her laughter and whispered, "You haven't seen Li Changwang's complexion. It's almost dyeable. The red and green ones look beautiful."
Xia Juhua also laughed. She found that An Baoling had always been a person who said what she thought in her two lives. She was able to maintain this kind of personality. It should be because Liu Sanzhuang did not let her suffer too much injustice. Liu Sanzhuang was also a capable person to be able to protect his wife to this extent under the Sun family.
Seeing that Xia Juhua was just smiling and not saying anything, An Baoling knew that she was the type who didn't like to talk about people behind their backs, so she lowered her head and concentrated on weaving the mats.
不想沒過一會兒，李常旺家的又湊了過來，還把自己編的席一起拿了過來，氣的夏菊花邊上的人直瞪她——供銷社訂的是鋪在炕上的大席，可不是随手拿着編的小玩意，占地方着呢。
李常旺家的湊過來，別人的地方就有些不夠使，得給她騰地方。現在場院裏誰不想離夏菊花近點，問問題好方便點兒，當然不願意讓李常旺家的得逞，不瞪她瞪誰。
要不說李常旺家的臉皮厚呢，就跟沒看到別人瞪自己一樣，四下裏賠着笑臉求饒：“我學的慢，離夏小夥近點兒多問問，多問問。”
“常旺家的，我咋聽着你不是想問劉嫂子，是想找麻煩呢？”被迫挪地方的有李常滿家的，跟李常旺家的是叔伯妯娌，兩家一向不大對付，最看不慣李常旺家的天天說嘴挑是非，一下子挑出她的錯來：
“想向人家學手藝，不拿東西也就算了，咱們大家一樣白學。可這嘴是不是得客氣着點兒，張嘴就叫人家的外號，你這是想學東西？”
李常旺家的想着離夏菊花近點兒，自己嘴甜點兒，跟她時不常的多說兩句話，這關系不就拉近了，夏菊花也就不好再計較自己曾質疑過給她多計工分的事兒，再問問題夏菊花的停頓說不定都沒有了。
李常旺家的覺得，安寶玲可能不願意別人比她跟夏菊花更好，說不定會拿話點自己，誰知道安寶玲沒說什麽呢，李常滿家的倒站出來了，氣的她也瞪起眼珠子：
“我那是叫慣了一時沒改過來，劉嫂子都沒說啥你叭叭啥。狗拿耗子多管閑事。”
“你說誰是狗呢？”李常滿家的也不是吃素的，把葦片往地上一扔，站起來沖着李常旺家的就過去了。
夏菊花無奈的放下自己手裏的葦片，向兩人說：“你們倆吵吵啥呢，一會兒二壯聽見了過來罵你們一頓，這麽大歲數了好聽是不是。”
她的聲音不高，聽起來也沒多厲害，卻一下子讓李常滿家的和李常旺家的都住了嘴，兩人一起看向重新撿起葦片的夏菊花，都一句話不說的坐了下來。
“快編吧，有不會的快點問，我編完這張就先回去了。”夏菊花見場院裏的人都往她們這邊看，又說了一句就不再出聲，大家竟然聽話的忙活起來。
安寶玲覺得自家大嫂真是一句頂劉二壯十句，沖着夏菊花比了比大拇指，夏菊花好笑的瞪她一眼，竟讓安寶玲覺得大嫂對她比所有人都親近。
能不親近嗎，這可是她親嫂子。安寶玲美滋滋的想着，直到看到場院邊上站着的孫桂芝，這份高興勁才散去不少。
“嫂子。”安寶玲叫了一聲卻沒擡頭，小聲提醒夏菊花：“這兩天孫桂芝就跟娘和二哥說，她也想來學編席呢。二哥那兒不知道能不能頂得住，你小心點兒。”
“咋哪兒有便宜都有她呢。”夏菊花聽了難得的吐槽一句，偏讓李常旺家的聽見了，高聲問了一句：“誰，誰想占劉嫂子的便宜，嫂子你告訴我。我還不信了，我們編席編的好好的，給生産隊增加收入呢，憑什麽讓不相幹的人來占便宜。”
她這一嚷嚷，場院裏編席的婦女們又都擡起頭來，孫桂芝直接被所有人盯上了。被一個人看還沒啥，被十幾個人盯着看，還是防備的看，孫桂芝這麽厚臉皮的人也招架不住。
“看啥看。”孫桂芝今天是想來看看學編席能不能渾水摸魚，沒想到被李常旺家的叫破了，有些惱羞成怒的對着場院裏的人嚷嚷：“就編個席，還怕人看？”
“看呢是不怕人看。”李常旺家的陰陽怪氣的接話了：“可就怕有人想搞破壞呀。”
這年頭搞破壞可不是什麽好詞，孫桂芝一聽就急了：“你別滿嘴噴糞，誰想搞破壞了？”
李常旺家的還怕孫桂芝不急呢，不急她怎麽接着陰陽怪氣罵人，怎麽在夏菊花面前表現出自己和她是一夥的？見孫桂芝真急了，李常旺家的倒樂了：
“你天天跟地主家小姐似的不下地，突然到場院來了，不是想搞破壞是想幹啥？”
夏菊花有心告訴李常旺家的，你說的太牽強了，兩件事兒之間根本沒有什麽聯系。可是上輩子被孫桂芝姑侄兩個惡心的太狠，最終也沒說出口，只默默編着自己手裏的席子，當孫桂芝不存在。
可惜夏菊花想置身事外，別人卻非得拉她下水，她也沒辦法不是。
