If I took it to town to sell, I'd only make a little more than this, and there's no guarantee anyone would be willing to buy it.
“No need,” Jiang Nuan refused directly. “The corvée labor is about to be assigned. Every family is struggling. We are all fellow villagers. Giving them more income will make their lives easier.”
At least, they could afford to cut some meat from the flesh of the children who were serving corvée labor to nourish their bodies.
Upon hearing this, the three Huang brothers looked at Jiang Nuan in surprise.
When did my mother's ideological awareness become so high?
Is this still the same mother who would fight someone else's house over a single scallion?
Over the years, it has always been her mother who has taken advantage of others, but when has she ever been taken advantage of by others?
Huang Lao Er looked at the sky, his doubts growing. The sun wasn't even shining yet, so why was his mother dizzy?
Could it be that he has a brain disease?
Thinking of this, he looked at Jiang Nuan anxiously and said sincerely, "Mom, our family has money, let's go to town to get your head checked!"
What?
Jiang Nuan doubted that she had heard correctly.
A pale, loose hand trembled as it pointed at itself, and it asked, "Are you saying I'm mentally ill?"
"Don't worry, Mother," Huang Lao Er nodded emphatically, patting his chest to assure her, "We will definitely get you treated, even if we have to sell everything we own, we will get you cured."
Beside him, Huang Xiaosan watched his foolish second brother, his shoulders shaking violently.
Hahaha...
How dare you say your mother has a problem with her head? Are you asking for trouble?
If my second brother doesn't get beaten this time, I'll take his surname!
Sure enough, the next moment, he saw Jiang Nuan clutching her chest and looking for a broom.
"Huang Shu, you're really something," Jiang Nuan was furious at her second son's words and swung the broom at him. "You dare say your mother is crazy? Your skin is too tight. Let me loosen it for you."
"Mother," Huang Lao Er looked at Jiang Nuan with a puzzled expression, "you won't even let me tell the truth?"
"Is that the truth?" Jiang Nuan's anger intensified. "It's clearly slander."
Jiang Nuan gave her son a light tap, then put down the broom to catch her breath. "Am I that unreliable? Doing a good deed makes me mentally unstable? I think you're the one who needs to see a doctor!"
This guy is such a simpleton.
It seems I'll have to buy more walnuts from now on. If I'm not born with enough, I can make up for it later. I refuse to believe that even if I feed him two pounds of walnuts a day, this stupid son will still be so infuriating!
Huang Lao Er wanted to say yes, but seeing his mother's ashen face, he could only poke his fingers in grievance, then lower his head sullenly, not daring to speak.
He sensed that if he continued talking, even a god couldn't save him.
Having watched the commotion for a while, Huang Xiaosan cleared his throat and tried to smooth things over, "Mother, Second Brother didn't mean it, so please don't be angry. Getting angry will only harm your health."
“Mother,” the eldest brother Huang, who had been silent all along, couldn’t help but speak up for his younger brother, “we can’t entirely blame the second brother. You’ve changed so much from before that he didn’t realize it at first.”
"The difference is too big?" Jiang Nuan was taken aback for a moment, then asked tentatively, "How big?"
"Mother," Huang Xiaosan interrupted before Huang Lao Er could speak, "Have you run into anyone from our village recently?"
"No, what's wrong?" Jiang Nuan was completely confused. "What does this have to do with my past?"
"Mother," Huang Xiaosan said hesitantly, looking troubled. After a long pause, she finally stammered, "Don't you think something's wrong?"
Hearing this, Jiang Nuan was even more confused. "Abnormal? What's wrong with it?"
Their home is in a remote area, and she doesn't go out often, so it's normal that she doesn't run into many people.
It's not like spring plowing when everyone has to go to the fields to work; everyone stays at home, so how could we possibly meet?
“Mother,” Huang Laoda looked at Jiang Nuan, not noticing that she was angry, and carefully explained, “Because you are too powerful, the villagers deliberately avoid you, that’s why they can’t see you.”
Having a powerful mother ensures that the family is never bullied. Being avoided by the villagers like the plague is quite disheartening.
Everyone else helps each other with their work, but this family never gets involved with anyone else's.
Although I have many brothers in my family, I still feel very envious when I see groups of my peers hanging out together.
To avoid upsetting his mother, Huang Laoda tried his best to be gentle, but he still managed to knock Jiang Nuan unconscious.
Oh my god!
How domineering must someone be to be avoided by the entire village?
If it weren't for its powerful background, it would probably have been universally condemned long ago.
Jiang Nuan was at a loss for words. She suddenly recalled the scene of riding in the oxcart and was instantly horrified.
Could it be that everyone in the neighborhood knows about the Jiang family's bad reputation?
Otherwise, why would those women avoid their mother-in-law and daughter-in-law like the plague?
"Mom, don't be angry," Huang Xiaosan said, looking at the silent Jiang Nuan. "It's nothing really. That's how it is in the countryside. There are bound to be some frictions."
His mother was too fierce in a fight; he couldn't win an argument or a physical fight, so the villagers always suffered losses and could only gossip about her behind her back to vent their anger.
Every family has relatives and friends, and it's not surprising that a bad reputation can spread over time.
Aside from the bad reputation, there were no other negative impacts. Although the villagers didn't like their family, they didn't suppress or ostracize them behind their backs, which was quite kind of them.
As for the reputation of being one of the "Three Evils of Huangjiakou," Huang Xiaosan had already subconsciously ignored it.
Mother is the best, no arguments allowed.
Even if it's a bit domineering, it's all to prevent his brothers from being bullied.
“I understand,” Jiang Nuan nodded, clenched her fists, raised her chin, and looked confident. “Don’t worry, Mom will make them change their minds. Sooner or later, all the old women and daughters-in-law in the village will be fighting to befriend Mom.”
"I'm beautiful, kind-hearted, and clever, I'm sure I'll become the most popular person in Huangjiakou, without a doubt!" Jiang Nuan muttered to herself, her mind a mix of sullen excitement and amusement.
She decided to become the most popular... village bully.
Being avoided like the plague is truly exhausting; I would never want to experience it again.
She used to worry that not having a memory would give her away if she ran into familiar villagers, but now that she thinks about it, she was really... overthinking it!
Jiang Nuan's words made the three brothers freeze.
In their view, this was quite difficult, and the chances of success were very, very low.
Huang Lao Er was the most direct: "Mother, this is unrealistic!"
The words were so hurtful, they pierced Jiang Nuan's heart, making her wish she could send Huang Lao Er back to the furnace for a fresh start.
Jiang Nuan's face turned pale instantly. "Boss, hurry up and take Huang Shu away. He's annoying to even look at."
"Mom, should we still buy a cow?" Old Huang asked worriedly, scratching his head. "We still need to harvest cabbages, and buying a cow might not be enough."
“You must buy it, otherwise delivery will be a problem,” Jiang Nuan reassured softly. “Don’t worry about the money. We have enough left over. It’s already February, and the villagers don’t have many cabbages left.”
The cabbages were only grown in the garden for their own consumption. After deducting the consumption during the winter, the 23 households in Huangjiakou should not be able to harvest 20,000 jin.
“Alright,” Huang nodded, “Mother, we’ll go now.”
After saying that, he pocketed the silver and called his two younger brothers to go out.
Just as Jiang Nuan watched her three sons leave, Xie Shi came over and said, "Mother, the clothes are finished."
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