孫桂芝就是那個想拉夏菊花下水的人。聽到李常旺家的一盆一盆往自己身上潑髒水，又跟夏菊花坐的那麽近，認定是夏菊花跟李常旺家的說了什麽，才讓這個愛扯老婆舌頭的娘們對自己發瘋，孫桂芝沖着夏菊花嚷了起來：
“夏菊花，你躲在人背後算什麽本事，有能耐自己跟我說。”
場院裏的人看白癡一樣看着孫桂芝，心裏都說，人家夏菊花和你說得着嗎。
夏菊花自己也是這麽想的，所以手上的動作不停，眼睛都沒帶擡一下的。罵出口的話沒人理，讓孫桂芝又想起自己在公社丢醜的那天，夏菊花也是先裝沒事兒人一樣進了飯店，出來後就讓自己丢了大人。
今天她又來這一套，孫桂芝覺得自己不能讓她得逞——夏菊花嘴慢，自己要是先把她罵的擡不起頭，就占了上風。于是孫桂芝拍着大腿開始指着夏菊花說：
“你別仗着自己兩個兒子都娶了媳婦，就覺得自己了不起了。你兩兒子娶上媳婦了，她們知道你背後這麽壞自己的妯娌，就能一樣兩人相互使絆子。咋啦，理虧不敢說話了，你不說大家也知道你是啥樣的人，少在這兒給我裝模作樣！”
正罵的起勁呢，夏菊花突然站了起來，直直來到孫桂芝面前，來了一句：“我兩個兒子娶上媳婦了，有一個還是別人使心眼才進的我們家門，我就是覺得我兒子有能耐，咋地？”
“你——”孫桂芝一下噎住了，聽的人卻都樂了。大家都是八卦愛好者，誰沒聽說過夏菊花一開始不同意劉志雙娶孫桂芝的侄女，現在孫桂芝竟然還敢拿夏菊花的兒媳婦說事，被堵的說不出話來才叫活該！
李常旺家的不會放過落井下石的機會，邊樂邊說：“孫桂芝，你年紀沒我們大，這記性咋還不如我們呢。我記得你跟你婆婆去劉嫂子家鬧事沒過去幾天吧，咋又來找劉嫂子的事兒了？這回咋沒叫你婆婆一塊跟來，是不是你婆婆也知道你不占理，不願意跟着來呀？”
李常滿家的覺得不能讓李常旺家的一人獨得夏菊花的好感，忙接話道：“她婆婆不占理，她一個兄弟媳婦的找大嫂的麻煩，就占理了？人家劉嫂子在這兒教大家編席教的好好的，孫桂芝又不編席，憑啥一來就對着劉嫂子大呼小叫的？”
“那她憑啥教你們編席不教別人？”孫桂芝終于說出她找上夏菊花的目的，可把所在場院裏編席的婦女們都得罪完了，不用夏菊花開口，一個個指着孫桂芝跟仇人似的說她不是東西：
“你從來沒來編過席，人家劉嫂子憑啥教你？”
“你當自己是老幾，你想學別人就得教你，是不是還得劉嫂子求着你學？”
“別說讓劉嫂子求着她，就是她好聲好氣的求着劉嫂子，我也得打破頭楔不讓劉嫂子教她，該下她的了。”
夏菊花聽着大家替她辯解不是不感慨的：上輩子這個時候，平安莊已經有了她為難兩個兒媳婦，不是一個好婆婆的傳言，眼前的人十有八九指責的都是夏菊花。現在這些人卻在不遺餘力的為她辯護，甚至不惜直接跟孫桂芝對着幹。
如果自己沒有教給這些人編席的新花樣，她們還會這麽幫自己說話嗎？這個念頭只在夏菊花腦子裏一閃而過，知道自己現在最該面對的還是孫桂芝。
家裏頭的孫紅梅現在被壓的不敢跟孫桂芝多走動，這女人占不到便宜，所以着急的自己跳出來了。
她想跳夏菊花就得看着她跳嗎？
夏菊花覺得不應該讓孫桂芝有這樣的幻覺，所以開口說話了：“我願意教誰就教誰，你管得着嗎？”
孫桂芝指着夏菊花說不出話，她發現自己現在面對夏菊花，經常會說不出來話。這不對，夏菊花嘴那麽慢，遇事都是能退就退，怎麽就讓自己說不出話來呢？
孫桂芝不願意繼續被堵的啞口無言，強硬的說：“你能教這些人，就得教給想學的人。社員就得互相幫助。”孫桂芝覺得自己最後一句話說的很有力量，面上帶出些得意來。
不要臉也不是這麽不要的。夏菊花看孫桂芝一眼：“你說社員得互相幫助，那你幫助我啥了？當着全公社的人颠倒黑白罵人是幫助我，還是挑唆婆婆上我們家鬧是幫助我？”
Yes, Sun Guizhi, apart from causing trouble for Xia Juhua, when did she ever help her? Not to mention Xia Juhua, even Li Daya and An Baoling, who lived in the same courtyard with Sun Guizhi, only helped Sun Guizhi with work, but she never helped her two sisters-in-law.
More instructions fell on Sun Guizhi, and no matter how thick-skinned she was, she could no longer hold back. Before leaving the yard, Sun Guizhi said something tough: "Don't be complacent. I'm waiting to see how badly you'll end up."
Xia Juhua did not refrain from retorting as she did in the past. Instead, she said calmly: "If you don't go home and instigate the old man to make trouble again, then wait." If you have the ability, do it yourself.